NCA
is proud to announce the inaugural grantees of its recently launched Public
Policy Working Groups initiative.
(To see instructions for applying for Public Policy Working Group funds, click here.)
Public Policy Working Group: Anonymity and Campaign
Finance
Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, the
landmark 2010 Supreme Court case, dramatically changed campaign finance law in
the United States. By removing limits on corporate funding of election speech,
the decision is ushering in an unprecedented era of electioneering
communication by wealthy donors and corporations. One significant but under-researched
component of Citizens United is its impact on disclosure and disclaimer
provisions. Genelle Belmas and Jason Shepard have published research on the
intersection of anonymity and campaign finance laws, and in this project they
will examine state and federal models for disclosure and disclaimer, assess the
relevant case law and theoretical frameworks, and interview policymakers and
advocates. Their aim is to develop an analysis and proposal that integrates the
rationales for anonymity law with the underlying purposes of campaign finance
law. In doing so, they intend for this research to serve as a basis for
policymakers at the state and federal levels as those policymakers grapple with
disclosure and disclaimer issues in a post-Citizens United world.
Genelle I. Belmas, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication
California State University, Fullerton
Jason M. Shepard, PhD
Assistant Professor of Communication
California State University, Fullerton
Public Policy
Working Group: Rethinking Risk and Decision Making: How Communication Research
Can Inform Policymaking in Times of Crisis
Crises and disasters are social as much as natural events
– they raise questions from media, scholars, and the public about the preparedness
and response of those in charge, urging policymakers to be accountable for what
went wrong. In these cases, decision making during crises is scrutinized for
risks that could have been prevented or otherwise addressed. This project
employs a communication perspective and published research by Mariaelena
Bartesaghi to conceptualize decision making anew, from a retrospective vantage
point to an “in the moment” process of interaction. In this way, risk is conceived
according to research by Beck, Douglas, and Luhmann: choices taken as opposed
to those not taken, possibilities, constraints, and communicative dynamics. By
seeing decision making and risk as processes of communication, the goal of this
project will be to offer recommendations to minimize risk and increase the
nation's resiliency to disaster.
Mariaelena Bartesaghi, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication
University of South Florida
Ardis Hanson, MLS
Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Communication
University of South Florida
Barbara Bennington
Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Communication
University of South Florida