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Educational Levels And Political Literacy: The Case Of Adults Enrolled In The Inea Program In El Paso,Texas, Carolina Pallares

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The political socialization process is ever-present in our daily lives. Traditional academic philosophies contend that one needs a formal education to achieve a high state of political awareness. This study challenges that traditional belief by proving that adults with little or no formal education can demonstrate a high level of political awareness.

The purpose of this study is to show that, absent a formal traditional education, individuals may be politically active and have an understanding of complex political issues. In order to test this hypoThesis, I interviewed participants enrolled in the Instituto Nacional de Educación para los Adultos, …

Electoral Professionalism And The 2004 Australian Federal Election Campaign, Ryan Boyd

Theses : Honours

Electoral professionalism, a. term first coined by Panebianco (1988), explains the changing organisational structure of modern political parties and changes to the way parties engage with the electorate. This thesis demonstrates the extent to which electoral professionalism was prevalent during the 2004 Australian federal election campaign. Australian democracy has undergone a process of professionalisation in recent decades. The Liberal Party and the Labor Party's ability to adapt to these changes has enabled Australia's two major parties to remain relevant and come to dominate Australia's political system. Campaign professionals skilled in areas such as polling, marketing, media management, computer technologies, direct …

Papua New Guinea: Weak, Failing, Failed? : An Examination Of Failed State Theory And The Usefulness Of The Failed States Index, Maria Sussanna Tulkiewicz

Theses : Honours

This thesis examines the problem of failed and failing states set against the 'theory' that has accompanied this discourse. It uses a case study of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to examine both the theory and its related application in the Failed States Index (FSI) developed by the Fund for Peace and the Foreign Policy magazine. Critically examining the methodology used in the FSI, the thesis analysis a wide range of information about the social, economic and political problems facing PNG to highlight shortcomings in the current construction of the Index. These shortcomings are then used to highlight conceptual problems in …

Does The U.S. Constitution Need An Equal Rights Amendment?, Lisa Baldez, Lee Epstein, Andrew D. Martin

Dartmouth Scholarship

For over 3 decades, those engaged in the battle over the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), along with many scholarly commentators, have argued that ratification of the amendment will lead U.S. courts (1) to elevate the standard of law they now use to adjudicate claims of sex discrimination, which, in turn, could lead them (2) to find in favor of parties claiming a denial of their rights. We investigate both possibilities via an examination of constitutional sex discrimination litigation in the 50 states—over a third of which have adopted ERAs. Employing methods especially developed for this investigation, we find no direct …

Heroic Individualism: The Hero As Author In Democratic Culture, Alan I. Baily

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My study focuses on the literature of democratic morality, with specific reference to the question of "heroic individualism." I attempt to elucidate the notion of heroic individualism by examining three modern democratic moralists whose work occupies the space between politics and literature: Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Carlyle and Friedrich Nietzsche. In brief, I conclude that the central aspiration of heroic individualism is to bridge the gap between writing and action, the Text and the Voice. The dialogue among Rousseau, Carlyle, and Nietzsche reveals that the problem of writing as action is central to heroic-individualist morality. Each of these authors demonstrates …

Cold War Games And Postwar Art, Claudia Mesch

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

During the Cold War both “superpowers” used games, particularly chess, in order to construct an ideology of complete conflict and irreconcilable division between East and West. This essay focuses on the broad cultural challenge to divisive Cold War zero-sum mentality issued by a number of artists—André Breton, Marcel Duchamp and Öyvind Fahlström, and Fluxus artists George Maciunas, George Brecht, Robert Watts, Takako Saito and Yoko Ono. These artists, in a second wave of game-focused art, returned to the concerns of surrealist art practice and to earlier cultural game theory. Even conceptual art production was impacted by the predetermined structure of …

Cures To Stalled Development: Causes And Solutions To Economic Crisis In Sub-Saharan Africa, Monika Thiboutot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate some of the contending issues associated with economic underdevelopment in sub-Saharan African states. Specifically, this thesis focuses on the combined effects of World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) economic austerity programs, the increased spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the continuous democratic deficit on the sluggish economic performance within four sub-Saharan African countries – Ghana, Kenya, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The research questions are: are there any unique political, cultural, and economic issues that underscore and determine the path of sub-Saharan African development? What are the potentials for …

General Social Trust And Political Trust Within Social And Political Groups: A Case Study, Weylan Craig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

People in society with high levels of generalized social trust and political trust are more likely to engage in civic activism and participation. Therefore, people involved in social and political groups will likely have higher levels of generalized social and political trust than the general public. What lacks in this realm of scholarship is a solid comparison of trust among people involved in social and political groups. This case-study analysis of generalized social trust and political trust among social and political groups shows the trust that is not only generated within each group, but also which types of groups are …

Francis Lieber, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Schumaker, Kiel, Heilke: Great Ideas/Grand Schemes Study Guide, 1998-2006, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Great Ideas/Grand Schemes is a systematic treatment of twelve ideologies by means of an elaborate conceptual framework. This twelve-point analytic grid, which is comprised of six substantive political principles, four philosophical bases, and two political bases, is introduced in the first chapter. Subsequent chapters focus on the ideologies themselves.

Robert Kaplan: The Coming Anarchy Study Guide, 2001-2006, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

David Kupelian: The Marketing Of Evil Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Harm De Blij: Why Geography Matters Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Mary Beard And John Henderson: Classics: A Very Short Introduction Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

John Fonte: Why There Is A Culture War Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Christian Reconstruction, Steven Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Robert D. Kaplan: When North Korea Falls Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Exiting Etatisme? New Directions In State Policy In France And Japan, Gene Park

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Successful Social Movements And Political Outcomes: A Case Study Of The Women's Movement In Italy: 1943-48, Francesca Luciana Rubino

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the definition of civil society, social movements and success and then analyzes these variables through a historical case study. It looks at the role of two women’s groups in Italy from 1943-48 as they worked to achieve three political goals (women’s suffrage, greater representation in politics, and the new constitution). The thesis will look at whether the variables necessary to social movement success were present in the movement in helping Italian women in the movement who mobilized and organized to achieve their said goals and objectives. It will conclude with remarks as to the lessons learned from …

Anti-System Parties:Policy Choices For Democracies A Study Of India's Bharatiya Janata Party And Austria's Freedom Party, Kristina M. Teater

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In the decades following WWII, countries across the globe witnessed the rise of anti-system parties. Political scientists have attributed their success to economic conditions, electoral systems, party systems and the electorate’s disaffection with mainstream parties. The analysis also suggests the influence of global factors. While the causes for success have been examined, effective policy choices for democracies have not been equally explored. This study makes the argument that by including anti-system parties in government, states are able to lessen the threat they pose to democracy. The analysis of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party and Austria’s Freedom party suggest that anti-system parties …

The Problem Of Secular Sacredness: Ronald Dworkin, Michael Perry, And Human Rights Foundationalism, Ari Kohen

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

The concept of human rights ultimately rests on the premise that there are some things that ought to be done for human beings and other things that ought not to be done to human beings in light of the fact that they are human. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, these rights stem from the “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family” (Ishay 1997: 407). Some would argue that this notion has its roots in the natural law and natural rights tradition that is an important …

“Peace Is More Than The End Of Bombing”: The Second Stage Of The Vieques Struggle, Sherrie Baver

Publications and Research

The nature of colonialism in Puerto Rico has caused most political issues to be viewed within the framework of status politics. In the first stage of the struggle to expel the U.S. Navy from the island (1999–2003), civil society in Puerto Rico united when the issues were reframed with links not to status politics but to human rights and social justice. Viequenses symbolized for Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico, on the mainland, and in the world at large the costs of military colonialism. In the second stage of the struggle, since the military’s departure, Viequenses have struggled to control the …

The 2001 Nevada Redistricting And Perpetuation Of The Status Quo, David F. Damore

Political Science Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Unilateral Executive Power: Bush Push Or Congressional Cave? An Examination Of Executive-Legislative Relations During The First Term Of President George W. Bush, 2001-2004, Erika N. Cornelius

Masters Theses

The events of September 11th once again brought the unique power-sharing relationship between the executive and legislative branches into focus. The framers created the presidency to deal with direct threats to the national security of the United States and in situations such as September 11th, American citizens and Congress naturally rally-round the national leader, the president. This thesis examines the interaction between the Bush White House and 107th and 108th Congress, following the events of September 11th.

This study explores the political interplay between Congress and the president in the area of foreign policy, with special emphasis given to war …

Women Mayors: An Examination Of Leadership Style, Sherikia Lavette Humes

Masters Theses

Studies of women in politics traditionally focus on the state and federal levels. Scholarly literature suggests that women mayors have been largely ignored, even though there has been a significant increase in the number of women mayors. This thesis examines women mayors and their leadership styles through the models of transactional and transformational leadership. For this study, as a point of comparison, male mayors also were examined. This study was conducted through three research methods: elite interviewing and observational and document analysis. The findings of this study suggest that women mayors are more likely than men mayors to be transformational …

Gender Stereotypes And The Governor's Mansion, Adrienne Mathews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the effects of gender stereotypes on women gubernatorial candidates in the post "Year of the Woman" era to determine whether or not the electoral gains made by women running for legislative office in 1992 also extended to women contesting executive elections in subsequent years. This study proceeds in two parts. The first part of this study provides an empirical analysis of contextual and candidate specific factors thought to affect the way in which gender stereotypes surface during gubernatorial campaigns and how they affect women candidates accordingly. The contextual factors include state culture, party dominance, and tradition of …

Singapore: A Tax Compact For The Future?, Eugene Kheng Boon Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

The Mirage Of Global Justice, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The political pursuit of global justice is not a worthy goal, and our aims in establishing international legal and political institutions should be more modest. The pursuit of justice in the international order is dangerous to the extent that it requires the establishment of powerful supranational agencies, or legitimizes greater and more frequent exercise of political, economic, and military power by strong states or coalitions. The primary concern in the establishment and design of all legal and political institutions should be not to secure justice but to limit power. It is a mistake to think that a distinction can be …

Cartel Parties And Cartel Party Systems: The Italian Case, Riccardo Pelizzo

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In spite of the fact that Katz and Mair’s cartel party article has been one of the most widely cited, read, discussed, criticized scholarly works of the past decade, Italian politics experts have been somewhat reluctant to apply the cartel party framework to analyze the Italian party system.1 This reluctance was probably motivated by an improper understanding of what the cartel party hypothesis actually entails. Italian politics scholars seemed to think that the cartel is a specific type of oligopolistic market in which the supply of goods is distorted by the collusion of the oligopolistic firms which, by colluding, form …

Parliamentary Oversight For Government Accountability, Riccardo Pelizzo, Rick Stapenhurst, David Olson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.