Political Science Commons^™

Direct Election, Bureaucratic Appointment, And Local Government Responsiveness In Taiwan, Sara A. Newland

Government: Faculty Publications

Does local democracy induce better service to citizens? While elected officials can be punished at the ballot box if they fail to address citizens’ needs, appointed bureaucrats may have policy knowledge that enables them to better serve citizens. Employing a multimethod design, this paper uses variation in local political institutions in Taiwan to assess the relative merits of direct election and bureaucratic appointment for local government responsiveness. While democratic institutions are often thought to induce responsiveness, I find that in Taiwan, with its historically strong bureaucracy and relatively new democratic institutions, the picture is somewhat more complicated. Elected and appointed …

Legitimacy In Conflict Contexts: Shifting Rebel Engagement In Sierra Leone And The Presence Of Private Contractors, Anne Lauder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The growth of non-state actors has significantly changed the nature of conflict. Rebel groups increasingly challenge state rule while private military and security companies (PMSCs) increasingly enter conflict spaces on behalf of a variety of actors, including states seeking to suppress insurgencies. This case study of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during Sierra Leone’s civil war between 1991-2002 contributes to emerging work on rebel behavior by examining how rebel’s legitimacy-seeking behavior might evolve when PMSCs enter a conflict context. I explore the ways that PMSCs can shift perceived incentive structures surrounding insurgents’ interpretations of and engagements with legitimacy during conflict, …

Latino Political Leadership In Massachusetts (2023), Rachel Paz, Fabián Torres-Ardila, Christa Kelleher

Gastón Institute Publications

Latinos and Latinas comprise an increasing share of eligible voters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, yet their political leadership at all levels of government is less than proportionate to Latino populations across the state. 82 Latinos and Latinas hold seats in local elected governing bodies and offices and in the Massachusetts Legislature. However, significant leadership gaps persist at the state level and in the state’s congressional delegation. In addition, leadership gaps at the local level remain a reality in most Latino communities across the state.

Currently, more Latinas than Latinos serve in local offices (city council and school committee), while …

Chinese Global Orders: Socialism, Tradition, And Nation In China-Russia Relations, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

While many use rational IR theory to explain Chinese foreign policy behavior, this paper follows global IR to employ interpretivist theory to examine how Chinese elites understand their country’s role in the world. In particular, it explores the Chinese global order ideas of socialism, tradition, and nation through a comparative analysis of how they work in China–Russia relations, especially after China’s 20th Communist Party Congress in 2022. The first section presents a critical analysis of the realist understanding of the China–Russia–U.S. strategic triangle. It argues that the socialist concept of “united front work” better explains Chinese (and Russian) policy in …

The Personality Profile Of Republican Presidential Contender Chris Christie, Aubrey Immelman, Joseph V. Trenzeluk

Psychology Faculty Publications

This is a report of the results of an indirect assessment, in 2015, of the personality of former New Jersey governor (2010–2018) Chris Christie, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon. Christie ran unsuccessfully for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination and in June 2023 declared his candidacy in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data pertaining to Christie were collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-5.

The …

The Implementation Of Open Door Policy In Dealing With The Syrian Refugee Crisis (A Case Study Of Turkey- European Union Cooperation Through The Emergency Social Safety Net Program 2016-2017), Ninda Rhetalola Agestia, Ayu Aruni, Novriest Umbu Walangara Nau

Journal Of Middle East and Islamic Studies

Turkey has been greatly impacted by the Syrian crisis. Its geographical proximity leads Turkey to become the main destination for Syrian refugees since the beginning of the crisis. This has resulted various changes in Turkey's political, social, and economic structures. The presence of Syrian refugees has become a turning point for Turkey in its relationship with the European Union, notably the implementation of the Open Door Policy. The European Union offered assistance to share the charge of this particular policy with Turkey regarding Syrian refugees. The EU's humanitarian program, represented by the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) scheme, provides social …

The Punitive Laboratory Of Neoliberalism: A Cross-National Examination, Beth A. Fera

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A large body of research has been produced to explain global punitive trends in recent decades. Neoliberalism, an economic philosophy expressed by market deregulation, privatization, and the retrenchment of social supports, has been offered as an explanation for increases in cross-national punitiveness. According to neoliberal penality theory, neoliberalism has shifted principles guiding punishment practices and the treatment of offenders, which has resulted in harsher national responses to crime. However, many tenets of this theory have not yet been tested empirically. Drawing heavily on propositions from neoliberal penality, group-threat, and penal populism literature, this dissertation examines the relationship between economic shifts, …

The Black Sea Matters Too: Understanding Türkiye’S Role In The Black Sea Region Through The Turkish Straits According To Regional Security Complex Theory, Allison Hart

Theses and Dissertations

This paper first establishes the Black Sea as a region according to regional security complex theory then defines Türkiye’s role within the region and the impact that the Turkish Straits have on maintaining regional security. Through constructivist approaches and regional security complex theory the paper critiques previously defined concepts pertaining to Türkiye’s role in the region and outlines perceived security threats within the Black Sea region. The use of threat perceptions as a means for analysis provides a unique constructivist approach on regional security complex theory allowing for a grounded research approach to regionalism in the Black Sea. The threat …

Is Democracy Good For Growth? Development At Political Transition Time Matters, Di Sima, Fali Huang

Research Collection School Of Economics

Is democracy a better political regime for economic prosperity than autocracy? This paper shows that the answer depends on the initial economic development level during the democratic transition when the foundation of institutions was laid. Democracy facilitates growth only in countries that already have adequate development at transition time. These countries are more likely to create and sustain growth-enhancing institutions than others. Without appropriate development, democracy does not improve growth; this applies to about 40% of the third-wave democratized countries. These results are based on a sample of 153 countries in 1960–2010 and robust to various specifications and endogeneity issues.

Protecting Youth From Mexican Drug Cartel Recruitment: The Prospects Of Educational Interventions, Lisa Hochstetler

Lux et Fides: A Journal for Undergraduate Christian Scholars

This investigation considers the impact of Mexico’s War on Drugs since 2006 and the influence of widespread cartel networks on the youth population. As both victims and perpetrators of drug-related crime, the young individuals of Mexico are the center of this research. The goal of this investigation was to determine how education in Mexico’s grade schools could be leveraged to protect its youth from drug-related violence and cartel recruitment. Therefore, the study examines both the challenges suffered by the education system due to the Drug War and the prospects for educational interventions to strengthen and protect youth over and against …

Classical Influences On Anti-Federalism In Late18th-Century America: An Analysis Of References To The Roman Republic, “Cato,” And Caesar In The Anti-Federalist Papers, Anastasia Kaliabakos

College Honors Program

As a classics major, connecting antiquity to the modern era has always been important to me. Studying the past as a way to inform our perspective on the present is often valuable: as Patrick Henry said, “I know of no way of judging the future but by the past.” Relating classics with the founding and constitutional periods of the United States of America is particularly revealing in one’s endeavor to explain the ideas and decisions from that time. A group of figures undoubtedly influenced by Greek and Roman antiquity was the Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists were, in short, opposed to the …

Agendamelding And Covid-19: The Dance Of Horizontal And Vertical Media In A Pandemic, J. Benjamin Taylor, Milad Minooie, Chris J. Vargo

Faculty Articles

How are attitudes formed in the 21st Century, and who sets the agenda for initial COVID-19 coverage in the United States? We explore these questions using a random sample of 6 million tweets from a population of 224 million tweets collected between January 2020 and June 2020. In conjunction with a content analysis of legacy media such as newspapers, we examine the second-level agendamelding process during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The findings demonstrate that in the early weeks of the pandemic, public opinion on Twitter about the virus was distinctly different than the coverage …

Moral Panics And Politicians Who Create Them: A Comparative Historical Analysis Of The Crack-Cocaine And Methamphetamine Epidemics In The United States, Sasha Nicole Burdsal

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study compares two widely known drug epidemics: the crack-cocaine epidemic and the methamphetamine epidemic that has shifted our criminal justice system and societies within the last 40 years. The research is conducted utilizing a qualitative content analysis, with a concentration on the rhetoric of politicians who create a moral panic around any specific drug when beneficial to them. Racial disparity demonstrated through inconsistent sentencing and mistreatment of individuals is investigated, along with the militarization of police as ordered by government officials. The War on Drugs – a war that can never be won – is thoroughly reviewed to elucidate …

Analysis Of Us-Nato Entanglement In Russo-Ukrainian Conflict: 'Western Axis' An Effort To Contain China In Europe, Syifa Maulidina, Oddie Bagus Saputra

Journal of Terrorism Studies

The Ukraine-Russia conflict is a complex one. Some countries intend to defend national interests regarding border areas, energy sources, and international trade routes such as the United States, NATO, and China. The United States-NATO is trying to maintain the status quo over the Euro-Arctic region. Meanwhile, China took advantage of this conflict to expand into the European market. In addition, China has also benefited in the military sector to modernize its military arsenal and cheap energy sources amid the global energy crisis from Russia. Therefore, to help the process of analyzing the issue, this study uses the concept of balancing …

The Impact Of Russia-Ukraine War On Energy Policy Maneuvers To Strengthen Energy Security And Cybersecurity In Indonesia, Bobby Adhityo Rizaldi, Abdi Manab Idris, Nurbaiti Nurbaiti

Journal of Terrorism Studies

The war between Russia and Ukraine is highly discussed in global geopolitics and geostrategy. The strategy of attacking Russia directly at the point of a vital national object, namely the power plant, which was preceded by a cyber attack at the Nuclear Power Plant in Chornobyl, followed by a conventional physical attack from the air, resulted in an energy crisis in Ukraine. The resulting war affects many sectors, such as the energy sector, food, and supply chains, especially (at the end of 2021) before the war. WTI oil price was only around 75$/barrel, but when the war broke out, the …

Why Islamism Failed In Syria, Ararat Kostanian

Journal of Terrorism Studies

The Arab Spring has not fulfilled the desires of millions of demonstrators in Middle East. The desires to see the expanded role of the civil society has been muted by the Islamists and particularly by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Article puts the focus on the failure of Islamism in Syria during the uprising for several reasons, such as the inability of the Muslim Brotherhood to shape a new leadership, and its rejectionist agenda that had nurtured skepticism by the opposition factions. Furthermore, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood had been unable to change its political motivation and kept insisted on shifting the …

Asean & Human Rights Regime: Bibliometric Analysis In Responding The Maguindanao Massacre, Fairuz Arta Abhipraya, Ilham Agustian Candra, Fasih Raghib Gauhar

Journal of Terrorism Studies

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is one of the regional organizations that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its members in southeast Asia countries. In the dynamics of ASEAN’s journey, the most debated issue is enforcing human rights among ASEAN members. One of the bloodiest tragedies of human rights violations in Southeast Asia has known as the Maguindanao massacre in the Philippines. This research explores more profoundly the responses of the ASEAN on victims’ family requests in the case of the Maguindanao massacre. This research also applies the human rights regime theory to the role of …

The Path Of Securitization: Transformation Of Free Papua Movement (Opm) Terminology From Armed Criminal Groups To Separatist And Terrorist Groups, I Putu Hadi Pradnyana

Journal of Terrorism Studies

The purpose of this study is to analyze the pattern of securitization in Papua using the speech act framework. Regarding the response to the change in status or terminology of the Free Papua Movement or Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) to the Separatist Terrorist Group. The Securitization Theory of the Copenhagen School defines security as a social construction and process, not as an objective condition. This contrasts with the traditional security studies approach which defines security in terms of the threat, use, and control of military force by state actors. This research will focus on the pattern of securitization of the …

Exploring China’S Response To The Rohingya Crisis: A Liberal Perspective, Changrui Yuan, Brice Tseen Fu Lee

Journal of Terrorism Studies

This paper examines China's response to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar from a theoretical perspective, drawing on both liberal and Asian cultural values. The study adopts a qualitative approach and employs document analysis to collect data. The findings suggest that China's response to the crisis can be explained by the liberal values of interdependence, cooperation, and institutionalism, which have guided China's peaceful and cooperative approach to resolving the conflict. However, the study also reveals the importance of Asian cultural values, particularly empathy and save-face, in shaping China's diplomatic behavior towards the crisis. The paper argues that China's response to the …

Incrementalism Will Neither Defeat Russia Nor Deter China, Matthew Thomas Becker

Faculty and Student Publications

This Guest Editorial appeared in multiple venues:

1. Magnolia Tribune, 30 May 2023
2. Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 31 May 2023
3. Thomasville Times-Enterprise, 6 June 2023
4. Clarion-Ledger, 6 June 2023
5. Hattiesburg American, 6 June 2023
6. Vicksburg Post, 7 June 2023
7. Wyoming Tribune Eagle, 8 June 2023
8. Missoulian, 12 June 2023
9. Independent Record, 12 June 2023
10. Commercial Dispatch, 15 June 2023
11. Daily Progress, 18 June 2023
12. Oxford Eagle, 21 June 2023
13. Delaware State News, 27 June 2023