Section News

Funding Opportunity
Call for Proposals: European Election Studies/PIREDEU ***Deadline 14 June 2008*** PIREDEU and the European Election Studies (EES) are now inviting contributions to the design of a voter survey, media study, candidate study, and manifesto study for the 2009 European Parliament elections. Proposals can be submitted via the PIREDEU Open Forum.

PIREDEU - Providing an Infrastructure for Research on Electoral Democracy in the European Union - is a collaborative project funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme. PIREDEU has its origins in the European Election Studies (EES). A cornerstone of this design study is to collect data on voters, elites and parties in the context of the 27 elections to the European Parliament in 2009.

We invite proposals on each of five data collection components of PIREDEU: 1. Voter survey; 2. Candidate survey; 3. Media study; 4. Manifesto study; 5. Contextual data.

The PIREDEU Open Forum welcomes anyone who wants to make constructive contributions to the design of any aspect of the PIREDEU data collection instruments, including: - Proposals for questions to be used in the voter and/or candidate surveys. - Proposals for coding categories for the media and/or manifesto study. - Suggestion for exclusion/inclusion on questions/coding categories used in previous European data collection efforts (including the EES). - Suggestions for collection of contextual data in the 27 electoral contexts.

The aim of the Open Forum is to improve the quality and scientific value of each of our data collections by encouraging the submission of proposals and providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and comments.

For more information, and to register as a member of the PIREDEU Open Forum, please go to: the PIREDEU site. If you have any questions about the PIREDEU Open Forum, please contact Dr. Sara Hobolt

Reduced Subscription Rate for EPOP
The Political Studies Association standing group on Elections, Public Opinion and Parties (EPOP) is offering members of the Representation and Electoral Systems section a reduced subscription rate for the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties ($50 for 2008). The journal is a quarterly, fully peer-reviewed academic journal, publishing outstanding work focusing on issues relating to public opinion and representation. For more information on this journal please see the journal website. By subscribing to the journal, you would also become a of EPOP. EPOP brings together those interested in the study of elections and public opinion, including leading academics as well as media commentators, leading opinion pollsters, and national party officials. If you are interested, please contact Elina Helenius, Publishing Editor, Routledge.

Call for Papers
Section Chair Matt Golder issued the APSA 2008 Call for Papers: The Section welcomes paper, panel, and roundtable proposals on any aspect of representation and electoral systems that reflect the full range of the field's empirical, theoretical, and methodological diversity. While proposals focusing on established democracies are welcome, particular consideration will be given to proposals addressing elections, electoral systems, and representation in dictatorships and new democracies. In keeping with the theme of 'global inequality' at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, proposals exploring how electoral systems influence social, economic, and political inequality broadly conceived will also be looked upon favorably.

Job Opportunities
The National Science Foundation is looking to fill a temporary program officer position in the Political Science program. The current temporary program officer, Dr. Phil Paolino, will be returning to the University of North Texas at the beginning of August 2008. We are currently looking for his replacement. He holds a rotating position, which is a two to three year temporary position. Approximately half the program officers at the National Science Foundation hold such positions. Traditionally, the Political Science program has had two program officers, one permanent and one temporary. The position entails helping to manage the program. Activities include selecting reviewers and panelists, deciding which proposals to recommend for funding after taking into consideration the recommendations of reviewers and panelists, answering questions about the proposal process, doing outreach, and conducting your own research. Program officers are allotted ample time to do their own research and are given a travel budget that can be used to aid in this process. Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in Political Science or a related field, have at least six years of post graduate research experience, and have a solid research record. There are no restrictions on the field of study, theoretical approach, or methodological approach. Past experience with the National Science Foundation as a panelist or awardee is helpful but not required. Any questions that you have about the position or applying for it should be addressed to Brian Humes (bhumes@nsf.gov) or Phil Paolino (Paolino@nsf.gov).