Political science undergraduate students often have a difficult time understanding the processes ... more Political science undergraduate students often have a difficult time understanding the processes and methods of social science research. The foci of courses in comparative politics such as Latin American Politics or European Politics are typically descriptive information, concepts and theories, and an overview of the principal debates and research findings. This stands in sharp contrast to undergraduate pedagogy in the natural sciences, where laboratory sections supplement classroom activities. For example, biology students learn the basics of the discipline in the classroom, and simultaneously use the tools and methods of scientists in the lab to replicate elementary experiments. This multi-method approach not only reinforces the students' understanding of biological concepts, but also gives them an appreciation for how their professors spend their time and the challenges, pleasures, and limitations of academic research.
Symposium held on the occasion of the 10th annual Founder's Day celebration, honoring Ivan Al... more Symposium held on the occasion of the 10th annual Founder's Day celebration, honoring Ivan Allen, Jr. Presented on March 15, 2010 from 9:00 - 11:30 AM in the Biltmore Hotel Imperial Ballroom.Runtime: 160:10 minutes.Opening remarks / Kenneth Knoespel -- Welcoming remarks / President G. P. Peterson -- Greetings / Jacqueline J. Royster -- Georgia Tech and The Legacy of Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. / Kenneth Knoespel -- Humanitarian Leadership on a Global Level: Georgia Tech Responds to The Challenge of the Allen Legacy. Ivan Allen College Faculty Panel Discussions Moderated by Susan Cozzens: Climate Change / Carl DiSalvo, Kirk Bowman and Marilyn Brown ; Security / Adjo Amekudzi, Adam Stulberg and Sy Goodman ; Africa / Michael Best and Fox Harwell ; Atlanta / Harley Etienne, Roberta Berry and Greg Nobels
Symposium held on the occasion of the 10th annual Founder's Day celebration, honoring Ivan Al... more Symposium held on the occasion of the 10th annual Founder's Day celebration, honoring Ivan Allen, Jr. Presented on March 15, 2010 from 9:00 - 11:30 AM in the Biltmore Hotel Imperial Ballroom.
The paper addresses an interesting intellectual puzzle regarding the impact of militarization on ... more The paper addresses an interesting intellectual puzzle regarding the impact of militarization on democracy and economic growth. It aims to answer the following research question: despite the fact that militarization is held to be negatively associated with democracy and economic growth in Latin America, why does the militarization process in Colombia seem to have had a positive effect on democracy and economic growth? The main argument to reply to this question is that the private security industry that emerged and evolved in the country has had a particular and positive influence on the militarization process in the last decades. In other words, the privatization of security has minimized the negative effects of militarization on democracy and has encouraged economic growth. The inclusion of the privatization of security variable into the analysis of the country’s militarization process provides at least four elements that help explain the positive impact of militarization on democ...
This chapter presents the best cases to understand the construction of the widely held assumption... more This chapter presents the best cases to understand the construction of the widely held assumptions that all viable countries have institutionalized militaries: Costa Rica and Honduras in the period 1948 to 1958. It is in this political space and time that Costa Rica demilitarized and Honduras militarized. The chapter focuses on the domestic and international dynamics in these two cases that produced such variance in militarization. The cases show that the local populations in 1948–1958 did not consider the military to be a necessary institution in a modern country, and that this view was constructed over time in Honduras. Through the prism of recent history in Latin America, it may seem natural to assume that Latin American countries have always had powerful military institutions. But this assumption is completely inaccurate for nearly the entire region.
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1998. Includes bibliographical refe... more Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1998. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [282]-308). Microfiche. s
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2011
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the state of sustainable tourism certification in ... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the state of sustainable tourism certification in developing countries and to present methodological and practical critiques and improvements.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses methodological refinements of fuzzy logic and comparative analysis based on fieldwork in seven countries.FindingsSustainable tourism programs should be locally designed with local logos, largely performance‐based, and aggregation should be based on fuzzy logic concepts of necessary and jointly sufficient attributes of sustainable tourism.Originality/valueThe paper uses political science concepts of state capacity and methodological advances of fuzzy logic to provide keys for successful sustainable tourism certification programs in developing countries.
The relationship between militarization and democracy in Latin America 1972-86 is evaluated. Two ... more The relationship between militarization and democracy in Latin America 1972-86 is evaluated. Two dimensions of democracy loosely based on Dahl's Polyarchy - average democracy over time and the lowest level of democracy during a multi-year period of time - are regressed against two indicators of militarization, military spending and military participation ratios. In pooled time-series analyses, it is shown that: (a) military spending has a significant negative effect on democracy scores over time; and (b) that military participation ratios have a more robust negative impact. In an alternative cross-sectional design and holding the lagged level of democracy constant, both militarization indicators are strongly related to low levels of democracy during a multi-year time period. When the two indicators are simultaneously utilized as regressors, military participation ratio remains robust and military spending becomes trivial. It is suggested that military participation ratios have a...
Political science undergraduate students often have a difficult time understanding the processes ... more Political science undergraduate students often have a difficult time understanding the processes and methods of social science research. The foci of courses in comparative politics such as Latin American Politics or European Politics are typically descriptive information, concepts and theories, and an overview of the principal debates and research findings. This stands in sharp contrast to undergraduate pedagogy in the natural sciences, where laboratory sections supplement classroom activities. For example, biology students learn the basics of the discipline in the classroom, and simultaneously use the tools and methods of scientists in the lab to replicate elementary experiments. This multi-method approach not only reinforces the students' understanding of biological concepts, but also gives them an appreciation for how their professors spend their time and the challenges, pleasures, and limitations of academic research.
Symposium held on the occasion of the 10th annual Founder's Day celebration, honoring Ivan Al... more Symposium held on the occasion of the 10th annual Founder's Day celebration, honoring Ivan Allen, Jr. Presented on March 15, 2010 from 9:00 - 11:30 AM in the Biltmore Hotel Imperial Ballroom.Runtime: 160:10 minutes.Opening remarks / Kenneth Knoespel -- Welcoming remarks / President G. P. Peterson -- Greetings / Jacqueline J. Royster -- Georgia Tech and The Legacy of Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. / Kenneth Knoespel -- Humanitarian Leadership on a Global Level: Georgia Tech Responds to The Challenge of the Allen Legacy. Ivan Allen College Faculty Panel Discussions Moderated by Susan Cozzens: Climate Change / Carl DiSalvo, Kirk Bowman and Marilyn Brown ; Security / Adjo Amekudzi, Adam Stulberg and Sy Goodman ; Africa / Michael Best and Fox Harwell ; Atlanta / Harley Etienne, Roberta Berry and Greg Nobels
Symposium held on the occasion of the 10th annual Founder's Day celebration, honoring Ivan Al... more Symposium held on the occasion of the 10th annual Founder's Day celebration, honoring Ivan Allen, Jr. Presented on March 15, 2010 from 9:00 - 11:30 AM in the Biltmore Hotel Imperial Ballroom.
The paper addresses an interesting intellectual puzzle regarding the impact of militarization on ... more The paper addresses an interesting intellectual puzzle regarding the impact of militarization on democracy and economic growth. It aims to answer the following research question: despite the fact that militarization is held to be negatively associated with democracy and economic growth in Latin America, why does the militarization process in Colombia seem to have had a positive effect on democracy and economic growth? The main argument to reply to this question is that the private security industry that emerged and evolved in the country has had a particular and positive influence on the militarization process in the last decades. In other words, the privatization of security has minimized the negative effects of militarization on democracy and has encouraged economic growth. The inclusion of the privatization of security variable into the analysis of the country’s militarization process provides at least four elements that help explain the positive impact of militarization on democ...
This chapter presents the best cases to understand the construction of the widely held assumption... more This chapter presents the best cases to understand the construction of the widely held assumptions that all viable countries have institutionalized militaries: Costa Rica and Honduras in the period 1948 to 1958. It is in this political space and time that Costa Rica demilitarized and Honduras militarized. The chapter focuses on the domestic and international dynamics in these two cases that produced such variance in militarization. The cases show that the local populations in 1948–1958 did not consider the military to be a necessary institution in a modern country, and that this view was constructed over time in Honduras. Through the prism of recent history in Latin America, it may seem natural to assume that Latin American countries have always had powerful military institutions. But this assumption is completely inaccurate for nearly the entire region.
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1998. Includes bibliographical refe... more Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1998. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [282]-308). Microfiche. s
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2011
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the state of sustainable tourism certification in ... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the state of sustainable tourism certification in developing countries and to present methodological and practical critiques and improvements.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses methodological refinements of fuzzy logic and comparative analysis based on fieldwork in seven countries.FindingsSustainable tourism programs should be locally designed with local logos, largely performance‐based, and aggregation should be based on fuzzy logic concepts of necessary and jointly sufficient attributes of sustainable tourism.Originality/valueThe paper uses political science concepts of state capacity and methodological advances of fuzzy logic to provide keys for successful sustainable tourism certification programs in developing countries.
The relationship between militarization and democracy in Latin America 1972-86 is evaluated. Two ... more The relationship between militarization and democracy in Latin America 1972-86 is evaluated. Two dimensions of democracy loosely based on Dahl's Polyarchy - average democracy over time and the lowest level of democracy during a multi-year period of time - are regressed against two indicators of militarization, military spending and military participation ratios. In pooled time-series analyses, it is shown that: (a) military spending has a significant negative effect on democracy scores over time; and (b) that military participation ratios have a more robust negative impact. In an alternative cross-sectional design and holding the lagged level of democracy constant, both militarization indicators are strongly related to low levels of democracy during a multi-year time period. When the two indicators are simultaneously utilized as regressors, military participation ratio remains robust and military spending becomes trivial. It is suggested that military participation ratios have a...
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