MARS

MARS is a repository service of Mason Publishing and the Data and Digital Scholarship Services (DDSS) at the George Mason University Libraries. MARS provides enduring, stable, well-indexed access to a wide range of scholarship from the Mason community, such as Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs), articles, presentations, reports, and creative work. Learn more about publishing, sharing, and preserving research data with the George Mason University Institutional Dataverse, and our other repository services.

To start publishing your content in MARS, please contact us by using our online form. Questions? Please email publish@gmu.edu.

 

Recent Submissions

Publication
Utilizing the DIME Model to Examine the United States Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy from 2021-2025
(2024-05-05) Bhatt, Dharma
The Indo-Pacific region is a vast region with a general understanding of countries from the eastern shores of Africa to the western United States. Of course, there are variations in what constitutes a part of the Indo-Pacific, with debating sources. This variant depends on several factors, such as the geographical interests of various states. A more accurate framing for the context of the research paper will utilize what the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) defines as consistent with the Indo-Pacific. According to INDOPACOM, the Indo-Pacific is classified as a vast region of approximately 38 countries, each with diverse histories and unique cultures. It is home to seven of the largest militaries in terms of manpower, and the region comprises more than 50% of the world's population. A significant number of the largest economies are within the area. Undoubtedly, the Indo-Pacific region holds immense contemporary significance. It has been a site of significant trade, cultural, and military interests, leading to the formulation of strategic goals by countries with stakes or significant interests in the region. The United States, driven by its history since independence, has consistently been one of these countries, with the Indo-Pacific's interests shaping the foreign policies of various American administrations. In February of 2022, the Biden administration published five core objectives to provide general directional guidelines on how the U.S. will support its interests and goals in the Indo-Pacific. These objectives are (1) The advancement of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), (2) To build strong connections between countries both within and beyond the region, (3) To drive and promote regional prosperity, (4) To ensure adequate support to bolster Indo-Pacific security, and (5) To support regional resilience to various transnational threats that otherwise, would bring instability to the region.
Publication
Cellphone using during school time in K-12 school in Virginia is too high
(2024-10-30) Lin, Yenting
In 2023, Pew Research Center reported a survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers. 72% of high school teachers say students being distracted by their cellphones in the classroom is a major problem. The cellphone caused students to show little to no interest in learning (47%). As of 2021, 8th and 10th graders now spend an average of 3.5 hours per day on social media; 25% spend 5+ hours per day (U.S. Surgeon General, 2023). U.S. Surgeon General (2023) also shows that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media are at double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes. Social media also causes cyberbullying to happen in 46 percent of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 (Vogels, 2022). Given these facts, the use of cellphones during school time in K-12 schools in Virginia is too high. The state should consider a policy response to reduce cellphone use during school. This memo will propose and evaluate a policy response, the cellphone-free policy, that the city could undertake.
Publication
After Roe v. Wade overturn: how the Biden government and the MAGA government act with IVF
(2024-11-30) Lin, Yenting
This policy memo explores the implications of the 2024 Roe v. Wade overturn on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the response of the Biden administration, bipartisan Congress, think tank, and advocacy group. IVF is a procedure that helps individuals or couples get pregnant outside the body in a lab (Yale Medicine, 2023). Following the Supreme Court of Alabama's ruling that classified frozen embryos as "children," services in Alabama faced significant restrictions, prompting federal action. The Biden administration reacted by issuing executive orders to protect and expand access to IVF and enhancing IVF benefits for service members and federal employees. Bipartisan congressional efforts included drafting laws to regulate and protect IVF access, such as the IVF Protection Act. However, deep-seated ideological differences prevented the passing of key legislation. The memo outlines the influence of advocacy groups, PACs, and think tanks on shaping public opinion and policy, highlighting the strategic role of IVF in the 2024 election. While Democrats position IVF and abortion rights as central campaign issues, Republicans face internal conflicts between their pro-life stance and support for IVF. The memo concludes that IVF policy will be pivotal in the presidential and congressional races, suggesting timely strategic positioning by the think tank. This analysis underscores the complex dynamics between political, social, and ideological stakeholders in shaping national reproductive health policy.
Publication
Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Global Economic
(2024-10-10) Lin, Yenting
Doing business internationally is a global thread in the 20th century; the GDP has a 40 percent difference if you connect to a global goods and services network (Manyika, 2024) or not. However, it also means it will have two or more cultures colliding together. Trompenaars (2021) points out the main dilemma when it comes to cross-cultural business: centralization versus decentralization. Decentralization means each culture goes its own way with the idea of more local better. Centralization means principles need to be the same in different countries. Decentralization can be done in individualistic cultures more like western culture, but not as a family model in eastern countries (Trompenaars, 2021). Culture differences in the business era often exist in the way people view friendship and contracts, the relationship between business partner and government. Cross-culture management, which provides more culture awareness and flatter organization, is the way to reconcile the culture problem nowadays in international companies like Tesla.
Publication
Expand Voting Access Reform: Automatic Voter Registration and Election Day as a Federal Holiday
(2024-12-01) Lin, Yenting
Voting is not just casting a vote; it also represents people having the freedom to choose what they like, to express to the present government, and to be representative, which is a fundamental stone to democracy. Freedom of speech and the right to act are deeply rooted in the Constitution, reflecting the core values of American democracy. In the Preamble for the Constitution, show how important liberty is to United States people: We the People of the United States, we secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves. Also, the First Amendment points out the freedom of speech that can’t be controlled by the government. Democracy is represented by the people. Making elections more accessible and flexible can increase voter participation, which is crucial for a democratic country that values freedom and representation. Therefore, we must implement an expanded voting access reform. The 2020 presidential election achieved the highest voter turnout for any national election since 1900, with 66.7% of eligible voters participating (University of Florida Election Project, 2024). If we compare the 2016 United States voting-eligible population turnout rate, which is 60.12%, to 2024, which is 63.68%, it shows that with more and more flexible access to voting, people will be more engaged in voting (University of Florida Election Project, 2024). What we changed in 2020 is we expanded mail-in voting, or no-excuse absentee voting, due to the pandemic. We see the percentage of voters casting ballots by mail grew to 46 percent, more than doubling the fraction from 2016. Sixty percent of mail-in voters stated that it was “very likely” they would vote by mail again (MIT Election Data and Science Lab, 2023).