Models and Methods Commons^™

Social Media And Its Potential Effects On Civic Engagement, Kathleen Elizabeth Walpole

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Social media has been predicted as a tool to change the democratic process and turn around the substantial decline in political participation that has occurred among American citizens in the most recent years. Yet, since it is still relatively young and unharnessed, many argue that any effect that social media can have on civic engagement cannot be determined yet. This thesis explores and discusses how the emergence of social media as a campaign tool could effect traditional forms of civic engagement as well as produce new forms.

In the 2008 election, social media was capitalized by the presidential campaign of …

Booms And Busts: Russia And Its Oil, 1970 To 2011 And Beyond, Cliff Gaddy

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

For 40 years Russia’s domestic economic and political development and its foreign policy ambitions have been driven by the varying fortunes of its oil and gas wealth. The story continues to play out today, with crucial global consequences. Russia remains the world’s largest producer of oil and gas. It holds the third largest foreign exchange reserves in the world. Understanding the role of Russia’s energy wealth is key to understanding what role the country may play in world energy security and geopolitics in the years ahead.

Network Legitimacy And Accountability In A Developmental Perspective, Richard K. Ghere

Political Science Faculty Publications

Public networks typically function beyond the lines of the hierarchical authorities that hold bureaucracies accountable, as is shown here in the case of a business-dominant network that exhibited ethically questionable behaviors at the expense of its community credibility. Public networks can build external legitimacy by engaging in critical organization learning processes, much the way some nongovernmental organizations respond to a diversity of stakeholders.

Federal Earmarks In The State Of Georgia, Jeffrey Lazarus

Georgia Journal of Public Policy

Earmarks have been controversial ever since becoming a prominent part of the congressional spending process. Critics charge that earmarks fund projects with little or no economic value (for instance Ted Stevens’ “Bridge to Nowhere,”) but instead allow Congress members to direct government spending to campaign contributors (the charge leading to a federal investigation of the now-defunct lobbying firm PMA Group). On the other side of the controversy, congressional earmarks do fund a number of community improvements which are very valuable, at least locally. In Georgia, the fiscal 2010 appropriations bills included earmarks which allocated $450,000 to update College Park’s emergency …

How Are The Torres Strait Islander's Traditional Hunting Practices Affected By The Current Rate Of Decline In Dugong And Sea Turtle Populations And The Australian Government's Co-Management Policies On Marine Preservation?, Katilyn Price

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This paper will attempt to identify the extent to which the Torres Strait Islanders traditional hunting practices have been disrupted by the overall decline in dugong and sea turtle populations, which has directly correlated to an increase in hunting restrictions put in place by the Australian Government. The traditional hunting of dugongs and sea turtles provides not only a food source, but brings prestige to the men who catch them and serves as an educational platform to teach the younger generations about their culture. There are many environmental threats that impact the populations of sea turtles and dugongs though the …

Gender, Human Security And The United Nations: Security Language As A Political Framework For Women, Natalie Florea Hudson

Political Science Faculty Publications

This book examines the relationship between women, gender and the international security agenda, exploring the meaning of security in terms of discourse and practice, as well as the larger goals and strategies of the global women's movement.

Today, many complex global problems are being located within the security logic. From the environment to HIV/AIDS, state and non-state actors have made a practice out of securitizing issues that are not conventionally seen as such. As most prominently demonstrated by the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2001), activists for women's rights have increasingly framed women's rights and gender inequality as security issues …

The Social Evolution Of War And Transformation In Political Organization, Talon J. Powers

Political Science Honors Projects

Until recently, international relations theory has treated the territorial state as a transhistorical constant. The post-positivist turn, however, revives the question of the state’s origins and future sustainability. By drawing together the contributions of historical sociologists and social theorists of war, this thesis provides a model for change in political organization stemming from foundational transformations in warfare. This model considers not only warfighting practices, but the social and broader historical context in which war is embedded. Through analysis of the feudal and modern cases, I demonstrate why warfare is the best lens through which to evaluate change in political organization.

Mahmood Monshipouri On Political Participation In The Middle East. Edited By Ellen Lust-Okar And Saloua Zerhouni. Boulder, Co: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. 286pp., Mahmood Monshipouri

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Political Participation in the Middle East. Edited by Ellen Lust-Okar and Saloua Zerhouni. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. 286pp.

A Student’S Guide To The Unique Iranian Theocracy, Evan Linhardt

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

When listening to the news one day I heard the president of a nation describe wiping another country off the map. Later I heard from the same president that his country would defy United Nation recommendations and continue their nuclear program. The media took a great interest in this mans’ speeches and their potential implications. They portrayedIranas a country on the brink, challenging the world to stop them. The media unfortunately was focusing on the wrong man’s rhetoric because although he is labeled as president ofIran, he will not have a say in declaring war on another nation nor will …

Breaking The Law! Conditions For And Perception Of Civil Disobedience By Democratic Citizens, Adam Stanley

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This paper examines actions of civil disobedience and the laws relevant to those actions. Each case study was tested against an operational definition of civil disobedience to see if these actions could be considered a legitimate expression of civil disobedience. The legitimacy of the laws was assessed through the use of two competing legal philosophies of H. L. A. Hart and Ronald Dworkin. Then, the public’s opinion of civil disobedience was measured through the use of polls and survey data. The results showed that the three cases did follow the guidelines of civil disobedience established by the literature, but the …

What Are We Fighting For? An Analysis Of The Sociopolitical Non-Fiction Of Herbert George Wells, Jason Edward Sloan

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The legacy of H. G. Wells’ should not be limited to that of a British fiction writer. Wells advocated universal human rights and supported the engagement of broad public policy debate, and he often commented on the British government. His country had lived through World War I, the supposed “war to end all wars.” The roaring 1920’s arrived next, offering hope after World War I’s devastation. World War II was then thrust upon Britain. Wells was incensed that a thirty-year period had elapsed and, despite numerous promises by the British government, no social reform had emerged. For more than a …

Upward Bound's Success In Interest Group Politics, Jessica Yusaitis

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

I examine how interest groups can gain and maintain federal funding by following one successful case study – Upward Bound.

Upward Bound is a federal program, headed by the Department of Education, which assists low-income high school students with finishing high school and with entering and succeeding in higher education. In 2005, President Bush proposed to cut finding for Upward Bound in order to further fund his No Child Left Behind initiative. However, UB managed to conduct a rewarding venture into interest group politics, and the program was reauthorized.

I plan for this project to serve as a handbook for …

The Limits Of U.S. Governmental Power In Times Of Crisis, Adam M. Goldwater

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Government’s Emergency Power Throughout the History of the United States This paper reviews the use of power by the United States government during times of crisis. This paper analyzes both the arguments from Thomas Hobbes and John Locke regarding how limited both believe government should be. Throughout this debate John Locke believes that in leaving a state of nature we must enter into civil society through a social contract with each other. Hobbes’ view of the state of nature is such that he believes that there should be virtually no limitations on the power of government in eliminating citizens from …

Whatever Happened To The State?: A Preliminary Analysis Of The Role Of State And Civil Society In Development Discourse, Corrie Blankenbeckler

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The basic research problem of this thesis lies in the conflicting nature of the policies of the international financial system and of non-government organizations with regard to the state. Contemporary discourse in the international aid community manifests a deep mistrust of state institutions' ability to effectively manage developments reforms, but lacks the theoretical foundations and organizational methodologies that would be necessary to develop strategies to build up the state so that it might better perform its duties and minimize corruption.

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.

Wanted: New Methodologies For Peace, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes problems with common methodological approaches to developing knowledge that will prevent war and attain peace.

Utopia In The 21st Century: A Totalitarian Dilemma, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes the construct of utopia, examples of the construct, the common political consequences that the construct engenders, and the intractability of modifying the incidence and prevalence of utopias and their consequences.

An Ethological Approach To Information Warfare, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The editor discusses the concept of information warfare from a historical perspective..

Unrealized Expectations And Political Violence In Peru's Sendero Luminoso Insurgency, Michael J. Harrington

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The persistence of Sendero Luminoso’s insurgency since 1980 has produced a number of outstanding works on the history and politics of the movement. Nevertheless, the role of unrealized expectations and the ideological attraction of SL’s political violence, while often insinuated, has received less than thorough attention. Although several works examine Sendero’s ideology, none have yet considered the correlation between incongruent expectations and the ideological appeal of armed struggle. A possible reason for this neglect could be the perceived simplicity and remoteness of Sendero’s Gonzalo Thought ideology. Yet, Senderismo continues to inspire a small group of extremely violent guerrillas.

This paper …

Rethinking Accountability, Melvin Dubnick

Faculty Publications

This presentation examines the author’s work focusing on "rethinking accountability" in public administration. It critiques dominant paradigms, such as rational choice and bureaucratic politics, for their superficial understanding of public sector behavior and provides an overview to the widely cited “accountability framework” developed with Romzek in their 1987 study of the Challenger accident. The framework is based on the idea that public administrators and other decision makers are constantly faced with multiple, diverse and (often) conflicting expectations, and that various forms of accountability develop as a response to such situations. Ultimately, the paper advocates for a deeper, more nuanced understanding …

A Study Of The Development Of The Recreation Department Of Stockton, California, Margaret Fitzgerald Coston

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Stockton is a city suffering from the sudden realization that it is no longer a small farm town, end that in the process of becoming a moderate-sized city, a community faces inevitable growing pains.

The municipal recreation phase of city government well illustrates this fact. Because of the great need for expansion in this field, and because the city is now just beginning to rise to meet the occasion, a study of the Recreational Department and the program of the Metropolitan Recreation Commission in Stockton City Government and San Joaquin County, is a particularly interesting activity.

In contrast to many …