Civic Education in K-12 educational curriculum has an important relationship with civic engagement and voter participation in the broader community. Campbell and Nieme (2016) theorize civic exams are most effective in forming political knowledge among youth in states where these exams serve as requirements for high school graduation. This study is important because it focuses on the effectiveness of current civic exams in youth political knowledge; however, it does not evaluate the variances in the amount of civic education instruction received. This research demonstrates the relationship between the overall voter turnout of a county and the amount of civic education instruction included in this school's K-12 curriculum. The reseach design consists of quantitative data using interval-ratio variables as measurements and regression analysis as the method. Results support the original hypothesis that as voter turnout increases, a stronger emphasis is placed on civic education within that county's curriculum. This research fills a void between civics in the classroom and an active citizenry. To the policy community, it highlights the value of civic education. 

The purpose of this research is to analyze the multifaceted factors that affect foreign direct investment (FDI) in African and Asian countries. The Asian region has experienced several decades of economic growth. During these periods of economic growth, Southeast Asia also experienced an increase in the intensity of corruption. Women’s literacy rates and FDI are also highly correlated in these countries. Literacy rates among men are relatively consistent across Asia and Africa, while the discrepancy comes when you begin to analyze women’s literacy rates. The correlation between women’s literacy rates, economic success and government corruption is surprising and certainly underexplored by the literature. I hypothesize that on an individual level, more educated women may be able to use corrupt channels to ease conduct of their business instead of being victimized by the corrupt system. The results showing greater influx of FDI into Asia than Africa may highlight why corruption can have a bigger, negative economic impact on African countries. This literature is important because empirical literature on the economies of developing countries is frequently gender-blind. This research will aid government officials in making informed decisions and help find solutions to specific economic problems facing developing countries.

Bertrum (2011) highlights the political origins of welfare reform but little research explores how political partisanship may affect current implementation of welfare policies. Drawing on a quantitative case study of four states from 1960 to 2018, I analyze caseload data and compare it with the political affiliation of the controlling party in the state legislature. Results show caseloads decrease when Democrats are in office but single mothers are economically worse off. When considering the party in office over time, the focus is on state legislature. The State legislature can impact welfare reform more so than the office of the state governor because it determines the criteria for welfare eligibility. Those criteria are not decided on the federal level per TANF reform, which aimed to increase state level control over the welfare policies. This result is highly surprising and highlights the need for change in welfare policies to remove decades of discrimination towards Black, single mothers.

Empirical studies have shown that in the United States, the biased response of police officers is to consistently stop, search, and arrest Blacks and Hispanics at higher rates than whites and other non-minority citizens (Hurwitz and Peffley 2005). Similarly, ethnic profiling in France and Australia is evident through decisions by police to routinely stop minorities and immigrants to question and search them often without valid probable cause. There is extensive discussion and data on underlying factors related to discriminatory policing practices here in the United States. However, no study to date has focused on a comparative approach across countries. The research conducted here compares the United States, France, and Australia. Reviewing specific instances of police misconduct, this analysis presents evidence of a relationship between police violence, minorities, and economically disadvantaged populations regardless of the country. While the aspects of race and minority status are prevailing factors, surprisingly, the impetus to provide protection to minority populations is often non-existent. These findings contribute to existing analyses, as it combines experiences of different cultures and provides a platform for further discussion and research into minority status and its effects on law enforcement.