The BGSU political science faculty were asked to take their research and create a Top 5 list to showcase what we do and why it matters!

Top 5 Global Financial Crises

1) Dutch Tulipmania (1637)
2) Black Thursday (1929)
3) Jay Cooke Crisis (1973)
4) Third World Debt Crisis (1982)
5) Asian Financial Crisis (1997)

Top 5 most 'honest and ethical' professions (source: Gallup Poll 2005)

1) Nurses
2) Pharmacists
3) Medical Doctors
4) High School Teachers
5) Police Officers

Top 5 least 'honest and ethical' professions:

1) Telemarketers
2) Car Salespersons
3) Advertising Practitioners
4) Congressmen
5) Stockbrokers

Top 5 worst countries to live (based on human rights, governance and human development)

1) Afghanistan
2) Burundi
3) Liberia
4) Somalia
5) North Korea

Top 5 best countries to live based on the same criteria

1) Sweden
2) Norway
3) Iceland
4) Canada
5) Belgium

[coming soon]

[coming soon]

Top 5 Irish Leaders of the 20th Century

1) Bertie Ahern - Taoiseach since 1997, helped negotiate Good Friday Agreement
2) Michael Collins - Charismatic leader of the Pro-treaty forces during Anglo-Irish war of 1919-21
3) Mary Robinson - President of Ireland 1990-1997 and later UN High Commissioner fro Human Rights
4) Dick Spring - Leader of the Labour Party since 1982
5) Eamon de Valera - An American born in New York City, survived the Easter Rising of 1916, President and Taoiseach, and influential from 1916 to 1973

1. Although 91% of responding local governments have at least some Web presence, services still tend toward less interactive, more informational offerings, especially among smaller jurisdictions.
2. Most local governments credit e-government with improved public communication (68%) and customer service (56%); however, few local governments – notably the larger ones – see more concrete returns on investment, such as lower administrative costs (11%) and reduced staff (2%), Indeed, many local governments find that demands on staff have increased (34%).
3. The biggest barrier to e-government for jurisdictions of all sizes is the lack of financial resources (64%); among smaller jurisdictions, the lack of technology staff (67%) and expertise (100%) are also significant barriers.
4. The top 5 citizen requested e-government services are: online financial transactions (44%), online registration (40%), council meeting minutes (38%), employment information and applications (38%), and permit and license applications (37%).
5. Only 22% of local governments use estimates from other governments when estimating their own e-government costs, even though such services often provide the most objective, detailed information related to potential applications.

Top 5 Interesting Facts about America's Changing Civic Universe

1) Between 1996 and 2004, the total number of nonprofit organizations grew from 1,084,897 to 1,397,263 - an increase of roughly 28%
2) Public charities experienced approximately 54% growth over the period, from 535,888 organizations in 1996 to 822,817 in 2004
3) The growth of private foundations was even more pronounced, from 58,774 organizations in 1996 to 102,881 in 2004 - a 75% increase
4) Meanwhile civic leagues and social welfare organizations lost ground between 1996 and 2004, dropping 6% from 127,567 to 119,515 organizations
5) Fraternal organizations also experienced decline. Their total number dropped by roughly 14 percent from 102,592 in 1996 to 87,833 in 2004

1) The U.S. has nothing to learn from Canada. In fact, Canada consistently rates higher than does the U.S. in quality of life as measured by the United Nations Human Development Report.
2) Canada is not especially important to the United States. In fact, Canada is the United States’ largest trading partner and number one source of imported oil
3) Canadians are just like us. In fact, recent research demonstrates that the values and political beliefs of Canadians are becoming more and more different from the values and political beliefs of Americans.
4) Nothing exciting ever happens in Canada. In fact, Quebecers came within 50,000 votes of approving a referendum in 1995 that might have led to Quebec’s secession. This ongoing national unity crisis remains unresolved.
5) It is bitterly cold in Canada. This is not a misconception, but healthy human spirits are nourished by snow and cold.

Top 5 characteristics of the most sustainable National Parks:

1) Limited number of tourists
2) Protected buffer zones around the parks
3) Short tourist season
4) Commitment to funding for short term and long term needs
5) Limited historical intervention in the ecosystem (e.g. few invasive species)

Most observers of the treaty ratification process cite the relative ease at which presidents are able to get their treaties ratified by the U.S. Senate. My ongoing research has highlighted the amount of delay that can occur between the president’s transmission of a treaty to the Senate and its eventual ratification. Below are the Top 5 delayed US Treaties from 1949-2000.

Rank of Treaty Days to Ratify
1) Convention with/Japan for the Protection of Birds & Environment 8987 days
2) Air Crash Liability Treaty (Montreal Protocol No. 4) 7927 days
3) International Genocide Convention 6944 days
4) Treaty to Establish. Maritime Boundaries between the U.S. and Mexico 6848 days
5) Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Race Discrimination 5965 days

N=850 treaties; Mean=429 days; St. Dev.=767; Min.=7; Max=8987

Dr. Marc Simon

1 USA $478.2 billion
2 UK $48.3 billion
3 France $46.2 billion
4 Japan $42.1 billion
5 China $41.0 billion (estimated)

Dr. Tom Wiseman

Top 5 reasons to mediate rather than litigate

1) It's voluntary
2) It empowers rather than regulates
3) Allows for mutually acceptable decisions
4) Costs less than litigation
5) Mediation salvages relationships and focuses on hope