Sociology Faculty Presentations Copyright (c) 2013 Western Kentucky University All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/socio_fac_pres Recent documents in Sociology Faculty Presentations en-us Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:58:19 PDT 3600 Institutional-Anomie, Political Corruption, and Homicide Rates http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/socio_fac_pres/3 http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/socio_fac_pres/3 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:01:34 PST Messner and Rosenfeld’s institutional-anomie theory (IAT) has advanced our understanding of cross-national variation in homicide rates. Empirical tests of IAT have primarily examined how non-economic institutions alleviate or mitigate the mal-effects of economic inequality and economic deprivation. As economic institutions gain strength and dominance, non-economic institutions tend to weaken and are forced to accommodate the market. This creates an elevated state of institutional anomie that is conducive to higher violent crime rates. Most cross-national quantitative tests of IAT have examined the comparative strength of economic and social support institutions (especially social welfare) and find support for the theory. However, prior research has not examined other anomic institutional configurations that could increase violent crime rates within nation-states. For example, global economic forces coupled with an anemic nation-state government possessing high levels of corruption, patronage, and clientalism, all of which are evidence of market forces penetrating the polity, could theoretically represent an institutional-imbalance promoting higher violent crime rates. Our cross-national quantitative study is an attempt to fill this gap in the literature by offering a measure of political corruption. Our models reexamine the effects of the economy on homicide rates while controlling for various measures of social support and political corruption. The theoretical and empirical implications are discussed.

]]> Jerry K. Daday et al. The Influence of Risk Perception, Vulnerability and Community Level Processes on Human-Wildlife Conflict in Southeastern Kenya http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/socio_fac_pres/2 http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/socio_fac_pres/2 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:01:33 PST The prior literature on the sociology of disasters has primarily examined community responses to large-scale episodic disasters, such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. However, the study of persistent and chronic disasters in developing countries represents an area that has largely been ignored in prior studies. Flint and Luloff’s (2005) Inter-actional theory as a framework, our research examines the influence of perceived risk, vulnerability and community characteristics on human-wildlife conflict among 275 subsistence-based farmers living in four small villages in Southeastern Kenya. These farmers rely on a horticultural and pastoral economy for survival and reside in four villages located between two of Kenya’s largest national parks. These parks are unfenced, and the consumption or hunting of wildlife represents a criminal act in Kenya. Conflict with wildlife represents a chronic and persistent risk that can be disastrous when their crops and livestock are destroyed.

]]> Jerry K. Daday et al. The Effects of Gender on Small Businesses: A Case Study of Kasigau, Kenya http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/socio_fac_pres/1 http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/socio_fac_pres/1 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:10:34 PST Small businesses are seen as an agent of economic growth in developing countries. Recently, the idea of micro-lending has received increased attention due to its promising effects on employment and personal economic growth in rural developing areas. However, we lack an in depth understanding of how male and female business owners differ.

In the summer of 2007, our research group from Western Kentucky University spent three and a half weeks in a small rural area of Kenya, Africa. This area called Kasigau was situated at the base of Mount Kasigau in eastern Kenya. During our time there, we surveyed the different villages around the base of the mountain and collected data on small businesses in the villages. This is the data and findings presented.

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