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Successful Grassroots Mobilization: Explaining The Victory Of Tom Perriello's 2008 Congressional Election, Brian John Mandeville 2010 Longwood University

Successful Grassroots Mobilization: Explaining The Victory Of Tom Perriello's 2008 Congressional Election, Brian John Mandeville

Theses & Honors Papers

The 2008 congressional election for the Fifth District of Virginia was unique for many reasons. It is exceptional that a relatively unknown challenger was able to take on an entrenched incumbent and succeed in defeating him, breaking the trend of incumbent victory seen in almost all House of Representative elections. This research demonstrates that the Perriello campaign's ability to create an effective grassroots network was a significant factor in determining the out come of the election. Through a detailed examination of the activities, personnel, and fundraising tactics that Perriello campaign made use of, this research found that Perriello's victory was …


2010 Referendum Question, 2010 Eastern Kentucky University

2010 Referendum Question

CACTUS--Citizens' Assembly for Critical Thinking About the United States

The student members of the 2010 Citizens’ Assembly for Critical Thinking about the United States (CACTUS) have studied and deliberated about the death penalty all semester, considering whether to recommend keeping, changing, or abolishing the death penalty in the United States. Having reached agreement on a recommendation for action, the Assembly hereby invites all members of the University community to vote on whether to implement the following recommendation:


2010 Mandate: What Should We Do About The Death Penalty?, 2010 Eastern Kentucky University

2010 Mandate: What Should We Do About The Death Penalty?

CACTUS--Citizens' Assembly for Critical Thinking About the United States

The 2010 Citizens’ Assembly for Critical Thinking about the United States (CACTUS) must study arguments and proposals for keeping, changing or eliminating the death penalty, identify and analyze the perceived issues and problems leading to the proposals, including arguments in support of the death penalty as now it now exists in the United States. The Assembly must then decide whether the death penalty should be kept as it currently exists or that a change is warranted, and if so at what level or levels of government or through what type of Constitutional amendment the changes should be implemented; and if …


Assembly's Final Report, 2010 Eastern Kentucky University

Assembly's Final Report

CACTUS--Citizens' Assembly for Critical Thinking About the United States

Each CACTUS brings new excitement along with new challenges. CACTUS 2010 was exciting because it was larger than in past years, more freshmen enrolled than in previous years, and our topic “What should we do about the death penalty? Keep it? Change it? Abolish it?” was by far the most profound, with implications touching on topics such as social justice, safety, equality, religious and ethical arguments, the Bill of Rights, and federalism, to name just a few.


A Study Of Democracy In Africa: The Senegalese Experience, Ryan Robert Riley 2010 California State University, San Bernardino

A Study Of Democracy In Africa: The Senegalese Experience, Ryan Robert Riley

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis examines the development of democracy in Senegal, one of the few democracies in Africa. In order to understand why democracy has been such a challenge to establish and maintain in Africa, it is necessary to account for the broad effects of European colonization. European powers in their attempts to "modernize" the people of Africa disrupted their natural cultural progress.


Central Bank Independence In Words And In Deeds: Lessons From Brazil And Chile, Taeko Hiroi, Douglas Block 2010 The University of Texas at El Paso

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 2010 The University of Texas at El Paso

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 …


Revolt Against The Czars: Why Barack Obama’S Staffing Critics Are (Mostly) Wrong, José Villalobos, Justin Vaughn 2010 University of Texas at El Paso

Revolt Against The Czars: Why Barack Obama’S Staffing Critics Are (Mostly) Wrong, José Villalobos, Justin Vaughn

Selected Works Temporary Series

Rather than view the alleged proliferation of “czars” in recent presidential administrations as a threat to the constitutional order, we consider it part of an ongoing reorganization of the presidential branch designed to maximize leadership capacity as presidents continue to take more responsibility for policy development and implementation, a phenomenon driven as much by congressional abdication as presidential zeal for power. The real debate lies over whether the president can delegate his constitutional authority to those who work beneath him. We posit that presidents may choose to delegate within their own discretion, so long as it is within the limits …


White House Staff, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos 2010 Cleveland State University

White House Staff, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

The White House Staff provides the bureaucratic framework that makes presidential leadership possible. Even though modern presidents continue to face constraints by the constitutional structure and political reality in successfully straddling the expectations gap that continues to enlarge, the staff presents the president with his best opportunity to anticipate and exploit leadership opportunities in the best case and manage crisis and cope with challenges in the worst. In recent decades, scholarly efforts to analyze the influence and importance of the White House staff has continued apace the institution’s own evolution. In this chapter, we evaluate the state of these efforts …


Nepal And Bhutan In 2009: Transition Travails?, Mahendra Lawoti 2010 Western Michigan University

Nepal And Bhutan In 2009: Transition Travails?, Mahendra Lawoti

Political Science Faculty Publications

Democratic transitions in Nepal and Bhutan ran into challenges in 2009. The integration of Maoist combatants, polarization among political parties, increasing ethnic assertion, and mushrooming armed groups have delayed constitution writing in Nepal and led to political instability. In Bhutan, societal assertion against limited rights and discrimination is increasing.


The Principled Case For Employing Private Military And Security Companies In Humanitarian Interventions And Peacekeeping, Deane-Peter Baker, James Pattison 2010 U.S. Naval Academy

The Principled Case For Employing Private Military And Security Companies In Humanitarian Interventions And Peacekeeping, Deane-Peter Baker, James Pattison

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The possibility of using private military and security companies to bolster the capacity to undertake humanitarian intervention has been increasingly debated. The focus of such discussions has, however, largely been on practical issues and the contingent problems posed by private force. By contrast, this paper considers the principled case for privatising humanitarian intervention. It focuses on two central issues. First, is there a case for preferring these firms to other, state-based agents of humanitarian intervention? In particular, given a state’s duties to their own military personnel, should the use of private military and security contractors be preferred to regular soldiers …


No. 01: The Invisible Crisis: Urban Food Security In Southern Africa, Jonathan Crush, Bruce Frayne 2010 Balsillie School of International Affairs/WLU

No. 01: The Invisible Crisis: Urban Food Security In Southern Africa, Jonathan Crush, Bruce Frayne

African Food Security Urban Network

Over 1 billion people in the world are now undernourished. The current international food security agenda focuses almost exclusively on the food insecurity of rural populations and ways to increase smallholder production. The plight of the urban poor is marginalised in this agenda leading to neglect of the ‘invisible crisis’ of urban food insecurity. This paper argues that the future of Southern Africa is an urban one and that urban food insecurity is therefore a large and growing challenge. The causes, determinants and solutions for food insecurity are not the same in rural and urban settings. This paper suggests that …


No. 03: Pathways To Insecurity: Food Supply And Access In Southern African Cities, Jonathan Crush, Bruce Frayne 2010 Balsillie School of International Affairs/WLU

No. 03: Pathways To Insecurity: Food Supply And Access In Southern African Cities, Jonathan Crush, Bruce Frayne

African Food Security Urban Network

As in many parts of the world, supermarket expansion and control of food supply chains is having a major impact on the quality, quantity and price of food available to urban residents. Growing numbers of poor households in Southern African cities now obtain their food, directly or indirectly, from supermarkets. In most cities, these same households spend over 40 percent of household income on food. Supermarket expansion is also having a major impact on the informal sector. This paper reviews the changing nature of the urban food supply in Southern African cities, the role of supermarkets and the informal sector …


No. 04: Urban Food Production And Household Food Security In Southern African Cities, Jonathan Crush, Alice Hovorka, Daniel Tevara 2010 Balsillie School of International Affairs/WLU

No. 04: Urban Food Production And Household Food Security In Southern African Cities, Jonathan Crush, Alice Hovorka, Daniel Tevara

African Food Security Urban Network

Optimism about the role of household food production (urban agriculture) in improving the food security of the urban poor has given way to pessimism and even scepticism. This paper critically examines the views of advocates of urban agriculture and suggests that it cannot be isolated from a broader consideration of the changing nature of urban food supply systems in Southern African cities. Urban food production by poor households is currently very limited across the region and even fewer produce for market. While food production is a useful livelihood supplement in some cities and a source of income to some wealthier …


The Politics Of The Romanticization Of Popular Culture, Or, Going Ga-Ga Over Pop Culture: A Critical Theory Assessment, Eric Bain-Selbo 2010 Western Kentucky University

The Politics Of The Romanticization Of Popular Culture, Or, Going Ga-Ga Over Pop Culture: A Critical Theory Assessment, Eric Bain-Selbo

Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


The Politics Of The Romanticization Of Popular Culture, Or, Going Ga-Ga Over Pop Culture: A Critical Theory Assessment, Eric Bain-Selbo 2010 Western Kentucky University

The Politics Of The Romanticization Of Popular Culture, Or, Going Ga-Ga Over Pop Culture: A Critical Theory Assessment, Eric Bain-Selbo

Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


No. 02: The State Of Urban Food Insecurity In Southern Africa, Bruce Frayne, Wade Pendleton, Jonathan Crush, Ben Acquah, Jane Battersby-Lennard, Eugenio Bras, Asiyati Chiweza, Tebogo Dlamini, Robert Fincham, Florian Kroll, Clement Leduka, Aloysius Mosha, Chileshe Mulenga, Peter Mvula, Akiser Pomuti, Ines Raimundo, Michael Rudolph, Shaun Ruysenaa, Nomcebo Simelane, Daniel Tevara, Maxton Tsoka, Godfrey Tawodzera, Lazarus Zanamwe 2010 Southern African Migration Programme

No. 02: The State Of Urban Food Insecurity In Southern Africa, Bruce Frayne, Wade Pendleton, Jonathan Crush, Ben Acquah, Jane Battersby-Lennard, Eugenio Bras, Asiyati Chiweza, Tebogo Dlamini, Robert Fincham, Florian Kroll, Clement Leduka, Aloysius Mosha, Chileshe Mulenga, Peter Mvula, Akiser Pomuti, Ines Raimundo, Michael Rudolph, Shaun Ruysenaa, Nomcebo Simelane, Daniel Tevara, Maxton Tsoka, Godfrey Tawodzera, Lazarus Zanamwe

African Food Security Urban Network

The number of people living in urban areas is rising rapidly in Southern Africa. By mid-century, the region is expected to be 60% urban. Rapid urbanization is leading to growing food insecurity in the region’s towns and cities. This paper presents the results of the first ever regional study of the prevalence of food insecurity in Southern Africa. The AFSUN food security household survey was conducted simultaneously in 2008-9 in 11 cities in 8 SADC countries. The results confirm high levels of food insecurity amongst the urban poor in terms of food availability, accessibility, reliability and dietary diversity. The survey …


Tale Of Two Afghanistans: Comparative Governance And Insurgency In The North And South, Neil A. Englehart 2010 Bowling Green State University

Tale Of Two Afghanistans: Comparative Governance And Insurgency In The North And South, Neil A. Englehart

Political Science Faculty Publications

Afghanistan is often depicted as a failing state, but its failures display distinctive patterns over time and space. Regional variations in governance have been important in shaping the ways the Afghan state has failed and the consequences of these failures. This article argues that a history of better governance in the north facilitated the disarmament of militia warlords and comparative stability. By contrast, the south has a long history of minimal formal governance, creating opportunities for increased Taliban insurgency.


The Political Economy Of Avatar’S Chinese Adventure, Stanley Rosen 2010 University of Southern California

The Political Economy Of Avatar’S Chinese Adventure, Stanley Rosen

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

There’s been a lot of discussion of the political meanings that can be read intoAvatar and how this might relate to it being pulled from or simply ending its run in some Chinese theaters. As a political scientist with a long-term interest in the Chinese film industry, and the fate of Hollywood movies in China, and someone who is interested in the working of SARFT (the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television), here are four things worth keeping in mind when considering the situation:


Lu Xun, Mao Zedong, Perhaps A Badger, Sean Macdonald 2010 University of Florida

Lu Xun, Mao Zedong, Perhaps A Badger, Sean Macdonald

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Urbanatomy has been running a series called “Why I Write” for the past several months, and we’ve noticed that when asked for their favorite Chinese author, many interviewees name Lu Xun (though Ian Johnson is a vocal dissenter). It’s likely that Lu Xun’s work will be known to even more non-Chinese speakers in the future, since Julia Lovell’s new translation of his complete fiction has hit bookshelves — read an excerpt from her introduction here, and see Jeff Wasserstrom’s review of the book here. So many decades after his death, why does Lu Xun remain one of China’s best-known authors, …


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