One Hundred Years of Dissent in Political Science

Dissent implies disagreement and contrary argument in all its forms. It also means “to withhold consent,” and that's the crux of the matter for this panel. Chaired by Ted Lowi of Cornell University, this session will feature five papers exploring one hundred years of dissent. Lowi notes that APSA started out as part of the progressivism and reform of the early 20th century, as a critic of government but also as an advocate for expanded and more efficient government action toward pressing social problems. Although that spirit is far from gone, it has been weakened and overshadowed by the advancement of the ethic and rhetoric of modern science and, somewhat later, the politics of government support of science. Government is not operating as censor; nevertheless it inherently prefers neutrality and the avoidance of taboo questions. This is all part of what Karl Mannheim had in mind for his concept of “bureaucratic conservatism,” which he defined as “the tendency… to turn all problems of politics into problems of administration” such that “irrational factors are overlooked, and when these nevertheless force themselves to the fore, they are treated as ‘routine matters of state'.” Mr. Dooley said, “The Supreme Court follows th' iliction returns.” A more sophisticated Dooley might say, “Political science follows Leviathan.” To what extent is that true? (Friday 12:00–2:00)

Democratic Challenges to the EU

This panel focuses on the challenges to European democracy posed by the rapid development of the European Union geographically and institutionally, as the EU has gone since 1957 from six to 12 to 15 and now to 25. The panelists will address such questions as: Is there a democratic deficit in the EU? What are the problems of electoral representation, citizen participation, interest consultation, and/or effective governance in an expanding Europe? What are the trade-offs in terms of national political rights, economic rights, and social rights? The session will include Amitai Etzioni, George Washington University; Fritz Scharpf, Max Planck Institute; Andrew Moravcsik, Harvard University; Philippe Schmitter, Stanford University; Vivien Schmidt, Boston University; and Joseph Weiler, Harvard University. (Friday 8:00–9:45am)

Inequality and Democracy

The American Political Science Association has launched a Task Force on Inequality and American Democracy. The purpose of the Task Force is to link existing political science research to broader public discussions about the connections between changing patterns of inequalities, democratic participation and governance, and public policy. The Task Force has broken into three Working Groups focusing on citizen voice, the governmental process, and the impact of public policy. The members of the Task Force are Benjamin Barber (University of Maryland); Larry Bartels (Princeton University); Michael Dawson (Harvard University); Morris Fiorina (Stanford University); Jacob Hacker (Yale University); Rodney Hero (Notre Dame University); Lawrence Jacobs (University of Minnesota); Claire Jean Kim (University of California, Irvine); Suzanne Mettler (Syracuse University); Benjamin Page (Northwestern University); Diane Pinderhughes (University of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana); Kay Lehman Schlozman (Boston College); and Theda Skocpol (Harvard University).

The Task Force began its work in 2003 and will hold a roundtable at the 2003 Annual Meeting to outline the general direction of its future work and to welcome input from colleagues about this important initiative. The session will include Task Force members Larry Bartels, Jacob Hacker, Lawrence Jacobs, Diane Pinderhughes, Kay Schlozman, and Theda Skocpol. (Friday 10:00–11:45am) The Task Force is sponsoring a featured panel with best selling author, longtime Republican Party adviser, and national commentator Kevin Phillips, who will be discussing his most recent book, Wealth and Democracy. The panel will be chaired by Lawrence Jacobs, with comments from Task Force members Benjamin Barber, Rodney Hero, Benjamin Page, and Theda Skocpol. (Saturday 12:00–2:00pm)