Political Science Commons^™

Spaces Of Progress And The Challenge Of “Mindfulness” In A Postcolonial World, M. Satish Kumar

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Progress implied both change and improvement in the colonial and postcolonial world. Such a concept of progress came to be enshrined in specific geographical places. The notions of development and underdevelopment in the postcolonial context thereafter supplanted this idea. Over time, while the structures of colonial domination dissolved, those of embedded regional inequalities came to be deeply entrenched, thereby urging for Thich Nhat Hanh’s approach to “mindfulness” in a “postcapitalist,” postcolonial world. The key question is whether postcolonialism has reached an impasse in its delivery and deployment of ideas across the widening gulf between the spaces of progress and stagnancy. …

The Decline Of Republican Democracy And Rise Of The Techno-Authoritarian State: Reading Dystopian Novels In Hindi Literature, Manindra Nath Thakur

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In the past few decades, the nature of capitalism has changed fast as it has lost its philosophical justification based on the principle of the common good. There have been many avatars of the idea of the “common good”: “white man’s burden to civilize the world,” “welfarism,” and “neoliberal concept of freedom of choice.” Capitalism now seems to have moved in a new direction, however, and it has failed to produce any further philosophical justification for its existence as a mode of production despite generating unprecedented economic inequality. Consequently, there is a rising tension between capitalism and democracy in societies …

Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

The Adaptation Wedge: Capacity-Building Scenarios For India’S Cities, Jagan Shah

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

The increasing frequency and severity of floods, heat waves, and storm surges impacting global cities, combined with the growing morbidity in public health, necessitates prompt and effective climate action. Adaptation and mitigation require adequate and appropriate institutional, technical, and societal capacities—all of which are in short supply in most low- and middle-income country cities that are experiencing growth while suffering vulnerabilities. Although national governments are alerted to climate risk and the imperatives of planning, financing, and managing climate transitions, their responses to capacity constraints and approaches to capacity building display neither urgency nor scale. We use a scenario-building methodology to …

A New Look At Russia-China Relations: Implications, Expectations And Reality, Aidana Bolat

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This thesis examines the nature of the evolving relationship between Russia and China from 2018 to 2024, focusing on political, economic, and security aspects. The research aims to determine whether their interactions are an alliance, a partnership, or a more complex arrangement. The study takes a multidimensional approach: analyzing political cooperation through their participation in international organizations such as the UN, SCO, and BRICS, mutual support in UN voting records, diplomatic commitments, and regional political strategies. Economic cooperation is assessed through trade dynamics and analysis of official trade data. Security cooperation is examined by examining arms sales, joint military exercises, …

Fantastic Trolls And Where To Find Them: Problem Framing In The Defense Against The Informational Dark Arts, Jayson M. Warren

All Dissertations

In the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the notion of state-sponsored trolls engaging in information operations on social media has captured the attention of society. Yet eight years after this policymaking focusing event, sustainable solutions prove elusive and there is still much that is not known about the underlying phenomenon. This dissertation is part explanatory and part exploratory in its attempts to answer the overarching research question: What is the Relationship Between How the Problem of State-Sponsored Trolls on Social Media is Framed & the Way U.S. Federal Policy Attempts to Solve It? Using …

Political Constructions Of People Who Use Drugs In The Philippines: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Background

This paper examines the political constructions of people who use drugs in the Philippines throughout the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022), during which the government engaged in a ‘war on drugs’ and promoted a punitive drug regime.

Methods

Building on and drawing inspiration from the global drug policy scholarship that has looked at the ways in which drugs are framed and problematised in various domains, this study used qualitative content analysis to review 96 documents from national government agencies - including strategic action plans, directives, memorandums, guidelines, annual reports, and legislative measures.

Results

Foremost, the study finds that various …

"Huddled Masses:" The Immigration Act Of 1917 In Habeas Corpus, Chikamso Chijioke

Digital Legal Research Lab

Research poster titled "Huddled Masses:" The Immigration Act of 1917 in Habeas Corpus; presented via the Digital Legal Research Lab NSF REU Site, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, August 2024.

Introduction

Dr. Jagodinsky's Petitioning for Freedom is a collection of habeas corpus petitions in the American West and examines marginalized peoples’ use of habeas to challenge detention. This project explores the role of the Immigration Act of 1917 in these cases. The Immigration Act of 1917, passed due to xenophobic tensions surrounding WWI, restricted immigration of people from Asia and the Pacific while implementing an English literacy test for those over 16 …

The Twitter Blackout: Do Congressional Rules Influence The Cyberworld?, Carlos Gutierrez-Mannix, Thomas R. Gray

Political Science Faculty Publications

Intro

Communication is understood to be a pillar of democracy. Therefore, governments around the world enact laws which make it easier for politicians to communicate with their constituents. However, some governments also restrict this ability during campaign seasons as a way of unclogging the media. In the United States, congressional election blackout dates are periods in which politicians are not allowed to engage in mass unsolicited mailing of political advertising. Because the prohibition only applies to unsolicited media, we theorize that we should see the transition from one type of communication to another.

Methods

To test this effect, we created …

A Cross-Country Analysis Of China’S Belt And Road Initiative, Leah Shoff

International Studies (MA) Theses

China established The Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 to unite the global economy as well as bolter their own political and economic interests. Though the initiative is relatively new, it is important to understand how the Belt and Road Initiative could impact the global economy. This program is open to any country in the world that seeks to improve its infrastructure. However, critics of China’s proposal have questioned whether countries participating in the program gain economically. Through evaluating the relationship between GDP, time, and other significant data provided by the IMF, a cross-country comparison between Pakistan and the Philippines …

How Threat Mobilizes The Resurgence And Persistence Of Us White Supremacist Activism: The 1980s To The Present, Pete Simi, Robert Futrell, Adam Burston

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Despite a centuries-long history of violent mobilization, white supremacist activism (WSA) has received relatively little sociological attention outside a small, specialized subfield. Disciplinary interest began to change after Trump's 2016 election; the 2017 violent attack in Charlottesville, Virginia; and the January 6, 2021, insurrection. In recognition, this review article focuses on what has been learned about contemporary WSA since the 1980s. We categorize studies by their unit of analysis—individual or micro, meso, and macro levels—to highlight analytic commonalities and distinctions and to underscore the central role that threat plays in the ebb and flow of WSA. As part of our …

Engaging Survivors In Transnational Justice Governance: Global, National And Local Perspectives From Uganda's Post Lra Insurgency, Dennis Jjuuko

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The end of the Second World War established the Nuremberg trials and the Tokyo tribunal while the United Nations (UN) system established ad-hoc tribunals in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and multilateralism facilitated the creation of the present-day International Criminal Court (ICC). These trials and tribunals established liberal approaches to transnational justice governance. Despite the dominance of a liberal universalist justice framework, non-liberal justice approaches have also emerged. Considered as alternative customized justice structures, including South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Rwanda’s Gacaca Courts, these community emergent approaches emphasize a transformative approach to addressing legacies of civil conflict …

On Critical Geneaology, Bernard E. Harcourt

Faculty Scholarship

Today most critical theorists who deploy history use a genealogical method forged by Nietzsche and Foucault. This genealogical approach now dominates historically inflected critique. But not all genealogical writings today, nor all philosophical debates surrounding genealogy, advance the goals of critical philosophy. It is crucial now that we assess the value of genealogical critiques. The proper metric against which to evaluate such work is whether it contributes to transforming ourselves, others, and society in a valuable way. In this article, I propose that we use the term “critical genealogy” to identify those genealogical practices that positively nourish our activity and, …

Labour And Democracy, Kate Andrias

Faculty Scholarship

Democracy has always been a central project of labour law, but it is all the more important today, with authoritarianism on the rise and democracy under threat across the globe. This chapter examines the relationship between labour law and democracy. It explores the central tension between democracy and labour under capitalism; traces how ideas and arguments about workplace democracy have evolved over time; and explores the relationship between workplace democracy and political democracy, including how and when unions serve as a bulwark against authoritarianism. Ultimately, it argues that a critical task for labour law scholarship is to rethink the body …

Institutional Design Of Intergovernmental Organizations: Cooperation, Vitality, And Evolution, Darrell James Carter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) are critical institutions in the international system through which states cooperate and compete. Much scholarship has examined the role and operation of IGOs, but many questions about how they facilitate cooperation, their vitality, and their evolution remain. The functions of IGOs are impacted by their institutional design, which then affects operation and vitality. IGO’s perform their roles through multiple mechanisms that facilitate state interaction. IGOs enable states to overcome credibility issues and cooperate. The institutional design of IGOs, their membership, their resources, and their institutionalization, all impact the functioning of the IGO. I examine empirically how joint …

A Theory Of Conditional Party Opposition, Samuel Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This paper takes a critical look at executive power in the United States. Recent years have shown an increase of executive power that many people including: scholars, media, and the public have become skeptical of. The new norm has been for the executive to bypass Congress in order to accomplish policy goals. Traditionally the separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches has been the remedy to executive power. This thesis, however, argues that scholarship has largely ignored the role of political parties in government. Due to this, scholarship has misunderstood the role parties play in the separation …

Mind-Body Bridging (Mbb) Techniques And Emotional Regulation In Political Discourse And Confidence In Political Talk, Joseph Ofori Acheampong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In today's politically divided landscape, conversations across political lines can often provoke intense feelings of anger and anxiety, making productive dialogue difficult. This polarization not only dampens the quality of public discourse but also affects individual emotional well-being and the broader societal cohesion. This study explores a novel approach to alleviating the negative emotional effects caused by political polarization, using Mind-Body Bridging (MBB) techniques. It specifically targets emotional regulation- how we control and manage our feelings- during political discussions, without attempting to change participants' political beliefs. The study involved participants from Utah State University setting who engaged in MBB training. …

Contrasting Management Styles And Differing Outcomes Of Capping And Orphaning Of Utah Oil And Gas Wells By Conditions And Land Types, Maxwell C. Parson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The issue of public lands management and ownership in the West has long been contentious. This thesis takes a quantitative approach examining outcomes of the rates at which oil and gas wells in the state of Utah are orphaned and/or capped. Findings indicate that orphanings occur at a statistically significant higher rate on state owned land as opposed to federal and private, and wells on tribal land have no recorded orphaning. No other variables were significant in their relationship to orphaning. The proposed explanations for this disparity are two-fold: First the longer periods of inactivity permitted by the state simply …

Cultural And Political Perspective On Beethoven's "Ode To Joy" As The European Union's Anthem, Teodore Ignatius Minaroy, Henny Saptatia Drajati Nugrahani

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

ABSTRACT. The aim of this research is to explore the cultural and political significance of the Ode to Joy, a tune included in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, so that tune can become an anthem for the European Union. Following the MEPs from Nigel Farage's Brexit party turning their backs on the playing of the European anthem, a discussion on this subject started. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative approach and literature review. The research's conclusions demonstrate that both musically and politically, Ode to Joy has its significance. Ode to Joy had already come to represent Germany in …

The Security Dilemma And Arms Race Dynamics In Europe’S Response To The Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Brice Tseen Fu Lee, Filip Komšić, Juan Pablo Sims

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

This paper examines the escalation of military expenditures in Europe in response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, through the lens of the security dilemma. The security dilemma, a fundamental concept in international relations, describes how the defensive actions of one state can provoke perceptions of threat among others, potentially leading to an arms race. By analyzing military spending data from 2019 to 2023 for key European countries including Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP, this study highlights how nations closest to the conflict, …

Ideational Basis Of Civil Society Supporting The Sustainable Development Agenda, Demeiati Nur Kusumaningrum, Dyah Estu Kurniawati

Cities and Urban Development Journal

Background: In discussing consumption and the environment as part of social change, Malang City and Regency become a study of the relationship between the state and civil society in efforts to overcome the challenges of climate change, one of which is the waste problem. Unfortunately, less attention to analyze how and why civil society supports the global development agenda.

Aims: This article attempts to discuss the intersubjective factors that encourage the role of civil society in supporting the achievement of sustainable urban development targets.

Methods: The research applies qualitative methods with content analysis referring to primary data sourced from interviews, …

Culture, Catalan And Cultural Diversity In Catalonia: The Growing Challenge For Cultural “National” Affirmation Of Catalonia, Alexandre Couture Gagnon, Joaquim Rius Ulldemolins, Mariano Martín Zamorano

Political Science Faculty Publications

Catalonia has formally acknowledged cultural diversity in its cultural and linguistic policies since the 1990s. The parliament has enacted laws protecting the Aranese language in the Val d’Aran, and the Generalitat has integrated immigrants thanks to interdepartmental programmes. Around 2010, Catalonia and Spain entered a political crisis, which was intensified by the central government’s recentralization, notably in cultural and linguistic policies. Spain ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in 2006, but did not facilitate a wider Catalan action, oriented to promote the use of Catalan language in public and economic spheres. …

Notes For Contributors, Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Waging Peace On The Final Frontier 64th Academy Assembly Proceedings, Space And Defense, Madison Walker

Space and Defense

In October 2022, the 64th annual Academy Assembly at the U.S. Air Force Academy took up the theme of “Waging Peace on the Final Frontier.” The following are proceedings of roundtables held by select undergraduates from around the country on questions of space policy & strategy.

Revitalizing America's Low-Yield Deterrent, Alex Kleitz

Space and Defense

An array of low-yield weapons will play a vital role in integrated deterrence. *The following essay, submitted in June 2022, earned the Junior Division USSTRATCOM General Larry D. Welch Deterrence Writing Award.

Capability Gaps In Allied Space Deterrence, Mary A. Black

Space and Defense

U.S. predominance in space power is undermined by two capability gaps: the transatlantic gap for interoperability and the authoritarian gap for defense against asymmetric threats.

Annual Truman Lecture Usafa 64th Academy Assembly, John Shaw

Space and Defense

In October 2022, on the occasion of the 64th annual Academy Assembly, focused on “Waging Peace on the Final Frontier,” the deputy commander of USSPACEOM Lieutenant General John Shaw spoke at the Air Force Academy’s endowed Truman Lecture, which itself was created to inspire cadets toward careers in National Security leadership.

Usafa 64th Academy Assembly Banquet Keynote On Nasa Transformation, Madison Walker, Lori Garver

Space and Defense

In October 2022, at the 64th annual Academy Assembly, focused on “Waging Peace on the Final Frontier,” the former deputy administrator of NASA the Honorable Lori Garver spoke at the Air Force Academy’s 64th Academy Assembly banquet keynote on the implications of NASA transformation for international security. She was introduced in a pre-recorded video by Susan Eisenhower, honorary founder of USAFA’s Eisenhower Center, and interviewed by USAFA Institute for Future Conflict Fellow Madison Walker.

The Unified Command Plan For A New Cold War, David Stilwell

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Consulting To Avoid Kessler, Madison Walker

Space and Defense

The consultation obligation of Article IX from the Outer Space Treaty may be used to create a framework for sharing space situational awareness data, globally, with the intention of facilitating enduring coordination agreements for collision avoidance.