Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Post-Revolutionary State Building Processes Democratization Or Divergent Paths?, Ingi Rashed

Theses and Dissertations

As many scholars argue that revolutionary changes generally leads to autocratization, evidence from recent revolutionary changes in post USSR republics and Eastern Europe demonstrate that divergent regime types emerge thereafter. On the one hand, the case of Poland in the aftermath of the collapse of USSR demonstrates that the first few years after regime removal from power are crucial to the emerging new regime. Additionally, Poland proved that democratization can emerge if various institutional settings take place hand in hand with the existence of certain dynamics that shape decision making processes and society agency.On the other hand, the case of …

Roli I Faktorit Ndërkombëtar Në Krizen Jugosllave 1991-1998, Gazmir Gashi

Theses and Dissertations

Roli i faktorit ndërkombëtar në krizen Jugosllave 1991-1998

Qëllimi i këtij hulumtimi është analizimi i ngjarjeve historike dhe identifikimi i faktorëve që çuan drejt shpërbërjes së Jugosllavisë, ndikimi i politikave të tyre të ndërmarra nga organizatat ndërkombëtare për zgjidhjen e çështjes së Kosovës, ndërhyrja dhe vendosja e misioneve dhe operacioneve ndërkombëtare në Kosovë për ruajtjen dhe konsolidimin e paqes në shtetin e ri, me qasje në forcimin e mbrojtjes dhe të sigurisë kombëtare e rajonale.

Ndër konferencat që kemi cekur në theks të vecantë janë: Koferenca e Hgës, e Londres, e Dajtonit dhe e Rambujesë. Referencave apo citimeve iu kemi …

Displacement: An Analysis Of Foreign Aid And Its Effects On Migration Patterns In Latin America, Edgar Abraham Navejar

Theses and Dissertations

To influence a country’s behavior, aid has been used to push for specific changes, whether it be to increase security in a country or to sponsor social programs. Using neoclassical realism, this paper will analyze if US aid influences migration patterns, specifically, if U.S. foreign policy through aid creates conditions that encourage or discourage migration of people to the United States. This paper will analyze between the years 1980- 2017 to see if the Cold War played a part or if the post- Cold War international arena pivoted the United States to focus on migration patterns in Latin America.

Underlying Principles Of U.S. Media Coverage: A Case Study Of Venezuela’S Political Crisis From January-July 2019, Solange Nirere

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the U.S. mainstream media’s coverage of Venezuela’s political crisis from January to July of 2019. By deciding not only the issues presented, but their tone and stance, the media actively sets policy agendas and influences public opinion. The propaganda model (PM) provides a predictive framework for understanding media behavior and how “filters” determine published content. Using a media content analysis of 270 articles on the Venezuelan crisis in the NYT and WSJ, I found strong evidence for the PM viz a heavy reliance on U.S. government sources, strong U.S. foreign policy support, and an absence of alternate …

When It Comes To Money In Elections, It Doesn't Matter Which Paris You Live In, Jacqueline J. Arias

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I argue how money influences election outcomes in the Texas Legislature from 2010 to 2018. I explore the political history of Texas, where scholars have long alluded to the role of wealthy elites in the political process. Using an investment theory approach, where money is considered a powerful determinant in elections over other factors, this thesis will analyze total disbursements and vote totals of Texas senate and house candidates in a linear model. Along with this bivariate correlation, this thesis will conduct a multilevel analysis that includes partisanship and regions in Texas. This thesis found a strong …

Etika – Si Sfidë Në Menaxhimin E Burimeve Njerëzore, Rinor Gashi

Theses and Dissertations

Burimet njerëzore janë pasuria me e madhe në një ndërmarrje, pasi që i gjithë zhvillimi është i varur nga puna dhe angazhimi i tyre. Çdo biznes ka për qëllim maksimizimin e profitit. Që kompania ta arrijë këtë duhet që përveç tjerash ta ketë në funksion dhe të zhvilluar departamentin e burimeve njerëzore. Nga ana tjetër, ndërmarrjet e vogla dhe të mesme mund të përcaktohen si firma të pavarura, të cilat punësojnë një numër te specifikuar të punëtorëve. Rëndësia e ndërmarrjeve të vogla dhe të mesme është krijimi i inovacioneve, mundësia e punësimit, pavarësia në veprim dhe konkurrenca. Menaxhimi i burimeve …

Liberalization First, Democratization Later: The Linkage Between Income Inequality, Economic Development, And Democratization, Yi-Tzu Lin

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a model of two-stage process of democratization. In the first stage, income inequality is associated with political liberalization, but this association is conditional on economic development. In the second stage, political liberalization is associated with democratization. By looking at 125 authoritarian regimes from 1960 to 2010, I find that in rich countries, high income inequality is associated with low political liberalization, which may stabilize autocratic regimes; while low income inequality is associated with high political liberalization. In poor countries, high income inequality is associated with political liberalization, while low inequality has no effect.

In the second stage, …

Prejudice, Personality And Contact: How Personality Traits Affect The Role Of Intergroup Contact In Interethnic Prejudice Reduction, Aurel Haxhiu

Theses and Dissertations

Despite having had the chance to see a broad spectrum of different scholars efforts to attest the impact of the Big Five personality in intergroup contact, we considered that there is still room to furthermore shed some light in spite of those efforts to describe the intertwined impact while conducting a specific analysis how the Big Five personality traits affect the role of intergroup contact in interethnic prejudice reduction, by taking examples of Kosovo’s albanians and their feeling temperature toward the ethnic group of serbs and the role of contact. On our efforts to explain the impact of the Big …

Attitudes Toward Refugees In Eu Membership Aspiring Countries: Support For Eu Membership, Perceptions Of Eu Membership Conditionality And Tolerance Toward Ethnic Minorities, Dastid Morina

Theses and Dissertations

Whereas research conducted in the existing EU member states show that people are not receptive of the EU message, research in the Western Balkans has demonstrated that people in this region might be more receptive to the EU message than previously known. We conduct an experimental research design to observe the effects of the EU treatment on people’s willingness to accept more Syrian refugees to settle in their countries and to allow Syrian refugees to travel through their countries toward EU member countries. We analyze with a simple random sample that combines data from a public opinion survey conducted in …

Procesi I Negocimit Në Kosovë Dhe Sfidat E Tij, Diellza Hoti

Theses and Dissertations

Rrugëtimi i Kosovës deri në përfundim të procesit të shtetëzimit të plotë, me demokraci kushtetuese dhe vlera evropiane, me përcaktim të qartë drejt agjendës së integrimeve euro - atlantike, nuk është rrugëtim politik i kohës së re dhe i përjetuar lehtë. Ky punim synon të hulumtoj për sfidat e Kosovës në aspektin politiko - territorial ndër vite, që nga periudha kur Kosova ishte objekt i padrejtësive historike e deri në ditët e sotme ku është palë në tavolinën negociuese në procesin e dialogut Kosovë - Serbi. Kosova, një territor i vogël prej 10,887 km², me një popullsi prej rreth 2 …

Partitë Politike Në Kosovë, Profilizimi Dhe Funksionimi I Tyre, Doan Tahirbegolli

Theses and Dissertations

Shteti i Kosovës si vend i dalur vonë nga lufta dhe si pjesë e shteteve që gjeografikisht hyn në Ballkan, ka problemet e saj ekonomike, politike, shoqërore e kulturore.

Fokusimi ynë do të përfshijë fushën e politikës, sistemin politik e veçanërisht partitë politike dhe funksionimin e tyre në Kosovë. Ideja dhe dëshira erdhi nga arsyeja sepse konstituimi i një sistemi politik demokratik në vendin tonë ka vështirësitë, problemet dhe sfidat që ja vlen të studiohen dhe analizohen nga çdo studiues, e sidomos nga ne të shkencave politike.

Ky formim i pastër i një ambienti politik, me parti që funksionojnë me …

The Role Of Personality Traits In Interview Time Length In Cellphone Public Opinion Surveys, Don Salihu

Theses and Dissertations

Bearing in mind that the role of personality traits and their impact unto the Interview Time Length in Cellphone Public Opinion Surveys hasn’t had the opportunity to be explored to further levels, despite different researches being conducted in order to attest the link that those two have, we considered that there is room for improvement and furthermore tried to shed some more light in this specific prism, specifically argue that they link and the different personality traits of Respondents and Interviewers do impact the Time Length of digitally taken Interviews. On our continous efforts to further explain the impact that …

Etika Në Menaxhimin Publik, Rast Studimi Sh.A. Bifurkacioni - Ferizaj, Igballe Hyseni

Theses and Dissertations

Një vështrim në menaxhimin e etikës në institucionet publike, konkretishtë Sh.A Bifurkacioni - Ferizaj nxjerr në pah rëndësinë e një kodi të etikës.

Dëshirat, ëndrrat, qëllimet, synimet janë të ndryshme për individë të ndryshëm, por të gjithë kanë të njëjtin "interes". Janë pikërisht çështjet që lidhen në mënyrë të drejtëpërdrejtë ose jo me funksionimin e një shteti, me organizimin institucional të tij, me strukturimin e aparatit shtetëror, me rekrutimin e kandidatëve në mënyrë të drejtë dhe në bazë të meritave etj, si dhe me ofrimin e shërbimeve të qeverisë në një nivel sa më pranë shtetasve të saj ose siç …

Unequal Representation In Local Democracies: An Analysis Of Public Opinion And Policy Outcomes In U.S. Cities, Amanda Jane Heideman

Theses and Dissertations

The nature of the connection between what citizens want and what government does is a central consideration in evaluating the strengths and weakness of democratic governance. A large body of research in “mainstream” American politics literature examines the link between public opinion and responsiveness at the national, state, and district level, generally finding that outcomes reflect citizen preferences. However, much less is known about the relationship at the municipal level. Cities offer a distinctive opportunity to test for the presence of ideological representation as well as the presence of unequal representation and its consequences. Using data on both the aggregate …

Political Violence In Bangladesh: Explaining The Role Of State, Zunaid Almamun

Theses and Dissertations

Violence has been an integral part of the politics of Bangladesh since after its independence. The government has used the coercive apparatus of the state in order to confront the political opponents and the dissenters. Irrespective of the type of regime and political parties in power, the state always perpetrated violence against its citizens. On the one hand, the government used the law enforcement agencies, and the specialists of violence relied on coercion against the citizens, on the other hand, various groups appeared as the affiliates of the government in perpetrating violence. However, the nature of violence changed over time, …

Mbi Gjendjen E Sotme Të Sigurisë Në Ballkanin Perëndimor, Blertë Sopa

Theses and Dissertations

Padyshim që njëra prej çështjeve më të rëndësishme të një shteti është siguria, mbrojtja e territorit të tij. Ky punim diploma batchelor ka për qëllim të shqyrtojë çështjet e sigurisë së shteteve të Ballkanit Perëndimor. Ai është ndarë në disakrerë, ose pjesë në mënyrë që të ndihmojë për të krijuar në mënyrë logjike dhe të qartë kuadrin teorik të problemit.

Fillimisht është pjesa përshkruese dhe teorike e cila lidhet me përkufizmin e konceptit të sigurisë, ndërsa më pas, flitet rreth sistemit të sigurisëkombëtare, kërcënimeve të sigurisë, interesave kombëtarë si dhe për sfidat e së ardhmes.

Më tej, për të parë …

Etika Në Menaxhimin Publik, Rast Studimi Shtëpia E Shëndetit Lipjan, Fatime Aliu

Theses and Dissertations

Një vështrim në rolin e institucioneve shëndetësore, konkretishtë QKMF – Lipjan nxjerr në pah rëndësinë e një kodi të etikës për stafin shëndetësor.

Njerëzit në demokraci kanë organizuar shtetin dhe institucionet në një mënyrë të tillë, që të kenë liri maksimale për veten e tyre, brenda kuadrit të shtetit ligjor. Po kështu, janë hartuar sisteme të drejtësisë penale me qëllim që të garantohet liria dhe siguria e individit.

Në një shoqëri demokratike të sunduar nga forca e ligjit, institucionet shëndetësore kanë funksion jetik në sigurimin e ofrimit të shërbimeve me qëllim të ruajtjes së shëndetit të qytetarëve dhe komuniteteve pa …

Delegimi I Detyrave Nga Menaxheri Tek Punëtorët, Edona Avdyli

Theses and Dissertations

Qëllimi i studimit është të përcaktojë ndikimin e delegimit efektiv të autoritetit si një strategji për arritjen e detyrave dhe përmirësimin e performancës në Organizatat e Biznesit. Gjetjet zbuluan se pengesat për delegimin nëse nuk menaxhohen siç duhet, do të ndikojnë negativisht në rezultatet e performancës. Rekomandimet e letrës janë që vetëm vartësve të kualifikuar t’u caktohen detyra për të kryer. Kjo nënkupton që menaxheret duhet të përpiqen të trajnojnë stafin për të kryer me kompetencë detyrat e deleguara. Një rekomandim tjetër ishte se barrierat dhe pengesat për delegimin e detyrave në kompani duhet të rishikohen në mënyrë periodike dhe …

The Zabaleen Of Egypt: Citizenship Of Exception In Cairo's Urban Sphere, Kathryn Vallis

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationships between citizenship, space, and the state, using the Zabaleen community in Cairo as a lens of analysis. The thesis argues that citizenship is both an institution and a practice of exclusion. It explores the social, political, and economic exclusions that the Zabaleen experience due to their position in a state of exception.

Time Machine Research And Approach, Tarek Bouraque

Theses and Dissertations

Time Machine is a hybrid documentary that explores the logics of enslavement, colonialism, eurocentrism and their interconnectedness in our globalized world. Mustapha Azemmouri, born in 1502, undertakes a journey to the 21st century to recount his own story of enslavement and exploration, and reflects on a collective puzzle of 500 years of hidden history.

Old Dogs, New Tricks: Authoritarian Regime Persistence Through Learning, Nicholas Ryan Davis

Theses and Dissertations

How does diffusion lead to authoritarian regime persistence? Political decisions, regardless of what the actors involved might believe or espouse, do not happen in isolation. Policy changes, institutional alterations, regime transitions-- these political phenomena are all in some part a product of diffusion processes as much as they are derived from internal determinants. As such, political regimes do not exist in a vacuum, nor do they ignore the outside world. When making decisions about policy and practice, we should expect competent political actors to take a look at the wider external world. This dissertation project presents a theory of regime …

Media Impact On Public Opinion: Lgbtq Issues, Gabriel M. Galvan

Theses and Dissertations

This study’s research question asks what impact “new media” has on public opinion regarding LGBTQ issues. This study uses a survey conducted at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on the student body on campus. Using an ordered logistic regression analysis to test for a variety of independent variables, this paper finds that the type of media has a minor impact in public opinion on LGBTQ issues. Other control variables include religiosity, race and ethnicity, perceived economic class, and political ideology. This research is grounded on the theory that media can have an impact on the political positions of …

Labor Rights And Foreign Direct Investment In Latin America: The Empirical Analysis Of Proximity Hypothesis, Cesar H. Villegas

Theses and Dissertations

What impact do labor rights practices have on foreign direct investment (FDI) in Latin America? While existing research shows how participation in the global production network influences host country’s labor standards, few studies delve into reversed causal mechanisms whereby changes in labor standards affects FDI inflows. While conventional wisdom says protection of labor rights has negative influence on FDI, I argue that for Latin American countries, practical protection of labor rights attracts FDI. Practical protection of labor right acts as a proxy and signals that host government could protect foreign assets that are under the risk of expropriation. I expect …

Redistributing Resources: Henry Maier, The Wisconsin Alliance Of Cities, And The Movement To Modify Wisconsin's State Shared Revenues, Samantha J. Fleischman

Theses and Dissertations

During the 1960s, the City of Milwaukee was enduring fiscal distress. Mayor of Milwaukee, Henry Maier, turned to the State of Wisconsin to modify the state shared revenues formula as a method to increase funding for central cities. Maier created the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities, which was comprised of mayors throughout the state, in order to gain the support needed to pass formula changes through legislation. This thesis examines how the Alliance of Cities was able to modify the state shared revenues formula. Although the Alliance faced rejection from the state legislature, two factors enabled a reform. First, the Alliance …

International Conflict, Political Leaders, And Accountability, William Thomas Christiansen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the role that an individual leader’s background (e.g. what they did before gaining power) plays in public evaluations of their performance managing international conflicts. I propose a novel theory arguing domestic audience members (e.g. the citizens of a leader’s state paying attention to international conflicts) heuristically analyze the competence of a leader by examining their professional and educational background. Once audience members determine whether a leader is competent, they use these judgments to inform whether a given leader deserves blame or credit for the outcome of a given conflict. I find support for this theory by fielding …

Economic Interdependence, Power, And Peace: A Rationalist Study Of Commercial Liberalism, Yuleng Zeng

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies whether and how economic interdependence promotes peace, focusing on three intertwined strategic questions originating from states’ incentives to hurt adversaries and disincentives to hurt themselves during international crisis bargaining. States that can exert substantial economic pains on potential rivalries also have strong incentives to bluff (i.e., to make claims on things they are not willing to fight for). It is therefore puzzling (1) whether bluffing makes conflict either more likely given there will be more incidents of crises or less likely given potential targets are more willing to concede; (2) once in conflict, whether states should cut …

Social Trust And Soft Power: The Role Of Social Trust In Democratic Countries’ Soft Power Use, Judit Trunkos

Theses and Dissertations

We have learned about democracies’ peaceful behaviour but we know relatively little about why some democracies are more peaceful and use more soft power instruments than others. I argue that contrary to competing theories that link soft power use to budget size or institutions, it is the variation in the public’s social trust that drives the variation in peaceful behaviour. Individual’s social trust toward peaceful foreign policies are shaped by their core beliefs about trusting other people, which vary across democracies. I argue that leader’s with more trusting populations will be more likely to use soft power instruments becasue they …

Increasing Engagement With Student Government Associations: An Examination Of Student Publics, Viraj Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Student Government Associations (SGAs) are campus organizations comprised of student leaders which advocate on behalf of the student population. Participation in SGAs have proven academic, professional, and social benefits, yet the engagement in the organization has declined. This study employs Daft and Lengel’s (1986) Media Richness Theory to examine if different media affect the composition of student publics. These publics are defined using Grunig’s (1979) Situational Theory of Publics (STP). Additionally, the impact of self-efficacy, response efficacy, and perceptions of social norms on the variables in STP is also examined.

How Negative Information And Trust In Government Shape Protest Voting, Rhiannon Lu Stringer

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the issue of protest voting in American elections. Negative information environments have been shown to significantly shape an individual’s propensity to cast a protest vote (i.e. vote for a minor party, write-in candidate, or abstain from voting on a particular race). However, I argue that an individual's trust in government will condition the effect of a negative information environment on the likelihood that he or she will cast a protest vote. Using an online survey experiment conducted in October 2019, I test the hypothesis that individuals with low trust in government will be highly susceptible to negative …

Widows Of Civilian Victims Of War In Kosovo, Albonita Aliu

Theses and Dissertations

Drejtësia tranzicionale në vendet e dala nga lufta nënkupton edhe kompensime për të mbijetuarit e luftës, por jo të gjitha vendet ofrojnë këtë lloj të ndihmës. Kompensimi për kategoritë e viktimave civile të luftës së vitit 1998-1999 në Kosovë është mjeti më i zakonshëm i drejtësisë. Nënat vetushqyese/bashkëshortet e viktimave civile janë trashëgimtaret e para në radhë, me Rregulloret/Ligjet që mbulojnë kategoritë e dala nga lufta në Kosovë, për kompensimet e formës materiale. Ato,nënat vetushqyese/bashkëshortet e viktimave civile të luftës, paraqesin pjesën e margjinalizuar të shoqërisë kosovare të pasluftës, pasi që ishin pjesë e dhunës strukturore të ushtruar nga pushteti …