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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 23 of 23
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Donald Trump And Doublespeak: An Unsettling Precursor To The Dystopian Society Of George Orwell's 1984, Ivy Mckay
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
This paper analyses Donald Trump's 2016 Presidential campaign alongside George Orwell's 1984 I analyze specific social elements, including the rhetoric of Trump's supporters, the idea of post-truth, and power, and I exemplify how Trump's campaign and the government in Orwell's novel (the Party) share several commonalities. Trump's self-contradictory speaking and the use of Doublespeak in 1984 is one of the similarities between the fiction of Orwell's text and the reality of our lived experience. Furthermore, the paper discusses the possible effects of this Orwellian Party-like administration. In the final analysis, I conclude that George Orwell's vision of a dystopian future …
Political Knowledge And Political Engagement In The United States, Brittany Shaul
Political Knowledge And Political Engagement In The United States, Brittany Shaul
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis examined the impact of political knowledge on forms of political engagement in the United States. Prior literature has established a relationship between political knowledge and political engagement, where those with higher political knowledge were more likely to engage politically through acts such as voting. This study distinguished between the various forms of political engagement and political knowledge, and seeks to provide relevant data on who is more likely to have political knowledge, and what impact having political knowledge has. This served to reexamine trends found in past literature, in order to see if these trends have persisted or …
Commitment And Credibility In Fdi, Kathleen Sullivan
Commitment And Credibility In Fdi, Kathleen Sullivan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
How can firms in foreign direct investment (FDI) best protect their assets from host government contract beach? FDI is the largest and most stable form of external financing to less developed countries (LDCs). It increases job growth, technological development, and efficiency in the host country, subsequently increasing economic development. Companies prefer to invest in countries that are less prone to contract breach. I propose that credibility of commitments can help explain variation in contract breach. I propose that firms are most likely to avoid contract breach when they are involved in supply chains and when the host country has a …
Government Respect For Human Rights And Their Relation To Shadow Economic Activity, Christopher Gahagan
Government Respect For Human Rights And Their Relation To Shadow Economic Activity, Christopher Gahagan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Shadow economic activity can have detrimental effects on many aspects of a society including trust in government policies, quality of public institutions, government revenues, and economic growth. Empirical studies have generally employed a rational actor approach and focused on economic factors. Most studies in this literature claim that when individuals do not receive the right economic stimuli from the government, it damages the relationship between individuals and the state and citizens opt to move into the shadow economy. A small but growing body of research, however, suggests that certain political factors can also lead to shadow economic activity because of …
How Political Violence Helps Explain Organized Crime: A Case Study Of Mexico's "War On Drugs", Alanna Fulk
How Political Violence Helps Explain Organized Crime: A Case Study Of Mexico's "War On Drugs", Alanna Fulk
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis examines research from the disciplines of political science and criminal justice to develop a theory that explains geographic variation in violence related to organized crime. Large-scale organized crime violence exhibits characteristics of both ordinary crime violence and political violence, but these subjects are generally analyzed separately. However, as large-scale organized crime has become more prevalent and violent in recent years, most notably in Latin America, studies, including this one, have attempted to cross disciplinary boundaries in order to better explain trends in organized crime onset, termination and violence. This thesis argues that although the overall goal of organized …
Appropriate Adjective: Executive Authority And The Classification Of Enemy Combatants, Taraleigh Davis
Appropriate Adjective: Executive Authority And The Classification Of Enemy Combatants, Taraleigh Davis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Is the term enemy combatant an established legal category of persons under international law? Has the President exceeded his constitutional authority in classifying United States citizens who are suspected terrorists as enemy combatants? In 2018 a U.S. citizen was released after being held for 13 months as an enemy combatant. He was detained without being charged with a crime and without the ability to challenge the legality of his detention. This thesis serves two purposes. First, it will seek to trace the history of the term enemy combatant and highlight the evolution of its use by the executive branch. This …
The Florida 2004 Minimum Wage Amendment And Variance In County Support, Brittany Wilson
The Florida 2004 Minimum Wage Amendment And Variance In County Support, Brittany Wilson
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Several interest groups seek to put a $15 per hour minimum wage amendment on the Florida ballot in 2020. Floridians voted successfully to increase the minimum wage back in 2004. While the measure passed by over 50% in every county, there were substantial differences. What explains variance in support for the 2004 Minimum Wage Amendment among Florida counties? Hypotheses were drawn from previous literature and theory and multiple regression models find several statistically significant results. The percentage of Hispanic residents and the percentage of residents with a high school education or less had a positive relationship with support for increasing …
Governments' Adoption Of Native Cryptocurrency: A Case Study Of Iran, Russia, And Venezuela, Rose Mahdavieh
Governments' Adoption Of Native Cryptocurrency: A Case Study Of Iran, Russia, And Venezuela, Rose Mahdavieh
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The emergence of digital currency is becoming prevalent in the age of globalization – specifically, cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain are two recently discovered concepts currently being explored by researchers and developers. Cryptocurrency is a subset of digital currency that encompasses revolutionary technology, shifting political and economic spheres in nation-states. Certain governments are more prone to the adoption of cryptocurrencies and three comparative case study countries, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela, have shared attributes that result in adoption. Observed factors that result in the adoption of cryptocurrencies include corruption, GDP level, economic volatility, and Western sanctions. These factors will be applied in …
What Explains Legislator Support For Traditional Public School Education In Florida, Tiffaney M. Green
What Explains Legislator Support For Traditional Public School Education In Florida, Tiffaney M. Green
Honors Undergraduate Theses
This research was conducted to determine what explains legislative support for traditional public education in Florida based on the 2017 and 2018 legislative sessions. Data from the Florida Education Association ratings for each member of the Florida House and Florida Senate for these legislative sessions was used. Information from each legislator and their district was collected and used as independent variables in this research. How does political party, gender, race, ethnicity, age, chamber, family status, leadership, experience, percentage of school age children in the district, region of the district, and population density of the district affect legislator support for traditional …
Pro-Government Militias And The Legacy Of Military Rule In Latin America, Alexander Mendelsohn
Pro-Government Militias And The Legacy Of Military Rule In Latin America, Alexander Mendelsohn
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Currently Latin America experiences a phenomenon of widely varying levels of violence across the region. Many countries, such as El Salvador and Honduras, have exceptionally high murder rates upwards of 40 homicides per 100,000 people (UNODC 2015). Other countries, such as Uruguay and Argentina, have relatively low rates, below 10 homicides per 100,000 people (UNODC 2015). I believe this variation stems from the use of pro-government militias specifically employed in the past by military governments as tools of suppression. Under the guise of combating subversive elements within their countries, these groups were used to silence and repress those who opposed …
Florida's Rising Tide: Income Inequality Effects By County, Alyson E. Johnson
Florida's Rising Tide: Income Inequality Effects By County, Alyson E. Johnson
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Income inequality in Florida is higher than in many states and has been getting worse over time. Inequality has been argued as responsible for a wide-ranging array of economic and social problems, including suppression of lower- and middle-income growth, social fragmentation and separatism, urban sprawl, poor health and mental illnesses, violence, and shortened life expectancy. What explains variance in Florida county income inequality as measured by the GINI coefficient? Bivariate and multivariate weighted least square regressions are conducted for the years 2000 and 2016, and for the change between 2000 and 2016. Three variables achieve statistical significance in all three …
The Nuclear Taboo: A Real Effect On Public Perception?, Cody Marlin Kennedy
The Nuclear Taboo: A Real Effect On Public Perception?, Cody Marlin Kennedy
Honors Undergraduate Theses
This research experiment investigated whether the nuclear taboo was more influential on participants when considering the use of nuclear weapons, or if the participants were influenced more by cost-benefit analysis when deciding to use nuclear weapons. In this study, we presented a fake military scenario to respondents with a total of eight different versions that either did or did not include: genocide, high casualties, and nuclear weapons. Participants could then select whether they agreed, disagreed, or needed more information as there answer. Breaking respondents down into these three groups, the results show that for all three respondent groups the independent …
An Analysis Of Obstacles To Peace Between Iran And Israel, Emily M. Aspinwall
An Analysis Of Obstacles To Peace Between Iran And Israel, Emily M. Aspinwall
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The history of confrontation and cooperation between Iran and Israel is a volatile sequence. With the transformative impact of the 1979 Iranian Revolution on Iranian leadership and ideology, as well as Israel’s metamorphosis from a newly independent state to a regional rival, there is much to unpack in this relationship. From regime changes to nationalistic awakenings, Iran and Israel’s conflict is comprised of infinite layers brimming with historical and political implications. For the past 70 years, Iran and Israel’s diplomatic relationship has encountered numerous shifts, thus forming an axis of hostility, regional contention, and damaging rhetoric. This research analyzes the …
Chinese Economic Development And Its Global Implications, Robert T. Hill
Chinese Economic Development And Its Global Implications, Robert T. Hill
Honors Undergraduate Theses
While Chinese economic development is often at the forefront of conversations by scholars shaping economic policy, further investigation into the state of China's economy has left a gap in research. Through analyzing the 13th Five Year Plan (FYP) and looking specifically at the effect it will have on unemployment, international trade, overcapacity rates, and the Belt and Road Initiative, the goal of this research is to understand if China will be able to obtain sustained economic growth. In order to achieve this, this research employs a qualitative discourse analysis, focusing on pre-existing works that discuss Chinese economic development. It will …
Female Militarization And Women's Rights: A Case Study Of The Peshmerga And Ypj, Margaret Morgan
Female Militarization And Women's Rights: A Case Study Of The Peshmerga And Ypj, Margaret Morgan
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Since 2012, there has been an increase of media attention on the Kurds, particularly women who are active in the YPJ and Peshmerga. Various publications have equated women's militarization with women's liberation. In an effort to more accurately measure this, the following question must be asked; what is the effect of women's military involvement on women's rights? Women that are active in both nationalist movements and traditional state armies are presented with changing gender roles. Post conflict, there is a struggle for women to transfer their newfound autonomy into political activism. The theory outlines a chain in which women participate …
21st Century Engagement Among Ucf Students: Exploring Metrics & Platforms, Daniel N. Robles Duprey
21st Century Engagement Among Ucf Students: Exploring Metrics & Platforms, Daniel N. Robles Duprey
Honors Undergraduate Theses
This research analyzes the political and social engagement of UCF College of Business students in order to grasp a better understanding of what youth engagement looks like in the 21st century. Through the implementation of a survey, data is collected on the level of students' social involvement, political participation, and civic engagement – the three vital metrics of citizen engagement. These metrics are then split across the online and offline realm, as well as across key demographics of race, gender identity, political ideology, and party affiliation. Data is also collected about which social media platforms students engage most on, …
Comparative Analysis Of The Relationship Between State Security And Ethnic Minority Oppression, Grayson Lanza
Comparative Analysis Of The Relationship Between State Security And Ethnic Minority Oppression, Grayson Lanza
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This research investigates the relationship between the state economic outlook, state security apparatus and the presence of ethnic minority oppression within the state's borders. Modern states have developed extensive security apparatuses as they have developed their economies and this research intended to identify the possibility of a connection between the development of these aspects of the state in relation to ethnic minority repression. The research is broken up into a research design and introductory section, a case study section, and a final analysis and conclusion section. Each of the four case studies studied a and ethnic minority relationship, and in …
Reexamining The Relationship Between Divided Government And Voter Turnout, Heidi Beck
Reexamining The Relationship Between Divided Government And Voter Turnout, Heidi Beck
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis reexamines the effect of divided government on voter turnout originally posited by Franklin and Hirczy de Miño (1998), which suggested that each year of exposure to divided government resulted in a cumulative negative effect on voters leading to alienation and lower turnout. It reconsiders this argument using more recent data, given that voter turnout in U.S. presidential elections (as measured by the Voting Eligible Population) has increased since 2000, even though divided government has occurred during this period. This thesis also uses new data and methods to address concerns about the original aggregate level research design. The research …
More Guns, Less Butter, And Officers At The Table: Understanding The Nexus Between The Military's Integration Into Politics And Resource Allocation In Democracies And Non-Democracies, Salah Ben Hammou
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The civilianization of government is often seen as a necessary prerequisite for successful democratization and healthy civil-military relations. This thesis explores the impact of integrating the military into political decision-making on the distribution of "guns" and "butter" – military spending and social spending - across dictatorships and democracies. Whereas a general consensus suggests that autocracies allocate greater goods to the military and fewer goods to the general public relative to democracies, an understudied variable is the military's integration into politics in both democracies and autocracies. Given that military elites have greater incentives relative to civilian elites to prioritize military spending …
When To Strike: Exploring The Variables That Lead To Successful Decapitation Strikes, Renzo Pierres
When To Strike: Exploring The Variables That Lead To Successful Decapitation Strikes, Renzo Pierres
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The purpose of this thesis is to determine how different variables can affect a terrorist group's reaction to a targeted leadership strike, known as a decapitation strike. Decapitation strikes often produce unwanted results, such as a splintering of the terrorist group, or a failure to destroy the group. It is important that we understand which variables can lead to a group's destruction after a decapitation strike, to maximize the decapitation's effectiveness. In my research I have determined that group size, group ideological extremism, and the role of the leader targeted all have a substantial impact on the success of the …
A New Measure Of The Authoritarian Personality: Untangling The Personal And The Political, Melodie Spiegel
A New Measure Of The Authoritarian Personality: Untangling The Personal And The Political, Melodie Spiegel
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Despite the existence of multiple scales designed to measure authoritarianism as a personality trait, current research disagrees as to whether current measures reliably measure all three dimensions of authoritarianism: submission, aggression, and traditionalism. This study focused on the development of a new scale in response to methodological and validity concerns of previously-used measures. This new scale was found to be a reliable measure of authoritarian belief in two subsequent studies of college-aged adults. Factor analysis of responses to the items of the new measure also provided evidence of the multidimensionality of authoritarianism as a construct. Further, significant correlations were found …
European Migration And The Far-Right: 2011-2017, Lauren Wilson
European Migration And The Far-Right: 2011-2017, Lauren Wilson
Honors Undergraduate Theses
This study investigates the relationship between the current migration crisis in Europe and the escalation of far-right voting which has been witnessed since it's beginning. In order to do so this study utilized correlation experiments and detailed case studies to explore the relationship between legislative vote shares and asylum applications for the years 2009-2017 in the EU member states of Hungary, Germany, France, Greece and the UK. Control variables of GDP, unemployment and terrorist attacks have also been utilized to measure alternative causes of far-right voting. Results of these experiments vary quite a bit from state to state - finding …
The Psychological Basis Of Threat Perception And Its Effect On The Use Of Force By Us Presidents, Collin J. Kazazis
The Psychological Basis Of Threat Perception And Its Effect On The Use Of Force By Us Presidents, Collin J. Kazazis
Honors Undergraduate Theses
This thesis creates a new variable for threat perception built upon psychological concepts and then applies this new variable to the question of why leaders use military force in certain situations. The concept of threat perception has a long history in the field in terms of its effect on leaders choosing to use military force. However, while the concept of threat perception is inherently psychological, previous proxies for the variable have included only situational factors, which is highly problematic. By utilizing the Operational Code, this study creates a new threat-perception variable based on cognitive constructs. Using a sample of US …