Political Science Commons^™

The Multi-Layered Political Context Of Prostitution, Allora Dubay

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

This presentation is based on a book project providing an interdisciplinary introduction to the topic of prostitution. Allora Dubay will present on the political context in which prostitution takes place. She will discuss prominent feminist theories regarding prostitution and how those theories influence public policy in the United States and Europe. In doing so, she will explain how policies vary between national governments and among subnational governments.

Finding A Frame That Fits: Analyzing And Comparing Rival Framing Of American Gun Control Policy In 2013, Alexander Booker

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

This paper uses and expands upon the theoretical framework of political framing theory to analyze the messages that came out of different gun lobby groups during the early 2013 debate on gun control legislation that was being discussed within the United States Congress. My research question is what are the elements of a political action frame for a piece of legislation that can lead to positive or negative public opinion of it? To conduct my research I use a mixed-methods research approach to analyze recent political framing in regards to American gun control policy. For the qualitative part of the …

Public Attitudes Toward Bike Lanes In New York City, Wil Fisher

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

As bicycles gradually become an established form of transportation in the United States, planners and policymakers need new evidence to determine how best to expand bicycle infrastructure. Using logistic regression analysis of 2012 public opinion data from New York City, this article explores the demographics behind support of bicycle lanes. Due to an absence of literature on public opinion of bike lanes, it examines a breadth of variables in order to provide a basis for future research, answering the question: What personal characteristics are important in one's support for bike lanes? This study also demonstrates the distinction between demographics of …

Xenophobia, Whiteness, And Citizenship In The United States, Carolyn Dapper

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

In January 2014, the Republican Party released new "principles of immigration" which among many reforms, made space for the possibility of a pathway toward "legal status" for certain groups of undocumented immigrants in the United States. This paper investigates the rhetorical difference between "citizenship" and "legal status" and claims how these principles reflect the GOP's motives to ease their conservative constituents' anxieties surrounding the protection of a traditional, euroamerican definition of American citizenship. This paper analyzes the relationship between whiteness and citizenship, a class which extends beyond ethnicity and involves education, income level, and values associated with WASP America.

Commitment Problems As A Cause Of War Severity, Zachary C. Shirkey

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The United States Prison System: A Comparative Analysis, Rachel O'Connor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout history the penal system has been viewed as the paramount means of dealing with criminals, though its function has transformed throughout time. It has served as a pit for detaining suspected criminals, a home for the vagrant, an institution for the insane, a dreaded place of repute, quarters for cleansing and renewal, and an establishment of cataloged charges. The trials and transformations of history have developed and shaped the institution that we recognize today. Presently, the United States prison population far exceeds that of any other country in the world. The political climate, tough on crime policies, determinate sentencing, …

Explaining Ballot Initiative Contest Outcomes In California, Oregon, And Washington, Hans Daniel Stroo

Dissertations and Theses

What explains the outcomes of ballot initiative contests? What factors determine the passage or rejection of an initiative? This paper describes and evaluates three approaches to explaining ballot initiative contest outcomes. The first approach involves using the expenditures of Yes and No campaigns as the causal factor in explaining why passage or defeat is the respective outcome of a given contest. The second explanatory approach emphasizes the logic of collective action problems. The third approach incorporates the larger constellation of policymaking institutions in which each ballot initiative process exists. Specifically, in what ways is the process shaped by the larger …

Editor's Introduction, Jr. Aguilar

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

No abstract provided.

In Search Of Justice: An Examination Of The Appointments Of John G. Roberts And Samuel A. Alito To The U.S. Supreme Court And Their Impact On American Jurisprudence, Alberto R. Gonzales

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

During 2005, President George W. Bush appointed Federal Circuit Court Judges John G. Roberts and Samuel A. Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. These appointments were the culmination of years of examination of the work, character, and temperament of both men commencing during the 2000 presidential transition. Our evaluation included face-to-face interviews; an analysis of judicial opinions, speeches, and writings; and conversation with friends, colleagues, and court experts. Based on this work, a select group of Bush Administration officials developed a set of predictors that formed the basis of our recommendation to President Bush that he elevate Circuit Court Judges …

The Jury And Participatory Democracy, Alexandra D. Lahav

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Common Core Standards In The High School Social Studies Classroom, William Demars, Jimmy Rogers, Donovan Hicks

Arthur Vining Davis High Impact Fellows Projects

Common Core standards are coming in South Carolina. Two years ago Spartanburg District Two decided to take the lead by creating a new, mandatory 9th grade Human Geography course and using it to advance the Common Core. Several of the teachers in this course turned to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation’s High Impact Fellows program at Wofford College for help in meeting this challenge. Public schools in the entire state of South Carolina have set the goal is to fully implement the Common Core standards in the 2014‐15 academic year. Common Core promises to better prepare high school graduates for …

A True Montana Melodrama, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A Montana Public Radio Commentary by Evan Barrett.

Published newspaper columns written by Evan Barrett on this topic, which vary somewhat in content from this commentary, appeared in the following publications:

Montana Standard, March 18, 2014

Ravalli Republic, March 22, 2014

Missoulian, March 26, 2014

Key Ingredients In The Rule Of Law Recipe: The Role Of Judicial Independence In The Effective Establishment Of The Rule Of Law, Lauren A. Shumate

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent decades, countries around the globe have engaged in rule of law and judicial reform initiatives, with such efforts being most prominent in transitional democracies, post-conflict and post-communist countries. Despite the fact that the concepts of judicial independence and the rule of law continue to be contested among political and legal scholars, popular wisdom and belief in the international community suggests that an independent judiciary is the cornerstone of a democratic, market-based society based on the rule of law. However, the disagreement over the extent to which an independent judiciary effects the establishment of the rule of law has …

In Ukraine, Both Sides Go Feral, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

America's Role In A Changing World, Bruce Jones

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

For over sixty years the United States has led an international order that provided the underpinnings of peace, security, and economic prosperity. Today, that order is under strain from a variety of sources: the rise of new powers, an economic crisis, resource scarcity, technological innovations, rising nationalism, territorial disputes, and transnational challenges. This lecture will examine these pressures and ask how the United States can reform the international order so it plays as constructive a role in the 21st century as it did in the 20th.

Legislator Judges: The Warren Court And Justices' Use Of State Or International Policies In Criminal Procedure Cases, John R. Hermann

Political Science Faculty Research

The Warren Court went to great lengths to expand criminal defendants' rights, and in doing so it frequently relied on state majoritarian institutions' policies or international norms to accomplish its goals. The Court and justices were almost twice as likely to use state laws than international policies in their reasoning. The Court was also almost two-and-a-half times more likely to use state or international policies in its rationale when deciding in favor of the criminal defendant in relation to the state's interest.

Foreign Investment In African Resources: The Ecological Aspect To Imperialism And Unequal Exchange, Mariko Frame

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the issue of foreign investment in African resources from the theoretical perspective of ecological imperialism and ecologically unequal exchange theory (EUE). Pulling from Marxist ecology, critical political ecology, and an environmental reading of Polanyi, this dissertation seeks to theoretically deepen and clarify the concept of `ecological imperialism.' It posits that the wave of neoliberal policies that swept through the developing world in the 1980s can be interpreted as a historically distinct moment of ecological imperialism, a `counter-countermovement' to the era of economic nationalism that sought to bring developing world resources under state control. Focusing on Africa and …

Con: Presidential 'Czars' Undermine Congress And The Constitution, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

Since emerging as a right-wing talking point during President Barack Obama’s first year in office, presidential czars have received widespread attention from scholars, pundits, members of Congress, and—after much resistance—the White House itself. Much of what has been written about czars suffers from partisan bias and misinformation. In this essay, we argue that the concern about czars is largely misplaced. First, we examine the lack of conceptual clarity that characterizes most work on czars. Second, we provide data that show that much of the debate about czars is mere rhetoric, the culmination of a decades-long, careless embrace of the term …

Book Review: Foreign Intervention In Africa: From The Cold War To The War On Terrror, Felix Kumah-Abiwu

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Public Opinion Towards Bicycle Lanes: The Case Of New York, Wil Fisher

Featured Research

As bicycles gradually become an established form of transportation in the United States, planners and policymakers need new evidence to determine how best to expand bicycle infrastructure. Using logistic regression analysis of 2012 public opinion data from New York City, this article explores the demographics behind support of bicycle lanes. Due to an absence of literature on public opinion toward bike lanes, it examines a breadth of variables in order to provide a basis for future research, answering the question: What personal characteristics are important in one's support for bike lanes? This study also demonstrates the distinction between demographics of …