For copyright reasons, not all publications are available on line. A complete list of publications are listed in this vita.. You may also be interested in my dissertation or working papers
Micah Altman, Ken Rogerson. 2008. " Open Research Questions on Information and Technology in Global and Domestic Politics -- Beyond 'E-' ", PS: Political Science and Politics. Forthcoming.
In order to identify the open research questions related to information technology and politics, the ITP section convened its first ever working group. This working group drew on the hundreds of presentations at the annual meeting relating technology and politics as well as on previous surveys of information technology research questions (such as Altman & Klass [2005] and Berman and Brady [2005]), in order to identify important open research questions in this rapidly evolving area. Together these questions illuminate a research agenda that explores the interaction of information technology with the core political science concerns of power, political deliberation, authority, legitimacy, security, democracy, and justice.
Micah Altman. 2008. "A Fingerprint Method for Verification of Scientific Data", in Advances in Systems, Computing Sciences and Software Engineering (Proceedings of the International Conference on Systems, Computing Sciences and Software Engineering 2007), Springer Verlag. Forthcoming.
This article discusses an algorithm (also called 'UNF') for verifying digital data matrices. This algorithm is now used in a number of software packages and digital library projects. We discuss the details of the algorithm, and offer an extension for normalization of time and duration data.
Micah Altman. 2008. "Computational Models", in International Encyclopedia of Poliical Science, George T. Kurian (ed.), CQ Press. Forthcoming.
In political economy, computational models are used to simulate the behavior of institutions or individuals. Researchers use these models to explore emergent patterns in the behavior of individuals and institutions over time. Computational models are used as a complement to mathematical models -and as a form of independent theory construction in their own right.
Micah Altman. 2008. "Research Design", in International Encyclopedia of Poliical Science, George T. Kurian (ed.), CQ Press. Forthcoming.
Research design is the process of creating a scientific plan for answering research questions through sampling, measurement, and analysis. Research design is both a formal and creative process which involves comparing competing theories, enables one to make inferences, and yields discoveries about the world. The hallmark of social-scientific research design is a rigorous attention to inference, sampling, and measurement.
Micah Altman. 2007. "Digital Libraries" in Handbook of Research on Public Information Rechnology, G.D. Garson and M. Khosrow-Pour (eds), IGI Press.
Digital libraries are collections of digital content and services selected by a curator for use by a particular user community. Digital libraries offer direct access to the content of a wide variety of intellectual works, including text, audio, video, and data; and may offer a variety of services supporting search, access, and collaboration. In the last decade digital libraries have rapidly become ubiquitous because they offer convenience, expanded access, and search capabilities not present in traditional libraries. This has greatly altered how library users find and access information, and has put pressure on traditional libraries to take on new roles. However, information professionals have raised compelling concerns regarding the sizeable gaps in the holdings of digital libraries, about the preservation of existing holdings, and about sustainable economic models.
Micah Altman, Jeff Gill, Michael P. McDonald. 2007. "Accuracy: Tools for Accurate and Reliable Statistical Computing" Journal of Statistical Software:21(1)
Most empirical social scientists are surprised that low-level numerical issues in software can have deleterious effects on the estimation process. Statistical analyses that appear to be perfectly successful can be invalidated by concealed numerical problems. We have developed a set of tools, contained in accuracy, a package for R and S-plus, to diagnose problems stemming from numerical and measurement error and to improve the accuracy of inferences. The tools included in accuracy include a framework for gauging the computational stability of model results, tools for comparing model results, optimization diagnostics, and tools for collecting entropy for true random numbers generation.
Micah Altman, Phillip Klinker, 2006. "Measuring the difference between white voting and polling on interracial marriage." Du Bois Review 3(2) 299-315
Major questions remain about the extent and political significance of white racial attitudes. In this paper we examine an alternative source of data on racial attitudes - actual voting on the purely symbolic repeal of anti-miscegenation referenda. By applying cross-level (ecological) inference methods to this unique data, we find, surprisingly, that white voting behavior differs dramatically from what would be predicted based on previous survey research on public and private attitudes.
Micah Altman, Gary King, 2007. "A Proposed Standard for the Scholarly Citation of Quantitative Data", D-Lib 13(3/4)
A critical component of the scholarly and library community is the common language of and the universal standards for scholarly citation, credit attribution, and the location and retrieval of articles and books. We present a proposal for a similar universal standard for citing quantitative data that retains the advantages of print citations, adds other components made possible by, and needed due to, the digital form and systematic nature of quantitative datasets, and is consistent with most existing subfield-specific approaches. Although the digital library field includes numerous creative ideas, we limit ourselves to only those elements that appear ready for easy practical use by scientists, journal editors, publishers, librarians, and archivists.
Micah Altman, Gary King, 2006. "Overview of a Proposed Standard for the Scholarly Citation of Quantitative Data", IASSIST Quarterly 30(2):18-19
This extended abstract summarizes the proposed standard. For full details see: A Proposed Standard for the Scholarly Citation of Quantitative Data.
Micah Altman and Michael. P. McDonald. 2006. "How to Set a Random Clock", PS: Political Science and Politics 39(4): 795
Major questions remain about the extent and political significance of white racial attitudes. In this paper we examine an alternative source of data on racial attitudes - actual voting on the purely symbolic repeal of anti-miscegenation referenda. By applying cross-level (ecological) inference methods to this unique data, we find, surprisingly, that white voting behavior differs dramatically from what would be predicted based on previous survey research on public and private attitudes.
Micah Altman, Karin Mac Donald, and Michael P. McDonald, 2005. "Pushbutton Gerrymanders", in Party Lines: Competition, Partisanship, and Congressional Redistricting Thomas E. Mann and Bruce E. Cain (eds), Brookings Press.
Scholars, journalists and judges have drawn attention to the role of computers in redistricting. Many fear that technology has made gerrymandering both easy to accomplish and nearly impossible to detect.
In previous work, we conducted a survey of state redistricting authorities?? computer use in 1991 and 2001 and described patterns of in the use of computers in redistricting and the in the fundamental capabilities of computer redistricting systems.
In this paper, we extend this work with systematic qualitative and quantitative evidence of the nature, extent, and impact of computer technology in redistricting. By analyzing the algorithmic capabilities of redistricting software we develop qualitative bounds on the impacts of redistricting technologies. Then, by combining demographic, political, and GIS data with the systematic survey of every state redistricting authority, we develop a unique database documenting and describing the redistricting process, use of technology, and outcomes. Finally, we use this database to explore, and statistically model, the relationship between redistricting technology and the likelihood and severity of gerrymanders.Micah Altman, Karin Mac Donald, and Michael P. McDonald, 2005. "From Crayons to Computers: The Evolution of Computer Use in Redistricting" Social Science Computer Review 23(3).
Following the most recent round of redistricting, observers across the political spectrum warned that computing technology had fundamentally changed redistricting, for the worse. They are concerned that computers enable the creation of finely-crafted redistricting plans that promote partisan and career goals, to the detriment of electoral competition, and that, ultimately, thwart voters? ability to express their will through the ballot box.
In this paper, we provide an overview of the use of computers in redistricting, from the earliest reports of their utilization, through today. We then report responses to our survey of state redistricting authorities? computer use in 1991 and 2001. With these data we assess the use of computers in redistricting, and the fundamental capabilities of computer redistricting systems.
Micah Altman and Gary M. Klass, 2005. "Current Research in Voting, Elections, and Technology" Social Science Computer Review 23(3): Forthcoming.
Although researchers have yet to achieve consensus on the broad impact of information technology on our understanding of the practice of politics, the broad outlines of a research agenda are emerging. In this overview, we discuss the current work, and identify important research questions that remain to be addressed.
Altman, Micah; 2004. "Miller v. Johnson" in Encyclopedia of The Supreme Court, David Schultz (ed), Facts on File
In Miller v. Johnson a five-member majority of the court declared that redistricting is presumptively unconstitutional when race has served as the predominant factor in the drawing of district lines. However, their remains significant uncertainty in how to apply this new standard and an apparent conflicts with the standards articulated in Shaw v. Reno and Vera v. Bush.
Altman, Micah; 2004. Review of Point, Click and Vote: The Future of Internet Voting (by R. Michael Alvarez and Thad E. Hall), Journal of E-Government
Internet Voting has given rise to considerable controversy, underscored by the recent
cancellation of this year’s trial of SERVE, which was to provide Internet Voting for
100,000 military personnel. Could Internet voting promote deliberative democracy?
Would Internet voting increase voter participation and engagement? Would it increase
the accuracy of the reported vote? Would it improve people's trust in the electoral
process? Is current Internet technology capable of supporting secure voting?
In Point, Click, and Vote, Alvarez and Hall argue that remote
Internet Voting , in which voters are permitted to register and vote in
elections via any Internet-connected computer, could solve many of the pressing
problems with U.S. elections.
Altman, Micah; 2004. "Software" in Encyclopedia of Social Measurement, K. Kempf-Leonard (ed), Academic Press
The use of software in social science research is extensive and wide-ranging. Software is used at every stage of the research process – from collecting, organizing, and analyzing information, to writing and disseminating results. The mathematically demanding nature of modern statistical analysis makes the use of relatively sophisticated statistical software a prerequisite for almost all of quantitative research. Moreover, the combination of increasingly powerful computers, ubiquitous computer networks, and the widespread availability of the software necessary to take advantage of both, have made practical on a hitherto unprecedented scale the application of many complex methods such as maximum likelihood estimation, agent-based modeling, analytic cartography, experimental economics.
Altman, Micah; 2004. "Statistical Packages" in Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, M. Lewis-Beck, A.E. Bryman and T.F. Liao (eds.), Sage Press
Statistical Packages are collections of software designed to aid in statistical analysis and data exploration. The vast majority of quantitative and statistical analysis relies upon statistical packages for their execution. An understanding of statistical packages is essential to correct and efficient application of many quantitative and statistical methods.
Altman, Micah; Jeff Gill; and Michael McDonald 2004. "A Comparison of the Numerical Properties of EI Methods" in Ecological Inference: New Methodological Strategies, G. King, O. Rosen and M. Tanner (eds), Cambridge University Press
All statistical techniques place limitations on the types of data and the range of inferences that can be accomodated. All computional implementations of these statistical techniques impose further limitations due to algorithmic and low-level computational implementations. Failure to understand these issues can lead to gross misperceptions and seriously incorrect inferences. In this work we examine the numerical accuracy of King's (1997) approach, to ecological inference by using data perturbation, error analysis, and comparative reliability assessment.
Altman, Micah; Jeff Gill; and Michael McDonald 2004. Numerical Issues in Statistical Computing for the Social Scientist New York: John Wiley and Sons
A great many empirical researchers in the social sciences take computational factors for granted: For the social scientist, software is a tool, not an end in itself. Although there is an extensive literature on statistical computing in statistics, applied mathematics, and embedded within various natural science fields, there is currently no such guide tailored directly to the needs of the social sciences. There is also an abundance of package-specific literature, and a small amount of work at the basic, introductory level. What is lacking is a text that gives social scientists modern tools, tricks, and advice, yet remains accessible through explanation and example.
The overall purpose of this work is to address what we see as a serious deficiency in statistical work in the social and behavioral sciences, broadly defined. Quantitative researchers in these fields rely upon statistical and mathematical computation as much as any of their colleagues in the natural sciences, yet there is less appreciation for the problems and issues in numerical computation. This book seeks to rectify this discrepancy by providing a rich set of monographs on important aspects of social science statistical computing that will guide empirical social scientists past the traps and mines of modern statistical computing.
(For more information information, and extensive links to resources, please see our Numerical Analysis Resources Page).
Micah Altman and Michael P. McDonald, 2003. "Replication with Attention to Numerical Accuracy" Political Analysis 11: 302-307
(replication data)
In the course of an ongoing research project testing numerical accuracy of statistical techniques and software frequently used by political scientists we replicate two studies, Nagler (1994) and Alvarez and Brehm (1995). We find numeric inaccuracies, errors in formulas, and data problems that reduce the strength of the substantive conclusions of the studies. Our replication analyses reveal there are a number of factors that we may take for granted in the normal course of our analysis that affect the ability to faithfully replicate. More attention to these details may improve replication of research in the discipline.
Altman, Micah 2002. "Open Source Software for Libraries: from Greenstone to the Virtual Data Center and Beyond" Iassist Quarterly 25: 5-12
The growth of OSS has gained the attention of research librarians [Frumkin, 2002] and created new opportunities for libraries. We might well ask: What distinguishes OSS from commercial software? What are the advantages and disadvantages of OSS software? Out of the thousands of packages available, which are most useful in a library environment?
Hovater, Micah; Micheal Krot; D. Kiskis; M. Altman; and I. Holland. 2002. "Usability Testing of the Virtual Data Center", Usability Workshop at Second ACM+IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries [Workshop summarized in DLIB Magazine 8(9) with link to on-line conference proceedings.]
In this paper we present an overview of the usability issues related to the Virtual Data Center (VDC) digital library. Usability testing and heuristics were an integral part of the development process from the inception of the project and throughout its evolution. The developers of the VDC have used the findings from usability evaluations to identify several prominent usability issues present within the digital library. Test results continue to exert a positive and valuable influence on both system redesign and the implementation of new features.
Micah Altman, 2002. "A Review of JMP 4.02 with Special Attention to its Numerical Accuracy", The American Statistician. 56: 72-76.
JMP is the SAS institute's package for exploratory data analysis. JMP offers a plethora of features ... Exploratory data analysis with JMP is extraordinarily e asy and powerful, because of three design decisions that distinguish it from all of its competitors ^E [however] the module supplied for non-linear regression a nd maximum likelihood is numerically unreliable. ..
Altman, Micah, "A Bayesian Approach to Detecting Electoral Manipulation" Political Geography 22(1):39-48
Gerrymandering involves careful drawing of constituency boundaries by a party so that either it wins a particular seat or, more generally, it wins more seats than its opponents. Have gerrymanders advantaged one party over another, and to what extent? What would the electoral results have been had parties not attempted to influence the districting process? We cannot adequately answer this question without an analysis of counterfactuals, in other words, without (implicitly or explicitly) comparing alternative hypotheses explaining these election results and the predictions generated by these hypotheses. How do we formalize this evaluation? This paper lays out a simple formal framework for analyzing these counterfactuals.
Altman, Micah; and Michael McDonald, 2002. "Choosing Reliable Statistical Software", PS: Political Science and Politics 24(3): 681-8
(replication data)
Should we trust the results of our statistical software? We evaluate number of statistical packages, and combine these evaluations with previous research by others.
Altman, Micah; Leonid Andreev; Mark Diggory; Michael Krot; Gary King; Daniel Kiskis ; Akio Sone; and Sidney Verba. 2001 "A Digital Library for the Dissemination and Replication of Quantitative Social Science Research", Social Science Computer Review 19(4):458-71.
In this paper, we present the architecture and motivation behind the Virtual Data Center project.
Altman, Micah; Leonid Andreev; Mark Diggory; Elizabeth Kolster; Michael Krot; Gary King; Daniel Kiskis ; Akio Sone; and Sidney Verba. "An Introduction to the Virtual Data Center Project and Software" in Proceedings of the The First ACM+IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL 01),2001 , ACM Press: 203-204
In this paper, we present an overview of the Virtual Data Center
(VDC) software, an open-source digital library system for the management and dissemination of distributed collections of quantitative data. (see
American Political Science Review 94:717 (2000).
Canon's findings are of immediate and lasting importance. The variety of data sources and research methods marshaled in support of these findings is impressive, as is the effort that the author invests in data collection and coding. Rac e, Redistricting and Representation should be required reading for anyone with an interest in the linkage between representatives and their constituencies.
Micah Altman 2000. "Battles That Shaped the Computer Industry", Law and Politics Book Review 10(3): 217-220.
How should Judge Jackson have ruled in the United States v. Microsoft antitrust case? Should search engines be liable for infringement if they link to copyrighted materials? Are the "cookies" stored in the web-browsers of government officials part of the public record? Is cryptographic software actually "speech" protected by the first amendment? Legal questions arising from computer and information law are increasingly common, and increasingly political. In Legal Battles, Lawrence Graham outlines some of the significant legal cases that have shaped the development of the computer industry, and which set the background to these more current questions...
Micah Altman, Michael P. McDonald, 1999, "Resources for the Testing and Enhancement of Statistical Software",The Political Methodologist: 9(1) 1999.
We offer recommendations to help users of statistical software avoid the pitfalls of computational abstractions and offer guidelines to aid replication
Altman, Micah 1998. "Modeling the Effect of Mandatory District Compactness on Partisan Gerrymanders", Political Geography 17 (8): 989-1012.
Because of the increasing sophistication of the technology used to draw districts and recent Supreme Court decisions, there has been a renewed interest in formal criteria for regulating and evaluating the creation of districts. One of the most important and controversial of these criteria is compactness, which is a measure of the "ugliness", or irregularity, of a district's shape.
While the merits of compactness standards have been much debated in general terms, most of this debate has centered around the use of isolated and/or hypothetical examples. There has been little empirical or formal investigation of this issue.
Through the exhaustive analysis of small cases and computer simulation this paper examines the neutrality of compactness standards, and the ability of such standards to prevent gerrymandering. Redistricting is treated formally, as a combinatorial optimization problem, which is then "solved" using Monte-Carlo techniques, simulated annealing, and genetic algorithms.
Altman , Micah . 1998. "Traditional districting principles - Judicial myths vs. reality Social Science History22 (2): 159-200
The courts have become increasingly willing to examine the shape and composition of districts. In the most recent decision of the Supreme Court Miller v. Johnson, the court emphasized that following "traditional" districting principles such as compactness, contiguity and respect for political subdivisions, may serve as "compelling state interests" sufficient to justify race-based redistricting. In this chapter, I examine congressional districts between 1789 and 1993 to determine whether compactness, contiguity and equal popuation are, indeed, "traditional districting principles" in the U.S.
Gary King; Bradley Palmquist; Greg Adams; Micah Altman; Kenneth Benoit; Claudine Gay; Russ Mayer; and Eric Reinhardt. 1997. ``The Record of American Democracy, 1984-1990,'' Harvard University, Cambridge, MA [producer], Ann Arbor, MI: ICPSR [distributor].
Our Record Of American Democracy (ROAD) data include election returns, socioeconomic summaries, and demographic measures of the American public at unusually low levels of geographic aggregation. The NSF-supported ROAD project covers every state in the country from 1984 through 1990 (including some off-year elections). One collection of data sets includes every election at and above State House, along with party registration and other variables, in each state for the roughly 170,000 precincts nationwide (about 60 times the number of counties). Another collection has added to these (roughly 30-40) political variables an additional 3,725 variables merged from the 1990 U.S. Census for 47,327 aggregate units (about 15 times the number of counties) about the size one or more cities or towns. These units completely tile the U.S. landmass. This collection also includes geographic boundary files so users can easily draw maps with these data.
My contributions to this large project included coordinating contractors, data analysis, data processing, editing, and I am responsible for the ROAD data web site.
Micah Altman, 2007. "Is Automation the Answer? The Computational Complexity of Automated Redistricting", Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal 23 (1), 81-142
Automated redistricting has been proposed as a method for eliminating gerrymandering and promoting electoral fairness. While much optimism has been expressed about the feasibility and benefits of automated redistricting, results have fallen far short of these expectations.
In this paper, I examine the benefits claimed for automated redistricting, particularly in light of the incentives it generates for strategic behavior. As part of this analysis I evaluate the computational complexity of the redistricting problem by showing the equivalence of the redistricting problem to a set of formal problems in computer science and operations research. I show that for many cases optimal redistricting is computationally hard, and is likely to be intractable.
The intractability of optimal redistricting has important implications for both the feasibility and desirability of automated redistricting. In particular, computational complex problems offer opportunites for procedural manipulation that have been ignored by proponents of automated redistricting. I explore the most important of these opportunities.
| Copyright © 1995-2004 | Micah Altman |