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miseducation of Hugo Chavez
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)
consequences of conditioned democracy promotion by the United States in Latin America
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)
Chavez and the media
Title
Chavez and the media: a framework for analyzing the 2012 presidential election news coverage in Venezuela.
Creator
Viller, Adrian J., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
The media has a significant influence on any political process. In Venezuela, particularly, the media plays an important rold in defining the electorate's political opinion and attitude toward the political process. This thesis analyzed how the media's preference for conflict and individual personalities exacerbated overall societal tensions and polarization in Venezuela since 1999. I suggest a framework for a future content analysis of news coverage of the 2012 presidential election in order...
Show moreThe media has a significant influence on any political process. In Venezuela, particularly, the media plays an important rold in defining the electorate's political opinion and attitude toward the political process. This thesis analyzed how the media's preference for conflict and individual personalities exacerbated overall societal tensions and polarization in Venezuela since 1999. I suggest a framework for a future content analysis of news coverage of the 2012 presidential election in order to quantify and qualify the evolution of bias and balance in Venezuela's mass media.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3359323
Subject Headings
Political culture, Political parties, Mass media, Political aspects, Press and politics, Politics and government
Format
Document (PDF)
representation paradox
Title
The representation paradox.
Creator
Adams, Robert T., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Date Issued
2009
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/209983
Subject Headings
Politics, Practical, Representative government and representation, Political participation, Politics and government
Format
Document (PDF)
Touched by the Holy Spirit
Title
Touched by the Holy Spirit: the Pentecostalization of Venezuela and the 1998 presidential election.
Creator
Grant, Jensen, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
Despite the fact that when surveyed 92.4% of the Venezuelan population self identified as Catholic, a large swath of Venezuelans stand Pentecostalized. Pentecostalization in Venezuela seems to take the form of growth in the Catholic Charismatic Movement. The study shows Châvez gained a majority of those whose self identified affiliation is evangelical as well as a majority of those who hold Pentecostal beliefs. The relationship between religion and voting patterns in the 1998 Venezuelan...
Show moreDespite the fact that when surveyed 92.4% of the Venezuelan population self identified as Catholic, a large swath of Venezuelans stand Pentecostalized. Pentecostalization in Venezuela seems to take the form of growth in the Catholic Charismatic Movement. The study shows Châvez gained a majority of those whose self identified affiliation is evangelical as well as a majority of those who hold Pentecostal beliefs. The relationship between religion and voting patterns in the 1998 Venezuelan Presidential case has not been explored. The study does this, concluding that although Venezuela is by and large Pentecostalized, a desire in political and governmental change was the most salient reasons for Venezuelans when they voted for President in 1998.
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Date Issued
2006
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11590
Subject Headings
Elections, History, Religion and politics, History, Pentecostalism, History, Pentecostal churches, Presidents, Election, Politics and government
Format
Document (PDF)
All power to the people
Title
All power to the people: the Black Panther Party as the vanguard of the oppressed.
Creator
Berman, Matthew., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
The Black Panther Party was the most famous group born out of the Black Power Movement. Because of the group's inherent link to the Black Power Movement, and the group's slogan of "Black Power," many people, both black and white, believed, and continue to believe, that the Black Panther Party was a group with racial motives. However, this conceptualization of the Party was, and is, incorrect. While the Black Panther Party began as an outgrowth of the black civil rights movement, the Panthers...
Show moreThe Black Panther Party was the most famous group born out of the Black Power Movement. Because of the group's inherent link to the Black Power Movement, and the group's slogan of "Black Power," many people, both black and white, believed, and continue to believe, that the Black Panther Party was a group with racial motives. However, this conceptualization of the Party was, and is, incorrect. While the Black Panther Party began as an outgrowth of the black civil rights movement, the Panthers quickly evolved into a revolutionary vanguard with a non-racial, class-oriented agenda.
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Date Issued
2008
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/77656, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT77656
Subject Headings
African Americans, Politics and government, Civil rights movements, History, Black nationalism, History
Format
Document (PDF)
Democracy and economic growth in Argentina
Title
Democracy and economic growth in Argentina.
Creator
Lotarynski, Uriel., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
By now, a vast literature has attempted to answer the question of whether democracy is conducive to economic growth. The empirical side of the literature has not come to any consensus on this issue. My thesis examines Argentina's economic and political history from 1960 to the present, including particularly volatile episodes with many military regimes. Specifically, I attempt to contribute to the democracy-growth literature by examining whether Argentina's level of democracy affected its...
Show moreBy now, a vast literature has attempted to answer the question of whether democracy is conducive to economic growth. The empirical side of the literature has not come to any consensus on this issue. My thesis examines Argentina's economic and political history from 1960 to the present, including particularly volatile episodes with many military regimes. Specifically, I attempt to contribute to the democracy-growth literature by examining whether Argentina's level of democracy affected its economic growth. Controlling for a number of factors, I construct an econometric model that focuses on GDP as the dependent variable and democracy as the independent variable of interest. I claim that there is no correlation between Argentina's economic growth and its level of democracy.
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Date Issued
2010
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3335104
Subject Headings
Democracy, Economic development, Politics and government, Economic conditions
Format
Document (PDF)
Long live Arab authoritarianism?
Title
Long live Arab authoritarianism?: a cross-case anaylsis [sic] of regime survivability in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Creator
Leisinger, John., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
The purpose of this paper is to bypass the generalizations surrounding the Arab democracy deficit in order to gain a better understanding of the variables that interact to produce the unusual stability and duration of Arab authoritarian regimes. A critical cross-case analysis is used to examine the Middle East's two most enduring regimes: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt. The survival of these regimes is comprehensible in terms of manipulation of Islamic precepts,...
Show moreThe purpose of this paper is to bypass the generalizations surrounding the Arab democracy deficit in order to gain a better understanding of the variables that interact to produce the unusual stability and duration of Arab authoritarian regimes. A critical cross-case analysis is used to examine the Middle East's two most enduring regimes: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt. The survival of these regimes is comprehensible in terms of manipulation of Islamic precepts, control of economic development, and external support, chiefly from the United States.
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Date Issued
2007
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/41002
Subject Headings
Authoritarianism, Civil society, Politics and government
Format
Document (PDF)
Pentecostalism, development and democracy in Latin America
Title
Pentecostalism, development and democracy in Latin America.
Creator
Louis, Pierre A., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
The recent explosive growth of Protestantism in Latin America has led a number of scholars to predict that the region may be on its way to reaching a significantly higher levels of socioeconomic development and democracy. These are important claims for a region that has struggled with both economic development and democratic consolidation. This thesis argues that Protestantism in Latin America does not follow the classical Weberian pattern of development. Because the majority of Protestant...
Show moreThe recent explosive growth of Protestantism in Latin America has led a number of scholars to predict that the region may be on its way to reaching a significantly higher levels of socioeconomic development and democracy. These are important claims for a region that has struggled with both economic development and democratic consolidation. This thesis argues that Protestantism in Latin America does not follow the classical Weberian pattern of development. Because the majority of Protestant growth in the region is Pentecostal, the causal assumptions of the--culture and development school do not hold. Furthermore, a context of neoliberalism, a significant colonial legacy, and wide income disparities continue to hinder the potential for development. Based on a review of secondary sources and specific data from the case of Guatemala, this thesis argues that while individual Protestants may experience some upward social mobility, the growth of Protestantism has done little to advance the socioeconomic and political development of the region.
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Date Issued
2008
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/77674
Subject Headings
Democratization, Neoliberalism, Christianity and politics, Politics and government, Cultural policy
Format
Document (PDF)
Personal dictatorships and the breakdown of authoritarianism
Title
Personal dictatorships and the breakdown of authoritarianism: Cuba and the third wave of democratization.
Creator
Velez, Jared., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
From 1974-1990, more than thirty of the world's authoritarian regimes transitioned to democracy in what Samuel Huntington terms the third wave. Sixteen years following the conclusion of the third wave of democratization, the Castro regime remains the official government of the Cuban state. I examine what factors led to the continued existence of the Castro administration. Several factors account for the prolonged tenure of the Castro administration. Fidel was able to increase his political...
Show moreFrom 1974-1990, more than thirty of the world's authoritarian regimes transitioned to democracy in what Samuel Huntington terms the third wave. Sixteen years following the conclusion of the third wave of democratization, the Castro regime remains the official government of the Cuban state. I examine what factors led to the continued existence of the Castro administration. Several factors account for the prolonged tenure of the Castro administration. Fidel was able to increase his political power through the monopolization of information. The ability of the Castro regime to maintain authority was further exacerbated as a result of the country's dependence on Soviet financing, the repositioning of a weakened Catholic Church, contradictory foreign policies of external actors such as the United States, and a powerless civil society.
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Date Issued
2006
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11576
Subject Headings
Democracy, History, Democratization, Castro, Fidel, 1926-, Politics and government
Format
Document (PDF)
role of church-state conflict in the growth of religious pluralism in Latin America
Title
The role of church-state conflict in the growth of religious pluralism in Latin America.
Creator
McMillan, Michael., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
Since the 1960s Latin America has experienced a religious transformation, with several countries developing significant Protestant populations. These religious changes have influenced the political processes of several Latin American nations, playing a prominent role in elections and the formation of political platforms. Several theories attempt to account for the recent growth in religious pluralism, particularly social anomie theory and religious market models. These theories ignore or...
Show moreSince the 1960s Latin America has experienced a religious transformation, with several countries developing significant Protestant populations. These religious changes have influenced the political processes of several Latin American nations, playing a prominent role in elections and the formation of political platforms. Several theories attempt to account for the recent growth in religious pluralism, particularly social anomie theory and religious market models. These theories ignore or downplay the role of conflict between the state and civil society, especially violent confrontations between the government and the Roman Catholic Church. This study focuses on four case studies with varying amounts of church-state conflict and differing religious pluralistic growth rates: Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, and Southern Mexico. This study finds that church-state conflict serves as a catalyst, and in some cases a useful predictor, of growth in religious pluralism.
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Date Issued
2008
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/77678
Subject Headings
Religious pluralism, Latin America, Politics and government, Latin America, Church history, Church and state, History
Format
Document (PDF)