Digital Commons Network^™

Precarious Pipes: Governance, Informality, And The Politics Of Access In Karachi, Usmaan M. Farooqui

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation looks beyond narratives of the chaotic urban south to examine the politics of city planning and everyday service access in Pakistan. I draw on a case study of Karachi, what is perceived to be one of the world’s most unruly cities, to demonstrate how planning enables the representation of political order. Drawing on field research, I also explore the materialities, subjectivities, and histories of service access that shape urban politics in Karachi. I begin by tracing how planners in postcolonial Karachi have, for decades, described the rapidly expanding city as an object of correction. While early master plans …

Beyond Gatekeeping: Propaganda, Democracy, And The Organization Of Digital Publics, Jennifer Forestal

Political Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

While there is disagreement as to the severity of the digital disinformation problem, scholars and practitioners have largely coalesced around the idea that a new system of safeguards is needed to prevent its spread. By minimizing the role of citizens in managing their own communities, however, I argue that these gatekeeping approaches are undemocratic. To develop a more democratic alternative, I draw from the work of Harold D. Lasswell and John Dewey to argue that we should study the organization of digital publics. For citizens to engage in democratic inquiry, publics must be organized so that they can (1) easily …

The Charismatic Revolutionary Leadership Trajectories Of Fidel Castro And Lázaro Cárdenas: From Guerrillas To Heads Of State In The Age Of Us Imperialism, Joseph J. Garcia

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

After attempting to overthrow the government of Fulgencio Batista in 1953, Fidel Castro fled to Mexico where he, his brother, Raul Castro, Ernesto Che Guevara, and other revolutionaries were later jailed by the Mexican government under the orders of the Batista dictatorship to be returned to Cuba. Using his knowledge of the Mexican Revolution, Castro wrote a letter asking for help from former president and revolutionary general, Lázaro Cárdenas, appealing to his sense of revolutionary history and social justice. Cárdenas was impressed by this young revolutionary and worked to obtain political asylum for he and his comrades. This allowed Castro …

Contextual Support Of Environmental Protection, Emma R. Groff

Student Publications

Environmental regulation is often viewed as conflicting with economic needs. This paper examines under what personal and contextual economic conditions individuals support increased environmental protection efforts. Data from the 2017 World Values Survey is analyzed to determine the probability that an individual will prioritize environmental protection over economic growth at varying levels of household income with a comparison between the context of an economically secure country and an economically insecure country. The results indicate that, across all income levels, individuals in economically secure countries are more likely to prioritize the environment than those in economically insecure countries. In a comparison …

On Environmental, Climate Change & National Security Law, Mark P. Nevitt

All Faculty Scholarship

This Article offers a new way to think about climate change. Two new climate change assessments — the 2018 Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA) and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel’s Special Report on Climate Change — prominently highlight climate change’s multifaceted national security risks. Indeed, not only is climate change a “super wicked” environmental problem, it also accelerates existing national security threats, acting as both a “threat accelerant” and “catalyst for conflict.” Further, climate change increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events while threatening nations’ territorial integrity and sovereignty through rising sea levels. It causes both internal displacement …

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Where Do We Go From Here?, Steve Carr

Black History at UNM

Dr. Assata Zerai, Vice President, UNM Division for Equity and Inclusion, identifies three areas of focus to improve equity and inclusion at UNM: diversifying faculty hiring and creating an inclusive culture that supports faculty of color, creating a culturally responsive educational environment for learners, and addressing racism in health and healthcare. This article contextualizes these goals with a larger discussion about anti-discriminatory public policies and laws, as well as political and social movements both past and present. This article is a part of the Racism: An Educational Series, produced by the UNM Newsroom.

The Complicated History Of Environmental Racism, Victoria Peña-Parr

Black History at UNM

University of New Mexico Honors College Assistant Professor, Myrriah Gómez, defines and explores environmental racism, specifically its effects in New Mexico.

A Student Primer On Intersectionality: Not Just A Buzzword, Elodie Silberstein, Marisa Tramontano, Meghana V. Nayak

Open Educational Resources

This book:

● lays out the objectives of WS 166, Gender, Race, and Class, taught in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, Pace University, New York City campus;

● provides a structure for any course addressing intersectionality, feminism, and oppression;

● describes the framework of intersectionality, which examines societal issues by analyzing the interlocking systems of oppression that shape people’s lives;

● argues for a transnational application of intersectionality that also centers U.S. Black feminists’ contributions to understanding oppression;

● includes journal articles, TED Talks, and class exercises that are generally accessible for most students or interested readers without previous …

The Slow Creep Of Settler Colonialism: Exploring Water Control In Palestine, Lina Abu Akleh

Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes the Israeli-Palestinian water issue using a settler colonial framework. It highlights the contributions made to this field under the often used framework of hydro-hegemony to understand water issues in Israel-Palestine. Using a settler colonial framework helps to better describe the issue and highlight the slow creep of settler colonialism over the years. It also helps to see beyond the power dynamics and its relationship to domination and consent to understand the realities that Palestinians face on the ground. In addition, this thesis will help build towards exploring resistance to water control under settler colonialism. Therefore, this thesis …

Spectacular Imaginations Of The Sinking Island, Emma Schneck

Senior Theses and Projects

As entire island nations slip beneath rising seas, how can we reimagine a political future where the effects of climate change are already in full force? In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that there is a fundamental lack of legal protections for those fleeing environmental degradation and the effects of global sea level rise. This lack of protection is felt particularly strongly in the Pacific region, where many communities are faced with existential threats to their way of life and self-determination. However, despite this historic lack of support from the international community, the Pacific Islands states have continuously …

Biographical Availability In The Climate Movement, Nicole Cortes

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this study was to understand how social movements against climate change include or engage with the age demographics. This study is a qualitative analysis by observing Monterey and Santa Cruz climate events and interviewing activists from local organizations. The individuals who participated in this study have shared their experience being involved in the climate organizations as well as their perception of the climate movement’s impact. This research has been conducted to theorize and understand how youth climate movement frames the presentation of age and how that compares to the actual capacity of age in the movement. As …

Governing A Continent Of Trash: The Global Politics Of Oceanic Pollution, Anne Longo

Honors Scholar Theses

There is a new continent growing in the North Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Patch is composed of a vast array of marine pollution, discarded single-use items, and mostly microplastics. This thesis explores how and why governments and other entities do or do not deal with the growing problem of ocean pollution. Sovereignty roadblocks and balance of power prove to be obstacles for such efforts. This thesis then attempts to create the ideal model of governance for ocean plastics using the policy-making process. The policy analysis reviews bilateral, multilateral, and non-governmental solutions for the removal …

Willingness To Protest Over Resource Extraction In Latin America, Moises Arce, Marc S. Polizzi, Bryce Reeder

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Protests over resource extraction have increased in Latin America in recent years. However, significant variation exists in the region in terms of citizen’s willingness to protest against resource extraction. We argue that this variation is based on the interaction of factors at both the individual and state levels. Individual-level characteristics, such as social engagement, influence the likelihood of protest activity. State-level characteristics, such as the quality of governance, also present opportunities for engaged individuals to challenge resource extraction. Following political mediation theory, we argue that collective action strategies are likely to be more productive in some political contexts than in …

Environmental Justice In Little Village: A Case For Reforming Chicago’S Zoning Law, Charles Isaacs

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Chicago’s Little Village community bears the heavy burden of environmental injustice and racism. The residents are mostly immigrants and people of color who live with low levels of income, limited access to healthcare, and disproportionate levels of dangerous air pollution. Before its retirement, Little Village’s Crawford coal-burning power plant was the lead source of air pollution, contributing to 41 deaths, 550 emergency room visits, and 2,800 asthma attacks per year. After the plant’s retirement, community members wanted a say on the future use of the lot, only to be closed out when a corporation, Hilco Redevelopment Partners, bought the lot …

Red Or Green? Gentrification In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Michael Patterson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

It is my goal to explore the policies that Albuquerque is implementing to expand into a major city, while also trying to protect low-income communities, especially low-income communities of color. I think it would also be important to discuss the increase in police surveillance in gentrifying neighborhoods. The influx of wealthier residents changes the social dynamics and expectations, which in turn leads to the criminalization of activities that were previously considered normal, such as loitering. This increased surveillance in gentrified areas can be seen by the city of Albuquerque’s push to “decrease the prevalence” of the homeless population in the …

Señor Jim Crow Still Roosts In Cuba: A Comparative Analysis Of Race And Resistance In The United States And Cuba, Leah P. Hollis

Comparative Civilizations Review

After touring Havana, Cuba, with a group of African American Scholars in the fall of 2019, I am inspired to identify the subtle and explicit racist experiences that we endured. A common message from those in the tourism industry is that Cubans love African Americans. This message was constant, yet it rang like a gong in our ears because the message did not match the treatment we received. In truth, this love was not for the African aspect of our identities but for the financial prosperity in the American part of our identities. The Cuban tour guide constantly announced the …

Effectiveness, Equity, And Ethics Of Costa Rica's Payment For Environmental Services Program., Anna J Carter

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

This paper examines the effectiveness of Costa Rica’s Payments for Environmental Services, or PSA program, which provides government subsidies to participants who protect forested lands or reforest their land. Effectiveness is determined in terms of the program’s progress in reversing deforestation and generating reforestation efforts, with particular attention paid to the success and failings of the program in reaching small landowners. The claim that the PSA program can act as a tool for human development is evaluated through its accessibility to small landowners. Finally, the ethical costs and benefits of the market based scheme underlying the PSA program as a …

Do Red And Blue Make Green? An Analysis Of The League Of Conservation Voters Congressional Scorecards, Patrick Fisher, Michael Taylor

Journal of Political Science

No abstract provided.

Pursuing Procedural Justice In Sustainability Policy: Assessing The Linkage Between Political Culture And Municipal Efforts, Meng Yuan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

How does the political culture of local governments influence the type and extent of procedural justice in sustainability policy processes? Answering this question is important because political culture is potentially a significant influence on local governments that could be better conceptualized and theorized and because public participation in sustainability policy processes is central to the demands of procedural justice in environmental justice (EJ) movements. This dissertation seeks to bring a new conception and new measures of political culture to the study of policy making by local governments as well as to contribute to developing the conceptualization and measurement of public …

A Call For The Inclusion Of Nature In Class Struggle, Augusta Valerie Tiziana Spiro Jaeger

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project Submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

The Effect Of México’S Transition From Neoliberalism To Populism On Environmental Policy, Christina Marshall

Scripps Senior Theses

This article examines the transformation in Mexican politics from a neoliberal state to a one lead by a left wing populist leader and its impacts on environmental policy in the country. Specifically, looking at the election of AMLO in 2018 and prior neoliberal environmental policies (NAFTA and Pena Nieto's energy reform). This article looks at the motivations and outcomes of these policies to better understand environmental impact.

Rural Prison Politics: The Impact Of Correctional Facilities On Community Voting Behavior In California, Corey Smith

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores how the building of a prison impacts local political behaviors and public opinion. Economic development during the late 20th century left agricultural and manufacturing based regions of the United States struggling to maintain a reliable sense of financial prosperity, thereby propelling rural regions into the prison-building business. In this thesis, I analyze the voting data of five rural Californian towns concerning Proposition 7 (1978) and Proposition 47 (2014). Through this data analysis and a synthesis of the literature on prison host communities, this thesis investigates whether the construction of a prison has influenced political action regarding prison …

Emergent Women's Global Political Leadership: Progress Despite Constraints, Aoife Meehan

Dissertations and Theses

“Emergent Women’s Global Political Leadership: Progress Despite Constraints” seeks to trace why and how female political leaders emerge at the global level. Evidence points to certain cultural factors, often expressed by laws, constraining or supporting women as they seek political advancement. Data shows women leaders are emerging more and more, though slowly, as political leaders around the world. Reviewing women’s participation and representation regionally and nationally in parliaments, as ministers, and as heads of governments and states confirms that women can and do emerge as political leaders. Finally, learning about and examining women leaders themselves, their style and substance, proves …

Author Biographical Notes, Mssj Staff

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Living Rivers, Cosmopolitan Activism, And Environmental Justice In The Bengal Delta, Daniel Adel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis explores the social movements and civil society activism to protect the rivers that flow through Bangladesh—the cradle and terminal delta floodplain of the transboundary Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna river systems—, as well as ways to build regional cooperation and watershed democracy in South Asia. The research drew on four overarching fields of study: environmental justice, southern environmentalism, ecological nationalism, and environmental governance. These four bodies of scholarship helped address the overarching question: how are civil society organizations analyzing and responding to the water diversions and degradation of Bangladesh’s transboundary rivers? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with civil society organizations …

ทาสกลางทะเล: บทบาทของรัฐและนายทุนกับการขูดรีดแรงงานบนเรือประมงสัญชาติไต้หวัน, มาริสา สกุลชัย

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ไต้หวันเป็นหนึ่งในหลายประเทศที่พบปัญหาการค้าทาสกลางทะเล แรงงานจำนวนมากถูกกดขี่ และละเมิดสิทธิภายใต้ห่วงโซ่การผลิตของอุตสาหกรรมประมง ตั้งแต่กระบวนการจ้างงาน กลไกการผลิตจนได้สินค้าออกสู่ตลาด แม้ว่าภายหลังการปลดใบเหลืองจากสหภาพยุโรปปี 2016 เป็นต้นมา ไต้หวันจะมีการปฏิรูปกฎระเบียบเพื่อจัดการกับปัญหาการใช้แรงงานบังคับ แต่ผลปรากฏว่าในปัจจุบันยังคงพบปัญหาการละเมิดสิทธิและขูดรีดแรงงานประมง สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้จึงมุ่งศึกษารูปแบบการใช้แรงงานบังคับบนเรือประมงสัญชาติไต้หวัน และการดำเนินนโยบายรัฐที่ส่งผลต่อนายทุนและแรงงานประมงสมัยรัฐบาลไช่ อิงเหวินระหว่างปี ค.ศ.2016 – 2021 โดยใช้กรอบแนวคิดรัฐเสรีนิยมใหม่เพื่ออธิบายพฤติกรรมของรัฐในกระบวนการกดขี่แรงงานภายใต้ห่วงโซ่อุปทานโลกและใช้แนวคิดเรื่อง “ระยะทาง” มาอธิบายในมิติการเคลื่อนย้ายภายในห่วงโซ่การผลิต จากการศึกษาพบว่า รัฐมีบทบาทสำคัญต่อการเกิดปัญหาการขูดรีดแรงงานประมงต่างชาติบนเรือประมงสัญชาติไต้หวัน ซึ่งมีส่วนช่วยในการอำนวยความสะดวกแก่กลุ่มทุนภายในห่วงโซ่การผลิตของอุตสาหกรรมประมงซึ่งอยู่ในพื้นที่ยกเว้นจากรัฐในการตรวจสอบและปราศจากกฎหมายควบคุม โดยใช้ช่องว่างด้านระยะทางทั้งในด้านเชิงกายภาพ เชิงความรู้ และเชิงกฎหมาย ในการละเมิดและกดขี่แรงงานประมงข้ามชาติเพื่อตอบสนองต่อผลประโยชน์รัฐซึ่งเกี่ยวข้องกับกลุ่มทุน

Environmental Governance For Whom? Examining The Political, Institutional, Fiscal, And Legal Determinants Of State Environmental Agency Budget Policy In The Us, Andrew R. Duggan

Theses and Dissertations

Budgets are a prospective tool of governance, and appropriations are a planning vehicle reflecting: bureaucracies’ values, complex interactions, collective preferences, political influences, and available resources. Research spanning 30 years finds that environmental pollution is a key determinant of environmental budgets in the US, though myriad factors, actors, and subsystems are important to consider. Due to federalism and devolution of responsibilities and authorities, environmental governance falls largely to the states. While the dynamics that shape state environmental budget policy have received scholarly interest, theoretically-driven examinations of environmental appropriations remain limited within the public budgeting and environmental policy literature.

Using panel data …

The Morning Meeting: Fostering A Participatory Democracy Begins With Youth In Public Education, Rebecca C. Tilhou

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

There is a faltering sense of democracy in America's current political climate due to polarized opinions about leadership's decisions and antagonistic political parties. John Dewey (1916) proposed that education is the place to foster democracy, as schools can provide a platform to actively engage students in authentic democratic experiences that will empower them to act democratically beyond the walls of the school. The democratic schools that emerged during the Free School Movement of the 1960s and 1970s embody Dewey's philosophy, specifically with the shared governance occurring in their School Meetings. Unfortunately, American public education's present preoccupation with standardization, proficiency scores, …