Trust in government is essential to democratic practice. This article analyzed the factors shaping trust in the federal government using a survey of 260 Mexican immigrants living in rural Illinois and in-depth interviews with 32 participants. To analyze these data, we drew a distinction between support for the regime (system of government that is relatively stable in a political system) and support for authorities (those who temporarily occupy positions of power) to test whether regime or authorities' considerations shaped respondents' political trust. The results showed that both considerations influenced trust in the federal government. We also found that a perception of current leaders as being concerned with issues affecting Latinos and an increased optimism about the economic situation were key determinants in explaining trust in the federal government. Further, our in-depth interviews showed that respondents thought about economic issues, immigration, and overall assessments of the Obama administration when determining their level of trust in the federal government.
The influence of Latinos on all aspects of the American political landscape has increased dramatically in recent years. However, research on political participation among Latinas has been scarce. This study examined the factors influencing participation in protests, a type of nonelectoral political behavior, among Mexican women. This research was based on surveys with 290 Mexican women from the Chicago area and explored the role of their levels of economic, social, and household empowerment in explaining participation in protests. After controlling for a number of demographic and political factors, it was found that women with higher levels of social and household empowerment were more likely to participate in protests. More specifically, women who did not need permission from their husbands to leave their house and those who had fewer domestic chores were more active in protests.
Why has Namibia, with a dependency on alluvial diamond wealth and location in sub-Saharan Africa, been able to comply with the Kimberley Process while other states in the region have not? The author's objective is to account for how domestic political economy can influence international agreements. He argues that diamond dependency in Namibia has facilitated compliance with the Kimberley Process. The case of how Namibia has responded to the Kimberley Process illustrates how De Beers has been able to constrain domestic policy and use the Kimberley Process as a way to maintain a virtual monopoly in domestic diamond production.
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