Attacks on US federal funding of the social sciences date back to the 1940s and will continue to intensify

In the wake of the restrictions placed on US political science funding, Jeanne Zaino examines the extent to which social scientists should be concerned on future eligibility of funding. More recent events in Congress suggest the attacks on funding will not only continue but will intensify. It is also worth remembering that these attacks are just the latest in a long standing effort by conservatives to eliminate funding for social science dating back to at least the mid-1940s

Poll use and policy-making in the White House : 1993-2000.

In the later half of the twentieth century, political polling increased dramatically. Increased reliance on polling has been particularly evident in the White House. Every president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has relied on polling and pollsters to assess opinion on a variety of important issues. Despite this, there has been relatively little examination as to how officials use this data and how it impacts policy and decision-making. The dearth in research has given rise to a great deal of speculation. Some scholars and journalists have suggested that officials pander to opinion. Others have argued that polls are used to craft rhetoric and market favored policies. While still others have concluded the data is not used at all. This study examines how officials use survey data in policy and decision-making. It builds on the sociology of knowledge application literature to both define and develop several models of use. These models are then applied to several cases of decision and policy-making during the Clinton administration (1992–2000), the most recent White House for which we have a complete record. The case analysis shows that polls are used in a variety of ways, not only to pander and craft rhetoric, but also to set parameters, legitimize, and develop an offensive strategy. The findings show that while polls are used in ways that result in responsiveness to the majority will, they are also used in ways that do not. Democratic officials not only act contrary to popular opinion, but polls aid in this endeavor. These findings suggest that while polls do not consistently undermine democratic government, neither do they necessarily facilitate it either. Consequently, those seeking a larger voice for the public in democratic affairs are cautioned against relying on polls as a primary linking mechanism

Core concepts in American government

Faculty-authored chapter: The Judiciary, by Michele DeMary This text uses the cultural appeal of “lists” and “rank orders” as a pedagogical tool applied to American government. Each chapter presents a list of the top things a student should know about that topic, and then carefully and accessibly explores each of the items in the list. The lists contained in the text are used to teach introductory students what many scholars agree are the key, core aspects of American government. There is something people seem to find irresistible about lists and rank orders. There is also something almost unseemly or dangerous about them. This text uses both of these factors–the appeal and problems of “lists” and “rank orders”–as a pedagogical tool. The reader is asked to approach the lists critically and to think about what they might add to the list, what they might remove from the list, what they find problematic about the rank order, and so forth. Consequently, the lists serve to draw the students into the topic, to help them learn more about American government, and to use their critical thinking skills to critique the content and order of the lists. In a typical semester, it is nearly impossible to teach someone everything they can and should know about a topic as broad as American government and politics. Therefore, the two primary goals of this text are to (a) give introductory students the basic tools necessary to understand American government and politics in a format that is appealing and (b) in so doing giving them the background necessary to put current events and enduring questions into context.https://scholarlycommons.susqu.edu/facultybooks/1000/thumbnail.jp

Adventures in Social Research : Data Analysis Using IBM SPSS Statistics

By Earl Babbie, Fred S. Halley [College at Brockport emeritus], William E. Wagner, Jeanne Zaino. Written by esteemed social science research authors, encourages students to practice SPSS as they read about it and provides a practical, hands-on introduction to conceptualization, measurement, and association through active learning. This fully revised workbook will guide students through step-by-step instruction on data analysis using the latest version of SPSS and the most up to date General Social Survey data. Arranged to parallel most introductory research methods texts, this text starts with an introduction to computerized data analysis and the social research process, then walks readers step-by-step through univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis using SPSS Statistics. In this revised edition, active and collaborative learning will be emphasized as students engage in a series of practical investigative exercises.https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/bookshelf/1285/thumbnail.jp