Political Science Commons^™

The Relationship Between Media Consumption And Public Opinion, Using The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act As A Case Study, Taylor Burdick

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In October of 2013, the federal government went into a partial shutdown. The cause of this shutdown was the polarized debate over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), or Obamacare. The polarization of this policy did not stop at the elite level; the public has been by-and-large divided on the law as well. This division of the public may have been created by the large and diverse coverage over the policy. There are multiple approaches to determine how the media impacts public opinion. I attempt to find what has been the primary influence on the public attitude toward …

An Unexpected Threat: How A Short Stretch Of The Northern New York Border With Canada Could Provide A New Avenue For Terrorist Attacks, Zachary Myers

Senior Honors Theses

Al Qaeda and many other terrorist groups have openly stated their intentions to acquire and use some form of nuclear device in an attack on the United States. As many recent terrorist attacks have demonstrated, terrorists will attempt to exploit any weakness in the line of defense in order to execute their stated intentions. The northern border area on and around the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation in Northeastern New York and Canada has been an ongoing smuggling conduit and national security vulnerability. This paper will examine how this area could be exploited in order to smuggle a type of nuclear …

Super Pacs 2012, Joseph Miller

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The 2010 Supreme Court ruling in the case of the Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commision dramatically changed how elections are financed in the United States. That landmark case let to the creation of Super Political Action Committees (Super PACs). These organizations have the ability to raise limitless amounts of money and spend thses funds however they see fit on candidtaes of their choosing.

This case study will test six hypotheses. These hypotheses deal with two major actions. The first action is the conduct of Super PACs and the manner in which they went about choosing races to involve …

Democratic Counterinsurgents: How Democracies Can Prevail In Irregular Warfare, William Roland Patterson

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation answers the question of whether or not democracies can win counterinsurgency conflicts. This is done first through an analysis of the arguments made by those who claim that democracies are uniquely incapable of doing so due to various limitations imposed by public opinion as well as the arguments of those who argue that democracies can win such conflicts given the correct strategy. Secondly, the question is investigated through an examination of three case studies: Malaysia, Vietnam, and Iraq. This analysis demonstrates that the arguments against the ability of democracies to win counterinsurgencies is not as strong as many …

The Pivot To Asia: South Korea As A Strategic Partner For U.S. Foreign Policy In Asia, Rachel M. Hale

Senior Honors Theses

The relationship between the United States and the Republic of South Korea requires reexamination due to the recent U.S. foreign policy shift from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region. The nature of the relationship has altered considerably over the past 70 years. South Korea is a leading country in East Asia, and a strengthened partnership could have many benefits for the United States. South Korea tends to be overlooked in foreign policy discussions because of the security concerns posed by North Korea; but South Korea possesses many qualities which could be utilized to the advantage of U.S. foreign policy. …

Ritualized Rhetoric And Historical Memory In German Foreign And Security Policy, Sara A. Hoff

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Recent changes in German foreign policy behavior have led to questions about Germany's European vocation. At the center of this inquiry is Germany's struggle to resolve the intersection between historical memory and present day international responsibility, especially in cases involving the use of force. This dissertation examines how and when historical memory has influenced, shaped, and informed contemporary German foreign and security policy and rhetoric by examining cases within two policy areas: out of area operations and nuclear nonproliferation. Focusing on the case of Libya, this dissertation also considers the cases of Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Nuclear nonproliferation, a global …

Patterns Of Role Transition: A Taxonomy, A Research Program, And The Three-Body Problem, Paul A. Kowert, Stephen G. Walker

Political Science Faculty Publication Series

In foreign policy, role transition as a process of role change implies at least two roles (a state'ʹs old role and its new role) and a dynamic process of role location in which Ego’s role changes over time. If every role for Ego presumes a counter-role for Alter, a pattern of role transition for Ego implies as well a potential process of role transition for Alter. In order to model the process of role transition, a taxonomy of mutually exclusive and logically exhaustive roles and counter-roles is desirable, in order to identify and specify the possible combinations of old and …

America's Role In A Changing World, Bruce Jones

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

For over sixty years the United States has led an international order that provided the underpinnings of peace, security, and economic prosperity. Today, that order is under strain from a variety of sources: the rise of new powers, an economic crisis, resource scarcity, technological innovations, rising nationalism, territorial disputes, and transnational challenges. This lecture will examine these pressures and ask how the United States can reform the international order so it plays as constructive a role in the 21st century as it did in the 20th.

Media Portrayal Of Individuals In The Lower Class And Its Effects On Attributions Of Educational Hardships, Krista A. Burke

Communication Studies

This study investigated how media portrayals of individuals in the lower class affect people’s beliefs about educational hardships in lower socioeconomic areas. Specifically, this study looked at the attributions of these hardships to determine if media consumption had an effect on the internality of attributions. It was hypothesized that increased media consumption would be related to an increased tendency toward internal attributions. It was hypothesized that increased media consumption would lead to lower support for policy changes regarding education. A survey was distributed to assess media consumption habits and attitudes toward educational hardships in the lower class. Correlation results yielded …

The Wrong Complexion For Protection: How The Government Response To Disaster Endangers African-American Communities. By Robert D. Bullard And Beverly Wright. New York: New York University Press, 2012. 304p. $35., Robin L. Turner

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Dr. Robin Turner's review of, The Wrong Complexion for Protection: How The Government Response to Disaster Endangers African-American Communities. By Robert D. Bullard and Beverly Wright. New York: New York University Press, 2012. 304p. $35.

Women’S Municipal Leadership In Massachusetts: Snapshot Of Cape Cod, Center For Women In Politics And Public Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

The center tracks the status of women at all levels of government in New England. It also provides dynamic web resources to inform and support the public leadership of women of color.

Peacebuilding After Civil War, Caroline A. Hartzell

Political Science Faculty Publications

Book Summary: This comprehensive new Handbook explores the significance and nature of armed intrastate conflict and civil war in the modern world. Civil wars and intrastate conflict represent the principal form of organised violence since the end of World War II, and certainly in the contemporary era. These conflicts have a huge impact and drive major political change within the societies in which they occur, as well as on an international scale. The global importance of recent intrastate and regional conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, Nepal, Cote d'Ivoire, Syria and Libya – amongst others – has served to refocus …

Collective Begging At Its Best: Labor-Management Relations In South Dakota, Gary Aguiar

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

Public employee labor unions in South Dakota possess a feeble set of bargaining rights, so weak it should be considered “collective begging.” However, our recent contract contains significant victories despite decades of playing defense. What lessons can be learned from this experience that might help other similarly situated faculty unions? What does this case study teach us about the disparity of power, especially where labor has fewer legal and political tools than management? I apply DiGiovanni’s (2011) typology of “intangible influences” on collective bargaining to explain our success. As DiGiovanni predicts, history and timing played a large role in influencing …

The Death Of The City? Reports Of San Francisco's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, Rachel Brahinsky

Politics

This article considers how the recent Bay Area turmoil spurred by the technology boom and its attendant housing crisis has revived age-old tensions over regionalism and ethics in urban politics. The author looks at activist tendencies evident in the rise of an “ethical city” framework, which benefits from alternative uses of technology, and which offers a counter-narrative to the ways that tech wealth is also uprooting communities.

How Does Geriatric Care Management Affect Health Outcomes Of Geriatric Patients In Hospitals, Elaina Tate

Master in Public Administration Theses

No abstract provided.

Activities & Accomplishments 2013, Ann Abdoo

Citizens for Peace

No abstract provided.

Helmut Schelsky: The New Strategy Of Revolution: The “Long March” Through The Institutions Study Guide, 2014, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

War As Political Work: Using Social Science For Strategic Success, Matthew J. Schmidt

Political Science Faculty Publications

Army culture favors a quantitative/predictive approach to analyze problems. The author argues, however, that strategic thinking requires the relative subjectivity of a qualitative approach to problem solving.

Op-Ed: Not Your Grandfather's Insurgency - Criminal, Spiritual, And Plutocratic, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

...Quite possibly, while it now finds itself in a reflective mood, the corporate Army will be more receptive to some of the insights provided herein, concerning the new forms of insurgencies. But first, before delving into how new insurgency forms are “new,” we must ask the question what insurgencies were like in your grandfather’s day.

Winning Well: Civil Resistance Mechanisms Of Success, Democracy, And Civil Peace, Jonathan C. Pinckney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several recent studies indicate that revolutions of non-violent civil resistance lead to more democratic and peaceful political transitions than either violent revolutions or elite-led political transitions. However, this general trend has not been disaggregated to explain the many prominent cases where nonviolent revolutions are followed by authoritarianism or civil war. Understanding these divergent cases is critical, particularly in light of the problematic transitions following the "Arab Spring" revolutions of 2011. In this paper I explain why nonviolent revolutions sometimes lead to these negative outcomes. I show, through quantitative analysis of a dataset of all successful non-violent revolutions from 1900-2006 and …

Global Governance: The Ideological Kenosis Of The West, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Ion Mihai Pacepa And Ronald J. Rychlak: Disinformation Study Guide, 2013-14, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Action Institute: The Birth Of Freedom Film Study Guide, 2010-14, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Angelo Codevilla: Introduction To His Translation Of Machiavelli's The Prince Study Guide, 2014, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

James H. Billington: The Icon And The Axe Study Guide, 2013, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Angelo Codevilla: To Make And Keep Peace Among Ourselves And With All Nations Study Guide, 2014, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Joel Kotkin: The New Class Conflict Study Guide, 2014, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Alan Ryan: On Politics, Book Two Study Guide, 2014, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Government Regulation: From Independency To Dependency, Part 2, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

What Robert Bellah calls ‘expressive individualism’ has led to unprecedented social legislation in America and expanded government employment since the 1960s, helping to produce a generous supply of public services, policy entrepreneurs, and clientele groups. The legal scholar Lawrence M Friedman notes that ‘the right to be ‘oneself,’ to choose oneself, is placed in a special and privileged position.’ As a consequence, ‘achievement is defined in subjective, personal terms, rather than in objective, social terms.’ When the claims of expressive individualism are considered in tandem with the increasing reach of the modern social service state, a case may be made …

Performance, Politics, And The War On Terror: "Whatever It Takes", Lindsey Mantoan

Faculty Publications

Lindsey Mantoan reviews Performance, Politics, and the War on Terror: "Whatever It Takes" (by Sara Brady) for TDR: The Drama Review.