Research Publications
Part of the NTRC's mission is to disseminate members' research to a wider audience. This page summarizes highlights from the diverse range of scholarly articles and papers published by our members each year. Explore the latest findings on these social science issues in this continuously growing catalogue.
If you are a member and would like your work highlighted here, please reach out to Evan Mistur at evan.mistur@uta.edu
2024
Santoro, L.R., Makse, T., & Sokhey, A. E. (2024). Linking Primary Voter Mindsets to General Election Enthusiasm. Political Behavior, 46(3), 1725-1745.
For decades scholars and pundits alike have been interested in questions about divisive presidential primaries. However, most analyses examine how campaigns cause these effects after the field has been winnowed – the implicit assumption is that negativity via events and advertising is consequential. While campaigns are likely the proximate cause of divisive primary effects, we argue that the behaviors involved – allowing displeasure with one election outcome to affect behavior in a subsequent election – demands attention to individual dispositions. Thus, we take a step back to consider what we miss when we overlook what is happening at the time of the large field, shining a spotlight on the mindsets of primary voters at the start of the process. To do so, we identify individuals who possess what we call the “divisive primary mindset,” which consists of two traits: (1) the degree to which they prefer one candidate over all others (“preference exclusivity”), and (2) the extent to which their affect for a candidate is indistinguishable from their assessment of that candidate’s electability (“wish fulfillment”). Using an original, nation-wide panel following Democratic voters from the 2020 primaries through the general election, we find that individuals with both these traits were more likely to be late deciders in the general, less likely to participate in activities outside of voting, and more likely to defect from Biden. We test the robustness of these findings to candidate-centric explanations and discuss the importance of understanding campaign dynamics in an era of hyper-partisanship and nationalized politics.
Adepu, N., Kermanshachi, S., Pamidimukkala, A., & Nwakpuda, E. (2024). Predicting construction schedule overruns during COVID-19 using ordinal logistic regression. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation.
Purpose – The effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the construction industry were formidable and far reaching, as the construction sector is a major contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP), which balances various sectors of the global economy, and to infrastructure growth, which is a primary gauge of a nation’s advancement. The outbreak led to workforce disruptions, worker deficits, dwindling efficiency, elongated project durations, and scarce opportunities for training and mentorship, and despite endeavors to mitigate these challenges, construction timelines experienced significant interruptions. Various researchers have pinpointed contributing elements, but few have constructed a predictive model to gauge the degree of impact.
Design/methodology/approach – Therefore, this research intends to fill by introducing an ordinal logistic regression method to forecast the impacts of a pandemic or other similar type of crisis. To achieve this, an online survey was developed and distributed to collect the perceptions of the construction engineers and managers about the diverse contributors to the exceeding project timelines during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
Findings – Findings from this study indicate that financial liquidity, modifications to original plans, delays in securing governmental clearances, and a shortage of competent labor have medium-to-high levels of impact on project schedules.
Originality/value – This study will furnish decision-makers with crucial knowledge that will give them the tools torefinetheirstrategiesandjudiciouslyallocateresourcestoovercometheuniquehurdlesencounteredby various construction segments and will enhance the industry’s capability to respond more effectively to challenges inherent in this type of crisis.
Bram, Curtis. (forthcoming). Elitism Vs. Populism. Cambridge Elements.
Who is more committed to democracy: the people or the elites? Critics of populism and advocates of elitist democracy often place greater confidence in political elites than in the general public. However, this trust may be misplaced. In five experiments with local politicians, state legislators, and members of the public, I find a similar willingness across all groups to entrench their party’s power when given the opportunity—a self-serving majoritarianism that transcends partisan lines. This tendency is strongest among committed ideologues, politicians running in highly competitive districts, and those who perceive opponents as especially threatening. Local elected officials even appear more focused on securing their party’s next presidential victory than on opposing bans against their political rivals. These findings challenge the conventional mass/elite dichotomy, revealing little differences in undemocratic attitudes. Safeguarding democracy likely requires shifting focus from those individual attitudes—whether among elites or the public—to strengthening institutional restraints against majority abuses.
Kim, J. (2024). Funding Mechanisms for State Road Maintenance. Public Works Management & Policy, 1087724X241287493.
The deferred maintenance practices for road infrastructure will result in increasing life-cycle costs and deteriorating economic productivity. Governments have addressed the issue by expanding revenue sources, but we don’t know much about the revenue allocation mechanisms. This research reviewed 50 states’ constitutions and statutes to find the similarities and differences in the institutional features of the funding mechanisms for road maintenance. As of 2020, it found that ten states had strict earmarking mechanisms. Furthermore, this research found wide variations in the designs of 50 states’ transportation/highway trust funds and their uses. The research developed the eight propositions to examine the relationship between the funding mechanisms and state highway maintenance spending. Overall. This research contributes to the current literature and policymakers to enhance our understanding of the funding mechanisms of 50 states for road maintenance.