2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

28-14 ROUSSEAU RECONSIDEREDRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sun 10:30 amFolke B. Lindahl, Michigan State UniversityRousseau and the Republican Fear of Large AssembliesEthan Putterman, National University of SingaporeOverview: Eighteenth and nineteenth century republicans suchas James Madison and Edmund Burke routinely describe largeor "extended" legislatures as mobs.Nature in the Thought of Montaigne and RousseauBenjamin W. Storey, Furman UniversityOverview: This paper describes a naturalist strain of modernthought that runs from Montaigne to Rousseau, therebychallenging the standard view of Rousseau as reactionary, andthe view of modern thought as anti-naturalist.Elective Aristocratic Republican Government: RousseauReconsideredMichael J. Faber, Indiana University, BloomingtonOverview: Rousseau's essay On Social Contract is frequentlycited as the source of absolutist ideas. I argue here that thisessay is generally misinterpreted, and in fact lays down alimited government based in modern republican principles.The Spirit/Form Tradition in Political ThoughtMichael T. Rogers, Lindsey Wilson CollegeOverview: In this paper I argue a) there are enough similaritiesin Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Tocqueville to treat them as acommon tradition and b) using their approach to politicalanalysis can give us a better understanding of the practice ofdemocracy today.Jeffrey Metzger, Brown University29-8 FAMILY, EQUALITY, AND INDIVIDUALRIGHTSRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sun 10:30 amJennifer C. Rubenstein, Princeton UniversityIndividual Rights v. Community Standards: The Case forthe Right to MarryMary B. McThomas, University of California, Los AngelesOverview: The courts have progressively recognized theindividual's right to marry over the state's interest in limitingthat right. The exception is bigamy. How does this inform ourunderstanding of individual choice, community scrutiny andsame-sex marriage?Same-Sex Marriage and the Task of Political PhilosophyJoshua D. Goldstein, University of TorontoOverview: Seeking to clarify political philosophy's task inrelation to same-sex marriage.Can Political Liberalism Deliver Equality in the Social-Bases of Self-Respect?Gerald Doppelt, University of California, San DiegoOverview: This paper examines Rawls' important notion ofequality in the social bases of self-respect and the pivotal role ofhis paradigm of self-respect as equal democratic rights. Iexamine reformulations of Rawls' principles that accommodatethe objection.Gay Marriage and the Sexual OmeletJames M. Patterson, University of VirginiaOverview: Both sides of the gay marriage debate view sex aspersonal fulfillment from treating another person as if he werean object. Resolving the debate requires redefining sex as asocial performance to support both persons.Squaring Happiness with DemocracyWilliam A. Gorton, Alma CollegeOverview: Public policy aimed at increasing happiness poses adilemma for liberal democracies because people are not good atpredicting what will make them happy. I discuss howdemocracies might pursue happiness while continuing to honorcitizens’ autonomy.Joseph Agassi, Tel-Aviv University/York University, TorontoPhil Neisser, SUNY, Potsdam30-16 LAB EXPERIMENTS OF FORMAL MODELSRoomChairPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sun 10:30 amRebecca B. Morton, New York UniversityEndogenous Choice of Redistributive Taxes in a LabExperimentJustin Esarey, Florida State UniversityTim Salmon, Florida State UniversityCharles Barrilleaux, Florida State UniversityOverview: We conduct a laboratory experiment to assess theeffects of different rules on individual preferences forredistribution.Spurring Development; Developing TrustNicholas Weller, University of California, San DiegoOverview: Economic exchange requires institutions, and I testexperimentally the type and quality of institutions that increaseexchange between subjects.Constrained Instability: Experiments on the Robustness ofthe Uncovered SetMichael S. Lynch, Washington University, St. LouisWilliam T. Bianco, Pennsylvania State UniversityGary J. Miller, Washington University, St. LouisItai Sened, Washington University, St. LouisOverview: This paper reports the results of five-person votingexperiments designed to test the viability of the uncovered set.The results show strong support for the uncovered set as asolution concept in simple majority decision-makingenvironments.Rebecca B. Morton, New York University32-11 VOTER REACTIONS TO POLITICALPARTIESRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sun 10:30 amEmily Clough, University of North TexasThe Rise of the Cultural Voter and What It Means for theAmerican Party SystemJoel A. Lieske, Cleveland State UniversityOverview: This paper explores how cultural differences andissues have come to play a central role in the outcome ofpresidential elections and how American voters view the twomajor parties and their candidates.Parental Influence On Partisan IdentificationPatrick T. Hickey, University of TexasOverview: This paper examines the effect parents have on theirchildren's partisan identification. The hypothesis is that parentalparty ID is the strongest predictor of the partisan ID of youngadults. The dataset used is the General Social Survey.Partisan Stability and Electoral ContextQuin Monson, Brigham Young UniversityKelly Patterson, Brigham Young UniversityJeremy Pope, Brigham Young UniversityOverview: Using 2004 three wave panel data, we findindividuals change their partisanship in response to politicalstimuli in their environment suggesting that institutional contextaffects partisan stability even in the abbreviated window of acampaign season.Do Policy Shifts Have an Electoral Payoff?Margit Tavits, University of Missouri, ColumbiaOverview: Party policy shifts on pragmatic issues such asmanaging the economy are associated with increased votersupport. However, policy shifts on principled social issues leadto decreased support for the party.Making a Difference: How Exposure to Ads Conveys PartyDistinctionsMichael M. Franz, Bowdoin CollegeOverview: This paper explores the effect of campaign ads oncitizen perception of party differences.Barbara A. Trish, Grinnell College266