Browsing by Author "Palladino, Lauren"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Exploring Barriers to Women's Political Representation in Thailand
    (Rice University, 2020) Palladino, Lauren
    Gender quotas have proven to be one of the more effective ways of improving women’s representation in legislatures worldwide. While extensive literature exists on the efficacy of these quotas throughout Europe, the Americas, and Africa, there is a newfound need to shift focus to gender representation in Southeast Asian nations. This study applies many of the existing theories on gender quotas to existing quotas throughout Southeast Asia, specifically examining the anomaly of Thailand. While Thailand continues to lag behind other South- east Asian nations, the results of this study hint at the more complex sociocultural forces at play. These findings are consistent with existing theories of women’s representation in global legislatures, and suggest that the efficacy of gender quotas is largely dependent on the context of each nation individually. The results of this study hold critical implications for understanding both women’s roles in government, as well as the barriers to implementing institutional changes for equality.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Talking Trump: Exploring the use of Populist Rhetoric in Partisan Rallies
    (Rice University, 2020) Palladino, Lauren
    Presidential speeches have immense power to advocate for policy, influence public opinion, and portray an image of a president. While extensive literature exists studying presidential addresses until the Obama era, this body of work needs to be updated to include the Trump presidency. Donald Trump’s rhetorical strategies have become a spectre of public attention, and a complete anomaly when compared to his predecessors. Notably, his use of the partisan rally format suggests his unwillingness to present issues to a bipartisan format. This study compares Donald Trump’s rally speeches to a form of traditional address, his 2019 State of the Union Address. Specifically analyzing for instances if informative, evaluative, and action based statements, it was found that rally speeches contained significantly more evaluative statements than his bipartisan addresses. These findings are consistent with accepted theories of populism, and suggest that these rallies may be a part of a larger strategy to increase populist appeals among the Trump voting bloc. These results certainly hold critical implications when it comes to understanding both Donald Trump, and the prominent shift within the Republican Party.