Seminar Series

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2021 – 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.
Expressive Power of Anti-Violence Legislation: Changes in Social Norms on Violence Against Women in Mexico

Presenter: Mala Htun, Professor of Political Science at the University of New Mexico

Article: Expressive Power of Anti-Violence Legislation: Changes in Social Norms on Violence Against Women in Mexico

While a significant amount of research has examined the conditions giving rise to legal and policy reform on violence against women (VAW), there is less understanding of whether or not new VAW laws have been accompanied by changes in behavior and attitudes. Has the adoption of VAW legislation—a huge priority of feminist movements since the 1970s—produced social change? This paper presents evidence for a cautiously optimistic assessment of the power of VAW laws to alter social norms, based on analysis of four waves of survey data from Mexico.

Thursday, Mar. 24, 2022 – 6 to 7 p.m.
Daniel Carpenter Book Lecture: "Democracy by Petition"

Location: H.F. DeLuca Forum Room, The Discovery Building or via livestream

Presenter: Daniel Carpenter, Professor of Government at Harvard University

Book: "Democracy by Petition: Popular Politics in Transformation, 1790–1870"

  Watch video of the event

Join the La Follette School of Public Affairs for a book lecture and discussion with Harvard Radcliffe Institute Director Daniel Carpenter focused on his 2021 book "Democracy by Petition: Popular Politics in Transformation, 1790-1870". "Democracy by Petition" traces the explosion and expansion of petitioning across the North American continent. Petitions facilitated the extension of suffrage, the decline of feudal land tenure, and advances in liberty for women, African Americans, and Indigenous peoples.

In his lecture, Carpenter will explore the debt America owes to the unprecedented energy with which the petition was employed in the antebellum period and how it shaped our modern democracy. He will argue that understanding this neglected yet vital strand of nineteenth-century life profoundly affects our understanding of our country’s political history.

This event is free and open to the public. You can join us in-person at the H.F. DeLuca Forum in the Discovery Building or via YouTube livestream. The lecture will include time for Q&A which can be submitted at go.wisc.edu/AskDaniel.

After the lecture, all attendees are welcome to join the post-event reception from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Discovery Building main courtyard. Complimentary food and a cash bar will be available.

Wednesday, Apr. 20, 2022 – 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.
To Make or Buy Public Entrepreneurship: A Synthetic Control Approach

Presenter: Jason Coupet, Associate Professor of Public Management and Policy at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University

Much of the New Institutional Economics literature suggests that public sector institutions will be inefficient entrepreneurs, incurring relatively high transaction costs than should lead to higher market frictions and lower revenues. Using a synthetic control approach, this study measures the marginal effect of privatizing public entrepreneurial endeavors by leveraging the privatization of a large public tech transfer enterprise. We find that privatization increased legal fees, and reduced income and entrepreneurial activity.

This seminar will be held in person: 1328 Sterling Hall, 475 N Charter St, Madison, WI