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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Leveraging Legitimacy: How Alaska Circumvented Salmon Sustainability By Creating Their Own Eco-Label, Monique Couture
Leveraging Legitimacy: How Alaska Circumvented Salmon Sustainability By Creating Their Own Eco-Label, Monique Couture
WWU Graduate School Collection
Eco-labelling programs have become an important market mechanism of environmental governance. The Alaska salmon eco-certification case study provides a rich opportunity to analyze whether industry created eco-labelling programs can foster legitimate resource sustainability. This paper investigates the motives of the Alaska industry in the withdrawal of the salmon fisheries from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, and creation of an Alaska label in 2011. It is argued that Alaska circumvented salmon sustainability by creating its own eco-label. This paper suggests the motive for the emergence of a new fisheries eco-certification initiative was to gain an eco-label through less stringent conformance …
Rethinking Majoritarian Modification: Toward An Explanatory Theory Of Electoral System Reform In Canada, The U.K., And New Zealand, Christopher M. Miller
Rethinking Majoritarian Modification: Toward An Explanatory Theory Of Electoral System Reform In Canada, The U.K., And New Zealand, Christopher M. Miller
WWU Graduate School Collection
Traditional theories of electoral reform have focused on the outcomes of reform as a way of explaining the rational-strategic actions of political elites. Recently, the literature has moved from an ex post to an ex ante approach, analyzing the context and process of reform independent of its expected outcomes. This new conceptualization of electoral reform has produced new analytic frameworks, from which I propose to explore the development of an explanatory theory of electoral reform.
Unnecessary Roughness: Examining Terrain, Indiscriminate Violence, And Conflict Duration, Christine Dulaney
Unnecessary Roughness: Examining Terrain, Indiscriminate Violence, And Conflict Duration, Christine Dulaney
WWU Graduate School Collection
During the past decade scholars have attempted to identify factors influence conflict by using cross-national quantitative analysis, many of which utilize terrain roughness as an independent variable asserting that it provides an advantage in guerrilla warfare. However, despite the theoretical assumptions, these studies fail to reach consensus regarding how or if rough terrain contributes to conflict. One study in particular, Buhaug and Lujala (2005), found that higher levels of rough terrain in the conflict zone were associated, albeit insignificantly, with shorter conflicts, while higher levels of terrain roughness at the country level were associated with longer conflicts. This thesis seeks …
Judging Sodom: Gay Identity In Bowers, Romer & Lawrence, Logan Steele
Judging Sodom: Gay Identity In Bowers, Romer & Lawrence, Logan Steele
WWU Graduate School Collection
This paper presents a novel method for understanding how the Supreme Court constructs identities. Applying Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality to pivotal Supreme Court decisions which solidified gay identity were analyzed using Bowers v. Hardwick, Romer v. Evans, and Lawrence v. Texas. The results of this investigation show that the Court’s construction of gay identity changed with each case, sculpted by what they perceived at the time as most productive for American society. The work presented here has profound implications for the future study of the Supreme Court and contributes to our understanding of the workings of institutions in the …
The Impact Of Federalization: An Original Analysis Of Local Cases In Federal Court, Ben (Ben James) Hagglund
The Impact Of Federalization: An Original Analysis Of Local Cases In Federal Court, Ben (Ben James) Hagglund
WWU Graduate School Collection
Critics of federalization argue that the federal duplication of state criminal laws places an undue burden on the federal courts and there are too many total federal crimes. Federalism proponents claim that the federal overlap threatens the states' roles as laboratories of democracy. This thesis examines criminal cases in the federal court in the Western District of Washington in 2010 and finds concurrent cases are regularly charged by U.S. attorneys in cooperation with state prosecutors. However, the impact on the court is a direct result of the discretion that U.S. attorneys exercise in filing concurrent cases.
Religious Devotion And Partisan Intensity: Measures Of Religious Faith As Proxy Measures Of Political Affect, Janice K. Ward
Religious Devotion And Partisan Intensity: Measures Of Religious Faith As Proxy Measures Of Political Affect, Janice K. Ward
WWU Graduate School Collection
For decades now, the nature of independent learners has been a source of debate and dispute. Are those people who self-identify as independent learners skeptical, critical thinkers, or are they actually closet partisans who are simply denying their partisanship. Questions of religiosity are used as proxies to measure an individual's inclination towards affect in general. The question asked is whether independent learners show lower levels of religiosity than both strong and weak partisans.
Rationing The River: Evaluating Hybrid Instream Flow Programs In Colorado And Montana, Zachary Bruning
Rationing The River: Evaluating Hybrid Instream Flow Programs In Colorado And Montana, Zachary Bruning
WWU Graduate School Collection
Properly managing river water is one of the most important common pool resource issues in the Western United States. Historically, laws regulating water in the West have been biased toward diverting water out of stream for human consumption at the cost of de-watering and degrading rivers across the West. Several states have recognized the importance of leaving water instream and have taken action to support that cause. This study provides an examination of the hybrid instream flow programs used in Colorado and Montana to preserve and restore the health of rivers in those states. Using a case study approach each …
Is There Power In Perception?: Perceived Economic Condition And Perceived Immigrant Population Their Impact On Negative Attitudes Towards Immigrants, Joshua Martin
WWU Graduate School Collection
This study examines some of the potential underlying conditions that trigger prejudice against immigrants in Western Europe. The specific factors of economic concerns and perceptions of immigration population are used to generate three hypotheses 1) that economic concerns and perceptions of large immigrant populations drive negative attitude formation toward immigrants, and these factors are especially acute when they interact, 2) the two factors contribute to negative attitude formation regardless of societal context, and 3) that the two factors of study are not spurious and are able to withstand the factoring in of exclusionary variables. The study uses the 2008 wave …
Examining Illicit Cross-Border Drug Flows Within The Pacific Northwest, Joseph P. (Joseph Patrick) Larsen
Examining Illicit Cross-Border Drug Flows Within The Pacific Northwest, Joseph P. (Joseph Patrick) Larsen
WWU Graduate School Collection
After the attacks of September 11th, 2001 the American government placed a new emphasis upon domestic security and scrutiny soon fell upon the US-Canada border. From 2001 to 2011 there has been a great expansion of border security on the US-Canada border. It is the objective of this thesis to examine how increases in security along the US-Canada border following 9/11 have affected or changed drug smuggling in the Pacific Northwest. It is the central hypothesis of this thesis that the smuggling of drugs produced in British Columbia for American markets has been pushed into the interior of the Pacific …
The Delicate State Of The Nation-State: A Discourse Analysis Of The Parti Québécois From 1960-2000, Kristina Perkins
The Delicate State Of The Nation-State: A Discourse Analysis Of The Parti Québécois From 1960-2000, Kristina Perkins
WWU Graduate School Collection
This paper explores the changes that Québécois nationalism has experienced between 1960 and 2000 as reflected in the discourse of the Parti Québécois (PQ). The hypothesis of this study holds that the provincial and federal political environment has affected the issues that are emphasized in nationalism discourse in Québec. The leaders of the PQ are likely to emphasize the economic or state-building potential of the province when Québec is on the brink of a sovereignty referendum or a constitutional reform initiative. Cultural references, such as language or history, are assumed to be emphasized when the PQ is not in power, …
Asbestos-Laden Soil: A Case Study Analysis Of Swift Creek, Rebekah J. Hook
Asbestos-Laden Soil: A Case Study Analysis Of Swift Creek, Rebekah J. Hook
WWU Graduate School Collection
In the rural area of Whatcom County, Washington there is a naturally occurring asbestos site on the west side of Sumas Mountain. The asbestos laden-soil became airborne after a landslide occurred on the mountain causing asbestos-laden sediment to become loose and every year, one-hundred thousand cubic yards flows into the nearby Swift Creek. There are many stakeholders who are involved in developing mitigation policies. These include agency officials and elected representatives from a variety of levels of government and private property owners. This case study expands on the relationship between "less pressing" environmental issues and the types conditions that must …
War And Peace: Assessing The Impact Of Pmc's On The Outcome Of Civil Conflicts, Jessica Shea
War And Peace: Assessing The Impact Of Pmc's On The Outcome Of Civil Conflicts, Jessica Shea
WWU Graduate School Collection
As a response to the proliferation of private military contractors (PMC's) operating in the global marketplace today, scholars have increased the range and scope of their studies on PMC's. Yet, to date there exists no body of literature that provides a comprehensive examination of how PMC's may potentially impact the outcome to a civil conflict. My essay establishes that PMC's may play very different roles within conflicts, which influence the outcome to a conflict, and does so by examining the cases of Military Professional Resources, Incorporated (MPRI) in the Balkans, Executive Outcomes (EO) in Angola and EO in Sierra Leone.
Defining The Contours Of The National Surveillance State: Analyzing The Development Of Electronic Surveillance, Brett Rubio
Defining The Contours Of The National Surveillance State: Analyzing The Development Of Electronic Surveillance, Brett Rubio
WWU Graduate School Collection
The theory of a National Surveillance State, as provided by Balkin and Levinson, provides a broad framework for understanding the increased use and implications of electronic surveillance by the United States government. This thesis traces the development of electronic surveillance in the United States and evaluates how certain provisions of the Patriot Act have reduced privacy rights and have empowered the Executive branch with greater authority. As established by the theory of a National Surveillance State, the need for electronic surveillance is evident, yet it should be conducted within the context of constitutional protections of individual rights and political checks …
The Weight Of History: Change And Continuity In German Foreign Policy Towards The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Anne-Kathrin Kreft
The Weight Of History: Change And Continuity In German Foreign Policy Towards The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Anne-Kathrin Kreft
WWU Graduate School Collection
This study tests whether the consensus on German foreign policy continuity after unification is applicable to foreign policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where the involvement is complicated by historical legacies resulting from the Holocaust, and includes an evaluation of realist and constructivist theories. An interpretative case study with comparative insights from EU, UK and French foreign policy considers three cases in the pre- and two in the postunification period: the 1967 War, the 1982 Israel-Lebanon War and the 1987 Intifada; and the Red-Green Coalition period from 2000-2005 and the Grand Coalition period from 2005-2009 respectively. The hypothesis of foreign policy …
Can This Wait? Civil Conflict Negotiation And The Content Of Ethnic Identity, David E. Lebowitz
Can This Wait? Civil Conflict Negotiation And The Content Of Ethnic Identity, David E. Lebowitz
WWU Graduate School Collection
Current approaches to the negotiated resolution of ethnic civil conflict either ignore or negate the impact of the content of ethnic identities on the negotiation process, or alternatively assume without sufficient evidence that violent conflict is caused by conflicting ethnic narratives. Based upon a comparison of the Israeli-Palestinian and Northern Ireland conflicts and negotiation processes, this thesis suggests a third perspective. While the evidence does not support the contention that conflicting ethnic narratives cause violent civil conflict to occur, identity-based issues can present tremendous barriers to negotiated agreement. The postponement of the central identity-based issue was critical to the success …
Second-Order Characteristics Of Multi-Level Elections In Spain, Megan J. De La Cruz
Second-Order Characteristics Of Multi-Level Elections In Spain, Megan J. De La Cruz
WWU Graduate School Collection
This thesis project applies the second-order framework to compare levels of elections in Spain. I pay special interest to the link between the country's electoral timing, territorial cleavages, and central-regional dynamic. The project implements two tests, one to measure vote choice in relation to general election expectations and cycles, and another to measure voter volatility between first- and second-order levels. Both tests are broken down by regional electorates and applied to elections to the European Parliament and regional assemblies. In light of the varying levels of decentralization found among Spanish regions, I expect test results to vary between regions that …
Rocky Mountain Blue: A Shifting Terrain In The Rocky Mountain West, Cannon Brooke
Rocky Mountain Blue: A Shifting Terrain In The Rocky Mountain West, Cannon Brooke
WWU Graduate School Collection
This study examines the changes in partisan distribution across the states of the Rocky Mountain West. Previous research on realignment explained the movement of states toward the Democratic Party as an issue-based phenomenon and fracturing of the party in power. Specifically, research from scholars such as V.O Key and Sundquist find that a critical juncture normally triggers change in party system. This study tests whether the secular realignment in the region may perhaps be better explained by demographics. A longitudinal case study along with Lijphart's most similar design system will be used to consider three demographic variables to test if …
The Impact Of Reticulation On A Movement's Ability To Sustain Mobilization In The Presence And Absence Of Opportunities, Eliot Assoudeh
The Impact Of Reticulation On A Movement's Ability To Sustain Mobilization In The Presence And Absence Of Opportunities, Eliot Assoudeh
WWU Graduate School Collection
This thesis discusses the impact of a movement's reticulation structures on its ability to sustain mobilization in the presence and absence of political opportunities. It initially focuses on the relationship between the nature of a movement's reticulation structure and the movement's behavior. It goes on to explore specific connections between varied reticulation configurations and specific behaviors they are associated with, based on a detailed comparison between the student movement and women's movement in Iran from 1997 to 2008. This study shows that a movement's reticulation structure will affect its behavior. The student movement employs a hybrid composed of cliques and …
Getting To 'Win' 'Win': The Case Of The Redevelopment Of Bellingham, Washington's Downtown Waterfront, Christopher M. Conway
Getting To 'Win' 'Win': The Case Of The Redevelopment Of Bellingham, Washington's Downtown Waterfront, Christopher M. Conway
WWU Graduate School Collection
Building on Schattschneider's (1960) conflict expansion theory, this study sheds light on the changing role of critical citizens power to delay and defeat development projects. Little attention has been focused on the how the rise in critical citizens can potentially block policy adoption within large redevelopment programs. This thesis examines the relationship between the level of consensus among economic stakeholders [Port and City] and level of mobilization in critical citizens to analyze the pace of rebuilding Bellingham, Washington's downtown waterfront from 2005 to 2009.
Planning For The 2010 Winter Olympics And Paralympics In Vancouver, Whistler, British Columbia: A Case Study On Cross-Border Collaboration, Jasper Macslarrow
Planning For The 2010 Winter Olympics And Paralympics In Vancouver, Whistler, British Columbia: A Case Study On Cross-Border Collaboration, Jasper Macslarrow
WWU Graduate School Collection
On July 2, 2003 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced it had chosen Vancouver/Whistler, British Columbia, Canada as the host city for the 2010 Winter and Paralympic Games. The 2010 Games were Canada's first since the City of Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and were the first time Vancouver had ever hosted the Olympics. The Games were an opportunity for Vancouver, Whistler, and British Columbia to showcase their cities and their region. With an expected 3 billion people from around the world tuning in to watch the Games, planners and organizers were extremely cognizant of the opportunities and …