Political Science Commons^™

Reification And The Critical Theory Of Contemporary Society, Chris O'Kane

Political Science Faculty Publications

This article concerns how a critical theory of reification should be conceptualized to grasp the 2007 crisis, state-imposed austerity, and the rise of right-wing authoritarian populism. It argues that Jürgen Habermas’s, Axel Honneth’s, and Georg Lukacs’s interpretations of reification cannot provide a theoretical framework for a critical social theory of these developments due to their inadequate theories of domination, crises, character formation, and historical development. It then outlines a critical theory of reification that draws on Max Horkheimer’s notion of reified authority and contemporary Marxian critical theory’s interpretation of the critique of political economy to conceive of domination, crises, and …

The Eviction Landscape In South Carolina, Ethan Magnuson

Senior Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyze the South Carolinian eviction crisis from the perspective of radical geography. South Carolina was chosen for the severity of its crisis and the lack of research at a sub-state level. Court records of eviction filings from 2019 were geocoded and tested for spatial clustering, which was clearly visible. Plaintiff names were used to identify the most frequent filers and distinguish landlords by type. At the census tract level, eviction filing counts were compared with neighborhood characteristics using negative binomial regression, and most were found to be significant in South Carolina. …

Space Exploration: Nasa Investment Into The Private Space Sector And Public Opinion, Brooke Ziegenhagen

Senior Theses

The space exploration industry has entered a new era with companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin leading the way to the privatization of space. This paper examines public opinion regarding the source of space exploration funding and proposes possible motivations for these sentiments. This is followed by an assessment on NASA’s investment trends into the commercial space industry. Both probes review the past decade, to reveal the public-private relationship in this new era and finally, conclude whether or not public opinion plays a role in the degree of NASA investment and what that role may be.

Us Vs. Wales: Comparing And Improving Refugee Health Policy, Payton Ramsey

Senior Theses

Inadequate strides have been made to bolster the short and long-term health of growing numbers of refugees awaiting resettlement. The United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as many countries of resettlement, guarantee the right to health as signatories of the UN 1951 Refugee Convention, but in many situations refugee accessibility to healthcare and health resources is limited by time restrictions on benefits, immigration status, and/or financial circumstances.

This thesis provides a synopsis of the historical roots of current policies and legislative frameworks relating to refugee health for Wales and the US. Through the analysis of governmental policy …

Human Rights As A Means To Peace: Why The Un Security Council Should Lead On Human Rights, Arden Hooper

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

United States’ Education And The Creation Of The Neoliberal Subject, Sam Stewart

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Intrinsic Values Of Confucian Democracy And Dewey's Pragmatist Method, Sor-Hoon Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Given the historical association of Confucianism, or rather the Ru school of thought, with autocratic government since the Han dynasty, one of the challenges for contemporary scholars of Confucianism is to interpret and reconstruct Confucianism to guard against authoritarian tendencies without surrendering its distinctive ethical-political vision. Confucianism is incompatible with the conventional understanding of democracy as liberal democracy best represented by the United States, focused on limiting government with checks and balances, prioritizing protection of the civil and political rights of individuals, regular elections of representatives in which partisan competition for power offers citizens very little real choice, and it …

The United States And The "Chinese Problem" Of Southeast Asia, Wen-Qing Ngoei

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This essay examines how US Cold War policy toward all of Southeast Asia arose from American suspicions that the region's Chinese diaspora would align itself with the Chinese communists against the west. In so doing, it explores how US distrust of the Chinese diaspora fell in step with a longer imperialist tradition practised not only by the European powers for centuries, but also the Japanese Empire during its brief ascendancy during World War Two. Additionally, the essay proposes that to move beyond the bilateral studies that dominate the histories of US-Southeast Asian relations to view the region as whole, it …

Re-Thinking Region: Us-Southeast Asian Relations In The Twentieth Century, Wen-Qing Ngoei, Anne Foster

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This essay, co-authored with historian Anne Foster, introduces a roundtable of journal articles that explore new ways to advance the study of Southeast Asia's relations with the United States in the twentieth century. It explains the importance of examining the region, how it is of world historical importance to the big powers, and merits different and innovative analyses given its significance to current affairs.

Cannabis Capitalism In Colorado: An Ethnography Of Il/Legal Production And Consumption, Lia Berman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coloradans have changed their fundamental views on illegal substances since the decriminalization of cannabis in Colorado. Since the legalization of medical cannabis in 2014, state-sold dispensary cannabis products have straddled the line between legal and illegal network systems in a hybridized “il/legal” market system, a term designed to be ambiguous of the formal and informal economies that it represents (Nordstrom 2007, xxvii). The cannabis commodity chain has proved both familiar and strange when it comes to its production, consumption, and distribution of a federally illegal substance. Colorado’s history as a pioneer in culture and legislature has been repeated with cannabis …

Changing Environment. Changing Attitudes?, Lindsey Brooke Hendren

Theses and Dissertations

Most issues of hyper partisanship, such as health care, yield a strong constituency for action on the issue; the low salience of climate change, however, has failed to produce much change. In order to understand public opinion on climate change, this research draws not only on previous studies in political science, but also from psychology, sociology, communication studies, and other disciplines to provide a more comprehensive theoretical background. This dissertation emphasizes the need for more exploration in the field of political science and attempts to bridge some of the existing gaps. Findings from research such as this identify the opportunities …

Partisan Cues, Emotion, And The Efficacy Of Corrections To Misinformation About Democratic Norms, Julia Ruth James

Honors Theses

Political misinformation and threats to democratic norms are major problems for American democracy. This thesis examines belief in misinformation about democratic norms and the efficacy of corrective information (fact-checking) in multiple circumstances, specifically analyzing the effects of emotions, partisan cues, and conspiracy thinking on the efficacy of the corrective information. To measure these effects, a survey of 45 questions was fielded through Lucid. Approximately 2000 respondents answered questions about their demographics, political beliefs/participation, and media habits. These respondents were subsequently randomly sorted into 1 of 8 experimental groups and received an emotional priming activity and a simulated news article containing …

What The Cabinet Reshuffle Signals, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan opined that the “Cabinet reshuffle announcement was not intended to shed any light on which fourth-generation (4G) leader would be the prime minister-in-waiting," but it “effectively confirms ministers Chan Chun Sing, Ong Ye Kung, and Lawrence Wong as the main contenders to be the 4G prime minister”. He discussed what the Cabinet reshuffle signals and explained why the 4G leadership needs more time to come to a consensus on who their new leader would be.

Strong, Cohesive Leadership Must Emerge From Cabinet Rejig, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan opined that “a total of 13 ministries having new ministers in two Cabinet reshuffles within a span of nine months is significant” and “these significant moves underscore not only the urgency of leadership renewal and succession, but also the need for certainty and confidence as Singapore transitions to the 4G leadership which will coincide with the post-Covid era”. He highlighted the need for a strong, cohesive leadership to emerge from the Cabinet reshuffle amid these exceptional times, as he believes that “a leadership that can galvanise the people will enable …

Institutional Stretching: How Moroccan Ngos Illuminate The Nexus Of Climate, Migration, Gender And Development, Shelby Mertens

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The global migration crisis the world has experienced thus far is only the tip of the iceberg. As the earth’s temperature continues to warm and extreme weather conditions worsen, millions of people across the globe will be displaced, and women in particular will face more difficult challenges. What the climate migration literature fails to study is these longer-term impacts beyond sudden onset disasters. Governments and institutions will be forced to respond and adapt to the new reality resulting from the climate crisis. This research provides a case study of Morocco and, by using institutional ethnography, investigates how NGOs working in …

Environmentally Related Urbanization And Violence Potential, Christina Bagaglio Slentz

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In contrast to historical examples in which urban increase is accompanied by the pull factors of wealth and development, post-industrialized sub-Saharan African urbanization patterns are characterized by a lack of economic growth, confounding experts. Simultaneously, African conflict scholars have observed a major geographical shift in African conflict onset, moving out of rural regions and into urban centers. Recognizing the effects of increasing climate variability and threatened agricultural livelihoods, this study hypothesizes perceived economic advantage in cities induces human movement with potential for over-urbanization dynamics that exacerbate civil unrest.

To investigate, a Panarchy theoretical framework of nested adaptive cycles is used …

The United Arab Emirates Soft Power In The International Relations Context, Ahmed Mohamed Saeed Jber Al Suwaidi

Dissertations

In the modern world, soft power is a significant concept referring to nations’ ability to influence others without the need to use force or threats. Developed nations have made a great effort to enhance their soft power practices in order to utilize this power to influence fellow nations. The United Arab Emirates’ soft power is still considered a relatively new area of practical academic discipline. Nonetheless, the UAE's soft power practices remain essential in determining its position on the global scale. To develop a soft-power strategy, objectives and needs must be outlined. To address these objectives and needs, mixed-method research …

Reclaiming Civics: Negotiating Priorities For Civic Education Pedagogy, Skylar Thoma , '21

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Civic education has always been a battleground in American political debates, yet it is more necessary than ever given intense political polarization and waning participation among youth. After providing a brief synopsis of the history of civic education, this thesis considers four pedagogical frameworks available to educators as they attempt to address these challenges: civic knowledge, skills, values, and motivation. In order to address low political participation among youth, a traditional emphasis on civic knowledge is insufficient for motivating students; rather, educators should directly cultivate students' political efficacy through experiential learning programs. Meanwhile, a reliance on a common values system …

Rioting For Resurrection: Masculinity, White Supremacy, And Religion At The U.S. Capitol Insurrection (Panel Transcript), Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Stephen C. Finley, Bradley Onishi

Rioting for Resurrection: Masculinity, White Supremacy, and Religion at the U.S. Capitol Insurrection

This file contains the video recording of the virtual panel and discussion. The official flyer for the event is also available here and contains the panel presenter's biographies.

Bipolaridad De Las Políticas De Movilidad Del Valle De Aburrá: Análisis Desde Los Instrumentos De Gestión De La Demanda Implementados Entre 1999 Y 2019, Viviana Tobón Jaramillo

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

Medellín and the Aburrá Valley are internationally recognized for their capacity to design bold projects regarding transportation and sustainability. However, the city's mobility dynamics show a different reality: the number of vehicles has grown steadily over the last 20 years. The metropolitan inhabitants spend 44% more time mobilizing in the city than 12 years ago and air quality has become the main challenge on the city's environmental agenda. The purpose of this article is to understand, from the analysis of public policies, the reasons why no progress has been made in the implementation of policies that effectively discourage the use …

Las Fundaciones Empresariales Y La Agendación De Políticas Públicas Mediante La Gestión De Redes De Actores: El Caso De Niñezya En Colombia, Natalia Garay, Santiago Leyva, Carolina Turriago

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

This article explores the possibilities of network management to increase the capacity of business foundations to exert influence on the process of agenda-setting in public policies. This case illustrates how three foundations (Éxito Foundation, Alpina Foundation and ALAS Foundation) helped to coordinate one hundred civil society organizations to influence the Colombian National Development Plan (2018-2022). The case shows that business foundations can play an important role in setting the policy agenda by working as articulators of multiple fragmented actors of civil society. The article details the specific mechanisms used to pursue this articulation through the creation of a policy network …

La Lucha Por El Liderazgo Adecuado En Las Organizaciones De Los Movimientos Sociales: Reflexión Colectiva Y Reglas Como Base Para La Autonomía, Ruth Simsa, Marion Totter

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

This article analyzes how leadership is practiced in social movement organizations (OMS). Drawing on Critical Leadership Studies, and based on qualitative empirical research conducted in the organizations of the Spanish 15M protest movement, we analyze leadership perceptions, tensions and practices in dealing with these challenges. Our findings indicate that leadership practices in the investigated OMSs are autonomous, reflective and rule-based. Emphasizing collective reflection and rules highlights two aspects of leadership in OMSs that have been largely ignored in the discourses. Nevertheless, they turn out to be important means to address the challenges of autonomous leadership.

Editorial, Maria Fernanda Ramirez Brouchoud

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

No abstract provided.

Content

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

No abstract provided.

The Church And Michael Brown: The Influence Of Christianity On Racialized Political Attitudes In Ferguson, Missouri, Tyler Chance

Dissertations

This study examines whether the Christian faith played a pacifying or inspiring role in racialized politics following the death of Michael Brown and subsequent uprisings in Ferguson, Missouri. To evaluate the role of religion in responding to racialized crisis, the author examines both the attitudes of individual citizens and the actions of faith leaders. Using data gathered from two exit-polls conducted by the author in Ferguson and the surrounding area during the period between the death of Michael Brown and the decision not to indict the officer who killed him and then again after the grand jury decision, the author …

Patronizing The Mass: How Middle-Agents Deepened Populism And Post-Truth In Indonesia 2019 Presidential Election, Muhammad Naziful Haq

Jurnal Politik

Indonesian 2019 presidential election was extensively highlighted as a populist rematch between the technocratic Jokowi and the chauvinist Prabowo. There were at least two dimensions that contributed to the existing populist atmosphere at the presidential election: the religio-social condition of the people and the personal appearance of the presidential candidates. By referring to the two factors, analysts predominantly mentioned that Prabowo was more populist than Jokowi due to his energetic rhetoric and chauvinist discourse. However, it is undeniable that the polarization at the grassroots level was equally vitriolic in both Jokowi and Prabowo supporters. To what extent, then, could a …

Struggling Against The Odds: Social Movements In Pakistan During Authoritarian Regimes, Sajjad Hussain

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation extends scholarship on the role of social movements against authoritarian regimes. It argues that movements turn into popular mobilizations and achieve successful outcomes when they occur in the consolidated phases of authoritarian regimes. Using the political opportunity structure framework, the dissertation maintains that a regime’s stability instils confidence in it to substitute coercion with incentives wherein it allows limited but strictly regulated freedoms for oppositional politics. This creates new openings for the challengers, enabling mobilization with an increase in size and scope. Unlike the initial phase, when the regime is consolidating and repressing collective action in a ruthless …

Institutional Design And Money Politics: Vote Buying In Post-Suharto Era, Fuadil Ulum

Jurnal Politik

No abstract provided.

Money Trumps Ethnicity: An Overview Of Local Election In Kendari, M. Najib Husain, La Husen Zuada

Jurnal Politik

This paper explains how money politics and ethnic politics work at the same time, and which one of them is more influential when the two are confronted. By examining the 2017 regional election in the city of Kendari, this paper finds that both ethnic politics and money politics were used by contestants running in the election to gain voter support. Nevertheless, ethnic politics failed to maintain voter loyalty when contested with money politics that was designed carefully, massively, right on target, well-structured, and was supported by a solid and militant team.

Refusing To Die: Programmatic Goods In The Fight Against Covid-19 In Sampang Regency, Endik Hidayat, Daniel Susilo

Jurnal Politik

This article discusses programmatic distributive politics in the villages in Sampang Regency during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study seeks to answer the forms of programmatic goods distributed in Sampang during the pandemic. This study employs qualitative methods and chose ten villages in Sampang as its case study due to Sampang’s achievement in maintaining its green zone status for the longest period in East Java. This article shows that there have been shifts in the bupati’s relationships with the village heads, from what was previously transactional prior to the pandemic to be more collaborative in efforts to contain the spread of …