Globalization Studies Student Research

The Economics of Refugees: How Refugees Influence the Economies of Spain and England

Mary K. Bovard — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 12:44:50 PDT

The economic impact of refugee movements is a topic disputed throughout the world, but even more highly disputed in the European Union. In this last Syrian refugee movement, we have heard many different interpretations of how the movement would affect the European economy. Whether based on factual data or speculation, this paper aims to unpack several of the main economic arguments for and against the movement of refugees into European countries, particularly Spain and England. This paper argues that the perceived economic impacts of the refugee movement in Europe does not match the measured economic impacts.

Women and Peace: Female Political Empowerment & the Prevention of Civil Violence

Piper D. O'Keefe — Wed, 31 May 2017 04:01:33 PDT

Today conflict mainly occurs within nations (as opposed to between nations), and the importance of women in creating and maintaining peace (which can be most simply defined as the absence of violence) through informal and formal leadership roles has also become known, offering much for the possibility of the reduction of violence within nations. Testing this relationship through a Poisson regression for the hypothesis that countries that have higher political empowerment for women will have less civil violence in their nations than countries with a lower level of political empowerment for women, this study is able to reject the null hypothesis (that no such relationship exists) by finding that the political empowerment of women has a statistically significant impact in the reduction of civil violence. In testing three additional intervening variables (democracy, GDP per capita, and primary education), it is determined that the political empowerment of women has the greatest impact on the reduction of civil violence, implying that, in the future, more effort should be placed on empowering women as a means for establishing peace.

Human Migration and Health: A Case Study of the Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrant Population

Leah C. Pinckney — Tue, 23 May 2017 09:21:46 PDT

Human migration is a complex, ancient process driven by a variety of social, political, and economic factors. Modern migrants and their families are often compelled to migrate voluntarily in pursuit of new opportunities for study or work and, in extreme circumstances, involuntarily for safety and survival. Chinese domestic migrant populations were mobilized with China’s early 1980s economic reform, which enabled rapid economic development largely dependent on urban factories. While this massive influx of young people predominantly from rural locales to urban locales seeking opportunity enabled China’s rise as a world power, their move not only marked changing internal labor patterns but also shifts in population health.

Chinese domestic migrants are often required to send money and other resources home, maintaining limited and not returning home for extended periods of time. Temporary displacement and associated stressors, such as sociocultural differences, levels of discrimination, family-related stress, and work-related stress, negatively impact various aspects of health. For instance, mental health is adversely affected, most often manifesting as major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. These changes not only impair migrants’ overall health and quality of life but also influence larger social phenomena that undermine societal stability. These reviewed findings reflect a need for more research about this population and greater systemic changes to improve life for all Chinese citizens.

Rhetoric vs Reality: Public Opinion on Immigration in the United States

Elizabeth M. Belair — Tue, 03 May 2016 09:22:21 PDT

The United States has a rich and interesting history of immigration. The country itself was created by waves of immigrants who came from across the globe. Although immigration has always existed in the U.S., the number of immigrants coming to the United States has increased during the 21st century, and as a result, a controversial debate surrounding the consequences of immigration has emerged. In this paper I examine how Americans view the debate on immigration, specifically focusing on what affects public opinion on this topic. I find that shifts in public opinion do not reflect changes in immigration patterns but rather are influenced by major events portrayed in the media such as security threats, national elections, the status of the economy, etc. Immigration is an essential part of the culture and character of the United States which is why it is important to understand how Americans view and react to this topic.

The Art of Exile: A Narrative for Social Justice in a Modern World

Dakota D. Homsey — Mon, 02 May 2016 07:04:47 PDT

In this paper I will illustrate what exile art is, how it is influenced on a global platform, and the change it engenders. My research reveals a central theme of globalization in the exchange, mix, and clash of cultures and political views that accompany it as well as the spread of art and ideas. In my research I illustrate how political circumstance, and sense of responsibility to share a political narrative, propelled exile art from a personal to a political narrative. My research illustrates how, as displaced people stripped of a homeland, exiled artists have surfaced as a voice of awareness, social justice, and political change, giving a voice to those who have none. I emphasize how artists in exile communicate the internal struggle of being caught between two cultures. I discuss how the artists’ symbolic rendering of the imagined third spaces of exile illustrates the intimate and personal experience of exile. Further, my research seeks to understand the significance of how this artform is received on a global market.

Globalization of Taste and Modernity: Tracing the Development of Western Fast Food Corporations in Urban China

Anastasia Gonchar — Mon, 02 May 2016 06:44:24 PDT

Food globalization has become an important topic in the discourse on globalization. There has been a rapidly rising trend of multinational food corporations integrating and dominating foreign agro-food markets. A clear example of this trend is present in China, whose economy and food industry experienced an influx of foreign direct investment and multinational retail and restaurant branches during the country’s economic opening in the 1980s. The aim of this research is to analyze the development of food globalization through the lens of Western fast food corporations and their successful integration into the Chinese market. The research also assesses the companies’ integration strategies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications China’s case of food globalization has for further rhetoric on globalization and its impact.

Envisioning a Future for Ethiopian Small Farmer Involvement in Development and Food Security

William H. Cauffman — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 14:24:02 PDT

In this paper I attempt to answer the question of how small-scale Ethiopian farmers can best participate in, contribute to and benefit from the development process. In addition, I seek to clarify the implications and potential nature of local food systems and their ability to achieve greater food security through small farmer involvement. Modern development ideology often focuses on large scale projects and export-led growth, ignoring the importance of smallholder farmers and rural vitality. These farmers are increasingly marginalized through this process. In Ethiopia 85% of the population is employed in the agricultural sector, the majority being small farmers that live in remote regions. It is crucial that effective techniques are applied which enable these farmers to play a central role in the development process, guaranteeing the sustainable growth of Ethiopia’s economy as well as greater food security. Given the recent volatility of global food markets and the severity of local droughts, effective solutions are more urgent than ever.

The Role of Social Media During the Arab Spring

Tyobista Girma — Thu, 14 May 2015 10:22:39 PDT

Social media is one of the most important aspects of globalization, as it is considered to be the main tool that is contributing to the growing interconnectedness of societies, the fast flow of information, and the overall increase in global communication. The main question this research seeks to answer is whether social media played a role, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia, during the Arab Spring. Since it was found to be so, the research also sought to explore how social media played such role. First, the research presents some of the underlying reasons that have led to the revolutions, which are mainly unemployment, a demand for dignity, frustration with the authoritarian government, censorship of the media, and the need for the right to freedom of speech. After developing a clear understanding of the issues behind the revolutions, and after analyzing literature of that era, the research has shown that social media has been a major player in the uprisings, as it was used as a tool to communicate, to organize and to create global awareness of the conflict.

Post-9/11 Illegal Immigrant Detention and Deportation: Terrorism and the Criminalization of Immigration

Stefany N. Laun — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 09:46:20 PST

This paper analyzes the changes in immigration policy since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in terms of how immigrants are viewed in the United States. The goal is to address the recent criminalization of immigration in that the perceptions of terrorists and immigrants have become relatively synonymous since 2001. Although deportations have decreased, immigrant detention has increased significantly. Detention centers pose threats to the basic human rights of the immigrants residing in them, as well as perpetuate the culture of fear enveloping recent immigrants, whether they are legally or illegally in the country, and native United States citizens alike. Being that globalization encourages the blurring of borders and the movement of people across them, it plays a crucial role in the discussion of immigration and the treatment of immigrants in the United States. Globalization has the power to spread and influence public opinion more quickly than ever before in history, which houses potential for both the circulation of the criminalization of immigration and the standardization of the promotion of diversity and human rights. These parallels will be analyzed as they relate to immigration in a post-9/11 globally integrated society.

Destroying the Ethnosphere? How Tourism Has Impacted the Sherpas of Nepal

Joshua H. Ginder — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:31:45 PST

Tourism is perhaps the most salient and impactful process of globalization today. As we are increasingly more mobile, traveling with endless comfort and ease, we explore the far reaches of the planet as ambassadors of our own culture and as agents of change. In this process we potentially threaten the cultural diversity of the planet. So how can we reduce the impact of tourism on the cultures of the world? In order to answer this question I examine the implications of cultural and adventure tourism, especially as they relate to the Sherpas of Nepal. Sherpas have been involved with both kinds of tourism for over 60 years, yet they have been successful in retaining much of their cultural identity and heritage. Because they have taken an active role in the tourism industry and have been the providers of the tourist experience, they have created a working relationship that fosters a cultural exchange and sharing, instead of one culture taking over the other. Through cultural and adventure touristic ventures in areas where the local community is the provider of the experience, we can better understand cultural diversity and improve cultural fluency for all people who travel the world. This is a reconsideration of tourism as a process of globalization as one for improving understanding, not for eliciting harmful change.

Working Towards a Globalized Minority: Regional German-Kurdish Cultural Organizations and Transnational Networks

Drew A. Hoffman — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 12:16:43 PST

German-Kurdish cultural organizations and the Kurdish Diaspora they represent offer an example of a new type of actor in defining globalization. This paper examines how such organizations act as the lynchpin in transnational networks and how such organizations give a voice to Berliner-Kurds. These relationships are explored at the national, regional, and organizational level, in order to paint a comprehensive perspective. It argues that despite experiencing discrimination, the convergence of a global diaspora and local actors has contributed to the reinvention of the German-Kurdish community as a globalized minority. Such a concept is important for understanding how migrant communities can have a dialog with the majority and be included in democratic processes.