Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Commentary: Black Or White? Wrong Or Right? Don't Rush To Take Sides On Complex Issues Such As Israel-Hamas Conflict, Siow-Heng Ong, Benjamin Joshua Ong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

While responses to the Israel-Hamas conflict have been bitterly divided, they showcase a common phenomenon of people viewing complex situations in black-and-white terms. But how did we get here?

Does The Federal Reserve Obtain Competitive And Appropriate Prices In Monetary Policy Implementation?, Yu An, Zhaogang Song

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Many of the Federal Reserve’s (the Fed’s) monetary policy operations involve trading with primary dealers. We find that, for agency MBS, dealers charge 2.5 cents (per $100 face value) higher selling to the Fed than to non-Fed customers. Controlling for the same dealer, same security, and same trading time, this discriminatory pricing likely arises from dealers’ market power rather than inventory costs. Further, matching trade size reduces the price differential by more than half, implying that dealers’ market power greatly relates to the Fed’s purchases in large amounts, whereas the Fed’s limited breadth of counterparty choice also plays some role.

Unruly Ideas: A History Of Kitawala In Congo, Nicole Eggers

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

Original oral and ethnographic sources inform this conceptual history of power in central Africa, imagined through the lens of Kitawala religious practices.

Unruly Ideas: A History of Kitawala in Congo recounts the multifaceted history of the Congolese religious movement Kitawala from its colonial beginnings in the 1920s through its continued practice in some of the most conflict-riven parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo today. Drawing on a rich body of original oral, ethnographic, and archival research, Nicole Eggers uses Kitawala as a lens through which to address the complex relationship between politics, religion, healing, and violence in central …

Crisis Narratives In Crisis? A Comparative Investigation Into National Covid-19 Narratives, Mouse D. Bennett

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

On January 31, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency for only the sixth time in its history. On March 11, 2020, it was stated that COVID-19 constituted a pandemic. How did countries respond? This dissertation traces the evolution of national crisis narratives in four states and assesses their relative success. The findings of this study are that pandemic crisis narratives are not generalizable to all crisis situations but require a high level of compliance to be effective in stopping the crisis. There is no formula for government success, there are no decisive variables determining outcomes. …

Structure V-1: A Mississippian Mica Workshop In Kershaw County, South Carolina, John Mclellan Dodge

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reanalyzes the pottery assemblage of Structure V-1 at the Mulberry site (38KE12). Because Structure V-1 was originally hypothesized to be evidence of a late seventeenth century occupation at the Mulberry site, the framework I use for this research focuses on identifying evidence of community coalescence after Mulberry’s initial occupation ended. However, new evidence from both the pottery and radiocarbon analysis conclusively dates the structure to around the sixteenth century Mulberry I phase. With that new date in mind, I explore the role mica craft production within Structure V-1 might have had in linking the community at Mulberry to …

The Effect Of Model Size On The Root Mean Square Error Of Approximation (Rmsea): The Nonnormal Case, Yunhang Yin

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to understand the effect of model size on the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) under nonnormal data. We considered three methods for computing the sample RMSEA and the associated confidence intervals (i.e., the normal theory method [Browne & Cudeck, 1993], the BSL method [Brosseau-Liard, Savalei & Li, 2012], and the Lai method [Lai, 2020]). The performance of the three methods was compared across various model sizes, sample sizes, levels of misspecification, and levels of nonnormality. Results indicated that the normal theory RMSEA should not be used under nonnormal data unless the model size is very …

Piloting Brief, Just-In-Time Training Videos For Mentors: Expanding And Strengthening Motivational Interviewing For Youth, Mackenzie J. Hart

Theses and Dissertations

Having paraprofessional providers, such as youth mentors, deliver evidence-based services, has been posited to increase the reach of youth services given the affordability and ubiquity of mentors in school settings. Further, examinations of mentor-delivered Motivational Interviewing (MI) have shown promise in increasing youth mentees’ academic performance and wellbeing. Yet, traditional methods used for training mentors to use MI effectively and sustainably can be costly and time-consuming processes. Previous work has suggested the value of asynchronous, brief, just-in-time trainings (JITTs) to help offset these challenges; however, MI JITTs for mentors have not yet been formally evaluated. As such, the present study …

Understanding The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Borderline Features And Deliberate Self-Harm Behaviors Among College Students: The Mediating Roles Of Emotion Regulation And Interpersonal Functioning, Sydney Mari Levine

Theses and Dissertations

Research has established ACEs as significant predictors of deliberate self-harm (DSH) in both clinical and community populations. Further, adults meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) are nearly 14 times more likely to report childhood adversity. No previous studies have examined the critical roles of emotion regulation and interpersonal functioning as mediating mechanisms in these relations. Thus, the current study explored the mechanism by which ACEs affect borderline personality features (BPF) or deliberate self-harm through emotion regulation and interpersonal functioning in a sample of emerging adult college students. Participants (N = 2,255, M age = 19.25) included college students from …

Family Mass Murder: An Exploratory Study Of The Role Of Arson, Rachel Rori Rodriguez Spradley

Theses and Dissertations

The current literature on the use of arson in homicides analyzes the role of psychosis and mental illness, detection avoidance, and fire-setting as a precursor to violent crime. Only recently have researchers examined the connection between arson and family violence through the means of coercive control. Remaining unanswered is the role of arson in family mass murders occurring in a private residence. Using the Mass Killings in America database compiled and maintained by the Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University (2006-2022), I compare characteristics of family mass murders that are arson-related to those that are non-arson-related. While family mass …

A Comparative Measure Of Judicial Legitimacy, Rahul Hemrajani

Theses and Dissertations

In the Federalist papers, Hamilton emphasized the vulnerability of courts as the weakest branch of government, lacking both the power of the "purse" and the "sword." Consequently, courts can secure compliance with their decisions only if people believe in the legitimacy of their actions. Courts that are seen as legitimate by the public can better prevent governmental overreach, enhance the rule of law, and protect democratic rights. However, there is no consensus on how to validly measure the legitimacy of courts. Additionally, existing research on legitimacy focuses on courts in the United States; we know little about judicial legitimacy in …

Supporting Our Heroes: The Need For A Community Of A Community Of Practice Dedicated To The Support Of Military-Connected Families Living In The Southeastern United States, Ashley Gwyneth Monier

Theses and Dissertations

Military families face unique challenges that many civilian families may not be familiar with, to include frequent geographical relocations and extended periods of separation due to military deployments. This study aims to identify the resources available to military families and identify gaps in services and programming to highlight the need for a Community of Practice dedicated to addressing issues that impact our all-volunteer force in the southeastern United States. Furthermore, this study aims to give a voice to the military community regarding the unique difficulties that are commonplace within the military life, to include regular mandated geographical relocations and extended …

Evaluating The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of U.S. Foreign Aid, Rebecca Baley

Selected Honors Theses

The U.S. is the top spender in the world when it comes to foreign aid, sending billions of dollars around the world each year. There are many different goals and objectives that the U.S. government hopes to accomplish with their spending. This paper is structured as an extended literature review analyzing previous literature on the topic of U.S. foreign aid spending and the results of these funds around the world to test the effectiveness and efficiency. The process of how the foreign aid budget is set will also be discussed as well as the history of why the U.S. started …

An Evaluation Of Network2work At Piedmont Virginia Community College, Cynthia M. Finley

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Barriers to education and training can have a generational impact on socioeconomic status and economic development. Post-traditional students have been shown to experience a variety of barriers to education and family sustaining employment. Social capital has been shown to help alleviate some of the barriers for students resulting in stronger economic outcomes, such job retention, and higher wages. This case study examined a workforce development approach to providing support to post-traditional students in non-credit industry training. The researcher examined student outcomes, credential attainment and employment, between two student groups (Network2Work versus a nonNetwork2Work group) using chi-square and logical regression analysis. …

The Partial Secularisms Of Singapore's Muslim Minorities: Arbitraging Model Citizenship And (In)Complete Selves At The Margins, Orlando Woods, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article argues that the secular should be understood as a partial construct that is selectively deployed by individuals to structure everyday encounters with difference. The partiality of the secular is pronounced in Muslim minority contexts, in which Muslims must negotiate varying degrees of ontological incompatibility between their religious and nonreligious selves. How religious and secular understandings of “model” citizenship are negotiated throughout the spaces and aspirations of everyday life can provide insight into the partiality of the secular, and how such partiality can create difference where there might otherwise be unity. We illustrate these ideas through an empirical exploration …

Motivations, Policies And Performance: A Review Of China’S Culture ‘Going Out’ Strategy, Jihua Yang, David Ocon

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Few countries have advanced their culture globally as China has done in the last two decades with its culture ‘going out’ strategy. Promoting cultural goods and services overseas and fostering cultural exchanges, the strategy is also part of the country’s efforts to advance its soft power abroad. Broadly, there are two contrasting perspectives on the strategy’s performance. Because of its stability and financial muscle, local analysts generally praise it, while the overarching official involvement provokes suspicion in some international contexts. This article provides a neutral assessment of the implementation, achievements, and impact of China’s culture ‘going out’ strategy, investigating its …

Social Anhedonia, Communication And Marital Satisfaction In Newlywed Couples, Kenneth Tan, Amber M. Jarnecke, Susan C. South

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective: Social anhedonia is associated with disinterest in social interactions and poor relationship functioning, yet little is known about the specific mechanisms underlying associations between social anhedonia and romantic relationship behaviors and satisfaction. We examined the links between social anhedonia, perceptions of conflict communication patterns, and marital satisfaction. Method: The current research examined the role of social anhedonia on marital quality and functioning longitudinally across a year in a sample of 100 newlywed couples using an actor-partner interdependence framework. Results: Social anhedonia was negatively associated with own and partner's marital satisfaction. It was also negatively associated with constructive communication and …

Shades Of Housing: Real Estate Urbanism And State Planning In Egypt, Zeinab Nadeem

Theses and Dissertations

The housing crisis is a global dilemma, especially in the context of urban cities in developing countries. Housing affordability has become more challenging in the recent global and national turbulent economic conditions of rising inflation rates and construction costs, where Egypt is witnessing a surplus of vacant housing units that are either unsold or unoccupied with citizens involuntarily relocating to remote new cities. The government has also significantly engaged in real estate market speculation by offering public land for profits to private investors in the market since the 1990s. The shades of housing found in Egypt are the works of …

Public-Private Partnerships (Ppp) In Technical Education: The Case Of Egypt’S Applied Technology Schools (Ats), Youstina Magdy

Theses and Dissertations

Technical education is a form of education that gained momentum in the 1800s and was considered as a parallel distinct model to general education by the post-war period. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) were one of the scaling up and enhancement efforts of technical education. In Egypt, the technical secondary education system has various school models; however, it was until 2018, when we first see the implementation of an PPP model with the establishment of the Applied Technology Schools (ATS). ATS schools aim at supplying the labor market with experienced skillful competent graduates in the demanded sectors in the Egyptian labor market, …

What's Your Type? The Relationship Between Enneagram Personality Style And Psychiatric Diagnosis, Danielle Augusta Huber

Theses and Dissertations

Despite its long history and ever-growing popularity amongst mental health providers and laypeople, the Enneagram model of personality has seen limited empirical support regarding its clinical relevance and efficacy. The present study sought to contribute to the literature supporting the Enneagram’s use in psychotherapy. As a majority of therapeutic services aim for the reduction and/or resolution of psychopathology, often in terms of one or more diagnoses, and as previous research has theorized how the Enneagram model and psychiatric diagnoses might be related (Palmer, 1988), it was the researchers’ intention to analyze whether these theoretical associations could be statistically supported. This …

The Impact Of Withdrawing From War: Veteran Attitudes Toward The Afghanistan Withdrawal And Implications On Healthcare Utilization, Mental Health Distress, And Motivation To Serve Again, Delaney J. Bennett Granko M.S.

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined veteran service members from all eras, ranks, branches, and time of service to evaluate the mental and physical health impact of the Afghanistan Withdrawal on their functioning and utilization of healthcare services. To our knowledge, this is the first scientific study examining the Afghanistan Withdrawal's impact on veterans. The researchers aimed to better understand service member attitudes about the withdrawal and their motivation to serve again based on their experience. Qualitative responses were requested to further understand veteran opinions on the withdrawal.

The study sample consisted of 112 veterans from one or more of the United States …

An Examination Of Mmpi-3 Score Patterns Of Sex-Trafficked Women, Edleen De Jesus-Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

Sex trafficking is a hidden crime that affects many vulnerable groups such as women and children. Prior research has demonstrated that individuals currently or formerly engaged in sex trafficking experience heightened levels of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health concerns. Most of these studies relied on structured interviews and, to date, no empirical studies have evaluated the psychological difficulties of sex trafficking victims with an empirically valid measure. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2020a) is a personality assessment measure widely used to assess sexual abuse survivors, substance abusers, and various inpatient and …

Beyond The Binary: L1 Strategies For Spoken Non-Binary French, Kate Carlyle , '24

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

French, like other Romance languages, operates on a largely binary morphological gender system, leading to many potential linguistic complications when it is used to index social genders that fall outside of said binary (Michele 2016, Kaplan 2022). Certain morphosyntactic features of French specifically make accomplishing many non-binary (NB) marking strategies in speech all the more challenging. This paper presents an interview-based study conducted with 7 L1 French speakers living in France to assess what strategies are most commonly used in practice to describe a non-binary referent in speech. Through an elicitation exercise that prompted speakers to describe various stick figure-based …

The Uganda Nextgen Framework: Guidelines For Intergenerational Peacebuilding, Briana Mawby, Noah Mirembe Gabigogo, Cassandra Barrett

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This report provides a practical framework for creating intergenerational peacebuilding partnerships drawn from the lived experiences of women peacebuilders across Uganda and outlines key considerations when addressing generational divides and gaps in peacebuilding efforts.

The report provides analysis drawn from the debates and discussions held between 2020 and 2023 as the cohort of peacebuilders engaged in the Uganda NextGen initiative worked across generations to create social change throughout the country. The framework provides a guide for others trying to create mutually beneficial and equitable peacebuilding partnerships among people of different generations.

Irex And The Community Solutions Program, John Porten

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

The community of practice (CoP) made up of the alumni Community Solutions Program (CSP) caters to a diverse and globally distributed group of professionals in the peacebuilding, humanitarian and development fields. Facilitating such a community without substantial reliance on communications technology and distanced relationship-building would be impossible. Yet this kind of distanced practice community faces a trust hurdle: members will only contribute quality content if they believe others will do the same. This creates a classic “free-rider” problem that leads to the death of many distanced practice communities. Despite this challenge, the CSP alumni that make up the program’s community …

Il Cibo E Il Corpo Nell’Immagine- I Dipinti Rinascimentale Del Cibo E Del Corpo, Lainey Tomasoski

Italian Renaissance Foodways

Questo progetto esamina il modo in cui l'arte rinascimentale rappresentava la cultura del cibo nella prima era moderna e cosa dice questo sulle dinamiche sociali dell'identita.

Customer Capital And Trade Intermediaries: Evidence From China, Jungho Lee, Jianhuan Xu

Research Collection School Of Economics

Using a unique dataset that links the production and sales of Chinese exporting firms, we document that the value of export goods a firm produces often differs from the value of export goods that the firm sells in foreign markets. We show that this empirical pattern reflects that some exporters act as trade intermediaries, which we refer to as producer intermediaries. We further show that firms with higher accumulated marketing expenditures are more likely to become producer intermediaries. To understand the implications of our empirical findings, we develop a theoretical framework in which firms can lend and borrow customer capital …

Connecting The (Dirty) Dots: Current Account Surplus And Polluting Production, Jungho Lee, Shang-Jin Wei, Jianhuan Xu

Research Collection School Of Economics

According to the existing open-economy macroeconomics literature, a current account surplus is associated with a welfare loss only when distortions exist in either savings or investment. We propose a new welfare effect even in the absence of such distortions. In our theory, a trade imbalance − the largest component of a current account imbalance − interacts with a country’s pollution control (“cleanness”) regime to generate welfare effects outside the standard channels. In particular, a trade surplus alters the shipping costs and composition of a country’s imports, producing a welfare loss associated with greater pollution.

Third-Party Employer Branding, Mukta G. Saini, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

There has been a growing interest in third-party employment branding (TPEB) because prospective and current employees perceive it more credible than the company-controlled employer branding. The academic research on TPEB has also been rapidly growing. This chapter reviews the TPEB research using a bibliometric analysis of 734 articles published between 1996 and 2021. The analysis shows that 'employer branding,' 'recruitment,' 'Glassdoor,' and 'word-of-mouth' are the major keywords in this domain. TPEB research can be grouped into three themes – (i) ‘best employer status and its outcomes’, (ii) ‘antecedents and consequences of third-party employment branding’, and (iii) ‘word-of-mouth and recruitment’. We …

Tackling Misperceptions About Immigrants With Fact-Checking Interventions: A Randomized Survey Experiment, Syngjoo Choi, Chung-Yoon Choi, Kim

Research Collection School Of Economics

We conduct a randomized online survey experiment to study the impact of fact-checking offers and financial incentives on misperceptions about immigrants. We find that natives overestimate the number of immigrants and the social and economic costs of immigration. Offering a free check of the factual information about immigrants reduces these misperceptions; it becomes more effective when combined with financial incentives. However, more than half of the participants never took up offers to check factual information. Using a model of information search with limited attention, we identify the presence of non-negligible costs of information search and processing, which limits the effectiveness …

Scaled, Citizen-Led, And Public Qualitative Research: A Framework For Citizen Social Science, Amirah Amirrudin, Nicholas Harrigan, Ijlal Naqvi

Research Collection School Of Economics

We propose a framework for citizen social science that brings together three reinforcing elements of a research project – scale, citizen-leadership, and publicness – to improve qualitative research. Our framework was born out of necessity; a desire to involve ordinary citizens, in researching public issues, with limited funding. We illustrate the application of our framework using insights from research we have led, involving first, a series of qualitative studies of state and civil society organizations working on community engagement by three separate years of public policy students; and second, a qualitative study on the system for processing salary and injury …