Good-bye to All That: The Rise and Demise of Irish America

The works discussed in this article include: The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley 1874-1958, by Jack Beatty; JFK: Reckless Youth, by Nigel Hamilton; Textures of Irish America, by Lawrence J. McCaffrey; and Militant and Triumphant: William Henry O\u27Connell and the Catholic Church in Boston, by James M. O\u27Toole

Good-bye to All That: The Rise and Demise of Irish America (1993)

The works discussed in this article include: The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley 1874-1958, by Jack Beatty; JFK: Reckless Youth, by Nigel Hamilton; Textures of Irish America, by Lawrence J. McCaffrey; and Militant and Triumphant: William Henry O\u27Connell and the Catholic Church in Boston, by James M. O\u27Toole. Reprinted from New England Journal of Public Policy 9, no. 1 (1993), article 9

A Game-Theoretic Explanation for the Persistence of Political Corruption

Using a theoretical model of two-candidate competition, I study the political support for a fully effective and costless reform targeting high level political corruption. I find that when the candidates have a high discount factor, and when the level of political corruption is not too low, both corrupt and honest candidates have incentives to oppose the reform. I also find that a fully informed and fully coordinated electorate can change a candidate's incentives by bundling the reform with high wages and by voting strategically.Political Corruption; Political Economy of Anti-Corruption Reform

Popular Rogues: Citizen Opinion about Political Corruption

Trust in the honesty of public officials is a crucial condition for stable democratic systems. Yet despite the presumed centrality of honesty in government, there has been a long tradition of “popular rogues” who are considered dishonest and corrupt, but retain popularity for their strong and effective leadership. In this paper, we look at the phenomenon of popular rogues using the case of the former Mayor Buddy Cianci of Providence, Rhode Island. With data from two statewide Rhode Island opinion surveys (one before the trial and the other at its end), we present a “teeter-totter” model of public opinion whereby voters balance competing qualities of honesty and leadership. Depending on whether the assessment involves job performance or legal guilt, citizens employ different criteria. This model has ramifications for leadership in democratic systems and the prospects for citizen support in a scandal-based political era. Although city, state, and national politicians are the object of character attacks and personal scandals, it does not mean they always lose popular support in political settings

Constructing Camelot: John F. Kennedy and the 1946 Massachusetts special congressional election

This is a study targeting the political debut of a great American figurehead. Before he was President, John F. Kennedy was a soft-spoken and shy congressional candidate with little perceived political promise. The 1946 John F. Kennedy congressional campaign was successful because of the unique organization, image, and opportune timing of the congressional race. By obtaining a better understanding of the people, the stories, and the nuances of the Eleventh Congressional District, Kennedy was able to alter his campaign approach and win the election. The Kennedy campaign promoted a candidate who resonated with a large percentage of the electorate and campaign workers mapped out the greatest path to victory within the constraints the district presented. Through hard work, grit, and unwavering dedication, the Kennedy campaign team helped shape a legendary statesman; a leader who defied legend and lived on in American culture years after his assassination

The Curley Effect

James Michael Curley, a four-time mayor of Boston, used wasteful redistribution to his poor Irish constituents and incendiary rhetoric to encourage richer citizens to emigrate from Boston, thereby shaping the electorate in his favor. Boston as a consequence stagnated, but Curley kept winning elections. We present a model of the Curley effect, in which inefficient redistributive policies are sought not by interest groups protecting their rents, but by incumbent politicians trying to shape the electorate through emigration of their opponents or reinforcement of class identities. The model sheds light on ethnic politics in the United States and abroad, as well as on class politics in many countries including Britain.

The Curley Effect

James Michael Curley, a four-time mayor of Boston, used wasteful redistribution to his poor Irish constituents and incendiary rhetoric to encourage richer citizens to emigrate from Boston, thereby shaping the electorate in his favor. Boston as a consequence stagnated, but Curley kept winning elections. We present a model of the Curley effect, in which inefficient redistributive policies are sought not by interest groups protecting their rents, but by incumbent politicians trying to shape the electorate through emigration of their opponents or reinforcement of class identities. The model sheds light on ethnic politics in the United States and abroad, as well as on class politics in many countries including Britain.

Tip O’Neill: Irish-American Representative Man

Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Man of the House as he aptly called himself in his 1987 memoir, stood as the quintessential Irish-American representative man for half of the twentieth century. O’Neill, often misunderstood as a parochial, Irish Catholic party pol, was a shrewd, sensitive, and idealistic man who came to stand for a more inclusive and expansive sense of his region, his party, and his church. O’Neill’s impressive presence both embodied the clichés of the Irish-American character and transcended its stereotypes by articulating a noble vision of inspired duty, determined responsibility, and joy in living. There was more to Tip O’Neill than met the eye, as several presidents learned. At key moments in his career he was a politician who took risks in the name of principle. In his fifty years in public life, Tip O’Neill grew in every conceivable way, from the size of the suit to the breadth of his vision. Tip O’Neill embodied a type of the Irish-American character that his own kind, even those who have succeeded in America beyond the wildest dreams of their ancestors, might profitably heed

Tip O’Neill: Irish-American Representative Man (2003)

Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Man of the House as he aptly called himself in his 1987 memoir, stood as the quintessential Irish-American representative man for half of the twentieth century. O’Neill, often misunderstood as a parochial, Irish Catholic party pol, was a shrewd, sensitive, and idealistic man who came to stand for a more inclusive and expansive sense of his region, his party, and his church. O’Neill’s impressive presence both embodied the clichés of the Irish-American character and transcended its stereotypes by articulating a noble vision of inspired duty, determined responsibility, and joy in living. There was more to Tip O’Neill than met the eye, as several presidents learned. At key moments in his career he was a politician who took risks in the name of principle. In his fifty years in public life, Tip O’Neill grew in every conceivable way, from the size of the suit to the breadth of his vision. Tip O’Neill embodied a type of the Irish-American character that his own kind, even those who have succeeded in America beyond the wildest dreams of their ancestors, might profitably heed. Reprinted from New England Journal of Public Policy 18, no. 2 (2003), article 5