Comparative Politics Commons^™

War By Government: Which Systems Are Most Likely To Engage In Conflict?, Courtney Lemon

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Cia And The Cold War Era, Mary E. Byers

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency and its role in the Cold War. Great detail highlights the timeliness of the CIA’s creation and dynamic role over the years that followed its founding. For half a century, attempts to understand the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dominated the CIA’s agenda. Thus, careful study of this era is important to understanding the progression of intelligence within the United States. The avenue of research for this thesis was a collaboration of published books, online journals, credible websites, and personal interviews. The development of the …

Welfare Benefits After The 1996 Reform Act: A New Look At The Idea Of States As Welfare Magnets, Erin Sollund

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The focus of this research is to find the differences of how each state’s welfare policies have changed since the welfare reform act of 1996, and also how recipients have responded to this change. In my analysis I combined data from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Preliminary results suggest that states with a higher percentage of recipients on welfare before the reform showed a greater change in number of recipients than states starting with a lower percentage as did states with stronger Democratic leanings, a more …

Are They Ready For Their Close-Up? Civil Servants And Their Portrayal In Contemporary American Cinema, Michelle C. Pautz, Laura Roselle

Political Science Faculty Publications

Norma Desmond famously says in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. (1950), “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup.”1 Since then, this phrase has been uttered countless times to ensure the camera does not start rolling until everyone is ready. But all are not afforded the opportunity to get ready and civil servants fall squarely into this category. We know that government bureaucrats are among those individuals that Americans love to hate and attacks on the civil service come from a plethora of sources.2 And because of the ability of film (as well as other narrative forms) to influence perceptions …

The Bush And The Obama Administrations And The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 2001-2009, Laura Simon Espinalt

Theses & Honors Papers

This thesis’ aim is to determine whether or not the Obama administration had a chance to produce a more effective foreign policy for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict approach used by the Bush administration. The thesis analyzed the two administrations’ foreign policies toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and compare the diplomacy used by Bust throughout his administration and the diplomacy used by Obama during his first year in office. The requirements that embody good negotiations from a problem-solving perspective and comparison to how the Bush and the Obama administrations have approached the conflict are examined. It is concluded that in order for a …

Central Bank Independence In Words And In Deeds: Lessons From Brazil And Chile, Taeko Hiroi, Douglas Block

Selected Works Temporary Series

Political independence of the central bank is considered to bring financial stability to a nation and therefore to foster economic growth by providing safe investment environments. However, granting a central bank autonomy is politically contentious because of the implications such independence will entail for politicians in terms of their ability to influence monetary policy. This chapter analyzes central bank independence in words and in deeds. The first part discusses the existing literature on central bank independence and problems associated with its measurement. The implications of this debate are analyzed with two Latin American countries, Brazil and Chile. In Brazil, the …

The Small N Methodological Challenges Of Analyzing Regional Integration, Gaspare Genna, Philippe Delombaerde

Selected Works Temporary Series

As the number of regional integration organizations increases, the attention to case selection in small-N qualitative analysis becomes more necessary in order to avoid selection biases that could produce results with doubtful generalizations. This paper addresses the problem of selecting cases and offers solutions to potential pitfalls in research. First we examine various research designs in qualitative methods and discuss the problems of selecting observations on the dependent variable. We next discuss the operational definition of regions. In order to select from a population of observations, it is important to understand what is and what is not included. Finally, a …

Central Bank Independence In Words And In Deeds: Lessons From Brazil And Chile, Taeko Hiroi, Douglas Block

Departmental Papers (PS)

Political independence of the central bank is considered to bring financial stability to a nation and therefore to foster economic growth by providing safe investment environments. However, granting a central bank autonomy is politically contentious because of the implications such independence will entail for politicians in terms of their ability to influence monetary policy. This chapter analyzes central bank independence in words and in deeds. The first part discusses the existing literature on central bank independence and problems associated with its measurement. The implications of this debate are analyzed with two Latin American countries, Brazil and Chile. In Brazil, the …

Far From Gold: Why Hosting The Olympics Is Detrimental To The Host Country, Carlen Don

CMC Senior Theses

Due to the excitement and prestige surrounding the Olympics, international perceptions of hosting the Games are positive and the Olympics are thought to bring prosperity and economic benefits to the host country. However this paper insists that hosting the Olympic Games is actually more detrimental to the host country than beneficial. Though each Games is different and every host country has the opportunity to create a positive Games, the negative aspects of hosting the Games create a difficult environment for any country to host a successful Games. Due to the negative effects of the Olympics on national unity, economic impact …

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 …

Selling Its Future Short: Armenia's Economic And Security Relations With Russia, Ian J. Mcginnity

CMC Senior Theses

It is necessary and desirable for Armenia to retain close relations with Russia in both the short and long term. However, recent concessions to Russia for good relations in the short term may have potentially harmful repercussions for Armenia in the future. These concessions have in part resulted in the Russian dominance in the economic sector, over-dependence on Russia for Armenia’s energy needs, and the perpetuation of Armenian submissiveness to Russian interests. Armenia should, therefore, maintain good relations with Russia while simultaneously securing long-term paths that focus on actual strategic partnership and not dependence. In short, Armenia should return to …