Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
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Publication Feminism as a Collective Good: How Women in the R.O.K. Uphold Collective Action in the Face of Neoliberalism(2025-05-19) Hannah LeeWhy do collective action movements exist in our current age of individualism? More specifically, why are marginalized identities the most motivated to pursue collective interest over their individual successes in our Neoliberal system of individualized competition? The Republic of Korea (R.O.K) is an East Asian country that shares, with its close neighbors, roots in Confucianism and patriarchal hierarchy (Pascall & Sung, 2007). As a result, it is a collectivist and culturally tight society—one that generally places greater value on collective than individual interests, and that enforces social norms through high levels of sanctioning. Among these norms are rigid gender roles that uphold the systemic marginalization of women, which incur social costs to women that are high enough to offset the costs of norm deviation that exist in a culturally tight society. However, these norms are beginning to change, with the adoption of norms of neoliberal individualism that prioritize individual competition and self-reliance (Amable, 2011). These new norms are at odds with ROK’s historically collectivist values. Given that, why have collective action movements, especially progressive ones, only grown in popularity over the past decades? One of the driving forces underlying the large-scale collective action movements in the ROK is the Korean women’s movement. Women’s active creation of collective identity building spaces generates psychological agency and empowerment for them to violate gender norms in a way that is for the collective interest of women—and how this empowerment to act for the collective interest reaches beyond gendered issues. In exploring this phenomenon, we can illuminate how the collectivizing of identity is an essential link in promoting actions that focus on the collective good, and how violation of oppressive norms presents an opportunity for the psychological agency and empowerment of marginalized identities. These mechanisms can provide powerful insights for the development and sustenance of collective action movements.Publication How the United States Killed Its Cities: An Analysis of Urban Transportation and Segregation in Philadelphia(2022-05-16) Coleman, LukeWhy, in the United States, do we see such dramatic racial sorting across metropolitan areas? More than 50 years removed from the Civil Rights Movement which altered American social life, why is urban residential segregation still a dominant feature in the United States? The scholarly literature has yet to come to a consensus. There are two broad and well-researched areas of social science that attempt to uncover why neighborhoods in American cities are so racially homogenous. One espouses the belief that racial groups prefer to live near each other. The other upholds the idea that the American government squandered the wealth of communities of color and made it impossible for them to integrate with white people. A burgeoning area of research involves a combination of these two fields: racial groups may frequently prefer to live near each other, but even if they did not, American private and public institutions have made wealth building and residential mobility incredibly difficult for communities of color. This project seeks to supplement this flourishing literature on the American government’s role in fomenting racial segregation by analyzing an often overlooked public good—public transit. To do so, this project uses Philadelphia as a case study, examining how the legacy of redlining continues to impact citizens and how effective, equitable public transit has the capacity to reduce the harmful effects of this legacy, but often fails to do so. This project employs a mixed-methods approach. I use interviews and participant-observation, in pursuit of a community-based comprehension of this policy failure, to understand Philadelphians’ relationship with public transit. Targets of this research are primarily areas simultaneously experiencing lower incomes and limited access to transit relative to the rest of the city. I conclude that Philadelphia’s transit agency, SEPTA, is not sufficiently effective in counteracting the effects of segregation on wealth-building for low-income communities and communities of color.Publication Using Prediction Markets to Assert the Danger of AI(2024-05-15) Conor EmeryThis work explains the existing arguments surrounding whether AI poses an existential threat to humanity. It goes on to support the notion that AI does pose an equal threat as threats like climate change and nuclear catastrophe by using online prediction markets.Publication Rethinking Section 230 - The Veracity Crisis in Generative AI(2024-05-15) Veronica AriasThis work discusses the application of Section 230, "the 26 words that shaped the internet," to generative AI models. It argues for a nuanced approach in its application, highlighting the need to balance innovation and user protection.Publication Ensuring Ethical Artificial Intelligence: Proposing an AI Bill of Rights to Mitigate Structural Bias(2024-05-15) Zoya AhmerThis policy memo to the White House Office of Science and Technology advocates for implementing a binding AI Bill of Rights for public and private businesses and the government to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) development and deployment, with facial recognition technology in law enforcement as a case study example.Publication How Political Instability Unravels Religious Commitment Even in the Face of Uncertainty(2024-05-15) Abanti AhmedThis paper explores the dynamic relationship between political instability and religiosity in the contexts of Egypt and Tunisia, with a focus on the period from 2012 to 2018. The central research question examines how individuals navigate uncertainty and address political challenges, influencing the role of religion in their lives. The argument posits that tangible solutions to political challenges diminish religious commitment, while a lack of such solutions fosters an increased reliance on religion. Drawing on a detailed analysis of events, protests, and economic conditions, the paper reveals that the perception of uncertainty as something that can be “controlled” and the pursuit of tangible solutions demotes religion to a secondary role in individuals' lives. The implications for policymakers involve addressing citizens' concerns during economic challenges, political repression, and societal grievances to foster resilient societies and prevent social unrest. The broader challenge for society is engaging in open dialogue about the complex human response to political instability, offering practical avenues for positive change and encouraging a reevaluation of how uncertainty is navigated.Publication The Electoral Influence of Black Lives Matter - A Case Study of Philadelphia's District Attorney(2024-05-15) Jacob StarobinPhiladelphia district attorney Larry Krasner's back-to-back electoral wins suggest that an overwhelming number of Philadelphia voters do not associate continued failings of the criminal justice system or escalating violence in their city with Krasner's progressive policies. Rather, flanking the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Krasner's electoral victories may reflect the influence of mass protest movements on public opinion.Publication Prison Education for What?(2024-05-15) Alex MoonThe FAFSA Simplification Act, which was passed in December 2020 and came into effect in July 2023, reinstates Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students, allowing them to participate in prison education programs (PEPs). While this a long-overdue change, I argue PEPs have configured their educational aims to be attractive to policymakers to secure political funding, and in the process, have overlooked the educational quality of their programs.Publication 1997 Asian Financial Crisis Propagation(2024-05-15) Liana Kaye-LewA thorough look into South Korea's corporate sector reform following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis which enabled the country's overall financial and economic development.Publication A View of Human Nature and Ethics Through the Lens of Existentialist Film(2024-05-15) Conor EmeryAn argument that humans do not have an inherent nature against notions by Hegel, Aristotle, and Arendt. The work then illustrates what this means for an ethical system by using the film Everything Everywhere All at Once and Sartre's view of existentialism.