Models and Methods Commons^™

Institutionalizing Freedom As Nondomination: Democracy And The Role Of The State, David Watkins

David Watkins

This article critically examines neo-republican democratic theory, as articulated by Philip Pettit, with respect to its capacity to address some of the pressing challenges of our times. While the neo-republican focus on domination has great promise, it mistakenly commits to the position that democracy—the primary tool with which we fight domination—is limited to state activity. Examining this error helps us make sense of two additional problems with his theory: an overestimation of the capacity of legislative bodies to identify sufficient responses to practices of domination, and the potential conflict between avoiding state domination of the general citizenry and avoiding state …

Explaining Attitudes Toward Binational Cooperation Among Municipal Managers In The U.S.-Mexico Border Area, John Truman, Grant Neeley

Grant W. Neeley

This study examines Texas municipal managers' attitudes toward the benefits of binational cooperation. It tests theories suggesting attitudes are influenced by perceived language, cultural, and resource barriers; differences in U.S. and Mexican public administration; interdependence of policy priorities; and contact with international organizations. Project data are drawn from a mail survey sent to department heads in all municipal governments in Texas border counties. Effects of independent variables are estimated using an ordered logistic regression model. Results indicate more frequent contact between municipal managers in Texas and Mexico has a positive effect on attitudes toward the benefits of cooperation, whereas perceived …

Public Management In The U.S.-Mexico Border Region: Toward Increased Cooperation Between Texas And Mexican Officials?, John Truman, Grant Neeley

Grant W. Neeley

This study examines the degree of local-level cooperation between U.S. and Mexican municipal managers and investigates attitudes about the barriers to effective cooperation. The analysis is extended to all Texas municipal governments in border counties in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how local projects have developed under regional integration.

The State Of Surveying Legislators: Dilemmas And Suggestions, Cherie Maestas, Grant Neeley, Lillard Richardson

Grant W. Neeley

State-level research affords scholars a unique opportunity to study legislative behavior because state legislators are accessible in ways that members of congress are not. State legislators' willingness to respond to interviews and questionnaires has provided scholars with a rich array of data about their behavior and perceptions. This survey research has contributed greatly to our theoretical and practical knowledge of legislative behavior and institutions. We examine 73 articles published in top academic journals from 1975 to 2000 to identify common techniques of surveying state legislators and suggest ways in which scholars can enhance the prospects for collecting high quality data. …

Perceived Risk And Citizen Preferences For Governmental Management Of Routine Hazards, Brian Gerber, Grant Neeley

Grant W. Neeley

Risk perceptions are important to the policy process because they inform individuals’ preferences for government management of hazards that affect personal safety, public health, or ecological conditions. Studies of risk in the policy process have often focused on explicating the determinants of risk perceptions for highly salient, high-consequence hazards (e.g., nuclear energy). We argue that it is useful to also study more routinely experienced hazards; doing so shows the relevance of risk perceptions in individuals’ daily lives. Our investigation focuses on the impact perceived risk has on citizens’ preferences over hazard management policies (as distinct from identifying risk perception determinants …

Who Is Early Voting? An Individual Level Examination, Grant Neeley, Lillard Richardson

Grant W. Neeley

Early voting has been suggested as one method of increasing voter turnout. Allowing voters to cast their ballots during a longer time period may ameliorate some barriers to participation that exist. However, the question of whether early voting mobilizes previous nonvoting registrants or simply makes voting easier for those who would have participated anyway remains largely unanswered.

Methods. We test these questions through the use of an individual level survey of voters in one Tennessee county. Using logistic regression, we consider the impact of demographic and attitudinal factors on the propensity to vote on election day or to use …

The Impact Of Early Voting On Turnout: The 1994 Elections In Tennessee, Lillard Richardson, Grant Neeley

Grant W. Neeley

For both election officials and scholars, there are several questions about early voting that remain unanswered. How does the implementation of early voting affect voters' use of early voting opportunities? Furthermore, when controlling for other factors, such as demographic characteristics, does early voting have an impact on overall turnout in the election? To answer these questions, we examined the Tennessee experience with early voting, administered for the first time in 1994. We utilized several sources of information: a survey of all 95 county election officials in the state of Tennessee; voting records from the Division of Elections; and census data. …

Penny Pinching Or Politics? The Line-Item Veto And Military Construction Appropriations, M.V. Hood, Irwin Morris, Grant Neeley

Grant W. Neeley

Although scholars have studied the item veto and its effects at the state level for years, there is considerable disagreement over the national-level political and fiscal ramifications of the implementation of the item veto. Our analysis is the first empirical examination of the use of the item veto at the federal level. We find that partisan politics and an interest in fiscal austerity played little or no role in the president's decision-making calculus on recent defense appropriations vetoes. Programmatic goals, on the other hand, played a significant role in determining whether or not projects were vetoed.

Toward An Explanation Of Public Interest Group Formation And Proliferation: ‘Seed Money,’ Disturbances, Entrepreneurship, And Patronage, Anthony Nownes, Grant Neeley

Grant W. Neeley

Utilizing data from a survey of 60 national public interest group founders, this paper addresses two related questions: What factors explain the (relatively) recent proliferation of public interest groups? What factors determine in which policy areas public interest group activity is most likely? The results of the data analysis suggest that several factors have contributed to group proliferation. Among the most important are law group start-up costs, the spread of affluence and education, an increase in patron activity, and rapid societal change. The results also suggest that public interest group activity is most likely in issue areas of interest to …

Turnout Differences Among Registered Voters, Lillard Richardson, Grant Neeley

Grant W. Neeley

Much of what we know about turnout in American elections is based on national surveys of voters participating in presidential elections. Much less is known about voter participation in other types of elections. Using verified turnout and registration data, we surveyed registered voters to determine the demographic and attitudinal differences between two groups of voters: those who participated only in presidential elections and others who participated in midterm congressional, state, and local elections as well as presidential elections. We find that age, education, gender, social connectedness, personal contact with local public officials, and satisfaction with government services are significant factors …

Mandatory Seat Belt Laws In The States: A Study Of Fatal And Severe Occupant Injuries, David Houston, Lillard Richardson, Grant Neeley

Grant W. Neeley

This study examines the impact of mandatory seat belt laws on fatal and incapacitating injury rates in the states. Annual data for all 50 states for the period 1975-1991 are used. Pooled time series analysis is employed. The general conclusion that emerges from this analysis is that seat belt laws significantly impact state fatal injury rates. Primary enforcement and all-seat coverage provisions appear to be particularly effective in reducing fatality rates.

Public Interest Group Entrepreneurship And Theories Of Group Mobilization, Anthony Nownes, Grant Neeley

Grant W. Neeley

The bulk of the literature on group mobilization focuses on why individuals join groups and virtually ignores the group leader (entrepreneur). Thus, we argue that there is a gap in the literature on group development: while entrepreneurs are critical in the process of group mobilization, little is known about what they do and why and how they do it. Studies of group mobilization continue to focus on group supporters — the patrons and members who provide groups with the resources they need. We take a different approach. We examine the process of group mobilization from the perspective of the entrepreneur. …

Thin Vs. Thick Morality: Ethics And Gender In International Development Programs, Richard Ghere

Richard K. Ghere

This study examines the ethical dimensions of gender-focused international development initiatives undertaken by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and similar agencies. Specifically, it presents three case studies that depict how specific development initiatives in, respectively, India, Tanzania, and Senegal address gender disparities and power relationships. These case studies support the general conclusion that ethically committed development NGOs find difficulty in encouraging women (and men) to reverse oppressive power status-quos in messy contexts.

Government On The Silver Screen: Contemporary American Cinema’S Depiction Of Attractive, Capable Bureaucrats, Incompetent Cops, And Brave Soldiers, Michelle Pautz, Megan Warnement

Michelle Pautz

Movies continue to be the most accessible art form to Americans and that reach allows films to have a tremendous effect on moviegoers. With more than a billion movie tickets sold annually in the United States, the ability of movies to influence the perceptions of moviegoers is pronounced. Frequently, the government is part of those depictions. Although film is routinely studied in a host of disciplines, a focus on the portrayal of government generally and government officials more specifically, remains elusive. Instead of using a case-study approach, we examine recent, popular films to investigate how government is portrayed generally and …

Sarbanes-Oxley And The Relentless Pursuit Of Government Accountability: The Perils Of 21st Century Reform, Michelle Pautz, C. Washington

Michelle Pautz

In the wake of the corporate financial scandals of the late 1990s, Congress responded by passing the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 to improve accountability of both the private sector and of government. Although discussions of accountability and Sarbanes‐Oxley are pertinent to both the public and private sectors, the authors focus on the attempts of the act to encourage government accountability through the creation of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. In a broader context, the passage of Sarbanes‐Oxley fits within public administration’s constant emphasis of reform—particularly those reforms under the rubric of New Public Management that are intended to promote …

The Regulatory Interactions Of Front-Line Environmental Regulators, Michelle Pautz, Sara Rinfret

Michelle Pautz

Faced with declining budgets, widespread enforcement problems, and an increasingly complex array of environmental challenges, regulators across the world are searching for new strategies to facilitate compliance with environmental laws. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has spearheaded these efforts with the introduction of its “Next Generation Compliance” initiative, through which the agency hopes to leverage information and technology to streamline enforcement procedures and strengthen compliance with federal environmental laws. Cynthia Giles, the Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) has outlined five key elements of this initiative – rules with compliance built in, advanced …

Remembering The Regulators Themselves: Melding Administrative Procedures And Regulatory Theory, Michelle Pautz

Michelle Pautz

Review of Steven P. Croley, Regulation and Public Interests: The Possibility of Good Regulatory Government (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008).

Trust Between Regulators And The Regulated: A Case Study Of Environmental Inspectors And Facility Personnel In Virginia, Michelle Pautz

Michelle Pautz

The relationships between environmental inspectors and the facility personnel at regulated firms are often presumed to be adversarial, and this assumption affects the design and implementation of environmental regulations. However, closer examination of these relationships challenges this fundamental assumption of adversarial relations in environmental policy. Interviews with 44 inspectors and regulated officials throughout Virginia found that the interactions between these two categories of actors are positive. Over 90 percent of the interviewees were positive about their interactions with one another, and inspectors and regulated officials alike indicate that they trust the other. These findings are compelling because they contest common …

'Argo' And 'Zero Dark Thirty': Film, Government, And Audiences, Michelle Pautz

Michelle Pautz

With the prevalence and accessibility of film today, we must wonder how film affects its audience. In particular, how does film influence an audience’s perceptions of the government? Regardless of the content, research demonstrates that film has the power to shape perceptions of its moviegoers on a range of subjects. In this study, two recent films,Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, were chosen as case studies to explore how Hollywood portrays the intelligence community in film and shapes opinions about the government more broadly. This research found that about 25% of viewers of the two films changed their opinion about the …

U.S. Environmental Policy In Action: Practice And Implementation, Sara Rinfret, Michelle Pautz

Michelle Pautz

This volume provides a comprehensive look at the creation, implementation, and evaluation of environmental policy, which is of particular importance in an era of congressional gridlock. With a focus grounded in the front lines of environmental policy, readers are afforded examples of how environmental policy works through case studies and voices sections, thereby enriching the text's practical approach to understanding contemporary American environmental policy.

Civil Servants On The Silver Screen: The Depiction Of Government In American And Australian Cinema, Michelle Pautz

Michelle Pautz

With the prevalence of government, it is unsurprising to find it frequently represented on the silver screen. But, with the ability of film to influence perceptions and attitudes, questions arise, including: how is government portrayed on the silver screen? Are government bureaucrats berated or praised? This research examines the representation of government—and civil servants in particular—in a comparative setting. The top 100 box office grossing films of all time in the United States and Australia were selected to address the question: how do these films in the United States and Australia depict government? This study analyzes these 200 films and …

‘Jeesis Is Alive! He Is The King Of Australia’: Segregated Religious Instruction, Child Identity And Exclusion, Cathy Byrne

Dr Cathy Byrne

Religious categorisation occurs at enrolment in Australian state-run (public) primary schools, with children segregated into religious instruction classes during their first week. Lesson content has no government oversight and, in some schools, options are limited to Christianity. The effect of this categorisation on children’s attitudes to religious diversity is not well researched but the role of religion in public schools is increasingly controversial. Social identity theory (SIT) considers cultural hegemony as a factor in individual identity construction. SIT posits that inter-group bias increases with in-group identification and suggests that categorisation itself is a source of prejudice. This paper explores the …

Rethinking The Rule Of Law: Concepts, Measures And Theory, Ryan Carlin, Rodolfo Sarsfield

Rodolfo Sarsfield

Like many major targets of social inquiry, the rule of law seems to be an essentially contested concept (Gallie, 1956; Collier, Hidalgo, and Maciuceanu; 2007, Waldron, 2002). The literature teems with definitions of the rule of law, emphasizing attributes ranging from formal legality and checks and balances to order, democracy, and individual rights (Møller and Skaaning, in this issue). And while surveys of competing definitions exist, scholars have yet to converge on a systematized concept amenable to operationalization. One fundamental debate concerns “thick” versus “thin” definitions of the rule of law (Møller and Skaaning, in this issue). Another unsettled question …

The Bribe Game: Microfoundations Of Corruption In Mexico, Rodolfo Sarsfield

Rodolfo Sarsfield

Studies of how individuals’ micro-motives and behaviors influence the effective rule of law are a deficit in the literature, as is analysis of the microfoundations of the law. Most explanations of the performance of the rule of law concern the macro level and emulate properties of countries, such as wealth, ethnic fragmentation, religion, British legal or colonial tradition, or Communist past. Assuming that written law will be largely irrelevant if the rules are excessively costly compared to other mechanisms for private and public interactions, such as informal institutions or illegal practices, in this work I model the game that underlies …

Discourse And Argument In Instituting The Governance Of Social Law, Richard Weiner

Richard R Weiner

Social Rights were initially understood as the rights of a pluralism of instituted associations; and transformed to the rights of distributive justice associated with the politics of access to welfare state corporatism. More recently, they have been understood as the rights of multicultural difference; and now as the rights to complexity (Zolo), and rights to consideration of polycontextural effect vis-�- vis transnational corporations (Teubner). Social rights are no longer subject positions versus political bodies, but also against social institutions, in particular, vis-�-vis centers of economic power.

Traces Of The Stillborn? , Richard Weiner

Richard R Weiner

The architect Daniel Libeskind has written a noted lecture, "Traces of the Unborn." We might add, "Traces of the Stillborn." There is a tendency in historical institutionalism (HI) to concentrate on the retrieval of traces of paths taken rather than (1) to consider the processes involved in the selection of paths; and (2) to reflect upon the conditions of institutional emergence and sedimentation of paths, whether taken or untaken. Contrary to the path-dependency obsessed historical institutionalism of a Paul Pierson, this paper stresses the significance of historical case studies of institutional emergence in the earlier 20th century and …

Environmental Protection, U.S. Influence On Latin American Policies, Cigdem Sirin

Cigdem V. Sirin

No abstract provided.

“Hacer Fila En Bogotá" (To Do The Line In Bogotá), Andrés Henao Castro, Mauricio García Villegas

Andrés Fabián Henao-Castro

No abstract provided.

The Mordida´S Game: How Institutions Incentive Corruption, Rodolfo Sarsfield

Rodolfo Sarsfield

The study at micro level about in which way individuals’ micro-motives and behaviors influence on an effective rule of law is a deficit in the literature. The analysis of the microfoundations of the law ´s empire is absent in the field of legal studies. In this way, most explanations presented to elucidate the performance of the rule of law has been presented at macro level, emulating properties of countries, such as wealth (Barro 2000; Joireman 2004), ethnic fragmentation (Hayo and Voigt 2005; Hansson and Olsson 2006), religion (Barro 2000; Hayo and Voigt 2005), British legal or colonial tradition (Blake and …

North American Futures: Canadian & U.S. Perspectives, Managing The Arctic, David Caron

David D. Caron

Presentation and discussion of issues relevant to balanced Arctic exploration, multilateral cooperation policy, growth and development and political-economic perspectives.