2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Paper The Effects of Cosponsorship Networks on Legislative Success
in Taiwan Legislature
Cheng-Lung Wang, National University of Singapore
Ying Yang, National University of Singapore
Wai Yuk Chan, National University of Singapore
Overview: We examine the impact of legislative networks on bill
success in Taiwan. Our results suggest important effects of
cosponsorship network on legislative success. Those network
effects are robust even controlling other institutional factors.
Paper National Legislatures and the European Union's Democratic
Deficit
Ivy Hamerly, Baylor University
Overview: This paper shows that the more recently a country
joined the European Union, the more politically controlling its
legislature’s European Affairs Committee is likely to be.
Paper Governments and Central Banks in Emerging Markets: What
Brings the Autonomy?
Ilke Civelekoglu, University of Virginia
Overview: In this paper I will argue that institutional change in the
status of CB in emerging markets is contingent upon 1- the degree
of distributional conflicts arising from the liberalization process,
and 2-the party system of the country in question.
Disc. Monika Nalepa, Harvard University
Kirsten K. Loutzenhiser, Barry University
6-8 POLITICS AND PUBLIC OPINION IN
AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES
Room Sandburg 7, 7 th Floor, Sun at 9:50 am
Chair Elizabeth Stein, University of California, Los Angeles
Paper The Logic of Political Survival in Authoritarian Regimes
Stan Hok-Wui Wong, University of California, Los Angeles
Overview: I argue that there exist two general methods for
political survival in authoritarian regimes: (a) regime
personalization and (b) regime bureaucratization. I further argue
that the choice of method affects the course of regime evolution.
Paper Accounting for Political Support in Reforming China
Huisheng Shou, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Overview: In contrast to the common expectation on the role of
economic variables in shaping individuals’ political attitudes, this
study shows that nationalism stands out as the most salient
variable influencing political support in contemporary China.
Paper Causal Effects of West German Media on East Germans'
Political Attitudes
Holger L. Kern, Cornell University
Overview: We exploit a natural experiment to estimate the causal
effect of West German media on East Germans' support for the
Communist regime.
Paper The Dynamic Relationship of Elites, Media and Public
Opinion During Political Liberalization
Elizabeth A. Stein, University of California, Los Angeles
Overview: I explore the movement of public opinion as
authoritarian regimes liberalize. As censorship ends, new voices
are heard and public opinion diverges ideologically while
generally moving toward the opposition's positions.
Disc. Karl Kaltenthaler, University of Akron
7-5 POLITICAL PARTIES AND EUROPEAN POLICY
Room Sandburg 6, 7 th Floor, Sun at 9:50 am
Chair Jae-Jae M. Spoon, University of Iowa
Paper Barriers to Rent-Seeking Activities: Police-Patrol or Fire-
Alarm Oversight
Yoshikuni Ono, University of Michigan
Anna Grzymala-Busse, University of Michigan
Overview: Individual legislators do not necessarily prefer firealarm
oversight to police-patrol even if it is more efficient. We
demonstrate the threat of replacement in office motivates them to
use fire-alarm, and thus reduces their rent-seeking activities.
Paper National Parties as European Alternatives in the European
Elections
JeongHun Han, University of Rochester
Overview: This article challenges the dominance of the `Second-
Order Model' in studies of European elections, and shows the
potential that European voter choices of parties function as
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instruments of assessing ex-post accountability for MEPs’ voting
records.
Paper Examining the Effect of Shifts in EU Party Position on Intra-
Party Dissent
Erica E. Edwards, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Overview: Drawing on previous research on the dynamics of
parties’ policy positions and using expert survey data on European
integration, this paper develops and tests a model linking intraparty
dissent over European integration to changes in party
positions.
Paper Remeasuring Left-Right: A New Model of Left-Right Party
Placements
Ryan S. Bakker, Univeristy of Oxford
Overview: There are several sources of data used to place parties
on a left-right dimension. By combining these sources through a
multi-trait multi-method (MTMM) model, we can improve both
the reliablity and validity of these placements.
Paper Europe’s Economic Policymaking: Political Discourse vs.
Economic Reality
Kenneth S. Donahue, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
Thierry Warin, Middlebury College
Overview: In the European taxation policy context, the authors
confront the notions of political discourse and policymaking
before and after national elections. They come to the conclusion
that the discourse matters more than the actual implemented tax
policy.
Disc. Jae-Jae M. Spoon, University of Iowa
8-17 POLITICAL ECONOMY IN LATIN AMERICA
Room Sandburg 5, 7 th Floor, Sun at 9:50 am
Chair Ronald E. Ahnen, St. Mary's College of California
Paper Micro-Credit and the Prospects of Poverty Alleviation in
Lula's Government
Ronald E. Ahnen, St. Mary's College of California
Overview: Examines the politics of the development, adoption,
and implemenation of micro-credit programs that began in 2004 in
Brazil under President Lula.
Paper Coca, Guns and Growth: A Sub-National Analysis of Peru
1980-2000
Jennifer S. Holmes, University of Texas, Dallas
Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres, University of Texas, Dallas
Overview: We examine the effects of coca production and
violence on both disaggregated exports and sectoral GDP. The
analysis, based on a new sub-national dataset, covers 1980-2000
in Peru and utilizes econometric techniques.
Paper Neoliberalism and the Quality of Democracy in Chile,
Argentina and Mexico
Paul W. Posner, Clark University
Overview: In order to assess neoliberalism’s impact on the quality
of democracy in Chile, Argentina and Mexico, this paper
compares the impact of their respective neoliberal reforms on the
popular sectors’ capacity and propensity for collective action.
Paper Globalization and Gender in Nicaragua
Lara A. Roemer, University of Illinois, Springfield
Noah Siegel, University of Illinois, Springfield
Samantha Drews, University of Illinois, Springfield
Wesley King, University of Illinois, Springfield
Overview: Our paper examines the effects of globalization in
modern day Nicaragua, on both the national and individual level.
We specifically focus on the social, political and environmental
impacts globalization has had on labor.
Disc. David Brown, University of Colorado
12-4 ELECTIONS, PARTIES AND PRIME MINISTERS
IN CANADIAN DEMOCRACY
Room Sandburg 4, 7 th Floor, Sun at 9:50 am
Chair Joanna Everitt, University of New Brunswick, St. John
Paper An Undemocratic Democracy? A Look at Canada's Electoral
System
Jeannette Trac, York University
Overview: The issue of electoral systems, and ultimately electoral
reform, are important to examine because choosing an electoral