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1 – 10 of 11
Book part
Publication date: 25 September 2013

Milton Lodge, Albert Somit, Andrea Bonnicksen and Rebecca J. Hannagan

Purpose – This chapter is designed to acquaint readers with examples of and issues in graduate education in biology and politics…

Abstract

Purpose – This chapter is designed to acquaint readers with examples of and issues in graduate education in biology and politics.

Design/methodology/approach – The main method adopted is the case study. Several programs or suggestions of how a program might develop are provided.

Findings – There are several examples of graduate education in biology and politics. These illustrate how different departments carry out educating students in biology and politics. Approaches include a biology and politics track in a political science program or interdisciplinary collaborations.

Research limitations – There are only a handful of case studies. Considering how other programs work would be a useful future research initiative to pursue.

Details

The world of biology and politics: Organization and research areas
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-728-3

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 25 March 2011

Rebecca J. Hannagan

The 2005 APSR article by John Alford, Carolyn Funk, and John Hibbing presented data from the Virginia 30,000 Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire (VA30K), AARP twin studies, and an…

Abstract

The 2005 APSR article by John Alford, Carolyn Funk, and John Hibbing presented data from the Virginia 30,000 Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire (VA30K), AARP twin studies, and an Australian twin study (ATR) to test their hypothesis that political attitudes are influenced by genetic as well as environmental factors. Political attitudes, they suggested, were expected to be highly heritable and particularly so on issues most correlated with personality. They employed survey responses from the Wilson–Patterson Attitude Inventory to measure political attitudes. To gauge heritability, they utilize the 2:1 genetic ratio between monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. The authors argued that while previous studies in political attitudes had concentrated on measuring the influence of environmental variables, their test added explanatory power by considering heritability (Alford, Funk, & Hibbing, 2005).

Details

Biology and Politics
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-580-9

Book part
Publication date: 14 June 2012

Matthew P. Cantele, Rebecca J. Hannagan and Douglas R. Oxley

Purpose – Starting from the premise that human behavior is the result of a complex interaction between physiological processes, psychological values systems, and…

Abstract

Purpose – Starting from the premise that human behavior is the result of a complex interaction between physiological processes, psychological values systems, and socio-institutional contexts, this chapter examines how political behavior can be better understood through a multilevel approach.

Design/methodology/approach – Employing social functionalism and Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory, the conceptual model presented is predicated on the premise that human phenotypes are the product of evolutionary processes which have resulted in an intensely social animal. This chapter examines how physiological processes operating at the individual level, as demonstrated by recent neuroscience scholarship, are intricately involved in attitude formation as well as the presence of and variation in moral values. These individual-level traits are both responsible for socio-institutional processes as well as shaped by this larger social context.

Findings – The chapter cites that there are specific neural substrates that correlate with moral values responsible for the formation of preferences for particular policies.

Originality/value – In order to better understand political behavior and policy formation, it is incumbent upon political scientists to include individual-level analyses in theoretical models.

Details

Biopolicy: The Life Sciences and Public Policy
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-821-2

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 25 September 2013

Abstract

Details

The world of biology and politics: Organization and research areas
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-728-3

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 25 September 2013

Abstract

Details

The world of biology and politics: Organization and research areas
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-728-3

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 25 March 2011

Abstract

Details

Biology and Politics
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-580-9

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 14 June 2012

Abstract

Details

Biopolicy: The Life Sciences and Public Policy
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-821-2

Abstract

Details

Politics and the Life Sciences: The State of the Discipline
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-108-4

Book part
Publication date: 25 September 2013

Albert Somit and Steven A. Peterson

Purpose – The chapter provides background for the reader, lending context to the aims of this book. Design/methodology/approach – This chapter…

Abstract

Purpose – The chapter provides background for the reader, lending context to the aims of this book.

Design/methodology/approach – This chapter begins by placing the study of biology and politics in a larger framework. It also compares and contrasts the biological perspective of politics with the mainstream view. Finally, the chapter orients the reader by providing a brief summary of the volume’s contents.

Findings – An introductory chapter would seldom provide findings. However, its goal is to provide the reader with context.

Details

The world of biology and politics: Organization and research areas
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-728-3

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 14 June 2012

Albert Somit and Steven A. Peterson

Purpose – This chapter introduces the volume to the reader and provides a simple case study of the value of evolutionary theory for public policy.Design/methodology/approach – The…

Abstract

Purpose – This chapter introduces the volume to the reader and provides a simple case study of the value of evolutionary theory for public policy.

Design/methodology/approach – The scope of this chapter is to lay out a map of the rest of the volume for the reader, provide an explanation of the subject of biopolicy, and use a case study analysis to illustrate the approach adopted in this book.

Findings – While this chapter is at one level a simple introduction, at another level it tries to orient to reader to the remainder of the larger work. The one case study illustrates an approach using evolutionary theory to examine policy implications of knowledge from the life sciences.

Details

Biopolicy: The Life Sciences and Public Policy
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-821-2

Keywords

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