Volume 138 - Number 3 - Fall 2023
Does Color Matter: Review Article of Skin Color, Power, and Politics in America
NATALIE MASUOKA reviews Skin Color, Power, and Politics in America by Mara C. Ostfeld and Nicole D. Yandon. She argues that the book offers useful insight into the degree of variation in experiences of racialization that occur within each racial/ethnic group and that this can be helpful in understanding variation in political attitudes within groups.
Volume 137 - Number 2 - Summer 2022
The President and the Supreme Court: The Effect of the Prospect of Non-Implementation on Government Success in the Court
GORDON D. BALLINGRUD examines judicial decision-making under conditions of political pressure given through ideological hostility from other federal institutions. He finds that in case outcomes and majority opinion writing, the Court’s behavior changes when other institutions are ideologically distant from the Court’s center.
Volume 137 - Number 1 - Spring 2022
How Populism Dies: Political Weaknesses of Personalistic Plebiscitarian Leadership
Kurt Weyland examines the weaknesses of populist leadership. He argues that populist leaders are prone to errors and misdeeds, have difficulty dealing with other political forces, and face institutional and external constraints. Consequently, he concludes, they damage and suffocate democracy not as easily and frequently as recent observers have feared.
Volume 135 - Number 2 - Summer 2020
Neighborhood Defenders: Participatory Politics and America’s Housing Crisis
KATHERINE LEVINE EINSTEIN, DAVID M. GLICK, and Maxwell Palmer use a wide array of administrative, elite survey, and qualitative data to show how neighborhood participation in the housing permitting process exacerbates existing political inequalities, limits the housing supply, and contributes to the current affordable housing crisis.
Volume 135 - Number 1 - Spring 2020
Do Global Publics View Human Rights Organizations as Handmaidens of the United States?
David Crow and James Ron look at how global publics view the relationship between human rights organizations and the U.S. government. They argue that ordinary people across various world regions do not perceive human rights groups as “handmaidens” of U.S. foreign policy.
Volume 134 - Number 1 - Spring 2019
Constitutional Foundations of Military Coups
ABDULLAH AYDOGAN argues that military coups are less likely to occur in countries with parliamentary systems. In these countries, he claims, military elites seeking to remove chief executives often select other strategies, such as threatening legislators.
Volume 133 - Number 2 - Summer 2018
Humanitarianism, State Sovereignty, and Authoritarian Regime Maintenance in the Syrian War
Reinoud Leenders and KHOLOUD MANSOUR discuss the war in Syria. They argue that since 2011 the Syrian regime has used UN-led humanitarian assistance to bolster its claims on state sovereignty and to support its wider efforts of authoritarian regime maintenance.
Volume 132 - Number 1 - Spring 2017
The Roberts Court and Democracy: A Review Essay on Judicial Review and Liberal Critique
ERIC SEGALL reviews Stephen Gottlieb’s recently published book Unfit for Democracy: The Roberts Court and the Breakdown of American Politics . He agrees with Gottlieb’s argument that the Roberts Court has too often neglected the needs of racial minorities, the poor, and the disenfranchised. Segall suggests that Gottlieb could have made a more persuasive case by setting forth in more detail the conservative positions supporting the Roberts Court decisions.
Volume 132 - Number 1 - Spring 2017
Military Aid and Human Rights: Assessing the Impact of U.S. Security Assistance Programs
MARIYA OMELICHEVA, BRITTNEE CARTER, and LUKE B. CAMPBELL assess the relationship between U.S. security assistance programs and the degree to which foreign militaries respect civilian human rights in times of political instability. They conclude that these programs do not have a uniform impact on human rights practices in the states that receive U.S. military aid. Rather, the relationship is contingent upon various factors, primarily whether security assistance programs include an educational and training component.
Volume 131 - Number 3 - Fall 2016
The Causes and Effects of International Treaties
ROBERT L. BROWN analyses the relationship between state interests and the likelihood of international cooperation. He argues that while divergent interests create demand for treaty negotiations, converging interest are required for treaties to enter into force.