Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

2023 Statewide Omnibus Survey, Edward Chervenak, Anthony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

The University of New Orleans’ Survey Research Center (SRC) conducted a live interviewer telephone survey of 429 registered voters in Louisiana. Telephone numbers were selected at random from a sample frame of registered voters. Interviews were conducted from October 25 to November 2. The combined landline and cell phone sample matches the gender, age, and race parameters from the voter file obtained from the Louisiana Secretary of State. The margin of error is +/- 4.7 percent at a 95% confidence level.

Political Religion: An Intellectual History Of Eric Voegelin And Defense Of His Thesis On Political Religion And Nazism, Stephen Gaines

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an intellectual history of Eric Voegelin and the concept of “political religion”. Eric Voegelin was a German-Austrian political scientist whose work surrounding the field of political science has made him one of the most influential thinkers of the 20^th century. Voegelin saw the rise of Nazi Germany in 1932 and fled Austria during Anschluss in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution, coming to the United States. During this time, Voegelin published, The Political Religions (Die Politischen Religionen) in which he describes National Socialism as a “political religion”. This thesis will delve into the conceptualization of …

2022 Quality Of Life Survey - Orleans And Jefferson Parishes, Edward Chervenak, Anthony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

The University of New Orleans Survey Research Center (SRC) conducted a live interviewer telephone survey of registered voters in Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish. These surveys are designed to provide an ongoing picture of how voters view local government services and the general quality of life. They highlight the problems that are of greatest concern to the voters, as well as areas of satisfaction in their parish. The series can also inform the public and officials about specific areas of perceived deterioration or improvement.

Legalization Of Recreational Marijuana In Louisiana, Edward Chervenak, Anthony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

The University of New Orleans’ Survey Research Center (SRC) conducted a live interviewer statewide survey asking Louisiana registered voters whether they favored or opposed the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana.

Job Approval Ratings For Governor John Bel Edwards, Us Senator John Kennedy, And Us Senator Bill Cassidy, Edward Chervenak, Anthony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

The University of New Orleans’ Survey Research Center (SRC) conducted a live interviewer telephone survey of 325 registered voters in the state of Louisiana. We asked respondents to rate the job performance of Governor John Bel Edwards. We also inquired into how respondents perceived the job performance of the state’s two US Senators, John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy.

2021 Mayoral Approval And Council At Large Election Survey: Orleans Parish, Edward Chervenak, Anthony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

The University of New Orleans’ Survey Research Center (SRC) conducted a live interviewer telephone survey of 605 likely voters in Orleans Parish. We asked respondents to rate Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s job performance. We also inquired into which candidates likely voters would vote for in the two at-large city council elections. Lastly, we asked respondents to tell us what they thought was the biggest problem facing Orleans Parish. Their responses were recorded verbatim.

Victim Impact: The Manson Murders And The Rise Of The Victims’ Rights Movement, Merrill W. Steeg

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Victims To Victors: Women Reclaiming Conflict Management In Sub-Saharan Africa, Joy N. Ballard

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Women in sub-Saharan Africa are often viewed as the victims of the conflict around them. This view discredits the hundreds of women who are serving in legislative and executive branches across the region. This research investigates if women in positions of power make more peaceful decisions in times of conflict than their male counterparts. Using negative binomial regression methods this research examines the percentages of women in legislative and executive branches to number of conflict days in a year and number of peace agreements signed. This study found that as the percentage of women in office rise the number of …

Gender Inequality And Terrorism: The Impacts Of Female Empowerment On Domestic And Transnational Terrorism, Jennifer Dumas

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In the post-9/11 years, terrorism has emerged as an urgent issue with important national security and foreign policy ramifications. Within political science, terrorism research has likewise developed as a burgeoning subfield with the potential for significant contributions to policymaking worldwide. However, the literature has until recently generally neglected gender inequality as a structural antecedent to terrorism, despite studies which support a relationship between gender parity and conflict mitigation in other areas as well as increasing calls for the integration of gender measures into counterterrorism agendas and initiatives among scholars and policymakers. To address this gap in the literature, I introduce …

The Federalist Society And Constitutional Interpretation: Who Gets To Say What The Constitution Says, Deborah L. Toscano

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Federalist Society was organized in 1982 by conservative law students to counteract what they perceived to be a liberal bias in law schools, the courts, and government administration. Forty years later there is an acknowledgement of a rightward turn in the Supreme Court which scholars have attributed in part to the efforts of the Federalist Society. However, there is still little understanding of just how that change came about. This dissertation takes a step toward understanding that question. Viewing the Federalist Society as the center of a network of lawyers, think tanks, and legal institutions, I examine the influence …

Legalization Of Recreational Marijuana And Covid Vaccinations For College Students, Edward Chervenak, Anthony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

The University of New Orleans’ Survey Research Center (SRC) conducted a statewide survey asking Louisiana registered voters whether they favored or opposed the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana. We also asked respondents if they thought college students should be required to receive a covid vaccination before returning to classes in person.

Moving Forward Not Back: The Rule Of Law & Equitable Growth Save Democracy, Michael J. Pickering

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the relevant factors that influence people’s perceived levels of democracy in their country. Using World Values Survey Wave 6 (2010-2014) I demonstrate that an interactive-effect between individuals’ confidence in the courts and their beliefs about the possibility of equitable economic growth account for the greatest effect on their perceived levels of democracy.

The 2020 Presidential Election In Louisiana, Edward Chervenak, Anthony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

he University of New Orleans’ Survey Research Center (SRC) conducted a statewide interactive voice response (IVR) survey of Louisiana voters on the topic of who they preferred in the 2020 presidential election. We also asked them about the Covid-19 virus. Survey respondents were randomly selected from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s voter file. However, not all registered voters were eligible for the poll. Only those registered voters who had voted at least once in the past ten statewide elections in Louisiana were selected for the sample. The sample of 755 respondents was collected by telephone IVR on Thursday October 22, …

Job Approval Rating For Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Edward Chervenak, Anthony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

he University of New Orleans’ Survey Research Center (SRC) conducted a statewide interactive voice response (IVR) survey of Louisiana voters on the topic of who they preferred in the 2020 presidential election. We also asked them about the Covid-19 virus. Survey respondents were randomly selected from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s voter file. However, not all registered voters were eligible for the poll. Only those registered voters who had voted at least once in the past ten statewide elections in Louisiana were selected for the sample. The sample of 755respondents was collected by telephone IVR on Thursday October 22, 2020 …

Early Voting Versus Election Day Voting: Identifying Individual Indicators Of Election Stage Participation In Louisiana Elections, 2015-2016, Anthony Licciardi Jr.

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Does early voting advance the democratic process in achieving political equality? Does it create more equity in the representativeness of an electorate? According to rational choice and economic theory, the expanded opportunity to vote should reduce an individual’s cost to vote, thus resulting in higher voter turnouts where traditionally marginalized voters will take advantage of early voting opportunities.

This research conducts an individual-level analysis of more than five-million voter cases over four consecutive Louisiana statewide elections of all individuals who voted in each of the elections from 2015 to 2016. These elections include the 2016 U.S. presidential election, a …

The U.S. Creation Of The South Vietnamese Air Force, 1955-1975, James C. Jumper Jr.

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

From 1962 until 1973 the United States Air Force (USAF) built a small but effective South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). VNAF grew from approximately 4,000 personnel in 1963, flying ninety-six aircraft in six squadrons, to 60,000 personnel and sixty-five squadrons with over 2,000 aircraft by 1973. There was continuous change in the type of aircraft provided to the VNAF as the USAF upgraded VNAF’s capabilities. Training VNAF personnel was a continuing problem for both pilots and support personnel because of the almost constant aircraft upgrades and increase of size of the VNAF. VNAF was growing, developing doctrine, establishing its mission …

Bringing The Theory Of Street-Level Bureaucrats Into The 21st Century: A Study Of Social Workers In Louisiana, Quian J. Lewis

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the applicability of Michael Lipsky’s (1980) concept of “street-level bureaucracy” to the profession of social work in 2019. Street-level bureaucrats are public service workers “who interact with citizens in the regular course of their jobs; have significant independence in decision making, and potentially have extensive impact on the lives of their citizens” (Lipsky, 1980:3). They are faced with uncertainties in their work related to inadequate resources, unclear policies, and caseloads/workloads that defy what may be possible to achieve by any one worker. Workers develop routines and “coping mechanisms,” to manage their environments. The routines that they develop …

Media Coverage Of Lgbt Issues: Legal, Religious, And Political Frames, Scott N. Nolan

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This project creates an original dataset of 1,008 randomly sampled news items that discussed LGBT political issues posted online between 2011 and 2017 by Huffington Post Queer Voices, NPR, and Fox News. I use quantitative methods and content analysis to locate the 14 most popular LGBT political issues in media coverage and to confirm there are three competing media frames of political discussion in coverage of LGBT political issues. There are three results chapters. Chapter 5 describes the 14 LGBT political issues that appear most often in political science research and to what extent media coverage of these 14 issues …

The Hydraulic Dimension Of Reconstruction In Louisiana, 1863-1879, Matthew P. Carlin

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Louisiana developed an extensive system of levees throughout the Atchafalaya Basin and along its territorial Mississippi River. This system reached its zenith on the eve of the American Civil War. It went into dramatic decline following the conflict due to the confluence of military activity, protracted irregular warfare, and neglect stemming from labor and capital revolution. These shifts intensified with the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and finally consolidated after the ratification of Louisiana’s Constitution of 1879. The shift of responsibility for the construction and maintenance of levees during the Reconstruction Era led to many significant changes in the character and function …

Sacred Dictators: A Wholly Unholy Relationship Between Dictatorships And Religious Leaders, Thomas Mcquaid

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

How a single party and personal dictatorship survive has been a question of much debate among scholars. Geddes (1999, 2003) creates a model to determine which survives the longest. Within her model, she finds that a single party dictatorship – one with a party apparatus – survives longer than a personal dictatorship – one where a single person has sole policymaking ability. She argues that the fundamental difference between the two is how each treats the opposition. The party apparatus allows a single party dictatorship the means to silence the opposition by coopting it into the party structure whereas a …

A Sociopolitical View Of Mental Health: An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Policymakers Regarding Their Perspectives Surrounding Mental Health Policy Construction, Katie C. Fetzer

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A substantial gap exists between those who are considered experts on mental health (e.g., academics, mental health professionals) and those in charge of constructing mental health policies (e.g., legislators, Senators). This gap is in areas of both knowledge and professional relations. Mental health professionals are not adequately trained to engage in policy advocacy and reform efforts and have little to no policy advocacy training (Smith, Reynolds, & Rovnak, 2009). Policymakers lack necessary knowledge related to mental health for effective mental health policy construction (Corrigan, Druss, & Perlick, 2014; Lee, Smith, & Henry, 2013). As a result of this gap, mental …

Seeing Red: Immigration And Asymmetrical Partisan Polarization In The United States, Robert M. Worth

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Since the mid-1970s, partisan polarization has been increasing in Congress and the Presidency, and, although most voters lack a stable, consistent ideology, non-ideological forms of partisan polarization have emerged in the mass public in recent decades. Moreover, ideological polarization among elites is highly asymmetrical, with increased Republican conservatism accounting for most of the increased ideological distance between the parties. Here, I develop a racial-threat backlash theory and argue that increased rates of immigration are associated with increased asymmetrical ideological polarization among elites and in the mass public. Tests of this theory on voters, the mass public in the states, state …

2018 Quality Of Life Survey - Orleans And Jefferson Parishes, Edward Chervenak

Survey Research Center Publications

Over the last eight years, New Orleans voters have been more satisfied with life in the city than in previous years, according to the 2018 Quality of Life Survey conducted by the University of New Orleans Survey Research Center. The survey, also known as the UNO Poll, found that while Orleans Parish residents consider crime to be the biggest problem facing the parish, they are much less likely to report that than they did two years ago.

The survey of 500 Orleans Parish voters and 500 Jefferson Parish voters took place from October 17 to November 5, 2018. There is …

March 22, 2018 Jefferson Parish Sheriff’S Election Survey, Edward Chervenak

Survey Research Center Publications

A survey of 617 randomly selected Jefferson Parish registered voters was conducted March 18-20, 2018 by the University of New Orleans Survey Research Center on the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s race scheduled for March 24, 2018. Survey respondents were asked in an interactive voice response telephone survey (IVR)1 who they preferred in the upcoming sheriff’s race. This survey of 617 randomly selected respondents yields a margin of error of +/- 3.9% at a confidence level of 95%.

The findings from the current poll are compared with the results from a poll conducted on March 4-5, 2018 of 767 randomly selected Jefferson …

March 2018 Jefferson Parish Sheriff’S Election Survey, Edward Chervenak

Survey Research Center Publications

WDSU TV commissioned a survey of 767 randomly selected Jefferson Parish registered voters that was conducted March 4-5, 2018 by the University of New Orleans Survey Research Center on the topics of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s race scheduled for March 24, 2018 and on the job approval of Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni. Survey respondents were asked in an interactive voice response telephone survey (IVR)1 who they preferred in the upcoming sheriff’s race and whether they approved or disapproved of Yenni’s job performance. This survey of 767 randomly selected respondents yields a margin of error of +/- 3.5% at a …

2018 Tangipahoa Parish Casino Project Survey, Edward Chervenak

Survey Research Center Publications

A survey of 530 randomly selected Tangipahoa Parish registered voters was conducted Monday February 19, 2018 by the University of New Orleans Survey Research Center. Survey respondents were asked if they approved or disapproved of the casino resort project and if they thought Tangipahoa Parish was heading in the right direction or the wrong direction in an interactive voice response telephone survey (IVR).

2018 Statewide Survey On President Donald Trump Versus Oprah Winfrey, Edward Chervenak, Anthony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

The University of New Orleans Survey Research Center conducted an interactive voice response (IVR) telephone survey on January 11, 2018 on the topic of candidate choice in a hypothetical match-up between President Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey. Survey respondents were randomly selected from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s registered voter file. The sample of 722 respondents yields a margin of error of 3.7% with 95% confidence.

Stasi Brainwashing In The Gdr 1957 - 1990, Jacob H. Solbrig, Jacob Hagen Solbrig

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the methods used by the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), more commonly known as the Stasi, or East German secret police, for extraction of information from citizens of the German Democratic Republic for the purpose of espionage and covert operations inside East Germany, as it pertains to the deliberate brainwashing of East German citizens. As one of the most efficient intelligence agencies to ever exist, the Stasi’s main purpose was to monitor the population, gather intelligence, and collect or turn informants. They used brainwashing techniques to control the people of the GDR, keeping the populace paralyzed with fear …

The Political Determinants Of Refugee Status Recognition, Elizabeth Monika Juhasz

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

What explains the variations in refugee status granting among states? How is refugee status determined? The purpose of the study is to analyze if politics affect refugee status granting to asylum-seekers. Despite the political implications revolving around refugee issues, forced migration studies are still a neglected topic in international relations research. However, scholarly works that focus on forced migration often overlook broad political themes, and do not thoroughly examine how politics affect refugee status rates across countries. This dissertation examines state responses to forced migration. It quantitatively investigates the research questions across countries between 2000 and 2013. It argues state …

Russian Foreign Policy And National Identity, Monica Hanson-Green

Senior Honors Theses

National identity provides the interpretive framework through which foreign policy makers understand their role in the world and the actions of other states, and can also be utilized as a tool to mobilize public support behind foreign policy maneuvers. Foreign policy in turn is both shaped by constructions of national identity, and often used to forge and substantiate the narratives of national identity which best serve the regime’s domestic interests. This thesis will seek to establish the mutually constitutive relationship between national identity and foreign policy through an analysis of the interaction of these elements in the Russian Federation under …