Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Cultural Diversity In Artificial Societies: Case Studies Of The Maya Peoples, Roberto Ulloa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The existence of cultural diversity in a connected world is paradoxical given that all individuals constantly interact and share information, and that individuals are all part of one giant network of connections. In the long term, it seems logical to assume that everybody should hold the same cultural information and, therefore, the same culture. Yet cultural diversity is still manifest around the globe. Cultural diversity as a phenomenon becomes even more puzzling when we take into account how it survives catastrophic events which regularly befall societies, such as invasions, natural disasters, and civil wars. In this thesis, agent-based computer simulations …

Whose Finger On The Nuclear Trigger, Erika Simpson, Murray Thomson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Towards A World Free Of Nuclear Weapons, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Doing Justice To Justice? Entanglements With Hegemony And Transitional Justice, Surer Q. Mohamed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Transitional justice is affected by the moment it emerged in the international system, the post-Cold War era. Its form was distorted by the international context into which it was born: the dissolution of the bipolar Cold War political order, the triumph of the United States as the world’s sole hegemon, and the cascading wave of liberalization that crashed across the globe. Transitional justice was shaped by this political moment, as it absorbed important tenets of liberal internationalism. Transitional justice also helped shape this political moment, as it became a solution to the problem that illiberal non-democratic, conflicted states pose to …

Atlantic Drift: Supranational And American Think-Tanks In Comparison, Christopher James Rastrick

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

While there has been a significant amount of scholarship on think-tanks in the United States, attention to these same organizations in the European Union has been scant. In particular, there has been a dearth of scholastic treatment of think-tanks operating with an EU-level mandate within Brussels, which this study has termed supranational think-tanks. This study pursued an original comparative analysis between both of these diverse think-tank models. In particular, the principal research questions guiding this study concern the differences that exist between these think-tank models and, more importantly, why these divergences have manifested. In terms of their differences, it was …

Brexit Vote Could Allow For Nuclear Weapons Rethink, Erika Simpson, Bill Kidd

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Toward Regional Resilience In Toronto: From Diagnosis To Action, Zack Taylor, Leah Birnbaum

Western Urban and Local Governance Working Papers

Greater Toronto is recognized as a high-performing urban region. Over the past decade, however, negative social, economic, and environmental trends have emerged that threaten the region’s future. On the basis of documentary research and four focus group workshops with a diverse array of professional practitioners, this paper assesses the Toronto region’s current assets and vulnerabilities in relation to future risks.The discussion is framed by the concept of resilience—an increasingly popular, yet abstract, concept in urban planning and public administration. This paper proposes, first, that planning and policymaking be directed toward increasing the region’s resilience, understood as the diversity and redundancy …

The Contributions Of Anatol Rapoport To Game Theory, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

Game theory is used to rationally and dispassionately examine the strategic behaviour of nations, especially superpower behaviour. This article explains how basic game theory - at its simplest level - was used by Anatol Rapoport to generate ideas about how to enhance world peace. Rapoport was at the forefront of the game theoreticians who sought to conceptualize strategies that could promote international cooperation. Accordingly, the basic logic of game theory is explained using the game models of ‘Chicken’ and ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma’. These models were used by Rapoport in his books and lectures in simple and complex ways. Then Rapoport’s revolutionary …

Nuclear Weapons And Nato_Is It Safer To Deter Or To Disarm?, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

Debates about whether to retain or abolish nuclear weapons have intensified. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) maintains its nuclear weapons are essential to the alliance’s security. NATO’s 2010 Strategic Concept reasserted in 2014 that, “As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance.” Conversely, many observers of the negotiations regarding the United Nations (UN) Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) argue the Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) in the 28-member NATO alliance are obliged to move NATO’s posture toward nuclear disarmament rather than deterrence. The resarch project analyses the arguments in favour of the alliance’s continued reliance …

The Contribution Of Two Famous Canadian Peace Researchers: Anatol Rapoport And Douglas Roche, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

Game theory is used to rationally and dispassionately examine the strategic behaviour of nations, especially superpower behaviour. This article explains how basic game theory - at its simplest level - was used by Anatol Rapoport to generate ideas about how to enhance world peace. Rapoport was at the forefront of the game theoreticians who sought to conceptualize strategies that could promote international cooperation. Accordingly, the basic logic of game theory is explained using the game models of ‘Chicken’ and ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma’. These models were used by Rapoport in his books and lectures in simple and complex ways. Then Rapoport’s revolutionary …

Carrying On With Wayward Sons, Erika Simpson, Henrik Lagerlund

Political Science Publications

With their brains not maturing until their mid-20s, it's time to use a different approach to life and learning with our young men.

Republican Nationalism: Nations, Cultures, And Politics, Bojan Ratkovic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This project deals with the ongoing importance of nations, cultures, and politics in the modern world, and with the complex and layered relationships between them. Despite the expanding phenomenon of globalization, which promises to open up borders and tear down the boundaries between peoples, nations remain the most important actors in international politics and nationalism continues to be a potent force throughout the world. This project explores the significance of nations and cultures for politics, with special emphasis on the importance of nationalism and nationalist theory in the twenty-first century. I argue that there are significant gaps in the literature …

Canadians Keep Asking Questions About Saudi Arms Deal, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Federal Environment Minister Delays Decision On Nuclear Waste Repository, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Federal Minister Delays Decision On Nuclear Waste Depository, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The federal minister of the environment, Catherine McKenna, has dealt a setback to the proposal put forward by government-owned Ontario Power Generation (OPG), for the underground storage of nuclear waste. The proposed Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) would be located in Kincardine, Ontario, approximately 1.2 kilometres away from the shore of Lake Huron, and constructed underneath the world's largest operating nuclear power plant.

Point And Counterpoint, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

While We Focus On Nuclear Newcomers Like North Korea, The Real Nuclear Powers Are Making No Progress In Disarmament, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Development Goals Worth Sharing, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The international community has agreed upon another set of goals for the next 15 years. On the table are no less than 169 objectives and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new aspirations are summarized and the merits and demerits of further elaboration and measurement including country-specific deadlines and targets are discussed. The hefty budget to achieve all 17 goals is estimated at more than $4 trillion US a year. North American policy-makers need to be aware of humankind’s shared aspirations as they consider the new and expensive SDGs. Foreign aid is one of the instruments of North American foreign …

Waste Not, Want Not, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Evidence Of Heavy-Handed U.S. Diplomacy In Europe Affects Nato’S Intentions In Ukraine And Nato’S Strategic Concept, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

A renewed Cold War with a new Central Front in Europe threatens international security. NATO’s arc of crisis stretches from Ukraine in the northeast to Turkey and Syria in the south. The Warsaw Pact dissolved in 1991 but NATO’s nuclear posture continues to threaten Russians who fear NATO expansion. Evidence of heavy-handed U.S. diplomacy in Europe has raised concerns about American intentions in Ukraine. The failed 2015 negotiations surrounding the United Nations Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty indicate it is time the Nuclear Weapon States in the 29-member NATO alliance move NATO's posture away from the Strategic Concept toward nuclear …

A Precautionary Tale, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

The Permanence Of The Sustainable Development Complex, Christopher Ginou

2016 Undergraduate Awards

Conventional wisdom tells us that sustainable development is the most effective solution to ecological protection, so what has this wisdom led to? Supporters of environmental sustainability have created a permanent sustainable development complex that is embedded within our business culture and the economy. This paper will reveal reasons why this permanence of sustainability has continued and why liberal environmentalism is used indefinitely. Some of these reasons being that sustainable development provides economic growth along with more efficient practices that can be utilized longer than before, and that sustainable development has been argued to produce substantial results that liberal environmentalist theorists …

The Effect Of Personal Economic Values On Economic Policy Preferences, Amanda Friesen, Matthew V. Hibbing

Political Science Publications

Objectives Citizens often express that the government should be run like a business or household in the way that money is saved and spent, though individuals vary in their personal financial preferences and attitudes toward money. To explore the relationship between the personal and political, we draw upon research in psychology, economics, and consumer science on personal economic values, such as materialism and the importance of saving money. Methods Using a survey of 340 adults, we test connections between political ideology, the Big Five personality traits, and money conservation and material values. Results Our data suggest that values regarding personal …