Politics and Social Change Commons^™

August Roundtable: Re-Thinking State Failure And Human Rights, Introduction, Claudia Fuentes

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“Think Again, Failed States ”. By James Traub. Foreign Policy. July/August 2011.

Eksklusi Sosial Dalam Anggaran Publik Studi Kasus Di Ngawi, Lamongan, Dan Makasar, Dzuriyatun Toyibah

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

The article aims to describe the process of social exclusion and inclusion within local government budget (APBD) in Lamongan and Ngawi East Java in 2006-2008, and Makasar South Sulawesi in 2009. Social exclusion was indicated by the absent of public participation in the decision making process. Social exclusion for public local budget appeared in regulation level such as unclear mechanism of public participation and the constraints to access budget documents. Those lead to avoid civil society to understand the real local budget. However, civil societies in three regions made several strategies to reduce social exclusion. The process was begun by …

Indigenous Perspectives: The Struggle For Land, Culture And Education In Rivas, Nicaragua, Jeremy Harrison-Smith

Capstone Collection

The domination of Western educational systems and the capitalist market over indigenous social economic structures has been detrimental to communities all over the world. The search for foreign investment and development opportunities, along with local government’s educational structuring has spread these systems to communities in Central America. This research explores first-hand accounts surrounding these influences through the perspectives of two Nahua indigenous communities in Rivas, Nicaragua. First, a history of indigenous struggles in Nicaragua along with U.S. economic influence on land rights, tourism and educational systems are explored. Then, the indigenous communities’ perspectives are presented to understand the effects of …

Torch (June 2011), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Demographic Transition: The Case Of Japan, Mary Beth Horiai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A combination of declining birthrates and increasing life expectancy in industrial countries has led to aging populations. In addition, more rapidly declining birth rates combined with only slowly increasing life spans has led to declining populations in some countries. These continuing demographic shifts are likely to be accompanied by economic, political and social changes. Japan is unique relative to other countries in four ways: 1) it has reached the condition of aging faster than any other industrialized country, 2) it has the highest life expectancy rate among major industrialized countries, 3) the proportion of elderly population (over 65) is the …

Process Evaluation Of The Chicago Juvenile Intervention And Support Center, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Researchers investigated the operations of a pre-court diversion program that provides services and supports to station adjusted youth offenders after contacting the Chicago Police Department but before they have been formally arrested and referred to the Cook County Juvenile Probation Department. The purpose of the study was to determine the suitability of the program for evaluation and to work with staff to enact any procedural modifications that may be needed to facilitate future evaluation activities.

Relative Democracy: Rwandan Perspectives On Representative Government, Gabriel C.J.M. Nahmias

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The primary objective of this research is to ascertain, at least in part, the importance Rwandan’s place on different aspects of democracy. This is done with the hope of giving Rwandans more voice in the discussion of the “democratization” of their own country. With Rwanda’s unique culture and history, the application of “democracy” within this nation should be done, in the mind of the researcher, in accordance to the context, and the only people who fully understand this context are Rwandans themselves. The secondary objective is to hypothesize why these aspects have particular importance in the Rwandan context. The tertiary …

“Jamás Será Vencido:” Un Estudio De Caso De La Producción De Deporte Y Capital Social Del Club Deportivo Unión Jiménez En Valparaíso, Kevin Mechenbier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper seeks to address the relationship between the “clubes deportivos” of Valparaíso and the offices within the city government. Both national and municipal laws address the importance of developing sport within their jurisdictions, along with methods of developing and maintaining relevant institutions. The “clubes deportivos,” while they are a collection of private actors, are widely popular, and appear to be an effective method of achieving the goals that are set out in the municipal laws. The research question, then, is: how does the municipality perceive the local clubs, and based on this, in what ways does the municipal government …

La Educación Intercultural Bilingüe En Cusco: Un Análisis Crítico Del Discurso De Algunos Sectores Involucrados Con Su Implementación, Maggie Hutchison

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En la segunda mitad del siglo XX en el Perú, la iniciativa de la Educación Intercultural Bilingüe, o la EIB, ha sido una manera importante de promover la revaloración de las lenguas y culturas indígenas y contribuir a un cambio social donde los espacios nacionales políticos y sociales incluyen por primera vez a las poblaciones indígenas sin la discriminación del pasado. La EIB tendrá mayor posibilidad de realizar un cambio social en el Perú si tiene el apoyo de todos los sectores involucrados con su implementación exitosa y más extendida. Cada sector tiene su propio discurso y comprensión de la …

Building Houses, Making Homes: The Experiencing Of Returning To Post-War Sanski Most, Claire Griffith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over half of Bosnia’s population was displaced by the war from 1992-1995. One of the political objectives of the war was the separating of Bosnia’s ethnically intermixed population into homogenous spaces. This was achieved through ethnic cleansing of communities. Broadening the discussion of ethnic cleansing, authors, such as Gearoid O Tuathail and Carl Cahlman, have analyzed ethnic cleansing, as it occurred in Bosnia, within the framework of ‘domicide,’ or the ““he intentional exercise of violence to destroy a particular type of spatiality: homes. It is ‘the deliberate killing of home’” (O Tuathail and Dahlman, 244). Assuming ‘domicide’ rather than just …

Torch (April/May 2011), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A Long Road Home: Housing Rights In South Africa’S Informal Settlement, Joe Slovo, Kaitlyn Bowles

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Most countries legally consider housing to be a necessary human right. But for
millions of individuals in this world, adequate housing is out of reach. Homelessness is evident in different manors throughout the world, but in South Africa, the problem of insufficient housing develops itself in the form of informal settlements. One such settlement, Joe Slovo1, is situated just outside of Cape Town, and is the primary focus of this paper. Recently, Joe Slovo has been a prominent feature in the local news because of its involvement in a Constitutional Court case. On March 30, 2011, 20,000 residents of Joe …

Conciencia Social En Granada: Los Éxitos Y Las Dificultades - Raising Social Consciousness In Granada: Successes And Difficulties, Heidi Hong

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Through my community service project at Granada Insider, an English language tourist magazine, I was encouraged to research upcoming events that may give tourists a different perspective of Granada. As I compiled lists of activities in Granada, I was struck by the quantity of events that promoted consciousness about critical themes concerning gender, immigration, and social justice. At my home institution, I had been involved in various campus organizations that are concerned with social issues. My personal interest led me to investigate the role of the provincial government in raising consciousness in public locations. In my project, I establish …

“It’S Just Not That Simple:” Territory And Politics At Girdwood Park, Kyra Fallon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report is the outcome of a month long study of space and territory in North Belfast. Data was obtained by way of qualitative methods using focused interviews and mapping, within theoretical frameworks from sociology and human geography. Segregation, space, and demographic change are explored as factors of localized territorial conflict. This theory is applied to the Crumlin Road Gaol and Girdwood Barracks regeneration project in North Belfast, where the contentious issue of housing on the site has stalled other development. The research finds that these factors do play a role in the project and also seeks to explore the …

Welfare Reform Policies And Their Effect On Poverty Rates Across The United States, Luke N. Welle

Political Science Theses and Capstones

We have all heard the arguments on the pros and cons of welfare reform, its effect on recipient’s lives, and its effectiveness in achieving its goals. In concluding whether or not it is effective in achieving its goals, the actual goals are broad and difficult to define. I consider the goal being reducing the number of citizens living in poverty. My research focuses specifically on how variations in the welfare system perform in reducing poverty rates across the United States. I investigate what governmental policies each state has in place and their effect on poverty. Those states, in which poverty …

Female Genital Mutilation: Policies To Encourage Abandonment, Melissa Arneson

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) also known as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) captured my interest the first time I heard about the practice. I assumed, wrongly, that it was only practiced in remote areas of Africa where educational opportunities were few and outside influences were nil. After researching the topic it is clear that is not the case. FGM is practiced in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, and around the world. It is a barbaric practice that has no religious significance and is incredibly harmful to women and their health, both mentally and physically. I focused my research on …

Rebuilding After Hurricane Katrina: The Big Easy, And The Long Road Home., Jennifer S. Boucher

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The objective of this study is to analyze the influences of demographic patterns, planning politics and funding disbursement processes in rebuilding New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina's storm surge engulfed several neighborhoods of Orleans Parish Louisiana, on August 29th 2005.Immediately following the storm surge, national opinion makers began debating the possibility of shrinking the footprint of New Orleans, as part of the rebuilding process. Although recovery efforts were begun almost immediately, at the five year anniversary of the cataclysmic natural disaster more than a hundred thousand of New Orleanians are still displaced. Utilizing regression analysis as a quantitative measure and qualitative …

Why Now And What's Next: The February 20th Movement’S Challenge To The State, Marina Balleria

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Moroccan state takes a nuanced place among autocracies and democracies—the regime features fundamental democratic institutions and while the central power of the monarchy is maintained through a constellation of political, economic, social, and cultural institutions. In this case, David Brumberg’s classification of “liberalized autocracies” is useful, which defines these states as using a mixture of “guided pluralism, controlled elections and selective repression” to maintain and centralize power[1] This political structure of liberalized autocracy creates sufficient political opportunity for various protest movements to emerge but until recently few have successfully enacted change. The February 20^th protest movement, inspired …

Zenga Zenga, Tente Tente: Can Tunisian Humanitarian Efforts Save And Preserve The Ideals Of The Revolution?, Ava Hess

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“We are a part of the revolution, even if we are five or six hundred kilometers from Tunis, ” though the muggy tent I am sitting in feels like it could be much further than several hundred kilometers from the country’s capital or indeed from any city of today’s world. In fact, my mind wanders in a heat haze, it feels like it could even be on a different planet… “We are a part of it,” he repeats. Outside, I can hear the determined desert winds raise sand high up and into the clouds, covering the landscape in a filmy, …

Post-Revolutionary Effects: Political Self-Education Of Tunisian Youth, Erica Zarlenga

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tunisia is a country with a rich and diverse historical and cultural background that has absorbed many ideas from western thought into its political and educational systems. For many years, the Tunisian “Republic” had the appearance of a government similar to Western democracies, yet the president’s actions were very far from those of a democratically elected president. The flaws in former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Ben Ali)’s government in addition to sweeping unemployment and underdevelopment were the factors which led to the major uprising that became the Tunisian revolution. Although the revolution was a great symbolic victory for …

The Successes And Shortcomings Of Participatory Slum-Upgrading In Villa 31, Jacob Perten

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Villa 31, an urban shantytown in the heart of Buenos Aires, a team of technical professionals and community members are working together on a slum-upgrading project. Through a participatory approach, in which community members are involved in all aspects of the upgrading process, this project seeks to better overall conditions through infrastructural and structural improvements. This study investigates the participatory process used in the upgrading of Villa 31, and using theoretical best practices as a basis of comparison, underscores key achievements and limitations of the current project. Based on chosen shortcomings, the final section makes recommendations to maximize participatory …

Sandino Socialists, Flagwaving Comrades, Red Rabblerousers: The Struggle For A Left Praxis In Northern Ireland, Benny Witkovsky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the outcome of three weeks of research on Left politics in Northern Ireland. Taking the 2011 Assembly Elections as my focal point, I conducted a number of interviews with candidates and supporters, attended meetings and rallies, and participated in neighborhood canvasses. These experiences led me to two contrasting conclusions: in many ways the Left in Northern Ireland appears disconnected from contemporary political scene; and the Left has an important critique to offer the region regarding Sectarianism, the economic collapse and post‐Good Friday Accords politics. Finally, by discussing changes to the Lefts

theories, organizations and environment, I attempt …

Economic Circumstances And Support For Universal Health Care, Daniel Cotter

Political Science Theses and Capstones

There have been many differing opinions over the new health care bill passed in 2010. My research is aimed at finding what factors play a role in forming an opinion on the new health care bill. Specifically looking at the economic and demographic circumstances of citizens of the United States and how it has affected their opinions on the health care bill. I use data gathered from the Pew Research Center and ran crosstabs on various different variables including opinions on the current economy, demographic characteristics, as well as opinions on the current health care plan. I anticipate finding that …

Torch (March 2011), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Emergence Of Latin America: A Break With History?, Mauricio Cardenas

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

The idea is to discuss recent economic and social trends in Latin America, many of which defy the conventional wisdom in the U.S. about the region. At the same time, the region is divided between two ideological camps, so progress will not be uniform between countries. Understanding the origins and implications of the ideological divide is crucial.

Torch (February 2011), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Those Pesky Winds Of Change..., Walter Lotze

Human Rights & Human Welfare

When a police officer slapped a fruit seller by the name of Mohammed Bouazizi in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid, nobody could have anticipated that a revolution had commenced. Bouazizi, a twenty-six-year-old computer science graduate unable to find work, had resorted to selling fruit from a street cart in an attempt to support himself and his seven siblings. Slapped by the police officer and ordered to pack up his goods, Bouazizi himself snapped. He marched to the local governor’s office and demanded an appointment, threatening to set himself alight if the governor did not meet with him. In frustration, …

He's Our Son Of A Bitch, Robert Funk

Human Rights & Human Welfare

It is said that Franklin Delano Roosevelt defended the US tendency to support dictators by remarking, “He may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch.” The recent events in Tunisia and Egypt indicate that almost seventy years later, this unfortunate phrase seems to continue to guide US foreign policy.

Koalisi Ornop Pasca Orde Baru: Studi Tentang Jaringan Walhi Dalam Kampanye Isu Hutan, Febryandi Harsono

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

One kind of campaign that do by lot of non-governmental organization that focus their movement on environmental issue is forestry issue campaign. Walhi as one of the biggest environmental organization in Indonesia is always powerful on doing forestry issue campaign. This campaign is held in order to show their empathy with forest problems in Indonesia nowadays. Forestry issue campaign is held to aware the government and our society that they need to save our forest is do by work alone as one organization or work together, build network with another non governmental organization in order to make some non governmental …

Governmentality Dan Perberdayaan Dalam Advokasi Lingkungan: Kasus Lumpur Lapindo, Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

This essay examines the social movement within the upturn of environmental problem in ecological disaster case in Sidoarjo. Bringing up the new social movement paradigm, environmental movement is a form of resistance that has never been classified as a Marxist class consciousness social movement. The author argues that Social movement could also be the result of the problem rising from environmental degradation as an effect of state industrialization. As a movement which is not based on determinism of certain class awareness, collaboration turns into important factor of civil society consolidation forces. However, NGO initiative in building alliance with grassroots habitually …