Political Science Commons^™

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: Analyzing Inhumane Practices In Mississippi’S Correctional Institutions Due To Overcrowding, Understaffing, And Diminished Funding, Ariel A. Williams

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to examine the political, social, and economic factors which have led to inhumane conditions in Mississippi’s correctional facilities. Several methods were employed, including a comparison of the historical and current methods of funding, staffing, and rehabilitating prisoners based on literature reviews. State-sponsored reports from various departments and the legislature were analyzed to provide insight into budgetary restrictions and political will to allocate funds. Statistical surveys and data were reviewed to determine how overcrowding and understaffing negatively affect administrative capacity and prisoners’ mental and physical well-being. Ultimately, it may be concluded that Mississippi has high …

Support For Regionalist And Nationalist Political Parties In Spain, Bailey Burleson

Honors Theses

This research investigates the variation across the autonomous communities of Spain in the level of support for both regionalist and nationalist political parties such as the new far-right political party, Vox. This research looks at four cases: Andalusia, Catalonia, Galicia, and Murcia. Together these cases represent a spectrum of regionalist sentiment, support for regionalist parties, and support for nationalist parties. Using survey data from the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas ahead of the Spanish general election of November 2019, this thesis analyzes individual-level determinants of voting behavior corresponding to regionalist and nationalist political parties in Spain. Of the individual-level determinants of …

Profiles In Leadership: Women Of Color Elected To Office In Massachusetts, Center For Women In Politics And Public Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

In 2015, UMass Boston’s Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy released the first-ever publication exploring the elected leadership of women of color in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts largely to make known the contributions of female electeds of color across the Commonwealth. The publication also aimed to delve into what hinders and what facilitates the elected leadership of women of color. This 2021 updated publication contains profiles of the 174 women of color who have been elected to key policymaking positions and offers quantitative analysis to better understand office-holding patterns.

Evident in the profiles is the centrality of community …

The Effect Of The Political Climate On Latinos’ Wellbeing, Magda E. Mendoza Soto

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The presidential election of Donald Trump significantly influenced various aspects of the population of the United States. Given Trump’s emphasis on anti-immigrant policies, it is essential for professionals and practitioners to better understand how the Latin population is experiencing and responding to today’s political climate. Participants in this study ranged in age from 18 to 64 and were from Latin descent, which consists of persons, cultures, or countries related to the Spanish language, culture, people, or to Spain in general. Ninety-six participants completed the quantitative measures including The Adult Hope Scale (HS), Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the …

(Dis)Contentment With The International System: The Relationship Between Territorial Dispute Settlement Attempts And Unga Voting, Erik C. Beuck

Doctoral Dissertations

To what degree do the methods of management for territorial and maritime disputes relate to voting patterns in the United Nations General Assembly? In particular, do actions taken by the disputants in managing their disputes exert influence on their fellow disputant’s foreign policy preferences in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) reflective of the nature of these attempts? As territory has been found to be one of the most important driving factors in the conflict between states, understanding the impacts of different settlement methods in the active conveyance of information to other state actors in attempts to settle can provide …

The Fickle Financiers Of Elections?: The Impact Of Moving On Individual Contributions, Jaclyn J. Kettler, Jeffrey Lyons

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

What is the effect of a change in geographic location on the behavior of campaign donors? Looking at people who move presents a unique opportunity to assess the ways in which political behavior is altered by external circumstances. Holding the individual constant and observing how donation patterns vary under different external conditions allows us to explore donor behaviors in ways that are more difficult when using cross-sectional data. We use the DIME dataset to compare the donation behavior of over 7,000 individuals in the U.S. House election before and after they have moved. We observe the ways in which changes …

Police Homicide: Race And Ethnicity, Christine Henderson, Aimee Quinn, Charles E. Reasons, Veronica Salas, John Vinson, Brittney Warf

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

During the pandemic, routines were interrupted lives were changed and during this time, many individuals spent more time watching the news to learn more about how long it would take to resume normalcy. When George Floyd was murdered by four police officers, time stood still and the world watched. Outrage was immediate. The pandemic offered everyone the opportunity to witness tragedy unfold in front of them a brutality which happens every day, yet is easily ignored. This article examines the incidence of police homicides of people of color, the lack of law enforcement to seek solutions to their own internal …

Dynamics Of Power In Indiana's Voter Identification Law, Zachary Gossett

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Indiana’s voter identification law is controversial. Supporters argue that the law is necessary to protect the integrity of elections. Its critics argue that the law suppresses the votes of racial minorities and other historically marginalized and oppressed groups. The ensuing legal battle culminated in the U.S. Supreme Court case Crawford v. Marion County Election Bd. This thesis investigates this law’s oppressive intent by utilizing qualitative, interpretive content analysis. The arguments within the respondents’ case briefs are interpreted and evaluated through the context in which the law was introduced and enacted and Iris Marion Young’s five faces of oppression: exploitation, marginalization, …

America Delayed: An Analysis Of Comprehensive Sex Education In The Us, Carolyn Jones

Political Science

Sex education in the United States has been and continues to be a threat to public health. Compared to European countries, the United States has incredibly poor health outcomes all of which are a direct result of poor sex education. A deep dive into sex education per state reveals a list of bad actors across the United States, not just a result of a few bad acting states. In 2015 California passed what many health experts consider the exemplary sex education bill. A comparison of two similar states, New York and California try to identify the casual mechanisms that allowed …

“They Were Simply Invisible”: Advocacy Groups’ Inequitable Impact On The Passage Of Fosta/Sesta & The Role Of Social Acceptability, Kathryn Weidner

Political Science

FOSTA/SESTA, a federal law passed in 2017, was intended to thwart sex trafficking on the internet by amending Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. In practice, it has radically changed the ways internet service providers (ISPs) moderate user content, oftentimes impacting the livelihoods of sex workers. Considering FOSTA/SESTA’s broad bipartisan support, this thesis examines the roles of different advocacy groups in FOSTA/SESTA’s creation. By examining witness testimonies before Congress, public statements, and letters for/against FOSTA/SESTA, the author finds that, the more socially accepted an advocacy group’s members are, the more influence that stakeholder group held over the …

"They Would Do As They Pleased, As They Had The Power": Gender Violence And The American Settler-Colonial Project, 1830-1890, Noelle Iati

Women's History Theses

This thesis investigates the role of gender violence and sexual terror in westward settler expansion of the United States in the nineteenth century. I posit that gender violence was not simply a symptom of war and colonization, but an integral piece of the American colonization strategy. Using studies of three locations during three different periods, I have found that the local, territorial, state, and federal governments all actively deployed sexual assault and other forms of gendered terror as methods of removing Indigenous peoples to reservations and rancherías, opening their lands to settlement and resource exploitation for the purpose of acquiring …

Operation Overload: Career Planning Education In South Dakota, Amber R. Hulse

Honors Thesis

This thesis examines South Dakota’s workforce issues and their potential relations

to career planning education curriculum, policies, and practices in the state based

on students’ perspectives. Using 8-12th grade students’ responses from consumer

satisfaction surveys taken before and after a roughly hour-long career planning

workshop the study provides several pieces of evidence of gaps in career planning

education. Based on this evidence and national career planning curriculum

standards or best practices the thesis recommends three actions to improve career

planning education delivery: increasing access to counselors/hiring counselors,

updating curriculum include comprehensive subjects and more often to current

with the job …

Untold Stories Of The African Diaspora: The Lived Experiences Of Black Caribbean Immigrants In The Greater Hartford Area, Shanelle A. Jones

University Scholar Projects

The African Diaspora represents vastly complex migratory patterns. This project studies the journeys of English-speaking Afro-Caribbeans who immigrated to the US for economic reasons between the 1980s-present day. While some researchers emphasize the success of West Indian immigrants, others highlight the issue of downward assimilation many face upon arrival in the US. This paper explores the prospect of economic incorporation into American society for West Indian immigrants. I conducted and analyzed data from an online survey and 10 oral histories of West Indian economic migrants residing in the Greater Hartford Area to gain a broader perspective on the economic attainment …

The Influence Of Gender On Interruptions In The U.S. Courts Of Appeals., Molly Grace Baldock

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Law has historically been a male-dominated profession. The number of women earning law degrees is now close to parity with men (Moyer and Haire 2015). So, does this mean that women no longer face disadvantages in the legal profession? Unfortunately, systemic disadvantage persists. For instance, previous work on the United States Supreme Court shows that female judges and attorneys are more likely to be interrupted than men—a finding consistent with research on interruption in other contexts, like legislative bodies. This frequency of interruption can have lasting consequences on the ways in which women speak and present questions, as well as …

Colombia's Judicial Reform: What Now?, Maya Smith

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

A current body of research examines Colombia’s judicial institutions and focuses on the successes and failures of past reforms. While the literature is overwhelmingly negative, scholars have managed to put forward pieces of a potential solution. I draw on these analyses to answer the question, “what is the best possible course of action for Colombia’s future judicial reform projects?” Throughout this paper, I draw on Colombian newspapers, think-tank reports, survey research, and academic studies to formulate a cohesive answer. This existing literature identifies that Colombia’s weak judiciary stems from Spanish colonialism’s lasting influence, the reactive and defensive nature of judges, …

Presidential Rhetoric About Immigration From Ronald Reagan To Donald Trump, Katya Palacios

Political Science & International Studies | Senior Theses

The United States is known as the “land of opportunity” where many seek safety, economic prosperity, and freedom. The U.S is a nation built by immigrants. While achieving the American Dream has never been easy, the U.S has a population of over 45 million migrants. Immigration policy is a federal responsibility and, as such, requires presidential leadership. Presidents have had to address the issue and have done so differently. For example, during one of the 1980 Republican primary debates, George H.W Bush and Ronald Reagan both agreed that building a relationship with its Mexican neighbor was important for the United …

Pjesëmarrja Dhe Roli I Grave Kosovare Në Politikë, Alisa Thaqi

Theses and Dissertations

Pjesëmarrja e grave në vendimmarrje i kontribon proceseve pozitive transformuese për shoqëritë, siç janë ndryshimet e ligjeve, politikave, shërbimeve, institucioneve dhe normave shoqërore.Është e rëndësishme të sigurohet që të dëgjohen zërat e grave për vendimet që prekin jetët e tyre, jetët e familjeve të tyre dhe komuntitetit më gjërë. Këto vendime prekin gratë po aq sa edhe burrat. Prandaj, gratë duhet të përfshihen në vendimmarrje në çdo fushë dhe të kenë fuqi dhe numër të barabartë me burrat. Është përgjegjësi e qeverisë të sigurojë që grave iu ofrohen mundësi për të marrë pjesë në të gjitha nivelet e vendimmarrjes dhe …

Ndikimi I Ndotjes Së Ajrit Në Ambientin Jetësor Në Republikën E Kosovës – Komuna E Prishtinës, Nazif Fazliu

Theses and Dissertations

Ambienti jetësor ka rëndësi shumë të madhe në jetën tonë, ku rrjedhimisht duhet të kushtohet shumë rëndësi kujdesit ndaj tij pasi që ambienti paraqet ajrin që ne thithim çdo ditë. Një ndër sfidat më të mëdha që është paraqitur në ditët e sotme, si rezultat i shumë veprimtarive të ndryshme dhe si pasojë e mos angazhimit të instrumenteve shtetërore është edhe sfida e ndotjes së ambientit jetësor në Kosovë. Kjo sfidë deri më tani, ka qëndruar në një farë mënyre e papërballueshme për institucionet tona duke pasur parasysh që kemi mungesë të theksuar të informacionit mbi ndotjen e ajrit, pasojat …

Bashkëpunimi Dhe Divergjencat Në Mes Të Shba-Së Dhe Be-Së, Edona Selmani

Theses and Dissertations

Intensifikimi i marrëdhënieve mes Bashkimit Evropian dhe Shteteve të Bashkuara të Amerikës shënojnë një moment të ri për rendin global, sidomos pas Luftës së Dytë Botërore. BE-ja edhe pse nuk kishte një strukturë institucionale të konsoliduar kjo nuk e pengoj që të krijoj një raport funksional marrëdhëniesh mes dy vendeve, që përveç se ishin të dobishme në rrafshin ekonomik, ato u treguan se ishin më se të dobishme edhe në rrafshin politik e më së shumti në atë ushtarak.

Megjithatë, bashkëpunimi mes këtyre dy vendeve është shoqëruar edhe me divergjenca të ndryshme për çështje të caktuara. Trajtimi i sulmeve të …

Roli I Imf-Ve Në Stabilitetin Ekonomik Të Kosovës (Rast Studimi Monego Dhe Iutecredit), Aulona Binaku

Theses and Dissertations

Qëllimi i këtij punimi kërkimor është zhvillimi i analizës së sektorit të mikrokredisë në Kosovë,identifikimi dhe analiza e përbërësve që ndikojnë në përcaktimin e normave të interesit për mikrokreditë në vendin tonë. Për më tepër, hulumtimi do të vlerësojë nëse IMF-të dhe normat e interesit janë nëpërputhje me planet e tyre të biznesit, si dhe do të bëhet krahasimi i normave të interesit të Kosovës me vendet ballkanike.

Objektivë e këtij hulumtimi është dhe përcaktimi i faktorëve që ndikuan në rritjen e normave të interesit gjatë vitit 2018/2019 dhe në revokimin e licencave të IuteCredit-it dhe Monegos në Kosovë. Metodologjia …