Understanding how media consumption affects individuals in Latin America has received little atte... more Understanding how media consumption affects individuals in Latin America has received little attention. Relative to other forms of media, research on the effect of internet use remains an empty set. This project endeavors to explore the development of internet use in Latin America as well as the effect of that use on political attitudes and behaviors. Using Latin American Public Opinion Project survey data taken from multiple years, I look to offer an initial analysis of the determinants of internet use. Those determinants will be analyzed by comparing the results of the statistical tests to results of similar tests that have been previously conducted for other forms of media consumption. Finally, a simple exploration of the political effects of internet use will be conducted. This project will be the first of its kind for the Latin American region and should aid future research interested in the effect of internet use in developing regions.
For media communication researchers, a relationship between media consumption and democratic poli... more For media communication researchers, a relationship between media consumption and democratic politics is expected and evidenced. Explanations for that relationship are elusive. This is especially true in developing regions such as Latin America where our understanding of how news media consumption affects individuals is only now beginning to take shape. Building on extant work regarding news media and democratic politics, this project embraces the idea that political interest is the key to understanding how media consumption affects individuals politically and thus requires focused attention in scholarly research. News media are viewed as a socializing force that influence political interest by providing information about current events that are generally relatable to politics. From this perspective, the relationship between news media consumption and political interest is tested using robust survey data taken from the Latin American Public Opinion Project 2008 dataset. Statistical ...
Central American scholars choose one of two approaches for studying the isthmus. One is a broad ... more Central American scholars choose one of two approaches for studying the isthmus. One is a broad region-based approach to analysis and the other is a state-centered approach that treats each Central American state as distinct from the others. The difference between these two approaches hinges on the perceived character of the people and institutions in Central America as either intrinsically shared or primarily unique to each state. In his book Transnational Politics in Central America , Luis Roniger sets out to help students of Central American politics and society make their decision about what approach to take by laying out the argument that the characteristics of Central American states and societies are influenced by one another and thus should be studied as a single system.
Recent global events, exemplified by the Arab Spring uprisings, have popularized the assumption t... more Recent global events, exemplified by the Arab Spring uprisings, have popularized the assumption that social media use is intrinsically connected to contemporary protest behavior. Latin America is a region with a longstanding tradition of protest behavior. This research project seeks to elucidate the relationship between social media use and protest behavior in eight contiguous Latin American countries from Mexico to Colombia using the Latin American Public Opinion Project 2012 survey data. Resource mobilization theory anchors our understanding of how social media use informs protest participation. The results indicate a strong relationship between social media use and protest participation.
ABSTRACT Placemaking is a form of public engagement that impacts community development by buildin... more ABSTRACT Placemaking is a form of public engagement that impacts community development by building social capital, motivating public policy, and shaping real estate development. Popular across public-focused industries, placemaking permeates strategies for community development. This project seeks to elucidate the extent to which community development-centered institutions engage in placemaking and for what reasons. The institutions of focus in this study are community development corporations (CDCs). Employing a survey of CDC associates, the data reveal that placemaking is, in fact, a well-known and oft-practiced strategy among CDCs for myriad reasons – among them an alignment and reliance on local assets – all with the ultimate end of developing communities across the United States.
Abstract The 21st century has been witness to significant changes in technology and individual be... more Abstract The 21st century has been witness to significant changes in technology and individual behavior, yet despite those changes we still look to traditional forms of political engagement to explain contemporary political phenomena. This project explores a new form of associational behavior: creative placemaking. Driven by the work of urban and community planners, creative placemaking seeks to activate a public-facing space through the deliberate actions of people in a built environment. With interviews of 24 individuals in the greater Cincinnati area we explore the nature of creative placemaking using the tools of social science. Our inquiry is focused on distilling how these individuals define placemaking and the outcomes and implications of that behavior. Interviewees consistently highlight goal-oriented placemaking and projects deemed “authentic” for the neighborhoods of focus with significant emphasis placed on participation, connections, and pride in one's community. Our study also finds that placemaking is not an exclusively urban phenomenon, with placemaking events taking place well outside Cincinnati's urban counties. And while policy can be a roadblock for placemaking, it is not insurmountable. In sum, this project begins to answer important research questions about engagement in the 21st century while elucidating a robust research agenda.
The deepening of democracy in developing regions requires that individuals support their politica... more The deepening of democracy in developing regions requires that individuals support their political systems not only through democratic behaviours but also through the continual strengthening of democratic attitudes. Traditional news media have long held a favoured position when it comes to understanding democracy. Now social media has emerged as a new and exciting communication technology. This project explores social media use and the unique way in which media affect Latin Americans’ attitudes. Empirical analysis of survey data from eight Latin American states supports social media as a ‘public sphere’ where participants hold attitudes that are more democratic, separable from traditional media as well as general Internet use.
Understanding how media consumption affects individuals in Latin America has received little atte... more Understanding how media consumption affects individuals in Latin America has received little attention. Relative to other forms of media, research on the effect of internet use remains an empty set. This project endeavors to explore the development of internet use in Latin America as well as the effect of that use on political attitudes and behaviors. Using Latin American Public Opinion Project survey data taken from multiple years, I look to offer an initial analysis of the determinants of internet use. Those determinants will be analyzed by comparing the results of the statistical tests to results of similar tests that have been previously conducted for other forms of media consumption. Finally, a simple exploration of the political effects of internet use will be conducted. This project will be the first of its kind for the Latin American region and should aid future research interested in the effect of internet use in developing regions.
For media communication researchers, a relationship between media consumption and democratic poli... more For media communication researchers, a relationship between media consumption and democratic politics is expected and evidenced. Explanations for that relationship are elusive. This is especially true in developing regions such as Latin America where our understanding of how news media consumption affects individuals is only now beginning to take shape. Building on extant work regarding news media and democratic politics, this project embraces the idea that political interest is the key to understanding how media consumption affects individuals politically and thus requires focused attention in scholarly research. News media are viewed as a socializing force that influence political interest by providing information about current events that are generally relatable to politics. From this perspective, the relationship between news media consumption and political interest is tested using robust survey data taken from the Latin American Public Opinion Project 2008 dataset. Statistical ...
Central American scholars choose one of two approaches for studying the isthmus. One is a broad ... more Central American scholars choose one of two approaches for studying the isthmus. One is a broad region-based approach to analysis and the other is a state-centered approach that treats each Central American state as distinct from the others. The difference between these two approaches hinges on the perceived character of the people and institutions in Central America as either intrinsically shared or primarily unique to each state. In his book Transnational Politics in Central America , Luis Roniger sets out to help students of Central American politics and society make their decision about what approach to take by laying out the argument that the characteristics of Central American states and societies are influenced by one another and thus should be studied as a single system.
Recent global events, exemplified by the Arab Spring uprisings, have popularized the assumption t... more Recent global events, exemplified by the Arab Spring uprisings, have popularized the assumption that social media use is intrinsically connected to contemporary protest behavior. Latin America is a region with a longstanding tradition of protest behavior. This research project seeks to elucidate the relationship between social media use and protest behavior in eight contiguous Latin American countries from Mexico to Colombia using the Latin American Public Opinion Project 2012 survey data. Resource mobilization theory anchors our understanding of how social media use informs protest participation. The results indicate a strong relationship between social media use and protest participation.
ABSTRACT Placemaking is a form of public engagement that impacts community development by buildin... more ABSTRACT Placemaking is a form of public engagement that impacts community development by building social capital, motivating public policy, and shaping real estate development. Popular across public-focused industries, placemaking permeates strategies for community development. This project seeks to elucidate the extent to which community development-centered institutions engage in placemaking and for what reasons. The institutions of focus in this study are community development corporations (CDCs). Employing a survey of CDC associates, the data reveal that placemaking is, in fact, a well-known and oft-practiced strategy among CDCs for myriad reasons – among them an alignment and reliance on local assets – all with the ultimate end of developing communities across the United States.
Abstract The 21st century has been witness to significant changes in technology and individual be... more Abstract The 21st century has been witness to significant changes in technology and individual behavior, yet despite those changes we still look to traditional forms of political engagement to explain contemporary political phenomena. This project explores a new form of associational behavior: creative placemaking. Driven by the work of urban and community planners, creative placemaking seeks to activate a public-facing space through the deliberate actions of people in a built environment. With interviews of 24 individuals in the greater Cincinnati area we explore the nature of creative placemaking using the tools of social science. Our inquiry is focused on distilling how these individuals define placemaking and the outcomes and implications of that behavior. Interviewees consistently highlight goal-oriented placemaking and projects deemed “authentic” for the neighborhoods of focus with significant emphasis placed on participation, connections, and pride in one's community. Our study also finds that placemaking is not an exclusively urban phenomenon, with placemaking events taking place well outside Cincinnati's urban counties. And while policy can be a roadblock for placemaking, it is not insurmountable. In sum, this project begins to answer important research questions about engagement in the 21st century while elucidating a robust research agenda.
The deepening of democracy in developing regions requires that individuals support their politica... more The deepening of democracy in developing regions requires that individuals support their political systems not only through democratic behaviours but also through the continual strengthening of democratic attitudes. Traditional news media have long held a favoured position when it comes to understanding democracy. Now social media has emerged as a new and exciting communication technology. This project explores social media use and the unique way in which media affect Latin Americans’ attitudes. Empirical analysis of survey data from eight Latin American states supports social media as a ‘public sphere’ where participants hold attitudes that are more democratic, separable from traditional media as well as general Internet use.
Uploads