Political Science Professor Co-Authored Article on International Transportation Networks
Posted on Friday, February 24, 2012
Dr. Michael Aleprete, Westminster College assistant professor of political science, co-authored "The Strategic Development of Border Areas: Explaining Variation in Interaction Opportunity Across Land Borders" in a recent issue of International Interactions: Empirical and Theoretical Research in International Relations.
The research builds on others' earlier work on the permeability of land borders and tests the three most prominent hypotheses about the forces that shape cross-border interaction opportunities. The results confirm that the desirability of trade influences the accessibility of borders and that governments invest in transportation infrastructure when facing threatening neighbors, resolving a debate over the relationship between mobility and security in favor of those who argue that accessible borders facilitate military defense.
Co-author with Aleprete is Dr. Aaron Hoffman, associate professor of political science at Purdue University. Steve Fawcett, a December Westminster graduate who majored in political science, helped collect data used in conducting alternative tests to check results.
"This article is the first publication from an ongoing project with Dr. Hoffman on the development of transportation networks along international borders," Aleprete said. "We are in the process of collecting additional data to better understand the dynamics of border development over time."
Aleprete, who joined the faculty in 2007, earned an undergraduate degree from Duquesne University and master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.
Fawcett is a son of James Fawcett and Carmen Johnson of Wexford and a graduate of Pine-Richland High School.
Contact Aleprete at (724) 946-7254 or email for additional information. Click here to view the article.
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