Political Science Commons^™

Canadians' Views About The 2021 Federal Election Process, Consortium On Electoral Democracy

Reports

The 2021 Canadian Election Study (CES) included several questions in its post-election wave (fielded between September 23rd and October 4th, 2021) that relate to Canadians’ experience with and attitudes toward the electoral process. These questions covered five topics: 1) electoral administration, 2) electoral registration, 3) electoral information, 4) electoral experience, and 5) general opinion about elections.

This summary report outlines some of the highlights that emerged from the data.

Wgss Queer Theories And Politics: A Blog Post, Cassidy Vogel

Feminist & Queer Praxis

"Political education is the practice of using knowledge for action, whether its serving and educating the community or taking personal action. This is central Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, but in Dr. Klinker’s Queer Theories and Politics (WGSS 374) students were able to engage in political education beyond the class." Winona State University (WSU) student Cassidy Vogel blog post discusses and shared their experiences engaging in political education beyond the classroom.

This blog post was intended for the WSU Academic Blog which showcases the exciting and challenging work that WSU Student do.

Generational Harmony Saves The World: How The Power Of Generation Theory, Gen Z Youth, And Activism Can Mitigate The Climate Crisis, Ryan Hill

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper explores generations as a concept for understanding and explaining the relationship between major sociohistorical events and societal members, posits generation succession as a way in which long-term social change occurs, compares and contrasts the perceptions of the major generations (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials) created by popular media and scholarly research, illuminates characterizations of the youngest and still-emerging Gen Z, discusses what major sociohistorical events during the time of their adolescence have folded Gen Z into a distinct group with a common generational consciousness, outlines how anthropogenic climate change is a real phenomenon with harmful consequences already affecting …

“Willfully Defiant: Understanding The Role Of Authority And Racialized Punitive Burdens”, Riley Mccoy

Honors Thesis

“Willful defiance” describes a type of student behavior that intentionally disrupts classroom order against a teacher’s direct commands. In 2013 the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education reduced the use of willful defiance suspensions as it was the disciplinary category with the largest racial disparities. Despite initial positive outcomes following the policy change, LA Unified still maintains a racial disparity in its expulsion rates and use of willful defiance. In this thesis, I investigate the remaining racialized outcomes through a structural analysis of behavioral discipline policies. Willful defiance policies represent a direct interaction between the structure of the classroom, student …

Naked Week: The Cold Quest For Body Acceptance, Paul A. Djupe

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Singapore: Treading Carefully Between Jostling Great Powers, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

The island state’s unique understanding of Western and East Asian cultures makes it an ideal interpreter between the U.S. and China, says SMU Chairman Ho Kwon Ping

The Impact Of Political Satire Programs On Viewers’ Perceptions Of Us Politicians: A Study Of Hbo’S Veep, Alexander J. Hlade '22

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis addresses an existing line of study surrounding the effects that political satire programs have on their audiences. More specifically, this paper focuses on HBO’s fictional satire program Veep (2012-2019) and its potential to influence viewers’ perceptions of current Vice President Kamala Harris. This study uses focus group survey responses to an interview Vice President Harris gave on April 5th, 2021 and compares survey responses taken prior to and following a viewing of Veep season 2 episode 8 “First Response.” In so doing, this study aims to determine if viewing fictional satire programs has any immediate effect on viewers’ …

How Can Black-Dalit Feminist Solidarity Create Social Justice And Transformation?, G. Annunziata

Student Zines

Hi friends! My name is G and I'm a college freshman earning my B.S.in Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology. The topic ofmy zine is about the solidarity of Black-Dalit feminists and the impact they have on the social justice movement. We are going to explore the similarities in oppression and activism between the Dalit liberation and the Black Lives Matter Movement. I hope my zine is either educational and/or informational. Thanks for reading! :)

The Demotechnic Index Of Nations, 1980-2018, Camden Rainwater

Geosciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Demotechnic Index (DI) is a non-dimensional metric that is the scalar multiple of energy consumption over and above that required for mere subsistence of a national population. Thus, the DI is a measure of energy efficiency that scales a country’s industrial energy consumption (called the total technological energy) and the energy required to meet the metabolic demand of the population (called the total metabolic energy). The DI was created by scientist John Vallentyne in 1982, refined in 1994, but never gained popularity or wide use as a sustainability metric. The objective of this thesis was to re-evaluate the DI …

Ping Pong Diplomacy: Us - China Supply Chain Relations Today, Camille Wagner

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

“The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot forever fence it out.” The masterpiece that is The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien holds many timeless words of wisdom, the one quoted above being a good summary of this paper. This business thesis will tell the story of ping pong diplomacy, globalization, and how this diplomacy can be revived in a modern world where U.S. – China contentions continue to threaten supply chain stability.

Black- Dalit Feminist Vision, Sydonie Bell

Student Zines

This zine will typically focus on the intersections that exist between Black and Dalit feminism. It will take a trauma- informed lens to understand how transformation may occur in these spheres to get justice for those affected.

White Saviorism Zine, Bree Finnegan

Student Zines

I am interested in the topic of dominant caste, Savarna, saviorism toward Dalit women and White saviorism towards Black women.

I am going to explain what saviorism looks like for Black women and then what saviorism looks like for Dalit women. I will then compare the two and show the similarities between them. I am also going to provide the reasons why saviorism is bad and how to detect it.

I want you, readers, to understand that these two communities may seem very different, because one is about race and one is about caste, but they are actually very similar …

Can Violent Political Rhetoric Influence Bias Homicide Rates? Analyzing The Trump Effect, Tyler Joseph Patrick Ford

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

The founding document of the United States declares that all men are created equal. However, history has shown that this is not the case. Citizens in this country have been discriminated against since its inception based on their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, and many other factors. The first Federal Legislation passed to prevent discrimination against citizens in the United States did not come until 1968, which “made it a crime to use, or threaten to use, force to willfully interfere with any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin” (United States, Department of Justice). It …

The 2022 Arkansas Gubernatorial Election And The Impact Of High-Profile Conservative Women On Gender Perceptions, Frances Delacey

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

How does the presence of a high-profile female candidate impact citizen gender perceptions about women in politics, specifically conservative candidates? Studies aimed at finding which common identities voters will align with, whether it be gender or political party, have found that voters will be more likely to align with their party rather than gender. In The Clinton Effect? The (Non)Impact of a High-Profile Candidate on Gender Stereotypes it was found that voters primed for Clinton did not experience a difference in gender perceptions as compared to those not primed. Voters still carry biased views as they define appropriate attributes of …

Their Pain Is Our Pain: The Intersectionality Of Identity Formation, Socioeconomic Status (Ses), And Transgenerational Trauma In Latine Youth, Fernanda Alcantara

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis will explore the intersectionality of identity formation, socioeconomic status (SES) and transgenerational trauma in Latine youth. There is extensive research in the Hispanic identity formation and the factors that influence it. However, there is little to no research that focuses on the role SES and transgenerational trauma from growing up in a Hispanic household with adversities specific to the immigrant experience and how they influence identity formation during the pre- adolescent and adolescent years. As well as how the Hispanic identity they form influences the adversities they face and SES they shift to or stay in. This research …

Measuring Attitudes And Behavioral Trends As It Pertains To Global Poverty Eradication, Zoe Patrick

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since the 1990s, approximately 1.1 billion people have escaped poverty across the globe, and they no longer must live on less than $2.00 a day. This progress has been consistent over the last 20 years, but recent social and economic disruptions have led to a steadily increasing number of people struggling under the weight of extreme poverty. Data collected by the World Bank shows that 88 to 115 million people are projected to be pushed into extreme poverty because of the 2020 economic downturn and coronavirus pandemic. There are hundreds of nonprofit organizations that donate time and money towards the …

A Cross-Cultural Trek Of Nomadism Through Metaphoric Criticism, Gabrielle Wilkosz

All Theses

How has the worldwide phenomenon of nomadism—present day, recent past, and ancient past—been characterized through metaphor by writers, orators, and auteurs? Using metaphoric criticism, I show how the rhetoric of twenty-first-century "van-lifers" builds on a long global history of displacement that ranges from Central Asia to Malaysia to the Grand Canyon. This project’s three case studies span two decades each, comprising the Kitan people of Central Asia (1207-1227); Bukat people of Borneo in Malaysia (1930-1950), and contemporary "van-lifers" of the US (2001-21). This MA thesis parses a newfound connection between the language of nomadism and Burkean “truth”; the language of …

Political Effects On The Discontinuation Of Participatory Budgeting In Municipalities, Ricardo Rocha De Azevedo, Ricardo Lopes Cardoso, Armando Santos Moreira Da Cunha, Brian Wampler

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article analyzes the factors associated with the discontinuation of participatory budgeting (PB) in Brazilian municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants between 2000 and 2016. We used econometric models to estimate PB’s discontinuation based on political explanatory variables and people’s local participation. The results indicate that discontinuation is associated: (i) positively with the election of a different local government, regardless of the winning party’s ideology; (ii) positively with the election of a local government with a left-wing ideology’; (iii) negatively with the election of a non-left-wing local government; (iv) positively with the election of a left-wing local government replacing another …

Let Us Live To Make Men Free: Locke And Aquinas On Toleration And Natural Law, Micah Safsten

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tolerance is a difficult and controversial concept in political rhetoric. For many, tolerance requires the acceptance of what one believes is evil. Still, most of us feel as though we must accept the differences of others on some level. This thesis is an attempt to better understand tolerance. To do so, it uses the concept of natural law, or the idea that all law should justified through one, universal theory of good. This would seem contradictory, as natural law supposes that a single vision of the good life exists for all. Yet the natural law theory of one legal theorist, …

The One Who Won, Jeanna Polisini

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

I am an adopted Asian American with an Italian last name who was raised in the Jewish faith. While I am one of the lucky ones, the One-Child Policy is responsible for how my life turned out. My intention is to confront the inhumanity of this horrific policy with my adoption story. Until policies personally affect someone’s life, many people do not think twice about the other country’s problems and their repercussions on a global level. For my senior exhibition, I created an autobiographical installation to explore my adoption story and how China’s inhumane dictatorship. The full immersive installation will …

Food Insecurity During Covid-19 In Nyc: Inefficiencies Of Governmental Responses, Jannet Musleh

Student Theses

Due to its status as a liberal welfare state, the United States has largely relied on charities to provide food assistance to its citizens. This reliance on charity became a particular issue in the context of COVID-19 as the charities were unable to efficiently feed food insecure households. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the issue of food insecurity within New York City and shown the cracks within the food emergency distribution network. There is limited research on food insecurity nested in welfare state theory that scrutinizes the failures of government. The overall aim of this paper is to explore the …

Nord Stream 2: The Gas Curtain Of Europe, Sarah Elizabeth Nelson

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The debate over the 1,200 kilometer Nord Stream 2 pipeline, capable of delivering 110 billion cubic meters of liquified natural gas (LNG) under the Baltic Sea directly from Russia to Germany, has received global attention since its declaration of intent in 2015. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is not only significant for the contestation it has created within the European Union but for the divisions it has deepened in the U.S.-German transatlantic alliance. Specifically, many European countries, with an emphasis on Ukraine, and the United States view the pipeline as a Kremlin-instigated operation to exploit Europe’s vulnerability to energy demand …

A Gateway To Housing Discrimination: A St. Louis Case Study To Identify Home Loan Denial Rates Among Black And White Citizens, Emily Schlichtig

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project seeks to investigate residential segregation and the reasons that it still occurs within the United States. The presence of residential segregation demonstrates how the 14^th amendment is being underutilized. Currently, there is a lack of research that points to home loan denial rates among black citizens compared to white citizens as a reason for residential segregation occurring. This paper includes a St. Louis case study to identify home loan denial rates between races and arguments for why those loan denial rates cause residential segregation. The disparities in the loan denial rates do not allow blacks an option …

Determinants Of Public Corruption In Arkansas And The Nation, Jason Neeley

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Through reviewing the existing scholarly literature on corruption, factors that seem to increase the likelihood or contribute to rising numbers in reported cases of corruption will be used to determine which factors are most highly correlated with the amount of reported public corruption in a state’s government. With this, one will gain knowledge on which states have the highest levels of reported corruption and what factors are present in the state that can help explain the high levels of corruption. This combination of relationships will answer the question as to what a state should look for to address issues related …

Understanding And Improving The System: The Effects Of Weighting On The Accuracy Of Political Polling In Arkansas, Beck Williams

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

In an effort to increase the accuracy of statewide political polling in Arkansas, we explore the statistical strategy of weighting with a focus on one yearly opinion poll: The Arkansas Poll. We conduct over 70 weighting experiments on the 2016 and 2020 Arkansas Polls using a variety of variables and opinion questions. From these experiments, we find that while some weighted variables tend to create larger changes, weighting typically results in a single-digit percentage change that does not substantially shift or “flip” the majorities. Due to a greater rate of change through weighting in the 2020 Poll compared to the …

0875: Mike Jones President Barack Obama Media Collection, 2008-2013, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection is predominantly newspapers from 2008-2011 and magazines from the same time period. Other items include campaign paraphernalia such as a t-shirt, campaign signs (one covered in anti-Obama graffiti), campaign buttons, bumper stickers, and an advertisement for the coverage of the 2008 election by Arizona Daily Star, and VHS recordings of the election, inauguration of President Obama, and President Obama’s first 100 days in office

Biden’S Options: Policy Recommendations On The Us-China Trade War, Marley Taylor Belanger

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

As talks of unprecedented inflation and the long-term impact of the pandemic are on the rise in the United States, it is critical to understand how the foreign policy choices of the US Government ultimately impact its economy. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of the economic tensions between the US and China as a result of the ongoing US-China Trade War. To examine the viability of proposed options, a cost-benefit analysis of Biden’s policy options is implemented based on a framework of escalation, de-escalation, or modification of the current US-China economic policy initiative. The analysis of these proposals …

Susceptibility To Online Disinformation, Ryan Christopher Lesica

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this article, I address the importance of finding tangible and viable solutions in minimizing susceptibility to online disinformation. I identify three main types of causal factors that lead to susceptibility: political, psychological, and technical; recognizing the implications of political polarization, news media, cognitive phenomena, algorithms, and online behavior that leads to saturation and susceptibility to false information. I argue that by thoroughly compartmentalizing causal variables into three main factors, each can then be addressed and solved in their own unique way. I analyze each factor, deriving reinforcing theories and evidence from various articles, experiments, and publications. I propose that …

Can Patent Trolls Be Stopped Without Interfering With An Individual’S Property Rights?, Talar Sahagian

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis seeks to analyze patent trolls and how they are able to prey on successful patented innovations to monopolize on profits, all while doing it legally. This research aims to answer the question if patent trolls can be stopped without infringing on an individual’s property rights. This study analyzes various legislation enacted to limit the actions of patent trolls, and if they are sufficient in their totality to prevent the trolls from making a profit off a patent(s), they have no intention of utilizing or have never used. The data will be analyzed to show if the enacted reform …

In The Cities, There Is Violence : Do Higher Levels Of Police Militarization Correlate With Police Use Of Lethal Force?, Brennan B. Sumner

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Police violence has become a pressing issue in the United States. The topic of police militarization, as a consequence, has entered the public consciousness, and its effects have become a topic of concern. This paper will examine whether there is a correlation between higher levels of police militarization and higher rates of police use of lethal force from multiple perspectives. This paper will utilize a mixed methods research approach, combining historical analysis, critical literature review, and data analysis from thirty American cities. This paper will also discuss the public policy implications of police militarization and offer critiques therein.