Comparative Politics Commons^™

Civil-Military Relations In A Civilized State: Panama, Ronald D. Sylvia, Constantine P. Danopoulos

Faculty Publications

This article traces and analyzes civil-military relations in Panama. After a brief overview of the role of the National Guard in the country politics, the article concentrates on political developments since the 1989 U.S. invasion to overthrow the Noriega regime and the subsequent elimination of the Panamanian military. The study seeks to shed light on political life in an armyless and politically and socially fractionalized country occupying a sensitive strategic location. The concluding part of the study speculates on the possibility that terrorism, domestic security concerns, and regional considerations may prompt Washington and Panamanian leaders to reverse the decision to …

Explaining Variation In State Implementation Of No Child Left Behind, Julie Gronquist

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

What Is Constitutional Democracy? A Comparative Analysis Between The United States And The European Union, Rebecca Tweed

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

It is difficult to imagine the concept of constitutionalism without the notion of deliberative democracy. Historically, written constitutions are the capstone of the ages-long struggle to limit arbitrary governmental action. James Madison said, “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government.”

We live in an era of constitution making. There are close to 200 national …

Peggy J. Blair On Commercial Law And Human Rights Edited By Stephen Bottomley And David Kinley. Burlington, Vt: Ashgate, 2001. 356pp., Peggy J. Blair

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Commercial Law and Human Rights edited by Stephen Bottomley and David Kinley. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2001. 356pp.

Aaron Peron Ogletree On The Tiananmen Papers Compiled By Zhang Liang, Edited By Andrew Nathan And Perry Link. New York: Public Affairs, 2001. 513pp., Aaron Peron Ogletree

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The Tiananmen Papers compiled by Zhang Liang, edited by Andrew Nathan and Perry Link. New York: Public Affairs, 2001. 513pp.

Racial And Ethnic Attitudes And Individual Relatedness Among Greek-Americans, Constantine P. Danopoulos, Anna Karpathakis

Faculty Publications

The article looks at the self-identity of Greek immigrants in the U.S. and incorporation of American racial ideologies into their racial repertoires. It recognizes Greek Americans for creating a national and racial framework that blends elements of both home and host society institutions and ideologies. It recalls the arrival of thousands of Greek immigrants in the U.S. in the 20th century. The increasing inter-marriage rates between Greek immigrants and Greek Americans are also noted.

Margot Morgan On The Politics Of Justice And Human Rights: Southeast Asia And Universalist Theory By Anthony J. Langlois. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 214 Pp., Margot Morgan

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The Politics of Justice and Human Rights: Southeast Asia and Universalist Theory by Anthony J. Langlois. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 214 pp.

The Spouse In The House: What Explains The Marriage Gap In Canada?, J. Matthew Wilson, Michael Lusztig

Political Science Research

A literature has emerged in American voting studies noting a “marriage gap”—the propensity for married voters to support the Republican party. Using Canadian Election Study data, we establish the existence of a significant marriage gap in Canada. We also seek to determine if the marriage gap is driven by socio-demographic factors or attitudinal ones. We find that while socio-demographic factors contribute to the marriage gap, they explain relatively little variance. In probing the attitudinal basis of the marriage gap further, we find that married Canadians differ from the unwed very strongly on issues of moral traditionalism, but much less so …

University Students From Four Ethnopolitical Conflict Zones: An Exploratory Study Of Perceptions Of Self And Country, Sean Byrne, Colleen Mcleod, Brian Polkinghorn

Peace and Conflict Studies

This exploratory comparative case study examines hopes and fears for self and country of 300 students attending university in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Students report living in stressful societies where ethno political and state violence were the norm. The results of this qualitative study indicate that while the young people are optimistic about their life changes, they are concerned that the conflicts could re-ignite and spiral out of control. In particular, the students’ images indicate the importance of the self-society relationship and that these young adults relish the challenge of being productive citizens in their post-conflict …

A Comparison Of Western And Chinese Propaganda Tactics As Revealed In Pre-War Rhetoric Of Bushs' Presidencies, Pei-Ling Lee

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the differences in the propaganda tactics employed by Western and Chinese cultures, as informed by ancient Chinese philosophies and Western propaganda research. Specifically, this thesis focuses on developing 14 Chinese strategic propaganda tactics by using creative transformation approach. Thereafter, using textual criticism, these tactics are applied to the pre-war rhetoric of the immediate former President of the U.S., George H. W. Bush and the current President of the U.S., George W. Bush in order to test the validity of the rhetorical taxonomy. The results of this thesis demonstrate that George H. W. Bush preferred positive rather than …

The Fight For Political Representation In A Southern Suburb: The Use Of The Voting Rights Act And The Federal Court System By Black Plaintiffs In Henrico County, Virginia, Thomas J. Shields

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

There has been an abundance of written work on the historic fight for black political equality in southern urban areas. However, almost no scholarly work exists on the fight for black political equality in the rapidly expanding southern suburbs. This article analyzes the rise of the black population and its fight for political representation on the local governing board in Henrico County, a large suburb of Richmond, Virginia. The article details the increase in the black population in Henrico County from 1950 to 2000 and provides a descriptive analysis how black plaintiffs used the Voting Rights Act in a redistricting …

Satellite Televisions In Lebanon: Agents Of Change Or Reinforcing The Status Quo?, Yara Youssef

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There has been a noted interest in the new technologies of the nineties, those that have expanded the realm of traditional mass media and the traditional means of communication that people were previously used to. With the start of globalization and the world becoming what some have called “global village,” the act of distributing information to the four comers of the world has become less complicated than it used to be, and boundaries are seen as constantly being eroded by the new pressures of modernization and liberalization. The internet and satellite televisions increased in importance in this realm, and so …

The Effects Of Ballot Position On Election Outcomes, Jonathan G.S. Koppell, Jennifer A. Steen

Publications from President Jonathan G.S. Koppell

This article presents evidence of name-order effects in balloting from a study of the 1998 Democratic primary in New York City, in which the order of candidates' names was rotated by precinct. In 71 of 79 individual nominating contests, candidates received a greater proportion of the vote when listed first than when listed in any other position. In seven of those 71 contests, the advantage to first position exceeded the winner's margin of victory, suggesting that ballot position would have determined the election outcomes if one candidate had held the top spot in all precincts.

Microfinance And Third World Development: A Critical Analysis, Elahi Khandakar, Constantine P. Danopoulos

Faculty Publications

Microfinance is emerging as an integral part of the new development paradigm, described by the phrase "participation and development. "Although the idea has become quite popular among donor agencies, development practitioners, and academicians, theoretical premises on which this idea is founded seem entirely unexamined. Accordingly, this article investigates the academic merits, as well as potential consequences, of this popular poverty alleviating model from the supply-side perspective and asks a provocative question: Do the microfinance ventures have features which suggest that the establishment of this new finance industry in the Third World countries might further complicate their pervasive poverty problems? The …

Communities, Wildlife Conservation, And Tourism-Based Development: Can Community-Based Nature Tourism Live Up To Its Promise?, Robin L. Turner

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This paper analyzes the opportunities and tensions generated by efforts to use conservationbased tourism as a catalyst for economic development. By exploring how historical legacies position actors and influence relationships between them, characterizing the nature tourism sector and its logic, and examining how liberalizing states are likely to engage with community-based tourism. I situate community-based nature tourism ventures in a broader political economic context. The paper draws from research on the Makuleke Region of Kruger National Park, South Africa to illustrate how these factors influence prospects for community benefit from protected area tourism. Like many other protected areas in Africa, …

Proportional Representation Electoral Systems And Indigenous Representation: Case Studies From Bolivia, Ecuador, And Peru, Arne Romanowski

Masters Theses

The central question of this analysis is how the proportional representation electoral systems in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru are linked to indigenous political representation. I argue that the electoral system and its affect on party structures and party development are part of the reason why indigenous people, who make up a great part of the population in these three countries, are chronically under-represented in their political systems. In these case studies, district and national level data from the two most recent elections for the national legislatures was analyzed in terms of indigenous party formation and success. The study concludes that …

Economic Measurements And Quality Of Life In Mexico, Constantine P. Danopoulos

Faculty Publications

Using the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), the article seeks to evaluate the quality of life in modern Mexico. The GPI employs the same indicators used to arrive at per capita GDP, but adds positive and negative monetary and non-monetary actors that affect people's lives. Monetary factors include income distribution, increased health care cost due to air and water pollution, and loss of wetlands. Non-monetary factors involve parenting, time spent in highways, loss of leisure time, the cost of volunteer work, and other social costs. If one takes these into account, the purchasing power and quality of life of Mexican citizens …

From Principle To Practice: Constitutional Principles And The Transformation Of Party Finance In Germany And Italy, Riccardo Pelizzo

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The paper investigates the development of party finance and party finance legislation in Germany and Italy. The main claim of the paper is that the differences between German and Italian party finance reflect differences in the party finance legislation enacted in the two countries, which, in their turn, are a result of how the German and the Italian constitutional principles were translated into practice.

Political Barriers And The Transmission Of Monetary Policy Across States: The New England Antebellum Banking Market, Andrew J. Economopoulos

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

The New England antebellum banking market was examined to understand the interaction of political ideology and economic forces. With each state controlling bank entry, hence the money supply, political ideology could impede the supply of money within a state. However, the monetary forces from neighboring states may have influenced the degree to which parties held true to their political ideology. The results indicate that political ideology was an effective barrier in two of the six states, while three states were responsive to neighbor states' monetary policy regardless of political ideology. These states responded by creating new banks, raising existing capital …

Russia's Struggle For Democracy: The Role Of The United States, 1993-1998., Justin R. Clardie

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aiding the successful transition of Russia to a free-market, democratic society was one of the key goals of the Clinton Administration's foreign policy. This study looks at U.S. policy toward Russia during the period of 1993 to 1998 and examines the effectiveness ofthat policy. A number of primary sources, such as speeches and U.S. Department of State dispatches, were used as well as a variety of secondary sources. Through the examination of these sources the conclusion was reached that U.S. policy toward Russia during this time frame was not effective. Instead of the desired effect of promoting and consolidating democracy, …

A Study Of The Deputies Of The 21st Grand National Assembly Of Turkey, Abdullah Yuvaci

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I study the Turkish political elite in terms of their social background and the legislative behavior. The study examines occupational, educational, and local birth connection status of the members of the 21 st term Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) serving between 1999 and 2002. The study compares the parliamentary elites across the ideological inclinations and the demographical divisions of their constituencies. In terms of legislative behavior, I use questioning behaviors as a behavioral indicator for the 21st term TGNA members. I obtained the data from the Grand National Assembly official website. The website contains information concerning the …

War If Necessary, But Not Necessarily War': The Canadian Paradox And 'Iraqi Freedom', Marc Ouellette

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The Canadian refusal to join the U.S. led “coalition of the willing” does not mark the first time the nation has chosen not to follow its “traditional allies” into a foolish, ego-driven, imperialistic and vengeful conflict. Indeed, Canada’s record in these matters is flawless. Peter C. Newman points out that “we went along with most presidential global adventures, except the Vietnam War. The other significant time we parted company with the Yanks was over our drive to impose economic sanctions on apartheid South Africa, a policy we initiated and successfully defended despite American objections.” In fact, the objections …

Responsibility For Past Injustice: How To Shift The Burden, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article considers the question of the responsibility of present generations for injustices committed by previous ones. It asks whether the descendants of victims of past injustice have claims against the descendants of the perpetrators of injustice. Two modes of argument are examined: the individual responsibility approach, according to which descendants cannot have claims against other descendants, and the collective responsibility approach, according to which descendants do have strong claims. Both approaches are criticized, but for different failings. An alternative view, building on the individualist approach, is defended. This view argues that some people may have to bear responsibility for …

Feminist Tigers And Patriarchal Lions: Rhetorical Strategies And Instrument Effects In The Struggle For Definition And Control Over Development In Nepal, Coralynn V. Davis

Faculty Journal Articles

This article offers an analysis of a struggle for control of a women’s development project in Nepal. The story of this struggle is worth telling, for it is rife with the gender politics and neo-colonial context that underscore much of what goes on in contemporary Nepal. In particular, my analysis helps to unravel some of the powerful discourses, threads of interest, and yet unintended effects inevitable under a regime of development aid. The analysis demonstrates that the employment of already available discursive figures of the imperialist feminist and the patriarchal third world man are central to the rhetorical strategies taken …

Agenda Power In Brazil’S Camara Dos Deputados, 1989-98, Octavio Amorim Neto, Gary W. Cox, Mathew D. Mccubbins

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Corporatist Features Of The Security Sector In Democratizing Countries: A Cross-Regional Analysis Of Brazil And Romania, Sebastian Huluban

Masters Theses

The topic of the thesis is to analyse, from a cross-regional comparative perspective, the relationship between the corporatist features and the civil-military relations in two democratising countries, Romania and Brazil. I choose Romania and Brazil because these two countries present peculiar features regarding the civil-military relations within their regions, and, in addition, these countries share a peculiar heritage regarding the corporatist arrangements both in terms of intellectual-cultural legacy and contingent decisions. The paper encompasses a double attempt as an answer to the current appeals within the civil-military relations literature for new analytical perspectives. First, I will show that the corporatist …

Protest And Reform In Asylum Policy: Citizen Initiatives Versus Asylum Seekers In German Municipalities, 1989-1994, Roger Karapin

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Celebrities In Politics, Brian D. Markham

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the twenty-first century begins, a new breed of individuals is entering and becoming successful in the political arena. The electorate has l1l usually been chosen proven, career-oriented politicians as their elected officials. This has all changed recently. Celebrities such as athletes, actors, ash·onauts, military leaders, and even professional wrestlers are rmu1ing in political elections and winning. Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan are probably the most successful celebrities in politics. However, a celebrity in politics was quite rare when they became involved. Since the 1990's celebrities have begun to run for political office more frequently than ever before, particularly in …

Presidential Domain: An Exploratory Study Of Prospect Theory And Us Climate Policy Since 1998, Hal T. Nelson

Dissertations and Theses

The Bush administration's decision to abandon the Kyoto Protocol can be explained by prospect theory. The change in federal climate policy between the Clinton and Bush administrations was due to the difference in domain that each president operated under. President Clinton operated under a domain of losses as he associated continued fossil fuel use with future socio-economic and environmental damages from climate change. This domain of losses increased President Clinton's risk tolerances and explains his pursuit of the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Conversely, President Bush operated under a domain of gains where he did …

Analyzing The Success Of The Usaid-Funded Empleando Futuros And Crime And Violence Prevention Projects In Reducing Emigration From The Northern Triangle To The United States, Sofia M. Munoz

Scripps Senior Theses

This paper explores the role of USAID-funded projects focused on the root causes of migration in the Northern Triangle as a U.S. immigration prevention strategy. Through analyzing the Empleando Futuros activity in Honduras and the Crime and Violence Prevention Project in El Salvador, I found that the projects followed an overly simplistic approach to migration based off of neoclassical economic theories of migration. When compared to alternate migration theories and empirical evidence from the region, I found that the individualistic and employment-based approaches utilized by these projects do not have the desired effect of majorly decreasing someone’s propensity to migrate …