Marginal voters are much more likely to vote Democratic, and to stay at home on off-year elections

In this year’s midterm elections only 36.4 percent of eligible voters turned out to cast a ballot. But are those who do not vote in such elections different from those that do? Anthony Fowler finds that marginal voters (those that would only vote because of a specific outside factor compared to those that vote who would vote regardless), tend to be significantly more Democratic than regular voters. He writes that this gap, combined with the fall in voter turnout during non-presidential year elections, may help to explain some of the Republican Party’s electoral success this year

Most Americans are ideologically moderate

Cable news and social media portray US politics as beset by partisanship and political polarization. But do most Americans take ideologically extreme positions? In new survey research of almost 300,000 people, Anthony Fowler examines Americans’ likely real political positions. He finds that nearly 3/4 of Americans have views that correspond with a single ideology, and of those, most are moderate. These moderates, he writes, also drive the selection and accountability of political candidates

Physionomies d’une cité grecque. Développements stylistiques de la coroplathie votive archaïque de Tarente

The present monograph is a revised and expanded version of Ágnes Bencze’s dissertation, defended at the University of Paris I in December 2005. The study, the result of over a decade of research, including autopsy of relevant materials held in several museum storerooms throughout Europe, offers the first systematic stylistic classification of all extant types of mold-made votive terracottas produced in archaic Tarentum. Through the adoption of a broad chronological frame and an exhaustive approach to the corpus of evidence, the author aims to trace the stylistic development of local coroplastic production from its origins in the latter half of the seventh century to the emergence of the distinctly Tarentine form of reclining banqueter in the final decades of the sixth-century. In so doing, the author treats the diverse stylistic influences to which local artisans seem to have been exposed, whether directly or indirectly, and the (art) historical implications of their reception

A more informed electorate would benefit the Democratic Party

A common saying is that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but is this true in politics as in life? In a new study, Anthony Fowler and Michele Margolis look at the effects of increasing voters’ political knowledge on their support for the Republican and Democratic parties. They find that because those with progressive views are less likely to know where parties stand, providing people with information about parties’ positions will increase support for the Democratic Party by as much as 15 percent

Examining psychological recovery in persons with serious mental illness : the role of experienced stigma and the insight paradox

Title from PDF of Title page, viewed on March 17, 2014Thesis advisor: Melisa V. RempferVitaIncludes bibliographical references (pages 90-125)Thesis (M. A.)--Dept. of Psychology. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2013The purpose of this study was to investigate how insight (awareness of mental illness and its associated consequences) into having serious mental illness (SMI) and the experienced stigma associated with SMI may affect psychological recovery among people in this population. Examining the role of insight in the recovery process is important because low insight is a highly prevalent and complex phenomenon that carries paradoxical effects for persons with SMI. Additionally, the stigma associated with having SMI has been recognized as the single greatest concern facing SMI populations and can have a detrimental impact in all life domains. The current study differs from previous research as it examines both the direct and moderating effects of insight and stigma on the recovery process rather than correlates of recovery. Additionally, previous studies have only examined the role of internalized stigma in the relationship between insight and correlates of recovery. This study examined the role of experienced stigma, an important precursor to internalized stigma. Fifty-three participants with SMI completed a recovery scale and an experienced stigma scale. Insight was assessed via information collected from semi-structured clinical interviews. Results indicated that neither insight nor experienced stigma predicted changes in psychological growth, the highest stage of psychological recovery. Experienced stigma had a marginally significant moderation effect on the insight/recovery relationship. Specifically, higher insight predicted greater psychological growth when experienced stigma is also higher. This was not observed when experienced stigma was lower. Subsequently, neither insight, stigma, nor their interaction predicted changes between people's stages of recovery. Findings further suggest that insight has paradoxical effects on persons with SMI that can be exacerbated by stigma. However, the moderating effects of experienced stigma on the insight/recovery relationship are the opposite of those supported with internalized stigma. Areas for future research and the implications for SMI populations are discussed.Abstract -- List of tables -- List of illustrations -- Overview -- Review of the literature -- Methodology - Results -- Discussion -- Appendix -- Reference lis

Elections have big consequences that last for decades

Every election cycle, voters are told by pundits and commentators that this particular election counts and that it is likely to shape public policy for decades to come. In new research, Anthony Fowler and Andrew B. Hall find that elections definitely do have consequences; for example, a barely elected Republican is 40 percent more likely to vote conservatively in Congress than a Democrat would have. They also find that because of legislators’ ambitions and the advantage of incumbency, one election result can influence the future results in that district for more than a decade

Congressional committee membership is less important thanpreviously thought, but chairs are really influential

Political scientists and commentators have generally believed that Congressional committees wield a great deal of power over how federal spending is distributed. But new research from Christopher R. Berry and Anthony Fowler suggests that committee positions actually hold relatively little influence. Committee chairs, on the other hand, are far more important than had been previously thought

Get Out the Vote interventions increase inequality in voter turnout

Get Out the Vote campaigns have become a fixture of campaign season, especially during recent elections, which saw unprecedented organization by both sides to rally potential voters. But are these drives an effective way to close the turnout gap between groups who are already inclined to be involved in politics and those with a lower predilection to vote? Ryan D. Enos and Anthony Fowler examine the effects of Get Out the Vote interventions and find that high propensity voters are more responsive to such initiatives. Rather than closing the turnout gap, they show that such campaigns actually widen this discrepancy

Leadership or luck? Randomization inference for leader effects in politics, business, and sports

Anecdotal evidence suggests that some leaders are more effective than others but observed differences in outcomes between leaders could be attributable to chance variation. To solve this inferential problem, we develop a quantitative test of leader effects that provides more reliable inferences than previous strategies, and we implement the test in the settings of politics, business, and sports. We find significant effects of political leaders, particularly in nondemocracies. We find little evidence that chief executive officers influence the performance of their firms. In addition, we find clear evidence that sports coaches matter for a wide range of outcomes in football, basketball, baseball, and hockey