Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Drug Cartels And Government In Mexico: A Replication And Extension, Lindsey A. Beckstead

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper analyzes the relationship between drug cartels and the government in Mexico. It also seeks to determine the reasons for an upsurge of violence and cartel related murders in Mexico.

Contextualization Of El Salvador’S Need For A Powerful Executive: A Lockean Analysis Of Nayib Bukele's Approach To Public Security In A Historical, Political, And Social Synthesis, Manuel Agresio Girón Alemán

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For most of the three decades that have presided over the Salvadoran Civil War, El Salvador has been a state tormented by high levels of crime, especially the country's homicide rate, a product of the strong presence of criminal organizations such as MS-13 and 18th Street Gang. The current president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, who took office in 2019, has declared war on gangs under a state of emergency where the human rights of suspected criminals are violated, particularly their due process guarantees. This has caused Bukele’s government to draw strong condemnation and criticism from foreign governments and human …

The Supreme Court And Presidential Elections: An Analysis Of Divisive Decisions And Judicial Review In Presidential Elections, Jeff Hastings

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A presidential election is, arguably, the most important event in the American political system. The Congress and the president are undoubtedly affected by the pressures and publicity of these events, but we have little understanding of whether the Supreme Court behaves differently in presidential election years. In this paper, I argue that the Supreme Court will experience more consensus in its decisions and make less use of judicial review because of the potential for heightened public scrutiny that can arise during the term overlapping with a presidential election. I test this claim using ordinary least squares regression. I find that …

Bipartisn Bills From Caucus Collaboration: Solutions To Polarized Or Non-Polarized Issues?, Kaitlin Holden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper investigates whether caucus members pursue bipartisan collaboration on bills related to polarized or non-polarized policy issues. The aim is to determine whether caucuses may be used to pursue bipartisan solutions to major policy issues in an increasingly polarized political environment. I model the effect that the presence of a women’s caucus has on bipartisan collaboration in increasingly polarized legislatures, depending on whether a bill’s title contains words related to polarized issues and its overall sentiment. Findings indicate that bipartisan women may be more likely to collaborate on polarized bills then non-polarized bills in legislatures with a women’s caucus …

The Effect Of Congressional Committee Assignments On National Park Annual Operating Budget Appropriations, Braden T. Morrill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Yearly funding for individual national parks is overseen and determined by the House Appropriations and Natural Resources Committees. This process has resulted in the National Park Service being underfunded and facing a $12 billion maintenance backlog. Congress has passed temporary funding to help reduce this backlog but has not indicated a shift in how funding decisions are made to prevent future shortfalls.

This thesis uses statistical analysis to explore how individual members of Congress are impacting funding for national Parks in their states or districts. Often congressional committee’s act on personal incentives to make funding decisions rather than basing their …

Executive Orders On A Political Timeline: Examination Of Executive Orders In The Supreme Court And Stephen Skowronek's Theory Of Presidential Leadership, Alisha Rachele Urrutia

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The research performed here applies a theoretical model of the presidency by Stephen Skowronek that spans all of American history to the number of executive orders issued per president and the number of these orders argued before the Supreme Court per president. I hypothesized that presidents who have the fewest political resources available to them (disjunctive presidents) would issue the most executive orders, and presidents who transform the face of American government and politics (reconstructionists) would face the most Supreme Court cases dealing with executive orders. I created two datasets for this research and used descriptive statistics to evaluate these …

Ai: Capturing Core Processes In The Us-China Hegemonic Cycle, Connor Murphy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

World systems analysis is a historically based framework that makes looking at the world easier with trends and patterns. Using this framework and the concepts inside of it, the reader will be able to see the potential that artificial intelligence has in regard to the social, political and economic changes that will come about in the United States and China from the adoption of this technology.

Kids And Campaigning: The Impact Of Child Care As An Approved Campaign Expense On Women's Legislative Candidacy, Matilyn Kay Mortensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

While women’s candidacy continues to reach record numbers in the United States, women remain grossly underrepresented as candidates and elected officials at all levels of government. Many people and groups are focused on increasing women’s political involvement and often these efforts focus on empowering individual women to become candidates. However, when women do run for office, there are many systemic challenges they face, such as the fact that whether or not women work professionally or for compensation, they perform more unpaid care work than their men counterparts.

In the past few years, multiple states across the nation have begun allowing …

Let Us Live To Make Men Free: Locke And Aquinas On Toleration And Natural Law, Micah Safsten

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tolerance is a difficult and controversial concept in political rhetoric. For many, tolerance requires the acceptance of what one believes is evil. Still, most of us feel as though we must accept the differences of others on some level. This thesis is an attempt to better understand tolerance. To do so, it uses the concept of natural law, or the idea that all law should justified through one, universal theory of good. This would seem contradictory, as natural law supposes that a single vision of the good life exists for all. Yet the natural law theory of one legal theorist, …

Candidate Ideology And Small Donor Contributions, Ryan Kobe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

While individual citizens are the biggest source of campaign fundraising in Senate and House elections, previous research has focused on individuals donating over the reporting limit of $200. The Federal Elections Committee now makes available data on individuals who donate less than $200, and as these donors take on a bigger role in congressional fundraising, a new analysis of donor motivations is needed. This thesis investigates if and how candidate ideology is related to amount contributed. Specifically, I ask whether the dollar amount of contributions changes depending on how conservative or liberal a candidate is. These results have important implications …

Ataturk Vs. Soleimani: Political Philosophy & Contemporary Archetypes, Rachel R. Tolhurst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is an examination of the lives of Qassem Soleimani and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk through the lens of the political philosophies of Plato and Niccolò Machiavelli. Qassem Soleimani and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk were noted for their militant lives and share certain qualities of character in their pre-political careers that provide a unique opportunity for a direct comparison and the formulation of a normative claim assessing their relative successes and/or failures despite their many similarities. Through the course of this research the conclusion asserts that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a more capable man than Soleimani to ascend to a position …

Gender And Political Incentives: Examining The Applicant Pool Under Merit Selection, Logan M. Loftis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Merit selection is a judicial selection system for when a state’s constitution or statute directs an independent nominating commission to evaluate applicants as a precursor to gubernatorial appointment. The initial process to fill a judicial vacancy under merit selection has three steps: application, nomination, and appointment. Proponents of the selection system insist that by de-emphasizing politics and highlighting qualifications, judicial diversification will be more likely to increase under merit selection. Yet, there is not a clear consensus as to whether merit selection systematically engenders a more diverse bench.

In this thesis, I explore whether women are less likely to apply …

The Role Of Social Movements In Female Candidacy Decisions, Meg Elizabeth Rasmussen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study of the impact of the 2017 Women’s March and women’s feelings towards President Donald Trump on female candidacy in the 2018 midterm elections was conducted to observe the emergence of new pathways to candidacy and further understanding political ambition in women. This closely follows social movement literature on political opportunities and changes in mobilizing structures as well as literature on nascent political ambition. Understanding the things that encourage more women to run for office can help increase descriptive representation in the United States and create a more representative democracy.

The methods of observing the phenomenon of the 2018 …

Effects Of Military And Economic Aid On Terrorism: A Long- And Short-Term Analysis, Haley Parker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper asks whether U.S. aid reduces terrorism. Foreign assistance may be of two types: socio-economic aid (aims to address the root causes of terrorism by improving health care, education, justice systems, infrastructure, etc. in the recipient country) and military aid (designed to fight terrorism with force and manifests as military operations in a recipient country). Most countries receive both military aid and socio-economic US aid for long spells of time. This is why this research asks: 1) how economic and military types of aid influence terrorism over time, and 2) whether and how economic aid and military types of …

Comparing Theoretical Explanations Regarding United States Decision-Making On Regime Change In Peru And In Chile From 1968 To 1973, Lauren Roberts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis examined the common idea that the CIA is a regime change advocate by testing the merits of two competing political science theories, one focused on internal (endogenous) influences within CIA and one focused on external (exogenous) pressures on CIA emanating from the American public and elected officials. This was accomplished through two case studies – one where the CIA conducted covert regime change operations and one where it did not. Of the two hypotheses, public choice theory, which focused on the external pressure on the CIA, offers the most potential as an explanatory tool for CIA involvement in …

International Threats And United States Congressional Behavior From 1981 – 2013, Elizabeth Randall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper explores the relationship between a foreign threat and the behavior of members of Congress. Understanding how members of Congress respond to potentially threatening international situations can provide important insight into foreign policy and future responses to new threats. I use information about how legislators vote, their ideology and party, and the topic of legislation to measure how liberal or conservative members of Congress are on foreign policy legislation. This allows me to analyze both how members of Congress behave inside their parties and how they interact with the other party, or in other words, intraparty cohesion and interparty …

The Dove's Advantage: Impact Of Gender And Conflict On Executive Approval, Micala H. Gillespie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Do citizens evaluate female vs. male leaders’ foreign policy decisions differently? The number of countries that have had female leaders continues to expand, but little is known about how domestic audiences reward or punish female (relative to male) leaders for foreign policy choices. This study examines how the gender of a national leader conditions the relationship between their hawkish/dovish ideology and public approval for rapprochement policies in militarized interstate conflicts. Results from time-series cross-sectional data using multiple regression models with fixed effects from 31 countries and 127 leaders show that public approval tends to be lower for women leaders and …

Land-Use Attitudes And Local Election Choice: Estimating Effects Of Land-Use Attitudes On Municipal Electoral Choice, Scott R. Dresher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Predicting voter behavior is a difficult task, however there are factors that suggest which candidates will be more successful. This study examined some factors that predict voter behavior in local elections and asks if local land-use authority can be a factor in predicting vote choice. Using survey responses collected from a sample of college students, answers suggest that some factors more strongly influence voter behavior than others. An analysis of survey results suggests that candidate party affiliation alone or candidate land-use attitudes alone are individually significant influences on voter decision making. However, combining effects of candidate party affiliation and candidate …

The Power Of Mercy: An Examination Of Presidential Pardon Patterns, Stewart Ulrich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Constitution gives the president the power of clemency, the ability to forgive crimes and release individuals from prison. There are no checks on this power, giving the president unilateral power. Are there any factors that constrain this power or affect it? I claim that the electoral manner in which a president comes into office helps determine how they will use the power. Presidents coming into power with enthusiasm and confidence of the people will issue more clemency, while those who come into power with less will have decreased levels of clemency. Additionally, with more media outlets to scrutinize their …

Perpetuating Peace: Context Versus Contents Of The Power-Sharing Agreements Between The Kdp And Puk Of The Kurdistan Region Of Iraq In 1992 And 1998, Brigitte E. Hugh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the mid-1990s the two Kurdish parties in Iraq—the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)—signed two power-sharing agreements, which had dramatically different results. The 1992 50-50 Agreement ended in conflict while the 1998 Washington Agreement ended in long-lasting peace.

I examine both the agreements and their surrounding context to identify what explains the success or failure of these two agreements in establishing long-lasting and cooperative peace. I find that the presence or absence of peace is due to both the language of the agreements and the context in which they were created. I demonstrate this …

Anti-State Criminal Violence As Civil Defense, Tyler S. Thomas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Anti-state criminal violence is a puzzle. Criminal organizations should avoid violent interactions with the state, yet in several countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia there has been widespread anti-state violence orchestrated by organized criminal groups for the past 25 years. Why?

Building on existing literature, I develop a theory with which to explain anti-state criminal violence. I argue that organized crime is more likely to commit anti-state violence when state enforcement agents commit a serious grievance against the local population with whom the criminals share a social identity. I develop this theory using the case of the Michoacán Family, later …

The Determinants Of Municipal Minimum Wage Ordinances: An Analysis Of 100 Large Cities From 2012-2017, Nicholas S. Hilton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The city of Seattle, Washington made headlines in 2014 when its city council enacted the highest minimum wage in the history of the United States. The ruling appeared to begin a trend as similar policies began diffusing in cities across the country. In reality, however, municipal minimum wage ordinances have existed since the early 1990’s. Yet, despite over two decade’s worth of data on the subject, little research has been conducted to understand the characteristics that influence cities to enact minimum wages in the first place. This study contributes to our understanding of the predictors of minimum wage ordinances by …

The Rise Of Populist Rhetoric And The Mainstreaming Of A Party? Testing The Rhetorical Shifts Between Front National’S Presidents Jean-Marie Le Pen And Marine Le Pen, Muriel C. Mcgregor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Populist movements have been on the rise across Europe and the Americas. In France, the far right-wing party, Le Front National, has experienced recent growth in electoral success. Scholars of the Front National have in part attributed the party’s success to its increased use of populist rhetoric. This thesis examines the populist rhetoric used between the Front National’s past president Jean-Marie Le Pen and current president Marine Le Pen in order to test these scholarly claims. Based on their campaign speeches for the 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017 French presidential elections, I conducted a quantitative dictionary-based analysis on …

The Impact Of Federal Lands On Per-Pupil Spending In The Western United States, Matthew K. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Property taxes are a significant form of funding for states’ public education. In the West, nearly half of the land is owned by the federal government, making it off limits to tax. This research examines the relationship between federal land and its impact on per-pupil spending.

Interest Groups And Supreme Court Commerce Clause Regulation, 1920-1937, Barrett L. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Did interest groups influence the Supreme Court’s interpretation of federal economic regulatory authority under the Commerce Clause leading up to the Supreme Court’s 1937 reversal? Recent scholarship has begun a renewed study of this tumultuous era seeking alternative explanations for the Court’s behavior beyond the conventional explanations concerning Roosevelt’s court packing plan. I build on this literature by extending the discussion to the influence that interest groups may have had on the Court. I propose that interest groups served as a supporting and influential audience for the Supreme Court as the justices’ institutional legitimacy became threatened by both the political …

Tanf Funding Allocation Differences In Red Vs. Blue States: Emphasis On Out-Of-Wedlock Births And Divorces, Camille Mindrum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The 1996 welfare reforms were part of a bipartisan consensus led by Democratic President Bill Clinton and a Republican Congress about the downfalls of the existing United States welfare system. Under these reforms, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), which was an entitlement program that had been in effect since 1935. Similar to AFDC, TANF intended to serve as a safety net that provides cash assistance to needy families, but it also aimed to reduce government dependence by attempting to instill values in welfare recipients through stricter work requirements and eligibility criteria. …

The Effects Of Cultural Diplomacy On Public Perception In Asia, Joseph R. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many states use their cultures to promote a positive image of themselves abroad. Some scholars argue that this can provide states with international benefits. However, other scholars point to cases where a foreign state’s cultural influence has led to nationalist backlashes and negative public reactions. In this paper, I examine how two common types of cultural diplomacy programs can influence how states are perceived abroad.

I first look at the promotion of pop culture products, such as books, movies, and music. Using survey data from 12 Asian countries, I find that an increase in cultural product imports from Japan, South …

Social Stability And Promotion In The Communist Party Of China, Siniša Mirić

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Communist Party of China CCP) controls all political, economic, and military issues in China. In the absence of elections, the only route of recruitment at higher levels of the political hierarchy in the Party is an official promotion. The scholarship on promotions offers two main explanations for advancement inside the Communist Party of China: (i) informal connections between high officials and candidates, and (ii) merit of candidates. This scholarship disregards, however, the importance of achievement of political targets by the candidates, specifically, their ability to deliver social stability.

Like every authoritarian regime, the CCP faces threats from the masses …

Foreign Fighter Recruitment Messaging And The ‘Islamic State’, Jacob M. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The so called ‘Islamic State,’ an Islamic extremist organization which currently controls large swaths of territory in the Middle East, has attracted foreign fighters to its insurgency in tens of thousands. Until just recently, foreign fighters were not well researched or understood separately from local fighters. David Malet (2013) argues that insurgencies recruit foreign fighters by persuading them to defend a ‘common group’ against a threatening enemy. This ‘defensive mobilization,’ he believed, was critical to recruiting foreign fighters throughout history. After preliminary analysis, the Islamic State presented evidence contrary to this theory, and it seemed dubious that they would use …

International Policy Diffusion And Religious Freedom, 1990-2008, Allison R. Hale

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Why do governments restrict religious freedom? As more and more governments have adopted restrictive policies over the past thirty years, scholars have traditionally examined internal domestic factors—such as the role of democratic governance, economic growth, or internal competition—that may influence government choices. I build on this literature by extending the discussion to external factors, arguing that some policies may also spread from one government to another. This process, identified by scholars as the idea of policy diffusion, may occur in several ways.

While previous research has focused on the spread of policies that are generally considered positive (i.e. the spread …