Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Why Community: The Potentials And Limitations Of Community Engagement In Restorative Justice, Emily P. Chauhan

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of community in restorative justice through both the criminologist and practitioner perspectives. Through investigating the limitations of the U.S. penal system, which ranks highest globally in incarceration rates yet fails to ensure public safety, the research investigates restorative justice as a victim-cantered, harm-driven alternative. It emphasizes how restorative justice redefines crime by focusing on healing and accountability rather than punishment of the criminals/harm-doers. This thesis examines how communities are essential to restorative processes and how restorative justice, in turn, helps to build communities. Drawing from case studies, models, and interviews this thesis questions the assumptions …

Off The Grid: Rural Identity, Environmentalism, And Renewable Energy Policy In Rural New England, Joseph A. Grassi

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates how rural identity, environmental values, and place-based resentment interact to shape support for land use regulation in rural New England. Despite their vulnerability to climate change, rural communities often resist renewable energy development—a pattern commonly attributed to economic concerns or NIMBYism. Using an original survey of over 1,400 New England residents, this study tests six hypotheses through multivariate regression and subgroup analysis. Findings confirm that environmental identity is a strong predictor of support for land use regulation; however, this effect diminishes significantly among rural respondents. Place identity alone is associated with greater policy support, but when combined …

Shared Tracks, Divided Rule: The Role Of Polycentrism In Shaping Public Transportation In U.S. Metropolises, Dev Purohit

Honors Theses

American public transportation is notably less comprehensive and efficient relative to peer nations. The reliance on private automobiles and commercial air travel for routes that can be served by high-speed rail is a uniquely American phenomenon. This inefficiency is deeply rooted in governance structures, where centralized decision-making has often failed to address the complexities of metropolitan transit systems spanning multiple jurisdictions. This project explores polycentric governance as a potential mechanism to address these shortcomings by fostering competition, enhancing collaboration, and promoting localized responsiveness within metropolitan transit systems. By developing an empirical inventory to measure governance polycentricity and comparing transit outcomes …

Shouting Down Democracy: The Role Of The Deeply Engaged In American Political Discourse, Annaliese Fleck

Honors Theses

In an age of heightened polarization and increasing incivility in politics, a small but influential subset of Americans, known as the deeply engaged have emerged as dominant voices in political dialogue. This thesis investigates who these individuals are, what drives them, and how their behavior impacts democratic participation in the United States. Through a combination of theoretical analysis and original survey data, this study constructs a profile of the deeply engaged and distinguishes them from the general electorate. Drawing on foundational concepts of free speech, including isegoria and parrhesia, and the philosophies of John Stuart Mill and Karl Popper, this …

When Choice Disappears: Voter Cynicism In The Absence Of Competition, Benjamin J. Kaden

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the democratic consequences of uncontested state legislature elections in the United States, focusing on how the absence of electoral competition influences both voter engagement and political attitudes. While state legislatures wield significant influence over public policy and resource allocation, an increasing number of these elections proceed without meaningful opposition. Drawing on an original survey of 2,775 respondents, this study tests two core hypotheses: first, that uncontested state legislature elections lead to decreased voter engagement, as reflected in voter attitude towards election participation and candidate qualities; and second, that uncontested state legislature elections increase negative attitudes towards government …

Global Rate Pass Through: Impact Of The Global Savings Market On Home Prices In The Uk, Laxmi Namboodiri

Honors Theses

This paper examines how changes in the global savings and investment market impact housing prices and supply in the United Kingdom. I first constructed a global interest rate using principal component analysis. Then, using structural VARs, I estimate impulse response functions to study the dynamics of housing prices and supply in the UK with an impulse in the global interest rate. The model predicts that housing prices and supply will increase immediately and then decrease after a lag. The decrease is primarily driven by the years after the stock market crash as opposed to before.

Asian American Navigation In Higher Education: Do We Belong At Colby College?, Amanda Rose Alpert

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how Asian American students navigate their belonging at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI), specifically a case study at the higher educational institution Colby College. In understanding how Asian American students navigate the spaces around them, this thesis dives into the history of Asian immigration to the U.S., the Asian American politicized label, and the different diasporas and cultural nuances Asian Americans experience that make up the complicated, diverse, and misunderstood label. Through exploring global racializations of Asian bodies and legacies of Western imperialism and colonialism, this gives a basis of how Asian Americans understand themselves as persons living …

The Relevance Of Information On Effective Charitable Giving, Pride J. Jia

Honors Theses

The most effective charities are often more than a hundred times as effective as the average charity. However, top charities are not prioritized, and donation money is not used most effectively. To address this issue, it is crucial to understand why effective charitable giving is not prioritized. One factor identified in previous research is the limited access to cost-effectiveness information among donors. Our research explores whether providing individuals with different forms of information about charities leads to more effective donation decisions. Through an online RCT, individuals are separated into groups exposed to different types of information about two charities and …

A Long Way Home: Postcolonial Migration Between Cameroon And France, Elizabeth Greenberg

Honors Theses

This project grew from an observation that despite exhibiting strong national pride, most young Cameroonians express a fervent desire to emigrate. Through a combination of interviews and a review of past literature, I discovered a unique narrative among upper middle class Cameroonian migrants whose stories are generally underrepresented in migration literature. This study investigates how history and sociocultural dynamics help explain the Cameroonian decision to choose France (specifically the Île de France region) as a migration destination. France is particularly relevant because it previously held control of many parts of Cameroon and is one of the most popular migration destinations …

Mucking Up Public Health: A Geospatial Analysis Of Agricultural Sludge Application And Cancer Prevalence In Maine, Sarah A. Bassett

Honors Theses

This study investigates the impact of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on cancer prevalence throughout Maine. The main contribution of this project is the database constructed to examine cancer rates at a novel aggregation area: watersheds. By using a watershed as the aggregation area, this study gains insight into the threat that spreading sludge as fertilizer on agricultural fields poses to human health through groundwater pathways. Using geospatial analysis and an ordinary least squares regression model, this study estimates the effect of the presence of PFAS in a watershed from 2017 to 2021, in addition to estimating the impact of …

From Colony To Classroom: British Rule And Contemporary Educational Outcomes In India, Yashvita Shukla

Honors Theses

This study analyzes the modern day legacy of British colonial ruling structures on Indian educational outcomes. In directly ruled areas, the British retained total control, while Indian princes in indirectly ruled areas had administrative agency. I find that directly ruled districts have higher literate population shares across both genders over three census years, but no significant difference by 2011 in primary, secondary, and tertiary education, controlling for colonial geographic conditions. Gender-disaggregated results generally find stronger colonial effects for women than men. This thesis challenges earlier findings and implies that the British effort to create an educated administrative class and their …

Are Cities Still Liberal? An Analysis Of Post-Pandemic Political Change In American Cities, Olivia Mundy

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates whether American cities are experiencing a political shift to the right in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as suggested by recent media narratives. Drawing on an original national survey of 2,385 respondents conducted in early 2025, the study examines attitudinal and demographic changes among urban residents, with a particular focus on ideology, trust in local government, economic perceptions, and views on race and immigration. Despite anecdotal evidence of conservative gains in urban elections, the findings show no significant trend toward conservatism among urban residents overall. In fact, urban respondents were slightly more likely than their non-urban …

Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

In Memoriam: Bruce Bigelow, 1943 - 2025, Kenneth Colburn

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Mind The Gap: Public Opinion And The Gender Pay Gap In The American States, Ashley C.F. Hutson, Joel Jennings, Gregory Shufeldt

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Although women earn less than men in all fifty states, some are skeptical of the gender pay gap. In this era of heightened polarization, voters increasingly disagree on established facts and the scientific consensus, such as climate change and the efficacy of vaccines. Utilizing an original survey of 1,075 respondents conducted during the summer of 2022, our findings showed four groups of respondents to be more likely to disagree with the statement that women earn less than men in their state: men, Republicans, conservatives, and those with more negative views toward women. Our findings suggest that worldview, shaped by partisanship, …

Editor-In-Chief's Note, Surekha Rao

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Mission And Editorial Policy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Meme Wars As Socially Situated Learning: Learning In Online Communities Of Hate, Conspiracy, And Insurgency, Kevin M. Clark

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Learning is important in a pluralistic democracy, to enable citizens to make informed decisions. However, with the rise of the internet and social media, we need more than ever to understand how learning is shaped by social context and intertwined with issues of identity and belonging. One theoretical framework that addresses these social aspects of learning comes from the work of Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger on socially situated learning in communities of practice. This article focuses on what many would consider to be the darker side of learning—the rise of hate, disinformation/conspiracy, and insurgency in online communities. Specifically, it …

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 28, Issue 1 Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

George C. Roberts Award Recipients

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Organizational Factors That May Contribute To Physician Burnout, Joseph Neric

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Burnout is pervasive in the healthcare industry and is disproportionately affecting physicians. Burnout is defined as a psychological response to chronic workplace stress that is manifested as physical and emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced self-efficacy. Even though there is comprehensive research on physician burnout—particularly physician driven—this research aims to highlight the importance of how healthcare organizations negatively contribute to physician’s workplace stress.

The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) was used to measure the presence of burnout. The Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) was used to measure the incongruence between the job and the person. Results (n=198) from the OLBI indicated 37.4% …

Exploring Characteristics Of Indiana's Local Park And Recreation Leaders, Amy L. Gregg, James A. Jones, Halyn Ferris

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This was an exploratory study about the characteristics of Indiana’s local leaders in parks and recreation. Results of a statewide survey showed different roles of employees and volunteers in local agencies. In managing the supply side of recreation, they reported vast differences in scale of levels of populations served and natural resources managed, such as acres and trails. The Northern, Central and Southern regions were compared for types of local government, communities of different sizes, and nonprofit collaboration. Local leaders represented municipal, township and county providers collaborating with other local community organizations. Results showed that size of community served affected …

A Content Analysis Of Doubt: How Latter-Day Saints Interact Online When One Of Their Own Seeks Answers, Leilani Naomi Mascio, Ronald Smith

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This content analysis examines how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) interact with doubting members in online forums, focusing on Facebook and Reddit. Analyzing 1,115 comments from four public posts (August 2024–January 2025), six emergent themes characterize these interactions: (1) normalizing doubt, (2) thought-terminating clichés, (3) bringing back to the fold, (4) hierarchical escalation, (5) attributing doubt to Satan, and (6) emotional reasoning. Findings reveal that LDS members overwhelmingly dominate these discussions, employing doctrinal language, personal narratives, and appeals to authority to reintegrate doubters. Notably, non-member interference was rare, suggesting moderated or self-selected engagement. The …

Lgbtqia+ Hate Crimes And State Non-Discrimination Policies: An Analysis, Jillian Jones

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

While LGBTQIA+ rights have been increasing in the United States for decades, many states do not have non-discrimination policies that protect individuals based on their gender identity and sexual orientation. This lack in protection leaves many LGBTQIA+ individuals vulnerable to experiencing discrimination and harassment, which could lead to hate crimes, cultivating an environment of passive tolerance rather than active resistance. Active resistance can be achieved through the passage of non-discrimination policies, as well as addressing minority stress that LGBTQIA+ individuals can be susceptible to when they are actively experiencing or anticipating discrimination and harassment. This research paper addresses whether the …

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Call For Papers

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Pandemics And Partisanship: The Impact Of Political Identity On Public Health Responses, Andy Tuholski

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This literature review examines the intersection of political partisanship and public health responses during pandemics, with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Historically, pandemics such as the Venetian plague (1575-1577) and the Great Plague of London (1665-1666) have elicited responses driven by socioeconomic and health factors. In contrast, the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. was distinctly shaped by pre-existing political affiliations, particularly between conservative and liberal factions. Applying Social Identity Theory (SIT), this review explores how group identity and partisanship influenced pandemic-related behaviors and attitudes. Empirical evidence indicates that Republican-leaning states experienced higher COVID-19 mortality rates, …

Editorial History

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Maternal Incarceration, Adolescent Delinquency, And Siblings, Tracey L. Woodard

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Researchers have estimated that approximately 2.7 million children in the United States have a parent in jail or prison. Since 1991, the number of children with a father in prison grew by 77%, while the number of children with a mother in prison more than doubled (131%). In examining the consequences of maternal incarceration on children, many researchers have found an association between negative child outcomes and maternal incarceration. However, not all research has produced the same conclusions, thus yielding heterogeneous findings. It is essential to understand the factors that may explain the variation in outcomes of children experiencing maternal …