2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

37-2 THE WORKINGS OF INTEREST GROUPS
Room LaSalle 2, 7 th Floor, Thur at 9:50 am
Chair Clyde Brown, Miami University
Paper A Nonprofit Accountability Framework and Empirical Test
Kara R. Neymeyr, Rhode Island House of Representatives
Gaylord G. Candler, Indiana University, South Bend
Georgette E. Dumont, Northern Illinois University
Overview: A framework is developed for non-profit
accountability, contrasting to whom and for what dimensions.
The framework is then tested on a sample of fifteen nonprofit
organizations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Paper Public Goods and a Theory of Groups: The Importance of
Increasing Returns
McGee W. Young, Marquette University
Overview: This paper draws on the new endogenous growth
theory in economics to offer an alternative theoretical framework
for explaining the mobilization of interest groups. Contra Olson it
emphasizes the value of non-rival, partially excludable public
goods.
Paper Moving up the Ladder: Saliency and its Effect on Interest
Group Hierarchy
Justin H. Kirkland, Appalachian State University
Overview: This paper will examine the effects of saliency on
institutional dominance in the interest group ecosystem. It will
also attempt to create an interest group hierarchy and track the
changes in the hierarchy against changes in saliency.
Paper Nonprofit Networks: Uncovering the Web of Money and
Issues
Suzanne M. Robbins, George Mason University
Overview: In this paper, I investigate the interconnectedness of
nonprofit advocacy using Social Network Analysis.
Paper The Social and Political Context of Interest Group Density
Jessica C. Gerrity, Indiana University
Maryann Barakso, American University
Brian F. Schaffner, American University
Overview: We examine how measures of the public’s political
ideology, philanthropy, and social capital affect interest group
density in over 300 metropolitan areas in the United States.
Disc. Paul J. Culhane, Northern Illinois University
38-101 ROUNDTABLE: TULIS'S RHETORICAL
PRESIDENCY AT TWENTY
Room Parlor F, 6 th Floor, Thur at 9:50 am
Chair Nicole Mellow, Williams College
Panelist Jeffrey Tulis, University of Texas
Bryan Garsten, Yale University
Susan Herbst, SUNY, Albany
Paul Quirk, University of British Columbia
Diane Rubenstein, Cornell University
Overview: A roundtable dealing with the impact on the study of
American politics of Jeffrey Tulis's - The Rhetorical Presidency -,
published in 1987.
39-1 NEW MEASURES OF LEGISLATOR AND
CONSTITUENT PREFERENCES
Room Montrose 1, 7 th Floor, Thur at 9:50 am
Chair Jonathan Woon, Carnegie Mellon University
Paper State Legislator Ideology and State Interest Group Scores
Lilliard E. Richardson, University of Missouri
Anthony Bertelli, University of Georgia
Overview: Interest group scores have been used to measure state
legislative ideology, but such measures have many limitations. We
develop a measurement strategy that uses constituency, party, and
personal characteristics to capture state legislator ideology.
Paper District Preferences and Legislative Voting in the Russian
Duma
Tanya G. Bagashka, University of Rochester
Overview: Using party PR district vote as a measure of
constituency ideological preferences, I apply a random effects
ideal point estimation method to investigate whether constituency
preferences are represented in voting behavior.
Paper Survey-Based Preference Estimates and Conditional Party
Government
James S. Battista, University of North Texas
Overview: This paper examines the core contention of conditional
party government -- the connection between leadership power and
the distribution of preferences -- by using anonymous survey data
of state legislators to estimate legislator preferences.
Paper Does Constituency Heterogeneity Affect Trade Policy
Preferences? Evidence from the U.S. Senate
David Karol, University of California, Berkeley
Overview: Focusing on the U.S. Senate, I use three measures of
constituency diversity, the traditional "Sullivan Index" and two
new indices of economic diversity to assess claims that
heterogeneity is highly correlated with size and that it predicts
support for trade.
Disc. Jonathan Woon, Carnegie Mellon University
Antoine Yoshinaka, University of California, Riverside
40-9 INCUMBENTS AND CHALLENGERS IN
CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS
Room LaSalle 3, 7 th Floor, Thur at 9:50 am
Chair Walter J. Stone, University of California, Davis
Paper District Complexity and Congressional Incumbency
Advantage
Michael J. Ensley, Indiana University
Michael Tofias, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Overview: Using data on Senate Elections (1988-1992) and House
Elections (2000), we examine if the complexity and diversity of
public opinion in a district increases or decreases the advantages
of incumbency.
Paper The Post-War II Incumbency Effect: A Reassessment
Jeffrey M. Stonecash, Syracuse University
Overview: Examines the ability of incumbents to increase their
vote percentage with successive years in office, 1900-2006. Finds
that ability has declined since the 1940s.
Paper Quality Still Counts More Than Quantity
Brendan P. Toner, Southern Illinois University
Overview: An extension of previous work (Lublin 1994) that
examines which type of politicians and which set of conditions
lead to a successful challenge of a U.S. Senate incumbent.
Paper The Impact of Candidate Race on Electoral Outcomes
Michiko Ueda, California Institute of Technology
Tetsuya Matsubayashi, Texas A&M University
Overview: We estimate the impact of candidate race on election
outcomes by exploiting variations in the presence of minority
candidates across different offices and also the fact that
congressional districts often contain multiple state legislative
districts.
Disc. Walter J. Stone, University of California, Davis
Thomas F. Schaller, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
41-16 HOW COURTS SHAPE BUREAUCRATIC,
CONGRESSIONAL, AND LOWER COURT
POLICY-MAKING
Room Burnham 1, 7 th Floor, Thur at 9:50 am
Chair Stephen L. Wasby, University of Albany
Paper The Supreme Court and Congress Interactions: Judicial
Influence and Legislative Behavior
Roman Ivanchenko, Ohio State University
Overview: This paper examines the effect that the threat of
judicial invalidation has on congressional efforts in producing
policies that are suitable for the existing state of the world.
Paper State Legislative Responses to Kelo v. New London (2005)
Chad M. King, University of Texas, Dallas
Euel Elliot, University of Texas, Dallas
Overview: We model state level legislative reactions to the
Supreme Court's Takings Clause decision in Kelo v. New London
(2005) decision as a function of the political, economic, and
demographic characteristics of the states.
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