Political Science Commons^™

Microfinance In Algeria, Tunisia, And Lebanon, Elaine Chamberlain

HIM 1990-2015

In theory, microfinance is a system of decentralized bankers lending to the poor in order to improve economic systems and emphasize entrepreneurial development. Specifically, within the Middle East and North Africa region, the poor economic performances have been closely linked to poor savings and investments. This thesis explores the various factors which affect the microfinance sector in three countries in the Middle East and North Africa region: Algeria, Tunisia, and Lebanon. Algeria, Tunisia, and Lebanon, have similar cultural and political histories that could potentially affect the development of microfinance within the state. Microfinance institutes aim at economic improvements, but the …

The Mankurt Remembers : The Politics Of Language In Kazakhstan., Paige Brewer

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

Working In A Cage: The Evolution Of Constitutional Restrictiveness In U.S. State Legislatures, Nancy Martorano Miller, Keith E. Hamm, Ronald D. Hedlund

Political Science Faculty Publications

The U.S. states have been characterized as “laboratories of democracy” for their ability to formulate public policies aimed at solving some of the most pressing public policy issues. The study of both public policy and legislative politics in the states has been quite robust. However, vitally missing from our understanding of policymaking and the legislative process in the states is the role of constitutional provisions. Many state constitutions contain directives that severely limit the ability of the legislature to act. Some of these directives are procedural while others are more substantive. This is relevant because constitutional rules are more difficult …

Female Integration In Terrorist Groups, Ayana Lilllian Gray

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

his thesis examines levels of female integration in nine terrorist groups.

Venturing Into A Minefield: Employer Practices In A Post Burwell V. Hobby Lobby State, Katherine Johnson

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This project examines the relevant case law and the potential repercussions of the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision from June 2014. The ruling allowed "closely held, family corporations" to have religious freedom rights by granting Hobby Lobby an exemption to the so-called "contraception mandate" of the Affordable Care Act. This paper argues that the idea of corporate religious freedom is relatively unprecedented, and as such, it has major implications for future decisions made by the Supreme Court. The most profound (and perhaps unintended) consequence of the Burwell ruling is a new balancing act in the legal system itself: religious freedom …

Regulating The Public Health—How Policy Stances Are Influenced By Personal Behavior, Liberty, Ideology And More, Robert D. Lee

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

To what extent is individual opposition to public health regulations consistent across different types of regulations across the public sphere? Does a person’ policy stance vary depending on the issue at hand? Do other determinants have a measureable influence? In order to answer these questions, data were collected via a web-based survey completed by 284 undergraduate students at the University of Arkansas. Respondents were asked about their concerns regarding public health issues such as smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, as well as obesity, alcohol abuse, and seatbelt usage. The findings are that individual opposition to public health regulations can be …

Prospects Of Democracy In A Post-Assad Syria, Husam Farah Abu-Safe

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

An examination of the Syrian crisis with democratic frameworks to analyze a potential democratic resolution to the Assad regime.

Fixing The Failed: An Investigation Of Terrorist Organizations And State Building Capabilities, Joshua Adam Freeman

Master's Theses

This study examines the role of terrorist organizations in failed states. In particular, their ability to perform positive state-building activities that result in stability is investigated. Both terrorism and state failure present unique and serious threats to international security. However, there is very little literature concerning the positive effect terrorist organizations can have in failed states. Presented is not only an investigation of the linkages between state failure and terrorism, but also a new classification of terrorist organizations based upon their ability to state-build in failed states. These organizations are classified by their ability to provide goods and services within …

Meeting In The Middle: The Impact Of Single-Party Dominance On Partisan Politics, William Samuel Adcock

Master's Theses

Polarization within the American government has reached near historic levels in recent decades. One of the most readily apparent results of this partisan atmosphere is the increase in the number of American states that are almost totally controlled by one of the two major political parties. This study seeks to examine the effect this single-party domination has on the policy positions of Senate candidates of the minority parties in these states. It is hypothesized that minority party candidates seeking election in these states will be more likely to adopt policy positions more commonly associated with the platforms of the majority …

Looted Antiquities: Economic Opportunity For Terrorists, Vanessa Hanson

Senior Theses

Looted Antiquities: Economic Opportunity for Terrorists In the post 9/11 world countering terrorism has become a top United States foreign policy priority as well as the subject of much scholarly research. To counter terrorism it is important to understand the inner-workings of such groups. How do terrorist groups fund their operations in order to be able to carry them out continuously? It is often assumed that the arms and drug trade on the black market are the main source of income for terrorists groups (Kaplan). Unbeknownst to many, there is an illegal trade in art and historical artifacts that funds …

Asean's Role In Asia Pacific In The Driver's Seat Or Just A Back-Seat Driver?, Sudhir Devare

Asian Management Insights

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has often been described as the fulcrum around which the security, political and economic architecture of AsiaPacific will be built. But can ASEAN play that role?

From King Leonidas To Lord Farquaad: Popular Culture And How Authority Is Portrayed In Popular Film Of 2000-2009, Solai N. Wyman

Honors Theses

In a modern age dominated by technology, the role of entertainment such as film is steadily growing in American culture and politics. Film and politics “inform” one another, meaning that film reflects the politics within a society in which they are placed (Christensen & Haas 2005). Using this as justification, the central research question of this thesis is, "What is the political content of popular films of the 2000s in terms of authority, and what does this suggest about the culture and view on authority of the Millennials as a generation?" A content analysis of popular films from 2000-2009 was …

A Comparative Study Of Middle Eastern Foreign Policy: How Middle Eastern Intelligence Agencies Shape Current Events, Megan A. Fink

Honors Theses

This study monitored the intelligence and foreign policy actions of Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia from August 2013 to August 2014. Data was collected from coverage by Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, and Al-Jazeera, three reliable and respected news sources that cover global events. The actions taken by foreign policymakers in these countries were recorded throughout the study period.

These actions were organized into a taxonomy based on whether they were intelligence-based or non-intelligence based. Within those broad categories, more distinguishing characteristics were analyzed to show patterns of behavior within national intelligence services of the nations studied. These patterns …

“Last Flag Standing”: How Traditional Conservative Values And Symbolic Voting In The State Of Mississippi Help Explain The Defense Of The Confederate Flag By Voters In The 2001 Referendum, Joshua Von Herrmann

Honors Theses

Mississippi is the last state in the United States to publicly display the confederate symbol as part of its state flag. In 2001, when given the chance to remove this symbol from its flag, voters in Mississippi supported this symbol by a vote of 2 to 1. Previous studies have documented the importance of race in the outcome of the 2001 referendum, but lack analysis of other potential influential factors specific to the state of Mississippi. This study examines the issue of the Mississippi state flag through a case study analysis using the ballot initiatives of Amendment 1 in 2004, …

The Visual Turn In Ir: Documentary Filmmaking As A Critical Method, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Although the field of international relations (IR) is arguably in the midst of a ‘visual turn’, few scholars have directly discussed research methods for studying visual international politics. This article follows the aesthetic turn’s call to resist the rational methods that frame our understanding of ourselves and the world. Yet it also argues that the visual turn is more than an elaboration of the aesthetic turn. While analyses of visual culture are characteristically suspicious of the power of images, this article argues that making films can provide an innovative method for studying IR. In particular, the visual turn can better …

Partisanship Has A Price: Citizens United And Political Partisanship In The Us House Of Representatives, Sean Kennedy

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This study aimed to determine whether or not a correlation between independent expenditure levels and political partisanship in the US House of Representatives exists, using the Congressional sessions from before and after the Citizens United decision to determine if the decision had any effect on political partisanship. Multiple factors were tested to determine levels of correlation and to adjust for any potential exasperating factors. The study concluded that a very strong correlation exists between aggregate levels of independent expenditures and distance between average levels of partisanship for the parties. However, no causal relationship could be established from the data alone, …

Operation Judicial Review: A Comparative Analysis Of The Role Of The Judiciary In Domestic And Foreign Detention And Material Support Cases During The War On Terror, Tyler Mitchell

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The Bush and Obama administrations have pursued a military campaign during the War on Terror in which “the world is a battlefield.” The globalized nature of contemporary warfare has tested the limits of constitutional protections for individuals under the control of the United States government. My distinction thesis focuses on the extension of constitutional rights and, in turn, the maintenance of the separation of powers during the War on Terror. I provide a comparative analysis of the role of the judiciary to reconcile constitutional First Amendment free speech & association and habeus corpus rights with federal executive & legislative counterterrorism …

Black Male Student Success In U.S Higher Education: Lessons From The Institute For Responsible Citizenship, Robert A. Fisher

Honors Theses

The social conditions that afflict black males in the pursuit of post-secondary education are manifest. Though decades of academic literature have revealed the disproportionately low graduation statistics of black males in higher education, this subgroup still persists to degree completion at far lower rates than their other minority and female counterparts (Palmer, 2010; Washington, 2013; Harper, 2013). Prior studies have used a deficit-based approach to understanding black male student success (Davis, 1994; Palmer, 2010b). This study, however, identifies the factors that appear among black men who are already on pace to attain degrees at four year universities. Employing the anti-deficit …

The Role Of The Tiger And The Elephant In The Ascent Of Africa: Partners Or Neocolonialists?, Charlotte A. Hill

Honors Theses

This paper focuses on the relationships between Africa and China and Africa and India. The goal of this paper is to analyze these relationships and determine if they are exploitative or mutually beneficial through the two case study countries of Angola and Ethiopia. I analyze the relationships through the theoretical frameworks of the dependency theory and neocolonialism. Through my research I found that the investment by China and India in Africa is not merely exploitative, but that it is different from Western countries investment in Africa. This difference could be incredibly beneficial to Africa if African countries are able to …

The Post-Arab Spring Geopolitical Instability And Its Effects On Middle East And North Africa, Sargon S. Poulis

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Founded on SMTs (Social Movement Theories), the current study aimed at analyzing the impact of Arab Spring uprisings on the geopolitical system of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. With an overview on the political and socioeconomic background of Arab Uprisings, the qualitative study focused on: a) determining the economic, political, and social consequences of the uprisings, especially aftermaths that have given rise to the notion of geopolitical instability in the region, and b) investigating the possible factors that will spread geopolitical instability across the MENA region. Given the comprehensiveness and magnitude, the case of the popular uprisings …

The Rise And Fall Of The World War Machine, Justin Jacob Brown

Political Science Theses

Noting internment’s nearly ubiquitous connection with the World War Machine, The Rise and Fall of the World War Machine examines implications for political community. A postmodern interpretive analysis approach seeks to overcome the constraints of axiomatic designs to ensure that the often hidden movement of internment comes to light. Giles Deleuze and Felix Guattari demonstrate the rise of the World War Machine, a global collection of state war machines that use war as a means to propagate confinement through internment. Giorgio Agamben observes that a hidden manifestations of interment encroach into contemporary political life. Examining Michel Foucault’s account of panopticon …

Lords And Order: Credible Rulers And State Failure, Matthew Dimick

Journal Articles

Why do states fail? Why do failed states persist without collapsing into complete anarchy? This paper argues that given insurgency or weakened state capacity, rulers may find it best, paradoxically, to reduce the amount of political good it provides as a means of sustaining some amount of their rule. Moreover, although the consequence is political fragmentation and increasing levels of violence, this is not inconsistent with the continuation of attenuated central governance. To evaluate this argument, I select the case of King Stephen’s reign in medieval England. Although far removed historically from contemporary cases of state failure, the reign of …

Administrative Relationships, Agency Theory, And The Summer Work Travel Program: 2012-2013, Mark Reardon

All Dissertations

This study discusses the ability of the Summer Work Travel Program (SWTP) to meet the objectives outlined in its authorizing legislation, the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. These goals include educational exchange between participants and the U.S. community, cultural exchange between participants and the U.S. community, and the promotion of peace exemplified by SWTP operators and the U.S. community. The study adopts agency and transaction cost theory to guide its discussion of the administrative relationship between the U.S. State Department and those designated as Summer Work Travel Sponsors. This study's findings include instances of informational and preference …

Asean: Growth In The Fast Lane, Edward Lee

Asian Management Insights

ASEAN’s political, economic and demographic factors suggest a giant is awakening.

Microconsignment As Magic Or Sleight-Of-Hand: How Social Entrepreneurship Affects Women's Political And Economic Participation In Guatemala, Briana Bardos

Honors Scholar Theses

Much research has been done on increasing the amount of female participation in both the formal economy and political sphere across the globe. This project seeks to go beyond this idea and analyze whether economic empowerment leads to increased political participation. By analyzing a specific type of empowerment, social entrepreneurship, through the specific lens of Soluciones Comunitarias’ MicroConsignment Model, my paper looks to explore if and how women in Guatemala are affected by this model politically and economically. Existing work in the field of women’s social movements makes clear the linkage between social mobilization and positive outcomes, such as increased …

Resistance, Acquiescence Or Incorporation? An Introduction To Land Grabbing And Political Reactions ‘From Below’, Marc Edelman, Ruth Hall, Saturnino M. Borras Jr., Ian Scoones, Ben White, Wendy Wolford

Publications and Research

Political reactions ‘from below’ to global land grabbing have been vastly more varied and complex than is usually assumed. This essay introduces a collection of ground- breaking studies that discuss responses that range from various types of organized and everyday resistance to demands for incorporation or for better terms of incorporation into land deals. Initiatives ‘from below’ in response to land deals have involved local and transnational alliances and the use of legal and extra-legal methods, and have brought victories and defeats. The relevance of political reactions to land grabbing is discussed in light of theories of social movements and …

Contentious Spaces : A Comparative Analysis Of Latin American Resistance Campaigns, 1956-2006., Sean Lee Welch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Why do resistance campaigns have different outcomes? Specifically, why do some resistance campaigns succeed, while others fail or fall somewhere between success and failure? Examining Latin American resistance campaigns between 1956 and 2006 through a theoretical lens of spatial agency, the varying outcomes of resistance campaigns (success, partial success, and failure) could be explained schematically by the same conditions. Generally, successful campaigns had the same conditions present, which include: facing an authoritarian regime; the ability of the campaign to build cross-class alliances that included urban elements; military shifts through defection, desertion, or open rebellion; the United States’ withdrawal of support …

An Electronic Theory Of Democracy : House Members On Their Computers., Doug Murdoch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes the use of the Twitter use of all House of Representative members in the 111th Congress. The data used is a secondary dataset originally created by Gainous and Wagner (2014). This paper aims to demonstrate the methods members of Congress to create a public image. In traditional campaign literature, campaign statements are divided into four mutually exclusive categories: positive competitive, negative competitive, substantive, and information dissemination. This paper seeks to add a fifth category to the discussion, the presentation of self. The presentation of self is not a traditional form of campaigning. Rather, it is the strategy …

Disillusionment Versus Loyalty In The Abraham Lincoln Brigade, 1937-1938, Charles Rehberger Iii

Honors College Theses

The Abraham Lincoln Brigade is the unit of American volunteers fighting within the International Brigades and on the side of the Republic during the Spanish Civil War. Analysis of the Brigade and their role in Spain has led to greatly diverging views on why their service ended in defeat and who was to blame for it. While revisionist historians such as Ronald Radosh and Cecil Eby conclude that the Soviet Union was at fault for imposing political pressure on the Republic, sending incompetent officers to command the International Brigades, and using the volunteers to stall as they bled Spain’s gold …

Chinese Foreign Direct Investment In The Caribbean, Kimberly A. L. T. Stephenson

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of trade patterns and market size in a short time period, in order to identify indicators of the objectives for Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Caribbean region. Key questions assessed are: What makes the Caribbean particularly advantageous for Chinese investors and how does the host country benefit? Is a higher level of trade, or wealthier markets, associated with higher Chinese FDI? Is China pursuing some foreign policy objectives with FDI in the region? I hypothesize that Chinese FDI is associated with trade, natural resources, or certain foreign policy …