From syllabus:
*Research proposal (5 pages)*
Your research design will include a discussion of your topic, your research questions or hypothesis, and the methods you plan to use to study your topic. In discussing your methodolgy you should distinguish between the use of primary and secondary source material.
*Discussion of Topic*
In the early part of the 20th century California state politics was heavily influenced by railroad companies. In response to this widely perceived corruption, a Progressive movement emerged. One of the most successful and enduring aspects of that movement gave voters the ability to participate directly in state politics via referenda, ballot initiatives, and recall elections.
Referenda, ballot initiatives, and recall elections are often referred to as direct democracy because they are efforts that can be proposed by anyone who collects enough signatures of registered voters. They extend the opportunity to create policy from elected officials to individuals and groups. Once on the ballot, the public then votes on the proposed action. This can happen during a primary or general election.
A referendum is when the public is asked to vote on an action taken previously by the state legislature. The only type of referendum to be placed on the ballot by voters is the referendum proposal, which asks voters to approve or disprove of a specific policy that the legislature passed. A constitutional referendum seeks to modify the California constitution and a mandatory referendum asks voters to approve bond measures. These two types of referenda are placed on the ballot by the state legislature.
A recall asks voters to state whether a specified government official is doing a good job or if not, to vote on a replacement. The most recent and likely most famous recall occured when then-Gov. Gray Davis was recalled and Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected as his replacement in 2003.
The ballot initiative is a way for voters to try to pass a new law or amend the state constitution. This percent differs whether the initiative, also known as a proposition, is intended to be a statute or an amendment to the state constitution. A ballot proposal to amend the constitution requires 8% of registered voters to sign a petition. A ballot proposal intended to create a statue just requires signatures from 5% of registered voters. While elements of direct democracy that arose out of the Progressive movement were intended to take power from controlling business interests and return power to voters, initiatives have since become one of the main ways to create policy in California.
While an individual could try to collect the required number of signatures to put a proposition on the ballot, it is far more likely that this effort will be carried out by a particular group of individuals who share a common goal. California is one state where the strength of political parties are weak in comparison to the strength of interest groups (Janiskee, 39).
James Madison, one of the original framers of the United States constitution, set forth an argument in favor of interest group politics in the Federalist papers. In Federalist #10 he theorized that if voters were split between many interests and identities, it would be very difficult for factions to gain power or pass laws that didn't appeal to a broad sector of the electorate.
However this was before political campaigns relied on television and radio to get out a message. Today these elements of new media politics can be quite costly and as a result the funding an interest group receives can impact its ability to influence the public on a particular proposition. The power of an interest group consists of "their varied and creative use of many forms of political action" (Debow, 54). Funding underlies all of these forms of action and is one way to evaluate the power of an interest group. The number of members in a group and the extent to which the group is highly organized also impacts its ability to take political action. Together these factors, with an emphasis on funding, can define which groups are seen as powerful. Not all interest groups are equal in terms of funding, membership, and extent of organization or how they utilize their resources. Sometimes interest groups build coalitions to get a proposal passed. Other times they rely on grassroots activity, campaign finance, and direct lobbying to get voters to vote a particular way. Well-funded or not, interest groups experience varying degrees of success in aligning voter behavior on a particular proposal to their agendas.
Top interest groups in terms of activity include local and regional governments, health, industry, finance, and education (Janiskee, 48)
Some studies have found that the involvement of powerful interest groups in ballot initiative campaigns takes away from the intentions of the Progressive party because the most powerful interest groups can afford to campaign more extensively and thus get what they want more easily than smaller, poorer interest groups. These studies argue that this effect undermines Madison's theory of pluralism. One book I came across stated that "the increasing use of the initiative by deep-pocket interests threatens to destabilize the democratic equilibrium Madison was so concerned about" (Cahn, 118). This line of reasoning would lead me to believe that California politics are moving away from a Madisonian construction of pluralism and towards a system where policy is dictated by the most powerful interest groups.
However, this may not be the case at all. Another team of researchers were more idealistic, explaining that "Madison advocated a commercial republic of many 'factions,' so that an otherwise decent nation such as the United States would have the best chance to survive. There is nothing in Madison to make us believe that he would not have wished the same for the State of California" (Janiskee, 47). These researchers found that the groups cancel each other out in most cases of initiatives, meaning only the proposals that truly enjoy broad support across the electorate pass.
*Research Questions/Hypothesis*
I have decided to study the ballot initiative because I want to know how particular interest groups in California use this element of direct democracy to acheive their policy goals. I am curious to see if the ballot initiative process is manipulated by interest groups to get what they want.
I plan to study how financial resources, membership, and organization affect the ability of an interest group to influence voter behavior on propositions centered around a particular issue or area of policy. I will use the axes of finanical resources, membership levels, extent of organization and degree of political involvement to determine which interest groups are considered powerful actors in California politics. I want to know specifically how these so-called powerful interest groups are able to translate their resources into power at the ballot box. Essentially I want to establish the the degree to which a particular interest group can use the initiative process to achieve its goals. I want to know which groups truly hold power over the electorate, and why, within a specific area of policy.
*Methodology*
To answer this question I plan to study recent initiatives that were put on statewide ballots by one particular set of interests. Each of these initiatives must fall within the same area of policy and have received a fair amount of attention from the same well-funded, well-organized interest groups. Out of this group, I am going to look closely at initiatives that have varied in terms of approval received by voters. Controlling for the industry of the interest group and level of attention the group gave each initiative in terms of reaching out to voters will reduce the difference between each initiative to voter behavior, which I will then compare against the efforts and resources of the interest groups expended in each election.
From "How to Write a B. A. Thesis" by Charles Lipson, Chapter 4, pgs. 77-78:
Writing a Thesis Proposal
In clear, concise language, your proposal should explain
-what your main question or topic is:
Interest groups which support ballot initiatives and why some of these initiatives pass and others fail when they each recieve a fair amount of support by powerful interest groups.
-why it matters
This topic reflects the importance of the ballot initiative in California politics. It also is relevant for understanding the degree to which powerful interest groups can affect state policy through their support of ballot initiatives.
-how you plan to approach the analysis
I want to find about three initiatives that all received a lot of support by a specific set of interest groups in California. Ideally one or two of these initiatives will have passed and the third will have failed, or vice versa. I am going to analyze the interest groups in the context of their funding and organization. I am going to analyze the initiaves in light of their success or failure to be voted into law.
One way to explain your topic's importance is to describe current debates surrounding it and how leading scholars treat it.
TIP: Your thesis proposal should outline your topic, its importance, and your approach to studying it. It should pose one or two major questions, but it does not need to answer them. The thesis itself will do that.
Also mention what data you will use. Do you plan to use case studies, interviews, large databases, original documents, or some combination of these?
I will use a variety of primary and secondary sources to examine the organization, activities and funding of interest groups. I plan to research using books and journal articles as well as primary data on specific groups and policies taken from the internet.
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