Political Science Commons^™

Contents

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

Cover

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

Review Of “Political Theory In The Square: Protest, Representation, And Subjectification”, Lisa Mcghie, Alan Hickey

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

As globalization takes hold, political movements and protests across the world become more relevant to us as Americans. In their paper, “Political Theory in the Square: Protest, Representation, and Subjectification,” Marina Prentoulis and Lasse Thomassen analyze what such protests can teach us. The article, published in Contemporary Political Theory, is timely in our globalized situation where protests have become something common. The article uses the movement Toma la Plaza in Spain and the movement aganaktismenoi in Greece to show what the “occupy” movements are trying to accomplish and how, in the end, these activities will not completely change the hierarchal …

Effects Of Scandals On Voter Turnout In Canada, Terrance Kutney

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

Although there has been much research done regarding the effects of political scandals on the voting share won by a political party, little research has been done on the effect of political scandals on voter turnout. This is especially true in the context of Canadian politics. This work analyzes the effect of the Canadian sponsorship scandal on voter turnout, primarily using the 2004 and 2006 iterations of the Canadian Election Study. It finds a positive relationship between anger about the sponsorship scandal and the probability of voting. Closer analysis of the 2004 election shows that voters who were angry about …

Conflicting Thoughts: The Effect Of Information On Support For An Increase In The Federal Minimum Wage Level, Joshua Cooper, Alejandra Gimenez

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

In March 2014, President Obama urged Congress to approve a minimum wage hike from $7.25 to $10.10. As expected, a debate sparked from both sides of the aisle about whether it should be increased at all and if the proposed jump was too large. Following this debate, a flurry of public opinion polls entered the field to measure how Americans felt on this issue. Research firms from the Washington Post to Pew fielded basic surveys asking how Americans felt about the potential wage hike. However, none of them looked at how the levels of information about the minimum wage increase …

Research Project: Children In Agriculture, Rachel Milliron

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

The concept of the “American dream” lures many immigrants to the U.S. each year. Patterns of immigration to the U.S. throughout history may be categorized into waves, including major waves from Asia, Europe, and Latin America (Nelli 1987: 200–01). American industries have welcomed and capitalized from the influx of cheap labor in the workforce. The agricultural industry employs many immigrants, and, more specifically, child immigrants or children of immigrants (Human Rights Watch 2014a). The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 exempts minors in agricultural jobs from the maximum-hour and the minimum-age requirements that apply to other working minors (Human Rights …

Back Cover

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Predictive Ability Of Political Psychological Theory: A Case Study Of President Clinton’S Behavior In Bosnia, Madeline Ary

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

Why does the U.S. sometimes choose to intervene in international conflicts? Can the political decisions of a leader be profiled? In order to address these questions, this study analyzes the case study of the Bosnian civil war and the decisions President Bill Clinton made to escalate intervention measures in the region until the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. To accomplish this analysis, the psychological theory of international relations, specifically operational code theory, will be applied. Overall, this analysis concludes that the psychological and instrumental beliefs held by President Clinton had an impact on U.S. foreign policy pertaining to Bosnia.

Trust And Scandal: A Tale Of Two Theories, James Martherus

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

“I am not a crook.” Those five words are burned into the nation’s memory. President Nixon was under investigation after five men were arrested trying to break into the Watergate office complex, where the Democratic National Committee was headquartered. Evidence was found that the burglary was funded using money from Nixon’s re-election campaign. This led to cover-ups at high levels within the FBI, CIA, and the White House. Nixon was implicated in these cover-ups and was eventually charged with obstruction of justice, abuse of authority, and defiance of committee subpoenas. It was then that Nixon uttered the infamous phrase, “I …

Letter From The Editor, Alan Hickey Editor-In-Chief

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

United States—Chile Bilateral Free Trade Act, Jake Berlin

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

Since the formation of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) in 1947, world trade has increased exponentially, leading to unprecedented economic growth and prosperity throughout the world. The elimination of nontariff barriers (NTB’s) and the reduction of tariffs throughout the world have allowed world trade and wealth to flow effectively from one country to another guided by the “invisible hand” of economic liberalism. The Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations, which led to the creation of a formal World Trade Organization (WTO), was seen by many as evidence pointing to continued progress toward trade liberalization throughout the world. In …

The Iconography Of The Turkish Lira, David Covey

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

This is an original manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Southeast European and Black Sea Studies on 4 April 2022, available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2022.2054171.

Turkey seems to forever be at a balancing point—between East and West, secular and Muslim, autocratic and liberal, ancient and modern. As a rising economic power in a region plagued by turmoil, it has enormous strategic importance as both a center of power and a model for others. Pulled in multiple directions by its diverse population, few outcomes seem implausible for Turkey. In the coming decades, it could become a model …

Gender, Corruption, And Culture: Evidence From The American States, Luke Bell

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

In recent years, several influential studies have reported that high levels of female representation in national legislatures seem to correspond with low levels of countrywide corruption. Scholars have expressed excitement at the prospect that simply adding women to government will “diminish the need for a painful, expensive, and politically difficult process of rooting out corruption via oversight and prosecution” (Esarey and Chirillo 2013: 364). Some governments have launched initiatives to increase the number of women in positions of public responsibility as a means of combating corrupt behavior. Peru, for example, recently created an allwomen police division in an attempt to …

Sigma 2015

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

Does The Message Matter? A Field Experiment On Political Party Recruitment, Jessica Robinson Preece

Faculty Publications

Do men and women respond to various party recruitment messages similarly? Working with the Utah County Republican Party, we designed a field experiment in which we invited over 11,600 male and female party activists to attend a free, party-sponsored “Prospective Candidate Information Seminar” by randomizing different invitation messages. We found that women were half as likely as men to respond to recruitment—log on to the seminar website for more information, register for the seminar, and attend the seminar. While we found some suggestive evidence about what recruitment messages may particularly motivate women or men vis-a-vis a control message, our findings …

Front Matter

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Civilization And Self-Determination: Interpreting R.G. Collingwood For The Twenty-First Century - Part I, Gautam Ghosh

Comparative Civilizations Review

This article – the first of two – elaborates and endorses the understanding of civilization as advanced by R. G. Collingwood. Particular attention is given to two of his most neglected works, The New Leviathan and "What 'Civilization' Means." The New Leviathan in particular was written in the context of the rise of fascism and the prosecution of World War II. To support the war effort, Collingwood reconceptualized notions of civilization and linked it to a rationality of self-determination. Central to his argument are the distinctions he draws between civilization and barbarism, on the one hand, and between social, economic …

Paul S. Kinderstedt. Cheese And Culture: A History Of Cheese And Its Place In Western Civilization, Laina Farhat-Holzman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Islamic Capitalism: The Muslim Approach To Economic Activities In Indonesia, Hisanori Kato

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Memories Of An Editor, Laina Farhat-Holzman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Essay: The Great Literary Utopias Have A Nightmarish History, Laina Farhat-Holzman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Following The Founders: The Effect Of A James Madison Quote On Support For Corporate Regulation, Zachary Smith, Dr. Quin Monson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

From Abraham Lincoln to members of the modern Tea Party, politicians have frequently quoted the Founders in an attempt to build support for a proposed idea. This seems to mostly occur between conservative politicians and their constituents. Indeed, conservatives appear to have a strong connection with the Founders because of their belief in American Civil Religion (ACR). While researchers’ definitions of ACR differ, I define it as a quasi-religious reverence for the Founders and the symbols of America. People’s deep belief in this ACR affects how much they support issues that the Founders spoke in favor of. However, no one …

Discovering Inhibitors To The Political Interest And Ambition Of Women, Cindy West, Dr. Jessica Preece

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Currently in the U.S., twenty women (20%) are members of the Senate and seventy-seven women (17.7%) are members of the House of Representatives,1 ranking the U.S. at 77th in the world for its percentage of women in the lower or single House.2 Despite being over half the population,3 the percentage of women holding executive offices is not representative of the country’s composition. Why are women less likely to engage in politics and be ambitious enough to run for political office? Our purpose is to understand the gender gap within the political field. Research attempts to explain this phenomenon through a …

Political Ambition: The Effect Of Gender Quotas On Ugandan Women, Jessica Weinfurter, Dr. Jessica Preece

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In an effort to promote female political participation in states with historically patriarchal political systems, many nations have implemented gender quotas. The belief behind this practice is that as female descriptive representation increases, women become inspired to increase their political activity, and society in general becomes more supportive of female political ambition and participation (Beaman et al.2012). The issue of gender quotas has inspired an explosion of research over the past decade. However, our current understanding of the long-term effects of gender quotas is still limited because many of the recent studies are focused on quota systems within developed or …

The Causes Of Vigilantism And Other Sacrificial Behavior, Skye Herrick, Dr. Joshua Gubler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2004, immigration issues surged to the center of national attention and 10% of Americans rated immigration as the number one issue facing America1. Since 2004, the economic downturn and healthcare reform have increased the discussion of immigration and its economic impact on average Americans and the economy as a whole. Hypotheses for opposition to immigration have included economic2, political, racial, and psychological cues3. None however, have focused on the effects of fear or hopelessness on a population’s mobilization against an outgroup. In addition to the lack of experimental research on the causes of opposition to illegal immigration, no experiment …

Status On The Street: A Field Experiment On The Effect Of Signaling Socio-Economic Status On Pro-Social Behavior, Madeleine Gleave, Matthew Brigham, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Helping behavior in a given society provides an interesting measure of social trust and prosociality. Whether individuals will assist strangers in need should indicate baseline levels of empathy, perceived social obligation, and generalized trust. But to date few studies have explored experimental interventions that might affect the rate of helping in a developing-country context. In particular, we sought to explore the effects of social status on pro-sociality in a poor country; i.e., would individuals respond differently to those of higher status? To men or women? To foreigners? We explored these questions through a field experiment where we randomly assigned the …

The Effect Of Identity: Explicit Source Cues’ Influence On Independent Expenditure Committee Ads, Kyrene Gibb, Dr. Christopher Karpowitz

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the 2012 Presidential election cycle, independent expenditure committees, or Super PACs, had spent a more than $237 million advocating for one or the other presidential candidate (OpenSecrets.org, 2013). Given the large sums of money that independent expenditure committees are raising and spending to influence the outcome of presidential elections, it is worth investigating how the source of Super PAC ads affects the way they are received. As such, the purpose of this ORCA project was to investigate whether voters provided with specific identifying information for the source of an advertisement will evaluate a message differently than voters given less …

Who Can We Trust? How Information Sources Affect Political Attitudes In Peru, Lucas Brook, Dr. Darren Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Peru has long been afflicted by corruption and political malpractice. As a result, Peruvian citizens have become disenchanted with their government. In recent years, the Peruvian government has employed internet transparency campaigns in an attempt to improve these sentiments. But what if Peruvians feel they cannot trust the information? Does the source of the information have an influence on their attitudes? In July 2013, I conducted a field experiment in Lima, Peru aimed at answering this question.

Defining Ngo Efficiency In The Developing World, Ryan C. Bakow

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Billions of dollars each year are spent on foreign aid projects, much of which ends up in the hands of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) all around the world. NGOs are involved in many phases of development and have often accomplished great things; however, despite a long history of NGO work, there have been very few studies which consider the actual effectiveness of this process. In this study we hypothesize that because NGOs work outside of the traditional market, and because of a lack of accountability, there may be significant inefficiencies at the project level. To test this hypothesis, we perform a …

Communitarian Religiosity And Political Behavior, Matthew Frei, Dr. J Quin Monson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Some political science and sociology scholars distinguish between two dimensions of religiosity or religious commitment: individualism and communitarianism. The former means that individuals are motivated toward piety with an emphasis on an intrinsic or individual-level religious practice and belief (Allport and Ross 1967). The communitarian perspective, by contrast, claims that religiosity is driven by communal experience, with an emphasis on religion’s social and group-based rituals. Political scientists regularly measure religiosity with an almost exclusive focus on individualistic beliefs and behaviors such as whether the individual survey respondent believes in God, attends church, or believes the Bible to be the word …