Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Red Scare Or Red Herring: How The “China Initiative” Strategy For Non-Traditional Collectors Is Stifling Innovation In The United States, Bianca Tillman

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice launched the “China Initiative” in response to the growing economic and national security threat posed by China. The China Initiative is a sweeping federal plan designed, in part, to protect the United States’ status as a leader in global innovation and scientific discourse. The U.S. is justified in its concern over China’s unfair practices to achieve military, technological, and economic prominence. While U.S. and Chinese intelligence agencies have spied on each other for decades, China has increased both the scope and the sophistication of its efforts to steal secrets from the U.S. in …

Designing Surveys On Youth Immigration Reform: Lessons From The 2016 Cces Anomaly, Saige Calkins

Masters Theses

Even with clear advantages to using internet based survey research, there are still some uncertainties to which survey methods are most conducive to an online platform. Most survey method literature, whether focusing on online, telephone, or in-person formats, tend to observe little to no differences between using various survey modes and survey results. Despite this, there is little research focused on the interaction effect between survey formatting, in terms of design and framing, and public opinion on social issues, specifically child immigration policies - a recent topic of popular debate. This paper examines an anomalous result found within the 2016 …

Early V. Election-Day Voters: A Media Profile, Mark D Harmon

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Abstract

The researcher conducted a secondary analysis of three major surveys of voters: the 2008 National Annenberg Election Survey, and the 2007 and 2008 Cooperative Congressional Election Surveys. All three of these surveys had media components, making it possible to create a profile of significant media differences between Election Day voters and those who vote early.

Early voters, contrasted to those on Election Day, are super citizens—the kind of extremely likely voters campaigns seek out and contact. Early voters (at p < .0001 level of significance) were more likely to be contacted by campaigns by both mail and e-mail, and at a p < .05 level of significance were more likely to be contacted by campaigns face-to-face and by phone.

Early voters, compared to election-day voters, are more likely to mention News and Documentary among their top-four favorite types …

Diana: Unapologetic And Unafraid, Kirkpatrick B. Cohall

Capstones

Diana: Unapologetic and Unafraid provides a snapshot into the multifaceted, and dynamic world of Assemblywoman Diana C. Richardson. Richardson, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York has a heart for service to her community and will stop at nothing to make sure her voice is heard. Richardson takes us on a journey through her current political responsibilities and how she’s endured opposition on nearly all fronts of her political sphere, including law enforcement, news media, and other elected officials. From police officers pepper-spraying her earlier this summer at a George Floyd protest, to articles digging up dirt to intentionally slight …

Corporations And The American Polity, Patrick Labossiere

Student Theses and Dissertations

Research on corporate communications’ effects on politics presents an acknowledgement of a relationship between the two topics, leaving a void in the explanation and examination of this topic. The void presents an opening to introduce a conceptual process for how corporations are able to craft communications to influence the American Polity, the democratic social organization within the United States. This research begins with a historical review of how corporations gain prominence in American society, capturing the ability to participate in the democratic social organization of the polity. A qualitative analysis of several conceptual frameworks serves as data, to establish an …

Out-Of-Control Covid-19 Pandemic Hampers The Nationalism, Aly Hiko, Austin Horng En Wang

Political Science Faculty Research

© The Author(s) 2020. Early studies show that the COVID-19 pandemic causes the rally-around-the-flag effect and increases the level of nationalism among the voters after the outbreak. However, how long does this boost last? Voters may cognitively withdraw their identification to the beloved country if the pandemic is rampant in where they live as well as when the government fails to address it thoroughly. We conducted a pre-registered MTurk experiment (n = 606) on 20 April 2020, in the United States—3 months after the first confirmed case and weeks after the large-scale lockdown. Results show that US subjects who were …

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 …

Fear Of Illegal Immigration, Sofia Sanchez

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Illegal immigration has continuously been a hot topic, and the American population has obsessed over what measures should be taken with these people, if any. In a qualitative study, the fear of illegal immigration is going to be analyzed based on various independent variables such as ideology, party identification, and media, based on results from the Fear 2020 survey. The Chapman Survey of American Fear began in 2018, analyzing people’s different fears nationwide, and how those might be related to other characteristics. Previous research analyzes attitudes towards illegal immigration; however the fear component will be a new addition to this …

Land-Use Attitudes And Local Election Choice: Estimating Effects Of Land-Use Attitudes On Municipal Electoral Choice, Scott R. Dresher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Predicting voter behavior is a difficult task, however there are factors that suggest which candidates will be more successful. This study examined some factors that predict voter behavior in local elections and asks if local land-use authority can be a factor in predicting vote choice. Using survey responses collected from a sample of college students, answers suggest that some factors more strongly influence voter behavior than others. An analysis of survey results suggests that candidate party affiliation alone or candidate land-use attitudes alone are individually significant influences on voter decision making. However, combining effects of candidate party affiliation and candidate …

Social Media And Fear: Social Media As A Catalyst For Political Fear In The United States., Shane R. White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: Using the American National Election Study data from the 2012 and 2016 surveys I explore how social media usage shapes fear. This is likely caused by the nature of social media leading to oversharing of sensationalized articles likely to elicit an emotional and fearful response. My findings suggest first that social media usage has a statistically significant effect on whether they would say they are afraid of a candidate (2012) and how afraid they say they are of the candidates (2016). Second, social media has little effect on economic fear, and may actually make people more hopeful about the …

Nelson I La Bombolla Electoral De Nova York, Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

Durant molt de temps m’he enganyat a mi mateix, i de rebot he enganyat els altres: em pensava que no coneixia cap republicà. Quan els amics d’Europa em demanaven detalls sobre les idiosincràsies de la vida nord-americana, sabent que jo vivia a Nova York, la conversa començava o acabava dient: «Però, és clar, tu vius a NY. NY no és els EUA». Certament la «bombolla» de NY és un fet fefaent que en el meu cas s’accentua i es blinda gràcies a una membrana protectora de múltiples teguments.

Politics Stops At Nature's Edge: The Need For Bipartisanship In Environmental Policymaking, Allison Kustic

Political Science & International Studies | Senior Theses

Climate change is an existential threat to humans and everyday life, yet in recent years Congress has been unable to pass comprehensive environmental policy that addresses climate change. Collaboration between both parties in Congress is often necessary for passing legislation. There was a time when bipartisanship was common, and Congress passed significant environmental legislation. In particular, this happened during the 1970s with the Clean Water Act in 1972, the Endangered Species Act in 1973, the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974, and the Toxic Substances Control Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in 1976. However, since 1994, increased polarization …

Politicized Prayer: How Thoughts And Prayers Hinder Gun Legislation, Hope Cody

Honors Theses

Thoughts and prayers are a strategic rhetorical tool, rather than a religious sentiment, when it comes to gun reform in the US. I confirm my three hypotheses: that the rhetorical use of thoughts and prayers do rise sharply after a mass shooting, that the use is centered in the gun rights coalition, and the use of thoughts and prayers is intentional. This establishes a direct link between the sending of thoughts and prayers and the lack of measurable gun reform laws in the United States.

The Electoral College Is Bad For Democracy, Kaitlyn Marlowe

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Natural Courts: How Vacancies And Replacements On The Supreme Court Best Determine The Ideological Shifts Of The Court And What Effect Longevity Has On Ideology., Lauren Moses

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to explore natural courts and ideology among members of the Supreme Court. Most studies of the Supreme Court allocate focus to the chief justice such that the justice and his ideology determines whether the Court will be described as liberal or conservative for the chief's tenure. However, this thesis questions this model of distinction for the highest court in the land. An analysis of natural courts from Marshall through Roberts specifically targets the highest and lowest ideological shifts between natural courts to understand how vacancies and replacements manipulate the ideology of the Court. In addition to the …

Smoller And Moodian: Four Takeaways From The 2020 General Election, Fred Smoller, Michael A. Moodian

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

"Here are four takeaways pertaining to Orange County from the historic 2020 general election."

I Can’T Breathe: Assessing The Role Of Racial Resentment And Racial Prejudice In Whites’ Feelings Toward Black Lives Matter, Emmitt Y. Riley Iii, Clarissa Peterson

Political Science Faculty publications

Since 2014, public opinion data suggests that whites have become more supportive of the Black Lives Movement. The recent murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have prompted a national debate about the need to address systemic racism in policing within the United States. Recent studies have shown how racial resentment has spilled over into a wide range of political issues that are not associated with race; however, no current research examines how racial resentment might shape whites’ views toward Black Lives Matter. Employing the racial reaction theory and the 2016 American Election Study Survey, we hypothesize and confirm that …

Ua12/2/1 Adulting, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

Special edition of the College Heights Herald, includes articles:

• Spainhoward, Emma. Editor’s Letter
• What to Consider When Considering Grad School
• Norvell, Abbey. Dear Hilltoppers – Mackenzie Moore, Stephen Mayer, Hannah Reardon, Megan Devore, Danny Zeidan
• Harden, Olivia. Cooking (Ahead) for One
• Dressman, Jake. Small Changes Save Big Bucks
• Normalizing Conversations on Sex – Lion’s Den
• Harden, Olivia. Finding Your Place in Politics

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 13, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Burned Out – COVID-19
• Payne, Michael. 15 Years with the Bagel Brothers – Sandra Hurley
• Hargrove, Matthew. Hilltoppers Get in the Win Column, Home Finale Up Next - Football
• Kieser, Nick. All Eyes on the Spring – Basketball, Softball, Soccer, Baseball
• Leboutier, Addison. Little Flock of Jesus Christ Fellowship Comes Home – Clarence Tapp
• Cox, Alex. Editorial Cartoon re: Kamala Harris
• What a Kamala Harris Vice Presidency Means for Young People of Color
• Lattimer, Jacob. Student Government Association Sustainability Committee Looks to Make an Impact …

Is The Digital Economy Too Concentrated?, Jonathan Klick

All Faculty Scholarship

Concentration in the digital economy in the United States has sparked loud criticism and spurred calls for wide-ranging reforms. These reforms include everything from increased enforcement of existing antitrust laws, such as challenging more mergers and breaking up firms, to an abandonment of the consumer welfare standard. Critics cite corruption and more systemic public choice problems, while others invoke the populist origins of antitrust to slay the digital Goliaths. On the other side, there is skepticism regarding these arguments. This chapter continues much of that skepticism.

Migration And Inequalities In The Face Of Covid-19: Vulnerable Populations And Support Networks In Mexico And The United States, Claudia Masferrer

Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center Research

Our world changed drastically on February 11th 2020 when the World Health Organization announced the name of the new coronavirus disease as COVID-19, and the pandemic was later considered the greatest challenge we have faced since World War II. Although we have started to experience social life in various new ways, the impacts that it will bring are still unknown. In recent years, migration had already undergone different transformations globally, and more changes are expected. How will populations on the move and migrant populations live in the following years post-COVID, and how different actors will respond to these changes, is …

How Much Is Too Much?: Administrative Burden And Texas State Policy, Dominique J. Baker

Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center Research

Several states, including Texas, have implemented an “excess semester credit hours (ESCH)” policy. State ESCH policies assess a fee to students at public institutions when they exceed a set number of lifetime cumulative credit hours (e.g., students with more than the 120 credit hours needed for a bachelor’s degree). Little is known about the administrative burden the implementation of and communication about state ESCH policies places on students. Therefore, I conducted a document analysis of the websites of all Texas public institutions. I analyzed 120 documents that were collected from November 2019 to April 2020. While some institutions created systems …

Finding Aid For The Thomas G. Abernethy Collection (Mum00001)

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids

Thomas G. Abernethy represented Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1943 and 1973. The 454 boxes in this collection contain files created during Abernethy's tenure in office.

H-Diplo/Issf Forum 25 On The Importance Of White Housepresidential Tapes In Scholarship, Matthew Evangelista, James Goldgeier, Elizabeth N. Saunders, Luke A. Nichter, Marc Trachtenberg

Presidential Studies Faculty Articles and Research

A forum discussion on the importance of White House presidential tapes in scholarship.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 11, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Murray, Debra. Campaigning During COVID-19
• Stryker, Shane. Third Party Candidates Present Options Outside Democrats & Republicans
• WKU Young Democrats
• WKU College Republicans
• Serrano, Francisco. A Voice of Change for the Young Generation
• Thornton, Maggie. Kentucky’s 1^st Congressional District
• Holland, Kelley. Kentucky’s 2^nd Congressional District
• Latimer, Jacob. Senate Candidates on College-Level Issues – Mitch McConnell, Amy McGrath
• Collins, Michael. District 20 Candidates on the Issues – Patti Minter, Leanette Lopez
• Who’s Running for City Commission?

Instrumental Vs. Expressive: A Study Of Voter Behavior Models Through The Lens Of Identity In The 2016 Presidential Election, Kaitlyn Fales

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

Studying voter behavior through the lens of identity is central to making sense of the 2016 presidential election. The traditional models for explaining voter behavior are rational choice and behavioralism. The former is grounded in instrumental partisanship and a voter’s issue positions, with the latter grounded in an expressive, psychological attachment to partisanship. More recent, social identity theory related models discuss voter behavior through group belonging and the partisan mega-identity (Mason 2018). My analysis used the ANES 2016 Time Series Study. To measure a voter’s issue positions, I created a new Identity Index alongside the expansion of an established Issue …

Law Library Blog (November 2020): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Tribalism And Democracy, Seth Davis

William & Mary Law Review

Americans have long talked about “tribalism” as a way of talking about their democracy. In recent years, for example, commentators have pointed to “political tribalism” as what ails American democracy. According to this commentary, tribalism is incompatible with democracy. Some commentators have cited Indian Tribes as evidence to support this incompatibility thesis, and the thesis has surfaced within federal Indian law and policy in various guises up to the present day with disastrous consequences for Indian Tribes. Yet much of the talk about tribalism and democracy—within federal Indian law, and also without it—has had little to do with actual tribes. …

Institute For Public Policy National Poll - October 2020, Institute For Public Policy

Public Policy Poll Results

The Sacred Heart University Institute for Public Policy leveraged a dual-methodology quantitative research approach to address the following areas of investigation:

• Thoughts on the quality of life in Connecticut
• Governor Ned Lamont’s job approval ratings
• President Donald Trump's job approval ratings
• Voting preference in the presidential election
• Thoughts on filling the supreme court vacancy
• The effect of COVID-19 on mental health and finances
• Plans to take the COVID-19 vaccine when available
• Demographic profiles of respondents

Local Elected Officials’ Receptivity To Refugee Resettlement In The United States, Robert Shaffer, Lauren E. Pinson, Jonathan A. Chu, Beth A. Simmons

All Faculty Scholarship

Local leaders possess significant and growing authority over refugee resettlement, yet we know little about their attitudes toward refugees. In this article, we use a conjoint experiment to evaluate how the attributes of hypothetical refugee groups influence local policymaker receptivity toward refugee resettlement. We sample from a novel, national panel of current local elected officials, who represent a broad range of urban and rural communities across the United States. We find that many local officials favor refugee resettlement regardless of refugee attributes. However, officials are most receptive to refugees whom they perceive as a strong economic and social fit within …