Page 5 - gov-newsletterS11

Senior Thesis Projects continued from page 4

Nick Hara, continued

outside Reno's current city limits shows the ingrained nature of unsustainable practice in the region. The addition of transit ori-ented developments into the regional plan shows how some sus-tainable practices are making their way into the mainstream con-sciousness.

Through a series of interviews and extensive research the thesis looks at what works, what doesn't, and what remains relegated to the literature. It is a test to see how the tragedy of the com-mons plays out in the real world, and if anything can be done to prevent it.

Ian Kelly

Spatial Politics: A Theory of Third Party Competition

My thesis examines first the development of the American politi-cal parties, comparing their 19th century tendency to be pro-grammatic, as opposed to their 20th century tendency to be coa-litional. From there I use Anthony Downs's spatial theory of party competition to examine how third parties fit into the 19th as opposed to the 20th century, and find that the 19th century pro-grammatic parties open up space for third parties to compete. Finally, this fundamental question is examined: Are third parties beneficial for democracy? More precisely, do they hinder the main virtue of responsible political parties, which is providing voters with a clear choice, and create a more inchoate political landscape that breads more confusion than clarity for voters?

Rachel Konowitz

Bienvenido el Cambio: President Sebastian Piñera and Chile's Re-turn to Conservatism

I am exploring the implications of the election of a conservative, Sebastian Piñera, for the first time since the end of the military dictatorship and the return to democracy in 1990. In particular, I am looking at the theory of democratic consolidation in relation-ship to the election and Piñera's presidency.

My senior thesis analyzes regional politics, internal policies and the extent to which U.S. foreign policy in Central Asia affects the potential for Islamism becoming the structural basis for govern-ment in Uzbekistan. As a comparative case study, I examine the 1979 Iranian Revolution to identify what lessons can be learned about policy through the parallels between the lead up to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the current situation in Uzbekistan. As a theoretical framework for my study, I employ New Social Movement Theory to look beyond institutional factors instigating social movements and hone in on catalysts for social movements found within civil society that represent the definers of collective identity in Uzbekistan such as ethnic trends, changes in religious preference and recent developments in clan politics.

I am looking at the connection between economic and political

liberalization in transitioning autocratic states. Is there in fact a connection? Must a state have both a liberal economy and a de-mocracy or can one exist in the absence of the other? I am looking at Russia's transition after the fall of the Soviet Union and compar-ing it to the transition currently taking place in China.

Tyler Reny

The Latino Race Card: The New Nativists, Immigration Politics, and Issue Evolution

In April of last year, Arizona’s Republican Governor, Jan Brewer, signed SB1070, one of the harshest anti-immigration bills passed through a state legislature. The action pushed immigration to the forefront of the national debate and highlighted the rapid demo-graphic changes that are taking place in the United States. Hispan-ics or Latinos now outnumbers African Americans, seizing the title of the nation’s largest minority group, and have strong prospects for future growth. Simple demographic changes, coupled with a poor economy, a decentralization of immigration receiving states, the undocumented nature of many of the new immigrations, na-tional security concerns, the failure of federal reform, racial preju-dices, and biased media coverage have all converged to birth a new nativism among native citizens. Politicians, of course, are strategic actors who, when running for public office, try and appeal to the largest number of voters. Aware of the public sentiment surrounding recent immigrants, immigration has become an issue they have fully embraced. In the 2010 gubernatorial elections, candidates in 20 of the 37 gubernatorial races expressed their sup-port for an Arizona-type immigration law in their own state. Using gubernatorial elections as my unit of analysis, I am examining when politicians raise immigration as an issue, how they raise the issue, and why they choose to raise the issue. More importantly, I am looking at the implicit racial messages that are portrayed by the candidate during the election. Finally, I will examine whether this action by political actors at the state level is contributing to issue evolution at the national level. Will state-level nativist rheto-ric cause the national Republican party to universally fight for fewer immigration admissions and fewer rights, drowning out the pro-business Republican voices, or will national elections, like the 2012 Presidential election, force the GOP to soften its stance on immigrants, fully aware that Latinos are quickly becoming a power-ful electoral force?

Will Sharry

Legislating Nativism at the State Level: A Case Study of Oklahoma’s Punitive Immigration Policy

Using interviews with advocates and politicians, tracking of news-paper coverage, and relevant literature on immigration policy for-mation, I will explain the story behind the passage of one of the first and most punitive state immigration policies in the country. Given the rise of state immigration legislation that has occurred recently, must publicly noted in Arizona, my case study on Okla-homa seeks to add insight to the academic discussion on what is driving this developing trend.

Thesis projects continued page 6