Political Science Commons^™

Let The Generals Speak? Retired Officer Dissent And The June 2020 George Floyd Protests, Risa Brooks, Michael A. Robinson

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Europe Rising (Again): A Comparative Study Of The Dynamics And Types Of Modern European Nationalisms, 1989-2018, Timea Varga

Dissertations

Nationalism is nothing new to Europe. While theoretical explanations of the catalysts of post-1989 European nationalist phenomena remain contested along material and non-material lines, this dissertation posits that it is the interaction of economic insecurities, societal fears, and populism over time that have shaped the rise and types of post-1989 European nationalisms. Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) is combined with a collective case study design to examine: 1) how forces – political, economic, societal, or other – have dominated the formation and latest surge of European nationalisms since the end of European Communism in 1989; and 2) whether different, context-dependent …

Understanding Taiwan Presidential Election: A Review Paper, Shida Zhong

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This paper seeks to find a systematic understanding of the presidential election in Taiwan. Based on the Taiwanese national identity issue as the main social cleavage, I try to review the literature about Taiwan’s presidential election and find the factors that influence the result of presidential election. I try to sort the factors into three dimensions: issue voting, valence voting and social context. Meanwhile, this paper also contains a brief introduction of democratization in Taiwan as a history background and a short review on the past Taiwan presidential election. The purpose of paper is to shine a light on the …

The Dangerous New Us Consensus On China And The Future Of Us-China Relations, Mel Gurtov, Mark Selden

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The trade war and technological competition with China are symptomatic of a much larger issue: a dangerous gridlock in US-China relations that may become permanent, with dire consequences not just for the two countries’ economies but also for the global economy and quite possibly East Asia’s and international security. Martin Wolf, Financial Times columnist, is right to conclude: “Across-the-board rivalry with China is becoming an organising principle of US economic, foreign and security policies.”¹ The fact that this conflict has occurred at a time of trade, investment, and security disputes between the US and its major allies, US-Russia tensions, …

Pathways, Not Punishment: An Annotated Snap Employment And Training Advocacy Toolkit For Policy Newbies, Angela Eastlund

Student Research – Stevenson Center

For someone brand new to public policy advocacy, the concept can seem broad and putting it to practice can seem vague. In part, this is because the spectrum of public policy advocacy is broad and contains a vast variety of actions under its umbrella. The Chicago Jobs Council’s policy advocacy strategies around SNAP Employment and Training that are recounted in this toolkit are shared in context with the intent of shedding some light on the why, how, and when particular strategies are utilized. Our hope is that the examples shared here can be used to inform anyone that is a …

The Rise Of Populist Rhetoric And The Mainstreaming Of A Party? Testing The Rhetorical Shifts Between Front National’S Presidents Jean-Marie Le Pen And Marine Le Pen, Muriel C. Mcgregor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Populist movements have been on the rise across Europe and the Americas. In France, the far right-wing party, Le Front National, has experienced recent growth in electoral success. Scholars of the Front National have in part attributed the party’s success to its increased use of populist rhetoric. This thesis examines the populist rhetoric used between the Front National’s past president Jean-Marie Le Pen and current president Marine Le Pen in order to test these scholarly claims. Based on their campaign speeches for the 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017 French presidential elections, I conducted a quantitative dictionary-based analysis on …

Political Parties And Foreign Direct Investment Inflows Among Developing Countries, Nisha M. Bellinger, Byunghwan Son

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper focuses on the nature of party systems to explain variations in FDI inflows within developing democracies. We hypothesize a positive relationship between the effective number of parliamentary parties (ENPPs) and FDI inflows. Large ENPPs are indicative of the expropriation risks as well as stability of the political environment of host countries. We thus argue that expropriation risks are low when the presence of multiple parties makes drastic, impulsive changes in economic policies difficult. We also suggest that a larger number of parties represent diverse societal interests better, reducing the chances of under-represented social groups driving political instability. The …

Inequality, Patronage, Ethnic Politics And Decentralization In Kenya And Botswana: An Analysis Of Factors That Increase The Likelihood Of Ethnic Conflict, Rei Gordon

Masters Theses

Scholars have recommended numerous institutional arrangements for mitigating ethnic conflict in divided societies. Electoral systems are often considered to have an impact on ethnic conflict, and scholars have recommended both proportional representation systems and majoritarian systems for their respective effects on mitigating ethnic tensions. However, in a cross-national analysis of 18 sub-Saharan democracies, I find no impact of electoral systems on ethnic conflict. Countries employing proportional representation systems and majoritarian systems are compared according to three measures of ethnic conflict, yet neither electoral system correlates with higher or lower levels of conflict. In the interest of identifying factors that do …

The Fiduciary Obligations Of Public Officials, Vincent R. Johnson

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

At various levels of government, the conduct of public officials is often regulated by ethical standards laid down by legislative enactments, such as federal or state statutes or municipal ordinances. These rules of government ethics are important landmarks in the field of law that defines the legal and ethical obligations of public officials. Such provisions can form the basis for the kinds of government ethics training that helps to minimize wrongful conduct by public servants and reduces the risk that the performance of official duties will be clouded by appearances of impropriety. Codified government ethics rules also frequently provide mechanisms …

Digital Political Information Consumption And Ambivalent Political Attitudes., Dane Ryan Warner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understating how individuals form, reinforce, or change attitudes has a long history in political science research. This study seeks to contribute to the existing literature by bridging the gap between the ambivalence and digital political communications literature by examining the relationship between digital political information consumption and ambivalent political attitudes. Using the American National Election Studies 2016 Time Series Study, I examine the role of digital political information consumption as a moderator of value conflict and ambivalent political attitudes. The findings suggest that increased levels of information gather significantly reduce group ambivalence, candidate ambivalence, and value ambivalence.

Cruising Into Conflict: A Mixed Methods Examination Of Cruise Missile Possession And The Initiation Of Military Force, Dennis Crawford

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research examines the effect of cruise missile possession on state behavior. Specifically, it seeks to determine if countries who possess cruise missiles are more likely to initiate a military threat, display, or use of force than countries who do not possess cruise missiles. Traditional International Relations theory suggests that, all else being equal, a state with an asymmetrical military advantage should enjoy concessions from target states, decreasing the likelihood of armed conflict. Accordingly, coercion theory warns the use of armed force to change adversarial behavior should be exercised sparingly. However, this dissertation finds that states possessing cruise missile initiate …

The Relevance Of The Constitution In Today's Society, Matthew Reiber

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

How relevant is the Constitution in today’s society? This is the document that guides the three branches of government in day to day operation, demonstrating that what the Constitution means to the people of the United States is essential in gauging how relevant people think our government is. In this experiment, I surveyed 348 different college students on Boise State campus with a list of different questions to first find out their general knowledge of our Constitution, then their opinion of it. Students were randomly assigned to receive a text about a Supreme Court case that involves interpreting the Constitution …

Southeast Asia: A Potential Domain For Chemical Terrorism, Bryner Ramos Las

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This research examines the prospect of Southeast Asia as a future domain for chemical terrorism over the next five years by assessing the correlation between the intent and capability of potential actors to conduct chemical terrorism. Additionally, the effectiveness of prevention and mitigation measures of the concerned governments is also examined. Southeast Asian countries have experienced the persistent threat of Islamic violent extremism for decades. The exploitation of chemical weapons (CW) reflects new developments in the methods of committing terrorist acts. Al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have demonstrated the intent and capability of chemical …

The Impact Of Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences International Programs On Student Motivation For Continuing College And Student Engagement In The Classroom, Olivia Caroline Caillouet

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Colleges aim to increase student achievement, which has been linked to motivation and engagement, as well as increase global partnerships. There is also an increasing demand from students for international programs (IPs) that prepare them to be global citizens. This study aimed to compare student motivation for continuing college and student engagement in the classroom before and after an IP. Students who participated in a Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences IP between January 2018 and August 2018 were surveyed prior to, and two weeks and three months post-program participation (n = 24). The instrument had 51 Likert-scale …

The Post-Soviet Voter: Evidence From The Caucasus, Rafael Oganesyan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In western liberal democracies, voting behavior is often times characterized by sociological and psychological indicators. Party identification and issues such as the economy dominant the vote function of the electorate. In the post-Soviet space, party volatility and the competitive authoritarian nature of regimes may result in voters failing to act as agents of accountability. In this dissertation, I argue that the socio-psychological theory of voting behavior applies to post-Soviet electorate in the Caucasus. I demonstrate that Armenian and Georgian voters rely on partisanship as well as perceptions of the economy when casting electoral judgment on the incumbent party. This research …

Deliberation For Devolution In The Public Sphere: A Case Study From Pakistan, Beenish Kulsoom

Dissertations

Genuine democratic deliberation on design of institutional rules is possible only when the state apparatus and political and civil society are engaged in communicative interexchange, exchanging ideas, and speaking in a language understood and accepted by all others. Moreover, in such an exchange the interlocutors do not hold back their thoughts to achieve strategic control in order to subvert the communicative engagement. The deliberative theory of democracy advocates communicative engagement between state and society actors that results in institutional rules that are accepted by all.

The advocates of the theory of deliberative democracy argue that while the state is the …

Francis, Anne Elizabeth (Mcfarland), 1919-2000 (Sc 3460), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3460. News clippings, photographs, programs, biographical sketch, etc. related to Congressman William H. Natcher of Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Kelley, Oliver Hudson, 1826-1913 (Sc 3461), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3461. Letter, 1 July 1886, of O. H. Kelley, Carrabelle, Florida, with forms and instructions relating to organization of a Subordinate Branch of the Golden Sheaf, a proposed political offshoot of the Patrons of Husbandry (the Grange).

The Oppressive Pressures Of Globalization And Neoliberalism On Mexican Maquiladora Garment Workers, Jenna Demeter

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

The international economic trends of globalization and neoliberalism have exposed and enabled the exploitation of Mexican workers, especially women in the maquiladora garment industry. During the 1950s, globalization gave rise to the new international division of labor and transnational corporations (TNCs) that have offshored labor-intensive phases of production to developing countries, many of which have pursued export-led industrialization. Export processing in Mexico was encouraged in the 1960s by Item 807 of the U.S. Tariff Code and Mexico’s Border Industrialization Program. Especially following the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s, advanced capitalist countries and International Financial Institutions foisted neoliberal structural …

Tennessee's Promise: Education For All?, Tristan M. Hightower

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Access to education has been at the forefront of public policy issues over the past several years. In order to combat relatively low rates of college attainment, Tennessee legislators implemented the Tennessee Promise program. It operates by providing financial aid for any direct costs not covered by students’ grants and scholarships. Notably, the program is not applicable to four-year degree programs; students wishing to utilize the funds must attend select schools that offer certificates and associate’s degrees. Community colleges are the most popular. While a boost in community college attendance has occurred, and more people will likely graduate with an …

New Deal, 1933-1939 - Relating To (Sc 3459), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3459. Letter, 4 May 1943, of South Carolina Congressman H. P. Fulmer to E. M. Biggers, Houston, Texas, challenging Biggers to justify his “statement” concerning federal agencies created under the “Roosevelt New Deal Party”; and Biggers’ reply of 5 June 1943, a lengthy criticism of “these damnable Bureaus” as the creation of “fan-tailed theorists” and encroachments on American liberty. The two letters and a compilation of names of the “Alphabetical Agencies” (also included) are reproductions created by Biggers, the owner of a printing company, for public distribution.

Analysis Of The Demands Of A Student Athlete, Jaret Curtis

Honors Theses

College athletics has become a staple in our society today. In this analysis, I do a detailed analysis of the demands of a collegiate student athlete. To be more specific, I look at how participating in college athletics affects hirability post-graduation. I am currently a football student athlete here at WMU so I have first person access to this information and can relate very well to this topic. I obtained information by taking an autobiographical approach and applying my experiences as a student athlete and using outside research to answer the question of whether or not being a student athlete …

Escape Only By Thinking: Reinventing The Fred Friendly Seminar For Faculty-To-Faculty Learning At Isa, Elizabeth L. Chalecki

Political Science Faculty Publications

The original Fred Friendly Seminar was a Socratic dialog intended for expert debate on issues of ethics and public policy. I wanted to apply the format to inter-faculty learning on issues of international relations and foreign policy, so I proposed a type of hybrid scenario, combining the detail and self-reflection of a traditional seminar with the forward motion and iterative learning potential of a war game. I recruited my fellow faculty members at five International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Conferences and ran faculty participation scenarios on topics from water security to pandemics and public health to global warming and energy …

A New-Old Way To Explore Civic Engagement: Learning From The Past, Peter A. Nagler, Harry Basehart

eJournal of Public Affairs

The authors propose that student-centered discussion and reflection on the attributes of good citizenship and the good citizen constitute an important way to promote civic engagement. The expectations of the Framers of the Constitution and the teachings of Western political thought both hold that active and responsible citizenship is vital to the life of the political community. In this article, the authors argue that a good citizen: (1) has a vision of what their country is and what it means; (2), is willing to sacrifice their private interests for the public good, or rather their notion of the public good; …

In Trump Era, Gop Leaders Lack Courage And Integrity, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A newspaper column by Evan Barrett.

Published newspaper columns written by Evan Barrett on this topic, which vary somewhat in content from this commentary, appeared in the following publications:

Great Falls Tribune, July 22, 2019

Statesman Journal (Salem, OR), July 22, 2019

Havre Daily News, July 22, 2019

The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), July 22, 2019

The Montana Post, July 26, 2019

Daily Interlake, July 28, 2019

USA Today, July 22, 2019

Missoula Current, July, 29, 2019

The Missoulian, August 2, 2019

Montana Standard, August 2, 2019

Helena Independent Record, August 9, …

Peace, Love, And Politics: How Woodstock Of 1969 Epitomized The Relationship Between Social Movements And Music, Jacklynn Ramsey

Politics Summer Fellows

This research analyzes the role that music plays in social movements in the United States, focusing on Woodstock of 1969 as a pivotal moment. By examining the 1969 Woodstock through an academic lens, I illustrate the intrinsic relationship that exists between music and politics, specifically through social movements. First, I explore the relationship that music and politics have had historically and extrapolate why they are interconnected. Then, I dissect two different movements, paralleling them from their roots to present day, analyzing the integral role that music has had in them. Those movements include the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives …

A New York State Of Infrastructure: Stuck In Traffic During Last Saturday’S Blackout, Erika Simpson Ponders Vulnerable Infrastructure, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The article recounts a chaotic evening in New York City during a widespread blackout affecting lower west Manhattan. As thousands were stranded in darkness due to an electrical failure, initially thought to be caused by a fire in a manhole, concerns about infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness were heightened. The incident underscored the vulnerability of urban electrical grids, prompting reflections on the city's readiness for emergencies like terrorist attacks and climate-related disruptions. Despite disruptions to Broadway and other events, the city showed resilience, highlighting the importance of robust infrastructure and emergency planning in urban centers.

Becoming A Superpower: China’S Rise And The Belt And Road Initiative In Latin America, Garrett Bullock

History Summer Fellows

Is China a Superpower? Will it become one? After half a century of establishing a strong international military presence, thriving economic growth, domestic/international political authority, and considerable cultural “soft power”, the PRC has emerged as a hegemon capable of competing in international geopolitics. Nevertheless, these questions remain unanswered. For this reason, this research explores what it means to be a superpower, whether China is or will be a superpower, and, importantly, what impact China’s rise has on the world. To do this, this research explores existing debates surrounding China’s current global status, the historical emergence of the PRC as a …

Factors In Refugee Resilience Building During Humanitarian Response, Rachel Starner

Capstone Collection

If countries hosting refugees want to build resiliency and reduce dependency on foreign relief, humanitarian response and local development need to be addressed simultaneously, and collaboration at all levels of stakeholders needs to take place in planning and decision making. Additionally, innovation and strong leadership are strong factors in creating and leading new ideas as funding and world leadership dynamics change, especially with traditional leaders such as the US and the UN losing influence. Observations made at the Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda as well as existing document analysis reflect these traits by active efforts of camp administrators and humanitarian …

The Tea Party: Burgeoning Or Beaten?, Philip Olsen, Alexa Robinson

Augsburg Honors Review

The Tea Party is a grassroots political movement which has gained a considerable following since its inception in 2009.Its platform centers on a single issue -- greater fiscal responsibility and conservatism on the part of each respective level of government. In this paper we examine the question of whether or not the Tea Party will develop into a viable political entity. We concluded early on in the process of researching this paper that extensive statistical analysis would only be a fruitless endeavor because of the contemporaneity of the Tea Party movement. Any figures we might choose to use stood the …