Digital Commons Network^™

Modern Governance System For Global Sustainable Development Goals, Bojie Fu, Jinghai Li, Junze Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as a key global framework for addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges, have drawn widespread attention due to the slow progress in their implementation. Despite the international community’s high regard for the SDGs, current research predominantly focuses on the assessment of progress and the analysis of interlinkages among the goals, with insufficient discussion on how to improve governance systems aimed at achieving the SDGs. Based on the system classification framework of SDGs, which includes “essential needs”, “objectives,” and “governance” categories, this study develops a governance system for the comprehensive realization of the SDGs. It analyzes …

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam And The Shifting Balance Of Power In The Horn Of Africa, Muhammad Fauzan Rizki Ramadhan

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This article briefly explains the correlation between Ethiopia’s ambitious GERD project and the potential shift in power distribution in the region known as the Horn of Africa. The GERD (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) is a hydroelectric dam designed to drive economic growth by harnessing the Nile River as its core. Focusing on a regional-level analysis, this article will examine the relationship between the completion of the project and the shift in power distribution between Egypt as the local status-quo power, and Ethiopia as the regional challenger. Thus, the dramatic transition in regional structure is related to categorizing the Nile River …

Organizing Black Business: The National Negro Business League, 1900–1915, Adam Chamberlain, Alixandra B. Yanus

Political Science

Founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900, the National Negro Business League (NNBL) sought to unite Black business owners, promote entrepreneurship, and develop economic power. Despite its prominence in the early twentieth century, the group declined after Washington’s death in 1915. As a result, little is known about its organizational development. This study uses data on state and local Negro Business Leagues (NBLs), along with active and life members of the NNBL, to better understand the group’s first fifteen years. Analyses reveal that the NNBL’s development reflected closely the social and economic context of early twentieth century Black America. Generally …

Collaborative Professional Development Featuring Innovative Curriculum Materials, Cory Callahan

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Here I synthesize two research investigations (Callahan, 2018, 2019) that comprise a continuing line of inquiry into the potential of innovative curriculum materials and sustained collaboration as a professional development program to help in-service teachers understand and implement a complex model of social studies instruction. This article features an original innovative curriculum material and specifically explores the question: To what degree can a collaborative professional development program featuring innovative curriculum materials help social studies teachers understand and implement a powerful social studies approach? Findings suggest the professional development program and its innovative curriculum materials helped teachers promote substantive pedagogical thinking …

Polarization In Multidisciplinary Perspective, Eugen Dimant, Erik O. Kimbrough

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

This article provides an introduction to and overview of the articles in the PNAS Nexus Special Feature on Polarization and Trust.

Variation In Paternity Leave Policy In Slovenia And Hungary, Kendra Nguyen

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

This paper investigates the variation in paternity leave policy in Slovenia and Hungary in order to gain insight into the drivers and obstacles to policies that support gender equality and women’s rights. Contributing to gender equality and women’s rights, paternity leave policies have been found to support both child care and maternal employment. In European countries such as Spain and Germany, such policies have decreased the gender wage gap within households and shifted opinions on gender roles regarding who is responsible for care work. Given the positive impact of paternity leave, it is of interest why Slovenia has a more …

The Development Of Central American Communities In Western Europe, Jonathan S. Valenzuela Mejia

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Central Americans in the past 50 years have been migrating in larger and larger numbers. This is mostly caused by civil wars, economic turmoil, and political instability. The number of migrants has only increased over time and the United States has been the main destination for Central Americans and houses the largest diaspora from the region. However, in recent years, Central Americans have begun to migrate in larger numbers to Europe due to increased difficulties in migrating to the United States, and because of visa-free access to most European countries and a more streamlined asylum process. Most of these migrants …

Federal Election Commission And Indiana Secretary Of State Campaign Finance Information Resoures, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation covers campaign finance information resources produced by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and Indiana Secretary of State. It describes how these agencies began, details how they oversee and regulate U.S. federal and Indiana state elections, and documents contributions made by individuals, organizations, political parties, and political action committees to individual candidates and organizations. Reporting documentation on these election races is also included.

Deciphering The Local Origins Of Neoliberalism In Central And Eastern Europe: The Example Of Lithuania, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications

This article studies the local lineage of neoliberalism in Lithuania, examining its intellectual pedigree, early proponents and the structural shifts that facilitated its rise. The latter are attributed to the openings created by perestroika and the development of the communication network linking economists within the Reform Movement of Lithuania, émigré intellectuals and Hillsdale College in Michigan. Information exchanges produced within this network generated embryonic neoliberal ideas before 1991. The network also contributed to the establishment of an influential think tank, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI), whose policy influence is illustrated by surveying monetary and pension privatisation reforms.

Failing To End Genocide: Structural Factors, Triggers, And Ineffective Responses, Tutku Ayhan

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Why do ongoing genocides persist despite global condemnation? This paper examines the challenge of ending ongoing genocides and argues that the persistence of genocides can be largely attributed to the interaction of structural factors and triggers with inadequate responses at the national, regional, and international levels. The analysis focuses on the genocidal experiences of the Yezidi and Rohingya communities, which were triggered by the 2014 attacks in Sinjar, Iraq, and the 2017 actions in Rakhine State, Myanmar. By viewing genocide as a process rather than an isolated act of violence and recognizing cultural genocide as genocide, this study aims to …

Lessons Learned: Overcoming Obstacles To Inference And Synthesis In Atrocity Prevention Research, Tallan Donine, Daniel Solomon, Lawrence Woocher

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In this paper, we argue that atrocity prevention (AP) researchers face obstacles to inference and knowledge synthesis in the study of AP strategies and tools. We argue that researchers can begin to address obstacles to inference by using rigorous social-science methods and can address obstacles to knowledge synthesis through greater coordination and transparency about concepts, methods, and data. Our argument proceeds in four parts. First, drawing on a systematic review of three decades of research about AP tools, we survey key analytic obstacles to drawing conclusions about the effects of AP policy. Second, we survey four separate methods that researchers …

Ua12/2/2 Talisman: Legacy, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Fall 2024 Talisman:

• Our Mission
• Harrington, Ragan & Cecilia Alali. Legacy
• Muscutt, Carson. The Spirit of Western – Big Red
• Hardesty, Emma. Beyond the Letters – Fraternities & Sororities
• Lein, Samantha. The Iceberg Beneath You – Poem
• Pollard, Evynn. Echoes of the Past – Jonesville
• Sutton, Avery. Tasting Tradition – Recipes
• Phelps, Brett. The Hill
• Colovos, Christina. Pale Blue Dot – Poem
• Rainwater, Riley & Carson Muscutt. Marking Time – Marching Band
• Vickers, Abigail. Grassroots – Political Campaigns
• Muscutt, Carson. Horoscopes
• Legacy Issue 17 Playlist
• Lasting Impact

What Freedom? Freedom-A Disease Without Cure. Slavoj Žižek. London: Bloomsbury Academic. 2023. Pp. 328., Edward Sankowski, Betty J. Harris

International Dialogue

Slavoj Žižek's outpouring of books continues, including the volume, Freedom-A Disease Without Cure (2023). The title is somber, but the contents do not signal an unrelievedly depressed attitude on the part of the author. Rather, the book manifests expanding curiosity and far-reaching originality. That is, however, supplemented by some self-criticism, e.g., when the author broods about the apathy in himself and others that he claims is a result of the hyperactivity enjoined by and observed in contemporary capitalism. We hope to go beyond critical interpretation and evaluation of Žižek, to express our own new insights beyond those formulated or hinted …

The Geopolitics Of Shaming: When Human Rights Pressure Works—And When It Backfires Rochelle Terman. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2023. Pp. 216., Brett J. Kyle

International Dialogue

In The Geopolitics of Shaming: When Human Rights Pressure Works—and When It Backfires (Princeton University Press, 2023), Rochelle Terman takes on the important and interesting question of the effectiveness of states’ denunciation of each other in the enforcement of human rights. “Naming and shaming” states for their human rights abuses has long been a feature of international relations. Despite its consistent presence in the international arena, it is often met with skepticism by IR scholars and seen as nothing more than power politics in disguise. Rather than seeking to downplay or push back against this criticism of norm enforcement, Terman …

Ethnocratizing The “Holy Land” The Politics Of Sacred Places: A View From Israel-Palestine Nimrod Luz. London, New York And Dublin: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023. Pp. 223., Curtis Hutt

International Dialogue

In this review essay, I will engage with some critical issues raised by Nimrod Luz in his recent book, The Politics of Sacred Places: A View From Israel-Palestine. This is a follow up to earlier articles that I have written for ID: International Dialogue and elsewhere related to holy sites as well as pilgrimage to, from, and within what is commonly known in the Western Christian world for the last one thousand years as the “Holy Land.” 1 It is also a companion piece to a recent review I have written of Marshall J. Breger and Leonard M. Hammer’s landmark …

Analysis Of The Plo And Hamas: Interview With Sir John Jenkins, Raphael Cohen-Almagor

International Dialogue

Sir John Jenkins is currently a Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange, the London-based think tank, for whom he has written extensively on Islamism and extremism more generally. Between 1980 and 2015 he served as a British diplomat, initially in Abu Dhabi (1983–86), Malaysia (1989–92) and Kuwait (1995–98) before being appointed Ambassador to Burma (1999–2002). He was subsequently HM Consul-General, Jerusalem (2003–06), Ambassador to Syria (2006–07), FCO Director for the Middle East and North Africa (2007-09), Ambassador to Iraq (2009–11), Special Representative to the National Transitional Council and 1subsequently Ambassador to Libya (2011) and Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia …

Federal Aid To Women And Children: The Children’S Bureau, The Social Security Act, And Political Development Victories And Failures, K. S. Sullivan, Carol Nackenoff

Political Science Faculty Works

The Social Security Act of 1935 and its 1939 amendments included federal programs for maternal and infant welfare, child welfare services, and Aid to Dependent Children (ADC). Inclusion of these programs is largely owing to women reformers’ long advocacy for public assistance to families in need. The Social Security Act nationalized aspects of the program championed by the Children’s Bureau, itself a product of women’s civic organization and institution building. These advances laid the ground for crucial components of the contemporary American welfare state, which included surveillance and intrusion into the lives of ADC families and the perpetuation of a …

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 …

Editor's Introduction, Michael D. Pante

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

No abstract provided.

50 Universities Working On Research In Public Health Technologies, Angie Holzer, Erica Bassett

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Joni September 2024 Full Issue, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Mass Shootings In The United States, Sydney Livingston

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

High rates of mass shootings are becoming a uniquely American problem; the US makes up 73% of the world’s mass shootings, yet makes up only 4.25% of the world’s population. School shootings, in particular, have increased dramatically in the US since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, an event many perpetrators have since drawn upon as inspiration. There is a strong divide of opinions in the nation regarding how firearm deaths should be reduced, which has complicated and slowed progress in identifying effective solutions. Each mass shooting causes additional shootings to occur, and each one takes a toll on …

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 …

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 …

Addressing Adolescent Suicide In South Korea, Alyssa Kang

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Suicide is a prevalent issue that widely affects all demographics in South Korea. Among adolescents, it is the leading cause of mortality with an average rate of 7 deaths per 100,000 people. Some of the most significant factors that influence the risk of suicidal ideation and attempts are cultural stigma and academic stress. Other factors, such as bullying and family structure, also increase the likelihood of suicide, while specific characteristics including internet addiction, socioeconomic status, and substance abuse have been found to be predictors of suicide. Adolescent suicide attempts in Korea also increase the individual's risk for future attempts, and …

Research Summaries: Global Health, Lakell Archer, Sumaya Ali, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

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 …

Far-Right Monologues And Extreme Identity, Benjamin Alexander Thigpen

Dissertations and Theses

My thesis is focused on the American far-right, by way of two sperate case studies, one centered on a contemporary movement (the manosphere) and one that has fallen from prominence (racist skinheads). Grounded in primary source analysis, my thesis builds off of the work of social movement theorists such as Sidney Tarrow, scholars of American politics like Richard Hofstadter, and emergent theories of social identity as laid out by Judith Butler and others. Through my analysis, I develop two theoretical arguments: first, that there are two distinct categories amongst far-right narratives (which I term offensive and defensive); and second, that …

Between Governance And Markets: An Assessment Of Environmental Boundary Organizations, Andy Tuholski

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This article considers the genesis, characteristics, and dynamics of boundary organizations as they apply specifically to environmental boundary objects, that is, pieces of science on which policy is reliant. Boundary organizations have been widely discussed since the 1990s but are undertheorized in terms of political concepts; this paper approaches environmental boundary organizations as essentially liberal vehicles of power using Lukes’ definition, in which the liberal dimension of power is divided into (a) eliciting and (b) meeting wants of stakeholders equitably. Environmental boundary organizations are compared and contrasted with single-perspective organizations (that is, organizations beholden to either government or industry) and …

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.