Political Science Commons^™

Fallow Fields Or Fertile Ground: Analysing Food Governance In A Changing World, Johanna L. Wilkes

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Our food systems are failing us. In particular, industrial food systems fail to deliver healthy, adequate food to billions of people (FAO et al. 2019; FAO et al. 2024) and have led to increased instances of mental health crises for farmers (Jones-Bitton 2019; Younker & Radunovich 2021). In addition, industrial food systems contribute to the devastating impacts of a warming climate (IPCC 2021), biodiversity loss (WWF 2021), and soil erosion (Wise 2019; Badreldin and Lobb 2023) worldwide. Yet, little structural change has occurred in the way agriculture is governed and the problems created by industrial agriculture are becoming increasingly entrenched. …

What Is Success? How Peer Support Workers In Ontario See Addiction & Recovery, Ngaire Rasmussen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The drug crisis in Canada has high mortality rates, especially in remote and rural communities, but there are significant barriers to accessing healthcare to which peer support may represent a partial solution, (Eddie et al., 2019; Englander et al., 2020; The Government of Canada, 2023; Kourgiantakis et al., 2023; Lavalley et al., 2020; Lennox et al., 202; Russell et al., 2021). Research how peer support workers define success in their work with adults experiencing addiction in Ontario, Canada is lacking, but important to understanding the crisis and implementing peer programs. Grounded in Marxist theory, the following exploratory research investigated the …

Who Speaks For The State?, Robert Young, Kristina Daugirdas, Diem Ho, Duncan Pickard, Larry D. Johnson

Articles

Who speaks for the state is a critical question in international relations. Statements by government representatives have normative force—capable of binding the state in numerous ways, from norm formation to staking out a litigation position. Governments choose their representatives carefully, and typically vet positions and even statements in advance. Indeed, the stability of international relations hinges on the assumption that state representatives act with governmental authority. The stakes of disputes over who speaks for the state are thus high.

Several such contestations have emerged in recent years, in a variety of international fora. At the United Nations General Assembly, the …

When The Empires Strike Again: The Effects Of An Imperial Past On The Post-Cold War International Order, Begum Wolfe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although on the surface empires appear to be ancient and irrelevant political constructs from a distant past, I argue in this dissertation that even after the empire officially dissolves, the core of the bygone empire continues its political existence in the mindsets of the empire-bearing people. This is mainly explained through certain imperial memories, glories and traumas, that have permeated into these states’ identities. In these so-called post-imperial states, then, such a unique experience of having functioned as an empire translates into foreign policy behavior that is patterned, predictable, but also puzzling especially regarding certain issues with an imperial baggage. …

Application Of Machine Learning And Natural Language Processing To Understand The Partisan Mobilization Of Ethnic Minorities, Ani Tepnadze

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores how competing interests across secondary dimensions of identity shape marginalized groups' capacity to institutionalize their grievances, particularly ethnic minorities. More specifically, I explore two mechanisms, intragroup cohesiveness and distinctiveness, as a driving force of grievance mobilization. This research is interdisciplinary, drawing on theories from political sociology, political communications, and computational social science. I examine the question of ethnic group particization in two stages. In the first stage, I developed an original machine learning pipeline to process large text corpora and identify the indicators of the strength of collective ethnic grievances in online group discussions. In the second …

Soccer Sheikhs: Qatar, Football, And The Quest For Self-Confidence And Global Prominence, Ali Ahsan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines Qatar’s strategic use of football as a mechanism for securing ontological security within the international system. Moving beyond standard International Relations explanations of state behavior, the study draws on ontological security theory which emphasizes the need of states to sustain a coherent sense of self through routines, narratives, and recognition. By framing football as such a practice, the dissertation advances the study of sport as a growing area of interest in the political sciences. Through a qualitative methodology employing Reflexive Thematic Analysis of expert interviews, the research analyzes Qatar’s football policies, including hosting the 2022 FIFA World …

The Position Of The United States Of America Vis-A-Vis The Question Of Western Sahara: Assessing The Role Of Think Tanks In The Conflict, Hamid Baadeche

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

The Position of the United States of America Vis-à-vis the Question of Western Sahara: Assessing the Role of Think Tanks in the Conflict

Hamid Baadeche

Think tank organizations, particularly in the United States, have become a prominent feature of the political landscape. They act as advocates for specific policies that they consider beneficial for the country or a particular societal group. They function as a primary source of information, which they then aim to transform into well-informed policies and sound decisions. They are referred to as "the revolving doors," "idea brokers," and "idea factory." As such, their foremost objective …

Authoritarian Control Over Election Administration, Nazar Boyko

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Street-level election bureaucracy (SLEB) remains one of the least studied aspects of authoritarian elections. Our current understanding of micro-level election administration in autocracies is fragmented and unsystematic. In this dissertation, I develop and test a theory of authoritarian SLEB that comprehensively addresses key elements of election administration: the incentivization and mobilization of election commissioners, the establishment of control over election commissions, the monitoring of their performance, and the post-election reshaping of their personnel composition. Drawing on rational choice theory, I propose a framework in which autocrats are seen as outcome-maximizers who strategically design SLEB to achieve their electoral goals. The …

Signs Of Democratic Resilience Following Aotearoa New Zealand’S March 15th Mosque Attacks, Claire Fitzpatrick, Emily Beausoleil

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Political responses to extremist attacks and other forms of social trauma might be deemed ‘resilient’ insofar as they restore order and security but can undermine democratic ideals and practices. This article offers an evaluative framework for democratic resilience to make sense of public discourse in the aftermath of extremist attacks. We argue that a democratically resilient response entails five necessary dimensions, each of which is required for dialogue across difference capable of ‘working through’ social trauma within the democratic polity. We then apply this framework to analyse the March 15 2019 mosque attacks in Aotearoa New Zealand, using mixed methods …

Parting The Corn Rows: Nikita Khrushchev’S Visit To Iowa, 1959, Jordan Stiles

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

On September 23, 1959, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited Roswell Garst to inspect US hybrid corn and agricultural methods. Khrushchev’s initial reforms are discussed to show why Khrushchev sought agricultural knowledge abroad. The details of Khrushchev’s and Garst’s life regarding their work in agriculture are explored up to the visit. The visit would leave an indelible mark on the USSR and Iowa. Khrushchev and his successors would use Garst’s model for hybrid corn farming as the template for Soviet farming. Garst would use his limelight to catapult his corn diplomacy into action around the world. Lastly, the legacy of Khrushchev’s …

Bouncing Back Or Forward? Two Approaches To Democratic Resilience After Extremist Attacks, Selen A. Ercan, Jordan Mcswiney, Emily Beausoleil, Claire Fitzpatrick, Andrea Felicetti

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Violent extremist attacks pose a serious threat to democracy, undermining its institutions, norms and practices. This article examines the disruptive impact of violent extremism on the public sphere and considers the role of political leaders in responding to these challenges. Leaders are widely recognised as the key actors shaping the public discourse after extremist attacks, by either reinforcing or resisting the division intended by these attacks. Yet, their role in building democratic resilience – that is, fostering the public sphere’s ability to respond to extremist attacks without compromising its democratic commitments – remains underexplored. Drawing on a range of case …

Conservative Opposition To Climate Policy May Be Partially Threat-Based: A Test And Critique Of The Integrated Threat Model Of Climate Attitudes, Samantha K. Stanley, Zoe Leviston, Kirsti M. Jylhä, Iain Walker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

One explanation for the link between political conservatism and rejection of the science and solutions of climate change is based on perceived threats. Yet, until recently, this claim has not been studied by simultaneously considering the different levels at which individuals may experience a sense of threat (i.e., threat of climate change or climate policy, at personal or collective level, on economic or cultural domains). A recent theoretical advance integrated the existing threat-based explanations for conservatives' lower acceptance of climate change and support for pro-climate policy. We aimed to subject aspects of this integrated threat model of climate change attitudes …

The Dark Side Of International Cooperation: Indifference And The Psychosocial Dynamics Of Cooperative Deterrence, Jamal Barnes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

States are increasingly resorting to international cooperative agreements to deter migrants and refugees from irregularly arriving at their borders. Although scholars have shown how these cooperative deterrence policies are undermining important refugee and human rights protections, making migration journeys more dangerous, and securitizing and criminalizing people on the move, what has not been adequately examined is how these cooperative arrangements can bring about normative changes that produce indifference to the suffering of refugees and migrants. This article examines the psychosocial dynamics of cooperative deterrence policies to show how the social processes of authorization, routinization, evasion of responsibility, and dehumanization weaken …

The Bus Stop At The Heart Of Capitalism, Jamie Van Der Klaauw, Ryan Kopaitich

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

Where is the heart of capitalism today? To fight it, we must construct it. But in doing so, we can also construct a public capable of overthrowing it.

Crisis, Class, Hegemony: Three Remarks On The Contemporary Critique Of Capitalism, Brian Milstein

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

Azmanova rightly notes that the present conjuncture has been marked by a vexing exhaustion of utopian energies—which she sees underwritten by a condition of “meta-crisis” and a “paradox of emancipation.” I am sympathetic to her insights, but I wonder how these figure into a broader critique of the politics of present-day capitalism. In a brief addendum to this symposium, I remark on three theoretical problem areas pertinent to the contemporary critique of capitalism: (a) the theory of crisis as it pertains to emancipatory politics, (b) the idea of an emancipatory class, and (c) the concept of hegemony in the context …

Neoliberalism, Neofeudalism, And Precarity: A Response To Albena Azmanova And Jodi Dean, Panos Tsoukalis

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

This is a response to the articles of Albena Azmanova and Jodi Dean included in this issue, exploring the intersections and divergences in their analyses of contemporary capitalism. I argue that the lens of neofeudalism that Jodi Dean invites us to entertain can offer a different explanation of Albena Azmanova’s diagnosis of contemporary capitalism. Notably, I propose that capitalism’s neofeudalising tendencies contribute to the rise of inequality, the decline of class politics, and the increase of monopoly power. Contrary to Jodi Dean though, I will claim that there were two crucial transformations of contemporary capitalism that spearheaded the emergence of …

A Comment On Immanent Critique, Ideology, And Power, Enzo Rossi

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

All contributors to the Radical Critical Theory Circle's symposium ‘Thinking Capitalism in the 21st Century" highlight deficiencies in mainstream critical theory’s analysis of capitalism, but also point to some possible avenues of renewal. This this brief commentary focuses on how one should understand immanent critique—and in particular empirically-grounded versions of immanent critique. The piece's main contentions are that critique should rediscover its high modernist vocation as a Wissenschaft, and that a radical realist approach can uncover new ways for political theory to expose the most important power structures in society.

Toward A Dialectical Theory Of Politico-Economic Regimes, Artemy Magun

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

From Neoliberalism To Neofeudalism, Jodi Dean

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Immanent Critique And Dialogical Critical Theory, Paul Apostolidis

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Radical Politics Facing The ‘Emancipation Paradox’, Albena Azmanova

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Introducing Radical Critical Theory Circle's Symposium "Thinking Capitalism In The 21st Century", Albena Azmanova

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Universality, Necessity, And Progress: Marx And The Problem Of History, Amy Allen

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

To offer a compelling critique of the present, critical theory needs an account of capitalism that foregrounds its interrelation with the ongoing legacies of colonialism, imperialism, and slavery. To serve as a resource for such an account, Marx’s critique of capitalism and his theory of history need to be disentangled. This analysis revisits the problems of universality, necessity, and progress in Marx’s work in order to show how Marx’s consistently dialectical and critical account of capitalist modernity can be emancipated from the historicist framework that undergirds it.

China’S Mediation Of The Saudi-Iranian Rapprochement And Its Implications On Regional Peace And Security, Henelito Jr A. Sevilla

Journal Of Middle East and Islamic Studies

The Middle East’s geopolitical landscape during the Cold War was characterized by ideological and religious differences among regional powers and their conflicting allegiances to the United States and the Soviet Union. Iran and Saudi Arabia held vast energy reserves and shaped regional divisions along religious and geopolitical lines. These divisions carried over to the post-Cold War era, exposing the Middle East to decades-long crises and proxy warfares. Domestic and regional problems are intensified by the interference of external powers, further deteriorating the prospects of peace and security in the region. Small countries avoid entanglement in big-power rivalries and focus on …

Impacto De La Pandemia De La Covid-19 En Las Familias De Los Jóvenes Universitarios De Las Poblaciones Rurales Mayas Del Estado De Yucatán, Jorge Atocha Pacheco Castro

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. This study examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the families of university students from rural Maya communities in Yucatán, Mexico. Utilizing an anthropological framework, the research highlights the interplay of structural vulnerabilities and cultural resilience. It explores how families navigated economic challenges, social interactions, and cultural practices amid the crisis. Key findings include the reliance on traditional subsistence practices such as small-scale agriculture and backyard farming, which provided a safety net during economic downturns. Socially, rural families reported lower stress levels and stronger communal bonds compared to their urban counterparts, owing to expansive living spaces and outdoor …

The Importance Of The Pontificate Of The Pope John Paul Ii In International Relations, M. Manuel Azevedo

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This work analyses Pope John Paul II’s contributions and attitudes as an international relations Actor. In this context, the research question that guides this work is as follows in terms of global governance, how did the conduct carried out by Pope John Paul II strengthen him as a Model Power? John Paul II inaugurated a new phase of the Vatican’s foreign policy. His diplomacy in mediation and conflict resolution stands out as a fundamental pillar of his pontificate, contributing to the fall of the communist regime in Poland and many other conflicts such as the mediation of the Holy See …

Nonprofit Spotlight: Choice Humanitarian, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Research Summaries: Access To Education, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Full Issue: Access To Education, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Brexit And The Spillover Phenomenon: Scotland, Northern Ireland, And Gibraltar, Timea Varga

Journal of Global Awareness

In my research, I examined the consequences of Brexit and the spillover phenomenon. Even though the United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 December 2020 with a deal, the resulting challenges are not solved at all in 2024 either – Brexit has brought to the surface such conflicts that London considered dealt with a long time ago. However, questions of autonomy and independence are not so easy to resolve; they have their roots in history, and in this uncertain situation, they came to the fore again.

Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, and Scotland have always meant sources of conflict for the …