Flake Amendment to Prohibit NSF Funding of Political Science Passes House

LEGISLATIVE ALERT - May 16, 2012

On May 9, Rep. Flake (R-AZ) signaled his intent to try and eliminate the political science program at NSF. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to prohibit NSF political science funding. The House voted 218-208 (5 Democrats voted "yes," and 26 Republicans voted "no") to prohibit NSF from spending appropriated funds on the political science program.

The National Science Foundation’s political science program provides essential funding for cutting-edge social science research. As even Representative Flake (R-AZ) noted, “The work of political scientists advances the knowledge and understanding of citizenship and government, politics, and this shouldn't be minimized.”

The bill is full of policy riders that should prove unacceptable to the Senate and the White House. Please contact both of your Senator's immediately regarding the elimination of the political science program at NSF. Click here for a list of senators and their contact information. Write a letter to your Senators here by today.

LINKS
Send a letter to your Senators
Transcript of the Floor Debate of the Congressional Record (PDF)
The Monkey Cage Post by AJPS Editor Rick Wilson
2013 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
NSF Grants for Political Science Research
Washington Post Article on NSF Cuts
Talking Points about NSF & Political Science
Importance of Merit Review of NSF Proposals

Any questions about this can be sent to William Morgan (morgan at mpsanet dot org).

NSF Funded Research in the AJPS

Here’s a sampler of NSF-funded research appearing in the AJPS over the past several years. That research is addressing fundamental questions debated by politicians and policy makers alike. It is not irrelevant research that only matters for the narrow few.  Instead the research has very broad implications.  Read more...

Call for Papers and Proposals MPSA 2013

The 71st annual MPSA Conference will take place from Thursday, April 11, through Sunday, April 14, 2013, at the historic Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. The conference kicks off on Wednesday evening with a Welcome Reception. There are receptions each night culminating in the MPSA President's Reception on Saturday. As always, the hub of activity at the conference is the Exhibit Hall, open Thursday through Saturday. A free job placement service is also available to all registered conference attendees. Proposals must be submitted online using the 2013 Participation Proposal Form available on our website after September 1, 2012. The deadline for paper and roundtable proposals is October 5, 2012, and for poster proposals the deadline is November 30, 2012. For more information, click here.

Justice Stephen Breyer Featured Speaker at MPSA Conference

Justice Breyer presented the Pi Sigma Alpha lecture at the 70th Annual MPSA Conference held in Chicago. The lecture was presented in the Palmer House Hotel's Red Lacquer Ballroom. A capacity crowd was in attendance to hear Justice Breyer speak on his recently published book, Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View. Read more . . .

NIH's OBSSR Launches Online Resource on Behavioral and Social Science Research Methods

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) recently launched a web-based interactive anthology which will provide social and behavioral scientists (psychologists, sociologists, and economists, etc.) and other scientists with the latest research methods and tools to address emerging challenges in public health. The free resource, known as e-Source (http://www.esourceresearch.org) was created in collaboration with the New England Research Institutes.

National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Releases New Report

The report, "A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy’s Future," which was written at the invitation of the U.S. Department of Education, responds to concern about the nation’s civic health and calls for investing in higher education’s capacity to replenish our civic capital. Click here to view the report.

Nominations Invited for MPSA Officers and Council Members

President Nancy Burns has appointed the following individuals to serve as the Nominations Committee for officers and council members to be elected in 2013: Pradeep Chhibber, University of California, Berkeley (Chair); John Aldrich, Duke University; Cindy D. Kam, Vanderbilt University; Elaine B. Sharp, University of Kansas; and Suzanne Mettler, Cornell University.  Nominations are invited for President-elect (2013-2014), Vice President (2013-2015), and Council Members (2013-2016) for terms beginning in April 2013. Send a nomination letter and curriculum vitae by October 1, 2012, to the committee chair, Pradeep Chhibber (chhibber at berkeley dot edu).

To view conference papers, search the online program by name or browse by date or time. Look for the blue folder icon next to the title. Click on the blue icoin to download the paper and read it. If there is no blue icon by the title, the author did not upload his or her paper. For instructions on how to upload a paper, go to this page.

House and Senate Propose Legislation That Restricts Government Employees’ Participation in Conferences

Amendments have been included in the “Digital Accountability and Transparency Act” (H.R. 2146) in the House and the “21st Century Postal Service Act” (S. 1789) in the Senate that will limit participation in conferences by government employees. These amendments can damage essential links between research communities and the government, which will weaken the policy decisions and knowledge. The impact of Section 4, which limits any agency from expending funds on “more than a single conference sponsored or organized by an organization during any fiscal year” is especially challenging. Please contact your members of Congress and ask them to modify the language to allow federal employees to attend scientific and educational conferences held by scholarly associations.