Department: Political Science ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
46 matches in the database.
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1.
Aervitz, Irina.
THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR IN CHINA AND RUSSIA: THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN TECHNOLOGY APPROPRIATION.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2007, Miami University
► The focus of this study is automobile industry in China and Russia.…
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▼ The focus of this study is automobile industry in China and Russia. Specifically I am looking at the state attempts to encourage technology development in the automobile sector. My goal is to look for variations in the overall policy environment created by the state with regard to technology enhancement in the automobile industry in China and Russia and particularly focus on policy implementations at the enterprise level by observing the way enterprises appropriate technology by using various sources of technology appropriation provided by the state policies. I believe that this research is important because it reviews the literature on the role of the state in industrial development and introduces the concept of “technology appropriation.” Technology appropriation lies in the heart of the companies’ technological competitiveness and is based on the sources of technology made available to companies by the regulatory environment created by the state. Most importantly, this project offers analysis of the empirical data collected during a series of interviews in the domestic and foreign enterprises operating in both countries. This analysis attempts to lift the “curtain” over the companies’ technology-oriented strategies and the way they take advantage of the existent state policies affecting the process of technology appropriation.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rothgeb, John.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: Automotive industry, automobile sector, state policies, technology appropriation, technology transfer, China, Russia
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2.
Aidoo, Richard.
China-Ghana Engagement:An Alternative Economic Liberalization in SubSaharan Africa.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2010, Miami University
► China’s engagements in Africa have grown exponentially over the past decade leading…
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▼ China’s engagements in Africa have grown exponentially over the past decade leading to some scholars hailing it as one of the most prominent changes in international relations in recent times. Bilateral trade flows, investment projects and developmental assistance mainly characterize this relationship. Trade between China and Africa has grown an average of 30 percent in the past decade, and in 2008 trade and investment activities topped 106 billion US dollars. Comparing these figures with that of 1997 when China was doing 5 billion US dollars in Africa, one can appreciate the rapid increase in economic activities. This momentous increase is buttressed by China’s agenda to expand markets and secure reliable natural resources. This makes China’s economic engagement with Ghana fundamental as well as strategic. Economic cooperation with Ghana is fundamental as this sub Saharan African nation is a useful measure for Africa’s gradual march to economic self-determination. Being the first country to achieve political independence in the sub region, Ghana’s relationship with the Chinese provides a useful political economic base for various discussions. Chinese economic and technical assistance to Ghana mainly in the energy and construction sectors depicts Beijing’s seriousness to ‘do business’ with Ghana, which has recently joined the ranks of oil producing nations on the African continent. Strategically, as Beijing strengthens economic ties with Ghana – clearly one of Africa’s stable democracies, China’s ‘image’ of doing business in Africa is greatly helped as some of its critics point to its trading activities with authoritarian and rogue regimes on the continent. This dissertation explores China’s engagement in Ghana from a wider framework of the politics of economic liberalization. First, it aims to look at the relationship between China and Ghana which has progressed from a more political and diplomatic approach to an economic nature. Through the investigation of this relationship, the differences between the Western approach to economic reform, represented by the Washington Consensus and what is now referred to as the “Beijing Consensus”, China’s approach to aiding economic development are discussed. As this study contributes to the much needed nuanced discussion of China’s engagement in Sub Saharan Africa by providing a good country case study, it also furthers our understanding of the “alternative” economic model that Beijing is couching vis-à-vis Washington’s neoliberal policies. It also generates the conversation as to whether economic liberalization in the case of Ghana (and SSA) is imbued with some Chinese characteristics.
Advisors/Committee Members: Saine, Abdoulaye.
Subjects: Political science
Keywords: China; Ghana; trade; investment; aid; economic liberalization; Beijing Consensus; Washington Consensus
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3.
Bacharach, Marc N.
War Metaphors: How President’s Use the Language of War to Sell Policy.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2006, Miami University
► During the latter half of the 20th century, Presidents have often invoked…
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▼ During the latter half of the 20th century, Presidents have often invoked the language of war to push through their policy initiatives. Despite the vast literature on presidential speeches, there has been little in the way of studying these rhetorical wars in any systematic fashion. This paper seeks to address that deficiency by studying several high-profile rhetorical wars that presidents have declared, from Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty to George W. Bush’s war on terror. The purpose is to trace the evolution of metaphorical wars from rhetoric into public policy. In tracing this process, many other questions will be addressed, including: What message was the president hoping to send to the American people through rhetoric? What were the original goals of the president? What are some of the reasons the “wars” failed or succeeded? Finally, to what extent did future administrations adopt their predecessor’s policy and to what extent did future presidents establish their own strategy for fighting the wars?
Advisors/Committee Members: Barilleaux, Ryan J.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: Presidency; Metaphors; Rhetoric; War on Poverty; War on Drugs; War on Terror; War on Crime; War on Inflation
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4.
Baxter, Herman Leon.
Toward a Theory of Gentrification.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2009, Miami University
► Even after 40 years of scholarship there remains much disagreement among social…
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▼ Even after 40 years of scholarship there remains much disagreement among social scientists about the causes of gentrification. To "supply-side," structuralist observers gentrification is seen as the result of changes in the macro-economy, policy shifts, and revanchism on the part of wealthier, middle class residents. To observers favoring "demand side," rational choice explanations gentrification is the result of disillusionment with suburbia by some in the middle class. For members of this latter camp, understanding the causes of gentrification necessarily requires understanding the motives of gentrifiers. To help resolve this debate, insights from both the "supply side" and "demand side" are combined to articulate a generalizable, testable theory of gentrification. The theory is devised using results from a qualitative, univariate, "descriptive" model and a quantitative, multivariate, "predictive" model. Tests of the latter model indicate that it cannot be used to predict gentrification's occurrence precisely, but that it can be used to identify areas ripe for gentrifying activity. Gentrification policies are subsequently examined in light of the proposed theory, and the theory's validity is itself evaluated using abductive reasoning. The theory is seen as valid; however given the deficiencies associated with abductive reasoning the theory is also seen as needing additional testing for validity strengthening.
Advisors/Committee Members: Shumavon, Douglas.
Subjects: Area planning and development; Geography; Political science; Social structure; Urban planning
Keywords: gentrification; quantitative methods; regression; abductive inference; policy
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5.
Chandler, Eric B.
GIVING GROUND: EXPLORING NON-COERCIVE POLITICS.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2003, Miami University
► This essay has a dual objective. First, it aims to provide a…
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▼ This essay has a dual objective. First, it aims to provide a formal definition of non-coercive politics (NCP), and discuss some implications of the concept. Second, it evaluates three political alternatives in terms of each theory’s capacity for meeting the definition of NCP. Chapter 1 provides a formal definition: In NCP, members (1) exercise ‘volition’ in learning the social norms associated with their community (i.e. socialization is internally realized); and (2) exercise ‘volition’ in adhering to those same social norms (i.e. compliance is internally realized). Chapters 2 – 4 assess, in turn, whether liberalism, antifoundationalism, or esotericism meets the definition of NCP. Each evaluation proceeds by analysing the metaphysical components of the prescriptive theory, and comparing the results with the requirements set out in the formal definition of NCP. The heuristic guiding the evaluation comprises three questions: 1. Does the prescriptive theory preclude coercion relative to socialization (the acquisition of social norms)? 2. Does the prescriptive theory preclude coercion relative to compliance (the enforcement of social norms)? 3. Does the prescriptive theory preclude coercion relative to political obligation (i.e. does obligation derive from a Universal)? Chapter 5 concludes that while each theory has some of the necessary components of NCP, both liberalism and antifoundationalism prove to be incompatible in certain respects. In short, neither theory offers a practical means for attaining a non-coercive politics. Esotericism proves to be fully compatible with NCP, but faces another problem: it is least compatible with the prevailing culture of modern industrial societies. While the premise of NCP is consistent with both explicit and implicit ideals of contemporary politics, it amounts to a foreign concept. Additionally, NCP at times conflicts with other explicit and accepted requirements of contemporary politics. The result is something of a Catch-22: Only by altering certain requirements of modern politics is NCP likely to become a practical alternative; yet, because such an approach necessarily alters the nature of modern politics itself, there is little incentive within industrial society to make the relevant changes.
Advisors/Committee Members: DeLue, Steven.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: Non-Coercive Politics; Political Theory; Antifoundationalism; Esotericism; Liberalism; Metaphysics
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6.
Demczyk, Michael J.
POLITICAL EXPRESSION OF REGIONAL IDENTITY IN SCOTLAND AND WALES: THE EFFECTS OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2005, Miami University
► This project seeks to explain changes in political expression of regional identity…
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▼ This project seeks to explain changes in political expression of regional identity in Scotland and Wales, with particular emphasis on the impact of European integration. The dependent variable, “expression of regional identity,” defined as the manner in which a sense of regional distinctiveness manifests itself in political actions and preferences, is operationalized through four distinct measures examined between 1970 and 2000: 1) percent of regional support for Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru 2) percent of regional support for Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly 3) percent of regional support for Scottish and Welsh independence 4) percent of electoral self-identification as Scottish or Welsh The working hypothesis is that increases in political expression of regional identity have been facilitated, directly and indirectly, by European integration. By changing the existing set of constraints and opportunities that previously defined the limits of regional expression, European integration has changed the context within which political debates about regional autonomy take place. The result has been a more favorable attitude among regional elites and regional masses toward regional autonomy, presented here as increases in political expression of regional identity. Analysis of voting results and public opinion data confirm increases in political expression of regional identity in Scotland and Wales that coincide with “Independence in Europe” campaigns and increases in support for European integration. Domestic disputes between regions and the state are not discounted, but are projected against the backdrop of European integration as an increasingly important variable in the quest for regional autonomy.
Advisors/Committee Members: Mason, Warren.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: Regionalism; Identity; European Integration; Scotland; Wales; British Politics
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7.
Doty, Daniel Jonas.
European Union Foreign Policy Construction During the Yugoslav Wars Using the Multiple Autonomous Actors Decision Unit.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2011, Miami University
► This study analyzes the foreign policy of the European Union during the…
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▼ This study analyzes the foreign policy of the European Union during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. This series of crises coincided with the European Union’s creation of formal mechanisms so it could harmonize and create foreign policy positions between its member-states. I study the EU’s involvement in three specific crises during this period: the secession crisis of Slovenia and Croatia in 1991, the Bosnian War of 1994 – 95, and the Kosovo War of 1999. The focus here is the process of foreign policy decision-making within the EU. The conceptual framework employed is the “ultimate decision unit” proposed by Margaret Hermann and Charles Hermann, specifically their third decision unit composed of multiple autonomous actors (MAA). Government decisions resulting from the MAA unit are the products of negotiations between separate and autonomous individuals, groups, and coalitions in a system in which no single actor can force compliance on the others and no overarching authoritative body exists. EU foreign policy decisions are indeed the result of such negotiations between autonomous or sovereign actors thus justifying the use of the MAA model. Although the MAA model is proposed for studying national foreign policy making, my dissertation demonstrates how EU decision-making during the Yugoslav wars fits the same pattern of decision-making depicted in the MAA model. Thus I conclude that EU foreign policy can be studied using some models of foreign policy analysis. Regarding the process of EU foreign policy making, I conclude that where there is greater initial agreement among the members of the EU’s ultimate decision unit about the EU’s proper role in a particular event and where there is agreement about the attendant behaviors for that role, the EU will be more successful in articulating and implementing a common foreign policy. Where there is less initial agreement among the decision-actors about the EU’s role and behavior, the less successful the European Union will be in articulating and implementing any common foreign policy.
Advisors/Committee Members: Neack, Laura.
Subjects: European Studies; International Relations; Political Science
Keywords: European Union; EU; Ultimate Decision Unit; Multiple Autonomous Actors; Margaret Hermann; Charles Hermann; Foreign Policy; Decision-making; Models; Yugoslavia; Yugoslav Wars; Bosnian War; Kosovo War; CFSP; Common Foreign and Security Policy
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8.
Dudas, Andrew M.
THE USE OF COMMUNITY OPINION SURVEYS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRATEGIC DECISION MAKING.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2005, Miami University
► Local government officials often times fulfill a dual role in policy making.…
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▼ Local government officials often times fulfill a dual role in policy making. This dual role amounts to officials being both a policy analyst and a policy-maker. Much of the policy-making done by local government officials is strategic in nature – planning for the future growth, development, and needs of the citizenry. In order to strategically plan for the future and make decisions within this framework, local government officials must have data at their disposal to help inform their decision making. In essence, local government officials then must also act as policy analysts – collecting data, analyzing it, and finally translating that data into meaningful policy decisions. This research examines one means of providing local government officials with data to help inform their decision-making – citizen surveys. Local governments often conduct surveys to collect information on a host of issues confronting their community. This research focuses on broad-based community surveys, the data that is collected, and the translation of that data into policy outcomes. Through the presentation of case illustrations, a survey typology is presented that can be used to classify individual surveys as being either informational, strategic, decisionistic, or symbolic based on identifiable factors in each survey and how the results were ultimately utilized by the local government.
Advisors/Committee Members: Russo, Jr., Philip A.
Keywords: Survey Research; Knowledge Utilization; Decision Making; Local Government
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9.
Eke, Bede Ugwuanya.
Preferential Trade Agreement as Path to Economic Development: The Case of Nigeria's Response to African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2007, Miami University
► PREFERENTIAL TRADE AGREEMENT AS PATH TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF NIGERIA’S…
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▼ PREFERENTIAL TRADE AGREEMENT AS PATH TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF NIGERIA’S RESPONSE TO AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT (AGOA) by Bede U. Eke This dissertation examines the issue of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) as a vehicle for economic growth. It focuses on how Nigeria has implemented the United States’ African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which is a PTA aimed at offering eligible Sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to U.S. markets of many of their textile and agro-based products. It is envisaged that the Act would help promote economic growth through trade expansion for the eligible countries. Since Nigeria is a major AGOA participant, and offers the largest market in Africa, examining AGOA implementation in Nigeria is pertinent in understanding the successes and challenges of the Act. The research made use of both secondary and primary data sources. The primary data included interviews with AGOA stakeholders in Nigeria who responded to questionnaires distributed to them either by mail or in-person. In all, the findings reveal among other things, that although its implementation has had some major challenges, AGOA is helping in trade expansion and economic growth in Nigeria through increase in export and implementation of its conditionalities, which have encouraged reforms and trade capacity building (TCB) initiatives. However, the targeted industry and sector (textile and agriculture respectively) are yet to witness significant export growth although they hold great potential for success. This does not suggest a failure of the Act but need to re-evaluate its objective vis-à-vis its achievement after six years of implementation. Although the findings in this research may not be generalized to other participating Sub-Saharan countries given that each country has fairly unique political and economic conditions that produce different implementation outcomes, there are reasons to believe that the Nigerian case offers a clue about the general issues AGOA is facing in the participating countries. The research offers recommendations in the light of the findings.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rothgeb, John M.
Keywords: AGOA; NIGERIA; TRADE; export; Cashew; textile; Free Trade
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10.
Ellis, Steven G.
RELIGION, CIVIL RELIGION, AND THE PRESIDENCY: EXISTENCE AND USES OF AMERICA’S COMMON THREAD.
Degree: MA, Political Science, 2006, Miami University
► This paper attempts to describe the religious and civil religious discourse used…
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▼ This paper attempts to describe the religious and civil religious discourse used by presidents during their inaugural addresses and State of the Union speeches, overlooked in the literature. This deductive, plausibility probe categorizes different words into different categories. It begins by offering definitions of religion and civil religion, separating interested words into either religious or civil religious categories, and then further attempts to subcategorize relevant words into groups that may explain a possible usage for their choice in the speech. From these subcategories, possible hypotheses were developed for future research. From the study, results show that religious and civil religious discourse is used for several purposes (ties to history, links to a common heritage, creating a common belief, policy objectives). This paper also presents limitations with the study and directions for future research into political discourse regarding religious and civil religious usage.
Advisors/Committee Members: Barilleaux, Ryan.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: civil religion; religion; presidency
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11.
Emens, J. D.
A FUNCTIONAL APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING PANEL DYNAMICS IN THE W.T.O. DISPUTE SETTLEMENT PROCESS.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2006, Miami University
► The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the nature of the…
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▼ The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the nature of the Panel processes of the World Trade Organization. Examining the W.T.O. as an extension of its precursor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), two cases of the dispute of the dispute settlement processes are analyzed and compared. It is hoped that by using the case study method more can be learned about at what point in the dispute process actual Panel renderings are made. The conclusion of this dissertation is that it matters little where in the adjudication process renderings turn, rather, more importantly, the type of arguments used by either side (both cases involve India and the United States). Technical, rule-based, or substantive arguments won favorable recommendations from the Panels in both cases. This finding suggests that the move from the GATT to the WTO in 1995 was a significant change from a power and political bases Panel process to one that was more rule-oriented.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rothgeb, Jr., John M.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: World Trade; GATT; WTO
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12.
Farley, Jared A.
The Politicalization of the American Evangelical Press, 1960-1981: A Test of the Ideological Theory of Social Movement Mobilization.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2006, Miami University
► In the last decade, scholars have increasingly begun to study the role…
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▼ In the last decade, scholars have increasingly begun to study the role of issue entrepreneurs and subculture elites in utilizing ideologies, frames and cultural symbolism in the mobilization of social and political movements. Despite this, one of the most important social/political movements of the last century, the rise of the Evangelical Right, has largely escaped examination through these lenses. A limited number have focused their attention upon the more prominent evangelical leaders, like Rev. Jerry Falwell, but this work examines the evangelical subculture from a broader perspective. A similar criticism is that the scholarship in this field often oversimplifies this political reawakening. Researchers often suggest that the 1976 presidential campaign of fellow evangelical Jimmy Carter was the central mobilizing force which propelled white evangelicals into the electoral arena, causing secular conservative political operatives to realize the dormant electoral potential of this community. This study shows that operatives and elites within the evangelical subculture were moving to politicalize the subculture long before the 1980 election, the establishment of Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority or even the 1976 election. Finally, this study provides an analysis of the ideology evangelicals were mobilized under during the 1960s and 1970s. Social movement scholars have recently begun talking about the functions movement ideologies must serve for a mobilization to be successful. This study tests these hypotheses with a systematic, empirical, primary source analysis, rather than the nonsystematic, hearsay or anecdotal evidence that exemplifies most of the social movements’ literature. The final chapter provides an overview of the political ideology and issue framing which emerge from the pages of the major evangelical periodicals of this time period. This politicalization of the evangelical subculture is an important topic for analysis not only because of what it can tell us about the top-down mobilization of social/political movements, but also because of the insights it lends to the formation of one of the most significant and powerful political movements in recent history.
Advisors/Committee Members: Barilleaux, Ryan J.
Keywords: religious right; Christian right; evangelical right; Christian conservatives; evangelical magazines; social movements; religion and politics; Christianity Today; Christian Life; Moody Monthly; Decision
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13.
Frye, Tony.
Economic Zone Policy as an Agent of Rapid Economic Growth: The Case of the People's Republic of China.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2007, Miami University
► Economic zones (or EZs) have remained the foundation of China’s economic growth…
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▼ Economic zones (or EZs) have remained the foundation of China’s economic growth since its opening in the late 1970s. China’s economic zones have grown exponentially, with fifty nine official EZs in mainland China, but retain many regional, legal, and sectoral differences. The purpose of this study is twofold. One, investigate the differences, or the lack thereof, between economic zones in the coastal and the non-coastal areas of China. This is accompanied by examining three economic zones (located in the cities of Chongqing, Shanghai, and Yantai), which vary in regional location. Next, a set of typologies are constructed to extract the successful components of economic zones in China, comparing the results of the zones to deduce their degree of similarity in policies and economic growth. The second purpose of the study is to expand on the opening literature by using empirical research, theoretically operationalized into an economic zone model to investigate how the policies of individual economic zones impact investment decisions in a sector-specific study. In particular, this study is looking at the investment decisions of two US automobile manufacturers, Ford and General Motors, in the three Chinese economic zones in the study. By controlling for national and sectoral foreign investment types, this study will measure the similarities, as well as the differences, in strategies and investment choices by the investors in these economic zones. Ultimately, it is the thesis of the study that in terms of policies, growth, and regional (coastal versus non-coastal) status, there is little difference between the economic zones. In addition, there is no significant difference between the two automobile manufacturing companies in their investment choices in the zones in this study. Nevertheless, there are external, intervening variables, such as the importance of cities as growth centers to the existence of economic zones, and joint venture and localization laws as influences on foreign automobile companies. Thus, while the economic zones and investors in this study operate in a more cooperative and competitive environment, it is just as likely those non-coastal economic zones in less developed cities than Chongqing, and non-automobile investors, experience a differentiated comparison.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rothgeb, John.
Keywords: ECONOMIC ZONE; CHINA; PRC; joint venture; Shanghai
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14.
Funk, Oliver.
Foreign Direct Investment to the Czech Republic. Comparing the Case of Škoda Automobilová and Volkswagen With Bargaining for Budëjovický Budvar by Anheuser-Busch .
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2003, Miami University
► The present dissertation examines the bargaining relationship between host country governments (HCGs)…
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▼ The present dissertation examines the bargaining relationship between host country governments (HCGs) for foreign direct investment (FDI) by multinational corporations (MNCs) and managers of those internationally active enterprises in the context of transitional economies. Specifically, the study focuses on the Czech government on one side of the negotiating table and the German Volkswagen AG as well as U.S. brewer Anheuser-Busch as two of the MNCs that have been bargaining for investment in the country since the collapse of communism on the other. From 1990, Czechoslovakia started to accept bidding for most of its enterprises. It succeeded in privatizing – among other strategies – by having foreign MNCs invest in national companies. The car maker Škoda automobilová was the first major sale in December 1990. However, Anheuser-Busch was not able to purchase Czech brewer Budìjovický Budvar during nearly four years of negotiations that followed its bid in 1991. This observation leads to the question for the reasons of the Czech government’s reluctance to sell one of its breweries, given the previous sale of its economic flagship Škoda automobilová. The study suggests answers from three perspectives: First, the expectations of the Czech government as recipient of FDI were focused on. Next, the situation was approached from the points of view of Volkswagen and Anheuser-Busch as two foreign MNCs interested in investing in Czechoslovakia/the Czech Republic. Finally, the study looked at the bargaining process itself, to see whether the two partners could carry out their intentions and how they were able to achieve their objectives. Understanding the politics of bargaining between the HCG and the MNC will enable both actors to better evaluate their relative bargaining position and predict a possible outcome. It also allows them to shape the negotiations in a favorable manner, if they know the motivations of their opponents and it will help either side to achieve its goals. Both sides should be profiting from their relationship, if the HCG not only is able to identify the profit targets of the business enterprise, but the MNC also understands the objectives of a country that wants to develop its economy. The present dissertation examines the bargaining relationship between host country governments (HCGs) for foreign direct investment (FDI) by multinational corporations (MNCs) and managers of those internationally active enterprises in the context of transitional economies. Specifically, the study focuses on the Czech government on one side of the negotiating table and the German Volkswagen AG as well as U.S. brewer Anheuser-Busch as two of the MNCs that have been bargaining for investment in the country since the collapse of communism on the other. From 1990, Czechoslovakia started to accept bidding for most of its enterprises. It succeeded in privatizing – among other strategies – by having foreign MNCs invest in national companies. The car maker Škoda automobilová was the first major sale in December 1990. However, Anheuser-Busch was not able to purchase Czech brewer Budìjovický Budvar during nearly four years of negotiations that followed its bid in 1991. This observation leads to the question for the reasons of the Czech government’s reluctance to sell one of its breweries, given the previous sale of its economic flagship Škoda automobilová. The study suggests answers from three perspectives: First, the expectations of the Czech government as recipient of FDI were focused on. Next, the situation was approached from the points of view of Volkswagen and Anheuser-Busch as two foreign MNCs interested in investing in Czechoslovakia/the Czech Republic. Finally, the study looked at the bargaining process itself, to see whether the two partners could carry out their intentions and how they were able to achieve their objectives. Understanding the politics of bargaining between the HCG and the MNC will enable both actors to better evaluate their relative bargaining position and predict a possible outcome. It also allows them to shape the negotiations in a favorable manner, if they know the motivations of their opponents and it will help either side to achieve its goals. Both sides should be profiting from their relationship, if the HCG not only is able to identify the profit targets of the business enterprise, but the MNC also understands the objectives of a country that wants to develop its economy.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rothgeb, John M., Jr.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: ANHEUSER-BUSCH; BUDVAR; MNCs; Czech government; FDI; VOLKSWAGEN
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15.
Glendenning, Travis R.
Presidential Campaigns and Environmental Policy: Linking Promise and Performance.
Degree: MA, Political Science, 2006, Miami University
► This paper reports on a comparative analysis of the environmental policy campaign…
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▼ This paper reports on a comparative analysis of the environmental policy campaign promises and in-term performances of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. The study divides environmental policy promises into domestic and global issues, and evaluates presidential performance with campaign promises, categorizing performance into five categories: comparable action, partially comparable action, no action, mixed action, and contrary action. Results of the analysis reveal a markedly lower level of promise fulfillment for environmental promises, particularly promises concerning global environmental issues, than for campaign promises in general. The promise fulfillment disparity arises from the intergenerational and politically subordinate nature of environmental policy.
Advisors/Committee Members: Barilleaux, Ryan J.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: Ronald Reagan; George H.W. Bush; Bill Clinton; George W. Bush; ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY; Campaign Promises
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16.
Hess, Stephen E.
Authoritarian Landscapes: State Decentralization, Popular Mobilization and the Institutional Sources of Resilience in Nondemocracies.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2011, Miami University
► Beginning with the insight that highly-centralized state structures have historically provided a…
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▼ Beginning with the insight that highly-centralized state structures have historically provided a unifying target and fulcrum for the mobilization of contentious nationwide social movements, this dissertation investigates the hypothesis that decentralized state structures in authoritarian regimes impede the development of forms of popular contention sustained and coordinated on a national scale. As defined in this work, in a decentralized state, local officials assume greater discretionary control over public expenditures, authority over the implementation of government policies, and latitude in managing outbreaks of social unrest within their jurisdictions. As a result, they become the direct targets of most protests aimed at the state and the primary mediators of actions directed at third-party, non-state actors. A decentralized state therefore presents not one but a multitude of loci for protests, diminishing claimants’ ability to use the central state as a unifying target and fulcrum for organizing national contentious movements. For this reason, decentralized autocracies are expected to face more fragmented popular oppositions and exhibit higher levels of durability than their more centralized counterparts. To examine this claim, I conduct four comparative case studies, organized into pairs of autocracies that share a common regime type but vary in terms of state decentralization. These include the single-party autocracies of Taiwan (1949-1996) and China (1949-present) and the personalist autocracies of the Philippines (1972-1986) and Kazakhstan (1991-present). This dissertation compares streams of contention in each of these sites, examining how state structures facilitate and/or impede the shift from localized and particularized forms of contention into nation-level social movements. These divergent outcomes are expected to have a powerful impact on the resilience of individual autocratic states and their likelihood of experiencing regime breakdown.
Advisors/Committee Members: Ganev, Venelin.
Subjects: Asian Studies; Political Science
Keywords: authoritarianism, decentralization, regime change, popular contention, protest, contentious politics, China, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Philippines
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17.
Keida, Mark Stephen.
Globalizing Solidarity: Explaining Differences in U.S Labor Union Transnationalism.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2006, Miami University
► The purpose of this research is to explain differences in the transnational…
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▼ The purpose of this research is to explain differences in the transnational organizing strategies of U.S. trade unions. Of particular interest is the degree to which economic globalization (e.g., import competition, foreign direct investment, and multinationalization) influences the nature, scope, and priority U.S. labor unions assign to transnational organizing strategies. Toward this end, this research compares the transnational strategies of three U.S. labor unions — the United Steelworkers of America (USW), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — each of which represents a distinct sector of U.S. labor market (manufacturing, service, and professional) and experiences a different level and type of exposure to economic globalization (high, moderate, and low). Using an updated theory of labor transnationalism and primary source data, this study finds that transnational organizing strategies are highly correlated with exposure to economic globalization, particularly multinationalization in a union’s core industries. At the same time, in cases where exposure to economic globalization is low, transnational strategies are better explained through intra-organizational dynamics, such as leadership ideology, membership interests, and union size. In the main, this study suggests that in order to explain differences in transnational organizing strategies, one must consider both the level and type of exposure to economic globalization, as well as organizational dynamics in cases where exposure is minimal.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rothgeb, John M.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: Globalization; Transnationalism; US Labor Movement; Labor Politics; Labor Union Transnationalism; Labor Union Internationalism; USW; SEIU; AFT
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18.
Kelley, Christopher S.
THE UNITARY EXECUTIVE AND THE PRESIDENTIAL SIGNING STATEMENT.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2003, Miami University
► The presidential bill signing statement has generated very little attention by political…
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▼ The presidential bill signing statement has generated very little attention by political scientists interested in presidential power and the relationship between the Congress and the president. Despite its lack of interest by presidential scholars, it is a commonly used device by presidents dating all the way back to the Monroe administration. This dissertation offers the first systematic examination of what the signing statement is, how it is used, and why it has become important to the executive branch in the last thirty years.
Advisors/Committee Members: Barilleaux, Ryan J.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: Signing statement; Unitary Executive; Separation of Powers; Presidential Power
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19.
MacCleary, Jared.
Foreign Direct Investment in America's Automotive Industry.
Degree: MA, Political Science, 2006, Miami University
► This paper investigates the factors that lead a foreign automaker to invest…
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▼ This paper investigates the factors that lead a foreign automaker to invest in a particular state. It examines variables that gauge a state’s manufacturing development, labor union activity, and economic environment. The analysis is done in two parts. First, a classification tree analysis is conducted on data representing greenfield auto assembly investments. It includes observations of states that did receive investment and states that did not receive investment in order to identify the principal differences. The second analysis is a case study of Honda in Ohio. The key factors that attracted Honda to Ohio are identified and described. This paper concludes that the attribution to Southern states’ low union activity rate as one of the most important reasons for attracting investment is overstated. Furthermore, the industrial development and the presence of American automakers, what many have described as a weakness in Midwestern states, may actually become an attractive feature in the near future.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rothgeb, John.
Keywords: FDI; INVESTMENT; Honda; MNCs; FOREIGN; DIRECT INVESTMENT; Incentives
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20.
Marksberry, Brian R.
Russian Foreign Policy in the South Caucasus.
Degree: MA, Political Science, 2011, Miami University
► For about a decade, Russia has been a flush with money, and…
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▼ For about a decade, Russia has been a flush with money, and economic prosperity after the financial chaos of the 1990s. This boom has been driven largely by Moscow’s exports of natural gas and oil, and helped by record high energy prices. Much of this energy sources have been carried on pipelines that run through Russia’s unstable North Caucasus region. However, Western-backed pipelines in the South Caucasus pose a threat towards Russia’s newfound prosperity. In order to undermine future pipelines in the region, Moscow has sought to destabilize the region by encouraging and manipulating separatist tensions in the pivotal nation of Georgia. These tensions culminated in the brief conflict in August 2008. Three years later, relations between Tbilisi and Moscow remain high, and the West continues to see Georgia as a pivotal transit route for its pipelines, much to Moscow’s chagrin.
Advisors/Committee Members: Dawisha, Karen.
Subjects: Political Science
Keywords: Russia; Azerbaijan; Georgia; Caspian Sea; South Caucasus; Caucasus; pipelines
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21.
Martin, Jeremy A.
RUSSIA AND THE “WEST:” A USEFUL PARADIGM OR AN IMAGINED ACTOR?.
Degree: MA, Political Science, 2007, Miami University
► In much of the post-Soviet literature on Western-Russian international relations, it is…
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▼ In much of the post-Soviet literature on Western-Russian international relations, it is argued or assumed that post-Soviet Russia is too weak to challenge the “West” and its policies and plans regarding former Soviet states. This paper will argue that the “West” is not monolithic, and examine the limitations this places on Western influence within the post-Soviet space. The paper will divide the West into two primary entities, the European Union and the United States, and compare the influence and limitations these entities have against Russian foreign policy interests in the former Soviet space. Using journalistic accounts of several highly referenced conflicts, this paper will offer a case study analysis of the causes of Russian foreign policy successes and failures during periods of opposition to either one or both of these Western entities, and discuss the implications of these causes.
Advisors/Committee Members: Dawisha, Karen.
Keywords: U.S. foreign policy; E.U. foreign policy; European Union; Western; West; Western foreign policy; Russia; Russian foreign policy; West-East relations
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22.
Mascho, Bradley Steven.
Our Young Elected Officials.
Degree: MA, Political Science, 2003, Miami University
► In the year 2000, seventy-nine percent of Americans were younger than the…
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▼ In the year 2000, seventy-nine percent of Americans were younger than the average member of Congress. For decades the average member of Congress has been above the age of fifty, yet we continue to send rare young members to represent our districts. Across America and spanning our history, young people hold positions of influence. This work is the culmination of extensive interviews and questionnaires with twenty notable political figures elected to office at politically “young” ages. Included in this work are comments from three State Representatives, one Governor, thirteen members of the United States House of Representatives, and three United States Senators. After more than three hours of interviews and eleven questionnaires, the influence of youth in politics will be addressed here. Their comments point not to a revolution of youthful involvement but rather a sustained influence on American politics. In the year 2000, seventy-nine percent of Americans were younger than the average member of Congress. For decades the average member of Congress has been above the age of fifty, yet we continue to send rare young members to represent our districts. Across America and spanning our history, young people hold positions of influence. This work is the culmination of extensive interviews and questionnaires with twenty notable political figures elected to office at politically “young” ages. Included in this work are comments from three State Representatives, one Governor, thirteen members of the United States House of Representatives, and three United States Senators. After more than three hours of interviews and eleven questionnaires, the influence of youth in politics will be addressed here. Their comments point not to a revolution of youthful involvement but rather a sustained influence on American politics.
Advisors/Committee Members: Barilleaux, Ryan J.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: Youth; Politics; Congress; Young Officials; Elections
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23.
Maxwell, Jewerl T.
Presidential Affirmative Action: The Role of Presidential Executive Orders in the Establishment, Institutionalization, and Expansion of Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Policies.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2008, Miami University
► In his 2001 text With a Stroke of a Pen, Kenneth Mayer…
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▼ In his 2001 text With a Stroke of a Pen, Kenneth Mayer contended, "Affirmative action, or the practice of granting preferences in employment, contracting, or education on the basis of race and gender, is largely a creature of executive action" (202). In spite of the substantial role played by America's chief executives in enactment of such policies, with the exception of Mayer's brief analysis in his chapter on civil rights, explanations regarding how and why presidents have enacted such policies have eluded presidency scholars. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to identify and explain the answer to the following questions: 1) To what extent have modern presidents used executive orders to establish federal affirmative action policy in the realm of equal employment opportunity for underrepresented groups in American society, prior to actions taken by other governmental institutions? 2) What factors explain presidential decision-making regarding executive orders pertaining to equal employment opportunity for underrepresented groups? To accomplish this, I examine the decision-making process regarding Lyndon Johnson's issuance of Executive Order 11246 in the aftermath of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the decision-making process regarding President Nixon's issuance Executive Order 11478, which in affect brought about the institutionalization of federal affirmative action policy; the decision-making process regarding Ronald Reagan's decision not to issue an executive order drafted by his attorney general that would have eliminated all federal affirmative action programs; and the decision-making process regarding Bill Clinton's issuance of Executive Order 13087, which extended federal equal employment opportunity programs to homosexuals.
Advisors/Committee Members: Barilleaux, Ryan.
Subjects: Political science
Keywords: executive orders; presidential power; affirmative action
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24.
Mazumdar, Arijit.
Deregulation of the Airline Industry in India: An Analysis of the Government's Policy, Rationale and Strategy.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2008, Miami University
► Three decades after it nationalized its airline industry, India began to easerestrictions…
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▼ Three decades after it nationalized its airline industry, India began to easerestrictions in 1986. This study examines the factors that motivated the government to deregulate the industry. It documents the changes in the regulatory system and analyzes the rationale and strategy behind the policies adopted by the government. Based on results from interviews conducted with government officials in India's civil aviation ministry, it is concluded that although the factors that motivated the government to deregulate the airline industry include the desire to promote economic development, improve air services and the international trend towards liberalized airline competition, the government's determination of the process and pace of deregulation was informed by established international practices and procedures, national security and safety concerns, and the pluralist nature of Indian politics.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rothgeb, John.
Subjects: Political science
Keywords: air services; airlines; airline industry; civil aviation; deregulation; India; liberalization; low-cost carrier; open skies
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25.
McClure, Craig S.
Seeking Justice: Examining Adult Offender Reentry Court Partnerships from a Policy Implementation Perspective.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2005, Miami University
► This dissertation reveals a unique and atypical role for community level judges…
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▼ This dissertation reveals a unique and atypical role for community level judges as adult offender reentry coordinators. Reentry court partnerships (RCPs) place the judge at the center of post-release supervision and treatment. RCPs are new and innovative community-based programs that are designed to help offenders leave the state prison system and successfully return to society. This study asks the fundamental question, “How are reentry court partnerships being implemented?” In answering the question, reentry court actors and their decisions are the focus of data collection using a values-based survey instrument. This dissertation contributes to clarifying a disparate body of policy implementation research generally, as well as provides data that will aid current and future reentry court development nationwide. The key findings of this dissertation are that an actors’ sense of accountability most strongly influences decision making in the policy implementation process, and that elected judges can emerge as powerful agents for social change in the community.
Advisors/Committee Members: Russo, Philip A.
Keywords: reentry; court; implementation
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26.
Morris, Mark Howard.
Presidential Pardon Power: Discretion, Disuse, and Mass Media Coverage.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2004, Miami University
► Despite a constitutional foundation and relatively active use until recent years, presidential…
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▼ Despite a constitutional foundation and relatively active use until recent years, presidential pardon power remains a little studied and poorly understood executive power. This dissertation seeks to partially remedy this void in the literature with a systematic analysis of the power to pardon. In addition, presidential pardon power has fallen into a state of near disuse in the last two decades. Can factors be identified that explain this trend towards disuse of presidential pardon power? Might these or similar factors then have the potential of affecting the use of other presidential powers? Put another way, are the factors influencing the use or disuse of the pardon power transferable to other presidential powers?
Advisors/Committee Members: Barilleaux, Ryan J.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: president; pardon power; discretion; mass media
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27.
Nimis, Sara Rose.
MYTHOLOGIES OF A DEVELOPMENTAL STATE: AMBITION AND ACTION IN NASSER’S EGYPT.
Degree: MA, Political Science, 2005, Miami University
► This paper uses an historical analysis of state intervention in the Egyptian…
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▼ This paper uses an historical analysis of state intervention in the Egyptian economy during the Nasser period (1952-1970) to show how an activist state can help a late-industrializing economy “catch up” to industrialized economies in the global market. The Egyptian case is compared and contrasted with the case of South Korea during the fifties and sixties. The absence of growth-promoting relationships between business and state actors in the Egyptian case was rooted in the suspicion toward businesspeople that characterized the developmental myth of the Nasser government. A case study of the Arab Contractors Corporation further illustrates the importance of such “policy networks”. The developmental myths of the two governments also played into their policy strategies. The Egyptian government espoused an import substitution strategy in line with its emphasis on independence as the hallmark of development, whereas South Korea favored a strategy emphasizing exports.
Advisors/Committee Members: Dawisha, Adeed.
Subjects: Political Science, General
Keywords: Egypt; South Korea; political economy; development; Nasser
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28.
Noble, Keith Edward.
The Complete Guide To Understanding The U.S.-sub-Saharan African Trade Relationship: Analysis and Opinions On The Ghanaian Implementation Of The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)—A Case Study.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2006, Miami University
► This dissertation examines the scope of trade relations between the United States…
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▼ This dissertation examines the scope of trade relations between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa—a relationship that since 2000, has largely been shaped by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). That is to say, the utility of this, the most ambitious trade agreement between both the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa, will be analyzed in order to determine if AGOA has substantially diversified and has expanded the trade relationship between these two trading partners. Specifically, the research reported herein is divided into four parts. The first reviews the current academic literature on PTAs. The second examines the origins, structure, and the processes by which AGOA has been implemented throughout sub- Saharan Africa. The third examines the impact that AGOA has had on U.S.-sub-Saharan African trade relations. Lastly, the fourth explains (1) Ghana’s position in the world economy, (2) the history of Ghana’s trade relations with the U.S., and (3) the state of AGOA implementation in Ghana to date. The analysis of how AGOA has been implemented in Ghana was conducted by the use of a specially designed Ghanaian-AGOA survey. Interviews were conducted with U.S. and Ghanaian government officials and private industry representatives. The research revealed that the three most common problems cited by respondents explaining Ghana’s inability to successfully use AGOA as a means to reach the vast American market included low capacity, poor infrastructure, and the lack of Ghanaian expertise with regards to U.S. trade laws. The research also revealed that to a large degree, Ghanaians do not believe that that AGOA will substantially alter Ghana’s trade position with the U.S. in the near term. The dissertation concludes by recommending African nations to place capacity building as one of their highest priorities in terms of economic development. It also highlights several export-oriented sectors within the Ghanaian economy that have the potential to be competitive in international markets.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rothgeb, John M.
Keywords: AGOA; Ghana; sub-Saharan; Trade; Africa; U.S
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29.
Obeta, Miracle.
A TALE OF TWO REGIMES/COUNTRIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DEMOCRATIC TRANSITIONS IN GHANA AND THE GAMBIA.
Degree: MA, Political Science, 2009, Miami University
► This paper assesses the political transmutations from “Military to Civilian Leadership” of…
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▼ This paper assesses the political transmutations from “Military to Civilian Leadership” of Jerry Rawlings in Ghana and The Gambia under Yahya Jammeh. It examines why Ghana seemed to have “successfully” transitioned to a more democratic dispensation under Rawlings and why The Gambia, under Jammeh, failed to do so. It addresses three key research questions: firstly, how and why did Ghana successfully “transition” to a leading democracy in the continent under the watch of Jerry Rawlings? Secondly, how and why did The Gambia “fail” in its transition efforts to move toward more democratic norms under President Yahya Jammeh? Finally, what accounts for the different pathologies and outcomes in the transition programs of Rawlings’s in Ghana and Jammeh’s Gambia? The basic argument the paper makes is that the varying political and economic outcomes in The Gambia and Ghana are attributable to the levels of regime/ leadership commitment to democracy and perhaps, more importantly, to neo-liberal reform in both countries.
Advisors/Committee Members: Saine, Abdoulaye.
Subjects: Political science
Keywords: Jerry John Rawlings, President Yahya Jammeh, Democracy, Neoliberal Reform, Ghana, The Gambia
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30.
Orndorff, Harold Nelson III.
The Social Media Presidency: New Media and Unilateral Information Dissemination.
Degree: PhD, Political Science, 2011, Miami University
► Two concurrent developments have been taking place in American politics over the…
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▼ Two concurrent developments have been taking place in American politics over the past few decades: the development of social media and the growth of presidential power. It is the assertion of this work that the emergent social media is offering the presidency the ability to bypass the fourth estate. In short, the presidency is gaining autonomy in the 21st century not just from other governing institutions, but from the press itself. In order to document this change, this work proposes to examine the data from the current Obama administration to assess and examine how social media is changing executive governance and offering the presidency new press autonomy. Such an evolution can only serve to not only change the executive interaction with the press, but also with the populace at large.
Advisors/Committee Members: Barilleaux, Ryan.
Subjects: Political Science
Keywords: media; new media; social media; president; presidency; press; presidential power; technology and politics
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