Political Science and International Relations

Four Alums Win Fulbright US Student Awards

rime — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 18:23:14 +0000

Four Alums Win Fulbright US Student Awards rime Mon, 06/02/2025 - 14:23

Dr. Suzanne Metler on the Rural/Urban Political Divide

kwest — Tue, 20 May 2025 15:03:53 +0000

Dr. Suzanne Metler on the Rural/Urban Political Divide

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

kwest Tue, 05/20/2025 - 11:03

Political Science and International Relations News

On May 1, 2025, Dr. Suzanne Mettler, the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions at Cornell University, presented a virtual lecture to Geneseo faculty and students on the rural/urban divide in contemporary American politics.

Relying on a wealth of data that covers the period from 1972 to 2024, Dr. Mettler demonstrated that until the past two decades there had been little difference between urban and rural areas in the United States with respect to their partisanship. Up until the 2000s, rural areas were only slightly more Republican than urban areas. For example, in 1992, there was only a 2% partisan difference between rural and urban areas: today, it's 20%. In recent years, population and economic growth have been concentrated in urban areas. American citizens living in rural areas have felt left behind, and in fact have not enjoyed the benefits of American economic growth. The consequence of the rural/urban divide is magnified by American electoral rules. American electoral rules provide disproportionate influence to rural areas at the expense of urban areas.

Dr. Suzanne Mettler is the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions at Cornell University and conducts research and teaches on American political development, inequality, public policy, political behavior, and democracy. She is the author of numerous books and articles on American politics. Mettler’s latest book is Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy (St. Martin’s Press, 2020), co-authored with Robert C. Lieberman.

Dr. Mettler's lecture was supported by a grant from Pi Sigma Alpha, the national honors society in Political Science, and the Department of Political Science and International Relations.

Dr. Suzanne Mettler of Cornell University

Brant Receives SUNY's Horizon Early Career Research & Scholarship Award

patenaude — Thu, 01 May 2025 12:17:00 +0000

Brant Receives SUNY's Horizon Early Career Research & Scholarship Award patenaude Thu, 05/01/2025 - 08:17

SUNY Geneseo is a 2025–26 Voter Friendly Campus

patenaude — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 16:33:46 +0000

SUNY Geneseo is a 2025–26 Voter Friendly Campus patenaude Wed, 03/26/2025 - 12:33

West Selected for AASCU’s Department Chair Leadership Institute

patenaude — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:28:49 +0000

West Selected for AASCU’s Department Chair Leadership Institute patenaude Mon, 01/13/2025 - 10:28

Alum Earns Competitive Banyan Fellowship

rime — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 16:03:29 +0000

Alum Earns Competitive Banyan Fellowship rime Tue, 10/15/2024 - 12:03

Polarization and the Ties That Bind: Congressional Staff Turnover

patenaude — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 16:39:48 +0000

Polarization and the Ties That Bind: Congressional Staff Turnover

Friday, October 11, 2024

patenaude Fri, 10/11/2024 - 12:39

Associate Professor Hanna Brant

Hanna Brant

Summary:

Congressional staff are more likely to leave their jobs, not because of low pay, but because of the impact of polarization on their job satisfaction.

Abstract:

Congressional staff serve as the “invisible force” in Congress by helping draft legislation and conduct oversight. Given this, excessive turnover among staff is a loss of institutional memory and inhibits legislators’ ability to effectively conduct their constitutional duties. Using a mixed methods research design of interviews and a new survey of staff in the 115th session of Congress, I capture staffer intent to leave their current position and track whether they actually left their position 12 months later. Similar to civil servants, staff who report dissatisfaction with coworkers report higher levels of turnover intention, while the type of office, age, and level of education impact actual turnover. However, the extent to which polarization impacts staffers’ job satisfaction impacts both intention and actual exit. My study makes a unique contributions to the growing body of literature devoted to understanding congressional staff by providing important insights into how to recruit and retain staff.

Research question:

What factors influence congressional staffers' desire to leave (exit intention) their positions and what factors influence staffers' actual exit from their roles?

What the research builds on:

Congressional staff are paid poorly compared to their counterparts working in lobbying, or the private sector. The low pay makes it difficult for most staff to live in Washington DC, leading to high turnover and a loss of talent and expertise in Congress.

What the research adds to the discussion:

My research takes a broader approach by not focusing solely on congressional staff who leave their positions to work in lobbying, but trying to understand the factors that influence why staff intend to leave and the factors that influence actual exit from Congress. Turnover intention is influenced by negative perceptions of coworkers’ abilities to effectively do their jobs, while actual exit is decreased through staff obtaining more knowledge and expertise while working on the Hill. However, the extent to which polarization impacts staffers’ job satisfaction impacts both intention and actual exit. Interestingly, salary was not a significant predictor of intention or actual exit. The lack of statistical significance should not be misconstrued to suggest that staff should not be paid more; however, this finding may be due in part to individuals self-selecting to work on the Hill knowing that the pay is poor compared to other opportunities, such as lobbying.

Novel methodology:

The study uses an original survey of congressional staff in the 115th session of Congress (2018) coupled with original interviews with staff.

Implications for society:

A portion of staffers who intend to exit ultimately do not. These individuals may be “quiet quitting” by remaining in their positions even though they have a desire for a career change and may not be committed to their work, which can have adverse impacts on the representational role of the members of Congress. If the staffers who are reporting they are leaving Congress because of the impact of polarization on their job satisfaction, are the staff who remain more comfortable with polarization and, in turn, likely to contribute to more polarization in Congress?

Implications for research:

Prior research has largely focused on the impact of polarization on members of Congress and the broader public, however, more attention should be paid to the impact of polarization on staff, the employees who work in the institution and serve a key role in representing the voices of the public. Future research should explore polarization among staff and the impact of polarization on the working environment of staff in greater detail.

Implications for policy:

Staff turnover and retention is of such importance to members that the House of Representatives created the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress at the start of the 116th session to address it. Concerns of the impact of polarization on staff are echoed by the final report issued by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, and polarization should be an even bigger priority after the January 6th insurrection in 2021. The Select Committee issued several recommendations to encourage bipartisan collaboration and civility; for example, including training opportunities on skill building, collaboration, and civility for staff; New Member Orientation; updating Congress.gov to better acknowledge member contributions to legislation; and hosting bipartisan events to encourage socializing across the aisle, among other recommendations. Recently, Congress implemented one recommendation from the Select Committee by creating a coworking space in the Cannon House Office Building for staff to encourage staff interaction across the aisle. Time will tell how this “staff collaboration space” influences bipartisan interactions among staff; however, my findings suggest that there needs to be added emphasis on mitigating polarization in Congress.

Funding:

This project was supported by two Geneseo undergraduate research assistants, Hannah Rohrabacher and Bria Robinson, through grants from the SUNY Geneseo Foundation and Research Council.

Hanna K. Brant (12 Aug 2024): "Polarization and the Ties That Bind: Congressional Staff Turnover," Congress & the Presidency, DOI: 10.1080/07343469.2024.2372251

Congress & the President (2024)

Geneseo Ushers In a New Academic Year

rime — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 14:30:48 +0000

Geneseo Ushers In a New Academic Year rime Fri, 08/30/2024 - 10:30

An Unexpected Gift and a Mystery

dreessen — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 19:48:26 +0000

An Unexpected Gift and a Mystery dreessen Tue, 08/27/2024 - 15:48

Jeonghwa Yang

sherman — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 16:27:20 +0000

Jeonghwa Yang

Assistant Professor of Political Science & International Relations

sherman Mon, 08/26/2024 - 12:27

FRASER 105C

585-245-6446

jyang@geneseo.edu

Jeonghwa Yang is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science & International Relations. She earned her Ph.D. in Public Administration from Florida State University, with a graduate certificate in Emergency Management & Homeland Security. Her research areas include nonprofit and public management, with an emphasis on disaster management. Her work examines effective and sustainable collaborative arrangements involving nonprofit and community-based organizations focusing on social capital and social equity with comparative cases.

Dr. Yang's academic ability has been acknowledged through numerous scholarships and awards, and she has actively presented her work at academic conferences such as the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organization and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR), Public Management Research Conference (PMRC), and American Society for Public Administration (ASPA).

Dr. Yang holds a B.A. from Ewha Woman’s University and an M.A. from Korea University in South Korea. Her interdisciplinary research extends beyond academic inquiry. Embedded in community-engaged research, her work aims to bridge theory and practice in public administration, making a substantial impact in public and nonprofit management.

Classes
PLSC 374: Public Administration
This course introduces public administration, covering both its theoretical and practical aspects. Students will explore the foundational concepts and ethical principles of the public sector, probing historical and contemporary issues within the field. The course focuses on the essential elements of public administration, including public ethics and values, organizational theory, human resource management, leadership, program and policy evaluation, public budgeting, citizen participation, and collaborative governance. Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of the ideas presented in the course and apply their knowledge to critically evaluate the decisions of public officials from an ethical perspective.

PLSC 414: American Public Policy
An introduction to the policy-making process in American government with special emphasison the development of national domestic and defense policies from World War II together with the analysis of decision approaches taken by the President, Cabinet, Congress, various federal agencies, and pressure groups. The reordering of national priorities is considered within the context of selected policy decisions, the participation of groups affected, and the implications for national goals.