The Simon Review

Main Content

The Simon Review papers are occasional papers of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute that examine and explore public policy issues.

2022

Biden, Trump, Durbin, and Taxes: The 2020 Election in Illinois
John Jackson, John Foster - April 2022 - Paper #62

2021

Exit Essay: A Reflection on More Than 50 Years of Media Coverage in the Illinois Statehouse
Steven E. Brown - October 2021 - Paper #61

The Effects of Legalization of Recreational Cannabis in Illinois
Stephanie Chambers-Baltz - May 2021 - Paper #60

The Politics of Public Budgeting in Illinois (Second Edition)
John Jackson, John Foster - May 2021 - Paper #59

2020

Citizens' Opinions Regarding a Checkout Bag Tax Proposal
Jorden Thomas - November 2020 - Paper #58

The Role of Midwives in Reducing Motherhood Mortality: Implications for Illinois and Beyond
Morgan Christie - October 2020 - Paper #57

2019

The Climate of Opinion in Illinois 2008 - 2019: Gridlock Broken?
John Jackson, Charlie Leonard & Shiloh Dietz - July 2019 - Paper #56

Sexual Harassment in Illinois: Public Opinion and Legislative Action
Seyi Amosu - May 2019 - Paper #55

The 2018 Race for Governor of Illinois: Rauner vs. Pritzker
John Jackson - January 2019 - Paper #54


2018

The Politics of Public Budgeting in Illinois
John Foster & John Jackson - July 2018 - Paper #53

Illinois as a World Provider of Virtual Water and Advocate for Clean Water: How Does Illinois Fit into the Global Water Crisis/Solution?
Kara Lawrence, Celia M. Howard Fellow - March 2018 - Paper #52

State Oversight and Local Government Savings: An Analysis of Illinois County Fund Balance Politics
Dr. LaShonda Stewart, Dr. John Hamman, Dr. Brian Chapman - January 2018 - Paper #51

2017

Governor Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda from a Comparative State Policy Context
Marnie Leonard - May 2017 - Paper #50

The Presidential Election in Illinois: 2016 Compared to 2012 and 2008.
 John S. Jackson - February 2017 - Paper #49


2016

The Illinois Veterans Treatment Court Mandate: from Concept to Success
John Adams, Jaye Hobart and Mark Rosenberg - October 2016 - Paper #48

The Climate of Opinion in Illinois 2008-2016: Roots of Gridlock
John S. Jackson, Charles W. Leonard and Shiloh L. Deitz - June 2016 - Paper #47

Perspectives on the Illinois Healthcare Delivery System: Challenges, Structural Issues and Opportunities for Reform
Dr. Linda Baker - April 2016 - Paper #46

Healthy Communities in Southern Illinois
Shiloh L. Deitz - April 2016 - Paper #45

2015

The Presidential Contests of 1976-2012 and What They Mean for Who Will Win in 2016
John S. Jackson - December 2015 - Paper #44

A Warm Bucket of What? Assessing the Role of Lieutenant Governor in Illinois 
Sheila Simon - August 2015 - Paper #43

Unsupervised, Ensnared, Relational, and Private: A Typology of Illinois' Corrupt Women
Ryan Ceresola - June 2015 - Paper #42 

Disaster and Gender in Southern Illinois
Shiloh Deitz - February 2015 - Paper #41

The 2014 Illinois Governor Race: Quinn vs. Rauner
John S. Jackson - January 2015 - Paper #40

2014

The Creative Economy in Southern Illinois: Opportunities for Reshaping Carbondale and SIU
Kent Dolezal, Nicole Sack and Lindsay Knaus - October 2014 - Paper #39

Partisanship, Representation and Redistricting: An Illinois Case Study
Cynthia Canary and Kent Redfield- September 2014 - Paper #38

The Climate of Opinion in Illinois 2010-2014: A Dilemma of Popular Democracy
John S. Jackson and Charles W. Leonard, Southern Illinois University Carbondale - June 2014 - Paper #37

Voter Petitions for Term Limits in Illinois: A Conflict Between Popular Desire and Constitutional Constraints
Paul Hale, JD Candidate, Southern Illinois University School of Law and Legal & Policy Exter, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute-  April 2014 - Paper #36

2013

There's Nothing Fair About the Illinois Map: An Examination of the Reapportionment Process in Illinois
Craig Curtis, Brad McMillan and Don Racheter -  April 2013 - Paper #35

President Obama's Victories in Illinois: 2012 Compared to 2008
John S. Jackson, Visiting Professor -  February 2013 - Paper #34

2012

Lessons Learned: What the successes and failures of recent reform efforts tell us about the prospects for political reform in Illinois
Cynthia Canary and Kent Redfield -  October 2012 - Paper #33

The Illinois Presidential Primary: How Romney Won and What It Meant
John S. Jackson, Visiting Professor -  August 2012 - Paper #32

How Schools Can Promote Civic Education
Suzanne Schmitz, Professor of Law Emeritus -  May 2012 - Paper #31

Redistricting in Illinois: A Comparative View on State Redistricting
Joseph A. Cervantez and Logan Fentress - April 2012 - Paper #30

Alexander Lane - From Slavery to Freedom: The Life of Alexander Lane, Educator, Physician and Illinois State Legislator, 1860-1911
Pamela Smoot, Research Assistants:  Andrew Barbero and Michara Canty -  February 2012 - Paper #29

The 1977 Illinois Senate Presidency Fight
Ken Buzbee -  January 2012 - Paper #28

The Movement of Opinion Toward Spending Cuts, Revenue Increases, and Political Reform In Illinois: Results and Analysis of The Fourth Annual Simon Poll
Charles Leonard, Ryan P. Burge, and Emily S. Carroll -  January 2012 - Paper #27

2011

Friends and Neighbors in Government: Partisanship in County Government in Illinois 1975-2010
John Jackson -  August 2011 - Paper #26

The Climate of Opinion in Southern Illinois Continuity and Change 
John Jackson and Charles Leonard -  April 2011 - Paper #25

Results and Analysis of The Third Annual Simon Poll: A Statewide Survey of Illinois Voters, Fall 2010 
Charles Leonard -  March 2011 - Paper #24

Alternatives to Illinois’ Budget Deficit: An Analysis of Proposed Solutions by Gubernatorial Candidates, Elected Officials, and Public Policy Organizations
Christopher Baughman and Adrian M. Velazquez -  January 2011 - Paper #23

The 2010 Elections: Illinois Still Blue Despite the Red Wave that Swept the Nation
John Jackson - January 2011 - Paper #22

2010

The Man and the Land: The Politics of Paul Simon and Southern Illinois, 1950-1973 
Eugene Trani -  July 2010 - Paper #21

Results and Analysis of the Inaugural Southern Illinois Poll 
Dr. Charles Leonard -  June 2010 - Paper #20

Institutional Reform and State Government Corruption: An Analysis of Institutional Reforms Proposed by the Illinois Reform Commission 
Travis Taylor and John Hamman -  May 2010 - Paper #19

Higher Education Funding in Illinois: 1997-2010 
Dr. John Jackson and Carol Bedar - April 2010 - Paper #18

Ethical Reforms, the Budget Crisis, and Perceptions of Quality of Life In Illinois: Results and Analysis of The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute 2009 Statewide Poll 
Professor Charles Leonard -  February 2010 - Paper #17

2009

Reforming Health Care: The Paradoxes of Cost
Professor Edward A. Zelinsky - November 2009 - Paper #16

Selecting Judges: Merit Selection and Other Matters
Stephen L. Wasby Professor Emeritus of Political Science University at Albany – SUNY -November 2009 - Paper #15*

*The Wasby paper is the first one under our new series title, The Simon Review.

On Public Capital Investment and Economic Growth in Illinois
Subhash C. Sharma & Basharat Pitafi - March 2009 - Paper #14

The Anatomy of President Barack Obama's General Election Victory in Illinois
Dr. John Jackson - February 2009 - Paper #13

Confronting the State Budget and Establishing Quality of Life Benchmarks in Illinois:
Results and Analysis of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute 2008 Statewide Poll
Dr. Charles W. Leonard - January 2009 - Paper #12

2008

The 2008 Presidential Nominations Process, a Marathon and a Sprint: 
An Analysis of What Happened and Why 
Dr. John Jackson - July 2008 - Paper #11

Ball Fair? A Quantitative Examination of Which Universities Succeed In the Men's NCAA Tournament
Wilfred T. Reilly - March 2008 - Paper #10

Presidential Nominations and Regional Primaries: An Analysis of Proposals for Reform
Dr. John Jackson - January 2008 - Paper #9

2007

Tom Eagleton and the "Curse to our Constitution"
By William H. Freivogel - September 2007 - Paper #8

Competition in Illinois
Dr. John Jackson and Paul Gottemoller - June 2007 - Paper #7

Publishing National Security Secrets - The Case for "Benign Indeterminacy"
William H. Freivogel - February 2007 - Paper #6

2006

Still the Wild West? A 10 Year Look at Campaign Finance Reform in Illinois
Ed Wojcicki - September 2006 - Paper #5

The Making of a Senator: Barack Obama
Dr. John Jackson - August 2006 - Paper #4

2005

Illinois Water Policy
Dr. Christopher L. Lant - September 2005 - Paper #3

Redistricting in Illinois
Dr. John Jackson and Lourenke Prozesky - April 2005 - Paper #2

2004

Illinois Politics in the 21st Century
Dr. John Jackson - January 2004 - Paper #1