Digital Commons Network^™

Oil Vs Democracy: Oil Rent, Social Groups, And Democratization In Middle East Monarchies, Garrett Arwa

Master's Theses and Capstones

Considerable research in political science has been done concerning democracy and the effects of oil rent. Prevailing literature suggests that dependence on oil and rentier behavior by states can heighten the dependence of social groups on the state through political and economic effects. Yet in the case of Kuwait, we find that oil rent has helped build human capital, institutional capacity, and autonomy for social groups. This autonomy allows social groups to better bargain with the state and advance democratization. This will be contrasted to the case of Morocco, where social groups remain dependent on the state despite cycles of …

Journalism Of Affirmation?, Ben Carder

Master's Theses and Capstones

Polls and studies suggest news outlets appeal to specific "niche" audiences; where news broadcasts seemingly "give the people what they want," through their reporting. Does the broadcast news media manipulate news content in a manner that is consistent with their "niche" audience?

Because Democrats and Republicans have differing views on the economy's vitality, this study analyzes how the media frame unemployment data: what elements of an unemployment report are emphasized; how much time is devoted to a certain aspect of it across networks? This study believes news networks "spin" unemployment reports positively or negatively, depending on their "niche" audience and …

Negotiating For Nature: Conservation Diplomacy And The Convention On Nature Protection And Wildlife Preservation In The Western Hemisphere, 1929--1976, Keri Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations

In 1941, as the United States entered the Second World War, leaders from twenty American nations signed into effect a broad-based treaty for the protection of migratory wildlife at the Convention on Nature Protection and Wild Life Preservation in the Western Hemisphere. This dissertation examines the unique set of questions, problems, and concerns framers of the Convention dealt with in the development of a conservation program to ensure the protection of migratory wildlife as it crossed political borders. Although it provided no solid system of enforcement, the provisions of the Convention opened the door for new, more specific conservation treaties …

Peace On G-D'S Terms: The Ideological Project Of Christian Zionism, James Alton Croker Iii.

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study examines the Christian Zionist movement. It identifies the motivations, composition, and objectives of the Christian Zionist movement in order to illuminate the interest group's influence on U.S. foreign policy making on Israel. The movement's influence results from the framing of its ideology as a political project, through which the movement is able to capitalize on a pre-existing pro-Israel opinion bias among Evangelicals, construct a community of believers from these individuals, and mobilize that community into action. This argument shows that classic realist accounts, such as that put forward in Mearsheimer and Walt's work, do not account for a …

Northeast Asian Regional Economic Integration: Sino-Korean Bilateral Trade, 1992--2007, Rina Lee

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis examines northeast Asian regional economic integration with a case study of Sino-Korean trade. Since the Cold War, there has been an increase in regional bilateral economic cooperation. South Korea began to open its market to foreign direct investors in the 1990s. This study asks what contributes to the rise of bilateral trade and tests the following hypothesis using both qualitative and quantitative methods: If a national leader perceives growing pressure of globalization, then there is strong promotion of an integrated trade policy.

The study of Sino-Korean trade reveals that Kim Dae Jung's view on a globalized economy, which …

Post-Cold War Russian Foreign Military Assistance To Iran: Advancing The National Interest, Or The Special Interest?, Matthew York

Master's Theses and Capstones

Since 1989, Russia has armed and assisted Iran and other anti-Western states despite improved relations with the West, non-proliferation agreements, and United Nations sanctions. Such behavior apparently contradicts Russia's commitments to arms control and international security and stability. Thus, this study seeks to clarify this contradiction by conducting a crucial case-study of Russian military assistance to Iran from 2000 through 2007. It applies interest-group theory and hypothesizes that from late-2000 to present day, interest groups successfully lobbied to increase defense-exports to Iran. It also applies interest-group theory to Stephen J. Blank's 2007 analysis of Russia's defense-export industry. Though insightful, Blank's …

Climate Change Policy: Why Germany Leads And The United States Lags, Kristin Kesling

Master's Theses and Capstones

Why is climate change a top priority on the political agenda in Germany and not a top priority on the political agenda in the United States? This study seeks to answer this question by examining the evolution of climate change policy in both countries. Analyzing Germany's and America's environmental movement, the thesis points to several theories which include the European Union and cultural values. However, it is the nations' political structures/institutions and their post WWII foreign policy views that most determine where climate change policy stands on each country's political agenda. The analysis concludes with a possible outlook on America's …

The Relationship Between The Public Institute Of Higher Education And The Student: Philosophical Issues Raised By Current Alcohol Consumption Policies, Sarah B. Drucker

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis focuses on current issues in public institutes of higher education (IHE) regarding policy and enforcement of alcohol consumption regulations for students. The unique nature of higher education in which some of the students are not of legal drinking age and some are, and the residential aspect of many public IHEs compounds the issue of policy development and enforcement. The challenge of developing a coherent approach to drinking is viewed through the two lenses of law and philosophy. Specifically, how has the legal relationship between public IHE and student developed and how can selected philosophical inquiries inform such alcohol …

Rebuilding Rural Newfoundland, Jennifer L. Butler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis draws on a governmentality approach to explore how rural development has been informed by the emergence of neoliberal governing in Newfoundland and Labrador. I explore how neoliberal techniques, specifically partnership and responsibilization, create an approach to 'community' and set the terms for local engagement in community initiatives. Using critical discourse analysis, I explore how government documents draw on neoliberal discourse to govern rural development initiatives and sketch the effects of this governing on the initiatives of a particular community, Goose Brook. I argue the monolithic approach to neoliberalism, which has been characteristic of governmentality studies, is limited. The …

Recovery Policy, The Endangered Species Act And The Yellowstone Grizzly Bear (Ursus Arctos Horribilis): A Case Study Analysis Of The Role And Function Of Environmental Organizations, Rachel A. Platt

Master's Theses and Capstones

This Thesis explores the question, "what are the politics of de-listing an endangered species?" The Yellowstone grizzly de-listing process offered environmental organizations a platform to provide the general public with a genuine opportunity to engage with the comments and positions, to the federal government. It contends that a symbolic consensus has been constructed about the American West, Yellowstone National Park and the grizzly bear and these constructed were strong enough to generate the majority of edited responses to the Fish and Wildlife Service during the de-listing process. This thesis looks at the manner in which environmental organizations employ this natural …

Persuasion By Design: World War I, The Committee On Public Information, And The Effectiveness Of Good Poster Design, Kelly Labrecque

Master's Theses and Capstones

World War I propaganda posters were examined for design effectiveness. The Wilson Administration's policy of neutrality lead to the need for the creation of the Committee on Public Information (CPI) with a Department of Pictorial Publicity (DPP) when the United States entered the war in April, 1917. Illiteracy and foreign speaking Americans made the poster the most effective way of communicating messages of food conservation, support for the troops and Allies, and hatred of the enemy. By applying modern graphic design theory to the posters created by the CPI it is possible to evaluate which posters may have had the …