Policy | Politics | Government | Teaching
Research
Interests
Policy
| Politics
| Government
| Teaching
My primary motivation for studying political science is to understand what government does and why. So, much of my research is devoted to the study of public policy, welfare and budget policy in particular. But, like most political scientists, I am a political junkie; a good deal of my research time is spent following current events in politics and government and considering ideas for reform. Most of my working hours, though, are dedicated to helping students learn about these subjects. Thus, I have an additional interest in research about effective teaching techniques. What follows is a more detailed discussion of my different research interests with some links for more information.
Policy
Welfare
Two questions guide my research on welfare: Why do states differ in what they do for the needy? Why did welfare reform happen when it did? The passage of welfare reform in 1996 generated renewed interest in state welfare policy and a wealth of data and information is now available on the web.
DHHS Administration for Children and Families
DHHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Human Services Policy
Wisconsin Works Program Resource Page
Welfare Reform Research Database (Wisconsin)
National Conference on State Legislatures
National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices
Midwest Welfare Peer Assistance Network (WELPAN)
Brookings Institution: Poverty and Welfare
Hudson Institute
State Policy Documentation Project
Urban Institute Issue Focus
Welfare Information Network
Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Stateline.org
U.S. State and Local Gateway
Electronic Policy Network Idea Central
The New York Times: Welfare Issue in Depth
The Washington Post: Welfare Links and Resources
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: W-2: Work or Else
Budget
My interest in public policy naturally leads me to the budget. The budget encompasses all of a government's policy priorities--on both the taxing and spending side--in one document. My research and teaching requires that I examine closely the national and state spending and revenue priorities. I find the following sources very helpful.
Office of Management and Budget
A Citizen's Guide to the Federal Budget
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Citizens Against Government Waste
The Concord Coalition
The Congressional Budget Office
National Priorities Project
The New York Times: The Budget in Depth
The New York Times: Social Security in Depth
Wisconsin Budget in Brief
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau
Civil Society
Welfare reform asked more of individuals receiving assistance and of communities providing help for those in need. It is this latter change--greater community responsibility for the needy--that has my attention. Have community service providers experienced increased demand for basic necessities? If so, have these communities been able to meet the increased demand? While those specific questions guide my research, I also take an interest in the related movement of recent years to restore civil society and civic involvement in the United States. Several neat web sources provide more information on what is being done.
Alliance for National Renewal
The American Prospect Common Wealth Series
Civic Practices Network
Institute for Civic Values
The National Civic League
News and Information
The world wide web has been an absolute wonder for political junkies like me. The problem is no longer about finding enough political information for research and teaching; the problem today is finding enough time to read it all! No list of sources for political news and information can be complete, but here are some of the best.
Reform
You don't have to follow politics for long to conclude that not all is right with the American political system. Rather than ignore these problems, I incorporate reform ideas into all of my courses. Here again, the web provides a perfect venue for reformers to introduce their ideas to the public.
Approval Voting Home Page
Brookings Institution: Campaign Finance Reform
Center for Public Integrity
Center for Voting and Democracy
Common Cause
The Constitution Project: The Election Reform Initiative
Midwest Democracy Center
The National Commission on Federal Election Reform
Proportional Representation Library
U.S. Term Limits
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
World Policy Institute's Americas Project: Electoral Systems
Lift the rocks of policy and politics and you find government. Governing institutions make policies in response to politics. So, it is necessary for me to study the branches of government in order to understand fully why policy is made the way it is. If you want to know more about your government, the following web sites provide a nice start.
Congress
The United States House of Representatives
The United States Senate
The Library of Congress: United States Legislative Branch
Center on Congress
Congressional Universe
CongressLink
Congress.org
C-SPAN
The New York Times: Congress
President
The White House
Library of Congress: United States Executive Branch
C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership
Grolier's The American Presidency
The New York Times: White House
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States
The Library of Congress: United States Judicial Branch
The Federal Judiciary Home Page
Oyez Oyez Oyez
The New York Times: Supreme Court
State and Local
Center for Public Integrity 50 States Project
GovSpot State Governments
Library of Congress: State and Local Governments
Piper Resources State and Local Governments on the Net
Wisconsin.gov
Wisconsin State Legislature
Wisconsin Governor
Wisconsin State Agencies
Wisconsin State Supreme Court
Wisconsin Cities, Towns, and Villages
The point of all this research for me is to help students understand the importance of government and politics in their lives. Effective teaching requires more than a mastery of the subject matter, however. In order to teach well it is necessary for me to know pedagogical techniques that allow my students to engage actively in the course materials. That's not easy; it is a constant challenge to create new assignments and projects and assess their effectiveness. I find some of the following web sites helpful to me in thinking about ways to teach more effectively.
Building Blocks of WebQuest
Center for Teaching Excellence
Change: the Magazine of Higher Learning
The Chronicle of Higher Education: Teaching
The Chronicle of Higher Education: Information Technology
Electronic Journal on Excellence in College Teaching
H-Net Teaching Resources
The National Teaching and Learning Forum
Teaching Politics: Techniques and Technologies
Teaching with Technology Today
UWP Online Journal of Teaching Excellence
| Professor Rodd Freitag Schneider 200E Phone: (715) 836-5044 Fax: (715) 836-2944 Updated: January 19, 2002 |
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