Political Science Commons^™

The Rise Of Right-Wing Populism In Poland: Comparative Analysis Of Social Structure And Party Strategy, Patrycja J. Koszykowska

Student Theses and Dissertations

Under the puzzling circumstances of a strong domestic economy and the relatively stable mainstream policymaking of the incumbents, Law and Justice (PiS), a right-wing populist party, momentously won the 2015 presidential and parliamentary elections in Poland. Using a comparative approach, the thesis examines the structural forces and policy dimensions/goals, which have provided the necessary conditions for the populist right-wing program to appeal to a wide variety of demographic groups, resulting in an electoral victory and to some degree in the redrawing of political and social boundaries. The conducted field study served as a hypothesis-generating exercise to gauge the voter sentiment …

Participation And Representation: Does Risk Acceptance Influence The Decision Making Of Political Actors?, Joshua Daniel Hostetter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Are political actors influenced by their acceptance of risk? By political actors I mean individuals in society or government that have an influence on political outcomes. By risk acceptance I mean the degree to which an individual is comfortable with uncertainty and willing to challenge the status quo. The purpose of the present dissertation is to further enhance scholarly understanding of the causal psychological mechanisms that influence political behavior by considering individual risk acceptance.

Kam’s (2012) theoretical framework suggests that risk-accepting individuals are more likely to participate in politics because they seek out exciting and novel activities. She does …

Explaining Destination Countries Of Human Trafficking With Factors Relevant To Traffickers, Gabrielle Denae Boliou

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Awareness of human trafficking is increasing. This thesis aims to deepen our understanding of why traffickers prefer some countries over others as destination countries for their victims. Existing studies tend to neglect two elements when researching international human trafficking: factors that appeal to traffickers themselves and the significance of the country’s role in the international network as a destination country (rather than a source or transit country). In this thesis, I demonstrate that drug trafficking flows, legalized prostitution, and higher levels of corruption will appeal to traffickers and make countries more likely to be destination countries. I test this using …

Determinants Of The Generalized Trust Radius In Scripted Fragile Sub-Saharan African States, Anthony Caito

Dissertations

Trust between strangers does not come easily in collectivist societies governed by coercive institutions and subject to unstable market forces. More than one-third of all states are fragile, yet the trust literature has shown little interest in explaining the variability of generalized trust among them; instead fixating on social capital, the consequence of the expansion of generalized trust, putting the cart before the horse and leaving unexamined many of its causes. The enhanced accuracy of the reconfigured World Values Survey trust question has generated new research opportunities to address this concern. This dissertation advances the trust literature through identifying, measuring, …

Political Accountability And Determinants Of Governance Under Principal-Agent Theory, Matthew Bluem

Dissertations

This study examines the theory that quality of governance is largely dependent upon political accountability, and that the effect of political accountability on governance varies based on three main determinants: level of democracy, level of information available to the public, and diversification of the economy (Adserà et al. 2003). With quality of governance, represented by the World Bank’s World Governance Indicators (WGI), as the dependent variable, this study considers how these three independent variables, and several control variables, affect governance quality. Incorporating data from 2010 – 2015 for 143 countries in both cross-sectional OLS and fixed effects panel regression analysis, …

The Dictators’ Dilemma: Repression Or Concessions In The Face Of Resistance, Chris Massaro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Arab Spring revolts of late 2010 and 2011 were a profound moment in the history of a region troubled by decades of authoritarianism. Years of economic mismanagement and security force repression trammeled on the rights and aspirations of people striving for a better life. When social movements and anti-government protests erupted throughout the region, each country responded to the uprisings with different methodologies. This research closely examines why autocratic regimes of the region chose such divergent responses, with some opting to use violent repression, others attempting to make concessions and most combined repression with concessions. I will make the …

Building Brand Kurdistan: Helly Luv, The Gender Of Nationhood, And The War On Terror, Nicholas S. Glastonbury

Publications and Research

In the early 2000s, the Kurdistan Regional Government hired a US-based firm to begin a public relations campaign called “The Other Iraq.” Since that time, it has worked with a number of PR and lobbying firms to build a cultural, political, and financial apparatus that I refer to as Brand Kurdistan. This apparatus aims to prove to Western audiencesthat the Kurds are a liberal exception in an illiberal Middle East, and to build prospects of KRG’s eventual national independence. This article explores the connections between Brand Kurdistan and the gendering of Kurdish nationalism, focusing particularly on Kurdish pop diva Helly …

Unequal Democracies: Economic Sanctions' Impact On Human Rights In Democratic Systems, Daniel Partin

Masters Theses

In the past, research into the field of human rights has treated regime as a dichotomous variable and divided the type of governmental structure into either autocracies or democracies. By lumping all democracies into one category, all variation between different categories of governmental composition is discarded and it is difficult to examine the differences between types of democratic governments and their human rights capacities. Due to their tendency to accrete power centrally, presidential democracies are thought to repress the rights of citizens more often and severely than parliamentary systems. Further, an exogenous shock to the political system, such as the …

Volume Xix - 2018: Table Of Contents

Political Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Changing Geopolitical Dynamics Of The Middle East And Their Impact On Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts, Daniel Bucksbaum

Honors Theses

In this thesis the status and feasibility of the two-state solution, the primary and most widely-accepted potential resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be analyzed. It considers aspects such as physical challenges (geography and topography of the land), regressive and damaging actions to the peace process by Israelis and Palestinians, and the newly developing changes in regional alliances and interests in the Middle East. The status of the traditional two-state solution, due to its history, obstacles, and current regional developments, has implications for future negotiations and have changed the direction of peace talks. Dramatic shifts in regional interests and the …

Reverting To The Right: Analyzing The Recent Reversion Of Western Liberal Democracies, Kevin Crosby

Honors College Theses

This paper will investigate and analyze the rise of the far right movement’s influence and legitimacy in European Union (EU) states. The far right movement has been characterized by its nationalism, nativism, and skepticism of global and regional integration. In Europe the global financial crisis of 2008 and the current European immigration crisis have shaken public faith in EU integration efforts and led to the legitimization of far right political movements that previously represented a bare minority in political discourse. The expansion of such movements has led to massive policy shifts throughout Europe, such as the United Kingdom’s decision to …

The Self And Other: Portraying Israeli And Palestinian Identities On Twitter, Jason Deegan, John Hogan, Sharon Feeney, Brendan Orourke

Articles

The conflict between Israel and Palestine has lasted over half a century, with both sides enduring military and political turmoil. This paper explores how Twitter is being used as a medium to portray identities in the conflict. We examine the tweets contained in the @IDFspokesperson and @ISMPalestine Twitter accounts between late 2015 and early 2016. Using textual analysis, we gain an insight into how these Twitter accounts, defined by the conflict, are used in portraying the self and the other.

Tracking Public Support For Japan's Remilitarization Policies: An Examination Of Elitist And Pluralist Governance, Cory S. Madison

Student Publications

Has Japan’s post-Second World War transformation into one of the most militarily capable nations been the result of 60 years of truly representative government? This research compares government-collected opinion polls to policy trends and actions, to determine whether the case of Japan’s remilitarization argues for or against the country’s democratic quality. For the purpose of this research, the size of Japan’s military and its legislative freedom to act as a more conventional military were considered the most pertinent militarization policies. Results indicated that those policies were consistently unjustified by measured opinion, suggesting elitist policy formation. However, other policy areas, such …

Instituting Sound Ethical Practices As A Foundation For Good Governance, Ogechukwu Marlyn Agim

The Siegel Institute Journal of Applied Ethics

This paper seeks to create a better understanding of sound ethical practices in the public and non-profit sector, highlighting these sectors and the issue areas, presenting work and practices that have been executed in the past, and exploring the implications that sound ethical principles have as a foundation for good governance for public servants, non-profit organization employees and even private employees.

Because governance is a term that spreads across all fields, several applications of sound ethical practices will be introduced and discussed in depth in this paper. An extensive study on best practices in the USA and Nigeria will be …

Quiet Transformation From The Bottom: Emerging Transnational Coalition Of Non-State Actors In East Asia Community Building, Seung-Youn Oh

Political Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

If analyses of community-building efforts in Northeast Asia are fixated on the level of the nation-state and the central government, then one fails to capture the complex, transnational integration dynamics that are now vigorously at work in the region, contends Seung-Youn Oh in this chapter. Non-state Actors—less constrained than national authorities by political tensions and historical legacies—are not only generating a new capacity for regional community-building, they are also strengthening existing forms of regional cooperation.

Oh’s chapter explores how non-state actors in Northeast Asia in both individual countries and at the regional level serve as transnational constituencies and create regional …

Electoral Cycle Fluctuations In Partisanship: Global Evidence From Eighty-Six Countries, Kristin Michelitch, Stephen Utych

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Elections are defining elements of democracy but occur infrequently. Given that elections evoke mass mobilization, we expect citizen attachments to political parties to wax during election season and wane in between. By leveraging data from 86 countries across the globe to investigate the effect of the electoral cycle on partisanship, we find that the predicted probability of being close to a political party rises 6 percentage points from cycle midpoint to an election—an effect rivaling traditional key determinants of partisanship. Further, fluctuations are larger where the persistence of party presence throughout the cycle is weaker and socioeconomic development is lower. …

Presidentialized Party Di Indonesia: Kasus Perilaku Pdi-P Dalam Pencalonan Joko Widodo Pada Pilpres 2014, Ahmad Alhamid, Aditya Permana

Jurnal Politik

The mechanism of direct election in presidential election encourages political party to choose the most popular candidate even though he/she is a party outsider. It has a risk that the party or the general chairperson as “principal” will have difficulty controlling the nominated “agent” or outsider. Presidentialism at least changes the behavior of political parties in terms of nominating, electing, and governing. Through qualitative methods and data collection using interviews, this research raises the case study of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) behavior in the nomination of Joko Widodo as the Presidential Candidate of the Republic of Indonesia …

Membaca Kelas Menengah Muslim Indonesia, Qorry Aina

Jurnal Politik

No abstract provided.

Strategi Politik Elektoral Gerakan Buruh Di Korea Selatan (2004-2014), Dana Pratiwi

Jurnal Politik

This research aims to analyze the reason why the electoral political strategies of the labor movement in South Korea tend to be ineffective after 2004. It can be seen by the decrease in the number of positions obtained by the labor party in the national parliament, the internal party factions, the gap between the organization of the labor movement and the party, the party is unable to expand its support base and to accom¬modate other national policy issues. This research uses a qualitative methods and the secondary data to answer the research question. The analysis is referred to a research …

Conflict Among Comrades: Elite Purges And Political Violence In Authoritarian Regimes, Austin Scott Matthews

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation intends to provide answers to the following research questions: Why do some dictators forcibly remove their top ruling elites from power? If dictators choose to purge an individual, what influences their choice about whether to include punitive violence as part of the action? This work contributes to the field of research on elite interaction and political violence within authoritarian regimes. I advance three main theories on purges and violence. First, I argue that purges of ruling elites are more likely during a period of weakness that follows regime change, declining in likelihood over time as the regime ages …

The Geopolitics Of Canadian Defense White Papers: Lofty Rhetoric And Limited Results, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

As the United States northern neighbor, Canada serves as a NATO ally and a strategic partner with Washington through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Canadian forces have fought honorably and bravely in concert with American forces in many wars. Canada's government, however, has been less consistent in promoting a credible vision of Canadian national security policy and geopolitical interests in its defense white papers. These documents have often contained idealistic rhetoric about adhering to a rules-based international order and defending freedom. In reality, Canadian governments of varying political parties have consistently failed to provide the sustained funding and …

Why Gun Violence Continues Its Rampage Across America: A Comparison Of American And Australian Firearm Policies, Daniel Schaub

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis is a comparative case study between US and Australian firearm policies and gun culture. I ask, given the large number of injuries and mass shootings due to firearms, why has the United States not implemented stronger firearm regulations? I conduct a comprehensive literature review of American gun culture throughout history and modern firearm violence in both the United States and Australia. By utilizing the framework of historical institutionalism and the concept path dependency, I explain why and how institutions in the United States are unique and how they differ from similar institutions in Australia. I find that the …

Why Are European Countries Reluctant To Accept Syrian Refugees?, Halide Gorgun Kilinc

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The conflict in Syria has forcibly moved about 10 million people from their homes. About 5 million of these displaced people fled to four of Syria’s neighbor countries: Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. Resettlement of Syrian refugees has become a significant public policy debate not only in the neighboring countries of Syria but also in Europe and the United States. Despite the fact that European countries are champions of international law and human rights, there is a strong resistance to acceptance of Syrian refugees. This study analyzes and attempts to explain the reasons why European governments are reluctant to receive …

Movements And Political Parties In The 21st Century: Exploring The Role Of Icts, Human Development, And Political-Activism Culture In East Asia And Latin America, Wilneida Negron

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The dynamics between social movements and political parties are shifting in the 21st century. Due to the emergence of information communication technologies (ICTs), political parties are facing increased pressure to use ICTs to co-exist, complement, and nurture social movements and empowered civic communities (Nahon, 2015). However, this shift is not ahistorical and technologically deterministic. Rather, the shifting relationship between social movements and political parties is one that can be shaped by a variety of demographic and socio-economic factors as well as preexisting cultures of resistance, activism, and electoral campaigning. This research examines potential patterns and casual mechanisms which can help …

The Politics Of United States Army Doctrine, David C. Rasmussen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The US Army made four significant shifts in the content of its capstone operations doctrine, Field Manual (FM) 100-5 / FM 3-0, along a spectrum of war since the end of WWII: 1) in 1954 it made a shift from a doctrine focused almost exclusively on mid-intensity conventional warfare to a doctrine that added significant emphasis to high-intensity nuclear warfare; 2) in 1962 it made an even greater shift in the opposite direction toward low-intensity unconventional warfare doctrine; 3) in 1976 it shifted back to an almost exclusive focus on mid-intensity conventional warfare content; 4) and this is where Army …

Ukraine At The Crossroad In Post-Communist Europe: Policymaking And The Role Of Foreign Actors, Ryan Barrett

Dissertations

As the mounting protests from Maidan Square in Kyiv led to the resignation of President Viktor Yanukovich, Ukrainians found themselves at an unavoidable fork in the road in their history. For years the country had become a new frontier of Western influence, forcing a decision between tightening economic and cultural ties with Western countries or with Russia. The basic question many Ukrainians now faced included choosing between their Soviet past or a potential liberal democratic future. Furthermore, the Russian takeover of Crimea became the first major invasion of a European country since 1968. This military maneuver stunned the international community …

Political Homophobia As A State Strategy In Russia, Nikita Sleptcov

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This article examines the current state strategy of political homophobia used by the Russian government to create a sense of national identity by scapegoating Russian homosexuals as "foreign agents," reinforcing the power of the governing elite, and distracting people's attention from government misconduct.

Putin's 'Eastern Pivot': Divergent Ambitions Between Russia And China? Evidence From The Arctic, Thomas E. Rotnem, Kristina Minkova

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Focusing upon the warming Sino-Russian relationship in general, this paper also examines in particular both countries interests in the Arctic region. The paper begins with a brief overview of the developing Sino-Russian relationship since the late 1980s. After discussing the blossoming of friendlier ties during the Putin-Xi era, it reviews some of the arguments and assumptions that scholars have held predicting either an ever closer relationship or an eventual rupture in those relations. The paper then analyzes both countries’ interests in the Arctic realm, using this case study as evidence supporting the view that the Sino-Russian relationship–despite its many difficulties–has …

Is “This Guy” A Dictator? On The Morality Of Evaluating Russian Democracy Under Vladimir Putin, Amir Azarvan

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Is it morally defensible to single Russian president, Vladimir Putin, out as a dictator? The popular impression that he is a dictator has been used to legitimize a dangerously adversarial policy towards what a U.S. Army general described as “the only country on earth…that could “destroy the United States.” I argue that this perception is in some ways misleading, and has contributed to escalating tensions with Russia, which is both unnecessary and harmful both to Russia and the U.S.

Maga, Memes, And Magnificent Hair: How Have Alt-Right, White Supremacy, And White Nationalism Become Rooted In American History?, Gabriel A. Tucker

Op-Ed Pieces

The purpose of this inquiry is to ascertain the level of prevalence of white nationalist rhetoric and sociocultural artifacts in contemporary political discourse as well as the level of normalcy is has achieved. Additionally, I will generate a timeline that will chronicle the growth and progression of this movement to our current political era, highlighting major schisms, shifts, and events with alterations in fashion and physical presentation. I believe that my research will show not only a long-standing tradition of white nationalism within the United States but also that such rhetoric has slowly been creeping into mainstream political rhetoric and …