May 9th at noon: Christopher Skovron

The American Politics Workshop

presents

Christopher Skovron

Data Science Scholar, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University

What Politicians Believe About Electoral Accountability

Abstract:

Prominent theories of representation argue that the threat of losing renomination or re-election (‘electoral control’) is a primary driver of politicians’ decisions in office and in their campaigns. However, little direct evidence has examined politicians’ perceptions of factors relevant to their re-election prospects, such as which citizens are most likely to vote and who might run against them in the future. Drawing on thousands of survey responses from candidates running for state legislative offices in 2014 and 2016, I investigate these perceptions directly. The findings suggest that there are asymmetries in how politicians of each party perceive their electoral environments. While some turnout gaps do exist by party and ideology among the mass public, my findings suggest that politicians of both parties overestimate the magnitude of these gaps. These misperceptions accord with candidates’ tendency to overestimate public support for conservative policies in their districts.

Wednesday, May 9th, 2018

12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 

Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/.

 

May 2nd at noon: Vincent Hutchings

The American Politics Workshop

presents

Vincent L. Hutchings

Professor of Political Science and AfroAmerican and African Studies (by courtesy) and Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan

“Whitewashing: How Obama Used Implicit Racial Cues as a Defense Against Political Rumors”

Abstract:

Although Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, he would have garnered more support had many White voters not penalized him because of his race. In part, these penalties involved persistent rumors about Obama’s citizenship and religion. How did the Obama campaign respond to these rumors? We argue that the Obama campaign “Whitewashed” his image by drawing attention to the candidate’s bi-racial ancestry and highlighting visual associations with Whites in order to curry favor with this constituency. We also argue that Republicans were most receptive to Whitewashing appeals. We rely upon a content analysis of presidential advertisements in 2008, an experiment designed to manipulate the images in one of these ads, and finally survey analysis of two nationally representative samples to test these hypotheses. Our hypotheses are generally confirmed and suggest that Obama succeeded in part because he appealed to the very intolerance he ostensibly sought to overcome.

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018

12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 

Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/.

April 11th at noon: “Navigating the Archives” with Ruth Bloch Rubin

The American Politics Workshop

presents

“Navigating the Archives” 

with 

Ruth Bloch Rubin

Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Chicago

This will be a working and learning session that will offer students, postdocs, and faculty an opportunity to discuss best practices in exploring the archives for qualitative research. Come prepared with questions for this interactive and generative session that will help you build greater methodological knowledge in the discipline.

Wednesday, April 11th, 2018
12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 

Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/.

March 7th at noon: Abrajano

The American Politics Workshop

presents

Marisa Abrajano

Professor of Political Science, University of California, San Diego

The Intersection of Political Networks and Nativity: Insights from the 2016 Election”

Abstract:

Political discussion networks have been shown to play an important role in one’s political behaviors. Yet little is known about whether these findings hold across the lines of nativity or ethnorace. To address this question, this paper examines the composition and impact of social networks on political behavior across ethnorace and nativity in California. In partnership with six community organizations, we fielded an online survey several weeks following the November 2016 election. We find that individuals born outside the United States have significantly smaller and more politically diverse social networks than individuals born in the United States. Furthermore, regardless of birthplace, there is a significant, positive association between network homogeneity and both self-reported and validated political engagement. However, network size affects validated political engagement differently among US and foreign-born individuals: U.S.-born individuals in larger networks were more likely to turn out to vote, but there is no evidence of a relationship between network size and turnout among foreign-born individuals. Our findings suggest the importance of considering ethnoracial and nativity differences among individuals when studying social network effects.

Wednesday, March 7th, 2018

12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

 To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/.

 

Feb 28th at noon: Berry

The American Politics Workshop

presents

Christopher R. Berry

William J. and Alicia Townsend Friedman Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, Academic Director of the Center for Municipal Finance, and Faculty Director of the Master of Science Program in Computational Analysis and Public Policy

“Taxed Out:  Illegal property tax assessments and the epidemic of tax foreclosures in Detroit”

Abstract:

Detroit is experiencing historic levels of property tax foreclosure. More than 100,000 properties, or one-in-four throughout the city, have been foreclosed upon for nonpayment of property taxes since 2011. Simultaneously, there is strong evidence that the City is over assessing homeowners in violation of the Michigan Constitution, calling into question the record number of property tax foreclosures. This Article is the first attempt to measure the impact of unconstitutional tax  assessments on property tax foreclosures. Controlling for purchase price, location, and time-of-sale, we show that properties assessed at higher rates were more likely to experience a subsequent tax foreclosure. We estimate that 10 percent of all tax foreclosures were caused by illegally inflated tax assessments. Moreover, since lower priced homes were over assessed at a greater frequency and magnitude than higher priced homes, we estimate that 25 percent of tax foreclosures among homes in the bottom price quintile (less than $8,000 in sale price) were due to unconstitutional property tax assessments. Consequently, property tax malfeasance has unjustly displaced thousands of Detroit homeowners, most of whom are African-American. While the numbers in Detroit are extreme, there is reason to be concerned that similar practices are widespread.

Wednesday, February 28th, 2018

12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 

Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/

Feb 21st at noon: Bloch Rubin

The American Politics Workshop

presents

Ruth Bloch Rubin

Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Chicago

Organizing at the Extreme: The Logic and Evolution of Hardline Intraparty Blocs in the House”

Wednesday, February 21st, 2018

12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 

Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/

Feb 7th at noon: Alexander Fouirnaies

The American Politics Workshop

presents

Alexander Fouirnaies

Assistant Professor, Harris School, University of Chicago

Legislative Elections and Accountability: Evidence From U.S. State Legislatures

Wednesday, February 7th, 2018

12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/.

Jan. 24th at noon: Alfredo Gonzalez

The American Politics Workshop

presents

Alfredo Gonzalez

Doctoral Candidate, Political Science, University of Chicago

“Consolidating Access: White Supremacist Political Coalitions and Non-Citizen Service Members”

(Paper Attached)

Wednesday, January 24th, 2018

12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 

Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/.

Jan. 10th at noon: Amazon MTurk and Qualtrics with Eric Oliver

The American Politics Workshop

presents

Amazon MTurk and Qualtrics

With Eric Oliver

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 

Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/.

Dec. 6th at noon: Davies, Jackson, and Knight

The American Politics Workshop

presents

Jordie Davies, Jenn M. Jackson, and David Knight

Doctoral Students in Political Science

University of Chicago

Predicting Young Adults’ Support for Racial Redress Policies in the 21st Century

(Paper attached)

Wednesday, December 6th, 2017

12:00 – 1:20 pm

**Lunch will be served**

Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.

To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpoliticsIndividuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).

 Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/.