Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Art Of Engaging The Public: The Effect Of The Arts On Civic Engagement, Kathryn Fraley

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Religious Extremism On Government Stability, Jasmine Usmanova

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

What causes government instability? This question has sparked various arguments. While some attribute government instability to economic factors like income inequality, others point to political dynamics such as the number of effective parties, or social factors like trust in the government. However, this paper argues that religious extremism, particularly when propagated by states through the adoption and enforcement of laws, policies, and practices that excessively integrate religious doctrines into the legal and governance framework, is a significant driver of government instability.

In this paper, we specifically utilize data from the year 2013. We employ the Gini index to account for …

Under The Red Banner, Socialism, Physical Quality Of Life, And Development, Matthew H. Hill

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Despite a steep decline since the Cold War, socialism still plays an important role on the world stage. Because of this, it is important to continue studying the effects of socialist governance. This study seeks to use multiple linear regression to determine the effect that socialism and economic development (as measured by GDP per capita) has on physical quality of life. Previous studies have examined the relationship between physical quality of life and socialism, but these were done in the 1980s. Much has changed since then, and updated information is required. Additionally, examining the impact of economic development’s impact on …

Progress Reimagined: A Generation Z Perspective On Belfast In Relation To The Unsdgs., Lucy Love Haman, Rebecca F. Macleod, Emilee E. Ernster, Camryn Moore, Erin Miller, Daron Baltazar, Ricardo Jackson

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

This research explores a contemporary outsider view of Belfast, through the eyes of Generation Z visiting college students, in relation to how three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are carried out (Good Health and Well-Being, Climate Action, and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). To learn through firsthand accounts, the researchers utilized ethnographic and phenomenological methods, as interacting with locals to gather community inputs, surveying different groups in the city, Abstract: recording quotes said by citizens and displayed at billboards, and For Peer Review applying personal sensory experiences. It was found that a political deadlock plays a major role in the …

Why Are Post-Conflict Countries More Inequitable?, Claire Cole

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Why is there continuing socio-economic inequity in post-conflict countries? Post-conflict governments are too weak to prosper and function cleanly, resorting to making deals with and allowing multinational corporations inside its system, resulting in governmental capture. Multinational corporations contribute to the disparity of wealth in post-conflict zones, often ignoring the community and partnering with the government. There is a question of whether Western and European countries actually have a humanitarian interest or self-interest in post-conflict countries. This research includes a comparative study that aims to show how foreign investment shifts during conflict, where each country scores on transparency and corruption; where …

Party Alignment On Gun Laws: Urban V.S. Rural, Roz Rozner

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Mass shootings in the United States have led to debate about gun rights and increased division over the second amendment. Have parties’ positions on gun laws affected voter alignment? This study seeks to determine the effects of restrictive gun laws over time on party alignment within the United States. The urban rural divide in the United States has played a distinctive role in voter alignment on issues like restrictive gun laws. To evaluate this claim, this study uses the Pew Research Center and other opinion polls from the last twenty years to determine whether restrictive gun laws produce higher levels …

The Right To Bear: Measuring Gun Control Policies Against Violent Crime, Balazs Varga

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Especially in United States politics, gun control legislation is a controversial topic, with much debate dedicated to which gun control policies are implementable as a countermeasure to violent crime rates, if any. In American public discourse on the topic, U.S. gun control doctrine, which is characterized by an individualistic gun culture engrained in the Second Amendment of the Constitution, is one which is described as lax in comparison to gun control measures implemented by other nations. These gun control policies include a wide array of measures, such as automatic firearms regulation, a state-mandated national firearms registry, and background checks, among …

Do Our Eyes Deceive Us?: Polarization And The American Electorate, Lukus Perry

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The political divide in the American electorate seems to have increased in recent times. In order to address and hopefully mend the division we need to look deeper into the causes of political polarization. Religiosity, media usage, class, and location all play roles in this equation and the goal is to see which factor is more divisive. Are religiously active people more polarized than others? The idea of perception vs reality also arises in this discussion, but based on moral alignments with candidates and issues, I presume that the most polarizing factor is religiosity. Using survey data from the American …

Ideology And The Incumbency Advantage, Gabe Degraeve

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Incumbents win reelection at a staggering rate (upwards of 75%) the causes of this are well understood and examined. The numerous material benefits (access to a larger staff, fundraising ability, name recognition, etc.) paired with the psychological benefits (scare-off effect, lack of high-quality candidate, etc.) make it very hard for a potential challenger to win in an election against an incumbent. There however has been a decrease in the incumbency advantage over the past several election cycles. Since both the material and psychological benefits are still present, another factor is likely contributing to this decrease. Ideology has become …

The Rise Of Private Military Companies, Kaelinn Sabline-Mccullough

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Why has the use of Private Military Companies "PMCs" increased since the global war on terrorism? What services are PMC contracted to perform? Since the global war on terrorism, there has been an increased use of PMCs. Scholars have attempted to understand the increased use of PMCs by examining the economic relationship between PMCs and the government and have attributed their cost-effectiveness to their increased use. Other analyses focus on the period of downsizing militaries that followed the Cold War's conclusion and contributed the policies that embraced the outsourcing of contractors to perform certain tasks that allow the limit personal …

Examining Appalachian Realignment, Ali Graham

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The Appalachian region is a unique case within American politics, yet it has not been given much attention by political scientists. In the 1990s and 2000s, the area underwent a political realignment, shifting from a Democratic stronghold to a Republican one. I plan to examine proposed theories of realignment in the context of Appalachia to determine the root cause of this shift. I expect to find a relationship between the adoption of environmentalism as a Democratic principle and the change in Appalachian voting behavior because of the prominence of the coal industry in the region. I will use statistical analysis …

Exploration Into The Relationship Between Governmental Efficiency And Levels Of Individual Rights And Liberties, John M. Caskie

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

There is a relatively common libertarian belief that the United States Madisonian system of government serves the interests of liberties in ways other than the separation of powers or its explicitly enumerated rights and liberties. This belief stands as a rebuttal to efforts geared towards increasing governmental efficiency by arguing that their current failure to produce, enact and enforce a legislative output great enough to please critics actually serves the greater interest of the American people by preventing tyranny.

In this study I will be testing whether governmental efficiency has a negative impact on the levels of individual liberties those …

Measuring The Effect Of Negative Political Advertising On Voter Turnout, Will Sosna

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Many scholars have explored the effects of negative political advertising on voter turnout, some arguing that it suppresses turnout, others that it stimulates it. These two views represent the demobilization and stimulation hypotheses, respectively. A third school argues no meaningful relationship exists between the two variables. Despite extensive coverage in the literature, a newer contribution is needed to accurately assess the issue within a more modern context. I utilize data from the 2020 ANES Time Series Study to determine the extent to which exposure to negative political advertising affects voter turnout. I find the effect is slightly depressive, although minimal …

Pursuit Of The Vote: Factors Utilized In Resisting Discrimination In Democratic Elections, Matthew Nicholson

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Suffrage movements make use of various social and political factors to pressure their governments to expand the scope of voting rights. Using McAdam’s political process model, I will analyze how disenfranchised groups’ use of nonviolent demonstration, appeals to international pressure, and appeals to religion, affects their success. This will also highlight patterns that emerge when groups are willing to instigate violence in pursuit of their goals. Most studies examine these variables in the context of the pursuit of independence or revolution, whereas this study focuses on groups wishing to remain within a system given their desired reforms. I will analyze …

Polarization Et Al. Factors That Impact Voter Turnout In Developed Democracies, Artem Smith

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

There are well-researched institutional and societal factors that affect voter turnout. However, are there other factors that affect voter turnout in developed democracies? I review several prominent studies to gauge the depth and breadth of the literature regarding voter turnout. This paper seeks to examine in particular whether there is a relationship between polarization and voter turnout. I theorize that polarization is a significant factor that affects voter turnout. I also hold that other factors such as education, income, and electoral system impact voter turnout in developed democracies. I identify a few gaps in the literature and propose a couple …

Keeping One's Friends Close: The Maintenance Of Cooperation In Supposedly Fragmenting Alliances, Ethan M. Ingram

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

From the perspective of an outside observer, interactions between sovereign states within the international arena seem to mirror the often paradoxical interpersonal complexities of their populace and those who govern them. Why did the Russian Empire and Poland-Lithuania choose to maintain a cooperative relationship in the early 1700s despite a shared desire to take control of the Baltic for themselves (Masse 1980)? How can one decipher the simultaneous desire of Turkey to stay in good graces with its NATO partners while also foraging ahead in its siding with the authoritarians of the world (Bekdil 2018)? All of these questions play …

The Great Unifier: How Crisis Can Lead To National Unity, Ryan Vallone

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Scholars and researchers have spent a great deal of time looking into the phenomenon of the Rally Round the Flag Effect. They have studied the different crisis that led to the effect and the actors that can hurt or help the effect. During these events there is a sense of national unity and support for the president. This effect is very important to look at during the crisis. However, it is just as equally important to look at what happens to national unity after the crisis has ended. The purpose of this research and study is to look at what …

Coronavirus In America; Have Partisan Politics Permeated The Pandemic?, Annabelle G. Macrae

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

What level of influence do the actions and rhetoric of governors have on constituents' response to vaccination? In this paper, I analyze how the rhetoric of governors and their efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic has influenced the progression of coronavirus vaccination amongst their constituents. If governors take significant statewide steps and mitigation measures to combat coronavirus and vigorously enforce and advocate for vaccines, those who are of the same political party will become more opinionated in favor of vaccination, and those of opposite parties will become more resistant to vaccination.

Trust In Government And The Ideological Center Of The American Public, Madison Crenshaw

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

In the age of extreme political polarization, the American public stands more divided and more distrustful of government than ever before. Although polarization continues to persist, the average ideological center of the American public has continued to move to the left as distrust has continued to fall. This paper looks to establish a significant relationship between the American public's trust levels and the average ideological center of the American public from 1994-2017. By analyzing survey data means from Pew Research Center, this paper hopes to determine the influence of the ideological center on levels of trust in the American Public.

The Epic Journey Of Pepe The Frog: A Study In Post-Truth, Jaq Webb

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Abstract

The internet meme Pepe the Frog is an excellent avenue for exploring the relationship between post-truth politics, new media, and viral ideas. While memes as conceptualized by Richard Dawkins are essentially timeless components of human society, internet memes as exemplified by the hijacking of Pepe the Frog by the Alt-Right and the Trump campaign are a novel force with uniquely dark implications for liberal democracy. In this study, I attempt a leftist analysis of the best thinking about Post-Truth Trump-era politics and the communication tactics of the Alt-Right, which suggests that some of the same cultural and material forces …

Aiming To Misfire: Intentional Bias And Its Relationship With Polling Error, Tyler Redmon

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

With growing public dissatisfaction with election polling, finding the source of polling error is key to resolving common frustrations. Many things have been blamed for recent polling misses but the method by which polls are conducted deserved a closer look. This paper seeks to find that source of error through polling conducted in the 2020 Presidential election. This paper shows that polling error at the national level can be attributed to intentional bias but there remain questions when it comes to state polling.

Ghost Of Populism: Haunting The Demos In Democracy, Chloe A. Bidne

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Several recent elections demonstrate voters across advanced industrial economies support candidates with a populist agenda. We observe this phenomenon, for example, in the election of Donald J. Trump as president of the United States as well as across the Atlantic through the majority of voters in the UK favoring the UK Independence Party’s call to leave the European Union and return to a nationally focused agenda through Brexit. Europe allows us to be vividly aware of voter support for populist agendas through their multi-party systems, which include political parties who openly and explicitly claim a populist agenda, such as the …

Untitled, Dean C. Abernathy

Debate Essay Winners

1st Place Winner - Middle School Division

Dean "Trane" Abernathy

Rose Park Middle School

Perspective—Not Objective: The Role Of The Media In U.S. Electoral Politics, Jamie Watson

Debate Essay Winners

1st Place Winner - High School Division

Jamie Watson

Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School

Untitled, Atticus Mosser

Debate Essay Winners

3rd Place Winner - Middle School Division

Atticus Mosser

West End Middle School

Belmont Presidential Debate Essay, Mary Li

Debate Essay Winners

2nd Place Winner- Middle School Division

Mary Li

Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet School

Untitled, Michayla George

Debate Essay Winners

2nd Place Winner - High School Division

Michayla George

Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School

In Opposition Of The Electoral College, Sadia Bolduc

Debate Essay Winners

3rd Place Winner - High School Division

Saida Bolduc

Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet High School

Resolution Rs2008-426, Metropolitan Council

Debate '08

Resolution passed by Nashville's Metropolitan Council recognizing and congratulating Belmont University for hosting the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate.

Signed by Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors and Council Member Keith Durbin.

Honorary Host Committee, Belmont University

Debate '08

2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate Honorary Host Committee, for the debate hosted by Belmont University on October 7, 2008.

Listed as being "in formation 08/22/08".