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| Publications of Megan Mullin :chronological alphabetical combined listing:%% Books @book{fds319581, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Governing the Tap: Special District Governance and the New Local Politics of Water}, Publisher = {M I T PRESS}, Year = {2009}, ISBN = {0262258390}, Key = {fds319581} } %% Chapters in Books @misc{fds326305, Author = {Mullin, M and Hughes, S}, Title = {Local Water Politics}, Booktitle = {The Oxford Handbook of Water Politics and Policy}, Editor = {Conca, K and Weinthal, E}, Year = {2016}, ISBN = {0199335087}, Key = {fds326305} } @misc{fds319571, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Local Boundaries}, Pages = {800 pages}, Booktitle = {The Oxford Handbook of State and Local Government}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press}, Editor = {Haider-Markel, DP}, Year = {2014}, Month = {April}, ISBN = {0199579679}, Abstract = {The Handbook will have a substantial influence in defining the field for years to come. The chapters critically assess both the key works of state and local politics literature and the ways in which the sub-field has developed.}, Key = {fds319571} } @misc{fds319578, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Oakland: The power of celebrity? Explaining strong-mayor charter reform}, Pages = {121-138}, Booktitle = {More than Mayor or Manager: Campaigns to Change Form of Government in America's Large Cities}, Year = {2010}, Month = {December}, ISBN = {9781589017092}, Abstract = {IN NOVEMBER 1998 voters in Oakland, California, overwhelmingly approved a city charter reform to increase the formal authority of the mayor's office, despite having rejected similar proposals in the past. Following the 1998 election, political insiders and the press attributed public support for the reform to the celebrity of the mayorelect who backed the measure. According to this story, he succeeded where others had previously failed because voters were enthused about his leadership background and his agenda of rebuilding the city's downtown. In short, it was the popularity of the incoming mayor that built support for strengthening the office. © 2010 by Georgetown University Press. All Rights Reserved.}, Key = {fds319578} } @misc{fds319580, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Special Districts versus Contracts: Complements or Substitutes?}, Pages = {345 pages}, Booktitle = {Self-Organizing Federalism}, Publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, Editor = {Feiock, RC and Scholz, JT}, Year = {2010}, ISBN = {0521764939}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511642319.008}, Abstract = {This book investigates self-organizing institutions that resolve institutional collective action dilemmas in federalism, urban governance, and regional management of natural resources.}, Doi = {10.1017/CBO9780511642319.008}, Key = {fds319580} } @misc{fds319583, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Federalism}, Booktitle = {Public Opinion and Constitutional Controversies}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press}, Editor = {Persily, N and Citrin, J and Egan, PJ}, Year = {2008}, ISBN = {0195329422}, Key = {fds319583} } @misc{fds319585, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {California Water: A Case Study in Federalism}, Pages = {247 pages}, Booktitle = {Governing California}, Publisher = {University of California Inst of}, Year = {2006}, Month = {January}, ISBN = {0877724202}, Key = {fds319585} } @misc{fds319588, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Strategies and Rules: Lessons from the 2000 Presidential Primary}, Pages = {373 pages}, Booktitle = {Voting at the Political Fault Line}, Publisher = {Univ of California Press}, Editor = {Cain, BE and Gerber, ER}, Year = {2002}, ISBN = {0520228340}, Abstract = {"This is the most important and impressive collection of original research available on California's blanket primary. Its discussion of open primaries and crossover voting raises provocative issues which loom large.}, Key = {fds319588} } @misc{fds319589, Author = {Cain, BE and Mullin, M}, Title = {Competing for Attention and Votes: The Role of State Parties in Setting Presidential Nomination Rules}, Booktitle = {The Parties Respond: Changes in American Parties and Campaigns}, Publisher = {Westview Press}, Year = {2002}, Key = {fds319589} } %% Journal Articles @article{fds367664, Author = {Bell, EV and Hansen, K and Mullin, M}, Title = {Assessing Performance and Capacity of US Drinking Water Systems}, Journal = {Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management}, Volume = {149}, Number = {1}, Year = {2023}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001604}, Abstract = {Strong financial and operational underpinnings reduce risk to drinking water provision in the face of changing population, climate, and regulations. Because responsibility for oversight of drinking water systems in the United States is commonly divided across state agencies or subagencies, decision makers often are unable to assess a water system's overall condition. Understanding correlations among different dimensions of performance is essential for assessing a water system's ability to respond to stressors. We present a network-based method for characterizing multiple dimensions of a water system's operations, combining data from several sources to describe the relationships between the dimensions within and across systems. Applying this method to North Carolina community water systems, we find that water systems face tradeoffs in balancing water affordability against the capacity to deliver drinking water reliably over the long term. Our approach can distinguish isolated water system vulnerabilities from those that signal more systemic challenges and help agencies responsible for water system compliance, funding, and planning coordinate their activities.}, Doi = {10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001604}, Key = {fds367664} } @article{fds365891, Author = {Bell, EV and Fencl, A and Mullin, M}, Title = {External drivers of participation in regional collaborative water planning}, Journal = {Policy Studies Journal}, Volume = {50}, Number = {4}, Pages = {945-969}, Year = {2022}, Month = {November}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/psj.12473}, Abstract = {What drives participation in collaborative planning? How does this vary across different institutional contexts? Public managers must navigate emerging challenges in public service provision; perceived risk and capacity to act can play a pivotal role, shaping managerial behavior. In water management, for example, issues stemming from climate change and water-intensive growth create new concerns about continued water supply. Strategic decisions may improve local public service provision, but can also have cascading effects on other systems, as water is a mobile—and subtractable—resource. Many public water systems have participated in collaborative planning to overcome collective challenges for this reason, but participation is not feasible for all prospective participants. Using data from administrative records and surveys, we fit a binomial logistic model to examine the roles of capacity and perceived risk among water service providers as drivers of participation in collaborative planning forums. By evaluating this relationship in California and North Carolina, we find similar results across unique institutional contexts: participation in regional water planning is associated with perceived risk to water supply from changing climatic conditions, but not from perceived risk of changing patterns of demand. Also, system capacity—as measured by the size of the population served—corresponds to increased likelihood of participation.}, Doi = {10.1111/psj.12473}, Key = {fds365891} } @article{fds367615, Author = {MULLIN, M and HANSEN, K}, Title = {Local News and the Electoral Incentive to Invest in Infrastructure}, Journal = {American Political Science Review}, Pages = {1-6}, Publisher = {Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, Year = {2022}, Month = {October}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0003055422001083}, Abstract = {<jats:p>Despite broad public support, investment in US infrastructure has not kept pace with growth, population shifts, and rising exposure to climate change risks. One explanation lies in politicians’ electoral incentives: because, in the short term, voters see only the costs of investment and not its benefits, politicians have incentive to pander and spend less than what they or their fully informed constituents would prefer. Local newspapers could help reduce this constraint by increasing politicians’ confidence that voters will receive information that justifies higher spending. In a survey experiment, we found that informing US city and county elected officials about news coverage of infrastructure failures increased support for a costly investment for those in competitive electoral settings. When motivated by reelection, politicians need the benefits of investment to be visible in order to justify its costs. Our results demonstrate the political importance of the nonpolitical news covered in local newspapers.</jats:p>}, Doi = {10.1017/s0003055422001083}, Key = {fds367615} } @article{fds363381, Author = {Keeler, AG and Mullin, M and McNamara, DE and Smith, MD}, Title = {Buyouts with rentbacks: a policy proposal for managing coastal retreat}, Journal = {Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences}, Volume = {12}, Number = {3}, Pages = {646-651}, Year = {2022}, Month = {September}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13412-022-00762-0}, Abstract = {The discussion of adaptation to climate change in coastal areas has focused on short-term risk reduction and climate-proofing, but there is growing recognition that—at some point in the future—relocation to less vulnerable geographical areas will become necessary for large numbers of residents in many coastal communities. Spontaneous relocations that occur after catastrophic events can entail high costs, both for those who resettle elsewhere and for the remaining community. Managed retreat attempts to reduce such costs, thereby facilitating the relocation process. Property buyouts, the most prominently discussed policy tool for managed retreat, present significant challenges in terms of equity, timing, finance, and scale. We discuss innovation in buyout policy that allows residents to remain in their homes as renters after being bought out. We develop the basic structure of such a policy and show the pathways through which it can help to finance buyouts, harmonize public and private decision-making, and manage the timing of community transition. We also recommend funding mechanisms and other details to overcome the substantial barriers to implementation. Although buyouts with rentbacks will require institutional innovation in order to serve as an effective policy framework, the policy has the potential to improve social, economic, and environmental outcomes from the eventual unfortunate but necessary migration away from coastal areas.}, Doi = {10.1007/s13412-022-00762-0}, Key = {fds363381} } @article{fds365890, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {To adapt to climate impacts, come to grips with politics.}, Journal = {Nature}, Volume = {609}, Number = {7925}, Pages = {9}, Year = {2022}, Month = {September}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02762-0}, Doi = {10.1038/d41586-022-02762-0}, Key = {fds365890} } @article{fds355331, Author = {Hansen, K and Eskaf, S and Mullin, M}, Title = {Avoiding Punishment? Electoral Accountability for Local Fee Increases}, Journal = {Urban Affairs Review}, Volume = {58}, Number = {3}, Pages = {888-906}, Year = {2022}, Month = {May}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1078087421992116}, Abstract = {Do voters punish incumbent legislators for raising service costs? Concern about electoral punishment is considered a leading obstacle to increasing taxes and fees to fund service provision, but empirical evidence of such backlash is surprisingly sparse. This paper examines whether voters hold local elected officials accountable for raising water service costs. Using 10 years of panel data on municipal elections and water rates in North Carolina, we find rate increases do not reduce incumbent city council members’ vote shares. Local politicians may overestimate their electoral risk from raising taxes and fees to fund public services.}, Doi = {10.1177/1078087421992116}, Key = {fds355331} } @article{fds362730, Author = {Egan, PJ and Konisky, DM and Mullin, M}, Title = {Ascendant Public Opinion}, Journal = {Public Opinion Quarterly}, Volume = {86}, Number = {1}, Pages = {134-148}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)}, Year = {2022}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfab071}, Abstract = {Here we document an under-studied but important phenomenon that we call ascendant public opinion, which emerges when a new concern is framed as an instance of a broader issue and gains ascendancy over that issue in the public's mind. We focus on the ever-increasing role climate change has come to play over the past three decades in shaping how Americans think about broader environmental concerns. We show that news coverage of the environment has focused increasingly on climate change over time, while climate change concurrently has come to dominate all other environmental problems in the strength of its association with general environmental concern in opinion surveys. Panel studies provide evidence that the growing correlation between attitudes on climate change and the environment is predominantly due to the impact of the former on the latter. These developments have been consequential: we estimate that Americans' level of concern about the environment is now both more elevated and more polarized along party lines than if climate change did not occupy its dominant place on the environmental agenda. Climate change is likely just one example of how ascendant public opinion can have important consequences for politics and policy.}, Doi = {10.1093/poq/nfab071}, Key = {fds362730} } @article{fds357004, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Learning from Local Government Research Partnerships in a Fragmented Political Setting}, Journal = {Public Administration Review}, Volume = {81}, Number = {5}, Pages = {978-982}, Year = {2021}, Month = {September}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/puar.13395}, Abstract = {Research partnerships between scholars and local governments offer promise to advance scholarly understanding of local public administration and to improve the lives of people living and working in local communities. Yet political fragmentation complicates the prospect of broader learning from these partnerships and creates the risk that research partnerships will amplify disparities in local government performance. If scholars and practitioners are attentive to these risks, they can design research to facilitate learning across local government settings. Lessons from policy diffusion, program evaluation, and team science inform a set of recommendations for the conduct of local government research partnerships and the distribution of results.}, Doi = {10.1111/puar.13395}, Key = {fds357004} } @article{fds348749, Author = {Woodruff, SC and Mullin, M and Roy, M}, Title = {Is coastal adaptation a public good? The financing implications of good characteristics in coastal adaptation}, Journal = {Journal of Environmental Planning and Management}, Volume = {63}, Number = {12}, Pages = {2082-2101}, Year = {2020}, Month = {October}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2019.1703656}, Abstract = {Sea level rise poses a crisis for coastal communities. Many local governments have identified strategies to prepare for the impacts of sea level rise but often lack funding mechanisms. To date, the assumption that coastal adaptation is a public good has limited the tools used to finance responses to sea level rise. We argue that good characteristics - subtractability, excludability, heterogeneity, joint production, and capital intensity - combine in unique ways across adaptation strategies, and few strategies provide exclusively public goods. These good characteristics create political opportunities for application of financing mechanisms such as property taxes, district-level finance, and bonds that have been less commonly used for adaptation. Exploring the good characteristics of a particular adaptation strategy can help communities identify an appropriate and feasible mechanism for financing it.}, Doi = {10.1080/09640568.2019.1703656}, Key = {fds348749} } @article{fds352660, Author = {Gonsenhauser, R and Hansen, K and Grimshaw, W and Morris, J and Albertin, K and Mullin, M}, Title = {Digitizing a Statewide Map of Community Water System Service Areas}, Journal = {Journal / American Water Works Association}, Volume = {112}, Number = {10}, Pages = {56-61}, Year = {2020}, Month = {October}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/awwa.1595}, Abstract = {A digital map of all North Carolina water system service-area boundaries. The process for digitizing maps is time-consuming and requires nuance, especially because the input from different systems varies. Creating an individual map of their service area can be challenging for low-capacity systems; for this reason, providing assistance to these systems is essential. Acquiring individual maps from system managers and maintaining the data over time require close partnerships.}, Doi = {10.1002/awwa.1595}, Key = {fds352660} } @article{fds351472, Author = {Hansen, K and Mullin, M and Riggs, EK}, Title = {Collaboration Risk and the Choice to Consolidate Local Government Services}, Journal = {Perspectives on Public Management and Governance}, Volume = {3}, Number = {3}, Pages = {223-238}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)}, Year = {2020}, Month = {September}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ppmgov/gvz017}, Abstract = {Collaboration among local governments occurs through a range of mechanisms, which vary in degree of formality from contracts and ad hoc agreements to full consolidation. Prior work indicates that local decision makers favor formal mechanisms when expected gains from less formal collaboration may not be realized. This article explicates the concept of collaboration risk, treating it as a product of the likelihood that collaboration fails and the severity of consequences should failure occur. We examine how characteristics of a local service contribute to collaboration risk and thereby influence the choice to consolidate service delivery. Focusing on the case of drinking water provision, we identify physical and financial features of service delivery that contribute to the likelihood and severity of collaboration failure. Drawing on seven case studies of water system consolidation, we then analyze the importance of these service characteristics in the choice to enter into consolidation agreements.}, Doi = {10.1093/ppmgov/gvz017}, Key = {fds351472} } @article{fds349406, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {The effects of drinking water service fragmentation on drought-related water security.}, Journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, Volume = {368}, Number = {6488}, Pages = {274-277}, Year = {2020}, Month = {April}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aba7353}, Abstract = {Drought is a critical stressor that contributes to water insecurity. In the United States, an important pathway by which drought affects households' access to clean, reliable drinking water for basic needs is through the organization and activities of community water systems. Research on the local political economy of drinking water provision reveals the constraints on community water systems that affect their performance when confronting drought hazards. Fragmentation in responsibility for drinking water contributes to disparities in drought vulnerability, preparation, and response across households and across communities. The nature and extent of these disparities require further investigation to identify strategies for expanding water security in the face of drought and other water hazards.}, Doi = {10.1126/science.aba7353}, Key = {fds349406} } @article{fds351444, Author = {Mullin, M and Feiock, RC and Niemeier, D}, Title = {Climate Planning and Implementation in Metropolitan Transportation Governance}, Journal = {Journal of Planning Education and Research}, Year = {2020}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0739456X20946443}, Abstract = {Even with expected changes in fuel, transportation will produce significant greenhouse gas emissions long into the future. We conduct the first evaluation of the performance of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in planning and implementing strategies for emission reduction. By coding regional transportation plans in three U.S. states, we find a reasonably high level of plan conformance: MPOs that express commitment to climate change mitigation channel more funding toward projects that reduce emissions. However, most MPOs have not started planning to address climate change, leading us to conclude that current practice has not redirected MPOs’ traditional emphasis on automobile-based transportation.}, Doi = {10.1177/0739456X20946443}, Key = {fds351444} } @article{fds340939, Author = {Mullin, M and Smith, MD and McNamara, DE}, Title = {Paying to save the beach: effects of local finance decisions on coastal management}, Journal = {Climatic Change}, Volume = {152}, Number = {2}, Pages = {275-289}, Year = {2019}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-018-2191-5}, Abstract = {As sea level rises and storm frequency and severity increase, communities worldwide are investing in coastline management projects to maintain beach widths and dunes that support recreational amenities and mitigate storm risks. These projects are costly, and differences in property owners’ returns from maintaining wide beaches will influence community-level support for investment in shoreline defense. One way to account for these differences is by funding the project through a tax instrument that imposes the heaviest cost on residents who benefit most from beach nourishment. Some communities along the US east coast have adopted this approach. We use an agent-based model to evaluate how the imposition of project costs affects coastline management over the long-term. Charging higher tax rates on oceanfront properties reduces desired beach width among those owners but increases desired width for owners of inland properties. The aggregate impact on beach width depends on coastline shape and development patterns that determine the balance between these two groups, heterogeneity of beach width preferences and climate change beliefs, and levels of participation in local politics. Overall, requiring property owners who benefit most from beach nourishment to bear the highest cost results in wider beaches. The result suggests that delineating tax rates to account for unequal benefits of local public goods across taxpayers could facilitate local investment in climate change adaptation.}, Doi = {10.1007/s10584-018-2191-5}, Key = {fds340939} } @article{fds340198, Author = {Mullin, M and Daley, DM}, Title = {Multilevel Instruments for Infrastructure Investment: Evaluating State Revolving Funds for Water}, Journal = {Policy Studies Journal}, Volume = {46}, Number = {3}, Pages = {629-650}, Publisher = {WILEY}, Year = {2018}, Month = {August}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/psj.12228}, Abstract = {In recent decades, the federal government has introduced complex, multilevel state-operated revolving loan fund programs as an instrument for promoting state and local investment in national infrastructure priorities while limiting direct federal involvement in implementation. A federally funded state revolving fund (SRF) program combines features of a categorical matching grant to states and a subsidized loan program to localities, both of which should lower the effective price of infrastructure investment and therefore promote higher levels of infrastructure investment. However, little evidence exists to date on whether these programs stimulate new subnational spending or instead displace spending that would have occurred otherwise. We evaluate the stimulus effects of SRFs by examining the two largest such programs, the Clean Water and the Drinking Water SRF Programs. Analyzing 17 years of state-level panel data, we find evidence that the flow of federal funds to states under the SRF programs stimulates new local investment in wastewater infrastructure, but not in drinking water infrastructure. In discussing several possible explanations for these divergent results, we argue for further research that emphasizes the intergovernmental features of this financing tool.}, Doi = {10.1111/psj.12228}, Key = {fds340198} } @article{fds327052, Author = {Mullin, M and Rubado, ME}, Title = {Local Response to Water Crisis: Explaining Variation in Usage Restrictions During a Texas Drought}, Journal = {Urban Affairs Review}, Volume = {53}, Number = {4}, Pages = {752-774}, Publisher = {SAGE Publications}, Year = {2017}, Month = {July}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1078087416657199}, Abstract = {What explains local policy response to extreme events? This question takes on growing importance as climate change increases the frequency of droughts, floods, heat waves, wildfires, and severe storms. Emergency events like these often require local officials to make decisions that trade off short-term risk reduction against longer-term political costs. Policies that promote community-wide safety and resilience may face opposition because they restrict resource use or otherwise limit personal activities. Using data on the adoption of local water usage restrictions during the 2010–2013 Texas drought, we examine the balance between political and problem-driven incentives for local emergency response. We find that problem conditions and institutional capacity of water systems outweigh political interests in shaping the timing of policy response.}, Doi = {10.1177/1078087416657199}, Key = {fds327052} } @article{fds326304, Author = {Egan, PJ and Mullin, M}, Title = {Climate Change: US Public Opinion}, Journal = {Annual Review of Political Science}, Volume = {20}, Number = {1}, Pages = {209-227}, Publisher = {ANNUAL REVIEWS}, Year = {2017}, Month = {May}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-051215-022857}, Abstract = {A review of research findings and polling data about Americans' attitudes on climate change reveals a lack of meaningful long-term change in mass opinion. Instead, the structure of Americans' attitudes toward belief in climate change's existence, concern about its consequences, and demand for policy response is similar to that regarding many other issues in contemporary US politics: stability in aggregate opinion that masks partisan and ideological polarization enhanced by communications from elites. But features of the climate change problem elicit some distinctive determinants of opinion, including individuals' trust in science, risk processing, and personal experience. Although our review of the literature and data leaves us skeptical that majority opinion will spur elected officials anytime soon to undertake the costly solutions necessary to tackle this problem comprehensively at the national level, we identify several avenues by which attitudes might promote less substantial but nevertheless consequential policy action.}, Doi = {10.1146/annurev-polisci-051215-022857}, Key = {fds326304} } @article{fds319569, Author = {Egan, PJ and Mullin, M}, Title = {Recent improvement and projected worsening of weather in the United States.}, Journal = {Nature}, Volume = {532}, Pages = {357-360}, Year = {2016}, Month = {January}, Abstract = {As climate change unfolds, weather systems in the United States have been shifting in patterns that vary across regions and seasons. Climate science research typically assesses these changes by examining individual weather indicators, such as temperature or precipitation, in isolation, and averaging their values across the spatial surface. As a result, little is known about population exposure to changes in weather and how people experience and evaluate these changes considered together. Here we show that in the United States from 1974 to 2013, the weather conditions experienced by the vast majority of the population improved. Using previous research on how weather affects local population growth to develop an index of people's weather preferences, we find that 80% of Americans live in counties that are experiencing more pleasant weather than they did four decades ago. Virtually all Americans are now experiencing the much milder winters that they typically prefer, and these mild winters have not been offset by markedly more uncomfortable summers or other negative changes. Climate change models predict that this trend is temporary, however, because US summers will eventually warm more than winters. Under a scenario in which greenhouse gas emissions proceed at an unabated rate (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5), we estimate that 88% of the US public will experience weather at the end of the century that is less preferable than weather in the recent past. Our results have implications for the public's understanding of the climate change problem, which is shaped in part by experiences with local weather. Whereas weather patterns in recent decades have served as a poor source of motivation for Americans to demand a policy response to climate change, public concern may rise once people's everyday experiences of climate change effects start to become less pleasant.}, Key = {fds319569} } @article{fds319570, Author = {Daley, DM and Mullin, M and Rubado, ME}, Title = {State agency discretion in a delegated federal program: Evidence from drinking water investment}, Journal = {Publius}, Volume = {44}, Number = {4}, Pages = {564-586}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)}, Year = {2014}, Month = {October}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/publius/pjt033}, Abstract = {This article examines the use of discretion by state agencies in the context of multilevel policy. Research on agency discretion assumes that discretion represents a departure from legislative intent. However, Congress may delegate authority to promote policy innovation. Using data on investment in drinking water infrastructure from 2000 to 2008, we examine the relationship between agency discretion and functional expertise in implementing the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program. We focus on two areas where states can exercise discretion: (i) projects not related to compliance with federal law and (ii) support to small water systems. Our results indicate that agency expertise influences investment, but problem severity reduces differences across agencies. Initial choices over agency design affect how states adapt federal programs to meet state needs.}, Doi = {10.1093/publius/pjt033}, Key = {fds319570} } @article{fds360110, Author = {Egan, PJ and Mullin, M}, Title = {Four Decades of Increasingly Pleasant Weather in the United States: 1974-2013}, Year = {2014}, Month = {August}, Key = {fds360110} } @article{fds319572, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Contested Water: The Struggle Against Water Privatization in the United States and Canada. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 208 pages. ISBN 9780262518390, $23.00 paperback. by Joanna L. Robinson, 2013.}, Journal = {Review of Policy Research}, Volume = {31}, Number = {2}, Pages = {148-150}, Publisher = {WILEY}, Year = {2014}, Month = {March}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ropr.12064}, Doi = {10.1111/ropr.12064}, Key = {fds319572} } @article{fds319573, Author = {Egan, PJ and Mullin, M}, Title = {Psychology: Local weather and climate concern}, Journal = {Nature Climate Change}, Volume = {4}, Number = {2}, Pages = {89-90}, Publisher = {Springer Nature}, Year = {2014}, Month = {February}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2104}, Doi = {10.1038/nclimate2104}, Key = {fds319573} } @article{fds319575, Author = {Egan, PJ and Mullin, M}, Title = {Turning personal experience into political attitudes: The effect of local weather on Americans' perceptions about global warming}, Journal = {Journal of Politics}, Volume = {74}, Number = {3}, Pages = {796-809}, Publisher = {University of Chicago Press}, Year = {2012}, Month = {July}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0022381612000448}, Abstract = {How do people translate their personal experiences into political attitudes? It has been difficult to explore this question using observational data, because individuals are typically exposed to experiences in a selective fashion, and self-reports of exposure may be biased and unreliable. In this study, we identify one experience to which Americans are exposed nearly at random'their local weather'and show that weather patterns have a significant effect on people's beliefs about the evidence for global warming. © 2012 Copyright Southern Political Science Association.}, Doi = {10.1017/S0022381612000448}, Key = {fds319575} } @article{fds319574, Author = {Arceneaux, K and Kousser, T and Mullin, M}, Title = {Get Out the Vote-by-Mail? A Randomized Field Experiment Testing the Effect of Mobilization in Traditional and Vote-by-Mail Precincts}, Journal = {Political Research Quarterly}, Volume = {65}, Number = {4}, Pages = {882-894}, Publisher = {SAGE Publications}, Year = {2012}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1065912911421013}, Abstract = {This study extends previous field experimental research on turnout by considering how institutional context moderates the effect of mobilization. Taking advantage of a setting in which some registrants are assigned to vote by mail, the authors find that a door-to-door mobilization campaign has a larger effect on the participation of those who vote at polling places than on registrants assigned to cast mail ballots, but only among individuals whose voting behavior is most likely to be shaped by extrinsic social rewards. The authors conclude that there may be payoff for election reform strategies that tap into voting's social rewards. © 2012 University of Utah.}, Doi = {10.1177/1065912911421013}, Key = {fds319574} } @article{fds319577, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Global Governance of Hazardous Chemicals: Challenges of Multilevel Management. By Henrik Selin.}, Journal = {Perspectives on Politics}, Volume = {9}, Number = {1}, Pages = {103-104}, Publisher = {Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, Year = {2011}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1537592710003361}, Doi = {10.1017/S1537592710003361}, Key = {fds319577} } @article{fds327672, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Response to Henrik Selin’s review of Governing the Tap: Special District Governance and the New Local Politics of Water}, Journal = {Perspectives on Politics}, Volume = {9}, Number = {1}, Pages = {107}, Publisher = {Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, Year = {2011}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1537592710003397}, Doi = {10.1017/S1537592710003397}, Key = {fds327672} } @article{fds319579, Author = {Mullin, M and Daley, DM}, Title = {Working with the state: Exploring interagency collaboration within a federalist system}, Journal = {Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory}, Volume = {20}, Number = {4}, Pages = {757-778}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)}, Year = {2010}, Month = {October}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mup029}, Abstract = {In an era of devolution, collaboration between state and local institutions could be an effective tool for state governments to capitalize on local knowledge and respect local autonomy, while maintaining consistent standards and enforcement. However, the benefits to local agencies are less clear. Local agency personnel may have goals that diverge from their state counterparts and significant constraints on their resources, forcing them to consider the opportunity costs of collaboration. This article examines the determinants of subnational vertical collaboration in two settings: nested institutions with parallel missions and institutions with separate, but overlapping, missions. Augmenting an original survey of local public health departments in Wisconsin with data from other sources, we simultaneously estimate models predicting local cooperation with state agencies within and across issue boundaries. Our analysis indicates that management techniques, particularly performance evaluations that are tied to collaborative efforts, are the strongest determinant of collaboration across levels of government. We also find that political context facilitates vertical collaboration across nonnested institutions. Within nested institutions, local agencies are more likely to work with their state counterpart if they lack the capacity to act alone. © The Author 2009.}, Doi = {10.1093/jopart/mup029}, Key = {fds319579} } @article{fds319582, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {The conditional effect of specialized governance on public policy}, Journal = {American Journal of Political Science}, Volume = {52}, Number = {1}, Pages = {125-141}, Publisher = {WILEY}, Year = {2008}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2007.00303.x}, Abstract = {What are the policy consequences of creating functionally specialized venues for decision making? This study directly compares special districts with general purpose local governments to evaluate how specialization influences responsiveness and policy choice. Previous theorizing has assumed that specialization should have the same effect across all policy contexts. The findings presented here show instead that its effect is conditional on the status of public problems. Objective conditions related to a policy issue more strongly influence the responsiveness of multipurpose legislatures than that of special districts; thus the institutional effect of functional specialization varies with the severity of the public problem. The result is that governing structure matters most where problems are least severe. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering policy context when analyzing the effects of political institutions. © 2008, Midwest Political Science Association.}, Doi = {10.1111/j.1540-5907.2007.00303.x}, Key = {fds319582} } @article{fds319584, Author = {Kousser, T and Mullin, M}, Title = {Does voting by mail increase participation? Using matching to analyze a natural experiment}, Journal = {Political Analysis}, Volume = {15}, Number = {4}, Pages = {428-445}, Publisher = {Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, Year = {2007}, Month = {September}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pan/mpm014}, Abstract = {Would holding elections by mail increase voter turnout? Many electoral reform advocates predict that mail ballot elections will boost participation, basing their prediction on the high turnout rate among absentee voters and on the rise in voter turnout after Oregon switched to voting by mail. However, selection problems inherent to studies of absentee voters and Oregon give us important reasons to doubt whether their results would extend to more general applications of voting by mail. In this paper, we isolate the effects of voting in mail ballot elections by taking advantage of a natural experiment in which voters are assigned in a nearly random process to cast their ballots by mail. We use matching methods to ensure that, in our analysis, the demographic characteristics of these voters mirror those of polling-place voters who take part in the same elections. Drawing on data from a large sample of California counties in two general elections, we find that voting by mail does not deliver on the promise of greater participation in general elections. In fact, voters who are assigned to vote by mail turn out at lower rates than those who are sent to a polling place. Analysis of a sample of local special elections, by contrast, indicates that voting by mail can increase turnout in these otherwise low-participation contests. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Political Methodology. All rights reserved.}, Doi = {10.1093/pan/mpm014}, Key = {fds319584} } @article{fds319586, Author = {Wolfinger, RE and Highton, B and Mullin, M}, Title = {How postregistration laws affect the turnout of citizens registered to vote}, Journal = {State Politics & Policy Quarterly}, Volume = {5}, Number = {1}, Pages = {1-23}, Publisher = {SAGE Publications}, Year = {2005}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/153244000500500101}, Abstract = {A well-established scholarly tradition links lower voting costs with higher turnout. Whereas previous research emphasized the costs imposed by requiring voter registration, our research assesses postregistration costs and state policies that can make it easier for registered citizens to vote. These policies include mailing each registrant a sample ballot and information about the location of his or her polling place, providing a longer voting day, and requiring firms to give their employees time off to vote. Using the 2000 Voter Supplement to the Current Population Survey, we find that all but the last of these provisions enhance turnout, especially by the young and the less educated. Compared to a state that does none of these things, the estimated turnout of high school dropouts is nearly 11 percentage points higher in a state with these "best practices"; their effect on young registrants is nearly 10 points. Because African American and Latino registrants are disproportionately younger and less educated, they would benefit disproportionately from universal adoption of such postregistration laws. We estimate that if every state adopted these best practices, overall turnout of those registered would increase approximately three percentage points.}, Doi = {10.1177/153244000500500101}, Key = {fds319586} } @article{fds319587, Author = {Mullin, M and Peele, G and Cain, BE}, Title = {City Caesars? Institutional structure and mayoral success in three California cities}, Journal = {Urban Affairs Review}, Volume = {40}, Number = {1}, Pages = {19-43}, Publisher = {SAGE Publications}, Year = {2004}, Month = {September}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1078087404265391}, Abstract = {Recently, voters in many large cities have approved charter reforms that strengthen the power of the executive, suggesting that big city residents and mayors themselves view the formal authority of the office as an important influence on whether a mayor will be successful in solving urban problems. This article employs qualitative data from three California cities to specify how structural characteristics interact with personal factors to facilitate mayoral leadership. The authors find that city structure does not directly determine a mayor's goals and leadership style, but it does create constraints and opportunities that influence whether a mayor's personal strategies will succeed. © 2004 Sage Publications.}, Doi = {10.1177/1078087404265391}, Key = {fds319587} } @article{fds319590, Author = {Besleme, K and Mullin, M}, Title = {Community Indicators and Healthy Communities}, Journal = {National Civic Review}, Volume = {86}, Pages = {43-52}, Year = {1997}, Key = {fds319590} } %% Other @misc{fds319576, Author = {Mullin, M}, Title = {Federalism}, Pages = {209-233}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press}, Year = {2011}, Month = {October}, ISBN = {9780195329414}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329414.003.0010}, Abstract = {This chapter examines public attitudes about the allocation of powers within the American federalist system. Previous research has shown that public perceptions of the responsibilities and performance of specific levels of government are weakly held and often inconsistent. To the extent that people have an opinion about federalism, the literature suggests that it influenced by persistent attitudes about race and political trust. This analysis focuses on beliefs about the strength of the federal government in order to disentangle the influence of these long-term, generalized attitudes from more immediate responses to political institutions. In sum, Americans' perceptions of federal power are largely determined by their orientation toward government itself. Short-term assessments of political leaders also help to shape opinion about the scope of federal authority, and assessments of the Supreme Court have as much influence as opinion about the president and Congress.}, Doi = {10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329414.003.0010}, Key = {fds319576} } | |
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