Political Science Commons^™

Migration Policy In The Era Of Trumpism And Media Spectacle: What A 2024 Trump [Or Other] Presidency Could Mean For Mexico-U.S. Relations [Política Migratoria En La Era Del Trumpismo Y Del Espectáculo Mediático: El Significado De Una Presidencia De Trump U Otro Candidato En 2024 Para Las Relaciones México-Estados Unidos], Terence Garrett

Political Science Faculty Publications

Donald Trump may be the Republican presidential nominee for the 2024 election and is facing multiple indictments for alleged crimes committed during his presidency. If convicted, this would make a Trump election victory unlikely, although he is the master of the media spectacle and populist authoritarianism –essential components of Trumpism. I focus on U.S. migration policy consequences affecting Mexico and other states in the Americas if Trump wins in 2024. With a Republican win, the migration policy could revert back to a Title 42 migrant expulsion scenario, with attempts to harden the border using morepersonnel, infrastructure, and surveillance technology. President …

What Comes After The Critique Of The Corporate University? Toward A Syndicalist University, Clyde W. Barrow

Political Science Faculty Publications

For the past three decades, university faculty have produced a cascade of contemporary protest literature that routinely criticizes the knowledge factory, academic capitalism, managed professionals, college for sale, the university in ruins, the corporate corruption of higher education, and University, Inc. University faculty are regularly warned about the fall of the faculty, the last professors, and the last intellectuals. This article reviews the historical development of the corporate and neoliberal university, but it takes the next step of asking what is to be done after the critique of the corporate university. It calls on faculty to engage in a variety …

A Power Elite Alliance And Local Environmental Policy: Elon Musk In Cameron County, Michelle Keck, Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera

Political Science Faculty Publications

The present work analyzes several aspects related to the environmental impacts that Elon Musk’s company Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has had on Cameron County, Texas. Utilizing prior studies, we will focus on how the power elite impact policy at the federal, state, and local levels, specifically regarding SpaceX’s arrival to Cameron County as well as environmental policy concerning the activities at the SpaceX Starbase facility, located on Boca Chica Beach, Texas. The present analysis uses data from semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders including government officials, developers, environmentalists, and other activists in order to understand the connections between the global and …

The Wall Between Latinas And Latinos? Gender And Immigration Enforcement Attitudes Among U.S. Latina/O Voters, Álvaro José Corral

Political Science Faculty Publications

Donald Trump’s surprising level of support among U.S. Latina/o voters in 2016 and his improved performance in the 2020 election posed a puzzle for Latina/o politics scholars given his stridently anti-immigrant agenda. Although scholars have acknowledged the political gender gap between Latinas and Latino men, few studies have outlined the theoretical basis or explored the empirical existence of gender differences in Latina/o immigration enforcement attitudes. Building on the Latina politics literature documenting Latinas’ greater engagement in solidarity work with immigrants and their greater desire for cultural transmission and the maintenance of pan-ethnic identity, I test two hypotheses. The first (the …

Environmental Terrorism Twenty Years On, Elizabeth L. Chalecki

Political Science Faculty Publications

In 2002, a few months after 9/11, I published one of the very first academic examinations of environmental terrorism: what was included in this term and what wasn’t, who might commit such terrorism, and what sorts of environmental resources were vulnerable. Since then, it has been the subject of academic and government analyses. Now, twenty years later, it is time to revisit the concept in light of worsening anthropogenic climate change, the rise of authoritarian states and ecofascism, and gray-zone conflicts in international relations.

Divisive Or Descriptive?: How Americans Understand Critical Race Theory, Alauna Safarpour, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Jon Green, Caroline High Pippert, Jennifer Lin, James N. Druckman

Political Science Faculty Publications

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become a flashpoint of elite political discord, yet how Americans actually perceive CRT is unclear. We theorize that Republican elites utilized a strong framing strategy to re-define CRT as an “empty signifier” representing broader racial and cultural grievances. Using a survey and a pre-registered experiment among U.S. adults (N = 19,060), we find that this strategy worked. Republicans exhibit more familiarity with CRT and hold more negatively valenced (and wide ranging) sentiments toward CRT, relative to Democrats. Moreover, compared to teaching the legacy of racism in schools, Republicans are significantly more opposed to teaching CRT …

Reporting Of And Policy On Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Air Travel At Canadian Universities, Derek Hall

Political Science Faculty Publications

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the extent and characteristics of Canadian university reporting of and policy regarding greenhouse gas emissions from air travel. It identifies current approaches’ details and limits and recommends improvements.

Design/methodology/approach

The study developed questions and considerations for analysing reporting and policy, reviewed university documents and webpages and contacted university staff.

Findings

Roughly 20% of Canadian universities report flight emissions. Figures vary by factors of over 100 even when normalized or expressed as a percentage of institutional emissions. Inter-university differences in data collection and emissions calculation practices shape reporting. Canadian university air travel emissions cannot be …

Water Challenges At The U.S.-Mexico Border: Learning From Community And Expert Voices, Kyle Haines, Owen Temby, Josiah Heyman, Mya J. Brown, Fonna Forman, Christopher Fuller, Dongkyu Kim, Alex S. Mayer, Alexis Racelis

Political Science Faculty Publications

We discuss the results of a multi-dimensional learning process (expert surveys, community workshops) addressing water challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border. The grand institutional and political framework of the international border, and the tensions and gaps in it, dominates the water literature and expert concerns. However, social inequality and spatial and temporal diversity on both sides of the border emerge as important considerations from community input. Our goal is to make planning for regional water sustainability more comprehensive, both spatially and temporally, and more community responsive in a context of important divisions and inequalities. This is because the “sustainability” frame, as …

Race, Inequality, And Social Capital In The U.S. Counties, Mi-Son Kim, Dongkyu Kim, Natasha Altema Mcneely

Political Science Faculty Publications

This study examines how the interplay between racial diversity and economic inequality affects variations of social capital in the U.S. counties. In general, racial and economic heterogeneity is assumed to provide a negative environment for the growth of social capital. Building on this, we argue the effect of economic inequality is weaker than that of racial diversity because increased economic heterogeneity is felt less visibly and acutely than racial heterogeneity. Moreover, economic inequality can positively condition the adverse impact of racial diversity on social capital when the two interact. Based on the crosscutting cleavages theory, income inequality in a racially …

The Left And The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, Ronald W. Cox, Bryant W. Sculos, Daniel Skidmore-Hess

Political Science Faculty Publications

This is a conversation among Ronald W. Cox, Bryant Sculos and Daniel Skidmore-Hess about how the left in the U.S. should analyze the broader societal and political ramifications of the 2024 presidential election. Each of the authors contributes separate essays that reflects both complementary and differing views regarding how those on the left should vote in this election and why.

The Border Wall And Policies As Simulacrum And Spectacle: Transborderisms And Security Before And After Covid-19 In The Rio Grande Valley, Terence Garrett

Political Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Roadmaps To Post-Communist Neoliberalism: The Case Of The Baltic States, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications

This article uncovers the pre-1991 origins of Baltic neoliberal regimes. It highlights the role of the communication networks between reformist economists in the Baltic National Fronts and social forces advocating neoliberalism in Scandinavia and the United States. We assert that those networks functioned as the early carriers of ideational and policy change, even if reform contents were authored by domestic rather than transnational agencies. Firstly, the article previews the structural factors conducive to network formation. Secondly, it examines the networks by highlighting cross-national differences. Finally, it chronicles the idiosyncratic paths of neoliberal reformers’ ascendance to the positions of influence.

Welfare In Crisis: Labor And Social Protection In The Global South, Jake Lin, Dennis Arnold, Minh T. N. Nguyen

Political Science Faculty Publications

Welfare expansion in the global South is partly in response to the social crises caused by neoliberal restructuring since the 1980s, with the 2008 global financial crisis escalating them, and the covid-19 pandemic further exposing the impact on the most precarious working populations. What are the new dynamics of labor struggles against these structural, industrial, and health crises under the expansion of social protection or the lack thereof? How do the state and non-state actors manage recurring and new capitalist crises by reconfiguring labor and social policies? The contributions in this special issue address these questions by engaging with workers’ …

Income Inequality, Social Mobility, And Electoral Participation In The U.S. Counties: Revisiting The Inequality-Participation Nexus, Dongkyu Kim, Mi-Son Kim, Sang-Jic Lee

Political Science Faculty Publications

Previous research has provided contested hypotheses about the impact of income inequality on electoral participation. This study reexamines the debate between conflict and relative power theories by focusing on a largely ignored factor: social mobility. We argue that social mobility conditions the inequality-participation nexus by alleviating the frustration, class conflict, and efficacy gaps between the rich and the poor that the prevailing theories assume income inequality to create. By utilizing the Cooperative Congressional Election Survey, we test this argument focusing on US counties. Our analysis confirms that the effects of income inequality on citizens’ likelihood of voting vary depending on …

“I Am A Sincere Believer”: Rethinking Religiosity And Identity In The Early Soviet Union, Francesca Silano

Political Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Misinformation, Trust, And Use Of Ivermectin And Hydroxychloroquine For Covid-19, Roy H. Perlis, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Jon Green, Alauna Safarpour, James N. Druckman, Mauricio Santillana, Katherine Ognyanova, David Lazer

Political Science Faculty Publications

Importance The COVID-19 pandemic has been notable for the widespread dissemination of misinformation regarding the virus and appropriate treatment.

Objective To quantify the prevalence of non–evidence-based treatment for COVID-19 in the US and the association between such treatment and endorsement of misinformation as well as lack of trust in physicians and scientists.

Design, Setting, and Participants This single-wave, population-based, nonprobability internet survey study was conducted between December 22, 2022, and January 16, 2023, in US residents 18 years or older who reported prior COVID-19 infection.

Main Outcome and Measure Self-reported use of ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, endorsing false statements related to …

Religious Discrimination Against Minorities: Theories And Findings, Yasemin Akbaba

Political Science Faculty Publications

One of the established trends in religion and international relations (IR) scholarship is the awareness of a rising level of religious discrimination against minorities. Although there is variation in rates, religious restrictions are widely observed across the globe, including in Western democracies. Scholarship on the restrictions on religious practices has advanced through seeking answers to the following questions: Who discriminates? Who is discriminated against more? What are the causes of restrictions on religious freedom? What are the forms of discrimination? The purpose of this article is to connect the theories and findings of two religious discrimination studies of IR via …

The Provenances And Postscripts Of 1989, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications

The books under review exemplify some of the finest recent work on the historically informed political economy of Central and Eastern Europe. While different in their conceptual frameworks and geographical foci, the titles converge in the advancement of nuanced and convincing arguments, displaying both theoretical acuity and empirical depth to great effect. Bartel, Fabry, and Pula all share a resolute dedication to illuminating the under-explored provenances of neoliberalism and/or globalization in the region, that predate the annus mirabilis of 1989. Their contributions situate the ‘Eastern bloc’ states within the contours of evolving global political economy and the existential crises engulfing …

How Propaganda Affects Public Opinion In China: Evidence From The First Phase Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Dan Chen

Political Science Faculty Publications

During a national crisis, can state propaganda shift public opinion, and if so, in what direction? Existing studies show that the effects of state propaganda on public opinion in China are mixed. Analysing data from an online survey experiment conducted during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, this article finds that the Chinese public responded positively to propaganda that promoted Xi Jinping’s leadership, when these messages included text as well as images that showed Xi being compassionate during his visit to Wuhan. However, when textual propaganda focused on familiar narratives, such as Xi’s leadership, international praise …

Democratic Facades, Authoritarian Penchants: Post-Communist Monetary Restructuring In The Baltic States, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications

This paper argues that the paths taken by Estonia and Latvia in their departure from the rouble zone are illustrative of authoritarian neoliberal governance. By challenging the widely assumed simultaneity of ‘democratic’ and ‘market’ revolutions, it critiques institutionalist literature on Baltic exchange-rate regimes and sheds light on the various methods employed to curtail democratic political discourse and participation. The paper delves into the origins of the Baltic neoliberal historical blocs and identifies the social forces that influenced the development of monetary reform initiatives. It then explores the construction of exchange-rate systems through the lens of power struggles within the state …

Capitalism And The Creation Of The U.S. Constitution, James Parisot

Political Science Faculty Publications

This article engages with scholars working on the history of capitalism and with scholars of American political development to form a historical materialist perspective on the creation of the American federal government. First, it returns to the debate about the state in capitalist society to develop an approach for theorizing the relations between class, capitalism, and states. Next, it addresses the position of American capitalism in the 1780s, arguing that it was still in a long transition phase. After this, it reinterprets the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in the context of the long and uneven history of American capitalist development. …

Corporate Lobbying And Esg Reports: Patterns Among Us Companies, 1999–2017, Huchen Liu, Sijing Wei, Jiarui Zhang

Political Science Faculty Publications

To lobby legislators, it is important for interest groups to signal their ability to help legislators win elections and provide them with policy-relevant information. We explore for-profit companies’ use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reports as a signaling device to promote their reputation to legislators and convey their ability to provide electoral and policymaking support, which is valuable for lobbying. To this end, we create a panel dataset by combining ESG reports issued by US companies and the same companies’ lobbying and campaign contribution records from 1999 to 2017. We expect companies to issue more ESG reports, as well …

Reflections On Universities, Politics, And The Capitalist State: An Interdisciplinary And Intergenerational Discussion With Clyde W. Barrow, Clyde W. Barrow, Heather Steffen, Isaac Kamola

Political Science Faculty Publications

Since its publication in 1990, Clyde W. Barrow’s book, Universities and the Capitalist State: Corporate Liberalism and the Reconstruction of American Higher Education, 1894-1928, has been a touchstone text for generations of scholars studying higher education. This conversation between Barrow, Heather Steffen, and Isaac Kamola examines the book’s legacy in order to explore how the interdisciplinary study of higher education has changed over the past three decades. In doing so, they examine the space and place of academic knowledge and academic labor, offering an interdisciplinary discussion of critical praxis within the university.

The Criminal Justice System In Mexico, Carlos D. Gutierrez-Mannix

Political Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Promoting Information And Visual Literacy Skills In Undergraduate Students Using Infographics, Nicole Kalaf-Hughes

Political Science Faculty Publications

Because research and communication proficiency is ubiquitous in the academic and professional world, teaching students the necessary information literacy (IL) and visual literacy (VL) skills has become increasingly important. Integrating IL and VL pedagogy into substantive coursework can enhance students’ comprehension of the material and teach them to make a meaningful contribution to public awareness and understanding of political science. Yet, faculty often find it challenging to include instruction in these skills with necessary coverage of substantive course material. This article discusses the use of an infographic assignment in an introductory American government course as a tool to teach literacy …

Your Honor’S Misdeeds: The Consequences Of Judicial Scandal On Specific And Diffuse Support, Joshua Boston, Benjamin J. Kassow, Ali S. Masood, David R. Miller

Political Science Faculty Publications

Legitimacy is a bulwark for courts; even when judges engage in controversial or disagreeable behavior, the public tends to acquiesce. Recent studies identify several threats to the legitimacy of courts, including polarization and attacks by political elites. This article contributes to the scholarly discourse by exploring a previously unconsidered threat: scandal, or allegations of personal misbehavior. We argue that scandals can undermine confidence in judges as virtuous arbiters and erode broad public support for the courts. Using survey experiments, we draw on real-world judicial controversies to evaluate the impact of scandal on specific support for judicial actors and their rulings …

Patriotism And Democratic Education, Richard Dagger

Political Science Faculty Publications

Whether patriotism has a valuable part to play in the educational system of a democratic society is now a highly contentious matter. This chapter argues that it does, principally because such a society is a kind of cooperative practice that requires its members to enact, enforce, and – in most cases – obey the laws that govern their self-governing polity. Democracies rely on rules, and especially the rule of law, to provide the reasonably clear expectations necessary to coordinate public activities and to overcome collective-action problems. By encouraging citizens to set aside personal advantage and play a cooperative part in …

The Electoral Connection In Court: How Sentencing Responds To Voter Preferences, Joshua Boston, Bernardo S. Silveira

Political Science Faculty Publications

Do elected judges tailor criminal sentences to the electorate’s ideology? Utilizing sentencing data from North Carolina’s Superior Courts—which transitioned from statewide to local elections in 1996—we study whether judges are obliging to voters’ preferences. We find some evidence of responsiveness: judges from liberal districts were more lenient, while those from moderately conservative districts assigned harsher sentences. Judges from increasingly conservative districts did not change their sentencing patterns, which leads to lower re-election rates. These findings suggest that judges adapt their behavior to retain office, or else they are held accountable by the public.

State And Society In The Violation And Promotion Of Human Rights, Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann

Political Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Service-Learning At A Hispanic-Serving Institution: A Preliminary Study, Andrew H. Smith

Political Science Faculty Publications

An emerging body of literature seeks to design, implement, and analyze best practices in service-learning at undergraduate universities. What scholars have not examined as well as service-learning as applied to students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI's). Given that students at such universities are in unique learning environments, there is a question of how well standard practices in service-learning apply to HSI students. This paper presents the analysis of two semesters’ worth of service-learning requirements in an Introduction to American Politics course at an HSI in Texas. Using the feedback provided by the students on the final course evaluations, I conclude that …