Bartels, book review, inequality, Policy, politics
In General, Policy, Pseudo-Academic, Quantitative Research on March 1, 2010 at 9:05 am
I recently read and presented on Larry M. Bartels’ 2008 book, Unequal Democracy in a class that I’m taking this semester. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in policy, political science, or inequality. I was particularly struck by Bartels’ ability to translate complex quantitative models into a story about partisan differences in economic policy that anyone can understand.
Bartels uses concrete data and advanced statistical methods to show that there has been a consistent trend in the United States where low and middle-income individuals fared better economically under Democratic administrations, while only the affluent benefited under Republican administrations. He shows that this is not a coincidence; the income disparity under Republicans and Democrats is larger than what would be observed by chance, or due to exogenous events. He uses time-series data, multiple regression, probits, and other methods familiar only to those who have taken a course in advanced quantitative methods, but he uses those methods to tell an artful story that seems to engage the reader, regardless of his or her training in statistical models.
For me, this book touched on an issue that I deal with regularly as a policy scholar who is also concerned about government transparency and civic participation. As quantitative models for understanding social phenomena become increasingly complex, how can we ensure that citizens remain engaged in the discussions about policy alternatives? Is there a way to make in-depth quantitative analyses comprehensible to the general public, and do we as policy scholars have an ethical obligation to be transparent in our analyses?
Certainly, there is a role to be played by our education system. If citizens do not have a basic understanding of social science, government, and the scientific method; it seems unlikely that they will be able to understand or think critically about any policy proposal. Journalism schools could also play a role by training their students how to evaluate research design and methods when comparing social science analyses. However, Bartels provides policy and political scholars with a good example of how to translate a complex quantitative analysis for a wider audience.
In Announcements, General, News & Events on January 11, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Hello colleagues.
I believe that most of you expressed some interest in this as some point in time… if not feel free (as always!) to ignore this message. Last year Brandon Ching created thenewstate.com as an experiment in PA blogging. Though many of us hoped to participate, well… life got in the way. We simply did not generate enough content on a regular basis to… well… consider it successful.
BUT… Brandon is working on an updated site and we are going to try it one more time. There are two reasons for this:
1) We still think it is a good idea. Considering the evolving communication industry, it would behoove us to get some practice in alternative (rapidly becoming dominant) media forms. And writing non-academese is cool. 
Read the rest of this entry »
2010 Budget, charitable giving, health, nonprofits, President Obama, tax breaks
In Budgeting, General, Nonprofit, Opinions, Policy on March 10, 2009 at 7:40 am
What are the pros and cons of President Obama’s proposed 2010 budget plan for the philanthropic and nonprofit community and society more generally? It appears that when we weigh the costs and benefits, nonprofits and citizens generally will come out ahead. Unfortunately, most of the organized philanthropic community (not necessarily representing most nonprofits) and several politicians have come out against the changes, narrowly framing the issue around what impact the proposed tax changes will have on the wealthiest donors. Read the rest of this entry »
education, funding, inequality, lottery, Policy
In General, Opinions, Policy on February 23, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Every once in a while, I come up with an idea to solve a problem that I’m often not an expert in, but that seems to make sense. I like to run these ideas by others to get their input and hopefully come up with an even better idea. I recently started re-reading Jonathan Kozol’s Savage Inequalities. I first read this excellent book on the inequalities in the American education system when I was a sophomore in college eight years ago. At that point, I was too overwhelmed byKozol’s description of the state of schools in East St. Louis and Chicago to respond with ideas on how to change the situation. This time I approached the text with the eye of a policy analyst and I had an idea… Read the rest of this entry »
1920, Introduction, Mary Parker Follett, progressivism, the new state
In General, Pseudo-Academic on February 19, 2009 at 11:17 am
INTRODUCTION
to the 1920 edition of The New State by Mary Parker Follett
BY
VISCOUNT HALDANE
I HAVE ventured to ask the authoress of what Professor Bosanquet has recently called “the most sane and brilliant of recent works on political theory,” to let me write a few pages introductory to the next issue of her book. Read the rest of this entry »
defense mechanisims, Motivation, rationalization
In General, Opinions on February 9, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Many people who are struggling with the current financial times take some solace in the notion that as bad as things are, they could be worse. A recent feature by cnn.com collected personal stories of difficulty during this downturn. Repeatedly, and even when the situations were very dire, some version emerged of, “we are fortunate for what we have because it could be worse”. Even locally when we here news of furloughs, cutbacks, and layoffs, they are often accompanied with this notion that it could be worse. Read the rest of this entry »
citizen involvement, inauguration, mobilization, President Obama
In General, News & Events on February 3, 2009 at 11:11 am
Today, approximately 2 million people covered the national mall to attend the inauguration of this nation’s 44th president, Barack Obama. There is so much to be proud of today and so much to inspire. Whether the crowds were there to view a scene of new hope, the making of history, a portion of MLK’s dream finally fulfilled, or the exit of perhaps the most unpopular president in the nation’s history; 1.4 million people braved the cold and the crowd for the chance at a glimpse at this historic moment. Read the rest of this entry »
