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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Social Capital, Institutional Rules, And Constitutional Amendment Rates, William D. Blake, Joseph Francesco Cozza, David A. Armstrong Ii, Amanda Friesen May 2023

Social Capital, Institutional Rules, And Constitutional Amendment Rates, William D. Blake, Joseph Francesco Cozza, David A. Armstrong Ii, Amanda Friesen

Political Science Publications

Why are some constitutions amended more frequently than others? The literature provides few clear answers, as some scholars focus on institutional factors, whereas others emphasize amendment culture. We bridge this divide with new theoretical and empirical insights. Using data from democratic constitutions worldwide and U.S. state constitutions, we examine how social capital reduces the transaction costs imposed by amendment rules. The results indicate that constitutional rigidity decreases amendment frequency, but group membership, civic activism, and political trust can offset the effect of amendment rules. Our findings have important implications for scholars in public law, constitutional and democratic theory, and social …


Faith, Source Credibility, And Trust In Pandemic Information, Jianing Li, Amanda Friesen, Michael W. Wagner Jan 2023

Faith, Source Credibility, And Trust In Pandemic Information, Jianing Li, Amanda Friesen, Michael W. Wagner

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.


Are Saviour Siblings A Special Case In Procreative Ethics?, Elizabeth Finneron-Burns, Caleb Althorpe Jan 2023

Are Saviour Siblings A Special Case In Procreative Ethics?, Elizabeth Finneron-Burns, Caleb Althorpe

Political Science Publications

Children conceived in order to donate biological material to save the life of an already existing child are known as 'saviour siblings'. The primary reasons that have been offered against the practice are: (i) creating a saviour sibling has negative impacts on the created child and (ii) creating a saviour child represents a wrongful procreative motivation of the parents. In this paper we examine to what extent the creation of saviour siblings actually presents a special case in procreative ethics. Although we do not deny that there is a unique feature present in the saviour sibling case—namely, that the child …