Political Science Commons^™

How External Efficacy Influences Support For Third-Party And Independent Candidates: A Mediational Analysis, Joren (Jordy) Santana

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

As displayed by Ralph Nader in 2000, non-major party candidates can play a decisive role in presidential elections without emerging victorious. Throughout U.S. history, several third-party and independent candidates have garnered notable support, typically among voters who self-identify as independent of partisanship. However, most Independents, particularly leaning Independents, ultimately vote for one of the two major political parties. This research utilizes external efficacy--an individual’s perceptions about the responsiveness of government officials and institutions to citizen demands--as a predictor for voting behavior and partisan identification. In theory, citizens with low external efficacy are more likely to possess frustration with the two …

Volume 16, Maggie Duncan, Madeline Little, Alicia Hoffman, Megan Livesay, Gabrielle Quaresma, Serenity Allen, Laina Pfountz, Ainslie Allred, Sabrina Robles, Nicholas J. Duellman, Trinity L. Deguzman, Melissa H. Savage, Margaret Dudley, Jocelyn Escobar, Olivia Hildreth, Olivia Hopkins, Benjamin Gettier, Lee Kassay, Jade Riddle, Ashley Seiders

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Amorette Barber, Director, Office of Student Research

From the Editor Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell

Artist’s Statement Maggie Duncan

On Mentoring Dr. Lee Millar Bidwell

The Hujum Campaign in Uzbekistan and its Consequences by Madeline Little

Wet Cupping Compared to Dry Needling for Treatment of Patients with Low Back Pain: A Critically Appraised Topic by Alicia Hoffman and Megan Livesay

Optimization of eDNA Air Sampling Via 3D Printed Fan by Gabrielle Quaresma

Beyond the Classroom: A Qualitative Study of Teacher Attrition and Retention by Serenity Allen and Laina Pfountz

The Treatment of Subacromial Impingement Syndrome with Platelet-Rich plasma Injections Verses …

Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Strategies: Balancing Security And Stability In A Changing World Order., Chick Edmond

Graduate Student Government Association Research Conference

In an increasingly evolving global geopolitical landscape, nuclear deterrence strategies face an unprecedented challenge as the global order transcends from a bipolar to an inevitably multipolar dimension. This paper analyses the strategies of preserving stability and security in a World dominated by diverse power centers, technological advancements and emerging global threats. It examines the practical and theoretical implications of nuclear deterrence in a polycentric context including the risk of escalation, miscalculation and proliferation. By examining the historical trends, current mechanisms and potential future events which increases the likelihood of a nuclear disaster. This research paper provides a critical perspective on …

Western Student Association Structure And Governing Processes: Evaluating Success For Student Government Associations, Samuel Longlet

Honors Theses

The Western Student Association underwent several reforms between March of 2020 and April of 2025. These reforms included expanding its legislative branch both in terms of pure size and internal responsibility and restructuring its executive branch to focus more on building relationships with the administration of Western Michigan University.

The Western Student Association between 2020 and 2025 has become more successful in advocating, allocating, and being a shared governance partner, representing the three executive functions of a Student Government Association.

While the Western Student Association is more successful in 2025 than it was in 2020, the institutional weaknesses of an …

The Impact Of The Parkland Shooting On Voter Behavior And Preferences: Focus On Gun Control, Mental Health, And School Safety Policies., Brooke Bock

Honors Projects in Politics, Law, and Society

This paper thesis examines how the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL has influenced voting behavior within the affected community, specifically regarding candidate and policy preferences related to gun control, mental health support, and school safety. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study incorporates surveys and interviews to capture voters' opinions and attitudes in the aftermath of the tragic event. Public voter data is also analyzed to identify shifts in voting patterns and candidate support over time. The research aims to understand the magnitude to which the Parkland shooting has shaped voters' views and decisions, and whether …

Skepticism Beyond Knowledge: External World Moral Skepticism And The Crisis Of Political Rhetoric, Aanya Ghosh

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

This paper examines the application of external world moral skepticism to contemporary political discourse and decision-making processes. Drawing from epistemological traditions that question our ability to access moral truths about the external world, I argue that a pervasive form of moral skepticism has infiltrated modern political rhetoric, creating a crisis of justification for political action. Through discursive analysis of political communication across partisan divides, I demonstrate how skeptical attitudes toward external moral facts have transformed from philosophical positions to rhetorical strategies that undermine democratic deliberation. This transformation has significant implications for how political actors justify policies, how citizens evaluate political …

Bates College Journal Of Political Studies: Volume I, Issue 1, Spring 2025, Bates Initiative For Government Studies

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

No abstract provided.

Smer, Anti-Western Populism, And Political Violence In Post-Communist Slovakia, Augustus Giller

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

Europe today is characterized by an abundance of new, right-wing populist parties which have established themselves as signifi cant and formidable players in European parliaments. A fl ashpoint of this rise has been in the former Eastern Bloc, where right-wing populist parties can both push conservative social policies and use rhetoric surrounding the ongoing war in Ukraine to command attention. This approach can be seen in the Smer-Social Democracy party, which has risen to be a mainstay in Slovakia. Like many other former Eastern Bloc states, Slovakia underwent a substantial post-communist transition process that had lasting impacts on the nation, …

Things Fall Apart: Analyzing 14 Years Of Conservative Rule In Britain, Winston Singh

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

The 2024 UK elections have concluded, and the Labour Party won a landslide victory with 410 seats. This election ended the Conservatives' 14-year reign, which can be described as some of Britain’s most chaotic since the end of World War II. These years were marked by five different prime ministers, numerous scandals, and historic votes that have significantly altered the UK’s path and continue to have lasting consequences today. This piece will analyze the Conservative government's rule from 2010 to 2024, providing an in-depth examination of its actions and their impact on the party's declining popularity. The second part will …

Transforming Ivan The Terrible: History, Memory Politics, And Monuments In Putin’S Russia, Lena Lapierre

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

Like Joseph Stalin before him, Vladimir Putin has brought Ivan the Terrible back from oblivion and has made the memorialization of one of the country’s most infamous and brutal rulers a centerpiece of the Kremlin's contemporary propaganda toolkit. Analyzing a wide spectrum of Russian language sources such as the political speeches, historical lectures, protest posters, and Russian social media posts, this paper explores the various factors motivating the Putin regime’s revitalization of Ivan the Terrible and outlines how ordinary Russians have responded to the politicized whitewashing of their history. In 2016, with much fanfare, the provincial city of Orel erected …

One Step Back, Two Steps Forward: How Ballistic Missile Defenses Put Us On The Path To War, Karan Kuppa-Apte

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

This article argues that the use of credible homeland ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems counterintuitively encourages offense dominance by undermining the deterrence by punishment behind mutually assured destruction (MAD). It contends that while BMD is a defensive technology, under conditions of MAD that defensive capability, if credible, is perceived by adversaries to signal an intention to circumvent deterrence. Fearing an attack with impunity, adversaries increase their supply of offensive weapons, pressuring defenders to improve their BMD capabilities, and an arms race thus emerges. Using detailed case studies of Israel’s missile defense against the Axis of Resistance and Chinese reactions to …

Using Trade Books To Thematically Teach Civil Rights Issues, Alyssa Whitford, Timothy Lintner, Caroline Sheffield

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This semester-long project examined the use of social studies trade books to thematically teach the civic contributions of three individuals who served as change agents in the United States during the late 19^th and early 20^th century. Two were African American men, Robert Smalls and Frederick Douglass, who took civic action to address racial discrimination faced by the Black community following the U.S. Civil War. The other was Ida B. Wells who challenged social inequities and injustices within her community. Throughout this project, sixth-grade students read selected trade books, examined primary sources, completed graphic organizers, and crafted writing …

Votes In The Balance: A Statistical Analysis Of Voting Behavior In The 2016 Presidential Election, Evan M. Carter

Harding Undergraduate Research Conference

The 2016 Presidential Election was unprecedented in its results. The predicted winner, Hillary Clinton, ended up winning the popular vote, but lost in the Electoral College count to Donald Trump. I examine voting for the winner, Donald Trump, and what factors caused people to vote for him or for another candidate. Although there are several factors that go into how people vote, I analyze demographic, geographic, and ideological predictors for why people voted the way they did. To do this, I will run a regression model on my dataset. Since my dependent variable is dichotomous, meaning there are only two …

Foreign Involvement And Economic Outcomes In Coups, Paul Hanson

SPARK Symposium Presentations

A variety of factors come into play when determining economic outcomes. One of these factors is tied to political stability. After coup events, the literature finds that economies perform worse overall. This literature has explored other factors tied to coup events, such as overall political stability and the effects of different governing types on economies. Previous methods of exploring coups did not permit foreign intervention to take an active role, or even any role in most cases, in their models. This study will explore the correlation between economic output, utilizing GDP data from the Penn World Table, and foreign intervention …

Trust At The Polls: Examining Perceptions Of Election Fairness And Voting Intentions, Amy L. Nyary

Honors Theses

Leading up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, concerns about electoral fairness and integrity in democratic institutions became central to public discourse. This study examines how perceptions of election fairness and integrity mediate the relationship between political ideology and voting intentions. While prior research has demonstrated the influence of political ideology and trust in electoral processes on voter behavior (Birch, 2010; Stanziani et al., 2024; Schaffner & Streb, 2002), the mediating role of these perceptions remains underexplored. To address this gap, we collected online survey data from 524 participants, measuring political ideology, voting intentions, and perceptions of electoral fairness and …

The Role Of Internet Liberation In Securing Human Rights, Briley Smith

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Conducting Effective Literature Searches And Writing Strong Abstracts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This invited presentation for students at Poland's War Studies University communicates ideas on how Ph.D. students at this institution can enhance their research quality. Specific content includes formulating your research question, determining research aims and methodology, reviewing a research question checklist, understanding the meaning of search terms you propose to utilize, devising effective search strategies, consulting multiple varieties of information resources from multiple countries, finding gaps in literature, being able to distinguish between nuances in literature and data, writing succinct abstracts, and enhancing the clarity of your prose.

The Jacksons' Debate, Marcus Vinicius Neves

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

The Jacksons’ Debate” explores ethical dilemmas through an alien civilization considering human consumption. This philosophical sci-fi story examines sentience, moral responsibility, and societal progress from a unique perspective. Blending dark humor with social commentary, it challenges readers to reflect on human behavior and ethical decision-making in the face of necessity and scientific advancement.

The Anthropology Of Citizenship And Its Importance In Educational Studies, Jagad Aditya Dewantara

Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan

No abstract provided.

Complexity, Coordination, And The Politics Of Global Health Emergencies: Institutions, Actors, And Responses, Jennifer M. Kerner

Political Science ETDs

This dissertation examines the politics of global health emergencies through three interconnected studies. First, it analyzes the declaration of Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEICs), revealing that while World Health Organization (WHO) protocols influence decisions, political factors may also play a role. Second, a case study of the 2014 Ebola outbreak explores the complexities of international response coordination. It highlights the importance of established protocols, clear leadership, and effective communication, while also noting the challenges posed by resource constraints and inter-organizational dynamics. Third, the research investigates the impact of military involvement in global health emergencies. It reveals that military …