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 2008 Presentation Schedule
February 27,
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Luke Keele
Title: "Ballot Initiatives and State Outcomes" (Download
a Copy of the Paper Here)
Abstract: It has long been understood that the presence of the ballot initiative process leads to differing outcomes among states. In general, extant research has found that the presence of ballot initiatives tends to increase voter turnout and depress state revenues and expenditures. I reconsider this possibility and demonstrate that past findings are an artifact of incorrect research design. Failure to account for differences in states often leads to a confounding association between ballot initiatives and voter turnout and fiscal policy. I outline a research design based on a counterfactual model of inference to analyze the effects of ballot initiatives. I utilize a synthetic case control method, which allows me to compare over time outcomes in states with initiatives to states without initiatives while using an appropriate counterfactual. I find that the effect of ballot initiatives while present has been overstated.
Archived RAPs
