Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Dissecting Discontent: How Stocks And Flows Of County-Level Economic And Social Factors Affect The Vote Shares Of Populist Candidates, Thomas Dowd

Honors Scholar Theses

Across the United States, recent waves of populism have disrupted existing political institutions and fueled the rise of figures like Donald Trump on the right and Bernie Sanders on the left. Myriad research has been conducted to examine the reasons behind this surge; underlying much of the literature is the story of a population who is deeply unsettled by how global changes threaten the social and economic fabric of their communities. This thesis will test many of the possible drivers of populism, including economic wellbeing, income inequality, social capital, and community breakdown. Using data from the 2016 Democratic presidential primary …

Sino-American Competition In Latin America And The Caribbean, Anthony Russo Orezzoli

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the various ways in which great-power competition between China and the United States will affect regional stability within Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This research will evaluate various theoretical approaches within the study of international relations (neorealism, neoliberal institutionalism, constructivism), as well as review foundational works of Robert Koehane, Robert Gilpin, and other major IR theorists. By utilizing these approaches, this thesis seeks to explain an increased Chinese presence in Latin America and the Caribbean through diplomatic, information, military and economic lens (DIME). In doing so, it becomes clear that stable …

Presidential Power Couples: Does A Strong First Lady Correlate With A Strong President?, Misha Jethwa

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis explores the extent to which a strong first lady correlates with a strong president, and if she impacts public perceptions of his success. To do this, I have run a cross-tabulation through STATA with comprehensive rankings on presidents and first ladies from C-SPAN and Siena College respectively. Both consist of 10 categories that factor into the overall rankings. I have also compiled brief case studies on statistically significant first ladies in order to discover why some of these women are ranked as such. The correlations between rankings are most prominent at the bottom of the rankings - with …

Asian American Politics: A Case Study Of Hmong Americans In St. Paul, Mn, Thilee Yost

Honors College

Despite being a relatively new refugee group relocating to the United States during the 1970s and 1980s, Hmong Americans have emerged as a major political influence in St. Paul, Minnesota. With a population of over 68,000 Hmong Americans, St. Paul has been called the Hmong capital of the world. It has a very dense network of Hmong individuals who have proven to be an emerging political force. During the past November 2018 midterms seven, a record number, of Hmong Americans were elected to public office in the Twin Cities area. Since Asian Americans are expected to make up 10% of …

How To Turn Down Political Heat On Supreme Court And Federal Judges: Stop Signing Opinions, Scott S. Boddery

Political Science Faculty Publications

Chief Justice John Roberts rightly — albeit in an uncharacteristically direct manner — defended the integrity of the federal judiciary and its members from a direct affront from the president of the United States. Roberts’s defense sent President Donald Trump atwitter in a series of messages that doubled down on his previous ridicule of an “Obama Judge” from the “total disaster” Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. [except]

The Rise Of Trump And The Death Of Civility, Keith Bybee

Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media at Syracuse University

According to supporters and opponents alike, Donald Trump has been an unconventional candidate and president. In this article, I evaluate the relationship between Trump’s unconventional behavior and the requirements of civility. I provide a definition of civility, and I explain why it makes sense to relate Trump’s actions to civil norms. I then discuss how civility is enacted, I examine criticisms of civility’s triviality, and I explore the ways in which civility may repress dissent and maintain hierarchy. Although I consider the degree to which Trump’s actions are strategic, I ultimately argue that Trump’s incivilities should be understood as an …

Seismic Waves, Aubrey L. Kamppila

Student Publications

I was studying abroad in Florence, Italy on November 9, 2016, when I awoke to the news that Donald Trump had been elected President. To say it was a shock was an understatement, like many Americans, I had never dreamed the scenario possible. At that moment, I felt more powerless and disconnected from my country than ever before. For the next few weeks, I struggled to comprehend how I personally could combat the assault on my political views and values, what stand I could take, and what impact it might have. Finally, on one of many emotional phone calls with …

Jones Studies The Condition Of American Politics., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

There are many reasons why people decide upon a career. Some follow family tradition, others seek careers with the potential for a big paycheck, still others are inspired by a particular professor in college. But in certain cases, something more mundane explains how a person arrives at such a momentous decision.

“I grew up in a family where, every morning as I was eating my cereal before going to school, the radio was on with the news,” says Dr. David Jones, a professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences in …

Analysis Of The Super Pac Donor Pool And Contribution Behavior, Frederick Van Augur

Holster Scholar Projects

Super PACs, since their inception in 2010, have played a significant role in federal campaign finance. In 2016 alone, super PACs spent over $1 billion trying to influence elections. In particularly close contests with significant disparities in independent expenditures (the main tool of super PACs), this money can play an important role in the outcome. Despite the prominent role of super PAC money in federal elections, limited research has been conducted on the sources of this money. While speculation about mega-donors, corporations, unions, nonprofits, and shell companies has dominated the news media and political punditry, these sources of funds have …

How Blacks Became Blue: The 1936 African American Voting Shift From The Party Of Lincoln To The New Deal Coalition, Daphney Daniel

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Despite the vast research done on the African American influence in the Democratic Party, comparably little has been done on what led them to become part of the Democratic Party in the first place. This study offers an overview of the rich political history of the African American experience from the 15th Amendment’s ratification in 1870 to the 1936 presidential election. My research will reveal how Republican apathy, depression era desperation and Roosevelt’s charismatic message of relief and hope played a vital role to the historical shift of the African American voting bloc from the Republican to the Democratic Party.

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same, Neal Devins

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Politique Partisane Et Indépendence Judiciare, Neal Devins

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Norm Theory And The Future Of The Federal Appointments Process, Michael J. Gerhardt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Watergate Revisited, Fred Smoller

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

This article focuses on the Watergate Scandal of 1972.

A Political And Constitutional Review Of United States V. Nixon, William W. Van Alstyne

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Interview No. 89, José A. Gutiérrez

Combined Interviews

Press conference concerning La Raza Unida Party and American Politics