Digital Commons Network^™

The Superpowers’ Competition In The Global South: A Historical Perspective, Guljannat Huseynli

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

Abstract The history of superpowers' competition in the Global South is a complex and multifaceted topic involving the economic, political, and military interests of powerful nations in the developing world. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how superpowers have competed for influence in the Global South from the colonial era to the present day. The paper begins by examining the economic, cultural, and political aspects of different types of colonialism in the example of the US, USSR, and China. This focus shows how their motives have evolved over time. It then looks at the ways in which …

Institutional Stretching: How Moroccan Ngos Illuminate The Nexus Of Climate, Migration, Gender And Development, Shelby Mertens

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The global migration crisis the world has experienced thus far is only the tip of the iceberg. As the earth’s temperature continues to warm and extreme weather conditions worsen, millions of people across the globe will be displaced, and women in particular will face more difficult challenges. What the climate migration literature fails to study is these longer-term impacts beyond sudden onset disasters. Governments and institutions will be forced to respond and adapt to the new reality resulting from the climate crisis. This research provides a case study of Morocco and, by using institutional ethnography, investigates how NGOs working in …

A Sociological Perspective On Pidgin's Viability And Usefulness For Development In West Africa, Victoria M. Time, Daniel K. Pryce

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This essay examines the viability and usefulness of pidgin for development in West Africa. Pidgin in West Africa has endured as a unifying medium of communication among people who do not share a common language. It has been lauded as a neutral language that facilitates trade, commerce, and everyday dealings among people of all walks of life. Some have proposed supplanting English, which is the official language in most of the West African countries where the use of pidgin is prevalent, with either pidgin or some other indigenous language. Contrarians, however, consider pidgin to be a limiting factor, in that, …

The Unheralded Hero: Mid-Level Manager Training And Development In Student Affairs, A Case Study Analysis, Sherri L. Watson

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Mid-level managers are the largest administrative group, yet the most professionally underdeveloped, in the organizational structure on college campuses. Mid-level managers are responsible for navigating and communicating to those both above and below them in the organization. The challenge in this three-part mixed methods study was to determine the impact of a short-term training intervention on mid-level manager self-efficacy. Specifically, the training intervention was a week-long residential professional development Institute which focused on the following areas: free speech, cultural competency, budgeting and strategic planning, collaboration and partnership, and leading/managing/followership-navigating the political landscape. In the first, a quantitative phase, secondary data …

Research Vs. Reality How School Districts Meet The Developmental Needs Of School Principals, Catina Bullard-Clark

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the shared experiences of elementary principals on the professional development provided to them from their district. The study population consisted of 16 elementary school principals in a district in a state in the mid-Atlantic region. A general qualitative methods approach that was informed by phenomenology was followed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and a focus group with the participants and was then organized into themes to answer the following research questions: (1) What approaches to development are being implemented to support elementary principals in a district in a state in the Mid-Atlantic region? (2) Which methods …

Sport Commitment And Purchase Intentions Of Intercollegiate Boxing Coaches And Participants, Lamar Reams

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

The current study analyzed the sport commitment and purchase intentions of club level intercollegiate boxers and coaches. Participants at United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association ( USIBA) member institutions ( N = 155) completed an online survey answering questions regarding their sport commitment and future equipment purchase intentions. Multivariate analysis discovered significant sport commitment differences among boxers and coaches, Wilk's Lambda =.838, F ( 7, 125) = 3.46, p

Poverty Within Nation-States: The Impact Of Corruption, Trade, Income Inequality, Population Growth, Foreign Aid, And Military Expenditure, Mustafa Karapinar

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Theoretical approaches to development have marginalized poverty and the individual from the developmental debates. Instead, these approaches place the state as the conventional unit of development and tended to address poverty at the societal level. In these respects, these approaches have neglected how development affects poverty at the individual level.

This study criticizes one of these approaches, the modernization theory of Development, and analyzes the relationship between poverty and some economic, political, and social factors. These factors include openness to trade, foreign aid, military expenditure, income inequality, corruption, and population. There have been several studies examining the relationship between poverty …

Removing The Rust: Comparative Post-Industrial Revitalization In Buffalo, Cleveland, And Pittsburgh, Scott Nicholas Duryea

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the differences in post-industrial redevelopment among the cities of Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Part of the so-called "rust belt," these three cities experienced industrial decline from the 1960s through the 1980s, largely as a result of the economic globalization of heavy industry. Intensive manufacturing and output had come to a screeching halt, unemployment skyrocketed, outmigration ensued, and each metropolitan area faced formidable challenges to convert to service-oriented industries. Over the past twenty years, these cities, and the regions that encompass them, have begun to redevelop, although unevenly. At a glance, the Pittsburgh region appears to …

The Effects Of Propofol, Sodium Pentobarbital, And Ketamine Hydrochloride On In Vitro Mouse Embryonic Development, Tyler C. Balak

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Every year more than 75,000 pregnant women are exposed to teratogenic medications or general anesthesia during non-obstetric surgery in the US,1-4 and embryonic effects of general anesthesia are of particular interest in laboratory research and veterinary medicine. The mouse system is used to screen potential toxic effects of anesthetics used in egg retrieval for in vitro fertilization (IVF), or those of pharmacologic agents which may come in contact with the egg or early embryo. Mouse preimplantation 2-cell embryos were exposed in vitro to incremental concentrations of common general anesthetics within and exceeding the normal clinical dosage range for mice (propofol …

Three Essays On Institutions, Entrepreneurship, And Development, Adam Smith

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Each of the three essays contained in this dissertation examine the relationship between institutions and entrepreneurship. The underlying theory that institutions shape entrepreneurs' outcomes is well established. However, the ways in which they do so turn out to be quite nuanced and show marked dissimilarities where low income individuals are involved in the entrepreneurship process. Each essay seeks to understand and identify what contexts individuals are more likely to participate in meaningful, development-oriented entrepreneurship. In essays I and III, the focus is on individuals at the bottom of the economic spectrum.

Essay I links opportunity entrepreneurship to the presence of …

Determining If Development Capacity Leads To The Attainment Of Redevelopment Goals For Six Communities Affected By Base Realignment And Closure (1988, 1991, And 1993), Paula J. Loomis

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The McGuire et al. model (1994) showed that development of a strategic plan led to higher development capacity, but did not address the relationship between development capacity and redevelopment success. This study examined the link between development capacity and redevelopment success.

This study examined six base realignment and closure communities. Following the Yin Multiple Case Study Method, each community was evaluated on its own merits before being compared with other communities. In this study the McGuire et al. model was expanded to fourteen variables in three categories; citizen participation, community structure, and development instruments. Redevelopment success was measured by attainment …

Korean Home Learning Environment And Parent Characteristics Influencing Children's Expressive And Receptive Language Abilities, Guang Lea Lee, Eun Jin Hwang, Louis H. Janda, Soonohk Hong

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This study analyzed data derived from ‘The Panel Study on Korean Children’ implemented by the Korea Institute of Child Care & Education (KICCE). Two scales, EC-HOME and REVT were used to investigate specific types of home environments and parent characteristics beneficial in the facilitation of children’s receptive and expressive language development. The Step-wise Multiple Regression Analysis identified four variables (Responsively, Physical Environment, Father Education, and Mother Habitation) that made a significant contribution to children’s receptive language development, and six different variables (Mother Education, Academic Stimulation, and Physical Environment, Acceptance, Mother’s Current Job Status, and Communicative Stimulation) for expressive language development. …

Tempering The Resource Curse In Sub-Saharan Africa: An Explanatory Analysis Of The Variance Of The Resource Curse In Nigeria And Botswana, Jody-Ann Suzette Jones

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The issue of the resource curse has been central to the academic debate since the 1990s. In recent years, we have witnessed a resurgence of the importance of this topic because of the discoveries of oil, natural gas, and other point source resources in several developing countries such as Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is important to note that while the resource curse is not solely limited to developing states, the main observation is that the majority of negative effects associated with the resource curse primarily afflicts poorer countries, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is reported that sub-Saharan Africa …

First Record Of Pond Sliders (Trachemys Scripta Scripta And T. S. Elegans) At Fredericksburg, Virginia With Observations On Population Size, Age And Growth, Werner Wieland, Yoshinori Takeda

Virginia Journal of Science

We conducted a turtle mark-recapture program within a 160 m stretch of the Fredericksburg Canal with standard, baited hoop nets from May to July 2012 to determine if a population of the introduced Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) and Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys s. scripta) are established in this area. We captured and marked nine Red-eared Sliders (1 male, 8 females) and estimated a population size of 23 individuals. Most were reproductively mature. The established population in the canal may be a source of introduction into the Rappahannock River.

New Tools For Real-Time Study Of Embryonic Development, Lauren M. Browning

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Embryonic development represents one of the most complex and dynamic cellular processes in biology, and plays vital roles in understanding of functions of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and design of ESC-based therapy. Conventional assays and fluorescence-based imaging methods have been widely used for the study of embryonic development. These conventional methods cannot effectively provide spatial and temporal resolutions with sufficient sensitivity and selectivity that are required to depict embryonic development in vivo in real-time at single-cell and single-molecule resolutions. In this dissertation, we have developed a wide range of innovative tools for real-time study of embryonic development. These new tools …

Life History Of Stranded Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Virginia, Margaret Cook Lynott

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Little is known about the life history and overall ecology of bottlenose dolphins that strand in Virginia. In this study, I examined archived life history samples and stranding data from bottlenose dolphins found in Virginia waters to (1) develop growth curves based on ages from sectioned teeth, (2) document characteristics of male and female reproductive organs, and (3) define the relationship between age/length and presence of neonatal characteristics during the first year of life. The Gompertz growth model provided the best fit of growth data for stranded T. truncatus in Virginia. Length at birth and asymptotic length for males were …

A Study Of Two Generations Of Culturally Diverse Community College Students Views On Leader Attributes In Self And Others, Paula Jeanine Hodkowski

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

One community college mission is preparing students for the expectations and opportunities of the workplace including roles as collaborators and leaders. Increasingly, representatives from “cultures” of generation, gender, and diverse ethnicities are gaining an education in community colleges. Research supports that cultural aspects and views of others impact an individual's leader identity.

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to determine if participants representing millennial and generation X self-report leader behaviors of “modeling the way” and “enabling others to act”; and rate leader traits in others responding to “fits my image of a leader;” And to determine if their …

The Philanthropic Motivations Of Community College Donors: A Study Of The Educational Foundation Of A Mid-Sized, Multi-Campus Community College In Virginia, Linnie Smith Carter

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the philanthropic motivations of the donors of a mid-sized, multi-campus community college in Virginia as part of a plan to enhance relationships with donors and increase the amount of private funds raised. Dependence on dwindling, traditional and limited funding sources leaves community colleges vulnerable and constantly struggling to fund the ever-increasing needs of their internal and external stakeholders (Sheldon, 2003). Community colleges are attempting to address the problem by enhancing their fundraising efforts and strengthening relationships with donors.

A mixed-method, multi-step approach was used for this research study. The approach in this study involved five steps. The …

The Corruption Enigma: Understanding Success And Failure Of Corruption Reform Programs In Highly Corrupt Countries, Matthew T. Hall

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

There exists a corruption enigma. Experts and analysts largely agree on the institutional reforms that constitute successful corruption reform programs—this is the 'Corruption Consensus.' Unfortunately, the well-designed and resourced reform programs created from this consensus and intended to improve national institutional capabilities rarely work. Yet the reform programs patterned on the Corruption Consensus continue on. Everyone agrees what to do in order to reform corruption but everyone also agrees that it will not work. This is the Corruption Enigma.

This dissertation employs a structured, focused analysis to determine the reasons for varying success levels between otherwise similar countries in order …

A Qualitative Inquiry Of Conceptualized Heterosexuality And Its Influence On The Counseling Process, Breyan N. Haizlip

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

With CACREP's increasing attention to majority cultural group memberships and its influence on trainee self-awareness and the counseling relationship (see CACREP 2001/2009), heterosexually-identified counselors have little or no opportunity to increase awareness of their own sexuality, creating challenges when working with clients of various sexual identities. The purpose of this article is to present a qualitative analysis of conceptualized heterosexuality and its influences on the counseling process. A model of the process by which heterosexually-identified counselors conceptualize their heterosexual identity and its influences the counseling process is proposed. Results suggest that providing counselor trainees an opportunity to explore the relationship …

Leadership Development Programs In Two-Year Colleges: Critical Components, Delivery Methods, And The Role Of Distance Learning Technology, Mary Clare Digiacomo

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Post-secondary education will face an impending shortage of leaders in the near future. Two-year colleges in particular are facing a dearth of leadership. Many administrators and faculty that were part of the great growth period in community colleges in the 1960's are near retirement. Therefore, developing or sustaining sufficient institutional leadership is a critical and urgent issue that must be addressed. Two-year colleges need to develop and implement leadership development programs in a timely manner to ensure a qualified pool of faculty and staff are ready to ascend to leadership positions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the …

A Comparison Of Human Energy Fields Among Children, Youth, Adults, & Dahn Masters, Geoffrey K. Leigh, Karen A. Polonko, Catherine D. Leigh

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

While concepts and investigations of human energy fields have been developed for centuries, there has been little systematic work comparing the fields of children, adolescents, and adults. In addition, general fields have had little comparison between average adults and those participating in an intense practice that may affect the field. Using the GDV machine, this research compared small groups of children, adolescents, average adults, and Dahn Hak Masters on measures of 20 basic aspects of the human energy fields, including the seven chakras. Differences were found in seven of the 13 field parameters as well as all seven measures of …