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Title: Examining Hometown Environments and University Experiences: A Qualitative Study of Gay Latino College Students' Identity Challenges at Two Predominantly White Institutions.
Creator: Peña-Talamantes, Abráham E., Ueno, Koji, Schwartz, Robert A., Schrock, Douglas P., Reynolds, John R., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show morePeña-Talamantes, Abráham E., Ueno, Koji, Schwartz, Robert A., Schrock, Douglas P., Reynolds, John R., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: Using grounded theory methodology to analyze in-depth interviews, participant-taken photographs, and written reflections, this dissertation examines the hometown environments and university experiences of twenty-five gay Latino-identifying college students enrolled at predominantly white institutions in two separate US locations. This study finds that the participants’ hometowns influence their ability to explore, develop, and make meaning of the intersection of their sexual and ethnic...
Show moreUsing grounded theory methodology to analyze in-depth interviews, participant-taken photographs, and written reflections, this dissertation examines the hometown environments and university experiences of twenty-five gay Latino-identifying college students enrolled at predominantly white institutions in two separate US locations. This study finds that the participants’ hometowns influence their ability to explore, develop, and make meaning of the intersection of their sexual and ethnic identities prior to their transition to college and inform the motivations and expectations they have of the college experience. Upon arrival at the university, the participants find themselves in an unwelcoming campus climate and encounter situations that serve as barriers to fulfilling their original expectations of the college experience, including (1) the risk of discrimination and marginalization, (2) the limited ability to disclose sexual orientation, and (3) threats toward participants’ self-acceptance and self-worth. In seeking sexuality resource centers and Latino student organizations, the participants realize that the focus of these campus resources lies solely on one aspect of their identities – either sexuality or ethnicity – and that their services and programming do not take into consideration the compounding effects of their identities as gay Latino men. Given that previous work on identity and place has been primarily situated in ecology, environmental psychology, and geography, the findings of this dissertation extend our current understanding of hometown locations as sites of identity development and as social contexts that may be useful in helping us understand what types of challenges gay Latino college students may face in their current environments. Further, the qualitative examination of gay Latino experiences at predominantly white institutions and the benefits of campus resources for marginalized student populations is an important contribution to the literature given the dearth of research that currently exists in these two areas.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_FALL2017_PenaTalamantes_fsu_0071E_14245
Format: Thesis

Title: Anchoring Power through Identity in Online Communication: The Trayvon Martin and Daniela Pelaez Cases.
Creator: Mauney, Heather T., Rohlinger, Deana A., Schmertmann, Carl P., Sanyal, Paromita, Ueno, Koji, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department...
Show moreMauney, Heather T., Rohlinger, Deana A., Schmertmann, Carl P., Sanyal, Paromita, Ueno, Koji, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation research uses the analysis of internet-based comments on two major news stories to study the role of identity in anchoring power during discursive participation. For this purpose, identity includes the categorical group memberships that people may place themselves or others into, such as gender, race, or occupation. Identity, as an anchor, is used as a resource for the purpose of linking one’s wishes to power, with power being the amount of preferential treatment given to...
Show moreThis dissertation research uses the analysis of internet-based comments on two major news stories to study the role of identity in anchoring power during discursive participation. For this purpose, identity includes the categorical group memberships that people may place themselves or others into, such as gender, race, or occupation. Identity, as an anchor, is used as a resource for the purpose of linking one’s wishes to power, with power being the amount of preferential treatment given to any particular identity in determining the course of events or proper direction of discussion. The Daniela Pelaez case and Trayvon Martin case were each selected for making national headlines at approximately the same time, both occurring in the same state, and both being in reference life altering circumstances for minority teenagers, yet representing different outcomes. A content analysis of news comment board posts for the Daniela Pelaez and Trayvon Martin cases has been performed to ascertain the use of identity in comments and prevalence of particular identities, the use of identity to anchor power, the acknowledgement of identities by readers, and the conditions under which identities were used. One article for each case was selected from the same national news source, with an analysis completed for the first 1,000 comments on each article. Identity used as an anchor to power is found to exist, but only has a significant interaction with presentation of an argument for the Martin case. This indicates that the association between anchoring identity and presenting an argument can vary by news story. Identity as an anchor itself varies with race, and is dependent on how race relates to the news story. It is also found that anchoring is more dependent on authors’ expectations of what others will consider important than it is effective on readers’ actual recordable reactions.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_FALL2017_Mauney_fsu_0071E_13216
Format: Thesis

Title: Geography, Economic Institutions, Political Institutions, and Economic Performance.
Creator: Ferraro, Amanda Catherine, Gwartney, James D., Norrbin, Stefan C., Beaumont, Paul M., Sherron, Katie A., Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences...
Show moreFerraro, Amanda Catherine, Gwartney, James D., Norrbin, Stefan C., Beaumont, Paul M., Sherron, Katie A., Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: Does geography impact economic growth directly even after considering economic and political institutions? This paper explores which countries are the most geographically disadvantaged and if these disadvantages play a role in their economic growth and per capita income levels. A group of the 30 most geographically disadvantaged countries is determined by summing multiple geography variables to understand the overall disadvantages these countries face. The difference between per capita income...
Show moreDoes geography impact economic growth directly even after considering economic and political institutions? This paper explores which countries are the most geographically disadvantaged and if these disadvantages play a role in their economic growth and per capita income levels. A group of the 30 most geographically disadvantaged countries is determined by summing multiple geography variables to understand the overall disadvantages these countries face. The difference between per capita income levels and growth rates of these countries compared to other developing countries is analyzed to discover the disadvantage these geographic characteristics have. This analysis will explore how important geography is to growth relative to economic and political institutions, and whether the effects of geography change over time.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_FALL2017_Ferraro_fsu_0071N_14141
Format: Thesis

Title: Essays on Corruption and Group Decision-Making.
Creator: Ahloy, James, Hamman, John R., Coleman, Eric A., Goerg, Sebastian J., Isaac, R. Mark (Robert Mark), Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreAhloy, James, Hamman, John R., Coleman, Eric A., Goerg, Sebastian J., Isaac, R. Mark (Robert Mark), Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: Evidence suggests that corruption in the administering of driver's licenses has the potential to create large social harm by allowing incompetent drivers on the road, but these drivers are not guaranteed to cause accidents. Similarly, contractors for a building may be permitted to do shoddy work as long as an inspector is paid a bribe. The building may not collapse with certainty, but it may do so in the face of a natural disaster that it should have been able to withstand. While we know that...
Show moreEvidence suggests that corruption in the administering of driver's licenses has the potential to create large social harm by allowing incompetent drivers on the road, but these drivers are not guaranteed to cause accidents. Similarly, contractors for a building may be permitted to do shoddy work as long as an inspector is paid a bribe. The building may not collapse with certainty, but it may do so in the face of a natural disaster that it should have been able to withstand. While we know that individuals will engage in corruption when its negative effects are probabilistic, little is known about the underlying reasons for doing so. The second and third chapters of this dissertation explore the effects that individuals' beliefs have on the decision to bribe when social harm is probabilistic. In Chapter 2, I introduce a game that captures some of the key elements of the environments in which exchanges that generate probabilistic negative externalities occur. This chapter seeks to establish a basic understanding of behavior in these types of environments, given that previous corruption experiments have focused on situations where negative externalities occur with certainty. I find that subjects are more likely to offer a bribe when they believe that others are going to bribe. When subjects are at risk of causing themselves and others to incur losses, the beliefs that they form about the likelihood of experiencing losses are inaccurate, even when they have the information necessary to form accurate beliefs. However, these beliefs do not appear to affect the decision to offer a bribe. In Chapter 3, I apply my bribery game to the study of bribing for a driver's license. I supply subjects with context-rich instructions and induce types among potential bribers to reflect drivers of different natural ability. Some drivers can bribe for a license while increasing social efficiency, because the formalities of obtaining a license are unnecessary for them, while other drivers lower social efficiency, in expectation, when they bribe, since formal licensing procedures are necessary for them. I find that subjects once again are more willing to offer a bribe when they believe that others are going to bribe. Inaccurate beliefs about the likelihood of experiencing losses are also commonplace, even in the face of full information, but in contrast to Chapter 2, these beliefs enter into the decision to offer a bribe. Beliefs about type indicate non-rationalizable overconfidence, but these beliefs are not predictive of bribing behavior. Finally, in Chapter 4, I turn my attention to the topic of group formation. Using a public goods game in which participants can select their groups, I investigate the role that personality plays in contribution behavior and group selection as the information available to participants about groups varies. I find that when participants only have access to information about the average personality profiles of groups, personality predicts contribution behavior, and participants select groups based on high measures of certain personality traits. However, when participants have access to historical contribution information about groups, both by itself and along with personality information, personality has little predictive power for contribution behavior, and groups are selected on the basis of past contribution levels.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_FALL2017_Ahloy_fsu_0071E_14206
Format: Thesis

Title: Grandparenting Experiences: Variations and Effects on Well-Being.
Creator: Gunderson, Justine Amanda, Barrett, Anne E., Rehm, Marsha Lynn, Taylor, Miles G., Ueno, Koji, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department...
Show moreGunderson, Justine Amanda, Barrett, Anne E., Rehm, Marsha Lynn, Taylor, Miles G., Ueno, Koji, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: Given the expanding role of today’s grandparent within the family, this dissertation seeks to explore the diverse range of grandparenting experiences outside of the commonly studied experience of the caregiving grandparent. Using the 2005-2006 wave of the Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG), this study explores underlying types of grandparenting, the social factors that predict membership in the various types, and the association between grandparenting types and subjective well-being....
Show moreGiven the expanding role of today’s grandparent within the family, this dissertation seeks to explore the diverse range of grandparenting experiences outside of the commonly studied experience of the caregiving grandparent. Using the 2005-2006 wave of the Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG), this study explores underlying types of grandparenting, the social factors that predict membership in the various types, and the association between grandparenting types and subjective well-being. Unlike previous research on non-caregiving grandparents, this study pays greater attention to potential gender differences in grandparenting experiences and uses quantitative techniques to explore variation in grandparenting types. In my first set of analyses, I use latent class analysis (LCA) to develop a typology of grandparents using the following dimensions of grandparent-grandchild relationship quality: distance from grandchildren, frequency of contact, receipt of support, and emotional attachment. Results reveal three latent classes of grandparents derived from two dimensions of grandparent-grandchild relationship quality on which respondents vary—distance from grandchildren and frequency of contact with grandchildren. The three latent classes are labeled Geographically Close/High Contact, Geographically Close/Low Contact, and Geographically Distant/Low Contact. Results from the LCA show different patterns for grandmothers and grandfathers: The Geographically Close/Low Contact class is comprised of significantly more grandfathers (70%), while the Geographically Close/High Contact class and the Geographically Distant/Low Contact class are made up of mostly grandmothers (60%; 61%). I then test if various social factors—including age, gender, number of grandchildren, education, and household income—predict probability of membership in the three grandparenting categories. Surprisingly, gender does not emerge as a significant predictor in the multivariate analyses. However, highlighting the importance of socioeconomic status, household income and education are significantly associated with membership in two of the grandparenting categories: Geographically Close/High Contact and Geographically Distant/Low Contact. Grandparents with higher household incomes have a lower probability of belonging to the Geographically Distant/Low Contact class (p<.05) and a higher probability of belonging to the Geographically Close/High Contact class (p<.01), while grandparents who have attended or graduated from college have a lower probability of belonging to the Geographically Distant/Low Contact class (p<.01). In the second set of analyses, I examine the association between grandparenting type and two measures of subjective well-being: depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Suggesting some evidence of variation in well-being across the different grandparenting categories, Geographically Close/High Contact grandparents report the highest levels of subjective well-being, while Geographically Close/Low Contact grandparents report the lowest levels. However, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression results surprisingly reveal no significant relationship between grandparenting category and either measure of well-being. Taken together, this study builds on previous work by developing a quantitative typology of grandparenting, investigating the social factors that predict membership in the resulting grandparenting types, and examining the association between grandparenting type and subjective well-being.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_FALL2017_Gunderson_fsu_0071E_14246
Format: Thesis

Title: An Examination of the Impact of Revision 7 on Governance in the Florida State Courts System.
Creator: Samuel, Karen H., Brower, Ralph S., Padavic, Irene, deHaven-Smith, Lance, Klay, William Earle, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, School of...
Show moreSamuel, Karen H., Brower, Ralph S., Padavic, Irene, deHaven-Smith, Lance, Klay, William Earle, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, School of Public Administration and Policy
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Abstract/Description: This study examines the impact of 1998 Revision 7 to Article V of the Florida Constitution (hereafter referred to as Revision 7) in shaping governance of Florida's courts system. Revision 7 shifted the major costs of funding the courts from the county level to the state level. Under our tripartite system of government, the judicial system is dependent on the legislative branch for its funding. An adequate and stable source of funding is required to govern the courts system, and essentially to...
Show moreThis study examines the impact of 1998 Revision 7 to Article V of the Florida Constitution (hereafter referred to as Revision 7) in shaping governance of Florida's courts system. Revision 7 shifted the major costs of funding the courts from the county level to the state level. Under our tripartite system of government, the judicial system is dependent on the legislative branch for its funding. An adequate and stable source of funding is required to govern the courts system, and essentially to execute their constitutional and statutory mandates. Since the implementation of Revision 7 in Florida, the courts system primarily depends on the Florida Legislature to determine its level of funding. Very little has been written about state courts, and specifically, state courts administration in public administration literature, so this study has something valuable to contribute to public administration, both theoretical and substantive, through the perspective and experiences of court administrators/leaders. This study is rooted in the case study tradition employed by various disciplines and asks this central question: How has Revision 7 impacted governance in Florida's courts? This study was conducted by giving voice to court insiders who experienced the governance structure of Florida's courts pre- and/or post- Revision 7. From the data derived through the interview and journaling processes, an overall picture of the experiences of the participants and the meanings that the participants construct of their experiences was drawn. Nineteen court administrators/leaders participated in the study, and the information gathered from those participants formed the basis for the overall findings of this study. Based on the results, two main themes regarding the participants' experiences emerged from the data – politics and collaboration. Court administrators/leaders need to better understand the budget process and legislative behavior, as well as need to study, embrace, and engage in the political process; and, court administrators/leaders need to stride a better balance between political and judicial forces. Conclusions based on the data were included, implications were discussed as well as recommendations for further study.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_2015fall_Samuel_fsu_0071E_12910
Format: Thesis

Title: When Organizational Forms Fail: Social Movement Brands and Local Movement Adoption.
Creator: Klein, Jesse, Tope, Daniel, Gomez, Brad T., Quadagno, Jill S., Padavic, Irene, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
Abstract/Description: In this dissertation project I use the case of a local Occupy Wall Street movement to examine tensions in the local adoption of a national movement's organizational forms and practices. Movements are often thought to be organic phenomena, yet some movements may incorporate much of their organizational framework from preexisting movements. How a local movement incorporates or adopts a preexisting organizational form has implications for movement activities and outcomes. In the case I study...
Show moreIn this dissertation project I use the case of a local Occupy Wall Street movement to examine tensions in the local adoption of a national movement's organizational forms and practices. Movements are often thought to be organic phenomena, yet some movements may incorporate much of their organizational framework from preexisting movements. How a local movement incorporates or adopts a preexisting organizational form has implications for movement activities and outcomes. In the case I study—Occupy Tallahassee—the local movement emerged from the national movement, which provided an organizational structure and loose platform for attracting participants. Having drawn from an existing organizational form, however, the local movement did not toil with their own meaning making in developing collective identity or solidarity around how to make collective decisions. Ultimately, the group struggled to unify around shared meanings of democracy, collective identity, and common grievances. I examine this struggle and some of the particular challenges that arise when political entrepreneurs attempt local implementation of a national movement brand without being cognizant of local conditions around which to mobilize or build a platform.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_2015fall_Klein_fsu_0071E_12845
Format: Thesis

Title: Audience Costs and the Domestic Public: The Attenuating Effects of Dispute Contexts.
Creator: Abitbol, Aldo David, Ehrlich, Sean D., Grant, Jonathan A., Souva, Mark A., Gomez, Brad T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of...
Show moreAbitbol, Aldo David, Ehrlich, Sean D., Grant, Jonathan A., Souva, Mark A., Gomez, Brad T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: When will the domestic audience be responsive to publicly made threats in international disputes by their leaders? Theoretical models and empirical evidence suggest that audience costs can be strategically invoked by leaders to credibly signal their intentions in conflict bargaining situations. However, an emerging literature points out that audience costs depend on individual-level behavioral processes within the domestic political environment. This dissertation further explores the factors...
Show moreWhen will the domestic audience be responsive to publicly made threats in international disputes by their leaders? Theoretical models and empirical evidence suggest that audience costs can be strategically invoked by leaders to credibly signal their intentions in conflict bargaining situations. However, an emerging literature points out that audience costs depend on individual-level behavioral processes within the domestic political environment. This dissertation further explores the factors that influence whether voters mobilize audience costs when leaders renege on public threats specifically, in regards to two distinct issues. One, when are citizens attentive to foreign disputes that their leaders publicly signal in, and what effect does this have on audience cost mobilization? Two, will citizens automatically punish leaders for reneging in foreign disputes they are attentive to, or will the decision to punish be subject to normal candidate evaluation processes. Using experimental evidence I find strong empirical support for both factors attenuating audience cost generation in foreign crisis disputes. Finally, unlike previous work on audience costs, this dissertation demonstrates that factors outside of a leader's direct control influences the degree to which they can credibly signal through publicly made threats.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_2015fall_Abitbol_fsu_0071E_12906
Format: Thesis

Title: Topics on Labor and Public Policy.
Creator: Cromwell, Erich W., Cooper, David Jacob, Feiock, Richard C., Clapp, Christopher M. (Christopher Marshall), Hamman, John R., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences...
Show moreCromwell, Erich W., Cooper, David Jacob, Feiock, Richard C., Clapp, Christopher M. (Christopher Marshall), Hamman, John R., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: Living wage laws are a common local government policy to mandate higher wages for a subsection of the labor market. Advocates of these policies suggest the higher mandated wage will lead to greater effort contrary to predictions made by reciprocity models. Do workers actually reciprocate effort for a mandated wage increase if the intention is not purely kind? In one chapter, I use a gift exchange game - where effort is not contractible - to examine worker effort response and possible wage...
Show moreLiving wage laws are a common local government policy to mandate higher wages for a subsection of the labor market. Advocates of these policies suggest the higher mandated wage will lead to greater effort contrary to predictions made by reciprocity models. Do workers actually reciprocate effort for a mandated wage increase if the intention is not purely kind? In one chapter, I use a gift exchange game - where effort is not contractible - to examine worker effort response and possible wage spillovers from a living wage law. The main result shows the greatest influence on effort is the wage offered - regardless of the context of any manager wage restriction. Therefore, effort increases as the mandated wage increases from a typical minimum wage to the higher living wage. Additionally, wage spillovers in the living wage environment push unaffected managers to offer higher wages than otherwise offered in a market with only a single minimum wage. Various theories provide contradictory predictions for the impact of living wage laws on employment. Using a unique and hierarchal dataset with employment data from all Florida business establishments, I analyzes changes at both the market and establishment level where a number of fixed effects can be used to isolate the employment change. Results suggest that there is no to little negative employment change at the market level for areas with a living wage law and a small positive employment effect for establishments with a living wage contract. Finally, I extend reciprocity models to examine contract design. Theoretically, contracts are typically modeled as a one-time transaction. In practice, contracts are rarely one-shot interactions. Short-term contracts are renewed and long-term contracts are terminated early. Despite the possibility for contract length to be identical, behavioral preferences may encourage better performance and longer relationships depending on the initial agreed contract length. Using experimental contracts, we find that only when contract length can be determined endogenously does performance differ between contract and that reciprocity plays an important role in this labor relationship.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_2015fall_Cromwell_fsu_0071E_12757
Format: Thesis

Title: An Assessment of the Relationship Between Health Behaviors, Physiological Dysregulation, and Mortality for Black, White, and Mexican Americans in the U.S.
Creator: Weeks, Janet A., Taylor, Miles G., McGee, Daniel, Eberstein, Isaac W., Burdette, Amy M., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of...
Show moreWeeks, Janet A., Taylor, Miles G., McGee, Daniel, Eberstein, Isaac W., Burdette, Amy M., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: In recent decades, the influence of negative health behaviors on physical health and mortality has garnered a great deal of attention (Institute of Medicine 2001). Research suggests that these negative health behaviors, such as smoking, binge drinking, and lack of exercise, are leading preventable causes of morbidity and early mortality in the U.S. (Institute of Medicine 2001). Yet, little research has explored whether there are differential impacts of risky health behaviors on health...
Show moreIn recent decades, the influence of negative health behaviors on physical health and mortality has garnered a great deal of attention (Institute of Medicine 2001). Research suggests that these negative health behaviors, such as smoking, binge drinking, and lack of exercise, are leading preventable causes of morbidity and early mortality in the U.S. (Institute of Medicine 2001). Yet, little research has explored whether there are differential impacts of risky health behaviors on health outcomes by social groups such as race/ethnicity. Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2008, linked with the National Death Index, My dissertation focuses on filling existing gaps in the literature by exploring the associations between health behaviors, physiological distress, and mortality and how these associations vary by race and ethnicity in the U.S. I examine 1) how these relationships (health behaviors, physiological dysregulation, death) vary by race/ethnicity; 2) the role health behaviors play in the relationship between physiological dysregulation and mortality as well as how this role varies by race/ethnicity and; 3) investigate how the individual items (biomarkers) that make up the physiological dysregulation measure can be grouped by behaviors and race/ethnicity in a way that further elucidates the previously mentioned relationships. First, negative binomial regressions show a differential relationship between negative health behaviors and physiological dysregulation by race/ethnicity. Namely, Whites experience a significantly higher detrimental impact of negative health behaviors on their physiological dysregulation than do Blacks, and to a lesser extent Mexican Americans. Yet, running Cox Proportional Hazards models on the risk of mortality reveals no racial/ethnic differentials in the impact of health behaviors on mortality. The latent class analysis of the biomarker indicators is then used to further parse out why there is a difference in the racial/ethnic variations in the relationship between poor health behaviors and physiological distress but not mortality. These findings suggest that respondents' biomarkers do cluster into healthy, cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory groups. The cardiovascular group is defined by higher proportion of minorities, particularly Blacks, as well as a stronger relationship with negative health behaviors. The group is also the most likely to experience mortality. The already high likelihood of minorities having high cardiovascular risk may explain why there is a weaker relationship between physiological dysregulation and risky health behaviors. This research could extend information on the consequences of risky health behaviors as well as inform public policy on the importance of considering social differentials when addressing health behavior risk.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_2015fall_Weeks_fsu_0071E_12756
Format: Thesis

Title: Rebel Capability and Civil War Severity.
Creator: Taylor, Joshua James, Ehrlich, Sean D., Souva, Mark A., Smith, Dale L. (Dale Lee), Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of...
Show moreTaylor, Joshua James, Ehrlich, Sean D., Souva, Mark A., Smith, Dale L. (Dale Lee), Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: What makes some conflicts more severe than others? This paper examines this question first by discussing what "severity" actually means. Then, the paper argues that rebel groups are stronger when they have access to lootable resources. When rebel groups are stronger, civil conflicts should tend to be bloodier. To examine this argument, this paper employs Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and discusses the results. The results here show strong support for the argument made in this paper.
Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_2015fall_Taylor_fsu_0071N_12819
Format: Thesis

Title: Disaster Shelter Planning: Using a Social Domain Heuristic to Examine Organizational Behaviors of Policy Implementation during the 2004 Hurricane Season in Florida.
Creator: Spice, Susan Leslie, Brower, Ralph S., Doan, Petra L., Yang, Kaifeng, Berlan, David Gregory, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, School of...
Show moreSpice, Susan Leslie, Brower, Ralph S., Doan, Petra L., Yang, Kaifeng, Berlan, David Gregory, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, School of Public Administration and Policy
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Abstract/Description: Following Hilhorst (2004), this study posits that, as communities become more populous they also become more complex. As they become more complex, communities develop institutions and social structures to help coordinate social activities. Among these institutions are forms of government which ensure management of resources and public safety. As part of public safety, citizens in vulnerable areas expect their government to provide disaster shelters during hurricanes. In response to this...
Show moreFollowing Hilhorst (2004), this study posits that, as communities become more populous they also become more complex. As they become more complex, communities develop institutions and social structures to help coordinate social activities. Among these institutions are forms of government which ensure management of resources and public safety. As part of public safety, citizens in vulnerable areas expect their government to provide disaster shelters during hurricanes. In response to this expectation, government forms policies and creates plans for disaster/evacuation shelters. These shelters become an arena for both disaster shelter policy implementation and organizational behavior. This study examines the relationships between disaster shelter policy implementation and the organizational behavior of the government staff and nonprofit volunteers who implement disaster/evacuation shelter policy as well as the citizens who receive services and who may themselves be volunteers. This study reviews the social complexity and structure of these relationships within Hilhorst’s (2004) proposed social domains of science and disaster management, disaster governance, and local response, as demonstrated in Florida’s Division of Emergency Management Region 5 (henceforward referred to as Region 5) during the 2004 hurricane season. This hurricane season was selected because nearly every county in Florida was affected by a hurricane (Charley, Frances, Ivan, or Jeanne) within a span of 44 days. Orange County was chosen because it was directly affected by three of the four storms (Charley, Frances, and Jeanne) and served as a regional disaster shelter during the fourth (Ivan). Region 5 was chosen for comparison because it was directly affected by three of the four storms and because Orange County served as a regional disaster shelter during the fourth (Ivan).
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_SUMMER2017_Spice_fsu_0071E_14056
Format: Thesis

Title: Collaborating to Break Free of the Forest Management Rigidity Trap: Listening, Learning and Leading in the Development of the 2012 Forest Service Planning Rule.
Creator: Cook, Haven B. (Haven Barbara), Butler, William Hale, Brower, Ralph S., Doan, Petra L., Deyle, Robert E., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreCook, Haven B. (Haven Barbara), Butler, William Hale, Brower, Ralph S., Doan, Petra L., Deyle, Robert E., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
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Abstract/Description: The US Forest Service has embarked on new approaches to collaboration that surpass the traditional requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of review and comment on public documents. Decades of litigation, adversarial relationships, and legal gridlock from layers of policies, procedures and regulations represent a rigidity trap that has stalled several attempts to revise the 1982 planning rule. In 2009 the Forest Service initiated an open and collaborative process for...
Show moreThe US Forest Service has embarked on new approaches to collaboration that surpass the traditional requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of review and comment on public documents. Decades of litigation, adversarial relationships, and legal gridlock from layers of policies, procedures and regulations represent a rigidity trap that has stalled several attempts to revise the 1982 planning rule. In 2009 the Forest Service initiated an open and collaborative process for developing a new Forest Planning Rule that would engage a wide range of stakeholders in the process. The planning rule team adopted an attitude of listening that allowed them to be open to new knowledge, creating opportunities to learn during collaboration. The planning rule team had a mindset of “walking the talk” on collaboration that allowed the process to reflect the principles of effective participation and collaboration in the literature, such as the DIAD model of collaborative rationality. This research explores the agency’s willingness to try a new approach to developing a rule in order to solve the longstanding challenge of updating the rule. Examining the collaborative rule development process provides insights about how double loop learning, manifested in the collaborative process to develop the rule, allowed the agency to break free of a rigidity trap dominated by rational planning processes. This study indicates adaptive capacity is enhanced by a posture of listening which can lead to the type of double loop learning that brings about new understanding, new knowledge, and new solutions by constructing that knowledge along with stakeholders in a collaborative process.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: FSU_SUMMER2017_Cook_fsu_0071E_13117
Format: Thesis

Title: Fiscal Interactions in Local Federalism and: The Effects of Concentration.
Creator: Willardsen, Kevin, Ihlanfeldt, Keith R., Feiock, Richard C., Clapp, Christopher M. (Christopher Marshall), Holcombe, Randall G., Semykina, Anastasia, Florida State University,...
Show moreWillardsen, Kevin, Ihlanfeldt, Keith R., Feiock, Richard C., Clapp, Christopher M. (Christopher Marshall), Holcombe, Randall G., Semykina, Anastasia, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: Local governments are becoming an increasingly important arm of governance and public goods provision. As the role of counties and municipalities continues to expand so must our understanding of their inner workings and relationships to an ever changing environment. Important areas of our understanding are in need of revision or investigation in general. To what extent do local governments nested in federalism interact with one another? What are the implications of those interactions, or lack...
Show moreLocal governments are becoming an increasingly important arm of governance and public goods provision. As the role of counties and municipalities continues to expand so must our understanding of their inner workings and relationships to an ever changing environment. Important areas of our understanding are in need of revision or investigation in general. To what extent do local governments nested in federalism interact with one another? What are the implications of those interactions, or lack thereof? How has the changing landscape of development affected public service provisions? Does the type of development, in terms of land use, affect particular public service costs? All of these questions are addressed to some degree. Results suggest that most important interaction within local federalism is between the municipalities and the counties above them, although there is weak evidence of municipality to municipality interactions. The geography of development proves itself to be an important factor in the costs of public goods provision, having sometimes conflicting relationships across land uses and the type of public good being provided.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_SUMMER2017_Willardsen_fsu_0071E_14032
Format: Thesis

Title: Essays on the Dynamics of Land-Assembly: Holdouts, Spillovers, and Acquisition.
Creator: Portillo, Javier E. (Javier Enrique), Isaac, R. Mark (Robert Mark), Coleman, Eric A. (Professor of Political Science), Zuehlke, Thomas W. (Thomas William), Kitchens, Carl T.,...
Show morePortillo, Javier E. (Javier Enrique), Isaac, R. Mark (Robert Mark), Coleman, Eric A. (Professor of Political Science), Zuehlke, Thomas W. (Thomas William), Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation is a collection of essays that explore the land assembly problem. Developers are of tasked with assembling or consolidating contiguous pieces properties to carry out a large-scale development. During the assembly process, developers will encounter various hurdles that increase the transactions costs associated with the project. As these costs grow, the viability of the project may be questioned and otherwise beneficial projects may fail to be developed. In my first essay, I...
Show moreThis dissertation is a collection of essays that explore the land assembly problem. Developers are of tasked with assembling or consolidating contiguous pieces properties to carry out a large-scale development. During the assembly process, developers will encounter various hurdles that increase the transactions costs associated with the project. As these costs grow, the viability of the project may be questioned and otherwise beneficial projects may fail to be developed. In my first essay, I use a series of controlled laboratory experiments to explore a neglected source of failed assembly: post-development externalities. In it, I demonstrate that externalities lead to lower aggregation in the presence of externalities. Also using laboratory experiments, the second essay shows that inducing competition among prospective landowners is a viable technique to improve assembly rates in an environment where the incentive to be strategic is strong, but with no externalities. In the final essay, I use a new dataset on real estate acquisition for roadway construction, to quantify the effect that bargaining delays have on final transaction prices when the developer has access to eminent domain.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_SUMMER2017_PortilloElias_fsu_0071E_13951
Format: Thesis

Title: Institutional Determinants of Legislative Behavior: Legislative Goals, Electoral Reforms, and How Lawmakers Perceive the Value of the Office.
Creator: Fahey, Kevin Thomas, Weissert, Carol S., Berry, Frances Stokes, Jackson, Robert (Professor of Political Science), Beazer, Quintin, Florida State University, College of Social...
Show moreFahey, Kevin Thomas, Weissert, Carol S., Berry, Frances Stokes, Jackson, Robert (Professor of Political Science), Beazer, Quintin, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: The conditions under which legislators engage in idiosyncratic behavior remain poorly understood. Their personal ambitions and desires constantly confront obligations to constituents and institutional constraints. Often, lawmakers pursue goals that are destructive if seen through an institutional or voter-based lens, but rational if the legislator's individual preferences are taken into account. This dissertation develops our understanding of the idiosyncratic incentives of lawmakers, and how...
Show moreThe conditions under which legislators engage in idiosyncratic behavior remain poorly understood. Their personal ambitions and desires constantly confront obligations to constituents and institutional constraints. Often, lawmakers pursue goals that are destructive if seen through an institutional or voter-based lens, but rational if the legislator's individual preferences are taken into account. This dissertation develops our understanding of the idiosyncratic incentives of lawmakers, and how they translate into policy outcomes. My results find that lawmakers are not driven to pursue wealth at the expense of governing.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_SUMMER2017_Fahey_fsu_0071E_13858
Format: Thesis

Title: Aging in Activity Spaces: Understanding the Automobility of Aging Populations.
Creator: Wood, Brittany S. (Brittany Suzanne), Horner, Matthew I. (Matthew Ian), Brown, Jeffrey R., Uejio, Christopher K., Folch, David C., Florida State University, College of Social...
Show moreWood, Brittany S. (Brittany Suzanne), Horner, Matthew I. (Matthew Ian), Brown, Jeffrey R., Uejio, Christopher K., Folch, David C., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Geography
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Abstract/Description: The proportion of individuals aged 65 and over is growing at an astronomical rate in the United States, and some estimate that this demographic age group will double by the year 2025. Aging adults are primarily dependent on the personal automobile as their main source of transportation. Older adults and adults nearing retirement age also tend to reside in suburban neighborhoods and rely heavily on personal vehicles. Since most of the United States is characterized by automobile dependent...
Show moreThe proportion of individuals aged 65 and over is growing at an astronomical rate in the United States, and some estimate that this demographic age group will double by the year 2025. Aging adults are primarily dependent on the personal automobile as their main source of transportation. Older adults and adults nearing retirement age also tend to reside in suburban neighborhoods and rely heavily on personal vehicles. Since most of the United States is characterized by automobile dependent suburbanization, where the majority of development is suburban low-density sprawl, this may become problematic for aging populations who may be uncomfortable driving longer distances and making more trips. These trends invite the question of whether the deck is stacked against individuals approaching retirement age (50-64) and aging populations (65 and up). This study examines aging populations’ mobility and determines whether they have different travel patterns than their younger cohorts. Additionally, this investigation explores whether or not travel patterns across age groups result in differential access to particular goods and services, as well as differences in travel environment characteristics in a metropolitan area. This research proposes an approach based on Time Geographic Density Estimation (TGDE) to identify activity spaces across different age cohorts in order to identify differences in the mobility and travel behavior of aging adults. TGDE is an established technique in the literature, which blends the notion of activity spaces with the computation of probabilistic potential path trees along a transportation system. In this way it establishes an ‘extent’ or overall mapping of the activity space of an individual, but is able to further refine that extent to identify the most likely places they are able to visit within that geography. Data on origin and destination trips and travel times are taken from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) Florida add-on for the study area of Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Transportation is an important consideration in planning for aging populations, and analyzing differences in how older adults travel compared to their younger counterparts can offer insight into the diverse needs of this group.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_SUMMER2017_Wood_fsu_0071E_13926
Format: Thesis

Title: Accessibility to SNAP Accepting Retail Locations.
Creator: Wood, Brittany S. (Brittany Suzanne), Horner, Matthew I. (Matthew Ian), Kobayashi, Tetsuo (Professor of Geography), Uejio, Christopher K., Florida State University, College of...
Show moreWood, Brittany S. (Brittany Suzanne), Horner, Matthew I. (Matthew Ian), Kobayashi, Tetsuo (Professor of Geography), Uejio, Christopher K., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Geography
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Abstract/Description: Research suggests that inaccessibility to food stores contributes to poor diet and health status of individuals living in predominantly low income or racial minority geographic areas. Previous studies on geographic access to food stores have focused on defining or examining `food deserts' using a variety of methods to quantify the environmental effects of inaccessibility. This paper extends past work by comparing specific at-risk populations' accessibility to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance...
Show moreResearch suggests that inaccessibility to food stores contributes to poor diet and health status of individuals living in predominantly low income or racial minority geographic areas. Previous studies on geographic access to food stores have focused on defining or examining `food deserts' using a variety of methods to quantify the environmental effects of inaccessibility. This paper extends past work by comparing specific at-risk populations' accessibility to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) accepting locations using network-based representations of specific personal transportation costs. The SNAP program attempts to alleviate food insecurity among low-income groups who qualify for assistance. Despite these monetary benefits, researchers note that it is difficult to determine whether food insecurity has been relieved or not within households accepting SNAP benefits. Using spatial analytic methods, this paper focuses on understanding distribution of potentially vulnerable demographic populations at the Census block group level and their accessibility to SNAP accepting locations. Leon County, Florida is used as a test case. Network-based approaches are employed using GIS to gauge access in terms of walking, automobile, and public transit. Ultimately, the goal of this thesis is to better understand possible differences in accessibility across socioeconomic groups, emphasizing characteristics such as vehicle ownership, race, and income. Potential policy implications of the work include addressing questions of whether certain transportation costs should be subsidized for individuals receiving SNAP benefits. Findings will contribute to the burgeoning literature at the intersection of geography, health policy, urban planning, and transportation that seek to alleviate the causes of food insecurity.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_SUMMER2017_Wood_fsu_0071N_11504
Format: Thesis

Title: Sexual Orientation Differences in Health Status and Treatment Seeking Behaviors Among Older Adults.
Creator: Ritter, Lacey J., Ueno, Koji, Charness, Neil, Taylor, John, Taylor, Miles G., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
Abstract/Description: The importance of older adults' health is increasing with extending lifespans. Despite a large amount of research conducted on older adults' health, little is known about sexual orientation differences. Although some studies have examined sexual orientation differences in health, many of them tended to focus on young and middle adulthood or paid little attention to life stage contexts. When studies do focus on older adulthood, they tend to focus solely on differences by sexual identity, and a...
Show moreThe importance of older adults' health is increasing with extending lifespans. Despite a large amount of research conducted on older adults' health, little is known about sexual orientation differences. Although some studies have examined sexual orientation differences in health, many of them tended to focus on young and middle adulthood or paid little attention to life stage contexts. When studies do focus on older adulthood, they tend to focus solely on differences by sexual identity, and a very few studies have focused on reporting of same-sex contact (SSC) as a measure of sexual orientation. Using a population-based sample of older adults, the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, this dissertation focused on two major areas of comparison between SSC and non-SSC older adults that have received limited attention in past research: STDs as a sexual health outcome (Chapter 2) and alternative medicine usage as a treatment seeking behavior (Chapter 3). I argue that sexual orientation is associated with older people's health status and treatment seeking behavior. Analyses based on negative binomial regressions and propensity matching models found that older adults who report any SSC in their lifetime have higher lifetime rates of STDs and are more likely to use alternative medicine as a type of treatment seeking behavior. Primary analyses were based on negative binomial regression models, and supplemental analyses included propensity score matching models, stratified regressions, zero-inflated negative binomial regression models, sensitivity analyses, and additional tests based on alternative measures of the focal variables. These findings extend the sociological literature on sexual orientation differences in older adult health by examining outcomes of health status and treatment seeking behaviors that have previously been overlooked despite their important theoretical and policy implications.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_2017SP_Ritter_fsu_0071E_13705
Format: Thesis

Title: Racial and Ethnic Trends in Vaccination Coverage among Adolescents.
Creator: Webb, Noah S., Burdette, Amy M., Coutts, Christopher, Taylor, Miles G., Taylor, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of...
Show moreWebb, Noah S., Burdette, Amy M., Coutts, Christopher, Taylor, Miles G., Taylor, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: One of the key determinants of health and wellbeing for adolescents is the utilization of preventive health services. While adolescents are generally healthy, public health officials warn that access to health insurance, preventive care, and proper health education are vital to experiencing continued health and wellbeing throughout the life course. Despite the noted importance of preventive care in adolescence, social disparities continue to exist. Given that racial and ethnic minorities and...
Show moreOne of the key determinants of health and wellbeing for adolescents is the utilization of preventive health services. While adolescents are generally healthy, public health officials warn that access to health insurance, preventive care, and proper health education are vital to experiencing continued health and wellbeing throughout the life course. Despite the noted importance of preventive care in adolescence, social disparities continue to exist. Given that racial and ethnic minorities and those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged are less likely to have health insurance coverage, use preventive health services, and follow the recommended immunization schedule, this dissertation focuses on an important aspect of adolescent preventive health care services: vaccinations. Specifically, this study examines race and ethnic specific trends in meningococcal and tetanus, diphtheria, & acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination coverage among adolescents in the United States. Understanding such trends could help providers determine the most effective strategies for immunizing adolescents from different racial/ethnic backgrounds, especially as they age into adulthood, as well as reduce the overall impact of vaccine preventable diseases on households and communities. Using provider reported vaccination histories from the National Immunization Survey-Teen, 2008-2016, this dissertation estimates a series of binary logistic regressions to model racial and ethnic trends in meningococcal and Tdap vaccination coverage among U.S. adolescents (n = 155,461) over a nine-year period. I find that the distribution of meningococcal and Tdap vaccinations among adolescents varies by race and ethnicity. Black and Hispanic adolescents tend to display higher odds of vaccination relative to White adolescents. These increased rates suggest a racial/ethnic minority advantage that, at least among Hispanics, is reminiscent of the “Hispanic paradox.” These results further suggest that racial and ethnic disparities in adolescent vaccination persist. Moving forward, race and ethnic specific trends highlight the need for targeted interventions to reduce disparities as well as continued efforts to increase the overall rate of adolescent vaccination, as adolescents remain the least vaccinated demographic age group in pre-adulthood.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Webb_fsu_0071E_14672
Format: Thesis

Title: Latinx College Student Narratives of Familism and College Persistence.
Creator: Salerno, Stacy Lynn, Reynolds, John R., Radey, Melissa, Tillman, Kathryn H., Ueno, Koji, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of...
Show moreSalerno, Stacy Lynn, Reynolds, John R., Radey, Melissa, Tillman, Kathryn H., Ueno, Koji, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: Latinx immigrants view college attendance as a vehicle for upward mobility and a primary means for achieving the American Dream. Despite ongoing debates over the rightful place of immigrants in U.S. society and periods of anti-immigrant sentiment and xenophobia in the Brexit/Trump era, immigrants still believe in education as a vehicle for upward mobility. This dissertation explores the social psychological and cultural mechanisms that underlie Latinx college student narratives of persistence...
Show moreLatinx immigrants view college attendance as a vehicle for upward mobility and a primary means for achieving the American Dream. Despite ongoing debates over the rightful place of immigrants in U.S. society and periods of anti-immigrant sentiment and xenophobia in the Brexit/Trump era, immigrants still believe in education as a vehicle for upward mobility. This dissertation explores the social psychological and cultural mechanisms that underlie Latinx college student narratives of persistence in seeking a college degree, and the resources used by students who seek a college degree but whose status is “suspect” due to their ethnicity. These mechanisms include the influence of parental immigrant narratives on self-efficacy, motivation, and the use of academic career narratives to make sense of their own college experiences. Academic career narratives are individual student stories that are created in an effort to make sense of their academic journey and future. The data come from thirty in-depth interviews with currently enrolled first and second-generation Latinx college students at public and private universities in the Southeast who have been in college at least two years. All students in the sample are of traditional college age (19-22 years old). The sample is stratified by gender, legal status- whether they are documented or undocumented, and generational status (1st or 2nd generation). Students who are undocumented, are attending college through the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Data analysis suggests that Latinx students fortify their college aspirations in the face of negative experiences (discrimination, economic stress, etc.) by adopting their parent’s narratives of achieving mobility through hard work. This interpretive frame and narrative allows Latinx students to recast negative experiences as challenges they successfully endure, even badges of honor, and the resolution of which reinforces their self-efficacy and motivation to persist. Narrative construction is also a means by which Latinx students make sense of the difficult process associated with matriculating to college as first generation college students- preserving their self-efficacy, particularly for undocumented students. In this way Latinx college students construct their own narratives of immigrant mobility as experienced in specific events related to preparing for, applying to, and attending college. Another major finding is how familial ties affect how Latinx women talk about their college experiences very differently than Latinx men. While close family ties are generally beneficial to academic success, there is one downside to strong parental connections: the stress that accompanies high family expectations and present and future family responsibilities. How Latinx college students manage family-related expectations varies significantly by gender. I frame these gender differences through Machismo and Marianismo- two broad cultural conceptions that define gender roles and obligations in Latinx families. The women I interviewed reported feelings of homesickness as a result of wanting to care for family members. These women also described their beliefs and behaviors using language associated with selflessness, sacrifice and chastity. The men, on the other hand expressed a duty to provide financially for their parents, but not to provide care. These men reported feelings of irritation toward maternal requests for constant communication, as well as a desire for greater independence. Obtaining a better understanding of Latinx college students’ collegiate experiences is important for the social scientific research on college persistence, transition to adulthood, sociology of education literature on motivation and self-efficacy, and for colleges and universities seeking to increase the relatively low college completion rate of Latinx students. This dissertation extends our understanding of Latinx college students by identifying narratives that redefine negative life experiences as positive, and by providing a more nuanced portrayal of family ties in the Latinx student population.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Salerno_fsu_0071E_14708
Format: Thesis

Title: The Effects of Paid Work on Health in Later Life: Variation by Socioeconomic Status.
Creator: Gumber, Clayton Michael, Barrett, Anne E., Born, Patricia, Taylor, Miles G., Carr, Dawn C, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of...
Show moreGumber, Clayton Michael, Barrett, Anne E., Born, Patricia, Taylor, Miles G., Carr, Dawn C, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: Studies examining the link between older adults’ labor force participation and health frequently report that later life employment is health enhancing. However, few studies consider how these benefits could vary by socioeconomic status (SES). In this dissertation I seek to address this oversight using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). By exploring the relationship between older adults’ employment, SES, and health in three key areas (i.e., depressive symptoms, total recall, and...
Show moreStudies examining the link between older adults’ labor force participation and health frequently report that later life employment is health enhancing. However, few studies consider how these benefits could vary by socioeconomic status (SES). In this dissertation I seek to address this oversight using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). By exploring the relationship between older adults’ employment, SES, and health in three key areas (i.e., depressive symptoms, total recall, and physical impairment), I provide a more in-depth account of the health implications of later life employment. To accomplish this goal, I conduct three sets of analyses. In the first set of analyses I assess cross-sectional associations between employment status and health. My findings indicate that both part-time employment and full-time employment are significantly linked to fewer depressive symptoms, better recall, and fewer functional limitations. Contrary to my expectations, I find no evidence that full-time employment is especially beneficial compared with part-time employment. In the second set of analyses, I use longitudinal data to evaluate associations between employment stability and change and health. The longitudinal results are generally consistent with cross-sectional findings and indicate a positive relationship between older adults’ employment and health. In the third set of analyses, I examine whether the relationship between older adults’ labor force involvement and health varies by SES using cross-sectional and longitudinal data. A review of the interaction terms from the cross-sectional analyses suggests that SES does not significantly condition such a relationship. However, longitudinal findings do offer some evidence that higher educational attainment and wealth may weaken the association between employment change and cognitive and physical health.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Gumber_fsu_0071E_14728
Format: Thesis

Title: Inequality, Context, and Prosocial Behavior: An Examination of Redistributive Preferences.
Creator: Severson, Alexander William, Coleman, Eric A., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Gomez, Brad T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreSeverson, Alexander William, Coleman, Eric A., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Gomez, Brad T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: My dissertation "Inequality, Context, and Prosocial Behavior: An Examination of Redistributive Preferences" contributes to an emergent literature on the effects of inequality on policy outcomes by illuminating the psychological and institutional factors which influence support for redistributive policies differentially among the rich and poor. In my dissertation, I advance two primary arguments. First, drawing from the evolutionary psychological literature on competition effects and the...
Show moreMy dissertation "Inequality, Context, and Prosocial Behavior: An Examination of Redistributive Preferences" contributes to an emergent literature on the effects of inequality on policy outcomes by illuminating the psychological and institutional factors which influence support for redistributive policies differentially among the rich and poor. In my dissertation, I advance two primary arguments. First, drawing from the evolutionary psychological literature on competition effects and the social psychological literature on the social cognition of status, I argue that at the individual-level, economic threat moderates the relationship between social status and prosocial behavior. Secondly, drawing from the resource model of political participation and models of policy responsiveness, I argue that at the institutional-level, transparency interventions fail to promote redistribution to lower-income citizens specifically when (1) lower-income citizens do not access the information released by transparency interventions and when (2) lower-income citizens do not turn out to vote at rates comparable to higher-income citizens. I evaluate my first argument using both a laboratory experiment and public opinion data from the 2012 American National Election Study (ANES). In contrast to theoretical expectations, in the laboratory experiment I present evidence that under conditions of economic threat, low and high-status subjects behave similarly: they are equally likely to perceive threat and give roughly equal amounts to one another in a dictator game. Using data from the 2012 ANES, I present evidence that while income does not predict whether an individual is more likely to blame low-status consumers or high-status Wall Street bankers as being more responsible for the 2008 financial crisis, I do present evidence which suggests that high-income individuals who blame higher-status groups more than lower-status groups are significantly more likely to support increased aid to the poor. I evaluate my second argument empirically with a laboratory experiment and state-level panel data covering the years 1978-2000. Using a laboratory experiment, I present evidence that under conditions of budget transparency, subjects endowed with the power to create budgets were more likely to allocate greater proportions of their budget to subjects who had more resources and who had the power to veto the budget. Using state-level panel data between 1978-2000, I explore the relationship between transparency, media market penetration, class bias in voter participation, and welfare expenditures in the United States. Using a series of between-within panel models, I present evidence that the effect of transparency on public welfare expenditures is conditional on the different turnout propensities of the rich and the poor: in states where wealthier citizens are significantly more likely to vote in elections than the poor, longitudinal increases in budget transparency over time are associated with significant reductions in state welfare effort. The results of my dissertation have produced important insights into the psychological and institutional mechanisms that influence the redistributive preferences of individuals and the redistributive behavior of states. My research can move the fields of political science and social psychology toward resolution of unsettled theoretical debates concerning the generosity of different social classes and from a prescriptive standpoint reinforces the need for transparency interventions to move beyond a singular focus on information-release.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Severson_fsu_0071E_14653
Format: Thesis

Title: I'm Used to Having to Look at Myself through Somebody Else's Eyes: Comparing Black Women's Expeirences of Stereotyping at a Historically Black University and a Predominantly White University.
Creator: Armstrong, Jasmine Cheynne, Padavic, Irene, Reynolds, John R., Tillman, Kathryn H., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
Abstract/Description: This study examines variation in the cultural stereotypes African American women encounter at a historically Black university and at a predominantly White university and the possible differences in the stereotypes' effect. Prior research reveals a variety of “controlling images” of African American women in the society at large and at predominantly white universities in particular. A separate literature on HBCUs indicates many advantages for African Americans, such as philosophies that mirror...
Show moreThis study examines variation in the cultural stereotypes African American women encounter at a historically Black university and at a predominantly White university and the possible differences in the stereotypes' effect. Prior research reveals a variety of “controlling images” of African American women in the society at large and at predominantly white universities in particular. A separate literature on HBCUs indicates many advantages for African Americans, such as philosophies that mirror the values in the black community, the high number of black faculty and administrators who cater to the academic needs of the black student population, and the large black student representation on campus that ensures that black students are not a numerical minority. An unexamined potential advantage is that racialized stereotypes about black women may be less pervasive or, if they exist, they may be less pernicious and emotionally damaging than on predominantly-white campuses. I interviewed 46 women on two campuses, one an HBCU and the other a PWI. The purpose of this project is to develop a deeper understanding of Black women's experiences in the college setting and to add to scholarly knowledge about the advantages or disadvantages for black women of attending these two different types of institution. Negative stereotypes of black women have old roots, but they still appear in modern-day public discourse. I examine six stereotypical images of black women: the angry black woman, the strong black woman, the bossy black woman, the Jezebel black woman, the ghetto black woman, and the respectable black woman. These images have nuanced descriptions that categorize black women by their race, gender, and social class yet are adaptations of the historical stereotypes of black women as the Mammy, the Jezebel, and the Sapphire. This study has important policy implications. It can help us understand how stereotypes undermine black women’s efforts to advance. It also can shed light on the effectiveness of HBCUs compared to PWIs for black women’s experience of college life. Such insights may have boarder implications about improving black women’s chances of getting the most out of their education and preparing them for careers. Interviews revealed that women on both campuses encountered multiple stereotypes and that the HBCU was no more effective at protecting women from these encounters than was the PWI. In regard to black women’s experiences, the “angry black woman,” the “strong black woman,” and the “bossy black woman” stereotype were the most pervasive on both campuses. Differences were found in how elaborated the stories were about the stereotypes on one campus or the other. For example, women at the PWI reported more vivid experiences of being stereotyped as ghetto black women while women at the HBCU reported more stories about being labelled as Jezebels. I conclude by describing how this research contributes to intersectionality theory.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_ARMSTRONG_fsu_0071E_14678
Format: Thesis

Title: Multiple Imputation Methods for Large Multi-Scale Data Sets with Missing or Suppressed Values.
Creator: Cao, Jian, Beaumont, Paul M., Duke, D. W., Norrbin, Stefan C., Ökten, Giray, Cano-Urbina, Javier, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreCao, Jian, Beaumont, Paul M., Duke, D. W., Norrbin, Stefan C., Ökten, Giray, Cano-Urbina, Javier, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: Without proper treatment, direct analysis on data sets with missing or suppressed values can lead to biased results. Among all of the missing data handling methods, multiple imputation (MI) methods are regarded as the state of the art. The multiple imputed data sets can, on the one hand, generate unbiased estimates, and on the other hand, provide a reliable way to adjust standard errors based on missing data uncertainty. Despite many advantages, existing MI methods have poor performance on...
Show moreWithout proper treatment, direct analysis on data sets with missing or suppressed values can lead to biased results. Among all of the missing data handling methods, multiple imputation (MI) methods are regarded as the state of the art. The multiple imputed data sets can, on the one hand, generate unbiased estimates, and on the other hand, provide a reliable way to adjust standard errors based on missing data uncertainty. Despite many advantages, existing MI methods have poor performance on complicated Multi-Scale data, especially when the data set is large. The large data set of interest to us is the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wage (QCEW), which is the employment and wages of every establishment in the US. These detailed data are aggregated up through three scales: industry structure, geographic levels and time. The size of the QCEW data is as large as 210 x✕ 2217 ✕ 3193 ≈ 1.5 billion observations. For privacy concerns the data are heavily suppressed and this missingness could appear anywhere in this complicated structure. The existing methods are either accurate or fast but bot both in handling the QCEW data. Our goal is to develop a MI method which is capable of handling the missing value problem of large multi-scale data set both accurately and efficiently. This research addresses this goal in three directions. First, I improve the accuracy of the fastest MI method, Bootstrapping based Expectation Maximization (EMB) algorithm, by equipping it with a Multi-Scale Updating step. This updating step uses the information from the singular covariance matrix to take multi-scale structure into account and to simulate more accurate imputations. Second, I improve the MI method by using a Quasi Monte Carlo technique to accelerate its convergence speed. Finally, I develop a Sequential Parallel Imputation method which can detect the structure and missing pattern of large data sets, and partition it to small data sets automatically. The resulting Parallel Sequential Multi-Scale Bootstrapping Expectation Maximization Multiple Imputation (PSI-MBEMMI) method is accurate, very fast, and can be applied to very large data sets.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Cao_fsu_0071E_14706
Format: Thesis

Title: Multi-Scalar Assessment of Built-Environment and Bus Networks Influence on Rapid-Transit Patronage: The Case of Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Network.
Creator: Ramos Santiago, Luis Enrique, Brown, Jeff R., Horner, Mark W., Duncan, Michael Douglas, Felkner, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreRamos Santiago, Luis Enrique, Brown, Jeff R., Horner, Mark W., Duncan, Michael Douglas, Felkner, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
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Abstract/Description: The advent of accelerated global warming and volatile climate change has prompted the need for a better understanding of what factors and policies might contribute to mitigate these events as well as increase the resilience of communities. Transit systems’ effectiveness and efficiency in increasingly disperse, car-dependent, and poly-centric urban agglomerations is one such factor, including the search for strategies to increase transit patronage and decrease car-dependence. Improving access...
Show moreThe advent of accelerated global warming and volatile climate change has prompted the need for a better understanding of what factors and policies might contribute to mitigate these events as well as increase the resilience of communities. Transit systems’ effectiveness and efficiency in increasingly disperse, car-dependent, and poly-centric urban agglomerations is one such factor, including the search for strategies to increase transit patronage and decrease car-dependence. Improving access to rapid-transit systems is one key area as it has the potential to expand the system’s influence beyond station’s immediate pedestrian service areas into larger and less developed suburban areas, and/or serve more disperse employment. Precedent studies and most on-board surveys have focused on a variety of access modes to reach rapid-transit services, including automobile, walking, and bicycle. Bus access, despite representing on average a non-trivial 19.3% of all access trips at national level, more than 30% at some large poly-centric cities in the U.S., and close to 50% of access trips for some rapid-transit lines (out-sizing the share of pedestrian access) has not received as much attention as other access modes. Predictive models for bus access mode report notably lower explanatory power as compared to other modes and the account of bus access events is often conflated with that of walk access in many technical reports and surveys for reasons yet to be understood. Ignoring, overlooking and/or misrepresenting this mode of access may lead to misunderstanding of multi-modal transit travel behavior and its spatial extent, possibly misguiding planners and policy-makers’ decision-making and resulting in system-wide ineffectiveness and/or inefficiency. This investigation documents bus access share for one exemplary case study and clarifies built-environment and bus networks’ influence on rapid-transit patronage within descriptive and inferential quantitative methodologies. This study seeks to answer two guiding research questions: 1- How important are bus networks to rapid-transit ridership in large, dispersed, poly-centric metropolitan regions in the U.S.? and 2- Do land-use and built-environment attributes around feeder bus-stops influence rapid-transit boardings? Because of diverse geographical scales and service levels experienced by a rider on a chained bus / rapid-transit trip this study focuses on two distinct yet linked geographies for analysis: 1-rapid-transit station; and 2- bus-stop. Research design is based on a single-case study in the United States (Los Angeles metropolitan multi-modal transit system). The first study focuses on quantifying the share of bus access trips at station-level and gaging its influence on total boardings within a multivariate generalized regression framework. Several socio-economic, service-level, built-environment, and network attributes are taken into consideration as informed by travel behavior theory and literature review. A strong positive association between bus network’s service and connectivity levels with rapid-transit station boardings registers high statistical confidence levels with boardings across all specified models. The mutual dependence of rapid-transit and bus networks evinced in the case of Los Angeles argues for a full multi-modal transit planning and operations paradigm for advancing a more effective, equitable, and sustainable transit system if it is to compete with ubiquitous automobile travel and its underpinning policy, fiscal, infrastructural, and cultural support. For Los Angeles, rapid-transit bus access represents an estimated 33.5% of all access events at a system-wide level, 20% - 49% at line-level, and a notably wider range at station-level (0% - 86%). The second study in this investigation focuses in assessing bus-stop pedestrian service areas built-environment and land-use attributes’ potential influence on rapid-transit station boardings, whilst controlling for both known and hypothesized control factors at bus-stop and station-level. By simultaneously focusing on bus-stop level attributes and higher-level rapid-transit stations’ attributes this part of the investigation fills a gap in the extant land-use / travel-behavior literature that more often focuses on pedestrian service areas adjacent to rapid-transit stations and ignores those around feeder bus-stops. Results evince a highly significant statistical relationship between bus-stop service area built-environment characteristics and the number of boardings associated with access trips to rapid-transit stations. However, the absolute effect relative to bus service levels and to automobile availability is notably smaller. Taken together as a multi-scalar study of bus and rapid-transit network interactions this investigation points to the importance of bus / rapid-transit network connectivity and service integration for maintaining and increasing rapid-transit patronage and the potential of synergistic contributions of built-environment interventions at feeder bus stops that seek to improve walkability and shorter walking distances. As a general conclusion, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority and its associated MPO policy emphasis on TOD development as a strategy to increase transit ridership is limited. A more comprehensive policy approach based on ‘integrated public transportation’ and a more extensive station access policy that incorporates improvements around feeder bus stops, not only around stations, is the recommended course.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Ramos_fsu_0071E_14637
Format: Thesis

Title: Donor Attitudes Toward Overhead Costs and the Effects on Nonprofit Organizations.
Creator: Stinn, Joseph L., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Cooper, David J, Goerg, Sebastian J., Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public...
Show moreStinn, Joseph L., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Cooper, David J, Goerg, Sebastian J., Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation is a collection of essays that explore the topic of overhead costs in the nonprofit sector. There is a tension that exists between donors and nonprofit organizations. Donors dislike their donations going toward overhead costs, preferring their donations be spent on programs. People who work for nonprofit organizations argue that spending on overhead costs is necessary to ensure quality programs. In my first essay, I use a set of classroom experiments to explore peoples’...
Show moreThis dissertation is a collection of essays that explore the topic of overhead costs in the nonprofit sector. There is a tension that exists between donors and nonprofit organizations. Donors dislike their donations going toward overhead costs, preferring their donations be spent on programs. People who work for nonprofit organizations argue that spending on overhead costs is necessary to ensure quality programs. In my first essay, I use a set of classroom experiments to explore peoples’ attitudes toward overhead costs. People dislike overhead costs, including specific costs like fundraising and salaries. When compared directly, people prefer fundraising over salaries. In my second essay, I test in laboratory experiments whether this aversion to overhead costs is robust enough that people will incur a cost to act on it. A substantial number of people are willing to pay for information about overhead costs and subsequently use this information to withhold donations from higher-overhead charities. In my third essay, I test how allocating money between overhead and program expenses impacts the financial success of nonprofit organizations. Allocating money toward overall overhead expenses and administrative expenses lead to increases in contributions, net assets, and the likelihood of survival. Allocating money toward fundraising has the opposite effect.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Stinn_fsu_0071E_14638
Format: Thesis

Title: The Social Identity of Partisanship: Measuring the "Identity" in Party Identification.
Creator: Langley, Dennis Franklin, Gomez, Brad T., Plant, Ashby, Pietryka, Matthew T., Jackson, Robert A., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreLangley, Dennis Franklin, Gomez, Brad T., Plant, Ashby, Pietryka, Matthew T., Jackson, Robert A., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: Party identification is perhaps the central concept in political science. It has appeared in countless theories and empirical analyses across the political science literature. Party identification was originally conceived as a psychological attachment to the political parties but recent evidence shows that the standard measure for party identification, the NES measure, confounds group identity and group attitude. I show that party social identity, a direct measure of group identity, explains...
Show moreParty identification is perhaps the central concept in political science. It has appeared in countless theories and empirical analyses across the political science literature. Party identification was originally conceived as a psychological attachment to the political parties but recent evidence shows that the standard measure for party identification, the NES measure, confounds group identity and group attitude. I show that party social identity, a direct measure of group identity, explains variation in candidate preferences in political primaries where the standard measure of party identification cannot. I also show that machine learning can be used to predict party social identity in surveys that did not directly measure it, and that these predictions can be used to revisit empirical analyses and reevaluate inferences related to party identification. Finally, I show that changes in the NES measure of party identification may be due to changes in either the group attitude or the group identity component and that retrospective evaluations, commonly used to explain changes in party identification, are only associated with changes in the group attitude component of the NES measure.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Langley_fsu_0071E_14761
Format: Thesis

Title: Essays on Asymmetric Information and Insurance Policy.
Creator: Bedsworth, Fredrick Travis, Holcombe, Randall G., Born, Patricia, Isaac, R. Mark, Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreBedsworth, Fredrick Travis, Holcombe, Randall G., Born, Patricia, Isaac, R. Mark, Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: Due to the rollout of provisions from the Affordable Care Act beginning in 2010 there has been significant interest in the effects of health insurance, and more broadly, the effects of health insurance policy on individuals and firms. Using empirical and experimental methods, I investigate the impact of insurance and insurance policy on individuals and firms. More specifically, I am interested in the behavioral impacts of health insurance and of the impacts of insurance in general on...
Show moreDue to the rollout of provisions from the Affordable Care Act beginning in 2010 there has been significant interest in the effects of health insurance, and more broadly, the effects of health insurance policy on individuals and firms. Using empirical and experimental methods, I investigate the impact of insurance and insurance policy on individuals and firms. More specifically, I am interested in the behavioral impacts of health insurance and of the impacts of insurance in general on individuals. Further, I am interested in studying the impact of insurance mandates on businesses. To study these issues I use health data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, experimental data generated from an experiment my co-authors and I conducted at Florida State University, and employment data from the Current Population Survey
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Bedsworth_fsu_0071E_14771
Format: Thesis

Title: Essays on Entry Regulation and the Non-Profit Sector.
Creator: Duff, Joseph A., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Fournier, Gary M., Pevnitskaya, Svetlana A, Semykina, Anastasia, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and...
Show moreDuff, Joseph A., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Fournier, Gary M., Pevnitskaya, Svetlana A, Semykina, Anastasia, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: In first two chapters of this dissertation, I examine the effects of Certificate-of-Need (CON) regulation on technological investment and prices, and also examine decisions about service provision in hospitals and other non-profit services. CON regulation provides state authority to restrict major capital investments as a way of reducing costs. CON regulation was initially implemented at the federal level in 1972, and while falling out of favor in 1981, 34 states including Florida have a...
Show moreIn first two chapters of this dissertation, I examine the effects of Certificate-of-Need (CON) regulation on technological investment and prices, and also examine decisions about service provision in hospitals and other non-profit services. CON regulation provides state authority to restrict major capital investments as a way of reducing costs. CON regulation was initially implemented at the federal level in 1972, and while falling out of favor in 1981, 34 states including Florida have a state-wide CON program in place as of 2017. The purpose of CON regulation is to address this surplus of equipment by requiring that new purchases of equipment and providing new services be subject to prior approval from CON authorities, automatically for some key types of operations and for others if the costs exceed the capital threshold. Hospitals must demonstrate to the CON board that the equipment serves a community need or unmet demand; if successful, they may be granted a Certificate of Need to purchase the new equipment. It is reasonable to believe that services that are subject to CON regulation are offered less often than unregulated services. I examine how this process affects the supply of technology in the first chapter. One major argument against CON laws is that they restrict competition and keep prices high. In the second chapter, I examine whether the technology restrictions of CON regulation result in higher prices and market power. In the third chapter of the dissertation, I look at another issue affecting non-profit firms; the issue of overhead expenses. Overhead expenses are defined as any expense that does not count as directly contributing to the program. There is evidence that many potential donors dislike paying for overhead costs, even though they are vital to the operational abilities of a nonprofit. I empirically test how overhead expenses affect a nonprofit's financial success as well as its survival rate. For the first chapter of the dissertation, the chapter is co-authored with Gary Fournier. Our collaboration involved a great deal of joint effort at every phase of research. Gary Fournier supervised in the design of the project, discussing sampling issues, identifying data sources and limitations, and helped suggest empirical strategies. My contribution was to carry out the empirical analysis and the full written report. For the third chapter of the dissertation, the chapter is co-authored with Joseph Stinn. His contributions to the project are the motivation, the literature review, the idea to analyze survival rates of nonprofits, and the idea to use liabilities as an instrument. My main contributions are the theoretical model, and the empirical strategies. We jointly carried out the data collection, empirical analysis and the written report.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Duff_fsu_0071E_14752
Format: Thesis

Title: Three Essays on Crisis Bargaining.
Creator: Hauenstein, Matthew, Souva, Mark A., Grant, Jonathan A., Berry, William Dale, Carroll, Robert J., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreHauenstein, Matthew, Souva, Mark A., Grant, Jonathan A., Berry, William Dale, Carroll, Robert J., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation examines three enduring questions for the study of conflict. First, I consider how domestic institutions affect threat credibility, arguing that audiences can either help or hinder a leader during bargaining. Second, I show that the success of third party guarantees of civil war treaties is conditional on the guarantor's credibility. Finally, I argue that the willingness of a leader to nurture a reputation depends on their time horizons, and that long time horizons can allow...
Show moreThis dissertation examines three enduring questions for the study of conflict. First, I consider how domestic institutions affect threat credibility, arguing that audiences can either help or hinder a leader during bargaining. Second, I show that the success of third party guarantees of civil war treaties is conditional on the guarantor's credibility. Finally, I argue that the willingness of a leader to nurture a reputation depends on their time horizons, and that long time horizons can allow a leader to deter conflict. The first essay considers how leaders communicate in a crisis. Scholars frequently use audience costs to explain how accountable leaders communicate, but these have received mixed empirical support. I argue this apparent disconnect between theory and evidence is due to simplistic assumptions about how audiences use their sanctioning power. I contend that supporters balance concerns over consistency and policy outcomes. As such, accountable leaders' ability to credibly communicate depends on their supporters' policy preferences. I apply this insight using casualty sensitivity as a conditioning policy preference. I expect, and find, that audiences only help a leader commit to fight when fighting is low cost, and actually prevent commitment when fighting is high cost. Audiences have countervailing effects on credibility due to their preferences for leaders who are both consistent and avoid costly conflict. The second essay addresses a puzzle regarding outside enforcement of civil war peace agreements. Instead of fighting, domestic belligerents could have agreed to outside support for a peaceful resolution to their underlying dispute, avoiding war and its costs. Existing theory cannot explain why third parties can end but not prevent conflict. I argue that war breaks out if third parties cannot credibly promise to enforce a peacefully negotiated agreement. Subsequent military intervention serves as a sunk cost signal of the third party's resolve to enforce an agreement, facilitating peace. I test this theory using a new dataset of treaty terms and duration for civil wars that began between 1944 and 1997. Consistent with the theory, guarantees only prolong the post-war peace when the guarantor intervened in the conflict. Guarantees that were not associated with an intervention do not improve the prospects for peace. In the final essay I argue that reputation formation is a type of investment. Leaders pay the costs of fighting in the present, in return for future gains in the form of deterrence. The investment decision depends on whether leaders survive in office to reap the future benefits of their reputation. I formally show that, while long time horizons increase a leader's willingness to fight, this alone does not make reputation formation more likely. As reputations form through the strategic decision to go to war, the chance to form a reputation is determined by the opponent's bargaining strategy. Opponents can "pay'' a leader to forgo the chance to earn a reputation through fighting by making greater concessions. However, an opponent might instead offer small concessions that risk war to learn a leader's resolve. Knowing a leader's resolve gives the opponent an advantage should they bargain in the future. As a result, when both a leader and their opponent have long time horizons, they forgo bargaining concessions that would be acceptable without reputation concerns, leading to war.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Hauenstein_fsu_0071E_14770
Format: Thesis

Title: Domestic Effects of Federal Regulation of Oil and Gas Industries.
Creator: Gmeiner, Robert James, Holcombe, Randall G., Feiock, Richard C., Beaumont, Paul M., Norrbin, Stefan C., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreGmeiner, Robert James, Holcombe, Randall G., Feiock, Richard C., Beaumont, Paul M., Norrbin, Stefan C., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: The capture theory of regulation concludes that regulatory agencies tend to be captured by the firms they are regulating, so that regulations benefit those regulated firms. This paper examines the cumulative effects of federal regulations on the oil and gas industry and finds that regulations have benefited the more powerful economic interests in that industry, consistent with the capture theory. Regulations have tended to narrow refiners' margins and are associated with positive return and...
Show moreThe capture theory of regulation concludes that regulatory agencies tend to be captured by the firms they are regulating, so that regulations benefit those regulated firms. This paper examines the cumulative effects of federal regulations on the oil and gas industry and finds that regulations have benefited the more powerful economic interests in that industry, consistent with the capture theory. Regulations have tended to narrow refiners' margins and are associated with positive return and negative volatility responses for stocks of vertically integrated firms, which are the largest players in the industry. This narrowing of margins is mostly a long-term effect, but has some short run effects more on input prices than output prices, further benefiting vertically integrated firms. Refining regulations affect input prices more than output prices primarily by affecting demand for certain types of crude oil. Effects of regulation on input prices and even relative quantities of different inputs are robust, whereas effects of regulation on output prices are far more tenuous. There is no clear evidence that consumers are worse off because of the regulatory environment, but the robust empirical evidence does indicate that the regulatory environment differentially benefits large vertically integrated producers.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Gmeiner_fsu_0071E_14287
Format: Thesis

Title: The Dumbo in the Room: An Examination into What Public Officials Think of the Role of Marketing and Branding in Florida.
Creator: Thomas, M. Blair, Berry, Frances Stokes, Fay, Daniel F., Perrewe, Pamela L., Feiock, Richard C., Yang, Kaifeng, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public...
Show moreThomas, M. Blair, Berry, Frances Stokes, Fay, Daniel F., Perrewe, Pamela L., Feiock, Richard C., Yang, Kaifeng, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, School of Public Administration and Policy
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Abstract/Description: Throughout the course of this decade, the Sunshine State has emerged as one of America’s fastest growing states. As cities compete for opportunities to expand their tax base and achieve other municipally-centered goals, cities are faced with the challenge to differentiate themselves among their peers to cash-in on these opportunities. One way to accomplish this is by engaging in marketing and branding. There is little that is known about the utilization of marketing and branding from the...
Show moreThroughout the course of this decade, the Sunshine State has emerged as one of America’s fastest growing states. As cities compete for opportunities to expand their tax base and achieve other municipally-centered goals, cities are faced with the challenge to differentiate themselves among their peers to cash-in on these opportunities. One way to accomplish this is by engaging in marketing and branding. There is little that is known about the utilization of marketing and branding from the administrative local practitioner point-of-view from an American perspective. While it is understood that many cities engage in marketing and branding related activities, there is more to learn about the rationale behind the decisions that city managers and communications officials make regarding whether to participate in those activities. This research addresses a research gap and answers the fundamental question: At the city level, how are branding, marketing and social marketing currently utilized by public managers and individuals in charge of communications? Utilizing surveys and interviews from cities across Florida, this dissertation provides a better understanding of how public administrators view marketing, branding, social marketing through a strategic management lens and discovers the degree their cities are utilizing these elements to achieve goals put forward by municipal leadership across the state.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Thomas_fsu_0071E_14384
Format: Thesis

Title: Essays on Violent Conflicts.
Creator: Guo, Xiaoli, Großer, Jens W., Cooper, David J, Carroll, Robert J., Siegel, David A., Souva, Mark A., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreGuo, Xiaoli, Großer, Jens W., Cooper, David J, Carroll, Robert J., Siegel, David A., Souva, Mark A., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: My dissertation consists of three essays of violent conflicts. In the first essay, we propose a novel solution to improve the efficiency of third- party interventions in conflicts. When an intervener coerces the rivals of conflicts into peace, he may face a tradeoff between the effectiveness and cost of interventions. Extant studies generally suggest that severe measures are more effective, but also more costly. Using a game-theoretical model, with the assumption that the rivals' power...
Show moreMy dissertation consists of three essays of violent conflicts. In the first essay, we propose a novel solution to improve the efficiency of third- party interventions in conflicts. When an intervener coerces the rivals of conflicts into peace, he may face a tradeoff between the effectiveness and cost of interventions. Extant studies generally suggest that severe measures are more effective, but also more costly. Using a game-theoretical model, with the assumption that the rivals' power endogenously shift in conflicts, we find that moderate measures can achieve peace by inducing a reciprocal rival that attacks aggressively only if the other side strikes first. However, when the power dynamics determine that the rival's interest lies in exploiting the other side's passiveness instead of coordinating for peace, severe measures are needed to counteract opportunism. We also show that a weaker rival is not necessarily easier to restrain, and sometimes its aggressiveness comes from its weakness. In addition, we outline the empirical implications of another finding that interventions can work exclusively through the target's expectation instead of implementation. For example, the relationship between the presence of penalties and their effects may be correlational rather than causal. In the second essay, we tackle how the ownership of endowments in dispute affects the actor's behavior in crisis bargaining and the outbreak of costly conflicts. We design tailor-made Nash bargaining games and experimentally test the hypotheses derived. The results indicate that, first, the endowment as a salient focal point serves as a strategic tool rather than a reference associated with biased valuations; and second, the legitimacy of ownership can elicit behavioral responses from the actor, when it is in line with rational expectations. We also find that, conditioned on the actors' expectations, a chance to back down can but does not necessarily reduce conflicts when the status quo and power are roughly balanced. Due to the self-selection effect, aggressive demands do not necessarily cause more conflicts. More generally, we highlight two important perspectives to understand bargaining---the strategic application of focal points, and the subtle influence of the legitimacy of ownership. The third essay is a continuation of the second one. Crisis bargaining most often is a process, in which the disputants sequentially propose a demand and try to arrive at an agreement that both sides deem acceptable. Depending on the disputants' preferences, equilibrium of a bargaining game very likely varies. In this paper, we use variants of the Rubinstein bargaining game and a lab experiment to explore how the disputants communicate about their preferences in crisis bargaining, and the effect of such communication on the likelihood of bargaining failure and conflict. We find that the players mostly communicate their preference strategically according to rational expectations. Besides, inequality aversion and some overoptimism are observed. We also find that more focal points do not necessarily lead to more conflict, and a chance to back down decreases conflict only when the player's endowment in balanced with his probability of winning.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Guo_fsu_0071E_14371
Format: Thesis

Title: The Effects of Co-Ethnic Refugees on International Conflict, Repression, and Domestic Terrorism.
Creator: Ulasoglu, Saadet, Souva, Mark A., Grant, Jonathan A., Ehrlich, Sean D., Borzyskowski, Inken von, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreUlasoglu, Saadet, Souva, Mark A., Grant, Jonathan A., Ehrlich, Sean D., Borzyskowski, Inken von, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation contributes to the political violence literature by examining the impacts of refugee communities on the likelihood of international conflict, repression, and domestic terrorism. The main message of this study is that the co-ethnicity of refugees with politically relevant groups in the receiving countries is crucial to the understanding of potential security risks created by refugee populations.
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Ulasoglu_fsu_0071E_14484
Format: Thesis

Title: Care Receipt and Care Provision in Parent-Adult Child Relationships: Their Association with Older Adults' Mental Health.
Creator: Glasgow, Katherine Lynn, Barrett, Anne E., Cui, Ming, Taylor, Miles G., Taylor, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of...
Show moreGlasgow, Katherine Lynn, Barrett, Anne E., Cui, Ming, Taylor, Miles G., Taylor, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: Unprecedented shifts in age structure has important implications for the number of people ages 65 and older living with disabilities and requiring long-term care. Further, health care trends, including the early discharge of hospital patients and the transition of Medicaid funds away from nursing home care to community-based care (Stillman and Black 2005), has resulted in increasing numbers of older adults relying on assistance from family, especially adult children (Freedman and Spillman...
Show moreUnprecedented shifts in age structure has important implications for the number of people ages 65 and older living with disabilities and requiring long-term care. Further, health care trends, including the early discharge of hospital patients and the transition of Medicaid funds away from nursing home care to community-based care (Stillman and Black 2005), has resulted in increasing numbers of older adults relying on assistance from family, especially adult children (Freedman and Spillman 2014). While it is known that adult children play an instrumental role in caring for their aging parents, relatively little is known about how this arrangement impacts the well-being of the parent. Using data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, this dissertation examines care receipt and care provision among functionally limited older adults and their adult children, as well as their associations with mental health. Unlike previous research examining care (receipt and provision) between older adults and their adult children, this study pays greater attention to potential gender differences in the type of care given or received, as well as their associations with mental health. In my first analysis I use logistic regression analysis to examine how sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and health factors affect the likelihood of giving and receiving various types of care. Results examining care receipt revealed that parents who are most in need of care – for example, women, race/ethnic minorities, and those with fewer socioeconomic resources and poorer health – are also more likely to receive it from their adult children. Results examining care provision revealed that parents with greater socioeconomic resources were most likely to provide financial support to adult children, while women, non-Hispanic Blacks and non-married parents were more likely to provide delayed care provision, including a will/trust or life insurance benefit. In my second set of analyses address I use negative binomial regression to examine how care (receipt and provision) are associated with mental health. I also examine how associations between care (receipt and provision) and mental health vary by gender and by level of functional limitation. Results for care receipt reveal that receiving help with IADLs is associated with better mental health and that this association is stronger for women and for those with greater functional limitations. Results for care provision reveal that including a child in a will or as a life insurance beneficiary was associated with better mental health, on average. In contrast, providing financial support to adult children was associated with worse mental health for women and those with more functional limitations. This study underscores the importance of examining specific types of care received and given and highlights the importance of considering the gender of care recipients when examining the association between care and mental health.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Glasgow_fsu_0071E_14596
Format: Thesis

Title: Anti-Establishment Political Parties: Conception, Measurement, and Consequences.
Creator: Cornacchione, Teresa Lee, Ehrlich, Sean D., Grant, Jonathan A., Weissert, Carol S., Gomez, Brad T., Beazer, Quintin H., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and...
Show moreCornacchione, Teresa Lee, Ehrlich, Sean D., Grant, Jonathan A., Weissert, Carol S., Gomez, Brad T., Beazer, Quintin H., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: The incredible rise of so-called "anti-establishment" parties in Europe has left scholars scrambling to define and classify the movement. Much scholarly attention has been paid to radical right wing parties, and the sources of their electoral support. While important and intriguing, the current literature has yet to develop a cohesive definition of the anti-establishment, and has too heavily used terms such as "populist," "anti-establishment," and "radical right-wing" interchangeably. Further...
Show moreThe incredible rise of so-called "anti-establishment" parties in Europe has left scholars scrambling to define and classify the movement. Much scholarly attention has been paid to radical right wing parties, and the sources of their electoral support. While important and intriguing, the current literature has yet to develop a cohesive definition of the anti-establishment, and has too heavily used terms such as "populist," "anti-establishment," and "radical right-wing" interchangeably. Further, extant research has based theories of these parties' electoral support largely with the radical right-wing in mind, potentially ignoring theories that could explain support for these parties from the left, right, and center of the political spectrum. Finally, current research has not substantially explored how these parties, traditionally excluded from policy-making, behave once they are seated in parliaments. This dissertation aims to remedy these three shortcomings. First, I develop a conceptual definition and measurement scheme that encapsulates both ideological positioning and anti-establishment sentiment. Then, I explore how political trust in influences electoral support for anti-establishment parties positioned at all areas of the classic left-right spectrum. Finally, I analyze their parliamentary behavior, assessing their level of activity and their preferred policy domains. My findings underscore the importance of conceiving anti-establishment parties as existing along a unique dimension, separate from ideology, whose electoral viability can be explained via a unified theory, and who behave uniquely in parliament.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Cornacchione_fsu_0071E_14698
Format: Thesis

Title: Three Essays on Competition in Regional Oligopoly.
Creator: Landgraf, Steven William, Isaac, R. Mark, Kantor, Shawn Everett, Perfect, Steven Bruce, Beaumont, Paul M., Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social...
Show moreLandgraf, Steven William, Isaac, R. Mark, Kantor, Shawn Everett, Perfect, Steven Bruce, Beaumont, Paul M., Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation examines competitive issues among utility-type industries characterized by oligopolistic market structures with the potential for market power. These markets are characterized by geographically-constrained competition, from a sub-national region down to the neighborhood level. Insights from this research can be used to inform policy decisions that attempt to rectify negative consequences of concentrated market structure in essential industries. Chapter 1 analyzes the...
Show moreThis dissertation examines competitive issues among utility-type industries characterized by oligopolistic market structures with the potential for market power. These markets are characterized by geographically-constrained competition, from a sub-national region down to the neighborhood level. Insights from this research can be used to inform policy decisions that attempt to rectify negative consequences of concentrated market structure in essential industries. Chapter 1 analyzes the potential impact that entry by public (government-owned) Internet Service Providers (ISPs) might have on investment in quality by private incumbent ISPs in local markets. The estimates indicate that the presence of a public entry threat is associated with lower maximum upload and download speeds offered by private cable and DSL providers. However, the presence of a public threat encourages private firm entry, so it is not clear that negative effects on speed are due to crowding out. In states where municipal entry is made more difficult by regulation, these effects disappear. Therefore, restrictive regulation of municipal broadband has a non-trivial effect on competition. Chapter 2 estimates the minimum number of ISPs required to bring a local market to a competitive level. The estimates, while imprecise, suggest that ISP markets become competitive with three firms, which corroborates previous research in the literature. This suggests that inducing competitive outcomes through entry promotion policies might be a reasonable goal considering the natural tendency towards oligopoly in the industry. However, the technology mix of the local market might affect policy recommendations. Chapter 3 determines if asymmetric pass-through of costs to prices occurs in wholesale electricity markets, specifically in the pass-through of natural gas prices to natural gas fueled electricity generation. I find some preliminary evidence that suggests that generator output prices respond more strongly to positive changes in the natural gas price than negative changes, and that the size of the asymmetry is more pronounced for generators who have a greater potential to exercise market power.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Landgraf_fsu_0071E_14719
Format: Thesis

Title: Young Adult Military Service and College Success: Personality, Perseverance, and Differences by Socioeconomic Status.
Creator: Richard, Keith Gustav, Reynolds, John R., Hu, Shouping, Barrett, Anne E., Tillman, Kathryn H., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department...
Show moreRichard, Keith Gustav, Reynolds, John R., Hu, Shouping, Barrett, Anne E., Tillman, Kathryn H., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: Military service is a life course pathway that defines the transition to adulthood for approximately three to five percent of young adult men and one percent of women. Though few young adults pursue this pathway, the military provides a unique look at the benefits and costs of selecting a highly regimented, segregated, and potentially dangerous pathway to adulthood. I posit that military service may influence young adults’ “Big-Five” personality factors including conscientiousness and...
Show moreMilitary service is a life course pathway that defines the transition to adulthood for approximately three to five percent of young adult men and one percent of women. Though few young adults pursue this pathway, the military provides a unique look at the benefits and costs of selecting a highly regimented, segregated, and potentially dangerous pathway to adulthood. I posit that military service may influence young adults’ “Big-Five” personality factors including conscientiousness and emotional stability, and that could affect their subsequent postsecondary degree attainment. In examining these relationships, I also compare contemporary military veterans to civilians and investigate whether military service reduces postsecondary education stratification between socioeconomic (SES) groups. This work draws from research on the life course perspective, the influence of noncognitive factors on educational success, and the military population. Data analyzed in this study come from Waves I, III, and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) and the sample for this study is a subpopulation of the individuals who remained in the study through Wave IV collected in 2008 (n=13,171). I conduct linear and multinomial logistic regressions using the longitudinal sample to evaluate differences in personality and postsecondary degree attainment between military veterans and civilians. The results indicate that veterans attain some college or associate degrees at higher rates than civilians, but attain bachelor’s degrees at lower rates than civilians. Also, after controlling for personality prior to military service, military experience is associated with higher levels of conscientiousness, but military experience is not associated with differences in emotional stability. These personality factors do not mediate the association between veteran status and postsecondary degree attainment. Finally, veterans do not have lower SES group inequality in postsecondary degree attainment compared to civilians, which suggests that military service is not necessarily a means to reduce SES inequality in educational attainment. It is surprising that personality is not an important factor in understanding veterans’ postsecondary achievement, given the bodies of literature on the role of noncognitive factors in educational success and the literature that suggests personality change from military experience. These findings are based on a single cohort of military veterans who, given the historical context, were unlikely to experience combat exposure. Further analyses should investigate what factors related to military service influence personality, particularly focusing on aspects such as combat exposure, military branch, and rank in the military. Also, future research should use the upcoming release of Wave V Add Health data to determine whether the lower postsecondary achievement of veterans in this study was a result of military service delaying or deterring veterans from postsecondary degree attainment. Finally, the upcoming wave of data can identify how veterans fare in later life outcomes such as occupation, income, and wealth, as veterans might be more likely to enter high skill technical careers that do not require a bachelor’s degree.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Richard_fsu_0071E_14666
Format: Thesis

Title: Young Women's Engagement in Employment and Childrearing Roles: Predictors and Implications for Mental Health Outcomes.
Creator: Wadhwa, Hena K. (Hena Kamal), Tillman, Kathryn H., McWey, Lenore M, Brewster, Karin L., Waggoner, Miranda R., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public...
Show moreWadhwa, Hena K. (Hena Kamal), Tillman, Kathryn H., McWey, Lenore M, Brewster, Karin L., Waggoner, Miranda R., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: Since the mid-20th century, we have seen a rise in the percentage of women who work in the paid labor force, including women with children. Over the course of that time, much research has focused on the challenges that women have faced in finding ways to balance these “new” employment roles with the domestic labor traditionally considered women’s work, particularly childrearing and care of the home (e.g. Hoschschild 1989; Hays 1996; Christopher 2012). Increasingly research has suggested a...
Show moreSince the mid-20th century, we have seen a rise in the percentage of women who work in the paid labor force, including women with children. Over the course of that time, much research has focused on the challenges that women have faced in finding ways to balance these “new” employment roles with the domestic labor traditionally considered women’s work, particularly childrearing and care of the home (e.g. Hoschschild 1989; Hays 1996; Christopher 2012). Increasingly research has suggested a shifting of domestic labor, such that men are beginning to share more (although not yet an equal share) of the burden for childcare and housework (Fillo et al. 2015; Pew Research Center 2017). At the same time, though, changing ideas about appropriate parenting practices, particularly for mothers of young children, have led to generally more intensive and focused parenting behavior than ever (Faircloth 2014). Thus, for many people, especially young working women, parenting may be more stressful than ever, as they are more likely than women in the past to combine multiple work and family roles and hold higher expectations for their engagement as a mother. There still is inadequate research, however, about the factors that predict the specific combinations of employment and childrearing roles in which women will engage, particularly during their early adult years, and little is known about how women in the various combinations of activity are faring in terms of their mental health outcomes. This dissertation contributes meaningfully to the existing literature on young women’s involvement in employment and childrearing activities and their relation to mental health outcomes within two distinct analytical chapters, both of which draw on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). The first paper examines the distinct employment-childrearing combinations of activity that are common among women in their mid-late 20s and early 30s in the United States today, and, relying upon a lifecourse perspective as a theoretical guide, uses multinomial logistic regression to determine the socio-demographic characteristics and childhood/adolescent family factors that significantly predict particular employment-childrearing combinations. The analyses examine the long-term influence of the mother-daughter relationship during adolescence, maternal work and education status, maternal religious background and general childhood SES, and whether any relationships between these variables and adult employment-childrearing roles is conditioned by race/ethnicity or other status characteristics. The second paper focuses specifically upon women in their mid-late 20s and early 30s who are mothers, to determine whether there is a relationship between specific employment-childrearing combinations and negative mental health outcomes. Specifically, this paper relies on a stress process model and OLS regression to examine both measures of internalized mental health outcomes, such as self-reported stress and depressive symptoms, and externalized mental health outcomes, such as problematic drinking-related outcomes. In addition to direct effects, analyses examine potential mediating and moderating influences on the relationship between employment-childrearing combinations and mental health outcomes. Results of this dissertation suggest that the experiences that young girls have within their families of origin, particularly their experiences with and observations of their own mothers, have enduring consequences, influencing their adult outcomes, including the specific employment-childrearing situations in which they find themselves during the early stages of their motherhood. In general, it appears that childhood/adolescent factors may be more predictive of young women’s decisions to have children, at least by their early 30s, than they are of the particular types of employment arrangements women who do have children will hold. Among women who are mothers, maternal presence during adolescence appears a particularly important predictor of engagement in different employment situations, suggesting an important and enduring role-modeling effect. While the employment-childrearing combinations have little direct association with self-reported stress levels of young mothers, employment-childrearing combinations are significantly associated with changes in levels of problematic drinking-related outcomes and depressive symptoms over time. In particular, stay at home mothers tend to experience significantly lower levels of increase in these negative outcomes than do their full-time working mother peers. Interestingly, despite common notions that part-time working mothers are able to have the “best of both worlds,” no significant differences emerge between full-time working mothers and part-time working mothers in terms of stress, drinking-related problems or depressive symptoms. Overall, these findings increase our understanding of the factors that predict the employment-childrearing situations of women in their mid-late 20s and early 30s, and have important implications for our ability to identify the groups of young mothers who may be at most risk for declining mental health outcomes.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Wadhwa_fsu_0071E_14790
Format: Thesis

Title: Understanding the Impacts of Cruise Ship Tourism on Marginalized Populations: The Case of Jamaica.
Creator: Murray, Kristin Marie, Doan, Petra L., Brower, Ralph S., Holmes, Tisha Terrianne Joseph, Felkner, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreMurray, Kristin Marie, Doan, Petra L., Brower, Ralph S., Holmes, Tisha Terrianne Joseph, Felkner, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
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Abstract/Description: As global tourism continues to rise, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) continues to encourage the use of tourism as an economic development strategy for poverty reduction in many developing countries. The Caribbean country of Jamaica has used to tourism, especially cruise ship tourism, to some economic success and, perhaps, little poverty reduction. With a substantial investment in tourism-related infrastructure projects, including building and renewing port facilities for...
Show moreAs global tourism continues to rise, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) continues to encourage the use of tourism as an economic development strategy for poverty reduction in many developing countries. The Caribbean country of Jamaica has used to tourism, especially cruise ship tourism, to some economic success and, perhaps, little poverty reduction. With a substantial investment in tourism-related infrastructure projects, including building and renewing port facilities for cruise ships, from the federal government and international agencies, tourism in Jamaica has grown to the second largest economic sector for the country. While the Jamaican government has promoted the economic success of the tourism investments little has been said about the social costs to communities near the ports. This dissertation will use grounded analysis to begin to explore the experiences and the social issues that the locals face due to cruise ship tourism in their communities. The qualitative research will show that there are profound social issues and stressors impacting the quality of life of the residents, both within the tourism sector and outside of it, while achieving little of the economic success that the government has claimed. Using interviews conducted in Montego Bay, Falmouth, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and previous studies on social impacts and stressors, a social impact assessment matrix was created for tourism developers to use to help mitigate future negative social externalities of cruise ship port development projects within Jamaica.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Murray_fsu_0071E_14682
Format: Thesis

Title: A GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to Select Roadside Wildflower Planting Sites for Ground-Nesting Bees in Leon County, Florida.
Creator: Craig, Nicholas Arnold Palladino, Yang, Xiaojun, Mesev, Victor, Zhao, Tingting, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Geography
Abstract/Description: One of the major themes of geography is human and environment interaction. Human activities shape and influence the natural environment in numerous ways, and the effects of these activities vary across space and time. Conservation planning is concerned with the mitigation of human-induced habitat degradation and frequently involves spatial analysis of human impacts on natural ecosystems for the purpose of formulating conservation strategies. The goal of this thesis is to employ spatial...
Show moreOne of the major themes of geography is human and environment interaction. Human activities shape and influence the natural environment in numerous ways, and the effects of these activities vary across space and time. Conservation planning is concerned with the mitigation of human-induced habitat degradation and frequently involves spatial analysis of human impacts on natural ecosystems for the purpose of formulating conservation strategies. The goal of this thesis is to employ spatial analysis tools, namely Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial multiple criteria decision-making methods, to prioritize a network of potential conservation sites according to their relative conservation value. I compared state-managed roadsides within Leon County, Florida in terms of their relative suitability for ground-nesting bees in order to determine which roadsides would best meet the goals of pollinator conservation through the Florida Wildflower Program. Using GIS, in combination with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), I created a spatial model depicting nesting suitability for ground-nesting bees in Leon County according to relevant site characteristics. The analysis combined both quantitative information sources and qualitative judgements applied through the AHP weighting procedure, which determines the relative significance of different factors through pair-wise comparisons. This model provided a means of comparing the relative habitat suitability of all state-managed roadsides in the county for ground-nesting bees based on the chosen factors. The suitability model was validated through a statistical analysis involving presence/absence data for three genera of ground-nesting bees. The model was found to be significant for two of the three genera, indicating that the suitability values generated through the modelling process are meaningful. I conclude that the method employed for this analysis is effective in assessing the relative suitability of potential insect pollinator conservation sites and can aid in the process of determining the best locations to focus future conservation efforts.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Craig_fsu_0071N_14430
Format: Thesis

Title: Florida's Tornado Climatology: Occurrence Rates, Casualties, and Property Losses.
Creator: Ryan, Emily, Elsner, James B., Folch, David C., Horner, Mark W., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Geography
Abstract/Description: Florida has a high frequency of tornadoes that occur throughout the United States. Together, Florida's large population and expensive property, provides a great risk for injuries, fatalities, and damage to structures for when a tornado occurs. This risk of death or damage continues to increase as the population expands. The goal of this research is to better understand the tornado hazard in Florida by creating a climatology of Florida tornadoes through examining occurrence rates, casualties,...
Show moreFlorida has a high frequency of tornadoes that occur throughout the United States. Together, Florida's large population and expensive property, provides a great risk for injuries, fatalities, and damage to structures for when a tornado occurs. This risk of death or damage continues to increase as the population expands. The goal of this research is to better understand the tornado hazard in Florida by creating a climatology of Florida tornadoes through examining occurrence rates, casualties, and property loss. The tornado reports are obtained from the Storm Prediction Center's Severe Weather database. Descriptive statistics are used to analyze temporal distributions, characteristics, and geographical distributions of tornadoes. Tropical cyclone tornado data from 1995 through 2013 is used for examining temporal distributions throughout the state. In addition, a new property value dataset put together by Georgianna Strode at the Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center is used to evaluate property loss from tornadoes throughout the state. Inferential statistics are used for testing hypotheses and modeling future tornado paths using a Monte Carlo simulation. Over the period from 1987 though 2016, there were 1,765 tornado reports in the state. The peak frequency occurs during the month of June with the overall tornado distribution mimicking the tropical cyclone distribution of the North Atlantic hurricane season. Majority of tornadoes occur in the peninsular region of the state, with tornadoes in the panhandle likely being stronger. There is a strong positive correlation between the amount of property exposed and the number of casualties produced by tornadoes. Although the majority of tornadoes that occur throughout Florida are very weak, the path length and width are shown to be increasing in recent years. Additionally, the annual average property loss estimate from tornadoes in Florida is $53 Million. Results of the Monte Carlo simulation indicate a 5% chance that the annual loss will exceed $203 million, a 1% chance that it will exceed $430 million, and a 0.1% chance that it will exceed $1 billion.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Ryan_fsu_0071N_14554
Format: Thesis

Title: Traits, Species, and Communities: Integrative Bayesian Approaches to Ecological Biogeography across Geographic, Environmental, Phylogenetic, and Morphological Space.
Creator: Humphreys, John M., Elsner, James B., Steppan, Scott J., Mesev, Victor, Pau, Stephanie, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of...
Show moreHumphreys, John M., Elsner, James B., Steppan, Scott J., Mesev, Victor, Pau, Stephanie, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Geography
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Abstract/Description: Assuming a methodological perspective, this dissertation proceeds through a series of studies that cover levels of biological organization ranging from the morphological traits of individual specimens to community assemblages. The presented research explores geographic extents ranging from local to global scales, examines both plants and animals, and explores relationships among species with common ancestry. The research appraises and then proposes solutions to a variety of yet unresolved...
Show moreAssuming a methodological perspective, this dissertation proceeds through a series of studies that cover levels of biological organization ranging from the morphological traits of individual specimens to community assemblages. The presented research explores geographic extents ranging from local to global scales, examines both plants and animals, and explores relationships among species with common ancestry. The research appraises and then proposes solutions to a variety of yet unresolved issues in species distribution modeling; including, preferential sampling, spatial dependency, multi-scaled spatial processes, niche equilibrium assumptions, data structure arising from shared evolutionary history, and correlations between predictor variables. Approaching the geographic distribution of wetlands as an applied concern, the study presented in Chapter 2 emphasizes that the identication and inventory of wetlands are essential components of water resource management. To be eective in these endeavors, it is critical that the process used to detect and document wetlands be time ecient, accurate, and repeatable as new environmental information becomes available. Approaches dependent on aerial photographic interpretation of land cover by individual human analysts necessitate hours of assessment, introduce human error, and fail to include the best available soils and hydrologic data. The goal of Chapter 2 is to apply hierarchical modeling and Bayesian inference to predict the probability of wetland presence as a continuous gradient with the explicit consideration of spatial structure. The presented spatial statistical model can evaluate 100 km2 at a 50 x 50 meter resolution in approximately 50 minutes while simultaneously incorporating ancillary data and accounting for latent spatial processes. Model results demonstrate an ability to consistently capture wetlands identied through aerial interpretation with greater than 90% accuracy (scaled Brier Score) and to identify wetland extents, ecotones, and hydrologic connections not identied through use of other modeling and mapping techniques. The provided model is reasonably robust to changes in resolution, areal extents between 100 km2 and 300 km2, and region-specic physical conditions. As with modeling wetland occurrence, species distribution modeling aimed at forecasting the spread of invasive species under projected global warming also oers land managers an important tool for assessing future ecological risk and for prioritizing management actions. Chapter 3 applies Bayesian inference and newly available geostatistical tools to forecast global range expansion for the ecosystem altering invasive climbing fern Lygodium microphyllum. The presented modeling framework emphasizes the need to account for spatial processes at both the individual and aggregate levels, the necessity of modeling non-linear responses to environmental gradients, and the explanatory power of biotic covariates. Results indicate that Lygodium microphyllum will undergo global range expansion in concert with anthropogenic global warming and that the species is likely temperature and dispersal limited. Predictions are presented for current and future climate conditions assuming both limited and unlimited dispersal scenarios. Finally, Chapter 4 provides a novel framework to combine multi-species joint modeling techniques with spatially explicit phylogenetic regression to simultaneously predict the probability of species occurrence and the geographic distribution of interspecic continuous morphological traits. Choosing the South American leaf-eared mice (genus: Phyllotis) as an empirical example, a threetiered phylogenetic coregionalization trait biogeography model (PhyCoRTBio) is constructed. The conditionally dependent structure of the PhyCoRTBio model enables information from multiple species and from multiple specimen-specic trait metrics to be leveraged towards estimation of a focal species distribution. I hypothesize that, relative to other commonly used species distribution modeling methods, the PhyCoRTBio approach will exhibit improved performance in predicting occurrence for species within the genus Phyllotis. After describing its statistical implementation, this hypothesis is assessed by constructing PhyCoRTBio models for six dierent Phyllotis species and then comparing results to those derived using maximum entropy methods, random forest clustering, Gaussian random eld species distribution models, and Hierarchical Bayesian species distribution models. To judge the relative performance of each modeling approach, model sensitivity (proportion of correctly predicted presences), specicity (proportion of correctly predicted absences), the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and the True Skill Statistic (TSS) are calculated. Findings indicate that trait-based covariates improve model performance and highlight the need to consider spatial processes and phylogenetic information during multi-species distribution modeling.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Humphreys_fsu_0071E_14298
Format: Thesis

Title: U.S. Foreign Policy Toward North Korea's Nuclear Development: Its Failure and Available Options.
Creator: Lim, Jiyoung, Souva, Mark A., Kern, Holger Lutz, Beazer, Quintin H., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Program in International Affairs
Abstract/Description: North Korean foreign policy decision process has complexity and differences from that of democratic states. Pyongyang has multiple motivations related to developing nuclear weapons, which are derived by both international and domestic factors. Moreover, North Korean preferences related to the pursuit of the nuclear weapons have also changed according to the circumstance that the country faces. The regime begun to build the nuclear weapons because of the external security threats resulting...
Show moreNorth Korean foreign policy decision process has complexity and differences from that of democratic states. Pyongyang has multiple motivations related to developing nuclear weapons, which are derived by both international and domestic factors. Moreover, North Korean preferences related to the pursuit of the nuclear weapons have also changed according to the circumstance that the country faces. The regime begun to build the nuclear weapons because of the external security threats resulting from the geopolitical changes like the disassembly of the Soviet Union. After Pyongyang faced the severe economic stagnation, their priority has moved into economic interests. Moreover, Kim’s regime has faced a domestic political legitimacy issue of the authoritarian regime so that the regime has utilized the nuclear development as means to consolidate their power. The characteristics of authoritarian regime also impact the leadership’s preferences and rational decision choices. However, the U.S. foreign policy in the past, based on the security-oriented approaches and a theory focused on economics, failed to understand the regime’s systematic complexity. Washington’s political changes, following its power transitions, also exaggerate distrust between the United States and North Korea. The shifts in its political strategies also create the credible commitment problems. In addition, its external complexity around North Korea also reduces the effectiveness of the U.S. strategies. In this regard, the new alternative strategy for Washington should build on a comprehensive understanding of how Kim’s regime thinks, what it values, and how it judges its options. In addition, the United States should understand not only Pyongyang’s objectives but also how Kim’s regime views U.S. objectives and whether they consider U.S. statements credible in order to resolve the issue. Thus, this paper proposes a comprehensive option which is a combination of coercive diplomacy and diplomatic, economic strategies.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Lim_fsu_0071N_14542
Format: Thesis

Title: The Ties That Bind: An Examination of the Role of Neighborhood Social Networks for Older Adults in Post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana.
Creator: Bond, Megan A., Brown, Jeff R., Munn, Jean, Miles, Rebecca, Jackson, April, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Urban and...
Show moreBond, Megan A., Brown, Jeff R., Munn, Jean, Miles, Rebecca, Jackson, April, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
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Abstract/Description: Many community-dwelling older adults spend a significant amount of time in their homes, neighborhoods, and nearby areas. Much is known about the effects that the physical environment has on older adults, but comparatively less is known about neighborhood social environments. The neighborhood is an important unit for study because it is a microcosm of greater social processes and smaller interpersonal relationships. This doctoral case study examined the characteristics and functions of social...
Show moreMany community-dwelling older adults spend a significant amount of time in their homes, neighborhoods, and nearby areas. Much is known about the effects that the physical environment has on older adults, but comparatively less is known about neighborhood social environments. The neighborhood is an important unit for study because it is a microcosm of greater social processes and smaller interpersonal relationships. This doctoral case study examined the characteristics and functions of social relationships for older adults in three socioeconomically different New Orleans, Louisiana neighborhoods that were differently affected by the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster. The study also explored differences between older adult-serving networks across neighborhoods. Older adults comprised a majority of storm-related deaths from Hurricane Katrina. Over a decade post-storm, residential life in the study neighborhoods has entered a new normal, but for older adults, recovery has been difficult. The constant throughout the recovery period has been relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and informal ties in the community. Findings suggest that apart from family and friends, relationships with neighbors and those known from informal community settings serve important supportive and social roles for older adults. Participation with older adult-serving networks enables individuals to stay active, social, and intellectually engaged. Formal networks including senior centers and community organizations operate official programs to meet needs, but engage with participants in an informal manner, thereby increasing participation. Findings reveal that having neighborhood-based community resources empowers older adults to socialize with others, maintain their health and wellness, and remain thriving, productive community members near their homes. These resources promote rich social lives and successful aging in the community. Additionally, special districts and partnerships affect the flow of resources and opportunities into neighborhoods, which influence how different networks in different neighborhoods in this study function. Planners and local governments recognize the neighborhood as an important unit of the community and are empowering them to secure resources and meet needs on a small scale. Policymaking bodies are supporting the community in these endeavors by supporting legislation that empowers neighborhoods to leverage resources to help themselves. These efforts are having significant impacts on the greater community as recovery in these neighborhoods progresses.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Bond_fsu_0071E_14326
Format: Thesis

Title: Meeting the Need: A Cross-Sectoral Assessment of Transportation Alternatives for Suburban Older Adults.
Creator: Wood, James P. (James Patrick), Brown, Jeff R., Brower, Ralph S., Miles, Rebecca, Duncan, Michael Douglas, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy...
Show moreWood, James P. (James Patrick), Brown, Jeff R., Brower, Ralph S., Miles, Rebecca, Duncan, Michael Douglas, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
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Abstract/Description: The percentage of older adults residing in America’s auto-oriented suburbs is projected to grow significantly in the coming decades. When these individuals are no longer able to safely drive themselves, they may seek alternative modes of transportation in order to maintain their independence. In many metro areas, robust public transit exists in the urban core but can be relatively sparse in suburban areas, thus creating a service gap. At the same time, a growing number of elder-service...
Show moreThe percentage of older adults residing in America’s auto-oriented suburbs is projected to grow significantly in the coming decades. When these individuals are no longer able to safely drive themselves, they may seek alternative modes of transportation in order to maintain their independence. In many metro areas, robust public transit exists in the urban core but can be relatively sparse in suburban areas, thus creating a service gap. At the same time, a growing number of elder-service nonprofits have begun to offer transportation services for older clients, leveraging unique staff expertise with elder-care issues in order to fill the service gap. The potential for partnerships between nonprofits and public transit agencies is on the rise, fueled primarily by federal grants and skyrocketing demand for transportation. This dissertation examines the state of affairs in elder-service transportation in the suburbs of three American cities from three perspectives: The elder-service nonprofits innovating programs, the transit agencies partnering with these nonprofits, and the older adults who use these services in order to age in place. The investigation relies on interviews, focus groups, and document analysis as source material. Using a process of axial coding and pattern matching, analysis focuses on the ways in which providers function, partner, and meet the needs of suburban older adults. The results show that these nonprofit innovators are delivering specialized and elder-conscious services that are quite popular with riders, while also often remaining deliberately independent of taxpayer support. Interagency partnerships, although viewed positively by managers in both agency types, are thus limited to short-term contracts that dissipate as the nonprofit matures and secures local funding. Where partnerships do occur, results show a need for simplified reporting of designated outcomes and better information-sharing between agencies. Taken together, the results indicate a rich and varied network of resources being committed to address this critical mobility challenge.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_WOOD_fsu_0071E_14337
Format: Thesis

Title: Socio-Political Context, Chronic Stress and Birth Outcomes.
Creator: Otte, Stephanie Margaret, Tillman, Kathryn H., Randolph, Karen A., McFarland, Michael J, Carlson, Elwood, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreOtte, Stephanie Margaret, Tillman, Kathryn H., Randolph, Karen A., McFarland, Michael J, Carlson, Elwood, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: Despite improvements over time and within most areas of the world, there remain large variations in birth outcomes worldwide. While prior research has examined the health and individual level social factors that influence birth outcomes on the individual level, little if any research has examined social factors at the institutional and population level that might influence birth outcomes. The link between higher-level institutional influences and birth outcomes may, at least in part, be...
Show moreDespite improvements over time and within most areas of the world, there remain large variations in birth outcomes worldwide. While prior research has examined the health and individual level social factors that influence birth outcomes on the individual level, little if any research has examined social factors at the institutional and population level that might influence birth outcomes. The link between higher-level institutional influences and birth outcomes may, at least in part, be related to variations in the level of psychological stress experienced by women before and during pregnancy. Stress process theory has been proposed as one way of explaining disparities in physical health outcomes, in general (Pearlin et al. 2005). Stress exposure has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (Zhang and Hayward 2006), increase inflammation (Cohen et al. 2011), increase awakening cortisol levels (McFarland and Hayward 2013), shorten telomere lengths (Mitchell et al. 2014), and tax the autoimmune system (Pudrovska et al. 2013). As we are seeing more evidence of stress affecting the body, researchers have begun to question the potential links between stress exposure and birth outcomes. This dissertation utilizes stress process theory as a potential framework to understand how stress may be altering maternal and infant health through the weathering of women’s bodies and compromised fetal development. I find support for the notion that chronic stress stemming from larger institutional pressures, found at the population level, can negatively affect birth outcomes at both the individual level and population level. In the first paper, I use data from the Cross National Socio-Economic and Religion Data (CNSERD), to conduct Poisson and negative binomial regressions to analyze institutional level stressors (e.g. high unemployment rates, limited welfare support for women) and their influences on the country level maternal and infant mortality. My findings further the understanding of higher-level institutional stressors, and show that institutional level stressors do in fact “get under the skin” and cause birth complications beyond the scope of individual influences. The second paper is conducted at the both individual and state level, utilizing NCHS vital statistics data from the U.S. 2010 birth cohort along with additional data from various national government agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Agriculture. By combining this data, I create a unique data set with both individual and state level social, economic, and political measures of potential sources of stress. I utilize this data set, along with hierarchical modeling, to analyze the influence of institutional state level stressors on individual level birth outcomes: infant mortality, low birth weight low gestation, and small for gestational age (IUGR). Results of this dissertation suggest that some economic, social, and political measures of institutional stress are important for predicting birth outcomes, and the source of stress or buffers to stress vary across outcome and by location. At the country level, I find differences in sources of influence across countries’ level of economic development, but there were consistently more influences found for maternal mortality than infant mortality. Similarly, within the U.S., institutional factors explain a greater proportion of variation in the most extreme and least common negative infant outcomes. This suggests that to better address the less common negative outcomes, in particular, we should not only maintain an emphasis on the individual level risk factors that we have been addressing over the past decades, but also begin to shift our focus to larger institutional influences, such as female literacy and income inequality. Findings also show that, within the U.S., there may be several specific policy recommendations for those interested in improving birth related outcomes. For instance, median maternal education, regardless of individual women’s own education, is protective across all four-birth outcomes and higher participation in WIC at the state level is protective against low birth weight and IUGR. Thus, further state and federal-level investment in women’s education and the social safety net programs that specifically target pregnant women and women with very young children would likely help to lower the risk of poor birth outcomes and infant death in the U.S. In sum, the knowledge gained from both of these papers has vast policy implications for benefiting the future of maternal and infant health – not only in the United States, but also worldwide.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Otte_fsu_0071E_14450
Format: Thesis

Title: State-Wide Developmental Education Reform: How Increased Choice Shifts Risks from Colleges to Students and Campus Personnel.
Creator: Nix, Amanda N. (Amanda Nicole), Reynolds, John R., Hu, Shouping, Padavic, Irene, Ueno, Koji, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department...
Show moreNix, Amanda N. (Amanda Nicole), Reynolds, John R., Hu, Shouping, Padavic, Irene, Ueno, Koji, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
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Abstract/Description: In 2013, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 1720 which included provisions to overhaul the state’s post-secondary developmental education curriculum. Central to this reform was the notion of increased choice for students. Notably, the law made placement testing and remedial coursework optional for recent Florida high school graduates and active duty military, giving eligible students significantly more options in the course-selection process. The law also called on colleges to...
Show moreIn 2013, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 1720 which included provisions to overhaul the state’s post-secondary developmental education curriculum. Central to this reform was the notion of increased choice for students. Notably, the law made placement testing and remedial coursework optional for recent Florida high school graduates and active duty military, giving eligible students significantly more options in the course-selection process. The law also called on colleges to offer redesigned remedial courses taught in a variety of new and innovative ways. This emphasis on student choice points to an ideological move in education policy towards neoliberal ideals, especially the shifting of risk from institutions to individuals. As such, the research questions guiding this dissertation were: (1) Is “risk shift” an appropriate and useful concept to invoke to understand policies like SB 1720? (2) If so, what unintended consequences and risks result from presenting community-college students with increased choices related to their academic pathway? To answer these questions, qualitative data was gathered from 670 individuals; including college presidents, administrators, faculty members, advisors, and students; throughout the Florida College System (formerly known as the Florida Community College System). Findings indicate that the concept of “risk shift” can successfully be extended to the arena of higher education. The provisions of SB 1720 generated some benefits for students and campus personnel. It also generated substantial disadvantages. Students’ ability to engage in genuine choice has been constrained by non-academic influences on course-taking decisions, like financial constraints, the opinions of family and friends, and the institution’s capacity for change. As a result, respondents highlighted how SB 1720 negatively impacted the educational experiences of students and the work environment of campus personnel. It is important to also note that variations in college characteristics, especially institution size, shaped how the reform played out throughout the state.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Nix_fsu_0071E_14403
Format: Thesis

Title: Out of Order: Essays on the Rule of Law in the Caribbean.
Creator: Wilks, Jason Malcolm, Berry, William Dale, Stewart, Eric Allen, Reenock, Christopher, Barrilleaux, Charles, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public...
Show moreWilks, Jason Malcolm, Berry, William Dale, Stewart, Eric Allen, Reenock, Christopher, Barrilleaux, Charles, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
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Abstract/Description: International actors have championed the rule of law as a fundamental principal for national progress among developing states. But for the post-colonial democracies of the Caribbean region, the concept of the rule of law engenders questions of whether citizens and state actors have sufficient understanding and acceptance of the new institutions of justice developed to protect the basic rights of citizens functioning effectively or, as evidenced by the high levels of crime and violence in the...
Show moreInternational actors have championed the rule of law as a fundamental principal for national progress among developing states. But for the post-colonial democracies of the Caribbean region, the concept of the rule of law engenders questions of whether citizens and state actors have sufficient understanding and acceptance of the new institutions of justice developed to protect the basic rights of citizens functioning effectively or, as evidenced by the high levels of crime and violence in the region, are other rules more significant factors in how social order is negotiated. Do citizens in the region even expect democratic accountability on issues of safety and justice? Are there instances where incentives continue to persist in the postcolonial space for criminal justice institutions to deliver safety and justice in a prejudicial manner? And if the conventional means of promoting social order are dysfunctional, what other mechanisms might be available to support collective goals of peace and safety? This dissertation presents three essays in response to the aforementioned questions. Chapter 1 addresses the weaknesses of prior studies examining the relationship between criminal victimization and democratic accountability and provides evidence that victims of violent crime do intend to hold incumbents accountable at the polls. Violent victimization evokes anger that spurs voters to seek redress for the traumatic experience by engaging in protest voting that goes against the interests of the incumbent government. Protest voting offers expressive benefits that helps restore within victims of violent crime a sense of self-determination and autonomy by voting against the under-performing incumbent government. At the same time, the expressive value of protest voting is conditional on the degree to which the voter is politically affiliated with the incumbent government. Victims of violence who support the incumbent government are more likely to feel anger towards the incumbent government, having a sense of being betrayed by those they expect to protect their interests. Accordingly, the added sense of psychological loss will increase their use of protest voting. I test this theory with data from the 2014 wave of the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) AmericasBarometer survey. Using the intended vote choices of 11,242 registered voters in five Caribbean countries and a multinomial logistic regression model I will demonstrate that, after controlling for alternative explanations for the focus relationship, partisan identity and violent victimization interact to influence prospective vote choices. Chapter 2 turns to the question of dysfunctions in law enforcement by exploring three explanations for the use of lethal force by Jamaican police. By adapting the social control framework to the postcolonial context and accounting for institutional factors that facilitate partisan policing, I show that the police’s use of lethal force extends beyond conventional considerations of reactive crime control to also include maintenance of social and political order. The presence of economic elites in a given area exerts pressure on local police officers to safeguard their lives and property, leading to the use of lethal force as a strong and clear deterrent. In addition, incumbent government actors may also receive political benefits from promoting the use of lethal force against the support bases of their political competition. I provide indicative findings that the presence of these two motivating factors can produce an interactive effect on the number of police fatal shootings that may largely be determined by the institutional incentives involved. This study uses original data produced from the official administrative database of the Jamaican police on fatal shooting incidents. Specifically, the scope of the study will include the 1,745 police fatal shootings that occurred annually from 2002 to 2010 and sorts them according to the electoral constituencies where they occurred to demonstrate the influence of political dynamics. Using a negative binomial regression model, I will show that the economic context and political affiliations of where a citizen resides influences the use of lethal force by the Jamaican police even after accounting for factors such as the level of serious crimes and state capacity for coercive and beneficent controls. Chapter 3 explores the potential for conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs to promote pro-social behavior among beneficiaries. I will show that design elements of CCT programs provide recipients with the resources and motivation to engage in collective problem solving that otherwise similar non-recipients would not possess. In so doing CCT programs reduce the cost for recipients to engage in collective action, making civic engagement such as voting in general elections more likely. At the same time, the positive effect of CCT recipient status on civic engagement is provisional- depending on the recipient’s ability to leverage the socialization experience based on other cognitive resources such as civic knowledge. Low levels of civic knowledge among recipients may even serve to diminish the civic engagement of CCT recipients while higher levels will spur on such engagement. I test my theory using aggregate- and individual-level data on Jamaica’s national CCT program, the Program for Advancement through Health and Education (PATH). Jamaica makes for a good case study as the prominence of clientelism in the country’s political culture will help offer a stern test of whether programmatic features play a role even when political partisanship is a salient matter. Jamaica also typifies the global trend of declining trends in electoral participation as shown in Figure 3.1, allowing my findings to potentially extend to a wider international context. By combining both macro- and micro-level analyses and employing dual measures of program participation, I will demonstrate that CCT programs do produce policy feedbacks that are substantive and nuanced.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Wilks_fsu_0071E_14527
Format: Thesis

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