Growth and Development Commons^™

Hammurabi’S Laws: Ancient Traditions Of Violence, Aaron Secrist

The Confluence

The tradition of enforcing private property through violence is truly ancient, and goes back thousands of years to the first civilizations. There exists a prevailing attitude that contemporary culture is more “civilized” than the first organized societies – and while it’s true in some ways, our laws are still remarkably similar to those practiced in antiquity. In the following essay, I analyze the Law Code of Hammurabi and examine its parallels to the way laws function today. First, I will provide context for the technological advances that made the first city-states possible, then give a cultural and economic overview of …

Ai Is Taking Over!: A New Generation Of Unemployment Fears, Amaya V. Hepburn

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The growing panic surrounding AI taking over the workforce is strong in a distinct group of demographics, in contrast to the fear of computers taking over the workforce that was seen in previous generations. This suggests that AI developments have sparked a wave of fear that is unlike the fear of tech developments in the past. I have discovered that this fear is prevalent across several demographics: age, employment, and income. By cross-analyzing through the 2017 and 2025 fear surveys, I discovered that fear of AI is more prevalent in younger generations and is more threatening to students entering the …

China-Canada Resource Diplomacy: New Era Of Land Grabbing, Valdrin Dragusha

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

This paper examines the evolving economic relationship between China and Canada, particularly in the context of China's transition from a strictly social economy to an authoritarian socialist market economy. It highlights the implications of China's Going Out Policy initiated in 2000, aimed at securing vital natural resources amidst growing domestic demands driven by rapid economic expansion. The paper analyzes China's significant demand for resources, its sustainable development policies, and the changing dynamics of land acquisitions, particularly in relation to Canada, which is perceived as a strategic investment destination due to its abundant natural resources and technological advancements in clean energy. …

Rising Numbers, Rising Risks: Population, Growth, And Natural Disasters, Sophia Becker-Toro, Yu Ouyang

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

How does population size and growth affect the risk of natural disasters? On October 7, 2024, before Hurricane Milton makes landfall in the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issues a dire warning to affected citizens: “I can say without any dramatization whatsoever. If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.” While there is an extensive literature which focuses on the impact of climate change and/or natural disasters, there is a dearth of works on how population affects the risks of natural disasters. As both the frequency and severity of storms and …

A National Security Strategy For The Middle East, Vanessa Rice, Rudy Torres, Addy Horgan, Joy Omosa, Mark Westfall

School of Public Policy Capstones

This National Security Strategy addresses the persistent national security challenges the United States faces in the Middle East, a region vital for global energy supply, economic connectivity, and a source of anti-American extremism. Recognizing the failures of past "haphazard experimentation," the strategy proposes a thoughtful, pragmatic plan prioritizing five distinct and congruent interest areas: Maintaining Regional Access, Supporting Regional Stability, Ensuring Energy Security, Defending American Citizens and Personnel, and Preserving and Protecting Western Ideals. The strategy outlines actions such as: countering Chinese and Russian influence through intelligence sharing and defense incentives; containing Iran via a new, permanent nuclear deal and …

Artificial Intelligence And The Future Of Global Inequality, Valentina Caceres

Posters - 2026

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a central tool in the global system, shaping economic growth, political power, and international influence. While AI is often celebrated for innovation and progress in different sectors like education, healthcare, security and more, its development is uneven and mostly concentrated in wealthy countries. Because AI is increasingly embedded in economic production, public administration, and social services, access to AI capabilities has become a key determinant of global competitiveness and influence. Many developing nations lack the capital, infrastructure, and technological capacity needed to compete in the global economy driven by AI. This imbalance matters because …

Evolving U.S. And Chinese International Development Policy: Institutions, Strategies, And Global Impact, Julian Kai Lehto

Social Sciences

This paper is inspired by, and meant to understand, recent changes in global policy towards foreign aid and international development. 2025 saw one of the biggest changes to international development in decades, when President Donald Trump’s new administration made the decision to effectively shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). At the same time, China has been taking on a growing role in foreign aid and development over the last decade. Chinese projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have become globally significant. This paper will explore the changing impacts and influence of both the U.S. …

The Role Of Socioeconomic Development In Preventing Violent Extremism, Caelan Stewart

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

No abstract provided.

From Collective Punishment To Collective Action, Samuel N. Johnson-Saeger

CMC Senior Theses

Regime change may be sought in two primary ways, absent a turn to internal or external violence: through nonviolent resistance, from within, and sanctions, from abroad. This paper is about how those two pathways are intertwined. I challenge two different strands of the existing literature. First, I show that Liou et al. (2022)'s finding that sanctions increase the predicted probability of nonviolent resistance movement progress is subject to substantial upward bias from country heterogeneity. Incorporating country fixed effects, I show that sanctions, on average, have no statistically significant effect on resistance outcomes. Second, I challenge Chenoweth and Stephan (2008)'s argument …

The Jamaica That Dreams: A Normative Application Of Developmental Theory, Tamoy Pitt

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines Jamaica’s persistent underdevelopment through Martha Nussbaum's normative application of the capabilities approach as per her conception in Creating Capabilities. Through this approach, the paper will argue that Jamaica’s underdevelopment is a result of the failure of its domestic institutions to provide all citizens with the substantive freedoms and capabilities necessary to live lives of dignity. Originally detailed by Amartya Sen in his book Development as Freedom, the capabilities approach posits freedom as both the means and ends to development while rejecting contemporary approaches to development such as GDP, Utilitarianism, or Rawlsian resource-based approaches as insufficient frameworks for …

Ngos’ Role In Voluntary Repatriation Of The African Diaspora, Teni-Ola Ogunjobi

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The African diaspora consists of people who were displaced far from their ancestral homeland because of slavery, colonization, and other forms of direct and structural violence. This paper will discuss the voluntary repatriation of displaced people, specifically Black people living outside of the continent of Africa, who desire to voluntarily repatriate back to their ancestral countries of origin, their ancestral home, and/or some location on continent of people of African descent. This article identifies a viable group within the international law arena to support in addressing the requests for voluntary repatriation of African descendants to their African countries of origin. …

Ethical Values In Curriculum Implementation: Nigerian Teacher Educators’ Perception, Eke Ogbu Eke, Ariguzo Genevieve Onyekachi, Felicia Chika Dim, Chidingozi Eke, Joy Oruwari

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This study investigated the perceptions of teacher educators regarding the integration of ethical values into curriculum implementation within teacher education programmes in Nigeria. Through a survey conducted at Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri, involving 191 academic staff. Researchers made a perception response questionnaire titled "Integrating Ethical Values into Curriculum Implementation within Teacher Education Programmes in Nigeria Questionnaire (IEVCITEP)". It had a reliability coefficient of 0.84 determined using Cronbach Alpha. The data collected was analyzed using mean and standard deviation in answering research questions while the hypothesis was tested using t-test statistical tools tested at 0.05 level of significance. The …

The Role Of Design Thinking In Edtech Startups, Toluwani Victor Aliu

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

A move toward user-centered methods to innovation has been garnering attention due to the realization that consumers and users may offer possibilities and expertise. An innovative strategy that infuses creativity with user-centeredness is design thinking. Despite this, design thinking has received little attention in startups, particularly in the EdTech sector. Even while design thinking has become quite popular, there is a need for empirical study on design thinking in startups. This is because the majority of the research has been on large organizations. The paper explicates how design thinking facilitates the implementation of methodologies through iterative development, empathy mapping, and …

Acknowledgment, Yaljod 5.1, Florian Cyril Mshanga

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Acknowledgment from Florian Cyril Mshanga, Vice President, Governance & Operations, Young African Leaders Forum (YALF)

Reviving Pan-Africanism For The 21st Century: A Framework For Youth-Led Continental Governance Reform, Ugochukwu Mercy Prince-Ifoh

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This paper explores the historical trajectory, current stagnation, and potential revival of PanAfricanism with a strong emphasis on youth leadership as the engine of governance reform across the African continent. By tracing the intellectual and political contributions of renowned leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Thomas Sankara, the study identifies foundational principles of unity, sovereignty, and collective progress. The paper critically evaluates the Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AU), highlighting opportunities and limitations for youth participation. It also conducts a comparative analysis of regional youth governance structures and proposes practical frameworks to institutionalize youth-led reforms. The paper …

Reimagining Youth Agency In Africa: Programs, Progress, And A Continental Vision (Closing Feature Article), Dennis Munene

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This edition has curated the ideas, research, and praxis of young intellectuals and practitioners across the continent. As Vice President in charge of Programs and Development (Strategies), I am pleased to provide a retrospective of our continental programs and initiatives and project the path we envision in shaping Africa's future.

Decoding The Future: African Parliaments, The 4ir, And The Ai Revolution, Bravin Onditi, Immanuel Mwendwa Kiilu

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (41R), propelled by advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), is ushering in a profound transformation across Africa's economies, governance systems, and societies. For African parliaments, there is an incredible challenge on the governance front, but the opportunities are unprecedented. This paper examines the range of biases, data insecurities, and inequalities the democracies of the continent face, while detailing how African legislatures can instate frameworks to govern and design AI function within the democracies of the continent. As seen in the examples of Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, this paper outlines the disparity between the astounding rates …

An Investigative Analysis Of How African Youth Can Drive Economic Integration By Taking Up Agriculture As A Means Of Economic Livelihood, Gerald Kihara Muchiri

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The paper explores how African youth can drive economic integration by using agriculture as an economic means of livelihood. Despite being Africa's most vital asset, African youth remain underrepresented in continental development initiatives and continue to stagnate as they face structural challenges such as perennial unemployment. The recent promulgation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme hold immense promise to improve the lives of millions of African youths if leveraged appropriately. This paper concludes that Africa's youth could be the continent's engine to propel sustainable economic growth if their potential is harnessed appropriately, …

Front Matter, Yaljod 5.1, Sombo Muzata

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Includes: Editorial Review by Dr. Sombo Muzata, Editor in Chief, Young African Leaders Journal of Development; Foreword by Prof. Plo-Lumumba; Foreword by Prof. Tim Kiruhi; and Preface by Prince C. lfoh, Founder and President, Young African Leaders Forum (YALF).

Promoting Women’S Land Ownership Rights In Tanzania: The Role Of Wlac As A Legal Empowerment Ngo, Norbeth Sixbert

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Despite Tanzania's progressive legal frameworks that recognize women's rights to own and inherit land, significant gaps remain between policy and practice. This paper explores the role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in promoting women's land ownership rights, using the Women's Legal Aid Centre (WLAC) as a case study. Located in Kinondoni Municipal, Dar es Salaam, WLAC employs a multifaceted approach that empowers women and safeguards their land rights. While WLAC has achieved notable success, challenges exist and are exacerbated by overlapping statutory and customary legal systems that often disadvantage women. WLAC's multilateral engagement has helped to navigate these obstacles, yet structural …

Mainstreaming Africa’S Third Sector For Africa’S Development, Thoko J. Mthiko

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

After independence, most African governments pursued public sector based economic development strategies based on import substitution which were considered to be key to rapid industrialization and modernization oflow-income countries. This public sector-led economic development however, proved to be unsustainable. There were severe economic crises associated with lack of growth, high inflation, rising internal and foreign debts, crumbling infrastructure and shortage of essential commodities. Protected from competition, the public sector and its enterprises failed to innovate, relied on inappropriate capital-intensive technologies, and became dependent on imported inputs. With this, came the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP's) where the public sector became the …

Zakat For Financing Sustainable Development In Africa: Opportunities And Challenges, Shawgei Salah Ahmed Ismaeil

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The issue of Zakat and financing of SDGs has become an issue that economic, social and environmental researchers have raised, especially after the recent economic crisis. This is owing to Zakat dependence on the self-effort of societies and communities. Zakat supports the economic, social and environmental structure of societies. Africa, undoubtedly, needs to reduce poverty and hunger without preconditions by donors to change laws and the way of life of Africans. This task can be done through Islamic financing and Zakat. This paper puts this issue at the forefront of events for further study and research to rethink the practical …

Robotics In Agriculture: Challenges And Opportunities For Net-Zero – A Case For Africa, Oluwafemi Royal Aliu

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Evidence of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are set to reposition the practice and process of agriculture. This study addressed vital issues in agriculture such as the need for a 70% increase in food production by 2050 because of population growth, technology, and other issues sweeping human livelihood, and are challenges of food insecurity which is currently affecting more than 820 million people globally. Emphasis was placed on the potential of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in curbing agricultural challenges in facts such as climate change, water scarcity, and pest management. The study identifies collaboration between different fields such as …

Yaljod Full Issue 5.1, Sombo Muzata

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This issue brings together a compelling collection of scholarly articles that reflect the dynamic intersection of ethics, technology, governance, and social justice in Africa's development discourse. The contributions span diverse sectors including artificial intelligence, education, agriculture, legal empowerment, and economic integration. The articles offer both critical insights and actionable frameworks as Africa continues to implement its African Union Agenda 2063 plan. This work, written by up-and-coming African scholars demonstrates the commitment to scholarship on African issues, focused on Africa by Africans. This has been our goal at the Young African Leaders Journal of Development i.e., to advance scholarship on pertinent …

Constructing A State: Canals And The Transformation Of The Economy, Politics, And Finance In Nineteenth-Century New York, Youwei Xing

All Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays in economic history, unified by a focus on one of America's earliest transportation infrastructures, the canal system, in nineteenth-century New York. Each chapter explores a different aspect of the state's transformation: its economy, politics, and finance, each of which helped construct New York as the Empire State.

The first chapter studies the economic impact of canals on economic modernization from three aspects: sectoral transition, urbanization, and banking development. Contrary to much of the modern literature finds transportation infrastructure leads to decentralization, I find the opposite-evidence of centralization. Specially: (1) canal towns experienced a transition …

Draining Development: The Changing Nature Of Corruption In Post-Independence India, Chandra Tiwari

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The economic growth of emerging economies, particularly India’s, stands at a crossroads as the fight against corruption intensifies. Corruption poses a significant threat to the overall development of a country, necessitating the convergence of technological advances with national and global initiatives to combat the issue. Despite several ongoing efforts taken by international bodies to enforce regulations, challenges persist in curbing this issue due to the fundamental behavioral and structural factors at play. This dissertation investigates the dynamic evolution of corruption within a cash-based economy, a period of trade openness, and the contemporary digitalized age in India through a comparative case …

Synthetic Statocracy - Pakistan’S Self-Created Inferno: Examining The Causes And Consequences Of Military Dominance In Pakistan, Umer Lakhani

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines the history of military rule in Pakistan. Applying the framework of Johannes Gerschewski in The Three Pillars of Stability: Legitimation, Repression and Co-Optation in Autocratic Regimes, this paper looks to explain how military rulers who presided over the three periods of military rule in Pakistan consolidated and maintained their power, as well as the effects that these periods of rule had on Pakistani society. This paper will also supplement Gerschewski’s general framework by applying the findings of various established authors who have been published extensively on Pakistan’s political history, economy and relationship with the military. Such authors …

Beyond The Bank Account: Financial Inclusion And Maharashtra's Microenterprises, Kyra F. Variyava

CMC Senior Theses

Financial inclusion has evolved from mere bank account ownership to a broader imperative that encourages the active and consistent use of financial services to cultivate practices of savings and better financial management. Focusing on the underserved communities of Maharashtra’s microenterprise sector, this thesis evaluates the effectiveness of four central financial inclusion schemes: Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises, Stand-Up India, and Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi. This thesis develops a four-dimensional evaluative framework, assessing each scheme’s performance in accessibility, awareness and financial literacy efforts, adoption of digital services, and accountability and oversight …

Venezuela's And Mexico's Oil Industries: Policy Making Sets The Course, Camila Gimenez Valero

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The puzzle of Venezuela's crisis is one that researchers often try to understand. How did one of the richest nations in the world become one of the poorest? Venezuela is nowadays seen as a country with political unrest, where people struggle to get by and with a corrupt government. However, this was not always the case. Throughout the 20th century Venezuela had remarkable economic stability. Having discovered the world's largest known oil reserves, the nation's economy quickly developed, and the country also became known for its long-standing democracy. After the election of Hugo Chavez in 1998, Venezuela began to decline …

Notes From The Editor, Jay Nathan

Journal of Global Awareness

No abstract provided.