Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impacts Of Pension Privatization In Latin American: A Cross-Country Comparison Of Pension Reforms And The Introduction Of Individual Accounts. An Analysis Modeled After The Six Guiding Core Principles Of Social Security, Victoria Le Fraga

Senior Projects Fall 2017

Latin America was the world’s pioneering nation in the privatization of pensions. In 1981, Chile’s pension system underwent a reform making it the first country to replace a public defined-benefit pay-as-you-go pension scheme with a fully funded defined-contribution pension scheme based on individual accounts. This project assesses the impacts and results of pension privatization in Chile, Mexico and Uruguay. As indicators of a prosperous system, my analyses are made using the six core guiding principles of Social Security: i) Coverage; ii) Equal Treatment and Social Solidarity; iii) Gender Equity; iv) Adequacy of Benefits; v) Administrative Costs; vi) and, Financial Sustainability …

Who Acts? Community Through Chance, Jonas Lh Kunz

Senior Projects Fall 2017

In this paper I will argue that sortition - choosing representatives by chance - could be a way of conciliating the disenchanted democratic citizens with their government. Current democracies suffer under what has been termed the democratic fatigue syndrome. Low voter turnouts, decreasing citizen participation, high rates of distrust and a subsequent rise of nationalist movements. But underlying this fatigue seems to be a general systematic problem, which Robert J. Pranger, Hannah Arendt and Max Weber identify as the politics of interests. These politics rely on competition, coalitions and assertive creativity, - en grow - they rely on power and …

Utilization Of Remittance For Transportation: A Case Study Of Moldova, Nicholas O. Kifyak

Senior Projects Fall 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Trapped: A Performance Exploration Of The Illusion Of Confinement, Paul R. Presbrey

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Sometimes we build our own prisons and those prisons go through a crucial stage at which time, outside forces such as other people can help retrieve you from the depths of your own imprisonment. Unfortunately, these outside forces usually end up acting against you, sending a person deeper and deeper into the trap they laid for themselves. These outside forces or people usually do not know that they are contributing to the building of a person’s prison. These people act in direct response to something or even anonymously through things such as surveys. Most of the time people dance around …

Narrating Arcosanti: A Utopian Project Considered Through Its Representations, Duncan William Routh

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

The Longevity Of Religious Terrorist Organizations, William John Hughes

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Pericles Revived: Proposing Citizen Payments For Social Media Usage, Alexander Jason Breindel

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Remittance Securitization As An Alternative Source Of Finance For Cuba, Oscar Valdes Viera Ms

Theses - Graduate Programs in Economic Theory and Policy

In this paper we propose to leverage remittances as an alternative source of finance for the Cuban economy through one particular financial innovation—remittance securitization. This instrument has been successfully used in a number of developing countries to mitigate the risks associated with lending to a developing nation. We show how the structure of the remittance securitization for the particular case of Cuba would also mitigate those risks and could potentially allow Cuba to access capital markets at lower costs and longer terms than its sovereign credit rating would otherwise allow.

Blasian And Proud: Examining Racialized Experiences Amongst Half Black And Half Japanese Youth In Japan, Helen Itsel Aracena

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Tainted Ideals: The Rise And Fall Of The Tupamaros, Jennifer Ann Dufau

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Public Discourse And The Securitization Of Conflict, Gilda Raizel Edelman

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Debt-Based Justice: Systematizing Human Valuation Through The Lens Of Criminal Justice, Patrick Holmes

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Look At Where You Listen: A Study Of Commercial Music And Mediation, Thomas Walton Moore

Senior Projects Spring 2017

A joint senior project submitted to the divisions of arts and social studies. This project aims to reconsider the 'album' as a format of music distribution that has effects on the consumption-of and relationship-with music as commodity. This project consists of writing and recorded-music-making. Please email tom (at) dpimusic (dot) com for a link.

Modernization Losers, Political Winners: Assessing The Role Of The Declining Position Of Labor In Right-Wing Electoral Successes Across Western Europe, Eva-Marie C. Quinones

Senior Projects Spring 2017

This Senior Project advances the modernization losers thesis, wherein the electoral successes of the far right in Western Europe are attributable to neoliberal fiscal policy, labor market shifts, and the institutional structure of the euro. Building on an existing body of literature that primarily assesses voting behavior through survey research, this paper assesses the relationship between right-wing electoral successes and the socioeconomic status of semi-skilled, blue-collar laborers thought to comprise the core voting base of extreme right parties, by using panel data at the national and provincial levels to answer the question, “To what extent has the declining position of …

Media And The Shooter Bias: Investigating The Relationship Between Implicit Racial Biases And News Coverage, Matthew Charles Phelps

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Abstract

Past research has suggested that the media is likely to depict Black individuals in a more negative and/or threatening manner than White individuals (Dixon & Linz, 2000; Sommers et al., 2006). Additionally, past research investigating the effect of race on the decision to shoot or not shoot in a simple shooter videogame suggests that people are both faster and more accurate when deciding to shoot armed Black targets and when deciding to not shoot unarmed White targets (Correll et al., 2002). This phenomenon is known as shooter bias. This study investigated the effect of media exposure, specifically exposure to …

Material Politics Of The Bicycle, Joshua David Rotbert

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Beginning with a focus on the material and semiotic dimensions of the bicycle, as well as the proprietary linguistic and epistemological conventions that surround the bicycle mechanic, this project explores how such concepts intersect with notions of class, identity, resistance, and belonging within the ethnographic context of a contemporary urban bicycle repair shop.

The Effects Of Autobiographical Growth Narratives On Math Performance In Women, Eva Briana Frishberg

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Women suffer from the negative stereotype that they are innately worse at math compared to men, which contributes to a gender gap in math fields (Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999). However, this stereotype has a greater negative impact on women with fixed mindsets, who believe that intelligence is inflexible and innate (Aronson, Fried, & Good, 2002). Mindset interventions thus far have sought to shift fixed mindset to growth mindset, characterized by the belief that effort can increase intelligence, through in-class workshops or lectures about the plasticity of the brain and the malleability of intelligence (Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Dweck, 2000; …

The Long Term Efficacy Of Stimulant Treatment In Executive Functioning And Emotional Regulation In Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Kaitlyn Noel Mock

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a persistent and pervasive lifelong disorder. Children diagnosed with ADHD have poor predicted life outcomes. Specific impairments of inattention are responsible for poor executive functioning and emotional control within the disorder. These deficits are also predictors of poor life outcomes. Stimulant treatment has only been established as an efficacious form of treatment for ADHD in the short term. In order to mitigate the predicted poor life outcomes, stimulants need to be established as efficacious in the long term improvement of psychosocial functioning in ADHD, in order to be considered a truly efficacious treatment. A five year, double …

From The Fair Labor Standards Act To Individual State Minimum Wages: Measuring State Minimum Wages And Economic Performance, Adam Charles Carafotes

Senior Projects Spring 2017

This project will analyze the historical foundation of the minimum wage in the United States prior to the first federal wage enactment in 1938 to the current federal wage as well as individual state wages. This paper will offer a historical overview along with economic ideology in determining appropriate minimum wage floors on state and federal levels of the economy. The question of raising either state or federal minimum wages has drawn great importance in the eyes of our country and in the eyes of economic thinkers, policymakers, and individuals. The minimum wage has been the backbone for working individuals …

U.S. Democracy Promotion In The Middle East: More And Less Than Meets The Eye, Julia Lang Gordon

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Does It Take A Village To Teach A Child? Lessons From Experiments In Education, Piyush Kuthethoor

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Why should we and how do we incorporate a community-based development model into the design, implementation and targeting of experimental programs? This project is motivated to create a useful theoretical framework or “lens” for development that reflects social reality, one which sees communities, the space of patterned, meaningful interpersonal relationships, as a locus of development. It is interested in ways that such a framework can help design adaptable policy innovations/developmental programs and come up with successful and sustained solutions to pressing human needs. First, a “lens” of community is developed for analysis using findings from behavioral studies, historic observations, philosophy, …

Resilience Theory In Climate-Based Agriculture Development Projects: Useful Framework Or Popular Buzzword?, Rebecca Ann Chillrud

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

International development organizations are increasingly attempting to improve the resilience of the communities they serve through their projects in these communities. However, these projects often fail to address key concepts from the resilience theory literature, calling into question their ability to effectively promote resilience. This thesis attempts to locate these gaps in understanding by analyzing proposal documents from projects intending to promote agricultural resilience to climate change. A content analysis approach was used to analyze 55 projects from three international development groups—the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Program—proposed or completed between 2006 and 2016. …

An Analysis Of China’S Regional Emissions Trading System: Challenges And Lessons, Ronghui (Kevin) Zhou

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

China, the largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world, has faced environmental pressures both internationally and domestically over the last ten years. In early 2011, the Chinese government approved a carbon emissions trading program in seven cities and provinces, and started planning a national emissions trading framework. This thesis reviews these pilot programs and examines the issues that underlie them. Drawing lessons from the U.S. Acid Rain Program, the European Union’s ETS, and California’s CAT, the three largest emissions trading frameworks in the world, I find that: (1) lack of trades in China’s pilot programs is a consequence of permit …

State-Led Approaches To Electronic Waste Management In The U.S.: A Study Of Stakeholder Involvement In Take-Back Legislation Efficiency, Ashley Elizabeth Westgate

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

Information technology has proliferated over the past two decades, and waste from electronics represents the fastest growing waste stream in the world. The production and disposal of electronics, from cradle to grave, pose critical threats to human health and the environment. The management of electronic, or e-waste, streams poses a particular set of challenges for solid waste management, hazardous waste management, and economic development in the United States. As e-waste accumulates, state governments, municipalities and private landfills are refusing to accept the responsibility for its disposal. To address this problem, the federal and state governments must find a safe and …

Climate Change In The Hudson River Estuary: Promoting Adaptation And Resilience Through Stakeholder Engagement In Design And Visualization, Gabrielle S.D. Weiss

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

In response to the growing risk to communities from climate change impacts, Professor Cerra at the Cornell University School of Landscape Architecture developed the Climate Adaptive Design (CAD) program. CAD is being implemented as a partnership between the Hudson River Estuary Program (Estuary Program) and Cornell that utilizes participatory design and visualization to engage communities about planning for future climate impacts. The goal of CAD is to build climate resilience, galvanize community participation and education, and build links to external sources of support including local institutions of higher education. This thesis outlines background for the development of the program and …

Public Perception Of Environmental Programs In The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, Landa De Matamoros, Queretaro, Mexico, Danielle Marie Salisbury

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

Biological or ecological corridors have recently been sought out as a solution to biodiversity loss due to habitat fragmentation. In eastern Mexico, the Mexican and German governments are collaborating to connect fragmented landscapes and Natural Protected Areas (NPAs) over five states across a Madrean Pine-Oak biodiversity hotspot through the implementation of the Ecological Corridor of the Sierra Madre Oriental (CESMO). One of the ways the CESMO is accomplishing its conservation goals is by extending environmental programs that are currently in place within NPAs to other areas within the corridor, but outside of NPA borders. However, the success of the corridor …

Small Landholders Battle The Leaf Folder: Improving Livelihoods In The Solomon Islands, Dalia Tayseer Najjar

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

Sweet Potato is an important staple food crop grown by subsistence farmers in the Solomon Islands. It plays an important food security role and a major source of nutrition and livelihood in the rural areas as well as urban areas in the country. However, the spread of agricultural pests, in particular, the green leaf folder pest (Psara hipponalis), has significantly increased in recent years leaving many smallholder farmers with reduced yields and food insecurity. In this thesis, I reviewed the literature on the common mechanisms used to evaluate the drivers of pest presence and identified the major factors …

Arctic Research Collaborations Among Agencies: A Case Study Analysis Of Factors Leading To Success Within The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, Meredith Clare Lavalley

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

The Arctic is changing rapidly as average temperatures rise. As an Arctic nation, the United States is directly affected by these changes. It is imperative that these changes be understood to make effective policy decisions. Since the research needs of the Arctic are large; 14 Federal agencies have Arctic research programs. As a result, the government regularly works to coordinate Federal Arctic research in order to reduce duplication of effort and costs, and to enhance the research’s system perspective. The government’s Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee accomplishes this coordination through its Five-year Arctic Research Plans and Collaboration Teams, which are …

Carbon Stocks In Shade Coffee: Strategies For Enhancing Carbon Storage In Smallholder Systems In Jinotega, Nicaragua, Vanessa Katheryn Kichline

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

Climate change has recently shifted focus to adaptation and mitigation strategies in coffee production. Shade coffee systems, already widely recognized for their contribution to biodiversity and soil conservation, are now drawing attention for their role in carbon storage. Researchers have generally assumed that high carbon storage must come at the expense of reduced crop yields, implying that farmers must choose between sustainability and profit. This study uses field inventories of 70 farms in Jinotega, Nicaragua to estimate this tradeoff in smallholder shade coffee systems. Field inventories were used to develop three typologies representing different shade management strategies in use in …

Utilizing New York State’S Distributive Generation Laws For Affordable Housing Organizations, Reuben Jaffe Goldstein

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

The focus of this report is to assist in the deployment of renewable energy in New York City by creating a framework that affordable housing organizations can use to navigate evolving New York regulations to deploy solar PV to their tenants and reduce their tenants’ utility bills. New York’s regulatory environment is trying to make it easier to deploy solar PV through programs such as Shared Solar Program and Remote Net Metering that provide guidance to those who are currently unable to access solar PV. However, incentivizing Solar PV and distributed generation have disproportionately increased costs for utilities, which has …