Digital Commons Network^™

Maximizing Social Equity As A Pillar Of Public Administration: An Examination Of Cannabis Dispensary Licensing In Pennsylvania, A. Lee Hannah, Daniel J. Mallinson, Lauren Azevedo

Political Science Faculty Publications

Public administration upholds four pillars of an administrative practice: economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and social equity. The question arises, however, how do administrators balance effectiveness and social equity when implementing policy? Can the values contributing to administrative decisions be measured? This study leverages the expansion of medical cannabis programs in the states to interrogate these questions. The awarding of dispensary licenses in Pennsylvania affords the ability to determine the effect of social equity scoring on license award decisions, relative to criteria that represent the other pillars. The results show that safety and business acumen were the most important determining factors in …

Facebook Algorithm Changes May Have Amplified Local Republican Parties, Kevin Reuning, Anne Whitesell, A. Lee Hannah

Political Science Faculty Publications

In this research note we document changes to the rate of comments, shares, and reactions on local Republican Facebook pages. Near the end of 2018, local Republican parties started to see a much higher degree of interactions on their posts compared to local Democratic parties. We show how this increase in engagement was unique to Facebook and happened across a range of over a thousand local parties. In addition, we use a changepoint model to identify when the change happened and find it lines up with reported information about the change in Facebook’s algorithm in 2018. We conclude that it …

How Will Covid 19 Impact The 2020 Election, A. Lee Hannah, Craig Woolley, Laura M. Luehrmann

Political Science Faculty Publications

This is the second installment in the Shelter in Place (SiP) Lecture series. This installment deals with the impact and implications of the Shelter in Place order on the 2020 presidential election. It covers topics ranging from changes in implications on campaigning, the incumbent advantage, fundamental changes, policy effects, and more.

International Norms And Foreign Policy, Vaughn P. Shannon

Political Science Faculty Publications

International norms exist as constraints on foreign policy, yet norms are also the product of the foreign policies of states and other actors. Research has demonstrated how norms restrain foreign policy choice and behavior, and even alter state conceptions of national interests. Other studies point to the weakness of norms in the face of national interests and state power. Others note that the meaning of norms and their obligations are often contested, leading to problems of norm violation and norm enforcement. As social constructions, an important consideration is how and when foreign policy promotes norms and norm diffusion in the …

A Preview Of The Ohio Primary: Part 1, A. Lee Hannah

Political Science Faculty Publications

Ohio voters will get the opportunity to weigh in on the 2016 presidential nominee tomorrow, Tuesday, March 15.

The value of winning Ohio carries symbolic importance for both parties. As a national bellwether, candidates can use a strong showing in the Buckeye State to assert that they are a national contender. Moreover, the winner-take-all rules in the Republican Party make Ohio one of the most valuable prizes in the primary to date, giving the winner 5 percent of the total delegates they need to get to the 1,237 delegates needed to win the election.

A Preview Of The Ohio Primary: Part 2, A. Lee Hannah

Political Science Faculty Publications

A week ago, a Clinton victory in the Democratic primary appeared inevitable. Hillary Clinton had won a number of southern contests by large majorities and was nearing “presumptive nominee” status. Even Bernie Sanders admitted that his campaign “got decimated” in South Carolina a few weeks ago. But this Scenario might have changed last week, when Bernie Sanders pulled off a shocking upset in Michigan. In fact, Nate Silver called the results in Michigan “among the greatest polling errors in primary history”. This surprising victory has energized the Sanders campaign. So was the Michigan result an aberration or a sign of …

The Usefulness Of Consumer Sentiment: Assessing Construct And Measurement, Paul M. Kellstedt, Suzanna Linn, A. Lee Hannah

Political Science Faculty Publications

Given the scholarly and popular prominence of the concept of consumer confidence, it is striking that there are no examinations of the quality of the most commonly used measure of the concept—the University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment (ICS). In this study, we assess the usefulness of consumer sentiment as a construct and a measure (or measures). We also identify the best way to consider its role in consumer behavior. This brings us to a consideration of fundamental questions about the reliability and validity of consumer sentiment measures. Our purpose is to provide evidence on this score. Our analyses …

Facing Citizen Complaints In China, 1951-1996, Laura M. Luehrmann

Political Science Faculty Publications

This article examines Chinese institutions designed to funnel citizen opinions to leaders. It argues that the dynamic between individuals hoping to solve grievances and officials hoping to scout out problems strengthens higher-level control over subordinates. The process, when done well, may promote regime legitimacy.