Commonwealth Review of Political Science
The Journal of the Kentucky Political Science Association
ISSN: 2994-0036 (Print), 2994-0044 (Online)

Editors: Paul D. Foote Murray State University, Scott Lasley Western Kentucky University
TCR seeks to publish original research of high quality that contributes to all subfields of political science. We especially welcome research on Kentucky politics and government. TCR is housed at Murray State’s Digital Commons.
Manuscript Submission: A manuscript intended for review by TCR must be submitted online via Digital Commons.
Current Issue: Volume 6, No 1 (2023)
Women’s Representation in State Legislatures and Women-Friendly Policy Outcomes
Hoan La
Centralizing the Selection of Circuit Court Nominees in the George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump Administrations
Paul Foote and Austin Trantham
Disaggregating Foreign Aid: What Have We Learned from Research on Sub-National Foreign Aid?
Josiah F. Marineau
Democracy for Some: Greek-American Institutions and the Greek Junta, 1967-1974
Olga Koulisis
The Mobilizing Effect of Descriptive Representation? The Impact of Representatives’ Race and Gender on Participation
Akayla Henson and Brittany Wood
Past Issues
Volume 1, No 1, 2013 (click here to download)
- An Introduction to the KPSA Commonwealth Review of Political Science, Michael Hail
- Bowling Online: The Internet and the New Social Capital, Jason Gainous, 2010 David Hughes Award Winner
- Comparing Redistricting Outcomes Across States: A Comparison of Commissions, Court, and Legislative Plans, Jonathan Winburn, 2007 David Hughes Award Winner
- The Electoral College: A Critical Analysis, John Heyrman, 2004 David Hughes Award Winner
- Immigration in the EU and the UK: A Conflict of Interests and Policy, Beth Coleman, 2008 Abdul Rifai Award Winner
- Imperium et Sacerdotium: Universalism, Fragmentation and New Medievalism, Jeremy Wells, 2007 Abdul Rifai Award Winner
- W(h)ither Tocqueville’s ‘Seed of Free Institutions’?: The Importance and Decline of Localism in America, Jonathan W. Pidluzny
Volume 2, No 1, 2014 (click here to download)
- School Resources and Student Outcomes in Kentucky Public High Schools, Martin Battle & James Clinger
- The Fragility of Persistently Economically Distressed Counties in Central Appalachia and the Promise of Public Leadership, Christine Emrich, Stephen Lange, Blake Bedingfield, Bonita Fraley, Justin May, Trey Rosser, & Kyle Yarawsky
- War Powers in the American Constitutional Scheme: A Legal-Historical Inquiry, Max Guirguis
- Power, Interdependence and Conflict: What IR Theories Tell Us about China’s Rise, James R. Masterson
- Roger Sherman and Federalism: The Transition from the Articles of Confederation to the U.S. Constitutions, Autumn Baker, 2013 Abdul Rifai Award Winner
- Federalism and Administrative Law: Regulatory Power and the U.S. Constitution, Ashley Ruggiero, 2013 Abdul Rifai Award Winner
Volume 3, No 1, 2015 (click here to download)
- The Theological Foundations of Religious Liberty in the Thought of John Locke, Edward M. Yager
- The Steward and Statesmanship: Taking Responsibility For the Most Important Things, Timothy Simpson
- Explaining State-Level Dropout Rates: The Impact of Exit Exams and Public School Resources, Martin Battle & James Clinger
- Book Review: Judicial Politics in Polarized Times, Paul Foote
- Decisions Dictated by Perceptions: The Influences of Society and Education in Justice Scalia’s Originalism, Nathan McNichols, 2014 Abdul Rifai Award Winner
- Do Coal Unions and Racial Diversity Affect Split Ticket Voting in Kentucky?, Kelli South, Chase Deppen, Matthew Gilbert, & Ryan McDonald, 2014 Abdul Rifai Award Winner
- The Evolution of Kentucky’s Constitutions: A Comparison of the Original and Second Constitutions, Ashley Taulbee, 2014 Abdul Rifai Award Winner
- Operation Nudge: How Non-Sovereign Organizations can Gain Quasi-Sovereign Powers to Solve Public Choice Issues, Kelly Grenier, 2014 Abdul Rifai Award Winner
Volume 4, No 1, 2017 (click here to download)
- The Great Divide: The Political Implications of Southern Regional Identification in Kentucky, Joel Turner, Jeff Kash, Scott Lasley, & Erika Binnix
- The Phantom Segregationist: Kentucky’s 1996 Desegregation Amendment and the Limits of Direct Democracy, D. Stephen Voss & Penny Miller
- Holding School Leaders Accountable: Estimating the Effects of Retrospective Evaluations of Kentucky School District Superintendents, Martin Battle & James Clinger
- A Case Study on American Social Media Privacy: Facebook and Government Oversight, Sarah Fink
- Consequences of Sexual Violence During Civil Conflicts for Post-Conflict Democratization, Kathleen Clark, Best Graduate Paper Award
- Red Dog, Blue God, Yellow Dog: How Democrats Can Use Strategic Communications to Attract Republican and Conservative Voters, B. Gammon Fain, 2016 Abdul Rifai Ward Winner
- Resilient Communists: How Fidel Castro Survived the Soviet Collapse and Cuba’s Uncertain Road to Democracy, Max Prowant, 2016 Abdul Rifai Ward Winner
- The Paradox of the Progressive Presidency: How the Democratization of the Presidential Election System has Degraded the Office, Tyler Syck, 2016 Abdul Rifai Ward Winner
Volume 5, No 1, 2021 (click here to download)
- Informal Executive Actions and Agency Guidance: Legal and Political Implications for Immigration and Other Policy Areas, Ihsan Alkhatib and James C. Clinger, Murray State University
- Fictional Foreign Policy: How Madam Secretary and House of Cards Depict United States Foreign Policy, John Heyrmann, Berea College
- Party Registration Deadlines and Hidden Partisanship: An Individual Analysis, Matthew Thornburg, University of South Carolina at Aiken
- The Nature and Extent of Presidential Pardon Power: An Analysis in Light of Recent Political Developments, Max Guirguis, Ph.D., Shepherd University
- Perceptions of Discrimination in the Legal Profession, Sabrina Collins, University of Louisville
- Politics at the Pulpit: Elite Religious Cues and Immigration Attitudes, Benjamin Knoll and Matthew Baker, Centre College