Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
-
- Economics (11)
- Geography (8)
- International and Area Studies (7)
- Political Science (7)
- Sociology (7)
-
- Anthropology (5)
- Arts and Humanities (4)
- International Economics (4)
- Psychology (4)
- Econometrics (3)
- Education (3)
- International Relations (3)
- Latin American Studies (3)
- Business (2)
- Comparative Politics (2)
- History (2)
- Human Geography (2)
- International Business (2)
- Latin American History (2)
- Medicine and Health Sciences (2)
- Models and Methods (2)
- Other Economics (2)
- Other International and Area Studies (2)
- Other Political Science (2)
- Political History (2)
- Social Psychology (2)
- Social and Cultural Anthropology (2)
- Agricultural and Resource Economics (1)
- Asian Studies (1)
- Keyword
-
- HIV/AIDS (3)
- Development (2)
- Islam (2)
- Jamaica (2)
- Minnesota (2)
-
- Politics (2)
- Sierra Leone (2)
- South Africa (2)
- Violence (2)
- War (2)
- Access (1)
- Achievement Motivation (1)
- Admission test (1)
- Affirmative action (1)
- Agency problem (1)
- America (1)
- Annual report (1)
- Auroville (1)
- Autopoiesis (1)
- Basketball (1)
- Bias (1)
- Biennial report (1)
- BlueChipSurvey (1)
- Braudel (1)
- Brazil (1)
- Bus (1)
- Business cycles (1)
- Cambodia (1)
- Cancer (1)
- Change (1)
Articles 1 - 30 of 37
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Are Credit Unions In Ecuador Achieving Economies Of Scale?, Nick A. Marchio
Are Credit Unions In Ecuador Achieving Economies Of Scale?, Nick A. Marchio
Economics Honors Projects
This study tests the assertion that membership growth in credit unions is constrained by their unique structural features, such as their non-profit mission and member-based ownership. Although these features enhance inclusiveness, existing theory suggest that they work against efficiency when membership grows too diffuse. To address this issue, this study uses a model that takes into account existing theory on constrained-optimization in credit unions and theory on the adverse effects of diffuse ownership. Using data on 36 public credit unions in Ecuador, the empirical analysis finds evidence that credit unions can achieve economies of scale despite their problematic structural features. …
The Impact Of The Gay And Feminist Liberation Movements On The Objectification Of The Male Body In Popular Magazines That Target A Male Audience, Miro Lestanin
Sociology Honors Projects
My study analyzes the change in the portrayal of the male body in the public sphere. I examine whether this change is related to the appearance of the gay and feminist liberation movements in 1960s that reintroduced the gay subculture into the mainstream political and social realm. Furthermore, I explore the influence of these movements on the commercialization and objectification of the male body that are used as marketing tools to attract homosexual and metrosexual customers. I analyzed a random sample of 600 advertisements that contained a representation of the male body covering the time span from 1930 to 1990 …
Does Sorting Make A Difference In The Sat’S Prediction Of Course Grades And Cumulative Gpa At Macalester College?, Yuen Ting Liu
Does Sorting Make A Difference In The Sat’S Prediction Of Course Grades And Cumulative Gpa At Macalester College?, Yuen Ting Liu
Economics Honors Projects
This paper estimates the predictive power of the SAT for college success. Most studies use GPA as a proxy for college success, but GPA is subject to differing grading standards across instructors and departments. Using individual course grades of Macalester College students from 1996 to 2005, this paper uses fixed effects to control for students sorting themselves into particular departments and courses. After controlling for sorting by major, a general trend emerges: the Math SAT is more predictive for science and math-related social science majors while the Verbal SAT is more predictive for language majors. After controlling for sorting by …
The Social Evolution Of War And Transformation In Political Organization, Talon J. Powers
The Social Evolution Of War And Transformation In Political Organization, Talon J. Powers
Political Science Honors Projects
Until recently, international relations theory has treated the territorial state as a transhistorical constant. The post-positivist turn, however, revives the question of the state’s origins and future sustainability. By drawing together the contributions of historical sociologists and social theorists of war, this thesis provides a model for change in political organization stemming from foundational transformations in warfare. This model considers not only warfighting practices, but the social and broader historical context in which war is embedded. Through analysis of the feudal and modern cases, I demonstrate why warfare is the best lens through which to evaluate change in political organization.
Weak States And Political Constraints: Experiments With Truth In Liberia And Sierra Leone, Robert Collins Painter
Weak States And Political Constraints: Experiments With Truth In Liberia And Sierra Leone, Robert Collins Painter
Political Science Honors Projects
Focusing on truth and reconciliation commissions in Liberia and Sierra Leone, this thesis examines which political conditions typical of weak states had the greatest impact in deciding the different levels of success between the two cases. Two conditions played a central role in determining each commission’s success: the de-legitimization of the state and political fragmentation. Their presence in Sierra Leone derailed that truth commission’s efforts to carry out its mandate. Conversely, their absence in Liberia allowed its commission to operate relatively free of political impediments, leading to greater success.
Does Unemployment Decrease Cancer Mortality?, Benjamin Torres Galick
Does Unemployment Decrease Cancer Mortality?, Benjamin Torres Galick
Economics Honors Projects
Recent research indicates that healthier lifestyles during recessions decrease the most common U.S. mortalities, but not cancer. However, they combine specific cancer mortalities with different progressions into one, possibly obscuring cancer’s link to unemployment. This paper estimates a fixed-effects regression model on unemployment and the nine most prevalent cancers between 1988 and 2002 using state-level panel data. Five cancers and total cancer are procyclical, and suggest that unemployment affects both incidence and gestation for some cancers. Consistent with the medical literature, this paper contradicts previous economic research and suggests that behavioral factors significantly impact cancer mortality.
Why Do Macroeconomic Forecasters Forecast Inaccurately?, Jayant Gokhale
Why Do Macroeconomic Forecasters Forecast Inaccurately?, Jayant Gokhale
Economics Honors Projects
In this paper, I examine why forecasters inaccurately predict the annual growth rate of real GDP in late 1990s (the dot com boom) and early 21st century. I argue that forecasters herd around the lagged consensus (the mean forecast) which, when uninformative, leads them to converge to the wrong prediction. Using data from the Blue Chip Economic Indicators newsletter and the Real Time Research Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia for the 1994-2002 period, I econometrically test for the presence of herding and its impact on accuracy. The results suggest that (1) forecasters do herd to “the wisdom …
At Risk? Exploring The Relationship Between Hiv-Related Knowledge And Risky Behavior In Young Females In Jamaica., Christine E. Chung
At Risk? Exploring The Relationship Between Hiv-Related Knowledge And Risky Behavior In Young Females In Jamaica., Christine E. Chung
Geography Honors Projects
Young females are at three times higher risk of contracting HIV than their male counterparts in Jamaica. Using Jamaica’s 2004 Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour and Practices survey, this research investigates factors contributing to HIV/AIDS-related risky behaviors of young females. Risk perception as a function of knowledge and as an influence on behavior is also examined. The findings reveal that only older females, 25 to 49 years, practice safer behaviors in response to increased knowledge. This highlights the disjunction between knowledge and behavior, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to addressing the social context within which adolescents are put at risk.
The Problem With Eating Money: Remittances And Development Within Senegal's Muridiyya, Rebecca F. Sheff
The Problem With Eating Money: Remittances And Development Within Senegal's Muridiyya, Rebecca F. Sheff
Political Science Honors Projects
Contemporary development theory is poorly equipped to understand remittance-based development occurring in transnational spaces that partially escape the control of the state. An extended case study of the Muridiyya, a Sufi brotherhood in Senegal, reveals how collective remittances from Mouride transmigrants become tools for community-level development when channeled through transnational religious associations. I argue that remittance-based development projects transform the political, economic, and social contexts in which they are embedded, including the relationship between the Muridiyya and the state. Development theory must be reconceptualized to account for how remittance-based development defies conventional understandings of the scales of economic and social …
The Relationship Between Hmong American Students And The Model Minority Stereotype, Mai Youa Moua
The Relationship Between Hmong American Students And The Model Minority Stereotype, Mai Youa Moua
Psychology Honors Projects
Research on Hmong Americans is limited even in relation to the most prevalent and excessively studied stereotype affecting Asian Americans: the model minority stereotype. The present studies investigated the relationship between the stereotype and students of Hmong descent. Data from 94 students in the first study indicated that belief in and endorsement of the stereotype is related to psychological well-being and achievement motivation. In Study 2, 98 students completed a 2 (prime) x 2 (fit) experimental study. Study 2 concluded that fit (whether or not a person fits the description of a “model minority”) influenced state self-esteem and state shame. …
New World, New War: Understanding Global Jihad, Kabir Sethi
New World, New War: Understanding Global Jihad, Kabir Sethi
Political Science Honors Projects
Scholars tend to explain contemporary conflicts by referring to ambiguously defined processes of globalization. Given this conceptual vacuum, I build a theoretical model that explains the transformation of war through a rigorous analysis of globalization from multiple temporal perspectives. This Braudelian model, which examines the warfighting paradigm, the social mode of warfare, and the historical structure of war, is then used to explain globalist radical Islam. My findings indicate that the emergence of global network societies has had a profound, transformative effect on jihadist violence and, more broadly, on the global mode of warfare.
Style And Consumption Among East African Muslim Immigrant Women: The Intersection Of Religion, Ethnicity, And Minority Status, Jennifer L. Barnes
Style And Consumption Among East African Muslim Immigrant Women: The Intersection Of Religion, Ethnicity, And Minority Status, Jennifer L. Barnes
Sociology Honors Projects
What meanings do people attach to dress style and consumption, how do these meanings vary among cultures, and how do immigrants and other multicultural actors negotiate the different systems of meaning they encounter in different cultures? My research examines the dress choices and shopping behaviors of East African Muslim immigrant women to explore whether and how they understand dress and consumer choices in the context of ethnicity, Islam, and their relationships with non-Muslim Americans. I conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nine East African Muslim women in their twenties living in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. I found that women use …
“The Bus Stops Here”: Place-Making And Transit Justice Issues In The Twin Cities Public Bus Network, Megan A. Macpherson
“The Bus Stops Here”: Place-Making And Transit Justice Issues In The Twin Cities Public Bus Network, Megan A. Macpherson
Geography Honors Projects
This project engages the formation of place-narratives within the Metro Transit bus system by examining the structural factors and individual agents shaping a passenger’s experience of the bus. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, I bring together the literatures of transportation geography, and cultural/feminist geographies. Major themes from my research include the bus as a theater of performance/theater of conflict, the bus as a gateway to public life for those with limited mobility, and the bus as a relational space for specific passenger groups. Additionally, this project explores the significance of place within transit justice work in the Twin Cities. I …
Refugees, Hiv/Aids And Access To Medical Care: A Case Study Of Cairo, Egypt, Anna Popinchalk
Refugees, Hiv/Aids And Access To Medical Care: A Case Study Of Cairo, Egypt, Anna Popinchalk
Geography Honors Projects
Urban refugees in Egypt are at high risk for HIV/AIDS because of the lack of adequate health resources, social stability and the intense stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS. Based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews conducted in Cairo, Egypt, this paper uses a vulnerability perspective to examine the challenges facing HIV-positive refugees in accessing necessary medical care. The combination of policy, structural forces and social relations results in a chain of causation that marginalizes refugees in Egyptian society. These social processes results in unequal access to health resources for refugees, thereby increasing their potential exposure to HIV transmission. This …
Timing Justice: Lessons From The Tribunals In Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, And Cambodia, Zoe B. Whaley
Timing Justice: Lessons From The Tribunals In Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, And Cambodia, Zoe B. Whaley
Political Science Honors Projects
Scholarship on tribunals for mass human rights violations overlooks how the presence or absence of conflict influences its effectiveness. I argue that implementing a tribunal during conflict undermines its ability to effectively pursue justice—as I demonstrate with a case study of the Yugoslav Tribunal. Ongoing conflict makes challenges of transitional justice more acute. The absence of conflict eases a tribunal’s ability to carry out certain necessary activities such as collecting evidence. I demonstrate this using a case study of the Rwanda Tribunal. Examining tribunals in Sierra Leone and Cambodia suggests that hybrid structures influence the effectiveness of these accountability mechanisms.
Does Violent Crime Cause Individuals To Join Gangs?, Colin Hottman
Does Violent Crime Cause Individuals To Join Gangs?, Colin Hottman
Economics Honors Projects
This paper examines the hypothesis that violent crime causes gang membership. I construct a theoretical model of the individual’s decision to join a gang based on the protection that gang membership provides from violent crime. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort and a probit specification, I test three different measures of the threat of violent crime: a dummy variable for experiencing gun violence, a dummy variable for being the victim of repeated bullying, and a dummy variable for being the victim of a violent crime. In my regressions, I find support for the hypothesis that …
Globalization And The Wage-Working Conditions Relationship: A Case Study Of Cambodian Garment Factories, Cael Warren
Globalization And The Wage-Working Conditions Relationship: A Case Study Of Cambodian Garment Factories, Cael Warren
Economics Honors Projects
The wage premiums for firm-level foreign exposure (exporting and foreign ownership) have been well documented in the literature, and their potential sources have been studied in depth. Compensating differentials and efficiency wages are two distinct explanations (with radically different implications for worker welfare) for wage gaps that persist between firms despite controls for firm and worker characteristics. We use a comprehensive dataset of working conditions and wage compliance in Cambodia’s exporting garment factories to explore (1) the impact of foreign ownership on wages and working conditions, (2) whether the relationship between wages and working conditions within these exporting factories more …
The Role Of Gender Identity On The Effects Of Stereotype Threat: An Examination Of Girls’ Math Performance In A Single-Sex Classroom, Erin E. Twamley
The Role Of Gender Identity On The Effects Of Stereotype Threat: An Examination Of Girls’ Math Performance In A Single-Sex Classroom, Erin E. Twamley
Psychology Honors Projects
Despite all of the advancements women have made in the field of mathematics, the negative stereotype regarding women’s mathematical competence persists. Stereotype threat research demonstrates that the negative stereotype contributes to significant gender differences in attitudes, academic achievement, and educational and career attainment in math. The current longitudinal study focused on stereotype threat as an explanation for how a negative gender stereotype influences the mathematical performance of middle school girls in math in a single-sex setting. In particular, the study examines how the girls’ gender identification moderates the effects of stereotype threat. The results of the study indicate that stereotype …
Mental Imagery And Basketball: A Comparison Of Cognitive-Specific And Flow Imagery, Evan Welo
Mental Imagery And Basketball: A Comparison Of Cognitive-Specific And Flow Imagery, Evan Welo
Psychology Honors Projects
Flow is a psychological state that is associated with optimal performance. Sports such as basketball are conducive to an individual experiencing flow because they have rules that structure and focus attention. Past research indicates that sports related mental imagery practice improves athletic performance; however few studies to date have systematically included the characteristics of flow in their sports mental imagery interventions. The present study compared the efficacy of a ―flow‖ and a standard basketball mental imagery intervention at improving performance on a basketball-shooting task. No significant differences were found between groups, but both reported increases in flow experiences.
Growing Change: Local Foods Movements And The Emergence Of Global Social Change, Annie S. Virnig
Growing Change: Local Foods Movements And The Emergence Of Global Social Change, Annie S. Virnig
Political Science Honors Projects
Local foods movements increasingly emerge as social movements with the power to challenge global norms. This paper develops around the question: can local foods movements create holistic sustainability at the global level? I begin by analyzing impetuses behind contemporary local foods movements. I then evaluate sustainability in three case studies – Auroville, India; the Twin Cities, United States; and Southern Africa. I ultimately argue that local foods movements can create sustainable change if they: (1) develop organically within their locale, (2) account for ecological, social, and economic implications of their actions, and (3) build translocal connections across multiple geographic scales.
Is There Country-Of-Origin Bias In The Video Game Market?, Keaton C. White
Is There Country-Of-Origin Bias In The Video Game Market?, Keaton C. White
Economics Honors Projects
This paper tests for the existence of country-of-origin bias in the video game market. Using aggregate sales data from Japan and the US, I measure the effect of country-of-origin on video game sales in each respective country while controlling for genre, system, quality, and target age group, as well as domestically targeted games and superstar effects. I find that a significant country-of-origin bias exists in both game markets in favor of domestic titles.
A Tale Of Two Freedmen: Comparing Black Self-Determination In Atlanta And Salvador, Caitlin Wells
A Tale Of Two Freedmen: Comparing Black Self-Determination In Atlanta And Salvador, Caitlin Wells
Latin American Studies Honors Projects
After emancipation, African-Americans in Atlanta, Georgia, sought self-determination through formal political means, whereas Afro-Brazilians in Salvador da Bahia pursued self-determination through cultural expression. To determine why, I have synthesized secondary sources into an original comparative narrative based in the different experiences of slavery, the different emancipation processes, and the different post-emancipation socio-political situations of each region. These contrasting histories led Afro-Brazilians in Bahia to organize much in the ways they had under slavery, whereas African Americans in Georgia were drawn into formal politics through opportunities presented under Radical Reconstruction. Unfortunately, white supremacy was quickly restored in Georgia under Redemption, leaving …
A Homeowner’S Last Gasp: Looking At The Redemption Process In Hennepin County, Minnesota, Michael Samuelson
A Homeowner’S Last Gasp: Looking At The Redemption Process In Hennepin County, Minnesota, Michael Samuelson
Geography Honors Projects
While the causes of foreclosure are generally well understood, the outcomes of foreclosure have been poorly documented. Although rare, home redemptions – when foreclosed homeowners retain their home after it has been sold in a foreclosure auction – are a possible outcome. This paper explores the occurrence of foreclosure redemptions in Hennepin County, Minnesota in the year 2005, and examines how and why some homeowners were able to keep their house after being foreclosed upon. Using GIS data from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and County Assessor, this paper analyzes the likelihood and spatial patterns of redemption.
Working The System: The Role Of Islam In Student Negotiations Of A Midwestern Charter School, Elizabeth J. Baer
Working The System: The Role Of Islam In Student Negotiations Of A Midwestern Charter School, Elizabeth J. Baer
Religious Studies Honors Projects
“What should the role of Islam be in American public life?” Rather than answer this question through broad, theoretical discourse, I turn to a case study of Somali Muslims in a Midwestern charter school. Through this case study, I analyze how individual Muslims, tied to communities and Allah in diverse ways, actively negotiate how to incorporate their religious practices into public space. I argue that by examining specific strategies used by individuals in an actual school setting, as opposed to making generalizing assumptions, one can better understand that Islam already plays a variety of constantly changing roles in American public …
At Risk? Exploring The Relationship Between Hiv/Aids-Related Knowledge And Risky Sexual Behavior In Jamaica, Christine Chung
At Risk? Exploring The Relationship Between Hiv/Aids-Related Knowledge And Risky Sexual Behavior In Jamaica, Christine Chung
Award Winning Geography Papers
Using the 2004 Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour and Practices (KABP) national survey, this research investigates factors contributing to HIV/AIDS-related risky sexual behavior in Jamaica, using the theoretical underpinnings behind the concept of “risk” to elucidate the relative vulnerability of different demographic groups. In particular, how is risk defined and by whom, and how does this shape the risk environment for HIV/AIDS. The social construction of “risk” is explored as an act of translation of science, whose formalized and institutionalized meanings do not always match up to the individual’s perception of personal risk to HIV/AIDS. The disjunction between knowledge and actual behavioral …
When Is Housing An Environmental Problem?, Arjun Guneratne
When Is Housing An Environmental Problem?, Arjun Guneratne
Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Student Political Advocacy: Professors, Parents And Volunteer Service As Key Social Forces, Jenna M. Perkins
Student Political Advocacy: Professors, Parents And Volunteer Service As Key Social Forces, Jenna M. Perkins
Award Winning Sociology Papers
Many scholars claim that the current generation of college students tend toward disengagement from political activism. While the explanations focus on macro-level processes, they can be used to make predictions about variations in individual level political engagement. To test these explanations I surveyed by email a simple random sample of four hundred students enrolled at a small Midwestern College in the fall of 2009. My objective was to answer the question: what distinguishes students that become engaged in political advocacy from the counterpart who do not? Analyzing my results through logistic regression generated three significant empirical findings. Students who are …
Style And Consumption Among East African Muslim Immigrant Women: The Intersection Of Religion, Ethnicity, And Minority Status, Jennifer Barnes
Style And Consumption Among East African Muslim Immigrant Women: The Intersection Of Religion, Ethnicity, And Minority Status, Jennifer Barnes
Award Winning Sociology Papers
What meanings do people attach to dress style and consumption, how do these meanings vary among cultures, and how do immigrants and other multicultural actors negotiate the different systems of meaning they encounter in different cultures? My research examines the dress choices and shopping behaviors of East African Muslim immigrant women to explore whether and how they understand dress and consumer choices in the context of ethnicity, Islam, and their relationships with non-Muslim Americans. I conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nine East African Muslim women in their twenties living in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. I found that women use …
A Tale Of Two Townships: Political Opportunity And Violent And Non-Violent Local Control In South Africa, Alex Park
Award Winning Sociology Papers
A number of recent gains in social science have found that periods of violent civil disorder marked by chaos may actually exhibit an underlying order and a rationale on part of perpetrators in response to specific political conditions of the time. The conjecture is that violent control emerges as a grassroots effort to establish authority in areas experiencing a vacuum of central authority. Given those conditions, can these same theories of violence be applied to incidents of widespread non-violent control as well, where and when the political conditions are similar? Using a variety of accounts, from research conducted by human …
Dewitt Wallace Library Biennial Report 2007-2009, Teresa A. Fishel, Jacquelyn F. Betsworth
Dewitt Wallace Library Biennial Report 2007-2009, Teresa A. Fishel, Jacquelyn F. Betsworth
Annual Report - DeWitt Wallace Library
This report summarizes the activities in the DeWitt Wallace Library for the years 2007-09. This report is a collaborative effort by the entire staff and features highlights including new services, new people, new collections, new spaces, new technologies, and celebrations.