Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Tends examine only the onset of conflict and is centered squarely on the United States. What is missing is an understanding of how domestic political conditions continue to influence conflict once underway. Additionally, because the bulk of this r

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: to be added

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This essay considers the basic capability equality ideal
of social justice developed by Amartya Sen and Martha
Nussbaum and espoused by the latter. I argue that
this ideal shares the flaws of any sufficientarian
conception of justice, that holds taht above all as
many as possible should be sustained at a good enough
level. Sufficiency's flaws emerge plainly when we
consider a rival prioritarian justice ideal. This essay
also criticizes making capability (real freedom) rather
than functionings the focus of social justice norms. Justice
is concerned with maximization and fair distribution of
human well-being, excellent human functioning.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Assessing electoral manipulation in democratizing contexts remains a normative, theoretical, and empirical challenge. This paper begins by discussing two alternative perspectives: that of the principal political parties whose acceptance of the process and the results can provide legitimacy, and that of independent election observers, who can provide an assessment of the quality of the process. In the second section we examine why the scope of observation has been expanding beyond election day and the vote count, as well as the types of methods commonly employed to manage challenges of incomplete information, limited capacity, and the expanded focus of electoral assessment. A third section then discusses different standards of judgment as actors typically seek to determine if electoral manipulation has had a decisive effect on the election outcome. Steps in this process require drawing inferences regarding the pervasiveness of fraud based on some standard and then a judgment about its decisiveness. The inferences inevitably incorporate elements of uncertainty, which we analyze in part by presenting two paradoxes. In a paradox of capacity, when parties and observers are weak, fraud is more likely to be blatant, but we are less likely to know about it in a reliable fashion. And, in a paradox of comprehensiveness, as the scope of observation expands to include a much wider set of possible forms of manipulation, providing more valid bases for judgment, the ability to measure precisely and draw definitive conclusions about the impact of the added structural components -- i.e., the certainty in our judgment -- may decrease. In turn, determination about the causal impact of the perceived fraud, its decisiveness, in a paradox of procedural judgments is ultimately impacted by the outcome, by the election results. When there is a wide margin of victory, parties and observers alike are tempted to be much more flexible in their assessments of the overall process. A fourth section explains why we ultimately reject adopting exclusively the perspective of political parties while also presenting a paradox of convergence: when parties and observers do agree, this may sometimes be due more to their interests converging than their judgments. A brief conclusion considers ways in which the challenges advanced by these paradoxes may be minimized.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: My analysis challenges whether electoral politics and organizational representation are truly sufficient conditions for the political success that is supposed to accompany political incorporation. I focus on Salinas, California, a predominantly Latino city which meets both electoral and organizational standards for Latino political incorporation. Yet Latinos in Salinas maintain these forms of political representation without the continued presence of a unified Latino coalition. Thus, although Latinos in Salinas have a wide range of organizational resources and official political power, Latino leaders in Salinas state that their power remains diluted and their potential for influence unrealized.