Political Science Commons^™

Combatting Political Polarization Through The Use Of Civic Games, Meredith Coccoluto

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

During the terms of the last two presidents, the term ‘government shutdown’ has become a familiar one, as the parties work right up to the deadline trying to find a compromise on bills like budget and healthcare. This is reflective of America’s voter base, where people are entrenching themselves more and more firmly with a party, rather than remaining moderate voters. As America’s current college base is more polarized than ever before, this situation will only worsen over time as these students become the country’s primary voter base.

If a democratic voter base usually looks like a bell curve, political …

Zhvillimet Politike Nё Ballkan, Dynjah Xhakli

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim trajton ngjarjet që u zhvilluan në ballkan gjatë viteve 1912-1914, këto zhvillime ishin shumë të rëndësishme sepse pasuan me ndryshimin e hartave gjeografike jo vetëm të ballkanit por të tërë botës. Zhvillimet në ballkan gjatë viteve 1912-1914 sollën shumë ndryshime politike duke filluar nga ndarja e tokave nëprmjet luftërave e deri tek marrëveshjet për paqe, pra këto ishin vitet kur ballkani pësoi shume ndryshime. Këto janë problemet kryesore që do të trajtohen në këtë temë: kryengritja shqipëtare, luftrat ballkanike, largimi i perandorisë osmane nga ballkani, paqja e bukureshtit, atentati i sarajevës dhe pasojat e tij.

Assimilation And Black Immigrants: Comparing The Racial Identity And Racial Consciousness Of Caribbeans And African Americans, Maruice Mangum, Michael A. Rodriguez Ph.D.

Faculty Scholarship

We evaluate the extent to which Caribbeans and African Americans share racial
identity and racial consciousness. Our argument states Caribbeans will assimilate with African Americans depending on whether they were bam in the U.S. and if they mostly lived in the United States while growing up. We also contend that society treats Caribbeans as if they are African Americans, and therefore, Caribbeans align themselves with African Americans. Using the 2004 National Politics Study, we find that self-reported U.S.-bom Caribbeans are more like African Americans in terms of racial identity and racial consciousness than Caribbeans not
bom in the United States. …

Kissingerism And Iranian-American Relations: Prospects For Reconciliation And The Establishment Of A New Order, Kaleb D. Mazurek

International Studies Honors Projects

This thesis is an attempt to resurrect the strategic and philosophical thinking of Henry Kissinger in order to unlock the Iranian-American impasse. Encounters between the two countries have been in a state of deadlock since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, though its genesis dates back, at least, to the American-sponsored coup d’état of 1953. Within the American foreign policy establishment, no one looms larger than Dr. Kissinger: his contributions intersect the two worlds of academic diplomatic history and statecraft at the highest levels of international relations. He was the chief diplomat at a momentous period. Kissinger―through his writings and public policy―emphasizes …

The Defenestration Of Democracy, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Peter McLaren wrote this afterword to Dissident Knowledge in Higher Education, edited by Marc Spooner and James McNinch, which "delve[s] into the effects of colonialism, neoliberalism, and audit culture on higher education".

The Rise Of Right-Wing Populism In Poland: Comparative Analysis Of Social Structure And Party Strategy, Patrycja J. Koszykowska

Student Theses and Dissertations

Under the puzzling circumstances of a strong domestic economy and the relatively stable mainstream policymaking of the incumbents, Law and Justice (PiS), a right-wing populist party, momentously won the 2015 presidential and parliamentary elections in Poland. Using a comparative approach, the thesis examines the structural forces and policy dimensions/goals, which have provided the necessary conditions for the populist right-wing program to appeal to a wide variety of demographic groups, resulting in an electoral victory and to some degree in the redrawing of political and social boundaries. The conducted field study served as a hypothesis-generating exercise to gauge the voter sentiment …

Analyzing Union Voting By Workforce Sector In The 2016 Presidential Election, Galen Hlavsa

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In the 2016 presidential election, there was evident change in the voting behavior of both blue and white collar workers in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania that assisted in Donald Trump’s win. While there was some realignment in party backing in a handful of unions, there were a number of union members that went against their union recommendation and voted for Trump. I research how union members in private and public sectors voted in the 2012 and 2016 election to compare the rate of union members defecting to Trump across the various sectors of the workforce. In order to …

What Is It Like To Become A Bat? Heterogeneities In An Age Of Extinction, Stephanie Erev

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In his celebrated 1974 essay “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?,” Thomas Nagel stages a human-bat encounter to illustrate and support his claim that “subjective experience” is irreducible to “objective fact”: because Nagel cannot experience the world as a bat does, he will never know what it is like to be one. In Nagel’s account, heterogeneity is figured negatively— as a failure or lack of resemblance—and functions to constrain his knowledge of bats. Today, as white-nose syndrome threatens bat populations across North America, might figuring heterogeneity positively, as a condition of creativity, open up new modes of receptivity …

Burghardt And Sinns' "Global Perspectives On The Reformation: Interactions Between Theology, Politics And Economics" (Book Review), Craig Rosenbeck

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Consumer Involvement In Japanese Pornography Production, Yukino Yamamoto, Caroline Norma, Ruwan Dep Weerasinghe

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The authors examined two pornographic film series produced in Japan in the first decade of the twenty-first century, as well as their DVD box cover advertising copy. Additionally, and crucially, these data were examined in light of online forum posts made by the producers and consumers of the two film series before, during and after their production. These posts indicate consumer-producer cooperation and collaboration in all aspects of the series’ planning and execution, in addition to consumer involvement in the perpetration of the filmed sex acts and abuses themselves. The discussion of the article emphasizes the accelerating effect of online …

Does Inequality Erode Cooperation In The Classroom? Evidence From Pisa 2015, Paul E. Sum, Gabriel Bădescu

Political Science & Public Administration Faculty Publications

We consider the relationship between SES equality and cooperation among high school students. We find that inequality decreases the acquisition of cooperation skills, a key ingredient to sustained democracy. Generalized trust and political equality counteract this effect independently. Further, trust and political equality moderate the influence of inequality, reaffirming the importance of education to democratic citizenship.

Does Inequality Erode Generalized Trust? Evidence From Romanian Youths, Paul E. Sum, Gabriel Bădescu

Political Science & Public Administration Faculty Publications

Generalized trust is a critical component of liberal democratic citizenship. We evaluate the extent to which exposure to socioeconomic inequality erodes trust among Romanian youths. Using national survey data of Romanian eighth-grade and high school students, we evaluate this effect as a product of socioeconomic diversity within the classroom, controlling for the social status of the students as well as socioeconomic inequality within the community where the school is located. Our analysis shows that generalized trust is higher for students in higher grades. However, despite this maturing effect, students exposed to greater levels of socioeconomic diversity have significantly lower levels …

The Influence Of Regional Power Distributions On Interdependence, Michael A. Allen

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Political economy debates about the influence of power configurations in expanding and maintaining global liberalization ebb and flow with the wax and wane of the concentration of power in the international system. This article engages the debate in a novel way from previous scholarship. Employing a series of econometric models that account for regional power, I argue that the global power concentration is ill fit to be the primary predictor of trade liberalization, but instead, regional power fluctuations can dampen and enhance global trends. By incorporating sub-systemic power configurations, we gain a better understanding of the regional variation in states …

Polarization And The Supreme Court, Kyla Duffy

Senior Honors Projects

Political polarization has been commonly observed in American politics and has drawn scholarly interest. In recent years, trends of polarization have appeared to increase in Congress, with Democrats and Republicans drifting further and further apart. Americans appear to be deeply split on many social issues which have resulted in culture wars in American politics. According to the legal model of judicial decision making, decisions handed down by the Supreme Court should be unaffected by these trends of polarization. However, recent scholarship, most notably the attitudinal model of judicial decision making, calls into question the legal model of decision making. It …

Resolving The Populist Paradox : Politics, Perception, And Identity In The United States, Pierre Avalos

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The concept of populism is ubiquitous in the international arena. Whether in Brexit, the surge of nationalism in display across the international system, or Donald Trump's presidency, populism is a mainstay of modern social, political, and economic systems. Although it’s historical and conceptual aspects are instructive, populism's most defining elements are revealed in its socioeconomic aspects. This is represented in a politicalcultural model, which considers its conceptual imperatives based on the ideological approach to defining populism, and a refinement of this model that relies upon the prevalence of economic factors and cultural factors. The purpose of this research is to …

Nationalize Or Localize: Senatorial Incumbent And Challenger Differences In Issue Prioritization, Joshua Rosenberg

Senior Theses

How do politicians choose which issues to emphasize in an election? Studying campaign behavior is crucial to understanding how political ads target voters and prioritize issues. Senate candidates normally attempt to either nationalize the election or emphasize state issues in their campaigns. How do Senate incumbent and challenger candidates differ in terms of issue prioritization? I hypothesize the challengers attempt to nationalize the election, while the incumbents generally focus their efforts on state issues. Political conventional wisdom indicates challengers typically try to nationalize the election by attempting to criticize the incumbent for either supporting or voting against the current presidential …

From The Tartan Tories To Scotland’S Social Democrats: The Remaking Of The Scottish National Party, Natalie Jayne Mauchline

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United Kingdom is entering a period of great uncertainty, with the future of Scotland’s membership still in question. Following personal work experience in the Scottish Parliament, it became apparent to me that the Scottish National Party currently finds itself in a unique position. By utilizing constituency maps, this study will trace the evolution of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and explore how its changing nature allowed it to grow from a minute populist group seeking independence to a social justice party hoping to appeal to a more diverse group of voters by increasing credibility at the local level and …

An Analysis Of Democracy’S Effect On E-Government Development Globally., Frank Bencomo

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

This study looks to examine E-government’s relationship with Democracy on a global scale to assess the impact of how democratic a state is on how much it invests in E-government. I use the Economist’s democracy index and compare that to the United Nations E-government index in the years between 2008 to 2016 to find a pattern between the two factors. Once I identify the pattern, I use GDP per capita as a control variable to ensure that the relationship holds when how much capital a state has for each of its residents is taken into account. After that, I analyze …

Sports And Foreign Policy : President Jimmy Carter And The 1980 Moscow Olympics Boycott., Deserae Lane

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the efficacy of sporting boycotts as a foreign-policy tool. Government officials use sporting boycotts, a nontraditional form of a sanction, in contemporary politics. Using the Carter administration’s boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics as a case study, this thesis elucidates why President Carter chose to implement a sporting boycott, and whether the boycott was effective in achieving its intended goals. President Carter chose to boycott the Olympics because of the failure of past sanctions to force the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, the influence of his National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, and the …

In What Areas And With What Successes The Participation In International Trade Agreements Affect Socio-Economic And Political Development In Brazil?, Alisa Sokolova

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This paper examines the effects of international trade agreements on Brazil’s socio-economic and political development. It specifically analyzes multilateral trade agreements such as Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), the World Trade Organization (WTO), bilateral agreement with the European Union and multilateral agreement with China, Russia, India and South-Africa (BRICS). This research uses Brazil as a case study because of its rapid growth, young democracy and important economic role it plays in the region and the world. The relatively recent date of Brazil’s trade liberalization, the 1991, allows comparing data on Brazil before and after it. The purpose of the research is …

Federal Circuit Courts’ Impact On Immigration Reform: An Analysis Of Judicial Ideology And Immigration Policy, Evanna Ojeda

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Regulation of immigration policy is an expressed power granted to the federal government in the Constitution; however, state and local governments often pass immigration policy legislation to address gaps in federal legislation. This research project seeks to understand the role of federal circuit courts ruling powers in determining the legal standing and substitute holding of merits for immigration policy regulation. By analyzing the political ideology of presiding judges and understanding the relationship between political ideology and judicial decision support for federal or state regulated policy, this project seeks to recognize the role of federal circuit courts in enhancing and shaping …

Understanding The Alt-Right Brand Through A Comparative Look At Internal Vs. External Rhetoric, Samuel Norton

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This project examines the communications of the alt-Right, a relatively new white supremacist social movement in the US. The popularity of the alt-Right can be attributed to not only changing social conditions leading to rising instability but also rhetorically astute uses of new media. The alt-Right has been able to define its brand as an anti-political correctness coalition, and to communicate that brand identity to the public. When the brand identity eventually fell apart, so too did the movement.ut.

The "Balkan Question" : Benefits And Challenges Of European Integration Through Enlargement., Kasey P. Golding

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Since the formation of the European Project, the questions of which direction the EU should take and what objectives it should pursue in the face of considerable ongoing challenges have evolved over time. Today the Western Balkan states – the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia-Hercegovina – pose a set of considerable challenges to the organization, and how the EU addresses the membership of these countries will stand as a critical test of the organization’s competence. As the Union turns its attention to membership consideration for these states, both their complexities and their fragilities …

The Socio-Cultural Implications Of The Aging Population In Japan, Jacqueline Banas

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone research looks at how Japan, as a nation, is dealing with aging populations as a society, what problems and solutions work for the Japanese, and how future studies and research on Japan’s elderly population could help lead for possible solutions for the global elderly. Through this capstone, I wanted to bring awareness to the Japanese elderly as well as generate light on the topic.

Confucius Institutes And Sino-American Soft Power Diplomacy., Christian L Bush

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Since 2004, China has attempted to promote its image abroad through a number of soft power initiatives including culture and language learning programs called Confucius Institutes. Though ostensibly a nonprofit organization akin to other language teaching programs like the German Goethe Institutes, Spanish Cervantes Institutes, Alliance Française, and the British Council, the Confucius Institute has drawn scrutiny from academic and political leaders for its close ties to the Chinese government, threat to academic freedoms, and other questionable practices. This essay seeks to examine that debate, assess critical viewpoints, and offer suggestions for future research and policy direction. Using recently published …

The Case For Management In The Turkish-Kurdish Conflict., Devin P. Brown

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The Turkish-Kurdish conflict has ravaged Turkey for nearly 34 years. It is one of the world’s longest enduring rivalries, garnering significant international attention. Since 1984, experts estimate that at least 30,000 people have died in this conflict. In just the past two years, the fighting has killed 3,362 peopleand displaced another half million people. Although the parties have attempted to resolve this dispute multiple times, a comprehensive peace deal has remained elusive. So what should be done about this conflict? Is there a way to compel these parties to forge a lasting peace deal? Or, should the international community focus …

Social Networking Sites And Gaining Political Support., Blake A. Gerstner

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Since the turn of the Century, Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have become a normal part of most modern American lives. As this has happened, we have seen a spillover of the entertainment and informational nature of these sites into the American political system. Specifically, these sites are used to build support, gain votes and seats, and mobilize political movements by gaining attention and recognition on these sites. Much study has gone into how effective these online campaigns are in doing their job of gaining different kinds of support, but few, if any, have studied how these sites could be used …

On The Politics And Conceptualization Of Gender Non-Conformity : Exploring Thailand’S Kathoey Population., Macey E. Mayes

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the politics and conceptualization of gender in Thailand, drawing specifically on the Thai understanding of sex and gender with regard to the kathoey population. This work considers the solidification of a third-gender category and looks to the ways this solidification can inhibit the fluidity of gender and sexuality. It also analyzes the dangers of transnational advocacy and the superimposition of Western queer advocacy and theory on Thai gender identities. I approach this issue from an interdisciplinary framework that seeks to include historical, cultural, and theoretical perspectives. In examining anthropological research, critiques of …

Tweets From The Bully Pulpit: President Trump’S Twitter Habits And His Popularity, Josh Pavek

Political Science Theses and Capstones

One way that a President can use their position to indirectly effect legislation is through the messaging they present to the public. This idea has been termed the Bully Pulpit by political scholars and we have seen multiple different strategies for using this power. President Trump has shown a disdain for traditional media environments, opting instead to use Twitter as his primary means of communicating with the public in combination with some traditional methods as well. Is Twitter an effective use of the presidential office and the Bully Pulpit? I examine the effectiveness of Trump's communication methods by comparing his …

A Matter Of Experience And Perception: Examining Corruption In Latin America, Nicolás Adrián Diaz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The pervasive nature of corruption poses many challenges to nations. In particular, it can hamper progress and threaten stability. However, a citizen’s awareness of corruption is not exclusively based on encountering it personally. I claim that experience and perception of corruption are two distinct features, influencing an individual’s satisfaction with democracy. This study utilizes a mediation analysis to determine the impact of corruption, both experienced and perceived, on an individual’s satisfaction with democracy in Latin America. The statistical technique distinguishes the influence of experiencing corruption first-hand and having a high perception of it when determining a citizen’s support for democratic …