Copyright (c) 2011 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby Recent documents in Elizabeth Rigby en-us Fri, 04 Feb 2011 01:33:55 PST 3600 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/12 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/12 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:52:41 PST This study examines how instrumental and symbolic messages embedded in state law shape the practices of ‘street-level’ bureaucrats. Specifically, we investigate whether passage of state-level English Only laws influences the way English language learners are instructed in local public schools. Using data on state English Only laws from 1987-2004 and school-level data from the National Center for Educational Statistics, we find that instrumental aspects of English Only laws serve to constrain, but not eliminate, schools’ use of bilingual instruction, while those sending only symbolic messages are less constraining. Further, when state laws are vague in scope, adherence to the English Only law is dependent on the preferences of local actors, in this case Latino “cultural brokers” working in the public school system. Melissa Marschall Policy Process http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/11 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/11 Thu, 20 May 2010 12:20:08 PDT Amid growing concern about childhood obesity, the United States spends billions of dollars on food assistance: providing meals and subsidizing food purchases. We examine the relationship between food assistance and body mass index (BMI) for young, low-income children, who are a primary target population for federal food programs and for efforts to prevent childhood obesity. Our findings indicate that food assistance may unintentionally contribute tot he childhood obesity problem in cities with high food prices. We also find that subsidized meals at school or day care are beneficial for children's weight status, and we argue that expanding access to subsidized meals may be the most effective tool to use in combating obesity in poor children. Elizabeth Rigby Policy Analysis http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/10 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/10 Thu, 20 May 2010 12:11:00 PDT The fact that disadvantaged people generally die younger and suffer more disease than those with more resources is gaining ground as a major policy concern in the United States. Yet, we know little about how public values inform public opinion regarding policy interventions to address these disparities. This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of the public’s values and priorities as they relate to social inequalities in health. Forty-three subjects were presented with a scenario depicting health inequalities by social class and were given the opportunity to alter the distribution of health outcomes. Participants’ responses fell into one of three distributive preferences: (1) prioritize the disadvantaged; (2) equalize health outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged groups; and (3) equalize health resources between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. These equality preferences were reflected in participants’ responses to a second, more complex scenario in which tradeoffs with other health-related values—maximizing health and prioritizing the sickest—were introduced. In most cases, participants moderated their distributive preferences to accommodate these other health goals, particularly in order to prioritize the allocation of resources to the very sick regardless of their socio-economic status. Elizabeth Rigby Politics of Inequality http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/9 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/9 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:39:47 PDT Over recent decades, the American states have implemented electoral reforms making it easier for citizens to register and vote. This paper examines the “equality effects” of these reforms: the degree to which reform serves to equalize or further skew participation rates between the rich and poor. Using the Voter Supplement to the Current Population Survey, we generate state-level estimates of income bias in registration and voting for elections from 1978-2008. Findings support our theory that some electoral reforms promote equality, while others further stratify the electorate—particularly when state registration rolls are already unrepresentative in terms of income groups. Elizabeth Rigby Politics of Inequality http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/8 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/8 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:36:07 PDT Elizabeth Rigby Politics of Inequality http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/7 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/7 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:31:11 PDT Sharon Lynn Kagan Policy Analysis http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/6 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/6 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:19:05 PDT OBJECTIVE. To examine whether public support for government intervention to address health disparities varies when disparities are framed in terms of different social groups. METHOD. A survey experiment was embedded in a public opinion poll of Wisconsin adults. Respondents were randomly assigned to answer questions about either racial, economic, or education disparities in health. Ordered logit regression analyses examine differences across experimental conditions in support for government intervention to address health disparities. RESULTSs. Health disparities between economic groups received the broadest support for government intervention, while racial disparities in health received the least support for government intervention. These differences were explained by variation in how respondents perceived and evaluated health disparities between different social groups. CONCLUSION. Efforts to garner public support for policies aimed at eliminating health disparities should attend to the politics of social diversity, including the public’s disparate perceptions and evaluations of health disparities defined by different social groups. Elizabeth Rigby Politics of Inequality http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/5 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/5 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:02:35 PDT Elizabeth Rigby Policy Process http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/4 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/4 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:08 PDT Stephanie Roberts Politics of Inequality http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/3 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/3 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:56:57 PDT Colleen Grogan Policy Process http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/2 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/2 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:54:53 PDT Elizabeth Rigby Policy Analysis http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/1 http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_rigby/1 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:42:12 PDT This article tests a theory of how key characteristics of a policy tool under debate magnify the importance of particular elements of the policymaking context in U.S. states. In particular, it is expected that state use of more visible policy tools will depend on the economic context in the state, whereas state use of more coercive policy tools will vary with the ideological and partisan context in the state. These hypotheses are tested in a policy area for which states employ a range of distinct policy tools—early childhood education policy. Pooling data from all 50 states at four time points (N = 200), hierarchical linear models are estimated to examine the variation and change in states’ use of four policy tools—focusing in particular on the degree of visibility and coerciveness of each tool. As expected, wealthier states typically make use of more visible tools; however, when poorer states experienced economic growth, they expanded less visible policy tools more often than visible tools. Politically liberal states used the primary coercive tool more often than conservative states; less coercive tools expanded under Democratic Party control. This empirical test of commonly accepted theories of the politics of policy tool choices reveals complex relationships between politics and policy, contributing to a fuller description of how the characteristics of the policies under consideration can actually alter the way that “politics determines policy” and “policy determines politics” in U.S. states. Elizabeth Rigby Policy Process