Browsing by Subject "democracy"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Back on track? Somaliland after its 2017 presidential election
    (Oxford, 2018) Pegg, Scott; Walls, Michael; Political Science, School of Liberal Arts
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    Documenting Disfranchisement: Voter Identification During Indiana's 2008 General Election
    (2009) Pitts, Michael J.; Neumann, Matthew D.
    This article presents and examines previously unavailable data regarding the extent to which Indiana’s photo identification requirement prevented prospective voters from casting a countable ballot at the 2008 general election. The article presents research that shows more than a thousand persons went to the polls and cast a provisional ballot due to a lack of valid identification and that the vast majority of those provisional ballots went uncounted. Thus, this research helps fill a gap in the plaintiffs’ case in Crawford v. Marion County Election Bd, 128 S. Ct. 1610 (2008) where the plaintiffs challenging photo identification were criticized for their failure to generate firm evidence of disfranchisement. In addition, when viewed in conjunction with previous research from Indiana’s 2008 primary election, this research provides the first opportunity to search for trends in the operation of photo identification. Moreover, the research presented here allows for a comparison of the impact of Indiana’s voter identification law with the impact of voter identification laws in other States and shows Indiana to be among the Nation’s leaders in rejecting provisional ballots for lack of valid identification. Finally, the research presented here has implications for the larger debate generated by Yale’s Heather Gerken about creating a Democracy Index that leads to data-driven election reform because it demonstrates the barriers to gathering data about photo identification and, therefore, highlights what might be a significant hurdle to creating a viable, credible Democracy Index.
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    Is democracy a logical concomitant of microfinance? : a theoretical review of the microfinance argument
    (2015-07-08) Lin, Pei-Shi; Bandele, Ramla M.; Ferguson, Margaret R.; Frieson, Amanda J.
    This thesis makes a theoretical review of the microfinance argument, which claims that microfinance would be accompanied with democratization or consolidation of democracy. This thesis firstly analyzes the theory of modern microfinance, especially its propensity of converting borrowers into modern citizens. Secondly, this thesis analyzes five major theories supporting the microfinance argument: (a) modernization and economic development, (b) economic fairness, (c) gender justice, (d) social capital, and (e) civil society. In addition, this thesis reviews critical perspectives of these five theories and makes a general discussion. Finally, this thesis concludes the reasonableness and limitation of the microfinance argument.
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    Thirty Years of Public Management Scholarship: Plenty of “How” Not Enough “Why”
    (Emerald, 2017) Kennedy, Sheila Suess; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the overarching lessons to be gleaned from 30 years of public management literature. Design/methodology/approach The methodology was simple: review the professional literature generated during that time period. Findings Despite important contributions to our understanding of everything from bureaucratic motivation, public budgeting processes, the promises and pitfalls of contracting out and identification of the skills needed to be an effective public manager, to the scientific arcana of sustainability and the respective responsibilities of public administrators and elected officials, the profession would benefit greatly from more sustained emphasis upon the history and philosophy of the constitutional choices made by those who framed America’s original approach to governance. Originality/value The lack of a common understanding of America’s legal culture, or even a common vocabulary for exploring our differences poses immense challenges to public administrators, whose effectiveness requires a widely shared, if necessarily superficial, agreement on the purposes of America’s governing institutions and an ability to recognize the bases of government legitimacy. In the past 30 years, however, literature that addresses the important connections between constitutional theory and management practice, between the rule of law and the exercise of public power and discretion, has been all too rare. Let us hope that the next 30 years corrects that deficiency.