Political Science Commons^™

The Most Unkindest Cuts: Speaker Selection And Expressed Government Dissent During Economic Crisis, Alexander Herzog, Kenneth Benoit

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Economic crisis and the resulting need for austerity budgets have divided many governing parties and coalitions in Europe despite strong party discipline in the legislative voting on these harsh budgets. We measure these divisions using automated text analysis methods to scale the positions that legislators express in budget debates in an effort to avoid punishment by voters for supporting austerity measures while still adhering to strict party discipline by voting along party lines. Our test case is Ireland, a country that has experienced periods of rapid economic growth as well as one deep financial and economic crisis. Tracking dissent from …

The History Of Us-Iran Relations And Its Effect On The Jcpoa Negotiations, Chase Mccain

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Relations between the United States and the Islamic Republic have ranged from limited to non-existent over the past 36 years, and have been impeded by threatening rhetoric and perceived betrayals on both sides. The elections of Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani allowed for relations to move forward, but both presidents are hampered by people within their governments who are unwilling to let go of ingrained threat perceptions and distrust of the other. Despite these challenges, the P5+1 and Iran managed to create the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for Iran’s nuclear program, which can be used as a starting point …

Where The Plains And Hills Collide: Understanding Nepal’S Political Tension Through Tharus In Chitwan, Cameron Calato

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nepal's new constitution was received with both jubilation and violence. Protests swept across the plains of Terai leading to a blockade with India and a deadly fuel crisis. One’s opinions on the situation depend heavily on one’s own ethnicity, caste, and regional location. This research takes a deeper look into one ethnic minority, Tharu, to better understand Nepal’s complex political situation. Through many conversations in Chitwan, with both high and low castes, one can piece together a most intriguing analysis of Nepal’s politics. The political divide in the nation is severe and shows no willingness of compromise. The constant struggle …

How South Africa’S Collective Memory Of The Anc’S Armed Struggle Has Shaped Political Allegiances And National Identity In Modern South Africa, Will Corvin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper focuses on how certain narratives from the ANC’s armed struggle are “lived out” through modern South Africans’ political allegiances and concepts of national identity. This article starts by discerning which strands of history the popular narrative of the armed struggle fails to adequately acknowledge. From there, the research analyzes how those forgotten narratives have impacted South Africans’ faith in the ANC government and path toward becoming a reconciled, rainbow nation. The data indicates that a more inclusive narrative of the ANC’s armed struggle is necessary for the country to attain its goals of becoming a nonracial, reconciled democracy …

Behavioral Public Choice And The Law, Gary M. Lucas Jr., Slaviša Tasić

Faculty Scholarship

Behavioral public choice is the study of irrationality among political actors. In this context, irrationality means systematic bias, a deviation from rational expectations, or other departure from economists’ conception of rationality. Behavioral public choice scholars extend the insights of behavioral economics to the political realm and show that irrational behavior is an important source of government failure. This Article makes an original contribution to the legal literature by systematically reviewing the findings of behavioral public choice and explaining their implications for the law and legal institutions. We discuss the various biases and heuristics that lead political actors to support and …

Civil Unrest In The Untied State Of America: Facing The Threat, Menemsha P.S. Milnor

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This essay explores the purpose and function of the police in a modern state. It draws mainly from the ideas put forth by Walter Benjamin in his 1921 essay, Critique of Violence, and focuses exclusively on the events surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement. By applying political theory to concrete events, it attempts to expose the mechanics of capitalist state repression as presented in its current form. Central themes are police violence, state repression, popular sovereignty and political resistance. It is the intention of this piece of writing that it be used for practical purposes, to serve as a foundation …

'Hope For Every Addicted American' An Opioid Epidemic In The Age Of Ethopolitics: Implications For U.S. Drug Policy And Governing Problematic Subjects, Elizabeth Newcomer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The United States is in the midst of an unprecedented drug epidemic instigated by overprescribed pain relievers and cheap, accessible heroin. Beyond its immense scope, what makes this opioid epidemic distinctive is a widespread awareness of its effects among privileged populations and a political consensus that it cannot be effectively addressed with existing, punitive drug policies. Building upon analyses of the drug addict identity and policy change as well as critical addiction studies, I critically examine the discourses of the opioid epidemic, considering their impact on U.S. drug policy since 2000 and analyzing the implications of these changes for governing …

The Limits Of Liberalism: France, The Veil, And Public Schools, Eleanor Doris Zupancic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Liberal political theorists often attempt to claim that a set of universal ideals can ensure equal agency and freedom for all. This paper makes use of the case study of the French approach to Muslim headscarves as a case study for exploring the limitations of this philosophy. In particular, this paper examines the ways in which liberalism conceptualizes universal ideals, particularly in the case of the headscarves in France. It then explores two ways in which the French headscarf ban exposes weaknesses in liberalism's conceptualization of identity and agency: rather than being universal, liberalism has very particular conceptions of 1) …

Basic Cable: A Reluctant American Perspective On The Arab Spring Through Revolutionary Art, Philip Ayoub

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Supported by a critical component that traces back the Egyptian revolution of 2011 to its roots in the post-Nasser era when the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces assumed nearly complete political and economic control over the country, this novella, based in New York City, looks at the crisis through an American lens. As the story progresses the protagonist learns that the conditions which precipitated the events in Egypt can be viewed at once as both a product of American capitalism and Egyptian complicity, as well as act as a mirror, albeit on a magnified scale, of the changing socio-economic …

The Development Of The Eu's Counter Terrorism Policies In The Post 9/11 Era, Sinem Cevik

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

European security is shaped by major events. In this perspective, the attacks of 9/11 and the bombings which took place in Madrid and London are marked as turning points in the EU's counter terrorism history. It was only after 9/11 that counter terrorism became a strategic priority for the EU and the Union started to develop extensive policies to tackle the threat of terrorism. Responding to terrorism threats is crucial for the EU's existence as an area of security and prosperity. Thus, the EU has been creating a complex and multidimensional counter terrorism approach through the implementation of wide-ranging instruments …

Getting Out Of The Ghetto: Harm Reduction, Drug User Health, And The Transformation Of Social Policy In New York, Rachel Faulkner-Gurstein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is a qualitative study of the emergence and evolution of harm reduction drug policies in New York City. It examines harm reduction as a case of the institutionalization of a public health policy movement. Harm reduction seeks to treat the medical and social consequences of drug use without requiring abstinence. The dissertation examines the process by which harm reduction has managed, in the words of one informant, to 'get out of the ghetto' and become increasingly integrated into New York's public health establishment. Harm reduction has undergone three stages of institutionalization. It began as an activist policy movement. …

Carl Schmitt And Political Catholicism: Friend Or Foe?, Brian J. Fox

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The scholarship on controversial German constitutional lawyer and political theorist Carl Schmitt (1888-1985) has long accepted what can be called a "standard narrative" as regards his intellectual development. This narrative treats Schmitt as, on the whole, a "Catholic" intellectual and "political theologian" until the mid-1920s when he turns decidedly towards a secular decisionism. Commentators frequently point to Schmitt's non-canonical second marriage in 1926 as the biographically salient factor in dating a turn from an early association with political Catholicism to his later nationalist authoritarianism. This later approach to politics led Schmitt to promote plebiscitary dictatorship in the last years of …

The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Expanding International Regimes, Thomas R. Goggin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is on track to become the largest free trade agreement in history. The multilateral negotiations comprising twelve nations across the Pacific Rim seeks to create a robust, comprehensive trade accord for the 21st century. The regional trade deal was born in the midst of an international climate of rapidly expanding free trade agreements. The TPP is not merely the latest free trade agreement. Due to the size, scope, and focus on unconventional trade issues, the TPP, led by the United States, will expand particular international regimes beyond existing norms in two key areas: intellectual property and …

A Critique Of Western Liberalism, Siddhant Issar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this thesis I draw attention to the connections between Western liberalism, particularly exemplified by the idea of liberal freedom, and (in)visible modalities of oppression. In chapter 1, I examine how the philosophical basis of liberalism allows it to serve as a mediator of oppression. In chapter 2, through a genealogical analysis, I trace out the link between liberalism and political economy. Here I focus on the imbrication between (neo-)liberalism, capitalism, and the production of subjectivity. My analysis aims at revealing the specific form of subjectivity engendered under the sign of liberal freedom. In chapter 3, I take up post …

The Europeanization Of Political Parties: A Study Of Political Parties In Poland 2009-2014, Dennis Jan Blew

Dissertations and Theses

On May 1^st 2004, Poland entered the European Union (EU), introducing new variables into the domestic politics of the Polish Republic. Since gaining its independence from Soviet control in 1989, Poland’s political landscape can be described as a dynamic and ever changing force towards democratic maturation. With the accession of Poland to the EU, questions of European integration and Europeanization have arisen, most specifically with how these two processes effect and shape the behaviors of domestic political actors.

With Poland entering its second decade of EU membership, this study attempts to explain how, and if, further European integration has …

Wild-But-Not-Too-Wild Animals: Challenging Goldilocks Standards In Rewilding, Erica Von Essen, Michael P. Allen

Between the Species

Rewilding is positioned as ‘post’-conservation through its emphasis on unleashing the autonomy of natural processes. In this paper, we argue that the autonomy of nature rhetoric in rewilding is challenged by human interventions. Instead of joining critique toward the ‘managed wilderness’ approach of rewilding, however, we examine the injustices this entails for keystone species. Reintroduction case studies demonstrate how arbitrary standards for wildness are imposed on these animals as they do their assigned duty to rehabilitate ecosystems. These ‘Goldilocks’ standards are predicated on aesthetic values that sanction interventions inconsistent with the premise of animal sovereignty. These include culling, relocations and …

Plugging The Gaps: The North Sea Flood Of 1953 And The Creation Of A National Coastal Warning System, Alexander Hall

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

The North Sea flood of 1953 was the most catastrophic severe weather event to hit the region in the twentieth century, causing widespread fatalities and devastation across north-west Europe. In the UK, the catastrophe highlighted deficiencies in coastal defenses, warning systems, and government disaster management. These shortcomings, combined with the large scale of the floods and the high death toll led to a government inquiry into the floods. The recommendations of this inquiry formed the basis of modern UK flood management and disaster policy. This paper examines the investigation into the North Sea flood of 1953 and highlights an early …

The Politics Of Denying Aid: An Analysis Of Disaster Declaration Turndowns, John T. Gasper

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Federal disaster aid provides resources to affected victims and potential votes for both governors and presidents, but the denial of aid can especially painful for all parties involved. This paper examines whether political factors contribute to which areas are denied federal disaster aid. Analyzing county-level data from 1992 through 2005, I find that political factors do shade a president’s decision to deny aid, but that some of these factors are only present during presidential elections years.

Missed Opportunities: Public Health Disaster Management In Canada, Lisa Gorman, Christopher Stoney

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Three recent Canadian public health crises present an illustration of both the opportunities for reform and the challenges that may impede progress and public health renewal in federalist nations. While the three crises examined exposed serious flaws in emergency preparedness and fuelled demands for vital public health reform, evidence indicates that fundamental challenges have not been addressed and may have even heightened over the last decade given a move to “open federalism” and the significant fiscal impacts of ongoing austerity measures. With future pandemics inevitable, we identify the missed opportunities to optimize Canada’s emergency response capacity and procedures and examine …

Leveraging Disaster: Promoting Social Justice And Holistic Recovery Through Policy Advocacy After Hurricane Katrina, Tanya B. Corbin

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

After disasters, the recovery process is uneven, and often, the social vulnerability of populations before a disaster translates into a lack of access to political power after the event. This study proposes that a large-scale event presents an opportunity to overcome these challenges and improve social, economic, political, and environmental conditions for affected communities during the recovery process by involving advocates for traditionally marginalized community members in the recovery. Using textual analysis to code the testimony of 240 witnesses who testified in 41 congressional hearings held after Hurricane Katrina, witnesses who advocated for policies that addressed social inequities are identified …

Polling In Impossible Conditions: Pre-Election Polling In New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina, Brian J. Brox, J Celeste Lay

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Just months after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, New Orleans held a mayoral election. With so many displaced residents, it was difficult to gauge attitudes, but there are perhaps few more important situations in which the public’s attitudes need to be examined. This paper examines the methodological challenges with survey research in the aftermath of a natural disaster. We conducted a traditional survey just days before the election and attempted to correct for our inability to reach particular segments of the population through post-stratification weights. The results of our poll were relatively accurate for all of the candidates but one – …

Employment Change Among Hurricane Katrina Evacuees: Impacts Of Race And Place, Sara Chaganti, Jasmine Waddell

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

After disaster-related displacement, finding new employment is critical to displaced individuals’ ability to regain stability for themselves and their families. This paper considers displaced Katrina survivors’ ability to maintain or improve pre-Katrina employment status (full-time vs. part-time vs. unemployed) post-Katrina. Using data from the Displaced New Orleans Residents Pilot Study, we construct a scale of employment change which offers a nuanced look at employment change. We focus specifically on the impact of long-term displacement and race on changes in survivors’ employment status. We find across our analyses that displacement has a negative effect on employment status. And we find that …

Post-Katrina Suppression Of Black Working-Class Political Expression, Taunya L. Banks

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

New Orleans politicians, with the aid of the federal government, used the destruction and displacement caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to implement policies that discouraged low-income and working class black residents from returning to New Orleans. Impacted communities felt the need to revitalize street parades (second-line parades), a traditional communal neighborhood activity, as an instrument of political protest. In response the City used minor municipal ordinances to more vigorously regulate these parades, doubling the fees imposed for street parades and effectively shutting them down. The City’s response raised important constitutional questions about government suppression of speech and freedom of …

Guest Editora' Introduction - The Opportunities And Challenges Of Disaster Recovery, Randolph Burnside, Laura Hatcher

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

On Rage, Jerome D. Clarke

SURGE

“Honestly [Flight] was written out of rage. I wrote it immediately after Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, in a matter of months. It was in the aftermath of 9/11. I was upset with the way people were acting, People on the Left and the Right, Muslims and Christians were justifying violence towards the other side. And everyone believed they were correct. I was thinking ‘What if Everybody is wrong?’” — Sherman Alexie in The Gettysburgian. [excerpt]

Dan Harrington – Mensch Who Made A Difference, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A Montana Public Radio Commentary by Evan Barrett.

Published newspaper columns written by Evan Barrett on this topic, which vary somewhat in content from this commentary, appeared in the following publications:

Montana Public Radio, September 28, 2015

Montana Standard, September 29, 2015

Ravalli Republic, October 3, 2015

Great Falls Tribune, October 14, 2015

Hanif Omar [Malaysia, Inspector General Of Police], Hanif Omar

Digital Narratives of Asia

DNA finds out from former Malaysia Inspector General of Police, Tun Hanif Omar, what shaped his values, how he joined the Government, also his insights on the independent era and the Communist threat. He also reveals his take on Singapore's expulsion, and the leaders involved.

China's Nine-Dashed Map: Continuing Maritime Source Of Geopolitical Tension, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The South China Sea (SCS) is becoming an increasingly contentious source of geopolitical tension due to its significance as an international trade route, possessor of potentially significant oil and natural gas resources, China’s increasing diplomatic and military assertiveness, and the U.S.’ recent and ongoing Pacific Pivot strategy. Countries as varied as China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and other adjacent countries have claims on this region’s islands and natural resources. China has been particularly assertive in asserting its SCS claims by creating a nine-dash line map claiming to give it de facto maritime control over this entire region without regard to …

Escalation In International Conflict Management: A Foreign Policy Perspective, Molly M. Melin

Political Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Efforts to resolve interstate disputes are often characterized by repeated engagement and evolving strategies. What explains a state’s decision to continue conflict resolution efforts but escalate their management strategy? Drawing from foreign policy literature, I argue third parties escalate policies both in response to past failures, shifting conflict dynamics, and their relationship with the disputants. Analysis of management efforts from 1946 to 2001 reveals that the changing nature of the conflict, policy failures and relationships between the third party and disputants are integral to understanding the management decision process, but the effects of these factors depend on the management history.

Eisenhower: Champion Of Federal Activism, Shirley Anne Warshaw

Political Science Faculty Publications

As we watch the cast of characters vying for the Republican presidential nomination in this not-so-invisible primary season, there appears to be a common thread to their conversations: keep the government out of my life and my business. But this call for out-of-my-life government is contrary to the federal activism that one of the Republican Party’s most admired presidents advocated. [excerpt]