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Deforestation In Brazil’S Amazon And The Effects On Its Position In International Politics, Jeb Hinkle

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Latin America is a land of potential for economic growth, the expansion of democracy, and international political influence. The United States has historically had political and economic influence in the region; however, Latin American nations have long seen the United States as imperialists, only serving their own interest at the expense of smaller Latin nations. As China’s global ambitions grow, many Latin American nations have turned towards the Chinese for investment and trade. The United States needs to combat China’s influence and the nations of Latin America wish to build a better future for themselves. The solution is strategic partnership …

Democracy And Organized Crime: The Case Of Brazil, Abigail Tank

Student Research Submissions

Local-level democracy is crucial to the strength of a country’s democracy. In Brazil, informal housing settlements known as favelas have started to outpace the growth of the cities in which they exist, yet favelas often lack equal access to democratic institutions that ensure citizens’ rights. Organized crime groups have emerged in these settlements that threaten the strength and stability of local-level democracy. This yields the question, “How does organized crime impact democracy in Brazil?” Through case studies of Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, this thesis explores whether criminal organizations influence political participation in Brazilian favelas. The case studies are …

Book Review: Corruption In The Americas, José De Arimatéia Da Cruz

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Editors: Jonathan D. Rosen and Hanna S. Kassab

Reviewed by Dr. José de Arimatéia da Cruz, professor of international relations and comparative politics, Georgia Southern University, and visiting professor, Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College

Jonathan D. Rosen and Hanna S. Kassab argue in Corruption in the Americas that corruption is not only an industry but has also become an integral part of Latin American societies. The book also notes that support for democracy in many Latin American countries (despite years of authoritarianism) is at an all-time low. The reviewer recommends this book saying, “The book highlights the …

Inequality And Violence: The Case Of Brazil, Kimberly Forsyth

Dissertations and Theses

As a dominant economic powerhouse in Latin America, Brazil paradoxically exhibits profound socioeconomic divides and egregious rates of violence. This study seeks to illuminate the extent of the intricate relationship between Brazil's inherent inequalities and its propensity for violence by employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The study focuses on the years from 2002 to 2021, a period characterized by pivotal social, economic, and political transformations. Utilizing the United Nations definition of homicide as a primary measure of violence, I collected data from Brazilian health repositories for all 27 federative unit's annual reported number of homicides. The research …

Brazilian Alliance Perspectives: Towards A Brics Development–Security Alliance?, Zhen 'Arc' Han, Mihaela Papa

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

Scholars studying BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have traditionally argued that it is a development-focused partnership and not a military/security-based alliance. Yet BRICS members have been deepening their security integration, and Russia and China have been creating an alliance in the background. Although BRICS middle powers have traditionally demonstrated an aversion towards alliances, Brazil actively deepened security cooperation among BRICS members during its BRICS presidency in 2019. How does Brazil view alliances in contemporary power competition? This study examines Brazil’s perceptions by introducing and analysing a new data set of Brazilian expert discourses on alliances since 1990 …

The São Paulo Forum’S Armed Forces Agenda: Examining Venezuela And Brazil, David J. Guenni Bravo

MSU Graduate Theses

The São Paulo Forum (SPF) is a resilient ideological alliance that provides extremist public policy recommendations to formal political parties, social movements, and insurgent groups throughout the Western Hemisphere. Based on substantial evidence, this research project asserts that the SPF has successfully influenced the national security and defense policies of states in the Latin America & Caribbean (LAC) region. Analysis of two significant cases in South America shows that, after being elected to high office, SPF affiliates and their political parties/platforms sought transformation of their countries’ national security and defense sectors to conform to SPF positions. Given its extensive influence …

Mano Dura And Beyond: An Analysis Of Police Reform In Latin America, Ari Moore

CMC Senior Theses

Physical insecurity and high rates of crime plague Latin America. The problem is economically costly, detrimental to physical and mental health, and damaging to political legitimacy, while also fueling a migration crisis and negatively impacting societal views on human rights. The police are tasked with responding to and investigating crime, but have been historically ineffective at doing so. In recent decades, many countries in the region have implemented significant police reforms in pursuit of decreasing crime and insecurity. This thesis will analyze reforms in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico to determine regional themes of reform. The lessons from those case …

An Application Of Economic Norms Theory To Brazilian Corruption, Nina B. Neto

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aims to explore the relationship between clientelistic economies and systemic corruption under the framework of Economic Norms Theory. Pointedly, it examines the evolution of contractual mortgage credit as a percentage of GDP (representing the growth of a non-self-enforcing contract market) compared to both actual and perceived levels of corruption in Brazil in order to assess whether Brazil is exemplary of a transitioning economy under the theory of Economic Norms. The hypothesis of this paper is two-fold. First, I expect that as mortgage credit as a percentage of GDP generally increases, actual corruption will decrease. Secondly, I expect that …

Corruption And Its Effect On Economic Development In Chile, Mexico, And Brazil, Jennifer Lopez

Governance: The Political Science Journal at UNLV

In this paper, the effect of the perception of corruption on economic development will be explored. The research question addressed in this paper is: how does the perception of political corruption in Mexico, Brazil, and Chile affect their economic development? Economic development has increased significantly for all three states since 1990s, but for two of them it has been coupled with rampant corruption. The research question will be explored through a review of the current literature, a discussion of the methods, the presentation of the data and results, and finally a discussion about the results. In order to assess whether …

Corruption: Brazil's Everlasting Parasite, Patricia Vilhena

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore corruption in Brazil, how it has endured for so such a long period, and the effects it has in the country. Understanding the history of Brazil, how the government was established, and how the branches operate is crucial to comprehend the rooting causes of the Brazilian corruption. The focus is not just about what corruption is and the effects it has on education, economy, and infrastructure, but also on the factors that contributed to its expansion and the circumstances that allowed it to sustain until today. Brazil is a country known for …

Afroreggae And Grupo Cultural Afro Reggae: A Study Of The Early Years, Sarah S. Ohmer

Publications and Research

The following study of AfroReggae and Grupo Cultural Afro Reggae (GCAR) calls attention to Brazilian presence and community organizing in the field of Hip Hop studies with a long memory framework: placing AfroReggae and GCAR in a long history of Africana resistance through music in Latin America. !990s GCAR group arises when reggae and Hip Hop music had become new global forms of solidarity among urban marginalized youths worldwide, making use of old and new strategies of social healing (Fernandes 2011). A close look at lyrics from the Hip Hop fusion band and the associated nonprofit organization shape the concepts …

The Revolutionary Climate: Applying Theories Of Revolution To Assess Political Stability In Contemporary Brazil, Arden Andrew Nicholls

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Rapid modernization has throughout history presented unique challenges for developing countries. Generally judged to be a good thing--but if too rapid--modernization can strain a government if that governmental system is unable to keep up. Historically concrete social classes begin to blur or shift as massive capital investments are injected--often unequally. Proliferation of the middle class is commonly seen as a country modernizes quickly; with the new middleclass comes rising expectations and modern demands on government. Social programs, infrastructure, political and social equality and general societal advancements are all expected to increase at roughly the same pace as the economy. Social …

An Evaluation Of The Potential Impact Of Community Oriented Policing In Latin America, Gabriella A. Ippolito

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the potential impact of community oriented policing in Latin America through a series of case studies from Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and El Salvador dating from the early 1990’s to the present. They are analyzed through a typology that organizes community oriented policing strategies according to costliness to the police. Costliness is defined as the amount of power that the police have to renounce to the community to implement a certain strategy. The thesis concludes that community oriented policing is an improvement over militarized policing strategies as it has the possibility to enhance both human security and …

From “Iron Fist” Policies To Comprehensive Social Intervention, Claudia Heiss

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The latest effort by Brazilian authorities to control crime in Rio's favelas confronts us with several complex questions regarding democracy, the rule of law, and civil-military relations, not only in this case, but throughout Latin America. What conclusions can we derive from the military and police interventions in Rio about the state of affairs of these third-wave democracies?

Brazil As A Regional And International Leader, Justin Ferber

Dissertations and Theses

Brazil's critical role in South American integration and political crisis management in Latin America, as well as its increasing power in international trade, finance, and security underscorethat Brazil influence over regional and international affairs.This thesis argues that Brazil has leveraged its economic strength and soft power—which it derives from its successful domestic social policies and distinguished diplomatic history of promoting international cooperation and peaceful conflict—to project regional and international leadership.

How Does A Democratic Brazil Constrast With Authoritarian Brazil In Terms Of Promoting Human Security?, Pablo Albuquerque Banhos

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study compares and contrasts two distinct regimes, the Brazilian military regime (1964-1985) and Brazil's current democratic regime (1985-2007). The focus of this thesis is to determine why, compared to the authoritarian regime, human security has improved measurably under democracy in some areas but not in others. To assess this paradox, one variable has been chosen: the rule of law, specifically conceptualized as violations of physical integrity. This research centers on the metropolitan areas of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and is based on a qualitative examination supplemented by quantitative evidence. The study finds that violations of physical integrity …