Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Summoning Laplace’S Demon: The Erosion Of Meaningful Voter Choice In An Era Of Algorithms?, Stephen Bork

Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas

Precise individual microtargeting threatens to remake the political landscape as thoroughly as it has remade marketing. This paper explores the observed uses to date of political microtargeting as well as the many difficulties, some inherent to politics, of measuring its effects. Considering the philosophical difficulties of predictively removing human choice, it then assesses the observed risks of and some potential remedies to the current trajectory and finds that free electoral choice is not doomed to be written out of the system.

Dividing Democracy: Three Arguments For States' Rights, Jack Carlson

Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas

States’ rights is often perceived as a single and unchanging doctrine, but American political thought reveals three version of states’ rights with distinct purposes. This essay examines these competing thoughts and ultimately argues that Alexis de Tocqueville’s localism, with its emphasis on the substantive social benefits of local government over institutional or constitutional forms, offers a version of states’ rights best suited to the modern American regime.

Regional Conflict Management Of Ethnic Wars: The African Union’S Effectiveness In Cameroon’S Anglophone Crisis, Nanga Bicherine Salome

Graduate Masters Theses

Intrastate conflicts, many of which are caused by almost similar factors continue to wreak havoc across Africa. These conflict demand decisive action by the African Union (AU), the intergovernmental organization that presides over peace and security on the continent. The AU has by its own declaration, adopted the principle of non-indifference, taking upon itself to intervene through various means mostly diplomatic, into the internal affairs of member states who have failed or struggle to ensure domestic stability. The rationale for resorting to the use of diplomacy rather than military intervention is, the security complex and implementation of AU structures differ …

Damming Sustainability: How Social And Environmental Networks Influence The Construction And Management Of Large Dams In The Amazon Basin, V. Miranda Chase

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

,p>Dams are powerful structures that engender a flood of controversies. These projects face great criticism from numerous groups, many of whom succeed in influencing such enterprises. This research is an in-depth study on dam-related social and environmental movements in the Amazon: how they are created and internally organized; how members share information and resources, how they identify alternatives; and how they design strategies and implement agendas. Social movements include, but are not limited to, domestic and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), academic researchers, journalists, religious organizations, grassroots associations, and large private foundations. They create formal or informal coalitions and design …

21st Century Identity Politics And Social Protest: How The Dynamics Of Race And Gender Influence Black Women's Decision To Run For Congress, An Exploratory Study, Susan J. Telingator

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

While women represent half the world’s population, they are underrepresented globally in government (UN Women, accessed February 27, 2022). In the United States, women’s representation is particularly low and women of color face greater levels of exclusion than white women (Reflective Democracy Campaign, 2018). During the 2018 mid-term elections there was a significant increase in the number of women running for office of all races, particularly Black women (CAWP, 2019). Black women have historically held less than 5% of elected executive offices, including Congress and state legislatures (CAWP, 2018d), even though they comprise 13.1% of the total U.S. population (CAWP, …

Property, Ownership And Employee Ownership: Employee Control In Esops, Mark J. Kaswan

Political Science Faculty Publications

Purpose

Most people associate ownership with the ability to control something. In the USA, employee share (or stock) ownership plans (ESOPs) are one of the principal forms of employee ownership. However, most ESOPs give employees very limited rights of control over the company they own. This paper explore this conflict by examining theories of property and ownership to determine whether the right to participate in decision-making is inherent in the idea of ownership as it is generally understood. Ultimately, the author argues that the law governing ESOPs should be revised to give employees a larger role in the governance of …

Noam Chomsky On The State Of The U.S. Empire, Chris Helali

CLAMANTIS: The MALS Journal

No abstract provided.

Lobbying Regulation, John Hogan, Alberto Bitonti

Books/Book Chapters

Lobbying regulation is a public policy approach capable of enriching participatory democracy while decreasing the dangers of corruption sometimes associated with lobbying. Here we present some insights into the state of lobbying regulations around the world today for scholars, practitioners and for society at large. We discuss the challenges in terms of defining lobbying and its regulation both academically and legislatively. We explore the broad context of lobbying regulation and the range of lobbying registers that have emerged over the years. The motivations for the introduction of lobbying regulations are also considered. The chapter finishes by comparing and classifying the …

Quantifying The Problem And Risks Of Poorly Abandoned Oil And Gas Wells In Ventura County, California, Haley Ehlers

Capstone Projects – Politics and Government

Innovators around the world are frantically searching for new green technologies to make our lives more sustainable and combat the climate crisis we are experiencing. But as we move away from fossil fuels, we must address the threats present in this industry’s legacy. The persistent extraction of oil and gas in Ventura County’s history has left over 4,000 plugged and abandoned wells and over 2,000 idle wells. “Plugged and abandoned” is a term used the describe wells that have been safely and successfully closed – meaning that they should no longer pose any danger to the land, air, and water. …

Understanding And Preventing Suicide Terrorism, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, driven by President Donald Trump’s supporters, highlighted severe vulnerabilities in democratic institutions and terrorism prevention. Ashli E. Babbitt, a rioter with military experience, became a martyr for far-right groups despite her personal struggles. The riot underscores the growing threat of domestic terrorism, with potential future attacks requiring robust prevention strategies. While social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook attempted to curb extremist rhetoric, broader measures are needed to address “lone wolf” terrorists. Current and past cases, from the Oklahoma City bombing to failed plots like the Michigan governor kidnapping, reveal the complexity of preventing …

Examining Revolution Through Breakfast Politics, Zachary Axel Clausen

Master's Theses

Analyzing the Black Panther Party and its activities, this study develops a framework for evaluating revolution through a process-oriented examination of discourse and practices surrounding the Free Breakfast Program’s emergence and operation from around 1968 to 1975. The program began in Oakland and quickly spread to over 36 cities in less than two years. Using a swath of interviews, radio shows, movies, newspapers, magazines, documents, pictures and other forms of media from the time period, I analyze the Breakfast Program to explicate the political terrain of food provision, the unique community-based approach to non-hierarchical resource distribution, and the production of …

Economics Serving Politics: China’S Belt And Road Initiative In Latin America And The Caribbean, Mariyyah Aqelah Sulaiman

Senior Theses

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious program for development across the world. The BRI was rolled out in 2013 and includes bilateral trade agreements, infrastructure projects, and loan programs among other forms of investment and aid. While the examination of the economic success of the BRI is crucial, critically analyzing the larger implications of this initiative is pressing as well. Foreign policy is intricately tied to foreign investment and economic goals. China’s involvement in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) over the past two decades has been noteworthy for the rapid development of economic and diplomatic relations. …

A Systemic Approach To Understanding Burnout Through The Lens Of The United States’ Professional Art Therapy (And Mental Health) Community: A Literature Review, Mary Welch

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Burnout among mental health counseling and art therapy professionals has long been an issue (Meyerson 1998; Prins et al., 2015; Yang & Hayes, 2020; Zeira 2021). While previous research into the causes and reduction of burnout have focused primarily on individual burnout, both in terms of psychology and workplace habits (Rollins et al. 2021), very few studies have been done examining the systemic, institutional, and cultural contributions to burnout in these professions. This paper aims to explore the connection between community standards and the current systems that intersect professional art therapy practice in the United States and the areas in …

Freedom Of Religion Versus Freedom From Religion: A Case Study On Human Rights Protections And Limitations Of Religious Expression In American And French Constitutional And International Law, Caroline Morris

Senior Theses

The freedom of religion and the freedom from religion are notably different freedoms that result in different modes of implementation, protection, and limitation. On one hand, the United States focuses on the freedom of religion, or the freedom of an individual to practice their religion in the public sphere. This can easily be seen through the emphasis the United States places on students’ right to religious expression in public schools, protected through both judicial decisions and legislation such as the Equal Access Act. On the other hand, France focuses on the freedom of religion, or the freedom of an individual …

Interns And Institutions: Interactions Between Unpaid Interns And Public Policy, Hannah G. Waterman

Honors Projects

Political, and especially Congressional, internships are all but mandatory to launch a career in politics. This text examines the demographics of how these internships are dispersed, how they are paid, who is paid, and how this manifests in full-time Congressional staff demographics. Data shows that both paid and unpaid Congressional internships belong disproportionately to white students. Top staff in the House of Representatives is similarly disproportionately white. The text also examines the inherent danger of working in Congress and the broader case for paid internships.

Not Just The Flu: The Impacts Of Asiaflucap Influenza Policy Recommendations On Southeast Asia During The Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic, Rebekah Huber

Honors Projects

During 2008 to 2011, a multi-year influenza pandemic study (ASIAFLUCAP) took place in six Southeast Asian countries: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia, and Laos, to analyze their healthcare system capacities and determine appropriate policy recommendations in order that they might be better equipped for future influenza pandemics. This research expands upon that project to see if the countries that implemented higher numbers of ASIAFLUCAP policy recommendations prior to or in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic fared better than those countries which did implemented fewer recommendations. It finds that results are mixed across the sample, with no clear association between a country’s adoption …

Should There Be An Alternative To The United Nations For The Regulation Of Nuclear Weapons?, Sajani Patel

Senior Theses

In this thesis, I examine the question “Should there be an alternative to the United Nations (UN) for the regulation of nuclear weapons?” The UN is notorious for issues with conflict of interest between the nuclear powers also being the permanent members of the security council. This allows the special interests of nuclear weapon holding states to influence the role of the UN in the path towards disarmament and accountability. A case study is conducted to assess each country’s reaction to UN disarmament initiatives, specifically three treaties: The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and the Treaty …

The U.S. Shale Revolution: The Threat To Saudi Arabia And The Future Of The U.S.-Saudi "Special Relationship", Ava Vered Zieff

Senior Theses

The U.S. initiated U.S.-Saudi relations out of fear of resource scarcity and dependence on overseas oil; however, the U.S. has never been dependent on Arabian oil. Rather, the U.S. projected its influence to secure the Middle East’s balance of power, the global oil market, and American hegemony. U.S.-Saudi relations have withstood seismic world events, diplomatic crises, and domestic turmoil because the partnership’s value extends far beyond the exchange of oil for security. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia wield their relations to pursue their respective national and global interests, which has historically provided sufficient justification for the U.S. to overlook the …

Transformative Community Resiliency: The Impact Of Organizing Against Oil In Richmond And Wilmington, California, Isabelle Sophia Marin

Master's Projects and Capstones

Despite the increase in power of the oil industry in various low-income communities of color throughout the state of California, many residents are still seen to be inactive in the fight to challenge this power. To combat this, local community organizations are working to empower residents of impacted communities in order to influence political spaces. To understand the impact communities organizations are having while doing this, I look to Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and their work in Richmond and Wilmington, California. I ask the following research question to serve as a point of analysis: How do local organizations …

It Could Be “Win-Win”: The Us-China Bilateral Relationship, Xiaying Huang

Master's Theses

The bilateral relationship between the United States and China is crucial for international relations since these two great power states will influence the global economy, politics, and security. However, the US-China bilateral relationship has not always been stable and peaceful. The trade war was current issue to make the relationship between the two countries tenser and tenser. On the US side, the trade war was thought to promote domestic production, but the reality was the opposite; the trade war just broke the bilateral relationship and provided no long-term advantages to the US economy. In March 2022, the U.S. restores tariffs …

Inaccessible Interpolated Imagery: How Coffee Farmers In The State Of Chiapas Might Access Political Economic Opportunity Through Representation, Paolo Fiann Bicchieri

Master's Theses

Here is a useful parable to boil down the idea of this project and set the tone: when one goes to the bar to tell a story about a fight at the bar, they would never venture to place themselves as the hero of the brawl, taking out three drunkards in a single punch, unless they were really in the bar, at that time, fighting a good fight. One would never do this as the bartender, locals, and regulars would all know if this were the case or not. Yet transnational corporations, governments, and even consumers do this all the …

Because Potato, Candice Evers

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This thesis project explores the phenomenological qualities of the internet; asking, since the internet is difficult to grasp, what other modes of investigation might we have available? Using an investigative framework set forth by Jack Halberstam, this thesis declines to come to knowledge solely through understanding the formal, the structural, the highly visible and mainstream. The literature that I have gathered provides a range of modes for interrogating the simultaneously central and inconsequential subject of my thesis itself: the potato. Juxtaposing the physical, political and material conditions of the potato the internet’s least academic mode of knowing: the meme. Analyzing …

The Belt And Road Initiative In Kenya, As Represented By The Standard Gauge Railway (Sgr), Its Effects And The Response Of Kenyans To It., Kiplangat Arap Yegon

Master's Theses

China has sought to strengthen ties with many countries in the Global South, and many African countries have signed Memorandum of Agreements(MoU) with China leading to trade treaties, foreign direct investments, loans and grants flowing into the African continent from China. This aggressive push by China into Africa has come under intense scrutiny with different actors, scholars and powers having mixed takes on the move. In my thesis, I look at the ways in which China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been undertaken in Africa. I use Kenya as a main case study in looking at the ways in which …

Moving Beyond Niceness: Reading Bell Hooks Into The Radical Potential For The Discipline, Alex J. Moffett-Bateau, Jenn M. Jackson

Publications and Research

In honor of bell hooks’ legacy, we engage with her Black feminist scholarship to parse out what she offers to the study of Black politics. We explore the ways hooks rebuffed compulsory calls for niceness and obligatory congeniality via respectability politics. By interrogating the politics of the Black middle class, we locate hooks’ intellectual works as a repudiation of a “politics of niceness” that seeks to maintain the violent status quo of white capitalist heteropatriarchy. We then draw out why the rejection of a politics of niceness matters within broader discussions of race, power, politics, and oppression.

The Gun Control Paradox In The States: Evidence From National Polls, William A. Rose

Student Theses and Dissertations

The majority has supported gun control policies in the U.S. for decades, but these policies have stayed unimplemented. While much progress has been made on research of this “gun control paradox” at the federal level, determining whether this dynamic towards gun control persists amongst state governments has seen next to none. Previously, this was due to lack of polling data to estimate public opinion among state populations. However, today, new resources have become available that allow for reliable estimates to be made. This study uses the disaggregation of national polling data on gun control from the past decade to determine …

Unprecedented Success: How The Alternative For Germany Party Capitalized On Eastern German Economic Grievance And Euroscepticism In 2013 And 2014, Aidan J. Schwob

Gettysburg College Headquarters

The Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has experienced a remarkably fast rise to state, federal, and European electoral success and has disrupted German politics. This paper investigates how the AfD achieved popularity in 2013 and 2014 and later became the first far-right German party since the Nazi Party to be represented in the Bundestag. I find that eastern Germany’s aging population and deficient economy engendered contempt for Angela Merkel and the Bundestag that transformed to euroscepticism when Germany committed to taxpayer bailouts of Greece during the eurozone debt crisis while ignoring domestic economic inequality. As such, the AfD’s single-issue platform …

Maximizing Social Equity As A Pillar Of Public Administration: An Examination Of Cannabis Dispensary Licensing In Pennsylvania, A. Lee Hannah, Daniel J. Mallinson, Lauren Azevedo

Political Science Faculty Publications

Public administration upholds four pillars of an administrative practice: economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and social equity. The question arises, however, how do administrators balance effectiveness and social equity when implementing policy? Can the values contributing to administrative decisions be measured? This study leverages the expansion of medical cannabis programs in the states to interrogate these questions. The awarding of dispensary licenses in Pennsylvania affords the ability to determine the effect of social equity scoring on license award decisions, relative to criteria that represent the other pillars. The results show that safety and business acumen were the most important determining factors in …

Othering, Identity, And Recognition: The Social Exclusion Of The Constructed ‘Other’, Salma Ahmed Abdulmagied

Future Journal of Social Science

The ‘Other’ means different things to people in different situations and settings, and the way of defining the other changes from one person’s experience to the other. ‘Othering’ is not about one situation; it is about a pattern of behavior that brings down different minority groups or communities. This research studies the phenomena of constructing an identity for the ‘Other’. The phenomenon of ‘Othering’ creates the notion of becoming socially excluded. ‘Othering’ creates social barriers between a person or a group of people and society. Exclusion happens through different methods such as race, ethnicity, age, sexuality, religion, color, …

Selective State Penetration: The Nexus Between Ungovernability And Terrorism In Egypt’S Northern Sinai (2011-2016), Karim Ashour

Future Journal of Social Science

Although Egypt experienced an unprecedented wave of political violence post-2011, terrorism in the North Sinai province is distinct in terms of sheer numbers, lethality, operational sophistication, and the range of actors involved in carrying out attacks. The objective of this paper is to provide an empirical explanation for why terrorism in Northern Sinai started earlier, lasted longer, was more frequently claimed, and was simply more deadly than in other Egypt provinces. The paper utilizes in-depth interviews with representatives of NGOs in Northern Sinai, journalists, residents, and security officials, as well as socio-economic data, terrorist incidents, and counter-terrorism operations to analyze …

(Re-) Envisioning The Masses: Critiquing Theoretical Foundations And ‘Black Lives Matter’, Sarra Moneir

Future Journal of Social Science

This research revolves around drawing up the trends of scholarly contributions on collective action, in particular, the concept of ‘masses’ in a sample of literature of the Global South, driven by the significance of such action for more than a decade ago across various regions. This paper uses the case of the Black Lives Matter Movement that started in 2013 in the US as an example of the applicability of the theoretical contributions demonstrated. The use of social movement theories has attained great focus for decades, which is often believed to not be the sole representation of how to interpret …