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The SPE Newsletter May 2008 [ Download the PDF version of the newsletter ]
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATES We are pleased to report that we have had an excellent year in SPE as we closed out this semester with our Eighty-First Annual Commencement Ceremony and SPE Graduation Reception. We graduated 32 PhD and 37 MA students this academic year and our incoming class for the fall semester 2008 looks strong. Our interfield PhD program in Politics and Economics continues to have a strong demand and we now have more than fifty students enrolled. As a consequence of the high demands for the interfield PhD, we have created a new interfield political economy administrative unit to be headed by Professor Tom Willett. This will draw on faculty from the politics and economics departments and have several of the professional masters’ degree programs such as the MA in Politics, Economics and Business as well as the interfield PhD. We are now working on the development of a new Master of Arts in Economics with a concentration in global, commerce and finance. We recently received a grant of $200,000 for seed money for this new program within the Claremont Institute of Economics Policy Studies on China Commerce and Finance and Asian Political Economy. CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER One of the themes being emphasized across CGU is our leadership in convening conversations that matter. Four (4) of those conversations in which SPE has been a leader are highlighted in the following section. Asian Cooperation In November, we helped organize a workshop in Washington, D.C. funded by the Korean Institute for International Economic Policy Studies that brought together a number of leading academics and officials from national governments and international organizations to discuss strategies for increasing regional cooperation on monetary and financial issues in Asia.		NEW DEAN SEARCH UNDERWAY IN SPE \| Provost Yi Feng announced that Dean Thomas Willett would be completing his term as dean of SPE at the end of the spring semester 2008. Because of his joint appointment at Claremont McKenna College, Dean Willett had only been able to accept the deanship on a short term basis to help shepherd our strategic planning process. Provost Feng expressed to Dean Willett on behalf of the senior administration at CGU, faculty and staff in SPE our sincerest gratitude and heartfelt sentiments for his leadership and service to the School. Provost Feng has appointed a Dean Search Committee which includes two CGU Trustees, one SPE board member, one CGU dean, as well as full-time SPE faculty. The search committee is headed by Board of Visitors Chairman Michael Hertel. The Dean Search Ad has appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education and in several other publications and websites. The search is now underway and any nominations should be sent to Sandra Seymour, Assistant to the Dean in SPE.
This dialogue will be continued at a conference in September where Professor Tom Willett will present a paper coauthored with SPE students, Orawan Permpoon and Nancy Srisorn, who will be completing their dissertations this summer and returning to Thailand to work in the Foreign Ministry. Another of the participants will be SPE alum Nephil Maskay who is deputy Director of Research at the Central Bank of Nepal. Mental Models A second area in which we are promoting continuing conversations is the role of different mental models, or theories, or views of the world in shaping policy discussions. Applying this approach to the discussions of the spread of market-oriented policies was the major theme of our recent book (Ravi Roy, Arthur Denzau, and Tom Willett, eds., Neoliberalism National and Regional Experiments with Global Ideas, Routledge 2007, which was recently released in a paperback edition. We are now focusing our continued dialogue on broader issues of globalization and efforts to use the concept of mental models to help bridge some of the standard divides within economic and political science scholarship. The latter was the focus of a standing room only session that we organized for the recent annual meetings of the International Studies Association in San Francisco. SPE panelists were Art Denzau, Jacek Kugler, Ravi Roy, Lew Snider, and Tom Willett, joined by several other leading scholars from the field of international political economy. We plan to continue discussions at the Annual Meetings of the American Political Science Association in Boston, August 28 - 31, 2008. Any alumni or other friends of SPE who would be interested in participating in these informal discussions please contact Ravi Roy at Ravi.Roy@cgu.edu. Please join us for a CGU Alumni Reception at APSA Annual Meetings on Thursday evening, August 28th the location to be announced later. ELECTION UPDATE CGU Great Conversations that Matter: The 2008 California Presidential Primary Roundtable On February 1, 2008, four days before the California Primary, but post-Iowa Caucus, a panel of leading experts from politics, media and the academy engaged the audience in a high-level discussion about the Presidential race, covering strategy, media role, and the historic dimensions of this election. The conversation offered a comprehensive view of the election, prospects for success of various candidates, California’s new role in the election process and how scholarly research can help to shed light on related political dynamics. Karen May, SPE Director of Development coordinated this event with SPE board member John Emerson. The event generated a wonderful response from those invited. The Roundtable featured: JOHN EMERSON – Executive at The Capital Group, Democratic strategist, Clinton White House, and Board of Visitors member for the CGU School of Politics & Economics (SPE). LINDA BREAKSTONE – Veteran reporter of the last seven presidential campaigns, from 1980-2004; former political editor KCBS-TV, KABC-TV and L.A. Herald Examiner; primarily covered George W. Bush in last two elections SHERRY BEBITCH JEFFE – KNBC Channel 4 political analyst, Senior Scholar, USC School of Policy, Planning and Development, CGU SPE alumna and former faculty PROFESSOR JEAN SCHROEDEL, SPE faculty – speaking on Hillary Clinton and women in political leadership, on religion and politics PROFESSOR JENNIFER MEROLLA, SPE faculty – speaking on voting behavior, demographics, Latino voters, and her recent survey on attitudes toward Romney Political Economy Indicators Another area of continued conversations concerns efforts to improve the quality of measures of institutions and political and policy variables for use in empirical political economy research starting with Jacek Kugler’s development with the late A.F.K. Organski of the concept of political capacity. SPE has been in the forefront of efforts by economists and political scientists to develop better measures to study issues of the relationships between political and institutional factors and a wide range of aspects of economic performance such as economic growth, inflation, and the avoidance of currency and financial crisis. Papers outlining many of these contributions by SPE faculty, students, alumni, and research associates will be contained in a forthcoming book, “Political Economy Indicators,” co edited by SPE alum King Banaian and Bryan Roberts to be published by Palgrave MacMillan due to be released later on this year. A second volume is in preparation focusing on the measurement of International Financial Policies and Interactions. Contributions from these efforts will be presented at a set of sessions at the Western Economics Association meetings to be held in Hawaii June 29-July 3, 2008. Alums and friends of SPE who will be attending these meetings should contact Lynda Marquez at Lynda.Marquez@cgu.edu so we can arrange to get together. As part of a collaborative effort with Claremont McKenna, Pomona and Scripps colleges, SPE cosponsored this year’s meeting of the Political Economy of International Finance group held in Claremont. This was an invitation only workshop of leading economists and political scientists from the US and abroad working in the area of international monetary and financial relations which has been meeting annually for over a decade. In connection with the workshop, two public talks were scheduled, one on “Crisis Lending, Moral Hazard, and IMF Conditionality” by Jeromin Zettelmeyer, a top economist from the International Monetary Fund and the other by Barry Eichengreen, Professor of Economics and Political Science at UC Berkeley on “The Collapse of the Euro Area.” NEW DEVELOPMENTS By Karen May We have several exciting new developments to report. First is the recent completion of a major gift from an international investment firm to support the development of the new Master of Arts in Economics concentration in Global Commerce and Finance and a new research program on “China Global Commerce and Finance,” under the Claremont Institute for Economic Policy Studies (CIEPS). Dr.Jingjing Xu, a leading expert on Chinese Finance and Investment, will be joining us as a Senior Research Fellow to help develop the program and research agenda. It’s an exciting model that we plan to replicate for other areas, such as a research focus on India. SPE also received a large gift from an individual donor to support the TransNational Consortium project, which is spearheaded by Professor Jacek Kugler. This will be used to support research assistants and faculty research investigating the rise of China and India, and provincial level data analysis of “Real Political Capacity” in many different countries. We should also note that several smaller gifts have come in to support some much needed rehab in the SPE offices. In honor of beloved alumnus Tom Rimrodt who recently passed away, a group of Tom’s friends and SPE alums organized donations for the rehab of the SPE computer lab. Enough money was raised for the physical rehab, and we have received a generous donation from our newest Board of Visitors member, SPE alum Dr. John Thomas, Dean of the School of Business at LaSierra University toward the purchase of computer equipment. Our financial goal is $7,500 to complete this project, which will give our faculty and students cutting-edge equipment for complex data analysis. We are also raising money to support a facelift for the Blair Room – the front room of SPE where so many “great conversations” take place. We have initial donations from alumni Henry Pacheco, Richard Santillan, and Joan Chamberlin, who were all students of the late beloved Professor George Blair. We are encouraging all alumni who knew Professor Blair to chip in to this project – one of the goals of the rehab is to devote a corner of the room to Blair’s work and legacy. If you knew Dr. Blair, please email Karen.M.May@cgu.edu with your ideas about what should be included. SPE alumni were able to attend the SPE-organized panel of Blair “mentees” on April 26th, with Carlos Muñoz, Henry Pacheco, and Richard Santillan, who had many wonderful stories to tell about how Professor Blair impacted their lives and subsequent work in Latino politics and civil rights. (More Information) It’s an exciting time for SPE’s growth. Please email SPE Director of Development Karen May at Karen.M.May@cgu.edu with any questions or thoughts on the developments above. NEW SPE BOARD MEMBER At its recent Board of Visitors Meeting held April 14, 2008, Michael Hertel, Chairman welcomed Dr.John Thomas, Dean of the School of Business, LaSierra University and SPE alum as a new member to the board. THE FLAME MAGAZINE This month’s Flame Magazine features SPE Board of Visitors Chairman Michael Hertel’s presentation, “What Works in Solving the Problem of Global Warming.” CGU announces Alfred Balitzer (SPE Board of Visitor member) as its newest trustee. SPE Faculty featured include Jennifer Merolla, Jean Schroedel, Paul Zak and Clinical Professor Mark Abdollahian speaking on “Predicting Politics.” For full details on all featured articles visit the CGU website at http://www.cgu.edu/flame SPE FACULTY SEARCHES COMPLETED We are pleased to report we have successfully completed our search for three faculty positions and we look forward to them joining us on July 1, 2008. They are very fine young scholars and all three are an easy fit into our transdisciplinary focus: Benoy Jacob, University of Illinois – Public Policy Gyung-Ho Jeong, Washington University – International Political Economy Eunyoung Ha, UCLA – Comparative Politics FACULTY UPDATE THOMAS BORCHERDING Tom Borcherding is working on a project to determine how the new behavioral economics is affecting the paradigm to revise how economists do policy analysis in collaboration with SPE student, Soomi Lee, a PhD candidate in Economics and Politics. He states that he agrees with Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in their new book, “Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness,” but explores more how non-government institutions develop to internalize the psychological impediments to rational and efficient individual choice. He presented these ideas at a recent seminar at the University of Cincinnati. DEAN MCHENRY, JR. Dean McHenry has presented the following papers: “Are Unity and Human Rights compatible? The Continuing Impact of the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar on Human Rights,” presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association in New York, October 2007. “Is Economic Inequality a foundation of Separatist Identity? An Examination of Successful and Unsuccessful Movements in India,” presented at the Annual Meeting of Asian Studies on the pacific Coast (ASPAC) in Honolulu, Hawaii, June 2007. JENNIFER MEROLLA Jennifer Merolla is working on several projects seeking to understand how the environment shapes citizen attitudes, evaluations and behavior. She is also undertaking another big project, with Elizabeth Zechmeister, University of California, Davis that looks at how national security crises affect decision making processes. They have a book manuscript out under review at University of Chicago Press. Jennifer’s work on Canada and Mexico has appeared this past year in Electoral Studies and Politica y Gobierno. Jennifer recently completed an article, Crisis, Charisma & Consequences: Evidence from the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election, Jennifer Merolla, Jennifer Ramos & Elizabeth Zechmeister in the Journal of Politics, Vol. 69, No. 1, February 2007, pp30-42. In February, Jennifer gave a presentation at Vanderbilt University on, “A Symphony of Faith in the 2008 Republican Presidential Primary.” This was based on research conducted with Brett Benson and John Geer of Vanderbilt University. In March, she collaborated on a research project relating oxytocin to trust in politics, with Sheila Ahmadi and Paul J. Zak, which was presented at the Conference on Biology and Politics in Champaign, Illinois. Also in March, she presented two papers at the Western Political Science Association meetings related to a project on immigration attitudes with Adrian Pantoja, of Pitzer College, which has funding from a Blais Grant. One of these papers looks at the effect of media frames on political participation and includes two graduate student co-authors, Ivy Melgar and Juana Mora. Finally, in April, she presented two papers at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science association. One paper, co-authored with Laura B. Stephenson, and Elizabeth Zechmeister, examines the effect of party cues on political behavior in Canada. Another paper, co-authored with Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, won the Latino Caucus best paper award. In the paper, they explore the relationship between immigrant assimilation and participation in the American political system. JEAN SCHROEDEL Jean Schroedel has had two recent publications. Jean published a chapter with Sue Thomas entitled "Social and Institutional Expectations," in an edited book, Rethinking Madam President: Are We Ready for a Woman in the White House? Jean is quoted as saying, “In this chapter, we show that both Democratic and Republican women face substantial obstacles in running for president. When one looks at the Electoral College math and the propensity of states to elect women to political office, it is much more difficult for female candidates than male candidates.“ Jean also published an article with colleagues, Jennifer Merolla and Mirya Holman, SPE PhD Doctoral Candidate entitled, "The Paradox of Protestantism and Women in Elected Office in the United States" in the Journal of Women, Politics and Policy. Jean has had several speaking engagements at conferences and made several paper presentations in the last few months. “Women in Elected Office: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?” presented at the Women and Leadership Panel at Claremont Graduate University, April 26, 2008. Presentation on the film, Lake of Fire, at the Scripps College Humanities Film Series, April 24, 2008. “Is the Media Biased Against Hillary Clinton?” presented at the Gender and Race in the Democratic Primaries Event, at Pomona College, March 28, 2008. “Is the United States Ready for Madam President?” Address at the Women’s History Event, at Mount San Antonio College, March 12, 2008. “Can a Woman Be Elected President of the United States?” a keynote address to the Annual Democratic Women of the Desert Luncheon, February 4, 2008, Palm Desert, California. “Women in Political Leadership: Are We Ready for a Madam President?” an address at the CGU Great Conversations that Matter: The 2008 California Presidential Primary, February 1, 2008 in Los Angeles. Jean was the featured guest speaker for several media presentations: Commentator on the Pennsylvania Democratic primary on “Intersection of Faith and Reason” show hosted by Frank Pastore, April 22, 2008 and broadcast throughout southern California on KKLA. Commentator on the race and gender issues in the Democratic primaries on “Intersection of Faith and Reason” show hosted by Frank Pastore, March 25, 2008 and broadcast throughout southern California on KKLA. Commentator on the presidential primaries on “In the Morning Show” hosted by Dennis Baxter and Paul Lane on KCAA, February 13, 2008. Commentator on the Super Tuesday election returns for Fox 11 News Webcast on February 5, 2008. Guest on the Gary Stone Show on K News (970AM, 1140AM, and 1250AM), which is the most popular news program in the Inland Empire and Desert region, on January 30, 2008. The topic was Hillary Clinton’s prospects in the Super Tuesday primary states. Commentator on the 2008 presidential campaign and Super Tuesday primaries on “Intersection of Faith and Reason” show hosted by Frank Pastore, January 30, 2008 and broadcast throughout southern California on KKLA. Commentator on the New Hampshire presidential primary on “In the Morning Show” hosted by Dennis Baxter and Paul Lane on KCAA, January 9, 2008. Commentator on the 2008 presidential campaign and early primaries on “Intersection of Faith and Reason” show hosted by Frank Pastore, January 9, 2008 and broadcast throughout southern California on KKLA. LEWIS SNIDER In addition to attending the 49th Annual Meetings of the International Studies Association in San Francisco, March 26 – 29, 2008, Lewis gave two presentations: (1) Roundtable: “Bridging the Constructivist and Rationalist Divide in IPE through Shared Mental Models,” and his presentation, “Mental Models and Rational Choice in Analyzing Contemporary International Relations.” (2) Panel: “India’s Foreign Policy,” his presentation (conference paper): “Analyzing Contemporary US—India Relations through a Mental Model Approach.” He participated at an invitation-only conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Director of National Intelligence, “Open Sector Symposia: Strengthing Open Source Efforts with Academic Partners,” The Westin Washington Hotel—City Center, April 21, 2008. ANNETTE STEINACKER Annette Steinacker has several articles and publications due to be published later this year and under submission: "Institutional Collective Action and Economic Development Joint Ventures." with Richard Feiock and Hyung Jun Park. Public Administration Review, forthcoming 2008. The following papers have been submitted for publication, "The Institutional Collective Action Perspective on Metropolitan Fragmentation: Market Failures, Incentive Compatibility, and Sources of Transaction Costs," Journal of Urban Affairs. "Economic Growth in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: Assessment of Porter's Competitive Advantage of Cities. Economic Development Quarterly. (Work funded by Haynes Faculty Fellowship). "Prospect Theory and Problem Framing in the Case of Externality Issues," Policy Sciences. TOM WILLETT Tom Willett published a paper on “The Debates over in RMB and Global Imbalances: Sense and Nonsense.” In The Chinese Banker, a publication widely read in China’s financial community. This was based on his keynote address at a conference in Beijing, China co-organized by the People’s Bank of China (the central bank) and the Central University of Finance and Economics. He also published a technical research paper co-authored with two recent SPE PhD alums, Penny Angkinand and Eric Chiu in the latest issue of Open Economics Review. The paper documents that some types of exchange vote regions are much more crisis prone than others. Professor Willett presented a paper coauthored with two recent SPE alums, Jie Li of the Central University of Economics and Finance in Beijing and Ozan Sula of Western Washington University at the International Conference on Global Liquidity Issues cosponsored by the Santa Cruz Center for International Economics and the Review of International Economics. The paper presents a new framework for analyzing the adequacy of international reserves for emerging market countries in our world of large and volatile international capital flows. PAUL ZAK Paul Zak was featured on ScienCentral, which has distribution deals with ABC affiliates around the world on what he calls “the Generosity Hormone, Oxytocin.” According to estimates, the video was close to a site record in terms of pickups by ABC science producers, and reached an estimated 8 million homes. Publications: Paul Zak’s new book “Moral Markets: The Critical Role of Values in the Economy,” was released February 1, 2008. Articles: “The Neuroeconomics of Distrust: Sex Differences in Behavior and Physiology,” by Paul Zak, Karla Borja, William Matzner and Robert Kurzban. “Hormone May Have Link to Generosity,” for ABC News Medical Unit. “Oxytocin Increases Generosity in Humans,” by Paul Zak, Angela Stanton and Sheila Ahmadi in Plos One. Public Lecture Presentations: “Why be a Neurologist?” at Loma Linda University Medical Student Association, February 19, 2008. “Moral Markets,” Skeptics Society, Pasadena, February 17, 2008. “The Neuroscience of Virtue and Vice,” Riverside County Bar Association, Riverside, February 15, 2008. “Neuroeconomics: Your Brain in the Market,” Los Angeles Certified financial Planners Association, Los Angeles, January 17, 2008. STUDENTS AND ALUMNI Angela A. Stanton (PhD, Economics, 2007) was invited by the Max Planck Institute of Economics at Jena, Germany, to be a visiting research fellow for the summer of 2008 and then later to complete her postdoctoral fellowship at the same institute. Her research will focus on developing the foundations of a new field—Neuroentrepreneurship that will evaluate what exactly it is that makes an entrepreneur different from those without its spirit and passion. Neuroentrepreneurship will use the tools of neuroeconomics, behavioral and experimental economics to probe a new understanding of what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Armen Orujyan Appointed as United Nations eLeader (MAPP 2004/PhD Political Science 2007) The United Nations has appointed ATHGO President and Chairman Dr. Armen Orujyan as an eLeader for ICT and Youth to help support the UN’s efforts in promoting the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to eradicate poverty and advance development. In making the appointment, Mr. Sarbuland Khan, Executive Coordinator of UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)-Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), praised Dr. Orujyan as “an outstanding youth leader” who has “vision, high commitment and wide experience in ICT-for-development activities” that will contribute greatly to the work of UNDESA-GAID. Dr. Orujyan recently spoke at GAID’s “UN Meets Web 2.0,” a conference exploring new media, entrepreneurs, and ICT opportunities in emerging markets at the UN headquarters in New York. He will also be speaking on several panels at its upcoming Annual Meeting and Global Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 18-20. Brian McGowan (PhD Political Science candidate) presented a workshop on “Leaders on Leadership and Teamwork,” on the CGU campus Thursday, April 10, 2008. Brian was appointed as California's Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Commerce by Governor Schwarzenegger in December 2007. McGowan officially began his position at the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency in January of 2008. Prior to his appointment, McGowan was the Economic Development Agency Administrator for the County of San Bernardino; Economic Development Manager for the City of Ontario for five years; and Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Palm Springs for six years. McGowan's broad experience in the field of economic development has allowed him to create and implement comprehensive and award winning marketing/public relations campaigns, workforce development initiatives, business retention/expansion programs, and support networks for businesses and entrepreneurs. He has championed international initiatives for local governments. He created the Palm Springs Foreign Trade Zone and led a series of trade missions to China for both the City of Ontario and County of San Bernardino. In addition, McGowan helped build trade ties with Mexico, and has assisted Bulgaria and Serbia in creating economic development programs through the United States Agency for International Development. Ali Massoud (PhD in Economics 2003) is working to improve Egypt, where he is designing strategic plans to develop the poorest regions there. An assistant professor at Assiut University, Massoud is working hard to develop undergraduate education all over Egypt. The 35-year-old has established his own consultancy, South Valley for Economic Studies and Capacity Building. He’s also an economic and strategic planning advisor for the United Nations Development Program, United Nations Human Settlements Program, USAID, the Canadian International Development Agency, and the Ministry of Education in Egypt. To top things off, Massoud is preparing for a run for the Egyptian Parliament. “I’ve been developing many very good relations with the government of Egypt and many governors,” he said. “I am playing a vital role now in restructuring the way the government of Egypt provides its services.” Massoud, a native of Egypt, came to the states in 1999 specifically to attend CGU. His future goals are to not only move up the ranks at Assiut and to establish branches of his consultancy firm in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman. Additionally, he wants to establish a factory for producing a type of honey from the sugar cane. “I really should say that my experience at CGU has changed my life forever. I would love to visit soon. Maybe after the election takes place." Deidre Sanders (PhD Political Science 2008) Deidre Sanders was appointed as the Environmental Justice Program Manager for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, headquartered in San Francisco in September, 2007. She works in the Environmental Policy Group and is broadly tasked with refining the company’s implementation of its environmental justice policy. Additionally, she develops strategies and implementation plans to help the company exercise leadership on issues at all levels of government, as well as other environmental policy initiatives. She provides direct policy support to the company’s Vice President of Diversity, Bill Harper, who is a member of the USEPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Before joining Pacific Gas and Electric Company Deidre worked for Southern California Edison for seven years in various business groups, including Environmental Affairs, Community Involvement, and Market Research. Deidre also previously worked for the federal government as a policy analyst and her undergraduate degree in International Relations and History is from the University of Southern California. Karlos Chavez (MA Economics 2008) Karlos recently accepted an offer to work for Jacobs Engineering Group as a Corporate Business Analyst with the global sales organization. He will be responsible for providing various analytical functions to the corporate management team and studying the economic trends within the company's industry. Desmonette Hazly (PhD Political Science candidate) doctoral student in the Department of Politics and Policy is featured in the current edition of the Flame Magazine commenting on her research link between economic conditions and the development of parallel informal governments and economies among terrorists. The full article can be accessed from the CGU website at http://www.cgu.edu/flame Karen May (IPhD Economics-Political Science) co-authored a chapter with SPE Senior Research Fellow Professor Hilton Root, published in a new book from Cambridge University Press called Rule By Law: The Politics of Courts in Authoritarian Regimes. Their chapter is called "Judicial Systems and Economic Development." (Amazon link) We are pleased to announce that Kyungkook Kang (PhD Political Science) is one of the recipients of the CGU General and Transdisciplinary Dissertation Grant Awards for 2008. The title of his dissertation, “Exploring Generalized Explanations of Deterrence Failure: Why do Actors Engage in Extreme Wars?” These grants, ranging from $8000 - $10,000, are awarded annually on a competitive basis to advanced (all but dissertation) doctoral students. The grants are intended to facilitate the more rapid completion of highly promising and distinctive dissertation projects. Carlos Munoz, (PhD Government 1973) Carlos announced the release of his revised and expanded 2nd edition of his book, "Youth, Identity, Power: The Chicano Movement," published in 2007. The 1st edition of the book underwent 12 printings and was a major resource for the PBS television series Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. Carlos’ book won the Gustavus Myers Book Award for “outstanding scholarship in the study of human rights in the Untied States” and has become the classic study of the origins of the Movement. Dr. Muñoz is currently working on several new books: Diversity and The Challenge for a Multiracial Democracy In America, a biographical novel on The Life & Times of Dr. Ernesto Galarza (the first Mexican American nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature), and his autobiography Victory is in the Struggle. Charmaine Jackson Mercer (MAP 1998/PhD Political Science-Education 2003) has been appointed to the Committee on Appropriations for the House of Representatives. Chris Kofinis (MAPP 1997/PhD Political Science 2000) former communications Director for John Edwards often appears as a guest analyst for Fox News covering the current presidential election. He also co-authored a book “The Art of the Game: Understanding Public Policy,” (InfoTrac) with Stella Theodoulou which was published in October, 2003. Christopher Schutte (MAP 2003) (taken from Anchorage Daily News-Alaska) Anchorage Downtown Partnership Ltd. announced Christopher Schutte as its new executive director. Schutte served ADP as the policy and communications director since 2005. Before coming to ADP, he worked as the deputy research director for the Tony Knowles for U.S. Senate campaign. He graduated with honors from the University of Alaska Anchorage and Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif. Daniel Jordan (MAPP 1996/PhD Political Science 1999) has been appointed new city finance director for the city of La Canada, Flintridge. Dan made an impression on city staff during an internship with the city about 15 years ago and his subsequent academic and career accomplishments garnered him the position as the city’s first director of finance. David P. Weiss, (PhD Political Science 2006) David will join the faculty of the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Fitchburg State College, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in the fall of 2008. With an extensive background in the criminal justice field, including two years as a visiting fellow with the U.S. Department of Justice, Mr. Weiss will be teaching criminal justice classes; classes include law enforcement, corrections and victimology. Mr. Weiss credits, among others, his dissertation committee members for seeing him to successful fruition, and reflects on CGU as "one of the best decisions of my life." Dr. Jem Spectar (PhD Political Science 1999) Dr. Jem Spectar was inaugurated as the fifth president of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown on Friday, September 28, 2007. With an outstanding leadership record, Dr. Spectar has been provost at Western Oregon University; associate provost of academic affairs at the University of Scranton; director of studies at Princeton University; and assistant dean of students at the University of La Verne. In announcing Dr. Spectar’s appointment, Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg offered, “Dr.Spectar is a visionary leader and celebrated teacher with the skills and experience necessary to build effectively upon the strengths of our Johnstown campus and to enrich the lives of students, faculty, staff and administration.” Cameroon, West African native Dr. Spectar received his BA in international studies from the University of La Verne; the MBA from Frostburg State University; the MA from The George Washington University; the JD from the University of Maryland Law School; and the MA in politics and the PhD in political science from Claremont Graduate University. During his distinguished career, Dr. Spectar has published numerous articles on international law and made presentations focusing on the world’s disadvantaged, international human rights and global health issues. Maria Tzintzarova (PhD Political Science 2008) has just accepted a one-year visiting faculty position at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ravi Roy (MAPP 1997/PhD Political Science 2000) Ravi has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia where he will be teaching Political and Economic Development. He will continue to work with SPE faculty on phase II of the Mental Models project in putting together another edited volume on this theme for Routledge Press. Samih Azar (MAEconomics 1990/PhD Economics 1998) is currently an Associate Professor at Haigazian University in Beirut has had two collections of essays published by the Haigazian University Press. The first, Collection of Essays in Economics, 2007, covers a wide range of monetary and macroeconomics issues, while the second, Collection of Essays in Financial Economics, 2008, covers a number of important issues in domestic and international finance. Shereef Ellaboudy (MAIPE/PhD Interfield Economics-Political Science May 2008) Shereef was offered an assistant professor faculty position in Economics at the University of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. As a PhD Candidate, he was able to publish three times with his faculty advisor Professor Art Denzau and fellow PhD Candidate at CGU Mahmoud Khalil at the International Research Journal of Finance and Economics and The European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences. He is currently teaching International Relations at California State University in Pomona CA and Economics at Chaffey College. Shereef is the author of several publications, here are the web links to my publications: European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, ISSN 1450-2887 Issue 8 (2007) and the International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, ISSN 1450-2887 Issue 12 (2007): http://www.eurojournals.com/irjfe%2012%20mahm.pdf http://www.eurojournals.com/ejefas8.pdf Susan Orr, (PhD Government 1992) Susan was appointed to head President Bush’s, Family Planning Program (published online – Washington Post – October 17, 2007). Susan was most recently an associate commissioner in the Administration for Children and Families was appointed to be acting deputy assistant secretary for population affairs. She will oversee $283 million in annual grants to provide low-income families and others with contraceptive services, counseling and preventive screenings. Wanvimol (Mon) Sawangngoenyuang (PhD Economics 2008) has accepted a position at the Central Bank of Thailand, where she joins Sam (Pariyate) Potchamonawong who completed his dissertation last year. Both are working on papers extending their dissertation research. Sam contributed to a survey paper on measured capital controls with Professor Willett and alum Sunil Rongala, and current PhD student Joshua Walton that is forthcoming in the book on Political Economy Indicators, co-edited by alum King Banaian. Mon is at work on several papers on financial liberalization with members of her dissertation committee: Tom Willett, Clas Wihlborg, and Penny Angkinand. IN MEMORIUM We are saddened to note the passing of SPE alums: Carol Baker Tharp (PhD Political Science-Religion 2003), longtime faculty member and deputy director of the Civic Engagement Initiative at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, died of breast cancer on November 25, 2007 at her home. She was 55. Tharp, who served as executive director of CORO Southern California prior to joining SPPD, brought her expertise as a teacher, administrator and civic activist to the school. Thomas Rimrodt (PhD Political Science Candidate) Tom passed away October 10, 2007 at the age of 41. A number of SPE alumni who were friends of Tom have raised just over $5,000 towards the renovation of the SPE Student Research Lab located next to the Edward Balitzer Boardroom in Harper East 215. We are endeavoring to raise additional funds to complete the upgrade and dedicate the room in Tom’s memory whom we warmly referred to as “The Big Guy.” Tom was a Republican campaign manager who had been an assistant secretary in the Maryland Department of Planning until early 2007, died of brain cancer at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. "He lived life to the fullest," said his friend Casi Tomarchio of Forest Hill. "He loved being around people. "He was very interested in what grass-roots Republicans had to say and made sure the upper levels of the party heard that," said his wife of 17 years, the former Sheryl Hurston. PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS The South Asia Studies Association (SASA) held its annual conference and meeting March 29th and 30th at Claremont Graduate University. The theme of the conference was “EAST AND WEST ENTWINED,” the panels covered a very wide range of subjects. These ranged from “Mountbatten and the British Media at Indian Independence,” to “From Victim to Violator: An Analysis of Women’s Involvement in Collective Warfare through a Study of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka” to “The Politics of Water Conservation and Watershed Development in Rural Rajasthan,” to “In Pursuit of Democracy: Pakistan’s Classic Dilemma.” Indeed, Wendy Martin, Associate Provost for Transdisciplinary Studies at CGU, remarked at the first luncheon that what was taking place fit precisely into CGU’s encouragement of transdisciplinarity and the development of “great conversations.” Attendees came from virtually all parts of the world. SPE graduate and La Sierra University professor, Siddharth Swaminathan, presented a paper entitled “Bridging the Gap: Political Capacity and the Demographic Transition in India’s States.” The local co-hosts were CGU graduate Deepak Shimkhada and SPE Professor Dean McHenry, Jr. Both presented papers and chaired panels. Dr. Shimkhada presented a paper entitled “Clock Wrapped in a Colonial Flag,” while Dr. McHenry presented a paper entitled “Can Separation Lead to Integration? The Impact of the Extension of Reservation and the Creation of Small States on National Identity in India.” Dr. Shimkhada chaired a panel on “Gender, Imperialism and Partition,” while Dr. McHenry chaired a roundtable on “Diaspora Banking, Venture Capital and Economic Development.” The International Studies Association Meeting held its annual meeting in San Francisco from March 26-29th with the theme “BRIDGING MULTIPLE DIVIDES.” Karen May, Director of Development for SPE coordinated the Alumni Reception at the meeting and reports that it was very successful with over 75 attendees that included faculty, students and alums. She stated, “the ISA Meeting is a huge convention (more than 4000 panels with multiple presenters over four days), and is a wonderful opportunity for CGU because it often draws a very transdisciplinary and “problem-centric” group of scholars and practitioners.” A large number of SPE faculty, students and alumni participated in the meeting. The Western Economic Association Annual Meeting will be holding its 83rd Annual Conference June 29-July 3, 2008 at the Sheraton-Waikiki in Hawaii. Alums and friends of SPE who will be attending these meetings should contact Lynda Marquez at Lynda.Marquez@cgu.edu so we can arrange to get together. The American Political Science Association will be holding its annual meeting August 28-31, 2008 in Boston, Massachussetts and this year CGU will be hosting an Alumni Reception for Faculty, Alumni and Students which will be held on Thursday evening, August 28th the location to be announced later. PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS for this event, we look forward to having a great time at the reception. EVENTS CGU Alumni Day On April 28, 2008, more than 125 alumni, faculty, students, and friends of Claremont Graduate University gathered for our Inaugural CGU Alumni Day – a day of great conversation and celebration featuring talks by preeminent faculty, alumni, and community and global leaders. The day started with welcome remarks by President Robert Klitgaard and a stimulating keynote address on Campaign 2008 by Jim Newton, Editorial Page Editor of the Los Angeles Times. Among the featured speakers from the School of Politics and Economics were Provost Yi Feng, Paul Zak, Professor and Founding Director of the Center for Neuroeconomic Studies, alumnus and Adjunct Professor Michael Shermer, Editor of Skeptic Magazine. Drucker School Dean Ira Jackson also delivered a dynamic talk on Globalization and the legacy of Peter Drucker. Following lunch in DesCombes Quad, guests enjoyed talks by Ambassador Sallama Shaker of Egypt, Professor Mike Csikszentmihalyi, founder of the concept of flow in Creativity, and an engaging panel on Latino Political History in California and the Legacy of George Blair, moderated by Jennifer Merolla, Mary Nicolai-George Blair Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Policy in SPE. The panel featured three distinguished SPE alumni who are scholar-activists: Carlos Muñoz, Professor Emeritus of Chicano Studies at University of California, Berkeley; Richard Santillan, Professor Emeritus of Ethnic and Women's Studies at Cal Poly, Pomona; and Henry Pacheco, Professor of Political Science at Mt. San Antonio College. Dr. Pacheco and Dr. Santillan reminded the audience that SPE is revitalizing the legacy of the late Professor George Blair by raising funds to upgrade the “Blair Room” in SPE (contact Karen.May@cgu.edu for more information how you can help). The Alumni Day concluded with a poetry reading by English alumna Kate Gale, renowned poet and Editor of Red Hen Press, and reception with live jazz music and a raffle for CGU memorabilia and books by speakers. The day was a great success and will be held again in 2009. More photos from Alumni Day 2008 are posted at http://alumnicommunity.cgu.edu/AlumniDay2008Photos Chinese Delegation Visits CGU SPE was pleased to host a visit by a delegation of Chinese venture capitalists and several Chinese graduate students April 28-30. The trip was organized by PhD Economics Doctoral Candidate Tharon Smith, who has been studying in Shanghai at Fudan University since last year. Tharon is researching venture capital in China, mentored by one of the leading academics and policy advisors on venture capital for the Chinese government, Dr. Zhang Luyang, Director of the Fudan-China Venture Capital Research Center. Also joining the delegation were Zhang Haipeng, Deputy Director China Assoc. Science & Technology Private Entrepreneurs, Li Joanna, General Manager of Wuhan Huagong Venture Capital Co. Ltd., and Ji Wenbo, Vice-President of HeLongJiang Chenergy Hi-Tech Venture Capital Co. Ltd. Four graduate students also joined the trip: Xu Wangwei, Guo Xiang, Wang Yupei from Fudan University, and Guo Mingshan, from the Harbin Institute of Technology. The group met with President Klitgaard, Provost Feng, and Dean Willett as well as Dean Ira Jackson about the possibility of developing university partnerships between CGU and Fudan. They also met with representatives from Drucker’s Venture Finance Institute on Monday, followed by a lunch talk at Drucker. The delegation visited the Keck Graduate Institute learning about biotech innovations and entrepreneurship and touring the Keck labs. We were pleased to introduce Dr. Zhang at our regularly scheduled Tuesday Lunch Talk. His presentation was about venture capital in China and its role in economic development, and Chinese policy on incentives to stimulate early to mid-stage funding. Tuesday afternoon they headed into Los Angeles to meet with Houlihan Lokey, an international investment bank. On their way out of L.A. on Wednesday, they had another meeting with a Vice President of Cathay Bank (and were delighted to conduct the whole meeting in Chinese!) The group left Southern California on their way to Washington D.C. and San Francisco before heading back to China. A great big thank you to Tharon for an excellent job of organizing the meetings and hosting the delegation – many bridges were built between our respective institutions, and many friendships begun. CGU Donor & Student Recognition Luncheon CGU sponsored a Donor and Student Recognition Luncheon on Saturday, May 3rd at the home of President Klitgaard hosted by Monica Almond, Assistant Director of Donor Relations. In attendance represented by SPE were Mark Ludwig, Michael Johnston Fellow and Chris Crappa, the Ernest Maldonado Fellow, Karlos Chavez, Minority Fellow along with Dr. Ernest Maldonado, Sandra Seymour and Laura Carrillo (SPE staff). SPE Faculty Lecture Series The School of Politics and Economics hosted a lecture presentation on Friday, May 1, 2008 by Dr. Matthew McCubbins, Chancellor’s Associates Chair VIII and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego who spoke on “Experiments on Adversarial Competition, Juror Sophistication and Decision Difficulty.” All the best to you from all of us at SPE. Have a pleasant and productive summer. A HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR GRADUATES IN 2008-2009 FROM THE DEAN, FACULTY & STAFF OF SPE For comments, questions and news items, please contact Sandra Seymour, Assistant to the Dean at Sandra.Seymour@cgu.edu.

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