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Title: IS MIGRANT INTEGRATION POLICY CONVERGING IN EUROPE? A COMPARISON OF EU-12 AND EU-15 STATES.
Creator: Zuardo, Steven, Mirilovic, Nikola, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Immigration issues have dominated the political discourse of liberal democracies around the world in the 21st century. Recent elections in the United States and the Netherlands focused extensively on migrant flows, illegal immigration and migrant integration. Upcoming elections in France seem to be operating within similar parameters. These occurrences underpin a larger critique about the perceived failure of liberal democratic institutions to contend with immigration trends and successfully...
Show moreImmigration issues have dominated the political discourse of liberal democracies around the world in the 21st century. Recent elections in the United States and the Netherlands focused extensively on migrant flows, illegal immigration and migrant integration. Upcoming elections in France seem to be operating within similar parameters. These occurrences underpin a larger critique about the perceived failure of liberal democratic institutions to contend with immigration trends and successfully integrate migrants within their societies. Nowhere has this critique been more prevalent than within the public and political discourse of the European Union, the institution of focus for this paper. As the EU member states struggle to cope with their migrant issues, scholars are increasingly looking to the larger EU governmental structure to anticipate how the region will handle these challenges. Accordingly, much of the scholarly work done on subjects such as integration policy within the EU are mainly focused upon the perceived convergence of policy amongst member states. The intent of this thesis therefore, is to evaluate the validity of claims that migrant integration policy is converging amongst EU member states, and to explain why this may be the case. This was accomplished via a cross-comparison of policy outcome scores, (provided by the Migration Integration Policy Index), over time between EU-15 and EU-12 states. The convergence of policy in the EU is a topic that has been routinely addressed by scholars, but by examining the potential trends amongst the traditionally ignored EU-12 states, this thesis hopes to contribute to the academic discourse by providing a different perspective.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFH2000215, ucf:45938
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000215

Title: THE IMPLICATIONS OF DOMESTIC PARTY IDEOLOGIES ON REFUGEE POLICY: A CASE STUDY OF BANGLADESH AND THE ROHINGYA.
Creator: Schiffer, Samuel S, Mirilovic, Nikola, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Why do some political parties in Bangladesh discriminate against the Rohingya, while some do not? Much has been written about the conflict in Myanmar, but the plight of Rohingya in Bangladesh remains understudied. This lack of understanding is underscored by the five million Syrian refugees fleeing their own civil war that dominates the news and the attention of scholars. The Rohingya, however, are stateless: they are denied citizenship in their native Myanmar and are forced to find refuge in...
Show moreWhy do some political parties in Bangladesh discriminate against the Rohingya, while some do not? Much has been written about the conflict in Myanmar, but the plight of Rohingya in Bangladesh remains understudied. This lack of understanding is underscored by the five million Syrian refugees fleeing their own civil war that dominates the news and the attention of scholars. The Rohingya, however, are stateless: they are denied citizenship in their native Myanmar and are forced to find refuge in whichever country will take them. Much has been published that links immigration policy to security considerations and the national identity and ethnic homogeneity of the host country. I argue that it is the domestic politics of Bangladesh that directly influences the policies concerning, and subsequent treatment of, the Rohingya migrants. This leads back to the question I pose: why is it that some political parties in Bangladesh actively support the ethnic group while others actively discriminate against the Rohingya? I argue that it is the individual ideologies of that party that can be directly attributed to their stance on Rohingya. Using qualitative analysis, I measure how a party's foreign policy, social policy, and political ideology affects that organization's attitude toward Rohingya refugees. Understanding the largely political nature of refugee policy will allow policy-makers, intergovernmental organizations, and human rights groups to be better equipped to improve the conditions of, not only the Rohingya population, but other vulnerable refugee groups that seek safety in foreign states.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFH2000307, ucf:45789
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000307

Title: ASSESSING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TERRORIST ATTACKS AND THE LIMITING OF MUSLIM IMMIGRATION DUE TO ANTI-ISLAMIC SENTIMENTS.
Creator: Okhai, Ratna, Mirilovic, Nikola, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In the last 12 years, since the devastating attack on the United States Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, the global community has become increasingly wary. The continuing terrorism on July 7, 2005 on the United Kingdom subway system increased tensions between citizens and immigrants in these countries. I use these two countries to examine the consequences effects that these terrorist attacks have had on, in particular, the Muslim immigrant population. In addition to that, I use Germany as a...
Show moreIn the last 12 years, since the devastating attack on the United States Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, the global community has become increasingly wary. The continuing terrorism on July 7, 2005 on the United Kingdom subway system increased tensions between citizens and immigrants in these countries. I use these two countries to examine the consequences effects that these terrorist attacks have had on, in particular, the Muslim immigrant population. In addition to that, I use Germany as a control, since it has not faced a major terrorist attack, yet has a substantial Muslim immigrant population. In the United States and United Kingdom, I use public opinion data polls and immigration policies before and after the attacks. In Germany's case, I utilize the same data and to assess any correlation to the other two countries data. Using the literature already written, public opinion data polls and policy initiatives enacted before and after these attacks, I examine the overall effect, if any, on the Muslim immigrant population in these countries. The intent of this thesis is to explore if the significant changes in immigration policies after the attacks have occurred due to economic or cultural factors. Because public opinion is central to policy changes, I also consider the implications of public's views on immigration after the attacks, along with the effect all this has on the number of Muslim immigrants entering these countries.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFH0004474, ucf:45093
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004474

Title: How Political Violence Helps Explain Organized Crime: A Case Study of Mexico's "War on Drugs".
Creator: Fulk, Alanna, Ash, Konstantin, Wilson, Bruce, Mirilovic, Nikola, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis examines research from the disciplines of political science and criminal justice to develop a theory that explains geographic variation in violence related to organized crime. Large-scale organized crime violence exhibits characteristics of both ordinary crime violence and political violence, but these subjects are generally analyzed separately. However, as large-scale organized crime has become more prevalent and violent in recent years, most notably in Latin America, studies,...
Show moreThis thesis examines research from the disciplines of political science and criminal justice to develop a theory that explains geographic variation in violence related to organized crime. Large-scale organized crime violence exhibits characteristics of both ordinary crime violence and political violence, but these subjects are generally analyzed separately. However, as large-scale organized crime has become more prevalent and violent in recent years, most notably in Latin America, studies, including this one, have attempted to cross disciplinary boundaries in order to better explain trends in organized crime onset, termination and violence. This thesis argues that although the overall goal of organized crime groups is not to take control of a country, both organized crime groups and insurgent groups confront the state's monopoly on violence, leading to evident similarities in the way they use violence to attain their goals. They both use violence to maintain control over resources, take control from other groups and retaliate against the government. Previous literature has demonstrated that control is directly linked to geographic variation in political violence and through case studies of organized crime violence in Honduras and Brazil, as well as negative binomial regression analysis of organized crime violence in Mexico, this thesis finds that control is also directly linked to geographic variation in organized crime violence.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007457, ucf:52688
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007457

Title: Comparative Analysis of the Relationship between State Security and Ethnic Minority Oppression.
Creator: Lanza, Grayson, Sadri, Houman, Reynolds, Teddy, Mirilovic, Nikola, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This research investigates the relationship between the state economic outlook, state security apparatus and the presence of ethnic minority oppression within the state's borders. Modern states have developed extensive security apparatuses as they have developed their economies and this research intended to identify the possibility of a connection between the development of these aspects of the state in relation to ethnic minority repression. The research is broken up into a research design...
Show moreThis research investigates the relationship between the state economic outlook, state security apparatus and the presence of ethnic minority oppression within the state's borders. Modern states have developed extensive security apparatuses as they have developed their economies and this research intended to identify the possibility of a connection between the development of these aspects of the state in relation to ethnic minority repression. The research is broken up into a research design and introductory section, a case study section, and a final analysis and conclusion section. Each of the four case studies studied a and ethnic minority relationship, and in total there were three states and four ethnic minorities researched.The research analyzed four studies and studied relationships between the economic outlook of the state, its security outlook, cultural issues, and how these relate to ethnic minority oppression. The findings of the study indicate some degree of relationship between all the aforementioned variables. The study suggests that the relationship between the state security apparatus and ethnic minority oppression is second to that of a state's economic outlook and ethnic minority oppression and that the security outlook of a state is not an alternative explanation for state repression.Future research questions recommended suggestions are predicated off the results of this research that showed the primacy of state economic outlook. It is recommended for further research into the spatial relationship between ethnic minorities and the productive forces of states, if and how colonial theories can be applied to states that are not settler-colonial in their foundation in relation to ethnic minorities, and how state security apparatuses have developed and how they interact with ethnic minorities.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007483, ucf:52670
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007483

Title: More Guns, Less Butter, and Officers at the Table: Understanding the Nexus between the Military's Integration into Politics and Resource Allocation in Democracies and Non-Democracies.
Creator: Ben Hammou, Salah, Powell, Jonathan, Boutton, Andrew, Mirilovic, Nikola, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The civilianization of government is often seen as a necessary prerequisite for successful democratization and healthy civil-military relations. This thesis explores the impact of integrating the military into political decision-making on the distribution of (")guns(") and (")butter(") (-) military spending and social spending - across dictatorships and democracies. Whereas a general consensus suggests that autocracies allocate greater goods to the military and fewer goods to the general...
Show moreThe civilianization of government is often seen as a necessary prerequisite for successful democratization and healthy civil-military relations. This thesis explores the impact of integrating the military into political decision-making on the distribution of (")guns(") and (")butter(") (-) military spending and social spending - across dictatorships and democracies. Whereas a general consensus suggests that autocracies allocate greater goods to the military and fewer goods to the general public relative to democracies, an understudied variable is the military's integration into politics in both democracies and autocracies. Given that military elites have greater incentives relative to civilian elites to prioritize military spending over social spending, I expect that integrating officers into politics should yield greater military outlays and fewer social outlays relative to more civilianized regimes, democratic or otherwise.Drawing on a number of theories concerning contentious civil-military relations, I frame this process of integration and its subsequent consequence as part of a broader means to ameliorate commitment issues between leaders and the armed forces. Specifically, I view power-sharing with military elites as a potential tool democrats and dictators may use to ensure the loyalty of the armed forces and mitigate the threat of defection or a coup d'etat. I test my arguments using data on the proportion of national cabinet positions held by military officers across 138 countries between 1964-2008. Offering some support for my expectations, this thesis highlights the necessity of fine-tuned data to explore civil-military processes and reasserts that the military may influence politics across multiple regime settings and outside of overtly ruling the country..
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007784, ucf:52367
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007784

Title: Incumbent Violence and Insurgent Tactics: The Effects of Incumbent Violence on Popular Support for Guerrilla Warfare and Terrorism.
Creator: Williams, Jonathan, Dolan, Thomas, Wilson, Bruce, Mirilovic, Nikola, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Insurgency has two main strategies, guerrilla warfare and terrorism, which should be treated as linked, but distinct, strategies. This thesis examines the role of incumbent violence in leading insurgents to select one, or both, of these strategies. It argues that incumbent violence can create support for insurgency by causing fear and a desire for revenge and reshaping the social structures of a community. It also argues that incumbent violence increases popular support for terrorism in...
Show moreInsurgency has two main strategies, guerrilla warfare and terrorism, which should be treated as linked, but distinct, strategies. This thesis examines the role of incumbent violence in leading insurgents to select one, or both, of these strategies. It argues that incumbent violence can create support for insurgency by causing fear and a desire for revenge and reshaping the social structures of a community. It also argues that incumbent violence increases popular support for terrorism in particular by creating outbidding incentives and desires to respond in kind to civilian deaths and as a way of punishing norm violations against attacking civilians on the part of the incumbent. The paper tests this theory with a qualitative case study of the conflict in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and a quantitative analysis of insurgent violence in the Kirkuk, Diyala, Babylon, and Salah al Din provinces during the 2003-2009 Iraq conflict.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004959, ucf:49598
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004959

Title: Regional Organizations and the Durability of Peace.
Creator: Velasco, Juliana, Dolan, Thomas, Mirilovic, Nikola, Young, Kurt, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis investigates the role of regional organizations in peacemaking and peacekeeping, particularly on the effects of peace agreement duration. This is important because the United Nations has been traditionally seen as the default international peacekeeping force but recently, more responsibility is being given to regional organizations.This study hypothesizes that regional organizations' ability to clear commitment problems, create specific agreements, and willingness to enforce...
Show moreThis thesis investigates the role of regional organizations in peacemaking and peacekeeping, particularly on the effects of peace agreement duration. This is important because the United Nations has been traditionally seen as the default international peacekeeping force but recently, more responsibility is being given to regional organizations.This study hypothesizes that regional organizations' ability to clear commitment problems, create specific agreements, and willingness to enforce agreements make them the most effective third parties to deal with many conflicts. However, the study also hypothesizes that regional organizations are less fit to mediate conflicts based around ethnicity, identity, or religious disparities.By utilizing a mixture of logistic regression and case studies, the results illustrate that regional organizations are an essential asset to creating agreements that elongate the duration of peace. In testing for the partiality of regional organizations, the specifics of agreements made, the willingness and capabilities of enforcement, the reason for the conflict and the institutionalization of the organization, quantitative and qualitative results illustrate that regional organizations are a valid tool for conflict management.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004953, ucf:49594
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004953

Title: Governmental Responses to Terrorism: Creating Costs and Benefits.
Creator: Klose, Kenneth, Dolan, Thomas, Schafer, Mark, Mirilovic, Nikola, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis assesses four governmental responses to terrorism: conciliation, denial, legal restriction, and violence, each of which may be focused on an organization or its leaders. The theory makes predictions on the resulting frequency and severity of terrorism. Unlessresponses reduce an organization's capacity or desire to attack, the frequency of attacks may be reduced, while the severity continues to increase. The theory is tested using a time series regression analysis of the effects of...
Show moreThis thesis assesses four governmental responses to terrorism: conciliation, denial, legal restriction, and violence, each of which may be focused on an organization or its leaders. The theory makes predictions on the resulting frequency and severity of terrorism. Unlessresponses reduce an organization's capacity or desire to attack, the frequency of attacks may be reduced, while the severity continues to increase. The theory is tested using a time series regression analysis of the effects of government action on terrorism in Algeria and thePhilippines. In general, the results show that conciliation may led to increases in terrorism in the short term while suggesting potential reductions in the long term. Denial and legal restriction often led to increases in terrorism, while the effects of violence often depended upon whether the response was applied to organizations or their leaders.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004872, ucf:49670
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004872

Title: An Empirical Analysis of the Association Between Types of Interventions and Civil War Onset.
Creator: Mellott, Melinda, Mirilovic, Nikola, Lanier, Drew, Sadri, Houman, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Quantitative studies have focused on economics, social structures, and lack of political freedoms as being elemental factors for civil war onset. However, these studies have neglected the possibility of a civil war being an unintended consequence of international military intervention. I conduct an empirical analysis of the association between military intervention and civil war onset by collecting data for twenty countries within the Middle East/North African regions from 1980 to 2000. Using...
Show moreQuantitative studies have focused on economics, social structures, and lack of political freedoms as being elemental factors for civil war onset. However, these studies have neglected the possibility of a civil war being an unintended consequence of international military intervention. I conduct an empirical analysis of the association between military intervention and civil war onset by collecting data for twenty countries within the Middle East/North African regions from 1980 to 2000. Using the International Military Intervention data set, I categorized (")international intervention(") into nine different types, all of which were regressed with intrastate war data derived from the Correlates of War project. Two logit regression analyses were used to obtain the results, one of which analyzes civil war at time t and the independent variables at t-1. Additionally, marginal effects were computed to reflect accurate estimates. Overall, the data revealed that certain types of interventions are conducive to civil war onset, such as those pursuing terrorists or rebel groups across the border, gaining or retaining territory, and humanitarian interventions. Other types of interventions, such as those for social protection purposes, taking sides in a domestic dispute, and for the purpose of affecting policies of the target country, has a negative association with civil war onset. Two case studies, the 1953 U.S. intervention into Iran and the 1979 Soviet Union intervention into Afghanistan, reflects the observed findings of the two regression models. The occurrences of international military interventions and civil wars have increased dramatically since the end of World War II; therefore, it is important to have a better understanding of the association between the two events. To my knowledge, this is the first study that has categorized different types of interventions under which results indicate that the purpose of a military intervention does effect the likelihood of civil war onset. Scholars may develop this study further with the goal of establishing a better understanding of both phenomena so that we can find more efficient ways of preventing them.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0006042, ucf:50974
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006042

Title: When Leaders Repress: A Study of African States.
Creator: Timmerman, Ashley, Dolan, Thomas, Mirilovic, Nikola, Kinsey, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: When do leaders choose state-sponsored repression as a response to certain threats to the state? Conventional wisdom states that authoritarian regimes will be more likely to use these repressive acts in order to maintain law and order, as well as to suppress the opposition. However, previous literature on the subject fails to recognize the effect of irregular civil wars on this decision, as well as the types of repression that will (-) or will not (-) be used against citizens. I analyze cross...
Show moreWhen do leaders choose state-sponsored repression as a response to certain threats to the state? Conventional wisdom states that authoritarian regimes will be more likely to use these repressive acts in order to maintain law and order, as well as to suppress the opposition. However, previous literature on the subject fails to recognize the effect of irregular civil wars on this decision, as well as the types of repression that will (-) or will not (-) be used against citizens. I analyze cross-sectional time series data in 46 African states between 1990 and 2010 on human rights violations and their causes. The key independent variable is irregular civil war, but I also look at the effects of protest movements and domestic terror attacks to find the levels of human rights violations and the specific type of human rights violations used. Irregular civil war is the most important indicator for human rights violations, specifically, the use of killing and disappearances to silence the opposition and end the warfare.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005428, ucf:50412
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005428

Title: Ideas, Beliefs, Strategic Culture, and Foreign Policy: Understanding Brazil's Geopolitical Thought.
Creator: Rosas Degaut Pontes, Marcos, Handberg, Roger, Mousseau, Michael, Mirilovic, Nikola, Dantas, George Felipe De Lima, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Brazil is an important player both at regional and global levels, figuring prominently in almost all lists of emerging states and regional powers. It is one of the world's largest democracies, the fifth most populous country in the world, the world's seventh-largest economy, and Latin America's largest economy, accounting for approximately 60% of South America's GDP, 47% of South America's territory and 49% of South American population, a G20 member, and an active contributor to United...
Show moreBrazil is an important player both at regional and global levels, figuring prominently in almost all lists of emerging states and regional powers. It is one of the world's largest democracies, the fifth most populous country in the world, the world's seventh-largest economy, and Latin America's largest economy, accounting for approximately 60% of South America's GDP, 47% of South America's territory and 49% of South American population, a G20 member, and an active contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations. However, despite being usually depicted as a "monster country" which would help shape global affairs, Brazil has never been able to match its geographic, territorial and demographic assets with global geostrategic clout, and military, political, and economic power. This research seeks to explain how a rising power such as Brazil has historically behaved, reacted and constructed a discourse that, at the same time, constrains/motivates its decisions, explains its actions, and legitimizes its behavior. More specifically, the puzzle to be solved is why Brazilian regional policies are not more assertive given Brazil's capabilities? In order to answer this puzzle, this research will seek to analyze how a strategic culture influences a country's geopolitical thought, and consequently its policy choices and outcomes; to identify and qualify the elements of Brazilian strategic culture and its nature, as well as determine the relationship between these elements and Brazilian foreign and security policy decisions; to analyze the influence of Brazilian strategic culture features upon the country's geopolitical thought and grand strategy, and Brazil's geopolitics to South America; and finally to discuss the question of the dynamics of strategic cultural change in Brazil and its implications for the country's security and foreign policy decision-making process, as well as for its regional neighborhood.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006382, ucf:51521
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006382

civil war (2)	+ -
Africa (1)	+ -
Bangladesh (1)	+ -
Brazil (1)	+ -
Civil-Military Relations (1)	+ -

Comparative Politics (1)	+ -
Conflict (1)	+ -
Coups (1)	+ -
Defense Spending (1)	+ -
Democracy (1)	+ -
Democratization (1)	+ -
Dictatorships (1)	+ -
ECOMOG (1)	+ -
ECOWAS (1)	+ -
EU (1)	+ -
European Union (1)	+ -
Europeanization (1)	+ -
Foreign policy (1)	+ -
Guinea-Bissau (1)	+ -
Guns versus Butter (1)	+ -
International military intervention (1)	+ -
Military Expenditures (1)	+ -
Moldova (1)	+ -
Myanmar (1)	+ -
OSCE (1)	+ -
Policy Convergence (1)	+ -
Political Economy (1)	+ -
Politics of Authoritarian Regimes (1)	+ -
Regime Transitions (1)	+ -
Rohingya (1)	+ -

ETD Collection (9)	+ -
Honors Collection (3)	+ -

Mirilovic, Nikola (12)	+ -
University of Central Florida (12)	+ -
Dolan, Thomas (4)	+ -
Sadri, Houman (2)	+ -
Wilson, Bruce (2)	+ -

Ash, Konstantin (1)	+ -
Ben Hammou, Salah (1)	+ -
Boutton, Andrew (1)	+ -
Dantas, George Felipe De Lima (1)	+ -
Fulk, Alanna (1)	+ -
Handberg, Roger (1)	+ -
Kinsey, Barbara (1)	+ -
Klose, Kenneth (1)	+ -
Lanier, Drew (1)	+ -
Lanza, Grayson (1)	+ -
Mellott, Melinda (1)	+ -
Mousseau, Michael (1)	+ -
Okhai, Ratna (1)	+ -
Powell, Jonathan (1)	+ -
Reynolds, Teddy (1)	+ -
Rosas Degaut Pontes, Marcos (1)	+ -
Schafer, Mark (1)	+ -
Schiffer, Samuel S (1)	+ -
Timmerman, Ashley (1)	+ -
Velasco, Juliana (1)	+ -
Williams, Jonathan (1)	+ -
Young, Kurt (1)	+ -
Zuardo, Steven (1)	+ -

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