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Presidential Influence On The Bureaucracy: The Curious Case Of Lina Khan, Nickolas Remish 2024 University of Mary Washington

Presidential Influence On The Bureaucracy: The Curious Case Of Lina Khan, Nickolas Remish

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

How effective can a president be in promoting his or her policies through the bureaucracy? Most theories postulate the president has influence – via appointees, budgeting, and executive orders. This paper unpacks the president’s influence on the bureaucracy by analyzing President Biden’s effect on antitrust, particularly with regards to addressing labor concerns. Biden appears to depart from previous presidential administrations due to his heightened emphasis on labor’s need for protection and antitrust law as the optimal vehicle for helping workers. The data, pulled from federal and state court antitrust cases since 2000, relies on textual analysis with regards to the …


Uncharted Territory: Researching The Effect Of Implicit Bias On The Political Attitudes Of Black Participants, Briona Young 2024 Murray State University

Uncharted Territory: Researching The Effect Of Implicit Bias On The Political Attitudes Of Black Participants, Briona Young

Honors College Theses

Extant research suggests that implicit bias can predict behavior such as voting, policy preferences, and assessment of government performance (Pérez 2010). Yet, research on implicit bias has largely excluded people of color and differences in gender, leaving a wide gap in our understanding of implicit bias and its effects on society (Assari 2018: Orey 2013). In this study, I research implicit bias within the Black community and test its effects on political attitudes. I administered Harvard’s Implicit Association Test (IAT) and a survey to measure levels of implicit bias and subsequently race-related policy attitudes. I expect to find that the …


Are The Good Times Really Over For Good? American Political Nostalgia's Relationship With Rurality, Authoritarianism, And Victimhood., Chancellor R. Peterson 2024 University of Louisville

Are The Good Times Really Over For Good? American Political Nostalgia's Relationship With Rurality, Authoritarianism, And Victimhood., Chancellor R. Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are many discussions about why rural and urban Americans exhibit different attitudes about politics, partisan loyalties, and ideologies. Some of these differences can be explained by psychological processes and traits. People act differently and influence (or are influenced by) political processes differently based on their perceptions of and emotions regarding the past, present, and future states of the world. The same is true with rural and urban Americans. This research will investigate the effects of one potent emotion on political attitudes: nostalgia. Prior research has indicated that political nostalgia can be harnessed as a strong political tool. This thesis …


The Truth Of The American Immigration System: Family Separation, Tegwyn Hollenbach '24 2024 DePauw University

The Truth Of The American Immigration System: Family Separation, Tegwyn Hollenbach '24

Honor Scholar Theses

This paper will begin with the first chapter by detailing the foundation of policies the American government built up in order to create the immigration system. The policies centralized around being acts of exclusion in an attempt to keep those the government deemed good enough out. There will be details on the last major immigration reform law and explanations as to what factors and events have played into creating the American Immigration system today. The second chapter will delve deeper into more modern immigration policies by focusing on recent presidential administrations that have attempted and failed to make a productive …


Applying Exploratory Learning Methods To Sociopolitical Beliefs And Cognition., Sarah French 2024 University of Louisville

Applying Exploratory Learning Methods To Sociopolitical Beliefs And Cognition., Sarah French

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Americans are polarized along party lines across a variety of sociopolitical issues, including climate change and sustainability issues. Sociopolitical messaging often triggers biased processing that results in defensive rejection or biased elaboration (i.e., counterarguing) of belief-incongruent information. The current research examined whether exploratory learning activities, primarily applied in STEM-education research, can foster belief updating about polarized sustainability issues. Exploratory learning encourages people to engage with learning materials and arrive at their own conclusions before receiving direct instruction/messaging. In two experiments, participants reported their beliefs about carbon taxes and electric vehicle incentives (among other issues) before and after receiving counter-attitudinal persuasive …


Presidential Nomination Forecasting 2024: Classic Components In An Atypical Race, Sophia Coco 2024 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Presidential Nomination Forecasting 2024: Classic Components In An Atypical Race, Sophia Coco

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The topic of American presidential elections has remained central to political discussions since the founding fathers drafted the Constitution. Article Two, Section One of the Constitution lays out the guidelines for presidential elections, yet Article Two neglects to mention the process of how to nominate candidates for the presidential race. Lacking Constitutional guidance, early presidential nomination conventions of the parties in the 19th century and early 20th century did not reflect ideals of democracy. The delegates that voted at the conventions were selected by party insiders and their votes reflected the sentiments of the party bosses, disregarding the …


Surveys: Who's Asking? Who's Answering? Is Anybody Listening?, Virginia C. Thomas 2024 Wayne State University

Surveys: Who's Asking? Who's Answering? Is Anybody Listening?, Virginia C. Thomas

Library Scholarly Publications

The author examines the historical impact of surveys and opinion polls on the U.S. Congress.


The Politics Of Gender Affirming Healthcare: A New Battleground For Morality Policy?, Reaves Robinson 2024 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

The Politics Of Gender Affirming Healthcare: A New Battleground For Morality Policy?, Reaves Robinson

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Morality policy as a discipline saw its peak during the transformative years at the turn of the 21st century; however, there has been very little scholarship to follow new social policy issues that have arisen in the past two decades. Anti-transgender policy, specifically, can be considered under the morality policy scope following years of LGBTQ+ scholarship that fell under the morality policy umbrella. In 2023 alone, more than 200 pieces of anti-transgender legislation were introduced in state legislatures across the nation. A trend among the increasingly popular policy realm can be seen from gender affirming healthcare bans, where almost …


Vice President Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller And The Death Of Liberal Republicanism, Anthony Sterba 2024 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Vice President Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller And The Death Of Liberal Republicanism, Anthony Sterba

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller once stood as one of the most prominent figures in the Republican Party, standing as a champion of liberal Republicanism. But from the heights that he achieved with his ascension to the vice presidency, he fell from grace, not being re-nominated for the post alongside President Gerald Ford in 1976. This thesis seeks to explain why this occurred. In explaining this, Rockefeller's previous primary campaigns, vice presidential actions, and ideology are all explored to show the conservative opposition that rallied itself against him. In light of this, Ronald Reagan's challenge of Gerald Ford in 1976 for the …


Make America(N Cinema) Great Again: The Rhetoric Of Nostalgia In Trump Era Cinematic Multiplicities, Courtney J. Dreyer 2024 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Make America(N Cinema) Great Again: The Rhetoric Of Nostalgia In Trump Era Cinematic Multiplicities, Courtney J. Dreyer

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation investigates the rhetoric of nostalgia in politics and popular Hollywood cinema during the Trump era. I argue that MAGA Cinema, the contemporary trend of reboots, remakes, and sequels related to properties from the late 1970s to early 1990s, both respond to and strengthen attachments to an imagined version of the 1980s. However, this illusory golden age more closely reflects the world as depicted in the cinema of the 1980s rather than the reality of American in the years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Through a close analysis of David Gordon Green’s Halloween Reboot series, Top Gun: Maverick, and …


Reaping What You Subsidize: A Comprehensive Review Of Outcomes From Crop Subsidies In The United States, Sawyer J. Knox 2024 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Reaping What You Subsidize: A Comprehensive Review Of Outcomes From Crop Subsidies In The United States, Sawyer J. Knox

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The motivation for researching this topic comes from an interest in public policy and public health. In this paper, we will examine the impact of farm subsidies on the health of citizens, look at who benefits financially and economically from these subsidies, and examine the environmental impact of these programs. The paper will be structured as follows: Section II, the wealth distribution results from farm subsidies; Section III, the disproportionate impacts on health from farm subsidies; Section IV, the impact on global economies from farm subsidies; Section V, the environmental impact from farm subsidies; and Section VI, conclusions and policy …


Navigating Islamophobia: Exploring Attitudes Towards Muslim Immigration And Policing, Devansh Mehta 2024 Chapman University

Navigating Islamophobia: Exploring Attitudes Towards Muslim Immigration And Policing, Devansh Mehta

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, Islamophobic dispositions in the United States have surged within its political and societal arenas. In this paper, I will examine two specific dimensions of Islamophobia such as ceasing immigration from Muslim countries and increased police presence in Muslim neighborhoods and how those behaviors may be influenced by political affiliation and different ways news is consumed using social media and cable news. Relying on the Chapman Survey of American Fears, a representative national sample of U.S. adults completed a forty-question survey in which I tested the above independent variables to see their individual effects on …


Factors In Decision Making Of Political Candidates, Levi Ramirez Garcia 2024 Chapman University

Factors In Decision Making Of Political Candidates, Levi Ramirez Garcia

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

What factors impact the decision to run as non-partisan over one of the major US parties? It is essential to analyze this phenomenon to determine the real motivations of candidates and the party they represent because they impact society as a whole. The candidates' ideologies and how the candidates feel representing the parties' ideologies are the main reasons for choosing non-partisan over one of the major US parties. This occurs because humans tend to work where they feel comfortable and in places with the same values and ideologies as them. It is the same in the case of candidates; they …


The Contemporary Causes Of Americans' Fear Of Illegal Immigration, Amilie Cai 2024 Chapman University

The Contemporary Causes Of Americans' Fear Of Illegal Immigration, Amilie Cai

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Annually, the U.S. aspires to extend its liberality by opening its border to more than ten thousand refugees. In this paper, I examine how political party identification, census region, and internet usage influence U.S. adults' fear of illegal immigration. Relying on the 2023 Chapman Survey of American Fears, a representative national sample of U.S. adults, I find that political party has remained a consistent predictor for an American’s fear of illegal immigration, with people who align themselves with the Republican Party in 2022 being more afraid of illegal immigration compared to other political parties, such as the Democrat Party. In …


Reaping What We Sow: The Implications And Outcomes Of Mississippi House Bill 1125, The “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (Reap)” Act, Kerigan Brewer 2024 The University of Southern Mississippi

Reaping What We Sow: The Implications And Outcomes Of Mississippi House Bill 1125, The “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (Reap)” Act, Kerigan Brewer

Honors Theses

Mississippi House Bill 1125 (MS HB1125), also known as the “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (REAP) Act,” was signed into law by Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves in early 2023 (REAP Act, 2023). It is one of multiple policies passed into law that limit the rights of transgender people. This thesis aims to clarify the history of the trans community, dispel myths around gender-affirming health care and the trans identity, and discuss the current state of anti-trans laws and transgender rights. Using a policy analysis framework by DiNitto (2011), MS HB1125 is analyzed on points like its social and economic costs, the …


Charge The Cockpit Or Die: An Anatomy Of Fear-Driven Political Rhetoric In American Conservatism, Daniel Hostetter 2024 Liberty University

Charge The Cockpit Or Die: An Anatomy Of Fear-Driven Political Rhetoric In American Conservatism, Daniel Hostetter

Senior Honors Theses

Subthreshold negative emotions have superseded conscious reason as the initial and strongest motivators of political behavior. Political neuroscience uses the concepts of negativity bias and terror management theory to explore why fear-driven rhetoric plays such an outsized role in determining human political actions. These mechanisms of human anthropology are explored by competing explanations from biblical and evolutionary scholars who attempt to understand their contribution to human vulnerabilities to fear. When these mechanisms are observed in fear-driven political rhetoric, three common characteristics emerge: exaggerated threat, tribal combat, and religious apocalypse, which provide a new framework for explaining how modern populist leaders …


Is No News Good News?: Exploring The Impact Of Social Media Use On Misinformation Beliefs, Corbin Poyer 2024 University of Mary Washington

Is No News Good News?: Exploring The Impact Of Social Media Use On Misinformation Beliefs, Corbin Poyer

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Does diminishing access to print news have an impact on people’s propensity to believe misinformation? What if this misinformation emanates from an online source as opposed to a print source? The focus of recent research on misinformation has been narrow: (1) recognizing its existence and acknowledging its potential impact, and (2) generating and categorizing potential analytical types of misinformation. However, the ramifications of vanishing print media have so far been overlooked. This paper asserts a connection between news sources and misinformation beliefs, further positing that the decline in the quality and availability of quality print journalism predicates an individual’s belief …


A Trump-Shaped Shadow: Demonstrating Competing Republican Identities To Gain Party Support, Amede Karina-Plun 2024 University of Mary Washington

A Trump-Shaped Shadow: Demonstrating Competing Republican Identities To Gain Party Support, Amede Karina-Plun

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

How do Republican candidates demonstrate their conservative identity to appeal to Republican primary voters? Recent scholarship finds that ascendant groups within the Republican Party have changed the party’s platform, moved to the extreme right, and redefined the American conservative identity. This paper hypothesizes that former President Donald Trump is advantaged in the 2024 Republican primary as the party’s standard bearer. Additionally, I hypothesize that former Governor Nikki Haley and Governor Ron DeSantis try to gain support from Republican voters by redefining what it means to be a Republican, and they use their appeal to Republican voters as alternatives to Trump …


Electing Generational Immigrants: Campaign Messaging Strategies Of Asian American Candidates In Virginia, Jane Michael 2024 University of Mary Washington

Electing Generational Immigrants: Campaign Messaging Strategies Of Asian American Candidates In Virginia, Jane Michael

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the U.S. due to immigration – so why don’t we hear more of their stories in electoral politics? Ninety percent of Asian Americans are immigrants or children of immigrants, which is an identity that can and often does influence political participation and motivation for both voters and candidates. Recent theories look directly at linked fate, which posits that individuals who share a group identity, usually a racial or ethnic minority identity, also share a sense that anything that affects another member of the group, impacts them all. This research …


The True Cost Of Education, William J. Norris III 2024 Liberty University

The True Cost Of Education, William J. Norris Iii

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Education, rightfully, has been seen as the best way to train the next generation of citizens. The Founding Fathers held that it was essential for the nation’s growth to teach children citizenship and virtue. With the recent expansion of school choice options across the country, this is a good time to refocus on that goal, and examine the true cost of public education in America. This study will examine data, particularly information published by the Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau, to form a picture of the true cost of public education. Even though a large percentage of …


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