Our faculty continues to be extremely active in the profession, as the highlights below illustrate. As many readers can surely testify, our outstanding professors are dedicated to excellence both as teachers and as scholars. They work hard to ensure that the best new knowledge is brought into the classroom for K-State students, so that generation after generation of K-Staters receive a first class education. Below you will find a few highlights from what has been yet another strong year for faculty in the KSU Department of Political Science.
Dr. Sam Bell’s research over the past year has focused on the role of governmental transparency in different violent political outcomes and the effect of non-governmental organizations on political outcomes. Over the past year, he had an article on transparency and terrorism published in Political Research Quarterly and an article on NGOs and political protest published in the British Journal of Political Science. Both outlets are among the top 15 journals of the discipline. Bell also presented papers at the Midwest Political Science Association Meeting and the International Studies Association-Midwest Regional Meeting.
Dr. Nathaniel Birkhead published a paper in Political Research Quarterly, one of the leading disciplinary journals, and has one article forthcoming in Legislative Studies Quarterly, the top journal in the subfield. He presented research at the Southern Political Science Association, American Political Science Association, and State Politics and Policy conferences. Other work, including papers on Congressional repeals, the impact of low turnout in state-wide elections, and evaluating the determinants of gubernatorial vetoes, is under review. He is also currently working with excellent KSU undergraduate research assistants to assemble a dataset of significant laws passed by state governments.
Dr. Sabri Ciftci’s coauthored paper titled “Soft Power, Religion, and Anti-Americanism in the Middle East” is forthcoming in the International Studies Association journal Foreign Policy Analysis. Ciftci also published a co-authored paper with Dr. Bernick in Democratization entitled “Utilitarian and Modern: The Gender Gap and Civic Engagement in the Arab World.” He was invited to a workshop on Turkish Foreign Policy at the University of Kansas in March and he presented a paper at the American Political Science Association meeting in Washington, DC in September. Dr. Ciftci’s current research focuses on religion, economic beliefs and jihadi recruitment in Turkey and the Middle East.
After moving to Kansas State University from the University of Alabama, Dr. Michael Flynn has been setting into his new position as an assistant professor. His research and teaching interests generally focus on US foreign policy, integration in economic and security affairs, and human rights issues. Over the past year he has published research articles in Political Research Quarterly, Journal of Peace Research, and Foreign Policy Analysis. He has a host of additional research projects currently in development.
Dr. Jim Franke continues his research focusing upon issues arising out of the American founding. He and Dr. Laurie Johnson are preparing a chapter for an edited volume dealing with the rise of theocracy. The book chapter is entitled “Understanding Our Adversaries: Ancient vs. Modern Political Thought.” As the department’s Director of Graduate Studies, he has overseen a number of important changes to our NASPAA accredited MPA program. Throughout this process, he has been assisted by our active and valuable KSU MPA Advisory Council.
Dr. Laurie Johnson published a book, Locke and Rousseau: Two Enlightenment Responses to Honor, with the highly regarded Lexington Press. The Primary Texts Certificate program which she directs brought the co-Editor of the American Political Science Review, Dr. Steven Forde, to K-State for talks on realism and liberty. She obtained a total of approximately $18,000 in private grants for program support and student scholarships from the Redbud Foundation and the Charles Koch Foundation.
Dr. Emizet Kisangani was commissioned by the UN’s Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to write a 132 page report entitled “Conflict in the Great Lakes Region and Its Impact on Development.” In December, he traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethopia for a two day United Nations’ sponsored workshop to discuss the report with scholars and high level government officials – including sitting prime ministers. He wrote a chapter in a book on US foreign policy toward Africa, and co-authored a number of papers with Dr. Jeff Pickering. Two coauthored papers were published this year, one will appear in early 2015, and others are under review.
Dr. Andrew Long continues to serve as Director of the Security Studies graduate program. In that capacity, he helps to guide approximately 30 MA students toward their degrees annually, and also assists over 20 active PhD students. He presented research, co-authored with Dr. Sam Bell, on the influence of international trade on military uses of force at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference in Chicago in April.
Dr. Carla Martinez Machain published a co-authored article titled “Major Powers and Militarized Conflict” in the top 10 journal Journal of Conflict Resolution. She presented work on international conflict at four different political science conferences, including the Peace Science Society’s annual meeting. Dr. Martinez Machain also collaborated with two K-State graduate students (Jared Oestman and Leo Rosenberg) on research that explores the militarization of U.S. foreign aid to sub-Saharan Africa and leaders’ use of diversionary force against minority groups. She was elected to serve as a Board Member for the Midwest International Studies Association and was chosen as an Editorial Board Member for the journal Foreign Policy Analysis. In addition, Dr. Martinez Machain served as co-advisor for K-State’s Model UN team at Model UN conferences in both St. Louis and Chicago.
Dr. Jeff Pickering had research articles appear in the leading journal International Studies Quarterly and in Conflict Management and Peace Science this past year. Both papers were co-authored with Dr. Kisangani. Pickering was also invited to attend a workshop on “Coalition Governments and Foreign Policy” at the International Studies Association meetings in Toronto, Canada in March.
Dr. Craig Stapley had three articles published over the past year. His piece “Terrorist Attacks on Non-Governmental Organizations” appeared in the Open Journal of Political Science. A piece co-authored with former KSU post-doctoral student Stephen Nemeth and former KSU PhD student Jacob Mauslein entitled “The Primacy of the Local: Identifying Terrorist Hot Spots Using Geographic Information Systems” was published in the prominent Journal of Politics. Finally, an article with former KSU faculty member Amanda Murdie entitled “Why Target the ‘Good Guys’? The Determinants of Terrorism against NGOs” appeared in International Interactions.