Thesis Abstracts 2018

The Effects of Terrorism on State Governance: Armed Struggle in Italy, 1968-1988

Ginevra Maria Sole Bruno

As the scope and intensity of terrorist attacks increase globally, it is imperative to examine the effects of counter-terrorism measures not only on the potential terrorist but also on those who administer them. This thesis analyzes the effects of terrorism on state governance. Examining political terrorism in Italy, 1968-1988, a period of intensified armed struggle, I analyze state governance capacity before and after the assassinations of Aldo Moro and Fulvio Croce. Drawing on government documents, media, and the National Institute of Statistics, I find that terrorist attacks negatively impact fiscal policies: efforts to countervail terrorism reduce state government budgets, thus undermining the efficiency of local governments which are then disrupted by social unrest. Efforts to strengthen citizen security can, paradoxically, result in increased domestic instability. This finding has implications for theories of state capacity and governance and draws attention to the need for counter-terrorism measures that do not endanger state efficiency.
Key words: terrorism, state governance, Red Brigades, Italy, modus operandi
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Diplomatic Approaches to International Watercourses: Analyzing Chinese Policy on the Mekong and Brahmaputra Rivers, 1997-2018

Vaughn Campbell

How do powerful upstream states determine diplomatic interactions on international rivers? Recent literature does not reach a consensus, but argues that differences in approaches toward downstream states are the result of either external regional norms or internal bureaucratic processes. I argue that such frameworks give insufficient consideration to the upstream state as an actor. Instead, I propose a framework of ‘expedient statecraft,’ which centers upstream states as decision-makers and analyzes the opportunity cost of non-cooperation across a variety of spheres as the primary factor determining the diplomatic approach. I support this through comparative case study. I analyze Chinese official statements and actions, as well as Chinese media discourse, regarding four events on two of China’s international watercourses: the Mekong and Brahmaputra Rivers. This study aims to shed light on the diplomatic considerations of powerful upstream states, in order to better understand the factors leading to cooperation on shared rivers.
Key words: China, Mekong, Brahmaputra, International watercourses, River diplomacy
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The Language of Violence: Gender, Murder, and the Patriarchal State--A Feminist Case Study of Femicide in Chile, 2007-2017

Margot Cohen

Latin America continues to report the world’s highest rates of femicide, the gender-motivated murders of women. Over the past decade, eighteen Latin American states have adopted specific femicide legislation following the emergence of a transnational movement. Despite these reforms, femicide rates remain staggeringly high. Analyzing the case of Chile, I show that femicide is situated in the historical, economic, and socio-political context of the patriarchal state, which normalizes structural and cultural violence against women. Based on fieldwork I conducted in Santiago, Chile (2017-18), I use feminist critical discourse analysis to compare the language of the state to that of civil society actors. This thesis contributes to feminist and normative theory on domestic policy implementation by showing discourse as a site where violence and power is reproduced. This discourse exposes other forms of violence against women, presenting new challenges in accessing justice and enacting social change.
Key words: Chile, violence against women, femicide, patriarchy, discourse, international norms, domestic policies
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Shifting from an Extractive Growth Model to an Innovative Growth Model: A Comparison of Israel and Chile

Helen Gerstenfeld Abreu

Why are some countries able to shift from an extractive to an innovative growth model and others are not? The digital economy has led to a realization that dependence solely on extraction of commodities is detrimental for economic growth and society. Three explanations—elites, networks and state capacity—are offered separately in the innovation and growth models literature. This thesis suggests a more holistic approach. I argue that these factors should be considered together in order to illuminate historical, political, and economic mechanisms that enable this kind of shift. I illustrate the argument by comparing Israel –a success case of shifting growth models from extractive to innovative—and Chile, a nation unable to shift despite strong innovation policies. Based on historical analysis (1950-2016), I find that specific mechanisms, such as a shared identity, enable a shift. These findings imply that innovation policy should be cross-cutting and address specific historical mechanisms.
Key words: innovation, extractive, growth model, economic-political mechanis
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Violent Conflict, Nation-Building, and Language Policy Formation: A Comparative Study of India and Indonesia

Arundhati A. Ponnapa

In multilingual states, the process of language planning and policy can have significant social, political, and economic impacts. For postcolonial states, this issue is amplified by the complex relationships shared with former colonial powers, with respect to the choice between adopting or not adopting colonial languages as official languages. Among the most prominent explanations for this variation is the process of nation-building in postcolonial states. This thesis finds that nation-building processes are influenced by violent conflict in postcolonial states, affecting language policy choices. This finding is based on a historical, comparative case study of India and Indonesia with the English and Dutch languages. I examine the impact of violent conflict on nation-building and language planning processes, using parliamentary debate records for the former, and historiographical studies of both states. This approach seeks to historicise language planning decisions and reframe narratives concerning official language policy formation in postcolonial states.
Key words: official language, nation-building, violent conflict, postcolonial states
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The Influence of Societal Dynamics on Impeachment: The Interrelated Forces of the Brazilian Upper-Middle Class on the Removal of Dilma Rousseff

Tamara Upfal

What causes impeachment? Scholars have overwhelmingly considered impeachment as an example of democracy successfully at work, particularly in newer democracies where political institutions and the rule of law are being tested. However, Dilma Rousseff’s 2016 impeachment based on an unimpeachable crime indicates that there are other forces at play. In contrast to recent explanations that have tied singular forces—such as the economic crisis, corruption scandals, and the media—to the 2016 impeachment, I offer a holistic model that depicts how multiple forces interact with each other in order to ultimately cause impeachment. Based on congressional discourse analysis, media content analysis, economic analysis, and public opinion polling, I find that societal dynamics, specifically the changing attitude of the upper-middle class, are central to bringing forth impeachment. Within the context of “global declining democracy,” this thesis re-conceptualizes what forces cause impeachment and presents theoretical and practical implications for preserving democracies.
Key words: impeachment, middle class, Dilma Rousseff, Brazil, Partido de Trabalhadores
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