Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
Major Professor
Jamie Sommer, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Elizabeth Aranda, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Andrew Hargrove, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Will Tyson, Ph.D.
Keywords
colonialism, conflict, environment, governance
Abstract
World systems theory argues that wealthier nations exploit less developed nations, exerting their power and influence to take advantage of resources, often with little pushback. However, there is an ever-growing number of conflicts organized by citizens and activists alike that seek to push-back against the exploitation of their homes and labor, working to resist the political corruption and foreign manipulation within their governments. This dissertation examines the factors that contribute to the rise in environmentally-related conflicts, the impacts of those conflicts, and finally the resolutions of those conflicts using data that includes 1370 instances of conflict across 101 nations from 1990-2023. In my first analysis, I use Poisson regression and find that foreign investment and corruption alone are typically associated with a fewer number of conflicts within a nation, however an interaction term found that FDI was associated with a higher number of conflicts in nations with higher levels of corruption. In the next chapter, utilizing GLS regression, I find that higher levels of accountability were associated with more severe health, environment, and socio-economic impacts as a result of conflicts. However, an interaction term showed that the effect was reversed—that is, more international autonomy was associated with more severe impacts in nations with higher levels of political accountability. Finally, in the last chapter, I conduct an event history analysis and find that individually, more FDI and higher levels of corruption were typically associated with more conflict resolutions. However, in the interaction term the effect once again changed directionality. My results build on the world system’s theory framework, demonstrating that foreign entities can coerce and corrupt less wealthy or powerful nations, leading to complex outcomes of violence within nations.
Scholar Commons Citation
Christiansen, Jamilah D., "Corruption and Foreign Influence: A Cross-National Analysis of Environmental Violence" (2025). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10931
