Political Science Commons^™

Slavery In Europe: Part 1, Estimating The Dark Figure, Monti Narayan Datta, Kevin Bales

Political Science Faculty Publications

The estimation of the “dark figure” for any crime (the number of actual instances of a specific crime committed minus the reported cases of that crime within a population) has primarily rested on the ability to conduct random sample crime surveys. Such surveys are based on the assumption that victims experience crimes that are discrete, time-bound, and of relatively short duration. The crime of enslavement, however, presents a special challenge to estimation because it is of indeterminate duration. This challenge is compounded by the fact that victims of slavery are also often isolated by the stigma linked to sexual assault, …

Human Development Dynamics: An Agent Based Simulation Of Macro Social Systems And Individual Heterogeneous Evolutionary Games, Mark Abdollahian, Zining Yang, Travis Coan, Birol Yesilada

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: In the context of modernization and development, a complex adaptive systems framework can help address the coupling of macro social constraint and opportunity with individual agency. Combining system dynamics and agent based modeling, we formalize a simulation approach of the Human Development (HD) perspective to explore the interactive effects of economics, culture, society and politics across multiple human scales.

Methods: Based on a system of asymmetric, coupled nonlinear equations, we first capture the core qualitative logic of HD theory, empirically validated from World Values Survey (WVS) data. Using a simple evolutionary game approach, second we fuse endogenously derived individual …

C. S. Lewis: The Art And Power Of Mythopoeia, Megan Joy Rials

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Women’S Political Leadership In Boston, Center For Women In Politics And Public Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

The center tracks the status of women at all levels of government in the New England states. It also provides dynamic web resources to inform and support public leadership of women of color.

This fact sheet presents information and statistics following the 2013 municipal elections in the City of Boston.

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Capitalism And Imperialism Through Adam’S The Wealth Of Nations, Carmella O'Hanlon

Political Science Student Scholarship

Discusses capitalism and imperialism within the context of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations.

Moocs And Modern Democracies, Richard L. Pate

WCBT Faculty Publications

A discussion of the imposition of the interests of the few on the collective through a subtle but effective manner: the eventual, complete development of Massive Open Online Courses. It is this article’s premise that this development together with current marketing efficacy and the present economic goals of modern democracies, is probable to result in a shrinkage of the market place of ideas and, paradoxically, likely to result in a diminution of democracy in the world.

'Dred Scott V. Sandford' Analysis, Sarah E. Roessler

Student Publications

The Scott v. Sandford decision will forever be known as a dark moment in America's history. The Supreme Court chose to rule on a controversial issue, and they made the wrong decision. Scott v. Sandford is an example of what can happen when the Court chooses to side with personal opinion instead of what is right.

Electoral Competition In Connecticut's State House Races: The Trial Run Of The Citizens' Election Program, Lesley A. Denardis

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

The Citizens Election Fund, Connecticut's version of a clean elections law, was established in 2005 in the wake of the corruption scandal during the administration of Governor John Rowland. Modeled after the public financing systems of Maine and Arizona, Connecticut's law has been touted as the most comprehensive in the nation. This paper will address whether the introduction of the Citizens' Election Program has increased the level of electoral competition by specifically focusing on state house seats in Connecticut during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles. Contestation for seats in the Connecticut General Assembly is a particularly salient issue due …

Reexamining Cultural Orientation Provided To Newly Arrived Refugees, Sara E. Matchulat

Capstone Collection

The provision of cultural orientation is one of many services required by the contract between resettlement agencies and the federal agencies overseeing refugee resettlement, the Cooperative Agreement. This paper explores World Relief in Moline, Illinois as a case study for how small resettlement agencies can provide meaningful and memorable cultural orientations. In order to accomplish this goal, this research utilizes the Empowerment Theory to explore how recently resettled refugees’ perceptions can be taken into consideration as orientation materials are examined. Research sought to compare Cooperative Agreement requirements to current orientation materials, interviewed service providers and recently resettled refugees, and utilized …

Political Hate Machines: Outside Groups And The 2012 Presidential Campaign Advertising Market, Martin Nader

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation explores the rise of outside groups and their influence in the 2012 presidential campaign advertising market. Unlike official candidates, outside groups are not vulnerable to the potential electoral risks of public backlash for being too negative; therefore, outside groups do not possess the same incentives as official candidates to regulate their use of attack ads. Compared to campaign ads produced by official presidential candidates, ads produced by outside groups are (1) overwhelmingly negative attack ads, (2) utilize a backwards-looking retrospective orientation, and (3) draw heavily on negative emotions like anger, fear and disgust.

Considering the role of outside …

Lakoff’S Theory Of Moral Reasoning In Presidential Campaign Advertisements, 1952–2012, Damien S. Pfister, Jessy J. Ohl, Marty Nader, Dana Griffin

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This study examines the presence and distribution of George Lakoff’s Strict Father and Nurturant Parent paradigms of moral reasoning in presidential campaign advertisements between 1952 and 2012. Results show that Republicans outpace Democrats in the general use of moral reasoning and that Republicans are far more likely to use Strict Father language than Democrats. The study found no difference in the use of Strict Father= Nurturant Parent morality throughout history, during times of war and recession, or if the candidate was an incumbent. The Strict Father and Nurturant Parent models of moral reasoning were also evaluated based on their relationship …

The Uneven Representation Of Women In Asian Parliaments: Explaining Variation Across The Region, Devin K. Joshi, Kara Kingma

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Although home to the majority of the world's women, Asia is the continent with the smallest proportion of women in Parliament. Rarely studied from a comparative perspective, this article examines the uneven representation of women in the lower houses of contemporary Asian parliaments. While socio-economic modernization and industrialization are generally expected to increase the proportion of women in positions of political influence, we find that differences in electoral and party systems across Asia play a greater role than levels of female literacy, urbanization, or per capita income. In particular, Asian parliaments with strict quotas and a higher number of (three …

Campus Camp Wellstone At Wsu: A Blog Post, Courtney Mccaw

Feminist & Queer Praxis

This blog post written for the WSU Improving Our World Blog, which showcases the work WSU students do to improve our community and world.

Addressing “This Woeful Imbalance”: Efforts To Improve Women’S Representation At Cia, 1947-2013, Brent Durbin

Government: Faculty Publications

This collection consists of some 120 declassified documents, the majority of which are being released for the first time. The collection includes more than 1,200 pages from various studies, memos, letters, and other official records documenting the CIA's efforts to examine, address, and improve the status of women employees from 1947 to today.

Key documents include the 1953 Panel on Career Service for Women (dubbed the "Petticoat Panel"); a 1976 letter written by DCI George H.W. Bush nominating three female officers for the Federal Woman's Award: a poignant 1984 memo on career opportunities for women; a 1992 summary of he …

Powers, Caleb, 1869-1932 (Sc 2777), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2777. Letter, 6 December 1902, from Caleb Powers to Lovin Richards, Hillsdale, Kentucky, thanking him and other Republican residents of Simpson County Precinct Number 1 for donations toward his legal expenses in connection with his retrial on a charge of complicity in the assassination of Kentucky governor William J. Goebel. Includes the list of donors and amounts contributed; also includes a letter, 25 July 1903, from J. B. Howard to the postmaster of Hickory Flat, Kentucky, requesting a house-to-house canvass for donations to defend against the same …

A Taxonomy Of Determinism, Brant Williams, Dr. Brent D. Slife

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In psychology, there has been a great deal of debate about the issue of determinism. Many psychologists argue that we are determined by our genetics and our environment. However, there are many psychologists who strongly disagree with this idea. This debate has continued for many years without resolution and in the process has generated much confusion. This confusion is in large part due to a lack of a standard definition of determinism. Currently, there is no accepted standard definition of determinism and each researcher defines determinism differently. The result of this is that often researchers are arguing about two different …

The Stink Coming Through The Revolving Door, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A Montana Public Radio Commentary by Evan Barrett.

The Impact Of Political Opportunity Structure On Anti-U.S. Military Base Movement Outcomes: Case Studies On Okinawa And The Philippines, Ryan M. Scoville, Dr. Ray Christensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Two years ago, I traveled to Okinawa to interview head office staff for two of Japan’s biggest political parties and an editor for the Ryukyu Shinbun—Okinawa’s largest newspaper. While on the island I also collected Okinawan voting records for the past two decades of mayoral and prefectural elections. The purpose of these activities was to obtain new information on the anti- U.S. military base movement in Okinawa. I specifically wanted to know why the movement has been largely ineffective over the past three decades, what political forces have shaped its fate over time, and whether there has been an adverse …

Halloween Candy: A "Rich, Dark" History, Kim Hill

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Quotas For Women In South Africa’S African National Congress: A Rationalist/Constructivist Approach, Jessica R. Preece, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

South Africa’s conservative cultural traditions, significant rates of poverty, and recent transition to democracy make it surprising that it’s Parliament has twice the percentage of women as the worldwide average–29.8% in the National Assembly and 31.5% in National Council of Provinces.1 What explains South Africa’s exceptional number of female Members of Parliament (MPs)? South Africa’s dominant political party, the African National Congress (ANC), implemented a quota system for women when choosing their candidates–they require every third candidate to be a woman. Thus, because the ANC controls about a third of the seats in Parliament, it has a significant impact on …

Political Science Alumni Panel, Tia Patsavas

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

The True Origin Of Society: The Founders On The Family, Scott Yenor

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the past century, no institution has come under more sustained assault than the family. Radical feminists disparaged the traditional family as a remnant of patriarchy and a threat to autonomy and romantic love, allowing contemporary liberals to redefine the ends of marriage in terms of self-fulfillment and personal growth. While the findings of social science and the teachings of religion lend support to the family, we turn to the American Founders for a stronger, principled defense of traditional marriage and the family. The Founders understood that the family, with the commitment of marriage needed to sustain it, is uniquely …

Unicity Councilors In South Africa: Institutions, Representation, And Ethnicity, David Martin, Dr. Raymond V. Christensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During the year 2000, five of South Africa’s most populated regions—Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, and Ekurhuleni—underwent a consolidation of power that combined many local city councils into a large unicity council. In each case the official goal of the consolidation was to increase the efficiency of service delivery, benefit from economies of scale, and avoid duplication of services. Proponents of the action cited the examples of New York City and Toronto for support. An example of how this consolidation took place is Cape Town, which combined seven previous metropolitan local councils—Blauwberg Municipality, City of Cape Town, City of Tygerberg, …

Senegal And Its Civil War In Casamance, Ryan Keller, Dr. Donna Lee Bowen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Civil and ethnic conflict has taken a particularly devastating toll on the peoples of Africa. Ruthless dictators, civil wars, and genocide have obliterated literally millions from Rwanda, to Uganda, to Angola. Unfortunately, Senegal has not been an exception.

Democratization, Ethnicity, And War, Lindsay J. Baxter, Dr. Scott Cooper

Journal of Undergraduate Research

US foreign policy often centers on the idea that spreading democracy is the key to ending violent interstate conflict. Proponents of the democratic peace theory endorse this policy perspective, asserting that the historical record demonstrates that war between democracies is rare if not nonexistent. However, scholars like Edward Mansfield and Jack Snyder remind policy makers that “countries do not become mature democracies overnight.”1 They maintain that democratizing states are actually more war-prone than mature democracies; therefore, those who shape foreign policy should couple their pro-democracy agenda with considerable caution.

Mobile Phones: Changing Moroccan Social Patterns, Alexia Green, Dr. Donna Lee Bowen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

On the surface, Moroccan society appears fairly traditional. Women stay in the house. Men stay on the streets. However, traditional barriers are being circumvented by new technology; mobile phones allow men and women to have continual, unsupervised contact and thus interrupt social norms. Widespread mobile phone and internet use provides access to members of the opposite sex in ways never before possible. A fifteen year old girl can be sitting in her living room watching television with her parents while receiving texts from her (most likely unwelcome) boyfriend and no one is the wiser. This frequent contact is having a …

Progressive Women: A Comparison Of Women’S Status In France, Morocco, And Tunisia, Margo Alana Larson, Dr. Donna Lee Bowen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Western perception of Muslim women remains riddled with negative stigmas regarding women’s perceived lack of personal status rights. France as the center of all cultural advances was thought of as being advanced in the area of female status rights as well. As ideas moved from this Parisian cultural center to North Africa—the periphery of French civilization, North African female status laws were modified. Yet who can to say these changes were for the good or were in areas in which the French were more advance? This thesis has examined the idea that Western women have gained rights more quickly and …

The Spatial Distribution Of Votes Garnered By Ldp Candidates: An Exploratory Analysis Using Moran’S, Brian C. Dowdle, Dr. Ray Christensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Electoral systems, which use multimember electoral districts and non-transferable votes, present unique strategic dilemmas for political parties. In order to gain a parliamentary majority, a party must run and win candidates equal to at least one-half of the available seats. Under such a system, therefore, it is commonplace for candidates of the same party to run against each other along with candidates from other political parties. This poses two significant strategic dilemmas. First, how many party candidates should run in each election district? Second, how can the vote best be divided among party candidates to maximize the number of seats …

Determinants Of Religious Freedom, Daniel M. Butler, Dr. Danny Damron

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Since the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration on human rights, there has been an incredible growth in the research done on human rights. The universal nature of these standards and rights has ensured that the study of human rights has been particularly fruitful for comparative study. While the number of cross-national studies on human rights has quickly increased during the past decade, the majority of those studies have used a narrow conception of human rights – the level of personal integrity abuses. This study adds to existing research by testing to see if some of the factors that have …

Explaining The Emergence Of Indigenous-Local Intergovernmental Relations In Settler Societies: A Theoretical Framework, Jen Nelles, Christopher Alcantara

Political Science Faculty Publications

There has been growing interest among practitioners and academics in the emergence of intergovernmental relations between local and Aboriginal governments in Canada. Initial research has focused on describing the nature of these relations but has yet to develop any theoretical expectations regarding why some communities are more likely to cooperate than others. We addresses this lacuna by developing a theoretical framework for explaining the emergence of cooperation between Aboriginal and local governments. After identifying a set of variables and specifying how they are likely to affect the propensity of communities to cooperate, we conclude with a discussion of how future …