Digital Commons Network^™

Cop27 In A Warming World Beset By Multiple Crises, Eve Croeser

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Extending Research Of Neighborhood Governance Systems: An Empirical Study Of Community Councils In Cincinnati, Ohio, Julie Cencula Olberding, Darrin Wilson, Stefanie Swiger

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Neighborhood governance systems have been developed as a way to enhance citizen engagement in local government, particularly in major cities. Scholarly research on these systems is quite limited, and most articles focus on neighborhood councils in Los Angeles, California. Our study extends this research to another system in a different city – specifically, community councils in Cincinnati, Ohio. Based on Li, Wen, and Cooper (2019), we surveyed their governing board members and analyzed relationships between three aspects of board performance (internal capacity, attention-action congruence, external networking) and three dimensions of community council effectiveness (promoting civic engagement, resolving neighborhood issues, advising …

The Communication Strategies In Arab Digital Diplomacy... Adoption And Relevancy, Najm Abed Alhatimi Aleessawi

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

The article aimed to identify the level of Arab public diplomacy's employment of its communication strategies via the Twitter platform in presenting its political and diplomatic topics and activities. It adopted the descriptive analytical method and the content analysis tool for (1271) tweets from the accounts of Arab foreign ministries on the digital communication platform “Twitter”, for the period from December 1, 2019, to January 31, 2020, using the method of a comprehensive survey of tweets from four Arab countries (Morocco, Saudi Arabia). Jordan, Iraq). The article concluded that security issues ranked first in the tweets of the Jordanian Ministry …

The Mobilizing Effect Of Descriptive Representation? The Impact Of Representatives’ Race And Gender On Participation, Akayla Henson, Brittany Wood

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Studies on the effect of increased descriptive representation on political participation have yielded mixed results. This research explores the relationship between descriptive representation and political participation. Specifically, we are interested in understanding how the race and gender of political representatives affect electorate participation. We conduct a unique survey experiment where participants receive communication from a political representative. The treatment conditions varied based on representative race (black, white) and gender (man, woman). We hypothesized that participants who receive correspondence from a representative of the same gender and race as themselves (i.e., in-group) will be more likely to participate than a participant …

Women’S Representation In State Legislatures And Women-Friendly Policy Outcomes, Hoan La

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

This paper adds to the literature on the relationship between women's representation and policy outcomes. The literature argues that female legislators are more likely than male colleagues to support policies that benefit women, children, and families. Therefore, increasing women's representation in legislative bodies will likely result in more policy outcomes that reflect women's interests. This paper employs data from 50 U.S. state legislatures in three years: 2010, 2015, and 2020 to examine the relationship between female legislators and women-friendly policies. The analysis indicates that female legislators play an important role in introducing, discussing, and debating women-friendly bills but have yet …

Disaggregating Foreign Aid: What Have We Learned From Research On Sub-National Foreign Aid?, Josiah F. Marineau

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Over the past several years, a new wave of research has mapped the location of foreign aid projects within countries to understand the causes and effects of sub-national aid allocation. This effort, affiliated with the AidData research program (albeit not exclusively), is ongoing, and new datasets on foreign aid donors and for particular countries are being released. After several years of continuing research into the correlates and effects of sub-national foreign aid on aid-recipient countries, it is worthwhile to pause and consider what this research program has uncovered and suggest directions where it might go.

The Mobilizing Effect Of Descriptive Representation? The Impact Of Representatives’ Race And Gender On Participation, Akayla Henson, Brittany Wood

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Studies on the effect of increased descriptive representation on political participation have yielded mixed results. This research explores the relationship between descriptive representation and political participation. Specifically, we are interested in understanding how the race and gender of political representatives affect electorate participation. We conduct a unique survey experiment where participants receive communication from a political representative. The treatment conditions varied based on representative race (black, white) and gender (man, woman). We hypothesized that participants who receive correspondence from a representative of the same gender and race as themselves (i.e., in-group) would be more likely to participate than a participant …

Democracy For Some: Greek-American Institutions And The Greek Junta, 1967-1974, Olga Koulisis

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

In 1967 a military junta took over Greece, silencing the democratic process in Democracy’s birthplace with the tacit approval of Democracy’s heir apparent, the United States of America. The tolerance, if not support, of Greek-American institutions to the establishment of the Greek Junta and the U.S. government’s support for that regime offers a case study of why democratic publics accept, if not bolster, their own government’s support for anti-democratic regimes. This case offers an intriguing juxtaposition because of the historical claims that U.S., Greek, and Greek diaspora identities make on democratic practice and commitment. This study examines how junta-tolerant Greek …

Crime, Documentation Status, And Content Analysis: Evidence From American Surveys Evaluating The Public’S Perception Of Deportations, Madelyn Einhorn

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

How does the public evaluate US deportations? This paper conducts two original, experimental surveys in the United States, asking the public about their perceptions of immigrant deportations from the US. The first section of this paper utilizes an experimental design to determine how documentation status and criminality impact the public’s views of deportations. The second section of this paper asks an open-ended question about perceptions of deportations and uses automatic content analysis to determine the emotional sentiment of respondents’ answers. This paper determines that Americans view deportations as an appropriate punitive measure for undocumented immigrants and immigrants who have committed …

Introduction: The Life And Legacies Of Kenneth Kaunda In Southern Africa, Mary Mbewe, Marja Hinfelaar, Duncan Money

Zambia Social Science Journal

Zambia’s first President, Kenneth Kaunda (known widely as KK), passed away on 17 June 2021 at the age of 97. This marked the end of an era for many, and not only in Zambia. Kaunda belonged to the last of a generation of African leaders who fought for independence from colonial rule and had his own brand of political and economic philosophies (Cheeseman and Sishuwa, 2021). Given the momentous occasion of the passing of one of Africa’s biggest icons, as editors we felt it was timely to organise a conference dedicated to Kaunda and his legacy, which took place in …

Arming Zambia In The “Dark Forest Of International Politics”: Kenneth Kaunda, Britain, And Arms Diplomacy, 1963-1971, Jeff Schauer

Zambia Social Science Journal

From the breakup of the Central African Federation in 1963 until the departure of British officers and trainers in the early 1970s, Kenneth Kaunda led the Zambian government in negotiating arms purchases from British arms manufacturers, with the assistance of the British government. These transactions were intimately connected to security guarantees against Rhodesian aggression that Kaunda negotiated with the former colonial power, and British attempts to foster Zambian foreign policy and technological dependency. While this decade of negotiations had its origins in the contentious local distribution of military resources at the end of Federation, by the time it ended, it …

Renewed Social Democracy: Thomas Piketty And His Critiques, Patrick T. Connors

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis seeks to analyze the proposals and prescriptions of Thomas Piketty as expressed in his vast array of works and the critiques of his works. His proposals for a system of participatory socialism is grounded in the notion that inequality is expanding at an unsustainable rate, and that growing economic inequality is a problem for the future of liberal democracy and economic growth and sustainability. This thesis argues that Piketty provides many compelling arguments in favor of tackling inequality, but he falls short of a real system of justice or elaborated political theory aside from his moral intuitions of …

Ask And You Shall Receive: The Effects Of Negativity And Fundraising Appeals On Facebook Data Replication Files, Amanda Wintersieck, Alex Keena

Political Science Data

We study the fundraising effects of ad campaigns sponsored by The Lincoln Project, a well funded Super PAC. The data includes 100s of millions of ad impressions targeting Facebook users in the 50 states, plus D.C., over 308 days in 2020. Additionally, we coded ads for tone and fundraising appeals. The results suggest that ads that include both negativity and fundraising appeals are associated with the most money: each impression yields an additional $0.52 in itemized donations (campaign contributions).

Ramerican Political Science Review (Vol. 8, 2023)

Ramerican Political Science Review

Does Low Socioeconomic Status Affect Voter Turnout in Elections? A Comparative Case Study between Iraq, Lebanon, and Tunisia / Mariam Al-khafaji -- Colonial Legacies on African Development / Jack Normile -- The Median Voter Model Applied to Federal Infrastructure Investment / Anna L Meyer -- Burkina Faso: Conflict and Development / Jack Normile

Visionary Political Theory, Ali Aslam, David W. Mcivor, Joel A. Schlosser, Antonio Y. Vázquez-Arroyo, Elisabeth R. Anker

Political Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Perception Vs. Reality: The Influence Of Civic Experiences In High School On Adult Civic Engagement, Kaya Bottmeyer

Political Science & International Studies | Senior Theses

Research on political socialization has shown that individuals’ families and education play a significant role in their later political actions and attitudes, but more needs to be understood on how large the role of education is and, specifically, what impact secondary education has on people’s political socialization. Literature suggests that educational standards that require more civics or social science courses are more effective in creating civically engaged individuals, and curriculums that employ service learning and experiential learning techniques are even more effective at increasing civic engagement, but to what extent does a person's perception of their educational experience factor into …

How Do Black Congressional Members Frame The Issue Of Gun Violence? An Analysis Of Twitter Posts, Speeches, And Press Releases From The 117th Congress, Solena Ornelas

Political Science & International Studies | Senior Theses

Black Americans are disproportionately affected by gun violence. In fact, in 2022 Black Americans were projected to be ten times more likely than White Americans to die by gun homicide.1 One of the responsibilities of Congress is to represent people within their district by developing and voting on legislation that protects constituents by making their communities safer. It is the responsibility of Congress to address the issue of gun violence because it is an issue that jeopardizes the safety of many American communities, as there are roughly 100,000 victims of gun violence each year.2 Research has shown that the race …

The ‘Others’ In John Lanchester’S The Wall, Gregory White

Government: Faculty Books

No abstract provided.

Police And Community Relations Survey, Brianne Gilbert

StudyLA Reports

In the wake of nationwide demonstrations for racial justice prompted by the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and countless other Black individuals, Los Angeles has become a focal point for critical discussions around police and community relations.

StudyLA's Police and Community Relations Survey is a multi-year study that captures public opinion on issues of policing in the city of Los Angeles. Respondents are asked several questions that touch on the mission of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD): safeguard the lives and property of the people the LAPD serves; reduce the incidence and fear of crime; and …

From Authoritarian To Democratic: A Look Into South Korea's Political Evolution Through Sports And Culture, Alexandra Laguna

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Relationships between nation-states are interconnected through a delicate state of balance maintained by direct or indirect behaviors. Balance is instituted by great international powers who hold military, economic, and social dominance over others. Having greater authority over other nation-states facilitates a self-beneficial system of equilibrium – one in which great powers typically hold an increased benefit. The concept of power can be separated between direct (hard) and indirect (soft). Despite the use of direct power throughout history, indirect power can also become a compelling instrument towards developing social dominance in the international domain. The rise and dependance on technology to …

The "Othering" Of America: How The Strategic Use Of Crisis And Ressentiment Succeeded In The Trump Era, Laura J. Franklin

Dissertations

The establishment of a crisis theme through public rhetoric often triggers widespread attention, resulting in public concern and media coverage of an issue that could potentially be overblown or deceptive. In right-wing political discourse, this crisis warning is typically delivered by a White male leader with ready access to the powerful news media. An “us versus them” theme often occurs. Within this mode of a hegemonic exclusion, a culture of immigrants or an American minority are often depicted, perhaps aggressively, as a threat: A threat used to motivate, enrage and create the frustrations inherent in ressentiment. This dissertation explores the …

U.S. Geography And Its Impact On Public Perception Of Climate Change: An Analysis Of The Role Of Geography, Partisanship, And Media On American Public Sentiment., Leaha Viscounte

Senior Honors Projects

Perception of climate change is often considered an issue of partisanship in America despite the scientific literature stating its factual reality. While the public sentiment reflects both people in favor of climate change policies and others in climate change denial, the geographical landscape of America contributes to the public perception surrounding climate change. Within America’s various regions, Southern and Midwestern areas face the greatest immediate climate- hardships while Northern and Western areas may begin to reap benefits initially. But regardless of region, vulnerable communities are the most at risk of climate-hardships. In order for America to approach climate change in …

Expanding Medication-Assisted Treatment In Drug Courts: A Comprehensive Examination And Proposed Solution To Expand Maud And Moud Programs In The United States, Katelin Carter

Research Awards

This article examines the relationships between substance abuse, criminal justice, and public health in the United States, with a specific focus on Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) within drug treatment courts. The analysis uncovers the limitations of punitive measures, particularly within the framework of President Richard Nixon's "War on Drugs," revealing the need for evidence-based solutions like MAT in criminal justice. The pivotal role of MAT in addressing opioid addiction within drug courts is explored in detail, and data is presented supporting its effectiveness. Despite this efficacy, persistent barriers to its implementation are identified, including stigma, policy constraints, and healthcare disparities. Legal …

Terror Management Theory And Legislation: An Analysis Of How Patterns Evolve And Change, Elizabeth Roth

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Recent legislation passed in states including Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky have included clauses that govern “divisive” material and the manner in which this material is discussed, particularly in schools. The term “divisive” is never truly defined beyond content that is “patently offensive to prevailing standards.” The emphasis has been placed on the fact that students should not be biased by the information that they are taught or allowed to access, but definitions are lax as to what constitutes inappropriate information. The loose criteria as to what counts as “unsuitable” opens up divisive material to easy censorship based on partisan and …

Governing The Pandemic: A Comprehensive Policy Analysis Of The $4.1t Strategy, Sean D. Jasso

Education Division Scholarship

From January 2020 to March 2021, the U.S. Government implemented five laws to marshal the federal response to the December 2019 outbreak of the Coronavirus. For context, past federal emergency policies include the New Deal $1T, World War II $4T, Hurricane Katrina $120B, AIDS $100B, $2.4T Iraq War, $90B Ukraine War, $44B Climate Change, Covid Vaccines $30B and, the largest emergency spending allocation in U.S. history, Covid-19 $4.1T. An evaluation of the government’s strategy to confront the pandemic is framed into two segments: legislative function – how the Congress mobilizes emergency legislation; and, executive function – how the administration manages …

Theory-Building And Tool-Building For A Science Of Dysfunctional Political Discourse, Eric Hamilton, Marguerite Williamson, Andrew Hurford

Education Division Scholarship

This paper extends a developing analytic framework for political discourse that takes place over digital social media. Earlier presentations of the framework have furnished a rationale for applying the conceptual framework of epistemic frame theory and the tools of quantitative ethnography for political discourse analysis. They have provided early existence proofs of the viability of epistemic network analysis (ENA) for rudimentary models of social media threads that involve political content. The current theoretical paper moves significantly beyond this foundation. It summarizes and deepens the explanation of the constructs of discursive transactions, response grammars, and epistemic frames in political discourse. It …

3 Essays On Protests, Repression, And Signaling, Dogus Aktan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on conceptual development across multiple questions of political contention, with a focus on informational processes. In the first paper, I examine the interaction of informational and disruptive effects of protests with a formal model. The model shows that repression can have a screening purpose. Governments use coercion to set the terms of contention so that they only have to accommodate sufficiently aggrieved and salient groups, while filtering out the rest. The model also demonstrates that decreased cost of mobilization makes repression indirectly cheaper for governments, leading to more repression. In the second paper, I examine why governments …

Northeast Delhi Riots Of 2020: Contesting And (Re)Claiming The Western Media Narrative, Sumanth Inukonda

Publications and Research

The New Delhi Riots of 2020 dominated the news cycle for days, even as U.S. President Trump visited India. This article is based on news coverage of these riots during and immediately following their occurrence between February 23 and March 10, 2020. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, this article investigates the discourse on India and its minorities that frames the understanding of these riots to argue that Western media coverage betrays biases and contradictions. This article analyzes the varied alternative narratives of these riots in the Indian media, including secular and Hindu nationalist media, to critique the Western media narrative. This …

Deadly Disease And The Collective Adoption Of International Environmental Agreements, Vivian Ike

International Relations - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Working Class And Ecological Crisis - An Interview With Victor Wallis, Victor Wallis

Faculty Works

Raju Das and Robert Latham interview Victor Wallis about his work and the environmental crisis of capitalism.