[Interpretationandmethods] Verifying Evidence of "Congressional Enactments of Race-Gender"

[Tobin Grant]

I have a paper that may be of interest to those on this list.  Title and
abstract are pasted below.  The paper is available on the political
methodology working paper site
(http://polmeth.wustl.edu/retrieve.php?id=687).  

I would appreciate comments, either directly to me or posted on this list.

Tobin Grant

Verifying Evidence of "Congressional Enactments of Race-Gender"

Abstract

I report the results of a verification of Hawkesworth's 2003 "Congressional
Enactments of Race-Gender" (CERG).  This is a landmark analysis of race and
gender in the U.S. Congress that is noteworthy for both its theory and its
empirical evidence.  A deeper look at the evidence and the context raises
fundamental questions about the empirical validity of CERG's theory of
race-gender in Congress.  I conclude that racing-gendering in Congress is
more nuanced than originally presented in CERG, and that further research is
necessary to demonstrate empirically CERG's theory of Congress as a
raced-gendered institution.  This verification has important methodology
implications, as it demonstrates why verification of empirical
research-including interpretive research-should be a widely-practiced
methodology within political science.