2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Paper Corruption and NPM: A Cross State Analysis
Justin J. Hopkins, American University
Overview: This paper generates a theoretical case for increased
corruption levels based upon NPM reforms and presents a cross
state analysis on the effects of NPM reforms on perceived levels
of corruption in US States.
Disc. Gregory C. Hill, Boise State University
Peter Haas, San Jose State University
51-5 TOPICS IN AMERICAN POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENT
Room PDR 8, 3 rd Floor, Fri at 9:50 am
Chair Thomas H. Hammond, Michigan State University
Paper Conquest and Frontier in American Political Development
Stephen G. Bragaw, Sweet Briar College
Overview: The Law of Conquest inherited from Spain and
England shaped instrumentally American articulation of the idea
of the frontier. Together, these legal concepts of conquest and
frontier fundamentally defined the project of American statebuilding.
Paper The Effects of Katrina: Far Beyond the Storm
Gloria Simo, DePaul University
Overview: The effects of Hurricane Katrina go far beyond the
physical damage to buildings and infrastructure. This paper
examines the more personal effects of this tragedy and how
recovery still varies by neighborhood in the city of New Orleans.
Paper The Rise of LGBT Rights in American Political Development
Jason Pierceson, University of Illinois, Springfield
Overview: This paper utilizes an APD framework to explain the
rise of rights and equality claims for sexual minorities.
Paper Women Educator Citizens and the Public Sphere, 1880-1920
Michael C. Pisapia, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Overview: In American cities between 1880-1920, schools were a
free space where women acted as public persons in a system
normally relegating them to the private sphere. This public role
contributed to the success of the suffrage movement.
Paper Majoritarianism as a Causal Mechanism in American Political
Development
James Simeone, Illinois Wesleyan University
Overview: This paper uses evidence from the creation of the
Democratic Party in Illinois to support the claim that a
majoritarian conception of democracy perpetuated both the liberal
and illiberal traditions which shape American political
development.
Disc. Ryan J. Barilleaux, Miami University
Thomas H. Hammond, Michigan State University
53-301 POSTER SESSION: RELIGION AND POLITICS
Room Exhibit Hall, 4 th Floor, Fri at 9:50 am
Presenter The Moral Paradox of Jubilee? Debt Forgiveness As Policy
Image
(Board 18)
Larycia A. Hawkins, University of Oklahoma
Larisa Yun, University of Oklahoma
Overview: Jubilee 2000 betrays a clash of titans: the moralistic
tale of debt forgiveness versus the technical tale of the harsh
realities of globalization. This paper examines whether the causal
story of debt forgiveness was consistent across policy venues.
Presenter Eastern Orthodox Fundamentalism, Globalization and
Radical Politics
(Board 19)
Irina A. Papkova, Georgetown University
Overview: Eastern Orthodox fundamentalism has developed as a
response to globalization. Currently limited in influence, this
religious phenomenon is growing in capacity; it will increasingly
pose challenges to democracy in several East European countries.
Page | 156
Presenter 1st Amendment Rights for Religious Groups?: When Law and
Belief Conflict
(Board 20)
David K. Ryden, Hope College
Overview: This paper uses current litigation and judicial opinions
to examine the nature and extent of 1st amendment religious free
exercise and associational protections for religious groups faced
with contrary state or federal law.
54-3 INTERPRETIVE ANALYSIS OF AMERICAN
POLITICS AND POLICY-MAKING
Room Parlor J, 6 th Floor, Fri at 9:50 am
Chair Subir K. Kole, University of Hawaii, Manoa
Paper Taking Metaphors Seriously: An Interpretive Account of A
Local Policy
Morris Bidjerano, SUNY, Albany
Overview: The paper tries to inquire into the contextual
significance of the metaphor of the “shield” as a lens for seeing
and understanding the process of policy making in the case of the
Patuxent River, Maryland water quality improvement strategy.
Paper Methamphetamine, Rural Culture, and Public Policy: An
Ethnographic Analysis
William C. Garriott, Jr., Centre College
William C. Garriott, III, Princeton University
Overview: An ethnographic analysis of individuals in a rural area
who have been convicted of meth-related crimes, and an
examination of the policy implications of taking local culture into
account.
Paper Reversing the Causality: Considering the Impact of Politics on
Religion
Ariane Zambiras, University of California, Berkeley/LaSSP/IEP
Toulouse
Patrick Meier, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Overview: Our paper employs anthropological approaches to shed
light on the issue of religion and politics in the United States,
analyzing characterizations of atheists, opinions about the death
penalty, and church shopping behavior.
Disc. Subir K. Kole, University of Hawaii, Manoa
59-102 ROUNDTABLE: SCHOLARSHIP AND ACTIVISM
Room Monroe, 6 th Floor, Fri at 9:50 am
Chair Daniel R. Pinello, City University of New York
Panelist Mark Wojcik, John Marshall Law School
Ellen Andersen, Indiana University Purdue University,
Indianapolis
Mark Wojcik, John Marshall Law School
Steve Sanders, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, LLP
Sheila Suess Kennedy, Indiana University Purdue University,
Indianapolis
Overview: TBA