Digital Commons Network^™

Living Tangent, Cornelius Alexander Hugo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

A living tangent is how I am known by many and how I have lived my life for some time. I think in tangents and my life and art seem to evolve through them. Everything I make is connected by multiple thoughts or tangent lines that run from something as simple as the color red, to the idea that I believe communism has invaded my family’s homeland. This then leads to the recollection of childhood games, taught to me by my family in Venezuela and the importance these games played in my psychological development and in my presence as an …

Distinguishing Beliefs About Social Inequality: Associations Among Dimensions Of Critical Consciousness, Lauren M. Alvis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Critical consciousness researchers posit that critical reflection, which refers to a critical awareness of structural inequalities between socially constructed groups and external political efficacy beliefs (i.e., perceptions of government responsiveness) are important precursors to effective political action (Diemer et al., 2016; Watts, Diemer, & Voight, 2011). However, little is known about emerging adults’ views of social inequality and political change regarding specific marginalized groups. There are different forms of social inequality and the extent to which individuals experience these inequities is partially determined by multiple sociodemographic characteristics including race/ethnicity, sex, sexual-orientation, and gender identity (Hurst et al., 2016). Identifying potential …

A Coordination-Based Approach To Subnational Variations In Split-Ticket Voting: The Case Of Ghana 1996-2016, Samuel Kofi Darkwa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation seeks to explain the causes of split-ticket voting (skirt and blouse voting) in emerging democracies like Ghana. The analysis carried out here has been approached at three levels. This is because voters’ decisions in the voting booth are affected by factors within the larger political environment which are often beyond the individual voter. Thus, the three approaches employed here consider individual-level, constituency-level, and elite-level factors that affect the phenomenon. In each case different datasets were used to examine split-ticket voting. The analysis reveals that the individual-level factors (demographic characteristics and political information variables) are weak in explaining ticket …

State Capacity And Terrorism In The Developing World, Coty J. Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

What are the most influential factors to the rise of terrorist groups in the developing world? From Nigeria to Indonesia, various groups have conducted devastating attacks, against fellow citizens and international visitors. Hendrix and Young (2014) find military capacity may encourage the use of terrorism while bureaucratic measures depress them. Further investigation into underlying catalysts for mobilization is required before we can explain the rise in activity of terrorist organizations in these regions. I expect as measures of military capacity increase that terrorism increases while increases in administrative capacity reduce terrorist activity. I also expect indirect factors such as repressive …

Political Trust In Kosovo: Exploring Cultural And Institutional Dynamics, Ermira Babamusta

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

In this dissertation I examine political trust perceptions across different political-legal institutions and actors in Kosovo. I evaluate the levels of political trust using cultural and institutional performance explanations to investigate the key factors that have an impact on political trust. The study explores national political trust and international political trust, considering many domains of political trust: government, political leaders, political parties, Kosovo Courts, Kosovo Police, NATO, United Nations, European Union, and the Kosovo Specialist Court. There is growing concern about lower levels of political trust across Europe, especially in post-communist countries. In this study, I make the case that …

The Politics Of Drug Courts, Jeffrey Chris Moss

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study examined drug courts from a public policy and political science perspective. The first portion of the study focused on the history of sentencing policy from the 1970s through the drug court movement. The second chapter addressed gaps in the policy literature about how drug courts were created and how they evolved. Another focal point was determining how state-level actors such as legislators, state supreme courts, and bureaucratic agencies regulated drug court policy in each particular state. From this data, a continuum was formed to determine which states operated from a top-down management style for drug courts and which …

Following The Leaders: Issue Attention And Agenda Dynamics In Women’S Health Care Policy, Kara Anne Fisher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation focuses on shifts in issue attention in the policy process and examines policy changes. Describing agenda setting is important not only for understanding congressional behavior in general but also for understanding the institutional context of other political behavior. I focus on the processes of positive feedback to explain periods of dramatic policy changes observed over a long period of time.

The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in the politics of health policy which opened the door to women’s health care as an important feature of health politics. Thus, my research is motivated by three …