Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Print Media Framing Of Kenya’S Presidential Campaigns During The 2022 General Election, Brian Owens Ocharo

Theses & Dissertations

The media can mould public perspectives and sway voters toward a specific candidate or political faction. This study aimed to analyse the print media framing of news on Kenya’s presidential campaigns in the run-up to the 2022 General Election. Specifically, the study sought to find out the framing of messages on the four presidential candidates ahead of the 2022 General Election, the extent of print media coverage of the four presidential aspirants during the presentation of their candidatures and factors that influenced the framing of news on presidential candidates by the print media ahead of Kenya’s 2022 General Election. The …

Towards An Efficient Management Of Fake News In The Digital Media Era Newsrooms. A Case Study Of Citizen Digital, Royal Media Services., Francis Gachuri

Theses & Dissertations

The challenge of fake news in the media is a persistent struggle and dents the credibility of journalism as a source of accurate and verifiable content. With the vast penetration of the internet and growth in social media, the legacy media (mainstream media) has to contend with the spread of fake content and safeguard itself from losing its face as the source of truth. Media houses have to rethink, re-strategize and invest in tools, skills, equipment and processes that will identify, isolate and debunk fake news, and stop its dissemination for consumption by the masses. The main objective of this …

Developing A Fact-Checking Model For Election Disinformation, Kenneth Kiunga

Theses & Dissertations

Disinformation poses an increasing threat to the integrity of electoral processes. This research endeavoured to design a fact-checking model that can be used in an electoral cycle in Kenya. Through interviews and document analysis, the study first sought to analyze the efficacy and challenges of the strategies that media organizations in Kenya used to fact-check digital content during the August 2022 elections. The critical examination of the framework used by the African Infodemic Response Alliance informed the development of an electoral fact-checking model. The study found that the strategies that the media organizations used to verify online information in the …

En Sus Propias Palabras: Testimonios Of Latinas In Elected And Appointed Office, Andrea Guajardo

Theses & Dissertations

Governance in the United States has been the domain of men since the idea of democracy and independence from England was in its infancy. The systematic oppression and exclusion of persons of color and women was the backdrop upon which the United States was founded. Many continue to experience conflict and struggle in their efforts to gain and maintain civil rights and seek personal and professional experiences free from marginalization and oppression. This purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences group of Latinas who have been elected or appointed to public office with an emphasis critical …

Status, Revisionism, And Great Power Strategy : Us-China Positional Competition And The Struggle For Leadership In Asia-Pacific, John Hugo Simon Åberg

Theses & Dissertations

The dissertation addresses the core IR problem of revisionism and relates it to both the declining superpower and the rising great power, both the United States and China. The dissertation also offers a novel conceptualization of international order in terms of which revisionism is understood. The theoretical innovation of the dissertation modifies established structural realist theories and shifts the explanatory focus from security to status. Since status, defined as social position, is composed of both power and prestige, both change in the balance of power and the balance of prestige explain revisionism, which then cause dissatisfaction in the form of …

Does Democracy Promotion Promote Democracy? The Zimbabwean Case, Ruvimbo Natalie Mavhiki

Theses & Dissertations

Why has the increase in election funding by both Western international organizations and governmental donor agencies not resulted in the deepening and consolidation of democracy in most African countries? This study assesses this question with reference to Zimbabwe. Significant financial and technical commitments have been invested for the establishment and consolidation of democracy in Zimbabwe, but instead of democratic consolidation, Zimbabwe has oscillated from a de facto one party state to a competitive electoral democracy and then to an electoral authoritarian regime. What explains this puzzling phenomenon? Can democracy promotion promote democracy, and if not, what are the pre-requisites for …

Rising Powers And Foreign Intrastate Armed Conflicts : Trends And Patterns Of China’S Intervention In African Civil Wars, Obert Hodzi

Theses & Dissertations

What influences one state to intervene in another’s intrastate armed conflict? In answering this question, existing scholarship has tended to emphasise the position of the intervening state in the international system; suggesting that, that is the main determinant factor of a state’s external intervention behaviour. As a result, existing research on intervention in foreign intrastate armed conflicts is dominated by a focus on great powers and their intervention methods. Employing the neoclassical realist causal logic, this thesis argues, on the contrary, that whether a state intervenes in a foreign intrastate armed conflict is a factor of both systemic and state …

Political Reunification With Taiwan : Perspectives From The Leadership, Intellectuals And The General Public In Mainland China, Peiji Yu

Theses & Dissertations

This thesis studies Mainland China’s standpoint of political reunification with Taiwan in the contemporary era (2008-2014). The exploration examines the perspectives of leadership, intellectuals and the general public under the analytical framework of state nationalism and popular nationalism.

In general, the standpoints that “Taiwan as an integral part of China” and a “political reunification with Taiwan should be realized” are still the mainstream views in Mainland China. However, detailed reunification views vary among the different perspectives. In terms of the state nationalism composed by leadership and establishment intellectuals, the settlement of the Taiwan issue and the realization of the complete …

Newspaper Portrayal And Legislative Voting Process : A Case Study Of Statutory Minimum Wage In Hong Kong, Ngai Chiu Wong

Theses & Dissertations

Statuary Minimum Wage (SMW) has been discussed for 13 years in post-colonial Hong Kong and was finally legislated for in 2010. Scholars have attempted to explain how and why SMW was legislated for in post-colonial Hong Kong. They have argued that the growing public demand for the legislation created huge pressure for legislators. Even though previous studies have provided explanations for how the policy was made, they have failed to articulate two fundamental questions: how the Legislative Council lawmakers took notice of the problem of working poor and the need to vote in favor of SMW in Hong Kong? These …

The Politics Of Crisis Management In Post-1997 Hong Kong : A State-Society Interactive Framework, Hin Yeung Chan

Theses & Dissertations

Most studies and research on crisis management and government crises put their focus on advanced, democratic nations, where governments have to bear the responsibility of handling of a crisis through elections. However, relatively little attention has been given on the consequences of crises, particularly governance crises, in regimes without full democracy. By using post-1997 Hong Kong, a liberal society with limited democracy, as an example, this thesis aims to examine the applicability of crisis management theories and models currently available, and to introduce an entirely new State-society Interactive Framework 1 to tackle their limitations.

The Five Tasks Leadership Approach suggested …

The Emergence Of Civil Disobedience Movements In Hong Kong, Kwun Hong Chan

Theses & Dissertations

Civil disobedience, as a specific means of protest, has drawn intellectual attention worldwide, but few scholars in Hong Kong have studied this means of protest in depth. Focusing on the reasons why civil disobedience movements have emerged in Hong Kong, this research has used a case study methodology. Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with people that participated in many of Hong Kong’s previous civil disobedience movements, from the Yau Ma Tei Boat People Incident of the 1970s, to the Anti-Public Order Ordinance demonstrations and Citizens’ Radio Incident of the early 2000s. In addition to describing how the emergence of specific …

Japan As China's 'Other': China's Identity And Policy Towards Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, Filip Viskupic

Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines contemporary Sino-Japanese relations, in particular the Chinese policy towards the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands following the end of the Cold War. It answers the puzzle of why the territorial dispute emerged as such a divisive issue in the bilateral relations between China and Japan.

This thesis embraces a constructivist perspective of international relations and puts forward the concept of identity. Identity is understood here as the image of individuality and distinctiveness held by a state in international relations and by having an identity is to live and act according to the defining features of identity. Drawing upon discourse analysis …

The Effects Of Patriotic Education On Chinese Youths' Perceptions Of Japan, Zeying, Zena Wu

Theses & Dissertations

This study tries to address a research question on what effects Chinese patriotic education has on Chinese youths’ perceptions of Japan. The question is raised from a recent discussion on the issue of whether the “patriotic education campaign” since 1989 has led to anti-Japanese sentiments in China.

Guided by the research question, this study particularly looks at the impacts of patriotic education in schools on Chinese students perceptions of Japan. While aware of the theoretical arguments and the focus on Chinese historical narrative of Japan in previous research, this study instead serves as an empirical examination on the topic and …

民粹主義與政治主體的生成 : 社民連的個案, Chak Sang Pang

Theses & Dissertations

拉克勞提出民粹主義是集體身份建構過程的理論：人們透過空洞能指扣連社會上的不同訴求，建立人民與權力的對立陣線，生成集體的身分認同。這與把社會上的群體（如階級）簡 單地視為分析單位的經典馬克思主義分析方法及理性選擇論等不同。本研究以香港政團「社民連」為個案，分析民粹主義的操作。前設是把人們於社會中的位置及利益與其身分認同脫鈎，視身分認同為話語操作的結果。

本研究將使用這一框架，分析於大眾媒體與網上這兩個不同的公共的討論中，社民連被如何表述，令人們可把不同的訴求扣連到「社民連」這概念之上。本研究將指出，社民連雖然號 稱基層黨，但「基層」一詞矛盾重重，社民連只有透過定位為與傳統政治秩序割裂而具多重 意義的「激進派」，吸納傳統「泛民」未能吸納的政治能量，進而產生一些與傳統香港政治 中泛民對建制的對立不同的新主體。於主流傳媒排斥這一新主體的背景下，人們不但透過互 聯網互通消息，甚至以「網民」作為身分認同，與主流傳媒及政治秩序對抗。

Alliance Management Of Post-Cold War Us-Israeli Relations, Wun Liong Chau

Theses & Dissertations

There is always a controversial debate on why the US-Israeli relationship can enjoy lengthy endurance (even after the end of the Cold War). Scholars have traditionally offered explanations through either the strategic role of Israel to the US, or domestic factors including the Jewish lobbies in the US, or the cultural affinities between the two states. However, they tend to emphasize the significance of only one particular dimension, marginalizing possible insights from competitive dimensions.

This research aims to offer a different approach to study US-Israeli relations through alliance management theories. Although there are no formal military treaties between the US …

Fragmented Authoritarianism And Politics Of Hydropower In China : Case Studies Of Tgp & Nrp, Miu Fai, Tommy Wong

Theses & Dissertations

Thanks for economic improvements since the ‘open-door policy’ in 1978; China’s international status has been improving economically and even politically. For instance, she has become a major contributor of BRIC which is a group of four most rapidly developing countries in the world, i.e. Brazil, Russia, India and China, and the largest buyer of U.S. treasury bonds in the world. Nevertheless, a number of intellectuals like Liu and Shirk pointed out that there are still a number of difficulties – both exogenous and endogenous – underneath.1 This research would like to concentrate on one of the aspects which Chinese investigators …

America New China Policy : The Hedgagement Approach, Cheong Wai Yuen

Theses & Dissertations

In the past few decades, the rise of China has shifted the political landscape in the Asia Pacific region. China has succeeded in economic development since the reform in 1979. It is transforming its growing economic strength into military power by substantially increasing military expenditure. According to the estimation of Global Trends 2025, by 2025 China will be the second largest economic and military power if current trend persists. The emergence of China has inevitably altered its international role when it is becoming the great power. With increasing economic interdependence and the anti-terrorism, the Sino-U.S. relations have become more complicated …

The Security Dilemma In Sino-Japanese Relations, Yu Pan Lee

Theses & Dissertations

Even though economic relations between China and Japan have improved in recent decades, their security relations raise the prospect of clashes due to the perceived incompatibility of their interests, as manifested for example in territorial claims and rivalry for energy resources. This thesis analyzes the two states’ security relations using the “security-dilemma” and “constructivist theories” of international relations.

The security dilemma is a condition in which states’ attempts to increase their own security, out of the mutual fear and suspicion, results a decrease in security for all. The constructivist theories suggest that the identities of actors, social norms, states’ interests …

Party Controls In National Central University And Nanjing University Before And After 1949, Zhendong Xu

Theses & Dissertations

In 1898, with the foundation of the Metropolitan University of the Qing Dynasty (Jingshi da xuetang) in Beijing, the modern higher education system was established in China. After the Qing Dynasty, China has been ruled by two political parties before and after 1949: Kuomintang (KMT) dated from 1911 to 1949 and Chinese Communist Party (CCP)1 dated from 1949 to present.

The history of Nanjing University (NJU) can be traced back to Sanjiang Normal School founded by the Qing government in 1902. The NJU witnessed the development of modern higher education in China. The Nanjing city used to be the capital …

Japan : Regime Change In The "Lost Decade", Shuk On, Fiona Tang

Theses & Dissertations

The shift in both the political and economic situations of Japan in the post- 1993s caught the attention of observers because the abrupt changes were unparalleled in other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Politically, a single conservative party had dominated Japan’s electoral and government spheres in a way unmatched in any other industrialized democracy two-to-one majorities over the next largest party; complete control of all cabinet posts; and a relatively large influence of government over the economy. Economically too, Japan’s rapid growth had also been without parallel and had put it at the head of the countries …

Terrorism : A New Threat For Indonesia? : An Analysis On The National Security Of Indonesia In The Post-Suharto Period, Wun Yin, Wilson Lau

Theses & Dissertations

Indonesia is the fourth most heavily populated nation in the world with over 210 million inhabitants. Almost half of all Southeast Asians live in Indonesia, and it is also the world’s most populated Muslim nation. These features make it a crucial country in the Southeast Asian Region, as well as in the world. Therefore, the national security of this country is very important to the region and the world.

Security or national security covers dealing with the threat(s) to the state, so, in order to study this issue, we need to identify what kind of threat is behind the scenario. …

中國務實外交戰略的目的和效果, Pak Wai Chan

Theses & Dissertations

中華人民共和國自建國以來，就是以馬列主義、毛澤東思想為指導理論 的意識形態國家，然而意識形態不是任何時候都左右了中國的外交戰略的。 當意識形態在中國的內政、外交上處於主導位置時，通常不會出現務實 的外交戰略。但是當國家陷於政權的生存、鞏固和安全的危機時，就會出現例 外。

當國家總體戰略是以經濟建設為中心，強調發展經濟，意識形態相對淡化時，務實外交戰略就大行其道。

就中國的務實外交戰略的本質而言，中國本國的國家利益仍然是指導中 國外交戰略的最高原則，其務實的本質與國際政治學理論中的實在主義並無根本的不同。然而，毛澤東時代與鄧小平時代實行務實外交戰略是有不同的，前者僅是外交戰略中的例外，後者則是常規，而非例外。

不論在毛澤東時代還是在鄧小平時代，務實外交戰略在特定的時代背景下都得到了淋漓盡致的展現。前者為中國鞏固新生政權和化解國家安全危機起 到了根本性的作用。後者?中國的社會主義現代化建設爭取了二十多年的和平環境，使中國的經濟得以維持了二十多年的持續高速增長，使中華民族的偉大復興出現了曙光。

Sino-American Strategic Relations : A Perceptual-Psychological Approach, Hon Yui, Eric Wong

Theses & Dissertations

The rise of China’s economic power and the end of US-Soviet rivalry has highlighted the importance of overall Sino-US relations and has made Sino-US interrelations in terms of security become more sophisticated and complicated. Although there obviously exist a number of issues in the Sino-US strategic relationship, my research takes two case studies for particular analysis. One issue, missile defense (MD), started during the presidency of Bill Clinton, but because of George W. Bush’s tough approach to China has become a critical issue in current Sino-US relations.

The Taiwan issue is another crucial case study in my research. Because of …