2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

42-101 AUTHOR MEETS CRITICS: MARK GRABER'S
DRED SCOTT AND THE PROBLEM OF
CONSTITUTIONAL EVIL
Room Parlor B, 6 th Floor, Fri at 12:45 pm
Chair Bradley D. Hays, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Panelist Paul Finkelman, Albany Law School
Evan Carton, University of Texas, Austin
Ran Hirschl, University of Toronto
Paul Frymer, University of California, Santa Cruz
Mark A. Graber, University of Maryland
Overview: Author Meets Critics: Mark A. Graber's Dred Scott and
the Problem of Constitutional Evil.
44-14 TOPICS IN STATE POLITICS
Room Parlor C, 6 th Floor, Fri at 12:45 pm
Chair Juhem Navarro, University of Connecticut
Paper Symbolic Politics Out of Florida: Elian Gonzalez and Terri
Schiavo
Martin Gruberg, University of Wisconsin
Overview: These two cases had a lot in common: self-proclaimed
guardians of the mute (both sides claiming that Elian and Terri
wanted what they wanted and attributing bad motives to the other
camp), media and political (including congressional)
grandstanding.
Paper California-Blue State or More Multi-Colored State
John A. Grummel, University of South Carolina, Upstate
Overview: This research examines the geographical and political
make-up of California, utilizing census tract and voting data from
the 1990s, to better understand the diversity of California state and
local political attitudes and behavior.
Paper Administrative Growth as a Function of Judicial
Independence
Kyle A. Scott, Miami University, Oxford
Overview: This paper examines the link between the growth of
state administrative agencies and state judicial independence.
Disc. Juhem Navarro, University of Connecticut
David L. Schecter, California State University, Fresno
46-9 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
ISSUES
Room PDR 6, 3 rd Floor, Fri at 12:45 pm
Chair Mark Lubell, University of California, Davis
Paper Impacts Of Governmental Funding On Financial Efficiency
Of Public Wastewater Services
Robert J. Eger, Georgia State University
Hyun Jung Park, Georgia State University
Overview: Does governmental funding cause any unintentional
distortion of financial efficiency of wastewater services? This
paper seeks an answer by exploring the factors that affect financial
efficiency by government type, by funding source, and over time.
Paper Taking Out the Trash: A Policy Study of Private Solid Waste
Management
Mahalley D. Allen, California State University, Chico
Overview: Environmental laws about solid waste have led to strict
regulations, which have made privatization of waste disposal an
attractive option for cities. I examine the influence of these laws
on the privatization of residential solid waste disposal.
Paper Presidential Policies and the Bureaucracy: The Dynamics of
EPA Enforcement Actions
Colin L. Provost, University College London
Brian J. Gerber, West Virginia University
Mark Pickup, University of Oxford
Overview: Studies have shown bureaucratic resistance at EPA in
response to Reagan policy initiatives. We examine EPA
enforcement actions to see whether similar resistance exists under
the current Bush Administration.
Paper Political Institutions and the Dynamics of Local Policy Change
Mark Lubell, University of California, Davis
Richard Feiock, Florida State University
Edgar Ramirez,
Overview: Analysis of how the influence of interest group
communities on local government policies depends on the
structure of political institutions.
Paper Collaborative Policy: Time Wasted or Well Spent?
Mark Lubell, University of California, Davis
Adam Henry, University of California, Davis
Mike McCoy, University of California, Davis
Overview: Quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of
collaborative policy using survey data from land-use and
transportation policy elites in two California regions.
Disc. Ramiro Berardo, University of Arizona
David C. Nixon, University of Hawaii, Manoa
50-13 LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY, AND
ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Room PDR 7, 3 rd Floor, Fri at 12:45 pm
Chair David R. Connelly, Western Illinois University
Paper Strategy, Structure, Process and Environment in English
Local Governments
George A. Boyne, Cardiff University
Rhys Andrews, Cardiff University
Kenneth J. Meier, Texas A&M University/Cardiff University
Laurence J. O'Toole, University of Georgia
Richard M. Walker, University of Hong Kong/Cardiff University
Overview: Miles and Snow's (1978) model of strategic
management argues that organizations should adopt distinctive
strategies which 'fit' their operating environment and their internal
structures and processes. We apply this model to English local
governments.
Paper Leadership and Transaction Costs: Building Contract
Management Capacity
Mary K. Feeney, University of Georgia
Craig Smith, University of Georgia
Overview: This paper uses qualitative and quantitative data to
assess the ongoing efforts of a single agency to build managerial
capacity, highlighting the importance of technical knowledge,
agency culture, and professional norms among public managers
and contractors.
Paper Empirical Literature Review Strategic Planning in the Public
Sector
Carolyn A. Hanaway-Benjamin, North Carolina State
University
Overview: An examination and summary of recent literature and
empirical s tudies to address the question: What does strategic
planning offer public agencies?
Paper Hoping for the Dick Vermeil Effect: Performance and the
Selection Decision
Vicky M. Wilkins, University of Georgia
Madinah F. Hamidullah, University of Georgia
Kenneth J. Meier, Texas A&M University
Overview: This paper examines how prior performance may
influence the decision of a public organization to either promote
from within or hire from the outside when selecting a leader. Are
low performing organizations more likely to hire from the
outside?
Disc. David R. Connelly, Western Illinois University
Richard Wandling, Eastern Illinois University
50-101 ROUNDTABLE: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION --
CHANGING POLICY DISCOURSE:
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
CONTROVERSIES
Room Adams, 6 th Floor, Fri at 12:45 pm
Chair Frank M. Anechiarico, Hamilton College
Panelist Dennis C. Smith, New York University
Beryl A. Radin, American University
H. George Frederickson, University of Kansas
David G. Frederickson, U.S. Department of Labor
Overview: All of the panelist above have written on performance
management: Anechiarico and Smith in a relatively positive way
and Radin and the H. George and David Frederickson from a more
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