PhD’s, Professionalism, and Public Office: The Effeect of Education and Professional Experience on Effectiveness in the U.S. House of Representatives

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Westra, McKenna PhD’s, Professionalism, and Public Office: The Effect of Education and Professional Experience on Effectiveness in the U.S. House of Representatives Faculty Mentor: Jay Goodliffe, Political Science Introduction We commonly attribute advanced levels of education with increased skill and capabilities. While the theory backing this assumption has been proven to be true in a […]

Hungry, Homeless, and Hopeless: The Injustices of the China Hukou Registration System

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Barden, Lauren Hungry, Homeless, and Hopeless: The Injustices of the China Hukou Registration System Faculty Mentor: Celeste Beesley, Political Science This study analyzes the destructive social and economic consequences of the Chinese hukou registration system through quantitative analysis of the inequality gap between rural-urban migrants and urbanites in Chinese cities between 1995-2002. By performing statistical […]

What Matters More in Shaping Individuals’ Opinions on Foreign Aids: Facts or Attractiveness?

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Daehyeon Kim and Darren Hawkins, Political Science Gender Bias Associated with Attractiveness Introduction According to Diven and Constantelos’s research, less than 50 percent of Americans support bilateral foreign aid (2012). This is striking, considering the fact that Europeans from countries which have comparable economic prosperity to the United States—such as Finland, Denmark, France, Netherlands, and […]

Political Messaging on Social Media: Facebook Campaigning and Political Silos

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Morgan Williams and Jeremy C. Pope, Political Science The make-up of political campaigns has transformed with the creation of the internet. What used to be a world of door to door canvassing and mass produced mailers sent to party members is now a world of entertaining YouTube videos and Facebook likes. It is no longer […]

JD, Businessman, Doctor? The Influence of Educational and Occupational Backgrounds on Legislative Effectiveness

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Michael Sean Covey and Michael Barber, Department of Political Science Introduction Every two years, voters across the country send dozens of newly elected U.S. representatives to Congress, and these freshmen come from all educational backgrounds and professions. There are MBAs, JDs, and PhDs, as well as former doctors, entrepreneurs, professors, attorneys, military leaders, state legislators […]

Legislating Women: The Relationship Between Women in Parliament and Trafficking of Women

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Caroline Black and Donna Lee Bowen, Political Science Pervasive, complex, and often little-­‐understood, trafficking of women is a worldwide epidemic. Although many acknowledge the problem that trafficking of women, hereafter known simply as trafficking, is, the large dark numbers associated with it make trafficking hard to fully track. Many studies have previously focused on trafficking […]

Who Deserves Coverage? Determining Utahns’ Ideal Medicaid Recipient

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John Griffith and Chris Karpowitz, Political Science Introduction With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, health care policy became one of the most talked about issues in the United States. As a result, many states have been grappling with the question of whether to expand Medicaid. Utah is a particularly good place to study […]

Overcoming Cultural Barriers in Thai Elections

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Carly Madsen and Joel Selway, Political Science Department As I finish my undergraduate education at Brigham Young University I am filled with gratitude for the many experiences I have been privileged to have. The climax of my studies in political science occurred this summer as I participated in a mentored research project in Thailand. This […]

A Tall Tale: How Story Frames Can Shape U.S. Public Opinion

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Matthew Young and Darren Hawkins, Political Science Presently, U.S. foreign aid only represents about 1% of the total US budget, but according to the Kaiser Family Foundation the majority Americans believe foreign aid to be 28% of the national budget. If that were the case, foreign aid would be more expensive than Medicare, Medicaid, Social […]

Legislator Responsiveness, Age, and Internet Proficiency

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Sean Stephenson and Michael Barber, Political Science Elected officials should try to establish a relationship with their constituents and keep them well informed by responding to any questions they may have regarding political issues. One way legislators can do this is by responding to emails. Some legislators choose to respond to emails themselves, while others […]