You are here

UCF Digital Collections ยป ETD Collection

National Security and Political Polarization

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
2019
Abstract/Description:
This dissertation explores how partisan polarization among the political elites (the President and key Members of Congress) impacts national security decision-making. The research examines the relationship over time beginning at the start of the Cold War through 2014. In doing so, the research tests several hypotheses to determine the nature of the relationship and what the implications might be for future U.S. national security policy-making. There are three different approaches used in the research centered on the same theory of partisan polarization. The first approach examines changes in the level of polarization and defense budgets each year. The second explores the impact of partisan polarization on the outcome of key roll-call votes on national security legislation. Lastly, the third approach studies the changes in polarization relative to the Presidents' decision to use force. Poole and Rosenthal (1984) argue that political polarization has increased among the political elite since the 1960s and the Republicans and Democrats continue to move further apart ideologically (Gray et al. 2015). I argue that the combined effect of polarization and a growing ideological divide between the two major political parties puts our collective national security at risk. Using analytical regression time series models and a qualitative analysis, the findings suggests that rising partisan polarization presents a clear and present threat to our national security.
Title: National Security and Political Polarization.
15 views
8 downloads
Name(s): Funderburke, Joseph, Author
Handberg, Roger, Committee Chair
Pollock, Philip, Committee Member
Ilderton, Nathan, Committee Member
Kubiak, Jeffrey, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2019
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: This dissertation explores how partisan polarization among the political elites (the President and key Members of Congress) impacts national security decision-making. The research examines the relationship over time beginning at the start of the Cold War through 2014. In doing so, the research tests several hypotheses to determine the nature of the relationship and what the implications might be for future U.S. national security policy-making. There are three different approaches used in the research centered on the same theory of partisan polarization. The first approach examines changes in the level of polarization and defense budgets each year. The second explores the impact of partisan polarization on the outcome of key roll-call votes on national security legislation. Lastly, the third approach studies the changes in polarization relative to the Presidents' decision to use force. Poole and Rosenthal (1984) argue that political polarization has increased among the political elite since the 1960s and the Republicans and Democrats continue to move further apart ideologically (Gray et al. 2015). I argue that the combined effect of polarization and a growing ideological divide between the two major political parties puts our collective national security at risk. Using analytical regression time series models and a qualitative analysis, the findings suggests that rising partisan polarization presents a clear and present threat to our national security.
Identifier: CFE0007458 (IID), ucf:52662 (fedora)
Note(s): 2019-05-01
Ph.D.
Sciences, Pol, Scty and Intl Afrs, Schl of
Doctoral
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Polarization -- Partisanship -- Partisan Polarization -- Political Polarization -- National Security -- Politicization of National Security -- Risks to National Security
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007458
Restrictions on Access: campus 2024-05-15
Host Institution: UCF

In Collections