Political Science Commons^™

Nuclear Weapons And Conflict Escalation: Impacts On Fatalities And The India-China Case, Tyden J. Kortman

Honors Theses

The study of nuclear weapons and their impact on conflict have existed as long as nuclear weapons themselves. Nonetheless, many questions remain on whether nuclear weapons serve primarily as a deterrent to conflict or as an avenue towards the deadliest form of warfare in human history. We use both statistical analysis against a large conflict dataset and a case study of India-China conflicts from 1955-1979 to contribute to the ongoing literature on this question. We hypothesize that nuclear weapons lower the rate of conflict and dispute escalation. After statistical testing and case study analysis, we found that there was no …

Judicial Confirmation Politics: Senatorial Framing And The Public's Response, Edward W. Hunter Jr.

Honors Theses

In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled affirmative action in higher education unconstitutional, intensifying debates over the role of identity in selection processes. This study extends that discussion beyond college admissions to the federal judicial confirmation process. It uses a content analysis of Senate Judiciary Committee hearing transcripts to examine how U.S. senators frame the identities of judicial nominees, and a nationally representative survey to assess how senators’ identity framing shapes public opinion. I find that both Democratic and Republican senators engage in identity framing to signal alignment with their respective constituencies. Public responses to this rhetoric are substantially filtered through …

How Ai Governance Differs Between Regime Type, Jackson T. Guillou

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine how artificial intelligence (AI) regulation and development differ across political regime types, arguing that governance outcomes are fundamentally shaped by institutional political structures. This thesis will draw on comparative frameworks analyzing democratic and authoritarian systems. This thesis will also include case studies of the European Union, the United States of America, China, and Russia. The study finds that democratic regimes tend to emphasize transparency, accountability, and rights-based regulation of AI. This often results in slow regulation of AI, but it is more ethically legitimate and constrained. In contrast, authoritarian regimes prioritize centralized control, strategic coordination, and …

Just War Theory And Coercive Non-Proliferation: Ethically Evaluating Nuclear Prevention Efforts, P. Walker Jacklin

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the ethics of coercively addressing non-nuclear states who are attempting to acquire nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons pose a serious danger on a global scale, so ethical analysis should balance these consequences with the coerciveness of state intervention. Just War Theory provides a useful framework that balances these considerations.  Using the criteria of Just War Theory, this thesis examines two 21st century non-proliferation operations: Operation Orchard and Operation Midnight Hammer. I find that Operation Orchard fails the criteria of Just War Theory, while Operation Midnight Hammer satisfies the criteria. Making this determination is ethically risky, however, because our …

The Influence Of The Federalist Society On Originalism In Supreme Court Opinions, Edoardo Santopuoli

Honors Theses

This thesis will investigate the influence of the Federalist Society on the use of originalism in Supreme Court opinions. To investigate this influence, justices that served on the Supreme Court from 1994 to 2022 are categorized based on whether or not they are affiliated with the Federalist Society. Then using artificial intelligence (ChatGPT version 5.3), ten Supreme Court opinions known to be originalist are used as a baseline for artificial intelligence to know what an originalist opinion looks like. Then, all majority opinions of the Supreme Court from that timeframe are scored from 1-10, with 10 meaning an opinion is …

Peace Agreements, Provisions, And Profit: How Peace Agreement Provisions Impact Foreign Direct Investment Inflows, Wendi M. Sheehan

Honors Theses

There are many provisions that post-civil war states may include in peace treaties. This paper seeks to analyze the inclusion of three specific provisions– political power sharing and political institutions, rule of law/property rights, and infrastructure and reconstruction– and their impact on the resulting foreign direct investment inflows into a post-conflict nation over the course of ten years. I hypothesize that states that include one or more of these provisions will subsequently experience higher FDI inflows. To test this theory, I used the peace agreement information from the PA-X Peace Agreements dataset and FDI inflow information from the United Nations’ …

The Politics Of The Spotlight: Exploring High-Profile Witnesses In Congressional Committee Hearings, Wesley J. Templet

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how the use of high-profile witnesses in congressional committee hearings relates to legislative effectiveness in the U.S. House of Representatives. While hearings are traditionally viewed as venues for information gathering and oversight, they also serve as highly visible platforms for political communication. This study evaluates whether committees that devote a greater share of their hearings to high-profile witnesses exhibit lower levels of legislative effectiveness due to a potential shift toward symbolic activity. Using the Congressional Committee Hearing Dataset (CoCoHD), the analysis covers House committee hearings from the 105th through the 115th Congress. The data are aggregated to …

Hospitalidad Sin Barreras: A Place-Based Approach To Resource Accessibility For Immigrant Communities In North Mississippi, Jackelyn Facio

Honors Theses

This project examines barriers to resource access for Spanish-speaking immigrant communities in Lafayette County, Mississippi. Using a place-based community engagement approach, the project incorporates mixed methods to produce a resource guide for Spanish- speaking immigrants in Lafayette County. Findings showed that access is shaped not only by available services, but also by interconnected barriers such as language, fragmented information systems, and concerns related to trust and safety. These barriers discourage individuals from interacting with formal institutions, resulting in a reliance on informal information networks. In response to the data collected from area residents, the project sought to centralize community input …

The Use Of Cognitive Biases In Russian Cyber Operations, Emma Manning

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how Russia has employed reflexive control through cyber operations to influence decision-making in foreign states, focusing on disinformation campaigns during the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Reflexive control, a concept rooted in Russian military doctrine, seeks to shape an adversary's perceptions and decision-making by providing carefully crafted information that leads targets to make choices favorable to the initiator. This research argues that while the fundamental objectives of reflexive control have remained consistent, technological advances have significantly expanded Russia's ability to conduct operations in developing cyber domains.

Using qualitative analysis of open-source intelligence, …

Finding Aid For The Mississippi Politics Collection (Mum00316)

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids (alphabetical)

Artificially created collection on individual Mississippi politicians and the state’s politics in general.

Finding Aid For The Leslie H. Southwick Campaign Memorabilia Collection

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids (alphabetical)

The Leslie H. Southwick Campaign Memorabilia Collection focuses on presidential and Mississippi political campaigns dating from 1856-2017, although the bulk of content is from 1960-2004.  Formats include pamphlets and other campaign literature, bumper stickers, textiles, posters, campaign buttons, and other candidate and political party souvenirs.

Finding Aid For The Ralph C. Kennedy Collection

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids (alphabetical)

The Ralph C. Kennedy collection contains presidential campaign and inauguration memorabilia acquired during the course of Kennedy’s career in the U.S. Secret Service.

America First: Make Nato Great Again, Matthew Thomas Becker

Faculty and Student Publications

This guest editorial appeared in multiple venues:

1. The Clarion Ledger (online: 7/8/2025, print: 7/13/2025)
2. The Commercial Dispatch (6/26/2025)
3. Hattiesburg American (7/8/2025)
4. Magnolia Tribune (7/1/2025)
5. USA Today (7/8/2025)
6. Press Reader (7/13/2025)

Deterrence, Détente, Disarmament: German Relations With Nato And Russia Since Reunification, James Mroczka

Honors Theses

One consequence of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was the German Chancellor’s declaration of a turning point in his country’s foreign policy. Although Germany is a loyal liberal democracy, it is noted for its staunch efforts to mediate between its Western friends, especially its NATO allies, and Russia. However, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war has become emblematic of the persistent cooling of relations between these factions. This historical moment has thus called into question the efficacy of certain longstanding aspects of German foreign policy, including its attempts at mediation. Many of Germany’s behaviors seem deeply entrenched, however.

This begs the …

Breaking News And Broken Hopes: Inter-Korean Engagement And The Emotional Consequences Of Media Framing, Sophia Lizanne Trombley

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes two periods of pro-North Korean engagement regimes in South Korea during the presidencies of Kim Dae-jung (1998-2003), Roh Moo-hyun (2003-2008), and Moon Jae-in (2017-2023). Through analysis of the three aforementioned presidents’ initiatives for engagement with the North, categorization of news headlines from two major South Korean sources, and public opinion polls, I argue that especially high and low emotional reactions among the South Korean public during these periods were exacerbated by news media’s overly dramatized portrayal of inter-Korean interactions, both big and small. This has led to desensitization and emotional exhaustion among the South Korean public, causing …

The Mechanism Of Election Denial: How Ideological Extremism Leads To Anti-Support For The United States Government, Emily C. Reeks

Honors Theses

The violent events of January 6, 2021 explicitly demonstrated the widening ideological gap in the United States, as citizens and members of Congress both questioned the results of the 2020 election. This research paper seeks to understand if this increasing ideological extremity might manifest itself as questioning the legitimacy of an election among members of Congress. Researchers across decades have studied the sort of effects that increasing ideological extremity can have on voters; however, I could not find much research on how it might affect members of Congress. I theorize that ideological extremity amongst members of Congress is causing them …

Weathering The Storm: Examining Mississippi’S Disaster Recovery For Diverse Economic Groups, Ethan C. Robertson

Honors Theses

This study investigates the systemic disparities in disaster recovery resource allocation in Mississippi, with a particular focus on the challenges faced by underprivileged communities. Guided by the central research question—how can we make disaster recovery more equitable?—this research critically examines whether current disaster recovery policy in Mississippi is equitable and how effectively it addresses the needs of diverse economic groups. The current disaster recovery model often fails to address the unique needs of socio-economically vulnerable populations, hindering their ability to recover effectively. Through case studies of Hurricane Katrina (2005), the Mississippi River Flooding (2011), and undeclared tornadoes in December 2022, …

Afghanistan: An Analysis Of U.S. Foreign Policy’S Effect On Afghan Terrorism Rates, Katelyn E. Tinsley Foust

Honors Theses

While the term ‘terrorism’ was first coined and widely used in the late 1700s regarding the French Reign of Terror, its popularity has grown dramatically around the globe in the last few decades. Advancements in things like technology and news reporting have made these attacks more popular and have given terrorists an easier outlet to be recognized around the world. One such area we hear about often is the Middle East and the Levant. Countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Israel, and more, are routinely discussed in our news cycles here in the United States, especially since the terrorist attacks on …

Case Studies In Modern Accountancy: Exploring Financial Ethics, Corporate Influence, And Regional Development Through An Interdisciplinary Lens, Caroline Klocke

Honors Theses

This thesis compiles five case studies researched and completed during the 2023-2024 academic year, each exploring a different topic pertaining to the accounting profession today. With the guidance of Dr. Victoria Dickinson, professor at the University of Mississippi, these case studies were completed throughout the Accountancy 420 class to fulfill the research requirements of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Patterson School of Accountancy. The first case emphasizes reliable international financial reporting, while exploring the exposure of fraudulent Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges that costed American investors billions of dollars. The second explores U.S. military spending …

The Impact Of Technological Advancements On The Likelihood Of Conflict, Miriam King

Honors Theses

There are a multitude of variables that result in the occurrence of militarized conflicts. This paper seeks to analyze the impact of one specific variable: the adaptation of a technological advancement. To isolate this relationship my study controlled for a country’s form of government, gross domestic product, and number of military personnel by year. A regression of ordinary least squares was used to investigate the correlation between conflict initiation and military technologies. A country-year data set was constructed using data from the Correlates of War Militarized Interstate Dispute Data and data from Hariri and Wingender. Three case studies were analyzed …

Beyond Victory And Settlement: Rethinking War Termination Through Post-Conflict Conditions, Emery C. Thigpen

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how different war termination types—decisive military victory, negotiated settlement, and ceasefire—shape long-term political stability through the mechanisms of enforcement, political inclusion, and economic recovery. While much of the existing literature focuses on civil wars, this study applies those insights to interstate conflicts, arguing that stability depends not on how wars end, but on whether post-war structures support compliance, legitimacy, and economic resilience. The central claim is that post-war peace is more likely to endure when enforcement mechanisms deter spoilers, inclusive political frameworks prevent renewed grievances, and economic recovery restores state capacity and legitimacy. Using a most similar …

Political Socialization In Generation Z, Audrey E. Seibel

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the political socialization experienced by Generation Z. With the twenty-first century of American politics characterized by intensely negative emotions, affective polarization, and the augmentation of social media as a means to communicate and engage politically, this thesis argues that the modern political environment has led to a “hot” political socialization. The primary objective of this research was to measure political socialization, and explore the effects of this on current engagement, emotions, trust, and polarization within Generation Z, as well as how the cohort potentially differs from previous generations. The research for this thesis was conducted through the …

From Basel (1989) To Busan (2024): Developments And Contradictions In The Global Plastic Waste Trade, Megan E. Hughes

Honors Theses

In 1989, the international community convened in Basel to adopt groundbreaking, legally binding legislation on the transboundary movement of hazardous waste. Plastic waste was notably absent from the initial Basel Convention due to the perceived economic value in plastic recycling despite social, economic, and environmental harms. Consequently, the transboundary sale of plastic waste for recycling– known as the Global Plastic Waste Trade (GPWT)– has proceeded largely unregulated, enabling unsustainable plastic consumption while exacerbating environmental justice divides between developed and developing nations. Recent commitments in the GPWT, such as the European Commission Circular Economy Action Plan (2015), China’s National Sword policy …

Trust At The Polls: Examining Perceptions Of Election Fairness And Voting Intentions, Amy L. Nyary

Honors Theses

Leading up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, concerns about electoral fairness and integrity in democratic institutions became central to public discourse. This study examines how perceptions of election fairness and integrity mediate the relationship between political ideology and voting intentions. While prior research has demonstrated the influence of political ideology and trust in electoral processes on voter behavior (Birch, 2010; Stanziani et al., 2024; Schaffner & Streb, 2002), the mediating role of these perceptions remains underexplored. To address this gap, we collected online survey data from 524 participants, measuring political ideology, voting intentions, and perceptions of electoral fairness and …

Russian Interventionism: A Case Study Of President Vladimir Putin's Personal Influence In The Syrian Civil War, Lee Holmes

Honors Theses

The most influential factors in implementing interventionist policies into vulnerable countries are widely debated depending on political factors in the international relations sphere. Russia’s decision to intervene in Syria’s civil war in 2015 while Syria collapsed from civil unrest and authoritarian corruption is a prime example. Although most literature agrees that Russia’s intervention stemmed from an attempt to solidify political influence and diplomatic relations in the Middle East, hardly any addresses President Vladimir Putin’s individual influence as a determining factor. Since national power is consolidated to the individual leader in authoritarian regimes, it is crucial to understand President Putin’s personal …

Scared To Give? A Look Into How Terrorism Affects The Flow Of Foreign Aid, Madelyn Jarjoura

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the role of formal ties to terrorism and its effect on foreign aid

from donor countries considered either democratic or not. I hypothesize that as more seats are occupied in a recipient country’s government by a known terrorist organization, the less total aid democratic donor countries will send to that country (vice versa for non-democratic donors). However, with stronger ties to terrorism, the more aid democratic donors will bypass through NGOs (vice versa for non-democratic donors). To test this, I used Hezbollah’s seats in Lebanon’s Parliament from the years 1995 – 2021 as a case study for …

An Analysis Of Congressional Disgust Language On Twitter By Party Identification, Martha Nichols

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to advance the existing work in the field of political communications through a study of congressional Twitter use. While there has been a significant amount of study focused on presidential Twitter presence, there is less existing literature on the use of Twitter by members of the U.S. Congress. This study focuses on the use of disgust language on Twitter and tests the hypothesis that Republican congressmen and women will have a higher proportion of disgust language in their Twitter presence over time. The hypothesis was unsupported, as the results produce an unexpected outcome that Democratic members of …

Lasting Impact: Analyzing The Relationship Between Colonialism And Proxy War Onset, Sydney Rehm

Honors Theses

Proxy wars are a very specific subset of war that have increased in frequency. Researchers have studied why proxy wars occur, but there are less studies specifically on to what extent, if any, colonialism has on the onset of proxy wars. To fill this gap, I write a historical analysis of past proxy wars—specifically the Vietnam War (1955-1975), Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), and Yemeni Civil War (2014-present)—to examine the effects of colonialism. Furthermore, I utilize my case studies to assess my argument’s limitations. I also utilize statistical analysis to determine the probability of proxy war if a country has a …

South Korea's Scramble For Diplomacy In African Development, Binta Fadiga

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes South Korea’s motivations for growing engagement in African development hypothesizing that diplomacy is a main driver in Korean interest in Africa. South Korea conducts official development aid through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Korea contrasts itself against conventional donors of official development aid, portraying itself as a model of economic development to emulate to recipient countries. Yet, KOICA discloses little regarding developmental methodologies it exports to recipient nations beyond its use of its development expertise and experience. I conducted qualitative analysis using country partnership strategies, official Facebook pages of KOICA Senegal and Rwanda offices, and mid-term …

The Pope And The ʿUlamāʾ: A Study Of Religious Institutions And Their Evolving Relationship To Government, Benjamin Newton

Honors Theses

How and why have religious institutions changed during historical critical junctures in their relationship with government? The literature on this topic, with notable but limited exceptions (Brown et al. 2024, Koesel 2014, Fox 2008), has tended to focus on one specific institution at a time, even if analyzing its actions within multiple states. Through this project, I focus not on the same institution in different states, but on two major religious establishments in the states in which they are based. I analyze the Roman Catholic Church and the Wahhābi establishment in Italy and Saudi Arabia, respectively, to come to a …