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Christina L. Caldwell (Ph.D. expected 2008)
Dissertation: “What Difference Does it Make? The Impact of Women in the Legislative Branch: A Comparative Study of Costa Rica and New Zealand”
This research addresses the policy impact when women constitute a significant portion of the legislative branch. To answer this question, I look at two countries (Costa Rica and New Zealand) in which women occupy over 30% of the legislative seats to see what sorts of issues the female legislators propose. Additionally, I compare the attention paid to women's issues before and after women became significant as legislators. The project also compares how each of these countries achieved this critical minority and investigates whether the method for achieving a greater gender balance influences policy. Costa Rica has a gender quota, which mandates that 40% of the National Assembly consist of women. New Zealand does not have a quota, but rather reached this level organically. Other elements of this study include the ways in which electoral and party systems influence the issues female legislators support and the role that women's social movements may play in assuring that women's interests are represented. The theoretical background of this work lies in liberal and difference feminism, as well as the more broad women in politics literature.Dissertation Committee: David Pion-Berlin (Political Science), Bronwyn Leebaw (Political Science), Amalia Cabezas (Women's Studies)
Subfields: Comparative Politics, Political Theory
Specialization: Women in Politics, Gender in Latin America, Latin American Politics
Kevin E. Grisham (Ph.D. expected 2009)
Dissertation: “Guerrillas Today, What Tomorrow? Transformation of Guerrilla Movements in Post-Conflict Environments”
This research examines the causal mechanisms that lead guerrilla movements to transform into other organizations, including political parties, criminal organizations, and terrorist organizations. This study proposes that interaction between political accessibility of the guerrilla movement to the state’s political system, the need for human resources and physical resources by the guerrilla movement, and changes in the belief system of the movement and the master frames based on this belief system lead to the development of new organizations. Through the use of three paired comparisons (the PIRA in Northern Ireland and the ANC in South Africa; Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and FARC in Colombia; and al-Qaeda and the GSPC in Algeria), this study traces how these variables interact and in what combination these variables lead to the new organizational outcomes. The evidence in this study includes fieldwork in Northern Ireland and South Africa, communiqués, statements by leaderships and rank-and-file member in the movements, and an assortment of historical archives.Dissertation Committee: David Pion-Berlin (Chair – Political Science), Bronwyn Leebaw (Political Science), Donna Schlagheck (Political Science – Wright State Univ.)
Subfields: Comparative Politics, Mass Political Behavior
Specialization: Collective Political Violence, Middle East and North African Politics, International Security and Conflict, Democratization and Information Exchange, and American Foreign Policy
Curt Ziniel (Ph.D. expected 2009)
Dissertation: “Building Bridges: House Members’ Use of Staff for Racial Representation”
This dissertation explores how descriptive representation produces substantive representation in legislatures. Taking a novel approach, it examines how the racial characteristics of congressional staff influence public policy and constituent connections. Doing so helps to explain why members of Congress support particular legislation or communicate particular messages to constituents. In Congress staffers often act as a link between representatives and the represented. In this position they influence what, and whose, messages get through to the representative. They also help develop explanations of Washington activity from the representative to constituents.Dissertation Committee: Kevin Esterling (Chair – Political Science), Karthick Ramakrishnan, Antoine Yoshinaka (Political Science)
Subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics
Specialization: Race and Ethnic Politics, Representation, Congress, and Political Communication
