Digital Commons Network^™

The Digital Battlefield: Extremists On Social Media, Daniel P. Shanks

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The rise of social media has transformed the battleground for extremist groups like ISIS and the Taliban, enabling them to reach global audiences with unprecedented ease. This dissertation investigates the social media strategies employed by the Taliban and ISIS. These social media strategies are used to further their strategic objectives in propaganda, recruitment, and operational coordination. Through a comprehensive analysis, the study explores how these extremist groups adapt their digital tactics in response to evolving military and political landscapes. Utilizing case studies from key military engagements and applying theoretical frameworks of rational actor theory, social identity theory, and finite and …

The Effect Of Gerrymandering On State Social Policy, Gary D. Brinker

Sociology Faculty Publications

Partisan bias occurs when one party gets something the other party does not. If a given district map results in one party gleaning a higher proportion of the legislative seats than the proportion of votes cast for that party, since this effect is only possible for one party, then partisan bias has occurred. It can be strategically produced via gerrymandering and is thought by many to circumvent the basic principles of democracy. This study uses recent state election results to compute a measure of partisan bias, as well as secondary data measuring the levels of five state social policies, to …

Effects Of Gerrymandering On State Social Policy, Gary D. Brinker

eJournal of Public Affairs

Partisan Bias occurs when an election results in a party gleaning a significantly different proportion of legislative seats than the proportion of votes cast for that party. It can be strategically produced via gerrymandering and is thought by many to threaten the basic principles of democracy. This research uses the 2022 state election results to compute statewide measures of Partisan Bias, then analyzes the correlation with controversial state social policies. Results showed that the redistricting method used and the percent of the party’s legislators were related to Partisan Bias. Analysis also showed that Partisan Bias explains significant levels of variance …

Impacts Of Climate Change In The United States, Nathan T. Thompson

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Climate change, a shift in long-term climate patterns primarily driven by anthropogenic factors, poses a super wicked problem impacting every sector and region globally, including the United States. This paper explores the scientific basis of climate change, its contributing factors, and the myriad consequences on terrestrial and aquatic systems, as well as mental health. Notably, the emission of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels and agricultural activities is the primary cause, exacerbated by ideological division and psychological distance. The U.S. has seen some progress with a 7% decrease in emissions over the past 30 years and a growing shift toward renewable …

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editorial History

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Are Economic Gender Differences The Same Everywhere? Cross-Societal Comparisons In The Early 21st Century, Joyce P. Jacobsen

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Are gender differences in economic outcomes the same everywhere? Using the most recent available data (generally from the 2021–2023 period), I consider the patterns for these gender differences and provide an annotated list of statistical sources for students and researchers to use in exploring these differences. Overall, women still work less than men in paid work, work more than men in unpaid household work, and make less than men; however, these patterns have converged somewhat, with some narrowing of work and pay gaps relative to the last part of the 20th century, and with women rapidly closing the educational-attainment gap …

Mission And Editorial Policy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 27, Issue 1 Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

انعكاسات العولمة الإجتماعية على الوطن العربي, Tala Jamal Manna Obaide, Abdul-Majeed A. Al-Azzam

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف المقال إلى إلقاء الضوء على ملامح وآثار العولمة الاجتماعية في الوطن العربي، وذلك بالتعريف بمفهوم العولمة الاجتماعية، واستعراض أهم أدواتها المتمثلة بالإعلام والمنظمات الدولية، إذ وضحت أهم الآثار التي خلفتها العولمة الاجتماعية على الوطن العربي في مجال الأسرة والمرأة والتعليم وغيرها، كما استعرضت الدراسة مؤشرات العولمة الاجتماعية وفقاً لمؤشر كوف KOF. وتوصلت الدراسة إلى عدد من النتائج، أهمها أن العولمة الاجتماعية أذابت الحدود بين الدول ومكنت من انتقال الأفكار والعادات من مجتمع إلى آخر، كما أنها أسهمت في تعزيز هيمنة الدول الغربية على الدول العربية، مما غيّر من منظومة القيم والعادات التي ميزت المجتمعات والأسرة العربية. وعليه قدمت مجموعة …

The United States Of Religiosity: The Influence Of Religious Identity On Public Policy Preference, Brandon Michael Johnson

Student Theses and Dissertations

Religion has been linked to both voting behavior and political party preference, however, little research has been dedicated to religious identities influence on public policy preference nor the reasons behind policies supported. This study uses robust linear and ordinal regression and discovers a link between religious identity and non-religious policy but finds no significant connection between morally charged policies and religious identity. Furthermore, this study discovers religious components such as organizational structure and scriptural approach show to be more influential towards policy preference than religious belief.

Climate Hazards And Human Migration: Literature Review, Anna Ivanova, Deepti Singh, Pronoy Rai, Claire Richards, Hugo Vasconcelos, Michael Goldsby

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Human populations are migrating as a result of climate change. We conducted a systematic literature review examining the relationship between several climate hazards and migration flows. We reviewed 58 empirical studies between 2010 and 2023 that examined current and future migration related to acute and long-term climate hazards. The results indicate that the relationship between climate hazards and migration is diverse and depends on a range of socio-economic factors. Droughts and rising temperatures have a major impact on both international and domestic migration. Our review also reveals that multiple climate hazards collectively tend to intensify domestic migration toward urban areas, …

Civil Leadership For Vibrant Communities: Building Bridges Through Deliberative Dialogue, Victoria Solomon, Jessica Beckendorf, David Kay

Journal of Extension

Polarization is increasingly impacting Extension’s work in communities. Extension has untapped potential to address division and lack of civility by building civic infrastructure and skills for constructive dialogue. We describe a pilot program that began as a one-off event and grew into a series organized by University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension in partnership with Braver Angels, a national organization applying research-based skills to building bridges. We report on the series structure and content, its goals, and the impacts on participants. We suggest that Extension has the mission, capacity, opportunity, and responsibility to engage in skill-building for Public Issues Education.

Review Of Fluke: Chance, Chaos, And Why Everything We Do Matters, Walter Hill

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Tourism As A Tool For Post-Conflict Economic Reconstruction. A Situational Analysis Of Sudan, Lorenzo Belotti

The Journal of Social Encounters

As Sudan is grappling with a conflict that is taking its toll on the economy and is displacing millions of individuals, pathways to a sustainable reconstruction of the country are needed for the stability of a future peace. Tourism in Sudan has been confined to small initiatives during all its history, despite the invaluable heritage that its territory holds. This article aims at investigating the potential of tourism as an engine for the sustainable development of the country and the improvement of the livelihoods of local communities, as it has been for other nations in recent history. The main goal …

The Politics Of The Commons In Post-New Order Bali, Gede Indra Pramana

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This research describes the governance practices of the commons in Bali, including land, water sources, coastal areas, and forests, which are communally owned and managed. The relationship between the state and the community has led to changes in this governance. The author examines the practice of governing the commons in the context of post-New Order Bali, offering an alternative to dominant governance that often overlooks the common welfare. This is a qualitative study that utilizes a case study method to explore alternative governance of the commons in Bali. The study examines the governance of the commons in Tenganan Pegringsingan and …

Cognosis And The Evolution Of Civilization, Ken Baskin

Comparative Civilizations Review

From the time when the complex states such as Egypt or Sumer emerged roughly 5,000 years ago, the civilizations they represent have generally become more populous, more socially varied, wealthier, and more technologically advanced. As a result, the innovations they produced would begin to change the conditions in which they existed, and their cultures have had to evolve to adapt to this ongoing change. For instance, the cultures of Bronze Age Egypt and the Iron Age Han Dynasty had to be quite different, even though both were agricultural societies. And, of course, the Electronic Age cultures of the United States …

Full Issue

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Us Restrictions On Science And Technology Venture Capital Flows To China: Impacts On High-Tech Industrial Development And Strategic Responses, Yuan Zhou, Zhiqing Wang, Yuchen Gao, Lan Xue

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Science and technology venture capital (STVC) provides financial and operational support for enterprise’s technological innovation, effectively mitigating risks in entrepreneurial activities. Foreign STVC, represented by that from the United States, has ever played a crucial role. The technology sector has emerged as the primary battleground in Sino-US strategic competition, with tightened restrictions on US-led STVC flows to China becoming a critical tool for suppressing Chinese technological advancement. The study systematically analyzes the key provisions of a series of U.S. legislative acts imposing sanctions on China’s science and technology innovation investments and assesses the characteristics of restriction measures during the Trump …

Rural–Urban Migration, The Commodification Of Labour And Welfare Restructuring In China And Vietnam, Minh T. N. Nguyen, Jake Lin

Political Science Faculty Publications

Since both countries shifted from state to market socialism, China and Vietnam have been pursuing a development model that depends on the labour of millions of rural-urban migrants working in global factories. This chapter conceptualizes the rural-urban migration and the provision of welfare for the migrant labour force as integral to a cycle of commodification that encompasses the overlapping processes of commodification, de-commodification, and re-commodification of labour. After decades of collectivized labour under state socialism, the cycle begins with the commodification of labour through market reforms that led to mass rural-urban migration and the rise of the global factory alongside …

Driving Green Investments To Address Climate Change, Baptiste Gibrat

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The climate crisis is no longer news, and society needs to accelerate the transition to net zero emissions. Otherwise, the consequences of climate change will become increasingly catastrophic.

This thesis develops a framework to drive green investments, which reduce society’s dependance on fossil fuels. Initially, the research provides a comprehensive examination of these investments, followed by an exploration of three strategies to enhance their adoption: leveraging financial instruments and capital markets, implementing regulatory frameworks, and harnessing the power of technologies. To integrate these elements within a comprehensive framework, the study employs market research, reviews relevant literature, and includes interviews with …

Recuperative Rhetorics: A Novel Framework For Rhetorical Analysis, Nicolas Palumbo

Masters Theses (Archived)

This thesis details the creation of the Recuperative Rhetorics analytical framework, which is a scalable, transdisciplinary framework for analyzing rhetorical texts, from individual speeches to societal understandings of legacy and history. It discusses the framework’s theoretical underpinnings, explains how to utilize it in analyzing rhetoric and rhetorical works, and provides examples of the framework in action across multiple mediums. The framework takes inspiration from the theories and praxes of Situationist International, primarily those of the spectacle, ready-made objects, détournement, and recuperation. The framework uses these ideas, and then builds upon more established analytical frameworks to establish a base from which …

Summary Report Of Discussions At The Ana Forum 2024, Berkeley, Ca “How Can The North American Nepali Diaspora Contribute To Nepal’S Economic Development?”,, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

The ANA 2024 annual convention, organized on ANA’s 42nd founding anniversary, was held in the San Francisco Bay Area (Berkeley and Oakland) in California, where hundreds of ANA members and friends had gathered. The convention consisted of several forums, sessions, and cultural programs. As always, the convention included a Nepal-related forum “How Can the North American Nepali Diaspora Contribute to Nepal’s Economic Development?” The Forum took place from 1:30-2:30 pm on Saturday July 20, 2024. Four panelists, including the moderator, spoke at the forum. About 45-50 individuals attended the session. Guest panelist, Dr. Minendra Rijal sent a message as he …

Reflecting On, Resetting, And Reimagining Schools In The Post-Pandemic Context: A Case Study In Rural Vermont, Rachel A. Glickman

Dissertation Collection

This qualitative study examines the experiences of public elementary teachers and school leaders to better understand the shifting of educational priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants share ideas and practices while taking action steps and making recommendations to improve teaching and learning. The research incorporates both case study and action research approaches through a critical inquiry process that centers the voices of those on the front lines of education. This study contributes to the field of Comparative and International Education (CIE) using the original conceptual framework of Institutional Border Theory of Education (IBTE). IBTE draws on pre-existing foundational theories of …

Addressing Transportation Equity For Local Populations Using Emerging Technologies, Marcus Peoples

Theses & Dissertations

ADDRESSING TRANSPORTATION EQUITY FOR LOCAL POPULATIONS

USING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

By

Marcus Peoples Jr

This qualitative study examines the persistent issue of transportation inequity in the United States, focusing on its impact on marginalized and underserved populations. The study employs a generic qualitative inquiry from Social Justice Theory to investigate how senior public transportation decision-makers perceive and address institutional barriers, technological opportunities, and strategic improvements in transportation equity. The study underscores the pressing need to address the intricate interplay of socioeconomic conditions, racial and ethnic diversity, and varying levels of urbanization that contribute to transportation inequity. Historical and contemporary factors, such …

Introduction To The Special Issue

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 26, Issue 2 (Special Issue) -- Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.