2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

PaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.during the third wave, from others which remain autocratic?This paper develops a new theory and examines the evidencethat electoral systemReferendum and Popular Support for DemocracyEric Chang, Michigan State UniversityOverview: This paper contributes to this literature and proposesan important yet previously unexplored source of popularsupport for democracy: the availability of referendum. Thispaper argues that referendum gives citizens a valuableopportunity to directElectoral Systems as Outcomes of Political TransitionsMinodora A. Buliga-Stoian, Binghamton UniversityOverview: The paper analyzes the political factors that impactthe choice of a certain type of electoral system over others in thecontext of countries in transition.The Lifespan of a Constitutional SystemZachary S. Elkins, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignThomas Ginsburg, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignJames Melton, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignOverview: Drawing from a new set of cross-national data, theauthors describe patterns in the duration of constitutionalsystems and test predictions based on the design of theconstitution, state-level factors, exogenous shocks, and theoriesof diffusion.Recalibrating the War on Terror by Enhancing SustainableDevelopmentKevin J. Fandl, George Mason UniversityOverview: The war on terrorism has brought Middle Eastdemocratization to the forefront of foreign affairs. This essayexamines the possibility that current democratizationapproaches in the Middle East may be increasing the likelihoodof terrorist activity.TBA4-8 ASSESSING THE DEPTH OF TAIWAN'SDEMOCRACYRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Thur 1:45 pmTBANational Identity Change and Multiple Identities in TaiwanShiau-chi Shen, Columbia UniversityOverview: This paper questions the conventional view seeingTaiwanese national identity and Chinese national identity asmutually exclusive; further this paper offers explanations to thecompatible coexistence of the two national identities.The Difference a Legislature Makes: Air Pollution Fees inTaiwan and ChinaEric Zusman, University of California, Los AngelesOverview: This article examines how Taiwan's LegislativeYuan has tighened administrative rules governing air pollutionfees. The lack of representative legislature in China has leftsimilar rules ambiguous, rendering the fee system ineffective.Maintaining Taiwan's DemocracyKetty W. Chen, University of OklahomaOverview: The paper investigates the possibility on themaintenance of Taiwan’s new democracy by examininginstitutional factors presented by Juan Linz and ScottMainwaring on the perils of presidentialism and multipartism.Does Democracy Cultivate Higher Democratic Values inTaiwan?Kuang-hui Chen, University of California, Santa BarbaraOverview: This paper is designed to explore the impacts ofdemocratization on people's political attitudes by examiningdemocratic values of two generations of university students whogrew up during different stages of democratization in Taiwan.What's in a Name? Identity Politics and Civil-MilitaryRelations in TaiwanYisuo Tzeng, George Washington UniversityOverview: Current scholarships have failed to address how topromote democratic civil-military relations under contestednational identity politics. This paper intends to fill in the blankby examining Taiwan's path toward democratic control of themilitary.TBA4-22 THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND MEDIAIN DEMOCRATIZING SOCIETIESRoomChairPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Thur 1:45 pmWilliam J. Crotty, Northeastern UniversityI Want My MTV: Media, Freedom of Information andDemocracyThomas D. Zweifel, Columbia UniversityOverview: A simple yet surprising relationship between theavailability of television, and the emergence and consolidationof democracy.A Multi-level Approach to Mass Media andDemocratizationPaul M. Loveless, Indiana University, BloomingtonOverview: Rather than a variation of Western models, mediainstitutions in democratizing countries vary substantively fromthem and provide these citizens qualitatively dissimilar mediachoices that result in a non-Western array of observed mediaeffects.The Survey of E-learning PoliciesYong Jim Park, University of Michigan, Ann ArborOverview: The paper examines the patterns of e-learningpolicies in higher-educational markets of three nations – the US,EU, and South Korea. This study argues that regulatory legaciesembedded in each nation hinder effective e-learning policydevelopment.Kam C. Wong, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh5-2 ELECTORAL POLITICS IN EUROPERoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Thur 1:45 pmChristos Bourdouvalis, Augusta State UniversityInstitutions and Their Effect on Coalition Bargaining: theGerman Election in 2005Sven Oliver Proksch, University of California, Los AngelesJonathan B. Slapin, University of California, Los AngelesOverview: We examine the effects of bicameralism on coalitionformation in Germany after the 2005 election. While conditionsfor a minority government were present, the presence of anopposition controlled upper house would have decreased itseffectiveness.The Return of Germany's Grand Coalition: Problems andProspects After the 2005 German Federal ElectionsMichaela W. Richter, CUNY/College of Staten IslandOverview: Germany has had a long tradition of coalitiongovernment at both the federal and state level. Since theappearance of the Greens in the 1980s and German unification,these coalitions have become somewhat more unpredictable.Shifting Allegiances, Volatile Electorates and Scarcity inEuropeRobert E. Bohrer II, Gettysburg CollegeAlexander C. Tan, University of CanterburyOverview: European electorates are more volatile over the pastseveral decades. This study examines the effect of political andeconomic factors (such as Maastricht Treaty's 'squeeze' effect)on party system volatility and shifts across party families.The Old Left in New LabourDavid P. Dolowitz, University of LiverpoolOverview: New Labour has often been accused of doing littlemore tinkering with the Thatcherite welfare reforms of the1990s. This is, incorrect. Rather, their origin finds a rich historyin Social Democratic writings.Party Identification and System Legitimacy in Establishedand New DemocraciesAida Paskeviciute, Bilkent UniversityOverview: Drawing on a number public opinion surveys and theManifestos Research Group (MRG) project data, this studyexamines the role of partisanship for system legitimacy inestablished and newer democracies across Europe.Orit Kedar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor98