PPPA Paper Prize

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1773/53093

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 23

Washington State Sausage Making: Attempting to Measure the Efficiency of the Legislature
(2022-04-01) Church, Jonathon
This paper explores the validity and justification for using how a bill dies in the Washington State legislative process to better critique and measure government efficiency. The information was gathered through interviews with former and current members of the State Legislature and from first-hand experience while working as an intern during the 2022 legislative session. Part one of the paper utilizes multiple sources to present a detailed description of the various ways in which a bill can fail to make it through the legislative process during the regular session. Part two then expands on how these obstacles in a bill's path can affect the political arena and highlight areas of political friction. The paper concludes by summarizing the importance of understanding both the legislative process and how that process affects the political landscape in order to offer constructive criticism and measure government efficiency. Honorable Mention, 2022 long-form paper prize
The Survival of Authoritarianism and Syrian Identity Crsis: Explaining the Resilience of Assad's Ruling Bargain
(2016-07-14) Vasquez, Joshua; Ugur, Etga
The Arab Spring was a remarkable event that occurred in 2011, which forever altered the political and social structure of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It was a regional social mobilization where citizens took to the streets and confronted their corrupt, oppressive and distant dictators. The citizens of the region demanded the end of corruption, democratic elections and human rights. Instead of heeding to their citizens demands, the various dictators of the region attempted to restore order through coercion. However, this strategy backfired by increasing the revolutionary zeal of the people, which unraveled 'ruling bargains' in the Middle East, which have been resilient since the early 1950s. Before discussing anything further about the Arab Spring, it is important to define the term ruling bargain. According to Mehran Kamrava, "ruling bargains are corporatist arrangements in the national political economy whereby the state brings into its orbit, and politically pacifies, strategic social actors such as the civil service, entrepreneurs and the broader middle classes."[1] Simplicity, a ruling bargain is a contract where the state promises to provide public services in exchange for political legitimacy from the society. However, overtime the state proved to be insufficient to provide such services, where it became dependent on cooptation, legitimacy, external actors and repression to preserve the status quo. However, in 2011, the ruling bargains in the region unraveled where in Tunisia Ben Ali was ousted in three weeks and fled to Saudi Arabia. After two weeks of demonstrations in Egypt, Hosni Mubarak resigned from the presidency because the Egyptian Armed Forces defected to the opposition. In Libya, Muammar Qaddafi was ousted in an eight month civil war supported by NATO intervention, which resulted in his demise. Lastly, in Yemen Abdullah Saleh resigned from mounting domestic and international pressure. Despite the successful revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, some ruling-bargains have survived to today, such as in Syria. In the beginning of the Syrian uprising, it appeared Assad's ruling bargain was unraveling and it was only a matter of time before he met a similar fate like other regional dictators. However, the revolution where Syrians sought bring democracy gradually morphed into a sectarian struggle that divided the country among sectarian and socioeconomic lines. Therefore my research question is how does identity politics explain the resilience of Assad's ruling bargain? This question is important because it will explain how authoritarian regimes survive and how identity politics hinder the perquisite for democratization, the need for national unity. This research will also help U.S. policymakers by showing them the concerns of minorities if Assad falls. Minorities are convinced there is no future for them in a post-Assad Syria, so they support the regime largely out of fear of the alternative. Guaranteeing these communities a future will bring down Assad and may bring democratization. [1] Mehran Kamrava, "The Rise and Fall of Ruling Bargains in the Middle East," in Beyond the Arab Spring: The Evolving Ruling Bargain in the Middle East, ed. Mehran Kamrava et al. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), 19. I wrote the original back in June of 2015. The dynamics of the Syrian conflict have shifted since then. Therefore, this one is updated which mentions the Russian intervention. Also, I revised and edited the original.
The Impact of Corporate Capital on Sovereignty in a Globalizing Environment
(2024-01-01) Reid, Michael
Drawing on Immanuel Kant and contemporary critiques of neoliberalism, this paper examines the erosion of state sovereignty in the context of global capitalism. Informed by Kant, it concludes by considering the formation of a more substantial global federation to reduce corporate power and secure the interests of states and citizens otherwise subjected to the tyranny of capital.
Where The Border Ends: How Reactive Policies to Terrorism Became Conduits for Drone Technology and the Enclosure of Wealthy Nations
(2023-03-14) Mitchell, Arron
The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (1996) and the USA PATRIOT Act (2001) are two key examples of reactive policies enacted in response to terrorist attacks on American soil. Expedited passage of both pieces of legislation were reliant on the public's support for government action in wake of recent atrocities. These acts gave particular attention to securing the nation's borders, directing an increase in funding for Border Patrol in order to prevent future terrorist attacks. This essay will connect the increased funding for border security directed by Congress with the defense industry's pursuit of funding and outlets for drone technology, to the export of the national security state model and the expansion of borders via drone technology. The arms race that ensues as a result of this restructuring of the global order directly connects to a new form of imperialism, expanding borders without the necessity of troops on the ground through the utilization of drone technology. Expansion and blurring of borders occurs when wealthier nations utilize a poorer nation's airspace for terrorism deterrence missions using drone technology. This essay finds that this new form of imperialism creates a de facto open-air prison out of much of the impoverished world; one that is under constant unmanned aerial surveillance by wealthy nations as they simultaneously enclose themselves under the doctrine of national security.
Washington State Legislative Internship Capstone
(2023-03-01) Jennings, Brooklyn; Meiches, Ben
This article reviews 10 weeks interning during the 2023 Washington State Legislative session. This review includes narrative, personal reflection, critique, and discussions of the author's future. There are layers of academic analysis mixed with informal reflections and observations. Thank you to the legislators Representative My-Linh Thai, Representative Dave Paul, and Representative Gerry Pollet for your generosity and sharing of your time and knowledge.
The Hui and the Uyghurs: A Comparison of Relationships with the Chinese State
(2013-04-01) Shorey, Arianna
The author examines the historical, social, and cultural connections between China and its Muslim minority groups, focusing on the Hui and Uyghur populations. Though both groups are officially granted some measure of religious freedom and autonomy under the Chinese constitution, their relationships with the state are quite different. The Hui enjoy a relatively peaceful coexistence with the government, striving to balance their distinct cultural and religious belief with integration into mainstream Chinese society. The Ugyhurs, however, maintain a separatist stance toward the government and face much harsher regulations and more extreme forms of discrimination.
The Best Intentions: How Lyndon Johnson Lost the War on Poverty
(2025-01-01) Roeller, Paul
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty during his first State of the Union address. The policies that followed were designed to support the most economically vulnerable citizens and promote integration and equality. In spite of this progress, civil unrest throughout the 1960s had the effect of shifting the feelings of White people from supportive to fearful. Riots and protests across the country demanding equality, rather than garner sympathy for their cause, generated renewed calls for law and order. Only a year after announcing his War on Poverty, Johnson pivoted and declared a War on Crime, greatly expanding police powers and resources. By laying this groundwork, Johnson unwittingly set in motion the carceral crisis we still observe today. Through my research, I sought to uncover how the relationship between criminality, skin color, and White fears evolved during the Johnson administration. Why was criminality assigned to and constructed within the characteristic of being Black? What pressure was Johnson under that caused him to change his strategy? To answer these questions, I drew on the work of other sociolegal scholars, historians, theoreticians of presidential power, specific laws passed during the 1960s, and statistics regarding rates of incarceration.
Political Economy of Space: Neoliberalism, Houselessness, and Incarceration
(2022-04-01) Ramos-Orozco, Guadalupe
Across urban centers within the United States, the proliferation of houseless people within the last thirty years has become an increasingly central concern in urban management. Capital accumulation and its movement within the city has created a conflicting need to both enhance the market value of space and ameliorate the needs of its most vulnerable population. Within this conflict, major U.S cities have increasingly turned to directly or indirectly banning individuals from public space as a strategy to limit the visibility of their houseless population. This paper will examine how spatial banishment is utilized in Seattle and Portland - two cities with reputations as some of the most progressive centers in the country, as well as leaders in the use of spatial banishment. In this paper I ask: Why has spatial banishment become the leading approach for managing homelessness in U.S cities in the 21st century? How has this approach fueled incarceration? In this paper, I will draw on legal, political science, and geographic scholarship concerned with the evolution of city management under neoliberalism and detailing the on the ground practices of cities attempting to manage homelessness. I argue that without being able to outright target houseless people for their status, spatial banishment has re-emerged in popularity for its ability to provide short term solutions and to circumvent existing laws protecting the rights of houseless people. Reliance on spatial banishment has additionally risen alongside increased police presence and broken windows policing, in turn expanding the scope of incarceration. Winner of the 2022 long-form paper prize.
The Arab Spring: Good For Women's Rights?
(2018-06-06) Abdilahi, Dega; Ugur, Etga
This paper analyzes the present and future impact of the Arab Spring movement on women's rights and representation in government in the Middle East. It compares two countries: Tunisia, which experienced democratization as a result of the Arab Spring, and Morocco, which remains a monarchy. After a qualitative and quantitative analysis, this paper concludes that although the Arab Spring has thus far had a modest impact on women's rights and representation in government in Tunisia, if current trends hold, we will likely see improvements in Tunisian women's status in the future. This paper won the 2018 Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs Paper Prize.
Labor Law for Whom? Interest Group Politics and the Wagner Act
(2017-01-01) Jorgenson, Keri; Williams, Charles
The Wagner Act has been a controversial piece of legislation since its inception and remains so today. It is tied to both the legal legitimization of unions as well as the eventual decline of union membership. Regardless of its merits, the fact that such a radical piece of legislation was successfully passed and institutionalized during the tumultuous 1930s proves to be an interesting subject of study. This leads to the question this essay will explore: how was the Wagner Act passed and which forces were instrumental in its development? Several important pieces in the scholarly debate over this issue will be reviewed. This essay aims to highlight the complex ways in which different interest groups and politicians bargained and interacted, ultimately culminating in the Wagner Act of 1935. [From the introduction]
Economic Convergence and Income Inequality: Cases of Argentina, Brazil, and China
(2015-04-01) Slobodhikova, Svetlana
As the countries of the world become more connected through trade, the impact of the policies of influential industrializing countries becomes more important. These countries create various economic policies to cover the development gap between them and the wealthy parts of the world. Convergence theory suggests that in the process of global economic development, there is a predicted decrease in inequality between rich and poor countries or between developed and developing countries. Despite a significant decrease in inequality between developing and developed countries, positive economic outcomes are not enough to decrease inequality within the developing countries. In addition to significant economic growth, policies structured to accumulate human capital and build a welfare state are important to decrease inequality within each developing country, given that the country is not an autarky. Otherwise, accumulation of capital that happens naturally during the stage of fast economic growth will increase the inequality gap between the rich and the poor within the country. Looking at the case studies of China, Argentina and Brazil as currently influential industrializing countries, this research paper will highlight the relationship between economic growth and inequality in each discussed country and illustrate how successful investment in the country's human capital is decreasing inequality among its citizens. [From the introduction]
Examining Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State
(2022-04-01) Lewis, Bryan
After criminal offenders are convicted of a crime, they must return to the court where a judge will determine their sentence. Sentencing often includes jail time, but it always includes monetary penalties, or Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs). There are many reasons these penalties are given, from restitution for the victims of criminal offenses, to providing government revenue and funding the court, to punishment for the offender. However, these fines, and the interest rates that come with them, often leave offenders with an enormous amount of debt. There are a lot of interests at stake when it comes to LFO sentencing and collection. Courts need to be funded, defendants want to be able to get on with their lives after interacting with the criminal justice system, and people deserve to have a criminal justice system that works for the benefit of society. This paper will demonstrate why the current system of LFO sentencing does an inadequate job at satisfying these interests, and what can be done about it. Winner of the 2022 short-form paper prize
Medical Marijuana
(2014-05-08) Hale, Brittany
For individuals who have cancer, migraines, or HIV, medicinal marijuana has become a key component of treating their conditions. It has grown into an accepted medical treatment in Washington State since its legalization in 1998. The main issue facing legislators today is how to regulate the medical marijuana market in order to ensure that it does not undercut the recreational market, which will be heavily taxed. Washington State voters approved recreational marijuana in 2013 with the passage of Initiative 502. In response, new, stricter medical marijuana regulations are being proposed in the form of Senate Bill 5887.
Labor Market Report: Creative Economy in Washington State
(2023-01-01) Smith, Samantha; Lovasz, Anna
This paper focuses on the creative economy in Washington State, related historical labor market trends, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on related job industries. The creative economy includes portions of the information and arts industries. Job markets for these industries faced significantly different effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite growing trends for governments and policymakers to focus on the creative economy, grouping the information and arts sectors within the definition of creative economy is not recommended given the disparate values placed on these industries.
International Creations: The Case of Iraq, Syria, and Jordan
(2016-01-01) Hale, Brittany; Ugur, Etga
This paper compares and contrasts Syria, Jordan, and Iraq, in terms of history and international policy.
Health Care Reform
(2011-01-01) Duffy, Jeffery J.
Although one of the most medically-advanced nations in the world, the United States has lagged behind other nations in extending health care insurance to its citizens. This paper explores the issue of U.S. health care reform by tracing the history of reform efforts and examining factors and trends contributing to the rising cost of health care. Particular attention is given to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the controversies surrounding it. Based on this analysis, the author discusses several recurring barriers to health care reform and offers recommendations on how to overcome them.
Mothers in Chains: How national and state legislation have been enacted to stop the practice of shackling incarcerated pregnant women
(2010-04-01) Olson, Emily
In recent decades, the treatment of pregnant prisoners has generated much public debate, in particular the issue of shackling pregnant inmates during labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. This paper presents several shackling cases that have resulted in lawsuits and policy changes and discusses the growing effort to ban the use of restraints on pregnant prisoners, a practice many medical and human rights organizations deem unnecessary, degrading, and unsafe. The author also analyzes the Anti-Shackling Bills introduced in the 2010 Washington State Legislative Session, documenting the bills' amendments and passage into law.
Backwards Christian Soldiers: The Role of the Religious Right on the Militarization of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Post-9/11 Era
(2012-04-01) Brown, Shannon N.
Beginning in the 1970s, the Religious Right has become an increasingly significant player in U.S. foreign policy. This paper examines several themes relating to the movement's rise to political power, such as its increased political mobilization through strategic alliances and the merging of religiously infused ideology with nationalistic ideals in the post-9/11 era. Throughout the paper, the author discusses the sociopolitical implications of these themes, concluding that such militaristic, right-wing fundamentalism constitutes a dangerous brand of bad theology.
Echoes of Change: Media Distortion and Cultural Violence in BLM Narratives
(2025-01-01) Rage, Mahamed
This research paper examines the significant impact of media on the public narratives surrounding the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which emerged in 2013 in response to systemic racism and police violence against Black individuals. By exploring the evolution and manipulation of media portrayals, the study highlights how both digital and traditional media have influenced public perceptions of BLM. The central thesis posits that strategic manipulation by counter-movements and selective media framing have significantly distorted the movement's original intentions, contributing to societal misunderstandings and cultural violence. Drawing on Johan Galtung's theory of cultural violence, the study illustrates how language and symbols within media narratives have been used to legitimize repression and delegitimize nonviolent resistance. The analysis also applies Mohandas K. Gandhi's concept of trusteeship to the role of media institutions, arguing that journalists and media owners, as stewards of public discourse, have a moral responsibility to prioritize truth, diversity, and equity over profit and political alignment. Through an analysis of secondary sources, including academic journals, articles, and media reports, the paper investigates how language and imagery have been used to undermine BLM's legitimacy. Additionally, it explores the implications of this distortion, particularly in relation to historical narratives of nonviolent resistance and the broader societal impact on racial justice movements. The findings highlight the urgent need for balanced and accountable media coverage that uplifts nonviolent movements like BLM, ensuring a more informed public and a more just, democratic society.
Does Diversity Matter? Police Violence, Minority Representation, and Urban Policing
(2022-04-01) McVaugh, Maddy
This paper argues that, while increasing officer diversity may prove beneficial to some urban departments, for the majority, increased diversity within law enforcement does not substantially decrease the amount of violence towards racial minorities due to police culture and institutional practices. Specifically, I examine how structural policing methods target and excessively monitor Black and Hispanic communities, which leads to increased police encounters. Through police culture, these increased encounters then create further opportunities for acts of violence to be used against these minority communities. I begin by discussing several claims regarding the value of increased officer diversity. I then discuss why these claims do not prove beneficial to decreasing violence against racial minorities through various aspects of police culture and policing methods. Honorable Mention, 2022 short-form paper prize

Browse

Recent Submissions