Political Science Commons^™

Democracy On Stilts: Bolivia’S Democracy From Stability To Crisis, Miguel Centellas

Dissertations

Bolivia’s recent political crisis starkly contrasts to the preceding two decades of relative democratic stability. Though a unique system of “parliamentarized” presidentialism together with lingering consensus on the national project inherited from the 1952 Revolution supported democratic stability, using qualitative and quantitative methods, this study shows that seemingly benign changes in institutional design made in the 1990s contributed to the acceleration of already existing tendencies towards divisive sectoral, regional, and ethnic politics. A key observation is that successful long-term democratization requires institutions for adequately channeling and representing social demands as well as a shared vision of a political “imagined community” …

Explaining Bureaucratic Optimism: Theory And Evidence From U.S. Executive Agency Macroeconomic Forecasts, George A. Krause, Kevin Corder

Political Science Faculty Publications

We offer a theory of intertemporal bureaucratic decision making which proposes that an agency’s forecast optimism is related to the extent to which it discounts future reputation costs associated with bureaucratic incompetence. Agency forecasts of the distant future are more likely to be optimistic than short-term forecasts. We claim that unstable organizations will discount reputation costs at a steeper rate than stable organizations, and therefore will produce more optimistic forecasts. We test our theory using macroeconomic forecasts produced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) across six forecast horizons from 1979 to 2003. …

From Opposition To Accommodation: How Rockefeller Foundation Grants Redefined Relations Between Political Theory And Social Science In The 1950s, Emily Hauptmann

Political Science Faculty Publications

I n this essay, I rely primarily on unpublished documents from the Rockefeller Foundation Archives as well as the annual reports of the Ford Foundation and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) to show that rather than being in a torpor, political theory in the 1950s was a large and eclectic field, marked by contest and rapid change. I focus on the Rockefeller Foundation’s policy making for its program in Legal and Political Philosophy (LAPP), the largest grant program for political theory in the 1950s, both to see how the Foundation justified the creation of the program and how it …

The Role Of Professional Women In Pakistani Society, Sarah Husain

Honors Theses

This paper attempts to outline key factors that negatively affect women in Pakistan, including poverty, lack of education, and gender discrimination. First, I will use data that shows the underlying economic problems prevalent there. I will also use information gathered from the interviews that describes how professional women are advocating for positive change in the social structure of the country. Thirdly, I will discuss the role of NGO's in assisting the plight of Pakistani women. Lastly, I will examine the role of religion and how it affects the values of the general public in regard to women.

The Democratization Of Spain: The Role Of Consensus And Moderation, Meghan Sifuentes

Honors Theses

The Spanish transition to democracy is justly deemed a success story due to the relative fluidity of the process, the non-violent means in which Spain was able to consolidate, and the stability of the democratic system over the last quarter of a decade. Particularly noteworthy to Spain's success at democratic consolidation was the history and events that preceded its foundation. The failures of Spain's previous attempt at a democratic state, the brief and chaotic Second Republic (1931-36), gave rise to the Spanish Civil War, a costly and bloody conflict that polarized a nation. The Civil War in turn gave birth …

Which Islam-Ism? Diversity In Islamic Society And Its Implications For Democracy, Christopher M. Ebsch

Masters Theses

This study aims to refute claims of Islamic exceptionalism in the midst of recent waves of democratization, thereby disproving assumptions of any incompatibility between democracy and Islam. My research will show that such sweeping assumptions gloss over significant, developmental democratic movements within Muslim nations as well as several uniquely Islamic supports for democratic ideals and institutions.

I begin by examining recent political activities conducive to democracy in Muslim states, by distinguishing between divergent principles in the Qur' an, some of which have been used by moderate, democratically-oriented Islamists, and by realizing the historical, political antecedents leading to a rise in …

Political Context And The Turnout Of New Women Voters After Suffrage, Kevin Corder, Christina Wolbrecht

Political Science Faculty Publications

Many observers expected new women voters to respond to their political context in distinctive ways. Some scholars anticipated that newly-enfranchised women—lacking political interest and experience—would be volatile and highly responsive to context. Others expected political isolation and norms proscribing political activity would insulate women from political stimuli.We test these competing predictions with a Bayesian approach to ecological inference and a unique set of aggregate data.We find that the responsiveness of women’s turnout is strikingly similar to that of men. However, the lesser impact of electoral competition, and the greater effect of electoral laws and prior suffrage activism, suggest that the …

The Politics Of Neighborhood Governance: Understanding China’S State-Society Relations Through An Examination Of The Residents Committee, Jianfeng Wang

Dissertations

For the nearly three decades of coexistence between economic liberalization and political authoritarianism, China remains as an anomaly to the liberal mantraof our time. This project explores a segment of the China Paradox, the state-society interaction channeled by the Residents Committee. Being the largest urban neighborhood organization, the committee deserves study because of its controversial status interlaid between ordinary residents it claims to represent and the authoritarian state. The committee enters the discourse as a directly congruent example of the same paradox that the whole China displays, when it is endowed with important, yet tension-changed statutory functions ranging from social …

The People's Republic Of China's Corrupt Culture: Is The Prc's Arbitration Systems Exempt?, Mary Elizabeth Crawford

Masters Theses

The People's Republic of China (PRC) has struggled with corruption for decades. The PRC' s admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) has brought some hope to curtail corruption, but this alone has not eliminated corruption within the PRC. One reason for the prevalence of corruption within the PRC is the intertwined relationship between the Chinese Communist Party and judicial and government officials. The purpose of this Masters thesis is to evaluate whether the relationship between Chinese governmental bodies and the PRC's arbitration systems makes Chinese arbitration systems susceptible to corruption.

This study examines the PRC's arbitration systems' close nexus …

Factors Affecting Individual Attitudes Toward Democratization Of South Korea, Gang-Hoon Kim

Masters Theses

In mid-March 2004, the impeachment of President Roh Moo-Hyun was one of the hottest issues in South Korea. He was the first president to have been impeached by the National Assembly since the South Korean government was established in July 1948. The impeachment reveals a deep political disruption. The purpose of this paper is to scientifically determine to what extent the impeachment of the president may have undermined or developed the democracy in South Korea.

To answer these questions, this study examined the relationship between democratization and factors such as level of education, region, individual income, religion, age, attitude toward …

Who Voted?: Social Class And Participation In United States Presidential Elections, Uisoon Kwon

Dissertations

Low turnout remains a persistent problem in American politics. The decline in turnout has been studied in various ways. In some cases scholars analyze aggregate turnout data and compare turnout in election districts with high and low concentrations o f particular ,social groups (Neimi and Weisberg, 1993). In other cases, surveys provide an opportunity to examine the causes and correlates o f turnout at the individual level. Various researchers find that socio-economic factors are related to turnout. People with more education vote at much higher rates than those with less education, higher income and middle class people are more likely …

The United States Supreme Court And American Individualism, Gary C. Roberts

Dissertations

The United States Supreme Court occupies an unusual, oftentimes paradoxical position within American democracy. On one hand, it is an institution that seemingly lacks democratic legitimacy, and on the other, it is an institution that dutifully gives meaning to the nation's democratic values. The uniqueness and possibly the grandeur of the American Supreme Court is that it has historically been able to successfully combine these two apparently contradictory aspects in such a manner as to expand upon the nation's traditional sense of individualism--the whole notion of an individual's inalienable right to life, liberty, and property.

Using legal case analysis, the …

The Role Of Economic, Political, And Cultural Factors In Immigration Policy In France, The United Kingdom, And Germany, Sheri L. Rogers

Masters Theses

Immigration policy has been a crucial issue facing all Western European countries for decades; however, it has recently become an even greater concern. Much of the literature argues that shifts in immigration policy correspond with shifts in economic conditions or the power of far-right parties. Others argue that immigration policy is primarily a cultural issue, although very little research has been done to address the role of specific cultural factors in different countries.

This paper looks at the evolution of immigration policy in France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and addresses the question of why immigration policies in each country …

The Politics Of Hiv/Aids And Implications For Democracy In Kenya, Wambuii Henry Kiragu

Dissertations

Democratic consolidation in newly transitioned democracies has traditionally been attributed to widely accepted political and legal mechanisms, like elections and constitutions. Existing literature on democratization in sub-Saharan Africa is preoccupied with these mechanisms as prime indicators for democratic takeoff in specific countries. Hardly any attention has been paid to other less openly political mechanisms, such as the response to external shocks, as potential sources of institutional development that could advance democratic practices.

Yet national response to any external shock can entail a host of actions with potentially far ranging political implications, including transformation of the form and means of political …

Official Discourse And Public Opinion In Post-Communist Societies: The Role Of Government-Affiliated Intellectuals, Ekaterina M. Levintova

Dissertations

Post-Communist countries are unique in the sense that they are undergoing not a single, but multiple transitions. The extent of social change underway inthis region is truly monumental and researchers are faced with the daunting task of studying the extent of this transformation. Change is most evident when one studies formal institutions. But lies beneath, on the level of value orientations? The answer to this question helps us understand the real progress of post-Communist countries towards the goals of their transitions.

What were the political, ideological, economic, foreign policy, and ethnic relations attitudes of the post-Communist Russian and Polish elites …

Formal And Informal Institutions: Gender And Participation In The Panchayati Raj, Aparna Thomas

Dissertations

In April 1993, the Parliament of India passed the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, reforming the structure of local governments. The amendment mandated that the composition of local councils include at least one-third women. This study explores the effects of the 1993 Indian women's reservation bill in changing policies at the local government level in ways that address women's interests. Specifically, the research addresses the following questions: (1) Are women really participating in panchayati raj politics, or are they merely present? (2) Do quotas as institutional mechanisms make a difference in agenda setting and policy outcomes? Although it may be early to …

Islam And Democracy: An Empirical Examiniation Of Muslims' Political Culture, Moataz Bellah Mohamed Abdel Fattah

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the following empirical puzzle: do the attitudes of ordinary educated Muslims stand as an obstacle toward the adoption of democracy? This research question calls for empirical/behavioral methodological tools that bring into focus contemporary Muslims' attitudes rather than ancient jurists' contributions. In other words, the dissertation shifts attention from ancient Islamic texts to contemporary Muslims' mindsets through written and web-bases surveys in 32 Muslim societies.

At the aggregate level, Muslim societies perplex with two types of sub-cultures: the culture of "dictator, but..." and the culture of "democracy-as-a-must." The former is the sub-couture of two groups of Muslims: …

Restorative Justice, Responsive Regulation, And Democratic Governance, Paul Adams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Restorative justice has been a central tradition of justice in most, perhaps all societies prior to the emergence of the modern, central state power with its bureaucratic-professional systems and its emphasis on retribution, deterrence, and, sometimes, re- habilitation. Its revival as a new social movement in modern states offers a new paradigm for addressing the key questions in social work and social welfare of the relation of formal to informal systems of care and control, and of empowerment to coercion. Restorative justice may be defined in terms of process- one whereby all stakeholders come together to resolve how to deal …

Presidents, Profits, Productivity, & Poverty: A Great Divide Between The Pre- & Post-Reagan U.S. Economy?, Richard K. Caputo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examined profits, productivity, and poverty in the United States from 1961 through 2002. Results indicated that the "great divide" thesis regarding the U.S. economy before and after the Reagan administration depends on which measure of the economy is the focus of attention. In addition, on some measures where before and after differences were detected, the nature of those differences was paradoxical. Corporate profits as a share of national income, for example, were highest in Democratic rather than Republican administrations and despite the increased income inequality of the post-Reagan years, individual and family poverty rates remained relatively constant after …

The Contribution Of Education And The Role Of The Media In Creating And Promoting Justice, Lavinia A. Baxter

Masters Theses

The issue of creating and promoting justice is becoming more and more significant in our era of democratization. Thus it is important to understand how countries as diverse as South Africa, Germany and the United States have managed to address the issue of providing justice to groups that suffered under previous regimes in these countries. I examine victims’ groups as diverse as former Japanese American internees, ex-German slave and forced laborers, and black South Africans. My hypothesis in this study is that two factors, the media and public education through quasi-legal commissions are critical for redress campaigns to be visible, …

The Truman Doctrine Vs. The Bush Doctrine: Justifying War With Iraq, Lindsay St. Germain

Honors Theses

It is commonly thought that presidential doctrines set a precedent for the country to follow. These doctrines are intended to reflect the attitudes, and values of not only the president in power, but the best interests of the United States in general. Using public opinion surveys, historical documents, and current news articles and books, I will analyze the Truman Doctrine, enunciated in 1947, and the Bush Doctrine, put forth in 2001. In doing so, I hope to compare military actions justified using both doctrines, and point out what I see to be the flaws and triumphs of the Bush Doctrine; …

Michigan Township Zoning Boards Of Appeals Members' Perceptions Of Their Authority, Mark J. Magyar

Honors Theses

With the following investigation I seek to answer the questions: How aligned are the perceptions of Michigan township zoning boards of appeals (ZBAs) members' regarding their authorities with the authorities expressly and implicitly prescribed for them by state statute? If they are not aligned, do ZBA members need further education in the statute? ZBA members are not formally educated in the statute but are guided by secondary sources. While these sources are crucial to the proper administration of ZBAs' objectives, there is often an element of bias in interpretation to varying degrees. I want to determine whether or not education …

Inefficient National Political Parties In Brazil And The Effects On Economic Policy, Jason Sullivan

Honors Theses

I intended to study the domestic and international issues that pushed and pulled at the government in its creation of its economic policy. I intended to focus on the executive branch of the government and the international organizations and sovereign nations that influenced the policy decisions surrounding the specific year of 1997. However, as I researched I found something that I think is as just as important if not more important in creating Brazil's economic policy. As I researched it became evident that the characteristics of the Brazilian political parties had an influence on how all policies are formulated, more …

Arab American Interest Groups And Congressional Decisionmaking: A Case Study Of The Arab American Institute, Robert L. Harbaugh

Masters Theses

Unlike other ethnic communities in the U.S., such as the Jewish and Hispanic communities, the political power of the Arab American community is largely unknown. Therefore, one manner to gain insight into the political power of Arab Americans is to study the interest groups that represent their ethnic community. This study uses the Arab American Institute as the leading Arab American interest group.

The study recognizes that there are three important variables to determining Arab American influence. The first is voting and is not examined in this study. The second two, which are examined, are direct lobbying on Congress and …

The Taiwan Issue In Sino-Japanese Relations In The 1990'S, Melanie Kintz

Masters Theses

The Taiwan issue did not figure prominently in the relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Japan between the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations in the 1970s and the early 1990s; other issues dominated and shaped the relationship. However, in the 1990s the Taiwan question re-emerged as a source of disturbance in the relationship between the PRC and Japan. Especially during the so-called missile crisis of 1995-1996, the Taiwan issue was pushed into the world media's center of attention and significantly affected the dynamics of the Sino-Japanese relationship. What accounts for this observable change in the importance of …

Education, Social Security, And The Welfare State: Alternative Policy Choices In The United States And Germany, Karl G. Hokenmaier

Dissertations

Western welfare states have not all followed the same path in their social policy development. Still, certain similarities have been identified in the types and combinations of social insurance supported by specific groupings of these states. Titmuss (1974) described "three contrasting models or functions of social policy." Heclo (1985) argued "three broad groups of nations can be distinguished” with different models of social welfare policy. Esping-Andersen (1990) identified "three worlds of welfare capitalism," each with a unique social policy agenda and distinctive social insurance system. Education is typically not included with other social programs in depicting the policy profiles of …

A Foundation For Democratic Transition: The Evolution Of Korean Civil Society 1972-1987, Sukhee Lee

Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to explain the evolutionary process of Korean civil society throughout the 1970s and 1980s as a foundation for democratization. I argue that the changing character of civil society in the mid-1980s was a necessary condition for democratic transition in 1987. Thus, this study focuses on how an ineffective civil society became sufficiently effective to be a deciding factor in Korea’s democratic transition, and seeks to define what factors led to the change. In the process of development of civil society, several factors, such as political culture, economic development, political opportunity structure, and the external environment, affected the …

Parties And Realignment: The President’S Role In Political Party Realignment, Kevin B. Dockerty

Masters Theses

Using "The Youth-Parent Socialization Panel Study" that covers 1965-1982, the role of individual presidential candidates in bringing about changes in mass partisanship and party realignment is studied. Previous research has ignored the role of popular, prestigious, charismatic presidential candidates shaping and changing citizens' partisanship. Historical political party realignments guide my research in showing the strong influence of the chief executive in realignment periods.

Following the work of Niemi and Jennings (1991) I expand on their issue model explaining partisan choice by creating a candidate-issues model to provide a more complete explanation of party identification. I specifically look at the presidential …

Chapter 11 Of Nafta V. U.S. Democracy, Cara Mroczek

Honors Theses

The roots of the democratic system in the United States are deeply embedded within the compelling language of the Declaration of Independence. This document is still held on high regard for the inspiration it has provided to the development of democratic institutions and ideals. The creation of United States democracy was founded on the principles outlined in this historic document "that certain truths are self-evident, that people are created equal, that they are endowed with inalienable rights, that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed and that the purpose of government is to protect these rights." These …

First And Second Generations Of Urban Black Mayors: Atlanta, Detroit, And St. Louis, Harold Eugene Core

Masters Theses

This research attempts to create an understanding of generationality as it applies to successive black mayors in the urban setting. At a glance, the first black mayors of Atlanta, Detroit, and St. Louis received criticism for being anti-white and using racial conflict to accomplish their goals of diversifying the decision-making elites in each city. The black mayors immediately following in each city were criticized in the black community as being too accommodating to white interests as they attempted to find racial balance in the decision-making elite.

This research uses literature to establish the nature of early black mayors as believing …