Digital Commons Network^™

Living Rivers, Cosmopolitan Activism, And Environmental Justice In The Bengal Delta, Daniel Adel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis explores the social movements and civil society activism to protect the rivers that flow through Bangladesh—the cradle and terminal delta floodplain of the transboundary Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna river systems—, as well as ways to build regional cooperation and watershed democracy in South Asia. The research drew on four overarching fields of study: environmental justice, southern environmentalism, ecological nationalism, and environmental governance. These four bodies of scholarship helped address the overarching question: how are civil society organizations analyzing and responding to the water diversions and degradation of Bangladesh’s transboundary rivers? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with civil society organizations …

Environmental Governance For Whom? Examining The Political, Institutional, Fiscal, And Legal Determinants Of State Environmental Agency Budget Policy In The Us, Andrew R. Duggan

Theses and Dissertations

Budgets are a prospective tool of governance, and appropriations are a planning vehicle reflecting: bureaucracies’ values, complex interactions, collective preferences, political influences, and available resources. Research spanning 30 years finds that environmental pollution is a key determinant of environmental budgets in the US, though myriad factors, actors, and subsystems are important to consider. Due to federalism and devolution of responsibilities and authorities, environmental governance falls largely to the states. While the dynamics that shape state environmental budget policy have received scholarly interest, theoretically-driven examinations of environmental appropriations remain limited within the public budgeting and environmental policy literature.

Using panel data …

Author Biographical Notes, Mssj Staff

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Rural Prison Politics: The Impact Of Correctional Facilities On Community Voting Behavior In California, Corey Smith

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores how the building of a prison impacts local political behaviors and public opinion. Economic development during the late 20th century left agricultural and manufacturing based regions of the United States struggling to maintain a reliable sense of financial prosperity, thereby propelling rural regions into the prison-building business. In this thesis, I analyze the voting data of five rural Californian towns concerning Proposition 7 (1978) and Proposition 47 (2014). Through this data analysis and a synthesis of the literature on prison host communities, this thesis investigates whether the construction of a prison has influenced political action regarding prison …

Emergent Women's Global Political Leadership: Progress Despite Constraints, Aoife Meehan

Dissertations and Theses

“Emergent Women’s Global Political Leadership: Progress Despite Constraints” seeks to trace why and how female political leaders emerge at the global level. Evidence points to certain cultural factors, often expressed by laws, constraining or supporting women as they seek political advancement. Data shows women leaders are emerging more and more, though slowly, as political leaders around the world. Reviewing women’s participation and representation regionally and nationally in parliaments, as ministers, and as heads of governments and states confirms that women can and do emerge as political leaders. Finally, learning about and examining women leaders themselves, their style and substance, proves …

The Morning Meeting: Fostering A Participatory Democracy Begins With Youth In Public Education, Rebecca C. Tilhou

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

There is a faltering sense of democracy in America's current political climate due to polarized opinions about leadership's decisions and antagonistic political parties. John Dewey (1916) proposed that education is the place to foster democracy, as schools can provide a platform to actively engage students in authentic democratic experiences that will empower them to act democratically beyond the walls of the school. The democratic schools that emerged during the Free School Movement of the 1960s and 1970s embody Dewey's philosophy, specifically with the shared governance occurring in their School Meetings. Unfortunately, American public education's present preoccupation with standardization, proficiency scores, …

Pursuing Procedural Justice In Sustainability Policy: Assessing The Linkage Between Political Culture And Municipal Efforts, Meng Yuan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

How does the political culture of local governments influence the type and extent of procedural justice in sustainability policy processes? Answering this question is important because political culture is potentially a significant influence on local governments that could be better conceptualized and theorized and because public participation in sustainability policy processes is central to the demands of procedural justice in environmental justice (EJ) movements. This dissertation seeks to bring a new conception and new measures of political culture to the study of policy making by local governments as well as to contribute to developing the conceptualization and measurement of public …

ทาสกลางทะเล: บทบาทของรัฐและนายทุนกับการขูดรีดแรงงานบนเรือประมงสัญชาติไต้หวัน, มาริสา สกุลชัย

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ไต้หวันเป็นหนึ่งในหลายประเทศที่พบปัญหาการค้าทาสกลางทะเล แรงงานจำนวนมากถูกกดขี่ และละเมิดสิทธิภายใต้ห่วงโซ่การผลิตของอุตสาหกรรมประมง ตั้งแต่กระบวนการจ้างงาน กลไกการผลิตจนได้สินค้าออกสู่ตลาด แม้ว่าภายหลังการปลดใบเหลืองจากสหภาพยุโรปปี 2016 เป็นต้นมา ไต้หวันจะมีการปฏิรูปกฎระเบียบเพื่อจัดการกับปัญหาการใช้แรงงานบังคับ แต่ผลปรากฏว่าในปัจจุบันยังคงพบปัญหาการละเมิดสิทธิและขูดรีดแรงงานประมง สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้จึงมุ่งศึกษารูปแบบการใช้แรงงานบังคับบนเรือประมงสัญชาติไต้หวัน และการดำเนินนโยบายรัฐที่ส่งผลต่อนายทุนและแรงงานประมงสมัยรัฐบาลไช่ อิงเหวินระหว่างปี ค.ศ.2016 – 2021 โดยใช้กรอบแนวคิดรัฐเสรีนิยมใหม่เพื่ออธิบายพฤติกรรมของรัฐในกระบวนการกดขี่แรงงานภายใต้ห่วงโซ่อุปทานโลกและใช้แนวคิดเรื่อง “ระยะทาง” มาอธิบายในมิติการเคลื่อนย้ายภายในห่วงโซ่การผลิต จากการศึกษาพบว่า รัฐมีบทบาทสำคัญต่อการเกิดปัญหาการขูดรีดแรงงานประมงต่างชาติบนเรือประมงสัญชาติไต้หวัน ซึ่งมีส่วนช่วยในการอำนวยความสะดวกแก่กลุ่มทุนภายในห่วงโซ่การผลิตของอุตสาหกรรมประมงซึ่งอยู่ในพื้นที่ยกเว้นจากรัฐในการตรวจสอบและปราศจากกฎหมายควบคุม โดยใช้ช่องว่างด้านระยะทางทั้งในด้านเชิงกายภาพ เชิงความรู้ และเชิงกฎหมาย ในการละเมิดและกดขี่แรงงานประมงข้ามชาติเพื่อตอบสนองต่อผลประโยชน์รัฐซึ่งเกี่ยวข้องกับกลุ่มทุน

Is There A Need For Restoration Of Justice In Democratic India?, Abraham Sekhar

Masters Theses

Justice means giving all persons their due. Justice is the quality of being fair and reasonable. India has the largest democracy in the world. It has become noticed globally by most other countries, on the one hand, for its significant economic growth during the past two decades; and on the other hand, for its domestic unrest among people of different religions and castes. Under the rule of the present political party, India’s economic growth has experienced a sudden decline during the past three years. This drew my attention to find out the reasons for such a decline. A literature survey, …

An Addiction To Capitalism: A Rhetorical Criticism Of Mainstream Environmentalism, Jake Engel

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

No abstract provided.

Key Elements Of Environmental Justice In The Geothermal Power Plant Resistance Movement, Priyo Fajar Santoso, Bevaola Kusumasari

Jurnal Politik

Geothermal energy is currently considered as an environmentally friendly, renewable energy source. However, based on empirical data from various countries, geothermal energy production often results socioecological losses for the host community. Various environmental justice movements have emerged to protect environment by protestesting and providing a counter discourse against the dominant perception that geothermal energy is renewable and environmentally friendly. As Indonesian government put more effort to develop more geothermal power thermal across the country, more reactions also emerge and surprisingly include the critical one. This article aims to look at one of the critical reaction from community to counter the …

Environmental Racism: Nuclear Waste As An Agent Of Oppression?, Andrea Boeckers

Across the Bridge: The Merrimack Undergraduate Research Journal

This research seeks to analyze the decision-making processes of managing nuclear waste for countries dealing with this problem, as well as the interplay between national and local governments, private companies, the populace, and native nations. The long-term storage of nuclear waste is a serious global problem, and despite the millions of people enjoying the benefits of nuclear power, most refuse to accept the burdens associated with its waste. The driving question for this research largely ties to how governments attempt to designate who will bear the burden of these wastes. When a problem needs to be solved, yet there are …

How Does Media Coverage Of Oil Pipelines Affect Governmental Response?, Haley Walter

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This study’s purpose was to first explore the significance of agenda-setting, framing, and inference, which assert that the media’s daily coverage of event significant impact the way it is understood by the public. Then, I aimed to apply this understanding specifically to media coverage of the oil pipeline process of Dakota Access Pipeline.

To this end, I conducted a content analysis of articles from The Bismarck Tribune, the Associated Press, The New York Timesand The Wall Street Journal between January 1^st, 2015 and January 1^st, 2016, and July 25^th, 2016 and October …

Imagined Futures: Feminist Science Studies In An Era Of Climate Change Denial, Emily K. Crandall

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

What space is there for critical approaches to science in a context where the authority of science to say anything meaningful, or to prescribe, appears to be somewhat tenuous—in other words, in a moment of rampant climate change denial? To answer this question against the backdrop of the common refrain that the problem is one of capitalism vs. the climate (e.g. Naomi Klein 2014), I examine cases where debates about science, economistic organizational arrangements, and political clashes between neoliberals and environmentalists come together, while insisting on the view, following critical engagements with the sciences, that the sciences and their societies …

The Socio-Economic Impact Of The Disproportionate Occurrence Of Asthma In The State Of Mississippi: Should Reporting Be Mandated?, Lolita D. Gray, Jahniah Grimsley, Jabria Pearson

Journal of Health Ethics

The state of Mississippi continues to experience a disproportionate occurrence of asthma among its citizens and various associated socioeconomic impacts. The objective of this study seeks to gauge the perception of the participants in regards to this asthma disparity. Specifically, research questions seek responses to following: 1) Will mandated, systematic reporting of asthma occurrences among socioeconomically disadvantaged communities effectively address the asthma disparity and lead to a better quality of life? and 2) Will mandated, systematic reporting of asthma increase the socioeconomic impact among these communities? This cross-sectional study employs a case study methodology utilizing various research techniques, i.e. interviews, …

Authors' Biographies

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Building An Environmental State: A Comparative Analysis Of Environmental State Formation In Germany And China, Russell Adam

Government and International Relations Honors Papers

What are environmental states, how do they form and where can they can be found? As ecosystems around the world collapse under the pressure of human activity, the role of the state is growing to include environmental protection as a key function. The concept of the environmental state has typically been applied to likely candidates in the developed world where wealth and relatively free public spheres have allowed for active environmental movements. It is increasingly clear however, that environmental degradation is disproportionately impacting states in the Global South. Because of this, it is necessary to consider whether or not environmental …

Confronting The Ngo: Struggling For Agency And Approximating Freedom Through The Works Of Michel Foucault And Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Samantha Coss

Pitzer Senior Theses

This project aims to consider the proliferation of the NGO in the 21st century and the implications that this model has for justice, freedom and social change. The nonprofit, or nongovernmental organization, will be examined using theorists and thinkers Michel Foucault and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, in hopes of understanding the ways in which the NGO limits freedom and perpetuates violence. There will be an exploration of struggling for agency beyond the nonprofit, including an introduction to examples of other change-making models from the United States and Latin America. The goal of this project is to critically examine the current frameworks …

Campaigning On An Environmental Justice Platform: Irmalinda Osuna For Upland City Council, District 3, Jenny Bekenstein

Pitzer Senior Theses

After successfully organizing around preserving Cabrillo Park in Upland and feeling a lack of local political representation, Irmalinda Osuna ran for Upland City Council in the 2018 midterm elections. As one of the many female candidates in the 2018 elections, Irmalinda led a grassroots, community-led political campaign in which she advocated for environmental justice and the preservation of parks, a more inclusive community, increased civic participation, a more efficient use of technology in politics, and support for small businesses.

Governance For A Changing Climate: Adapting Boston’S Built Environment For Increased Flooding, Stephanie Kruel, Rebecca Herst, David Cash

Sustainable Solutions Lab

As the impacts of climate change intensify, coastal cities like Boston face increasing threats from sea level rise, extreme precipitation, and storm surges. This report, produced by the Sustainable Solutions Lab at the University of Massachusetts Boston, examines the role of governance in preparing Boston’s built environment for these evolving risks. Building upon the foundational work of the Climate Ready Boston initiative, the report outlines critical governance functions necessary for climate adaptation, including institutional coordination, regulatory reform, community engagement, and data-driven decision-making. Emphasizing a multiscalar governance approach, it analyzes the tools available at local, regional, state, and federal levels and …

Half A Century Of Supreme Court Clean Air Act Interpretation: Purposivism, Textualism, Dynamism, And Activism, David M. Driesen, Thomas M. Keck, Brandon Metroka

Political Science - All Scholarship

While public and scholarly concern about ideological decision making in Supreme Court cases has traditionally focused on abortion rights and other constitutional issues, the Gorsuch nomination brought forth some concern that ideology might influence statutory construction as well. This paper offers a case study in the evolution of statutory interpretation over time in the Supreme Court by examining the Court’s Clean Air Act jurisprudence, which now reaches back almost half a century. It examines the influence of both politics and evolving norms of statutory interpretation on the Supreme Court’s Clean Air Act case law.

“Promoting Coal At A Climate Summit Is Like Promoting Tobacco At A Cancer Summit”, Emily Lavallee

Political Analysis

Emily Lavallee was a Political Science and Environmental Studies major and member of Pi Sigma Alpha since her sophomore year. Her second major and interest in climate change, clean air and water inform much of her political research. Emily began working as an Experiential Education Coordinator at a non-profit in Newark, New Jersey this past February.

Political Participation, Efficacy, And Community Organizing In Appalachia: How A Marginalized Region Makes Sense Of Their Circumstances, Christopher Cassingham

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Appalachians are portrayed in the media and scholarship as politically fatalistic, but in reality the region has a rich history of non-traditional political action. Why are Appalachians portrayed this way, and what are they doing today to reclaim their agency? In this paper I examine the ways popular culture has shaped our understanding of Appalachia and Appalachians, as well as how we perceive them as political beings; I also briefly discuss the history of the treatment of Appalachians by coal companies. This paper also examines previous scholarship on political participation in Appalachia in order to provide context for the rest …

The Political Economy Of Sandinismo 2.0: Environmental And Social Implications Of Paradoxical Economic Ideologies In Post-Revolutionary Nicaragua, Sarah Mccall Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the political economy of Nicaragua's development, with specific emphasis on Venezuela and China's influence, energy policy, and environmental and social justice related to the Nicaragua canal. The first section focuses on the political economy of the current Ortega administration in Nicaragua, as part of the return of left-leaning leadership in Latin America since the early 2000s. This study examines the Ortega administration's selective interpretation of the concept of imperialism and its effect on the environment as it pertains to US interests, Venezuelan oil financing and socialist rhetoric, and China's control over a large piece of Nicaraguan territory …

Red Skies: The Impact Of Environmental Protests In The People's Republic Of China, 2004-2016, Porter Lyons

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

How do increases in environmental protests in China impact increases in the implementation of environmental policies? Environmental protests in China are gaining traction. By examining these protests, this study analyzes forty-one protests and their impact on government enforcement of environmental regulations. Stratifying this study according to five areas (Beijing, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Sichuan), patterns began to emerge according to each area. Employing a framework William Gamson introduced (2009), this study analyzes the outcomes of environmental contention, including the use of co-optation and preemptive measures. It finds that the success or failure of a protest has much to do with …

Affective Afterlives: An Ethnography Of Activism Between Movements, Manissa Maharawal

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This ethnographic project starts at the end of Occupy Wall Street in New York City and ends at the beginning of Black Lives Matter in Oakland, CA. In between these two movements it looks at a variety of political projects that focused on issues of housing and anti-gentrification in New York City and San Francisco. Throughout I favor a view of social movements that understands the messy trajectories of activism. This methodological privileging of what activists are doing, and the places and spaces in which they ground their work seeks to de-center bounded social movements in the study of politics …

Can A Green University Serve Underrepresented Students?: Reconciling Sustainability And Diversity At Hsu, Sarah Jaquette Ray

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

No abstract provided.

Social Justice Support On Campus, Molly Kresl

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Joshua S. Smith, Meredith Conover-Williams

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

No abstract provided.

Man V Nature: American Fears Of The Environment, Hannah Brower

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This paper will explore how fearful Americans are about the state of the environment and how concerned they are with a plethora of environmental issues, including air pollution, water pollution, and global warming. Relying on the Chapman Survey of American Fears data on the environment, I will examine how fearful about an environmental issue an individual is and how their age, income, education level, preferred news channel, and political party affiliation correlate with their level of fear. I expect to find strong correlations between younger people, Democrats, those who prefer liberal news providers, people with higher incomes, and people with …