Political Science Commons^™

Waging The Moral Equivalent Of War: The Political Conditions For Alternative Fuel Reform In The United States And Brazil, Logan Richards Clark, Dr. Kirk Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Energy often plays a central role in both domestic and international conflict. Many scholars, activists and policymakers agree that the environmental, economic, and political costs of the United States’ self-proclaimed “addiction” to oil for its use as transportation fuel, among other functions, are unsustainable, even dangerous. They assert that the industrialized world’s dependence on fossil fuels is perpetuating global warming, leading us to a world wide economic “peak-oil” shock, and setting up massive geopolitical struggles across the globe. If the global community is to avert the potential calamity that a continued dependence on unsustainable energy may incur, a wide-scale effort …

A Brief Analysis Of Chinese Foreign Aid, Steve Kapfer, Dr. Eric Hyer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As development continues to remain a stubborn, yet salient problem to address, an increasing number of researchers are trying to determine what factors affect development. One of the most popular means of promoting development is through official development aid (ODA) because it is thought to provide the necessary capital and technical know-how needed to spur development. However, the benefits of ODA are increasingly being called into question as economic analysis shows marginal growth rates in many targeted developing countries, and in those targeted countries aid produces decreasing marginal returns.

Using The Federalist To Better Understand The Constitution: Does Publius’S “Split Personality” Pose A Problem?, Chris Bates, Dr. Brent Gilchrist

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Considered by many to be the seminal work in American political theory, The Federalist has long stood as one of the most important commentaries on the American Constitution and constitutional system. Despite the work’s near canonical status, however, a number of authors have questioned its value as an instrument for understanding and interpreting the Constitution. One of the most important challenges to The Federalist’s interpretive value comes from Douglass Adair’s and Alpheus Thomas Mason’s split personality thesis, which claims that Hamilton’s and Madison’s respective papers espouse fundamentally different and even contradictory views. If true, the split personality thesis poses significant …

Self-Determination And Independence Movements In Europe: The European Union’S Role, Jeannine Plamondon, Dr. Danny Damron

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The European Union (EU) was created to bring European countries together, but could it also have the effect of breaking countries apart? This was the question I chose to evaluate for my research. I worked as an intern with the Scottish National Party (SNP), a political party seeking independence for Scotland from the United Kingdom, in the European Parliament in Brussels Belgium. On the European level, the SNP combines with other independence-seeking parties from various minority nations across Europe, such as the Catalonians and Basques in Spain, the Welsh in the United Kingdom, the Flemish in Belgium, etc. Together these …

Republican Primary Donor Retention In The 2012 General Election Do Divisive Primaries Affect Campaign Donors?, Robert Richards, Dr. Jay Goddliffe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In recent presidential elections, we have seen many long, drawn out nomination battles in party primary elections. The divisive primary hypothesis states that divisive presidential primaries hurt the party’s performance in the general election (Kenney and Rice 1987). Research on this claim has generally focused on the party’s performance in terms of vote shares (for example, see Henderson, Hillygus, and Tompson 2010), but there are problems with this approach. Aggregate vote data only allows analysis of two points in time (the primary and the general election), and does not permit an analysis of individual behavior. Panel survey data can give …

Does Prospect Theory Work In Politics?, Brian Reed, Dr. Jeremy Pope

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Here I present the results of an experiment designed to address our limited but critical understanding of decision making when faced with uncertainty, and specifically how individuals make such decisions when part of a group (or government). The purpose of this research is to determine whether individuals behave according to rational choice theory or prospect theory when faced with making an uncertain decision on behalf of a group.

What It's Like To Be A Radical Conservative, Stephanie K. Adamczak

SURGE

“What is your major?”

“Environmental Science.”

The snarky retort, “Don’t go joining GreenPeace now, you’re becoming a radical.”

I know there are many uses of the word “radical,” but in this context, I know that it is not meant as a compliment. Because I study environmental science and global climate change, this person associates me with radicals – those utilizing extreme methods to bring about extreme changes. [excerpt]

Social Norms And The Tragedy Of The Commons: Evidence From Everyday Water Conservation, Ryan Hill, Dr. Josh Gubler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This experiment tested how social norms affect individual incentives to conserve common-pool resources. We have tested this question with a simple field experiment on BYU campus. We observed individuals using public water sources after being treated with different inducements to conserve water. We are interested to see if individuals change their behavior in response to reminders of social norms immediately before making a decision to conserve scarce water. If there is an effect, does it vary based on the wording and nature of the reminder?

Can Swing Voters Really Be Swung?, Ethan Busby, Dr. David Magleby

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Although the term “swing voter” appears in the news frequently, researchers and commentators disagree on the exact definition of this group. Some contend that these voters are individuals who are persuadable or moveable politically. Such moveable voters can be more readily influenced by political rhetoric and campaigning, presumably because they hold less rigid political beliefs. Such persuadability, however, is difficult to measure.

Clearing Up The Smoke: How Government Transparency Efforts Affect Political Sentiments In Peru, John Harris, Dr. Darren Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Peru is known for its cynical citizenry. People from all demographics and regions have a negative and oftentimes hopeless perception of their government of all level (regional, municipal and national). This ardent cynicism comes for a legacy of corruption that is deeply embedded into the political culture. Most Peruvians do not trust their government but feel there is no feasible solution to the mountain of problems facing reform (Carrión and Zárete 2006, 1-194).

Re-Ordering Ethnic Identity An Experiment On Ethnic Salience In Uganda, Liz Mcguire, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Every person has some idea of who they are, but that idea is made up of several identities. A person can be a mother, a sister, an American, a Catholic, an Hispanic, and a friend all at the same time. How we order these identities in dominance was the original purpose of this study. The intent was to see how we can change that ordering to include a larger in-group. For example, what could we do to make people see themselves as Muslims, instead of Shia or Sunni. If we can expand this type of identity, we could change how …

The U.S. Counter-Terrorism Policy Dilemma, Tuan N. Samahon, Dr. Jeffrey F. Ringer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Contrary political crosscurrents beset the conduct of U.S. counter-terrorism policy. While Washington actively supports numerous friendly governments and their various peace initiatives, constitutional permissiveness and ineffective legislation enable American nationals to subsidize terrorism against these very same governments and initiatives. The U.S. counter-terrorism policy dilemma, then, is to craft a politically viable counter-terrorism program that effectively blocks domestic subsidies of terrorism abroad, while yet avoiding First Amendment right violations.

Microsavings: Barriers To Saving Learned From An Experiment In Uganda, Austin Beck, Brady Grayson, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Uganda has one of the lowest savings rates among sub-Saharan countries, which tend to have the lowest savings rates in the world. Between 2002 and 2008 the private savings average was at 14.6% compared to the African average of 22.1% (African Development Bank). Low savings rates have a negative impact on the rural poor, who face the worst credit terms and have the least access to credible financial institutions.

A Federalist George W. Bush And An Anti-Federalist Barack Obama? The Irony And Paradoxes Behind Republican And Democratic Administration Drug Policies, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

During President George W. Bush’s tenure in the White House, his administration stood clearly against state-level efforts in California and elsewhere to decriminalize soft drugs. Despite his loyalty to smaller government values and state sovereignty on other issues, the prospect of state-level drug decriminalization led Bush to pursue federal means of enforcing anti-drug laws. Years later, President Barack Obama, though known for his reputation as a federalist, shifted power over drug policy enforcement more towards the state level as a means to allow certain states to enact drug decriminalization policies at their will, particularly with respect to medicinal marijuana. The …

Agency Input As A Policy Making Tool: Analyzing The Influence Of Agency Input On Presidential Policy Success In Congress, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

This study posits a theoretical framework for understanding the role and value of agency input in presidential legislative policy making. I assert that by employing agency input for policy development, presidents instill their proposals with a degree of bureaucratic objectivity, expertise, process transparency, and agency support, which aids their legislative passage while lowering the extent of changes made to policy substance in the process. To test my hypotheses, I conduct binary and ordered logistic regression analyses using pooled cross-sectional data across twelve administrations from 1949-2010. I find that agency input serves as a key component for increased presidential legislative success.

Agency Input As A Policy Making Tool: Analyzing The Influence Of Agency Input On Presidential Policy Success In Congress, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

This study posits a theoretical framework for understanding the role and value of agency input in presidential legislative policy making. I assert that by employing agency input for policy development, presidents instill their proposals with a degree of bureaucratic objectivity, expertise, process transparency, and agency support, which aids their legislative passage while lowering the extent of changes made to policy substance in the process. To test my hypotheses, I conduct binary and ordered logistic regression analyses using pooled cross-sectional data across twelve administrations from 1949-2010. I find that agency input serves as a key component for increased presidential legislative success.

A Federalist George W. Bush And An Anti-Federalist Barack Obama? The Irony And Paradoxes Behind Republican And Democratic Administration Drug Policies, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

During President George W. Bush’s tenure in the White House, his administration stood clearly against state-level efforts in California and elsewhere to decriminalize soft drugs. Despite his loyalty to smaller government values and state sovereignty on other issues, the prospect of state-level drug decriminalization led Bush to pursue federal means of enforcing anti-drug laws. Years later, President Barack Obama, though known for his reputation as a federalist, shifted power over drug policy enforcement more towards the state level as a means to allow certain states to enact drug decriminalization policies at their will, particularly with respect to medicinal marijuana. The …

Does Patronage Matter? Connecting Influences On Judicial Appointments With Judicial Decision Making, Lori Hausegger, Troy Riddell, Matthew Hennigar

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The federal government's power to appoint judges has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. While many suggest that partisan affiliation, gender and professional background may be influencing the Canadian appointment process, and some have called into question the fairness of such influences, little attention has been directed at determining whether these characteristics influence the outcome of cases. This paper studies decisions made by the Ontario Court of Appeal between 1990 and 2003 and uses a unique measure of partisan affiliation in an attempt to answer the question: do characteristics which play a role in the appointment process influence judicial …

Media Presentations As A Strategy For Teaching African Politics, Robin L. Turner

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Student media presentations can deepen students’ knowledge of African politics, build their critical thinking and communication skills, and highlight the relevance of course material. This article presents the media assignment I have used in two upper-level courses, African Politics and Politics of Gender and Sexuality in Africa, and three examples of student work.

Advocate, September 2013, Vol. [25], No. [1], Advocate

The Advocate

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

From the Editor's Desk: CUNY in the Kelly Era (p. 3)

CUNY News in Brief (p. 5)

Political Analysis: ‘It’s Exactly The Opposite!’: Modern Money Theory versus ‘Reality,’ J. A. Myerson (p. 7)

Guest Columnist: Obama and Putin: Time for Diplomacy, Amy Goodman (p. 12)

Rank and File: What’s at Stake in Graduate Organizing?, Karen Gregory (p. 14)

Notes on My Summer of Uprising, Uğur Güney (p. 18)

Book Review: The Strange Career of Samuel Delany, Lavelle Porter (p. 25)

Art Review: Modernism Unmoored, Michael Busch (p. 31)

Art Review: Explosions in the Sky, Clay Matlin (p. …

The Debate Inside China, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In his recent work Gilbert Rozman explains the growing tensions between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and United States in terms of the symbolic politics of a widening “identity gap.” This identity gap is important, he argues, because it pushes both countries towards more fundamentalist views of themselves and each other, which in turn fosters ideas of an “inevitable” zero-sum geopolitical conflict.

Asean: Integration, Internal Dynamics And External Relations, Clara Portela

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Throughout its evolution, ASEAN has consistently maintained its attachment to the full respect of national sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, which translates into consensual decision-making, political rather than legally-binding agreements and the lack of sanctions for non-compliance. A major breakthrough in terms of institutionalisation came about with the signing of the ASEAN Charter of 2007, which has enhanced ASEAN’s standing as a rule-based organisation and approximated it somewhat to structures typical of the EU. Unfortunately, the persistence of consensual decision-making and non-confrontational habits has slowed down some of ASEAN’s integration projects and hindered the development of …

Welfare Reform In The States: Does The Percentage Of Female Legislators In State Legislatures Affect Welfare Reform Policies?, Lee W. Payne

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

My research tests the proposal that female legislators have issue specific political agendas and that female representation may affect these issues. Welfare is an issue that affects women and children to a larger degree than it does men. To test this hypothesis I use three measures of welfare sanctions and one measure of overall welfare environment as dependent variables. Results indicate that the level of female legislators does not have the expected impact on two of the three sanction policies, but it does have the expected impact on the overall welfare environment.

A Spatial Analysis Of The Italian Second Republic, Massimiliano Landi, Ricardo Pelizzo

Research Collection School Of Economics

The Optimal Classification method is applied to a newly created data set to provide a spatial map of the Italian Second Republic (1996–2008). A bi-dimensional political space was found in the XIII Legislature and virtually a one-dimensional political space in the XIV and XV Legislatures. In addition, the main dimension is explained along the government–opposition dimension rather than on the traditional left–right dimension. During the Second Republic, Italy experienced changes in the electoral system and in the format of parties. The data are used to discuss the implications of either change on the dimensionality space. It was found that the …

Labor Day Disconnect Between Congress & American Workers, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A Montana Public Radio Commentary by Evan Barrett.

Editor's Introduction, Filomeno V. Aguilar Jr.

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

No abstract provided.

Governance And Growth: Technology Absorption And Economic Development, Johnathan Christensen, Dr. Daniel L. Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The original purpose of my research project was to apply a business theory to international trade to explain why the exports of the Asian Tigers were so successful. However, as I began writing on this topic during my capstone seminar, I learned of a striking empirical finding showing that while the growth rates of most poor countries have not caught up with rich countries over the last fifty years, the fastest growing economies always come from a subset among poor countries. Upon learning this, I soon realized that I wanted to expand my research question to explain the difference in …

Methodological Nationalism, Migration, And Political Theory, Alexander Sager

Philosophy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Political theorists of migration have largely operated within a conceptual scheme that treats the nation-state as the natural political unit for analysis at the expense of transnational, regional, and local analyses. Migration is discussed in the contexts of nation-building or in an international framework of autonomous, sovereign states. I show that this paradigm of “methodological nationalism” ignores transnational networks, associations, and organizations and global social and economic structures. This in turn, blinds political theorists to questions of agency and structure and to causal relations that entail moral responsibilities. My aim is to show how debates on migration and distributive justice …

Does Technical Assistance Decrease Corruption In Developing Countries?, Anna Whittaker, Dr. Dan Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Although bilateral and multilateral aid donors have given away hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign aid, it is still unclear whether providing loans and launching major development projects in poor countries can really cause economic growth, helping these countries to provide for their own needs. Technical assistance is a unique type of foreign aid: instead of giving low income countries money to spend on development projects, donors provide their own experts to consult with governments, plan future development projects, or supervise the completion of current projects. Instead of providing physical resources for projects, donors give of their knowledge and …

United States Involvement With The Hmong People During The Vietnam War In Laos, P. Mike Rattanasengchanh

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of the project was an attempt to answer several questions about the United States involvement with the Hmong people during the Vietnam War in Laos.