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The purpose of this paper is to examine why the Russian government has been taking political, economic, and military actions in Belarus and Ukraine, and the extent to which the Russian people support these actions. Many observers in the West seem to believe that the Russian government is forcing its political will onto Russian citizens. However, public opinion research indicates that Russian citizens express a genuine support for the regime's political behavior in neighboring countries. Russian citizens seem to support the decisions to build closer relations with countries they consider culturally significant or culturally similar to themselves. Perhaps the clearest examples of these sentiments occur in relationships with Belarus and Ukraine. This is especially apparent when compared to Russian relations with the Baltic nations. Although these nations are home to a large numbers of Russians, the citizens of Russia do not consider the Baltics as significant as Belarus or Ukraine because of pronounced cultural differences. In this context, it seems as though Russian public opinion drives government action toward international relations with the Near Abroad nations perhaps just as much as the government influences public opinion.
ContributorsFranko, Blake Isaac (Author) / Siroky, David (Thesis director) / Von Hagen, Mark (Committee member) / Benkert, Volker (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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This thesis explores managerial problems and recommendations to improve the efficiency and transparency of roughly 220 different boards and commissions currently active in the state of Arizona. Research for this thesis was gathered while serving as an intern in Governor Doug Ducey's office, as well as a close examination of state statues, interviews, and supplemental sources. Research indicated that there are a few major areas of concern among the boards: the use of technology, transparency, lobbyists, board politics, and methods of centralization and decentralization. These major areas highlight the challenges that these offices face and can help inform the way solutions are created. Major findings from these areas of interest include: a need for greater use of technological resources, a need for increased transparency, the reasoning behind the new system for hiring lobbyists, the problems and possible solutions associated with board politics, the nuances of operating 90/10 licensing boards, possible changes to the operation of 90/10 licensing boards, the benefits and negatives to different methods of centralization and decentralization. Taking these findings into account, a few recommendations are developed to help enhance the operations of the state office and the boards and commissions. Beyond these recommendations, simply having a greater understanding of the operations behind the state office and the boards and commissions benefits everyone involved.
ContributorsTiscornia, Adrian Thomas (Author) / Critchlow, Donald (Thesis director) / Grossman, Joseph (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12