Comparative Politics Commons^™

Concurrently Implementing Islam And Democracy In Afghanistan: Failure Causes And Future Prospects., Mohammad Riaz Nassiry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Islam and democracy have been widely considered incompatible, especially in Muslim-majority countries. This thesis, with a contextual focus on Afghanistan, looks into the failure of the concurrent implementation of Islam and democracy in that country. The thesis takes a nuanced perspective and proposes a theory in which institutions (laws and regulations) and education play a prominent role in consolidating Islam and democracy. The research employs a mixed-method research design, with an aim to explore the influence of constitutional design and public education in shaping democratic outcomes within Islamic contexts. The findings reveal that Afghanistan’s constitution and laws were broadly compatible …

Populism And Religious Rhetoric In Spain's Right-Wing Vox Party, Ainsley Taylor

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

This thesis examines the intersection of populism and religious rhetoric in Spain’s right-wing political party, Vox. By analyzing Facebook posts from Vox’s national and regional accounts in the months leading up to the 2019 and 2023 national elections, as well as key regional elections in Andalusia and Cantabria, this study explores how the party strategically employs religious themes to shape its populist discourse. The findings indicate that Vox primarily uses religious rhetoric to construct an exclusive national identity, framing perceived external threats such as immigration, secularism, and leftist politics. While the party's use of religious rhetoric declined slightly between 2019 …

An Emergentist Critique Of The Contract Theory Of The State Of Nature, With A Consideration On Two Types Of Polity And Their Origins., Ryan A. Apperson

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The theories of the state of nature provided by the political philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke have made a significant impact in the general conceptions of the origin of states. Though there are many critical differences in the conceptions of the state of nature between each in their seminal works, they both possess of a view of states that is rational and constructivist.

In this paper, I use the game theory concepts of the coordination game, collective action problem, and focal point to illustrate a lacuna in this rational and constructivist conception of the origin of states, as their …

The Impact Of Political Systems On Addiction Policy In Industrialized Democracies., Lexi Renee Raikes

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Drug use is a global problem that impacts every country around the world. Although this issue is international in nature, there is no one shared response to addiction globally. The approach utilized by each country can generally be characterized as punitive or rehabilitative. Rehabilitative approaches, which center around the employment of harm reduction services, focus on reducing the negative consequences of drug use, while punitive approaches respond to substance use with prison sentences. Considering this lack of commonality in response, I sought to better understand potential causes for this disparity and was especially curious if government structure impacts the policy …

The Great Resignation: A Content Analysis Of News Sources' Portrayals Of The Covid-19 Labor Shortage., Mackenzie Williams

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

When workers left the labor market in large numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, proclamations of a labor shortage emerged extensively throughout the news. In this study, I analyze the coverage of the worker shortage among three news sources with different political orientations. Several themes emerged from analyzing a total of 75 articles. The findings showed that the perspective shown in the article, the cause of the labor shortage, restaurant worker portrayal, support of solutions, and opinion of the labor shortage all differed based on the political identity of the news source. This research supports previous findings that show there is …

The Lotus, The Orchid, And The Dragon: An Examination Of One Country, Two Systems And Its Trajectory In Xi Jinping’S China., Eric M. Bush

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Xi Jinping has prioritized National Rejuvenation, a new pillar in the Chinese social contract based on the view that western powers exploited China during a Century of Humiliation and now, under the Communist Party, China is reclaiming its former glory. As China approaches its centennial in 2049, the CPC has prioritized fully reunifying and integrating Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau with the mainland. Through a comparative analysis of Hong Kong and Macau’s demographics and political and economic institutions, this thesis examines the current status of the One Country, Two Systems policy and anticipates its trajectory under Xi Jinping.

Exchange Patterns And Relations In Collaborative Governance., Charles Wharton Kaye-Essien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collaborative governance has received considerable attention in recent years. From environmental resource management to public safety, collaborative governance continues to play a vital role in regional problem solving. In spite of this increasing popularity previous attempts to model the political, economic, and demographic determinants of collaboration have in most cases produced inconsistent results, thereby undermining the ability to generalize from such findings. Additionally, our understanding of the relational patterns that emanate from collaborative agreements remains fairly rudimentary. The main objective of this research is to address some of the gaps in the literature and improve our understanding of collaborative governance …

Review Essay Of Farish Noor's "The Malaysian Islamic Party Pas 1951-2013 : Islamism In A Mottled Nation.", Jason P. Abbott

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Living Without Recognition : A Case Study Of Burmese Refugees In Malaysia., Meagan Floyd, Michael Zeller, Jason P. Abbott

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Neomercantilism And Great-Power Energy Competition In Central Asia And The Caspian., Charles E. Ziegler, Rajan Menon

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The neomercantilist energy policies of China and Russia contribute to what is largely a competitive relationship among all three great powers in Central Asia. While neomercantilist policies do not negate the possibility of cooperation and the development of norms, rules, and institutions designed to promote collective action, they certainly erect formidable barriers.

Central Asia, The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, And American Foreign Policy : From Indifference To Engagement., Charles E. Ziegler

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This paper examines U.S. engagement in Central Asia over the past two decades, with specific reference to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. While alarmist voices occasionally warn of the threat to American interests from China and Russia through the SCO, the organization’s influence appears limited. Washington has engaged it only sporadically, preferring to conduct relations bilaterally with the Central Asian states.

Malaysia's Transitional Moment? : Democratic Transition Theory And The Problem Of Malaysian Exceptionalism., Jason P. Abbott

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Many theorists of democratization transition have, either explicitly or implicitly, a teleological concept of political progress, liberalization and reform. For such theorists, countries such as Malaysia are therefore in transition towards substantive 'full' liberal democracy. Taken in this light, the significant advances by opposition political parties in the 2008 federal and state elections in Malaysia represent a major advance towards this end goal. While many have highlighted that Malaysia may in fact be an exception to this rule, this paper contends instead that the Malaysian case study challenges the central tenets of democratic transition more profoundly. Indeed, since independence the …

Russia And The Cis In 2008 : Axis Of Authoritarianism?, Charles E. Ziegler

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Russia’s seamless presidential succession produced no major changes in domestic politics or foreign policy. Ties with Asia remained strong, though several key relationships—with China, Japan, and the Central Asian states—frayed under the impact of Russia’s military action in Georgia. Impressive economic performance in the first half of the year boosted Russian confidence as a great power, but its vulnerability to the global financial crisis together with the heavy-handed operation in the Caucasus undermined Moscow’s standing with both Asia and Europe by the end of the year.

Russia And The Cis In 2007 : Putin's Final Year?, Charles E. Ziegler

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Russia in 2007 moved further away from a constitutional order governed by the rule of law as President Vladimir Putin's second term drew to a close and the country prepared for parliamentary and presidential elections. High oil and gas prices buoyed the economy, but little progress was made in addressing Russia's serious social problems. In foreign policy, confrontation with the West was balanced by excellent relations with most of Asia.

Policy Alternatives In Soviet Environmental Protection., Charles E. Ziegler

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A number of developments over the past decade or so illustrate the increasing salience of environmental problems for Soviet policy makers. In the mid-1960s, controversy over the potential pollution of Lake Baikal appears to have stimulated and legitimized environmental protection as an issue for discussion in the Soviet press. The output of scholarly books and articles by philosophers, economists, biologists, physicists, and sociologists reflects the broad range of organizations concerned with these questions. Support is also evident in high places-Brezhnev's report to the 25th Party Congress in 1976 emphasized the importance of environmental protection and announced that 11 billion rubles …