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A Queer Series Of Events: A Comparative Examination Of Same-Sex Marriage Legalization, Michael Shea

Political Science Dissertations

As of 2020, same-sex marriage has been legalized at the national level in 28 countries. This dissertation examines the factors that make legalization of same-sex marriage (same-sex marriage) more likely. Using quantitative analysis and a customized index, The Rainbow Index, to capture overall country friendliness towards LGB equality, this dissertation shows that a combination of secular and emancipative values, a high degree of LGB mobilization capacity, and opportunities for transnational advocacy networks to connect with and support local activists make legalization more likely. Furthermore, this combination of variables, which together represent a country’s friendliness to LGB equality, is more predictive …

Governments Response To Drug Cartel?S Violence: The Case Of Colombia And Mexico, Ilenia E. Quintero

Political Science Theses

This paper focuses on how governments respond to cartel violence in Colombia and Mexico with either cooperation or retaliation. I tested three explanations in Medellin from 1984 to 1993 and Culiacan from 2000 to 2011. While the theory suggests that state repression causes cartel violence or, the other way around, based on the empirical analysis, I find that the theories that focus only on cartel violence are insufficient because there is an interrelationship between international assistance, type of cartel violence, and the type of cartel territorial control with how governments respond to cartel violence. Therefore, I conclude that the type …

Consolidating Resources For The Aged-Out Human Trafficking Population Using A Mobile Application, Soumya Nalli

Public Health Capstone Projects

Introduction: Human trafficking is a multibillion dollar industry that enslaves 20.9 million people across the globe. Trafficking is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, or receipt of persons using force, fraud or coercion for forced labor or sexual exploitation. The average age of a trafficking victim is 12-17 years; therefore, most resources are geared towards them. As the victim ages, he/she is more likely to be abandoned by their captors and with the lack of consolidated resources they are more likely to be re-trafficked or enter into prostitution.

Aim: The final product of this capstone will be the compilation of …

Who Cares About Small Arms Anyway? An Evaluation Of Research And Policy, Joel Raffety

Political Science Theses

This research explores the various security and post-conflict complications that are in part a result of the global proliferation of small arms — including organized crime, rebellion, civil war, and fractionalization of the state. The paper 1) defines the issue, 2) contextualizes why the issue matters, and 3) evaluates the effectiveness of policies at the international level. I define the actors in the debate, defines the solutions at regional and international levels, and draw conclusions about the effectiveness of weapons collection, destruction, disarmament, tracing, import and export control, and associated legislation. I find that serious violence-reducing measures should include: increasing …

Commodified Anatomies: Disposable Women In Postcolonial Narratives Of Sexual Trafficking/Abduction, Maria Laura Barberan Reinares

English Dissertations

This dissertation explores postcolonial fiction that reflects the structural situation of a genocidal number of third-world women who are being trafficked for sexual purposes from postcolonial countries into the global north—invariably, gender, class and race play a crucial role in their exploitation. Above all, these women share a systemic disposability and invisibility, as the business relies on the victim’s illegality and criminality to generate maximum revenues. My research suggests that the presence of these abject women is not only recognized by ideological and repressive state apparatuses on every side of the trafficking scheme (in the form of governments, military establishments, …

Acculturative Stress And Gang Involvement Among Latinos: U.S.-Born Versus Immigrant Youth, Alice N. Barrett

Psychology Honors Theses

Quantitative and qualitative data from the 2002 Latino Adolescent Transition Study were used to explore differences in acculturative stress and gang involvement between foreign-born and U.S.-born Latino middle school students. Regression analyses showed significant interactions between discrimination stress and immigration status as well as adaptation stress and immigration status. U.S.-born youths were significantly more likely to be gang-involved if they experienced discrimination stress. They were also less likely to be gang-involved if they experienced high adaptation stress. A minority of primarily foreign-born youths identified economic inequality and prejudicial attitudes as factors that differentiated them from Americans. Those reporting economic inequality …