Political Science Commons^™

Hard Choices On Myanmar Still Lie Ahead For The Eu, Clara Portela

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Twenty Years Later: Perceptions And Understandings Of Democracy In Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, Jennifer Hamilton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study seeks to explore perceptions and understandings of democracy in South Africa twenty years post-apartheid. Information from interviews with fifty South African citizens in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal was supplemented with interviews with five experts from institutions relevant to democratic development. Participants agreed that South Africa was a democracy, but disagreed on the meanings of democracy, South Africa’s democratic performance to date, and future prospects for democracy. The learner concludes that, in order to improve the quality of democratic governance in the country, South Africans must engage in a national dialogue about what democracy is and where it is meant to …

Diversity, Deliberations, And Judicial Opinion Writing., Susan B. Haire, Laura P. Moyer, Shawn Treier

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Underlying scholarly interest in diversity is the premise that a representative body contributes to robust decision-making processes. Using an innovative measure of opinion content, we examine this premise by analyzing deliberative outputs in the US courts of appeals (1997-2002). While the presence of a single female or minority did not affect the attention to issues in the majority opinion, panels composed of a majority of women or minorities produced opinions with significantly more points of law compared to panels with three Caucasian males.

Individual And Organizational Human Rights Activism In Liberia, Sierra Leone, And Kenya, Robert M. Press

Faculty Publications

This article examines the ways individual and organizational activists peacefully resisted government repression in recent decades in three sub-Saharan Africa countries. It is based on both archival research and more than 170 interviews by the author with key activists and others in the countries at various times from 2002-2012. This qualitative study makes several contributions to the literature. First, by including individual activism as well as organizational activism, it reveals wider and more varied participation in human rights activism than is normally detected. Second, where the usual focus in resistance studies is on mass movements, this study presents a more …

Ethical Decision Making And Leadership: Merging Social Role And Self-Construal Perspectives, Crystal L. Hoyt, Terry L. Price

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

This research extends our understanding of ethical decision making on the part of leaders by merging social role and self-construal perspectives. Interdependent self-construal is generally seen as enhancing concern for justice and moral values. Across two studies we tested the prediction that non-leading group members’ interdependent self-construal would be associated with lower levels of unethical decision making on behalf of their group but that, in contrast, this relationship would be weaker for leaders, given their social role. These predictions were experimentally tested by assigning participants to the role of leader or non-leading group member and assessing the association between their …

Let’S Require Civics Education At All Levels, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A Montana Public Radio Commentary by Evan Barrett.

Graham, Robert Duke, 1900-1984 (Mss 473), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 473. Correspondence and scrapbooks of Robert D. Graham, Democratic mayor of Bowling Green, Kentucky from 1960-1963 and 1968-1971. The materials mostly document his public career, but some personal papers, including those of his wife Edith, are included.

Micro Enterprise, Development, And The Future Of Women In Lesser-Developed Countries And The United States, Anna Nibley, Dr. Lamond Tullis

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction: The problem of development and economic disparity does not reside solely in Lesser-developed Countries (LDCs). Micro-credit is at work in forty-three countries, including the United States (New York Times 1997, 8). In the United States, a majority of the country’s poor reside in slums and low-income housing projects. Most of these people do not own the land on which they reside or the apartment or house in which they live and many are dependent on welfare. Because of these factors, many poor people cannot receive loans from traditional lending institutions. Recently, however, organizations like Accion International, a micro lending …

Ghana And The International Criminal Court Why Did Ghana Support The Creation Of The Icc?, Melissa Paredes, Dr. Darren Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Preliminary evidence pointed to Ghana as a likely leader in the creation of the International Criminal Court. Ghana was the sixth country to sign the Rome Statute for creation of the International Criminal Court. It was also one of the first countries to ratify the Statute, after the Ghanaian Parliament voted unanimously for the ratification. Currently, there is a Ghanaian woman serving as the Vice-President of the Court.

The Growing Power Of Multinational Corporations, Steven Kapfer, Dr. Brian Champion

Journal of Undergraduate Research

One of the most important issues states face is the growing power of the multinational corporation. Multinational corporations (MNC) have an immense influence in the international system, participating in the majority of economic activity and growth. It is therefore important to understand the effect that multinational corporations have on international relations in order to correctly identify why particular events happen. If policy is made without an accurate understanding of the international system then chances are that it will cause more harm than good.

Cross-Cultural Irregularities Of The Oq-45 When Administered To Students At The University Of Guadalajara In Guadalajara, Mexico Or How I Spent My Summer Vacation In Mexico, Ryan Nelson, Dr. Michael Lambert

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I met Dr. Espinito Romero at a clinical psychology conference held at Zion National Park in Southern Utah in March, 2004. He had traveled from Guadalajara, Mexico to this conference to present his poster on bowel irregularities in the lower intestine and their effects on mental health. I was attending the conference as a student of Dr. Michael Lambert and was giving a presentation on perfectionism and its possible inclusion on the Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ-45) as a measure of mental health.

The Situation Of Burmese Migrants In Thailand, Thelma Young, Dr. Valerie Hudson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Burma has been ruled by an authoritarian military junta since 1962. In 1988, the military brutally repressed the democracy movement that university students started, then spread throughout the entire country. The situation has severely deteriorated under the military, with Burma receiving the category of ‘Least Developed Country.’ The junta now known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) implements many policies that constrict all aspects of civilian’s lives- there is no freedom of speech, people cannot gather in large numbers, people are routinely forced to work in government projects for no pay, education is strictly limited, universities are closed, …

Disabled And Unemployed: Employment Variations In Europe, Cindy Otis, Dr. Wade Jacoby

Journal of Undergraduate Research

According to the 1996 European Community Household Panel (ECHP) survey, disabled people account for an estimated 14.5 percent of the total working-age population of the European Union, of which 42.6 percent are employed (Van Lin et al. 2001). This means that of a population of 65 million people, roughly 30 million are employed. The European Union’s (EU) core disability strategy has a four-fold emphasis aimed at increasing the civil rights of people with disabilities. These emphasis include improving co-operation between the Member States, encouraging exchange and development of information and good practice in the EU, raising awareness of disability issues, …

Dependent Civil Society: The Círculos Bolivarianos In Venezuela, David Hansen, Dr. Kirk Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

An important topic in political science is the role of civil society, voluntary organizations separate from the family and the state, in creating a democratic and pluralistic society that is able to effectively organize citizen participation to work through disagreement and conflicting interests in a peaceful manner. Social scientists are also engaged in the study of charismatic leaders and their effects upon political discourse, societal organization, and economic structure. Because a charismatic leader’s appeal arises primarily from his ability to gain the faith of followers that he embodies the will of the people, one important source of information about the …

The Kingdom Of Tonga And The Unwritten Order, Doug Farr

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In this paper I will address the unwritten order that exists in the highly stratified society of the Kingdom of Tonga. The relationship between power and rank in Tonga has created informal laws that govern the people. These informal laws, as well as a struggle for power, have created a division between the elite class and the powerless class, and this division is generating an uprising of the powerless class. I argue that the powerless class may win independent battles against the informal laws, however they will not defeat it completely, as this system has proven to be a testing …

Lost In Translations: Defining Us Foreign Policy In China, Katherine Chipman, Eric Hyer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The time period from 1947 to 1949 presented a unique turning point in Sino-American relations. Harry S. Truman had the opportunity to formalize relations with the emerging Communist Chinese State but choose not to. In the following time span of 20 years, the US faced intense conflict with the Chinese including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Spartly Island incident. Today Taiwan is still a major point of contention between the US and China and no doubt would lead these two nations to war if tension escalated. These and other conflicts might have been avoided had Truman not …

Protection Of Intellectual Property Rights And Economic Growth, Joseph Fitzgerald, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In today’s information age and the advancement of intellectual property, the United States and other rich countries have argued that a protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) is a crucial ingredient to economic growth. I decided to test the relationship that a protection of IPR would increase the economic growth of an economy.

Does The Icln Protein Form Volume-Sensitive Organic Osmolytyanion Channels?, Peter Hanks Maughan, David Busath

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cells respond to swelling by releasing ions to balance osmotic pressure with their surroundings. Ions travel out of cells by means of protein channels that form or open in response to increased pressure. The study of volume-sensitive organic osmolyte-anion channels (VSOAC) is relatively new. Other ion efflux pathways have been studied, but little is known about the mechanism and regulation of organic osmolyte release from cells. It has been proposed by Kevin Strange and Paul S. Jackson from Harvard Medical School that VSOAC channels are formed by a protein dimer of the 235 amino acid protein Icln.1 It has also …

Preaching To The Choir: Use Of Email In Presidential Primaries, Jared Ide, Dr. Richard Davis

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Over the past decade the Internet has emerged as an important tool for political communication. More and more candidates are using the Internet as a tool to reach and interact with voters. Even though the Internet has been closely studied as a political communications tool, email an important part of the Internet, has been largely left alone. Understanding email’s role in political communications will help increase the body of knowledge of political discourse. The paper investigated what candidates were trying to accomplish in their emails through a qualitative study of emails sent by Democratic candidates in the first six weeks …

Mexican-Americans And U.S. Foreign Policy, Collins Clark, Dr. Earl Fry

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Throughout U.S. history, ethnic-based interest groups have sought to influence U.S. foreign and national security policy. Some such groups have succeeded, including the Irish, Germans, Armenians, Greeks, and Cubans. Politically active since the 1840s, U.S. Jews are a famous example of an immigrant interest group’s influence on U.S. foreign and national security policy. They successfully pressured the U.S. to denounce the persecution of Jews, withdraw from treaties with nations that abuse Jews, help create the state of Israel, and support Israel in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. My research explores whether or not Mexican-American immigrants have a similar impact on U.S. …

Reaction To Amendment Of Article 27 In Rural Guanajuato, Brandon H. Lee, Dr. F. Lamond Tullis

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Modifications to article 27 of the Mexican Constitution made in January 1992 tremendously altered the land tenure system in rural Mexico. These modifications allow ejidatarios (landholders who possess a usufruct title to the land) to obtain an individual title to their land through a government program known as PROCEDE (the Program for Certification of Ejidal Rights and Titling of Urban House Lots). Having this title allows for the sale, purchase, or rental of lands. It also permits joint ventures with domestic and foreign private investors. Prior to the amendment, farmers claimed usufruct use of the land granted by the 1917 …

Pr Campaign Gears Up To Get Nobel Peace Prize For Putin, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

The Tipnis Conflict: Sovereignty, Development, And Indigenous Resistance In Bolivia, Stefanie Wickstrom

Political Science Faculty Scholarship

This paper introduces readers to conflict during the presidency of Juan Evo Morales Ayma over construction of a highway through the Isiboro Sécure Indigenous Territory and National Park (TIPNIS) in Bolivia. The Morales government is pursuing the highway project that will facilitate local development tied to the capitalist world-system and serve as a segment of a transcontinental system giving Brazil access to ports on the Pacific Ocean, thereby making engagement in the capitalist world-economy by regional South American power blocs more profitable and enhancing Bolivia’s economic and political status internationally. This development is made possible by the exercise of state …

Deep-Set Differences, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Data Analysis Using Regression Modeling: Visual Display And Setup Of Simple And Complex Statistical Models, Emil N. Coman, Maria A. Coman, Eugen Iordache, Russell Barbour, Lisa Dierker

Yale Day of Data

We present visual modeling solutions for testing simple and more advanced statistical hypotheses in any research field. All models can be directly specified in analytical software like Mplus or R.

Data analysis in any substantive field can be easily accomplished by translating statistical tests in the intuitive language of regression-based path diagrams with observed and unobserved variables. All models we presented can be directly specified and estimated in analytical software.

Students can particularly benefit from being taught the simple regression modeling setup of the path analytical method, as it empowers them to apply the techniques to any data to test …

Japan As China's 'Other': China's Identity And Policy Towards Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, Filip Viskupic

Lingnan Theses

This thesis examines contemporary Sino-Japanese relations, in particular the Chinese policy towards the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands following the end of the Cold War. It answers the puzzle of why the territorial dispute emerged as such a divisive issue in the bilateral relations between China and Japan.

This thesis embraces a constructivist perspective of international relations and puts forward the concept of identity. Identity is understood here as the image of individuality and distinctiveness held by a state in international relations and by having an identity is to live and act according to the defining features of identity. Drawing upon discourse analysis …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 89, No. 6, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Holloway, Kaely. International Student Amendment Passes Student Government Association Senate Vote – Navitas
• Boyd, Kayla. Lambda Chi Alpha Raises Money for Hope Harbor – Watermelon Bust Beauty Pageant
• Marnon, Christian. Engineering Students Create Beech Bend Event – Cancer, Fund raising
• Downey, Casey. WKU Students Drink Wine for Class – Agriculture
• French, Jackson. Petition for 24-Hour Dining Option Heads to Student Government Association – Dining Services
• Burton, Kristina. Symphony at WKU to Give Free Concert at Jackson’s Orchard This Weekend – Music
• Bratcher, Nick. Soft Speech Still Works – Barack …

The Impact Of Multinational Corporations In China, Steven Max Brown, Dr. Dan Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Multinational corporations have become a significant part of China’s economy. Every year thousands of new businesses dive into this massive population hoping to capture even a small percent of the market share. Today, billions of dollars continue to pour into projects geared for long term returns as China continues to develop and prosper. The government may claim to be Communist, but the country is already booming with a market economy, private ownership, and entrepreneurial spirit.

A Woman, A Mother: The Womenstats Project, Jana Badger, Dr. Valerie Hudson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Since the 1970s, the field of gender research has shown incredible correlations between the value and treatment of women and the overall welfare of societies. This research has contributed to international efforts to curb violence against women and open doors of opportunity previously closed to one-half of the world’s population. However, two roadblocks currently impede international efforts toward understanding and improving women’s well-being. First, the data available to researchers is limited and very difficult to access. Second, the variables that are traditionally considered in evaluations of “women’s status” often devalue a woman’s role as a mother, particularly in advanced industrialized …

An Analysis Of State-Level Economic Conditions And Presidential Elections, 1960-2004, Melanie Freeze, Dr. Jeremy Clayne Pope

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Voters look to the economy when evaluating incumbent presidential candidates. For example, the record high inflation, interest rates, and unemployment during Carter’s first term in office are said to have contributed to his defeat in the 1980 presidential elections. The significance of the economy was so large in the 1992 presidential election one campaign strategist bluntly stated, “It’s the economy, stupid.” While national economic factors have always been clearly connected to presidential campaigns, relatively little research exists that examines the role state economies play in determining state-level presidential returns. My research primarily sought to understand whether national or state economic …