Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Outside Spending In The 2014 Midterm Elections: The Lasting Effects Of Citizens United, Lucas Fortier

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

The purpose of this study was to shed light on the controversial area of independent expenditures in the post-Citizens United world of campaign finance. The study focuses on three questions: who are the main players participating in this area of campaign finance, how are these outside groups being funded, and how do these groups spend their money to influence elections? Some findings of the study were that, while there was a large number of registered SuperPACs and political nonprofits in the 2014 midterm elections, only a relatively small group of 70 major organizations accounted for over 90 percent of total …

Land Reform And The Use Of Violence: Creating A Set Of Conditions Using The Case Of Zimbabwe, Dylan Ciccarelli

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of conditions under which land reform becomes violent, looking specifically at the fast-track land reform policy implemented in Zimbabwe from 1998-2003. The roots and use of violence in the context of land reform is a topic that has not been widely researched in previous land reform literature, however it is important as the issue of land inequality has been, and is, an ongoing issue in many sub-Saharan African countries, including Zimbabwe. This paper will argue that land reform will become violent when certain economic, political, and social conditions are present. …

South African Survivor: The National Party’S Survival In The Context Of The Cold War, John Hartigan

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Apartheid continued in the Republic of South Africa until 1993, far longer than any other minority dominated government on the continent of Africa. In this paper, I analyze the reasons why Afrikaners were able to perpetuate their grip on political power far longer than any of their white colleagues around the continent. This paper is comparative; I place the South African experience in context with other minority ruled statesKenya and Mozambiquethat experienced the break down of minority rule far sooner than the South Africans. I argue that there are three main factors that ensured the that the National PartySouth Africas …

State-Building And Intrastate Conflict In Africa, Lillian Holland

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

In my poster I will be examining under what conditions does state building measures turn into intrastate violence in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Kenya.

The Causes Of The Civil Wars In Côte D'Ivoire, Matthew Ayers

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

No abstract provided.

Post-Conflict Child Soldier Networks In Africa, Andrew Currier

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

No abstract provided.

Finding Aid To The Collection Of Richard Cutts Shannon Materials., Richard Cutts Shannon, Colby College Special Collections

Finding Aids

The Richard Cutts Shannon collection contains diaries, correspondence, printed materials, photographs, artifacts, and clippings by and about Richard Cutts Shannon, Colby Class of 1862. Of note are many diaries Shannon kept throughout his life between 1862-1920, including his time as an aide-de-camp in the Civil War, a prisoner in Libby Prison, his voyage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, his service as Secretary of the U.S. Legation in Brazil, as a U.S. Congressman, and an account of his tour around the world. This collection also contains photographs, artifacts (Shannon's riding gloves and saddlebag from the Civil War era), Shannon's accounts of …

Demographics As Destiny: Modeling Population Change And Party Strategies On The Electoral Map, 2016-2040, Sam Parker

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the ways demographic change will affect presidential elections over the next 25 years. It utilizes a detailed, interactive model to project the electoral effects of demographic growth in every presidential election from 2016 to 2040; the model allows me to simulate how voting rates by demographic groups might be altered by changes in party strategies. The two alternative Republican strategies this model simulates are a "doubling down" on white voters and a "diversified coalition" approach, where Republicans would reach out to minorities to build a coalition better suited to America's growing diversity.

The model's results indicate that, …

Inequality And Involvement: Participatory Trends In The Politics Of A Rural Maine Town, Shelby O'Neill

Honors Theses

Interdisciplinary research suggests that participation in most forms of political activity in the United States is stratified by socioeconomic status. People with higher socioeconomic statuses are more able and willing to participate in politics than people with lower socioeconomic statuses. This participatory inequality amplifies the political voice of the upper class relative to the lower class. However, little academic attention has been paid to analyzing the impact of socioeconomic inequality on participation in local politics. By analyzing participatory trends in the politics of the rural town of Belgrade, ME, this honors thesis fills a gap in the academic literature on …