In his latest Baltimore Sun column, UMBC political science professor Thomas F. Schaller, responds to the White House’s challenging month, including more Benghazi developments and scandals involving the IRS and journalist bugging. “Taken separately, none of these episodes is fatal,” writes Schaller, “But, taken together, these three political problems reveal an underlying fault in President Obama’s leadership style. […] Mr. Obama too often seems politically detached.” How has this become problematic in the Obama presidency? Schaller suggests, “We tend to equate the abuse of presidential power with its use…In Mr. Obama’s case, however, the abuse of power emanates from non-use.… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun
UMBC’s Tyson King-Meadows, associate professor of political science and incoming chair of Africana studies, has been elected to the WYPR Board of Directors for a three-year term (July 1, 2013–June 30, 2016).For the past year, King-Meadows has participated in the prestigious American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellowship Program, with his experience on Capitol Hill complementing his teaching and research on the U.S. Congress.King-Meadows is the author of When the Letter Betrays the Spirit: Voting Rights Enforcement and African American Participation from Lyndon Johnson to Barack Obama (Lexington Books, 2011). He is currently writing a book on post-Reconstruction Era efforts… Continue Reading Tyson King-Meadows, Political Science, Elected to WYPR Board of Directors
On May 24th, WEAA’s Marc Steiner Show featured guest Jeffrey Davis, associate professor and chair of political science at UMBC, to discuss the recent guilty verdict for former Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt, its overturning, and possible implications for the U.S. Davis appeared alongside Anita Isaacs, associate professor of political science at Haverford College. Contextualizing the court cased, Davis told listeners, “This is a trial based on a genocide that took place during Guatemala’s 30-year civil war. During that war more than 200,000 people were killed. 40,000 or more were disappeared. That’s around 3% of their population. To give you an idea,… Continue Reading Jeffrey Davis, Political Science, on the Marc Steiner Show
This week the OpenGov Foundation and MarylandReporter.com led a focus group to examine transparency in Maryland politics and government. Conversation centered on the Maryland General Assembly website, redesigned in December 2012. The groups also asked for feedback on the website from external experts, including UMBC political science professor Roy T. Meyers. Meyers told MarylandReporter.com that he was glad the new site moves away from the previous subscription model, which charged a fee to access the most current legislative information. However, he critiqued “delays in [posting] voting records on second and especially third reading.” The article suggests this problem is in… Continue Reading Roy Meyers, Political Science, on MarylandReporter.com
“The lesson we’ve learned over these last 10, 15 years is no matter how good your [crisis management] plan is, it’s always going to fall short,” says Sunil Dasgupta in today’s Gazette. Dasgupta, director of UMBC’s political science program at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) and non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, is co-teaching a crisis management class at USG. The point of the course, he explains, is not to prepare for specific disasters, but to get students thinking about how to build resilience and make decisions in catastrophic situations that they cannot fully plan for or predict.… Continue Reading Sunil Dasgupta, Political Science, in the Gazette
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley today signed a bill banning the sale of assault weapons, limiting magazines to 10 bullets, requiring handgun purchasers to submit fingerprints and get a license, and creating penalties for people who don’t notify police when their firearms are lost or stolen. The Baltimore Sun reports that gun control advocates are now planning Baltimore-area TV ads to bolster support among Maryland voters, in case of a future referendum or campaigns to oust lawmakers who backed the bill in the General Assembly. This ad buy begs the question: Could Maryland’s anti-gun control community gather enough support to change course… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in the Baltimore Sun
In his latest opinion column for the Baltimore Sun, UMBC political science professor Thomas F. Schaller takes on accusations surrounding the recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchase of large quantities of ammunition (up to 1.6 billion rounds in some reports)—including claims that the Obama administration is arming itself while simultaneously trying to disarm the citizenry through gun control legislation. In researching the purchase, Schaller found: It turns out the order is closer to 750 million rounds and covers a five-year period and the 70,000 federal officers who require firearm certification or retraining. That’s roughly 2,200 rounds per officer per… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun
Economics professor Scott Farrow is co-author and co-editor, with Richard Zerbe, Jr., of the new book, Principles and Standards for Benefit-Cost Analysis (Edward Elgar Publishing 2013). The book website notes: Benefit–cost analysis informs which policies or programs most benefit society when implemented by governments and institutions around the world. This volume brings together leading researchers and practitioners to recommend strategies and standards to improve the consistency and credibility of such analyses, assisting analysts of all types in achieving a greater uniformity of practice. Reviewer John D. Graham of Indiana University writes, “This book is a superb textbook treatment of benefit-cost… Continue Reading Scott Farrow, Economics, Publishes “Principles and Standards for Benefit-Cost Analysis”
Larry DeWitt, public policy Ph.D. student and former public historian for the U.S. Social Security Administration, has published the new book The Other Welfare: Supplemental Security Income and U.S. Social Policy (Cornell University Press 2013) written with co-author Edward D. Berkowitz. The book offers a comprehensive history of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), from its origins in 1972 as part of President Nixon’s social reform efforts to its pivotal role in the politics of the Clinton administration. Reviewer Christopher D. Howard (College of William & Mary) writes, “Calling The Other Welfare one of the best histories of a U.S. social program… Continue Reading Larry DeWitt, Public Policy, Publishes “The Other Welfare”
Stress Testing the USA: Public Policy and Reaction to Disaster Events, a new book by professor of public policy John Rennie Short, arrives in stores tomorrow! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcUEyXn28hI] Stress testing is a procedure, common to fields from medicine to engineering, that is used to reveal a system’s weaknesses. In his new book, Short applies this concept to analyzing four serious traumas the United States experienced at the start of the 21st century: the invasion of Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the financial meltdown, and the BP oil spill. In Stress Testing the USA (Palgrave MacMillan), Short identifies specific structural flaws with the… Continue Reading John Rennie Short, Public Policy, Publishes “Stress Testing the USA”
Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown is widely expected to officially announce his candidacy for governor today in his home county of Prince George’s. Donald F. Norris, professor and chair of public policy at UMBC, told the Baltimore Sun that support from current Gov. Martin O’Malley is one of the reasons Brown is the “odds-on favorite” for the job. “He’s going to have the governor’s endorsement, and he will have access to the governor’s election organization,” Norris said, in an AP story on the anticipated announcement. These factors could give him a notable advantage over potential opponents, such as State… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in the Baltimore Sun and AP
This week, UMBC’s Erickson School is spearheading the Executive Director Leadership Institute (EDLI) at the annual conference of the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) in Charlotte, North Carolina. The program has expanded from 40 to 200 participants in just one year. It offers a rigorous curriculum designed for rising community leaders in the senior living industry. Chris Hollister, Southern Assisted Living co-founder and senior fellow at the Leadership Institute at the Erickson School, serves as EDLI 2013 co-leader; Erickson School Dean Judah Ronch serves on the EDLI faculty. Their curriculum will address topics from senior community culture to best… Continue Reading Erickson School Presents Institute for Leaders in Senior Living
