Faculty Research Highlights

James Battista published a chapter entitled: “Leadership in the States,” in Leadership in American Politics, Jeffrey Jenkins and Craig Volden, eds. 2017. University Press of Kansas.

Michelle Benson-Saxton served as the department’s Director of Graduate Studies this past year. In addition, she gave an invited presentation to the African Union entitled “Naming Names in UNSC Conflict Resolutions: Implications for Peacekeeping” with Colin Tucker.  She also presented at the Folke Bernadotte Academy workshop at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

James E. Campbell’s recent book, Polarized: Making Sense of a Divided America, Princeton: Princeton University Press, was released this year in a paperback edition with an update, and was selected as one of Choice’s “outstanding academic titles” for 2016. The book has received a terrific reception. Among some of the critical commentaries are the following:

  • “Anyone interested in this subject should read this book…. It is an essential and excellent analysis that should be widely read.” – Jeffrey M. Stonecash, Public Opinion Quarterly
  • “[Polarized] is a vital contribution to the literature on polarization…. Those looking for a cutting-edge entry point into the current state of thinking need look no further.” – Matthew Glassman, Congress & the Presidency
  • “[Polarized] deserves to be read widely and carefully…. A better analysis of our parties' polarization than any other I've seen.” – Harvey C. Mansfield, Claremont Review of Books
  • “I believe that Campbell has succeeded in proposing a new plot line about polarization that, as it develops and deepens over time, will prove to be the third major set of claims that scholars and pundits will need to address.” – John H. Aldrich, Journal of Politics
  • "If recent elections have proven anything, it is how deeply polarized American voters really are. In this remarkably perceptive and probing book, Campbell explains how and why this phenomenon began and developed. You'll be surprised by some of his findings. We can't reduce paralyzing polarization until we truly understand it. Thanks to Campbell, we're much better equipped." – Larry J. Sabato, author of The Kennedy Half-Century
  • "Regardless of where you stand in the debate about polarization, there is no question that anyone interested in the subject must seriously engage Campbell's nuanced theoretical arguments and careful empirical analyses." – Morris P. Fiorina, Stanford University

Vesna Danilovic continued her service on the editorial board of International Interactions. Other highlights include publishing a book chapter: “Deterrence and Crisis Bargaining” (with Joe Clare), in Renée Marlin-Bennet, ed., Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies. (peer-reviewed; expanded, revised, and updated for new edition, Oxford University Press, 2017). She also gave an invited talk on “The Waning of Pax Americana?” as a part of the 2018 Great Decisions Series, Foreign Policy Association (locally organized by the International Institute of Buffalo), February 2018. Finally, she served as a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha Award Committee for Best Paper delivered at the Annual Convention of the Southern Political Science Association (2017).

Munroe Eagles published three articles, as follows:

  • Nick Baxter-Moore and Munroe Eagles, with Ibrahim Berrada, Oleksander Chernormorchenko, Paul Coleman, Kelly Gaskin, Karey Hatch, Craig Hilimoniuk, and Patrick Morris: “Explaining Canada-US Differences in Attitudes Toward the Role of Government: A Test of S.M. Lipset’s “Continental Divide,” Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, (forthcoming, 2018).
  • Munroe Eagles: “At War Over the Peace Bridge: A Case Study in the Vulnerability of Binational Institutions,” Journal of Borderlands Studies, (published on-line May 4, 2018).
  • Munroe Eagles and Nik Nanos: “Stronger Together? Support for Political Cooperation in Canada and the United States, 2005-2016,” PS:  Political Science & Politics, (July 2017): 735-740.

In addition, he completed his two-year term as President of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS) in October 2017, and was an invited speaker at two international meetings: Trade and Commerce Panel and the Palmer Conference on Canadian-American Relations in a Changing World, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, August 29-31, 2017; and speaker at a Workshop on “Presidential vs. Parliamentary Government,” co-sponsored by the Dr. Fazil Kucuk Foundation and Eastern Mediterranean University, Kyrenia (Girne), Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, May 4-5, 2018. At their annual general meeting held in Ottawa, Ontario in June 2018, he was elected as the next President of the International Council for Canadian Studies (ICCS).

Rachael Hinkle’s highlights include:

  • Baldy Center for Law & Social Policy, Annual Research Grant, University at Buffalo, SUNY. 2017-2018 ($2,700).
  • Hinkle, Rachael K. and Michael J. Nelson 2018. “How to Lose Cases and Influence People.” Statistics, Politics, and Policy, forthcoming.
  • Hinkle, Rachael K. and Michael J. Nelson 2018. “The Intergroup Foundations of Policy Influence.” Political Research Quarterly, forthcoming.
  • Hinkle, Rachael K. and Elizabeth A. Tillman. 2018. “Of Whites and Men: How Gender and Race Impact Authorship of Published and Unpublished Opinions in the U.S. Courts of Appeals.” Research and Politics, forthcoming.
  • Hinkle, Rachael K. and Michael J. Nelson. 2018. “How Opinion Content Influences Legal Development.” Justice System Journal, forthcoming.

In addition, she received three prestigious awards: the UB-wide Milton Plesur Excellence in Teaching Award; the department’s Lisa Hertel Memorial Political Science Teaching Award, University at Buffalo, 2016-2017; and the GSA Award for Exceptional Dedication to the Department, 2016-2017; and gave an invited talk: “Deferring, Deliberating, or Dodging Review: Explaining the Determinants of Counterjudge Success in the U.S. Courts of Appeals.” University of Illinois, October 2017, and has five papers currently under review at refereed journals.

Jake Kathman published two articles during the past year:

  • “Who Keeps the Peace? Understanding State Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations” (with Molly Melin). 2017. International Studies Quarterly 61(1): 150-162;
  • “Personnel Composition and Member State Contributions to United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.” 2017. Forum: “The Known Knowns and Known Unknowns of Peacekeeping Data,” edited by Govinda Clayton. International Peacekeeping 24(1): 1-62.

In addition, he participated in conferences and workshops in Uppsala University, Sweden, Tempe, Arizona and Shanghai, China.

Charles Lamb published three articles and a blog post in 2017-2018:

  • “Cooperative Federalism and Fair Housing Enforcement,” Social Science Quarterly 99: 728-743 (May 2018) (with Charles S. Bullock III and Eric M. Wilk).  
  •  “Bureaucratic Effectiveness and Civil Rights Enforcement,” State and Local Government Review, 49: 87-104 (September 2017) (with Charles S. Bullock III and Eric M. Wilk).
  • “State and Local Agencies Are More Effective Than the Federal Government in Housing Discrimination Enforcement,” London School of Economics’ American Politics and Policy Blog, November 15, 2017.  
  • “Power Plus Persuasion: The Anatomy of Kennedy’s Housing Order,” Congress and the Presidency (Revise and Resubmit in early June 2018) (with Joshua Boston and Jacob R. Neiheisel).

Elena McLean spent 2017-2018 as a Fellow at the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies, University of Rochester.  Among her highlights for the past year are three published articles:

  • McLean, Elena and Mitchell Radtke. 2017. “Political Relations, Leader Stability, and Economic Coercion.” International Studies Quarterly. Forthcoming.
  • McLean, Elena, Kaisa Hinkkainen, Luis De la Calle and Navin Bapat. 2017. “Economic Sanctions and the Dynamics of Terrorist Campaigns.” Conflict Management and Peace Science. Published OnlineFirst March 11, 2016. [listed in reverse alphabetical order]
  • Bas, Muhammet, Elena McLean and Taehee Whang. 2017. “Uncertainty in International Crises.” Korean Journal of International Studies 15(2):165–189.

In addition, she received two grants:

  • Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, University at Buffalo, Research Grant, 2018–2019 ($3,000)
  • Community for Global Health Equity, University at Buffalo, Seed Grant: “Multi-Scalar Analysis of Household Fuel Transitions” with John Atkinson, Sharmistha Bagchi-Sen, Sharon Hewner, Julia Ravenscroft, and Alexandra Schindel, 2017–2019 ($50,000)

Finally, Elena gave an invited talk entitled “Economic Sanctions, Political Institutions, and Technological Safety,​” at The Walker Institute, University of South Carolina, March 2018.

Jacob Neiheisel’s highlights include serving as the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies, and publishing four refereed articles:

  • Djupe, Paul A., Jacob R. Neiheisel, and Kimberly H. Conger. “Are the Politics of the Christian Right Linked to State Rates of the Non-Religious? The Importance of Salient Controversy.” Forthcoming in Political Research Quarterly;
  • Djupe, Paul A., Jacob R. Neiheisel, and Anand E. Sokhey. (2018). “Reconsidering the Role of Politics in Leaving Congregations: The Importance of Affiliation.” American Journal of Political Science Vol. 62(1): 161-175. • Covered in The Christian Post;
  • Niebler, Sarah, Jacob R. Neiheisel, and Matthew Holleque. (2018). “By Ground or By Air? Voter Mobilization During the United States’ 2008 Presidential Campaign.” Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties Vol. 28(1): 78-104;
  • Neiheisel, Jacob R., and Michael C. Brady. (2017). “Congressional Lettermarks, Ideology, and Member Receipt of Stimulus Awards from the U.S. Department of Labor.” Research & Politics Vol. 4(3): pp. 1-6.

Harvey Palmer
 In addition to serving as Department Chair, Harvey published a peer-reviewed article:

  • Bibhas Chakraborty, Michael J. Widener, Sedigheh Mirzaei Salehabadi, Mary E. Northridge, Susan S. Kum, Zhu Jin, Carol Kunzel, Harvey D. Palmer, and Sara S. Metcalf. 2017. Estimating peer density effects on oral health for community-based older adults. BMC Oral Health 17: 166.

Claude Welch, Jr. continues to be professionally active in his retirement, and can regularly be found in his 4th floor departmental office. Among his highlights for the past year are:

  • Eleven book reviews for Choice (publication of the American Library Association).

Antoine Yoshinaka has an article in press: Sevi, Semra, Antoine Yoshinaka, and André Blais. “Legislative Party Switching and the Changing Nature of the Canadian Party System, 1867-2015.” Canadian Journal of Political Science, Forthcoming. In addition, he published a book review of “Separation of Powers and Legislative Organization: The President, the Senate, and Political Parties in the Making of House Rules.” in Perspectives on Politics 15 (September): 902-903

Frank Zagare’s highlights include a book entitled Game Theory, Diplomatic History and Security Studies, forthcoming with Oxford University Press. In addition, he published: “Explaining the Long-Peace: Why Both von Neumann (and Schelling) Got it Wrong,” International Studies Review, (2018), forthcoming, and a book chapter: “Perfect Deterrence Theory,” in William R. Thompson [ed.], Oxford Encyclopedia of Empirical International Relations Theory, New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.

He also served as a panelist for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine pilot project: Exploring the Development of Analytic Frameworks, 2017 – 2018. The project is sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).