Political Science Commons^™

Understanding Financial Inclusion: A Comparative Analysis Of Financial Mechanisms In Uganda, Amari Huang

CMC Senior Theses

Financial inclusion is a critical means of empowering individuals to improve their own lives, and Uganda provides an excellent case study for examining various financial mechanisms in a developing country context. This thesis investigates four such mechanisms: formal banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money, and contribution clubs. The analysis is conducted using five criteria to evaluate their level of inclusion: (1) quantitative coverage, (2) standard of living, (3) gender, (4) education, and (5) social capital. The findings of this research suggest that the examined financial institutions can be seen as steppingstones, with each leading to the next, from contribution clubs to …

Autonomy, Influence, And Impunity: The Failures Of The Western Intelligence Institution, Ava Liao

CMC Senior Theses

Intelligence agencies have always suffered from internal inefficiencies. By nature, their opaqueness and deliberate ambiguity in what they bring to the table disincentivizes scrutiny or critique from other government entities and the general public. There is very little accountability to be had for intelligence agencies, even in Western liberal democracies: no amount of voting will change how they are structured or operated, and thus incentive to change usually does not arise from domestic pressures, but rather from large-scale failures. Methods used to obtain intelligence are often presented very objectively, without context or accounting for the ideological values influencing them. It …

A Tale Of Two Cities: The Divergence Of Social Housing In Berlin And Vienna, Ben Eibl

CMC Senior Theses

The industrialization of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Berlin and Vienna led both cities to initiate a social housing program to create affordable housing for the masses moving into the cities. The cities share many characteristics and developed in similar directions at their early stages. Nevertheless, a century later, their social housing systems look far apart. While Vienna’s system continues to thrive and withstand pressures from the international and federal level, Berlin’s citizens showed their resentment towards housing in their city in a radical referendum demanding the expropriation of several real-estate companies. This thesis argues that we …

The Stateless Agent: A Multidisciplinary Analysis Of Transboundary Air Pollution In The El Paso-Ciudad Juárez Region Of The U.S.-Mexico Border, Elizabeth Hernandez

CMC Senior Theses

The El Paso-Ciudad Juárez (EPJ) region has a history of nonattainment for ozone and particulate matter. Given transboundary air pollution in the EPJ region is not confined to the U.S.-Mexico border, it is important to implement a transnational response that accounts for the health and safety of everyone, including marginalized communities in EPJ. This thesis assesses the state of air quality and transboundary air pollution in the EPJ region through a multidisciplinary perspective that focuses on issues of data monitoring, environmental governance, and transnational environmental justice. Analysis of the quantity and placement of ambient monitoring stations reveals EPJ residents near …

The Legacies Of Exclusion: Asian Americans And The California Voting Rights Act, Melinda Ximen

CMC Senior Theses

A quiet revolution has spread throughout California. Since the California Voting Rights Act became law in 2001, 170 cities have transitioned from at-large to by-district elections, where voters in a geographic district elect one city council member. This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of the California Voting Rights Act on Asian American political participation and representation in local elections.

I begin by tracing the roots of discrimination against Asian immigrants and exploring the construction of the pan-Asian identity. I examine the legacies of exclusion on Asian political participation and representation in political offices. I analyze Section 2 of the Voting Rights …

The Implications Of Natural Gas And Oil Dependence On Nuclear Proliferation Efforts: A Case Study Of The 1970s Energy Crisis And The Beginning Of Opec’S Nuclear Ambitions., Luca Amrit Khalsa

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the effects of the 1970s Energy Crisis on nuclear proliferation efforts in the Persian Gulf region. The OPEC oil embargo of 1973 shocked global energy markets and forced the Atlantic Alliance to fragment and engage in continuous cut-throat bilateral deals with oil-producing countries. What started as oil-for-arms deals quickly transitioned into oil-for-nuclear reactor deals once countries struggled to find new ways to remain competitive in the trade market. When France initiated the first transfer of nuclear infrastructure to Iran, the morality taboo of trading nuclear secrets dissipated. Countries were now encouraged to engage in their own nuclear …

Playing Mastermind: The Manipulation Of Ideological Criticism In The Quest For Global Hegemony, Katherine Beinkampen

CMC Senior Theses

When assessing conflict between great powers, the focus is often on hard power threats, like military and economic action. Yet, because great power competition focuses on expanding a given country’s powers of influence and persuasion, soft power is both an effective and common weapon in the battle for hegemony. This paper analyzes the ways great powers highlight social issues linked to national identity in the opponent’s state. By examining how the United States and Soviet Union criticized each other during the Cold War and how the United States and China criticize each other currently, certain trends emerge. A state can …

The Role Of The Wagner Group In The Russo-Ukrainian War, Erik Herbert Lohmus

CMC Senior Theses

The Wagner Group has emerged as one of the most prominent actors of the on-going Russo-Ukrainian war. Although Private Military Companies are banned by the Russian Constitution and Russian Criminal Code, Wagner has been able and permitted to operate all across the world as a foreign policy tool of the Russian state. However, Wagner’s use and employment in Ukraine has differed drastically compared to Syria, Central African Republic and Libya, as the group is employed in a more conventional capacity. With many of the Russian successes in the east of Ukraine attributable to Wagner, the financier of the group, Yevgeny …

A Review Examining How The Republican Party Can Win Key Electoral Votes In Georgia And North Carolina, Kyle Ballack

CMC Senior Theses

Given the importance of the 2024 presidential election for the Republican Party, it is imperative that they are able to win the 32 combined electoral votes from the states of Georgia and North Carolina. In order to determine the best strategy for the Republican Party to employ, this paper will first examine voting behavior theories that explain recent voting trends among the United States electorate as a whole. Next, it will focus on the political history of the American South in order to explain recent voting trends in the area. The next two sections will focus on the historical and …

Positional Advantage: Factors Behind The Uneven Geographic Distribution Of Top Chess Players, Julia C. Schulman

CMC Senior Theses

This paper seeks to explore the reason behind the uneven geographic distribution of top chess grandmasters. FIDE rating data, country data, and survey data given to chess grandmasters are gathered to determine the validity of the hypothesis: That the two main influences in whether a country has a higher or lower number (and percentage) of top grandmasters are chess culture and federation/government support. The research tests the correlation between several variables and explores whether or not there is quantitative and qualitative support for this assumption. Individual studies in the latter end of this paper explore the countries on a case-by-case …

Unscr 1325 Did Not Help Women, Peace, Or Security In Afghanistan: The Role Of Militarism And Hegemonic Masculinity In International Security, Sawyer Bannister

CMC Senior Theses

This paper argues that UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security exemplifies how the international security system is constructed in a way that not only preserves militarism and hegemonic masculinity, but further perpetuates gendered power disparities and exacerbates human insecurity. In this pursuit, this paper develops a theoretical framework of radical feminism to illustrate how the international arena embodies militarized hegemonic masculinity and how this power paradigm fundamentally inhibits international security organizations from successfully addressing gender issues. Additionally, this paper utilizes a case study of UNSCR 1325 and WPS implementation in Afghanistan to reveal how when international security organizations attempt …

United States Policy To Undermine Iran’S Regional And Global Strategy, William Stewart

CMC Senior Theses

This paper aims to understand the way in which Iran uses proxy groups to implement its regional foreign policy strategy while increasing relationships with foreign actors to implement its global foreign policy strategy. I will dive into the intricacies of Iran’s strategy on a country-by-country basis while outlining the goals of the regime. I will analyze the way in which the United States has dealt with Iran and its proxy groups in the past as well as provide suggestions on the steps the Biden administration and the United States as a whole must implement in order to contain Iran’s influence …

The Controversies Of (Immersion) Piss Christ And The Perfect Moment: An Argument For State Funding Of The Arts As An Extension Of Free Speech Protections, Olivia Fish

CMC Senior Theses

In 1989, artists Robert Mapplethorpe and Andres Serrano received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). A short few months after the two artists became grant recipients, the funding for each of them was pulled as a result of escalating controversy and anger over the art created by both artists being funded by a federal organization. Those angered by the art and their respective grants tied the messaging of the art to the beliefs and values of the state—Serrano’s photograph being tied to a commentary on the overcommercialization of religion and Mapplethorpe’s exhibition being unabashedly queer and, at …

Connecting The Dots: Immigration Policy And Access To Higher Education For Refugees In France, Isabella Amaro Varas

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

Since 2016, the increasing number of refugees in Europe accelerated the development of national and regional policies to determine their rights and access to resources. Against this backdrop, the strong politicization of migration, and the recent financial crises, refugees' access to welfare has “become a key area of concern across European democracies” (Lafleur et al. 2020). Considering public education programs as a pillar of social policy agendas in this region, this study examines French policy in order to answer the following questions: How do French immigration and education policies converge to determine refugees’ access to higher education in France? What …

Applying Data Science And Machine Learning To Understand Health Care Transition For Adolescents And Emerging Adults With Special Health Care Needs, Lisamarie Turk

Nursing ETDs

A problem of classification places adolescents and emerging adults with special health care needs among the most at risk for poor or life-threatening health outcomes. This preliminary proof-of-concept study was conducted to determine if phenotypes of health care transition (HCT) for this vulnerable population could be established. Such phenotypes could support development of future studies that require data classifications as input. Mining of electronic health record data and cluster analysis were implemented to identify phenotypes. Subsequently, a machine learning concept model was developed for predicting acute care and medical condition severity. Three clusters were identified and described (Cluster 1, n …

Reply To Comments, Artemy Magun

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Reply To Comments, Greg Yudin

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Comments To Magun’S And Yudin’S Papers, By Paul Apostolidis, Albena Azmanova, Darin Barney, Gal Kirn, Enzo Rossi, Paul Passavant, David Strecker, Albena Azmanova

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Capitalism And The Post-Socialist Road To Hell, Artemy Magun

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Neoliberal Roots Of Putin’S War, Greg Yudin

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.