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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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American Politics R Rated: D.C. Deadlock Meets Campaign Marathon
December 10, 2007. 4:30 - 5:45 pm in Cowles Auditorium. |
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Critical choices face voters and policy makers in Washington, D.C. as they sift through the presidential candidates. Political deadlock in Washington and marathon campaigning may result. Norm Ornstein, one of the nation's leading political analysts, will sort out what may become one of the country's most eventful years in American politics.
Norman Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. He also serves as an election analyst for CBS News and writes a weekly column called "Congress Inside Out" for Roll Call newspaper. He has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and other major publications, and regularly appears on television programs like The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline, and Charlie Rose.
He serves as senior counselor to the Continuity of Government Commission, working to ensure that our institutions of government can be maintained in the event of a terrorist attack on Washington; his efforts in this area are recounted in a profile of him in the June 2003 Atlantic Monthly. His campaign finance working group of scholars and practitioners helped shape the major law, known as McCain/Feingold, that reformed the campaign financing system. Legal Times referred to him as "a principal drafter of the law" and his role in its design and enactment was profiled in the February 2004 issue of Washington Lawyer. He is also co-directing a multi-year effort, called the Transition to Governing Project, to create a better climate for governing in the era of the permanent campaign. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the Campaign Legal Center and of the Board of Trustees of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.He was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004. His many books include The Permanent Campaign and Its Future; Intensive Care: How Congress Shapes Health Policy, both with Thomas E. Mann; and Debt and Taxes: How America Got Into Its Budget Mess and What to Do About It, with John H. Makin. The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and What Can Be Done about It, co-authored by Thomas E. Mann, is published by Oxford University Press.
This free program will be from 4:30 - 5:45 p.m. on Monday, December 10, in Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center. |
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End Slavery Today: Policy Responses to Human Trafficking
***Postponed*** |
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 Slavery remains. Tens of thousands of people (many women and children) are tricked or forced into prostitution and forced labor. Rachel Paulose examines the scope of human slavery today and outlines action to end slavery in the 21st century.
Rachel Paulose is the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota. She received her J.D. from Yale Law School and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota.
This free program will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 20, in Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center. |
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The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance works to develop practical solutions to pressing political and policy challenges. CSPG provides non-partisan research and forums to foster more effective and efficient governance, increase the transparency of government processes, and rebuild public trust in order to counteract negative influences that threaten our democracy.
These events are free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
For directions and parking: www.hhh.umn.edu/about/contact/parking.html.
To request disability accommodations, please call 612-625-2530 or email cspg@umn.edu.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. |
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PAST EVENTS |
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November 30, 2007. The State of the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement |
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The battle for the Republican Party's presidential nomination has already offered a number of surprises, including the strength of social moderate Rudolph Giuliani. The economic populism and social conservatism of Mike Huckabee is drawing support in Iowa and may pose a potent challenge to Giuliani and Mitt Romney. Vin Weber, former Member of Congress, leading national figure in the Republican Party, and Humphrey Institute senior fellow, will explore the current state of the Republican Party and the conservative movement.
Vin Weber is a senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He is also actively involved in the Humphrey Institute Policy Fellows program. He served in Congress from 1981 to 1993, representing Minnesota's Second Congressional District. He is a partner at Clark & Weinstock, a consulting firm that provides strategic advice to institutions with matters before the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. Prior to opening Clark & Weinstock's Washington office in 1994, Weber was president - and co-director with Jack Kemp, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Bill Bennett - of Empower America, a public policy advocacy group. He is a trustee of the German Marshall Fund, co-director of the Aspen Institute's Domestic Policy Project, member of the Visiting Committee for the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and council member of the National Council for Political Management at George Washington University. In 2001, he was elected chairman of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a private, nonprofit organization designed to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts. Weber is a regular commentator on National Public Radio and is often sought as a political analyst for network programs such as CNN's Capital Gang.
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November 27, 2007. Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror |
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In the wake of 9/11, the Bush Administration has repeatedly sought to expand the power of the executive branch, often in secret. What are the dangers of an executive branch unchecked by Congress and the Judiciary? Do the realities of a global war on terror call for an executive branch with increased authority? Frederick A.O. Schwarz will discuss the risks and consequences of the Bush Administration¿s actions and what can be done about it.
Following a presentation by Frederick A.O. Schwarz, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, the meaning and significance of the changes in executive branch powers will be discussed by Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale, Mr. Schwarz, and John R. Tunheim, United States District Judge.
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November 13, 2007. Good Societies: Dialogue with Melissa Fay Greene and Lawrence R. Jacobs, Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair in Political Studies, University of Minnesota |
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Melissa Fay Greene is an award winning journalist, whose articles and books have addressed civil rights and Southern history, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and African orphans, coal mine disasters and poetry, adoption, and family life. Greene will discuss her most recent book, There is No Me Without You, which illuminates the heroic efforts of one woman to save children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia, and has been described as a "contemporary Schindler's List." Two of Greene's books have been nominated for the National Book Award and Praying for Sheetrock was named one of the top 100 works of all journalism of the 20th century.
This visit was co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics & Governance at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and the Edelstein-Keller Endowment for Visiting Writers.
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November 13, 2007. Restoring America's Human Rights Reputation |
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The Bush administration's war on terror has opened up debates over U.S. human rights policy that many had considered settled matters. Is the U.S. now conducting "torture"? Does its designation and treatment of "enemy combatants" and operation of Guantanamo Bay violate international norms of human rights that the U.S. helped to establish? What are the implications of these debates for the global reputation of the U.S. and for the effectiveness of the global fight against terrorism?
Harold Koh, Dean of Yale Law School, discussed the meaning and significance of the changes in America's human rights policies. After his presentation, he was joined by Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale and Professor Kathryn Sikkink, Arleen Carlson Chair in Political Science, University of Minnesota. |
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October 24, 2007. Navigating Conflict - Planned Parenthood in South Dakota |
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The South Dakota legislature and governor enacted in 2006 the nation's strictest restrictions on the right to choose abortion. In the past, the pro-choice movement turned to the courts. In South Dakota, Planned Parenthood under the direction of its regional director, Sarah Stoesz, adopted an electoral strategy of putting the issue on the 2006 ballot where it was defeated. Does the electoral strategy offer pro-choice advocates a promising new option as courts have become more conservative? Or, as some pro-choice advocates contend, does it cede too much ground and open the door to more conservative initiatives? Are there broader implications of the South Dakota electoral strategy for bridging divisive issues?
The meaning and significance of the South Dakota battle over abortion was discussed by Sarah Stoesz, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Steve Sviggum, Commissioner of Industry and Labor and long time pro-life advocate. Lori Sturdevant with the Star Tribune moderated.
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September 26, 2007. They Don't Like Us: Global Attitudes Toward the U.S. and other World Powers |
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The U.S. and western democracies have drawn the envy of the world for their prosperity and freedom. The terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the response of the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq has precipitated a sharp down turn in approval and respect for the U.S. around the globe. Andrew Kohut, Director of the most extensive global surveys of public attitudes toward the United States, will report on his latest findings and their implications for America's future foreign policy. Humphrey Institute Dean and former administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Clinton administration, J. Brian Atwood, moderated this event. |
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September 26, 2007. What to Watch in the 2008 Elections |
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Much of the nation's attention focuses on the performances of the presidential candidates. Personality matters but there are other critical factors that may matter more in determining who Americans pick as their next president. Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C., and director of the Pew Research Center for The People & The Press, will identify the keys to the 2008 elections that often are overlooked by the media. This free program will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26, in Cowles Auditorium. |
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Ongoing Series.
Connecting with Government:
Public Forums with Minnesota's Elected Officials |
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The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance is hosting a series of public talks by prominent government leaders as part of our ongoing commitment to fostering informed and substantive discussion on important matters of public policy. Connecting with Government will allow Minnesota's elected officials the opportunity to rise above the talking points and fractious back-and-forth of the legislative process to make substantive statements about issues of importance for Minnesotans. It also creates a forum for students and citizens to listen and raise questions with their elected officials. |
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Jim Ramstad,
Congressman, Minnesota's 3rd District
August 14, 2007. "Life as a Centrist in the New Congress"
Cowles Auditorium
Humphrey Center
301 19th Ave S, Minneapolis |
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Jim Oberstar,
Congressman, Minnesota's 8th District
June 25, 2007. "Transportation Policy and America's Future" |
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Keith Ellison,
Congressman, Minnesota's 5th District
June 11 , 2007. "Leveling the Playing Field for Working Families: Promoting a Consumer Justice Agenda" |
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Norm Coleman,
U.S. Senator
May 14, 2007. "Building from the Center: Getting the Job Done on Renewable Energy" |
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Tim Walz,
Congressman, Minnesota's 1st District
April 12, 2007. "Tomorrow's Foreign Policy: What We're Teaching Today's Students and Why It Matters" |
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Betty McCollum,
Congresswoman, Minnesota's 4th District
April 9, 2007. "American Foreign Policy: A Focus on Afghanistan" |
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Amy Klobuchar,
U.S. Senator
April 2, 2007. "The Heat Is On: Time for Action on Global Warming" |
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April 16, 2007. The 1996 Welfare Reform and Its Impact Today |
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The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 caused monumental changes in the welfare system. Ten years later, how has welfare reform worked and what lessons can be learned from the passage of the welfare bill? Ron Haskins, author of Work over Welfare and a congressional staffer deeply involved in drafting welfare reform legislation, discussed the origins of welfare reform and its performance over the last decade. He was joined by Mitch Pearlstein, founder and president of the Center of the American Experiment, and Professor Maria Hanratty of the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Professor Larry Jacobs moderated.
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February 22, 2007. The Bush Administration vs. the American Public on issues of Multilateralism and Cooperation |
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President Bush, his senior advisers, and some foreign policy specialists have advocated a unilateral approach to foreign policy. Americans, however, have long supported a multilateral approach to foreign policy that relies on collaboration with the United Nations and other countries. Ben Page, Gordon S. Fulcher Professor of Decision Making in the Political Science Department at Northwestern University, discussed the growing gap between the Bush Administration and the American public on issues of foreign policy. He was joined by former Vice President Walter F. Mondale. Dean Brian Atwood moderated. |
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January 8, 2007. The State of the States: Challenges and Opportunities |
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Peter Harkness, editor and publisher of Governing magazine, talked about the implications of the 2006 elections on state government and the collaborations needed to create public policy. |
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November 8, 2006. What Happened on Tuesday? A Post-election Analysis |
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Former Congressman Vin Weber, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and Professor Larry Jacobs discussed the 2006 election results. |
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November 1, 2006. Getting Some Perspective on Immigration |
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This conference provided a context to the immigration debate by exploring immigration myths - that the United States' immigration challenge is unique in the world, and that America has always been a nation welcoming of immigrants. Facilitated break-out sessions will built on this contextual information and allowed conference participants an opportunity to articulate a set of common goals or values that should undergird immigration policy. |
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October 30, 2006. Voting with a Mouse: How Bloggers Have Altered the Political Landscape |
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Campaigns and elections are being digitally remastered. Bloggers and the internet may be producing a revolution in information and public debate that is as radical as the changes introduced by radio and television. David Carr, New York Times columnist and longtime journalist and editor, led a discussion on blogs and American elections. Eric Black, reporter and author of The Big Question blog for the Star Tribune, moderated. Commentary was offered by Joe Bodell who runs the blog MN Campaign Report and by Michael Brodkorb who operates the blog MN Democrats Exposed. |
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October 26, 2006. Democratic Gains in the 2006 Congressional Elections? |
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Congressional scholar Gary Jacobson, a professor at the University of California at San Diego, talked about the impact of possible Democratic Gains in the 2006 Congressional Elections. Tom Horner, Himle Horner, Inc., and Professor Guy Charles, University of Minnesota Law School also comment. |
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October 24, 2006. The Legacy of the Carter - Mondale Years: Accomplishments, Disappointments and Lasting Implications |
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Featured Speaker: Stuart Eizenstat, domestic policy advisor to President Carter. |
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October 12, 2006. Challenges Facing the U.S. in the Context of the 2006 Elections |
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Former congressmen and Humphrey Institute Senior Fellows Tim Penny (L) and Vin Weber (R) talked about the challenges facing congressional candidates in the 2006 elections. |
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October 10, 2006. Tracy Kidder, author of Mountains Beyond Mountains, in a special dialogue on good societies with Professor Lawrence Jacobs |
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Introduction by Patricia Hampl, author and University of Minnesota Regents Professor of English. |
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September 12, 2006. In Their Own Words: Voices of Jihad |
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Do Islamic jihadis really hate American democracy and freedoms? What are the goals of Islamic terrorists, and how do they justify the deaths o innocent people? In this presentation, David Aaron, director of RAND's Center for Middle East Public Policy, shared what jihadis told him for his book, In Their Own Words: Voices of Jihad. Aaron is a former Foreign Service officer and was deputy national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter. His presentation was introduced by Vice President Walter Mondale and moderated by J. Brian Atwood, dean of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. |
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September 11, 2006. The Broken Branch: A Look at the Contemporary Congress |
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In their new book, The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Thomas Mann and American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar Norman Ornstein write "Congress is the linchpin of our constitutional system, but one that is broken". The authors offer a diagnosis of the cause of this decline: unnecessarily partisan behavior that makes rational policymaking impossible. They temper their critique with a blueprint for positive change. This discussion is moderated by Star Tribune editorial writer and columnist Lori Sturdevant. |
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Summer 2006. Candidate Policy Forum |
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As part of its 2006 Elections Project, the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance hosted a series of policy talks featuring candidates for statewide elective office. The purpose of the series was to provide an opportunity for each candidate to discuss their substantive concerns about critical challenges facing Minnesota and the nation, and to offer recommendations on appropriate policy responses. |
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Amy Klobuchar,
DFL-endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate
June 29, 2006. |
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Part 1
Part 2 |
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Tim Pawlenty,
Republican-endorsed candidate for Governor
July 25, 2006. "Education: Funding, Improvements, and Accountability for Results" |
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Part 1
Part 2 |
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Mike Hatch,
DFL-endorsed candidate for Governor
August 9, 2006. "Affordability and Availability of Health Care" |
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Part 1
Part 2 |
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Peter Hutchinson,
Independence Party-endorsed candidate for Governor
August 10, 2006. "The Price of Government: Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis" |
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Sue Jeffers,
Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed candidate for Governor
August 17, 2006. "Taming the Beast: Regaining Control of a Runaway Government" |
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Becky Lourey,
DFL candidate for Governor
August 23, 2006. "A Smarter State Fiscal Policy: Fair Taxes, Quality Health Care, Safer Streets, and Stable Schools" |
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July 24, 2006. Why Republicans Win |
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In his new book, Los Angeles Times Washington correspondent Tom Hamburger makes the claim that Republicans have crafted a competitive advantage, using extensive databases to turn out their conservative base, driving a policy agenda that tilts the electorate to the right, and making the most of redistricting to keep Republican seats safe. Hamburger was joined by Ron Eibensteiner, former chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota, and Jeff Blodgett, executive director of Wellstone Action, in discussing his book One Country: The Republican Plan for Dominance in the 21st Century. Dane Smith of the Star Tribune moderated. |
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May 15, 2006. Reforming Medicare: Where Do We Go From Here? |
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This conference examined Medicare's political and financial future, the prescription drug benefit, and the future of health care costs and coverage overall. |
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April 27, 2006. Promoting Excellence in Public Management: Innovations in Cities and Counties |
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This conference focused on management excellence, contracting for services, and collaboration as a means for delivering public services.The panel participants will include local government officials, city managers, financial experts, and academic scholars. |
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April 25, 2006. Restoring Electoral Competition:
Research and Remedies for Redistricting |
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This conference brought together leading scholars from political science, law, and non-academic think tanks with policy makers, journalists, and others interested in the state of American democracy to address the seminal issues of today's debate about redistricting. |
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April 24, 2006. America at the Crossroads: The Midterm Elections and Republican Government |
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America faces profound challenges overseas and at home. Politics in Washington is beset with recriminations over the Iraq War, charges of corruption and wrong doing, and large and growing budget deficits. Meanwhile, national security and domestic challenges remain daunting. Republican leaders are openly worrying about the coming mid-term elections and whether they can sustain a remarkable run of electoral victories. Democrats eagerly welcome the political opening but are struggling to find a common platform and consistent message. Brookings Institute Senior Fellow Thomas E. Mann, one the country¿s most visible and widely respected political analysts, sorted through these political developments. |
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March 21, 2006. Politicians, Journalists, and Authenticity |
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Congressional scholar Richard Fenno, a professor at the University of Rochester, lectured on "Politicians, Journalists, and Authenticity". |
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March 7, 2006. Forum on Truth Telling in Campaign Ads |
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Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Director of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, began a series of forums on news reporting of elections. Lawrence Jacobs moderated the presentation. Commentary was offered by Pat Kessler (television reporter and radio host) and Tom Horner (a public relations consultant). |
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March 6, 2006. Governance in the Context of the Business Sector |
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Featured Speaker: Nate Garvis, vice president of Government Affairs, Target |
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February 27, 2006. The Crisis of Polling:
The Accuracy, Reporting, and Campaign Uses of Public Opinion Surveys |
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This conference examined the central criticisms of polling ¿ their accuracy, the mediass coverage of them, and their use by election campaigns. It offers original, cutting edge analysis and commentary from the country's leading experts on polling, media coverage, and election campaigns. |
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February 27, 2006. A Journalist's Guide to Survey Research and Public Opinion Polls |
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This seminar offered hands-on instruction and Q-and-A with one of the nation's leading teachers of polling methods, Dr. Cliff Zukin, Center for Public Interest Polling, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. |
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February 27, 2006. Why Political Ads Matter:
Voting Turnout, Public Preferences, and the Effects of the Paid Media |
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What difference do paid advertisements make in elections? Candidates spend millions on them and the press watches them. But do they matter to voters? Perhaps dueling ads offset each other or voters gets so burned out that they tune out the ads. Dr. Donald Green, Director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University, reported on a series of new experiments that investigate the impacts of political advertisements on the policy preferences of voters and their decisions on whether to turnout to vote or to stay at home. |
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February 20, 2006. Acting in the Public Interest?Another Look at Research on Nonprofit Governance |
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Featured Speaker: Melissa Stone, Director of Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs |
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February 10, 2006. An Experiment in Democratic Rejuvenation |
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As America campaigns for democracy abroad, serious questions remain about the low level of participation by Americans in elections and the gaps in their knowledge about public life. Dr. John Ferejohn, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, discussed his research on the Citizens' Assembly in British Columbia and its implications for concrete reform and for the potential for deliberation and participation. |
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January 27, 2006. Serving Citizens Better:
Promoting Excellence in Public Management |
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This conference brought together national experts, the Governor's office, state legislators, and the Citizens League to discuss the best practices around the country and the steps we can take in Minnesota to improve government performance. |
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January 24, 2006. Student Power, Student Voices: How Effective is Student Government? |
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September 19, 2005. What's the Matter with "What's the Matter with Kansas": The Make-Believe Backlash of the White Working Class |
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What's the Matter with Kansas, by Thomas Frank, pins the electoral defeats of Democrats on their cultural liberalism. This cultural liberalism, Frank claims, leads many Americans to vote against their objective economic interests and cast their ballot for Republican candidates. Professor Larry Bartels of Princeton University disagrees, and shared his insights in a discussion moderated by Professor Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance. |
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August 9, 2005. From the Trenches: The Future of Polling |
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Featured Speaker: Dr. Kathleen Frankovic, Director of Surveys and Producer, CBS News |
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