This project analyzes how legislative constituencies and issue configurations are related to the formulation of social policy legislation in the House of Representatives during the Progressive Era decades of 1900-1920. Legislative constituencies are defined on the basis of state legislative action on social policy issues that then subsequently reach a roll call vote at the National level. By examining the relationship between state level legislative roll call voting and subsequent voting outcomes in the Federal legislature, it will be possible to investigate how social policy formulation shifts from the state to the National level in these decades, thereby setting the stage for the New Deal Era to follow. Issue configurations will be assessed in terms of whether the Progressive Era, noted for democratic reform, produced issue clusters that were unidimensional or multi-dimensional in structure. Of particular importance will be the alignment of civil rights and social welfare issues, the former representing legal and procedural principles of democracy and the latter economic and outcome principles of democracy. With the recent decades of the social and political change of the 1960s in mind, we will evaluate how the social and political change defining the inauguration of the twentieth century linked these dual principles of democratic demands for social policy formulation. With these perspectives in mind, passage of the Nineteenth Amendment--enfranchising women--will be examined as a case in point. The particular issue alignments on this legislation as well as the influence of state level constituencies will be examined in the context of civil rights and social policy issue dimensions. Dr. McDonagh will also conduct a lecture series on Gender and Social Science, serve as a mentor and advisor to undergraduates in the Women's Studies Concentration at Harvard/ Radcliffe, and supervise an undergraduate research assistant. This project furthers VPW program objectives which are (1) to provide opportunities for women to advance their careers in engineering and in the disciplines of science supported by NSF and (2) to encourage women to pursue careers in science and engineering by providing greater visibility for women scientists and engineers employed in industry, government, and academic institutions. By encouraging the participation of women in science, it is a valuable investment in the Nation's future scientific vitality.
