Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

What Influences Reproductive Rights Policy? State Abortion Restrictions And The Level Of State Democracy, Dylan C. Naughton

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 greatly altered the way reproductive rights policy is regulated in the United States. Sole policy-making jurisdiction was given to individual states, and many states have already passed legislation that both expands and restricts abortion access. This research examines what factors have the most influence on state-level abortion policy-making, specifically testing to determine how significant the level of democracy is in deciding how restrictive reproductive rights policies are implemented. Multiple regression models were run using various other variables to examine their impact on state reproduction restriction ranking using multiple subsets of data. Through …

Fighting Gerrymandering By Automating Congressional Redistricting, Jacob Jenness

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Gerrymandering is a political problem that the United States has had for more than 200 years. Politicians have taken the dull and routine process of drawing congressional districts and turned it into a highly-partisan process. However, with recent improvements in redistricting algorithms, researchers Harry Levin and Sorelle Friedler have introduced their recursive Divide and Conquer Redistricting Algorithm. This algorithm has the potential to automate the process of congressional redistricting, thereby removing the potential for bias. By utilizing a set of partitioning and swapping algorithms, the Divide and Conquer Redistricting Algorithm achieves desirable goals, such as low population deviation, and high …

The Path To Eliminating Oppression: Why Anarchist Thinkers And Intersectional Practitioners Should Work Together, Samantha Montgomery

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

In this paper, I examine the similarities between the tenets of anarcha-feminism and the practices of those with intersectional viewpoints. During my research, I interviewed 3 women of color who are leaders in the elimination of oppression in Denver, CO, and learned that having an increased experience with interlocking oppression, as those with multi-marginalized identities do, results in having the expertise to recognize where oppression exists, and, in most cases, developing the empathy to fight against it. This paper thus concludes that if the United States of America was to systemically implement an intersectional perspective, it would then take measurable …

The Rise Of The Ideological Left? Testing The Asymmetrical Party Theory Through Case Studies Of 2018 Primary Elections, Wyatt Anderson

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

During the mid-term elections of 2018, primary challenges against Democratic incumbents in Congress captured the attention of national media. One of the most prominent cases of this was the victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York’s 14th Congressional District against the ten-time incumbent and Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley on June 26. While her successful primary challenge could be attributed to many different factors, of interest is the way in which she campaigned – bringing into question how primary campaigns have changed in recent years and the rhetoric that hopeful-nominees adopt to secure their party’s nomination. The central question of …

Immigrants Or Elites?: Contextualizing The Motivation Of The Rural American Vote In The Trump Era, Annika Johnson

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

The rural American vote was central to Donald Trump’s presidential victory in 2016. In an attempt to unpack the strongest motivators for rural Americans who voted for Trump, analyses explored the importance of anti-immigrant and anti-elite sentiment using a subset of rural participants in the 2016 American National Elections Study. Through a combination of quantitative data work, qualitative case studies and an extensive literature review, it was found that both anti-immigrant and anti-elite sentiments are indicators of a vote for Trump. However, the research and analyses suggest anti-immigrant sentiment is a stronger indicator.

Climate Refugees: Establishing Legal Responses And U.S. Policy Possibilities, Steven Tetrick

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

“Climate Refugee” describes a person who is forced to leave their home or community due to changes to the local environment, such as rising sea level, drought, famine, or other side effects of climate change. A study from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees estimates that with the current rate of climate change, 250 million people will become climate refugees by 2050. Under the current global institutions, climate refugees are not granted legal refugee rights and there are no specific legal frameworks protecting them at the international or national levels. This paper will focus on refugee and immigration policy …

Why Can't We Be Friends? Rapprochement In Us Foreign Policy, Karyssa Scheck

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

This comparative case study examines which factors lead the United States to reexamine its policies toward countries with which it has severed diplomatic ties. I theorize that two particular factors are instrumental in foreign policy decision-making when it comes to reversing US foreign policy to improve bilateral relations: perception of economic benefit for the US and perception of international pressure on the US to change its policy. I evaluate the presence and importance of these factors in the cases of US rapprochement with Iran, Libya, Vietnam, and Cuba, as they represent recent, major changes in the course of US foreign …

Elections, Rhetoric, And Policy: Comparing The Rise Of Far-Right Nationalism In Western Europe And The United States, Ruby Debellis

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Western Europe and the United States have both seen an increase in the number of elected officials who represent the far-right ideologically. In this paper, I investigate the reasons behind the rise of far-right nationalist parties, as well as the impacts it has on policy and implications for international relations. To do this, I compared recent election results from Western Europe and the US, the populist rhetoric used by these parties and their candidates, and the subsequent changes in immigration and trade policy due to far-right politicians enacting their agenda. Through this comparison, I concluded first that the elections in …

The Platform Strategy: Concession To Win Elections, Jon R. Antonsen

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

This paper sought to provide one answer to the question: when do parties incorporate centrist ideas in a platform? This question came about from the 1988 election: the Democrats controlled the Congress, but they wanted to regain footing in the presidency. Their previous election performance was fraught with inter-partisan conflict: the liberal House of Humphrey had fallen victim to the Vietnam War and Ronald Reagan had effectively poisoned the word “liberal.” Centrist Democrats fought with liberal Democrats over trivial issues, and the 1984 convention ended in fiery disunity. After being out of power for a long time, to reconcile their …

The Role Of Government In Cases Of Faith Based Child Medical Neglect, Megan Jacobson

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

In the United States, parental rights have been defined by a strong liberal conception of individual rights, giving parents huge leeway in determining how their children are raised. In this paper, I examine one extreme example of parental rights gone wrong: faith based child medical neglect, a phenomenon that occurs when parents turn to faith healing for their children instead of standard medical care, resulting in the child’s death. First, I show how liberal theory has failed to address key questions regarding the limits of both parental and child rights as they apply to faith healing. Then I apply the …

Presidential Modernity: Harry Truman And The Foreign Policy Decision Making Process, Samuel Gill

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Harry Truman is an overshadowed figure in presidential politics and history. His presidency was wedged between two titans of the office, the politically savvy Franklin Roosevelt and universally beloved war hero Dwight Eisenhower, and his overall influence and impact is downplayed when compared these two men. This research examines what influence Truman exerted upon the executive branch by asking “how has Harry Truman influenced the foreign policy decision making process of office of the presidency and how, if at all, could his actions be considered modern?” Through a comparative case study analysis of four foreign policy events, this paper highlights …

Do Human Rights Matter? An Analysis Of Presidential Human Rights Rhetoric From 1993-2014, Nathan Bean

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

My research examines how and why American presidents speak about human rights issues around the world, using rhetoric about human rights from the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations. I theorized that rhetorical attention to human rights issues would be dependent on the strategic value of the region where the abuses take place, and that the president would shy away from criticizing countries where high numbers of U.S. military personnel were stationed. Using descriptive statistics and a measure of bivariate correlation, I found compelling evidence that presidential human rights attention was influenced by regional location, but only weak evidence …

Avoiding The Escalation Of Homelessness Through Public Policy, Peter Goldstein

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines public policies related to homelessness in America.

Integrating Women's Voices Into Public Policy, Mollie Hoben

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Women are Minnesota's greatest untapped resource. Despite significant growth in the visibility of women in public life, the talents and contributions of Minnesota's female citizens are not yet being fully utilized. In this last decade of the century, the state faces policy challenges in human services, the environment, the economy. To most effectively meet these challenges, we need to find ways to integrate women's voices more fully into public policy.

Meeting this challenge is in everyone's interest for several reasons. For one thing, it will make our public endeavors more equitable. Any society that makes decisions for all based on …

Minnesota's 1990 Environmental Education Act, Mark A. Davis

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

The development of new technologies and effective environmental management by communities, states, and nations will not be enough to arrest and repair the environmental degradation that exists in the world today. Nor will technology and management alone be able to prevent significant environmental degradation in the future. Extensive pollution and other types of environmental degradation have occurred because societies have not sufficiently understood and valued their environments. The development of environmentally sound societies will require changed attitudes and a citizenry which is informed about the environment. Thus, it is essential that environmental education be a part of the long range …

Right To Know Legislation In Minnesota, Leo Uzych

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

In June 1983, Minnesota approved a right to know law pertaining to the disclosure of information to workers about chemical hazards emanating from the workplace. A federal hazard communication disseminated in November 1983 may affect Minnesota's right to know law.

The Impact Of Judicial Reform On The Minnesota Supreme Court, Steven H. Hatting, Joseph F. Keller

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

On November 2, 1982, a majority of Minnesota voters approved a constitutional amendment that transformed the state's appellate judiciary. A newly created Court of Appeals, currently consisting of 12 judges, began accepting cases on August 1, 1983, and deciding them on November 1, 1983. To assess the consequences of this change, ·the authors explored the rationale underlying the amendment, examined the anticipated costs and benefits of implementation, and analyzed case load data. Questionnaire responses from members of the Supreme Court are discussed, jurisdictional relationships between the two courts are explained, and decision· making practices are compared (including oral argument and …

The Development Of Elementary And Secondary Education Policy In The Minnesota Legislature, Joyce Krupey, Gene Mammenga

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

This discussion of the political climate in which elementary and secondary education is funded in Minnesota begins with the Minnesota Miracle of 1971. In each successive legislative session some adjustments have been made in this formula. In this paper we describe the various lobbying groups that try to affect education legislation. We also discuss the role played by the governor, key legislators, legislative and Department of Education staff, the State Board of Education, and the commissioner of education in educational policy formation. In conclusion, we summarize major formula changes since 1971 and review the many education-related issues before the legislature …

Acid Rain: A Complex Issue For Minnesota

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

The Minnesota Budget And Inflation, James Cecil

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

The Minnesota state budget is a policy document which reflects programmatic priorities of the state in terms of size, direction and rank order. Major causes for budget increase are inflation and increased state conversion of what were once local government programs into joint programs. Accompanying greater state support is more state regulation through the use of uniform statewide standards. The two most important Minnesota services are education and welfare. Concern for property tax burden by the legislature has resulted in a comprehensive property tax relief program. Because these programs are very costly, Minnesota, except for property and sales, is a …

The Politics Of Pollution, Another Fallout Of Acid Rain, Cynthia L. Anderson

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

The threat of acid rain is a side effect of the switch to coal as a major fuel for producing energy in the United States. Despite the existence of technology to reduce the pollutants that cause acid rain, the emissions of sulfur and nitric oxides are likely to increase because among several factors of political resistance to regulatory controls. The politics of pollution pit energy production and economic growth against environmental quality. Developing a regulatory policy is further complicated by the difficulty of isolating specific environmental effects attributable to acid rain apart from natural causes within the ecosystem. The question …

Utilization Of County Boundaries In Drawing Legislative Districts, Robert A. Barrett

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Analysis of the traditional and contemporary arguments on county lines as a basis of drawing state legislative districts appears to indicate that in a state such as Minnesota, with large number of counties and extreme variations between them, county boundary lines should not be accorded primary consideration in drawing legislative districts if compliance is sought with the "one - man, one - vote" constitutional principle. Minnesota government officials faced with reapportioning the state's legislative districts need to determine the role that county boundary lines should fulfill in their decision. This paper was prepared originally al the request of the Minnesota …

The Politics Of Selecting Convention Delegates, Frank J. Kendrick

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

This is a case study of a recent political contest in Clay County, Minnesota, over selection of delegates to the Stale Democratic Farmer-Labor convention. The study indicates that the process of delegate selection in Minnesota is, at best, often a controlled and largely unrepresentative process.

Urban-Suburban Clash In Minnesota, Edward L. Henry

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Minnesota has the largest number of townships in the nation, When rural townships experience urbanization and flank existing, older municipalities, problems of externalities arise. That is, action or inaction of the township government affects adjoining municipalities. Attempt to consolidate suburban sprawl in such areas by annexation to mother cities arouses bitter controversy in almost all instances. Minnesota's annexation lows, while in most respects are models, do have a serious defect. This is a referendum provision which subjects the decision of a quasi-judicial boundary commission to veto of the citizens in the annexable area only. As a result, consolidation of sprawl …

United States Foreign Policy: An Appraisal Of Globalism, William O. Peterfi

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Many scholars and citizens agree that recent United States foreign policy has led the country into global involvement, but there is wide disagreement as to the implications of this. In this appraisal of the general concept of globalism the author hopes to show that, no matter how the United States got involved in global politics, it can in a way be justified on the basis of the national interest and that, although there is an urgent need for change in U.S. foreign policy, it cannot now be done on a unilateral basis.

The Dilemma Of A Civil Libertarian: Francis Biddle And The Smith Act, Thomas L. Pahl

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Although society may have good reasons for protecting itself against both sedition and conspiracy, history demonstrates that statutes directed against these offenses are particularly prone to result in the abuse of power. A possibility of just such an abuse in the first application of the Smith Act - the Minneapolis Trotskyite trial of 1941 - led to a consideration of a civil libertarian caught in the cross-pressure of enforcing a law anathema to his professed liberal beliefs. The study showed that, during time of threat, internal or external, our democratic society permits our government officials, in the name of survival, …

A Frame Of Reference For The Study Of American Foreign Policy-Making, Robert E. Cecile

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

This study outlines a frame of reference which might be helpful to political scientists in the analysis of foreign policy decision-making. It is part of a larger effort which seeks to learn more about state action in general and American foreign policy decision-making in particular.

The approach which is utilized is one devised by Richard C. Snyder. It has been modified by the author lo suit the purposes and objectives of the present study. Basically, the approach is a conceptual scheme which postulates that state action results from the way identifiable, official decision-makers define the situation of action in order …

A Gross Election Data Analysis By Simple Statistical And Stochastic Processes, A. B. Villanueva

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

By statistical analysis correlations were found to exist between voting in certain types of local elections and voting in specific kinds of state elections. But such correlations do not explain the behavior of individuals. By simple stochastic process, the author supports Ulmer's theory that, over a given time sequence, the outcome of an election depends upon the outcomes of preceding elections.

A "Non-Partisan" Legislative Election In Minnesota, Frank J. Kendrick

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Voter Registration In Minnesota, Winston W. Benson

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

This is a study of Minnesota's system of permanent voter registration used by 71 municipalities in the state. The commissioner of registration in each of these municipalities was sent a questionnaire on which he indicated his reaction to the effectiveness of the system.

The results indicated that regulations should be changed to provide for the following: (l) spot checks on the accuracy of information given by registrants; (2) notification of previous registration district when a voter registers in a new district; (3) use of permanent registration files in school elections; (4) better communications between county and municipal governments in keeping …