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2011

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Articles 12661 - 12690 of 13781

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Usa Vs China; Energy Security Politics Challenges Of Peak-Oil And Climate Change, Tania Hoppe Jan 2011

Usa Vs China; Energy Security Politics Challenges Of Peak-Oil And Climate Change, Tania Hoppe

Dissertations and Theses

"Energy is a critical basis for state survival. This thesis aims at examining the different energy-security strategies of the USA and China and the political means necessary to implement clean-energy development beyond marginal results. The success of China’s lead in its devotion to clean-energy production raises the question of what infrastructural and political challenges the US must overcome to further develop its clean energy industry. While China focuses on its competitive edge in the global energy market, can its domestic energy goals offset population density and addiction to coal? Despite economic competitiveness that comes with market globalization, society’s only means …

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The Difficult Relationship Between Haiti And The Dominican Republic, Wilfred Morfa Jan 2011

The Difficult Relationship Between Haiti And The Dominican Republic, Wilfred Morfa

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

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Marxist Insurgencies And Indigenous Rights; The Cases Of Guatemala And Peru, Cocco Valentina Jan 2011

Marxist Insurgencies And Indigenous Rights; The Cases Of Guatemala And Peru, Cocco Valentina

Dissertations and Theses

"The main purpose of this research is to understand the nature of the relationship between leftist armed guerrillas and indigenous rights in the Latin American region. I argue that the ethnic component and indigenous mobilization have greatly determined the political and social achievements of Marxist insurgencies active in many countries of the sub-continent during the second half of the twentieth century. In order to test my hypothesis, I devote particular attention to the historical exposition and critical analysis of both the ethnic problem and Marxism, in its European, Russian, Chinese, and Latin American versions. Subsequently, I focus on the case …

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Failure To Adapt; Intelligence Failure And Military Failure As Functions Of Strategic Failure?, David Firester Jan 2011

Failure To Adapt; Intelligence Failure And Military Failure As Functions Of Strategic Failure?, David Firester

Dissertations and Theses

The following paper looks at intelligence failures and military failures through the lens of adaptation failure. This paper asserts that there is reason to believe that certain causal elements of alleged intelligence failures reside more so in the province of politics, than in the collection and analysis domain of intelligence tradecraft. This is not to say that failures are exclusively of a political nature, but that looking at politics and the relationship of policymakers to the Intelligence Community yields a preponderance of causal evidence. Secondly, it is suggested that a parallel set of underlying assumptions evident in adaptation failure theory …

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The Implementation Of The Rights Of The Child; Transcending The Traditional Practice Of Child Marriage In Niger, Yemen, And Thailand, Evette Rivera Jan 2011

The Implementation Of The Rights Of The Child; Transcending The Traditional Practice Of Child Marriage In Niger, Yemen, And Thailand, Evette Rivera

Dissertations and Theses

"Child marriage is a harmful traditional practice that affects approximately 60 million children around the globe. This thesis examines the different laws that protect children from this practice and analyzes its implementation in countries where traditional practices violate children’s rights. International provisions, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, charges state parties with the responsibility to protect their children. Each state has the capacity to transcend traditional practices and implement local laws that protect their children. This thesis claims that mobilization of advocacy groups is vital in promoting the well-being of children even when the norms established …

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Mikhail Gorbachev And His Role In The Peaceful Solution Of The Cold War, Natalia Zemtsova Jan 2011

Mikhail Gorbachev And His Role In The Peaceful Solution Of The Cold War, Natalia Zemtsova

Dissertations and Theses

"The role of a political leader has always been important for understanding both domestic and world politics. The most significant historical events are usually associated in our minds with the images of the people who were directly involved and who were in charge of the most crucial decisions at that particular moment in time. Thus, analyzing the American Civil War, we always mention the great role and the achievements of Abraham Lincoln as the president of the United States. We cannot forget about the actions of such charismatic leaders as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt …

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Cooperation Or Conflict In The Arctic? Unclos And The Barents And Beaufort Sea Disputes, Dovile Petkunaite Jan 2011

Cooperation Or Conflict In The Arctic? Unclos And The Barents And Beaufort Sea Disputes, Dovile Petkunaite

Dissertations and Theses

The predicted prosperity of the Arctic has propelled countries to compete over territory and natural resources lying beneath the water. There is no doubt that a huge amount of potential natural resources in the disputed areas can cause significant tensions between the countries. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the cooperation and conflict dilemma in the Arctic. I examine the Barents Sea dispute and the Beaufort Sea dispute as case studies to demonstrate the potential for cooperation in the Arctic. I claim that the settlement of the Barents Sea dispute between Norway and Russia gives important lessons on how to …

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Extra-Sovereign Institutions; The Ties That Bind, Daniel Spitaliere Jan 2011

Extra-Sovereign Institutions; The Ties That Bind, Daniel Spitaliere

Dissertations and Theses

"Governance, globalization, and regionalism are all statements regarding the nature of integration in the current international relations system, but they do not readily explain what brings nation-states together in the first place. At first glance, regional institutions seem to be established on a basis of proximity, suggesting a spatial model of regional integration. However, a deeper investigation of the motivations and factors that lead to the creation of these institutions show this is not the case. In considering regional integration movements, this study establishes three core principles. First, that the creation of a successful extra-sovereign institution is dependent on specific …

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The Impact Of Domestic Politics On Foreign Policy Decision-Making In Turkish-American Relations, Sevda Ceren Ozgur Jan 2011

The Impact Of Domestic Politics On Foreign Policy Decision-Making In Turkish-American Relations, Sevda Ceren Ozgur

Dissertations and Theses

"This study is an analysis of the impact of public opinion on the foreign policy decisionmaking process in Turkish-American relations. The aim of the study is to understand the construction and the mobilization of public opinion, and its the impact on the decisionmakers. Turkey and the United States have a long history of friendship dating back to the late 18th century. Public opinion has had a substantial influence on Turkish-American relations. There are various actors, such as lobby groups and the media, involved in the construction and the mobilization of public opinion in both countries. Understanding how they work and …

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The United Nations Security Council A Review Of The Security Council And Their Ability To Uphold The Charter, Kristin Parker Jan 2011

The United Nations Security Council A Review Of The Security Council And Their Ability To Uphold The Charter, Kristin Parker

Dissertations and Theses

Under the United Nations Charter the Security Council was mandated to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security. Within the Security Council, the five permanent members, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russian Federation and China have special veto powers that have enabled them to greatly impact the international crisis across the globe. During the Cold War, the United States and then Soviet Union exercised the veto to enforce their political and ideological will rather than to uphold the UN Charter. Several events such as the Korean War, the Suez Canal Crisis and the fight for Namibian independence …

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State And Nation-Building, Stabilization, And Development In Afghanistan, Maedeh Asadzadeh Barzi Jan 2011

State And Nation-Building, Stabilization, And Development In Afghanistan, Maedeh Asadzadeh Barzi

Dissertations and Theses

"Afghanistan is emerging from more than two decades of conflict, capped by a severe nationwide drought in 1999-2001, and faces a complex, interrelated set of political, administrative, economic, and social challenge. The objective of this study was to analyze Afghanistan's human development based on specific criteria such as economic inequality and poverty, corruption, public health and most specifically children and women's health. This thesis identifies Afghanistan's challenges and impediments to development and state-building in the past nine years. I further argue that Afghanistan was successful in economic and public health matters due to the institutions that were built at the …

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New Ingredients In The Melting Pot; Kazakhs, Kyigis, And Uzbeks, Nargis Davletmendova Jan 2011

New Ingredients In The Melting Pot; Kazakhs, Kyigis, And Uzbeks, Nargis Davletmendova

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

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Policy Analysis Of Rural Development Strategy In Mexico: Creation And Management Of Infrastructure Systems, Carlton J. Rueb Jan 2011

Policy Analysis Of Rural Development Strategy In Mexico: Creation And Management Of Infrastructure Systems, Carlton J. Rueb

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores rural development strategy in Mexico within the context of infrastructure development. It finds that although the tenants of decentralization and neoliberalism on which the strategy is based are conducive to gains in productivity, equity, and environmental sustainability in rural Mexico, the current government apparatus creates a number of market failures which limit the beneficial potential of the development strategy. Lessons learned from the Mexican experience should be applied in other contexts for development strategies.

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The Effect Of Culture On Female Labor Force Partcipation, Joycelyn J. Ho Jan 2011

The Effect Of Culture On Female Labor Force Partcipation, Joycelyn J. Ho

CMC Senior Theses

This article looks at the effect of culture on female labor force participation. Proxies of culture used are Globe cultural social practice dimensions, and Hofstede cultural dimensions. This article finds that globe cultural dimensions have a stronger explantory value that Hofstede cultural dimensions. It confirms that gender eglaitarianism is a predictor of female labor force participation. It also suggests that assertiveness and uncertainty avoidance are also predictors of female labor force participation.

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Strategic Significance: A Model Of G-20 Membership, Patrick Eagan-Van Meter Jan 2011

Strategic Significance: A Model Of G-20 Membership, Patrick Eagan-Van Meter

CMC Senior Theses

The membership of the Group of 20 was selected without any official criteria. This paper investigates whether group membership can be explained through the consideration of several different factors that coincide with the mission of the organization. I found strong evidence that membership in the Group of 20 was based on some combination of land mass and economic output. The results demonstrate that these factors are highly predictive of group membership.

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Democratic Strength And Terrorism: An Economic Approach, Brian P. Winter Jan 2011

Democratic Strength And Terrorism: An Economic Approach, Brian P. Winter

CMC Senior Theses

There has been much literature about the economic effects of terrorism in democratic countries, but this literature often considers democracy to be a binary variable. This paper sought to explore how the effects might differ depending on the strength of a democracy. In the end, I found that the numbers of attacks and the effects of those attacks do not follow a linear path. The results for autocracies and anocracies require further analysis, but democracies have revealed interesting results. It seems that democracies as a whole have more terrorist attacks, but, within this group, the more democratic a country is …

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Work Attribute Importance And Loyalty Intention: Millennial Generation Psychological Contract, Laura M. Bottorff Jan 2011

Work Attribute Importance And Loyalty Intention: Millennial Generation Psychological Contract, Laura M. Bottorff

CMC Senior Theses

This study investigated the importance that junior and senior job-seeking undergraduates (Millennial generation members) place on transactional and relational work attributes; how ratings vary by gender, experiences with layoff, and intended loyalty; and how well ratings match with actual attributes offered by organizations. Results are discussed in context of psychological contract theory. Students (n = 199) and recent graduates working full-time (n = 180) took separate online survey. Students indicated the importance of various work attributes (Ng, Schweitzer, & Lyons, 2010), loyalty intentions, and other related questions. Graduates answered only work attribute questions related to their current employer. Work attributes …

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Fiscal Impact Of Privatization In Developing Countries, Alexander H. Sunderland Jan 2011

Fiscal Impact Of Privatization In Developing Countries, Alexander H. Sunderland

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines the fiscal impact of privatization revenues in 47 developing countries. There are many reasons that privatization is attractive for the central government of developing countries. If substantial, these revenues from the sale of state owned enterprises can present a potential solution to persistent deficits. On the other hand, the privatization revenues could be used to finance an even larger deficit. In this paper, I will discuss previous research on the fiscal impact of privatization revenues, the factors that contribute to persistent fiscal budget deficits and explain how empirical research on the fiscal impact of privatization in the …

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Public Dollar Private Owners; Tax Subsidies For New Stadiums In Professional Sports, Grant J. Bunnage Jan 2011

Public Dollar Private Owners; Tax Subsidies For New Stadiums In Professional Sports, Grant J. Bunnage

CMC Senior Theses

The growing popularity of North American professional sports over the last twenty years directly coincides with the recent trend of urban communities using tax dollars to publically subsidize professional football, baseball, and basketball stadiums. Communities across North America invest substantial amount of public tax dollars in private facilities in light of a consensus among policy analysts that the economic impact of the new stadium is greatly exaggerated. The economic impact of new stadiums has been extensively researched, the focus  of this paper rather, is to examine the impact publically subsidized facilities built in the last twenty years have on the …

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Tie The Knot Or You Tighten The Noose? The Current Effect Of Pre-Marital Cohabitation On Marriage Survival Rates, Matthew D. Beienburg Jan 2011

Tie The Knot Or You Tighten The Noose? The Current Effect Of Pre-Marital Cohabitation On Marriage Survival Rates, Matthew D. Beienburg

CMC Senior Theses

Pre-marital cohabitation has become a mainstream practice among couples in the United States, yet initial empirical evidence demonstrated significant correlations between cohabitation and subsequent marital instability. Later studies disputed a causal relation and have attempted to show a weakened connection over time, but have themselves suffered from the use of exclusively older and/or unreliable data. This paper uses figures from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997-08) and the National Survey of Family Growth (2006-08) to provide an updated analysis of cohabitation’s effect on marriage over the past decade. Using proportional hazard and competing risk models, this paper confirms a …

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Redistricting In California: Its Effects On Voter Turnout In Minority Populations And Misrepresentation, Carlos A. Hernandez Jan 2011

Redistricting In California: Its Effects On Voter Turnout In Minority Populations And Misrepresentation, Carlos A. Hernandez

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes the history behind reapportionment and how the task of redistricting has differed in the past decades. For the most part, there was always been a public outcry when the task was in the hands of the Legislature. Fear of political gerrymandering and the creation of safe districts was enough for people to pass a series of initiatives to try and correct the system. While many initiatives failed to pass, Proposition 11, passed in 2008, created the Citizen’s Redistricting Commission—a 14-member committee put in charge of drawing this years’ plans. This paper also looks at population trends in …

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The Gift That Keeps Giving: Fdi Inflows In China, Joseph Chang Jan 2011

The Gift That Keeps Giving: Fdi Inflows In China, Joseph Chang

CMC Senior Theses

This paper investigates the primacy of foreign direct investment inflows in liberalizing China’s economy and whether the long-term gains from economic openness will justify its inefficient energy uses and growing regional income disparities. By examining the history of FDI inflows in China, it becomes evident that FDI inflows were an instrumental part in institutional and technological development in China. I extend the argument to take into account how these developed infrastructures react to China’s growing energy demand in light of a shrinking world supply. Lastly, I perform a meta-analysis on the Environmental Kuznets Curve theory and the Pollution Haven Hypothesis, …

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The Impact Of Terrorism On Foreign Direct Investment: Which Sectors Are More Vulnerable?, Shivani Agrawal Jan 2011

The Impact Of Terrorism On Foreign Direct Investment: Which Sectors Are More Vulnerable?, Shivani Agrawal

CMC Senior Theses

The impact of conflict and violence on foreign direct investment (FDI) is not a topic that has been done justice by the literature, and what few studies exist have contradictory results. This paper studies the impact that transnational terrorism has on FDI inflows by economic sector, in developed countries. Results indicate a statistically significant negative correlation between terrorist events and total FDI inflows. Amongst a list of 12 broad industrial sectors, FDI inflows for manufacturing, trade and repair, and construction were found to have a statistically significant negative correlation with terrorist events.

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A Reexamination Of Us Heroin Policy, Daniel Fogel Jan 2011

A Reexamination Of Us Heroin Policy, Daniel Fogel

CMC Senior Theses

Misguided drug policy in the United States has led to many severe social and economic problems that have burgeoned over the past century.  I analyzed heroin policy specifically, investigating new treatment methods and alternative decriminalization policies that would ameliorate some of these problems.

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Running Backs In The Nfl Draft And Nfl Combine: Can Performance Be Predicted?, Chris Blees Jan 2011

Running Backs In The Nfl Draft And Nfl Combine: Can Performance Be Predicted?, Chris Blees

CMC Senior Theses

Berri and Simmons (2009) investigate the relationship between the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft. They find that a quarterback’s performance in the Combine can have a significant impact on that player’s draft position. However, they find that no known aspect of a quarterback before they are drafted is an indicator of success in the NFL. I examine if these relationships exist for the Running Back position. I find similar results to Berri and Simmons: that performance in the Combine does have an effect on that player’s draft position, but that no aspect of a running back’s pre-draft characteristics can …

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The Effects Of Industry On Cross-Border And Domestic Ipo Underpricing, Emily K N Hirano Jan 2011

The Effects Of Industry On Cross-Border And Domestic Ipo Underpricing, Emily K N Hirano

CMC Senior Theses

Increasing numbers of foreign firms are holding cross-border IPOs in attempts to raise capital in markets outside of their home nation. Within the United States cross-border IPOs consistently experience greater amounts of underpricing than domestic IPOs. This paper examines the effects of SIC industry classifications on cross-border and domestic IPO underpricing from 2004-2010. Analysis demonstrates that in various industries, SIC classification has a significant impact upon underpricing in comparison to other industries. While in other industries, significance is solely exhibited through the differing impacts of domestic and cross-border IPOs, within the industry itself, upon underpricing. The most significant industry effect …

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Striving For A Happier America: Lessons From Denmark, Leanne P. Ringquist Jan 2011

Striving For A Happier America: Lessons From Denmark, Leanne P. Ringquist

CMC Senior Theses

American society has lost sight of one of its most valued virtues: Happiness. Research has showed that the United States is behind many other countries in the overall happiness of its citizens. Leading the world in well-being is Denmark. This paper’s aim is to explore possible factors that could be facilitating the well-being of Danish citizens, and applying them to American society. In this search, I explore universal individual factors, as well as factors that lead to the development of a culture and dispositions of its citizens. From these factors, as well as unique characteristics of both countries, I hypothesized …

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Converting Vacant Lots Into Assets: Comparing National Community Garden Programs To Community Garden Projects In Columbus Ga, Amanda Rees, Joyce Wade Jan 2011

Converting Vacant Lots Into Assets: Comparing National Community Garden Programs To Community Garden Projects In Columbus Ga, Amanda Rees, Joyce Wade

Columbus Community Geography Center

Many aspects of community life are negatively affected by vacant lots, to include neighborhood vitality, crime rates, and the viability of commercial districts. Vacant properties have been identified by both elected and appointed officials as offering significant challenges to neighborhood revitalization and improvement. A variety of techniques have been used to address these problems, one such approach is the development of community gardens. Converting vacant lots into community gardens can improve the quality of life among neighborhood residents, help build social capital, and improve neighboring property values. Beginning with a review of the impact of community gardens and their management, …

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The Gradient Nature Of S-Lenition In Caleño Spanish, Earl K. Brown, Richard J. File-Muriel Jan 2011

The Gradient Nature Of S-Lenition In Caleño Spanish, Earl K. Brown, Richard J. File-Muriel

Faculty Publications

Whereas previous studies of Spanish s-weakening have relied on impressionistic coding, the present study examines temporal and gradient acoustic details in the production of /s/ by eight females from Cali, Colombia, during sociolinguistic interviews. We propose a metric for quantifying s-realization by employing three scalar-dependent variables: s-duration, centroid, and voicelessness. The results of linear regressions indicate that the dependent variables are significantly conditioned by local speaking rate, word position, following and preceding phonological context, stress, and lexical frequency. This study sheds light on how each independent variable influences s-realization acoustically. For example, as local speaking rate increases, duration, centroid, and …

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Never Again; Working Toward An Effective Early Warning System For Genocide Prevention, Alyssa Lopez Jan 2011

Never Again; Working Toward An Effective Early Warning System For Genocide Prevention, Alyssa Lopez

Dissertations and Theses

“Never again” expressed the commitment made by allied forces for the prevention of genocide. In the 59 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, it has evolved into an erga omnes obligation and a jus cogen (preemptory) norm. Genocide prevention, however, remains a highly controversial issue as it draws from the concept of universality central to human rights discourse at the same time as it changes dominant conceptualizations of state sovereignty. This thesis assesses the effectiveness of existing practices, norms and risk assessment/ genocide early warning systems in reducing the …

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