2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Paper The ‘Rights Revolution’ and Institutional Change
Donald R. Songer, University of South Carolina
Raul A. Sanchez Urribarri, University of South Carolina
Susanne Schorpp, University of South Carolina
Vanessa Portela, University of South Carolina
Overview: We propose to test the thesis that the creation of
institutions supportive of rights claims are critical for creating and
sustaining a rights revolution, by examining change over time in
the outputs and agenda of national high courts in four nations.
Disc. David L. Weiden, Illinois State University
Mark C. Miller, Clark University
42-8 NEW FEDERALISM JURISPRUDENCE AND
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Room Clark 5, 7 th Floor, Sat at 12:45 pm
Chair Michael W. Hail, Morehead State University
Paper Administrative Law, Federalism, and Economic Development
J. Gregory Frye,
Overview: The characteristics of state and federal variability in
administrative law organization as related to changes in federalism
are examined. These variations and the "New Federalism" era
policies and devolution of economic development policymaking.
Paper Private Property, Eminent Domain, and State Economic
Development: Legislative and Judicial Responses to Kelo v.
City of New London (2005)
William Green, Morehead State University
Overview: The United States Supreme Court’s Kelo v. City of
New London (2005) decision, held that economic development
was a sufficient public use to justify condemning private property,
but also granted the states the legal authority to restrict property
takings.
Paper Your Home is Your Castle: Lawyering and the Quixotic
Takings Clause
Laura J. Hatcher, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Overview: This essay attempts to understand the way in which
economic libertarian activism has been represented in the media in
three important cases: Palazzolo v. Rhode Island and Kelo v. City
of New London.
Paper Legal and Political Issues for Non-Profit Regulation in the
States
Margaret Sloan, University of Kentucky
Overview: This paper explores legal issues with nonprofits,
including those regarding charitable gift annuity regulation among
the states.
Disc. Michael W. Hail, Morehead State University
43-2 EFFECTS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND
COMPLIANCE
Room PDR 6, 3 rd Floor, Sat at 12:45 pm
Chair Carmela Lutmar, Princeton University
Paper The Effect of International Law on Elite Preferences and
Beliefs
Michael R. Tomz, Stanford University
Overview: The paper measures the effect of international law on
the preferences and beliefs of political elites. Data come surveybased
experiments, which were administered to members of the
British Parliament in 2006.
Paper Ties That Do Not Bind: Why Treaty Ratification Might Imply
Treaty Non-Compliance
Thania Sanchez, Columbia University
Matthew S. Winters, Columbia University
Overview: Why do states ratify treaties and then fail to comply?
To solve this puzzle, we analyze how domestic institutions shape
ratification and compliance.
Paper Explaining International Human Rights Compliance:
Democracy, Press Freedom and Audience Cost
Kuyoun Chung, University of California, Los Angeles
Overview: This paper suggests a way to understand state’s
compliance with international human rights treaty on the basis of
audience cost theory. Not only democracy, but also press freedom
is critical in generating audience cost and inducing compliances.
Page | 232
Paper Institutionalism and Comparative Analysis of Tax Policy
Legal Referents
Mark D. Kimball, University of Washington
Overview: Competing ideations about legal and economic right
are invoked by states involving the taxation of international
income from capital. Tenets of Historical Institutionalism may
contribute to the comparative analysis of these variant neoontologies.
Paper Two Worlds Collide: The Intersection of National and
International National Law
Martin J. Adamian, California State University, Los Angeles
Overview: As globalization has spread throughout the world more
and more attention has been paid to the intersection of national
and international law and politics. This paper will look this
intersection and discuss the implications.
Disc. Carmela Lutmar, Princeton University
44-10 STATE AND LOCAL FINANCE
Room Parlor C, 6 th Floor, Sat at 12:45 pm
Chair Andrea McAtee, Indiana State University
Paper Uncertainty, Institutions, and State Bond Ratings
Skip Krueger, University of North Texas
Overview: We study the influence of political factors and
constitutional rules on the default risk of bonds issued by U. S.
states.
Paper Magnifying the Golden Goose: Casino Taxation and
Multiplier Effects
Christopher Stream, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Sandy vonWolffradt, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Overview: We examine casino tax revenues and economic impacts
associated with gaming in Las Vegas from 2000 - 2004. We argue
that policymakers should focus on the multiplier aspects of
gaming rather than using it as a “golden goose” for solving fiscal
crises.
Paper Analyzing The Impact of the Citizen Initiative and State Fiscal
Policy
Michael J. New, University of Alabama
Overview: A number of studies have found that states with the
initiative have lower taxes than other states. By examining fiscal
trends in initative and non-initiative states since the 1960s, I hope
to provide a rationale for these fiscal policy differences.
Paper Local Agency and Civic Capacity: Working Around the
States?
Daniel E. Bliss, University of Illinois, Chicago
Overview: A survey of leaders in four similar small cities in two
states with very different arrangements for local government
finance suggests the importance of local political agency and the
advantages of local revenue, even in a deregulated and global age.
Disc. Andrea McAtee, Indiana State University
Alka Sapat, Florida Atlantic University
46-201 INFORMAL ROUNDTABLE: ISSUES IN CRIMINAL
JUSTICE
Room State, 4 th Floor, Table 2, Sat at 12:45 pm
Presenter Targeting Programs to Deal with Juvenile Crime and Gang
Activities
Tom James, University of Oklahoma
Geoboo Song, University of Oklahoma
Overview: This paper discusses the development and use of
community indices using social and economic characteristics of
census tracts to identify potential high-risk areas and inform
policy and programmatic decisions on gang intervention activities.
Presenter Public Views of Criminals and Crime Causation
Fred A. Meyer, Ball State University
Ralph E. Baker, Ball State University
Overview: This paper examines public support for punitive
correctional policy and possible explanations for that support.