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Research in American Politics (RAP)

Time: 12:00 - 1:30 Wednesdays

Director:
Luke Keele

This workshop serves as a forum for the presentation of research by graduate students and faculty in American politics. For graduate students, RAP is an opportunity to hear and present practice job talks, dissertation chapters, and conference papers. Occasional RAP sessions will include research presentations by faculty from Ohio State and other universities.

RAP will be held in the Spencer Room (Derby 2130) on Wednesdays from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted). Please contact Luke Keele (keele.4@polisci.osu.edu) if you would like to present.

Winter 2009 Presentation Schedule

March 11, 2009
William Minozzi
Title: "Anticipation, Optimism, and War"

Abstract: This paper presents a game-theoretic model of belief formation and applies it to the literature on crisis bargaining before war. In most such models, actors' beliefs are assumed to be informational, excluding the possibility that desires motivate beliefs. In this paper, beliefs are both desire-based and optimal given the strategic environment and the anticipatory pleasure an actor enjoys from believing that she will do well in the future. In crisis bargaining, the resulting subjective beliefs are optimistic and can lead to war in settings where information-based beliefs would not. Implications of this model are developed for the literatures on war and the balance of power, the democratic peace, and the security dilemma.   Click here for copy of paper

Spring 2009 Presentation Schedule

March 18, 2009
Chris Kypriotis
Title:  Committee Chairs, Institutional Advantage, and Legislative Effectiveness

Abstract:  This paper explores the individual legislative effectiveness of committee chairs.  It first establishes empirically that chairs are more effective in the committee they chair and on the chamber floor than other members.  Next, it presents three broad theories of legislative politics – distributive, majoritarian, and party influence – and derives hypotheses from each that relate to the individual effectiveness of committee chairs.  These hypotheses are tested using data from the 93rd to 105th U.S. House of Representatives, where support for general majoritarian theories is found.  Click here for a copy of the paper

May 13, 2009
Sara Bryner,
Title:  "Count what you want to count: Motivated perception and challenged ballots",

Kyle Kopko, Jeff Budziak, Steve Nawara, Chris Devine, and Sara Bryner will be presenting "Count what you want to count: Motivated perception and challenged ballots" Wednesday, May 13th at 12:00pm as part of the RAP series.  Click here for a copy of the paper

The abstract is below: 

Fairness requires that election ballots be counted in an accurate and consistent manner, yet close elections are often decided by hand-recounts that may introduce partisan bias.  Using an experimental design, this paper simulates the process of counting disputed ballots during a hand-recount after a close election.  Applying psychological theories of motivated perception to the political process, we find that ballot assessment often hinges on the individual’s party identification and the personal stake that they have in the outcome of the race.  This effect is greater when ballot counters are given ambiguous counting guidelines as opposed to specific instructions as to how to determine voter intent.  These results have serious implications for the electoral process and recount procedures.