2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Thursday, April 20 – 1:45 pm – 3:30 pm2-2 HUMAN CAPITAL AND THEDETERMINANTS OF EDUCATION POLICYRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Thur 1:45 pmGunther Hega, Western Michigan UniversityMeasuring Human Capital: A Comparative Analysis ofPISA Background FactorsElisabeth B. Muhlenberg, University of Illinois, ChicagoOverview: This paper assesses macro-level structural factorsand agent characteristics behind the OECD's studentachievement scores (PISA) of more than 40 countries. Germanyis used to show how measuring human capital connectseducation and the economy.Who's Leaving Teachers Behind? The New Politics ofEducation GovernanceJane R. Gingrich, University of California, BerkeleyOverview: This paper uses pan-OECD data to demonstrate thatimportant shifts in education governance have occurred over thepast twenty years. The paper assesses the power of informalaction by social actors versus formal legal change in explainingthis shift.Determinants of Public, Private and Sectoral EducationSpending in OECD CountriesMarius R. Busemeyer, University of HeidelbergOverview: This talk presents results from an analysis of thestatistical determinants of public, private and sectoral educationspending in 21 OECD countries.From the Ballot to the Blackboard: Partisan andInstitutional Effects on Education PolicyBen W. Ansell, Harvard UniversityOverview: This paper examines the effects of partisanship,conditional on electoral institutions, in determining the level ofeducation spending in the OECD from 1960 to 2000.Who Cares About Human Capital? The Politics BehindRecent Education ReformsKatherine Glassmyer, Yale UniversityOverview: Using an original dataset and two case studies, Iexamine the politics that led to recent education policy reformsin the rich democracies. Particular attention is paid to what role,if any, business interests have played.Gunther Hega, Western Michigan University2-18 THE POLITICS OF REFERENDA -- THE EUCONSTITUTIONRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperTBA, Thur 1:45 pmMarco R. Steenbergen, University of North Carolina, ChapelHillThe Failed EU Constitution Referendum: The French Casein PerspectiveFrancesca Vassallo, University of Southern MaineOverview: The failed EU Constitution referendum in France hashighlighted a new spreading attitude towards the Europeanintegration project. Both domestic and international factors areresponsible for this increasing French dislike of the EU.Clientelism as Political Strategy; a Formal TheoryLeonardo A. Gatica-Arreola, University of GuadalajaraOverview: This paper proposes a formal model to explain theuse of clientelism and its relationship with political competition,social cleavages, poverty and inequality.A Kingdom Divided Against Itself: The Ratification of theEU ConstitutionTimothy S. Boylan, Winthrop UniversityOverview: This study examines and evaluates the ratification ofthe EU Constitution. It compares and contrasts the 2004-2005ratification process in Europe with that of its Americancounterpart in 1787-1788.A Kingdom Divided Against Itself: The Ratification of theEU ConstitutionTimothy S. Boylan, Winthrop UniversityOverview: This study examines and evaluates the ratification ofthe EU Constitution. It compares and contrasts the 2004-2005PaperPaperDisc.ratification process in Europe with that of its Americancounterpart in 1787-1788.The Spanish Referendum on the EU Constitution: Issues,Party-cues and Second Order EffectsJoan Font, Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS)Overview: The results of the Spanish referendum on the EUConstitutional Treaty (especially the option to vote YES/NO)will be discussed using the CIS postreferendum survey.Why the French Voted NoBruno Cautres, CIDSPOverview: The results of the French referendum on the EUConstitutional Treaty (especially the option to vote YES/NO)will be discussed using a postreferendum survey.Marco R. Steenbergen, University of North Carolina, ChapelHill3-17 LINKING (OR UNLINKING) DEMOCRACYAND SOCIAL SPENDINGRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Thur 1:45 pmKimberly E. Moloney, American UniversityThe Impact of Economic Reforms on Corporate GovernanceNancy E. Brune, Princeton UniversityOverview: This paper explores the impact of the IMF, andmediating effects of democracy and openness on socialspending in emerging economies.Democratization and Public Sector Change: Evidence FromLatin American CountriesGuillermo M. Cejudo, Boston UniversityOverview: What are the effects of democratization on theperformance of the public sector? This paper explains theeffects of democratization on bureaucratic effectiveness, publicsector size, corruption and professionalization.Does Democracy Keep its Promise? Democracy and Post-Transfer InequalitySung Park, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillWoojin Kang, Florida State UniversityDae Jin Yi, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillOverview: This paper tries to contribute to the controversy onthe relation between democracy and inequality.Inequality and the Welfare State in Developing CountriesWonik Kim, Louisiana State UniversityOverview: The purpose of this paper is to explore and test therelationship between the distribution of income within a societyand the welfare state expansion in developing countries.Michelle L. Dion, Georgia Institute of Technology3-101 ROUNDTABLE: INTERNATIONAL AID ANDREGIME STABILITYRoomPanelistPanelistTBA, Thur 1:45 pmDoes Democracy Attract More Foreign Aid?Yu-Sung Su, CUNY, The Graduate CenterOverview: Does regime type matters in determining the amountof foreign aid a country would receive? This paper quests theanswer by employing 2SLS, matching methods, Heckmanselection method, and difference-in-difference estimation.Aid and Growth in Autocracies: How Time HorizonsImpact the Use of AidJoseph Wright, University of California, Los AngelesOverview: I model how autocratic leadersÆ time horizonsaffect their decisions over the use of foreign aid in differenttypes of autocracies. I test this model using aid and growthdata on 112 autocracies between 1970 and 2000.4-2 SYSTEMIC THEME AND VARIATION INTRANSITIONAL DEMOCRACIESRoomChairPaperTBA, Thur 1:45 pmSimone R. Bohn, University of ChicagoSustaining Democratic Regimes: Structure, Institutions, andCulturePippa Norris, Harvard UniversityOverview: What distinguishes the nations which forged aheadwith major regime transitions, becoming stable democracies97