Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Political science (3)
- Authoritarianism (1)
- Democratic backsliding (1)
- Economic predictors (1)
- Feedback effects (1)
-
- Harry Potter (1)
- Humanitarianism (1)
- Ideology (1)
- Interdependence (1)
- Intervention (1)
- Justice (1)
- Leaders (1)
- Liberalism (1)
- Media (1)
- Normative theory (1)
- Participation (1)
- Policy design (1)
- Politics (1)
- Populism (1)
- Poverty (1)
- Power (1)
- Rawls (1)
- Redistricting reform (1)
- Revolution (1)
- Sovereignty (1)
- Unilateralism (1)
- Violence (1)
- Virginia politics (1)
- Youth (1)
- Youth political behavior (1)
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Policy Design And The Lived Experience Of The Poor: A Test Of Policy Feedback Effects And Efficacy, Ava Gural
Policy Design And The Lived Experience Of The Poor: A Test Of Policy Feedback Effects And Efficacy, Ava Gural
Honors Theses
As American political actors have framed poverty as a choice made by the unambitious, it has become clear that our society has a pervasive misunderstanding of poverty. Policy Feedback Theorists assert that the design of our welfare policies contributes to this fallacy, raising the question of whether there is a relationship between policy design and the way citizens act and feel. This thesis uses quantitative data from the American Citizen Participation Study and qualitative data from two original interviews to test the existence of “policy feedback effects” on program participants’ feelings of efficacy. Quantitative evidence suggests limited evidence of policy …
Magic As Political Might: Harry Potter, Authoritarianism, And Youth Political Behavior, Alexis Cobbs
Magic As Political Might: Harry Potter, Authoritarianism, And Youth Political Behavior, Alexis Cobbs
Honors Theses
This thesis examines how authoritarian structures found in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series affect the political thoughts and behaviors of its readers, particularly those who read them at young ages. By examining how Rowling depicts authoritarianism and its opposition in the books, I hypothesized that increased exposure would correlate to an increased impact on readers’ political opinions. To test this hypothesis, I created an original survey designed to measure levels of exposure and participation in the Harry Potter fandom as well as respondents’ political opinions. I asked respondents to provide different examples of authoritarianism and its opposition in the books …
Facing Famine: Justice And The Case Of Unilateral Intervention, Tanner R. Brooks
Facing Famine: Justice And The Case Of Unilateral Intervention, Tanner R. Brooks
Honors Theses
Through the course of this year, 900 thousand people will have to struggle through conditions of famine, and a total of 345.2 million will experience food insecurity of some kind. These concerning figures represent an over twofold increase since 2020.1 This presents a serious problem, as access to food is so plainly vital to every aspect of an individual’s existence. It should therefore be uncontroversial to assert the grave nature of the occurrence of famine and other food emergencies faced by so many today. Food emergencies are not merely a result of insufficient food, but rather the institutional policies enacted …
Designing Democracy: A Normative And Empirical Analysis Of Redistricting Reform, Morgan Deckert
Designing Democracy: A Normative And Empirical Analysis Of Redistricting Reform, Morgan Deckert
Honors Theses
A democracy is more than just an empirically observable mode of governance; it is an actively adopted ideal, an inherently value-laden concept that affects and permeates throughout all dimensions of society. It encompasses corresponding rights held by all democratic citizens, and various state obligations that arise directly from this unique status. As political institutions and practices are given tangible form in a democracy, these moral principles provide both a mandatory set of requirements and an ideal to be oriented towards in their construction. In majoritarian systems with single-member districts, the establishment of electoral boundaries through redistricting is one such process. …
Economic Predictors Of Democratic Backsliding: A Comparison Of Populist And Non-Populist Leaders, Jacob Winter
Economic Predictors Of Democratic Backsliding: A Comparison Of Populist And Non-Populist Leaders, Jacob Winter
Honors Theses
The initial motivation of this research was to develop a better understanding of the primary causes of democratic backsliding, and by extension, how pro-democratic governments, NGOs, and other institutions can most effectively combat democratic backsliding. Previous research has examined the effects of economic conditions (Waldner and Lust 2018) as well as populism (Kyle and Mounk 2018) on a country’s democracy, but to my knowledge, no study has examined whether the effect of economic conditions on a country’s democracy differs between populist and non-populist countries. My research attempts to provide an answer to this question by examining how personal wealth, price …
Bystanders Without An Excuse: On The Moral Duty To Revolt, Meghna Melkote
Bystanders Without An Excuse: On The Moral Duty To Revolt, Meghna Melkote
Honors Theses
Che Guevara, an Argentine revolutionary who served as a key player in the Cuban Revolution, was known for his forceful rhetoric calling people to action to engage in revolution. His language was the language of duty - when he called on people to act, he did so with moral force behind his words. In the face of nascent revolution and discontent, he called upon those aggrieved to “tremble with indignation every time that an injustice is committed in the world” and act accordingly1. Guevara is appealing to a common intuition many leaders in social justice seem to have; there is …