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Title: The consequences of conditioned democracy promotion by the United States in Latin America.
Creator: Walsh, Kelly., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: Democracy promotion is an important tenet of United States foreign policy. However, U.S. democracy promotion efforts are conditioned by geopolitical concerns, economic goals, and security interests. This thesis analyzes the impact of U.S. foreign policy in Chile, Colombia, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Evidence from these cases suggests that United States foreign policy has contributed to the growth of unhealthy or pseudo-democracies in Latin America because frequently the policy reinforces the...
Show moreDemocracy promotion is an important tenet of United States foreign policy. However, U.S. democracy promotion efforts are conditioned by geopolitical concerns, economic goals, and security interests. This thesis analyzes the impact of U.S. foreign policy in Chile, Colombia, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Evidence from these cases suggests that United States foreign policy has contributed to the growth of unhealthy or pseudo-democracies in Latin America because frequently the policy reinforces the political and economic power of entrenched elites or the military. These groups, whose interests more closely align with U.S interests, are often uncommitted to supporting policy that promotes human rights and equitable distribution of wealth and power or that demands universal political liberties. Democracy is promoted rhetorically rather than in practice, and consequently is unresponsive and illegitimate. Future democracy promotion efforts by the United States, if they are to be successful, must overcome this illegitimacy by compensating for the conflicts that conditioned democracy produces.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/210005
Subject Headings: Democracy, Democratization, Government policy, Politics and government, Foreign relations, Foreign relations
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Economic growth in Ecuador provided by dollarization.
Creator: Salcedo-Saltos, Rosanna L., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: In an attempt to reduce runaway inflation, the Ecuadorian government froze citizens' checking and savings accounts for a year in March 1999. Nevertheless, Ecuador still experienced hyperinflation later that year. On January 9, 2000, Ecuador established dollarization as a desperate attempt to restore confidence in the economy. In order to test for dollarization's impact on economic growth, I employ an econometrics model with total factor productivity as the dependent variable. I then use...
Show moreIn an attempt to reduce runaway inflation, the Ecuadorian government froze citizens' checking and savings accounts for a year in March 1999. Nevertheless, Ecuador still experienced hyperinflation later that year. On January 9, 2000, Ecuador established dollarization as a desperate attempt to restore confidence in the economy. In order to test for dollarization's impact on economic growth, I employ an econometrics model with total factor productivity as the dependent variable. I then use dollarization as the independent variable of interest, and other control variables such as oil, and trade. The results reported in this paper suggest that dollarization has a significant positive impact on Ecuador's economic growth.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3335454
Subject Headings: Monetary policy, Currency question, Dollar, American, Economic conditions, Economic conditions
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Free markets and free governments in Latin America.
Creator: Rossknecht, Timothy L., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: Latin America has undergone a "third wave" of democratization and free market economic reforms, known as "neoliberalism." Neoliberalism radically altered what had been statist or corporatist economic systems, under austere programs that mandated deregulation, privatization, currency devaluation, and the elimination of protective tariffs and subsidies. Seventeen Latin American nations were examined in the aggregate, comparing levels of economic reform with measures of political and civil...
Show moreLatin America has undergone a "third wave" of democratization and free market economic reforms, known as "neoliberalism." Neoliberalism radically altered what had been statist or corporatist economic systems, under austere programs that mandated deregulation, privatization, currency devaluation, and the elimination of protective tariffs and subsidies. Seventeen Latin American nations were examined in the aggregate, comparing levels of economic reform with measures of political and civil rights and freedoms, poverty, inequality, and popular support for democratic institutions and practices. The tests were repeated within two in-depth case studies, Argentina and Mexico. In all three cases, neoliberalism was statistically linked with increased political rights and freedom, but failed to improve levels of poverty and inequality, and was shown to be partially responsible for downturns in popular support for democratic institutions (i.e. Parliament) and practices (i.e. labor unions, legal protests).
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Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11582
Subject Headings: Neoliberalism, Latin America, Economic conditions, Economic stabilization, Social aspects, Democratization, History
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Help or hype?: the role of Internet marketing in rural development strategies.
Creator: Klaas, Kathryn, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: International development literature suggests that Internet marketing has the potential to play an important role in rural development. Despite the abundant theoretical support for incorporating Internet marketing into development strategies, there is little empirical evidence regarding whether Internet marketing actually generates development. This thesis helps fill this gap in the literature by investigating whether one Internet marketing application associated with development, competitive...
Show moreInternational development literature suggests that Internet marketing has the potential to play an important role in rural development. Despite the abundant theoretical support for incorporating Internet marketing into development strategies, there is little empirical evidence regarding whether Internet marketing actually generates development. This thesis helps fill this gap in the literature by investigating whether one Internet marketing application associated with development, competitive-online auctions (COAs), contributes to growth and poverty reduction. An analysis of price premiums earned in Latin American specialty coffee auctions and interviews with participating coffee farmers suggest that this application's strength lies in its ability to catalyze development; it provides the foundation from which farmers can pursue above-market prices, access new markets, and improve local living conditions. However, evidence also emphasizes that COAs do not inevitably advance development goals because their ability to do so is contingent on external factors, including the actions taken by individual farmers.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/209992
Subject Headings: Internet marketing, Small business, Computer network resources, Developmental economics, Rural development, Information technology, Economic aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Hot-cold medicine revisited: another look at the debate over its origin.
Creator: Bourget, Sarah., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: Anthropologists like George Foster have argued over the origin of Latin American hot-cold medicine since the 1950s. Some argue that it originated within the indigenous populations of Latin America while others argue that hot-cold medicine originated from European humoral medicine. In this paper, I take another look at this debate, focusing on how its practice varies from community to community and relating the debate to changes that have occurred in the discipline of anthropology in recent...
Show moreAnthropologists like George Foster have argued over the origin of Latin American hot-cold medicine since the 1950s. Some argue that it originated within the indigenous populations of Latin America while others argue that hot-cold medicine originated from European humoral medicine. In this paper, I take another look at this debate, focusing on how its practice varies from community to community and relating the debate to changes that have occurred in the discipline of anthropology in recent years. I also look at other lines of evidence, such as the linguistics used in association with hot-cold medicine and the nearly universal existence of the hot-cold dichotomy, in order to support the theory that hot-cold medicine originated within the indigenous groups of Latin America.
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Date Issued: 2005
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11573
Subject Headings: Traditional medicine, Alternative medicine, Medical anthropology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The impact of the informal economic GDP growth in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Creator: Wedderburn, Chantal., College of Business, Department of Economics
Abstract/Description: The informal, underground or shadow economy is a significant, growing force throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, contributing to overall output, yet diminishing productivity, congesting public services, and depriving developing nations of potential fiscal revenues. This paper discusses the various definitions and methods of measurement of the informal sector, with the aim of showing the importance of collecting taxes in informal economies. Informal economy participants engage in tax...
Show moreThe informal, underground or shadow economy is a significant, growing force throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, contributing to overall output, yet diminishing productivity, congesting public services, and depriving developing nations of potential fiscal revenues. This paper discusses the various definitions and methods of measurement of the informal sector, with the aim of showing the importance of collecting taxes in informal economies. Informal economy participants engage in tax evasion and avoidance of governmental regulations, therefore the implications of excessive tax burdens and onerous bureaucracy are studied, with a focus on their impact on GDP growth. Informal sector enterprises can greatly contribute to the official, recorded GDP measures if they have significant incentives to joining the formal sector. These incentives are presented and must be considered seriously by policymakers concerned with capturing additional tax revenues and improving economic growth in their nations.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/186773
Subject Headings: Gross domestic product, Gross domestic product, International economic relations, Economic conditions, Economic conditions
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Liberating machismo: deconstructing the stereotypes of Latinidad in Alberto Korda's Guerrillero Heroico.
Creator: Ayala-Walsh, Johanna., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: This thesis examines the Alberto Korda Guerrillero Heroico image within the realm of U.S. Latino/a fiction. Drawing from several trends that constitute Latino/a identity as either resistant to white mainstream hegemonies, or as a performative construct, I argue that a collective Hispanic identity is found somewhere between these two extremes. Corporate discourses have perpetuated stereotypes of Latino masculinity to limit any alternate and nuanced portrayal of Latinidad. Specifically, I posit...
Show moreThis thesis examines the Alberto Korda Guerrillero Heroico image within the realm of U.S. Latino/a fiction. Drawing from several trends that constitute Latino/a identity as either resistant to white mainstream hegemonies, or as a performative construct, I argue that a collective Hispanic identity is found somewhere between these two extremes. Corporate discourses have perpetuated stereotypes of Latino masculinity to limit any alternate and nuanced portrayal of Latinidad. Specifically, I posit that the corporate use of the Che photograph illustrates Latin men as hypermasculine, limiting Latin-ness to a performance of its mainstream depiction. To combat the commercialization of the print, the novel Loving Che imagines new possibilities for the Hispanic community and its relationship to the U.S. market, challenging the idea of a pan-Latino/a identity with archival photographis of the comandante. Together, both texts bridge performative and resistant trends, providing a potential Latinidad that resists and eludes corporate hegemonies.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358279
Subject Headings: Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Masculinity in popular culture, Machismo, ?
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The miseducation of Hugo Chavez: political learning and populism in Latin America.
Creator: Fertitta, David., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: This project examines the role of political learning in predicting the recent rise of left-of-center governments in Latin America, ranging from moderate center-left coalition governments to one-party populist regimes. Studies of populism consistently point to the role of natural resources and economic crises in predicting the rise of populist regimes. This study adds the concept of political learning by using measures of moderation in the current regime as a dependent variable and measures of...
Show moreThis project examines the role of political learning in predicting the recent rise of left-of-center governments in Latin America, ranging from moderate center-left coalition governments to one-party populist regimes. Studies of populism consistently point to the role of natural resources and economic crises in predicting the rise of populist regimes. This study adds the concept of political learning by using measures of moderation in the current regime as a dependent variable and measures of oppression in earlier regimes as independent variables. Utilizing case studies of Venezuela and Chile as ideal types and plotting ten further cases on indicators of repression, military spending, corporate tax rates, government spending, the percent of votes going to moderates, and economic freedom scores from Freedom House, I argue that the likelihood of the rise of populist regimes is greater in countries that have not experienced the sort of intense political repression that generates political learning.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3335021
Subject Headings: Power (Social sciences), Populism, Politics and government, Politics and government
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Rethinking religious competition: church-state relations in Catholic- and Islamic- majority authoritarian states.
Creator: Chase, Heather., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: In his book Rendering Unto Caesar, Anthony Gill suggests that in countries with repressive authoritarian governments, religious competition plays a crucial role in determining whether the dominant religious institution will support or oppose the regime. Gill's theory, however, assumes that religious institutions are unitary rational actors. While this assumption may be reasonable in Catholic countries of Latin America where Gill based his theory on the hierarchical National Bishops' Councils,...
Show moreIn his book Rendering Unto Caesar, Anthony Gill suggests that in countries with repressive authoritarian governments, religious competition plays a crucial role in determining whether the dominant religious institution will support or oppose the regime. Gill's theory, however, assumes that religious institutions are unitary rational actors. While this assumption may be reasonable in Catholic countries of Latin America where Gill based his theory on the hierarchical National Bishops' Councils, it is not applicable to Sunni Islamic countries of North Africa because of the decentralized Sunni Islamic religious structure. This finding suggests that although religious actors behave rationally in the religious market to maximize the souls for their religion, not all religious actors necessarily view the same religion and its role in the politics of the society in the same manner: in some cases, intra-religious competition is a larger factor in church-state relations than inter-religious competition.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3334253
Subject Headings: Church and state, History, Islam and state, Religion and politics, Religion and politics
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Secularism in Latin America?: looking at the effects of social welfare and leftist parties on religiosity.
Creator: Pena, Alan Manuel., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: Researchers sometimes classify religious organizations as rational actors, arguing that religious organizations attempt to minimize costs and maximize membership. Anthony Gill and Erik Lundsgaarde use the rational actor model to explain organized religion's diminished competitiveness and the correlated increase in secularity against governments with high social welfare programs. They conclude that government welfare programs contribute to increased secularity. Survey data indicates that Chile...
Show moreResearchers sometimes classify religious organizations as rational actors, arguing that religious organizations attempt to minimize costs and maximize membership. Anthony Gill and Erik Lundsgaarde use the rational actor model to explain organized religion's diminished competitiveness and the correlated increase in secularity against governments with high social welfare programs. They conclude that government welfare programs contribute to increased secularity. Survey data indicates that Chile, Cuba, and Uruguay have significantly higher proportions of secularity relative to the rest of the region. This thesis tests the hypothesis that increased secularity in Chile, Cuba, and Uruguay is caused not only by Gill and Lundsgaarde's social welfare hypothesis, but also by the historical presence of far left parties in these nations. The ideologies of longstanding far left parties are often anti-religious and may contribute to increased secularity, suggesting that leftist parties may be a predictor of increased secularity in a country. Welfare, as times passes, becomes a stronger predictor of decreased religious behavior.
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Date Issued: 2008
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/77682
Subject Headings: Religion and politics, Church and state, History, Political parties
Format: Document (PDF)

Honors Student Theses (8)	+ -
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