Political Science Commons^™

Gender And The Political Economy Of Oil In The Niger Delta: A Feminist Critique, Nneka Eke

Dissertations - ALL

The exploitation of women's labor is central to the international political economy. Since the 1980s, the trend has been towards a 'feminization of labor' in which women are confined to low-skilled, low-paying, and mostly part-time work. The exploitation of women's labor is not just confined to waged labor, as women's domestic and subsistence labor is necessary to make the economy function but remains unpaid and undervalued. Despite these findings, studies on the oil political economy have not sufficiently dealt with oil's impact on women's labor. These studies—albeit in different ways—undertheorize the link between oil, women's labor (waged and unwaged), and …

Presidential Warfare And The “Forever Wars”, Mel Gurtov

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article examines the origins and development of the US “forever wars” in recent decades, and its implications both for democracy and warfare.

William Hershey's Profiles In Achievement: The Gifts, Quirks, And Foibles Of Ohio's Best Politicians (University Of Akron Press, 2021) Reviewed In Midwest Book Review, University Of Akron Press

News of The University of Akron Press

William Hershey’s Profiles in Achievement: The Gifts, Quirks, and Foibles of Ohio’s Best Politicians is praised as an “impressively informative study of Ohio politics and politicians” that is “exceptionally well written, organized and presented.”

Preparing Students For Civic Engagement In The Era Of `Fake News’, Nathan J. Combes

Perspectives In Learning

I recommend that instructors allow students to determine the content for Introduction to American Government. I also recommend that instructors assign students to conduct independent research on each unit of American Government rather than assigning a textbook. There are numerous benefits to implementing these practices. Students take ownership of their education and feel empowered to fill gaps in knowledge. Students are more prepared for class. It allows course content to match current events in real time. Students learn how to analyze the credibility of various sources. Class conversations are more dynamic. Students develop a better understanding of opinions that …

Talented, Yet Seen With Suspicion: Surveillance Of International Students And Scholars In The United States, Ryan M. Allen, Krishna Bista

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The attacks of September 11, 2001, put terrorism at the forefront of the American political landscape. Donald Trump played into these fears of terrorism through his political rhetoric during his presidency, particularly targeting international students as “threats” to the nation. However, we argue that the labeling of international students as security threats was not started after 9/11 nor invented by Trump. Through historical records and accounts across decades of policies related to this issue, we seek to answer two questions: How has the U.S. government monitored visa policies and programs for international students? How have U.S. national policies evolved to …

Donald Trump's Impact On The Republican Party, Michael Espinoza

Political Science Faculty Publications

What impact did Donald Trump have on the Republican Party during his time as President? This article argues that although the presidency of Donald Trump was a natural progression of Republican conservatism, his legacy has cast a shadow on the Republican Party, as well as having further pushed the party rightward, whilst also helping to move the fringe/more extreme elements of Republican conservatism closer to the centre of American politics. As a result, the GOP has become increasingly dependent on a base of white support. Continuing along this path will only further put them at odds with a majority of …

Whose Rights Are They, Anyway?, Edward A. Lynch, Courtney F. Chenette

Political Science Faculty Scholarship

The authors discuss sovereignty and the history behind a nation’s prerogative to intercede in the affairs of other nations to protect human rights.

Emerging Unconventionally; The Mavericks: An Analysis On The Development Of Western Canadian Political Parties Through Canada’S Newest Federal Party – The Maverick Party Of Canada, David Carlson

MA Major Research Papers

Born in 2020 Alberta, the Maverick Party is a new regionally focused federal party that

advocates for constitutional change that will "benefit the west." This party is being studied to

understand better the role it will have in Canadian politics.

Killer Robots On Trial: Autonomous Weapons Systems In The Context Of International Law, Mikaela Heck

MA Major Research Papers

Killer robots are no longer a facet of science fiction, but rather an imminent reality. The development of autonomous weapons systems (AWS) has been something states and military operations have been working towards to build their arsenal and change the landscape of conflict. With this changing landscape, these AWS fit within public international law in a unique way, existing somewhere in between a weapon and a combatant. With increased autonomy and diminished human control over their behaviour, AWS present an interesting dilemma to existing international legal structures, as they are typically written in a fashion designed to be adhered by …

Local Matters! Community-Based Organizations, Changemaking, And The Food System, Tessa Lance

Capstone Projects – Politics and Government

This paper begins by discussing and distinguishing the various food movements: food security, food justice, and food sovereignty. Utilizing social capital theory and the principles of food sovereignty, this paper brings attention to the power of community-based organizations (CBOs) and highlights their unique positioning within the food system. This paper analyzes a sample of community-based organizations working within the food system in the United States of America. Drawing upon original data collected through interviews with nine individuals associated with different CBOs working within the food system, this research finds that CBOs are uniquely suited to make change in their local …

Inexperienced Or Anti-Establishment? Voter Preferences For Outsider Congressional Candidates, Eric Hansen, Sarah Treul

Political Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Do US voters prefer inexperienced candidates? Candidates who have never held elected office before have had greater success in recent presidential and congressional elections. However, it could be that voters prefer the type of anti-establishment rhetoric that such candidates use more than the lack of experience itself. We conduct a 2x2 factorial experiment that manipulates a fictitious congressional candidate’s experience and rhetoric toward the political system. Results from a nationally representative Qualtrics sample and two follow-up studies from Mechanical Turk show that respondents evaluate the candidate more positively when he uses anti-establishment rhetoric instead of pro-establishment rhetoric. Though the findings …

Beyond The Great Power Competition Narrative: Exploring Labor Politics And Resistance Behind Ai Innovation In China, Yujia He, Hong Shen

Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Chinese-Invested Smart City Development In Southeast Asia - How Resilient Are Urban Megaprojects In The Age Of Covid-19?, Yujia He, Angela Tritto

Diplomacy and International Commerce Reports

Smart cities are emerging as major engines for deploying intelligent systems to enhance urban development and contribute to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG). In developing economies facing rapid urbanization and technological change, new cities are being built with smart technologies and ideals, complete with business districts and residential, retail, entertainment, medical, education facilities to entice businesses and talents to relocate. Governments tout the potential of such “greenfield” smart cities for innovation and sustainability. Yet such urban megaprojects are often extremely expensive, prompting governments to partner with private players such as property developers, investors, and tech firms to …

Fiscal Federalism And Economic Crises In The United States: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic And Great Recession, Mariely Lopez-Santana, Philip Rocco

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

The architecture of fiscal federalism in the United States represents an obstacle for prompt and comprehensive policy responses to economic crises, especially by subnational levels of government. As both a public health and economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has put unique fiscal pressures on subnational governments. This article reviews the pandemic’s fiscal effects on these governments, as well as the federal government’s response. By comparing the response to the COVID-19 crisis during the Trump administration with the response to the Great Recession during the Obama administration, we show that while the speed and magnitude of federal aid was unprecedented in …

Poor People's Beliefs And The Dynamics Of Clientelism, Miquel Pellicer, Eva Wegner, Lindsay J. Benstead, Ellen Lust

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Why do some poor people engage in clientelism whereas others do not? Why does clientelism sometimes take traditional forms and sometimes more instrumental forms? We propose a formal model of clientelism that addresses these questions focusing primarily on the citizen’s perspective. Citizens choose between supporting broad-based redistribution or engaging in clientelism. Introducing insights from social psychology, we study the interactions between citizen beliefs and values, and their political choices. Clientelism, political inefficacy, and inequality legitimation beliefs reinforce each other leading to multiple equilibria. One of these resembles traditional clientelism, with disempowered clients that legitimize social inequalities. Community connectivity breaks this …

The Personality Profile And Leadership Style Of U.S. President Joe Biden, Anne Marie Griebie, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality and leadership style of U.S. president Joe Biden, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data about Biden 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 personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed on the basis of interpretive guidelines provided in the MIDC and Millon Index of Personality Styles manuals. Biden’s primary …

Smart Power In The Iraq Surge 2007-2008, Russell N. Reiling

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores U.S. actions in the military “Surge” in Iraq from 2007-2008. Focus is on the entwined utilization of coercive and attractive power or smart power as an enabler of success and change from prior U.S. strategies in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. The analysis is based upon an extensive set of interviews with operational participants in the Surge from across the Executive Branch. Results show that smart power was an important element of the Surge and its use facilitated success, but that doing smart power was not a simple matter of achieving some mix of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ power, but …

"A Rabble Rouser All The Time": Jim Johnson And The Politics Of Massive Resistance In Arkansas, Marie Cathryn Totten

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

James D. “Jim” Johnson was an Arkansas politician best known for his racism, commitment to segregation, and failed gubernatorial campaigns. Johnson makes appearances in some of Arkansas’ most notorious political moments in the 20th century. He campaigned for the Dixiecrats in 1948, led the state’s first major protest against integration in 1955, pushed Governor Orval Faubus to become a segregationist in 1956, and lost multiple elections in the 1960s. Although not victorious at the polls, Johnson had a tremendous influence on Arkansas politics in the middle of the 20th century. He made integration a viable political issue in the state …

Latinos In The South: Community, Family, And Identity, José Tránsito Ayala Rodriguez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As Latinos have migrated at high rates to the U.S. South in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the region has become known as a “new immigrant destination” and the “Nuevo South” yet political science research documenting the dynamics of Latino identity in the Nuevo South has been scarce. In this thesis I seek to understand the roles of Latino panethnic, U.S. (American) and Southern identity on factors informing the development of Latino community building. I use the 2016 Blair Center Poll to test social identity and family intimacy theories through a quantitative analysis of the effects of attachment …

Navigating Non-Physical Borders: An Examination Of The Boundaries Of Exclusion And Ideas About Inclusion Of Immigrants In American Communities, Alison O'Toole

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Are exclusionary boundaries drawn by those who aren’t accepting of immigrants malleable? Do beliefs about inclusion on the part of those who tend to be more accepting toward immigrants have limits? To address these questions, I look at the major factors that I believe influence reactions to immigrants: national identity and trust, and values. This dissertation contributes to two important goals. The first is to help ensure that long- term residents in communities accept people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. The second is softening the divisive power of the immigration issue to make it less of a staple in the …