Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Political Roles Of Presidential Children: Kennedy Through Clinton, Tabitha Alissa Warters

Doctoral Dissertations

Many facets of the institution of the presidency warrant examination. Individual presidents, cabinets, staffs, and first ladies have all been studied in-depth, but one aspect of the presidency remains fundamentally unexplored: the political activities of presidential children.

Role analysis using case studies was the method of examination used. Role analysis was the method used in early studies on first ladies and is replicated in this study on presidential children. The basic assumption is that all presidential children from Kennedy through Clinton have performed political roles. By examining the repeated political activities of the 24 presidential children, five political roles were …

Cognitive Theory Of War: Why Do Weak States Choose War Against Stronger States?, Sang Hyun Park

Doctoral Dissertations

The key question to be addressed in this paper is why weaker states with a slight chance of winning do not avoid war against stronger states. Even though most war theory does offer a few insights about the conditions under which weak states choose war when there is only a slight possibility of winning, explanations based on either emphasis on rationality or ignorance of “interacting structure” of international relations leave many practical remedies unexplained. This paper explains asymmetric conflict on the combination of Prospect theory and Game theory. The interacting game structure of asymmetric conflicts can be summarized. Under the …

Political Participation In America: The Role Of Race, Ethnicity, And Gender, Leslie J. Baker-Bracy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Equality in political participation in the United States requires that all citizens, regardless of their social status or demographic characteristics be allowed to participate in the system, regardless of income or education. However, studies have shown several variables - gender, race, income, and education — significantly affect any one person’s pathway to political participation and expression. Using data from the 1992 Citizen’s Participatory Study, I examine these effects, especially in terms of how these variables affect the participation of women. The findings show that education and income rarely have the “equalizing” effect in terms of political participation that is believed.

Political Violence And Conflict Resolution: The Struggle For Peace In Northern Ireland, Lisa G. Fox

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Political violence, especially in ethnoreligious conflicts, continues to threaten the stability and security of the international environment. Motivations for using violence are complex and can evolve over time. As long as one or more of the motivations continue to exist, parties to a conflict will feel that violence is a legitimate course of action and, thus, the conflict will persist.

Theories about the causes of conflict and the approaches that should be taken to terminate it mostly propose a single approach. A single approach, however, will address certain issues while leaving others unresolved, allowing some motivations to continue stimulating conflict. …

The United States Supreme Court And American Individualism, Gary C. Roberts

Dissertations

The United States Supreme Court occupies an unusual, oftentimes paradoxical position within American democracy. On one hand, it is an institution that seemingly lacks democratic legitimacy, and on the other, it is an institution that dutifully gives meaning to the nation's democratic values. The uniqueness and possibly the grandeur of the American Supreme Court is that it has historically been able to successfully combine these two apparently contradictory aspects in such a manner as to expand upon the nation's traditional sense of individualism--the whole notion of an individual's inalienable right to life, liberty, and property.

Using legal case analysis, the …

China’S Public Health Sector In Transition: Assessing Market Reform Impacts, Bo Li

Masters Theses

Many studies have been done to evaluate China’s transitional economy and its impacts on the public health sector. It is a widely accepted proposition that the market reform initiated in the late 1980s significantly changed the public health sector. While some scholars argue that the Chinese people’s overall health status has improved compared to that of the pre-reform era, others identify declining health expenditures and widening regional gaps, indicating quite a dim health situation. In this thesis, I argue that market reforms have not improved the people’s access to health services. In the reform era, the overall civil health status …

Genocide And Genocide Prevention: Outlines Illustrated With The Tragedy In Rwanda 1994, Ginger L. Denton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to contribute to comparative research towards a theory of modern genocide and ways to prevent mass murder. Definitions, typologies, key elements, patterns, a comparison of the Holocaust with the Rwandan genocide, and preventative measures are included in the study.

Space Cooperation Under Anarchy: Commercialization Of Outer Space And Space Security In The Post-Cold War Era, Irina V. Louts

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The 20th century brought the most horrific weapons and most devastating wars in the history of human civilization. It also gave us the most breathtaking discoveries and technological breakthroughs, including the opening up of outer space to human reach. The commercialization of outer space is one of the most significant developments of our time, giving us an opportunity to put the richness of this medium to the betterment of human conditions on Earth on an increasingly widening scale.

Technological advances have also made space more important militarily. A puzzle now is whether the commercialization of outer space facilitates international cooperation …

The New Deal In Art: The Fine Arts Project And The Evolution Of Abstract Expressionism, Sarah Coon Stoops

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The formation of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of Roosevelt's New Deal, in conjunction with the Depression and World War II, can be credited with changing the face of international art of the twentieth century. The majority of the artists who were later to be known as Abstract Expressionists participated in the Fine Arts Project (FAP) branch of the WPA in New York throughout the 1930s. This government support of the artists gave them a chance to commit to painting as a career, and their painting styles evolved drastically during this time. Through this support, the connections that …

The Smugglers' Landscape: Geography, Route Selection And The Global Heroin Trade, James Dallis Medler

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study focuses on transnational smuggling, and puts forth an analytical framework from the smugglers' perspective with respect to route selection, focusing primarily on aspects of economic, political, and human geography. It is predicated on three interconnected decision-making domains that constitute the smuggler's operational landscape, namely access, risk and connectivity, which interact to drive the smugglers' perceptions of route attractiveness. The first two domains operate reciprocally, primarily at the national level of analysis, and together both shape and are shaped by the third at the transnational level to form a feedback loop. With respect to connectivity, the convention of the …

Refugee Assistance And The Impediments To Self Reliance, Mai Ahmed Helmy Mahmoud

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Development from below has become an increasingly important theme in

development planning since the 1970s. Indigenous knowledge is an important element in development from below and its importance lies mainly in what it says about the power of people to control the changes they experience. It is from there that 'Participatory Development' as a field came to gain much attention lately. In participatory projects, it is important that the beneficiaries of these projects be involved in the decision making process as to what the nature of these projects will be and how they will be implemented, and that they be …

A Study Of The Impact Of The Government's Policies And Regulations On Micro And Small Enterprises In Egypt, Zeinab Awad

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Since the mid - 1970s the promotion of private sector development and free trade has been identified by the Egyptian government, academics and the international development community as the most ideal path for achieving sustainable development, growth and prosperity. This in turn has increased awareness of the importance of Micro and Small Enterprises (M/SEs), and their potential as one of the most viable engines for growth. As a consequence, providing M/SEs with incentives and removing the obstacles that inhibit their growth have been identified among the priority areas for government intervention. This thesis argues that in spite of the extensive …

Economic Development And Financial Liberalization: The Case Of Egypt And China, Yasmin Ahmed Allam

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The potential of utilizing the liberalization of financial services for Egypt is great, however it is not yet realized. Egypt has made commitments under the OATS to liberalize its financial sector and therefore it has started its reform program which has been somewhat successful but it still needs deeper institutional reform. Egypt's banking system is still facing some problems as the country's largest banks are still state-owned and controlled, in addition to their suffering from cultural a technical limitations and bad loans. This paper aims to clarify that Egypt's financial liberalization will have a positive effect on economic development. This …

State-Led Technological Development In South Korea And India, Hanaa M Ebeid

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Orthodox Judaism Vs. Secularism: Israeli National Schism And Its Impact On Israeli Foreign Policy, Tamim Khallaf

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Controversy Over Jihad, Hazem Khaled Khalil Kandil

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Recommendations For Policy Directions Or Interventions Needed To Incorporate Human Rights In The Fgm/C Combating Strategy In Egypt, Heba Abdel-Hady

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The integrated development approach incorporating the socio-cultural perspective has been used in strategies and plans to combat Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Egypt. The human rights based approach has been used to a much lesser extent. Several studies conducted recommended that it would not be appropriate to use the human rights based approach to tackle a culturally sensitive issue like FGM/C. This thesis research conducted in-depth qualitative interviewing to find recommendations for ways to introduce the human rights based approach to combat FGM/C in Egypt.

The International Conference On Population And Development: The Media & Population, Amina El Afifi

Archived Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compares and contrasts the portrayal of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) as presented by Egyptian intellectuals, using the newspapers as a medium, and the message disseminated by the ICPD. The primary objective of the thesis is to assess the validity of the concerns of some of the arguments put forth by the Egyptian intellectuals by reference to an analytical discussion of these issues within a global debate as well as concurrent debates within Egypt. Locating these concerns in both the Egyptian and global contexts will identify the nature of the controversy and enable the thesis …

Strategic Culture: A Power Capability In Protracted Conflicts, Karim El Kady

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Economic, Political, And Cultural Factors In Immigration Policy In France, The United Kingdom, And Germany, Sheri L. Rogers

Masters Theses

Immigration policy has been a crucial issue facing all Western European countries for decades; however, it has recently become an even greater concern. Much of the literature argues that shifts in immigration policy correspond with shifts in economic conditions or the power of far-right parties. Others argue that immigration policy is primarily a cultural issue, although very little research has been done to address the role of specific cultural factors in different countries.

This paper looks at the evolution of immigration policy in France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and addresses the question of why immigration policies in each country …

The Wisdom Of Empowerment Through Participation: A Case Study Of The Garbage Collectors Of Greater Cairo, Maha Mohamed Ghazi El Dahan

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Participatory development has become the new buzzword in development and almost every project boasts of using participatory methods and aiming at empowerment. There have been a lot of criticisms directed against the approach though and most importantly, a criticism that will be focused on in this thesis is that which points to the fact that such methods often ignore the wider political context in which a project is taking place. Thus, an exploration of how the concept of empowerment through participation operates within an authoritarian political context will constitute a major concern throughout the thesis. This thesis concentrates on the …

Official Discourse And Public Opinion In Post-Communist Societies: The Role Of Government-Affiliated Intellectuals, Ekaterina M. Levintova

Dissertations

Post-Communist countries are unique in the sense that they are undergoing not a single, but multiple transitions. The extent of social change underway inthis region is truly monumental and researchers are faced with the daunting task of studying the extent of this transformation. Change is most evident when one studies formal institutions. But lies beneath, on the level of value orientations? The answer to this question helps us understand the real progress of post-Communist countries towards the goals of their transitions.

What were the political, ideological, economic, foreign policy, and ethnic relations attitudes of the post-Communist Russian and Polish elites …

Formal And Informal Institutions: Gender And Participationin The Panchayati Raj, Aparna Thomas

Dissertations

In April 1993, the Parliament of India passed the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, reforming the structure of local governments. The amendment mandated that the composition of local councils include at least one-third women. This study explores the effects of the 1993 Indian women's reservation bill in changing policies at the local government level in ways that address women's interests. Specifically, the research addresses the following questions: (1) Are women really participating in panchayati raj politics, or are they merely present? (2) Do quotas as institutional mechanisms make a difference in agenda setting and policy outcomes? Although it may be early to …

Constructing A Social Welfare Function Under Poverty And Inequality With Application To Developing Countries, Nyiwul Linus Mabughi

Archived Theses and Dissertations

In this study entitled "Constructing a Social Welfare Function under Poverty and Inequality with Application to Developing Countries"; prepared by Nyiwul Linus Mabughi under the supervision of Dr. Tarek Selim (The American University in Cairo), we provide a post-Sen theoretical conceptualization of a social welfare function and application to developing countries. In the methodology, we undertake a decomposition of efficiency and distribution aspects of welfare and examine the sensitivity of the various elements of the social welfare formulation. We develop a new social welfare .. function based on different ec9nomic development elements. These elements include per capita income (PPP), total …

Role Of Local Councils In Empowerment And Poverty Reduction, Solava Samir Saad Mohamed Ibrahim

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Islam And Democracy: An Empirical Examiniation Of Muslims' Political Culture, Moataz Bellah Mohamed Abdel Fattah

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the following empirical puzzle: do the attitudes of ordinary educated Muslims stand as an obstacle toward the adoption of democracy? This research question calls for empirical/behavioral methodological tools that bring into focus contemporary Muslims' attitudes rather than ancient jurists' contributions. In other words, the dissertation shifts attention from ancient Islamic texts to contemporary Muslims' mindsets through written and web-bases surveys in 32 Muslim societies.

At the aggregate level, Muslim societies perplex with two types of sub-cultures: the culture of "dictator, but..." and the culture of "democracy-as-a-must." The former is the sub-couture of two groups of Muslims: …

The Politics Of Hiv/Aids And Implications For Democracy In Kenya, Wambuii Henry Kiragu

Dissertations

Democratic consolidation in newly transitioned democracies has traditionally been attributed to widely accepted political and legal mechanisms, like elections and constitutions. Existing literature on democratization in sub-Saharan Africa is preoccupied with these mechanisms as prime indicators for democratic takeoff in specific countries. Hardly any attention has been paid to other less openly political mechanisms, such as the response to external shocks, as potential sources of institutional development that could advance democratic practices.

Yet national response to any external shock can entail a host of actions with potentially far ranging political implications, including transformation of the form and means of political …

Southern Comfort: Patronage And Populism In Southern Politics, Allen Richey

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Logic Of Pre-Electoral Coalition Formation, Sona Nadenichek Golder '89

Doctoral Dissertations

Political parties who wish to exercise executive power are typically forced to enter some form of coalition. Parties can either form a pre-electoral coalition prior to an election or they can compete independently and enter a government coalition afterwards. Although there is a vast coalition literature, there are no theoretical or empirical studies of coalitions that form prior to an election. This dissertation seeks to redress this imbalance in our knowledge of coalitions by explaining the variation in electoral coalition formation.

The existing literature implicitly suggests that pre-electoral coalition formation is a simple function of electoral rules: the more disproportional …

The Relationship Of The Public And Private Realms In The Work Of Hannah Arendt, Kimberly Renee Brame

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.