Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Analysis Of The Principal Arguments In Support Of A Congressional Term Limit, Paul William Cadero-Smith

Dissertations and Theses

This paper looks closely at the debate on congressional term limits. The objective of this paper is to examine critically the fundamental arguments made in support of term limits. Analysis of pro-term limits literature pinpoints incumbent behavior as the driving force behind term limits reform. In particular, supporters argue that legislators have become increasingly career-oriented over the past fifty years, allocating for themselves a myriad of perks of office ( e.g., large staff, free mailing, and unlimited travel budgets) to achieve their reelection goals. In addition, incumbents are cited for focusing on the wishes of their constituencies instead of on …

The Impact Of Relative Gains On Interstate Cooperation In The Areas Of Security And International Economy, Renato Corbetta

Dissertations and Theses

In the last twenty years, the issue of the impact of relative gains on interstate cooperation has been at the center of the debate between the two major schools of thought in International Relations theory, namely neoliberalism and neorealism. Over time, the relative gains problem has ceased to be a radically divisive issue and has worked as a common research program that has brought the two theoretical perspectives closer together. Both neoliberals and neorealists have set aside major questions regarding the origins of the relative gains problem and of states' preferences, and they have focused on the problem of determining …

Free Trade, Regionalism, And The Democratic Peace Theory, Julia B. Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

Democratic nations worldwide rarely, if ever, go to war against one another. A variety of reasons for these peace loving democracies are offered in the social sciences literature. Many proponents of the theory of a democratic peace argue that democratic nations do not war against one another because of similar libertarian norms of behavior, and prohibitive structural institutions.

This thesis disagreed with the above assessment of peaceful democratic norms and institutions, and sought instead to investigate the role of economic prosperity as a crucial element of international cooperation. Combining the characteristics of democracy and economic prosperity, more fully rounded out …

Tocqueville’S Civic Republicanism : The Balance Between Equality And Liberty In American Democracy, Clifford Brantley Smith

Dissertations and Theses

At the heart of America's experience with liberal democratic institutions remains the continuous struggle between liberty and equality. The two are opposed, but form the dual foundation upon which American democracy rests. One foundation emphasized the importance of equal political rights and equality of opportunity. This theme considers the prospects of a person are not predetermined at birth, as in an aristocratic country, but instead are left to be filled by the decisions made through life. Yet for people to have the greatest options available as they steer their way through life, there must also exist the second foundation of …