2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Paper Indigenous Populations in Federal Systems: A Comparison of
the U.S. and Canada
Melissa S. Shaffer-O'Connell, Western Michigan University
Gregory E. Rathje, Western Michigan University
Overview: How indigenous peoples fit into the federal systems of
Canada and the United States has been a vexing problem to both
countries for centuries. Although the problem is similar, the two
countries have addressed it in different ways.
Paper Female Suffrage and Redistribution: A Case-Control Study of
Swiss Cantons
Holger L. Kern, Cornell University
Overview: We use time-series data on government spending and
economic outcomes in Swiss cantons together with a synthetic
control group design to estimate the causal effect of extending the
franchise to women.
Disc. Robin E. Best, Syracuse University
Bonnie M. Meguid, University of Rochester
6-6 POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF ELECTORAL
LAWS
Room Sandburg 7, 7 th Floor, Sat at 9:50 am
Chair Francois Gelineau, Universite Laval
Paper The Institutional Determinants of Postmaterialism
Salomon E. Orellana, Michigan State University
Overview: It is argued here that citizens in democracies and
proportional electoral systems should exhibit higher levels of
postmaterialism than citizens in nondemocracies and majoritarian
systems.
Paper Electoral Reform and Voter Turnout: A Comparative
Analysis
Ryan Carlin, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Gregory Love, University of California, Davis
Overview: We examine how electoral reform, in interaction with
resources and political sophistication, influences turnout. Our
multilevel models employ CSES data from over 50 elections in
new and established democracies to address these questions.
Paper Why it Might be More Rational to Vote for Parties That
Won't Win
Peter M. Jaworski, Bowling Green State University
Overview: Given five fairly simple conditions, the paper aims to
demonstrate that third party voting is more rational than voting for
a major party that has a chance of winning.
Paper What Determines Divided Government in Korea?
Jaesung Ryu, Seoul National University
Overview: Korean voters have frequently chosen split control over
the executive and legislative branches of government since the
1988 National Assembly election as the American voters have
done so for the last couple of decades.
Disc. Francois Gelineau, Universite Laval
7-12 WELFARE STATES AND STATE-SOCIETY
RELATIONS IN SOUTHERN EUROPE
Room Sandburg 6, 7 th Floor, Sat at 9:50 am
Chair W. Rand Smith, Lake Forest College
Paper Voters, Politicians and Budget Constraints: Comparing
Pension Reform in Southern Europe
Nikolaos Biziouras, Harvard University
Overview: Develops and tests a new model of party competition
to show how declining voter turnout has led an increased reliance
on public-sector unions which prevented pension reform in Italy,
Spain, Portugal and Greece.
Paper Social Enterprises and the Formation of Civic Capital in
Southern Europe: Insights from Northern Italy
Vanna Gonzales, Arizona State University
Overview: Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data
gathered from an in-person survey of 140 social cooperatives in
northern Italy, I will analyze the extent to which these
organizations, as a unique blend of non-profit business and civic
association, foster the formation of civic capital.
Paper Health Reform Paradoxes in Southern Europe
Katerina Linos, Harvard University
Overview: This paper traces the development of National Health
Services in three countries – Britain, a pioneer, and Spain and
Page | 210
Greece, two late comers, to develop and test a model of crossnational
learning.
Paper The Left Divided: Parties, Unions and the Politics of Wage
Protection in Post-Authoritarian Portugal and Spain
Sara Watson, University of British Columbia
Overview: By focusing on Spain and Portugal, this paper analyzes
the political coalitions which emerged out of the divided lefts in
each country. It shows how these divisions led to different models
of social protection in each country.
Disc. W. Rand Smith, Lake Forest College
8-12 LEGISLATIVE POLITICS IN LATIN AMERICA
Room Sandburg 5, 7 th Floor, Sat at 9:50 am
Chair Cesar Zucco, University of California, Los Angeles
Paper Representative Careers: Career Patterns and Representation
in Latin America
Felipe Botero, Universidad de los Andes
Overview: This paper examines the patterns of political careers in
Colombia. It analyzes electoral results from 1958-1998 and
inquires the extent to which Colombian legislators are reelection
seekers as portrayed in the literature on American legislators.
Paper Legislative Performance in Mexico: A Comparative Study of
the Effects of Electoral Competition on Subnational
Democratic Governance
Yomara Guerra Aguijosa, Georgetown University
Overview: This paper elucidates the effects of electoral
competition on legislative parties’ behavior, policy-making
capacities, and legislative effectiveness in the budgetary process
and oversight in the Mexican states.
Paper Representation in Multiparty Systems: The Importance of
Organization
Karleen A. Jones, University of Iowa
Overview: Using data on legislative campaigns from the 2006
elections in Ecuador, the analysis demonstrates that the
representational style of candidates from small parties – such as
ethnic parties – differs significantly from candidates of large
parties.
Paper Legislative Behavior of the Senators and Deputies under
Federalism
Hirokazu Kikuchi, University of Pittsburgh
Overview: Do senators and deputies behave differently under
federalism? If so, what factors influence the differences? To
answer these questions, I analyzed the legislative behavior of the
senators and deputies in Argentina using data on roll-call votes.
Paper Authoritarian Patterns in Latin American Legislatures
Marcelino Miranda, Université de Paris III-Sorbonne Nouvelle
Overview: By analysing the centralisation of power by
congressional parties in Latin American legislatures, this paper
identifies authoritarian patterns in the legislatures that deter further
democratisation.
Disc. Brian Crisp, Washington University
Eduardo Aleman, University of Houston
9-10 SUBNATIONAL POLITICS IN CHINA
Room Sandburg 4, 7 th Floor, Sat at 9:50 am
Chair Lawrence C. Reardon, University of New Hampshire
Paper China's New Provincial Leaders
Zhiyue Bo, St. John Fisher College
Overview: As a precursor to the 17th National Party Congress in
2007, elections for provincial party committees in China have
been scheduled for the second half of 2006 and the first half of
2007.
Paper Local Political Business Cycle in Contemporary China
Gang Guo, University of Mississippi
Overview: This paper first explores the theoretical linkages
between local leadership turnovers, budgetary behavior, and
economic conditions in contemporary China, and then subjects
that to an analysis of a comprehensive panel data set of all Chinese
counties.