At this two-day conference, held at Texas A&M University, researchers presented their latest work on the politics of economic decline.  This conference, which was co-sponsored by the European Union Center and the Program in Cross National Politics, explored the impact of economic decline on public opinion and elections in a variety of nations and from a variety of theoretical and empirical perspectives. Papers from this conference will be selected for inclusion in a special symposium that will be considered for publication in Electoral Studies.

 

CONFERENCE AGENDA

Friday, 1 May 2009

Session I: Chaired by Guy D. Whitten (Texas A&M University) 

“The Diffusion of Inflation Expectations: Theory and Evidence”
Jim Granato* (University of Houston), Melody Lo (University of Texas at San Antonio), and M.C. Sunny Wong (University of San Francisco)

“A Contextual Theory of the Origins of Consumer Confidence”
Raymond M. Duch* (Nuffield College, University of Oxford) and Paul Kellstedt* (Texas A&M University)

“The Conditioning Effect of Economic Crisis on Trust in Political Institutions: Evidence from Five Latin American Countries, 1995-2001”
Ashley  Ross* (Texas A&M University) and Maria Escobar-Lemmon* (Texas A&M University)

Session II: Chaired by Randy Stevenson (Rice University)

“Uneven Political Transitions and Economic Crisis Recovery in Latin America”
Jonathan Hiskey* (Vanderbilt University)

 “Not Interested: Political Incentives and the Uneven Path Toward Interest Rate Liberalization in China”    
Victor Shih* (Northwestern University)

“Shocks and Oscillations: The Political Economy in Hungary”
Mary Stegmaier* (University of Virginia) and Michael S. Lewis-Beck (University of Iowa)

“Pick Your Poison: Economic Crises, International Monetary Fund Structural Adjustment and Leader Survival” 
Laron K. Williams* (Texas A&M University)

 

Saturday, 2 May 2009

Session III: Chaired by Michelle Taylor-Robinson (Texas A&M University) 

“Economic Shocks and Democratic Vulnerabilities: Evidence from the Americas Barometer Survey”
Mitchell A. Seligson* (Vanderbilt University) and Abby B. Cordova* (Vanderbilt University)

“The Latin American Left's Mandate: Free-Market Policies, Economic Performance, and Voting Behavior in 18 countries”
Andrew Baker (University of Colorado at Boulder) Kenneth F. Greene* (University of Texas at Austin)

“Yes We Can! Valence Politics and Electoral Choice in America, 2008”
Harold Clarke* (University of Texas at Dallas and University of Essex), Allan Kornberg (Duke University), David Sanders (University of Essex), Tom Scotto (University of Essex), Marianne Stewart (University of Texas at Dallas), and Paul Whiteley (University of Essex)

 

Session IV: Chaired by Maria Escobar-Lemmon (Texas A&M University) 

“British Public Opinion and the Financial Crisis of 2008”
Timothy Hellwig* (University of Houston) and Eva Coffey* (University of Houston)

“Economic Crisis and Vote Choice in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections”
Raymond M. Duch* (Nuffield College, University of Oxford), Simon Jackman (Stanford University), and Lynn Vavrek (UCLA)

“Context, Clarity and Signals: Economic Voting for Political Parties”
Lucy M. Goodhart* (Columbia University)

Through Thick and Thin? The Dynamics of Government Support Across Income Groups During Economic Crises
Harvey D. Palmer* (University at Buffalo, SUNY) and Guy D. Whitten* (Texas A&M University)