30th Annual Student Research Conference
A Political Science Model-Based Approach to the African Elephant Conservation Act of 1988
Rachael E. Palmer
Dr. Randy Hagerty, Faculty Mentor
African elephants, targeted and slaughtered for their prized ivory tusks, have lingered on the Endangered Species list since 1978. In an effort to protect African elephants from eventual extinction, the United States government passed the African Elephant Conservation Act of 1988, the second title of the Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1988. This protectionist policy is a result of the ongoing interactions and forces within politics, as outlined by Kingdon’s policy streams model and Baumgartner and Jones’ punctuated equilibrium model. These models will each be tested for their utility and practical application of the policy’s formulation and implementation processes. A model-based approach finds insight, explanation, and reasoning behind legislation, further explaining not only the specific policy, but also serving as an analytical tool for political behavior.
Keywords: Political science, Model-based, Policy streams model, Punctuated equilibrium, African Elephant Act, Politics, Public policy, Policy-making
Topic(s):Political Science
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 209-2
Location: VH 1212
Time: 9:45