29: State Politics and Policy

Cherie Maestas, Florida State University, cmaestas@fsu.edu

The theme for the 2012 meetings is “Representation and Renewal,” a theme that encourages us to look broadly how public interests get translated into political outcomes, and how governments renew themselves when political processes break down. Scholars who study state politics and policy have a rich tradition of leveraging variation across states to explore how political and electoral institutions intersect with mass and elite attitudes to produce representative outcomes. Yet, persistent challenges remain, including the most basic -- defining and measuring the concept of representation. The section welcomes paper and roundtable proposals to address this most fundamental issue, especially proposals that offer innovative methodological or theoretical approaches to the study of this topic. Scholarship in sub-national politics is also well-suited to addressing the theme of renewal because states often function as labs for political innovations, both in policy and in institutional design. External social or economic pressures along with public dissatisfaction with government create demands for government reform that are often heeded at the state level. Proposals that speak to the broader question of how government can renew itself in the eyes of the public through institutional reforms or policy innovations would be especially welcome.

In addition to seeking proposals that address the themes of the conference, the section encourages all proposals that use states as a venue for testing general theories about intergovernmental relations, political institutions, elections, mass or elite attitudes, behaviors, and public policies. The study of state politics naturally overlaps with many sub-fields, including those who study sub-national units beyond the U.S. borders. We invite proposals for cross-listed panels.