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Sex scandals affect black candidates more than white politicians Research Summary: Sex scandals may cause more damage to black candidates than to their white counterparts. Two experiments conducted on national samples of white voters during the pre-primary period of the 2008 Presidential campaign revealed that sexual controversies among black candidates considerably damage positive perceptions among white voters. Both experiments placed Barack Obama and John Edwards in identical fictitious sexual controversies, and the researchers then measured how participants viewed each candidate. The respondents ultimately thought of Obama as more ideologically liberal than Edwards. Favorable judgments of Obama also dropped more substantially than those for Edwards. Political partisanship does not account for these findings; they stretch across the board. It seems that black candidates have an increased burden. They must attempt to avoid being associated with any potential negative images that might perpetuate an already skewed perception among white voters. Citation: Berinsky, A. J., Hutchings, V. L., Mendelberg, T., Shaker, L., & Valentino, N. A. (2010). Sex and race: Are black candidate more likely to be disadvantaged by sex scandals? Political Behavior, 33(2), 179-202. doi: 10.1007/s11109-010-9135-8 Lead author name: Professor Berinsky Lead author email: berinsky@mit.edu Did you know? The continuance of federal programs depends on congressional politics Research Summary: A past congresss major federal program accomplishment could provide the ammo for a future congresss political agenda. Federally enacted programs, such as those for educational grants and loans, follow different trajectories depending on future congresses party composition. After examining the post-enactment histories of every federal domestic program created between 1971-2003, Berry and his colleagues found that programs arent immune to changes and/or elimination. For instance, programs previously enacted by a Republican congress may experience decreased funding and shorter shelf lives if a Democratic congress takes over in the future, and vice versa. Conversely, programs enacted by a past congress with a similar partisan distribution to that of the present receive increased funding and will continue to exist. The game of congressional politics clearly affects the outlook for federal programs. Citation: Berry, C., Burden, B., & Howell, W. (2010). After enactment: The lives and deaths of federal programs. American Journal of Political Science, 54(1), 1-17. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2009.00414.x Lead author name: Professor Berry Lead author email: crberry@uchicago.edu

Did you know? Female political candidates must overcome gender stereotypes Research Summary: Voters want a candidate who possesses the grit of a man and the touch of a woman. Analysis of survey data from delegates who attended statewide political party conventions shows female political candidates, who engaged in more campaign and personal communication with delegates, prevented association with stereotypical gender roles. The delegates believed the candidate maintained both masculine traits and feminine issue competencies. This increased the likelihood of delegates voting in favor of the female candidate and lessened the unfavorable effect of traditional gender stereotypes. When delegates learned about the candidate through discussion with other delegates, gender stereotypes of the female candidate became pronounced and negatively impacted her chances of nomination to office. Learning from this research, to gain voters support, a female candidate must directly interact with her electorate in order to dispel traditional gender stereotypes. Citation: Bos, A. (2011). Out of control: Delegates information sources and perceptions of female candidates. Political Communication, 28(1), 87-109. doi: 10.1080/10584609.2010.540306 Lead author name: Professor Bos Lead author email: abos@wooster.edu
Did you know? We help the Supreme Court decide cases Research Summary: Our opinions matter to the Supreme Court justices. Regardless of the medias level of attention to specific cases, the Court must consider public opinion when making decisions, as the public mood concerning certain issues cannot help but be felt. Analyses of case decisions from the Courts 1956 to 2000 terms indicate that public opinion has a firm grasp on the justices. Casillas found that as the public grew more liberal over the years, the Court followed suit and made more decisions in line with the publics increased liberalism. Even though we dont have a direct role in determining who serves as a justice, our collective voice is still heard among those making landmark court decisions. Citation: Casillas, C., Enns, P., & Wohlfarth, P. (2009). How public opinion constrains the Supreme Court. American Journal of Political Science, 55(1), 74-88. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2010.00485.x Lead author name: Professor Casillas Lead author email: cjc76@cornell.edu

Did you know? Its advantageous for candidates to play nice with their opposition Research Summary: Dirty campaigning doesnt give political candidates a leg up. On the contrary, candidates who offer praise to their competition foster a more positive image among the public. Analyses of three separate experiments show that politicians who praise their competitor receive more positive feedback from voters, regardless of voter party affiliation. Rather than engaging in campaign mudslinging, politicians who offer admiration to their competition are seen as more trustworthy. Voters also are more inclined to vote for such candidates. Politicians who think they can increase their electability chances by trading insults with their competition may instead hinder such progress. It pays to play nice. Citation: Combs, D. J. Y., & Keller, P. S. (2010). Politicians and trustworthiness: Acting contrary to self-interest enhances trustworthiness. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 32(4), 328-339. doi: 10.1080/01973533.2010.519246 Lead author name: Professor Combs Lead author email: djamescombs1@gmail.com

Did you know? Our exposure to partisan news can determine our level of political participation Research Summary: We increasingly turn to news sources that correspond with our political leanings. The more often we choose programs that align with our beliefs, the greater the effects on our political participation. Analysis of data collected during the 2008 presidential campaign shows that attention to likeminded programs facilitates our voting decisions and encourages us to take part in campaign activities. The opposite occurred for people who watched higher percentages of news programs that conflicted with their beliefs. Although watching likeminded news appears to promote political involvement, the acknowledgement of opposing viewpoints may suffer if people rely solely on their partisan news sources. Citation: Dilliplane, S. (2011). All the news you want to hear: The impact of partisan news exposure on political participation. Public Opinion Quarterly, 75(2), 287-316 doi: 10.1093/poq/nfr006 Lead author name: Susanna Dilliplane Lead author email: sdilliplane@asc.upenn.edu

Did you know? The types of conversations we engage in can determine our levels of political knowledge and participation Research Summary: Unsurprisingly, we prefer to talk politics with others who share our views. Analysis of a telephone survey indicates that we show more inclination to engage in political participation if we talk with likeminded individuals. Sometimes, however, we do venture outside our comfort zones and discuss our beliefs with opposing individuals. Interestingly, if we maintain networks composed of both likeminded and opposing individuals, we show the least tendency to politically participate. The frequency that we confer with others about politics also predicts our levels of participation. Merely talking with more people, whether of like-mindedness or not, doesnt seem to have quite as strong an effect on our participation or on our political knowledge. Quantity of discussions outweighs quantity of people we talk with. When we surround ourselves with likeminded individuals and frequently talk about politics with them, both our levels of political knowledge and participation tend to significantly increase. Citation: Eveland, W. P., & Hively, M. H. (2009). Political discussion frequency, network size, and heterogeneity of discussion as predictors of political knowledge and participation. Journal of Communication, 59(2), 205-224. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2009.01412.x Lead author name: Professor Eveland Lead author email: eveland.6@osu.edu

Did you know? Negative political advertising increases campaign media coverage Research Summary: Political campaigns that turn nasty receive more media coverage. Analysis of campaign coverage in five states for the 2006 Senate and gubernatorial elections shows local television stations and newspapers increase coverage of political advertising when campaigns display some drama. Television stations, especially those with high viewership, also produce greater amounts of low quality, sensational news stories about negative campaign advertising tactics. As a result, television coverage may cause viewers to associate negative images with the campaign and misperceive the campaigns demeanor overall. The medias attention to the entertainment value of political advertising may eclipse the truth behind a campaign. Citation: Fowler, E. F., & Ridout, T. N. (2009). Local television and newspaper coverage of political advertising. Political Communication, 26(2), 119-136. doi: 10.1080/10584600902850635 Lead author name: Professor Fowler Lead author email: efowler@wesleyan.edu

Did you know? We like media that agrees with our political beliefs Research Summary: We prefer media outlets that align with our political beliefs. Survey data from eleven different countries shows the media do not significantly affect individuals decisions to seek out political points of view that conflict with their own. Television shows create more opportunities than newspapers for people to expose themselves to the opposition; however, the exposure remains limited. Most people describe their media environment as compatible with their individual political beliefs because they choose specific media outlets to frequent. Selectively choosing media outlets also determines our definition of media bias. What one person deems as bias in the media, another person may not, causing both people to use a different media outlet. Just ask anyone who purposefully chooses to watch MSNBC instead of Fox News and vice versa. Citation: Goldman, S., & Mutz, D. (2011). Friendly media phenomenon: A cross-national analysis of cross-cutting exposure. Political Communication, 28(1), 42-66. doi: 10.1080/10584609.2010.544280 Lead author name: Professor Goldman Lead author email: sgoldman@asc.upenn.edu

Did you know? Bribery stagnates economic growth Research Summary: Behind-the-scenes business transactions committed between government officials and companies worsen economic conditions. Although these actions may appear beneficial in the short term, long-term ramifications prove otherwise. Analyses of firms decisions to engage in either bribery or lobbying activities indicate that lobbying promotes the most lasting positive economic effects. Bribery occurs primarily in developing countries. With the presence of bleak economic outlooks, bribery discourages investment and reinforces the continuance of poverty within these regions. Conversely, firms that lobby the government for changes in regulations, which predominately occurs in wealthier countries, generate the most beneficial, self-sustaining economic effects. As children, we learned the importance of playing by the rules. As adults, we can see that bending the rules for immediate gratification only hinders us in the long run. . Citation: Harstad, B., & Svensson, J. (2011). Bribes, lobbying, and development. American Political Science Review, 105(1), 46-63. doi: 10.1017/S0003055410000523 Lead author name: Professor Harstad Lead author email: harstad@northwestern.edu

Did you know? Large minority groups receive less support from the majority Research Summary: Minority groups have always been underrepresented, especially in our federal government. Gender and racial majority groups appear to halt significant growth of minority representation. Analyses of political action committee contributions and gender-based colleague valuations within the U.S. House of Representatives indicate that minority group size causes representatives to value majority and minority group members differently. As the size of a minority group increases, the majority offers less support to that group and more support to the majority. For instance, when the House has a larger proportion of female members, males contributed less money to womens campaigns and more to mens. According to Kanthak, underrepresented minorities in democratic institutions receive benefits for their token minority status. These benefits all but disappear once the majority decides a group has reached a size of perceived self-sustainability. Citation: Kanthak, K., & Krause, G. (2010). Valuing diversity in political organizations: Gender and token minorities in the US House of Representatives. American Journal of Political Science, 54(4), 839-854. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2010.00467.x Lead author name: Professor Kanthak Lead author email: gkrause@pitt.edu
Did you know? The media leans on feminist viewpoints when addressing womens issues Research Summary: Feminist womens organizations receive substantially more media attention than conservative womens groups. Analysis of eight womens organizations and data from four national newspapers reveal that conservative groups appear in only 20 percent of all articles mentioning womens issues. Additionally, the media more often labels conservative organizations in accordance with their ideological standpoints rather than as womens groups, causing the groups to receive less input on many womens issues. Conversely, ideological labeling does not occur with feminist organizations, which are often the go-to groups for commentary on womens issues. News articles also do not juxtapose feminist and conservative points of view, creating a false picture of the organizations working relationship. Despite these obvious coverage discrepancies, media bias does not seem to be the culprit. An organizations prominence among the public and its organizational structure most affect the ways in which the media addresses an individual group. Citation: Schreiber, R. (2010). Who speaks for women? Print media portrayals of feminist and conservative womens advocacy. Political Communication, 27(4), 432-452. doi: 10.1080/10584609.2010.516800 Lead author name: Professor Schreiber Lead author email: rschreib@mail.sdsu.edu

Did you know? Relying only on newspapers or television for news stymies our political knowledge Research Summary: Its true, we can have too much of a good thing. For those of us who only watch television to obtain news, we tend to have lower levels of political knowledge. The same is true for those who only read newspapers or other text-based sources. Analyses of data from two surveys reveal that utilizing a combination of both audio-visual news (i.e. television) and print sources increases our political knowledge. By diversifying our media consumption, we allow the different outlets to interact with each other, helping us to become more politically aware. The next time you catch yourself watching cable or network news for hours on end, turn the television off and grab a newspaper. You may end up expanding your political knowledge. Citation: Eveland Jr., W. P., & Shen, F. (2010). Testing the intramedia interaction hypothesis: The contingent effects of news. Journal of Communication, 60(2), 364-387. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2010.01486.x Lead author name: Professor Shen Lead author email: feishen@cityu.edu.hk

Did you know? Threatening non-voters with stern penalties compels them to vote Research Summary: Similar to telling a preschooler that bad behavior may result in undesired consequences, people of voting age show more inclination to vote if punishment exists for nonparticipation. Building off past research, Singh measured voting patterns across 36 countries that have different voting regulations. Singh found that countries with the harshest methods of punishment for non-voters show the strongest voter turnout during elections. Certain individual factors among voters, such as education and income, also contribute to voting behavior; however, obligatory voting requirements affect voting participation the most. Sure, higher voter turnout sounds great on the surface, but compulsory rules may force the most uninformed members of a population into voting. Taken one step further, Singh says the democratic process of voting may turn into a very undemocratic practice when a government actively coerces its citizens to show up to the polls. Citation: Singh, S. (2010). How compelling is compulsory voting? A multilevel analysis of turnout. Political Behavior, 33(1), 95-111. doi: 10.1007/s11109-010-9107-z Lead author name: Professor Singh Lead author email: shane.singh@mcgill.ca