Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Influence Of Violent Media On Adolescents, Alli Shattuck

Best Integrated Writing

This review article explores the relationship between violent media exposure and adolescent behavior. The research examines how repeated exposure to violent video games, movies, and social media may lead to aggressive behaviors. Symbolic Interactionism and Social Learning Theory are used to dissect the way adolescents engage with violent media. The neurological effects of this exposure are discussed alongside environmental influences such as parental supervision and social groups. Overall, the research establishes the complexities of media influence and suggests that violent media is one contributing factor to adolescent aggression rather than the sole cause.

Best Integrated Writing Fall 2026 - Complete Edition, Wright State University School Of Humanities And Cultural Studies, Kristie Mckiernan

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University.

The Profitability Of Racial Diversity And Gender Balance In Modern Hollywood, M. Garrett Roth, William Mcandrew

The Journal of Economics and Politics

This paper investigates the effects of racial and gender diversity in modern Hollywood. The primary objective is to determine if an objectively measurable increase in diverse casting over the last two decades has had a positive or negative impact on profits, and a secondary objective to measure diversity’s impact on critic scores. The study utilizes data focusing on the fifty most expensive films from 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2023. The findings indicate that profit is neither positively nor negatively affected by diversity, whether in ethnicity or gender. However, movie critic ratings are negatively affected by ethnic diversity when using …

Where’D You Go, Ohio: Progressive Ohio Ballot Initiative Passage In A Republican Aligned State, Colin D. Swearingen, Elizabeth Stiles, Barrett Scheatzle

The Journal of Economics and Politics

We investigate the effects of cosmopolitan and traditional county features on the opposition to three successful liberal state-wide initiatives on abortion and recreational marijuana using county-level data. Cosmopolitan/traditional variables include urban/rural living patterns, college graduates, average income and religiosity while control variables include turnout, poverty, race, region, and union support. We observe the results of these three elections to see the relationship between vote shares and factors such as income, education, rural/urban, and religiosity, controlling for other factors. Utilizing OLS and GAM regression models, our results provide support for our hypothesis that there is a relationship between cosmopolitanism and votes …

A Broken Pipeline: Women Running For Public Office In Ohio, Barbara Palmer, Liana Gonzalez, Madelyn Pyles, Christina Vitakis

The Journal of Economics and Politics

In Ohio, where are women more – or less – likely to serve in public office? The pipeline theory suggests that we should see a pyramid shape in women’s representation, with more women at lower levels of the political career ladder, particularly in local and county-level offices, and fewer women as we move up the hierarchy. With original data for over 6500 seats, we explore the presence of women serving in legislative office at the local, state, and federal level in Ohio. Our analysis suggests that the pipeline theory does not help us understand the presence of women in elected …

21st Century Monetary Policy: The Federal Reserve From The Great Inflation To Covid-19, Greg Arburn

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Profit Shifting And Tax Avoidance: Evidence From Us Multinational Enterprises, Dimitris Giakoulas, Kostas Gemenis, Nikolaos Daskalakis

The Journal of Economics and Politics

In this paper, we investigate tax avoidance of MNEs through profit shifting to tax havens. Using macro data from US MNEs, we analyze at the host country level where US affiliates book their profits and where their actual production activities take place. We find that the effect of the corporate tax on excess profits is conditional on whether the host country is considered to be a tax haven. Among tax haven host countries, a difference of 1% in the corporate tax is associated with a change of 8-15% in excess profits, while the relationship between corporate tax and excess profits …

A Tale Of Two States: Abortion Referenda In The Aftermath Of Dobbs, Shauna Reilly, Ainsley Boggs, Tanner Freeman

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned the access to abortion that had been established with Roe v Wade. As a result, states had autonomy to make statewide policies on this issue. Some states chose complete bans, some partial bans, and others provided continuing access to abortion. This article explores the dueling referenda of 2022 and 2023 in Kentucky and Ohio, respectively, following the Dobbs decision in 2022. Voters in both states voted to continue to permit abortion access in their states, yet access in each state is different. Using case studies, we examine the political nuances and electoral aftermath …

An Analysis Of Poverty Convergence: Evidence From Pennsylvania Counties, Angel Alcantara, Stephanie M. Brewer, James J. Jozefowicz

The Journal of Economics and Politics

This paper extends applications of unconditional and conditional β-convergence and σ-convergence analysis to poverty rates in a panel data sample of Pennsylvania counties during the period 1990-2019. Spatial structural breaks between rural and urban counties in Pennsylvania plus the possibility that Philadelphia County is an outlier are acknowledged to avoid spurious inferences. The findings support the existence of unconditional β-convergence in the pooled, urban, and rural samples with non-metropolitan areas exhibiting the greatest convergence. However, the largest conditional β-convergence is observed for urban counties, and this outcome is robust to the exclusion of Philadelphia County. Graphical evidence evinces a greater …

The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign And The Challenge To American Democracy, Zachary Morris

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

The Political Divergence Of Ohio And Michigan, Dominic D. Wells, David J. Jackson

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Ohio and Michigan are demographically similar states whose politics have diverged since 2016. This research aims to explain why these two Midwestern states have taken such different political paths in recent years. A comparative case study is used to examine a number of possible explanations. The results of this research show that institutional factors such as registration and voting laws, redistricting processes, and ballot measures have contributed to the political divergence of Ohio and Michigan. Further, data on policy preferences are compared to show that the differences between the states are not the result of different policy preferences among their …

Unfinished Business, David Mcclough

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Economics And Politics: Examining The Transition To An Online Publication, David Mcclough

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

How The Tea Party Captured The Gop Insurgent Factions In American Politics, Zachary Morris

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Blum’s work provides a strong starting point to understand how factions can have a lasting impact on parties. Still, this work offers a theoretical framework to understand how insurgent factions such as the Tea Party can have a lasting effect on the Republican Party. This book review analyzes Blum’s work and provides analysis and gentle criticisms of this work. The Tea Party successfully renegotiated the ideological positions of the Republican Party by using confrontational tactics and challenging established GOP candidates. Through these insurgent tactics, the Tea Party reshaped the Republican Party to embrace reactionary conservatism. This transformation of the Republican …

The Methodology Of Multiple Regressions For Gdp Per Capita For Nations In The World Between 0 Ce And 1940, Robert Rogers

The Journal of Economics and Politics

A reduced-form model of GDP per capita is estimated using the classical econometric method and two Bayesian techniques, Extreme Bounds Analysis (EBA) and Bayesian Analysis of Classical Estimation (BACE) for the two millenniums. For several variables, such as the impact of colonialism, the Goldstone hypothesis of efflorescence increasing economic growth, and the impact of technology, this paper lends support, especially when the Bayesian methods are applied. Other results are mixed. Generally, the results support use of Bayesian methods by eliminating hypotheses that are not consistently supported over all models.

Extending Research Of Neighborhood Governance Systems: An Empirical Study Of Community Councils In Cincinnati, Ohio, Julie Cencula Olberding, Darrin Wilson, Stefanie Swiger

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Neighborhood governance systems have been developed as a way to enhance citizen engagement in local government, particularly in major cities. Scholarly research on these systems is quite limited, and most articles focus on neighborhood councils in Los Angeles, California. Our study extends this research to another system in a different city – specifically, community councils in Cincinnati, Ohio. Based on Li, Wen, and Cooper (2019), we surveyed their governing board members and analyzed relationships between three aspects of board performance (internal capacity, attention-action congruence, external networking) and three dimensions of community council effectiveness (promoting civic engagement, resolving neighborhood issues, advising …

A Battleground No More: Cosmopolitanism, The Culture Wars, And The Urban-Rural Divide In Ohio Elections, 2004-2020, Colin D. Swearingen, Thomas Lindstrom

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Long a battleground state in presidential elections, Ohio trended toward the GOP in both 2016 and 2020. Despite losing the national popular vote, Trump secured the state’s electoral votes by comfortable margins in both elections, sparking the question of what explains this shift? We ground this question broadly in the realignment literature, testing two slightly overlapping theoretical viewpoints: geo-cultural and socioeconomic/cosmopolitanism. The geo-cultural viewpoint emphasizes the urban-rural divide in American politics, arguing that the culture is completely different on opposite ends of the urban-rural continuum, resulting in disparate election results. The socioeconomic/cosmopolitan viewpoint acknowledges that culture and social issues play …

The Value Of Everything: Making And Taking In The Global Economy, David Mcclough

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Information Cascades In The Classroom: The Relationship Between In-Class Feedback And Course Performance, Amanda C. Cook, James Bland, Andrew Meisner

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Technology is used in undergraduate courses to engage students and provide feedback about understanding. TopHat is an application which displays multiple choice questions mid-class. In this field experiment, we determine if displaying or hiding the distribution of peer responses has an impact on exam scores. When students see peer responses, we observe information cascades on both correct and incorrect answers. Getting an individual TopHat question correct predicts a 1.3 percentage point increase on final exam scores, however we find no difference in predictive power between treatments. Participating in one negative cascade predicts that a student will score approximately five percentage …

Ballot Measures In The Tristate: An Examination Of Ohio, Indiana And Kentucky, Shauna Reilly

The Journal of Economics and Politics

This paper explores the development, use and challenges facing the use of direct democracy in the Tristate area. Specifically, we examine how ballot language suppresses participation in direct democracy measures.

The Quest For An Independent Scotland: The Impact Of Culture, Economics, And International Relations Theory On Votes Of Self-Determination, Sam Rohrer, James Gilley, Nathan Price

The Journal of Economics and Politics

In the contemporary world, the true locus of sovereignty is up for debate. The drive for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom, within the larger context of the European Union illustrates trends within this relocation of sovereignty. Traditional research focused primarily on the cultural and identity issues at play, as well as economic issues. This work broadens the scope by placing the independence struggle within a complex international context. The shift from a purely realist state system interpretation to that of a refereed Pacific Union illustrates when nationalist and separatist movements can find conditions that allow for a viable secessionist …

The Evolution Of Partisan Voting At The County Level In Georgia, Ohio, And Texas, 1990-2016, David R. Shock

The Journal of Economics and Politics

This paper evaluates aggregate-level partisan change in presidential and midterm elections at the county level in Georgia, Ohio, and Texas. Specifically, this analysis focuses on how demographic, electoral, cultural, and economic variables affect the percentage of the electorate voting for the Democratic Party candidates for U.S. President and other statewide offices from 1990 through 2016. In addition, this study conducts sub-state regional analyses using U.S. Census Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) to assess the local nature of partisan change in the U.S. OLS regression and correlation coefficients, as well as difference of means test results indicate that increases in population density …

The Impact Of Presidential Field Offices In Ohio, 2008-2012, Colin D. Swearingen

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Does a community’s proximity to a presidential field office impact presidential election results? Applying community-level data from the American Community Survey, we examine the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections in the battleground state of Ohio. Using spatial regression, we find that the number of Obama field offices within 10 miles significantly increased his share of the vote in 2012. While proximity to a McCain Victory Center statistically decreased a community’s Obama vote share, this result was not substantive. In 2012, a community’s proximity to a Romney field office did not influence the results. Proximity to an Obama field office also …

The Politics Of Passing And Implementing Medical Marijuana In Ohio, A. Lee Hannah

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Why did the state of Ohio adopt a medical marijuana policy? And why did it do so in 2016? This article examines the diffusion of medical cannabis policy across the U.S. and to Ohio by describing the evolution of images related to the policy and by exploring the content of the law. Using evidence from legislators’ remarks on the floor of the Ohio General Assembly and interviews with activists and analysts, I show that the direct initiative helped push members of the Ohio General Assembly to write and adopt a medical marijuana law (MML) when they were unlikely to do …

Re-Evaluating Subsidies For Services That Carry No Positive Externalities: A Benefit-Cost Analysis Of Convenience Loop Busing Versus Walking, Anthony N. Russo, Kevin J. Egan

The Journal of Economics and Politics

This paper seeks to provide a benefit-cost analysis of continuous loop busing service offered by The University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. The on-campus busing service is completely subsidized by the university through student fees and provided as a free service to students with less than one-quarter of students currently using the service. Using a contingent valuation survey, we estimate a lower bound mean willingness to pay (WTP) of about $6 per student user per semester. Multiplying by the student body population leads to a total WTP estimate of approximately $37,000 per semester. When compared solely to labor and fuel …

Transitory Ownership: A Spatial Analysis Of The Financialization Of The Housing Market In Cincinnati, Oh, Chad Kinsella, Colleen Mctague, Rafael Ranieri

The Journal of Economics and Politics

The mortgage bubble that burst in 2007 created an economic environment where many housing properties were transferred from individual households to investors hoping for quick profits with minimal investment. These properties were traded among investors, businesses, and lenders; they acquired a market identity as financial assets; and many of these properties were acquired by “out-of-area” interests. This study examines properties purchased by out-of-area interests that were sold in 2009 within the City of Cincinnati in an attempt to identify the spatial implications of the financialization of this housing stock. The analysis finds that many of these properties were sold multiple …

A Tale Of Two Administrations: A Comparison Between The George W. Bush And The Barack H. Obama Administrations On Border Security, Marcos L. Misis

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Border security remains a prominent political issue in 2018. During the 2016 presidential campaign, candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties referred to the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of policies about border security that were implemented by the Bush and Obama Administrations. This article analyzes the policies implemented by both administrations and compares them in order to assess the validity of claims about these policies made by presidential candidates from both parties during the 2016 campaign. In addition, this article quantitatively analyzes data from immigration and border enforcement policies for both the Bush and Obama administrations and offers possible policy …

Firm Behavior In The Mid-Twentieth Century American Steel Industry, Robert Rogers

The Journal of Economics and Politics

In the period from 1920 to 1972, the American steel industry consisted of eight large companies and a fringe composed of small domestic producers and foreign firms exporting to the United States. The market structure made it unlikely that the industry behaved in a perfectly competitive fashion. Thus, oligopoly hypotheses on firm behavior such as Nash-Bertrand and Stackelberg leadership seem plausible. This paper estimates a BLP demand model for the industry, and it, then, uses the demand parameters to estimate price equations under the different behavioral assumptions. From the information in this model, tests are made to see which hypothesis …

Is Capital Expenditure Contagious? An Analysis Of Ucc Data From Ohio And Its Neighbors, Peter Vanderhart, Zheng Zeng

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Economic conditions are often observed to be correlated across space and time. One interpretation of this phenomenon is that economic activity is “contagious.” That is, good or bad conditions in one economic area may later cause similar conditions to occur in nearby areas. The prevalence and extent of these relationships is important to understand for those seeking to foster regional economic development.

We focus on capital equipment spending at the state level at a monthly frequency. This is possible given our access to a unique data set, the Randall-Reilley Capital Investment Index (RRCII). This index measures capital expenditure using Uniform …

To Pay Or Not To Pay: An Empirical Examination Of The Effect Of Injunctive Norms On Charitable Donations, David Mcclough, Randall Ewing, Susan Schertzer

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Charitable endeavors often face resource constraints and rely on altruism for monetary donations necessary to pursue mission-driven operations. Implementation of an honor-based payment system to attract donations attempts to eliminate some portion of the costs associated with fundraising activity. However, honor-based systems are not monitored and, therefore, susceptible to underpayment and theft. This study examines how posting a message communicating a negative injunctive norm affects charitable donations resulting from provision of a snack box using an honor-based payment system. The study finds that presentation of an injunctive norm dissuades contributions from donors inclined toward slight underpayment but does not deter …