Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11875/18
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Browsing Electronic Theses and Dissertations by Department "Government"
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Item A statistical study of selected factors associated with expediture variations in central cities of TexasEberhart, Louis Dale,1940.; Griffin, Howard L; Herbert C. Hannah; Lee. E. OlmPurpose: It was the purpose of this study to investigate through empirical research methods the degrees of influence exerted by selected fiscal, demographic, socio-economic, and political characteristics of cities upon the ordinary expenditures of the central cities of the Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas of Texas during the years 1950 and 1960. Methods: The methods used in this study were (1) Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation in comparing variables of interval scale; (2) the Smirnov Test in comparing variables of ordinal scale to those of interval scale; and (3) linear regression analysis to determine the predictability of the various variables in influencing the expenditure levels of the central cities of Texas. Findings: From the analysis of the data gathered for this study the following conclusions appear to be in order: 1. Property tax received per capita exerts a strong influence upon expenditure levels of central cities of Texas. 2. Population size of Texas’ central cities is of significant influence upon their expenditures. 3. Intergovernmental revenue received per capita exerts a strong influence upon expenditure levels of Texas’ central cities. 4. Voter participation levels of Texas’ central cities are directly related to their levels of expenditures. 5. The percentages of the populations of Texas’ central cities which are over sixty-five years of age are directly related with their levels of expenditures. 6. The less Democratic (partisan) a city population tends to vote in national elections the more likely are its expenditures to rise, speaking again in reference to Texas’ central cities. 7. Factors such as population density, percent owner-occupied housing, per cent of population which was non-white, median family incomes, median school years completed, median age, and per cent increases in population exert relatively insignificant degrees of influence upon the expenditure levels of Texas’ central cities.Item Contemporary regions of the Arab world :a factor analysis and hierarchical clustering analysisBaz, Ahmed Abdullah Saad.; Holcombe, John W.; Herbert C. Hannah; E. Larry DickensPurpose: The purpose of this thesis are: (1) to determine the dimensions of fourteen Arab states (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, South Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen) on the basis of their political, social, economic, and demographic attributes: (2) based on the result of these dimensions, to ascertain clusters of these states based on common characteristics; and (3) to compare the regional groupings generated by these dimensions with previous delineations of Arab regions. Methods: The aims of this project are accomplished though the following methods: (1) to gather the most recent available data (1970-72) concerning fourteen states in the Arab World; (2) to factor analyze the variables so that meaningful dimensions can be extracted; and (3) to use the factor scores of the meaningful factors, to delineate regions of the fourteen Arab states through hierarchical clustering analysis. Findings: Based on the evidence displayed in this study, the following results are drawn: 1. Regional groupings of Arab states found by this study are different from both the traditional regions (the Nile Valley, the Maghrib, the Fertile Crescent, and the Arabian Peninsula) and those found by Bruce Russet in International Regions and the International System (the radical or revolutionary Arabs of the Geographic heartland, the Maghrib, and the geographically divided states). 2. The first of four regions determined by fifty-four variables used in this study consists of Algeria, Jordan, South Yemen, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen. All the states in the region, excluding Algeria, are economically poor, and do not possess adequate natural resources to meet their demands. Another feature of the region, with the exception of Tunisia and, to some extent, Algeria, is political instability. 3. The second region is occupied by Egypt and Lebanon. Both have been subjected to frequent cabinet changes. 4. The third cluster included Iraq, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Their similarities are in terms of defense, education, and health services. 5. The fourth region is occupied by Kuwait alone. This could be attributed to her affluence and small size. 6. At the level of three groupings, Kuwait joins Egypt and Lebanon. This is due to their higher rank on the “Mass Media and Communication� dimension. 7. It is suggested that future federations should be based in the regional groupings found by this study, not on mere geographic contiguity.Item The development of political attitudes among children :an empirical test of a genetic maturation modelMladenka, Kenneth R.,1943-; Dickens, E. Larry; James H. Grisham; Howard L. Griffin; Bascom Barry Hayes.Purpose: The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine patterns in the development of attitudes and orientations toward figures of political authority; (2) to determine which variables affect the development of political attitudes and orientations; and (3) to analyze the impact of various stages of childhood and adolescent cognitive development upon those attitudes. Methods: The methods employed in this study were (1) a review of the literature on political socialization; (2) the administration of a questionnaire in order to secure data on the development of political attitudes and orientations; and (3) the use of statistical techniques to determine the effect of the independent variables upon childhood political development. Findings: An analysis of the data revealed that: (1) There is a move from "personalization" of political authority (reverence for the President) on the part of younger students, toward an "institutionalization" of authority (favorable evaluations of the Congress and Supreme Court) on the part of older students, (2) The President is not as highly regarded by the respondents in this study as was the case in other socialization research. The President's position is usurped by the policeman. This finding holds when controls are made for party identification. (3) The Supreme Court receives a uniformly favorable evaluation. (4) The development of political attitudes and orientations is not largely complete by the eighth grade. There are significant differences between junior high and high school students. This finding challenges the conclusions reported in most socialization research. (5) The variables of race, religion, sex, political party preference, and SES have little effect, either within or across grades, on political attitudes and orientations. (6) Blacks and Mexican-Americans are not more cynical toward, and less supportive of, the political system than are whites. (7) Age is the only variable that significantly influences political attitudes and orientations. (8) The evidence supports a cognitive development model since students of the same age group are highly similar in their response to figures of political authority. Our data on the development of political attitudes fit the stages of childhood and adolescent cognitive and moral development suggested in the field of social learning theory. (9) Political scientists specializing in socialization have largely emphasized an environmental approach. Our evidence indicates that environmental variables (race, sex, religion, SES, and party identification) are less important than was previously thought to be the case.Item The effects of political and socio-economic variables on the redistributive aspects of public policy in the American statesWadzeck, Larry J.,1949-; Biles, Robert E; John W. Holcome; Beryl E. PettusPurpose: Previous research has indicated that the socio-economic system has greater impact on public policy than does the political system. The purposes of this investigation were to determine the following concerning the redistributive aspects of public policy: (1) the effect of the political and socio-economic systems on redistribution; (2) the effect of individual variables on redistribution; (2) the effect of individual variables on redistribution; and (3) the effect of the Southern states on the findings. Methods: This study is an extension of the research begun by Brian Fry and Richard Winters in their article The Politics of Redistribution which appeared in the American Political Science Review in June 1970. The procedures employed in this analysis were: (1) to formulate a redistribution ratio which would represent the ratio of expenditure benefits to revenue burdens for the three lowest income classes in each state; (2) to gather data for the variables that represent the political and socio-economic systems; (3) to submit the political and socio-economic variables to factor analysis in order to determine basic dimensions within the two systems; and (4) to submit the independent and dependent variables to regression analysis (which included simple correlations among all of the independent variables, partial correlation to determine the effect of individual variables on redistribution, and multiple correlation to determine the effect of the political and socio-economic systems on redistribution). Findings: (1) Contrary to Fry and Winters findings, there is little difference in the effect of the political and socio-economic systems on the redistributive aspects of state public policies; both have major independent impact. (2) Within the political system, progressiveness in state government has the most impact on redistribution. (3) Within the socio-economic system, ability to pay, especially median income, has the most impact on redistribution. (4) The political and socio-economic variables have the same impact in all fifty states and the non-South.