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The Sword, the Purse, and the Pen: the Constitutional Conundrum of Impoundment
Full text linkThis Thesis explores the constitutional conundrum of executive impoundment, the practice by which the President of the United States withholds or delays the expenditure of funds appropriated by Congress. Although impoundment has deep historical roots dating back to the Constitution’s Framers, its modern use raises profound questions regarding our separation of powers. This Thesis establishes a functional framework that distinguishes between “routine” impoundments, which promote administrative efficiency, and “policy” impoundments, which may undermine congressional intent. Furthermore, after tracing the development of impoundment from the early Republic through the Nixon Administration and the passage of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, this Thesis asserts that neither the Constitution’s text nor judicial rulings support the sweeping power to make policy impoundments as proposed by advocates. However, through a comprehensive review of key impoundments and constitutional gloss analysis, this Thesis concludes that a limited impoundment authority – specifically in the realm of national security and defense – is justified under the Commander-in-Chief Clause and established by constitutional gloss, leaving conflicts surrounding other policy impoundments subject to the “hurly-burly” of inter-branch political discourse. By situating impoundment within the broader context of executive power, statutory interpretation, and constitutional practice, this Thesis highlights the need for renewed attention to the delicate balance of powers in American governance
The Impact of Technology and Social Media on the Expansion of Mexican Cartels\u27 Power
Full text linkThis thesis examines how Mexican cartels, particularly the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel, use technology and social media to expand their operations and influence. As these cartels evolve into more sophisticated criminal organizations, they leverage tools like encrypted messaging, drones, and social media to enhance recruitment, surveillance, intimidation, and propaganda. Through an analysis of news articles, government reports, social media content, and academic studies, the research focuses on two key areas: digital media manipulation and military-grade technology. The findings show that social media has become a powerful tool for cartels to assert dominance and instill fear, with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok being used not only for posting violent content but also for promoting a glamorous narco-culture to recruit young members. Additionally, cartels have weaponized technology, deploying drones and armored vehicles, such as CJNG\u27s narco-tanks, to wage remote warfare and maintain control over contested territories. This paper highlights the growing challenges for law enforcement and policymakers, stressing the need for a comprehensive, technology-aware approach to combat these increasingly tech-enabled criminal organizations. The future of public safety in Mexico hinges on innovative strategies to address both physical and digital cartel threats
De l’oppression à la résistance : Les stratégies d’émancipation dans Une si longue lettre et Femmes d’Alger dans leur appartement
No full textThis thesis explores the oppression faced by women and the strategies they employ in Mariama Bâ’s Une si longue lettre and Assia Djebar’s Femmes d’Alger dans leur appartement. Although the two authors come from different countries — Senegal and Algeria — their works were published around the same period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and both seek to challenge the existing patriarchal structures within their societies. The thesis is divided into two main parts: The first part examines the obstacles faced by women, particularly those arising from external traditions, internalized norms, and patriarchal authority figures. The second part analyzes the strategies women use to resist these obstacles, such as speaking out, leaving oppressive environments, and reclaiming their voices through writing
Agricultural Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Meta-Analysis
No full textThis paper examines four major interventions impacting agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa today: commercialization, technology, gender and inclusion, and climate resilience through a meta-analysis of 40 peer-reviewed studies. Through this meta-analysis I found that agricultural initiatives are most effective when they are context-specific, support small farmers, and are backed by strong systems (e.g., government, NGOs, etc). Solutions like agricultural technology or commercializing agriculture can even add to already existing inequalities when such factors are left out. I also found that factors such as land access, gender dynamics, and climate risks have a bigger influence on effectiveness than the interventions themselves
Objective Foundations of Happiness: A Cross-National Analysis of Well-Being
No full textThis paper analyzes whether the objective indicators, health, governance, education, poverty, and marriage, explain cross-national differences in subjective well-being (SWB). It employs Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions. Three global SWB indices are compared to the objective indicators: the World Happiness Report, the OECD Better Life Index, and the Happy Planet Index. The goal is to reveal which objective indicators are most consistently significant in relation to SWB rankings, and which show weaker and inconsistent relationships. Despite the imperfect nature of SWB measures, this paper explores whether they can still be meaningfully tied to societal conditions. This analysis contributes to the broader debate on measuring happines
The Role of Empathy and Moral Emotions in Reducing the Dehumanization of Sexually Objectified Women
No full textThe sexual objectification of women is associated with harmful outcomes, including increased tolerance for sexual violence and perceptions of women as less moral and competent (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997; Heflick & Goldenberg, 2009). Objectification is often framed as a form of dehumanization, with theorists suggesting that moral emotions like disgust and contempt may mediate this process (Haidt, 2003; Steiger, 2019). The present study examined whether perspective-taking reduces explicit and implicit dehumanization of a sexually objectified woman and whether reductions in disgust and contempt mediate this relationship. Participants (N = 33) read a vignette about a sexualized woman and were assigned to either a perspective-taking or control condition. Results revealed no significant effects of the manipulation on explicit or implicit dehumanization, nor on state empathy, disgust, or contempt. Results are mainly explained through methodological limitations, including low statistical power and potentially ineffective objectification stimuli. Despite null findings, exploratory analyses revealed that participants’ prior experiences of objectification were positively related to empathy for the vignette character, suggesting experience-based empathy may shape responses. A significant correlation between disgust and contempt further supports their conceptual overlap in dehumanization research. Finally, evidence of implicit dehumanization was observed, reinforcing the relevance of unconscious biases. These findings suggest future research should use more evocative stimuli, larger and more diverse samples, and consider both emotional and experiential factors when studying the mechanisms of dehumanization in sexual objectification
Populist Leaders in the Global South: A Case Study of Modi’s India and Duterte’s Philippines
No full textThis thesis examines how populist leaders Narendra Modi (India) and Rodrigo Duterte (Philippines) exploited postcolonial vulnerabilities to consolidate power and erode democratic norms. It comparatively analyzes their strategies to show how Global South populism structurally responds to colonial legacies, elite capture, and neoliberal inequities. Combining discourse analysis with institutional audits, the study identifies three authoritarian mechanisms: (1) legislative weaponization codifying exclusion, (2) welfare conditionality tying benefits to compliance, and (3) institutional capture of courts and bureaucracies.
Both leaders reframed historical grievances (e.g., colonial divides) into moral crises, legitimizing exclusion under “national renewal.” Despite ideological differences, they centralized power by weakening checks on authority, co-opting institutions, and rewarding loyalists. Post-reelection strategies evolved into iterative authoritarianism—centralizing decision-making (Modi) and militarizing governance (Duterte) —transforming institutions into tools of majoritarian control. Challenging Western-centric frameworks, the study argues populism’s threat lies not in rhetoric but in institutionalizing exclusion through legal-bureaucratic systems. By integrating ideology and institutional analysis, it models how fractured democracies enable authoritarian adaptation. Findings underscore addressing systemic vulnerabilities-historical inequities and weak institutions-to counter populism’s entrenchment in the Global South
The Right Way to Go Wrong: A Reflection
Full text linkThis thesis documents my personal experience acting in Pomona College’s Fall 2024 production of The Play That Goes Wrong. I begin with an artist statement – a poem explaining the reasons why I act. The paper then moves into a general overview of the project, including my past training and future goals. The next section, which is the bulk of the material, contains chronological evidence of the production from start to finish and focuses on my attempt to find precise physicality. I finish with thoughts about the result as well as general reflections on how the process has shaped me as an actor. I have also included my full annotated script
The Requirements of a Nuclear Propulsion System for the Human Exploration of Mars
Full text linkThis thesis investigates the propulsion requirements for a crewed mission to Mars, focusing on how mission architecture, particularly the choice between opposition- and conjunction-class trajectories, influences the selection between nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) and nuclear electric propulsion (NEP). By applying the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation, the Delta-V (∆V) needed for efficient interplanetary transfers is shown to exceed the performance limits of chemical propulsion, motivating the need for nuclear alternatives. An engineering comparison of NTP and NEP systems evaluates key parameters including specific impulse, thrust, propellant mass fraction, system mass, and power-to-mass ratios. NTP provides high thrust but moderate efficiency, making it suitable for short-duration missions; NEP offers high efficiency but low thrust, aligning better with long-duration profiles. Trajectory modeling, developed in Python using poliastro and NASA JPL ephemeris data identifies viable launch windows and quantifies propulsive demands for each mission type. The analysis demonstrates that NEP may have broader viability across different mission architectures and allow for more conservative mission design. These findings emphasize the importance of aligning propulsion system development with mission architecture early in the planning process. As agencies target a 2039 launch window, strategic investment in the appropriate nuclear propulsion technologies is critical to enabling sustainable human exploration of Mars
Skilled Immigrant Labor and AI Innovation: A Longitudinal Panel Analysis of H-1B Sponsorship Effects on AI Patenting
Full text linkThis thesis examines how firm-level access to high-skilled immigrant labor, measured through H-1B visa petitions and approvals, affects innovation in artificial intelligence (AI). Using a panel dataset linking firm-year H-1B filings from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Employer Data Hub to AI patent records from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) between 2009 and 2019, the analysis estimates fixed effects regressions predicting AI patenting activity. The results show that H-1B approvals are positively and significantly associated with future AI patent counts, while petitions alone are not. Alternative specifications using inverse hyperbolic sine transformations and changes in patent counts further validate the main findings. These results highlight the critical role of realized foreign talent in driving firm-level innovation and underscore the innovation constraints imposed by current U.S. visa policy