Abstract Scholarship on intrastate conflict and civil-military relations has largely ignored individual desertions during civil war. We show that high-risk behavior, such as desertion, is best thought of as coordinated action between individual decision-makers and their strong network ties. Soldiers hold preexisting opinions on whether high-risk action is worthwhile, but it is their networks that persuade them to act. Specifically, it is the content of strong network ties (rather than their mere existence) and the ability to interpret information (rather […]
Faculty Publications
“Planet Politics: A Manifesto from the End of IR.” Journal Article
Author(s): Daniel J. Levine (University of Alabama), Anthony Burke (UNSW Austrailia), Stefanie Fishel (University of Alabama), Audra Mitchell (Balsillie School of International Affairs/Wilfrid, Laurier University), and Simon Dalby (Balsillie School of International Affairs/Wilfrid, Laurier University
Abstract Planet Politics is about rewriting and rethinking International Relations as a set of practices, both intellectual and organisational. We use the polemical and rhetorical format of the political manifesto to open a space for inter-disciplinary growth and debate, and for thinking about legal and institutional reform. We hope to begin a dialogue about both the limits of IR, and of its possibilities for forming alliances and fostering interdisciplinary that can draw upon climate science, the environmental humanities, and progressive […]
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“Exit, Resistance, Loyalty: Military Behavior during Unrest in Authoritarian Regimes.”
Abstract A few years into the most recent wave of popular uprisings—the Arab Spring—studying regime trajectories in countries such as Syria, Egypt, and Yemen still seems like shooting at a moving target. Yet what has not escaped notice is the central role military actors have played during these uprisings. We describe how soldiers have three options when ordered to suppress mass unrest. They may exit the regime by remaining in the barracks or going into exile, resist by fighting for […]
“These Days of Shoah’: History, Habitus, and Realpolitik in Jewish Palestine, 1942-43.” Journal Article
Author(s): Daniel J. Levine
Abstract This article explores the role of history and historical memory in the formation of early Zionist/Israeli national security doctrine. To that end, it makes three moves. First, it explores a series of public addresses made by Zalman Rubashov (Shazar) in 1942–1943. A key public intellectual in the Jewish community of preindependent Palestine (the Yishuv), Rubashov means to help his listeners make sense of, and respond collectively to, the unfolding destruction of European Jewry. Second, it draws cautious parallels […]
“Explaining State Unemployment in the U.S.: Cross-national Versus Political Predictors.” Journal Article
Author(s): J. Norman Baldwin and William A. McCracken
Abstract This article investigates the effects of national and state-level political variables on state unemployment and unemployment growth rates while controlling for the national economy and predictors drawn from cross-national research and state unemployment studies. The findings indicate that state unemployment and unemployment growth rates (1) decrease as the number of four-year colleges increases and (2) increase as savings deposits and national unemployment increase. Reductions in unemployment growth are also associated with politically unified governments, and, overall, the national economy […]
“Rules, Standards, and Lower Court Decisions.” Journal Article
Author(s): Joseph Smith and James Todd
Abstract This paper evaluates the impact of a higher court articulating doctrine as either a “rule” or a “standard.” The legal doctrine we evaluate concerns police searches based upon information supplied by confidential informants. The Supreme Court’s Aguilar-Spinelli test was a rule, and its Illinois v. Gates “totality of the circumstances” test is a standard. Using a data set of circuit court opinions from 1951 to 1999, we compare circuit-level implementation of these two doctrines. The results suggest that rules […]
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“Dynamics of Democratic Satisfaction in Transitional Settings: Evidence from a Panel Study in Uganda.” Journal Article
Author(s): Jeffrey Conroy-Krutz and Nicholas Kerr
Abstract How do campaigns and elections affect evaluations of democracy in transitional settings? Little research has been conducted on this topic in transitional settings, where citizens’ evaluations of regime performance might be especially fluid and where popular dissatisfaction with democratic institutions could inhibit political development. Furthermore, previous studies’ reliance on cross-sectional data has made it difficult to make valid causal inferences in this area. Drawing upon unique data from the 2010–2011 Uganda Campaign Panel Study, the first panel on campaign […]
“Transformational Leadership and Whistle-Blowing Attitudes: Is This Relationship Mediated by Organizational Commitment and Public Service Motivation?” Book Chapter
Author(s): James G. Caillier
Abstract Although transformational leadership and whistle-blowing have been extensively examined, only one article was found to explore the relationship between these factors. This is despite research suggesting a connection between leadership practices and whistle-blowing attitudes. This article built on and extended leadership and whistle-blowing theories by investigating the relationship between transformational leadership and whistle-blowing attitudes, as well as how this association might be mediated by public service motivation (PSM) and organizational commitment. Furthermore, the examination was conducted on local, state, […]
“Who stereotypes female candidates? Identifying individual differences in feminine stereotype reliance.” Journal Article
Author(s): Nichole M. Bauer
Abstract Increasing numbers of women are running for political office at the local, state, and national levels. Existing research offers unclear conclusions about whether feminine stereotypes are an electoral constraint for female candidates. An underlying assumption in this scholarship is that all types of individuals rely on similar processes to form electoral assessments of female candidates. This study tests the assumption of equitable stereotype reliance across individuals. I integrate theories from psychology about which types of individuals are most likely […]