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Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Predictive Ability Of Political Psychological Theory: A Case Study Of President Clinton’S Behavior In Bosnia, Madeline Ary

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

Why does the U.S. sometimes choose to intervene in international conflicts? Can the political decisions of a leader be profiled? In order to address these questions, this study analyzes the case study of the Bosnian civil war and the decisions President Bill Clinton made to escalate intervention measures in the region until the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. To accomplish this analysis, the psychological theory of international relations, specifically operational code theory, will be applied. Overall, this analysis concludes that the psychological and instrumental beliefs held by President Clinton had an impact on U.S. foreign policy pertaining to Bosnia.

Trust And Scandal: A Tale Of Two Theories, James Martherus

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

“I am not a crook.” Those five words are burned into the nation’s memory. President Nixon was under investigation after five men were arrested trying to break into the Watergate office complex, where the Democratic National Committee was headquartered. Evidence was found that the burglary was funded using money from Nixon’s re-election campaign. This led to cover-ups at high levels within the FBI, CIA, and the White House. Nixon was implicated in these cover-ups and was eventually charged with obstruction of justice, abuse of authority, and defiance of committee subpoenas. It was then that Nixon uttered the infamous phrase, “I …

Letter From The Editor, Alan Hickey Editor-In-Chief

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

United States—Chile Bilateral Free Trade Act, Jake Berlin

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

Since the formation of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) in 1947, world trade has increased exponentially, leading to unprecedented economic growth and prosperity throughout the world. The elimination of nontariff barriers (NTB’s) and the reduction of tariffs throughout the world have allowed world trade and wealth to flow effectively from one country to another guided by the “invisible hand” of economic liberalism. The Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations, which led to the creation of a formal World Trade Organization (WTO), was seen by many as evidence pointing to continued progress toward trade liberalization throughout the world. In …

The Iconography Of The Turkish Lira, David Covey

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

This is an original manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Southeast European and Black Sea Studies on 4 April 2022, available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2022.2054171.

Turkey seems to forever be at a balancing point—between East and West, secular and Muslim, autocratic and liberal, ancient and modern. As a rising economic power in a region plagued by turmoil, it has enormous strategic importance as both a center of power and a model for others. Pulled in multiple directions by its diverse population, few outcomes seem implausible for Turkey. In the coming decades, it could become a model …

Gender, Corruption, And Culture: Evidence From The American States, Luke Bell

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

In recent years, several influential studies have reported that high levels of female representation in national legislatures seem to correspond with low levels of countrywide corruption. Scholars have expressed excitement at the prospect that simply adding women to government will “diminish the need for a painful, expensive, and politically difficult process of rooting out corruption via oversight and prosecution” (Esarey and Chirillo 2013: 364). Some governments have launched initiatives to increase the number of women in positions of public responsibility as a means of combating corrupt behavior. Peru, for example, recently created an allwomen police division in an attempt to …

Sigma 2015

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

Framing The Question, "Who Governs The Internet?", Robert J. Domanski

Publications and Research

There remains a widespread perception among both the public and elements of academia that the Internet is “ungovernable”. However, this idea, as well as the notion that the Internet has become some type of cyber-libertarian utopia, is wholly inaccurate. Governments may certainly encounter tremendous difficulty in attempting to regulate the Internet, but numerous types of authority have nevertheless become pervasive. So who, then, governs the Internet? This book will contend that the Internet is, in fact, being governed, that it is being governed by specific and identifiable networks of policy actors, and that an argument can be made as to …

Not Just Blowin' Smoke: Marijuana Legalization Initiatives And The 2012 Presidential Election, Steven Anderson

Masters Theses

Since 1996, numerous states have passed laws to allow use of marijuana for medical purposes. In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize the drug for recreational use. The two recreational legalization movements, along with many medical laws, were passed via citizen's referendum (passed by the legislature and approved by voters) or initiative (placed on ballot by petition and approved by voters). This paper seeks to examine the link between support for the legalization movements in three states (Colorado, Washington and Oregon) and support for President Obama in the 2012 Presidential Election. Ten different variables are examined …

Botswana And Mauritius: A Comparative Analysis Of An Economic And Political Success Story In The Most Unlikely Region, Richard Armah

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The African continent is the last place to consider seeking case studies for political and economic success. In the midst of this gloomy picture, Botswana and Mauritius have emerged as two of the most stable democracies with the most politically and economically advanced economies in the world. In conducting a careful and critical analysis of the reasons for their success, there is often the temptation of labeling the achievements of these two nations as political and economic "miracles". This study seeks not to single out these two countries as unique cases, but as models of growth for the rest of …

Employees' Perceptions About The Deterrence Effect Of Polygraph Examination Against Security Compromises, Joshua Lee Cook

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Controversy continues over the use of polygraph testing to deter and detect potential leakers as critics argue that the technique is based on faulty assumptions. The purpose of this descriptive and exploratory research study was to determine whether there was a perceived deterrence effect related to the use of polygraphs between a group of participants who were subjected to a polygraph examination within the past year compared to those who have not experienced a polygraph examination within the same time period. Paternoster and Simpson's, as well as Vance and Siponen's, rational choice models and Bandura's social learning theory served as …

Racism Vs. Social Capital: A Case Study Of Two Majority Black Communities, Bruce W. Strouble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several researchers have identified social capital as a means to improve the social sustainability of communities. While there have been many studies investigating the benefits of social capital in homogeneous White communities, few have examined it in Black homogeneous communities. Also, there has been limited research on the influence of racism on social capital in African American communities. In this dissertation a comparative case study was used within a critical race theory framework. The purpose was to explore the role of racial oppression in shaping social capital in majority African American communities. Data were collected from 2 majority Black communities …

The Domestic Adoption Of International Human Rights Law: The Roles Of Regional And National High Courts In Latin America, Rebecca Ann Reid

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the question: under what conditions do regional and national high courts matter in the promotion and domestic incorporation of international human rights law? In order to address this question, I argue that domestic high courts can proactively adopt international human rights laws through their interpretation of the law and resulting case decisions. Regional courts promote international law, particularly through their requirement of domestic legal reforms in their judgments. I examine the extent of state compliance with these requirements, where compliance consists of these changes in the domestic legal system thereby institutionalizing international laws and transforming them into …

The Political Economy Of Property Rights In China: Local Officials, Incentive Structure, And Private Enterprises, Ingrid Yingxia Li

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation tries to solve two puzzling questions in China’s economic miracle: why some private firms enjoy better property rights protection than others under similar political and economic institutional conditions. Secondly, under the incentive structure designed by the central government, why some local officials in some localities actively protected private property rights than others hence foster local economic development. Existing literature either emphasizes social networks or focuses on fiscal decentralization and personnel control system. But neither these accounts is able to systematically explain the considerable variation of private property rights protection across regions and over time.

I develop a game-theoretical …

"If You Want To Test A Man's Character Give Him Power" Abraham Lincoln's Character And Use Of Strategic Action: An Analysis Of Presidential Decision-Making, Hannah Sharfman

Senior Independent Study Theses

The examination of President Abraham Lincoln’s performance in office through multiple political theories can help political scientists better understand the decision making process which led to both successful and unsuccessful decisions taken by arguably the most illustrious president in United States history. My research examines three of Lincoln’s major decisions while in office, using the cases of the Emancipation Proclamation (successful decision), the management of General McClellan (failed decision), and his suspension of habeas corpus (mixed decision). My aim is to discover can these theories focusing on presidential character or on the use of strategic action help to explain the …

Armed With An Easel: Understanding Artistic Political Praxis Through The Works Of Theodor Adorno And Chantal Mouffe, Evelyn Yu Yu Swe

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Independent Study is divided into four chapters. The first chapter examines the role of capitalism in the formation of our culture. The argument presented here is that culture plays an important role in reinforcing modern neoliberal capitalism and that neoliberal capitalism has massive control over the dissemination of culture and the arts. The chapter concludes that it is necessary to utilize socio-cultural means in combating the influence of capitalism, and there does indeed exist emancipatory potential in artistic political praxis.

The second chapter focuses on Theodor Adorno’s aesthetic theory in articulating his conception of the emancipatory potential of art. …

Violence Without Verdicts: A Comparative Analysis Of Social Movements And Race Relations In The United States And South Africa, Madison Swoy

Senior Independent Study Theses

This paper explores the role that social movements play in weakening the racial hierarchies that continue to persist in contemporary United States and South Africa. A theoretical analysis of the function of social movements is followed by an historical survey of the racial hierarchies within these two countries, with particular attention paid to the countries’ respective eras of institutionalized racism characterized by the Jim Crow and Apartheid periods. After which, police brutality and service delivery are used to exemplify the structural racism that endures in each of these societies. These two issues also serve as the most galvanizing issues for …

'You Are Who We Say You Are': The Politics Of Ethnicity In Post-Genocidal Rwanda And Bosnia-Herzegovina, Stephanie A. Sugars

Senior Independent Study Theses

The establishment of peace in post-genocidal states is vital, as the experience of extreme division and violence can scar a population, contributing to violence and inequality moving forward. Existing literature on post-conflict transition and governance argues that two main systems are typically used: consociationalism and assimilationism. While consociationalism argues for heterogeneity in the state and assimilationism for homogeneity, both of these systems use the institutionalization of identity as a step in post-conflict recovery, through such means as proscribing or privileging particular identities. This study posits that this is inherently flawed, as attempts to institutionalize identity ignore its contextually fluid or …

Dynamic Ocean Management: Defining And Conceptualizing Real-Time Management Of The Ocean, Sara M. Maxwell, Elliot L. Hazen, Rebecca L. Lewison, Danial C. Dunn, Helen Bailey, Steven J. Bograd, Dana K. Briscoe, Sabrina Fossette, Alistair J. Hobday, Meredith Bennett

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Most spatial marine management techniques (e.g., marine protected areas) draw stationary boundaries around often mobile marine features, animals, or resource users. While these approaches can work for relatively stationary marine resources, to be most effective marine management must be as fluid in space and time as the resources and users we aim to manage. Instead, a shift towards dynamic ocean management is suggested, defined as management that rapidly changes in space and time in response to changes in the ocean and its users through the integration of near real-time biological, oceanographic, social and/or economic data. Dynamic management can refine the …

“El No Murio, El Se Multiplico!” Hugo Chávez : The Leadership And The Legacy On Race, Cynthia Ann Mckinney

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

“Chávez, Chávez, Chávez: Chávez no murio, se multiplico!” was the chant outside the National Assembly building after several days of mourning the death of the first President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This study investigates the leadership of Hugo Chávez and his legacy on race as seen through the eyes and experiences of selected interviewees and his legacy on race. The interviewees were selected based on familiarity with the person and policies of the leadership of Hugo Chávez and his legacy on race. Unfortunately, not much has been written about this aspect of Hugo Chávez despite the myriad attempts …

The Effectiveness Of The Strategies Interest Groups Use To Influence Health Care Reform In The United States: A Case Study Analysis Of President Clinton, Bush, And Obama's Health Care Reforms, Jacquelyn E. Hannan

Senior Independent Study Theses

This independent study explores the effectiveness of the strategies interest groups use to influence health care reform in the United States. This is done through testing three hypotheses The hypotheses are: 1) With all other things being equal, interest groups who are more active with the reform movement are more likely to be successful in their goals than those who are less active, 2) With all other things being equal, interest groups who are aligned with presidential health care reform initiatives are more likely to be successful in their goals than those who are not aligned, and 3) With all …

Contentious Politics Di Antara Dua Kota Di Pantai Barat Norwegia Terkait Dengan Kebijakan Pelayanan Kesehatan Bersama, Nuri Soeseno

Jurnal Politik

The establishment (plan) of a common hospital for Nordmøre and Romsdal is not the right policy nor a solution to end the long bickering between Kristiansund and Molde; it is a beginning of a wider contentious politics in Nordmøre and Romsdal Province. The undemocratic appointment of Hjelset (Molde) as the site for a new hospital in Nordmøre and Romsdal is not just a natural ‘consequence’ of the adoption of the new perspective in healthcare services in Norway and part of the agenda for the development of a more effective, professional and future oriented healthcare services in Norway, but also an …

National Identity Without Intellectual Bases: Israel’S Practical Zionism In Developing A State For The Jews, Syahrul Hidayat

Jurnal Politik

Israel as a state has been existing for almost 70 years. Despite of decades of its pres¬ence, the foundation and its struggle for survival and acknowledgement have been constantly challenged including from its own supposedly the backbone of its Israel national identity: intellectuals. This paper argues that the critics from some of Jew¬ish intellectuals represent the fundamental problem of the effort to build a national identity. If nationalism, especially in European context as its birthplace, was usually supported by the intellectuals as the source of imagination of bounded group, the case of Israel shows different direction, at least problematic. Two …

Politik Kekerabatan Dan Kualitas Kandidat Di Sulawesi Selatan, Titin Purwaningsih

Jurnal Politik

This paper aims to elaborate the increase of political kinship phenomenon in South Sulawesi, especially from the perspective of political legacy of a candidate from parti¬cular political family. Utilizing a qualitative research method, the paper reveals that in kinship politics, interest in politics is transferred through political discussions within family, activities in political parties and social organizations. There is also process of transferring networks and family brands that will help a candidate to gain public sup¬ports. This paper also reveals that direct elections of local leaders and majority votes of proportional open list election system open more opportunities for political …

Partai Dan Patron: Riwayat Psii Melalui Gejolak Zaman, Carolus Bregas Pranoto

Jurnal Politik

No abstract provided.

Kontestasi Politik Dan Perimbangan Kekuasaan Dalam Perumusan Dan Implementasi Uu Md3 2014, Meidi Kosandi

Jurnal Politik

This paper discusses the politics of policy making behind the signing of the parliamen¬tary institutional arrangement law (UU MD3 2014) from new institutionalism approach. The policy incites controversy over domination of one coalition over the other and the future of legislative-executive inter-institutional relations. This study argues that in the policy making, the drive for power domination in the parliament and the dynamics of contestation in the presidential election strongly affected its process. The absence of convergence and political transactional cost between coalitions pointed us to the lack of relevance of rational choice institutionalism theories in explaining the politics of UU …

Match-All Party: Pragmatisme Politik Dan Munculnya Spesies Baru Partai Politik Di Indonesia Pasca Pemilu 2009, M. Faishal Aminuddin, Moh. Fajar Shodiq Ramadlan

Jurnal Politik

Indonesia’s democratization resulted in a uniqueness in party development. After the 2009 elections, new political party species which previously not represented and appears in western democracies, was raised. This article investigates the correlation between political pragmatism with adaptive party change in the electoral contest as well as in the parliament following the election. An important finding of this study is the emergence of species of match-all party that exist in pragmatic political conditions. It is proved that democratization in developing countries has a dynamic route. In streng¬thening these findings, an analysis of the dynamics of political parties also delivered. How …

A Study Of Public Opinion On Sex Education In Mississippi, Karson Brandenburg

Honors Theses

In 2011, Mississippi, a state ranked fourth in the nation for high teen pregnancy rates, passed a law mandating sex education for all public school districts in the form of either the abstinence-only or the abstinence-plus method. This thesis describes the background of those two methods and how they are currently being implemented in Mississippi school districts. Additionally, it looks at how Mississippi parents and leaders feel about sex education in schools as a whole and then more specifically how they feel about the current options for sex education and the execution of sex education classes. This was done through …

Neither War, Nor Peace: Everyday Politics, Peacebuilding And The Liminal Condition Of Bosnia-Herzegovina And Northern Ireland, Branka Marijan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis focuses on cultural and everyday practices of local populations in post-conflict peacebuilding. It builds on the “everyday” turn in critical peacebuilding literature by recognizing the everyday as political. Rather than examining the practices of political elites this thesis is concerned with the ordinary citizens of these societies. In other words, I show that it is through practices and cultural forms of expression that local populations enact their agency, at times supporting and at times contesting the broader peacebuilding project. Moreover, rather than viewing the everyday acts as hidden or as evidence of resistance to the dominant peacebuilding approaches …