Political Science Commons^™

We Hold These Truths And The Problem Of Public Morality, Gerard V. Bradley

Journal Articles

This essay maintains that although We Hold These Truths represented an important milestone in Catholic reflection on the American regime, Murray's analysis of public morality and the state's role in its promotion and enforcement is notably weak and of little assistance to us today. More specifically, it argues that Murray’s analysis is insufficiently philosophical and too concerned with the pragmatic task of forging an approach widely acceptable in the America of his day; that it rests on an artificial distinction between “private” and “public” morality that fails to sufficiently appreciate the essential dependence of sound morals legislation upon the government’s …

Democracy And Education Equity In Latin America, Olen Dean Stonerook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the literature democratic longevity in countries transitioning from authoritarian regimes to democracy is linked to economic development; four factors of economic development are identified: industrialization, education, urbanization, and growing wealth. Education is viewed as a primary factor for effective democratic participation and economic development. This thesis examines the relationship between level of democracy and educational outputs and outcomes. Does the level of democracy (political rights and civil liberties) have an effect on the levels of investment in education and measurable outcomes in education equity toward meeting the educational needs of the newly represented public? The expectation is that the …

Ideology And Influence Balancing Conservative And Neoconservative Power In The Islamic Republic Of Iran, Rachel F. Corsi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The evolution of the Pasdaran over the past thirty years has brought the group further away from its original role as a protector of the revolution and closer to a parallel, if not competing, economic, political and social institution. In the last decade, conflict dominating the political landscape of the Islamic Republic of Iran has shifted from being defined primarily by the Reformists (Islamic Left) and the Conservatives (Islamic Right), to a multi-dimensional struggle between the Reformists, Conservatives, and Neo-Conservatives, represented by the IRGC and President Ahmadinejad. The IRGC‘s defiance against the authority of the clerics, evidenced by President Ahmadinejad‘s …

Piety And Redistributive Preferences In The Muslim World, Thomas B. Pepinsky, Bozena C. Welborne

Government: Faculty Publications

This article tests two competing theories of the relationship between piety and redistributive preferences in the Muslim world. The first, drawn from the new political economy of religion, holds that more pious individuals of any faith should oppose redistributive economic policies. The second, drawn from Islamic scripture, holds that pious Muslims should favor more redistributive economic policies. Employing survey data from twenty-five countries, the authors find that there is no clear relationship between piety and redistributive preferences among Muslims. The authors find that more pious Muslims are less likely to favor government efforts to eliminate income inequality, but they find …

Museveni's Centralization Of Power: The Political Economy Of Development In Uganda, Nathan Vasher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops a model of structural power in society that builds upon Weber's notion that several types of power exist in societies and that these types of power operate differently within societies. The purpose of this model is to help explain the political economy of development during Museveni's tenure. The thesis argues that Museveni has centralized power through a complex system of patronage and repression. Furthermore, Museveni's transformation from the leader of a cadre of `new breed leaders' to `just another African big man' results from his choice to centralize power as a means of achieving his revolutionary goals. …

201101 Obiter Dicta: Late January 2011, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Arkhonskaya: A Terek Cossack Community, Stephen Bowers, Anna Vladimirovna Chekashkina, Oleg Abzaletdinov, S. Reed Bowers Ii

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Lord Peter Bauer: From Subsistence To Exchange And Other Essays: Study Guide, 2006-2011, Steven A. Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Simone Weil: The Iliad, Or The Poem Of Force Study Guide, Steven A. Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Faustian Bargains: Entanglements Between Church And State In America, Steven A. Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the state extends its operations into all areas of social life, it breaches the protective 'wall of separation' that has traditionally kept the church free from overt regulation by the civil authorities. This is manifested in several ways: first, a statutory extension of state police powers through social legislation; second, a restriction or pre-emption of certain activities that were once held to be outside the purview of the state; third, a vitiation of the principle of religious non-interference through judicial interpretations of the First Amendment; and fourth, an adversary posture toward churches taken by many agencies of the state …

Lord Peter Bauer: From Subsistence To Exchange: Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Existence, Perpetuity, And Proliferation Of Payday Loans: Impact On Vulnerable Populatons And The Regulatory Policy Process In Texas, Azuri Lizeth Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

If you have ever driven by a street, typically not in a very wealthy neighborhood, where a store front displayed signs with words like "Instant cash!," "No Credit Check," "First loan free," then you likely witnessed the marketing of a product called a payday loan. Payday loans are a form of a short-term loan product that is usually grouped with other loan products within the subprime lending industry, alternative financial resources, or fringe economy markets. This loan product has been the focus of a number of controversial debates among consumer protection groups, financial institutions, state regulatory entities, and legislators, regarding …

Book Review: The Executive Unbound: After The Madisonian Republic, By Eric A. Posner And Adrian Vermeule, Michael A. Genovese

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Presidential Term Limits In American History: Power, Principles, And Politics, By Michael J. Korzi, Michael A. Genovese

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Roosevelt’S Purge, By Susan Dunn, Michael A. Genovese

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Thinking About Leadership, By Nannerl O. Keohane, Michael A. Genovese

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

From ‘Entrepreneur Of The Self’ To ‘Care Of The Self’: Neo-Liberal Governmentality And Foucault’S Ethics, Andrew Dilts

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

In his 1979 lectures, Foucault took particular interest in the reconfiguration of quotidian practices under neo-liberal human capital theory, re-describing all persons as entrepreneurs of the self. By the early 1980s, Foucault had begun to articulate a theory of ethical conduct driven not by the logic of investment, but of artistic development and self-care. This article uses Foucault’s account of human capital as a basis to explore the meaning and limits of Foucault’s final published works and argues for two interrelated genealogical projects focused on the ethics of economic activity.

Moving Into Citizenship: Teaching Toward Common Ground, Bruce L. Mallory

The University Dialogue

No abstract provided.

Reaching Disagreement, David R. Hiley

The University Dialogue

No abstract provided.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization As A Counterbalance Against The United States, Bakhtiyar T. Dauekeev

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

According to the balance of power concept, nations tend to unite for opposing a hegemon with an equal force. Therefore, for the leading position of the US and its ability to project power globally, there should be an opposite and equal reaction from the other emerging power centers.

Since the collapse of the USSR, the hegemonic position of the United States has been unchallenged. However, there is a possibility that it might be counterbalanced in future by the growing political influence of emerging powers like Russia and China, which have already succeeded in countering the US influence in some parts …

When Prohibition And Violence Collide: The Case Of Mexico, Kyleigh M. Clark

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Some theorists have found a positive correlation between increased drug prohibition enforcement and a rise in violence. These studies focus on the United States and Colombia, arguing that prohibition amplifies violence, rather than decreasing it. Much like the United States and Colombia earlier in their histories, Mexico has recently experienced an escalation in violence. Since beginning a democratic transition in 2000, the Mexican government has intensified a war on drugs by strengthening the rule of law, battling corruption, and cooperating with the United States' drug war. This study, using a congruence method with process-tracing, will analyze the Mexican case in …

The United States Of The World: Human Rights, Political Entrepreneurship, And U.S. Foreign Policy Via Affective And Rational Politics, Marriah Star

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines how Political Entrepreneurs in the United States Congress responded to human rights abuses in six countries during the 1970s and 1980s: Cambodia, El Salvador, South Africa, the Soviet Union, Taiwan, and Uganda. It presents a four-point model for approaching the study of United States human rights policy. The key element in all the cases is bonding social capital, also called affective politics. American policy towards the Soviet Union and Uganda both demonstrate the integration of international, transnational, and domestic politics. Taiwan receives special attention because U.S. Taiwan policy continues to exemplify the integration of international relations, transnational …

The Declaration Of Independence And Immigration In The United States Of America, Kenneth M. White

Faculty Articles

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, and immigration policy has always been controversial. The history of immigration in the United States is contrasted in this article with a normative standard of naturalization (immigration policy) based on the Declaration of Independence. The current immigration debate fits within a historical pattern that pits an unrestricted right of immigration (the left) against exclusive, provincial politics (the right). Both sides are simultaneously correct and incorrect. A moderate policy on immigration is possible if the debate in the United States gets an infusion of what Thomas Paine called "common sense."

Plato's Heroic Vision: The Difficult Choices Of The Socratic Life, Ari Kohen

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Faced with charges of impiety and corruption of the youth, Socrates attempts a defence designed to vindicate the philosophic way of life. In this he seems to be successful, as Socrates is today highly regarded for his description of the good life and for his unwillingness to live any other sort of life, a position that is most obviously exemplified by his defence in the Apology. After his sentencing, Socrates' arguments and actions - in the Crito and the Phaedo - also lend considerable support to the idea that the philosopher is committed to living a particularly good sort of …

War Don Don And Fambol Tok, Polly Thistlethwaite

Publications and Research

Reviews two documentary films about the aftermath and reconciliation of the Sierra Leone Civil War 1991-2002.

Nafta, Cafta And The Environment: The Role Of Institutions, Sherrie Baver

Publications and Research

This essay examines the institutionalization of environmental concerns, primarily focusing on NAFTA, and argues that the 1994 agreement should be seen as a positive first attempt to raise the profile of environmental concerns within discussions of expanding global trade. More specifically, NAFTA and subsequent U.S. FTAs have contributed to the growth of procedural environmental rights that have the potential to deepen democracy in the wider political system. Given that free trade agreements represent the U.S. approach to world trade at present, this paper takes the practical position that building on NAFTA’s foundation, opportunities exist to continue promoting environmental sustainability within …

The West Africa-Latin America Drug Trafficking Epidemic; An Institutional Analysis, Madi Ceesay

Dissertations and Theses

"West Africa, like any other region in the world, has had to swallow its fair share of modern-day political, economic and social dilemmas. One phenomenon that has had huge negative implications on the political, economic and social spheres of almost every country on the face of the earth is the production, trafficking, marketing and consumption of illicit drugs. The countries in West Africa have not been spared of the negative consequences of illicit drugs. While some countries have an illicit drug production problem, others have a consumption problem. The countries in West Africa have an illicit drug trafficking problem. The …

Neofunctionalism Vs Liberal Intergovernmentalism; The Creation Of The European Stability Mechanism And The Limits Of Political Theory, Holger Scheidt

Dissertations and Theses

"The aim of this study is to determine the expanatory and predictive value of the two predominant schools of thought on state integration, namely neofunctionalism and liberal intergovernmentalism, of supranationalist or state-centric theory, with respect to the creation of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the ""Pact for the Euro"" on March 25, 2011 in Brussels. After a 14-month long period of great controversy among the supranational agentsof the European Commission and the representatives of member states of the Economic and Monatery Union (EMU) during 2010, the European Council established a permanent mechanism, which is supposed to grant the stability …

Sexual Gender-Based Violence In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, James Aldworth

Dissertations and Theses

"This thesis explores the issue of Sexual Gender-Based Violence in the Democratic of Congo, focusing specifically on the Eastern region of the country. An analysis of the United Nations peacekeeping operation forms a large part the study because the operation remains the most significant multilateral attempt to protect Congolese civilians from sexual violence and other human rights abuses. The objective of the thesis is to highlight the issue of Sexual Gender-Based Violence, describe the background to the continued violence in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and offer an explanation of the causal factors behind the sexual crimes …

The Modern Day Gold Rush ; Private Military Corporations, Deirdre Kornhiser

Dissertations and Theses

Since wars have existed, there have been soldiers for hire. As the state evolved, originating during the peace of Westphalia, and matured, the definition and the business of mercenarism have gone through many mutations. Today, and particularly since the 1970s, mercenaries have banded together, incorporating themselves as private military firms, some of which are units of multinational corporations. Private Military Corporations (PMCs) offer expertise ranging from construction to logistics but a number of contractors have been accused of human rights violations, particularly in the current theatres of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The theme of this thesis is that PMCs …