Political Science Commons^™

Illiberalism In Israeli Public Opinion, Hannah M. Ridge

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

Israel has long identified as a democracy. However, scholars have expressed concerns that it is engaged in democratic backsliding (Kremnitzer and Shany 2020; Oren and Waxman 2022). Despite holding repeated elections, its liberal credentials are weakening, as the rule of law and judicial independence are threatened. Institutionally, then, it is fulfilling Dahl’s (1971) contestation requirement for democracy but not the inclusiveness requirement. At the citizen level, there is questionable democratic culture (Inglehart and Welzel 2003). If the public supports electoral institutions but not liberal values, then the democracy’s foundation is weak (Mounk 2018). This article analyzes recent Israeli public opinion …

Acknowledgment, Yaljod 5.1, Florian Cyril Mshanga

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Acknowledgment from Florian Cyril Mshanga, Vice President, Governance & Operations, Young African Leaders Forum (YALF)

Reviving Pan-Africanism For The 21st Century: A Framework For Youth-Led Continental Governance Reform, Ugochukwu Mercy Prince-Ifoh

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This paper explores the historical trajectory, current stagnation, and potential revival of PanAfricanism with a strong emphasis on youth leadership as the engine of governance reform across the African continent. By tracing the intellectual and political contributions of renowned leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Thomas Sankara, the study identifies foundational principles of unity, sovereignty, and collective progress. The paper critically evaluates the Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AU), highlighting opportunities and limitations for youth participation. It also conducts a comparative analysis of regional youth governance structures and proposes practical frameworks to institutionalize youth-led reforms. The paper …

Shu World Review- November 15th 2025, Diplolab

SHU World Review

No abstract provided.

Reimagining Youth Agency In Africa: Programs, Progress, And A Continental Vision (Closing Feature Article), Dennis Munene

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This edition has curated the ideas, research, and praxis of young intellectuals and practitioners across the continent. As Vice President in charge of Programs and Development (Strategies), I am pleased to provide a retrospective of our continental programs and initiatives and project the path we envision in shaping Africa's future.

Decoding The Future: African Parliaments, The 4ir, And The Ai Revolution, Bravin Onditi, Immanuel Mwendwa Kiilu

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (41R), propelled by advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), is ushering in a profound transformation across Africa's economies, governance systems, and societies. For African parliaments, there is an incredible challenge on the governance front, but the opportunities are unprecedented. This paper examines the range of biases, data insecurities, and inequalities the democracies of the continent face, while detailing how African legislatures can instate frameworks to govern and design AI function within the democracies of the continent. As seen in the examples of Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, this paper outlines the disparity between the astounding rates …

An Investigative Analysis Of How African Youth Can Drive Economic Integration By Taking Up Agriculture As A Means Of Economic Livelihood, Gerald Kihara Muchiri

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The paper explores how African youth can drive economic integration by using agriculture as an economic means of livelihood. Despite being Africa's most vital asset, African youth remain underrepresented in continental development initiatives and continue to stagnate as they face structural challenges such as perennial unemployment. The recent promulgation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme hold immense promise to improve the lives of millions of African youths if leveraged appropriately. This paper concludes that Africa's youth could be the continent's engine to propel sustainable economic growth if their potential is harnessed appropriately, …

Front Matter, Yaljod 5.1, Sombo Muzata

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Includes: Editorial Review by Dr. Sombo Muzata, Editor in Chief, Young African Leaders Journal of Development; Foreword by Prof. Plo-Lumumba; Foreword by Prof. Tim Kiruhi; and Preface by Prince C. lfoh, Founder and President, Young African Leaders Forum (YALF).

Promoting Women’S Land Ownership Rights In Tanzania: The Role Of Wlac As A Legal Empowerment Ngo, Norbeth Sixbert

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Despite Tanzania's progressive legal frameworks that recognize women's rights to own and inherit land, significant gaps remain between policy and practice. This paper explores the role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in promoting women's land ownership rights, using the Women's Legal Aid Centre (WLAC) as a case study. Located in Kinondoni Municipal, Dar es Salaam, WLAC employs a multifaceted approach that empowers women and safeguards their land rights. While WLAC has achieved notable success, challenges exist and are exacerbated by overlapping statutory and customary legal systems that often disadvantage women. WLAC's multilateral engagement has helped to navigate these obstacles, yet structural …

Mainstreaming Africa’S Third Sector For Africa’S Development, Thoko J. Mthiko

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

After independence, most African governments pursued public sector based economic development strategies based on import substitution which were considered to be key to rapid industrialization and modernization oflow-income countries. This public sector-led economic development however, proved to be unsustainable. There were severe economic crises associated with lack of growth, high inflation, rising internal and foreign debts, crumbling infrastructure and shortage of essential commodities. Protected from competition, the public sector and its enterprises failed to innovate, relied on inappropriate capital-intensive technologies, and became dependent on imported inputs. With this, came the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP's) where the public sector became the …

Zakat For Financing Sustainable Development In Africa: Opportunities And Challenges, Shawgei Salah Ahmed Ismaeil

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The issue of Zakat and financing of SDGs has become an issue that economic, social and environmental researchers have raised, especially after the recent economic crisis. This is owing to Zakat dependence on the self-effort of societies and communities. Zakat supports the economic, social and environmental structure of societies. Africa, undoubtedly, needs to reduce poverty and hunger without preconditions by donors to change laws and the way of life of Africans. This task can be done through Islamic financing and Zakat. This paper puts this issue at the forefront of events for further study and research to rethink the practical …

Robotics In Agriculture: Challenges And Opportunities For Net-Zero – A Case For Africa, Oluwafemi Royal Aliu

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Evidence of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are set to reposition the practice and process of agriculture. This study addressed vital issues in agriculture such as the need for a 70% increase in food production by 2050 because of population growth, technology, and other issues sweeping human livelihood, and are challenges of food insecurity which is currently affecting more than 820 million people globally. Emphasis was placed on the potential of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in curbing agricultural challenges in facts such as climate change, water scarcity, and pest management. The study identifies collaboration between different fields such as …

Yaljod Full Issue 5.1, Sombo Muzata

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This issue brings together a compelling collection of scholarly articles that reflect the dynamic intersection of ethics, technology, governance, and social justice in Africa's development discourse. The contributions span diverse sectors including artificial intelligence, education, agriculture, legal empowerment, and economic integration. The articles offer both critical insights and actionable frameworks as Africa continues to implement its African Union Agenda 2063 plan. This work, written by up-and-coming African scholars demonstrates the commitment to scholarship on African issues, focused on Africa by Africans. This has been our goal at the Young African Leaders Journal of Development i.e., to advance scholarship on pertinent …

Factors Shaping Policy For Cybersecurity Resilience In Critical Infrastructure (Ci) Organizations: Proposing An Adaptive Cyber Resilience Policy Model (Acrpm), Raymond Pythias Friedman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examines the factors that influence cybersecurity resilience in private critical infrastructure (CI) organizations, with a focus on governance structures, internal controls, employee attitudes, and cybersecurity capabilities. Although the empirical focus is on private-sector entities, the findings bear significant implications for public policy, given the societal reliance on CI sectors such as energy, telecommunications, and water. Employing a convergent mixed-methods design, the study synthesizes quantitative survey data from cybersecurity professionals with qualitative case studies of CI organizations.

The analysis reveals that internal controls and employee attitudes are the most salient predictors of organizational resilience. Governance exerts an indirect influence …

Parties, Race, And Political Violence: Evaluating Whether Attitudes Toward The January 6 Insurrection Vary Across Racial Groups, Sarah Perez, Natasha Altema Mcneely

School of Political Science, Public Affairs, Legal and Security Studies Faculty Publications

The insurrection and its aftermath remain salient to contemporary American Politics. Existing scholarship has shown the insurrection was fueled by an effort to return Donald Trump to power while also protesting the decline of the non-Hispanic white population. Scholars also discuss the impact of continuous division across partisan and ideological lines. We are interested in exploring if these divisions are visible across attitudes of non-Hispanic white, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American/Pacific Islander respondents in a nationally representative survey. We explore the following research question. Does the impact of partisanship, ideology, and attitudes toward Trump’s responsibility affect the attitudes of respondents …

Review Of Sheila A. Smith, Japan Rearmed: The Politics Of Military Power, Timothy C. Hebb

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Sheila Smith, a long-time political scientist focused on Asia-Pacific studies and an expert on Japan specifically, would publish possibly her most influential work in 2019: Japan Rearmed: The Politics of Military Power. In this well-researched work of hers, she gives the reader an in-depth yet concise look at the reasons for Japan’s rearmament, the history of their Self Defense Force, and the challenging political situation that was built in the wake of a world war that still affects them today. This book goes over much of what is needed to understand why Japan’s military is in the shape it is …

On The Indispensability Of Natural Law On The Moral Theory Of The State, David W. Bolton

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Natural Law is widely regarded as a set of universal moral standards in which the acknowledgement of the differences between right and wrong are inherent in people, not created by society or lawmakers. It is based on the consistent nature of man as opposed to varying cultural standards and is unchanged by time or circumstance. Many thinkers throughout history have offered their educated opinions on the matter of Natural Law and the moral theory of the State. The Social Contract theory of the Modern Secular thinkers of the 17^th century was considered a break with classical and traditional Christian …

Chinese Communist Party Infiltration Of U.S. Pacific Islands: Protecting American National Security Through Defending Strategic Pacific Assets, Contessa Amedore

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Many Americans picture the U.S.’s Western most border to be the coast of California. However, when threats have historically formed in the Pacific, U.S. Pacific Island territories have served as the nation’s first line of defense. Today, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have slowly but ambitiously deployed new age or ‘unrestricted’ warfare tactics against the United States and allies in their long awaited plan to assume global hegemony. Their illegal infiltration and psychological operations have gone past Taipei and reached American soil in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. This paper examines how the (CCP) uses unrestricted warfare …

Analyzing The Role And Impact Of Energy Resources On The South China Sea Dispute, Adam Opp

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

The South China Sea is a critical but contested body of water that has been the source of much international debate and focus. The sea is a strategic maritime route and one of the most important waterways for regional and global trade. The South China Sea features rich natural resources such as fisheries and hydrocarbons, especially unknown amounts of oil and natural gas remaining untapped throughout the sea. Geological surveys estimate extremely lucrative quantities of oil and natural gas in the South China Sea, which drives the conflict, as nations with competing territorial claims seek to control not just the …

Securitizing Kinmen: China’S Gray Zone Strategy And The Evolution Of The Kinmen Model, Ian Murphy

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

This paper examines the evolving dynamics of cross-strait relations through the lens of securitization theory, focusing on China’s strategic deployment of what it calls the Kinmen Model and its implications for regional security. While existing discourse predominantly concentrates on a potential full-scale invasion of Taiwan, this study shifts attention to the strategic significance of the outlying islands and the nuanced employment of securitization to exert indirect control. Utilizing Vuori’s (2008) framework for analyzing securitization in non-democratic contexts, this research conducts a discourse analysis of nineteen Chinese language media sources to dissect the speech acts employed by Chinese media and their …