Other Political Science Commons^™

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. …