Jody Baumgartner

Dr. Casey Fleming has a forthcoming article in Public Integrity that examines citizen reaction to rulebreaking among local government administrative officers, paying special attention to the identities and underlying motivations of the accused violators. A key punchline of this experimental evidence suggests citizens are significantly less outraged when city administrators skirt bureaucratic rules in order to advance some social benefit or the “public good” versus more self-interested ends. This is consistent with corruption studies that show the public is surprisingly unwilling to punish harshly certain politicians (notably, those on their “team”) when mired in scandal.

Abstract: Despite the serious demands for public organizations to maintain political accountability and bureaucratic responsiveness, rule breaking persists among employees across all levels. Unlike our deeper understanding of corruption of elected officials, myriad questions remain regarding the nature of public response to policy violations of government bureaucrats working in politically neutral administrative positions. This study uses a survey experiment to investigate factors influencing the intensity of citizens’ recommended punishments for rule-breaking local government managers, specifically testing the effects of managers’ demographic attributes of age, race, and gender as well as their motivations for the violations. Findings strongly suggest that motive matters to citizens in this context, with prosocial rule-breaking managers incurring significantly less harsh penalties than destructive rule-breakers for all age-race-gender profiles. However, an absence of demographic information nullifies penalty differences between prosocial and destructive rule-breaking managers. Among the demographic attributes, only the managers’ race predicted the severity of punishments favored by citizens. No interaction effects between manager attributes were present. Results suggest public communications emphasizing person and purpose are particularly important for local government managers in this context.

Looking for an internship to build skills for your career while also working towards positive social change? Apply to be part of the 2022 Democracy Summer internship class! at Democracy North Carolina, we believe that our fight does not end until every person feels empowered to use their voice. This summer, you could be a part of advancing that reality.

Democracy Summer is a life-changing, hands-on internship experience for college students from across the state. As an intern, you would receive a $5,000 stipend (taxable) as well as training to kickstart your career in social and political change. Democracy Summer is ideal for college students interested in working in social and economic justice, community-based advocacy, research, politics, law, nonprofits, or public service.

This year’s cohort of interns will work for 9-10 weeks in one of three departments: Organizing, Communications, or Advocacy & Research. Interns work with Democracy North Carolina’s staff and partners to:

• Empower local volunteers and amplify the work of community leaders
• Advocate for local, state, and national policies that improve democracy
• Gain familiarity with North Carolina’s power structure
• Practice new techniques in strategy, organizing, communication, research, and advocacy for social movements

“This internship allowed me to do hands-on advocacy in my community, and I know it’s made Western NC a better place” (Syd, Democracy Summer 2022)

Find more information about the program & apply here. Applications are due by 7 p.m. on Monday, March 14th.

Desmera Gatewood <desmera@democracync.org>
Organizing Program Manager, Democracy North Carolina

Democracy North Carolina is North Carolina’s voice for a government that is truly of, by, and for the people. With an innovative integration of research, organizing, and training, Democracy NC increases civic participation, reduces the influence of big money in politics, and removes systemic barriers to voting and serving in elected office

Dr. Austin Matthews, who will be joining our faculty in the fall of 2022, has recently co-authored an article in Political Violence at a Glance titled “The Logic of Autocratic Purges.”

Congratulations Matthew!

The article can be seen at https://politicalviolenceataglance.org/2022/01/10/the-logic-of-autocratic-purges/.

The deadline for registration and schedule adjustments – adding or dropping a class is this Friday, Jan. 14, at 5:00 pm.

Please contact your adviser with any questions.

Wishing you all the best for the upcoming semester

By renowned editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast, circa 1874: 

Caption: “An Ass, having put on the Lion’s skin, roamed about in the Forest, and amused himself by frightening all the foolish Animals he met with in his wanderings.”

“In this cartoon, artist Thomas Nast reacts to a series of editorials in the New York Herald criticizing what Herald owner/editor James Gordon Bennett Jr. considered to be President Ulysses S. Grant’s bid for an unprecedented third term.

“The image of the featured cartoon was inspired by, and the text taken from, one of Aesop’s fables, “The Ass in the Lion’s Skin.” … To Nast, the New York Herald is not a roaring lion to be feared, but a braying ass to be ridiculed. The reference in the to “Shakespeare or Bacon” is a jibe at Bennett’s contention that Shakespeare’s works were actually written by Sir Francis Bacon.

“Here, the New York Herald appears as an ass in a lion’s skin, whose ferocious presence frightens the “foolish animals” of the press, including The New York Times (unicorn), the New York Tribune (giraffe), and the New York World (owl). A skittish fox, representing the Democratic Party, has edged onto a reform plank near a gaping pit, by which the trumpeting elephant, symbolizing the Republican vote, lumbers.”

FROM: https://www.harpweek.com/09cartoon/browsebydatecartoon.asp?month=november&date=7

January 5, 1531: Pope Clement VII forbids King Henry VIII from remarrying. Pope Clement VII sends a letter to King Henry VIII of England forbidding him to remarry under penalty of excommunication. Henry, who was looking for a way out of his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, ignored the pope’s warning. He went on to marry Anne Boleyn (and four subsequent wives), leading to his excommunication and one of the most significant schisms in the history of Christianity.

January 5, 1968: Prague Spring begins in Czechoslovakia. Antonin Novotny, the Stalinist ruler of Czechoslovakia, is succeeded as first secretary by Alexander Dubcek, a Slovak who supports liberal reforms. In the first few months of his rule, Dubcek introduced a series of far-reaching political and economic reforms, including increased freedom of speech and the rehabilitation of political dissidents.

January 5, 1976: Pol Pot renames Cambodia. Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot announces a new constitution changing the name of Cambodia to Kampuchea and legalizing its Communist government. During the next three years his brutal regime was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1 to 2 million Cambodians.

The 15 week (standard) as well as the first 8-week block (1/2) semesters begin next week. Perhaps take this opportunity to check your schedule against your Degree Works record – to make sure if you are taking what you need to take, etc.?

Of course, contact your adviser with any questions.

IMPORTANT SOCIAL MEDIA NOTICE: Even social media directors occasionally go on vacation… and so did I.

No new posts until January 3rd.

Happy New Year!