Political Science Commons^™

Water Quality: Implementing The Clean Water Act, Claudia Copeland

Congressional Research Service Reports

Congress enacted the last major amendments to the Clean Water Act in 1987 (P.L. 100-4). Since then, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states, and others have been working to implement the many program changes and additions mandated in the law. At issue today — more than 30 years after enactment of the core law — is what progress is being made to achieve its goals. In general, states and environmental groups fault EPA for delays in issuing guidance and providing assistance to carry out the law. EPA and others are critical of states, in turn, for not reaching beyond conventional …

Manipulating Molecules: Federal Support For Nanotechnology Research, Michael E. Davey

Congressional Research Service Reports

The Bush Administration has requested $1.277 billion for nanotechnology research for FY2007, $24 million less than the estimated $1.301billion appropriated level for FY2006. (See Table 1.) Nanotechnology is a newly emerging field of science where scientists and engineers are beginning to manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic levels in order to obtain materials and systems with significantly improved properties. Ten nanometers is equal to one-ten thousandths the diameter of a human hair. Proponents of this technology argue that nanotechnology will lead to a new industrial revolution in the 21st century. Scientists note that nanotechnology is still in its infancy, …

Hubble Space Telescope: Should Nasa Proceed With A Servicing Mission?, Daniel Morgan

Congressional Research Service Reports

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) estimates that without a servicing mission to replace key components, the Hubble Space Telescope will cease scientific operations in 2008 instead of 2010. In January 2004, then-NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe announced that the space shuttle would no longer be used to service Hubble. He indicated that this decision was based primarily on safety concerns in the wake of the space shuttle Columbia accident in 2003. Many critics, however, saw it as the result of the new Vision for Space Exploration, announced by President Bush in January 2004, which focuses NASA’s priorities on human …

The Problem Of Secular Sacredness: Ronald Dworkin, Michael Perry, And Human Rights Foundationalism, Ari Kohen

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

The concept of human rights ultimately rests on the premise that there are some things that ought to be done for human beings and other things that ought not to be done to human beings in light of the fact that they are human. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, these rights stem from the “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family” (Ishay 1997: 407). Some would argue that this notion has its roots in the natural law and natural rights tradition that is an important …

Framing Race: The Election Of The First African-American Mayor Of Jackson, Mississippi, Byron D. Orey

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

“Lord have mercy! We're going to have a black mayor in Jackson, in Jackson, Mississippi.” — An anonymous black woman quoted in Chappell (1997)

The above epigraph expresses the shock within the black community of Jackson, Mississippi, when Harvey Johnson was elected as the city's first African-American mayor in June, 1997. Surprisingly, four years earlier Johnson failed to win the Democratic nomination for the mayor's office. How did Johnson rebound from his earlier defeat in the 1993 Democratic mayoral primary election? In other words, how does one explain Johnson's historic victory—the first African-American mayor of Jackson, Mississippi—in light of his …

Are Political Orientations Genetically Transmitted?, John R. Alford, Carolyn L. Funk, John R. Hibbing

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

We test the possibility that political attitudes and behaviors are the result of both environmental and genetic factors. Employing standard methodological approaches in behavioral genetics—–specifically, comparisons of the differential correlations of the attitudes of monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins—–we analyze data drawn from a large sample of twins in the United States, supplemented with findings from twins in Australia. The results indicate that genetics plays an important role in shaping political attitudes and ideologies but a more modest role in forming party identification; as such, they call for finer distinctions in theorizing about the sources of political attitudes. We conclude …

The Possibility Of Secular Human Rights: Alan Gewirth And The Principle Of Generic Consistency, Ari Kohen

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

This article explores Alan Gewirth’s argument for a secular foundation for the idea of human rights as a possible response to Michael J. Perry’s claim “that the idea of human rights is … ineliminably religious.” I examine Gewirth’s reasoning for constructing a theory, namely that existing theories are fundamentally flawed and leave the idea of human rights without a logically consistent foundation, before considering in detail his claims for the Principle of Generic Consistency (PGC). Having looked at his critique of numerous other theories, as well as at his own argument about human action grounding basic rights to freedom and …

Thucydides [From Encyclopedia Of Social Measurement], Peter A. Furia, Ari Kohen

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Thucydides (5th Century B.C.E.) is arguably the first person to engage in systematic social measurement. His lone surviving masterwork. The Peloponnesian War, stands as a founding text for the disciplines of history and political science. On its surface, The Peloponnesian War comprehensively and objectively chronicles the 27 year military struggle between Athens and Sparta from which the latter emerged victorious in 404 B.C.E. Yet Thucydides’ aim and approach in recounting the Peloponnesian War is extensively debated, often reflecting enduring disagreements about the philosophy and methodology of social science.

The Adaptiveness Of Punishing Behavior: A Baseline Study, Levente Littvay

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study sheds light on the current patterns of punishing behavior. Experimental work with ultimatum bargaining shows that individuals have a high sensitivity to fairness, and when taken advantage of, are willing to endure costs to punish deviant behavior. Third party observers of the unfair behavior asked to represent ultimatum recipients are more hesitant to engage in such punishment. This becomes ever more puzzling when we consider individuals’ high value of their own reputation in similar settings. This leaves both rational choice modelers and political psychologists puzzled. This study presents the baseline model for a research agenda proposing a multi-agent …

Getting People To Tolerate Bad Outcomes:, John R. Hibbing

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Doha Round - 2004 Version, Clayton K. Yeutter

Clayton K. Yeutter, United States Secretary of Agriculture: Papers

Thank you, Sherman Katz. It is a pleasure always to participate in this CSIS Seminar, which is becoming an annual reunion for former USTRs. Trade is always on the front burner of world affairs, but that burner is especially hot at the moment! And it is as hot here in the U.S. as it is anywhere. So let's turn to the Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, and see where we stand.

The Doha Round: Comin' Allve?, Clayton K. Yeutter

Clayton K. Yeutter, United States Secretary of Agriculture: Papers

May I first pay compliments to the leadership of the Asian Development Bank for hosting this seminar. Asia has a huge stake in the success of the WTO generally, and the Doha Round specifically, but not everyone realizes that. So seminars of this _ nature are terribly important in providing focus to the Doha Round, encouragement to the negotiators, and in building public support for this endeavor. Let's hope we can accomplish those objectives here in Osaka.

Accepting Authoritative Decisions: Humans As Wary Cooperators, John R. Hibbing, John R. Alford

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Why are people more willing to accept some governmental decisions than others? In this article, we present results from a series of original experiments showing that people’s reactions to a given outcome are heavily influenced by the procedure employed to produce the outcome.We find that subjects reactmuch less favorably when a decision maker intentionally keeps a large payoff, thereby leaving the subject with a small payoff, than when that same payoff results from a procedure based on chance or on desert. Moreover, subjects react less favorably to outcomes rendered by decision makers who want to be decision makers than they …

White Racial Attitudes And Support For The Mississippi State Flag, Byron D’Andra Orey

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

In recent years, there has been a dearth of literature documenting a relationship between old-fashioned racism and the vote for a racially conservative candidate or White opposition to various racial policies. In fact, a number of scholars have argued that a new racism has supplanted the old-fashioned racism. Analysis of a survey of college students in the state of Mississippi reveals that old-fashioned racism provides the strongest explanation of White support for the Mississippi state flag. These findings are startling given the educational levels of the respondents.

Participation In Electoral Politics, Byron D. Orey, Reginald Vance

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

This chapter traces the evolution of African American electoral participation and characterizes the political behavior that it has generated for this racialized community. First, the chapter examines this community's behavior relative to the various political parties, the standard vehicles through which electoral participation is executed. It then examines the voting behavior of African Americans. This is followed by case studies examining Black third-party efforts, political behavior during Reconstruction, and Jesse Jackson's bid for the presidency.

The New Black Conservative: Rhetoric Or Reality?, Byron D. Orey

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

In recent years there has been growing speculation regarding an increase in the number of African Americans identifying themselves as conservatives. Much of this speculation has been heightened by the increase in the number of African American elites who identify themselves as conservatives. This list includes icons like Clarence Thomas, J.C. Watts, Alan Keyes and Ward Connerly, to name a few. Despite the increase in the number of African American elites who identify themselves as conservatives, there has been a dearth of systematic analyses to determine if this phenomenon has trickled down to the masses.

Models that have traditionally been …

Minorities Within Minorities: Equality, Rights, & Diversity

Department of Political Science: Hendricks Symposium

Schedule, agenda, and brochure for HENDRICKS SYMPOSIUM 2002
Minorities within Minorities: Equality, Rights & Diversity

This symposium has been made possible through the support of the University of Nebraska’s Hendricks Fund. Established through the generosity of Mr. G. E. Hendricks, this fund is dedicated to supporting the exploration of “current controversial political questions… in a nonpartisan, unbiased manner.” Mr. Hendricks, an alumnus of the University and later an attorney in Colorado, believed that a more intelligent examination and consideration of political questions would lead to better government.

The Hendricks Fund is administered by the Political Science Department. Additional support has …

A New Racial Threat In The New South? (A Conditional) Yes, Byron D’Andra Orey

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

This paper examines three competing hypotheses: racial threat, social contact and racial resentment. Using individual level and aggregate level data, these three hypotheses are tested by examining white racial attitudes, and a variety of contextual variables, on the prospective vote for a white racially conservative candidate. The evidence provides support for all three of these hypotheses. Racial threat is found to be conditioned by the black population density and the resentment that whites direct toward African Americans. The probability that a white person will support a racially conservative candidate does not depend solely on the black population. Indeed, it is …

The Cultural Role Of The State In Domestic And International Relations, Christopher D. Sommerich

Open Access Master's Theses (through 2010)

The end of the bipolar Cold War era and the increasing globalization of the last decade have resulted in new questions about the domestic and international role of the state.One effect of an uncertain international environment framed by globalization is that traditional military and economic threat considerations are being joined by cultural threat considerations, as a growing number of cultural products cross borders and are interpreted as influences on national identity.Negative reactions to globalization and the spread of a “global culture” are often based on the belief that it is largely American pop culture that is threatening other national identities, …

Process Preference And American Politics: What The People Want Government To Be, John R. Hibbing, Elizabeth Theiss-Morse

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Social Dimensions Of A Networked World: Will The Internet Promote Productivity And Fulfillment Or Result In A More Volatile And Ruthless World?, Ross A. Miller

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Technological change has the potential to have profound effects on politics, the economy, and society. Indeed, the Industrial Revolution provides ample evidence of the significant effect of technology on humankind. Today the Internet has transformed the way we communicate, learn, work, and play. What are the dangers and opportunities presented by this new technology? One hundred years from now, will society look back upon this period of technological change as one that led to a more productive and peaceful world, or will they view it as the beginning of a dark period in human history, one characterized by political instability, …

Symbolic Racism In The 1995 Louisiana Gubernatorial Election, Jonathan Knuckley, Byron D. Orey

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

In this paper we explore the effects of symbolic racism on the intended vote choice of whites by examining a white-on-black statewide election. It is argued that symbolic racial attitudes will be activated in a white-on-black election simply because of the mere presence of a black candidate. Methods. The white prospective vote for a white racially conservative candidate is examined using survey data from the 1995 Louisiana gubernatorial runoff conducted by the University of New Orleans Survey Research Center. Results. Symbolic racism was a strong predictor of intended vote choice, even after controlling for partisan identification and self-identified political philosophy. …

Black Legislative Politics In Mississippi, Byron D. Orey

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 dramatically increased the number of Black legislators in the state of Mississippi. Prior to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, African Americans had not served in the Mississippi state legislature since 1896. However, by 1988, 22 African Americans gained seats in the state legislature. In this descriptive analysis, the evolution, nature of the membership, and substantive impact of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus are assessed.

Regime Type, Strategic Interaction, And The Diversionary Use Of Force, Ross A. Miller

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

This study explores the relative propensity of democratic and autocratic regimes to engage in diversionary behavior. Although previous research has focused on the willingness of leaders to engage in conflict, recent studies suggest an alternative explanation: the effect of strategic interaction opportunities. Previous studies suggest that even though democratic leaders may have an incentive to use foreign policy to manipulate domestic audiences, would-be adversaries limit their interaction opportunities. This article extends the analysis to a comparison of the behavior of democratic and autocratic regimes. Using three different indicators of the domestic political vulnerability of leaders—economic growth rates, protests, and rebellions—the …

The World Food And Agricultural Situation - A U.S. Perspective, Clayton K. Yeutter

Clayton K. Yeutter, United States Secretary of Agriculture: Papers

It is a pleasure to be here in Minnesota at this year's Global Food and Agriculture Summit. And it is a special pleasure to share the podium today with lots of long-time friends, many of whom have forever been associated with American agriculture. would like to focus today on what kind of future might be ahead of us all as we contemplate the excitement of entering a new century. As we look back, we can only conclude that the 20th century was mighty exciting too, and assuredly challenging from an agricultural policy standpoint.

The Race Race In Black And White: The 1995 Louisiana Gubernatorial Election, Byron D. Orey

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

This analysis marks the first time that the black threat thesis posited in 1949 by V. 0. Key, Jr. has been examined by employing a black versus white head-to-head election. This study tests the black threat thesis in the 1995 Louisiana gubernatorial run-off election. The unit of analysis is the parish (same as county) and the primary data sources used in this analysis include election returns by parish, turnout data by race by parish and demographic and socio-economic variables for parishes taken from the United States Census. The findings are consistent with Key's black threat hypothesis. White support for the …

Situational Dissastifaction In Congress: Explaining Voluntary Departures, John R. Hibbing, Michael K. Moore

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Female Empowerment: The Influence Of Women Representing Women, Angela High-Pippert, John Comer

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

The concept of political empowerment has been applied to ethnic and racial minorities, where it has been shown to positively influence political attitudes and participation. We examine whether political empowerment has the same positive consequences for women. Using data from the 1992 National Election Study and Almanac for American Politics 1990, 1992, and 1994, we explore whether women who are represented by women in Congress are more likely to be interested in and participate in politics, have a greater sense of political efficacy, competence, and trust, and evaluate Congress as an institution more favorably than women represented by men. In …

Memorandum From University Of Illinois College Of Law Professor Ronald D. Rotunda Memorandum To The Honorable Kenneth W. Starr Regarding Whether A Sitting President Is Subject To Indictment [Portions Redacted], Ronald D. Rotunda

United States Department of Justice: Publications

Re: Indictability of the President, with particular respect to whether President Bill Clinton could be charged with indictable offenses while in federal office.

Excerpt from the New York Times article: “It is proper, constitutional, and legal for a federal grand jury to indict a sitting president for serious criminal acts that are not part of, and are contrary to, the president’s official duties,” the Starr office memo concludes. “In this country, no one, even President Clinton, is above the law.”

The Media's Role In Public Negativity Toward Congress: Distinguishing Emotional Reactions And Cognative Evaluations, Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, John R. Hibbing

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.