Search

At UIC we began four years ago to restructure our graduate program to include Preparing Future Faculty as one of four model programs in the U.S. with a grant from the APSA. Since then we have created two new PFF courses, offerred workshops on teaching techniques, and developed teaching portfolios for our students. Thirty students have now gone through the program which is conducted with 10 partner universities and colleges in Illionis. This paper discusses the creation of such programs at any university, evaluates the results of our program, and discusses the problems of institutionalizing such programs in times of budget shortfalls. If desired papers can be obtained from two other PFF programs at Indiana Univ. and Uhiversity of Colorado at Boulder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is part of Panel 31027 organized by Kira Sanbonmatsu. This paper is part of a panel proposal on women’s election to the state legislatures. The panel seeks to leverage variation across states in women’s representation in order to understand why women continue to be less likely to run for and hold state legislative office than men. The panelists are conducting coordinated research about how gender shapes candidacy for the state legislature in a sample of states. The states included in the study represent a diverse group of states in terms of party competition, majority party status, term limits, and region. Each paper uses the same analytic research strategy to study a single state. Together, these papers will be used to identify the consequences for women’s representation of the role of parties and women’s groups in candidate recruitment; to analyze any gender differences in the path to the legislature; and to determine if men and women in the relevant pool for the legislature in the state are equally likely to run for the legislature (e.g., local party chairs, local elected and appointed officials). This paper assesses the status of women in Illinois politics. It analyzes recent trends in the presence of women in state legislative office; analyzes the qualifications and backgrounds of state legislators; examines the relationship between gender and the pathways to the legislature; and analyzes the role of parties and interest groups, including women’s groups, in candidate recruitment for the legislature, and the implications of these activities for women’s candidacies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Question: This paper is a case study of the relocation of the Boeing Co. corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago in 2001. In March 2001, Boeing announced that it had short-listed three regions-Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Denver-for its new headquarters location and planned to finalize its site selection process in a matter of weeks. This paper examines how each of the three regions responded to Boeing’s announcement, focusing in particular on questions of regional cohesion. We address three principal questions: How effectively did regions coordinate their recruitment efforts? What explains variations in the cohesiveness of regional recruitment efforts? What kind of regional learning took place in each city as a result of the recruitment process? Methodology: The paper relies principally on two data sources. First, semi-structured personal interviews were conducted with economic development practitioners active in the Boeing recruitment effort in each of the three cities. In addition, newspaper articles covering the recruitment process in each city were reviewed. Content analysis was used to determine how media sources in each city portrayed the cohesiveness of recruitment efforts, both in their home cities and in the other two locations. Key Findings: We found considerable variation in the culture of cooperation around economic development in the three regions. We conclude that regional recruitment efforts were most cohesive where regional cooperation around economic development was institutionalized and where the civic sector played a leadership role in fostering cooperation. Recruitment efforts were more fragmented where cooperation was largely ad-hoc and overseen principally by the public sector. Implications: The study contributes to the literatures on new regionalism and business location. It suggests that regional institution building and strong civic sector participation are important in facilitating regional cooperation around corporate recruitment efforts. Related Published Research: Pierce, N., with Johnson, C., & Hall, J.S. (1993). Citistates: How urban America can prosper in a competitive world. Washington, DC: Seven Locks Press. Dodge, W.R. (1996). Regional excellence: Governing together to compete globally and flourish locally. Washington, DC: National League of Cities. Hershberg, T. (1996). Regional cooperation: Strategies and incentives for global competitiveness and urban reform. National Civic Review, 85(2), 25-31. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At first glance, academic assessment is simply another request for more paper. But it goes well beyond the design of a plan or blueprint. Instead, assessment involves the much more difficult task of creating a new culture. Borrowing from both the experience of the Department of Political Science at Northeastern Illinois University and from the political science literatures on cooperation and policy implementation, I describe the beginning of an assessment culture. I describe the steps taken to build trust and make the task some more tractable, the way commitment grew within the department, and the plan that was devised. I also review some current problem in the implementation of this plan, showing the vulnerability of an assessment culture in its early stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

 The Citizen Input Process – Does Input Equal Participation? Some citizens, and the local governments that represent them, have become increasingly aware of the need for citizen voice to be incorporated into the decision making processes of local government. This phenomenon has received some study, particularly from the vantage of citizens and their perceptions of the participation process. Views from the organization side have been woefully lacking. It is this void that the proposed paper addresses. Data will be gathered from the City of Elgin, Illinois about their budget process. The City believes it makes a significant effort to involve both citizen leaders and “regular” citizens in the budget process. Yet several questions have not yet been raised. These include whether citizens see their role as providing information, providing support for decisions already made, or actually influencing decisions; how members of the local government administration feel about the information generated and how that information can and is utilized; and what empirical evidence exists to support either of those two perspectives. To begin to answer these questions, public meetings of the budget will be attended by the researchers and surveys administered of the parties involved in the input process. As this is work that focuses on both sides of the participation equation, it seems likely that some integration of perceptions will be needed. The precise relationships and influences have yet to be seen, and therefore few hypotheses currently exist. The utility of the research relies on the fact that the evidence gathered here will both inform the field of public administration and political science by providing a well rounded understanding of a single participation event from at least two sides who are involved in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Midwest Political Science Association 79th Annual Conference to be held in Palmer House in Hilton, Chicago, Illinois, from April 7th to April 10th 2022.

In the study of the relationship between blacks and machine politics in Chicago, a watershed event was the shift in the late 1940s of lower-income black voter support from the Republican to the Democratic machine. To most scholars this realignment does not present a puzzle. It is assumed that, lacking financial and political resources and sense of efficacy, these voters were simply an easy target for the Democratic Party. This paper instead argues that when lower-income blacks in the city are seen as purposeful actors in the political and social areas of their lives, a more complicated story emerges. Indeed, a careful examination of the habits of lower-income blacks in Chicago from the 30s onward reveals that participation in machine politics was part of a larger tendency to engage in sophisticated, forward-looking, and long-term minded social capital investment. Participation in machine politics is usually considered through an examination of either economic or social motivations. In contrast, the novel social capital approach provided hereâ€"grounded in an economically rigorous and individualistic frameworkâ€"provides a way of integrating the social and economic to achieve a more nuanced understanding of motivation and action. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, literature on path dependence, policy feedback, and critical junctures has provided new theoretical tools to better understand how social processes operate in time. However, few such studies have focused on urban political development. This paper combines literature on path dependence with urban regime theory to examine urban redevelopment in Chicago and Milwaukee from 1945 to 1980. Both cities initiated redevelopment efforts beginning in the late 1940s. However, development policy in Chicago focused largely on downtown revitalization, while Milwaukee focused instead on manufacturing. These differences cannot be explained by economic factors alone. Despite similar economic characteristics, distinctive regime dynamics in Chicago and Milwaukee during the late 1940s placed the two cities on separate development trajectories that became entrenched over time. Postwar development policy in each city can be understood only through a genuinely historical approach that links outcomes at the close of this period in 1980 with key causal factors dating back to the 1940s. The study finds that regime theory may significantly enhance path dependence perspectives in examining urban political development. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper leverages a quasi-experiment in Illinois that gave voters more control over government budgets. It shows that government performance can substantially decline when voters make fiscal decisions through referendums. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines what variables make victory more likely for defendants in criminal trials. Private as vs. public counsel, youth, and in-county status make victory more likely. Minority race, sex, prior record, and others make it less so. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the relevance of framing in environmental policy. The area of focus is invasive species policy in the North American Great Lakes region. The first section addresses the state of the literature surrounding policy framing. The general findings in this section suggest that there are many ways to frame environmental policy. It is then argued that policy actors affect outcomes differently depending on the framing strategies they use. The next section examines policy affecting invasive species in the North American Great Lakes system. There are two specific examples brought forth in this section: the outbreak of Asian carp in tributaries leading to the Great Lakes system and the dumping of ballast water by ships in the Great Lakes. Business proposals, on-the-record discussions made by government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, and public statements made by environmental groups are used to determine the different levels of framing in these two examples. It is then argued that the business community, focusing mostly on the technical aspects of only one species, framed Asian carp policy in a very narrow manner. The dumping of ballast water is presented as an example of environmental policy that was framed more broadly by various government agencies. The Asian carp and ballast water examples are analyzed in the final section for their respective roles in framing environmental policy. The goal of this paper is to better understand who frames environmental policy and the types of strategies they use. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the manner in which monies were distributed under the FIRST grant program in Illinois to test competing theories of distributive politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study on conflict escalation and the onset of civil war, prepared for the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association from April 6 to 10, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois. Based on findings of the study, structural factors do not influence repressive ineffectiveness. Also, civil war onset is not influence by the failed application of repression but rather by the limited use of repressive activity in the face of rural and urban dissent. In addition, context does not condition the influence of repressive ineffectiveness on civil war but it does influence the limited use of repression amidst instability.

The epitome of older machine politics was under Richard J. Daley and his pro-growth regime in Chicago from 1955-1976. It was characterized by patronage, slate-making, and allinaces to the down-town business community. The new machine under Richard M. Daley continues some aspects of the older machine but patronage precinct captains are supplemented by a candidate based synthetic campaigns using large sums of money from the global economy to purchase professional political consultants, public opinion polls, and paid television ads and direct mail. On the governing side, the new machine is characterized by a rubber stamp city council and public policies which benefit the new global economy more than the older developer economy. These theories of old and machine politics will be tested with data on campaign contributions, city council roll call votes, and an analyis of the major public decisions since 1989. Speculations about the future of Chicago politics since the recession of 2001 and the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001 will be included. The atrophy of the opposition to the new Daley Machine will be compared to the reform movements under the old Daley machine. The role of the businesses in the downtown and global economy will also be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political science and public administration literature suggest that consolidated metropolitan government is preferable to fragmented local government. The literature argues that consolidation provides economies of scale that reduces administrative overhead and improves efficiency, while allowing public administrators to equitably distribute regional resources. The literature of special districts suggests that decentralization of metropolitan government is preferable to consolidation. The literature argues that smaller local governments provide public administrators greater autonomy, allowing special districts to be more responsive to local needs. This study tests the competing hypotheses of political science and public administration, and special districts. To test the competing hypotheses, this study compares the service levels and efficiency levels of Illinois park districts and Illinois parks and recreation departments. In this study, three hypotheses are identified. The first, originating from the literature of parks and recreation administration, states that park districts provide higher service levels than municipal parks and recreation departments. The second, also originating from the literature of parks and recreation administration, states that park districts provide higher levels of autonomy than parks and recreation departments, which in turn provide hgher levels of services. The third, originating from the literature of political science and public administration, states that parks and recreation departments provide higher levels of efficiency in delivering services than park districts. Illiois was selected for study because it has the largest park district system in the United States, with 305 park districts, and because Illinois park districts receive 38 percent of the national Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in parks and recreation administration. Illinois was also selected because it has one of the largest municipal parks and recreation department systems in the United States, with 125 agencies, permitting quantitative analysis of service level and efficiency level outcomes between the two structures of government. Service level, autonomy, demographic, and administrator profile data were collected by surveying an equal number of randomly selected park district administrators and randomly selected parks and recreation department administrators. Data was analyzed using comparative means testing, bivariate and multivariate linear regression to test the relationships between service levels, administrative autonomy and efficiency levels as identified in the literature. In addition, these quantitative techniques were used to test competing hypotheses identified in other studies, suggesting that staffing and professional training levels are explanations for service and budgetary levels. The aggregate results of this study show that structure of government is an important determinant of total recreation program levels, with park districts providing two more programs on average than parks and recreation departments. This study also demonstrates that agency service area population, rather than structure of government, is the primary determinant of the number of facilities that an agency operates. This study demonstrates that a strong relationship exists between structure of government and administrative autonomy. But since structure of government is not a determinant of per capita total service levels, no meaningful relationship between autonomy an per capita service levels appears to exist. Testing the relationship between structure of government and efficiency, this study finds that structure of government is not an important determinant of agency efficiency. Considering other potential explanations of agency service levels and efficiency, including the hypothesis that professional training, job satisfaction, length of service on the job or administrative salary are determinants of service levels or efficiency levels, this study finds that only longevity of administrators in their current posisition has an impact on service levels or efficiency. The implications of these quantitative findings are that neither park districts nor parks and recreation departments are preferable in terms of providing higher levels of services or efficiency. Neither parks and recreation theory that park districts are preferable to parks and recreation departments, nor political science and public administration theory that parks and recreation departments are preferable to park districts are affirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts a comparative institutional approach to examine the politics of neighborhood regeneration in Los Angeles and Chicago. The focus is on how institutional arrangements shape initiatives to revitalize distressed neighborhoods in the two cities. Whereas the cities have quite variant institutional arrangements (15 districts and hybrid voluntary councils in LA, as opposed to 50 wards in Chicago), it appears that in both cities, councilor or aldermanic politics strongly influence policy outcomes. The goal is to explore in more detail how civic actors interact within urban governance institutions in two cities with quite different political institutions. This paper is part of a larger multi-city study of urban regeneration in large cities, and employs a comparative case analysis using multiple data sources, including published literature, analysis of demographic data, document review, and semi-structured interviews with city officials and neighborhood actors. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing literature on special-purpose authorities argues that they are often unaccountable to voters and residents of cities. This paper tests this assumption by exploring new modes of accountability and democracy at the local level. Specifically, it considers varying paths to accountability at a special-purpose authority in Chicago and questions the degree to which this institution operates accountably to local citizens and other constituencies. The case, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), is typical of many authorities found in large cities throughout the U.S. and manages the city's convention center and an entertainment district. The paper uses content analysis of the population of newspaper coverage on the MPEA, MPEA press releases from 2004-2007, and interviews with MPEA officials and community group leaders, to analyze the multiple constituencies and accountability mechanisms at the MPEA. Findings presented suggest that the MPEA does not act accountably in a traditional, electoral sense, but is operating accountably to particular constituencies by utilizing public relations tactics as well as collaborative planning techniques. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organized labor has emerged in the last decade as the only force able and willing to carry out sustained challenges to Mayor Daley and his City Council allies in both the policy process and the electoral process. This paper provides a narrative of this conflict, and also includes an examination of internal labor movement conflict and determination of strategy, the context of available allies for labor, and the context of the city’s particular culture of race and machine politics. As such, it contributes to an emerging scholarship of comparative urban analysis that is committed to understanding what contexts and strategies contribute best to labor revitalization, and to a larger challenge to growing economic inequality and urban neo-liberalism. (See Turner and Cornfield, eds., Labor in the New Urban Battlegrounds.) The paper is a wedding of investigative journalism with political analysis rooted in the social movement literature’s “political opportunity” concept, and the urban politics literature’s “regime” concept. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of a regime change on a party's ability to recruit and retain campaign workers. Using the partisan turnover in Illinois' Governor's office in 2002, this paper analyzes the impact on local party organizations recruitment ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of racial thought in the development of American political science, focusing on the Chicago School and the earliest stages of the behavioral movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will explore the relative lack of political mobilization for Access to Work programs in Kansas City in contrast to the strong grassroots support for them in Chicago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The curriculum of the Department of Political Science at Millikin University has evolved tremendously over the past ten years. This paper describes the movement away from a content only to an objectives-based curriculum. We document shifts in culture and pedagogy within the department, interactions with key administrators outside the department, and the uses of a variety of assessment methods and new technologies which have provided both the impetus and grounding for curricular change. Finally, we will identify future challenges for our department in the area of student outcomes assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the 71st Annual Conference of the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) to be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois from April 11-14, 2013.

Very little is known about the voting preferences of felon populations. Given that prison is becoming a lived reality for an increasing number of Americans, the oversight of examining the effects of incarceration on political behavior could have large consequences. For instance, it has recently been argued that felon enfranchisement would have changed the 2000 election result. Previous studies have relied on demographic "matching" of prison populations along lines of race, class, and education in order to predict vote choice and voter turnout. What these studies fail to address is the potential effects of incarceration on political beliefs. .x000d..x000d.Through an analysis of the Chicago prison population, we seek to argue that mere demographic matching is insufficient for understanding felon turnout and political attitudes. While realizing the limits of such a small-scale study, we hope that this paper will become a part of a more comprehensive understanding of the political relevance of felon populations. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a field experiment testing the contagion effect of the get-out-the-vote (GOTV) non-partisan phone calls within households. During the week preceding the November 2004 Election, we randomly assigned registered voters in Illinois living in two-person households, where one person was exposed to the phone call treatment while the other was not. We find that the GOTV phone calls tend to increase the turnout of treated people by 1 to 2 percentage-points, but such direct effects are hardly transmitted to housemates who were not assigned to the treatment condition. The null hypothesis that the indirect effect is merely 5% or less of the direct treated-on-treatment effect can be rejected at the conventional level of significance. Implications of these findings are discussed in a broader context of voter mobilization. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the role of the Supreme Court in regulating the economy. This role was dramatically changed by the arguments of prominent members of the Chicago School such as Judges Bork and Posner, who, in the 1970s, called for a drastic reduction in the scope of federal antitrust enforcement. This change in policy paved the way for the wave of deregulation which was to follow. Business interests have received a warm reception at the bar from the Roberts Court, and are likely to continue to do so if this term's docket is any indication of what is to come. But with a distressed economy and early failures by the political branches to respond effectively, courts will likely be called on to help restore stability and order to the financial system. Could this crisis propel an initially pro-business and arguably libertarian majority on the Court into a more prominent role in regulating the economy?Though the judicial philosophy of the Court's majority and the more general institutional competency of courts to deal with policy formulation in a democracy would seem to rule such a possibility out, I argue that the Court is likely to assume just such a prominent role, relying heavily on the flawed premises of Chicago School theorists ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public administration scholars have perennially cited the importance of public servants' adherence to standard operating procedures (e.g., Gulick, 1937). However, scholars have also emphasized the importance of professional autonomy and discretion for public employees (e.g., Romzek & Dubnick, 1987). As part of a larger study, this paper uses qualitative data obtained through in-depth interviews with 12 county sheriffs and 18 municipal police chiefs in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin to explore how county sheriffs and municipal police chiefs make decisions when the professional discretion of their officers conflicts with their agencies’ written policies..x000d..x000d.Data from this exploratory study indicate four critical factors that account for a law enforcement manager’s perspective on this conflict: (1) agency coordination; (2) legal liability issues, (3) the complex terrain of law enforcement at the street level, and (4) acceptance of personality differences between field officers. Data also indicate that some instances of bureaucratic accountability are mechanisms by which law enforcement managers achieve what they believe to be professional accountability in their respective agencies. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares voting patterns for statewide black candidates in Illinois with Barack Obama's vote in his 2004 Senate race. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers large urban development projects in Chicago in the post-machine era (1983-present), specifically in the context of development projects' managing authorities. Rather than being counted fully in or out of the set of special-purpose authorities, as in crisp sets, managing authorities are placed on a fuzzy-set scale between "0" and "1" based on their institutional character (Ragin 2000). A series of causal characteristics (or independent variables, in crisp-set terminology) determine the conditions for use of special authorities versus municipal governments and analyze causal relationships. Causal characteristics considered include measures of fiscal stress, coalition character, past attempts at development projects, and the technical nature of development projects. This study applies new methods from comparative politics and political science generally to urban politics, and may lead to more accurate prediction of whether development projects will be offloaded or kept within the boundaries of city government. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will present select results from a survey that was administered at the start and end of last semester to approximately 900 undergraduates who were students in seven courses taught by six instructors. The survey was a facet of the Political Engagement Project [PEP] at Illinois State University. The university was one of eight universities from across the nation that were invited to join PEP. Preliminary analysis of the results from the survey indicate that political engagement activity appears to have an effect on the level of political communication by students and their level of comprehension of the political system. Results also reflect some intriguing effects of different levels of political engagement on the self-reported political orientations of students. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will explore state level policies already implemented and proposals for the future to prevent wrongful convictions. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the politics of special authorities in Chicago, considering their role in the construction of urban infrastructure. I use two cases focusing on one government: the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) of Illinois. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates a cap and trade market to control Chicago's ozone and finds that flaws from a compromised design caused by interest group bargaining led to poor performance. A statistical analysis reveals cost-effective redesign options. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the impact of gender on Legislative Campaign Committees (LCC) expenditures, using data from the 2000 New York and Illinois state legislative elections. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to better understand the interest and motivational factors of undergraduates in government work and which groups of currently disinterested students may present the best opportunities for universities and government to steer toward public service. Specifically, we take up the question of student interest in government work at a religious-based institution. Using a survey of 200 plus students from a Chicago area Catholic university, we analyze (1) the level of interest among college students for non-teaching government work, and (2) whether the level of religiosity among the students predicts interest in public service. While our conclusions of this pilot study are tentative, and more definitive answers must await a future, multi-campus survey, we find that a healthy percentage of students would consider a career in government service. However, contrary to our expectation, high levels of religious devotion and activism discourages student interest in government service. It appears that the devout and active religious students identify more with private, non-government alternatives to government programs for solving problems. This in turn, we argue, dampens enthusiasm for working in government. College students who are politically engaged and trusting of government express more interest in a government career. Finally, we find that prospects of better pay also raises public service motivation. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the political, social, economic and governmental transformations over 50 years in Chicago. It focuses particularly upon changes in the political machine as reflected in election results, campaign contributions, and city council vo ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrorism has been a growing concern of the international community in the post-Cold War years. The conventional approach in International Relations is treating terrorist organizations as ‘non-state’ actors of international relations. However, this approach is becoming problematic in the face of the fact that most terrorist organizations are backed or exploited by some states. This article seeks to answer the question why states at times support terrorist organizations and argues that increasing threats to national security increases individuals’ as well as politicians’ support for terrorist organizations that fight against their ‘present and imminent enemies’. After laying out my argument using some historical data, I discuss the results of a ‘support for terrorism’ survey that I have conducted in 2008 with my International Politics students in Florida and Illinois. Results indicate that about 20 percent of university students are tolerating ‘violence against civilians’ in certain conditions, in particular when national security is at stake. It seems that, for many of us, terror is nothing but war by other means. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre and post assessment results data provide the basis for this study on the effects of college type on student learning and attitude change upon completion of the Introductory American Government course. The study was completed over two semesters and compares community college students to university students from two southern Illinois institutions. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heartland Community College has begun piloting an asssessment system called The Gradebook Project. This project takes advantage of grading that faculty already do to create more meaningful assessment data. This demonstration of an assessment process will show how faculty can take existing course assignments, projects, and exams and disaggreate the grading process to acquire assessment information that pertains to student learning outcomes at the course level. Once grading is organized in this way, the information can then be easily reorganized or reaggregated to address student learning outcomes at the department and/or general education level. Finally, this reorganized grading information can be shared with students to provide them with more focused and specific feedback that tells them about their perfomance levels on specific learning outcomes which can supplement a single, holistic, course grade or a college wide GPA measure. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does working as an election judge encourage high school students to become more engaged in politics? We assigned students the task of being State of Illinois Election judges during the 2008 Primary and General Elections. We asked them questions about their experience through a survey a week after the elections. We find that being satisfied with being a judge is directly correlated with wanting to become more involved in the political process. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local growth coalition model first proposed by Logan and Molotch (1987) identified a diverse power structure operating within communities to promote economic growth, often overpowering other community voices concerned with more aesthetic considerations. This model included community media organizations as active participants in that coalition but little subsequent research has focused on the influence of local media in the context of this model and little supporting empirical evidence has ensued. This study analyzed news and editorial coverage by newspapers serving 24 Illinois communities seeking selection as prison sites over the past quarter century. Analysis of frames and frame sponsorship provided evidence of an effective alliance within these rural communities consistent with the local growth coalition model. More specifically, the study found significant imbalances in coverage of an economic growth proposal consistent with support by community newspapers of local growth coalitions. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Arkansas, Illinois and Texas, the term length of state senators wasrandomly assigned after the elections of 1992 and 2002. I exploit thisunique randomization to estimate the causal effect of term length onlegislator behavior. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illinois school districts rely on local funds for their schools, and often propose referenda in local elections in order to increase their financial budget. Due to the growing Latino population in Illinois, we sought to investigate the relationship between the proportion of Latinos in a district and the likelihood that tax or bond referenda passed in that district. We used data from Illinois school board election results of 1995-2007, combined with Census 2000 Illinois school district data from the National Center for Educational Statistics. Our investigation of tax and bond referenda using regression modeling and life table analysis reveals that Illinois school districts with high concentrations of Latinos have a harder time passing school tax referenda than do other districts who propose referenda. This effect appears particular to districts with Latino populations, as it is not found for districts with concentrations of non-Hispanic foreign born constituents, or in districts with concentrations of black residents. Thus, it appears that non-Latino voters are more likely to reject tax increases for public education in districts with substantial Latino populations as compared to districts with smaller Latino populations. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractTownship government was developed for a rural society in which transportation was slow and difficult. Illinois is one of only 20 states that have township government. Even in Illinois, 17 rural counties and the city of Chicago do not have operating townships. However, townships in suburban Chicago continue to thrive and spend more than half of the $547 million spent by all townships in the state. The author conducted an in-depth analysis of budgets of townships in Cook County. The study revealed that township administrative costs are high, and many social services offered by the township are also offered by other governments. Comparisons of similar services offered by other governments showed that township costs were substantially higher. Moreover, township employment had no relationship to the population or the programs offered by the township. The author concluded that at least half of the township taxes could be saved by eliminating townships and transferring their few services to other governments. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This session brings together Chicago scholars engaged in a project that aims to describe and analyze new directions in Chicago politics. The impact of globalization, economic restructuring, consumption, the effect of national policies is addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research will analyze the reasons for the region-wide policy successes and failures of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, a new ad hoc regional institution comprised of the city of Chicago and 270 suburbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poster Presentation: This study identified barriers to health care access of senior citizens in four Illinois counties and identified the role that nurse practitioners can fill to reduce those barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) 2011 conference to be held at the Palmer House Hilton hotel in Chicago, Illinois from March 31 to April 3.

This study identifies the organizational characteristics of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that use their Web sites as a tool to enhance their accountability. This online accountability, or virtual accountability (VA), is defined here as an organization’s use of its Web site to disseminate information in a user-friendly format, while providing feedback mechanisms for the user to interact with the organization. The VA score is obtained by coding each Web site for its usability, content, and communication mechanisms. Organizational characteristics such as size, revenue sources, expenditures, and service area are then regressed against the organization’s VA score. This study expands on a relatively new concept of outward accountability. This outward focus is warranted due to the modern view of accountability that moves away from the traditional hierarchical, principle-agent structure due to the increasing utilization of networks and partnerships. Given the multitude of stakeholders nonprofit organizations have, and the cost effectiveness of communicating with them via the Web, the study of an NPO’s incorporation of VA will add to creating a better understanding of how NPOs can remain viable and responsive to their stakeholders. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]