Political Science Commons^™

Fiscal Federalism And Nigeria's Development: Comparative Perspectives From Canadian Fiscal Federalism, Olumide Victor Ekanade

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This paper evaluates the historical dynamics that have shaped the development of fiscal federalism in Nigeria and Canada over the years. It contends that certain contradictions have inhibited the efficient and equitable allocation of tax powers and expenditure responsibilities in Nigeria. These include Nigeria's defective federal structure, military rule, Presidential federalism, politicized sharing principles, and the parochial political culture. These absurdities now threaten the stability of the Nigerian federation. The paper submits that the Canadian Federation offers a viable option for renewal with principles such as autonomy of sub national units, the predominance of the civic culture, scientific equalization, and …

The Next Act In A Long Saga: Southern Sudan To Declare Independence On July 9, 2011, Sandra Popiden

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

In The Eye Of The Beholder? Motivated Reasoning In Disputed Elections, Kyle C. Kopko, Sarah Mckinnon Bryner, Jeffrey Budziak, Christopher J. Devine, Steven P. Nawara

Political Science Faculty Publications

This study uses an experimental design to simulate the ballot counting process during a hand-recount after a disputed election. Applying psychological theories of motivated reasoning to the political process, we find that ballot counters’ party identification conditionally influences their ballot counting decisions. Party identification’s effect on motivated reasoning is greater when ballot counters are given ambiguous, versus specific, instructions for determining voter intent. This study’s findings have major implications for ballot counting procedures throughout the United States and for the use of motivated reasoning in the political science literature.

Review Of "The Limits Of U.S. Military Capability: Lessons From Vietnam And Iraq" By J. Lebovic, Dominic Tierney

Political Science Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Implications Of Water Insecurity For Fragile And Failing States: The Case Of Pakistan, Jennifer Norins

Graduate Masters Theses

As we become more firmly established in the 21st century, the international system faces a number of increasingly more difficult challenges that pose threats to global security and human progress. Among these challenges, water scarcity and failing states have each received prominent attention in both the academic and policy realms. Water serves a number of critical purposes for human survival and socio-economic activity. The threat of water scarcity is becoming increasingly salient and the capacity of states to ensure water security, and other securities which water security supports, is being tested. Fragile and failing states also occupy significant space in …

June Roundtable: Human Rights In Central America, Introduction, Claudia Fuentes

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“The Tormented Isthmus ”. The Economist. April 14 2011.

The Hearts And Minds Of The Citizens, Brooke Ackerly

Human Rights & Human Welfare

If the US contributes increased military support to Guatemala under the premise of curtailing the drug trade, it could inadvertently further destabilize this already politically unstable country. It certainly will not contribute to developing a sense of political alliance in the hearts and minds of its citizens. Concerns about destabilization in Guatemala (and Central America more generally) and the role of this destabilization in facilitating the drug trade have led the Economist to suggest that the solution is to increase military foreign aid to Guatemala.

Generic Wish-Lists For State-Centric Policies, Edzia Carvalho

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The Central America depicted in the article under review resembles a region visited by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—colonial Conquest, civil War, Famine and other natural disasters, and poverty, disease and Death. Added to this list of woes are the recent drug-fueled conflict, democratic instability, weak state capacity, and the socio-economic fallout of the economic recession in the United States. While the first half of the article records these problems, the author shifts gears in the second half and provides an array of responses to these challenges, with a forceful recommendation that states in the region focus their efforts …

Conflict Resolution Agenda: Approaching Its Expiration Date, Jonas Claes

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Conflict resolution scholars and policy-makers have traditionally prioritized research and policy measures dealing with political violence, treating criminal violence as a contextual factor in their analysis or as a subordinate policy concern. One may wonder why the value of a casualty differs depending on whether the fatal blow was caused by a tank, a gang knife, or even a typhoon. The prioritization of political violence over criminal violence seems morally unjustified considering that the killing rates in Guatemala and El Salvador are higher now than during the civil wars that ended in the 1990s. Despite similarities in the causes, manifestations, …

Varieties Of Capitalism, Power Resources, And Historical Legacies: Explaining The Slovenian Exception, Stephen Crowley, Miroslav Stanojevic

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Although Slovenia is a small, relatively new nation-state, it has been justifiably called "neocorporatist" and a "coordinated market economy," making it unique among postcommunist societies, including ten new EU member states. The authors explore how it became so, and in the process shed light on the debate between varieties of capitalism (VoC) and power resources theories about how coordinated or neocorporatist economies emerge. Although several of the elements predicted by the varieties of capitalism perspective were present in Slovenia, others were not. The authors also find that a significant mobilization by organized labor at a crucial point played an essential …

Player Two Has Entered The Game: The Role Of Congress In The Formation Of American Foreign Policy During The Presidency Of George W. Bush, Glenn W. Caulfield

Political Science

No abstract provided.

Magoffin, Beriah, 1815-1885 - Letters To (Sc 821), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Fidning aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 821.  Facsimiles of two letters to Magoffin while he was governor of Kentucky. John E. Records, a Falmouth Democrat, writes of his reaction to the newly-founded Republican Party in his 31 March 1860 letter. Major General Leonidas Polk writes from Columbus 9 September 1861, telling  of the occupation of this Mississippi River town by Confederate troops. Also, photocopies of census records.

Senate Bill (S) 52-001: Executive Branch Structure, University Of South Florida. Student Government Senate

Legislative Branch Publications

Legislation regarding changes in the organization of Student Government Executive Branch.

Electoral College (Sc 2451), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2451.  Certification of George B. Hodge, James McKenzie, James M. Bigger, S. P. Love, R. S. Bevier, J. M. Atherton, Richard A. Jones, H. Cox, W. C. P. Breckinridge, Robert E. Little, A. L. Martin, and H. L. Stone, electors for Kentucky, as to the outcome of their votes for president and vice president of the United States, 1872.  Includes notice of certification for 1880 bearing the signatures of the electors only.

Dickey, Robert W., B. 1933 (Sc 2449), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2449.  Letter, dated 30 January 1963, from attorney Marshall Funk to Robert W. Dickey related to an school integration lawsuit in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  Also includes the political platform and biographical information for Raymond McClard's 1973 state Senate race.

The Rollercoaster Ride Of Redistricting, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

At Kings Dominion they have rollercoaster rides called the Intimidator, the Dominator, the Grizzly and - my favorite - the Hurler. I think they should add one called the Redistricting Rollercoaster Ride, which would be equally as thrilling and nauseating. I hopped on this ride thinking I was to be a viable candidate in Senate District 8, a new district to include portions of Henrico and Chesterfield counties and part of the city of Richmond. I turned out to be a theoretical candidate for a theoretical district, as Senate District 8 was eliminated from the redistricting bill. I walk away, …

"We'll Make Our History": Israeli And Palestinian Youth As Poetic Agents, Caleb Hamman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This paper, in short, analyzes and argue for recognition of a particular form of political action as exercised by a particular type of political agent in the spatial and 3 symbolic context of "Israel-Palestine."

Making Wku A Fair Trade University, Matthew John Vaughan

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Many products consumed on college campuses such as coffee and chocolate come from developing countries where producers are often paid insufficiently and exploited. Fair Trade certification of products guarantees producers a fair price and other social benefits. The objective of my CE/T project is to initiate a successful campaign to increase awareness of Fair Trade among students at WKU and gain "Fair Trade University" recognition for WKU. My efforts have included establishing a permanent Fair Trade Steering Committee, organizing campus-wide awareness events and partnering with campus groups to promote Fair Trade education and awareness. In this final account, I review …

Shirley, Mrs. W. E. - Collector (Sc 174), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Small Collection 174. Research materials collected by Mrs. W. E. Shirley for her master’s thesis (Western Kentucky State Teachers College, 1934) on Isaac Shelby (1750-1826). Includes typescripts of Shelby’s gubernatorial correspondence (1793-1794); his 1826 will (Click on "Additional Files" below for scan); his autobiography; a pamphlet (1828) by Shelby’s son relating to the Chickasaw Treaty of 1818; and a letter to Mrs. Shirley from the Filson Club, Louisville, Kentucky, regarding the source of the typescripted autobiography.

Prosecutorial Discretion: Do Selection Methods Matter?, Jennifer Valenti

Honors Scholar Theses

Prosecutors play a key role in the United States criminal justice system. They hold a significant amount of power through the use of discretion. While many attain the position of prosecutor by election, some attain the position through appointment. In this study, I examine prosecutorial discretion in terms of these different selection methods. I use a comparative case study between Hartford, Connecticut and Worcester, Massachusetts to determine if there are differences in how elected and appointed District Attorneys exercise their discretion.