Mack Mariani

Indoctrination U.? Faculty Ideology and Changes in Student Political Orientation

In the provocatively titled Indoctrination U., David Horowitz argues that radical members of college faculties have “intruded a political agenda into the academic curriculum,” engaging in propaganda rather than scholarship and indoctrinating students rather than teaching them (Horowitz 2007, xi). Although allegations of liberal bias in academia are nothing new, the issue has gained increased attention as the result of efforts by Horowitz and the Center for the Study of the Popular Culture (CSPC) to promote the Academic Bill of Rights for American colleges and universities.

Connecting Students to Politics through a Multi-Class Campaign Simulation

Simulations are an important complement to a traditional political science education in that they can promote active learning and enhance student understanding of course material. Simulations can also provide students with the opportunity to learn and develop important research, writing, public speaking, and analysis skills. This essay describes a multi-class campaign simulation of my own design that was run in two upper-level government courses during the spring of 2006 at Hamilton College. This simulation is designed to promote student engagement in political ideas and concepts from the varied perspectives of candidates, campaign staff, parties, the media, and voters. At the same time, the simulation also helps students develop the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a political campaign, legislative office, or other professional political environments. I wish to thank Sharon Waring Rivera and Brian S. Glenn for providing helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.

A Gendered Pipeline? The Advancement of State Legislators to Congress in Five States

The pipeline theory of womens representation suggests that increases in female representation at the state level will result in future increases in womens representation in Congress. This paper examines the opportunity structures in five state legislatures over a ten year period to assess whether female and male state legislators are similarly situated relative to a number of individual, cultural, and structural factors associated with congressional advancement. My analysis indicates that female state legislators are less likely than their male colleagues to advance to Congress. I conclude that there are a number of key differences between men and women in state legislatures that are relevant to the likelihood that male and female state legislators seek and win congressional office; in comparison with men, women state legislators are significantly older and are less likely to have an occupational background in the fields of business or law. These findings suggest that aggregate levels of female representation at the state legislative level are likely to be an unreliable indicator of future levels of female representation in Congress.

The Effect of a Campaign Internship on Political Efficacy and Trust

This study examines the effect of a 10-week campaign internship course on political efficacy and trust. We compared changes in these key political attitudes between a group of 33 undergraduate students in a campaign internship course and a control group of 65 students taking government courses. A multiple regression analysis indicates that participation in the campaign internship was associated with statistically significant increases in internal efficacy and trust in government. Although intern students reported reduced levels of external efficacy over the course of the internship, participation in the internship did not have a statistically significant effect on external efficacy when other intervening variables were taken into account. Overall, our findings provide additional support for the argument that internships can change the way that young people view political institutions and their role in the political system.

Simulations Build Efficacy: Empirical Results from a Four-Week Congressional Simulation

This article describes a four-week congressional committee simulation implemented in upper level courses on Congress and the Legislative process at two liberal arts colleges. We find that the students participating in the simulation possessed high levels of political knowledge and confidence in their political skills prior to the simulation. An analysis of pre- and posttest surveys indicates that students experienced significant increases in their self-assessed understanding of the political process, the ability to persuade others to support political positions, and the ability to work with diverse groups to accomplish political goals. Additionally, students without prior internship experience reported notable and statistically significant gains in self-assessed political skills and efficacy. These findings suggest that, for students who cannot participate in an internship, participating in a simulation may generate many of the same benefits.

See Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Sarah Palin Run? Party, Ideology, and the Influence of Female Role Models on Young Women:

Previous research suggests that women’s descriptive representation may have a role-model effect on young women, encouraging them to greater levels of political participation. Using data from the Monitoring the Future Survey and the National Survey of Political and Civic Engagement of Young People, we examine whether highly visible female role models like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Sarah Palin, and viable female candidates for governor and senator had a role-model effect on young women. At the national level, we find some evidence of a role-model effect resulting from the election of Speaker Pelosi and the presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton, but the effects are largely concentrated among young women who are Democratic and liberal. We find little evidence that Sarah Palin’s vice-presidential run had a role-model effect on young women, regardless of party or ideology. Our state-level analysis of viable female gubernatorial and senatorial candidates finds that role-model effects on young women and men are mediated in different ways by ideology and, to a lesser extent, party.

Is Local Office a Springboard for Women to Dáil Éireann

Previous research has found the single transferable vote electoral system is relatively friendly to women candidates. Despite this, female representation in the Irish Parliament remains substantially lower than in most other democracies. Drawing on pipeline theory and localism, we assess the impact of local officeholding on the success of male and female major party candidates in the 2007 and 2011 Irish general elections. We find previous experience in local office is a key springboard to higher office for men and women, and when women serve in local government, the likelihood of election increases significantly.

WILL LEGISLATIVE GENDER QUOTAS INCREASE FEMALE REPRESENTATION IN IRELAND? A FEMINIST INSTITUTIONALISM ANALYSIS

Informed by insights from feminist institutionalism, this article considers the effect of various aspects of the Irish political system on womens candidate selection and election, and discusses the extent to which the new gender quota law will be facilitated by these processes. In studying Ireland the article highlights a relatively under-studied case in the comparative literature on gender and politics. It also contributes to the burgeoning field of feminist institutionalism research by examining the mechanisms surrounding female candidate recruitment, selection and election to assess the likely impact of gender quotas on womens political representation in Ireland. Taking Irelands relatively unique PR-STV electoral system as the primary institutional context, we argue that the electoral system interacts with cultural factors to determine female candidacy opportunities and suggest that the biggest challenge to the effective implementation of legislative gender quotas in Ireland are informal mechanisms such as masculinised party cultures, societal gendered legacies and pre-existing informal rules surrounding incumbency and localism. However, we advise if party leaders and selectorates are willing to fully embrace gender quotas and integrate them into their candidate nomination processes, there is evidence to suggest that this will have a positive effect on increasing womens political representation in Ireland.