2021 Watson Undergraduate Thesis Conference

12:00 Welcome Remarks

Edward Steinfeld
Director Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Professor of Political Science

11:15 PANEL I: Policy Across Borders [Moderator: Ivan Arreguín-Toft]

Provocations as Engagement: The Foreign Policy Strategy of North Korea in 2017
Elaina Kim (IR)

Constituting Arenas of Great Power Competition: Policymaking Narratives and the Globalization of US-China Competition
Emma Kumleben (IR)

Do the International Monetary Fund's Mistakes Fuel Learning? An Examination of the IMF in South Africa and Cote d'Ivoire
Alexandra Reice (IR)

The Price of Liberty: Implications of Digital Contact Tracing for Privacy, Public Health, and the Economy
Emily Skahill (PLCY)

Q & A

12:45 PANEL II: Policy the “American Way” [Moderator: Bob Hackey]

Holding States Accountable: The Politics of Open Records Laws at the Subnational Level
Audrey Kim (PLCY)

Private Wealth for Public Good? A Critical Examination of The Role of Philanthropic Foundations in American Democracy
Lucia Winton (PLCY)

Recasting the Iron Triangle Fails to Serve our Nation’s Veterans: Partial Privatization of the VHA under the Veterans Choice and VA MISSION Acts
Grace Banfield (PLCY)

Defensive Medicine: An Elusive Beast
Viknesh Kasthuri (PLCY)

Q & A

2:30 PANEL III: Exclusion, Inclusion and Equity in Education [Moderator: Tony Levitas]

Desegregating Suburban School Districts: Understanding Challenges and Evaluating Practices for Effective Policy Implementation
Isabelle Belleza (PLCY)

A Nation of Growth and Decline: Charter Schools and the Broken Promise for Efficiency and Equity in American Public Education
Katherine Bennett (PLCY)

Innovation in Practice: A Program Evaluation of Young Entrepreneurs of Providence (YEP!)
Audrey Shapiro (PLCY)

The Invisibility Problem: A Study of the Implementation of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act using Two State Case Studies
Mandana Vakil (PLCY)

Q & A

4:00 Closing Remarks