Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Fanning The Flames: Religious Media Consumption And American Politics, Brian Newman, Mark Smith

Brian Newman

Both religion and mass media are politically important in the United States. However, little is known about the political role of religious media. Religious media might be politically influential because they help translate religion into political thinking and because their consumers are likely to internalize the political cues these media provide. We find that almost a quarter of the public claims to have relied on religious media when making voting decisions in 2000. Religious media users felt significantly closer to George W. Bush and Pat Buchanan and farther away from Al Gore and were more likely to vote for Bush …

The Disablement Of Traditional Political Institution In Nigeria, Ozy B. Orluwene Jp

Dr Ozy B.Orluwene,JP

ABSTRACT This paper discusses various salient issues that relate and led to the disablement of traditional political institution in Nigeria. These include the colonial subjugation, vilification by the combined forces of western influence-Christianity and western education, and finally the defilement by some of the contemporary occupants of these institutions. It highlights the vicissitudes that the institution has experienced over the years from the advent of colonialism to the present and the effect of some of the status and operation in the institution. These, among others, are what the paper seeks to bring to the fore.

Military Commissions Act Of 2006, Arsalan M. Suleman

Arsalan Suleman

On October 17, 2006, President Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA). Congress passed the MCA to authorize the trial by military commissions of detained terrorism suspects after the Supreme Court's decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld invalidated the military commissions previously established pursuant to a 2001 military order from President Bush. The MCA adds chapter 47A to title 10 of the U.S. Code to give statutory authorization for the military commissions. This Recent Development explores some of the more controversial aspects of the MCA, especially those sections that respond to the Court's Hamdan decision. The note …

My Biases: A Note On My Articles In Mainstream (2003-05), Vikas Kumar

Vikas Kumar

No abstract provided.

Are Voters Better Represented?, Brian Newman, John D. Griffin

Brian Newman

Studies of political participation and representation often contend that elected officials respond more to the preferences of voters than those of nonvoters, but seldom test this claim. This is a critical assumption because if true, biases in who participates will lead to biased representation. Office holders might respond disproportionately to voters’ preferences because voters tend to select like-minded representatives, voters tend to communicate their preferences more, and only voters can reelect representatives. We find that voter preferences predict the aggregate roll-call behavior of Senators while nonvoter preferences do not. We also present evidence supporting the three explanations advanced to account …

Insurance Plan For The Gay Man: Who Benefits From Media Stereotypes?, Meghan A. Burke

Meghan A. Burke

The Emmy award-winning Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has been a hit since its dashing entrance onto the reality TV scene. But this entrance came at a politically fragile time for LGBT rights in the United States. On what seems to be the surface, the popularity of the show is a testament to the growing acceptance of queer people in the media and in daily life. But below this surface, I think there’s trouble lurking.

Asia Country Risk Analysis Cambodia, Michele Gibney

Michele Gibney

Cambodia, as it currently stands, does not make for an attractive or viable investment area. Based on a realistic point of view, Cambodia poses many security risks to potential investors based on their current domestic situation. In order to understand why this is so, this risk analysis will outline Cambodia’s internal domestic situation as it comes out of their tumultuous history. In addition to this the risk analysis will identify Cambodia’s bilateral and multilateral relations and explain how these do not provide strong support for investors looking to do business in Cambodia. In conclusion the risk analysis will provide a …

The Opacity Of Transparency, Mark Fenster

Mark Fenster

Religious Sectarianism: Lessons To Be Learnt From Pakistan, Vikas Kumar

Vikas Kumar

No abstract provided.

Grandmother’S Syncretic Hinduism Caught In The Whirlwind Of Vhp’S Sectarianism, Vikas Kumar

Vikas Kumar

No abstract provided.

Presidential Traits And Job Approval: Some Aggregate-Level Evidence., Brian Newman

Brian Newman

In a previous article in this journal, Cohen (2001) introduced time series measures of public perceptions of Bill Clinton's personal characteristics. Here, I explore the political impact of these perceptions, asking whether they affect the public's evaluations of presidential job performance. I find that they do, adding aggregate-level support to existing individual-level evidence of the importance of character assessments. Finding a connection between character perceptions and job approval in the aggregate time series context helps answer questions previous studies leave unresolved, with significant implications for our understanding of presidential approval and presidential politics more generally. [First paragraph]

Fdr To Clinton, Mueller To ?: A Field Essay On Presidential Approval, Brian Newman, Paul Gronke

Brian Newman

Since the 1930s, polling organizations have asked Americans whether they "approve or disapprove of the job [the incumbent] is doing as president." In the early 1970s, John Mueller started an academic industry by asking what drives these evaluations. American politics and the tools available to examine it have changed dramatically since then, inspiring a burst of research on presidential approval in the 1990s. We review this new body of literature, arguing that it builds on but differs importantly from earlier approval studies. Since Mueller's writing, scholars have expanded his relatively simple model, taking account of presidents' goals and personal characteristics, …

Anatomy Of Congress Defeat In Tripura, Vikas Kumar

Vikas Kumar

No abstract provided.

The Limits Of University Autonomy: Power And Politics At The Universidad Nacional Autónoma De México, Imanol Ordorika

Imanol Ordorika

The nature and extent of institutional autonomy at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) has been a matter of contention between academics, policy makers and university members for many years. Opinions about governmental influence over the university in Mexico range from absolute autonomy to absolute control. Few of them, however, are founded on research on university-government relations. Most studies of univer- sity autonomy in Mexico are based on classical definitions and pluralist political perspectives that limit a thorough understanding of this relation between the University and the government in the context of an authoritarian State. This article provides an …

Bill Clinton’S Approval Ratings: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same, Brian Newman

Brian Newman

Over the past three decades, political scientists have been developing general models of presidential approval ratings, seeking to determine the structure of aggregate approval. This endeavor has culminated in the broad claim that "peace, prosperity, and probity" drive the public's approval. The unprecedented events of the Clinton Presidency, especially his high approval during and after impeachment, present a strong challenge to this model. However, the existing model explains Clinton's approval remarkably well, suggesting that the public punished and rewarded him for the state of the economy, major political events, and his integrity. Passing this strong test constitutes considerable support for …

Buffalo Beat Op-Eds, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn