Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

1983

Western Michigan University

Political Science

Articles 1 - 13 of 13

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Need For Compensating Victims Of Violent Crime, Alan Roger Phelps Dec 1983

The Need For Compensating Victims Of Violent Crime, Alan Roger Phelps

Masters Theses

This paper identifies how the victim of violent crime in the United States receives little attention from his or her government. A review of the historical developments which highlight how civilized society has taken the right to punish, negotiate, and receive direct compensation away from the methods of compensating crime victims are examined. Finally, this paper demonstrates how, by utilizing victim compensation programs, the criminal justice system will be improved and the amount of crime and number of victimizations in our society will be reduced.


Reaganomics And The Welfare State, Mimi Abramovitz, Tom Hopkins Nov 1983

Reaganomics And The Welfare State, Mimi Abramovitz, Tom Hopkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Supply-side tax and spending policies have intensified poverty, unemployment and inequality, especially for women, minorities and organized labor. At the same time Reaganomics is shrinking and weakening the welfare state. To better understand and resist this conservative assault it is necessary to demystify the "economics" and "politics" of supply-side doctrine. This paper (a) defines the basic assumptions of supply-side economics; (b) identifies some of its problems and contradictions; (c) discusses its impact on the welfare state; and (d) analyzes it as part of a broader plan for coping with the current economic crisis. It argues that the supply-side tax cut …


Coalition Politics In Malaysia, Zakiah Awang Aug 1983

Coalition Politics In Malaysia, Zakiah Awang

Masters Theses

This thesis has attempted to explain the success and the stability of the coalition party system in Malaysia from 1955 to 1982. This success has been attributed to three factors.

The most important factor is the role played by political elites. Malaysian political elites come from a different racial background. It is their willingness to cooperate, work together in harmony and to find solutions through compromises that helped to hold the coalition party together. Elite cooperation, in turn, has been fostered through similarities in the leaders' socioeducational- linguistic backgrounds.

The success of the coalition party is also closely linked to …


The Moral Majority: The Fundamental1st-Christian's Fight Against Humanism And Pluralism In American Politics, James A. Kruis Aug 1983

The Moral Majority: The Fundamental1st-Christian's Fight Against Humanism And Pluralism In American Politics, James A. Kruis

Masters Theses

The Moral Majority claims to be nonreligious but they are actually a very religious reaction against humanism and pluralism, fighting their battle from behind a facade of legitimate moral issues. Their reaction against humanism is due to their failure to distinguish properly between religion and morality. Their reaction against pluralism is a result of the fact that pluralism has been overextended and thus weakened, making it vulnerable to attack. In place of humanism and pluralism the Moral Majority advocates more freedom: freedom from government interference and freedom to solve social problems with "moral, spiritual" solutions.

The Moral Majority could make …


The 1932 Coup In Thailand: An Account Of A Participant In The Coup, Perasant Ratanakul Serireongrith Aug 1983

The 1932 Coup In Thailand: An Account Of A Participant In The Coup, Perasant Ratanakul Serireongrith

Masters Theses

This study is a discussion of the 19 32 military coup d'etat in Thailand and the economic, political, and social conditions that contributed to that coup. A brief historical background of the absolute monarchy of the nation is included. There is a discussion of the coup participants and their motives, as well as their planning and execution of the coup on June 24, 19 32. Throughout the study is information acquired through recent taped interviews with General Charoon Ratanakul Serireongrith, a participant of the coup.


Social Work Pac's And State Social Work Associations Purpose, History, And Action Strategies, Gary Mathews May 1983

Social Work Pac's And State Social Work Associations Purpose, History, And Action Strategies, Gary Mathews

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work as a profession has only recently become politically active. One consequence of this interest in the political process has been the proliferation of political action committees as creatures of the National Association of Social Workers and its state chapters. Social work PAC's are a key ingredient necessary to enable the profession to influence public policy. Perhaps because political action committees are new to NASW, or perhaps because NASW is new to politics, very little has been written about the history, purpose or strategic implications of these committees.

This paper will trace the development and operation of PAC's and …


Policy Traditions In American State Politics, Robert L. Savage May 1983

Policy Traditions In American State Politics, Robert L. Savage

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An examination of the states across a wide range of policy innovations during three historical periods reveals policy traditions having distinctive geographic limits roughly conforming to major regions commonly recognized in American politics. Only two of these traditions, the "Southern Parochial" and the "Northeastern Bureaucratic," persist across time and even these have been weakened. This provides some evidence that while multilinear evolution along regional lines will continue to contribute to differences in policy values among the American states in the foreseeable future, sociocultural integration is the stronger dynamic in American political development, especially since about 1930.


Staff Activities In The Texas House Of Representatives, David F. Prindle, James Burshtyn May 1983

Staff Activities In The Texas House Of Representatives, David F. Prindle, James Burshtyn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this study multivariate analysis is applied to the allocation of staff time among members of the Texas House of Representatives. Ideology of the representative is found to be an important factor in explaining differences in staff behavior. Chief staffers serving liberal Democrats and Republicans report spending less time on constituency service, and more time on policy research, than do staffers serving conservative Democrats. There are differences between the parties, but not between the ideologies, on time spent with lobbyists. Other variables, such as urban population of the district, and the years a legislator has served in the House, show …


An Advocacy Approach For More Effective Program Delivery And Coordination: A Case Study Of Maine's Housing Rehab Techs, Kenneth K. Ahn, James F. Horan, G. Thomas Taylor May 1983

An Advocacy Approach For More Effective Program Delivery And Coordination: A Case Study Of Maine's Housing Rehab Techs, Kenneth K. Ahn, James F. Horan, G. Thomas Taylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A detailed case analysis of the Maine Housing Rehabilitation Project provides an exploratory observation of the innovative use of human resources at the federal, state and regional levels through an evolutionary development process of housing rehabilitation technicians. Functioning largely as advocate planners and human service delivery administrators through self-expanded roles, these individuals were able to promote change in the context of this intergovernmental environment. The analysis presented here reveals findings of intrastate regional differences between the urban and rural areas. Low income citizens appear to be the main beneficiaries of a proactive style of leadership that was performed by the …


Alternative Service Delivery Strategies: Factors In States' Decision Making, Harold W. Demone Jr., Margaret Gibelman May 1983

Alternative Service Delivery Strategies: Factors In States' Decision Making, Harold W. Demone Jr., Margaret Gibelman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article focuses on the range of choices and factors affecting state level decision making about how human services are to be delivered. In light of the dual thrusts of decentralization and privatization, the viability of public-private partnerships through contracting for services is explored. Among the significant factors affecting decisions about alternative forms of service delivery are: political and fiscal preferences; the strength of organized labor; the role and availability of the private service sector and history with purchase of service. The advantages and disadvantages attributed to a contracting model for delivering services are unlikely to be argued from an …


The Impact Of Women Legislators On Introduction Of Social Legislation Into A Southern State House, Marjorie A. Baney May 1983

The Impact Of Women Legislators On Introduction Of Social Legislation Into A Southern State House, Marjorie A. Baney

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The study investigated the interest of male and female legislators in social legislation as measured by the number of bills each group introduced. Legislators included in the study were the entire female population of the North Carolina General Assembly House of Representatives serving between January and July 1981, and an equal number of their male colleagues randomly selected. Comparisons of the female and male legislators in the study criteria such as number of legislative terms served, relative power of committees on which they served, number of committee chairpersonships and independent rankings and effectiveness by colleagues, lobbyists and the media revealed …


Community Development In Northeast Thailand A Case Study Of Don-Lum-Kom Village, Peerapat Booncharoen Apr 1983

Community Development In Northeast Thailand A Case Study Of Don-Lum-Kom Village, Peerapat Booncharoen

Masters Theses

This is the study of community development problems confronting a rural village (Don-Lum-Kom) in Northeast Thailand. The study is based on field research and examines five major topics. First, a history of community development in Thailand is provided; second, an overview of Don-Lum-Kom village is given; third, agricultural changes are described and evaluated; fourth, educational changes are described and evaluated; and fifth, the conflict between bureaucracy and culture is examined.


The Marxian And The Weberian Theories Of Bureaucracy: Contradictions And Approximations, Khai Leong Ho Apr 1983

The Marxian And The Weberian Theories Of Bureaucracy: Contradictions And Approximations, Khai Leong Ho

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyse (1) the basic elements in Marx's and Weber's theories of bureaucracy, and (2) the contradictions and approximations that appear in both the Marxian and the Weberian paradigms. An attempt is made to examine the dysfunctional aspects of bureaucracy in relation to the Weberian model, and the bureaucratization of socialism which is the unanticipated consequence of the Marxian model. The conclusion of this study indicates that the two seemingly opposite approaches, after all, have certain similarities in their theoretical framework and in their practical dilemma.