Research Team Travels to Wisconsin to Explore Recall Election in American Politics

TITLE "Recall Elections in American Politics."

FACULTY-STUDENT RESEARCH TEAM Donald Brand, professor and chair of political science, with Conor Cummings '13, Paul Hovey '14, and Dodie O'Keefe '13

WHAT THEY'RE RESEARCHING “Our project examines the rise of recall as an institutional practice in the Progressive Era and studies the implications recalls have for institutional stability and the capacity to govern. Specifically, we have focused on the recall of Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin in response to his controversial measures dealing with civil service unions. We have conducted extensive interviews with individuals heavily involved in the recall effort to determine the strategies that were used by each side and to gather their reflections on the recall practice in light of the unsuccessful effort to recall Walker,” says Brand.

WHAT THE STUDENTS GOT OUT OF IT "My summer research in political science has afforded me the extraordinary opportunity to travel to Madison, Wisconsin to interview politicians, union leaders, academics, and journalists to gain insight into the gubernatorial recall election between Governor Scott Walker and Tom Barrett. The remarkable experience allowed Dodie O'Keefe, Paul Hovey, and I to gain a better understanding of a rare political institution (recall elections). We are currently drafting a journal article we hope to have published with the guidance of our advisor Professor Brand, who we all have learned a great deal from this summer. I hope students will continue to receive the generous support of the Mellon Summer Research Program in the future, because I certainly appreciate the experience,” says Cummings.

HOW DOES HAVING THE STUDENT WORK WITH YOU ADVANCE OR ENHANCE YOUR RESEARCH “The students working with me are great. They have helped to design a set of interview questions, conducted on-site interviews in Madison, Wisconsin, worked on transcribing the interviews, and on writing up the results of their analysis in light of contemporary themes in the political science literature,” says Brand. WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS WITH YOUR RESEARCH? “To submit an article to the Pi Sigma Alpha journal of political science, a journal that publishes undergraduate research in political science,” says Brand. “Pi Sigma Alpha is the national honor society for political science undergraduates. We will also be submitting a proposal to attend the Midwest Political Science Association meetings in 2013 to present the students’ work. I will be drawing upon their work in pursuing a book project on the role of initiative, referendum and recall in American politics.”

During the summer, we visited five on-campus summer research teams. Take a look at their projects:

Does the Dodo Deserve Its Bad Rap?
Researching Laser-Cooled Atoms and How They Could Improve GPS Systems
In Advertising, Perception is Reality — But at What Cost to Consumers?
Research Team Travels to Wisconsin to Explore Recall Election in American Politics
View a list of symposium presenters, their project titles, and descriptions [PDF].
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