2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

PaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.Ecuadorian and Mexican experiences with recent judicialreforms.Anticipating the Consequences of Court Rulings: ThePolitics of Presidential Decrees in ChileDruscilla Scribner, University of Wisconsin, OshkoshOverview: This paper explains how and why the ChileanConstitutional Tribunal's interpretation of presidential powerhas an important "anticipated" effect on presidential use ofvarious types of decree power available in the Chilean politicalsystem.The Integration of East German Police in Post-UnifiedGermany: A Comparison of Berlin and BrandenburgKaty Crossley-Frolick, DePaul UniversityOverview: As one method of transitional justice, the paperdiscusses the processes and results of vetting former EastGerman police officers in Berlin and Brandenburg.Revisiting Transitional Justice: Latin America and BeyondDavid Backer, Stanford UniversityOverview: This paper examines the puzzle of why certaincountries alter the mode of accountability for past human rightsviolations that was adopted following the transition todemocracy, evaluating a range of factors in an analysis of 14Latin American cases.The Democratizing Impact of Justice: the Chilean ParadigmMark Ensalaco, University of DaytonOverview: The Chilean experience demonstrates that pursuit ofboth truth (restorative justice) and criminal prosecutions(retributive justice) can contribute to the restoration of the ruleof law, and democratic consolidation.Mark Massoud, University of California, Berkeley4-16 CONSOLIDATING GAINS IN AFRICANDEMOCRACIESRoomChairPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sat 3:45 pmDavid H. Carwell, Eastern Illinois UniversityDemocratic Transitions and Stability in Africa: Role ofPolitical EthnicityRaphael O. Ogom, DePaul UniversityOverview: The early 1990s marked a period of democratictransitions in Africa. However, many of these failed toconsolidate. We argue that this failure lies in the issue ofpolitical ethnicity and its dysfunctional manipulation by theAfrican political elite.Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa: Progress andRetreatChris Lee, University of Minnesota, MorrisOverview: This is a paper that examines trends in AfricanPolitical Development over the last thirty years and looksclosely at several cases where democratization seems to besucceeding and others where it has clearly failed.Political Reconciliation and Democratic Contestation inSouth Africa: Evaluating the Role of Opposition PartiesSince 1994Matt Murphy, Reed CollegeGraeme Blair, Reed CollegeOverview: Using data from federal and provincial elections,parliamentary votes, committee participation, and debates, welook for evidence of political reconciliation between oppositionparties and the dominant ANC in South Africa.TBA5-14 PARTIES' POLICY DYNAMICS INWESTERN EUROPE (Co-Sponsored withComparative Politics-Industrialized Countries,see 2-19)RoomChairTBA, Sat 3:45 pmBonnie M. Meguid, University of RochesterPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.Dynamic Representation in Western European PartySystemsJames F. Adams, University of California, DavisAndrea Haupt, University of California,Santa BarbaraHeather Stoll, University of California, Santa BarbaraOverview: We explore the linkages between public opinionshifts and parties' policy shifts in Western Europe.Valence Issue and Parties' Policy DynamicsMichael Clark, University of California, Santa BarbaraOverview: I investigate whether parties adjust their policyprogrammes in response to changes in their reputations forcompetence, unity, and integrity.Testing the Left-Right Dimensionality of the PartyManifesto DataErica E. Edwards, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillRyan Bakker, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillCatherine Netjes, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamOverview: This paper investigates the cross-temporal and crossnationaldynamics underlying party positioning by employingcontent analyses of parties' policy programmes.Dynamic Distributional RepresentationLawrence Ezrow, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamOverview: Does the diversity of policy choices on offer in apolitical system change in response to changes in the diversityof voters’ policy preferences? The empirical analyses in thispaper suggest the answer is yes.Are Changes in Factional Control the Source of Party Left-Right Volatility?Michael D. McDonald, Binghamton UniversityOverview: Investigation of whether party leadership changes area necessary condition for substantial change in party policyposition taking.Michael Laver, New York UniversityBonnie M. Meguid, University of Rochester5-20 THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC OPINION INEUROPE AND THE EURoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperTBA, Sat 3:45 pmFrancesca Vassallo, University of Southern MainePublic Support or Trust: Do Europeans Make theDifferentiation?Tracy S. Harbin, Syracuse UniversityOverview: This paper is designed to test if Europeans responddifferently to questions of "public support" and "trust." Thegoal is to understand if we can speak about trust in a meaningfulway that is different from the studies on public support.Conditional Effect of Public Opinion on Party Positions inEuropeHanbeom Jeong, University of KentuckySatoshi Machida, University of KentuckyOverview: This study examines the link between parties and thepublic in the context of European integration. We argue thatparty reactions to the public depend on the type of parties. Wesystematically test this hypothesis by using 2SLS.Does Immigrant Groups Influence Public Attitudes OnImmigration in Europe?Jason E. Kehrberg, University of KentuckyOverview: This study examines the public attitudes onimmigration across six different categories of immigrationfinding differnces.Culture, Benefits and Elite Cues: Attitudes TowardTurkey's EU MembershipDale L. Smith, Florida State UniversitySabri Ciftci, Florida State UniversityOverview: This paper argues that individual support forTurkey's EU membership is a function of both economic andcultural factors conditional on the degree of Euroskepticism anddivisiveness of national elites.235