2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

PaperDisc.Overwhelming Victory in Mass ElectionsAlberto Simpser, Princeton UniversityOverview: Scholarship often assumes that the goal of electionrelatedefforts is victory. I suggest that some institutionalcontexts provide incentives to invest resources, and even tobreak the law, not merely to win but to do so by ample vote orseat marginsG. Bingham Powell, University of Rochester22-2 PUBLIC OPINION, PUBLIC DISCOURSE,AND WELFARE POLICYRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Fri 1:45 pmLeanne Doherty, Simmons CollegeSex, Race, and Public Opinion about WelfareCarly J. Hayden Foster, University of KansasOverview: Americans fail to support welfare because they thinkwelfare serves morally suspect women. Race and genderspecific assumptions about welfare mothers limit public supportfor welfare spending. Study includes analyses of public opinionsurvey data.Constitutions and Public Support for Welfare PoliciesTakeshi Iida, University of Texas, AustinTetsuya Matsubayashi, Texas A&M UniversityOverview: Using cross-national data from the 1996International Social Survey Program (ISSP), we address aquestion: How does the political ideology reflected in nationalconstitutions shape citizens' welfare policy preference andopinion certainty?Principles, Goods, and Groups in Social Welfare PolicyOpinionsCindy D. Kam, University of California, DavisJohn T. Scott, University of California, DavisOverview: Our paper argues that different social welfareprograms activate different principles of distributive justice.Worlds of Welfare and Discourses on WelfareBedriye A. Kolemen, University of GeorgiaOverview: This paper employs a cross-national Q-surveyprepared and conducted by the author to identify the differencesin public discourse on the welfare state in Sweden, Germanyand the USA.Martin Gilens, Princeton University22-13 REPRESENTATION AND POLICYRESPONSIVENESSRoomChairPaperPaperPaperTBA, Fri 1:45 pmJonathan Winburn, Western Kentucky UniversityRepresentatives as Environmental Trustees for TheirConstituentsLauren E. Benson, Purdue UniversityOverview: This study examines the principle/agent relationshipregarding environmental issues in order to assess whether publicopinion drives legislators' votes in office.Income and Political Liberalism: a Macro ApproachChristopher R. Ellis, University of North Carolina, ChapelHillJoseph Ura, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillOverview: We explore the ways in which socioeconomic statusaffects dynamic citizen response to political or economicstimuli. We show that most socioeconomic groups respondsimilarly to the political context and, as a result, send similarcues to policymakersCatholics and Congress: Measuring Ideological Congruencefrom 1948 to 2002Patrick J. Flavin, University of Notre DameMichael J. Keane, University of Notre DameOverview: Do Catholic politicians mirror the ideologicalpreferences of Catholic citizens over time? Using NOMINATEscores and NES data, we examine opinion change andideological congruence among Catholic legislators and Catholiccitizens from 1948 to 2002.PaperPaperDisc.Dynamic Representation in an Institutional ContextChristopher J. Lewis, Florida State UniversityDona-Gene Mitchell, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignOverview: A democracy is ultimately evaluated by its ability totranslate public opinion into policy. We provide a nuanced viewof the public opinion-public policy linkage by focusing on thepolitical mechanisms that influence government responsiveness.The Adoption of Gender Identity Inclusive Laws in theAmerican StatesJami Kathleen Taylor, North Carolina State UniversityOverview: This paper uses the public attitude-policy adoptionlinkage developed by McIver, Erikson and Wright to explorethe passage of transgender inclusive employment and hatecrimes legislation in the American states.Gerald Wright, Indiana University, Bloomington23-9 CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND LOCALPOLITICAL PARTICIPATIONRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Fri 1:45 pmMary G. Kweit, University of North DakotaStructural Access to Local News, Political Interest, andCivic EngagementJackie A. Filla, University of California, RiversideMartin Johnson, University of California, RiversideOverview: Many voters have little exposure to informationabout their local government because they are served by newsoutlets with no focus on their community. We examine how theavailability of news media affects political interest andengagement.Online Debates: Using the "Blog" To Promote an EngagedElectorateMiles Maguire, University of Wisconsin, OshkoshOverview: In 2004 three local groups in Oshkosh, Wisconsin,embarked on an experiment in using the Internet to encouragepublic debate and civic engagement. This paper reports oncandidate debates in successive campaign seasons using Weblog, or blog, technology.Beyond Remittances: Home Town Associations as aMechanism for Immigrant Political Incorporation in theUnited StatesDenise Gonzalez, University of Southern CaliforniaAdrian Felix, University of Southern CaliforniaOverview: In this paper, we test whether organizational activityenhances the prospects that participants in Mexican hometownassociations (HTAs) will express interest and become engagedin American politics.Toxic Targets and Racial Homogeneity in theEnvironmental Justice MovementDominique D. Apollon, California State University,BakersfieldOverview: This paper is an effort to understand what types ofcommunities engage in political activity relating to almostuniversally abhorred toxic waste facilities, and whichcommunities remain silent.Homegrown Democracy: RCAs and Political Participationin SeattleDaniel S. Scheller, Florida State UniversityOverview:Tina Ebenger, Calumet College of St. JosephMary G. Kweit, University of North Dakota23-11 RELIGION AND POLITICALPARTICIPATION IN THE U.S.RoomChairPaperTBA, Fri 1:45 pmHenry E. Brady, University of California, BerkeleyThe Underrepresented Voice: Religious Organizations andPolitical EqualityAllison E. O'Brien, Georgetown UniversityJocelyn S. Weiner, Georgetown UniversityOverview: This paper argues for a closer look at the power ofreligious organizations in creating political skills and politicalefficacy in their members. Religious organizations may be163