Political economy theories on the ''natural resource curse'' predict that natural resource wealth is a determining factor for the length of time political leaderships remain in office. Whether resource wealth leads to longer or shorter durations in political office depends on the political incentives created by the natural resources, which in turn depend on the types of institutions and natural resource. Exploiting a sample of more than 600 political leadership durations in up to 152 countries, we find that both institutions and resource types matter for the effect that natural resource wealth has on political survival: (i) wealth derived from natural resources affects political survival in intermediate and autocratic, but not in democratic, polities; and (ii) while oil and non-lootable di...

Examples of successful and unsuccessful woodlot programmes are cited from China, Korea, India, Tanzania and Niger and the role of social factors examined. Effective village forestry involves social, cultural, economic and local political factors. (Refs. 15).

Belgian political parties have been receiving state funding since 1971, but the parliament only started to introduce legislation on party and campaign funding in 1989 and has repeatedly changed the regime since then. This article discusses the basic characteristics and the main developments of the Belgian political finance regime. Four possible explanatory factors mentioned in the literature are discussed: the occurrence of political corruption, changes in party organization, the financing strategies of parties and the geographical or institutional proximity to other political systems. The analysis confirms that the combination of these different factors provides an explanation for the creation of, and subsequent changes to, the political finance system in Belgium. On occasions, one factor...

In the analysis of foreign economic policy issues, the bureaucratic politics model is the most useful for understanding how final decisions are made. Four other models--presidential politics, organizational process, congressional behavior, and interest group activity--are also examined to assess the importance of nonbureaucratic factors in the decision-making process. (Author/RM)

This article reviews the literature on political participation of social workers and the variables that promote or impede political advocacy. Early research in the 1980s and 1990s most often reported education, feelings of efficacy, having a macro-type job, and being a member of a national association as factors that determine greater political participation. Since the late 1990s, organizational and legal issues have surfaced more prominently as barriers to political participation by social workers. This article addresses barriers to participation, such as not feeling competent to perform policy-related tasks and perceived legal barriers. It then analyzes the actual restrictions that nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and publicly employed social workers face in lobbying and partisan politics. The article summarizes the activities that are legally allowed in these areas and concludes that social workers can be more politically active than they often realize.

... the mirror that reflects it." - Edith Wharton View Health Tip: Try to change the environmental factors that ... in autism News Feeds: 'Social medicines' do benefit health and wellbeing News Feeds: Comedian's political humor affects ...

...addressing the broader social issues important...local or global social issues including...the environment, education, health, girls'/women's issues...competition, based upon factors such as the number...political, economic and social differences in...

Few other regions in the world have as much strategic, economic, and political significance for the Western world as does the Persian Gulf. Oil and economics are only two factors. Geopolitics and strategic location are also critical.

(5) Systemic, or factors external to a country that affect decisions made by that ... For the model to analyze a particular policy choice, the political scientist needs ..... "Transfer of Space Technology to the American Consumer: The Effect of ...

This is an exploratory study focusing on shared car ownership and use an alternative to private car ownership. The aim is to provide an overview of factors critical for the political, organizational, economic, and environmental success of carsharing organ...

This paper analyzes the influence of state and federal political party changes and market factors on the number of state oil and natural gas drilling permits issued. The findings, using a first differenced empirical model for two samples, a 26-state sample, from 1990 to 2007, and a 19-state sample, from 1977 to 2007, indicate that the influence of political party changes is trumped by economic factors. Oil and natural gas prices are the main drivers of permitting changes, while the state and federal political party changes for the legislatures' and executive offices are consistently not significant.

Abstract in spanish El presente artículo se concentra en el estudio de la corrupción como uno de los elementos que influye y facilita la socialización de las élites políticas mexicanas en el marco de relaciones políticas fundadas en compadrazgo, amiguismo, padrinazgo, familiarismo y clientelismo. Asimismo, se analiza el fenómeno de la corrupción como un factor que interviene en el proceso de reclutamiento político, movilidad de las élites y proporciona un referente en el ejercicio del poder político en México. Abstract in english This article focuses on the study of corruption as one of the factors influencing and facilitating the socialization of Mexican political elites in the context of political relations based on close friendship, family relations, caciquism or bossism, and patronage. It also analyzes the phenomenon of corruption as a factor in the process of political recruitment, mobility of elites and provides a scheme in the exercise of political power in Mexico.

When can economic sanctions and incentives achieve important political objectives? Why do they often fail? We propose a political theory of economic statecraft, arguing that the success of economic statecraft does not depend on the magnitude of its economic effect. Instead, it succeeds when the economic pain or gain it engenders translates into political costs or opportunities. We argue that the political effects of economic signals will depend on a variety of international and domestic political factors, the most important of which is the target state's level of stateness, comprised of three components: autonomy, capacity, and legitimacy. When economic statecraft motivates key domestic coalitions to push for policy change, high stateness enables target state leaders to resist their calls ...

The political dynamics associated with an election are typically a function of the interplay between political leaders and voters, as well as endogenous and exogenous factors that impact the perceptions and goals of the electorate. This paper describes an effort by Sandia National Laboratories to model the attitudes and behaviors of various political groups along with that population's primary influencers, such as government leaders. To accomplish this, Sandia National Laboratories is creating a hybrid system dynamics-cognitive model to simulate systems- and individual-level political dynamics in a hypothetical society. The model is based on well-established psychological theory, applied to both individuals and groups within the modeled society. Confidence management processes are being incorporated into the model design process to increase the utility of the tool and assess its performance. This project will enhance understanding of how political dynamics are determined in democratic society.

Abstract in spanish La literatura sobre las carreras políticas y la ambición política considera que las características estructurales del sistema político crean las oportunidades políticas que moldean la ambición y el comportamiento de los políticos. En Argentina, especialmente a nivel provincial, poco se ha dicho sobre la creación de oportunidades políticas a través de reformas constitucionales. Estas últimas, al alterar las cláusulas de reelección del Poder Ejecutivo provinci (more) al crean nuevas oportunidades en las carreras políticas de los gobernadores. Dada la importancia del cargo de gobernador en el sistema político argentino, este trabajo da cuenta de los factores que explican la diversidad que opera a nivel provincial con respecto a las reformas constitucionales y los tipos de reelección en el cargo del gobernador. Abstract in english The literature on political careers and political ambition states that structural chacateristics of the political system create the political opportunities that shape the ambition and behavior of politicians. In Argentina little has been said about the creation of political opportunities through constitucional reforms, especially in the subnational arena. By modifying the rules on reelection of the provincial executive, the latter creates new opportunities for the politic (more) al careers of the gobernadores. Given the importance of the governorship in the Argentine political system, this article focuses on the factors that explain the subnational diversity regarding constitutional reforms and types of reelection of governor.

The article analyzes political rule in an entity affected by violent conflict. Aiming at contributing to the study of the South Caucasus 'de-facto states', it is argued that so far insufficient attention has been paid to the influence the persistent violent conflicts have had on political processes inside these entities. To substantiate the argument three elections in the de-facto state of Nagorno-Karabakh are scrutinized. The analysis reveals that contrary to prevalent classifications the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not frozen, but that indeed the persistent violent conflict constitutes a significant factor that helps us account for the specific character of political rule in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Three municipalities of Novosibirsk oblast have been used to work out a methodology for studying political identity as a complex characteristic of electoral preferences. The significant differences in the political and economic strategies of parties have enabled the development of specific methods of conducting sociological investigations and mass polls. The results of these polls have been used to visualize the factor space of electoral preferences. Two major factors have been singled out???left-right oriented and centrist. They are equally represented in every municipality. In accordance with this, three political vectors have been differentiated: right, left, and centrist. The right vector has been formed from the political positions of the Union of Right Forces and Yabloko parties; the...

Opinions on political factors affecting the U.S. market for wind power are presented in this paper. The position of the Assistant Secretary of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Division of the U.S. Department of Energy is stated. Political aspects of renewable energy sources are reviewed. The link between clean energy sources and a clean environment is discussed. The role of the Federal Government in promoting clean energy sources is also discussed.

This paper deals with Korea?s peacekeeping operations (PKO) activities that are important to assess its middle power activism. The numbers of Korean PKO troops lessened drastically during the period 2003?2007. The purpose of this paper?s analysis is to discover the determinants of this drastic change. For the analysis, economic growth and state budgets are classified as economic factors, while partisanship and political leadership are classified as political factors. The analysis led to the following conclusion. Regarding economic factors, the economic growth and the state and defense budget stay relatively constant and do not match the fluctuation of the PKO activities in Korea. Regarding political factors, there is no correspondence between partisanship and the PKO policy, because the li...

Opinions on factors affecting public power systems are presented. Social, economic, and political factors are discussed in terms of their impact on public power. Competition with investor-owned utilities is the primary focus of the paper. Privatization and regulations are other issues discussed.

Born in 1968, the French Nouvelle Droite (ND) is a 'cultural school of thought'. It created a sophisticated European-wide political culture of the revolutionary right in an anti-fascist age; it helped to nurture the discourse of 'political correctness' among extreme right-wing political parties, and turned former French ultra-nationalists into pan-Europeanists seeking to smash the egalitarian heritage of 1789. Bar-On argues that the ND world-view has been shaped by transnational influences and that the ND has, in turn, shaped a decidedly more right-wing political culture in Europe in a transnational spirit. The transnational impact of ND ideas is a product of three key factors: first, the intellectual output and prestige of ND leader Alain de Benoist; second, the 'right-wing Gramscianism' ...

While attention to the socio-ecological and political economic influences on health grows, there remains a paucity of political ecological analyses of health (King, 2010). At the same time, the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Global South demands new conceptual and pragmatic engagements with their modifiable risk factors. Drawing on the example of South Africa, this paper argues that alcohol consumption might usefully be theorised in political ecological lexicon as a ''disaster''. To do so, it draws attention to the upstream causes of vulnerability, rather than just the downstream effects of risky drinking. This reorientation is needed for sustainable, publicly acceptable alcohol policies. To realise this, it draws on Blaikie et al.'s (1994, 2003) political ecolog...

This article assesses which factors underpin public attitudes towards two recent and controversial foreign policy issues: Britain's involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Using data from the 2005 and 2010 British Election Studies, it undertakes a statistical examination of which sociological and political factors are related to support for and opposition to British involvement in these conflicts. It shows that attitudes are structured both by social characteristics and by beliefs and evaluations rooted in domestic politics. The former include gender, age and ethnic group, while the latter include partisanship and newspaper readership. It demonstrates the need for further investigation of foreign policy attitudes among the British public.

This report describes a study of nuclear power economics in Russia. It addresses political and institutional background factors which constrain Russia's energy choices in the short and intermediate run. In the approach developed here, political and institutional factors might dominate short-term decisions, but the comparative costs of Russia's fuel-cycle options are likely to constrain her long-term energy strategy. To this end, the authors have also formulated a set of policy questions which should be addressed using a quantitative decision modeling which analyzes economic costs for all major components of different fuel cycle options, including the evolution of uranium prices.

We present an analysis of the economic, political and social factors that underlay the Apollo program, one of the most exceptional and costly projects ever undertaken by the United States in peacetime that culminated in 1969 with the first human steps on the Moon. This study suggests that the Apollo program provides a vivid illustration of a societal bubble, defined as a collective over-enthusiasm as well as unreasonable investments and efforts, derived through excessive public and/or political expectations of positive outcomes associated with a general reduction of risk aversion. We show that economic, political and social factors weaved a network of reinforcing feedbacks that led to widespread over-enthusiasm and extraordinary commitment by individuals involved in the project as well as by politicians and by the public at large. We propose the general concept of ``pro-bubbles,'' according to which bubbles are an unavoidable development in technological and social enterprise that benefits society by allowing...

The purpose of this study is to develop methodologies for quantifying environmental and socio-political factors involved with nuclear fuel cycle and finally to evaluate nuclear fuel cycle options with special emphasis given to the factors. Moreover, methodologies for developing practical radiological health risk assessment code system will be developed by which the assessment could be achieved for the recycling and reuse of scrap materials containing residual radioactive contamination. Selected scenarios are direct disposal, DUPIC(Direct use of PWR spent fuel in CANDU), and MOX recycle, land use, radiological effect, and non-radiological effect were chosen for environmental criteria and public acceptance and non-proliferation of nuclear material for socio-political ones. As a result of this study, potential scenarios to be chosen in Korea were selected and methodologies were developed to quantify the environmental and socio-political criteria. 24 refs., 27 tabs., 29 figs. (author)

Uncertainty in energy forecasting arises, in part, from inadequate understanding of noneconomic factors that bear on energy choices and from the difficulty of modeling these factors. Forecasting models based on purely economic factors do not adequately reflect the current circumstances in the US. The workshop participants identified the political, policymaking, regulatory, and social variables that influence the planning processes of utilities today; they also reviewed the modeling techniques for dealing with these noneconomic variables and provided a number of new suggestions for handling them in decision-oriented modeling. Suggestions of areas of future research in modeling noneconomic factors relevant to utility management were made. Brief summaries are presented here of specific papers presented on: politics in the Middle East, land-use decisions, health concerns, demographic factors, technology, government regulation, consumer values, and organizational adjustments.

This brief article describes some of the considerations and problems facing oil companies as they consider investing in Iran today. Topics covered include commercial prospects, the political context, terrorist complications, socio-economic factors and the recent Iranian government call for tenders under buy-back mechanisms. (UK)

The part the university plays in the building of a nation in the post-independence period is described and illustrated by means of a detailed study of Malaysia. The impact of economic, socio-cultural, and political factors are analyzed and the objectives of higher education in contemporary Malaysia are articulated. (Author/MLW)

Provincial supreme courts are important players in local politics because justices can affect the interest of the ruling governors; however, no research has addressed the factors that affect judicial turnover in provincial high courts in new democracies. This research attempts to fill this gap by us...

Paper presented at the XXXIII IAHS World Congress on Housing, 27-30 September 2005,"Transforming Housing Environments through Design", University of Pretoria. , In Nigeria political, economic, social and environmental factors and the huge foreign exchange accumulated from the rise in oil price in the 1...

Though the extreme right was not particularly successful in the 1999 European elections, it continues to be a major factor in the politics of Western Europe. This book, newly available in paperback, provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the extreme right in the Netherlands (Centrumdemocr...

Two major factors will have significant bearing on the international mining industry in the 1990s: the world economic situation, and the politics of producing countries. Discussion is presented of how mining companies can survive and prosper in the next decade. 5 refs., 6 figs.

This book is an introduction to ecology for students, interested laymen, and experts from the fields of industry, politics, and economy who want to get an up-to-date general outline. Contents: What is ecology - ecosystems - energy flow in ecosystems - biochemical cycles and minimal factors - population ecology -succession and evolution of ecosystems - large-scale ecosystems of the earth - applied ecology: Management of ecosystems.

Bolivia's mid-term growth prospects are promising but these prospects could be lost, due to social unrest and political instability, if the country does not solve its short-term economic problems, resulting from both external shocks and internal factors. Against this background, this paper analyzes ...

This review examines the social literature on Brazilian street children to determine causal factors. Stressing the socioeconomic aspects of poverty and social exclusion, the analyses identify three basic themes: the family, high failure rates in school, and child/adolescent labor. The role of Brazil's economic crisis of the late 1970s and political transition from military dictatorship are also discussed. (JPB)

and i am thus a consumer of a particular satellite service and diSh network is ... location of choice. this works well to measure the size of a given space sector, .... such as communications or navigation, a few affect many space activities.the most ..... political factors influenced the formation of collaborations between private ...

Abstract in spanish Este artículo presenta un modelo de pérdida política para analizar la interacción entre la naturaleza política de las decisiones económicas y su efecto en la probabilidad de crisis financieras. Utiliza dos definiciones diferentes de crisis, monetaria y de balanza de pagos, para contrastar el poder explicativo de los factores estrictamente políticos sobre esas dos definiciones de la crisis. Además, utiliza un modelo probit con observaciones de 63 países entre 1985 (more) y 2000. La evidencia estadística indica que los factores políticos que son robustos en la explicación de las crisis monetarias, son más ambiguos en la explicación de las crisis de balanza de pagos. Abstract in english The paper presents a model of political loss to analyze the interrelationship between the political nature o f economic decisions and their influence on the probability of financial crisis. Two different definitions of crises, currency and balance of payments, are used to verify the explanatory power of political factors on both definitions of crisis. Also, a probit model is used on a sample of 63 countries between 1985 and 2000. The statistical evidence shows that while (more) political factors are robust when they explain currency crises, they are more ambiguous in the explanation of balance of payments crises.

Abstract in portuguese Resumo: As abordagens culturalistas, baseadas nos fatores relacionados com a socialização, e institucionalistas, baseadas nos fatores relacionados à experiência com o sistema político, competem pela explicação dos fatores relacionados aos baixos níveis de confiança política na América Latina. Este artigo faz uma breve revisão das duas perspectivas, compara seus poderes preditivos para explicar a confiança política na região. A partir do Latinobarômetro 200 (more) 5, aplicou-se a técnica do modelo hierárquico linear com o objetivo de considerar a dependência entre as observações no nível do país. A confiança política é maior entre os que apoiam o presidente; entre aqueles que estão em países considerados mais democráticos; entre os indivíduos que avaliam positivamente a situação econômica, as políticas públicas e a capacidade do governo para combater a corrupção e entre os indivíduos com maior sofisticação política. As variáveis culturais, por sua vez, quais sejam, a confiança interpessoal e a avaliação dos concidadãos também aumentam a confiança política, mas têm efeito muito menor do que as variáveis institucionais. Abstract in english Abstract: Culturalist approaches, based on factors related to socialization, and institutionalist one, based on factors related to experience with the political system, compete for the explanation of the factors related to low levels of political trust in Latin America. This paper briefly reviews these two approaches and compares their predictive power to explain political trust in the region. Using data from Latinobarometro 2005, the technique of hierarchical linear mode (more) l it was applied with the purpose of considering the dependence among observations at country level. The political trust is higher among those who support the president; among those who are in countries that are considered the most democratic; individuals who positively evaluate the economic situation, public policies and government capacity to combat corruption; individuals with greater political sophistication. The cultural variables, interpersonal trust and the assessment of co-citizens also enhance political trust, but have much smaller effect than the institutional variables.

The notion of the 'Bulgarian ethnic model' has become part and parcel of the rhetoric of Bulgaria's political elite. While often used to acknowledge the political participation of the Turkish minority, which has played a stabilising role in post-communist Bulgaria, the notion of the 'Bulgarian ethnic model' conceals other important aspects of ethnic relations in Bulgaria. The article considers three factors that render the notion of the 'Bulgarian ethnic model' problematic: the existence of racism, discrimination and exclusion; the issue of minority rights; and the popularity of nationalist parties.

The article investigates the political and diplomatic factors influencing the prospects of North Korea's post-2002 experiment with market-oriented economic reforms. Comparing the North Korean situation with the experiences of Yugoslavia, China and Vietnam, it concludes that a certain degree of political liberalisation, the successful normalisation of P'y[ocheck]ngyang's relations with the US, South Korea and Japan, and the decoupling of foreign economic assistance from military negotiations are essential preconditions of a successful reform process in North Korea. In the absence of these preconditions, economic crises alone are insufficient to stimulate a comprehensive reform programme, although they might inspire certain superficial corrective measures.

Biological approaches to politics have witnessed the emergence of two major strands of research that are related but quite distinct: an -Adaptationist- approach and a -Heritability- approach. The former explains behavior as the product of complex psychological adaptations designed by natural selection that all humans share, while the latter explains behavior as a consequence of heritable genetic differences between individuals. Importantly, neither approach excludes environmental factors from a causal role in generating behavior. Heritability approaches are more familiar to political scientists, and one well-known example is behavior genetics, as exemplified in twin study research. However, Adaptationist approaches, such as evolutionary psychology, remain theoretically underdeveloped in po...

The announcement by British Coal on 13 October 1992 that 31 of its 50 collieries were to close, with the loss of 30,000 jobs, created a political crisis. This study provides a brief guide to the complex interaction of political and economic factors which led to the UK `coal crisis` including the impact of electricity privatisation on the coal industry and the influence of planned privatisation of British Coal; an analysis of the government`s response to the crisis; and a discussion of some of the policy issues involved, particularly as they affect the prospects for coal within the UK and elsewhere in the EC.

Abstract in spanish Se exponen los conceptos sistémicos para explicar los fenómenos políticos. La relación entre el Estado y los individuos es conceptualizada como la relación entre el subsistema coercitivo o persuasivo y los factores exógenos, endógenos, centrales, periféricos. Las categorías para observar tales aspectos son la principal contribución de la aproximación científica a la construcción del método de la ciencia política. Sin embargo, existen elementos inobservables (more) o escasamente observables a partir de los cuales se infieren otros factores y subsistemas que pueden desestabilizar a los sistemas políticos. Abstract in english The relation between the State and the individuals is conceptualizada like the relation between the coercive or persuasivo subsystem and exogenous, endogenous, central, peripheral the factors. The categories to observe such aspects are the main contribution of the scientific approach to the construction of the method of political science. Nevertheless, inobservables or barely observable elements exist from which other factors and subsystems are inferred that can destabilize to the political systems.

Abstract in portuguese No artigo são examinados os processos de especialização política, as carreiras e os perfis de deputados federais (1945-2006) em dois estados brasileiros (Rio Grande do Sul e Maranhão), identificando as vinculações entre profissionalização política e hierarquização social. São cotejadas as combinações entre bases sociais, trajetórias e concepções de política que apontam para modalidades diferenciadas de afirmação e reprodução políticas. A partir dis (more) to, são comparadas as dinâmicas de diversificação social da "elite política" nos dois estados, os condicionantes para ascensão política, as estratégias de reconversão de bases sociais em bases eleitorais e as redefinições dos mecanismos de legitimação dos papéis políticos ao longo do tempo e em cada configuração regional. As fontes privilegiadas na pesquisa foram repertórios biográficos, memórias, biografias e entrevistas em profundidade. Abstract in english This article examines processes of political specialization, careers and profile of federal representatives in two Brazilian states (Rio Grande do Sul and Maranhão) between 1945 and 2006, identifying connections between political professionalization and social hierarchy. We examine the combinations of social bases, trajectories and conceptions of politics that point to differentiated modalities of political assertion and reproduction. In this way we are able to compare t (more) he dynamics of diversification of the "political elite" in each state, as well as factors that condition political ascent, strategies through which social bases are converted into electoral bases and the redefinition of mechanisms that legitimate political roles over time and within regional configurations. Biographies, memoirs and in-depth interviews make up the privileged sources for our research.

Traditional studies of terrorist group behavior focus on questions of political motivation, strategic choices, organizational structure, and material support, but say little about the basic laws that govern how the frequency and severity (number of deaths)of their attacks change over time. Here we study 3,143 fatal attacks carried out worldwide from 1968-2008 by 381 terrorist groups, and show that the frequency of a group's attacks accelerates along a universal trajectory, in which the time between attacks decreases according to a power law in the group's total experience; in contrast, attack severity is independent of organizational experience and organizational size. We show that the acceleration can be explained by organizational growth, and suggest that terrorist organizations may be best understood as firms whose primary product is political violence. These results are independent of many commonly studied social and political factors, suggesting a fundamental law for the dynamics of terrorism and a new a...

The political factors shaping IMF lending to developing countries have attracted attention in recent empirical work. This goes in particular for the role and influence of the US. However, scant formal modelling makes interpretation of empirical results difficult. In this paper, we propose a model in which the US acts as principal within the IMF and seeks to maximize its impact on the policy stance of debtor countries. We derive an optimal loan allocation mechanism, which leads to the testable hypothesis that the probability of an IMF loan is increasing in the amount of political concessions countries make. A political concession is defined as the distance between a country's bliss point and its actual policy stance measured relative to the US. We introduce a bliss-point proxy and demonstrate that our hypothesis is strongly supported in the data. Moreover, we show that not accounting for bliss points may lead to endogeneity bias in empirical work

This paper deals with the causes and impact of the rise in the number of Palestinian-Arab Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Israel in the last two decades. It provides a multi-level model that combines economic, political and cultural factors to explain the shifts in Palestinian-Arab political mobilization in Israel and as a result to the rise of a complex network of Arab NGOs. The paper demonstrates the way in which the civil institutions and their intensive involvement in public social affairs generate social capital that has internal as well as external political impact. Arab civil society institutions, which operate mainly separately from civil institutions of the Jewish majority, assist in the empowerment and the development of Arab society. They provide services in different f...

The European Union?s (EU) normative roles in global politics have in recent years been a hotly debated topic. The EU promotes its political values outside of the Union, especially with regard to prospective accession countries and small developing countries. However, a normative foreign policy approach encounters considerable challenges when confronted with major powers, such as China and Russia that do not share the political values promoted by the EU. Attempts at pursuing a normative policy towards these countries often come across as halfhearted. This article discusses EU normative policy towards China. It identifies loss of the moral high ground, conflicting positions of EU members and lack of leverage as the three main factors hampering it. It needs to be recognised that these problem...

The U.S. military's -don't ask, don't tell- (DADT) policy has been controversial since its adoption in 1993. The policy has been criticized as discriminatory for tolerating or fostering homophobic attitudes and behavior, and as detrimental to military effectiveness. This article examines the results of recent votes in the U.S. Congress to repeal DADT to identify factors that may predict members' votes on morality issues, such as DADT. Our results demonstrate that the members' political ideology and the political party preference of the members' home district or state are strong predictors of how the members voted on repeal of DADT. For members of the House of Representatives, freshmen members were more likely than their colleagues to vote in ways that coincided with the political preferenc...

Based on the socioanalytic perspective of performance prediction [Hogan, R. (1991). Personality and personality assessment. In M. D. Dunnette, L. Hough, (Eds.), "Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology" (2nd ed., pp. 873-919). Chicago: Rand McNally; Hogan, R., & Shelton, D. (1998). A socioanalytic perspective on job performance. "Human Performance, 11", 129-144.], the present study tests whether motives to "get along" and to "get ahead" produce greater performance when interactively combined with social effectiveness. Specifically, we investigated whether interactions of the Five-Factor Model constructs of agreeableness and conscientiousness with political skill predict job performance. Our results supported our hypothesis for the agreeableness-political skill interaction. Additionally, after correcting for the unreliability and restricted range of conscientiousness, we found that its interaction with political skill also significantly predicted job performance, although not precisely as hypothesized. Implications of the results and directions for future research are provided.

Abstract This article analyzes the role of institutional factors and political stability in the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It uses cross-sectional time series data on 40 SSA countries, and an econometric model of 12 institutional (including political risk) variables, after controlling for both traditional and policy variables. Given the role of foreign direct investment in the development process, one of the most important challenges facing Africa is how to attract an improved share of the increasing flow of world FDI. Africa's image as a high-risk investment region has to be dispelled, as the flow of FDI is highly sensitive to economic and political risks. Fiscal incentives, the most popular instrument for attracting FDI in Africa, have failed t...

Abstract in english The article discusses the process of political and economic transition in Brazil since the close of the Constitutional Congress. Addressing the question from an institutionalist perspective, it is argued that these two dimensions of the transition are not the only ones which should be considered in conjunction; a series of other factors must be taken into account as well. First is the question of the sequential chain within the transition process: policies enacted at a gi (more) ven moment depend upon circumstances generated earlier, both in content and in form, creating a relation of path-dependence. Second, this constraint holds greater sway during a transition period, given the fluid conditions under which politics are played out: the political climate and institutions change over time. Third, the actors go through a process of institutional learning, which means the same institutional structures are not operated in the same fashion at different moments. It is necessary to devise a dynamic model for analyzing Brazil's political system during this period. More valuable than any static model would be an analysis of the process which takes into account the intermixing of different political agendas (simultaneously and sequentially), institutional fluidity, and environmental transformations.

Abstract in english The author argues that the conjugation of certain democratic, socioeconomic and political factors has led to the "nationalization" of presidential elections in Brazil since 1960. The expansion of the electoral market resulting from urbanization and the growth of the electorate, together with the progressive removal of the obstacles to voting - due to income, gender, age, and education - has democratized the electoral process by diversifying the social structure of the ele (more) ctorate. Since then, the president's election has ceased to depend solely upon rural political forces and now involves multiple combinations of rural and urban political forces. Candidates can no longer count on specific social groups in order to guarantee their election, and need to widen their appeal. Based on the results of the direct presidential elections of 1960, 1989, 1994 and 1998, the author contends that the "nationalization" of the vote is part of the political integration of Brazilian society and that this, together with the social complexity of the electorate, means that the candidate's appeal and political stance need to be more wide-ranging in order to prevent potential conflicts from arising during the election campaign.

Abstract in spanish Este artículo de reflexión analiza la dimensión política del problema planteado en un contexto globalizado y posmoderno. Desde una perspectiva crítica, siempre se ha afirmado que los mensajes de los medios de comunicación contienen un discurso ideológico. La televisión, el gran medio, no es la excepción. Movida por el motor de la publicidad, el discurso publicitario es uno de los mayores promotores de imaginarios políticos en la teleaudicencia. Pero, ¿sobre qu? (more) ? factores se construye el discurso político en la publicidad del consumo en la televisión? ¿Cómo es la relación entre el medio televisivo, la publicidad y el discurso político que promueven?. Abstract in english This article analyzes the political dimension of the problem set in a globalized and postmodern context. From a critical standpoint, it always has been claimed that messages in the media contain an ideological discourse. Television, the great medium of our day, is no exception. Driven by the engine of advertising, the discourse of publicity is one of the major promoters of political imaginaries among the television audience. But, on what factors is the political discourse (more) in television consumer advertising built? What is the relationship between the televised medium, advertising and the political discourse they promote?.

Abstract in english In this paper, firm heterogeneity in turbulent environments is addressed. It is argued that previous studies have not taken into account effects of a turbulent environment, like the Brazilian context, in which firms must face a weak and erratic government. In such an environment, the large portion of variance usually attributed to firm effects may be explained, not by the usual assumptions of mainstream scholars, but by a more 'political' view of firm differences, namely, (more) the ability to manage valuable political alliances. To account for these differences, a multivariate performance measure was construed and a new factor, 'politics effects', has been introduced to the usual model. Company donations for campaign funds in elections was used as a proxy for this factor. A sample of 607 observations, of 177 firms in 15 sectors was used. Results suggest that the presence of politics effects were found to be not significant (using COV and Hierarchical ANOVA). However, different from previous studies, transient industry effects appear to be more important than stable effects. Findings also indicate that a better model specification for turbulent environments is needed and highlight the importance of the cost of capital

This study focuses on how the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement and European Union (EU) natural gas market liberalization processes have challenged and changed the Norwegian state's natural gas entrepreneurship since the 1990s. The point of departure is that the Norwegian petroleum industry was developed as a political entreprise by the Norwegian state from the early 1970s. As a political entrepreneur, the state was engaged in the industry as production entrepreneur, as well as being a political and economic risk-taker. As a political entrepreneur the state could define social goals for activities and use regulative, legal and political measures to reach goals that private entrepreneurs do not have at their disposal. As a political entrepreneur the Norwegian state did not limit itself to the regulation of activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), but instead took on the role of innovator and leader of economic change and development. Natural gas activities and their relations to the infantile, imperfect and international European gas market demanded additional political efforts compared to oil activities. The Norwegian state used several instruments in a combination to reach goals set up: regulations, direct participation and political interventions, and preferential treatment of Norwegian companies. Policies were developed with high ambitions with regard to national sovereignty and control of the industry, an optimal resource management, and to capture as much rent as possible. In addition to being the regulator, law and policymaker the state became itself an industrial actor, and in periods a substantial financial contributor to developments. Government policy and industrial structures changed as the industry matured, and markets, international affairs and technology changed. The state not only ensured the establishment of the industry, but maintained its role as a driving force looking after and contributing to change and evolution, to the intended benefit of the industry and the state itself. When Norway entered the 1990s and EU integration processes were increasingly evident, her petroleum policy and natural gas strategy was under strong political control. The EEA agreement changed the legal framework for Norwegian domestic policy and economic activities in many areas, including the petroleum sector. In particular, it changed the institutional and regulative framework for natural gas production, transportation and sales, and the way the state could continue the control and innovation of her comprehensive gas model. Furthermore, the liberalization of downstream EU natural gas markets changed the external economic and political maneuvering room. However, the EU has not succeeded in fully liberalizing her natural gas markets. This study argues that markets for natural gas in the EU are and will remain largely imperfect and politicized for the foreseeable future, in which opportunities for adaptation, influencing developments and exercising entrepreneurship must be understood. The study therefore focuses on the effects on entrepreneurship, both from a perspective of a largely full liberalization, and from a perspective of de facto liberalization. The final chapter includes a summary of empirical findings, along with an assessment of how the study may contribute to understanding Norwegian petroleum policy and the Norwegian - EU relationship, respectively. Some theoretical implications are addressed. The study draws upon endogenous growth theory to understand the role of the Norwegian state as a political entrepreneur in the creation of her petroleum industry. Endogenous growth theory demonstrates that policy, entrepreneurship and innovation, and not only changes in exogenous factors, have an impact on the long-run growth of an industry, and more general on a national economy. To understand EU integration processes and their impact on national policy making, the disciplines of economics and political science are combined in a multidisciplinary manner within an International Political Economy (IPE) framework. (Author). 449 refs., figs

Through a comparative analysis of ethnic relations in two multi-ethnic cities in southern Nigeria, this article seeks to isolate factors that might explain why some countries manage to avoid violence in the midst of longstanding ethnic conflicts while ethnic relations in other countries are characterised by periodic violence. The factors isolated include the persistence of horizontal inequalities, absence of mediating social capital, institutionalisation of politics of non-inclusion and construction of indigeneity and homeland discourses. The article explores the interconnections between the different factors. Its main contribution lies in its specification of the contexts in which horizontal inequalities are likely to result in violent ethnic conflicts. Copyright Copyright 2009 John Wiley...

Ludi (games) (spectacula) were important in Roman visual culture. Those involving animals (venationes) developed from moderately sized ritualized killing and hunt into carnage. Their popularity and development in scale and frequency contrasted sharply with the Romans' love of pets, good veterinary medicine, and fascination with animals. I explore factors that contribute to explaining the spectators' endurance and enjoyment of the venationes. Contextual factors were hunting traditions and a political system where power and popularity was gained through donations (euergetism). I suggest that the explanatory psychological factors are: hunter-insensitivity, psychological and neurological processes connected to enjoyment of cruelty (killing, aggression, horror), desensitization, neurological fe...

Abstract in portuguese Este artigo trata da instabilidade política na América Latina, especialmente dos países componentes da Região Andina, do Cone Sul e do Brasil. Investigamos as causas do surgimento de novas lideranças políticas nesses países e a relação dessas lideranças com situações de estabilidade ou de instabilidade políticas. O artigo sustenta que o surgimento de novas lideranças na América Latina, que tem emergido numa dinâmica de estabilidade e instabilidade polític (more) a, não pode ser compreendido unicamente por hipóteses que ressaltem os traços populistas ou de falhas da modernização política, dado que a casuística mais profunda de tal emergência deveria ser procurada em novas clivagens que apontam para uma renovação de elites, mas também para o surgimento de clivagens de identidade étnica e social assim como de um novo padrão de relacionamento entre movimentos sociais e novas lideranças. Concluímos que a ascensão de novas lideranças políticas nos países analisados está geralmente ligada a uma crise de legitimidade do sistema político. Assumimos também que o "neopopulismo" pode ser uma variável explicativa da emergência de novos atores nos contextos de instabilidade política, não podendo tal variável, entretanto, ser descontextualizada. Abstract in english This article looks at political instability in Latin America, particularly for the countries that make up the Andean region, the Southern Cone and Brazil. We inquire into the causes behind the emergence of new political leadership in these countries and the relationship that such leadership has with situations of political stability or instability. We sustain that the emergence of new leadership in Latin America, which has emerged within a dynamic of political stability a (more) nd instability cannot be understood solely through hypotheses that give salience to populist traits or flaws in processes of political modernization. Rather, deeper causal explanation for the appearance of such new leadership should be sought in the new cleavages that demonstrate the renovation of elite groups, as well as the emergence of ethnic and social divisions and of new patterns of relationship between social movements and new leadership. We conclude that the rise of new political leadership in the countries that we analyze is generally linked to a legitimacy crisis within the political system. We also hold that "neo-populism" may be an explanatory variable for the emergence of new actors in contexts of political instability, but care must be taken to give adequate emphasis to contextual factors.

Abstract in english This study deals with the reform of the State public school system in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The central aim of the reform is to establish decentralized spaces for participation by the population and professional educators in school management as a way of neutralizing the use of schools for political cronyism. The reform involved a process that spanned the terms of three different Governors, with participation by various actors displaying distinct political perspectives, i (more) nterests, and ideologies. The study attempts to explain the causal factors affecting the decision-making process. As explanatory factors, the case study suggests the actors' capacity to establish common objectives and utilize available power instruments, the characteristics of the institutional context in which they acted, and the learning process developed with the legacy of previous policies.

Acknowledging the importance of political economical factors, this paper focuses on the contested issue of culture as a way of describing and understanding a case of episodic civilian riot in northwestern Liberia. The reflexive use of culture has become an integral part of contemporary conflict. Rather than regarding culture as an epiphenomenon to ‘real’ conflict factors, local cultural models for perceiving intercommunal relationships should be seen as semantic fields that hold descriptive and explanatory power and at the same time as constituting political and cultural processes and institutions. The four main cultural models depicted in the paper pertain to host-stranger relationships, religion, victimization, and citizenship. Mental models clearly link up with human behaviour, but can only achieve their explanatory value with regard to the violent episode at hand, when they are considered on the background of contingency and the emergent properties of human interaction.

Scholars continue to debate what citizens know about politics, whether ordinary people lack the capacity to make rational and informed choices in a democracy, and what voters learn from election campaigns. One common prism to understand these issues focuses upon the role of ?knowledge gaps?, suggesting that any adult learning from the media will be strongly conditioned by prior levels of formal education. An alternative theory suggests that lifetime learning occurs, so that adult use of the news media has the capacity to shrink any information gaps arising from early schooling. Dozens of studies have examined the individual-level factors associated with political knowledge among citizens, including the role of fixed characteristics such as sex and race, and of slowly changing factors such ...

Between 14 November and 4 December 2004, four successive tropical depressions and typhoons lashed the Eastern coast of Luzon in the Philippines. Heavy rainfall triggered massive landslides and devastating flash floods, which brought tremendous damage and killed more than 1600 people. Immediately after the disaster, there was a media and political consensus to incrimate `extraordinary' natural phenomena and widespread deforestation as responsible for the catastrophe. We argue that the tragedy that befell the municipalities of General Nakar, Infanta and Real, among other devastated areas, is enmeshed in a deeper tangle of causal factors that are political, socio-economic and demographic in nature. These factors include unmanaged population growth, difficult access to land and resources, corr...

This article analyzes and discusses how Spanish education has evolved and departed from traditions, involving a complex array of cultural, historical, and political factors. Cultural and linguistic diversity have been significant factors in slowing the central state's progress toward its modern goals and ideology. During the past 25 years the fundamental tension between progressive and conservative political groups during the establishment of the new state model is reflected in the formation and planning of the present Spanish educational system. This system is halfway between a centralized system and a decentralized or federal system. The foundation for the idea of school autonomy in Spain dates from the 1978 Constitution, but adoption of autonomy has been incomplete. New education laws passed in 1990 and 1995 are continuing to influence system changes.

Abstract in spanish Es importante señalar que la política es un concepto que ha evolucionado a través de la historia de la humanidad, siendo uno de sus principales pensadores que profundizaron acerca de la misma los filósofos griegos como Aristóteles y Platón. Además, la Psicología Política es la disciplina científica que trata de describir y explicar el comportamiento político, estudiando los factores, psicológicos, sociales y ambientales que influyen en él. De otro lado, para (more) toda persona sería apropiado tener un mayor conocimiento de las cuestiones políticas desde la óptica de la Psicología Política, lo que le permitiría mejorar su participación política tanto si es pasiva como si es activa, ya que tendría una mayor comprensión de los procesos subyacentes a los hechos políticos que acontecen en su vida cotidiana, es decir enfatizar la relevancia de este aspecto, para así lograr toma de decisiones y elecciones más apropiadas, y no como en los últimos años nos hemos percatado de elecciones carentes de sentido común y realismo. Una Psicología Política que sirva para defender los intereses y el bienestar de las comunidades, asimismo para que ayude a la resolución pacífica de los conflictos en las comunidades y entre comunidades. Abstract in english It is important to indicate that the policy is a concept that has evolved through the history of the humanity, being one of its main thinkers who deepened about same the Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato. In addition, Political Psychology is the scientific discipline that tries to describe and to explain the political behavior, studying the factors, psychological, social and environmental that influences in him. Of other side, for all person would be appropriate (more) to have greater knowledge of questions political from optics of Psychology Political, which would allow him to improve his participation political as much if it is passive as if it is active, since it would have a greater understanding of the underlying processes to the political facts that they occur in his daily life, is to say to emphasize the relevance of this aspect, thus to obtain more appropriate election and decision making, and not as in the last years we have noticed of devoid elections of common sense and realism. A Political Psychology that serves to defend the interests and the well-being of the communities, also so that it helps to the pacific resolution of the conflicts in the communities and between communities.

Economic, politic and organizational factors that govern the developments on the French electric power market are investigated. Three scenarios are then outlined for the French market and the electricity export from France, in the light of EC policies. Two questions are of special importance for the french power market: Will EDFs monopoly be broken, and will the nuclear program be continued? (56 refs., 5 figs., 6 tabs.).

This paper analyses the investment dynamic of energy production system in Brazil, from the identification of the determining factors and discussions on the perspectives of the evolution of the investment of the production dynamic system - establishing the key questions for the definition of the system future in the Brazil, and proposing strategies, investments and energy politic actions which guarantee the necessary energy to the productive development of Brazil. (author)

This paper returns to one of the early questions of the literature on social trust, whether trust affects total factor productivity (TFP). Using both development and growth accounting, we find strong evidence of a causal effect of trust on the level and growth of TFP. Using a three-stage least-squares procedure, we moreover observe that the effect of trust on TFP runs entirely through property-rights institutions and not political institutions. Those findings resist a series of robustness checks.

Telecommunications planners and implementers in all major industries are being challenged to deliver corporate communications requirements in the face of rapidly changing technologies and business strategies. A description is presented of British Columbia Hydro's telecom facilities and related network management factors. The definition and objectives of network management, political infrastructure, physical infrastructure, barriers to achieving standardized network management, and integration of network management systems are discussed.

Opinions on the world market for wind power are presented in this paper. The paper is divided into three sections: the market, the technology, and general conclusions. The market section compares European and US wind energy growth and contributing factors and barriers to growth. A technology overview discusses wind turbine concepts, mass reduction, blade structural flexibility, and growth in machine size. Political decisions, economic aspects, public acceptance, and technology limitations are assessed for their influence on the growth of wind energy. 11 figs.

Energy developments in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) include the formation of a national energy committee and an increase in oil production to 3.5% of total world production. The UAE has two refineries, is building a gas liquefaction plant, and expects to more than double its electric power demand between 1980 and 1985. Local consumption, politics, and world energy markets will be among the factors determining future oil production. Energy consumption and production data are presented in two tables. (DCK)

The article discusses possibilities, problems and risk factors related to the development of the oil and gas resources in the Caspian region and Central Asia with particular emphasis on the transport of oil and gas to the market. The super power's interests in the region and it's strategic position and the political development in the Caucasus and Central Asia with particular emphasis on the important oil and gas nations are reviewed. Furthermore the political battle for the oil and gas in the region is discussed. Finally the potential for new tensions in the region particularly between Russia, Turkey and the USA is reviewed. The participants in the battle are Iran, Russia, Turkey and the USA as well as the other oil and gas rich nations around Caspian Sea. The USA has newly arrived in the area and have an interest in accessing the new oil and gas provinces and obtaining a political stronghold in a strategically important part of the Eurasian continent. There are specific sections on the interests of the superpowers in the Central Asian oil and gas market, the Caspian and Central Asian region's strategic importance, the political development in the Caucasus and Central Asia, the important oil and gas nations, the battle for Central Asia and new tensions in the region.

Abstract in portuguese A discussão sobre raça na política brasileira é mote entre cientistas sociais de diversas perspectivas: seja pelo seu papel na formação do Estado nacional, nos movimentos sociais ou ainda nas políticas públicas voltadas a grupos raciais. Utilizando a abordagem centrada em recursos, argumenta-se que o pertencimento a um grupo racial não afeta de forma substantiva a propensão a atuar politicamente em Belo Horizonte, ao passo que fatores socioeconômicos, como rend (more) a e escolaridade, são nitidamente mais relevantes. Esses resultados empíricos, por sua vez, não eliminam o fato de que a abordagem dos recursos apresenta limitações para testar os fatores que levariam à mobilização racialmente orientada no Brasil. Abstract in english Social scientists approach the role of race in Brazilian politics from diverse perspectives: its role in the making of the nation-state, social movements, or race-targeted public policies. This paper takes on race as a central issue and looks into race's effect on individual political behavior. Using the resource-based approach as a framework, races does not seem to affect an individual's chance of participating politically in Belo Horizonte, whereas the possession of res (more) ources such as income and education substantially increases an individual's likelihood of participation. Despite these findings, it is argued that the resource-based approach has a limited capacity to test all factors that lead to political behavior influenced by racial identity.

This paper evaluates Mexico's recent experience of economic stabilization policies from a comparative-politics standpoint. By comparison with various South American experiences of inflation and stabilization, Mexico's short-term performance must be rated quite favorably. This was not a case in which International Monetary Fund (IMF) orthodoxy prevailed at every point, nor was the Fund analysis accepted without qualification by Mexico's policymakers. At the end of the period, economic disequilibria, as measured by IMF criteria, remained considerably larger than the 3-yr plan had envisaged, but confidence had been restored and rapid growth was in prospect. The interpretation offered in the paper is that Mexico's cyclical pattern of presidential politics largely determined the effective contents of the stabilization package, and that the resilience of the Mexican system of political management goes far to explain why the economic outcome was more favorable than in the South American cases. An accident of geological endowment (the nation's huge oil resources) certainly accentuated the process of recovery from bust to boom, but this factor did not operate in isolation, and should not be considered an adequate explanation on its own. The impact of a geological endowment upon economic conditions depends upon political mediation. However, although this paper seeks to highlight the contribution of Mexican political management to the recent short-term economic improvement, it concludes with some qualifications. The final section considers some constraints on the scope and efficacy of Mexican reformism, particularly in relation to longer-term and more structural problems. 24 references, 1 table.

The purpose of this paper is to identify -participative politics' and what is here called -self-service politics' as distinct political themes in many advanced democracies, in order to investigate their main elements and chart their interrelationships. These two themes are examined from the viewpoint of politicization and depoliticization tendencies. Participative politics consists of three main forms, defined as active citizenship, citizen networks and co-production. Self-service politics, in turn, connects each of these forms to a larger political transformation by pitting themes of activating politics, social governance and accountability against them. The paper investigates what bearing participative politics, and self-service politics as its inevitable attendant, have on the sphere of...

Abstract in spanish Este artículo, desde el análisis espacial, se propone relacionar los factores sociales y políticos del desarrollo local y poder local en los procesos de localización industrial y desarrollo socioeconómico, así como los actores sociales y políticos presentes en la transformación del municipio de Atlacomulco, Estado de México, en el periodo 1980-2002, mostrando que en un proceso de localización industrial se modifican los indicadores socioeconómicos. Abstract in english This paper is a special analysis about social and political factors of local development and local power in the localization process and socioeconomic development in Atlacomulco, México, 1980-2002.

Abstract in spanish El presente artículo analiza la fragmentación de Hispanoamérica en una pluralidad de países luego de su Independencia. Con ese fin toma en consideración ocho factores o niveles de causación, entre administrativos, económicos y políticos. Sus secciones buscan sustanciar la hipótesis del carácter sistémico y multifinal de la desintegración de la antigua Colonia española. Abstract in english This article analyzes the fragmentation of Hispanic America in a plurality of countries after its Independence. To that end it takes into consideration eight factors or causation levels (administrative, economic and political). Its sections seek to substantiate the hypothesis of the systemic and multifinal nature of the disintegration of the former Spanish colony.

This article discusses the importance of ideology, institutions, politics, and economic knowledge for forecasting economic policies and their impact on macroeconomic developments. Following a general discussion of those factors, the article illustrates their forecasting usefulness by drawing on experiences from the global financial crisis. Specific issues include the roles of those factors in the pre-crisis bubble buildup, in shaping aggregate policy responses in the USA and Europe and in shaping international coordination regarding long-term regulatory reform and preservation of free trade. A final illustration includes the role of policymaking institutions in guiding public expectations. (JEL codes: E6, E5, H, P5)

This manuscript reviews the factors that may affect the decision by local government leaders, particularly in small municipalities, when determining whether or not to implement a police department. Although this paper is based on research conducted within a small Florida municipality, it is useful in suggesting what geographical, political, and environmental factors may be considered within an open-systems approach in an effort to guide decision makers through the many intricate and subtle issues that affect the level of policing services. Case study examples are provided through text boxes to demonstrate key points and provide more ?texture? (or illustrations) to the study.

Our study analyzes how political context, embodied by the welfare state and Leftist political actors, shapes individual poverty. Using the Luxembourg Income Study, we conduct a multi-level analysis of working-aged adult poverty across 18 affluent Western democracies. Our index of welfare generosity has a negative effect on poverty net of individual characteristics and structural context. For each standard deviation increase in welfare generosity, the odds of poverty decline by a factor of 2.3. The odds of poverty in the United States (the least generous welfare state) are greater by a factor of 16.6 than a person with identical characteristics in Denmark (the most generous welfare state). Significant interaction effects suggest that welfare generosity reduces the extent to which low education and the number of children increase poverty. Also, welfare generosity reduces poverty among those with low education, single-mother households and young households. We show that Leftist parties and union density reduce the odds of poverty, however their effects channel through the welfare state. Ultimately, poverty is shaped both by individual characteristics and the political context in which the individual resides. (Contains 5 tables and 25 notes.)

Wind energy deployment varies widely across regions and this variation cannot be explained by differences in natural wind resources alone. Evidence suggests that institutional factors beyond physical wind resources can influence the deployment of wind energy systems. Building on the work of , this study takes a historical institutionalist approach to examine the main factors influencing wind energy deployment across four Canadian provinces Canada: Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia. Our case studies suggest that wind energy deployment depends upon a combination of indirect causal factors-landscape values, political and social movements, government electricity policy, provincial electricity market structure and incumbent generation technologies and direct causal factors-grid architecture, ownership patterns, renewable incentive programs, planning and approvals processes and stakeholder support and opposition. - Research highlights: {yields} Examines the reasons for variations in wind deployment between Canadian provinces. {yields} Employs a historical institutional approach to the analysis. {yields} Discusses social factors that affect wind deployment across Canadian jurisdictions.

This paper deals with the politics of language, power and pedagogy in Ethiopia, with a focus on the past and present conditions of the Oromo language. The paper evaluates the major historico-political factors that constrained the linguistic human rights of the Oromo during Haile Sellassie's and Mengistu's Ethiopia, and reflects on the status of the Oromo language and the divergent myths and practices that have continued to plague the use of the Oromo language for education and development in post-Mengistu Ethiopia. The thesis of the paper is that in Ethiopia, where the nation building agenda in the past was premised largely on the Amharization of the empire, the homogenizing agents imposed the superiority of Amharic over other languages in the country. Drawing on critical multiculturalism,...

Abstract in portuguese Esse artigo objetiva identificar, a partir das vozes e visões daqueles que a protagonizam - homens e mulheres privados de liberdade no Centro de Remanejamento do Sistema Prisional (Ceresp) de Ipatinga (MG) -, os fatores sociais, políticos, econômicos, históricos e culturais que os impelem a reproduzir o percurso crime-prisão-liberdade-crime, num círculo vicioso sem fim. O que importa é realizar tal análise sem, contudo, se eximir de responsabilidade analítica, teórica e política. Abstract in english This article aims to identify, from the voices and visions of those who are protagonists - men and women deprived of liberty in the Relocation Center of Prisons (Ceresp) Ipatinga/MG - the social, political, economic, historical and cultural factors that impel them to reproduce the route crime-jail-free (liberty)-crime, in an endless vicious circle. What matters is to perform the analysis, without, exempt (shunning) an analytical, theoretical and political responsibility.

In this paper we examine how different contextual factors influence the nature of new public management (NPM) reforms and the state of public accountability in Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is notable that these countries fall into two distinct groups and that even in the successful pair of countries, Singapore and Malaysia, the extent of the accountability mechanisms implemented as part of the process of implementing the NPM model is quite limited, whereas the accountability and transparency of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka deteriorated during this period. We argue that political history, the pattern of economic development, the nature of political leadership, the capability of the administrative system, the capacity of existing institutions, and the state of civil society ...

The background of the contemporary Macedonian “antiquization” can be found in the nineteenth century and the myth of ancient descent among Orthodox Slavic speakers in Macedonia, adopted partially due to Greek cultural inputs. The idea of Ancient Macedonian nationhood has also been included in the national mythology during the Yugoslav era. An additional factor for its preservation has been the influence of the Macedonian Diaspora. After independence, attempts to use myth of ancient descent had to be abandoned due to political pressure by Greece. Contemporary antiquization on the other hand, has been revived as an efficient tool for political mobilization. It is manifested as a belated invention and mass-production of tradition, carried out through the creation of new ceremoni...

Party competition is constrained by socio-demographic factors, identities and value orientations. The study of the adaptation to these constraints is hindered for three main reasons, each of them primarily conceptual in nature. First, the examination of the various constraints is rarely integrated into a comprehensive approach, and therefore we lack even a vocabulary that could allow us to reconstruct the strategies with which parties respond. Second, scholarship gives too little attention to the relationship between temporal stability on the one hand and the positional alignments that link political behavior with socio-demographic characteristics, values and group identity on the other. Third, the study of the agency of political elites is either neglected, or it is done in an ad hoc way....

In forestry Northern Ireland is one of the most impoverished parts of the European Union as well as the United Kingdom. During the last 10?15 years as afforestation projects gathered speed in many parts of the British Isles there has been no notable change in Ulster. One main contributor to this problem was the political uncertainty and violence which has now largely been remedied since the establishment of the devolved government in 2007. In addition to the recently established political stability there is an equally welcoming factor which is likely to impact positively upon the fortune of forestry sector in the province; that is carbon trading rights under the Kyoto Protocol. The use of new forests as credit towards reducing carbon dioxide emission is an important part of the Kyoto deal ...

Political participation is higher among men than women in most parts of the world. However, earlier research has shown that this does not hold true in Scandinavia, including Sweden, where gender differences are remarkably small. This article studies the causes of the Swedish situation. A conventional hypothesis is formulated based on research from other parts of the world. It assumes that gender-equal participation in Sweden can be explained by the lack of gender differences in certain political resource and motivational factors that are often analyzed. However, this hypothesis is not supported by the data, which instead indicates a female disadvantage with regard to both resources and motivation. Two alternative hypotheses are developed and shown as empirically viable. The first assumes t...

This paper analyzes the socio-cultural, political and economic conditions prevalent during the inception of nuclear power programs in Japan and South Korea in order to identify commonalities which support nuclear power program expansion. The study identifies six factors as having a clear influence on supporting nuclear power development: (1) strong state involvement in guiding economic development; (2) centralization of national energy policymaking and planning; (3) campaigns to link technological progress with national revitalization; (4) influence of technocratic ideology on policy decisions; (5) subordination of challenges to political authority, and (6) low levels of civic activism. The paper postulates that insights from this study can be used to assess the propensity of nations which...

This article analyses the Great Recession in terms of a movement from a discourse of financial crisis to a crisis of sovereign debt to the current phase of the politics of austerity and cuts. It suggests that the unifying factor in the response of policy-makers to the crisis is the attempt to recompose class relations and tighten market-based constraints over labour power and money. The strategy represents a clear illustration of the "political use of crisis" to reaffirm the stark reality of the "cash nexus." Selective state intervention to contain and prevent the "contagion" of the crisis has increasingly politicized the management of the economy and fueled debate about the nature of money, the character of the state, and the morality of capitalist social relations. This debate is being c...

Abstract in english Convergence introduces several transformations into Cultural Industries? structures and dynamics. The option to receive television signal into mobile devices with 3G technologies is one of these changes. This article analyzes new phenomenon from Political Economy of Communication focus. Methodology is based on qualitative analysis applied to Spanish case study. As a consequence, all 3G mobile television technologic, economic and political dimensions will be studied. The (more) results show that new method of television broadcasting is more positioned to potentiate economic factors than media integration based on convergence logics. This new system is contributing to reinforce the commodification of cultural industries. In conclusion, 3G mobile TV assumes decisive importance since besides placing as the forth screen it is helping to re-define classic concept of television.

Explaining perceived risk can draw upon factors related to the person (e.g. demographics, personality, social/professional status, political orientation), or to the risk source (e.g. health impacts, economic effects). According to Cultural Theory risk perceptions are culturally biased. Wildavsky and Dake operationalised the Cultural Theory with questionnaire scales and found that resulting `cultural profiles` best predict individual differences in risk perception. A French version of their questionnaire was inserted into a representative national risk opinion survey of May 1993; 1022 adults (age 18 and over) were interviewed. Major results are presented. The four cultural scales (hierarchy, egalitarianism, fatalism and individualism) show high correlations with political orientation as expected, but also with, for example, age, gender, income and education level. However, scale relationships to perception of risk situations (twenty, mainly technological) are not as strong as expected. Sjoeberg found similar results in Sweden. The utility of the existing operationalisation of Cultural Theory for risk perception analysis is discussed. (author).

What role does executive partisan interest play in the reform of election administration? The forces for reform and continuity in the USA, the UK and Ireland from 1980 to 2007 are compared. Partisan involvement is found to be present in the USA and the UK but less so in Ireland. This is explained by conceiving partisan interest as a context-specific causal mechanism which varies according to three factors. First, an issue trigger may be required to bring election administration on to executive policy agenda. Five such triggers are identified in the cases. Second, the systemic institutional features of political systems shape and refract the (non-)politics of election administration by altering the incentives, opportunities for and constraints upon elite action. Executive interest in and ac...

Abstract in spanish Este trabajo, de carácter exploratorio, trata de responder a algunas preguntas de diversa complejidad relacionadas con la opinión pública y la prensa periódica en la Provincia de Córdoba entre 1820-1852. Para ello se toman las siguientes variables: origen de las publicaciones, periodicidad, contexto de edición, orientación ideológico político de los textos y de los editores / redactores, entre las más importantes. El contexto político es considerado como variable explicativa principal de la producción periódica y del tipo periodismo que existió. Abstract in english This exploratory work seeks to answer some questions of diverse complexity related with the public opinion and the periodic press in Córdoba province between 1820 and 1852. Points selected for our study include the origin of the publications, its regularity, its edition contexts and ideological and political orientation of the texts and of their publishers / editors. Political context is deemed the most important factor to explain the periodical production and the type of journalism existing.

Political, economic and social discussions and debates about the economic development, the creation of jobs, and the organization of an extensive energy supply and waste disposal complex with regard to ecological and economic aspects and with regard to social compatibility suggest new structures that allow one to consider all factors relevant to a region while relating them to economics. The democratic political parties, the bishops` conference, the protestant and catholic churches of Germany, and other groups of the German population support this trend. (orig.) [Deutsch] Die vielseitigen politischen, wirtschaftlichen und gesellschaftlichen Diskussionen zum wirtschaftlichen Aufbau, der Schaffung neuer Arbeitsplaetze sowie zum umfassenden Versorgungs- und -Entsorgungskomplex unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Oekologie, Oekonomie und Solzialvertraeglichkeit geben Anlass, nach neuartigen Strukturformen zu suchen, mit denen der gesamte, oben erwaehnte Komplex volkswirtschaftlich im Rahmen einer Region betrachtet wird. Diese Forderungen werden grundsaetzlich von allen demokratischen Parteien in unserem Lande, von der Bischofskonferenz, der evangelischen und katholischen Kirche in Deutschland sowie von weiteren Bevoelkerungskreisen getragen. (orig.)

Megaprojects are systems of highly concentrated power whose footprints, or radius of effects, are without precedent in human history. Once upon a time, even under imperial conditions, most people on our planet lived and loved, worked and played within geographically limited communities. They never had to reckon with all of humanity as a factor in their daily lives. Whenever they acted recklessly within their environment, for instance, they had the option of moving on, safe in the knowledge that there was plenty of Earth and not many others. Whenever bad things happened, they happened within limits. Their effects were local. The politics of megaprojects radically alters this equation; it poses new questions about the governance of risk and the nature and limits of democratic politics. The p...

Movement is an integral part of human existence. While talking about transborder migration from Bangladesh to India, we are, however, aware that this is a controversial subject. The partition of Bengal in 1947 was the cruelest partition in the history of the world and caused forced illegal migration from erstwhile East Pakistan. It is estimated that there are about 15 million Bangladeshi nationals living in India illegally. West Bengal has a border running 2,216 km along Bangladesh. The present study highlights push-pull factors of illegal Bangladeshi migration based on perceptions of respondents obtained from a qualitative survey done on the basis of purposive sampling in Kolkata and 24 parganas and two districts of West Bengal (WB), an Indian State. The economic push factors that motivate people to leave Bangladesh are instability and economic depression, poverty, lack of employment opportunity, struggle for livelihood, forced grabbing of landed property from minority group, and lack of industrialization in Bangladesh. About 56% of the respondents expressed that lack of industrialisation/lack of employment/economic insecurity would be the probable cause of this migration. Among the demographic factors, population explosion in Bangladesh and lowest human development index may be the most important cause of illegal migration from Bangladesh to West Bengal. Hindu minority group faced problems in connection with matrimonial alliances. Educational curricula, which were framed according to Islamic preaching and curtailment of facilities enjoyed by Hindu minority group, were responsible factor for illegal migration of Hindu minority population. Another cause is social insecurity. Political instability, fear of riots and terrorism in Bangladesh, inhuman attitude and activities of the political leaders, absence of democratic rights, Muslim domination, religious instigation by political leaders, insecurity feeling of Hindus, are the major crucial issues that require to be mentioned as political push factors. About 59% of the respondents are of the opinion that religious fundamentalists/insecurity of the minority group/discriminating law and order against Hindus may be the factors that motivated migration from Bangladesh to West Bengal. In terms of "ethnic cleansing", one can witness elimination of groups of minorities by dominant ethnic group, curbing their rights controlling their influence in a state's system. Double standards are observed in punishing criminals. Police officials do not record complaints from minority community. According to 85% of the respondent economic opportunity in terms of job opportunity, economic security prevailing in West Bengal worked as pull factors for migrants to West Bengal. Geographic proximity of Bangladesh and West Bengal, the linguistics and cultural similarities, same food habit, homo-ethnic climate, belief of getting shelter, cordiality, fellow-feeling, acceptance power of people of West Bengal have contributed to the movements of population from Bangladesh to West Bengal. (Contains 2 tables.)

Abstract in spanish El artículo tiene como objetivo analizar la ambición política inicial en tres casos de América Central: Costa Rica, Honduras y El Salvador. Según Fox y Lawless (2005) mientras que la ambición de los políticos está influenciada por la estructura de oportunidades la ambición inicial (nascent ambition) está dirigida por otros aspectos. El género, la edad, la educación, la socialización política y las convicciones ideológicas, entre otros, son factores que infl (more) uyen sobre la ambición inicial. En el artículo se analiza el impacto de diversas variables sobre la ambición inicial de los ciudadanos, pero además se contrasta la persistencia del impacto de estas variables entre los diputados. Los resultados muestran que únicamente la socialización política tiene impacto en ambos grupos de estudio. Para abordar esta cuestión se utilizan los datos del proyecto de Elites Parlamentarias Latinoamericanas (PELA) del Instituto de Iberoamérica de la Universidad de Salamanca y los datos del Barómetro de las Américas (LAPOP) de la Universidad de Vanderbilt. Abstract in english The aim of this article is to analyze nascent political ambition in three Central America countries: Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador. According to Fox and Lawless (2005) even though politicians' ambitions are a response to a political opportunity structure, nascent ambition is motivated by other aspects. Gender, age, education, political socialization and ideological motivations are, among others, factors that affect nascent ambition. This article analyzes the impact (more) of several variables over citizens' nascent ambition, but also studies the effect among deputies. The results show that just political socialization has an impact in both groups of study. Analyses are based in two data sets, first from Latin American Elites Project (PELA), from University of Salamanca, and the Americas Barometer (LAPOP) from Vanderbilt University.

...7949] Bureau of Political-Military Affairs: Directorate of Defense...Controls, Bureau of Political- Military Affairs, Department of State...Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea...taken into account political, military, economic, human...

...7416] Bureau of Political-Military Affairs: Directorate of Defense...Controls, Bureau of Political- Military Affairs, Department of State...installed in Ministry of Defense of Israel combat vehicles. The United...taken into account political, military, economic, human rights...

...6953] Bureau of Political-Military Affairs: Directorate of Defense...Controls, Bureau of Political- Military Affairs, Department of State...data, and defense services to Israel to support the manufacture...taken into account political, military, economic, human rights...

...May 28, 1976, no State or political subdivision of a State...application by a State or political subdivision, allow imposition...healing arts or allied medical sciences or related professions or...responsibility of States and political subdivisions to...

...organizations such as the American Political Science Association, the American...officially approved. (g) Political activities abroad. A U.S...shall not engage in any form of political activity in any foreign...

...elective office of that State, political subdivision, or agency...legislative body of that State, political subdivision, or agency and...legislative library of such State, political subdivision, or agency...law; (iii) Christian Science Practitioners listed...

  In the postwar Japan, productivity-oriented Keynesian welfare state caused marginal people like Minamata sufferers pollution and social exclusion. Politics of neo-liberalism and globalization have not only aggravated social exclusion of marginal people, but brought about new social exclusion inside the civil society. “New Men” who rose up among Minamata sufferers have constructed Human Politics, differentiated from citizen's politics, as counter politics against social exclusion. The action-framework of Human Politics is compounded of survival politics, convivial politics and existence-oriented politics. It could be shared with the newly excluded poor.   

Abstract in spanish Este estudio analiza los factores que explican la asociatividad entre los profesionales de la comunicación chilenos, así como niveles de satisfacción con el Colegio de Periodistas. Los resultados muestran bajos niveles de satisfacción con el actuar de la entidad, y muestran que la edad, la orientación política, el nivel jerárquico, la experiencia profesional y el factor geopolítico, son aspectos fundamentales que tienen efectos significativos en la colegiatura. Abstract in english This study analyzes factors explaining professional membership amongst Chilean communication professionals, and their overall level of satisfaction with the Chilean Journalist Professional Society. The results show low levels of satisfaction with the organization's performance, and reveal that age, political orientation, hierarchy level, professional experience and geopolitical factors are fundamental aspects that have significant effects on affiliation.

This paper proposes an approach for defining the criteria set required for multicriteria decision making. An approach is developed for a specific class of water management problems, and a SWOT/PESTLE analysis is recommended for identifying the internal and external factors that influence a given water system. The factors are grouped into six categories: political, economic/financial, social, technical, legal, and environmental (PESTLE), and separated afterwards according to their positive or negative influence on the system. All factors are filtered by a proposed elimination algorithm to identify the non-inferior factors and declare them as candidates for inclusion into the criteria set. An approach is applied to the real-life problem of how to define the criteria set and enable the select...

The purpose of this paper is to outline some of the methods used in evaluating uranium enrichment processes. The paper shows how one can choose among these many processes and what features are crucial in deciding between them. These features can be grouped into technical and economic factors. The technical factors include separation factor, throughput, inventory of material, and specific power requirement. The economic factors are: (1) capital cost of plant and supporting facilities; (2) operating costs including maintenance costs; and (3) power costs. Besides these essential factors, other factors may also need to be considered. These are: (1) potential for further process improvements; (2) reliability of the process equipment; (3) difficulty of manufacturing and handling the process medium; (4) process flexibility; (5) scaling factors; (6) social factors; (7) political factors. The paper illustrates how these basic technical and economic evaluation factors are applied to real enrichment methods. The gaseous diffusion process is used as a reference process and compared with the following processes: gas centrifuge; advanced isotope separation; thermal diffusion; fractional distillation; mass spectrograph; and mass diffusion. Another point that needs to be considered is that some evaluations of uranium enrichment processes change over a period of time because of advances in technology or changes in economic climate. (ATT)

This article makes two principal points. First the author argues that the Russian federation has never been a state and is not sustainable as a state. Four centrifugal indicators are presented to support this claim: ethnic divisiveness; uncertainty about the legitimacy of Russia`s current borders; competing claims for legitimacy on the part of federal and regional leaders; and army units` unpredictable allegiances. Second, she argues that Soviet policies intended to facilitate central control of the periphery had the perverse effect of creating ethnic identity and demands for national autonomy where, in many cases, they did not exist prior to the Communist regime. Following the introduction, part one briefly reviews the concepts of state, nation, and nationalism and the roles they play in Russia. Criteria for state-hood are discussed. Part two lists the main ethnic groups in Russia and considers the roots of ethnic nationalism in the Russian Federation. Part three discusses confusion over the legitimacy of the physical, economic, and political boundaries of the Russian Federation. Part four discusses political disarray in the center and the regions and the lack of unity among order-enforcing entities. The Volga-Ural region -- where there is a large concentration of nuclear weapons and facilities, and which is especially volatile politically -- is discussed in somewhat more detail. Part five argues that these factors taken together call into question Russia`s identity as a state. The author concludes that Russia remains a multi-ethnic empire in which the rule of law is still not supreme.

Europe is undergoing considerable demographic, economic, cultural and socio-political change. National citizenship identities have been challenged by the simultaneous processes of European integration and the migration of people into and across Europe. This paper explores how the current generation of youth relates towards Europe, and highlights the factors affecting their political knowledge, interests and identities. Although the article draws on mainly qualitative data from a study into the political identities of native youth and youth of Turkish descent in England and Germany, the results have implications for all European countries. The research indicates that, in countries which promote European agendas and where schools and curricula emphasize an inclusive concept of Europe (e.g. Goethe Gymnasium in Stuttgart), young people have high levels of knowledge about Europe and make Europe part of their hybrid identities. However, in countries where governments and schools marginalize European agendas (e.g. Millroad School in London), young people struggle to relate positively to Europe, especially in working-class contexts where national(istic) agendas come to the fore. The article raises important questions about the possibilities of promoting inclusive governmental and curriculum approaches and offers ways in which the knowledge and identity gaps between youth in different European countries could be addressed. (Contains 3 tables and 4 notes.)

Abstract in portuguese Meu objetivo neste texto é fazer uma breve reconstrução histórica do paradigma neo-institucionalista da ciência política, com a finalidade de destacar dois pontos. O primeiro é que houve dois fatores que concorreram para a "revolução neo-institucional", quais sejam, a emergência, a partir dos anos de 1950, da análise econômica dos fenômenos políticos sob a ótica dos paradoxos das decisões coletivas e a crise do behaviorismo a partir da segunda metade da d? (more) ?cada de 1960. O segundo é que a abordagem neo-institucional tem como característica teórica central a síntese epistemológica e metodológica de parte do comportamentalismo com parte do "antigo" institucionalismo. Abstract in english The article aims to reconstruct historically the Political Science neo-institutionalism paradigm in order to explore two points. The first one consists in arguing that there were two factors that contributed to the neo-institutional "revolution" in politics, which are: the emergence of the economical analysis of political phenomena under the optics of the paradoxes of collective decisions, from the 1950s, and the crisis in behaviorism in the 1960s. The second one consists (more) in arguing that the neo-institutional approach is a synthesis of part of the behaviorism with part of the "old institutionalism".

This history of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), or Star Wars shows how theories about the dynamics of the arms race can be applied to SDI; and how strategic, political, industrial and other factors have interacted to shape the development of SDI. After outlining the history of Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), the thesis describes how SDI was established in the 1980s. It assesses how far political, industrial, and bureaucratic interest groups wielded influence over the relevant advisory panels and committees. It also examines the interest groups themselves, the distribution of contracts, and the extent of lobbying. Underlying causes of SDI and its links to the wider US military space program and anti-satellite (ASAT) programs are explored. SDI is considered in terms of popular culture, marketing, and domestic politics. Development of SDI is contrasted with the fate of proposals for A european Defense Initiative (EDI), or a European Anti Tactical Ballistic Missile (ATBM) program. Finally, recurrent themes in the history of BMD and SDI are highlighted and conclusions are drawn about the motive causes of SDI and the applicability of the theoretical literature.

A cross-national analysis reveals that women's status in contemporary society must be considered as a multidimensional phenomenon and that no one isolated factor best explains women's overall position. Using data from "The Handbook of International Data on Women" (Boulding and others, 1976), and from United Nations documents, a model to reflect women's position in the political, economic, educational, and family spheres was constructed. Independent variables included each nation's population size, annual rate of population increase, per capita gross national product (GNP), annual growth of GNP per capita, level of modernity and economic development, and degree of governmental coerciveness. Results indicate that women's status is best viewed as two-dimensional. One dimension is composed of women's political, educational, and family status, which are highly and positively intercorrelated. The second dimension is women's position in the economic sphere, which is independent of status in any of the other spheres. Rapid population growth is related to low status for women in the political sphere. High levels of economic status for women are related to high levels of economic development. Women's educational position may be predicted by a nation's level of development and modernity. Generally, a high annual rate of population increase is negatively related to women's social status. (KC)

Abstract in portuguese Este artigo analisa a representação política no legislativo nacional brasileiro, dialogando com os autores que apontam a desproporcionalidade na representação da população dos estados como um dos problemas a ser equacionado na nossa democracia. A partir de considerações teóricas e dados empíricos procura-se demonstrar a singularidade da representação política em formas de Estado federativas; as imprecisões no diagnóstico das causas e das conseqüências da (more) desigualdade na representação dos estados e o impacto da criação de novos estados sobre a representação política. As principais conclusões do trabalho levam à defesa, em nome da federação, de algum grau de desproporcionalidade na representação dos estados brasileiros na Câmara dos Deputados e ao diagnóstico de que a criação de estados pobres e pouco populosos é um fator relevante no aumento da desproporcionalidade, com impactos negativos não somente para a representação política, como também para as finanças públicas e as políticas sociais. Abstract in english This paper analyses the political representation in the Brazilian national legislative, discussing authors that point out the disproportion in the representation of population in states as one of the problems to be worked out in the Brazilian democracy. Based on theoretical considerations and empirical data, we aim to demonstrate the singularity of the political representation in State federative kinds, the imprecise diagnostic of causes and consequences of the unevenness (more) in representing the states, and the impact of forming new states on the political representation. The conclusions advocate the defense, in the name of the federation, of some degree of unevenness in representing Brazilian states in the House of Representatives and to the diagnosis that the generation of poor and populous states is a relevant factor to increase unevenness, with negative impacts not only on the political representation, but also on public finances and social policies.

The focus of this article is on the maintenance of Maale, a minority language spoken in Ethiopia, that has, for centuries, been in contact with Amharic, the dominant language and the language of wider communication in Ethiopia. The main aim of the study is to give an account of the underlying social factors that have contributed to language maintenance in the Maale speech community. Research findings indicate that a strong sense of Maale nationalism, resistance to Amharisation, political organisation, immigration and emigration patterns, an attitude of cultural superiority together with Maale social networks play an important role in the maintenance of the language.

This report is a serious effort at understanding major social and political components of energy policy. This book shows that it is impossible to make effective energy policy without understanding the continuing social conflict over the nature of energy and the many noneconomic factors that influence its use. Conclusions emphasize the importance of seeing energy problems and solutions in terms of social systems rather than single causes; designing energy systems for adaptability as an alternative to detailed planning; and treating energy policies and programs as the social experiments they are. (DLC)

Critical ethnography was used as a pragmatic research methodology to explore the postpartum depression (PPD) experiences of immigrant and refugee women. We examined the social, political, economic, and historical factors that affected the help-seeking behavior of these women during PPD episodes. The critical ethnography method allowed participants to share their experiences with each other and afforded opportunities to the researchers to acknowledge and validate, rather than simply observe and record, their testimony. This study of PPD thus increased our awareness and understanding of the health issues of immigrant and refugee women. PMID:23146007

The role of global governance in the development of ozone protection and climate change legislations is discussed. The study explores the process of global governance, its development, and its influence on the elaboration of legislation to control ozone-depleting gases and global climate change. The political, social, and economical factors that enter into the process of global governance are assessed. The study concludes that the global governance system is not anarchic but is composed of a decisional process that crosses states boundaries, and that it is also heavily influenced by the different market forces without necessarily being controlled by these markets.

This paper contributes to previous country-level analyses of non-financial reporting in the public sector by studying public transparency in relation to sustainability, as well as by assessing the determinants of sustainability disclosure practices in Spanish municipalities. We have carried out a content analysis of the websites of 102 Spanish local governments. Subsequently, we have employed different statistical techniques (biplots and dependence models) to analyse the extent of disclosure and to determine the impact of certain contextual and political factors on transparency in matters of sustainability. When compared to the amount of information that is revealed concerning financial issues, disclosure practices regarding social and environmental information are rather scarce. We have a...

This thesis discusses the design and political acceptability of international emissions trading. It is shown that there are several designs options for emissions trading at the national level that have a different impact on output and thereby related factors such as employment and consumer prices. The differences in impact of the design make that governments may prefer different designs of emissions trading in different situations. The thesis furthermore establishes that international emissions trading may lead to higher overall emissions, which may make it a less attractive instrument.

Abstract Purpose: To examine factors that influence the ability of nurse practitioners (NPs) to practice as independent primary care providers. Data sources: Extensive literature search on CINAHL, OVID, MEDLINE, Internet journal sources, and professional association Web sites. Conclusions: The legal authority for NPs to practice independently is recognized; however, the ability to put that authority into practice is undermined by the historical failure of political, professional, and social entities to recognize NPs as providers capable of providing primary care autonomously. Nonrecognition is responsible for complex reimbursement policies (both federal and state) that economically and professionally restrain the NP role; hence, NPs remain in a financially dependent relationship despite 40...

In Federal studies, the process of using risk information is described as having two general components: (1) risk assessment - the application of credible scientific principles and statistical methods to develop estimates of the likely effects of natural phenomena and human factors and the characterization of these estimates in a form appropriate for the intended audience (e.g., agency decisionmakers, public); and (2) risk management - the process of weighing policy alternatives and selecting the most appropriate regulatory action, integrating the results of risk assessment with engineering data with social, economic, and political concerns to reach a decision. This paper discusses largely the second component.

In the USA states have initiated four types of non-utility programs to promote energy conservation and renewable energy: tax incentives, grant and loan programs, regulations and standards, and research and development programs. Based on a survey, there is a wide variation among the states in the extent to which these programs have been initiated and implemented. The states have conducted few evaluation studies assessing the effectiveness of their programs. There appear to be two factors influencing a state's involvement in these programs: the dependence of the state on outside energy sources and the political nature of the state. 6 figures, 6 tables.

Current energy reports confirm the steadily dilating gap between available conventional energy resources and future energy demand. This gap results in increasing energy costs and has become a determining factor in economies. Hence, politics, industry, and research focus either on regenerative energy resources or on energy-efficient concepts, methods, and technologies for energy-consuming devices. A remaining challenge is energy optimization of complex systems during their operation time. In addition to optimization measures that can be applied in development and engineering, the generation of optimization measures that are customized to the specific dynamic operational situation, promise high-cost saving potentials. During operation time, the systems are located in unique situations and en...

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an assessment of employment equity, Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) and associated human resource management policies in South Africa. Polices and practices, and progress in representation of formerly disadvantaged groups are evaluated. Design/methodology/approach - The paper comprises a general review using descriptive primary and secondary data and qualitative organizational factors. Findings - The pace of representation and diversity at organisational levels is incremental rather than transformational. Conclusions for policy makers and organizational leaders are drawn, taking into consideration socio-historical, political and demographic context of this jurisdiction. Originality/value - The paper's findings and conclusions...

This article presents a regression analysis of some of the factors that influenced the value of the Israeli shekel from 1999 to 2008. The regression results show that changes in domestic expectations for peace in Israel had a significant effect on the value of the shekel. These results combined with a review of the political and economic developments in 2002 suggest that the exchange rate crises in the Israeli foreign currency market in the second quarter of 2002 was due to a decrease in expectations for peace and that the exchange rate stabilized in the end of the quarter due an increase in expectations for peace in Israel in the end of June.

Vietnam is currently considering a Tobacco Harm Prevention Law and the Ministry of Health has been asked to provide supporting evidence. This analysis explores factors influencing uptake of evidence in that legislation process. The political environment reflects the government's ambivalence over how to balance health and socioeconomic issues of tobacco control in a state-owned industry. Although the growing presence of transnational tobacco companies is alarming, the role of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in prompting government compliance with set milestones is encouraging. Evidence of effectiveness of interventions for health needs now to be complemented with socioeconomic evaluation, and strengthening of the ties between advocates and decision makers. PMID:22932025

Scientific cooperation in fusion research is discussed where the large financial commitment and experimental facilities required over a long time-scale are beyond the means of an individual nation. Stability in research programmes in the face of changing political priorities in individual countries is an important factor. Research is stimulated by world-wide cooperation even though some duplication of ideas and effort may result. Development of the JET Tokamak and cooperation on the NET Tokamak is reviewed together with the international INTOR study. (U.K.).

In this article the author draws upon his experiences from his four trips to North Korea, during which he discussed nuclear issues with North Korean leaders, to help explain part of the North Korean reasoning behind its threats to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its gyrating nuclear policies. In essence, the author believes that North Korean nuclear policy is a result of Kim Jong Il's attempt to maintain the loyalty and obeisance of the elite. The article describes the political and economic factors which lead to North Korea's confrontation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and then discusses North Korea's immediate nuclear strategy.

Abstract in portuguese Este artigo discute os condicionantes históricos e sociais e os aspectos distintivos dos grupos que formaram as vanguardas argentinas na década de 1920. O autor desenvolve uma interpretação aguda sobre esse contexto, cujos significados - estético e político - são avaliados. Abstract in english This article discusses the historical and social conditioning factors and the distinctive aspects of the groups forming the Argentine avant-garde in the 1920s. The author provides a critical interpretation of this context and assesses its aesthetic and political meanings.

Muslim schools are a growing phenomenon across the world. Muslim diaspora resulting from multiple factors including political, religious and economic enhanced the need among Muslims to maintain and develop their faith identity. Marginalisation of Muslims, in whatever forms and for whatever reasons, particularly in Muslim minority and/or secular societies further energised affiliations with faith identity. In this context, the article will argue that Islamic schools are being seen by many Muslims as an option not only to provide opportunities for updated education in consonance with their perceptions of Muslim identity, but also to denote an agenda for resistance to challenge racism and existing power relations. (Contains 3 notes.)

Abstract Consider a game whose strategies are "contributions". A strategy profile is a Kantian equilibrium if no player would like all players to alter their contributions by the same multiplicative factor. Kantian equilibria are Pareto efficient. We characterize the allocation rules on several domains of environments that can be implemented as Kantian equilibria. The concept unifies the proportional solution on production economies and the linear cost-share equilibrium on public-good economies. We study Kantian equilibrium in the prisoner's dilemma, in a voting problem, and in a political economy where redistribution is the issue. The Kantian dictum engenders considerable but not unqualified cooperation.

Next to national defense, energy policy, with clear economic and political implications, is the most critical issue confronting the Republic of Korea today. While considerable strides have been made in Korean energy policy, economic planners still consider energy to be a major limiting factor to Korea's continuing economic growth and development. This paper discusses three important dimensions of this argument: the role of energy in the Korean economy; the nature and extent of the energy constraints on the Korean economy today; and energy-economic policies that could alleviate energy constraints in the future. 6 tables.

Personality has consequences. Measures of personality have contemporaneous and predictive relations to a variety of important outcomes. Using the Big Five factors as heuristics for organizing the research literature, numerous consequential relations are identified. Personality dispositions are associated with happiness, physical and psychological health, spirituality, and identity at an individual level; associated with the quality of relationships with peers, family, and romantic others at an interpersonal level; and associated with occupational choice, satisfaction, and performance, as well as community involvement, criminal activity, and political ideology at a social institutional level. PMID:16318601

The report assesses CHP technology including such developments as advanced gasification and examines its advantages from the energy supply and environmental viewpoint. It provides an overview of CHP in numerous countries around the world and discusses the technical and political factors which either promote or inhibit the spread of CHP. Chapter headings are: why CHP?; technical aspects of CHP; fuel options for CHP (including natural gas, coal and oil, biomass, wood, biogas, municipal solid wastes); CHP in action (examples from the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, USA, Japan, etc.); and why not CHP?

Objectives To discuss three contextual factors related to advanced cancer: socioeconomic status, race and racism, and religion and spirituality. Data Sources Published qualitative research, quantitative research, journal articles. Conclusion A diagnosis of advanced cancer in marginalized individuals means that people are diagnosed much later, do not have the social, political, and economic capital available to deal with the diagnosis, have more serious complications, and their quality of life is compounded by unequal quality of care. Implications to Nursing Practice Examples are provided of successful evidenced-based strategies that can be extrapolated by nurses to a cancer population.

Aim- This review summarizes and evaluates succession planning initiatives in nursing and proposes a new, comprehensive succession planning model for nursing. Background- A major challenge facing nursing is maintaining leadership capital. In the USA and elsewhere, this challenge is complicated by current and projected nursing shortages and uncertainty associated with political, economic and social factors affecting health-care delivery. Evaluation- Databases and the Internet contributed information to this review. Because the problems of identifying, recruiting, developing and retaining nursing leaders are related to the global nursing shortage, sources from several countries and international organizations were used. Key issues- The current and projected global nursing shortage and economi...

Trade misinvoicing should be seen as an element of de facto capital account openness. Traditional explanations for trade misinvoicing?high custom duties and weak domestic economies?are less persuasive in a world of high growth emerging markets that have low trade barriers. We construct a 53-country data set over a 26?year span, covering both industrialized and developing countries, to study the phenomena of export and import misinvoicing. Capital account openness, differentials in interest rates, political stability, corruption, indebtedness and the exchange rate regime are identified as factors related to misinvoicing.

The coupling of heat and power production is particularly interesting in urban areas where these energies present several common factors: an equivalent seasonal variation, with a winter demand largely superior to the summer demand, and a highly concentrated localization in dense urban zones, therefore inducing a minimization of network losses and transport infrastructure requirements, with the advantages of energy savings and pollution reductions. The 1995 situation of cogeneration in France is examined and its potential development is discussed, depending on legal, economical and political conditions. A 1000 MW capacity potential could be reached

This paper investigates the political and legal determinants of cross-country differences in venture capital (VC) investments. Our results show strong and positive effects of a favorable sociopolitical and entrepreneurial environment on the inception and development of VC investment activity. Controlling for effects due to the legal system prevailing in each country, we find strong evidence that this factor plays an important role in explaining cross-sectional variance. This result conveys important normative implications: entrepreneurship and innovation benefit significantly from an active VC industry, which also allows the ignition of virtuous cycles. Activating this cycle, though, relies on some socioeconomic prerequisites that government and institutions should primarily address.

The question of the role of Islam in the public space has become a new pivotal point in political disputes about civil liberties in Western Europe. This debate challenges the scholarly literature on tolerance by highlighting that our understanding of the situational factors shaping tolerance judgments remains limited. This study therefore investigates how the salience of the signaling of religious group membership influences religious tolerance. Based on a unique question-wording experiment embedded in an approximately nationally representative survey, I demonstrate that conspicuous manifestations of religious outgroup membership spark stronger intolerance than subtle manifestations and that anxiety mediates the effect of conspicuous manifestations of religious outgroup membership. Finally...

This paper develops a methodology for climate change adaptation planning in remote, resource-dependent communities. The methods are structured using a vulnerability framework, and community members, local stakeholders and researchers are engaged in an iterative planning process to identify, describe, prioritize and pilot adaptation actions. The methods include: (1) analysis of secondary sources of information, (2) community collaboration and partnership building, (3) adaptation planning workshops, (4) adaptation plan development, (5) key informant and community review and (6) pilot adaptation actions. Vulnerability to climate change is assessed in the context of other non-climatic factors?social, political, economic and environmental, already being experienced in communities and which infl...

Current discussions of the long-term prospects for the nuclear power industry centre on disagreements over energy demand forecasts, and on social, political and enviromental issues. The availability of adequate uranium supplies is also necessary for any expansion of generating capacity, and for consideration of possible fast breeder reactor strategies. This paper outlines some of the factors which will determine the viability of one non-conventional source of uranium, and comments on work currently being undertaken at the Universities of Salford and Manchester into exploitation of uranium resources in seawater.

HIV vulnerability depends upon social context. Based on broader debates in social epidemiology, political economy, and sociology of health, Rhodes’ (2002) "risk environment" framework provides one heuristic for understanding how contextual features influence HIV risk, through different types of environmental factors (social, economic, policy, and physical) which interact at different levels of influence (micro, macro). Few data are available on the "risk environment" of male clients of female sex workers (FSWs); such men represent a potential "bridge" for transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections from high- to low-prevalence populations. Using in-depth interviews (n = 30), we describe the HIV risk environment of male clients in Tijuana, Mexico, where disproportio...

We present evidence for the coexistence of two antagonistic sugarcane ethanol production technologies in Brazil, with the Southeast region of the country having relatively mechanized production processes, and the Northeast area using labor-intensive ones. We highlight the main differences between the hand-production and fully automated mechanical manufacturing in the Brazilian ethanol industry and examine the historical, political, and economic factors that induced this regional technology gap that is currently observed. We then construct an environmental model based on a 375-industry interregional input–output system for the Brazilian regions, in order to determine the extent to which the primitive ethanol production of Northern Brazil differs from the automated manufacture techno...

Despite evidence of widespread belief in conspiracy theories, there remains a dearth of research on the individual difference correlates of conspiracist ideation. In two studies, we sought to overcome this limitation by examining correlations between conspiracist ideation and a range of individual psychological factors. In Study 1, 817 Britons indicated their agreement with conspiracist ideation concerning the July 7, 2005 (7/7), London bombings, and completed a battery of individual difference scales. Results showed that stronger belief in 7/7 conspiracy theories was predicted by stronger belief in other real-world conspiracy theories, greater exposure to conspiracist ideation, higher political cynicism, greater support for democratic principles, more negative attitudes to authority, lowe...

Huggins R. Regional competitive intelligence: benchmarking and policy-making, Regional Studies. Benchmarking exercises have become increasingly popular within the sphere of regional policy-making. This paper analyses the concept of regional benchmarking and its links with regional policy-making processes. It develops a typology of regional benchmarking exercises and benchmarkers, and critically reviews the literature. It is argued that critics of regional benchmarking fail to take account of the variety and development of regional benchmarking systems. It is suggested that while benchmarking exercises are informing policy adaptation and innovation, they have been constrained by political and financial factors. It is concluded that regional benchmarking is facilitating the heightened region...

This study presents an international review of cost estimates for decommissioning of nuclear facilities. The objective of the study is to illustrate reasons why the published estimates for decommissioning vary so widely and to see to what extent various political, institutional, technical and economical factors could explain the variation. The report is intended for the general reader with an interest in the topic. The work has been carried out by an international group of experts under the auspicies of the Nuclear Energy Agency's Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Develoment and the Fuel Cycle (NDC).

This book, a series of presentations at a 1989 symposium of AAAS, focuses on the social and political factors associated with the disposal of high-level nuclear waste and the development of public opposition. The book is organized into four sections: the first section puts the facility siting issue into a general perspective; another section focuses on public reactions to the Yucca Mountain site. A continuing theme throughout the book is that those involved in the process of siting a nuclear waste repository must step back and examine the roots of public opposition, determine what must be done, and then move forward again.

Community engagement in higher education is a shift beyond the traditional roles of instruction and research. This paper presents a transnational view of community engagement developed from two case studies of universities in the Philippines and Australia. The study, revealed variations in the way community engagement is understood and implemented by universities across different countries. These variations are related to economic, social-cultural, political and organizational factors. The role of university leadership was found to have a critical role in embedding community engagement in the organizational identity and image. (Contains 1 table.)

Nepal's greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) faces serious threats from poaching. Poaching of these rhinos is a complex problem, influenced by such diverse factors as the price of rhino horn on the international market, local socioeconomic factors, and the population dynamics of the species. Few studies have attempted to address this complexity. In this study, we model the poaching and population dynamics of the one-horned rhinoceros within an integrated framework of ecological, socioeconomic, political, and legal dimensions. The poaching model for rhinos in Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP) in Nepal is combined with the population model for the species within a simulation framework and explored under various alternative policy scenarios with differing external socioeconomic and political conditions as well as internal policy response. We predict that, under the current (2003-2005) rhino conservation strategy, poaching would continue to be a major threat to the rhino population in RCNP. Furthermore, the internal policy response must begin to consider external factors such as socioeconomic conditions within the park buffer zone to be more effective in the long run. Finally, we find that, for long-run control, antipoaching policies should be directed at increasing the opportunity costs of poaching by creating better alternative economic opportunities, and at antipoaching enforcement. PMID:19831064

The increased demographic presence of Latino individuals has gradually resulted in growing political influence and representation. This growing presence and influence has altered the American political landscape, drawing sudden attention among scholars, the media, and political pundits. This article investigates four aspects of the growing influence of Latino/a individuals in the American political system. (Contains 6 tables, 5 figures, and 2 notes.)

Political scientists neither live in an ivory tower nor breathe the air of a different world. Projecting political science in such a way lifts it above the messiness of politics, and conceals the de facto everyday involvement of science in political affairs - reaching from merely the value choices theory entails, up to more straight-forward political advocacy by academics. Yet, the relationship to political practice is intricate and full of dilemmas. While dilemmas have been identified, less attention has been spent to how we can cope with them. In this contribution we discuss coping strategies for relating political science to practice.

For many hazardous waste sites around the country, litigation, the media, and politics are important factors in the selection of cleanup alternatives. These factors often overwhelm the public comment process. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) in Commerce City, Colorado is one such site. After 10 years of study, public meetings, and negotiations with regulators, the Army has selected its alternative for the Offpost Operable Unit--a groundwater treatment plant that employs activated carbon to remove organic contaminants. Numerous groups and organizations are involved in providing input regarding the Army`s selected remedy, including the State of Colorado, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), surrounding municipalities and counties, environmental groups, and citizen groups. Each group or organization must answer to differing constituencies, most of which have different visions of what the remedy for the Offpost Operable Unit should look like. Also, because these entities have no financial stake in the remedial activity, cost is a relatively minor factor for these entities.

This article proposes a model based on Fuzzy Logic to evaluate the market risk that a trading agent faces in the electric power negotiation in Colombia, as part of a general model of negotiation. The proposed model considers single external factors as regulatory changes, social and political issues, and the condition of the national transmission net. Variables of the market associated to these risk factors were selected and some graphic and statistical analyses were made in order to check their relationship with the electricity prices and to determine why the experts consider these factors in their analyses. According to the obtained results a Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System which contains the expert knowledge was developed and it is presented in a fuzzy cognitive map. (author)

Abstract in portuguese O presente artigo procura circunscrever o estudo da memória coletiva da repressão no Brasil dentro dos marcos de referência da psicologia social trazendo para o campo da psicologia política, a noção de memória política que desenvolvemos a partir da nossa pesquisa de doutorado, realizada em três capitais brasileiras (Belo Horizonte, Curitiba e São Paulo). Com base nos discursos das lideranças comunitárias e sindicais entrevistadas e nos referenciais teóricos d (more) e Gamson (1992ab), Sandoval (1994, 2001), Halbwachs (1990) analisamos as interfaces entre memória coletiva e consciência política, procurando compreender as implicações da memória coletiva no comportamento político de pessoas que constituem diferentes gerações e que vivenciaram contextos históricos e políticos distintos. Pudemos perceber que a memória pode estimular a consciência política e proporcionar formas de ação coletiva, da mesma maneira que a existência de uma consciência política pode ser determinante na construção de uma memória política. Abstract in spanish El presente artículo tiene el propósito de circunscribir el estudio de la memoria colectiva de la dictadura militar y represión en Brasil dentro de los marcos de referencia de la Psicología Social acercar al campo de la Psicología Política la noción de memoria política que desarrollamos desde nuestra investigación, realizada en tres capitales brasileñas (Belo Horizonte, Curitiba y São Paulo). Con base en los discursos y en los referenciales teóricos de Gamson (more) (1992), Sandoval (1994, 2001), Halbwachs (1990) analizamos las conexiones entre memoria colectiva y conciencia política, con el objetivo de comprender las implicaciones de la memoria colectiva en el comportamiento político de las personas que forman las diferentes generaciones y que vivieron contextos históricos y políticos distintos. Hemos percibido que la memoria puede estimular la conciencia política y proporcionar formas de acción colectiva, de la misma manera que la existencia de una conciencia política puede ser determinante en la construcción de una memoria política. Abstract in english This present work adds to Political Psychology field a new perspective of the political memory concept aroused from the results of a doctorate research project about the collective memory regarding the military dictatorship and repression in Brazil. The research was developed in three Brazilian capitals as to know: Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo and Curitiba. Based on the theories of authors such as Gamson (1992ab), Sandoval (1994, 2001) and Halbwachs (1990), the interface bet (more) ween collective memory and political consciousness was analyzed. Under the light of these theories we also tried to understand the influence and impact that collective memory has on the political behavior of people who represent different generations and have lived in different historical and political context. In this study it was possible to notice that memory might stimulate the political consciousness allowing collective actions to emerge. In the same sense, political consciousness may be a determinant factor when it comes to political memory as well.

In many respects, the EU is a strong player on the world stage, for example, in trade, climate change issues and crisis management. In its relationship with Russia over gas supply, however, the EU's political capacity remains limited. Part of the problem lies in the lack of EU unity, but this is more a symptom than an actual cause. A key explanation is the interplay between external and internal factors. The external factors - that is the EU's and Russia's conflicting interests and the structure of the political system - reinforce the EU's internal problems. This is an effect of that the gas issue falls under different policy areas (energy, foreign relations and security policy) within which the European Commission and the member states have different responsibilities. Another problem is that energy is the Commission's responsibility, but the real competence lies with the member states. The current multipolar structure of European politics reduces the scope for cooperation that favours the EU as a whole - in this case its energy security. The fact that the Commission and member states, and the member states among themselves, have different views on energy policy vis-a-vis Russia exacerbates these circumstances. Other key factors are the lack of transparency and competition in the gas sector (which suits both the Russian company Gazprom and large EU companies) and the unbalanced dependence of EU countries on Russian gas. Relations between France, Germany and Russia are also important. Germany and France are key players for the EU's energy security, and their support for the gas pipeline Nord Stream, their resistance to unbundling in the gas sector and their relatively warm relations with Russia have not strengthened the EU's position in its gas relationship with Russia. Besides, the Lisbon Treaty increases France's and Germany's powers inside the EU. Combined with the conflicting interests of the EU nd Russia, the structure of European politics, and different views on Russian energy policy, this limits the room for hopes that the Treaty could strengthen the EU's power position vis-a-vis Russia

After ten years of debate and discussion, the political situation within Poland finally allows the possibility to implement basic reforms in the health care system. Parallel development of the political and technical aspects of the reform has now lead to a final proposal for fundamental reforms in health system responsibility, financing and management. This article describes the current conceptual developments and the political and social context for these final reform proposals at the time of their submission to the government. The primary changes suggested are aimed at increasing the awareness of local, regional and national administrations, health care professionals and the general public that health care has a cost, and that resources must be used carefully if they are to cover health needs. In addition, 'health care' as a term must be extended to include factors and activities besides direct medical services. Such factors as air and water quality, diet, smoking and alcohol consumptions are examples of matters which will also be included in the focus of health system planners. A key element of the organisational reforms is decentralisation of responsibility for health care planning and administration within the framework of nationally set standards and priorities. Based on local decisions, the current basic organisation unit of health care delivery, the ZOZ or integrated health care units, will be redefined and either decomposed into their component services or receive newly defined responsibilities more adapted to the local realities of available manpower and medical facilities. In addition, the development of a private health care sector complementing and even competing with the public services sector will be actively encouraged. PMID:10112298

Abstract in portuguese A decisão do governo dos Estados Unidos de invadir Cuba, em abril de 1961, foi resultado de uma combinação de vários fatores históricos e políticos. Entre eles, a continuidade das interferências dos Estados Unidos no contexto do entorno caribenho, de forma direta (entre o início do século XX até o início dos anos 1930), e, mais tarde, de forma indireta; as bem sucedidas intervenções promovidas pela CIA no Irã (1953) e na Guatemala (1954); além da "necessida (more) de" política, no plano doméstico, do recém-eleito presidente Kennedy de demonstrar o quão comprometido estava com a contenção do comunismo. Ou seja, nenhum fator isolado pode explicar, sozinho, a decisão de ir em frente com um plano que findou por ser um grande fracasso político para o governo dos EUA. Abstract in english The decision of the United States government to intervene in Cuba, in April 1961, was the result of a combination of historical and political factors. Among them, the history of US interference in the Caribbean context, both directly (between the beginning of the 20th century up to the first years of the 1930's), and, later on, indirectly; the successful interventions promoted by the CIA in Iran (1953) and Guatemala (1954); as well as the political "need", domestically, o (more) f recently elected president Kennedy to demonstrate how committed he was with containing communism. Thus, no single factor can solely explain the decision to go ahead with the plan, which turned out to be a huge political failure for the US government.

Abstract in portuguese O artigo procura demonstrar que a conjugação de certos fatores demográficos, socioeconômicos e políticos conduziu à nacionalização das eleições presidenciais no Brasil a partir do pleito de 1960. A expansão do mercado eleitoral, como conseqüência da urbanização e do crescimento do eleitorado, e a queda progressiva das barreiras ao voto - de renda, de gênero, etária e de escolaridade - teriam democratizado a participação eleitoral, diversificando a compo (more) sição social do eleitorado. Desde então, a eleição do presidente deixou de depender apenas das forças políticas rurais e passou a requerer uma infinidade de possíveis combinações de forças rurais e urbanas. O candidato não poderia mais contar com segmentos sociais específicos e numericamente fortes para se garantir, necessitando de bases sociais ampliadas. Com base nos resultados das eleições presidenciais diretas de 1960, 1989, 1994 e 1998, o autor argumenta que a nacionalização do voto, definida pelos indicadores acima, é parte da integração política da sociedade e que esta, associada à complexidade social do eleitorado, exigem que a mensagem política e o apelo do candidato que pretenda maximizar o voto sejam de natureza ampla, de modo a evitar a manifestação, na campanha, de conflitos potenciais. Abstract in english This paper argues that the conjugation of certain democratic, socioeconomic and political factors has led to the "nationalization" of presidential elections in Brazil since 1960. The expansion of the electoral market resulting from urbanization and the growth in the electorate, together with the progressive removal of the obstacles to voting - due to income, gender, age, and education - has democratized the electoral process by diversifying the social make-up of the elect (more) orate. Since then, the president's election has ceased to depend solely upon rural political forces and now involves multiple combinations of rural and urban political forces. Candidates can no longer count on specific and numerous social groups in order to guarantee their election, and need to widen their appeal. Based on the results of the direct presidential elections of 1960, 1989, 1994 and 1998, the author contends that the "nationalization" of the vote as described above is part of the political integration of Brazilian society and that this, together with the social complexity of the electorate, means that the candidate's appeal and political stance need to be more wide-ranging in order to prevent potential conflicts from arising during the election campaign.

Abstract in portuguese Este artigo examina a relação entre democracia, cultura política e capital social no Brasil. O tema é abordado de maneira compreensiva, pois acredita-se que esses conceitos interagem permanentemente. No caso brasileiro é possível, entretanto, identificar alguns fatores que historicamente têm incidido na configuração de um tipo de cultura política, de caráter híbrido, que mistura posturas favoráveis à democracia e predisposições negativas em relação às i (more) nstituições políticas. Esse mal-estar, argumenta-se, não é conjuntural nem temporário, mas de caráter estrutural e danoso para o fortalecimento democrático. Em tal cenário o desenvolvimento do capital social, aumentaria, prática e teoricamente, o poder dos cidadãos permitindo-lhes maior inserção e participação na arena política. São utilizados como fonte dados de pesquisas qualitativas e quantitativas coletados no Rio Grande do Sul no período de 1974 a 2000. Os resultados do estudo sugerem uma ausência de capacidade cooperativa entre os brasileiros, o que poderia explicar os déficits de participação política e a conseqüente instabilidade democrática. Abstract in english This article examines the relationship between democracy, political culture and social capital in Brazil. The topic is approached comprehensively, based on the belief that the above concepts are in permanent interaction. In the Brazilian case, however, it is possible to identify several factors that have historically had a impact on the configuration of a type of political culture, hybrid in nature, that brings together attitudes that are favorable to democracy and negati (more) ve toward political institutions. It is argued that this problem is neither temporary nor conjunctural; rather, it is structural and poses difficulties for strengthening democracy. Within such a scenario the development of social capital would increase citizens' power, in theory and practice, allowing them wider participation in the political arena. Data used here are based on quantitative and qualitative research carried out in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, between 1974 and 2000. Study results suggest that Brazilians are weak on ability to cooperate, which may explain low rates of political participation and consequent democratic instability.

Abstract in spanish En las ciudades colombianas, la gestión pública es liderada por el alcalde, escogido mediante elección popular. Los candidatos utilizan, en la campaña política, diferentes estrategias para mostrar a los ciudadanos merecer ser elegidos. Las campañas políticas en Colombia usan el dinero como factor de competitividad. El presente trabajo, producto del observatorio ciudadano en la ciudad de Cartagena de Indias, plantea una propuesta de instructivo para aspirar al cargo (more) de alcalde. Dicho instructivo permite su inferencia a todos los cargos de elección popular haciendo énfasis en cambios sustanciales al proceso electoral como elemento de influencia en la futura gestión pública. Abstract in english In Colombian towns, public management is led by the mayor, appointed by popular election. During the political campaign, candidates implement different strategies to show the citizens they deserve to be elected. Political campaigns in Colombia use money as a factor of competitiveness. The present paper, deriving from the civic observatory in Cartagena de Indias, proposes an instruction manual to become a mayor candidate. The aforementioned instruction manual might be exte (more) nded to all positions of popular election stressing on substantial changes in the electoral process as an influential element in the future public management.

Abstract in spanish El artículo analiza las proyecciones de la crisis ambiental global, particularmente su variable cambio climático, como posible fuente de tensiones y conflictos en el nuevo orden global emergente. Se plantea que de manera creciente la politología, los estudios internacionales y la geografía (entre otras disciplinas) consideran al factor ambiental y/o ecológico crecientemente determinante para la política mundial de la primera mitad del siglo XXI, al punto de plantear (more) que la geopolítica de la globalización es la geopolítica del medio ambiente o la ambientalización de la geopolítica. En este sentido, el acento se pone en las miradas de potencias como los EE.UU. frente al tema, así como el papel que se le asigna a la América Latina, ejemplificando con el caso de la Amazonía. Abstract in english The article discusses the projection of de global environmental crisis, particularly its variable climate change as a possible source of tension and conflict in the new emerging global order. It is argued that increasingly political science, international studies and geography (among other disciplines) consider the environmental factor and / or ecological increasingly crucial to world politics in the first half of this century to raise the point that the geopolitics of gl (more) obalization is the geopolitical environment and greening of geopolitics. In this sense, the focus is on power looks like the U.S. front of the subject and the role that is assigned to Latin America, illustrating the case of the Amazon.

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the human appropriation of aboveground net primary production (aHANPP) in Hungary in the years 1961-2005. In this period aboveground HANPP dropped from 67% to 49% of the potential vegetation's NPP. The trajectory was not smooth, but aboveground HANPP fluctuated with changes in factors affecting agricultural production conditions. Both aboveground net primary production (aNPP) of the prevailing vegetation and harvested aNPP increased during the socialist regime, dropped when the system collapsed and has shown considerable fluctuations since. We discuss the development of aboveground HANPP and the Hungarian land use system in the context of socioeconomic changes during three distinct phases: (1) industrialisation of agriculture (1961-1989), (2) regime collapse (1989-1993) and (3) restructuring of a new economy (1993-2005). Within these periods, different driving factors influenced aboveground HANPP and its constituents. In the phase of industrialisation, mechanisation and agrochemical inputs reduced aHANPP while harvested amounts of biomass increased progressively. In the second phase, political and economic circumstances devastated production conditions resulting in a decline of productivity of actual vegetation and a temporary rise in aboveground HANPP. During the last twelve years, industrialisation patterns of agricultural production recovered. The restructuring of inefficient agricultural production systems raised harvest at moderate levels of agricultural inputs, while climatic conditions intimidated high yield and harvest security. The paper discusses the effect of different economic and political regimes and of major socioeconomic restructuring on the development of the land use system, biomass production and aboveground HANPP. (author)

The assessment and control of fetal exposure to radiation in the workplace is an issue that is complicated by both biological and political/social ramifications. As a result of the dramatic increase in the number of women employed as radiation workers during the past 10 years, many facilities using radioactive materials have instituted fetal protection programs with special requirements for female radiation workers. It is necessary, however, to ensure that any fetal protection program be developed in such a way as to be nondiscriminatory. A study has been initiated whose purpose is to balance the political/social and the biological ramifications associated with occupational protection of the developing embryo/fetus. Several considerations are involved in properly balancing these factors. These considerations include appropriate methods of declaring the pregnancy, training workers, controlling the dose to the embryo/fetus, measuring and calculating the dose to the embryo/fetus, and recording the pertinent information. Alternative strategies for handling these factors while ensuring maximum protection of the embryo/fetus and the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers are discussed.

We developed a two-study, cross-national, constructive replication to examine the role of organizational politics perceptions as a contextual moderator of the political skill-job performance relationship. Specifically, we hypothesized that high levels of political skill would demonstrate its strongest positive effects on job performance when politics perceptions were perceived as low. Conversely, we hypothesized that political skill would demonstrate no relationship with job performance under conditions of high politics perceptions. Across studies conducted both in the United States and Greece, the hypothesis received strong support. In settings characterized by lower perceived politics, high levels of political skill predicted significant increases in job performance, whereas these effects were attenuated in environments characterized by high perceived politics. Contributions and implications of this research, strengths and limitations, and directions for future study are discussed. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

In 2005, there were nearly 40 million individuals (14.9% of the population), 5 years of age and older, with one or more disabilities (not including individuals living in institutions).(1) There is a great variation at the state level: the proportion of the population with disabilities ranges as high as 10.4% in Maine for youngsters between 5 and 20 years, to 52.1% for individuals 65 years and older in Mississippi. By contrast, the lowest proportion of youngsters 5 to 20 years of age with disabilities was in Connecticut (4.5%) and the lowest proportion for individuals 65 years or older with disabilities was in Nevada (33.3%). Political and social factors may be affecting the number of services available and many people with disabilities are not receiving these services. This editorial discusses some of the factors that may affect access to oral health services for people with disabilities. PMID:18489653

Resilience enables individuals to survive the horrors of war and other such tragedies. This article draws on personal reflections of living in the post-Taliban period in Afghanistan and a review of the literature to explore resilience processes that may be present in the Afghan population. Adverse factors that Afghan children and families face include: destruction of infrastructure, danger, traumatic experiences, post traumatic stress disorder, political and ideological commitment. The protective factors that may have enabled them to survive, and subsequently rebuild in the face of multiple challenges are absolute faith in Allah (God), family support and community support. Understanding more about the kinds of adversities they face and the nature of their protective processes gives healthcare professionals a basis for working with them to improve their health and wellbeing. PMID:17425128

Current theories from biosocial (e.g.: the role of neurotransmitters in behavioral features), ecological (e.g.: cultural, political, and institutional conditions), and interpersonal (e.g.: attachment) perspectives have grounded interpersonal and romantic relationships in normative social experiences. However, these theories have not been developed to the point of providing a solid theoretical understanding of the dynamics present in interpersonal and romantic relationships, and integrative theories are still lacking. In this paper, mathematical models are use to investigate the dynamics of interpersonal and romantic relationships, which are examined via ordinary and stochastic differential equations, in order to provide insight into the behaviors of love. The analysis starts with a deterministic model and progresses to nonlinear stochastic models capturing the stochastic rates and factors (e.g.: ecological factors, such as historical, cultural and community conditions) that affect proximal experiences and sha...

While design research can be useful for designing effective technology integrations within complex social settings, it currently fails to provide concrete methodological guidelines for gathering and organizing information about the research context, or for determining how such analyses ought to guide the iterative design and innovation process. A case is described, in which the author explores one way that researchers might go about systematizing the analysis of contextual influences within a design research study. It borrows a method from engineering called "Cognitive Work Analysis" (CWA) (Vicente 1999), to methodically study the impact of political, organizational, team, psychological, and physical factors within an initial teacher education setting. The study illustrates how a modified CWA was helpful in making contextual information more explicit and organized. Important information in the form of human factors "constraints" were identified through the CWA, providing valuable details about context that might otherwise be overlooked during design research cycles or within the reporting process.

This study explores community-level risk and protective factors for youth violence in Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince's most violent slum. The youth of Cite Soleil have often been mobilized to violence by powerful actors as tools for achieving political or financial gain. Drawing on a formal survey (N=1,575) and ethnographic data collected between March 2008 and April 2009, we analyze the factors that contributed--and continue to contribute--to making these youth available for such mobilization. Youth frame their experiences in terms of a broader social conflict between the "included" and the "excluded," and view violence as an effective means of obtaining what is denied to them by society: opportunity, respect, and material benefits. The experiences from Haiti offer important lessons in understanding the community level drivers of youth violence, and can contribute to policy approaches that go beyond stabilization measures toward addressing structural violence. (Contains 3 tables and 8 footnotes.)

Over the past decade the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the states have partnered in developing a web-based information sharing initiative that provides state environmental agencies easy access to federal environmental monitoring data and to the environmental data of other states, and gives the EPA access to data from state sources. The Environmental Information Exchange Network (EIEN) has established basic data exchange nodes in each of the states. Using multiple regression analysis we investigate the factors that account for the number and development stage of the data exchanges in which the states participate as of 2009. Overall, we find that administrative factors, especially the EPA???s grant program, are more important than political or environmental conditions. Parti...

Abstract in english In 1965, 71% of legal abortions in the United States were performed using the surgical procedure of dilation and curettage. By 1972, a mere seven years later, approximately the same percentage (72.6%) of legal abortions in the United States were performed using a completely new abortion technology: the electrical vacuum aspirator. This article examines why, in less than a decade, electric vacuum suction became American physicians' abortion technology of choice. It focuses (more) on factors such as political and professional feasibility (the technology was able to complement the decriminalization of abortion in the US, and the interests, abilities, commitments, and personal beliefs of physicians); clinical compatibility (it met physician/patient criteria such as safety, simplicity and effectiveness); and economic viability (it was able to adapt to market factors such as production, cost, supply/demand, availability, and distribution).

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to detail the origins (or antecedents) of employee wellbeing (EWB) in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach - The paper examines and analyses historical data in diachronic mode to reveal the origins (antecedents) of EWB in Brazil, and details factors from them arising. Findings - Numerous factors emerge regarding the origins of EWB in Brazil, including, inter alia, traditions of landed estates employing slaves and countryside workers; historical social protest movements; a lack of free association for labour movements and rights associated with them; union recognition providing freedoms and protections in the employment relationship; pro-worker political institutions emerging; worker campaigns for better quality of working life; a history of exclusion o...

Abstract in spanish La región denominada N.O.A. en nuestro país manifiesta en su léxico y en algunos aspectos sintácticos y morfosintácticos del español hablado en ella, rasgos propios del de la zona andina de Bolivia y Perú. La historia política, social y étnica muestra la confluencia de factores propios de los dominios dichos que propiciaron estos fenómenos lingüísticos como productos del sincretismo cultural. Abstract in english The Spanish spoken in the region called NOA (Argentine North West) in our country shows in its lexis and in some syntactic and morphosyntactic aspects, some typical features of the Spanish of the Andean region of Bolivia and Peru. Its Political, Social and Ethnic History shows the confluence of factors peculiar to these aspects that have favoured these linguistic phenomena as a product of cultural syncretism.

The methodological basis and procedures for determination of Chinese normalization references and weighting factors according to the EDIP-method is described. According to Chinese industrial development intensity and population density, China was divided into three regions and the normalization references for each region were calculated on the basis of an inventory of all of the region's environmental emissions in 1990. The normalization reference was determined as the total environmental impact potential for the area in question in 1990(EP(j)(90)) divided by the population. The weighting factor was determined as the normalization reference (ER ( j)90) divided by society's target contribution in the year 2000 abased on Chinese political reduction plans, ER ( j)(T2000). This paper presents and discuss results obtained for eight different environmental impact categories relevant for China: global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, acidification, nutrient enrichment, photochemical ozone formation and generation of bulk waste, hazardous waste and slag and ashes.

Abstract The concept of food insecurity is complex and goes beyond the simplistic idea of a country's inability to feed its population. The global food situation is redefined by many driving forces such as population growth, availability of arable lands, water resources, climate change and food availability, accessibility and loss. The combined effect of these factors has undeniably impacted global food production and security. This article reviews the key factors influencing global food insecurity and emphasises the need to adapt science-based technological innovations to address the issue. Although anticipated benefits of modern technologies suggest a level of food production that will sustain the global population, both political will and sufficient investments in modern agriculture are...

The performance of policy mechanisms influencing the development of electricity from renewable biomass and biogas was evaluated in the EU-25 (Cyprus and Malta not included). By examining framework conditions i.e. success and risk factors for the progress, this analysis sought to identify a number of the key factors that affect the success (or failure) of support schemes promoting bioenergy. Within this work, five successful Member State/bioelectricity combinations were chosen for deeper analysis. In recognition of the fact that determination of the performance of policy instruments cannot be separated from the social, industrial and political environment in which these mechanisms are applied to, successful EU Member State/bioelectricity combinations were chosen instead of selecting specific policy instruments. The most successful combinations were found to be in Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Finland and Italy, whereas examples of 'unsuccessful' measures were found namely in Greece, Luxembourg and the new Member States. (orig.)