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Feminist Tigers And Patriarchal Lions: Rhetorical Strategies And Instrument Effects In The Struggle For Definition And Control Over Development In Nepal, Coralynn V. Davis

Faculty Journal Articles

This article offers an analysis of a struggle for control of a women’s development project in Nepal. The story of this struggle is worth telling, for it is rife with the gender politics and neo-colonial context that underscore much of what goes on in contemporary Nepal. In particular, my analysis helps to unravel some of the powerful discourses, threads of interest, and yet unintended effects inevitable under a regime of development aid. The analysis demonstrates that the employment of already available discursive figures of the imperialist feminist and the patriarchal third world man are central to the rhetorical strategies taken …

Communicative Action, Strategic Action, And Inter-Group Dialogue, Michael James

Faculty Journal Articles

A consensus has emerged among many normative theorists of cultural pluralism that dialogue is the key to securing just relations among ethnic or cultural groups. However, few normative theorists have explored the conditions or incentives that enable inter-group dialogue versus those that encourage inter-group conflict. To address this problem, I use Habermas’s distinction between communicative and strategic action, since many models of inter-group dialogue implicitly rely upon communicative action, while many accounts of inter-group conflict rest upon strategic action. Drawing on explanatory accounts of inter-group conflict, I outline five strategic logics of group conflict, what I call the resource, political, …

Estimating Irish Party Policy Positions Using Computer Wordscoring: The 2002 Election: A Research Note, Kenneth Benoit, Michael Laver

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Developments in the computerised analysis of political texts now make itmuch easier than before to investigate large volumes of political text inorder to estimate the policy positions of the authors. Previous contentanalyses of party manifestos, for example, have relied on the hand codingof texts (Budge et al., 1987; Laver and Budge, 1992; Klingeman et al.,1994; Budge et al., 2001), or on dictionary-based computer codingtechniques (Laver and Garry, 2000; Kleinnijenhuis and Pennings, 2001;Garry, 2001; de Vries et al., 2001; Bara, 2001). Such analyses, even thosebased on computer coding dictionaries, require heavy human involvement or intervention, creating both a huge resource cost …

Democratic Consolidation In Eastern Europe, Michael Rudy

Masters Theses

This thesis examines democratic consolidation in five Eastern European countries. The Baltic States have consolidated their democratic regimes but Romania and Bulgaria have struggled to do so. I attempt to explain why this has happened. In chapter one, I introduce the topic and provide an overview for the next six chapters.

In the second chapter, I examine the literature that pertains to this topic. The literature focuses on several aspects of democratic consolidation. I examine how economic growth, privatization, foreign direct investment, modes of transition, violence, initial post-communist political contest winner, electoral laws, and the citizenship law all play an …

Ethnic Federalism: Its Promise And Pitfalls For Africa, Alemante G. Selassie

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Conflict Resolution In Africa: A Comparative Analysis Of The Demilitarization Process In Burundi And Rwanda (1993-2003), Victoria Chipoka

Masters Theses

The civil wars that have occurred in Africa have had destabilizing effects on the political and social structure of African countries. The massacres and genocide of 1993 and 1994 in Rwanda and Burundi shocked the whole world into experiencing the horror of the news that more than one million people had been slaughtered in cold blood. The causes of the conflict in Rwanda and Burundi are many and complex. In this paper, my major focus will be on the role the armed forces have played in the conflict and how demilitarization should be the alternative solution in bringing permanent peace …

Beyond The Black Heart: The United States And Human Rights, Daniel J. Whelan

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The United States and Human Rights: Looking Inward and Outward edited by David P. Forsythe. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. 404pp.

In Our Own Best Interest: How Defending Human Rights Benefits Us All by William F. Shultz. Boston: Beacon Press, 2001. 235pp.

In the National Interest, 2001: Human Rights Policies for the Bush Administration by the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 2001. 157pp.

A Quantitative And Qualitative Evaluation Of The National Endowment For Democracy, Eric T. Hale

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Billions of dollars have been spent to promote democracy and economic freedom through U.S. foreign aid, but little is known about its impact. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is the leading U.S. organization that promotes democracy and economic freedom throughout the world. Since its founding, NED has been the subject of immense discussion and controversy. The goal of this dissertation is to provide insight into the promotion of democracy and economic freedom through an analysis of NED’s activities during the 1990s. The analysis does not find evidence that NED was successful at promoting democracy and economic freedom during the …

United States Diplomacy In The Age Of The Internet, Allison S. Greene

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The dynamics of international relations are constantly changing, and the origin of an extraordinary amount of that change can be traced to what has been coined the ‘Information Revolution.’ It is a revolution as profound and as significant as Gutenberg's invention of moveable metal type, and may result in social and political consequences of comparable magnitude. One of the most significant and far-reaching implications of this phenomenon is the emergence of the Internet. Since its inception, there have been many claims and assertions about existing and potential repercussions of the Internet within the diplomatic realm.

The purpose of this work …

Bureaucratic Influence In Congressional Roll-Call Voting, William Blair

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is on one of the many relationships that exist between the bureaucracy and government: decision-making by elected representatives and the political influence of government employees on their decision-making. Specifically, it is with bureaucrats and the degree to which they may utilize political influence to create a disproportionate influence over government policy and decision-making in the United States House of Representatives. I argue that the inherent qualities of bureaucrats suggest that they are significant and influential constituency for representatives. They are an identifiable constituency to representatives, and have the means and opportunity to wield political influence. …

Arab American Interest Groups And Congressional Decisionmaking: A Case Study Of The Arab American Institute, Robert L. Harbaugh

Masters Theses

Unlike other ethnic communities in the U.S., such as the Jewish and Hispanic communities, the political power of the Arab American community is largely unknown. Therefore, one manner to gain insight into the political power of Arab Americans is to study the interest groups that represent their ethnic community. This study uses the Arab American Institute as the leading Arab American interest group.

The study recognizes that there are three important variables to determining Arab American influence. The first is voting and is not examined in this study. The second two, which are examined, are direct lobbying on Congress and …

Government Reorganization In The Fight Against Terrorism, Brendan Burke

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Survey Article: Multiculturalism As Fairness: Will Kymlicka's Multicultural Citizenship, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

According to Will Kymlicka's book Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights, `the liberal ideal is a society of free and equalindividuals'.1 But what, he goes on to ask, is the relevant `society'? The answer he says most people would give is `their nation'. `The sort of freedom and equality they most value, and can make use of is freedom and equality within their own societal culture'. Indeed, most people `are willing to forgo a wider freedom and equality to ensure the continued existence of their nation' (93). Thus few favour open borders which allow people freely to settle, …

Who's The Safer Sex? Testing Barbara Burrell's Theory Of Campaign Contributions In Arkansas State Legislative Elections, Emily Adair Neff-Sharum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At the very heart of American politics and government is democracy. Debates abound about the nature of American democracy, and especially ways to improve symbolic representation, substantive representation and/or participation by groups typically considered in the political minority (Moss-Kanter 1977; Pipert-High and Comer 1988; Saint-Germaine 1989; Seldon 1997; Thomas 1997). One focus of this literature is on the outputs of bureaucratic agencies or legislative agendas. If advocates of representative democracy hope to create legislatures on both the state and the national levels that contain an adequate presence of female representatives in order to fully represent women, they must begin with …

Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting As Antiterrorism Weapons: Philosophical Dilemmas, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes problematic assumptions in differentiating public diplomacy from international broadcasting as weapons against terrorism with global reach.

Why Does Voting Get So Complicated? : A Review Of Theories For Analyzing Democratic Participation., Jeff Gill, Jason Gainous

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The purpose of this article is to present a sample from the panoply of formal theories on voting and elections to Statistical Science readers who have had limited exposure to such work. These abstract ideas provide a framework for understanding the context of the empirical articles that follow in this volume. The primary focus of this theoretical literature is on the use of mathematical formalism to describe electoral systems and outcomes by modeling both voting rules and human behavior. As with empirical models, these constructs are never perfect descriptors of reality, but instead form the basis for understanding fundamental characteristics …

Election 2000: Aarp Portrayals Of Presidential Candidates And Issues, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

The 2000 United States presidential election was one of the closest in history, and issues of importance to older Americans such as Social Security, prescription drugs, and taxes were front and center in the national debate. This article examines how AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, portrayed the candidates and issues through its two publications: AARP Bulletin and Modern Maturity.

The 2000 United States presidential election was one of the closest in history (Kranish & Johnson, 2000). Additionally, throughout the summer and fall of 2000, poll data suggested a split electorate (Whitman, 2000). Issues of importance to older …

The Black And White Of Profiling: Sniping On The Sniper Case, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article analyzes the construct of profiling in the aftermath of the arrest of two suspects in the recent sniper attacks perpetrated in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

Conflict Emergence And Escalation In Interactive International Dyads, David Todd Kinsella, Bruce M. Russett

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

We examine whether the conditions affecting initial expressions of hostility are similar to those affecting militarized disputes. Analyzing dyadic interactions during the years 1951–1992, we estimate a model to take into account selection effects and check it against another allowing conjunctive causation. Both provide close approximations to theoretical models of the conflict process and yield similar results. We confirm Kant’s belief that all states are subject to the realist conditions of interstate competition that makes disputes likely, but that liberal influences, if present, can constrain the escalation of such disputes to war. Several influences on the conflict process have nonmonotonic …

Global Vision Of World History In Contemporary China, Ricardo K. S. Mak

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

The Federalism-Rights Nexus: Explaining Why Senate Democrats Tolerate Rehnquist Court Decision Making But Not The Rehnquist Court, Neal Devins

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Is There A Woman's Perspective? : An Exploration Of Gender Differences Along Republican And Conservative Lines., Jason Gainous

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Is there a distinct “woman’s perspective?” This paper argues that the answer is an emphatic yes. American National Election Study survey data are used to explore Republican and conservative women’s attitudes concerning social spending issues and religiosity. Most of the previous gender gap research focuses on gender differences in attitudes by examining gender shifts in political party identification and voting, but do not adequately address opinion differences along gender lines between groups that think of themselves as similar. This paper asserts that if men and women who classify themselves as both conservative and Republican exhibit distinct differences, evidence of a …

9/11 Stress About Coping With 9/11 Stress, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article identifies paradoxes and conceptual difficulties with behavioral scientists and expert advice on coping with 9/11-related stress.

Increasing Transparency In Government, Ann Florini

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The article focuses on the transparency in the government and investigates how transparency is related directly to achieving and maintaining international peace, by transforming the security relationship between countries. It also examines transparency's indirect role in contributing to legitimate and effective governance and explores the trends in transparency in national politics, international organizations, and environmental management. Information is the lifeblood of both democracies and markets. Without information, citizens have no basis upon which to evaluate their representatives or voice their opinions, and both elections and the very process of representation become a meaningless sham. Without information, the financial markets upon …

Special Article: Recommendations For Optimal Personnel Security In The Cyberworld, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article considers the social construction of recommendations for personnel security in the context of a global cyberworld.

The Taiwan Issue In Sino-Japanese Relations In The 1990'S, Melanie Kintz

Masters Theses

The Taiwan issue did not figure prominently in the relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Japan between the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations in the 1970s and the early 1990s; other issues dominated and shaped the relationship. However, in the 1990s the Taiwan question re-emerged as a source of disturbance in the relationship between the PRC and Japan. Especially during the so-called missile crisis of 1995-1996, the Taiwan issue was pushed into the world media's center of attention and significantly affected the dynamics of the Sino-Japanese relationship. What accounts for this observable change in the importance of …

Special Topics: Terrorism Syllabus, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Study On The Relationships Among Electorate's Voting Behavior, Party Identification, Personal Values, And Demographic Characteristics, Kuan-Shun Chiu

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was proposed to examine if there existed significant differences in voters' party identification and voting behavior due to gender, race, age, income, education and personal values.

The sample was chosen from eligible voters in Florida. Of the 1500 questionnaires managed, 161 were identified as useable. The sample was representative of the results of 2000 presidential election in Florida with respect to voters' gender, race, income, and voting choice by party identification. Statistical techniques used were ANOVAs, Chi-square statistics, factor analysis, and logistic regression.

This study demonstrates how personal values may be associated with demographic characteristics to create a …

The Personality Profile Of Al-Qaida Leader Osama Bin Laden, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of Osama bin Laden, founder and leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States.

Bin Laden’s primary personality patterns were found to be Ambitious/exploitative and Dauntless/dissenting, with a secondary Distrusting/suspicious orientation, and subsidiary Dominant/controlling and Conscientious/dutiful features.

Ambitious individuals are bold, competitive, and self-assured; they easily assume leadership roles, expect others to recognize their special qualities, and often act as though entitled. Dauntless individuals are bold, courageous, and tough; minimally constrained by the norms of society; routinely engage …

The Decline In Average Weekly Cinema Attendance, 1930-2000, Michelle C. Pautz

Political Science Faculty Publications

Since the beginnings of the motion picture industry, with the one small Edison studio in New Jersey in the early 1900s, America has fallen in love with films. One could argue and debate the reasons, employing everything from sociology to psychology to economics; but one thing is certain: This love affair has changed over the years. This change is perhaps most evident in the decline in the percentage of the United States population that goes to the cinema weekly. One interesting aspect of cinema attendance is that during the Great Depression, which swept the United States in the 1930s, a …