Political Science Commons^™

The Yangon Report: National Landscape, Current Challenges And Opportunities For Growth, Institute For Societal Leadership, John W. Ellington

Institute of Societal Leadership Research Collection

Since its independence from British rule in 1948, Myanmar has struggled with multiple obstacles, including a series of violent internal ethnic and sectarian conflicts, isolationist fiscal policies instituted by an increasingly distrustful military government and international sanctions and condemnation following government crackdowns in 1988 and 2007. In spite of all these setbacks, President Thein Sein’s decision in 2011 to liberalise the country’s political and economic systems has created a new wave of optimism for what was once commonly regarded as a failed state.

The Phnom Penh Report: National Landscape, Current Challenges And Opportunities For Growth, Institute For Societal Leadership, John W. Ellington

Institute of Societal Leadership Research Collection

Once a relatively sleepy agrarian kingdom, Cambodia has experienced some of the most horrific violence since the close of the Second World War. Between 1970 and 1999, the country was the victim of both a brutal civil war as well wider regional conflicts. The Khmer Rouge seizure of power in 1975 brought four years of forced collectivisation and mass killings that have haunted the Cambodian psyche ever since. The decade of Vietnamese occupation that followed only further exacerbated the country’s massive humanitarian problems. When the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) exited after elections in 1993, it left behind …

Partisan Sorting In The United States, 1972-2012: New Evidence From A Dynamic Analysis, Corey Lang, Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

Whether Americans have “sorted” into politically like-minded counties and to what extent is hotly debated by academic and journalists. This paper examines whether or not geographic sorting has occurred and why it has occurred using a novel, dynamic analysis. Our findings indicate that geographic sorting is on the rise, but that it is a very recent phenomenon. In the 1970s and 1980s, counties tended to become more competitive, but by 1996 a pattern of partisan sorting had emerged and continued through the present. Results suggest this pattern is driven by Southern re-alignment and voting behavior in partisan stronghold counties. Lastly, …

Political Attitudes Towards The Bush Administration By Ethnic And Racial Groups, Amber Elzen, Mai Inoue, Julianna Koomen

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This project analyzes the attitudes towards political statements according to a person’s ethnic and racial groups. The statements relate to the Bush administration and some of its policies. The different responses are categorized by age, gender and location as well. It is hypothesized that Caucasians would have a more positive outlook on the administration and its policies while racial and ethnic minorities would have a less positive response to the questions. Overall, a total of 219 participants were surveyed from Minnesota State University, Mankato and from communities of southeastern Minnesota through questions asking them to indicate their political attitudes. When …

The Decision To Run: The Stories Of Women In The Minnesota Legislature, Danielle M. Thomsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The underrepresented status of women in legislative positions is an entrenched flaw in the American political system. Although past research has investigated the obvious gender gap, the spotlight has recently shifted toward the preliminary factors affecting a candidate's political ambition. It has been noted that women have little aspiration to run for office, and are unlikely to even consider themselves as viable candidates. Encouragement offered by political parties and external supporters such as family, friends, coworkers, and community organizations plays a vital role in creating a female candidate. This paper evaluates the impact of outside forces on the female candidate …

Social Welfare Policy Reform Since The 1990s: Comparison Of The United Kingdom And The Czech Republic, Rebekah Buege

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Many European countries, including the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic, have developed reputations for innovative social policies. Since the creation of the European Union (EU), many national policies have remained in place while others have continued to evolve at a much faster pace, including means-tested forms of assistance such as a minimum income guarantee. The economic crisis in 2009 caused this particular benefit to attract more attention across Europe. These two countries, the UK in the capitalist West, and the Czech Republic, a formerly communist, young democracy in East-Central Europe, have been considered leaders in welfare, anti-poverty reform. More …

An Ordinary Congressman And An Extraordinary Scandal: Alex Mcmillan And Iran-Contra, Rob Matsick

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The Iran-Contra Affair was an infamous soap opera that pushed the Reagan Administration to the brink of annihilation. The repercussions to the main players of this and other tantalizing political affairs have been regurgitated ad nauseum. However, the effects on the more general political scene are often ignored. This paper is a case study that examines the diversionary political route that Alex McMillan, a Congressman unknown outside of North Carolina, takes to handle the negative effects of a Republican crisis to a Congressman that shares the party, but not the blame, for a national scandal. This case study aims …

Failure Of Democratic Consolidation: The Three Year Interlude Of Military Rule (1958-1962) In Burma, Zaw Thein

Masters Theses

Many scholars believe that the period between 1948 when Burma won Independence and 1962 when the military took over the country from the elected civilian government as the parliamentary democracy era. During this era, there was a three-year interlude where the military leaders ruled the country as the Caretaker Government- a euphemism for the three-year military interlude. My argument is that this interlude happened due to the growing strength of the military as an institution and the decline of political parties in Burma. The strength of the military institution was due to the civil war that broke out just after …

Watch Closely And Pay Attention, Kevin Cool

Colby Magazine

Stuart Rothenberg '70 has what Washington wants- information and lots of it.

In The Loop, Outside The Beltway: When The National Press Wants Perspective And Insight, It Turns To Colby's Political Pundits, Gerry Boyle

Colby Magazine

It was the opening night of the Democratic Convention and Anthony Corrado, headphones in place, was seated in a soundproof cubbyhole on the fourth floor of the Eustis Building at Colby awaiting a call from National Public Radio's Scott Simon. The NPR host was at the convention in Los Angeles. The interview was to be broadcast live. When Simon came on the line, his first question was whether the entertainment industry is more likely to give to the Democratic Party than to Republicans. "They certainly are," Corrado said, without missing a beat. "In fact, one of the groups that the …

The Impact Of Politicized Churches And Party Contact On African American Voter Turnout, Randolph Burnside, Stephanie A. Pink-Harper

Ralph Bunche Journal of Public Affairs

- 3 - The Impact of Politicized Churches and Party Contact on African American Voter Turnout Randolph Burnside Southern Illinois University Carbondale Stephanie A. Pink-Harper Southern Illinois University Carbondale The African American community has faced a myriad of challenges regarding their quest for social equity and social justice in America. Among the challenges is the fight for their right to vote. Researchers document numerous factors that have impacted the voting behavior of African Americans. Underexplored, however, is the historical role and impact that the African American church has had on this process. This article examines the impact of politicized churches …

Saudi Aramco And The Politics Of Cultural Heritage, Anahid Hanounik Huth

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Culture Heritage in recent decades has become a catch word within world discourse. It is increasingly receiving generous attention in both money and time form private and public sectors on preservation policy. The application of so-called preservation and restoration projects, the alleged care for Cultural Heritage, has become a motive and battle cry of UNESCO, World Bank, private companies, banks, NGOs, European Council, and Western governments' foreign policy. This leads us to ask what is behind this increasing attention, and whether we should see it as Christina Luke 2013 suggested in her article--is Heritage increasingly being seen as a soft …

Perfect Timing: The Rise Of Women’S Political Leadership During Cultural Shifts, Christie E. Pearce

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

America has fallen behind in women's leadership, especially in politics. In the approaching era, there will be more viable female political candidates than ever in the past, but will the public be prepared to elect a woman to high office? Studies suggest that mentalities toward female leadership have taken a shift in a positive direction. The idea of what an 'ideal' politician must offer is more feminine in the modern era than ever before. In the age of social media, female politicians have opportunities to reach more constituents through social media in a more effective way than has been offered …

The Partisanship Spectrum, Justin Levitt

William & Mary Law Review

In a polarized political environment, allegations of excessive partisanship by public actors are ubiquitous. Commentators, courts, and activists levy these allegations daily. But with remarkable consistency, they do so as if “partisanship” described a single phenomenon. This Article recognizes that the default mode of understanding partisanship is a descriptive and diagnostic failure with meaningful consequences. We mean different things when we discuss partisanship, but we do not have the vocabulary to understand that we are talking past each other.

Without a robust conceptualization of partisanship, it is difficult to treat pathologies of partisan governance. Indeed, an undifferentiated approach to partisanship …

Women In Politics: An Evaluation Of Electability And Influence Of The Media, Hannah Schiller

Senior Honors Theses

This paper explores the electability of women to higher office. It evaluates voter probability through studies that assess the effect of media attention to a candidate’s appearance. Furthermore, the paper studies the media coverage of Governor Sarah Palin’s campaign for Vice President. Finally, it includes an evaluation of Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s successful campaign for Prime Minister. Based on the case studies of voter probability, Sarah Palin and Margaret Thatcher, women do face many obstacles to political office, yet women are fully capable of overcoming these obstacles and we will see a woman leader in an executive position on …

Andres Quintero Interview, Andres Taborda, Jennifer Giffels

2014 Cleary Lecture: Prospects for Peace in Colombia by Virginia M. Bouvier

Andres Taborda ’15 and Jennifer Giffels ’14 of the Model OAS course in the Department of Political Science interviewed Andres Quintero, who is an expert in peace and conflict resolution. A native of Bogotá, Colombia, Quintero is currently pursuing a second graduate degree at Columbia University in New York and has many years of experience in the field of conflict resolution in Colombia and Ecuador. This document contains a summary of the interview.

The Primary Colors Of Political Dysfunction, Dillon Nichols

Ex-Patt Magazine

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Becoming Politically Informed In The College Dorm: Fostering Political Engagement In Binghamton University Students, Allison E. O'Brien

MPA Capstone Projects 2006 - 2015

Binghamton University's Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) is interested in developing programs to foster political engagement in Binghamton University students. The CCE provides students, faculty, and staff with a wide range of community service and volunteering opportunities but does not have a strategy to engage students in formal programs of political education. This capstone paper examines what programs CCE can implement to develop civic skills and foster political engagement in Binghamton University students.

Zero-Sum Politics As A Trust Dilemma? How Race And Gender Affect Trust In Obama’S And Clinton’S Representation Of Group Interests, Shayla Nunnally

Ralph Bunche Journal of Public Affairs

- 103 - Zero-Sum Politics as a Trust Dilemma? How Race and Gender Affect Trust in Obama’s and Clinton’s Representation of Group Interests Shayla C. Nunnally University of Connecticut This analysis deploys multiple regression Models and uses embedded survey experiments from a 2007 national web-based survey to determine African American, Latino, and Caucasian Democrats’ trust in Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to represent racial, gender, and intersectional interests. Three hypotheses are tested to discern whether respondents’ trust varies based on their: 1) race trumping gender, 2) gender trumping race, and/or 3) intersectionality enhancing trust, when their race and gender mirror …

Throwing The Switch: Eisenhower, Stevenson And The African-American Vote In The 1956 Election, Lincoln M. Fitch

Student Publications

This paper seeks to contextualize the 1956 election by providing a summary of the African American political alignment during the preceding half-century. Winning a greater portion of the black vote was a central tenant of the 1956 Eisenhower Campaign strategy. In the 1956 election a substantial shift occurred among the historically democratic black electorate. The vote shifted because of disillusionment with the Democrats and Eisenhower’s civil rights record. The swing however, was less pronounced for Republican congressional candidates. This paper draws upon extensive primary material, including countless newspapers, magazines, the NAACP Papers, and published primary sources to form the core …

Mastin Family - Letters To (Sc 1287), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1287. Four letters, 1901, n.d., to members of the Mastin family, Frankfort, Kentucky, from Caleb Powers, acknowledging kindnesses extended during his incarceration for alleged involvement in the assassination of Governor William J. Goebel. Includes two letters to J. C. Mastin from political friends thanking him for support.

Elections And Election Campaigns, 1918 (Sc 1278), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1278. Campaign letter, 25 October 1918, of President Woodrow Wilson urging voters to elect a Democratic U.S. House and Senate; also campaign letter, 29 October 1918, of Kentucky Congressman R. Y. Thomas, Jr., to voters of the Third Congressional District asking for support.

Crittenden, John Jordan, 1787-1863 (Sc 1302), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript for Manuscripts Small Collection 1302. Letter written by John Jordan Crittenden, U.S. Senate, to Hon. A. Beatty, evidently of Rhode Island, in response to Beatty's concern about the impeding tariff legislation.

Performance, Politics, And The War On Terror: "Whatever It Takes", Lindsey Mantoan

Faculty Publications

Lindsey Mantoan reviews Performance, Politics, and the War on Terror: "Whatever It Takes" (by Sara Brady) for TDR: The Drama Review.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #2: A Tale Of Many Cities: Economy, Crime, And Politics, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

This report examines regional and sub-regional measures of economy, crime, and politics perceptions from the 2014 Life In Hampton Roads survey (LIHR 2014) conducted by the Old Dominion University Social Science Research Center.

Database Of Secondary Schools Attended By Cabinet Ministers In The United Kingdom1937-2012, Brendan O'Rourke, John Hogan

Other

This excel file shows the computations of the authors of the influence, exclusiveness and eliteness of the IUK secondary school systems in the production of cabinet ministers. These computations are based on the influence, exclusiveness and eliteness indices that are developed in a paper that is forthcoming in the journal Politics.

A Discussion Of The Impact Of Political And Economic Forces On Equitable Access To Potable Water In Ecuador And Recommendations For Improvement Through Better Watershed Management, Eliza States

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis will address the impact of political and economic forces on the equitable access to fresh water in Ecuador. Demographic factors such as the rural-to-urban migration and the political and economic forces have strongly influenced the debate over the privatization of the provision of potable water and sanitation services. Within the context of Ecuador, two different approaches by the largest cities, Quito and Guayaquil, are analyzed; in Guayaquil, the services were privatized, while in Quito, the public utility was corporatized, remaining under public control. It concludes arguing that in the face of political instability and a lack of regulatory …

The Inevitable And Difficult Transition From Relation-Based To Rule-Based Governance In China, Shaomin Li

Management Faculty Publications

China has benefited tremendously from replying on the relation-based way of doing business and governance, as evidenced in its rapid economic growth up to now. However, further relying on the relation-based governance may eventually hinder China's economic growth and exacerbate inequality, resulting in political instability. On the other hand, given China's cultural heritage and powerful vested interest groups, can China shed its relation-based way? This article argues from logical, theoretical, and empirical perspectives the inevitability and difficulty of China's transition from relations to rules, and discuss the implications of the transition or the lack of it for China.

Differences In Negativity Bias Underlie Variations In Political Ideology, John R. Hibbing, Kevin B. Smith, John R. Alford

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Disputes between those holding differing political views are ubiquitous and deep-seated, and they often follow common, recognizable lines. The supporters of tradition and stability, sometimes referred to as conservatives, do battle with the supporters of innovation and reform, sometimes referred to as liberals. Understanding the correlates of those distinct political orientations is probably a prerequisite for managing political disputes, which are a source of social conflict that can lead to frustration and even bloodshed. A rapidly growing body of empirical evidence documents a multitude of ways in which liberals and conservatives differ from each other in purviews of life with …

In The Name Of National Interest? Assessing The Shift Of Australian Foreign Policy Regarding West Papua During 2006, Jaymin Beck

Theses : Honours

The Australian government currently maintains a strong position against an independent West Papua. Despite claims of human rights abuses by the Indonesian Government in West Papua and the huge number of West Papuan refugees fleeing to Australian shores, the Australian Government continues to tighten foreign policy and migration laws to make it increasingly difficult for West Papuans to seek asylum in Australia and hope for an independent West Papua. When Australia’s humanitarian intervention in the Timor-Leste fight for independence in 1999 is considered, reasons why the Australian government maintains an anti-separatist position towards West Papua are unclear. Australia took a …