Political Science Commons^™

Redistributing Power In Mississippi: The Reversal Of Section 4 Of The Voting Rights Act, Gloria J. Billingsley, Sylvester Murray

Ralph Bunche Journal of Public Affairs

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court declared Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 unconstitutional, essentially defanging preclearance requirements of Section 5 and leaving racial and other previously disenfranchised minorities unprotected. Using social contract theory as the theoretical framework, empirical field study research was used to examine whether the Voting Rights Act has achieved the results in Mississippi that the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke Section 4 has assumed. Data were collected on race-specific voter registration and voting data, measures of vote discrimination, litigations and Mississippi legislative activity regarding voting rights. Findings indicate that the gap between minority and …

Urban, State, And Federal Regimes In Local Politics: The Role Of The Judiciary, Christopher Shortell

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study of urban politics often focuses on the ability of urban regimes to successfully pursue their interests and goals. However, scholars of urban politics only peripherally consider the role that courts play. And when courts are incorporated, they are treated as exogenous to the political system. This paper argues for the importance of treating the judiciary as endogenous to the local political system. Courts are themselves political institutions and should be understood as such in the study of politics at the local level. Doing so offers several benefits, including accounting for the ways in which state-level preferences operate as …

The State Of El Salvador: Human Rights And Violence In The Post War Era, Christine Caldera

Honors Theses

During the Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992), the government of El Salvador knowingly used forms of political violence such as disappearances and torture against the political opposition and other innocent civilians, including women and children. With the signing of the Peace Accords in 1992, El Salvador has since transitioned from an authoritarian regime to a democracy. This project focuses on how the change in regime type influenced the level of repression and respect for human rights in El Salvador. The research analyzes two conflict resolution mechanisms, the Peace Accords and Truth Commission, and the implementation of democratic practices such as elections …

Government Surveillance: Reform In The Wake Of The Snowden Leaks, Anne Leger

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Strategic Public Diplomacy: Cultivating Relationships With Foreign Publics And Measuring Relationship Outcomes Using The Relationship Assessment Of Diplomatic Interaction Outcome (Radio) Scale, Lai Shan Tam

Open Access Dissertations

In response to calls for a tool to measure public diplomacy effectiveness, this study was inspired by the organization-public relationship assessment (OPRA) scale in public relations to develop the Relationship Assessment of Diplomatic Interaction Outcome (RADIO) scale. Its purpose is to measure the perceived relationship quality between a country and its foreign publics.Political, economic, cultural, interpersonal and corporate interactions are proposed to be antecedents whereas positive and negative megaphoningbehaviors are proposed to be outcomes. Perceived relationship quality in between the antecedents and outcomes classifies relationships into two types: experiential (those with direct experiences in terms of having visited …

Explaining Legislative Productivity: Evaluating The Effects Of Polarization And Divided Government In A Cross-Sectional Study Of State Legislatures, Mike Kistner

Honors Projects

Despite a wealth of literature on the causes of gridlock in Congress, there is a lack of comparative work at the state level exploring whether lawmaking in state legislatures functions similarly. Operating under a theoretical framework assuming polarization and divided government are the primary obstacles to legislative success, and controlling for majority seat share, I test the determinants of legislative productivity with an original dataset consisting of 31 states. I operationalize legislative productivity using a content analysis of editorials from each state during the 2009-2010 legislative sessions to identify pressing political issues, and then determine how many of these issues …

Dirty Money, Irvin Ramirez-Benavides

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

The United States is a nation of immigrants. Contrary to popular beliefs, there are many positive impacts that immigration has on daily life. I will be focusing on the economic impact of Hispanic immigration. People tend to believe that the new wave of immigration is the cause of the economic problems in our country. With the research I’ve acquired, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the wrong view of Hispanic immigration. I will be showing key facts that will support my perspective.

Our Dystopian World, Kellee Nguyen

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

If we do not heed the warnings in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel the Handmaid’s Tale, we, similar to handmaids will lose ourselves to society’s conveyor belt: go to school, graduate, attend college, graduate once more, raise a family, and then work away the rest of our lives. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid's Tale acts as an in depth metaphoric replication of modern society. The society in which Offred resides in, through historical events, reasoning, and the decrease in birth rates, the government's action is justified as the people's moral values are suppressed and their rights taken away from them. Likewise, in …

George Orwell’S 1984 Becoming A Reality, Sabrina Mercado

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Over the years our society’s need for privacy has increased tremendously. George Orwell’s 1984 provides an in-­‐depth look at a totalitarian society where there is no privacy and where ciOzens are under constant surveillance. Our society is slowly devolving into a totalitarian state. This research invesOgates the ways our world has changed and how it now resembles the society found in George Orwell’s 1984.

State-To-State Child Adoption Variations: A Political Culture Perspective, Erica Trabing

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The domestic adoption system throughout the United States has been complex yet crucial in starting millions of families over the years. About 7 million Americans are considered adopted persons, and as many as 100 million Americans have adoption in their immediate families. Though these numbers seem impressive, there are still 130,000 children in the U.S. foster care system waiting to be adopted. Adoptions in the US fall into one of three main categories. The first is adoption of children from the public foster care system, the second is adoption through private adoption agencies or independently, and the final category is …

American Conservatism: The Evolving Role Of Social Issues In American Politics, Justin Rostad

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In American society there are certain controversial issues that have been debated for the better part of the past century. Same-sex marriage, abortion, gun ownership laws, divorce laws, and the legalization of marijuana have all come under fire on the political stage. Yet the role of these issues in recent elections is far different than just a few election cycles ago. I analyze the role of social issues among different groups of conservatives to assess the continuing impact of them on their political behavior. To do so I have analyzed the GSS 2012 from the University of Chicago. I have …

The Effect Of Women In Government On Government Effectiveness, Abigail L. Tootell

Student Publications

A critical factor of gender and development is the political empowerment of women. Beyond this equality, however, what are the effects of women in government? This paper investigates these effects by examining the relationship between the percentage of women in parliament and overall government effectiveness. The research strongly supports the theory that women are more effective political leaders than their male counterparts.

Seato Stumbles: The Failure Of The Nato Model In The Third World, Louis T. Gentilucci

Student Publications

NATO as an alliance has stood the test of time since the early post-war years. Yet similar alliances such as SEATO passed into history long ago. The problem with the NATO model of alliance was its inability to be applied to the Third World. The particular circumstances of Southeast Asia prevented SEATO from becoming a true successor to the NATO alliance system. In addition, the approach of Eisenhower and his administration to Southeast Asia and anti-communist alliances was undermined by their own political needs and personal experiences. Southeast Asia was fit into the mold of the post-war period and the …

Women's Social Rights: Untapped Economic Potential, Monae S. Evans

Student Publications

This paper analyzes whether women’s social rights play a role in fostering higher levels of economic development. Prior development initiatives and economic policies failed to account for the productive capacities of women by discriminating against their basic rights to things such as an equitable education, equal inheritance, and marital rights. Applying the CIRI (Cingranelli-Richards Human Rights) dataset for women’s social rights, I found that improvements in these areas of human rights leads to significant increases in real GDP per capita, which highlights the need for development analysts and economists to focus their attention on countries’ most viable productive resource, women.

Utopian Visions In Radical Communities: Burning Man, Anthony J. Colella Sir

Capstone Collection

This research paper is a collection of utopian visions gathered from the Radical Community of Burning Man. The goal of this research is to collect a sample of utopian visions from this community, organize them, and share them in a way that can be effectively used in a professional and/or activist environment. Research was done in the fall of 2013 at the Burning Man Festival, in 2014 at a Regional Burning Man Event: Lakes of Fire, and with the Burner Community around these times. The primary research question is: "What are utopian visions of the 'Burning Man' radical community?" The …

Strengthening Democracy By Increasing Youth Political Knowledge And Engagement, Laura Langer

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Even though the United States had historically high voter turnout in 2008 and 2012, there remains troubling patterns pertaining to political engagement and knowledge among its least educated youth. The literature and theory suggests that if the United States educational systems increase the amount of civic education courses, extracurricular activity, and youth volunteering opportunities in high schools, especially among the most disadvantaged youth, it will lead to an increase in political knowledge and engagement. I test this idea with data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) post-2012 election youth survey. The CIRCLE data …

Global Hegemon: Chinese Foreign Policy Shifts And Elevated Unpko Involvement, Alex Berge

Political Science Theses and Capstones

A common question being asked in many circles is whether China will emerge as a potential rival to the U.S. as a global superpower? If the answer to this question is “yes” many ask how China will accomplish this. Research suggests that China will obtain superpower status through increased global presence and more cooperation in international organizations, specifically United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO). The literature examines Chinese policy changes that allow for more contributions and activity in UNPKOs and also what missions China can now participate in from which it would have formerly abstained. The preliminary results have shown massive …

Entrenched In Power: Path Dependence And Un Security Council Reform, Brian Valley

Honors Projects

This paper explores United Nations Security Council reform from a historical perspective. Using the concept of path dependence, the paper shows how features put in place at the Security Council’s formation have limited options for reform in the present. The Security Council’s concert of power model, separation from the General Assembly, distinction of membership types, and high barrier for change serve as mechanisms of path dependence. These features resulted from the Security Council’s formation during WWII in the wake of the failed League of Nations. The inability of current reform movements to bring about change illustrates the Security Council’s continued …

Modeling Peacekeeping: The Case Of Canada Examined, Senai Abraha

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

This research introduced a comprehensive model for explaining why countries participate in peacekeeping by studying Canada's peacekeeping decisions. The history of Canadian peacekeeping since 1947 presented an ideal case because of the significant fluctuation in its involvement from being a leading peacekeeper to a token contributor. It adopted Waltz's schema to explain this fluctuation at the systemic, domestic, and individual levels of analyses. Most of the literature on Canadian peacekeeping decisions employed systemic level of analysis such as national interest and international cooperation without taking into account the impact of domestic political and socioeconomic environment, and the role of leadership …

Armed Humanitarian Intervention: The Role Of Powerful Leaders In Framing And The National Security Decision Making Process, John Marshall Callahan

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study identifies and analyzes the decision making and framing processes for selected cases of armed humanitarian intervention by the United States in the post-Cold War Era. It fills a gap in the literature on decision making, focusing on the role of the powerful individual leader in national security decision making and the framing of interventions to the U.S. public and other stakeholder audiences. An examination of extant literature on the subject of U.S. foreign policy decision making, and development and implementation of framing strategies is used to determine the role of the individual leader in those processes using three …

U.S. Military Aid And The Role Of Foreign Armies In Civil Politics, Jennifer Jones Cunningham

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The recent expansion of the Egyptian military's role in civil politics has led to uncertainty regarding the relationship between U.S. military aid and democratization. However, studies focusing on the link between foreign aid and democratization often exclude military aid from their analyses. This omission is particularly problematic given that civilian control over the military is a vital precondition for democratic consolidation, and a high percentage of U.S. military aid recipients are not yet consolidated democracies. Proponents of military aid point to the role security cooperation can play in diffusing democratic norms of professionalism. Critics worry military aid strengthens an institution …

Removing The Rust: Comparative Post-Industrial Revitalization In Buffalo, Cleveland, And Pittsburgh, Scott Nicholas Duryea

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the differences in post-industrial redevelopment among the cities of Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Part of the so-called "rust belt," these three cities experienced industrial decline from the 1960s through the 1980s, largely as a result of the economic globalization of heavy industry. Intensive manufacturing and output had come to a screeching halt, unemployment skyrocketed, outmigration ensued, and each metropolitan area faced formidable challenges to convert to service-oriented industries. Over the past twenty years, these cities, and the regions that encompass them, have begun to redevelop, although unevenly. At a glance, the Pittsburgh region appears to …

Presenting The Key Value Of Decentralism (Part Two), Jeff Taylor

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

Re(Public)An Reasons: A Republican Theory Of Legitimacy And Justification, Christopher Mccammon

Department of Philosophy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There is a kind of power no one should have over anyone else, even if they don’t do anything with this power, or even if they only use this power for good. The republican tradition of political philosophy calls this kind of power domination. Here, I develop a theory of domination, and use this theory to advance our understanding of political legitimacy and justification.

My account of domination refines recent neo-republican attempts to identify dominating social power with the capacity to interfere arbitrarily with the choices of others. I argue that this capacity is not sufficient for domination. Instead, …

Cult Of Personality: North Korea Under Kim Il-Sung, Tyler Lutz

Senior Capstone Theses

This paper is about origins of the totalitarian regime in North Korea and it's founding father, Kim Il-Sung. Specifically, the paper talks about how Kim was able to rise to power, the cult of personality he was able to construct around himself, and how he is deified through propaganda.

Was It All Just A Hallucination? The Cia's Secret Lsd Experiments, Brittanny Grant

Senior Capstone Theses

For my senior thesis project, I researched the CIA's LSD experiments on unwitting human subjects in the 1950s and early 1960s. I asked why the CIA carried out these experiments, what the impact on the victims was, and how the CIA was able to get away with breaking the law in this egregious way. These government-funded experiment were code-named MKULTRA. My thesis is that the CIA conducted these experiments as part of the American's Cold War struggle with world communism. This is also the reason why they were able to get away with these tests. The fallout for the human …

Harry Potter & The Riddles Of Political Ideology, Cynthia Perri

Senior Capstone Theses

The purpose of this research project is to assess and evaluate the role of ideology in fostering an individual’s political evaluations of cultural content such as media and literary works. In this paper, I explore the current debate about how ideologies are formed, how ideologies are expressed, and how ideologies influence or shape our political evaluations of content. First I approach the formation of ideology by introducing readers to cultural theory, and its' emphasis on how group versus grid fosters ideology. I then explore how ideologies are expressed by introducing readers to the politics of assent of framework. Next, using …

Political Science Spring 2014, Susan Miller

Political Science Newsletter Spring 2014

No abstract provided.

In Search Of Autonomy: Nepal As A Wedge State Between India And China, Sagar Rijal

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Traditional International Relations (IR) theories consign small states to the reactive roles of "bargaining, bandwagoning or buffering." Small states are deemed to be inherently vulnerable, forever concerned with their mere survival. However, the present global system of states is characterized by numerous smaller states, many of which are not only surviving but also thriving in both economically and politically spheres.

To unravel this anomaly, this study proposes a theory of wedge states as a separate category of small states, which are compelled to deep engagement with two or more rival powers simultaneously. The study analyzes a case of a typical …

Losing The Monopoly Of Violence: The State, A Drug War And The Paramilitarization Of Organized Crime In Mexico (2007–10), Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Michelle Keck, Jose Nava

Political Science Faculty Publications

This article examines the phenomenon of drug-related violence in Mexico and the causal factors that enabled the upsurge in the numbers of drug-related homicides during the period 2007–10 — the first 4 years of the so-called “war on drugs”. The authors explore regional statistics derived from official sources, as well as from both anecdotal and empirical research on the subject, and assess quantitatively the impact of different factors such as deteriorated economic conditions, corruption, a new configuration of organized crime, divisions between criminal organizations and the Mexican government's strategy to fight organized crime. The study finds that the key forces …