Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Power Of People: Social Capital’S Role In Recovery From The 1995 Kobe Earthquake, Daniel P. Aldrich

Daniel P Aldrich

Despite the regularity of disasters, social science has only begun to generate replicable knowledge about the factors which facilitate post-crisis recovery. Building on the broad variation in recovery rates within disaster-affected cities, I investigate the ability of Kobe’s nine wards to repopulate after the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan. This article uses case studies of neighborhoods in Kobe alongside new time-series, cross-sectional data set to test five variables thought to influence recovery along with the relatively untested factor of social capital. Controlling for damage, population density, economic conditions, inequality and other variables thought important in past research, social capital proves …

Politiques Envers Les Migrants Hautement Qualifiés: Analyse Comparée Du Canada, Etats-Unis Et Union Européenne, Hristina Petrova

Hristina Petrova

My Master’s thesis is among the few, if not the only work which examines in comparative perspective the public policies of Canada, USA and EU (EU level) in the field of highly skilled migration. I find that this type of migration is understudied, not supported by any of the migration-related organizations, most probably due to its business nature. The triple case study explores the Canadian federal points-based system and the Provincial Programs; the US Green Cards and the H-1B visas; and the EU directive concerning the Blue Cards. My original contribution to the field goes as far as I dwell …

From Energy Sector Inquiry To Recent Antitrust Decisions In European Energy Markets: Competition Law As A Means To Implement Energy Sector Regulation In Eu, Michael Diathesopoulos

Michael Diathesopoulos

This paper presents the conceptual path followed by European Union, European Commission and European Competition Network, after the Energy Sector Inquiry (2007) towards the realisation of the objective of an Energy Internal Market, fully functional and open to competition. Firstly, we examine the findings of Sector Inquiry and then we describe how the Third Energy Package - that followed - tried to address the issues highlighted by the Inquiry and how Third Energy Package introduces a promising but complex system, in order to develop sector rules. Following the above, we proceed to a brief but close examination of 10 recent …

Fragmentation And Performance: The Indian Case, Riccardo Pelizzo

riccardo pelizzo

While previous studies investigated the transformation of the Indian party system from a predominant party system to a highly fragmented multi-party system, less attention has been paid to the political consequences of this change. By analysing an original dataset, this paper investigates how the fragmentation of the Indian party system has affected the stability of Indian legislatures, their ability to legislate, and the quality of the law-making process. Our analyses reveal that as fragmentation increased, legislatures became more unstable, produced lower amounts of legislation, and the quality of the law making process declined. The paper further suggests that these changes …

Defining International Terrorism: Historical Reality And The African Experience, Kwame B. Antwi-Boasiako

Faculty Publications

Violence is terror and terror is violence. Liberators, freedom fighters, revolutionaries and terrorists have all become labels of convenience. Terrorism, historically, has been institutionalized by some governments to their advantage. Academicians and politicians fail to agree on the issues surrounding terrorism hence defining terrorism has become an academic puzzle. The ambiguity in its definition has also contributed to lack of any universal comprehensive acceptable theory. The literature on terrorism by and large accused weaker nations of supporting terrorism. This paper argues otherwise by using the African experience, slavery and colonization, to question the literature on terrorism. Nations throughout history have …

Savina Cuéllar And Bolivia's New Regionalism, Miguel Centellas

Miguel Centellas

The social forces that brought Evo Morales to power reshaped the dynamics of politics in Bolivia. Although partly driven by ethnic or socioeconomic differences, regional move- ments have support beyond a narrow elite base and reflect changes in Bolivia’s political landscape stemming from 1990s political reforms, older historical legacies, and recent political developments. The June 2008 election of Savina Cuéllar, an indigenous woman, as prefect of Chuquisaca highlights the complex and evolving nature of political identi- ties. Identities constructed on the basis of regional claims are as important as—and analytically distinct from—identities constructed on the basis of ethnicity or socioeco- …

Pop Culture In The Classroom: American Idol, Karl Marx, And Alexis De Tocqueville, Miguel Centellas

Miguel Centellas

This article discusses the use of pop culture in the classroom as a means to teach foundational political science authors and concepts. I focus on my experience using Amer- ican Idol as a point of reference to discuss Marx and Engel’s The Communist Manifesto and Tocqueville’s Democracy in America in undergraduate comparative politics courses. Stu- dents are asked to construct a written argument projecting Marx or Tocqueville’s percep- tions of American Idol, based on their readings. My experiences demonstrate that asking students to reflect on their own contemporary experience through the prism of these two works helps them in three …

La Ley De Justicia Y Paz. Impacto Constitucional E Institucional, Javier Revelo-Rebolledo, Mauricio García-Villegas, Rodrigo Uprimny

Javier E Revelo-Rebolledo

No abstract provided.

Leyes De Economía Agraria. Impacto Constitucional E Institucional, Javier Revelo-Rebolledo, Mauricio García-Villegas, Rodrigo Uprimny

Javier E Revelo-Rebolledo

No abstract provided.

Reformas Políticas Y Reelección. Impacto Constitucional E Institucional, Javier Revelo-Rebolledo, Mauricio García-Villegas

Javier E Revelo-Rebolledo

No abstract provided.

Procesos De Captura Y Resistencia En La Rama Judicial, Javier Revelo-Rebolledo, Mauricio García-Villegas

Javier E Revelo-Rebolledo

No abstract provided.

Expertos Y Seguidores. Poder Nominador Del Presidente, Burocracia Y Capacidad Del Estado Colombiano, 2002-2010, Javier Revelo-Rebolledo

Javier Revelo-Rebolledo

No abstract provided.

Why Welcome Al Basheer? Contextualizing Turkey`S Darfur Policy (With Birol Akgun), Mehmet Ozkan

Mehmet OZKAN

No abstract provided.

Relational Contract Theory And Management Contracts: A Paradigm For The Application Of The Theory Of The Norms, Michael Diathesopoulos

Michael Diathesopoulos

This paper examines management contracts as a paradigm for the application of relational contracts theory and especially of the theory of contractual and relational norms. This theory, deriving from Macauley's implications, but structured and analysed by I.R. MacNeil gives us a framework for the explanation and understanding of contractual obligations and business relations' rules and practice. After presenting the key literature about the norms theory and especially defining the content of MacNeil's norms, we define management contracts as relations, characterised by a high relational element and we explain why, investigating all their features, which make them a suitable object for …

Democracy Is Indispensable: A Political Philosophy Of Islamic Governance, Muqtedar Khan

Muqtedar Khan

This essay identifies some of the key components of islamic governance to show the compatibility of Islam and Democracy.

Forest Governance In India: Collective Rights And Claims In The Forest Rights Act, Prakash Kashwan

Prakash Kashwan

The note is intended as an intervention within an ongoing policy debate around questions of forest governance in India. The need to keep this note short has forced the author to assume readers’ familiarity with these debates. Given this, some readers may be interested in the reports on Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 available at http://www.forestrights.nic.in/ and

http://www.forestrightsact.com/

Research support from the International Foundation for Science, Stockholm, and the Ford Foundation, New Delhi is gratefully acknowledged. The author is thankful to Rajesh Ramakrishnan, Shankar Gopalakrishnan, Suneel

Padale, Ajit Menon, Daniel Taghioff, and Forrest Fleischman for comments and suggestions on earlier …

Introduction: Rational Data Choice, Cas Mudde, Andreas Schedler

Cas Mudde

No abstract provided.

Data Usage In Quantitative Comparative Politics, Cas Mudde, Andreas Schedler

Cas Mudde

The quantitative study of comparative politics is often described as a data-driven enterprise. Employing an original dataset of comparative politics articles published in leading academic journals between 1989 and 2007, this article offers the first empirical analysis of data usage in comparative research. Tracing potential biases induced by data dependence, it assesses the structure of quantitative comparative research (by year, research design, geographic focus, and subject area), the use of country-specific and region-specific datasets, the introduction of original data, and the degree of concentration in data usage. Its empirical findings question cherished assumptions about the structure of the discipline.

Fixing Recovery: Social Capital In Post-Crisis Resilience, Daniel P. Aldrich

Daniel P Aldrich

Disasters remain among the most critical events which impact residents and their neighborhoods; they have killed far more individuals than high salience issues such as terrorism. Unfortunately, disaster recovery programs run by the United States and foreign governments have not been updated to reflect a new understanding of the essential nature of social capital and networks. I call for a re-orientation of disaster preparedness and recovery programs at all levels away from the standard fixes focused on physical infrastructure towards ones targeting social infrastructure. The reservoirs of social capital and the trust (or lack thereof) between citizens in disaster-affected communities …

Thailand Unravelling, Erik Martinez Kuhonta

Erik Kuhonta

No abstract provided.

The Paradoxical Vision In Canadian Context, Sherrie Steiner

Sherrie M Steiner

No abstract provided.

From Truth To Justice: How Does Amnesty Factor In? A Comparative Analysis Of South Africa And Sierra Leone's Truth And Reconciliation Commissions, Rachel W. Smith

Honors Scholar Theses

Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRC) have emerged in the last few decades as a mechanism for a state to overcome widespread, grave, human rights violations. There are numerous approaches to a TRC all with an ultimate goal: that formerly warring factions, perpetrators, witnesses, and victims can move forward as a united people. I propose that the provision of amnesty is critical to the success of a TRC. I hypothesize that the form of amnesty chosen (i.e. blanket v. conditional amnesty) determines the revelation of truth and realization of justice, which in turn dictates whether a TRC can achieve reconciliation. To …

The Effects Of Female Cabinet Ministers On Female-Friendly Social Policy, Amy Atchison

Doctoral Dissertations

A growing literature indicates that the representation of women in legislatures is positively associated with the passage of female-friendly social policy. However, there is little corresponding research concerning the effect of women in cabinet on female-friendly social policy. Yet, almost all advanced industrial democracies are parliamentary democracies, where policies typically originate within the cabinet and governments typically enjoy substantial control over the legislative process. Thus, to the extent that women promote female-friendly policy, women in cabinet positions should be ideally placed to do so, and indeed, possibly be more influential than women in legislatures. The purpose of this study is …

Competing Formal And Informal Institutions In A Democratizing Setting: An Institutional Analysis Of Corruption In Romania, Mihaiela Ristei

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the interaction between formal institutions and the informal institution of corruption in Romania from 1997 until 2006. I argue that corruption is an informal institution that creates incentives incompatible with the formal rules, alters the effectiveness of formal institutions, undermines the rule of law, and threatens democratic consolidation. Specifically, I test the capacity of formal institutions to counteract the informal institution of corruption and thus to reduce corruption in four sectors: the judiciary, customs, health care, and public procurement. The research project investigates the methods to restructure incentives and increase the effectiveness of formal institutions, the factors …

The Backyard Effect How The Experience Of Impacts Of Climate Change Affects Opinion And Discourse, Kevin Eggleston

Honors Capstone Projects - All

“The Backyard Effect” hypothesizes that for an issue as potentially abstract, complex, and vast-in-scope as climate change, it will take experiential evidence of impacts in order for people to change and view the problem as urgent – and take action. In order to test this hypothesis, this project set out to interview citizens in climate change-impacted regions around the world in order to explore any connections between personal experience and personal opinion and action. The methodology involved personal interviews with residents, analysis of poll numbers, and use of media reports in locations currently experiencing the impacts of climate change.

Based …

Changing Constituencies And International Trade: The Role Of Organized Labor On The Trade Platform Of The Democratic Party, Chad Ivan Brooker

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Abstract

Problem:

There has been much talk over the past 50 years of the role of American labor in a changing American industrial market. As the world has become increasingly connected, American workers who tout high levels of labor rights, high wages, and safe working conditions have been hard pressed to compete with emerging economies that often share little of these same principles or legal decrees.

The debate over American competitiveness in the world has been fought on the picket lines, on the streets, in back rooms and most importantly in the stolid, white, columned halls of Congress. While liberalized …

Dual Citizenship In Asia, Mindy Eiko Tadai

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Among all regions, Asia lags behind in terms of the number of countries that recognize dual citizenship, but why have some Asian countries permitted dual citizenship while others have not? As of 2009, only seven countries in Asia recognize dual citizenship: Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam. This study analyzes data for twenty-two Asian countries and conducts four case studies. The first two cases, India and the Philippines, recognize dual citizenship, while the second two cases, Nepal and Mongolia, do not. I examine three hypothesized factors that contribute to state recognition of dual citizenship in Asia: …

Reflections Of A Young Journalist Working Within The Parliament Of The United Kingdom, Joe Frandino

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The purpose of my Capstone project is to present a personalized insight into the British political and journalistic systems, and how they contrast with their respective American counterparts. As an intern in the British Houses of Parliament, and with the news department of the Liberal Democratic Party of the United Kingdom, I will present my significant experiences and understandings, as well as the changes I underwent during my study-abroad semester in London, England during the spring of 2009.

Después De La Década De Los Pueblos Indígenas, ¿Qué? El Impacto De Los Movimientos Indígenas En La Arenas Políticas De América Latina., Salvador Marti I Puig

Salvador Marti i Puig

a emergencia de los movimientos indígenas es una de las noticias más importantes de las últimas décadas en América Latina. El artículo indaga las razones que llevaron a este ascenso, que van desde las oportunidades políticas abiertas por la redemocratización hasta el apoyo de las redes transnacionales de la sociedad civil. Se analizan también los efectos concretos, incluyendo las reformas constitucionales implementadas en varios países y la presencia de formaciones políticas indigenistas. A dos décadas de su aparición, el fenómeno indígena ha perdido visibilidad. Sin embargo, dados los confictos surgidos en torno de la explotación de recursos naturales y los …

War By Government: Which Systems Are Most Likely To Engage In Conflict?, Courtney Lemon

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.