Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Migration Policy In The Era Of Trumpism And Media Spectacle: What A 2024 Trump [Or Other] Presidency Could Mean For Mexico-U.S. Relations [Política Migratoria En La Era Del Trumpismo Y Del Espectáculo Mediático: El Significado De Una Presidencia De Trump U Otro Candidato En 2024 Para Las Relaciones México-Estados Unidos], Terence Garrett

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Donald Trump may be the Republican presidential nominee for the 2024 election and is facing multiple indictments for alleged crimes committed during his presidency. If convicted, this would make a Trump election victory unlikely, although he is the master of the media spectacle and populist authoritarianism –essential components of Trumpism. I focus on U.S. migration policy consequences affecting Mexico and other states in the Americas if Trump wins in 2024. With a Republican win, the migration policy could revert back to a Title 42 migrant expulsion scenario, with attempts to harden the border using morepersonnel, infrastructure, and surveillance technology. President …

What Comes After The Critique Of The Corporate University? Toward A Syndicalist University, Clyde W. Barrow

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

For the past three decades, university faculty have produced a cascade of contemporary protest literature that routinely criticizes the knowledge factory, academic capitalism, managed professionals, college for sale, the university in ruins, the corporate corruption of higher education, and University, Inc. University faculty are regularly warned about the fall of the faculty, the last professors, and the last intellectuals. This article reviews the historical development of the corporate and neoliberal university, but it takes the next step of asking what is to be done after the critique of the corporate university. It calls on faculty to engage in a variety …

Welfare In Crisis: Labor And Social Protection In The Global South, Jake Lin, Dennis Arnold, Minh T. N. Nguyen

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Welfare expansion in the global South is partly in response to the social crises caused by neoliberal restructuring since the 1980s, with the 2008 global financial crisis escalating them, and the covid-19 pandemic further exposing the impact on the most precarious working populations. What are the new dynamics of labor struggles against these structural, industrial, and health crises under the expansion of social protection or the lack thereof? How do the state and non-state actors manage recurring and new capitalist crises by reconfiguring labor and social policies? The contributions in this special issue address these questions by engaging with workers’ …

The Provenances And Postscripts Of 1989, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The books under review exemplify some of the finest recent work on the historically informed political economy of Central and Eastern Europe. While different in their conceptual frameworks and geographical foci, the titles converge in the advancement of nuanced and convincing arguments, displaying both theoretical acuity and empirical depth to great effect. Bartel, Fabry, and Pula all share a resolute dedication to illuminating the under-explored provenances of neoliberalism and/or globalization in the region, that predate the annus mirabilis of 1989. Their contributions situate the ‘Eastern bloc’ states within the contours of evolving global political economy and the existential crises engulfing …

Democratic Facades, Authoritarian Penchants: Post-Communist Monetary Restructuring In The Baltic States, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper argues that the paths taken by Estonia and Latvia in their departure from the rouble zone are illustrative of authoritarian neoliberal governance. By challenging the widely assumed simultaneity of ‘democratic’ and ‘market’ revolutions, it critiques institutionalist literature on Baltic exchange-rate regimes and sheds light on the various methods employed to curtail democratic political discourse and participation. The paper delves into the origins of the Baltic neoliberal historical blocs and identifies the social forces that influenced the development of monetary reform initiatives. It then explores the construction of exchange-rate systems through the lens of power struggles within the state …

The Wall Between Latinas And Latinos? Gender And Immigration Enforcement Attitudes Among U.S. Latina/O Voters, Álvaro José Corral

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Donald Trump’s surprising level of support among U.S. Latina/o voters in 2016 and his improved performance in the 2020 election posed a puzzle for Latina/o politics scholars given his stridently anti-immigrant agenda. Although scholars have acknowledged the political gender gap between Latinas and Latino men, few studies have outlined the theoretical basis or explored the empirical existence of gender differences in Latina/o immigration enforcement attitudes. Building on the Latina politics literature documenting Latinas’ greater engagement in solidarity work with immigrants and their greater desire for cultural transmission and the maintenance of pan-ethnic identity, I test two hypotheses. The first (the …

Capitalism And The Creation Of The U.S. Constitution, James Parisot

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article engages with scholars working on the history of capitalism and with scholars of American political development to form a historical materialist perspective on the creation of the American federal government. First, it returns to the debate about the state in capitalist society to develop an approach for theorizing the relations between class, capitalism, and states. Next, it addresses the position of American capitalism in the 1780s, arguing that it was still in a long transition phase. After this, it reinterprets the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in the context of the long and uneven history of American capitalist development. …

Reflections On Universities, Politics, And The Capitalist State: An Interdisciplinary And Intergenerational Discussion With Clyde W. Barrow, Clyde W. Barrow, Heather Steffen, Isaac Kamola

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since its publication in 1990, Clyde W. Barrow’s book, Universities and the Capitalist State: Corporate Liberalism and the Reconstruction of American Higher Education, 1894-1928, has been a touchstone text for generations of scholars studying higher education. This conversation between Barrow, Heather Steffen, and Isaac Kamola examines the book’s legacy in order to explore how the interdisciplinary study of higher education has changed over the past three decades. In doing so, they examine the space and place of academic knowledge and academic labor, offering an interdisciplinary discussion of critical praxis within the university.

Economic Inequality And Political Participation In East Asian Democracies: The Role Of Perceived Income Inequality And Intergenerational Mobility, Mi-Son Kim, Dongkyu Kim, Sang-Jic Lee

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examines how perceptions of economic inequality affect political participation focusing on East Asian democracies. It develops nuanced predictions on how perceptions of income inequality and social mobility and their interplay affect individuals’ engagement in various types of political activities in six East Asian democracies. Using the fourth wave of the Asian Barometer Survey, we examine novel arguments built upon the existing inequality-participation nexus. Our analysis suggests that inequality is a multifaceted concept, and the mechanisms of the inequality-participation nexus could vary depending on the regional, socioeconomic, and political context.

Service-Learning At A Hispanic-Serving Institution: A Preliminary Study, Andrew H. Smith

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

An emerging body of literature seeks to design, implement, and analyze best practices in service-learning at undergraduate universities. What scholars have not examined as well as service-learning as applied to students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI's). Given that students at such universities are in unique learning environments, there is a question of how well standard practices in service-learning apply to HSI students. This paper presents the analysis of two semesters’ worth of service-learning requirements in an Introduction to American Politics course at an HSI in Texas. Using the feedback provided by the students on the final course evaluations, I conclude that …

Geographies Of Quiescence? Social Movements, Panoramas Of Struggle And Baltic Austerity Politics, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The recent thirtieth anniversaries of restored Baltic territorial sovereignties coincide with a quandary in which the region appears “highly unequal but classless.” This article revisits the conduct of the 2008–2011 crisis management operations through the prisms of class struggle and social movements. It conceptualizes the imposition of austerity measures as a class-constituted social movement from above. I argue that the latter has to be positioned relationally against locally articulated forms of resistance from below that have so far remained insufficiently explored. Therefore, the practice of unearthing Baltic “militant particularisms” carries the potential of subverting the “absent protest thesis” in the …

Roadmaps To Post-Communist Neoliberalism: The Case Of The Baltic States, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article uncovers the pre-1991 origins of Baltic neoliberal regimes. It highlights the role of the communication networks between reformist economists in the Baltic National Fronts and social forces advocating neoliberalism in Scandinavia and the United States. We assert that those networks functioned as the early carriers of ideational and policy change, even if reform contents were authored by domestic rather than transnational agencies. Firstly, the article previews the structural factors conducive to network formation. Secondly, it examines the networks by highlighting cross-national differences. Finally, it chronicles the idiosyncratic paths of neoliberal reformers’ ascendance to the positions of influence.

An Overview Of The Republican Party After The 2022 Midterm Elections, Michael Espinoza

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Key Takeaways

• The supposed red wave ended up being a red trickle – a missed opportunity but not a complete failure.
• The opportunity for a sizeable swing to the right went unfulfilled – but the Republican Party still won a narrow House majority.
• Trump backed Senate candidates cost the Republican Party a Senate majority.
• The Republican Party still grapples with the Trump dilemma; however, moving on from Trump would not be easy, nor would it signal change within the Republican Party, ‘Make America Great Again’ cultural conservatism took hold of the party before Trump – it merely went by another …

An Equality Of Security. Bentham, Thompson, And The Principles Subsidiary To Utility, Mark J. Kaswan

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the “Principles of the Civil Code,” Jeremy Bentham identifies four “principles subsidiary to utility”: subsistence, abundance, equality, and security. Whereas these subsidiary principles form part of the bedrock of classical liberalism, in this essay I show that in the hands of his friend and disciple William Thompson, they are transformed into the foundations for socialism. Where Bentham prioritizes security over equality, and security of property takes a preeminent role, Thompson shows that the system of individual competition and private property—his way of describing capitalism—is best characterized by the “inequality of security.” Based on the labor theory of property, Thompson …

Banshees Of Late Capitalism: War, Ecology, & Alienation, Bryant William Sculos

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This review essay explores the concepts of war, ecology/human-nonhuman relations, and alienation through a critical analysis of McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin (2022).

The Profits Of (The Critique Of) Patriarchy: On Toxic Masculinity, Feminism, & Corporate Capitalism In The Barbie Movie, Bryant W. Sculos

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article explicates the political, social, economic, and cultural contribution of Barbie (2023). Through a critical and normative analysis of four different prominent reviews of the film, this essay explores the quality of discourse surrounding Barbie, with particular emphasis on its feminist critique of toxic masculinity and lack of a coherent criticism of capitalism.

More Equitable Fiscal Systems Are Needed To Improve Welfare Provision For Migrant Workers In China And Vietnam, Jake Lin, Jingyu Mao

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

La Globalización Y El Surgimiento Del Estado Fortaleza, Clyde W. Barrow

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

A partir de la década de 1990, la teoría de la globalización ha descartado rutinariamente el Estado-nación como irrelevante para comprender el desarrollo político y económico contemporáneo. Así, una serie de libros y artículos han defendido la crisis del Estado-nación, la retirada del Estado e incluso el fin del Estado-nación. En cambio, este artículo considera la relación entre la teoría de la globalización y la teoría del Estado para argumentar que los Estados-nación son los principales agentes de la globalización, así como los garantes de las condiciones políticas y materiales necesarias para la acumulación de capital global. Este texto argumenta …

Celebrity Politics In The American South: The Case Of Ben “Cooter” Jones, Richard T. Longoria

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Celebrities get involved in American politics as activists and candidates for office. The literature suggests that celebrities have many advantages over traditional political candidates. However, the case of Ben Jones, “Cooter” from The Dukes of Hazzard, suggests that fame is not enough to win elections. The political environment is the decisive factor in determining whether a celebrity candidate wins or loses an election. The South’s realignment from Democrat to Republican made it difficult for Democrat Ben Jones to succeed in a changing South. Like other celebrities that lost the fundraising battle Jones lost several bids for office. Celebrities, like Fred …

Chapter 1: Celebrity Society, Richard T. Longoria

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Monoliths Of Authoritarianism, Cartographies Of Popular Disenfranchisement And The Ascendance Of The Far-Right In Estonia, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article approaches the electoral success of Estonia’s Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) from a Critical Political Economy perspective. It explores immediate and longer-term factors conducive to the surge in the support of this far-right party. After situating the radical rightist reaction in Estonia within the wider continuum of far-right morphologies across Europe, the article attributes the immediate factors explaining EKRE’s ascendence to the conjuncture of the 2008 economic crisis and its resolution. It is contended that the authoritarian neoliberal (post-)crisis environments engendered a surveillance-based imposition of fiscal restraint at the European level and recalibrated the repertories of state interventionism at …

Reevaluating Islamist Electoral Success And Participation In Government, Justin Curtis

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Under what conditions will Islamist parties perform well in elections and what happens to the political regime should they gain political power? The canonical hypothesis—“one man, one vote, one time”—argues that Islamist parties are likely to perform well whenever elections become free and that their electoral success is likely to lead to a democratic backslide. Others argue that Islamists are not as popular as this hypothesis suggests or that only moderate Islamist parties are likely to perform well and these parties are unlikely to deliberalize a regime. I propose a modification to these hypotheses, and argue that participation in governments, …

George Murphy: A Celebrity Politician, Richard T. Longoria

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a growing literature on celebrity involvement in American politics. Celebrities have advantages that are beneficial when they seek elected office, but they can also lose elections despite these advantages. Because George Murphy was a Hollywood actor who both won and lost electoral contests, his case can provide insights about why celebrities win and lose elections. Having appeared in over forty movies, Murphy was a nationally recognized figure when he ran successfully for the U.S. Senate in 1964. He demonstrated that celebrities have the talents, fame, and resources to succeed in the electoral arena. These attributes alone, however, were …

Changing Household Registration And Worker Welfare In China And Vietnam, Jake Lin, Jingyu Mao

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

China and Vietnam are of the few countries that still implement household registration (hukou in Chinese and ho khau in Vietnamese). Regarded as one of the most important institutional mechanisms that underlie and sustain the profound rural–urban division in both countries, the systems record the mundane attributes of each individual of a household yet determine many of the vital aspects of the life, if not the fate, of citizens, particularly the rural-urban migrants. The change and continuity of these systems are closely associated with these countries’ economic and social development, interacting with other processes such as industrialisation, liberalisation of the …

The More Things Change ... Governance And Resistance Along The Mexico–Guatemala Border, Carla Angulo-Pasel

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the politics of borders, the socio-economic divide between the United States and Mexico is evident. The geographic proximity to the U.S. makes the Mexico–Guatemala border an extension of the U.S. border enforcement regime. This article argues that the politics surrounding the U.S.–Guatemala border have not necessarily changed, because, at the core, the main objective of these border governance practices is to stop the movement of undesirable bodies (Khosravi 2011). Further, the article argues that the practices of containment force migrants to resist through their movement and seek strategies of survival. By comparing the administrations of Peña Nieto and López …

Nationalism In The ‘Nation Of Immigrants’: Race, Ethnicity, And National Attachment, Joe R. Tafoya, Álvaro José Corral, David L. Leal

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper compares nationalist attitudes among Whites, Latinos, and African Americans. The research on nationalism and national attachment draws varied conclusions about how race and ethnicity structure such attitudes; some find that Whites have the strongest views, while others see more similarities than differences. Using the General Social Survey of 2014, we examine three separate dimensions of nationalism: American nationalism, American national identity, and American national pride. We test for differences across race and ethnicity as well as how such attitudes structure opinions about immigrants. Despite some expectations in the literature that views might vary by group, we generally find …

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

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

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 …

The Comedy Of Cancel Culture In A Post-Carlin United States: On The Politics Of Cultural Interpretation, Bryant William Sculos

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Taking the form of a critical review of the HBO documentary George Carlin's American Dream, this essay explores the character of George Carlin's political and cultural criticism, its implications for contemporary debates about so-called "cancel culture," and the broader political significance of cultural interpretation

Income Inequality, Social Mobility, And Electoral Participation In The U.S. Counties: Revisiting The Inequality-Participation Nexus, Dongkyu Kim, Mi-Son Kim, Sang-Jic Lee

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Previous research has provided contested hypotheses about the impact of income inequality on electoral participation. This study reexamines the debate between conflict and relative power theories by focusing on a largely ignored factor: social mobility. We argue that social mobility conditions the inequality-participation nexus by alleviating the frustration, class conflict, and efficacy gaps between the rich and the poor that the prevailing theories assume income inequality to create. By utilizing the Cooperative Congressional Election Survey, we test this argument focusing on US counties. Our analysis confirms that the effects of income inequality on citizens’ likelihood of voting vary depending on …

Lone Star Wars: Lngs, Communities, And Globalization Versus Local Resistance In The Laguna Madre Region Of Coastal South Texas, Terence Garrett, Arthur Sementelli

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: to theoretically contextualize the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) issue using Bauman and Debord. More generally, this research provides a theoretical and qualitative context to understand the LNG issue in discussions of environmental management, globalization, and local government.

Design/methodology/approach: this article uses Boje’s narrative case study approach to analyze the politics around localized resistance movements to LNG production in the Rio Grande Valley. Specifically, the study examines data collected from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), personal interviews, and public declarations (newspapers, blogs, social media) to create an historiographical account of LNGs in the RGV to analyze the Laguna Madre …