UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #828

Submission information
Submission Number: 828
Submission ID: 14766
Submission UUID: 571d17f2-849c-4d9e-896d-c3199f640500

Created: Fri, 08/16/2024 - 05:47 PM
Completed: Fri, 08/16/2024 - 07:04 PM
Changed: Wed, 10/09/2024 - 11:10 AM

Remote IP address: 217.180.192.231
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Primary Research Mentor Name Andrew Ballard
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns He/him
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? Prof/Dr
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) aob23b@fsu.edu
Position Title Faculty
FSU College (if applicable) Social Sciences and Public Policy
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Political Science
Headshot (optional) 20180824_AU_SPA_238.jpg
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above)
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable)
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Title of the Project Minority Party Capacity in Congress
Project Keywords Congress; Legislation; Political Science; American Politics
Are you currently looking for research assistants? No
Number of Research Assistants Needed 3
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Open to all majors, but I am most interested in those in social science and/or policy related fields.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 5-10
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description I am seeking two RIBC interns to help finish the master data detailing bills introduced in Congress between 1981-2020 for a co-authored book project. In the book, we develop and test an argument about when, why, and how minority parties in Congress influence policy, positing that minority capacity increases when the majority party is more constrained, when the minority party is more cohesive, and when the minority has the motivation to legislate rather than obstruct. Research assistants would help us with three tasks: determining the primary policy topic of bills in 2019-20, systematically identifying partisan campaign promises, and identifying instances of crisis response legislation.
Research Tasks First, our theory depends on knowing something about the policy topics that bills deal with. We argue that Democrats and Republicans are more and less cohesive both in general and on specific issues, and that understanding the latter is important for understanding both the degree to which the majority party is constrained in doing what they want legislatively and how cohesive the minority party is. The Congressional Bills Project includes these data up through the 115th Congress (through 2018) but stopped recording that information in 2019. We want to update these data through the 116th Congress (through 2020), and research assistants would help determine the policy topics they primarily deal with.

Second, a common way in which majority parties are constrained in what to put on the legislative agenda is feeling like they need to act on promises made on the campaign trail. For example, Republicans in 2017 likely would not have made such a strong push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which ultimately did not get enough support from their members, if the party had not campaigned so hard on the issue over the multiple federal elections since the law was passed in 2010. Research assistants would help determine which were the most important campaign promises made by each party in each election to determine which issues were more likely to constrain the majority.

Third, another major constraint for majority parties is having to respond to crises, such as the financial crisis in 2008, the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, and COVID in 2020. Research assistants would also help identify all the cases where Congress felt compelled to act in response to a crisis, as well as detail each case.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Proficiency in Excel required
Proficiency in R preferred but not required
Mentoring Philosophy Each relationship between a mentor and mentee is different. As a mentor, I first identify mentees' goals for working together and evaluate their existing knowledge. These steps allow me to design tasks that build on existing strengths and develop weaknesses, so that mentees can get as much out of the process as possible. As research projects are often large and multifaceted, knowing more about mentees' goals and skills helps me more easily find tasks that will be interesting and meaningful for mentees, which in turn helps mentees feel more ownership of the project.

Whenever possible, I provide mentees with hands-on experience in doing research, because the best way to learn is by doing. This is modeled after my own experiences as a student being brought onto research projects with faculty, being given the chance to learn and grow by learning and carrying out the process of a research project. Failure is inherent in this process. In learning, we will fail from time to time. The important part is to work through failure and learn from mistakes. My mentees are encouraged to try and fail, and I provide compassionate and constructive feedback to help them learn.
Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): andrewoballard.com
Please add any additional information here (if applicable):
Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No
Roundtable times and Zoom links
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation Yes
Materials Grant Yes
UROP Poster Presentation Yes
Year 2024
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