Dissertation
“What Do Rural Americans Want? Rural Public Opinion and Policy Feedback”
My book-style dissertation project uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine rural attitudes toward government in terms of trust, political efficacy, and experiences with federal programs such as USDA agricultural supports and rural development programs, FEMA disaster relief, and state-level agriculture, disaster management, and rural development programs. Incorporating theories of the submerged state and policy feedback, I find that many rural Americans are aware of federal and state policies designed to solve rural problems but are disappointed by a disconnect between policy intent and implementation. This mismatch between existing government policy and what rural Americans would actually find useful dampens trust in federal and state government and heightens support for community-based assistance. These findings contribute to the growing literature in rural public opinion and our knowledge of the political behavior of rural Americans as they become an increasingly important voting bloc.
The three chapters of my dissertation examine USDA and state agency of agriculture policy, FEMA and state disaster management policy, and rural economic and political change over time. Each of these three chapters is grounded in qualitative interviews and ethnographic research I conducted in four counties in northern Vermont and then tested against a nationally representative audience using quantitative methods and original survey data, including surveys that oversample rural Americans and people of color.
Published
Bornstein, Q. M. (2024). Equality Unfulfilled: How Title IX’s Policy Design Undermines Change to College Sports. Cambridge Studies in Gender and Politics By James N. Druckman, and Elizabeth A. Sharrow. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023. 246 pp., $90 Hardback. Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, 9(1), 206–208. https://doi.org/10.1017/rep.2023.42
Bornstein, Q., Arnett, J., & Schaffstall, S. (2024). State Uses of Federal COVID-19 Pandemic Relief for Local and Regional Food Systems Innovation Brief (pp. 1–14) [Innovation Brief]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS). https://lfscovid.localfoodeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/State-Uses-of-Federal-COVID-19-Pandemic-Relief-for-LRFS-Innovation-Brief.pdf
Bornstein, Q. (2022). Supporting Student Athletes. APSA Political Science Educator, 26(1). https://educate.apsanet.org/supporting-student-athletes
Under Review
“The Rural-Urban Divide In Public Goods Satisfaction”
“Good Bridges Make Good Neighbors: The Convergence of Political Support Astride the Connecticut River” with James Gimpel - R&R at Political Geography
“Who Cares About the USDA?” with Jennifer Lin and Kristin Lunz Trujillo