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Articles by Samuel Workman
To DOGE Or Not To DOGE
Politics and DOGE Where and how can government be more efficient? Samuel Workman · Follow Published in 3Streams · 7 min read · -- Photo by the blowup on Unsplash. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and one of the world’s most powerful individuals, was central to President-Elect Donald Trump’s campaign. As Trump transitioned, so did Musk, who went from campaign advisor to administrator. Musk is tasked with erecting and leading the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Watch Your Tongue
Politics and Communication Samuel Workman · Follow Published in 3Streams · 5 min read · -- How our language about marginalized groups marginalizes us. Photo by Raghav Modi on Unsplash. As we collectively write the post-mortem on the 2024 elections in the United States, a debate has emerged about the perception of the democratic party and how this influences flagging support among its historical base.
We can do better to protect special ed. students
Slapped. Pushed. Jerked by their hair. Pinched with clothespins. The cases of abuse in West Virginia’s special education classrooms are jaw-dropping — stunningly violent and cruel. It’s no wonder why a growing number of parents are afraid to send their children with disabilities to school. It makes you wonder what has to happen to make the abuse stop. It’s not as if lawmakers haven’t tried.
We can do better to protect special ed. students
Kelli Caseman is the executive director of Think Kids. Samuel Workman is director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs. React to this story: Love Funny Wow Sad Angry
We can do better to protect students in special ed. Start with using the data.
Slapped. Pushed. Jerked by their hair. Pinched with clothespins. The cases of abuse in West Virginia’s special education classrooms are jaw-dropping — stunningly violent and cruel. It’s no wonder why a growing number of parents are afraid to send their children with disabilities to school. It makes you wonder what has to happen to make the abuse stop. It’s not as if lawmakers haven’t tried.
Senator Joe Manchin and the Last Deal
On Thursday, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced he will not seek re-election to his seat in West Virginia. This after proffering his "last deal" on permitting reform in early summer. I have often been an "explainer" of our Senator to national outlets and a translator to baffled colleagues and friends as he waded the shoals of politics, cutting deals with the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Struggle and Triumph in Fusing Policy Process and Comparative Research
This chapter offers an entrée to and reflection on the comparative policy process research. We cover the fundamental challenges of theoretical and empirical extensions of policy process theories. The theories have followed unique paths in addressing comparative institutions, interest group politics, and issue-specific politics.
Herron and Workman: More talk of values needed (Opinion)
West Virginians hold many values that form the core of a strong cultural identity. Because these values are part of us, they are difficult to bargain away or trade when they conflict with one another, even in the same individual. To advance one value, we may have to compromise on another, compromising, seemingly, ourselves to advance our ideals. This can be the case with our elections.
Understanding Joe Manchin's BBB stance: Likely his standard West Virginia pivot
Joe Manchin isn't averse to taking a shotgun to policy he dislikes. In 2018, the senator starred in a political ad in which he explains how a lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act — something his opponent, state attorney general Patrick Morrisey, was at the time trying to do — would strip health care from numerous West Virginians. Manchin then takes out a shotgun and unloads on the Morrissey lawsuit.
Manchin takes aim at Build Back Better, but his real focus is on West Virginia
Joe Manchin isn’t averse to taking a shotgun to policy he dislikes. In 2018, the senator starred in a political ad in which he explains how a lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act – something his opponent, state attorney general Patrick Morrisey, was at the time trying to do – would strip health care from numerous West Virginians. Manchin then takes out a shotgun and unloads on the Morrissey lawsuit.
Understanding where Joe Manchin is coming from
Joe Manchin isn’t averse to taking a shotgun to policy he dislikes. In 2018, the senator starred in a political ad in which he explains how a lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act – something his opponent, state attorney general Patrick Morrisey, was at the time trying to do – would strip health care from numerous West Virginians. Manchin then takes out a shotgun and unloads on the Morrissey lawsuit.
Commentary: Manchin takes aim at Build Back Better, but his real focus is on West Virginia
Joe Manchin isn’t averse to taking a shotgun to policy he dislikes. In 2018, the senator starred in a political ad in which he explains how a lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act – something his opponent, state attorney general Patrick Morrisey, was at the time trying to do – would strip health care from numerous West Virginians. Manchin then takes out a shotgun and unloads on the Morrissey lawsuit.
Manchin takes aim at Build Back Better, but his real focus is on West Virginia
Manchin takes aim at Build Back Better, but his real focus is on West Virginia (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) (THE CONVERSATION) Joe Manchin isn’t averse to taking a shotgun to policy he dislikes.
Manchin takes aim at Build Back Better, but his real focus is on West Virginia
Manchin takes aim at Build Back Better, but his real focus is on West Virginia (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) (THE CONVERSATION) Joe Manchin isn’t averse to taking a shotgun to policy he dislikes.
Manchin takes aim at Build Back Better, but his real focus is on West Virginia
Joe Manchin isn’t averse to taking a shotgun to policy he dislikes. In 2018, the senator starred in a political ad in which he explains how a lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act – something his opponent, state attorney general Patrick Morrisey, was at the time trying to do – would strip health care from numerous West Virginians. Manchin then takes out a shotgun and unloads on the Morrissey lawsuit.
Samuel Workman: Although seductive, term limits solve little (Opinion)
A recent op-ed in the Gazette-Mail from retired Concord University professor Joe Manzo lays out reasons for adopting term limits, arguing that it is, ultimately, the only way to hit “reset” on sets of policymakers who have run amok. As Manzo notes, there is generally overwhelming support for term limits in the general public, when asked. On the left, the complaint is that officials are beholden to powerful, organized (usually business) interests.
The Left Doesn’t “Speak” WV Senator Joe Manchin
Politics and Government Lessons from Appalachia’s best politician and the Democratic agenda Source: Senator Joe Manchin’s Press Photos In the wake of the Senate runoff races in Georgia on January 5th, attention is quickly turning to the legislative branch’s new politics and what it means for public policy. The election saw Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff replace Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, respectively.
Want an Elegy? Ask an Appalachian
Hillbilly Elegy and Opioid Epidemic Glade Creek Grist Mill in Fayette County, WV - Photo by Stephen Walker on Unsplash With Hillbilly Elegy set to hit the silver screen this week. I couldn't help but sit down to pen a perspective on my Appalachia, as his is unrecognizable to me. To a generation of people, and sadly even academics who should know better, JD Vance's depiction of Appalachia has come to dominate popular discussion of the region. This is great for JD and his political prospects.
Ten Years of Study and the Protesters are Right
POLICING and RACIAL BIAS What traffic stops tell us about racial bias in policing Baumgartner, Epp, and Shoub 2018, Figure 3.3. Frank R. Baumgartner, Leah Christiani, Derek A. Epp, Kelsey Shoub, and Kevin Roach In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, the nation and world have turned their attention to large-scale demonstrations emphasizing policing inequities and calling for reforms ranging from banning unnecessary chokeholds to the abolition of the police.
Write for 3Streams
WRITING Guidelines for contributors Photo by Esther Wechsler on Unsplash. 3Streams is a publication for anyone interested in the convergence of politics, policy, and ideas. We are particularly interested in elevating the work of scholars, practitioners, and citizens with novel perspectives, who want to reach a broader audience on timely topics.
Leadership, Policing, and the Veil of Incompetence
POLICING Why assertions of incompetence are hazardous to public debate Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash Allegations of incompetence are dangerous. The pandemic, economic fragility, and racism beset us from all sides. A natural response is to assert that our leadership at multiple levels is incompetent. Of course, this poses a problem for federal, state, and local leaders, since charges of incompetence undermine trust and legitimacy and chip away at the rule of law.
Four Principles of Data Collection
Data Collection Simplify and streamline analysis by doing less to the data I’ve spent an academic lifetime compiling original data sets, both in my work and as part of broader research teams. In doing so, I have become quite opinionated about the role of data in science, its collection, and its organization. In this post, I detail four principles of data collection and organization useful to any analyst needing to collect data, whether by hand or machine.
Four Principles of Data Collection
Simplify and Streamline Analysis by Doing Less to the Data Source: Agricultural Marketing Service Local Food Directory I’ve spent an academic lifetime compiling original data sets, both in my work and as part of broader research teams. In doing so, I have become quite opinionated about the role of data in science, its collection, and its organization.
The County: Simple Street Maps in R
Source: the author, see below. I’ve titled this post “The County.” Back home in West Virginia, people often refer to entities of government by their jurisdiction or where they draw authority. We refer to the police as “The Law” and the various functions, whether for public health or taxes, as “The County”. Today, I’m drawing a map of the The County, Fayetteville, WV.
Scraping, Downloading, and Storing PDFs in R
Source: https://rstudio.com/resources/cheatsheets/ The word “confluence” means the juncture or merging of things, usually rivers. I grew up in West Virginia near the confluence of Gauley River (world-class whitewater for you rafters) and Meadow River (a Smallmouth bass fishing haven). The word confluence is also an apt description of how the intellectual currents of my work converge. My work sits at the confluence of statistics, data science, and public policy.
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