Felon Disenfranchisement
Bowers, Melanie and Robert R. Preuhs. 2009. Collateral Consequences of a Collateral Penalty: The Negative Effect of Felon Disenfranchisement Laws on the Political Participation of Nonfelons. Social Science Quarterly 90(3).
In this project Robert Preuhs and I explore felon disenfranchisement laws' spillover effects, investigating how these laws impact non-felon political participation. We argue that because political participation is a socialized behavior, areas with high concentrations of disenfranchised felons are likely to have depressed non-felon participation. We find evidence of this among African Americans, though not among whites, likely reflecting the disproportionately high incarceration rate among black males and the geographic concentration of African Americans in low-income urban areas, |
Same-Sex Marriage
Rights but Not Marriage?: Understanding how
Community Context Influences Those who Support Civil Unions but Oppose Same-Sex
Marriage
Under Review Despite radical changes in same-sex marriage laws across the US states, a large and very vocal opposition remains, vowing to fight and limit the scope of gay marriages. This opposition is not united however, with a significant portion of individuals supporting the extension of rights through civil unions while opposing marriage. In this paper I investigate the determinants of this complex opinion, finding evidence that community context, including the size of the local gay population, is particularly influential. |
Environmental Policy
Science, Politics and Policy: How Citizens
Resolve Complex Environmental Issues
Under Review Using novel survey data on Michigan residents Richard Hula, William Issac and I expand current understandings of environmental opinion by comparing the structure of opinion on environmental issues with varying degrees of politicization. While reaffirming some existing findings- such as the relative unimportance of scientific education- we find that issue politicization significantly alters the considerations individuals use when constructing their opinions. s it Too Risky?: Understanding Public Risk Assessment of Local Environmental Policy Working Paper Using this same data we explore the gender, racial and socioeconomic drivers of risk assessment on environmental issues with varied politicization. |
Immigration Policy
Unintended Consequences or Unstated Goals?: The Effects of State and Local Immigration Policy on the Political Incorporation of Latino Immigrants
Working Paper In recent years hundreds of communities have passed legislation aimed at immigrants. While some of these policies have been struck down by the courts, they still reverberate through immigrant communities. In this piece I use the concept of policy feedback to investigate how local policies influence the political incorporation of Latino immigrants, arguing that while they are often adopted out of fear of the immigrant other, anti-immigrant legislation creates a self-fulfilling that diminishes immigrant political incorporation. |
Science of Teaching and Learning
Using Infographics to Promote Numeric Literacy and Visual Communication in Undergraduate Political Science Classrooms
Under Review As part of my commitment to reach diverse learners I have used some non-traditional assessment that emphasize visual communication. In this article I discuss one of those assessments- requiring students to develop infographics about policy topics they have researched. I use anecdotal evidence as well as the results from pre and post class surveys to discuss the possibilities for enhancing visual communication and numeric literacy in the political science classroom. |