POS 6933
Section 8851 (Tuesdays 3 pm to 6 pm, Anderson 19)
Fall 2005 |
Professor Martinez
martinez@ufl.edu
392-0262 ext 282
|
Office: Anderson 211
Office Hours: M 1 pm - 2 pm; T 1 pm - 2 pm;
W 9:30 - 11:30 am and 1:45 - 3:45 pm
|
Seminar in Political Participation
Who participates, and why? Does political participation
ameliorate or exacerbate social inequalities? How do political
institutions promote and inhibit political participation? Does
political participation in China mean the same thing as political
participation in the United States or Peru? Does political
participation really matter?
The goals for the seminar are
(1) to review the literature on political
participation generally, and to enable students to conduct some basic
secondary analysis of data which addresses either the conditions that
foster (or inhibit) political participation or the consequences of
participation for democratic governments. While most of the
readings use the United States as a case, about one-third of the
readings will be informed by research in non-US settings.
Most of those discuss participation in advanced industrial (or
post-industrial) democracies, but we will also read about participation
in developing democracies and authoritarian polities.
(2) provide students with the theoretical background and
empirical tools to write a research paper that uses secondary analysis
of existing data to answer a basic question about political
participation.
The constituencies that I hope to reach with this seminar include
doctoral students in political science in political behavior, American
politics, or comparative politics, students in cognate fields
(including sociology, psychology, or communications) with substantive
interests in political participation, and M.A. students in Political
Campainging with practical or research interests in political
mobilization.
The weekly
seminars
will be reviews and discussions of selected readings on various topics,
and we will
evaluate how well this group of readings answers basic scientific
questions about political participation in the United States, in other
national settings, across national settings, and among various minority
populations. Our review of the readings will be
supplemented by research papers by each member of the seminar.
Requirements: Attendance and
Participation. The weekly meetings of
the seminar should be viewed as opportunities for the exchange of ideas
among scholars. You may, on occasion, be able to tell that I am the
leader of the seminar, but its overall success depends on the informed
participation of everyone. Each student is expected to have completed
the readings for the week, and to have something to say about those
readings when seminar begins.
Weekly Essays and participation:
Each student will prepare a paper
which addresses some theoretical or methodological concern in that
week's reading.
In weeks in which we read several articles, these papers may be
critiques of one or more of the
readings, or may offer some theoretical insight which builds on the
readings for the week. Ideally, these papers will integrate
several of the readings to offer a theoretically meaningful commentary
on the state of knowledge on the topic of discussion. Students
also may (but are not required) to incorporate a "rough data analysis"
into the essay, provided that the data analysis is described in terms
that show an understanding of the assigned readings. These essays
should be approximately 400-500 words (or about one single spaced
page), and should be emailed to me martinez@ufl.edu
by
6 p.m. the day before seminar. (Please email as text, not as
Word documents or other attachments.) The essays will become the basis
for our discussions during seminar, and I will endeavor to return brief
comments to you.
In weeks in which we read just one book (or the readings include a
substantial portion of one book), these essays may take the form of a
book review that
might appear in Perspectives on Politics or
another appropriate academic journal. A good book review will
alert the reader to the major theme of the book, summarize the
chapters' major points and findings, and evaluate its overall
contribution to our understanding of the topic.
Occasionally, I may ask students to prepare written and oral
summaries of recommended readings for the rest of the seminar. These
summaries will be in lieu of the regular essays.
Research Paper and Presentation:
Papers typically will be 20 to 25 pages, will show an understanding
of
the development of knowledge in a chosen area, and demonstrate a basic
secondary analysis of data which extends knowledge in that area.
You may want to review relevant
materials from the Conduct of Inquiry Seminar in conjunction with this
assignment.
Students will present their basic research results in our final
seminar meeting on December 6. The final paper will be due
at noon, December 14. Further guidelines for the research
presentation and
paper will be
forthcoming.
Grades will be based on your participation, weekly essays, and research
presentation and
paper (roughly equally weighted). No
collaboration on any assignment is allowed without my specific express
permission.
I will have these books on reserve at Marston Science Library, but
you may wish to purchase one of more of them from your favorite
brick and mortar or virtual bookseller.
- Blais, André. 2000. To Vote or Not to Vote:
The Merits
and Limits
of Rational Choice Theory. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh
Press.
- Dalton, Russell J. 2002. Citizen
Politics: Public Opinion and Political Participation in Advanced
Industrial Democracies. New York: Chatham House.
- Verba, Sidney and Norman H. Nie. 1972. Participation in America: Political
Democracy and Social Equality. New York: Harper and
Row.
- Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Henry E. Brady. 1995. Voice
and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Wolfinger, Raymond E. and Steven J. Rosenstone. 1980. Who
Votes?
New Haven: Yale University Press.
The following is a tentative calendar for the course.
August 30: Introduction
to the Seminar
During this class period, we will set the agenda for the semester. I
expect to discuss seminar requirements, as well as a general overview
of the research traditions in political participation. It would be
helpful
for me and the other participants to understand your research goals or
career interests.
I expect that the seminar will include doctoral students whose
primary or secondary field is Political Behavior,
doctoral students in other disciplines with an interest in political
particpation, and second-year M.A. students in the Political
Campaigning program. My
experience has been that diverse groups can lead to productive
exchanges of ideas that encourage all participants to question their
assumptions about the causes and consequences of mass political
behavior. In and of itself, that would be a significant accomplishment
for this seminar.
For an overview of the literature on political participation, read:
Leighley, Jan E. 1995. "Attitudes, Opportunities and Incentives - A
Field Essay on Political Participation." Political Research Quarterly 48:
181-209.
(No written essay due.)
September 6: How do you think you know what you think you
know about political participation?
(I have requested all starred* items to be placed on reserve at Marston
Science Library.)
* Verba, Sidney and Norman H. Nie. 1972. Participation in America: Political
Democracy and Social Equality. New York: Harper and
Row. Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
Pierce, Roy and Philip E. Converse. 1990. "Attitudinal Sources of
Protest Behavior in France: Differences between Before and After
Measurement." Public Opinion
Quarterly 54 (3, Autumn): 295-317.
Nice, David C. 1988. "Abortion Clinic Bombings as Political Violence." American Journal of Political Science
32 (1, February): 178-195.
Gerber, Alan S., Donald P. Green, and Ron Shachar. 2003. "Voting May Be
Habit-Forming: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment." American Journal of Political Science
47 (3, July): 540-550.
September 13: The Haves Have
It! The SES
"Model"
* Verba, Sidney, Norman H. Nie, and Jae-On Kim. 1978. Participation and Political
Equality: A Seven-Nation Comparison. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. Chapters 1-5.
* Dalton, Russell J. 2002. Citizen
Politics: Public Opinion and Political Participation in Advanced
Industrial Democracies. New York: Chatham House. Chapters
3 and 4.
* Dietz, Henry A. 1998. Urban poverty, political participation, and the
state : Lima, 1970-1990. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh
Press. Chapters ?
Leighley, Jan E. and Jonathan Nagler. 1992. "Socioeconomic Bias in
Turnout 1964-1988: The Voters Remain the Same." American Political Science Review
86 (3, September): 725-736.
Tam Cho, Wendy K. 1999. "Naturalization, Socialization,
Participation:
Immigrants and (Non-) Voting." Journal
of Politics 61 (4, November): 1140-1155.
September 20: Are the rich really just like the rest of us,
except for
the money?
* Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Henry E. Brady. 1995. Voice
and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics.
Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press. Chapters 1-3, 6-7, 9-11, 17
September 27: How hard can it be? Registration Laws
* Wolfinger, Raymond E. and Steven J. Rosenstone. 1980. Who Votes?
New Haven: Yale University Press.
Squire, Peverill, Raymond E. Wolfinger, and David P. Glass. 1987.
"Residential Mobility and Voter Turnout." American Political Science Review
81 (1, March): 45-66.
Brown, Robert D., Robert A. Jackson, and Gerald C. Wright. 1999.
"Registration, Turnout, and State Party Systems." Political Research
Quarterly 52 (3, September): 463-480.
Martinez, Michael D. and David Hill. 1999. "Did Motor Voter Work?" American Politics Quarterly 27 (3,
July): 296-315.
Highton, Benjamin. 2004. "Voter Registration and Turnout in the United
States." Perspectives on Politics
2 (3, September): 507-516.
October 4: Does separation of powers separate voters from
non-voters?: Political Institutions
Powell, G. Bingham, Jr. 1986. "American Turnout in Comparative
Perspective." American Political
Science Review 80 (1, March): 17-44.
Jackman, Robert W. 1987. "Political Institutions and Voter Turnout in
the Industrial Democracies." American
Political Science Review 81 (2, June): 405-423.
Franklin, Mark N. and Wolfgang P. Hirczy de Mino. 1998. "Separated
Powers, Divided Government, and Turnout in US Presidential Elections." American Journal of Political Science
42 (1, January): 316-326.
* Franklin, Mark N. 1996. "Electoral Participation." Pp. 216-235 in Comparing Democracies: Elections and
Voting in Global Perspective, edited by L. LeDuc, R. G. Niemi,
and P. Norris. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
* Blais, André. 2000. To Vote or Not to Vote:
The Merits
and Limits
of Rational Choice Theory. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh
Press. Chapters 1-2.
October 11: Does participation
even make sense? The puzzle of rational choice
* Blais, André. 2000. To Vote or Not to Vote:
The Merits
and Limits
of Rational Choice Theory. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh
Press. Chapters 4, 6, conclusion.
Riker, William and Peter Ordeshook. 1968. "A Theory of the Calculus of
Voting." American Political Science Review 62 (1): 25-42.
Aldrich, John H. 1993. "Rational Choice and Turnout." American Journal
of Political Science 37 (1, February): 246-278.
Jackman, Robert W. 1993. "Rationality and Political-Participation."
American Journal of Political Science
37 (1, February): 279-290.
Bendor, Jonathan, Daniel Diermeier, and Michael Ting. 2003. "A
behavioral model of turnout." American Political Science Review 97 (2,
May): 261-280.
* Green, Donald P. and Ian Shapiro. 1994. Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory : A
Critique of Applications in Political Science. New Haven: Yale
University Press. Chs. 1-4.
(optional) Muller, Edward N. and Karl-Dieter Opp. 1986. "Rational
Choice and
Rebellious Collective Action." American Political Science Review 80 (2,
June): 471-487.
October 18: Reach
out and Touch Someone: Mobilization
Uhlaner, Carole Y. 1989. "Rational Turnout: The Neglected Role
of Groups." American Journal of
Political Science 33: 390-422.
* Rosenstone, Steven J. and John Mark Hansen. 1993. Mobilization,
Participation, and Democracy in America. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Company. Chapters 4 and 7.
Gerber, Alan S. and Donald P. Green. 2000. "The Effects of Canvassing,
Telephone Calls, and Direct Mail on Voter Turnout: a Field Experiment."
American Political Science Review
94 (3, September): 653-663.
* Leege, David C., Kenneth D. Wald, Brian S. Krueger, and Paul D.
Mueller. 2002. The politics of
cultural differences : social change and voter mobilization strategies
in the post-New Deal period. Princeton: Princeton University
Press. Chapter 2.
Gray, Mark and Miki Caul. 2000. "Declining voter turnout in advanced
industrial democracies, 1950 to 1997 - The effects of declining group
mobilization." Comparative Political
Studies 33 (9, November):
1091-1122.
Supplemental:
Shaw, Daron, Rudolfo O. de la Garza, and Jong-ho Lee. 2000. "Examining
Latino Turnout in 1996: A Three-State, Validated Survey Approach."
American Journal of Political Science
44 (2, April): 338-346.
Green, Donald P. and Alan S. Gerber. 2004. Get Out The Vote! How to Increase
Voter Turnout. Washington: Brookings Institution Press.
Huckfeldt, Robert and John Sprague. 1992. "Political Parties and
Electoral Mobilization: Political Structure, Social Structure, and the
Party Canvas." American Political Science Review 86 (1, March): 70-86.
October 25: Data sources for research papers
This seminar period will be devoted to talking about data sources for
final papers. We'll talk about using data from the American
National Election Studies, the Comparative Studies of Electoral
Systems, and replication datasets available from the Interuniversity
Consortium for Political and Social Research.
November 1: Empowerment
Bobo, Lawrence and Franklin D. Gilliam. 1990. "Race, Sociopolitical
Participation, and Black Empowerment." American Political Science Review
84 (2, June): 377-393.
Gay, Claudine. 2001. "The Effect of Black Congressional Representation
on Political Participation." American
Political Science Review 95 (3, September): 589-602.
Tate, Katherine. 1991. "Black Political-Participation in the 1984 and
1988 Presidential Elections." American Political Science Review 85 (4,
Dec): 1159-1176.
Banducci, S. A., T. Donovan, and J. A. Karp. 2004. "Minority
representation, empowerment, and participation." Journal of Politics 66 (2, May):
534-556.
Barreto, M. A., M. Villarreal, and N. D. Woods. 2005. "Metropolitan
latino political behavior: Voter turnout and candidate preference in
Los Angeles." Journal of Urban
Affairs 27 (1): 71-91.
November 8: My Neighbor Made Me Do It: Social
Connectedness and Networks
* Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of
American Community. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000, chapters 3
and 4.
Lake, R. L. and R. Huckfeldt. 1998. "Social Capital, Social Networks,
and Political Participation." Political
Psychology 19 (3, September): 567-584.
Seligson, Amber. 1999. "Civic Association and Democratic Participation
in Central America: A Test for Putnam Thesis." Comparative Political Studies 32
(3): 342-362.
Booth, John A. and Patricia Bayer Richard. 1998. "Civil Society,
Political Capital, and Democratization in Central America." Journal of Politics 60 (3, August):
780-800.
Leighley, Jan E. and Arnold Vedlitz. 1999. "Race, Ethnicity, and
Political Participation: Competing Models and Contrasting
Explanations," Journal of Politics 61 (4, November):1092-1114.
Brehm, John and Wendy Rahn. 1997. "Individual-level evidence for the
causes and consequences of social capital." American Journal of
Political Science 41 (3, July): 999-1023.
Supplemental:
Theiss-Morse, Elizabeth and John R. Hibbing. 2005. "Citizenship and
Civic Engagement." Annual Review of
Political Science 8: 227-249.
Jackson, Robert A. 2003. "Differential influences on Latino electoral
participation." Political Behavior
25 (4, December): 339-366.
Leighley, Jan E. 1996. "Group membership and the mobilization of
political participation." Journal of Politics 58 (2, May): 447-463.
November 15: Reach Out and Squelch Someone:
Participation in Authoritarian Societies
Karklins, Rasma. 1986. "Soviet Elections Revisited: Abstention in
Noncompetitive Voting." American
Political Science Review 80 (2, June): 449-469.
Reisinger, William M., Arthur H. Miller, and Vicki L. Hesli. 1995.
"Political Behavior and Political Change in Post-Soviet States." Journal of Politics 57: 941-970.
Jennings, M. Kent. 1997. "Political Participation in the Chinese
Countryside." American Political
Science Review 91 (2, June): 361-372.
Shi, Tianjian. 1999. "Voting and Nonvoting in China: Voting Behavior in
Plebiscitary and Limited-Choice Elections." Journal of Politics 61 (4,
November): 1115-1139.
Chen, Jie. 2000. "Subjective Motivations for Mass Political
Participation in Urban China," Social Science Quarterly 81 (2,
June): 645-662.
Supplemental:
Shi, Tianjian. 1997. Political
Participation in Beijing. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
November 22: The Peasants Are Revolting! (How revolting
are they?)
Gurr, Ted. 1970. Why Men Rebel. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton.
Chapters 2-3.
* Barnes, Samuel and Max Kaase, et al., Political Action:
Mass Participation In Five Western Democracies, Beverly Hills:
Sage, 1979, Chapter 12 by Inglehart.
* Jennings, M. Kent and Jan W. van Deth,et. al., Continuities in
Political Action, de Gruyter Studies on North America, vol. 5, New
York: Walter de Gruyter, 1990, Chapter 6 by Jennings.
Powell, G. Bingham, Jr. 1982. Contemporary
Democracies: Participation, Stability, and Violence. Cambridge:
Harvard. Chapters 1, 2, and 6.
* Dekker, Paul, Ruud Koopmans, and Andries van den Broek. 1997.
"Voluntary Associations, Social Movements and Individual Political
Behaviour in Western Europe." Pp. 220-239 in Private Groups and Public Life:
Social Participation, Voluntary Associations, and Political Involvement
in Representative Democracies, edited by J. W. van Deth. London:
Routledge.
optional
Finkel, Steven E. and Karl-Dieter Opp. 1991. "Party Identification and
Participation in Collective Political Action." Journal of Politics 53 (2): 339-371.
November 29: Who cares?
* Patterson, Thomas E. 2002. The
Vanishing Voter: Public Involvement in an Age of Uncertainty.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Chapters 1 and 5.
* Ginsberg, Benjamin. 1982. Consequences of Consent: Elections,
Citizen Control, and Popular Acquiescence. New York: Random House.
Chapters ?
Bennett, Stephen Earl and David Resnick. 1990. "The Implications of
Nonvoting for Democracy in the United States." American Journal of Political Science
34: 771-802.
Lijphart, Arend. 1997. "Unequal Participation: Democracy's Unresolved
Dilemma." American Political Science
Review 91 (1, March): 1-14.
Martinez, Michael D. and Jeff Gill. 2005. “The
Effects of Turnout on Partisan Outcomes in U.S. Presidential Elections
1960-2000.” Journal of Politics
67 (4, November): 1248-1274.
December 6: Presentation of Research Results
December 14: Final Papers Due at noon (Hard, absolute,
drop-dead, no exception deadline)
Supplemental:
Location, location, location
Haspel, M. and H. G. Knotts. 2005. "Location, location, location:
Precinct placement and the costs of voting." Journal of Politics 67 (2,
May): 560-573.
Gimpel, J. G., J. J. Dyck, and D. R. Shaw. 2004. "Registrants, voters,
and turnout variability across neighborhoods." Political Behavior 26
(4, December): 343-375.
Lehoucq, F. and D. L. Wall. 2004. "Explaining voter turnout rates in
new democracies: Guatemala." Electoral Studies 23 (3, Sep): 485-500.
Uhlaner, Bruce Cain, and Rod Kiewiet, "Political Participation of
Ethnic Minorities," Political Behavior 11 (Sept. 1989):195-231 (25)
Hritzuk, Natasha and David K. Park, "The Questions of Latino
Participation: From an SES to a Social Structural Explanation," Social
Science Quarterly 81 (March 2000):151-166.