Matching Items (6)
Filtering by

Clear all filters

133815-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Within sixty years, the People’s Republic of China has risen from a struggling post-civil war state to the second largest economy in the world, comprising of 16.71 percent of the global economy as of 2015. While China has grown, its presence internationally has grown as well—China has utilized its

Within sixty years, the People’s Republic of China has risen from a struggling post-civil war state to the second largest economy in the world, comprising of 16.71 percent of the global economy as of 2015. While China has grown, its presence internationally has grown as well—China has utilized its capital to foment important relationships and foster soft power dynamics, making billions available in development aid and investment projects across the globe, most notably in Africa and Latin America, where Chinese goods have begun to dominate the markets there as they have in American counterparts. However, within Latin America China has been investing in countries that are traditionally seen as “risky” financial investments. This paper hypothesizes that the returns on Chinese investments in Latin America are not financial, but political—that China is investing in expansion of its soft-power and legitimizing its beginnings of global hegemony. The paper also explores the success of these initiatives by comparing the level of Chinese investment to changes in Latin American foreign policy alignment, discourse, and agreements through utilizing case studies of Venezuela and Bolivia.
ContributorsHochhaus, Natalie (Co-author) / Yan, Jaylia (Co-author) / Thomson, Henry (Thesis director) / Ripley, Charles (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
136899-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Much research has been devoted to identifying trends in either convergence upon a neoliberal model or divergence among welfare states in connection to globalization, but most research has focused on advanced industrialized countries. This has limited our understanding of the current state of convergence or divergence, especially among welfare states

Much research has been devoted to identifying trends in either convergence upon a neoliberal model or divergence among welfare states in connection to globalization, but most research has focused on advanced industrialized countries. This has limited our understanding of the current state of convergence or divergence, especially among welfare states in developing regions. To address this research gap and contribute to the broader convergence vs. divergence debate, this research explores welfare state variation found within Latin America, in terms of the health policy domain, through the use of cross-national data from 18 countries collected between the period of 1995 to 2010 and the application of a series of descriptive and regression analysis techniques. Analyses revealed divergence within Latin America in the form of three distinct welfare states, and that among these welfare states income inequality, trust in traditional public institutions, and democratization, are significantly related to welfare state type and health performance.
ContributorsJohnson, Kory Alfred (Author) / Martin, Nathan (Thesis director) / Gonzales, Vanna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
134392-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Despite the initial emergence of the infectious disease in the 1950's, Zika virus did not gain notoriety as an epidemic until 2015. It's rapid dissemination and potentially lethal and expensive consequences have afforded Zika the title of Public Health Emergency of International Concern. While the flu-like symptoms of the mosquito-borne

Despite the initial emergence of the infectious disease in the 1950's, Zika virus did not gain notoriety as an epidemic until 2015. It's rapid dissemination and potentially lethal and expensive consequences have afforded Zika the title of Public Health Emergency of International Concern. While the flu-like symptoms of the mosquito-borne illness are a mere mild nuisance, the links between Zika and Guillian-Barre Syndrome as well as a birth defect known as microcephaly are alarming to say the least. Guillian-Barre Syndrome causes temporary or permanent paralysis, which can sometimes lead to fatality. Microcephaly is a fetal anomaly that causes physical and mental defects and disabilities for a lifetime. Though most countries in Latin America are solely pursuing mosquito-prevention tactics including aerial sprays, bug kits, and door-to-door educational efforts, this is not enough to solve the problem at large. Antiquated laws restricting abortions must be jettisoned, and contraceptives must be accessible to all women in order to mitigate these disastrous effects. With Brazil at the epicenter of this crisis, policy makers in Latin America have no choice but to address this impending disaster. Without a firm grasp on a solution and potential vaccination, the near-isolated cases in Latin America are going to gain a wider global spread. Mosquito season is looming overhead, and there have already been confirmed cases in the United States. Due to constraints in the political, cultural, and religious environments of Latin America, any and all solutions to mitigate the effects of Zika are going to include major changes to the laws and social norms.
ContributorsNoe, Sarah A (Author) / Wood, Reed (Thesis director) / Hinojosa, Magda (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
132971-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
The implementation of gender quotas in the Costa Rican legislature presents an interesting case study that with the use of national legislative gender quotas, women’s issues are more positively addressed within the country. This analysis argues that with the higher presence of women legislators in the Legislative Assembly made possible

The implementation of gender quotas in the Costa Rican legislature presents an interesting case study that with the use of national legislative gender quotas, women’s issues are more positively addressed within the country. This analysis argues that with the higher presence of women legislators in the Legislative Assembly made possible by the quota these women. in turn, have created more gender-focused policies. Thusly, higher amounts of female-focused policy will positively impact women’s issue areas within Costa Rican society. This argument will be supported by other scholar’s research on the subject of the gender quota and female equality in Costa Rica. I will also be presenting my own research that will investigate the data taken from the Costa Rican health ministry, UNICEF, and other organizations to comparatively evaluate the improvement of problems that women face coinciding with the higher female presence in the legislature.
ContributorsBlythe, Alexandra (Author) / Shair-Rosenfield, Sarah (Thesis director) / Funk, Kendall (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor, Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
134359-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Human trafficking is not a new problem, but has gained recognition in the last decade as one of the world's most serious and large-scale violations of human rights. Though the figures vary wildly due to insufficient data, the U.S. State Department estimates that there are as many as 20 million

Human trafficking is not a new problem, but has gained recognition in the last decade as one of the world's most serious and large-scale violations of human rights. Though the figures vary wildly due to insufficient data, the U.S. State Department estimates that there are as many as 20 million victims of trafficking around the world. As more attention is shifted towards the problem, even the most developed nations of the world are recognizing the gravity of human trafficking and slavery within their borders. Stories of trafficking have many similarities across borders and cultures, but all countries have unique methods of addressing this issue in their own backyard. In response to the rising interest in this issue both academically and politically, this honors thesis is intended to contribute to the literature on human trafficking in the Peruvian case. Specifically, this document examines how U.S. Embassies can influence anti trafficking efforts abroad through effective collaboration with host county governments and NGOs. The argument of this paper is that, through collaboration with these two partners, U.S. Embassies can improve the existing anti-trafficking efforts, or aid in the creation of new ones. In order to explore this argument, I examine how the U.S. Embassy in Lima works with the Peruvian government and Peruvian non-governmental organizations (NGO) on combating trafficking.
ContributorsLawson, Shelby Marie (Author) / Hinojosa, Magda (Thesis director) / Lake, Milli (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
134147-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
As happiness research has begun to examine trends outside of Western countries, Latin America has been characterized as a challenging region to reconcile with global trends. However, some recent research has suggested that maybe happiness predictors in Latin America are more like those of fully industrialized nations in the West

As happiness research has begun to examine trends outside of Western countries, Latin America has been characterized as a challenging region to reconcile with global trends. However, some recent research has suggested that maybe happiness predictors in Latin America are more like those of fully industrialized nations in the West than originally thought. This thesis examines the case of two Latin American nations, Argentina and Chile, that closely resemble the economic and social realities of Western countries that have been thoroughly examined in the literature. I found that with a few exceptions, Argentine and Chilean happiness indicators resemble those of industrialized nations described in past studies . Additionally, this paper found that the most significant predictors of happiness were subjective assessments of personal health and satisfaction with one's financial status. In both countries, we also see an increase in levels of happiness over time.
ContributorsJones, Darby Niccole (Author) / Martin, Nathan (Thesis director) / Haglund, LaDawn (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12