PLACES Student Paper Award (2023) (short paper winer). Over the course of recent decades, the production of clothing has become cheaper and more globalized than ever before. This can be attributed to a process known as fast fashion. According to a study published in Environmental Health journal, “fast” in this context refers to how quickly retailers are able to take clothing designs from the runway to on the racks in stores (Bick, et al., 2018). Global industrialization has contributed to clothing supply chains becoming international commodities, correlating with a massive shift for manufacturing and construction of garments to low and middle-income countries with cheap labor opportunities. This outsourcing of labor is done in hopes of companies trying to keep their prices and costs low. The United States consumes more garments than any other nation, with the average American throwing away approximately 80 pounds of clothing every year (Bick, et al., 2018). Fast fashion plays a huge part in this. Earth.org states that “retailers like Zara, Forever 21, and H&M make cheap and fashionable clothing to satisfy needs of young consumers” (Maiti, 2022). The fast fashion model pushes for accelerated times in production, consumption, and the lifespan of its produced clothing.

Ethnic violence and the lack of consolidated democracies have a long history in sub-Sahara African countries. The region’s colonial past, with European colonial powers like Belgium, France, and Great Britain drawing arbitrary borders without consideration for local ethnic groups, has led to a multitude of long and violent ethnic conflicts over the past 150 years (Wade 2007). This colonial history full of ethnic conflict has also meant that the region is prone to authoritarianism (Badru 2010; see also Horowitz 1993). In the present, neocolonial powers continue to exploit the region and the people within it by extracting its resources and controlling the region’s economy (Kieh 1996). Given the history of the region and the already existing research examining not only the relationship between ethnic conflict and democratization (Dahl 1971; Horowitz 1993), but also the effect of democratic systems on managing ethnic conflict (Lijphart 1977 and 1991; Horowitz 1985; Cohen 1997; Selway and Templeman 2012), this paper will investigate the question “what is the relationship between the presence of ethnic conflict and democratic transition?” and posit the directionality to be negative between ethnic violence and democratic transition, using sub-Sahara African countries during the period 1990-2013 as cases

Colombia has been in a constant state of conflict for the majority of its history. The Colombian Conflict has contributed to over 220,000 deaths and over 5.5 million displacements, but the blame of this grave human rights issues has yet to be placed. While on paper, Colombia and the U.S. have deep-rooted ties through the economy and its alliance during the Cold War, USAID to the Colombian military has produced and reproduced a violent cycle within Colombia. In this political economy analysis of U.S. backed violence in Colombia, the relationship between the U.S. and Colombia will be thoroughly examined following the entrance of Colombia to the global market. Through review of other political economy literature, this analysis will address the structural issues of the Colombian criminal justice system and its deplorable impunity rate of human rights violations that disproportionately affect Indigenous and Afro-Colombians. In doing so, this analysis will argue for the need of more inclusive political economy lite

Looking back on my time at SUNY Oneonta, I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of the SOAR team. I learned about SOAR in my junior year from a past e-board member who convinced me to become a peer-reviewer. I have always had an interest in academic research and the process of publishing a peer-reviewed journal, so I joined without hesitation and my only regret is not having joined sooner. Throughout my experience as the coordinating editor, I have learned just how much effort and care goes into publishing a journal, and SUNY Oneonta is especially lucky to have faculty members who want to provide us with the ability to get published as undergraduates. As the coordinating editor my job is to communicate with authors and peer-reviewers, edit and format papers, and ultimately work with the faculty advisors in order to get a new issue out every year. I also spread the word about SOAR to my peers by notifying chairs and professors of relevant departments that there is an open call for peer-reviewers, authors and e-board members. Before joining SOAR, I knew very little about the copyediting and publishing process, but I was welcomed with open arms regardless. Dr. Fulkerson, the founding faculty member of SOAR, had no reservations about helping me every step of the way and helped me get to a place of confidence in this area. In April of next year, we will travel to Suffolk County Community College on Long Island to attend SURC, the annual SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference. It will be a terrific opportunity to spread the word about SOAR. Due to its open access nature, we hope to one day offer students from other SUNY schools the opportunity to get published in and peer-review for our journal.