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161. Faith Based: Religious Neoliberalism and the Politics of Welfare in the United States

Author:
David K. Ryden
Publication Date:
10-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
American conservatism has long been challenged by the simmering tensions between its libertarian and socioreligious wings. In Faith Based, Jason Hackworth examines the merging of these two strands of conservatism into what he calls religious neoliberalism, and the consequent policy impact on American social welfare provision. His central thesis is that neoliberalism- with its "overwhelming emphasis on the individual," a quasi�religious belief in the market, and the conviction that the state will only impede both-has limited appeal as a stand�alone ideology, and can only affect policy when attached to other movements that legitimize it and amplify its influence. Since the Reagan era, one such vehicle has been American evangelicalism. Hackworth weaves together a variety of methods-a reading of National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) policy resolutions, content analysis of Christianity Today, and select case studies of faith�based welfare provision-to demonstrate how religious rhetoric and theology have been employed to soften the hard�edged anti�statism of neoliberalism, thus sanctifying neoliberal attacks on our social welfare system. Hackworth's ultimate conclusions are nuanced. While neoliberalism and evangelicalism have been mutually reinforcing, Hackworth finds both to be "partial," and suggests that inherent contradictions will test their long�term compatibility and limit the future reach of religious neoliberalism.
Political Geography:
United States

162. The Timeline of Presidential Elections: How Campaigns Do (and Do Not) Matter

Author:
Michael C. Herron
Publication Date:
10-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
Every four years, the country is treated to a spectacle wherein presidential candidates engage in year�long efforts to convince voters of their suitability to occupy the White House. Even though many voters may find presidential campaigns to be excessive, regarding both length and the expenses that they regularly entail, these campaigns provide opportunities for voters to see candidates in varied situations. During campaigns, presidential candidates are regularly on the stump; they confront their competitors directly in debates and indirectly through the media; and they are forced to display management skills as heads of complicated and costly operations.

163. The Role of Villain: Iran and U.S. Foreign Policy

Author:
Paul R. Pillar
Publication Date:
10-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN HAS BECOME, in two senses, an extraordinary preoccupation of the United States. One sense is that Iran is the subject of a strikingly large proportion of discourse about U.S. foreign policy. American pundits and politicians repeatedly mention Iran, usually with specific reference to its nuclear program, as among the biggest threats the United States faces. Republican nominee Mitt Romney, when asked in the last presidential debate of the 2012 campaign what was the single greatest future threat to U.S. national security, replied "a nuclear Iran." For politicians of both major U.S. political parties, expressions of concern about Iran and of the need to confront it have become a required catechism. The U.S. Congress has spent much time on such expressions and on imposing with lopsided votes ever broader economic sanctions on Iran. Frequent and evidently serious references are made to launching a military attack against Iran, even though such an attack- an act of aggression-would probably mean a war with heavy costs and damage to U.S. interests and probably would stimulate the very development of an Iranian nuclear weapon that it ostensibly would be designed to preclude.
Topic:
Foreign Policy
Political Geography:
United States and Iran

164. Becoming a Candidate: Political Ambition and the Decision to Run for Office

Author:
Samuel H. Fisher III
Publication Date:
10-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
Elections in a democratic system depend upon the willingness of citizens to put themselves forward for political office with no assurance of success. If the pool of possible candidates becomes too self�limiting, then the quality of representation is imperiled. Political ambition or progressive ambition, the driving force that differentiates office seekers from everyone else, has been the focus of extensive study by political scientists. Jennifer Lawless takes the tack that the decision to even consider running for office, nascent ambition, is a subject in need of greater understanding.

165. Warlords: Strong-Arm Brokers in Weak States

Author:
Jesse Driscoll
Publication Date:
10-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
Some countries do not have effective domestic sovereignty. In these "weak states," the central government lacks the will or capacity to enforce contracts, punish criminals, or deter terrorists in all parts of the internationally recognized territory. Kimberly Marten's new book, Warlords: Strong�Arm Brokers in Weak States, chronicles how order is subcontracted. Marten defines warlords as "individuals who control small pieces of territory using a combination of force and patronage" and who "rule in defiance of genuine state sovereignty but through the complicity of state leaders" (p. 3). What exactly is meant by "complicity of state leaders" varies substantially by context, but at base, Marten employs an extended delegation metaphor: "the principal actor (the state) relies on an agent (the warlord) to fulfill assigned tasks" (p. 30). The empirical chapters then take the reader on a sweeping tour of the peripheries of Iraq, Russia, Georgia, and Pakistan. Warlords demonstrates that in all of these places, state officials can be either hoodwinked or coerced into letting charismatic local authorities build their own invisible patronage networks. Though the theoretical insights are neither new nor controversial to students of comparative politics, the particulars of why resources are funneled to local violence entrepreneurs at the periphery of empire make for a compelling read.
Political Geography:
Pakistan, Russia, Iraq, and Georgia

166. Obama and China's Rise: An Insider's Account of America's Asia Strategy

Author:
Peter Trubowitz
Publication Date:
10-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
In this crisply written account of U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, Jeffrey Bader gives the reader an insider's view of policymaking in the administration of Barack Obama. Bader served as the senior director for East Asian Affairs on the National Security Council from January 2009 to April 2011. He is well placed to discuss policy deliberations on Asia�Pacific matters, and he ably chronicles many of the challenges that Obama faced during the period from the diplomatic crisis sparked by the North Korean sinking of the South Korean ship Cheonan in March 2010, to the tensions between China and its Asian neighbors over maritime rights and territory in the South China Seas, to the Fukushima nuclear meltdown triggered by the massive earthquake and tsunami that walloped Japan in March 2011.
Topic:
Foreign Policy
Political Geography:
China, America, and Asia

167. California Crucible: The Forging of Modern American Liberalism

Author:
Adam Carrington
Publication Date:
10-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
Jonathan Bell' s book tells the story of how the Golden State became the heart of the modern Democratic Party' s liberal wing. Bell' s narrative stretches from the end of World War II until 1980, tracing out the grassroots and party movements that constructed a distinctly leftist coalition of labor, gays, racial minorities, and middle-to-upper-class liberals.
Political Geography:
California

168. Geographic Distribution of the Federal Stimulus of 2009

Author:
James G. Gimpel, Frances E. Lee, and Rebecca U. Thorpe
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
JAMES G. GIMPEL, FRANCES E. LEE, and REBECCA U. THORPE investigate why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 did not always focus additional resources on areas where the recession's downturn was most severe. They examine whether funds were allocated according to pork barrel politics or instead via “policy windows” through which advocates steered a diverse group of programs long desired for reasons unrelated to the recession. They find some support for both theories, but policy window effects were more important than pork barrel politics in accounting for distributional outcomes.
Political Geography:
America

169. Zionism, the Jewish State, and an Israeli–Palestinian Settlement: An Opinion Piece

Author:
Jerome Slater
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
JEROME SLATER critically examines the case for the continuation of Zionism and for Israel to remain a Jewish state. He argues that while much of the Zionist argument is unconvincing, “liberal Zionism” is still defensible. Consequently, he claims, that first the Palestinians should conditionally recognize Israel as a Jewish state as part of an overall Israeli–Palestinian peace settlement, and second the Israelis should agree to the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state in the occupied territories, so that the Palestinian Israelis who choose to remain in Israel are treated as fully equal citizens as the Jews.
Political Geography:
Israel and Palestine

170. Suspension of Law during Crisis

Author:
Ross J. Corbett
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Political Science Quarterly
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
ROSS J. CORBETT analyzes the claim that the response to some emergencies requires a departure from the law. He notes that this claim rests on a particular view of what the law is and is best understood as an argument that emergencies ought to be handled extra-legally. He argues that interrogating this extra-legalist claim reveals another strategy for controlling executive discretion while permitting enough flexibility to preserve the public good.