Research Mentor Information
---------------------------
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?: Dr. or Prof.
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): https://cre.fsu.edu/system/files/webform/urop_project_proposal_portal/8711/AOB_Headshot_2017.jpg

Additional Research Mentor(s)
-----------------------------
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above): {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable): {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}

Overall Project Details
-----------------------
Title of the Project: Partisan Negotiation in Congress
Project Keywords: Congress; Negotiation; Policymaking; Political Parties
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: No
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Political Science

Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: {Empty}
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:
Negotiation is an integral part of all policymaking processes, yet scholars of Congress do not have an adequate understanding of the mechanisms that drive negotiations between individual members of Congress and between political parties. Part of the reason for this gap in our knowledge is that we do not have systematic data detailing the negotiation process, from when groups of members put out proposals to when policies are enacted into law and in between. In this project, we are helping to fill this gap by building a dataset of two-party policy negotiations from the 1980s to the present. We are in the process of identifying which policymaking efforts meet the criteria of being fully fledge efforts to negotiate policy on the parts of both parties and detailing each of those processes one by one. The result will be qualitative and quantitative datasets outlining the details of proposals made by both parties, which deals were made, and the outcomes. From this, we will be able to systematically analyze when parties and members get more or less of what they want in policy negotiations.

Research Tasks:
We are in the process of identifying all of the instances of two-party negotiations, using existing two existing datasets provided by other researchers. Students would aid in finishing this process, which involves looking at academic records and news reports of congressional policymaking back to the 1980s. Then, students would also help with the second part of the project, detailing the negotiations process for each of the instances we identify. This would also involve combing through archival data to determine the steps along the process of each negotiation.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word) required. Strong attention to detail 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)::
{Empty}


UROP Program Elements
---------------------
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes

{Empty}
Year: 2023
update url: https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?element_parents=elements/research_mentor_information/headshot_optional_&ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=mVPhN_0zG-pRnJJ3bTmYivRyUHKCPKLtC5bt94UvB1A