This paper offers new theory and data to the ongoing debate over the effects of controversial Sup... more This paper offers new theory and data to the ongoing debate over the effects of controversial Supreme Court decisions. Previous literature has examined multiple possible effects from Court decisions (direct, indirect, radiating, and centrifugal, among others), but not specifically backlash effects and the resulting interaction effects between the interest groups affected by the decision. The study presented here examines and tests two sets of interest group reactions following the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade (1973): reactions from both pro-choice and pro-life interest groups to the decision itself, and interaction effects between the groups as they reacted to their opposition's mobilization efforts. Overall, the qualitative and quantitative evidence strongly suggest that Roe in particular and the Supreme Court more generally have a major impact on the ways in which interest groups recruit money, members, and support.
Is grading polarized in political science classrooms? We offer experimental evidence that suggest... more Is grading polarized in political science classrooms? We offer experimental evidence that suggests it is not. Many have argued that instructors' grading in political science classrooms is skewed by the political characteristics of the instructor, the student, or an interaction between the two. Yet the evaluations of whether such biases exist has been asserted and denied with little evidence-even though prominent theories in political science suggest that the charge is not entirely implausible. Using a set of anonymous essays by undergraduates graded by teaching assistants at a variety of institutions, we test for the presence of bias in a framework that avoids the usual selection bias issues that confound attempts at inference. After evaluating the evidence carefully, we find that the evidence for bias is much weaker than activists claim.
PRESIDENT REAGAN has called for comprehensive reform of the nation's welfare sys... more PRESIDENT REAGAN has called for comprehensive reform of the nation's welfare system." After hundreds of billions of dollars in poverty programs, the plight of the poor grows more painful. But the waste in dollars and cents pales before the most tragic loss? the sinful waste of human spirit and potential," he said in his 1986 State of the Union address. Reagan is not alone in calling for welfare reform; Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the American Public Welfare Association, and a variety of other groups and public officials have questioned the ...
A “trust fund” is a federal budget category in which revenues are typically raised from earmarked... more A “trust fund” is a federal budget category in which revenues are typically raised from earmarked taxes and must be spent on specific programs or uses (p. 1). There are some 150 federal trust funds in the United States, though the largest by far are Social Security and Medicare, which obtain funds from a payroll tax and spend them to provide pensions and medical care, primarily for the elderly. Trust funds accounted for less than 10 percent of federal revenues in 1950 but rose to 40 percent of revenues by the mid-1990s. Given their ...
" The best way of handling the question of how much to give the poor, politician... more " The best way of handling the question of how much to give the poor, politicians have discovered, is to avoid doing anything about it at all," note Paul Peterson and Mark Rom. The issue of the minimum people need in order to live decently is so difficult that Congress has left this crucial question to the states—even though the federal government foots three-fourths of the bill for about 15 million Americans who receive cash and food stamp benefits. The states differ widely in their assessment of what a family needs to meet a reasonable ...
Data visualization is the term used to describe the methods and technologies used to allow the ex... more Data visualization is the term used to describe the methods and technologies used to allow the exploration and communication of quantitative information graphically. Data visualization is a rapidly growing and evolving discipline, and visualizations are widely used to cover politics. Yet, while popular and scholarly publications widely use visualizations, the skills necessary for developing analytically powerful and aesthetically compelling graphics are not widely taught, at least not in political science. This article thus focuses on two innovative aspects of teaching research methods through the use of data visualizations. The first aspect concerns what is taught and the second concerns how the relevant material is taught. Unlike a more traditional course that emphasizes probability theory, inferential statistics, and formal hypothesis testing, my "Numbers, Pictures and Politics" (NPP) course spotlights the visualization tools and skills useful for understanding and communicating political and other social phenomena.
" The best way of handling the question of how much to give the poor, politician... more " The best way of handling the question of how much to give the poor, politicians have discovered, is to avoid doing anything about it at all," note Paul Peterson and Mark Rom. The issue of the minimum people need in order to live decently is so difficult that Congress has left this crucial question to the states—even though the federal government foots three-fourths of the bill for about 15 million Americans who receive cash and food stamp benefits. The states differ widely in their assessment of what a family needs to meet a reasonable ...
Abstract In 1991, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that a health-care worker (HCW)... more Abstract In 1991, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that a health-care worker (HCW) had apparently transmitted the virus that causes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) to patients while providing them routine medical treatment. This article examines the policy choices made based on this case. It begins by reviewing the federal system for making these policies. The conflicting public and professional policy recommendations are then summarized. Next, a framework for policy choice in a federal ...
Abstract Revising the usual distinction between developmental and redistributive policies, I sugg... more Abstract Revising the usual distinction between developmental and redistributive policies, I suggest that state and federal governments each seek programs they believe will help them gain their developmental goals. But there is little consensus on the types of welfare programs that actually do create economic development. State and federal participants in welfare reform consequently promote the kind of federal arrangements that are likely to produce the policies they favor. The developmental politics of the Family Support Act of ...
This paper offers new theory and data to the ongoing debate over the effects of controversial Sup... more This paper offers new theory and data to the ongoing debate over the effects of controversial Supreme Court decisions. Previous literature has examined multiple possible effects from Court decisions (direct, indirect, radiating, and centrifugal, among others), but not specifically backlash effects and the resulting interaction effects between the interest groups affected by the decision. The study presented here examines and tests two sets of interest group reactions following the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade (1973): reactions from both pro-choice and pro-life interest groups to the decision itself, and interaction effects between the groups as they reacted to their opposition's mobilization efforts. Overall, the qualitative and quantitative evidence strongly suggest that Roe in particular and the Supreme Court more generally have a major impact on the ways in which interest groups recruit money, members, and support.
Is grading polarized in political science classrooms? We offer experimental evidence that suggest... more Is grading polarized in political science classrooms? We offer experimental evidence that suggests it is not. Many have argued that instructors' grading in political science classrooms is skewed by the political characteristics of the instructor, the student, or an interaction between the two. Yet the evaluations of whether such biases exist has been asserted and denied with little evidence-even though prominent theories in political science suggest that the charge is not entirely implausible. Using a set of anonymous essays by undergraduates graded by teaching assistants at a variety of institutions, we test for the presence of bias in a framework that avoids the usual selection bias issues that confound attempts at inference. After evaluating the evidence carefully, we find that the evidence for bias is much weaker than activists claim.
PRESIDENT REAGAN has called for comprehensive reform of the nation's welfare sys... more PRESIDENT REAGAN has called for comprehensive reform of the nation's welfare system." After hundreds of billions of dollars in poverty programs, the plight of the poor grows more painful. But the waste in dollars and cents pales before the most tragic loss? the sinful waste of human spirit and potential," he said in his 1986 State of the Union address. Reagan is not alone in calling for welfare reform; Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the American Public Welfare Association, and a variety of other groups and public officials have questioned the ...
A “trust fund” is a federal budget category in which revenues are typically raised from earmarked... more A “trust fund” is a federal budget category in which revenues are typically raised from earmarked taxes and must be spent on specific programs or uses (p. 1). There are some 150 federal trust funds in the United States, though the largest by far are Social Security and Medicare, which obtain funds from a payroll tax and spend them to provide pensions and medical care, primarily for the elderly. Trust funds accounted for less than 10 percent of federal revenues in 1950 but rose to 40 percent of revenues by the mid-1990s. Given their ...
" The best way of handling the question of how much to give the poor, politician... more " The best way of handling the question of how much to give the poor, politicians have discovered, is to avoid doing anything about it at all," note Paul Peterson and Mark Rom. The issue of the minimum people need in order to live decently is so difficult that Congress has left this crucial question to the states—even though the federal government foots three-fourths of the bill for about 15 million Americans who receive cash and food stamp benefits. The states differ widely in their assessment of what a family needs to meet a reasonable ...
Data visualization is the term used to describe the methods and technologies used to allow the ex... more Data visualization is the term used to describe the methods and technologies used to allow the exploration and communication of quantitative information graphically. Data visualization is a rapidly growing and evolving discipline, and visualizations are widely used to cover politics. Yet, while popular and scholarly publications widely use visualizations, the skills necessary for developing analytically powerful and aesthetically compelling graphics are not widely taught, at least not in political science. This article thus focuses on two innovative aspects of teaching research methods through the use of data visualizations. The first aspect concerns what is taught and the second concerns how the relevant material is taught. Unlike a more traditional course that emphasizes probability theory, inferential statistics, and formal hypothesis testing, my "Numbers, Pictures and Politics" (NPP) course spotlights the visualization tools and skills useful for understanding and communicating political and other social phenomena.
" The best way of handling the question of how much to give the poor, politician... more " The best way of handling the question of how much to give the poor, politicians have discovered, is to avoid doing anything about it at all," note Paul Peterson and Mark Rom. The issue of the minimum people need in order to live decently is so difficult that Congress has left this crucial question to the states—even though the federal government foots three-fourths of the bill for about 15 million Americans who receive cash and food stamp benefits. The states differ widely in their assessment of what a family needs to meet a reasonable ...
Abstract In 1991, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that a health-care worker (HCW)... more Abstract In 1991, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that a health-care worker (HCW) had apparently transmitted the virus that causes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) to patients while providing them routine medical treatment. This article examines the policy choices made based on this case. It begins by reviewing the federal system for making these policies. The conflicting public and professional policy recommendations are then summarized. Next, a framework for policy choice in a federal ...
Abstract Revising the usual distinction between developmental and redistributive policies, I sugg... more Abstract Revising the usual distinction between developmental and redistributive policies, I suggest that state and federal governments each seek programs they believe will help them gain their developmental goals. But there is little consensus on the types of welfare programs that actually do create economic development. State and federal participants in welfare reform consequently promote the kind of federal arrangements that are likely to produce the policies they favor. The developmental politics of the Family Support Act of ...
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