Od demokracji "wirtualnej" ku europejskiej: Geneze i konsekwencje przelomu politycznego w Moldawii. Prace OSW 32/2009. = From "virtual" to European democracy - the origins and consequences of the political breakthrough in Moldova. OSW Study 32/2009

2009 may become a turning point in the history of post-Soviet Moldova. The country’s political class and society are faced with a fundamental choice. On the one hand, if the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, which has governed the country since 2001, remains in power, this would mean a consolidation of the authoritarian rule of the party leader Vladimir Voronin, perpetuation of the superficial nature of democratic institutions and a continuation of the manoeuvring between the European Union and Russia (with the increasing risk of falling into the latter’s exclusive zone of influence). On the other hand, the take over of political power by the opposition parties creates an opportunity for Moldova to resume building a democratic, pluralistic political system based on the rule of law and to develop closer links with the European Union within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, including the Eastern Partnership.

European Corporate Governance Reform and the German Party Paradox. CES Germany & Europe Working Papers, No. 03.1, 2003

This paper addresses the current discussion on links between party politics and production regimes. Why do German Social Democrats opt for more corporate governance liberalization than the CDU although, in terms of the distributional outcomes of such reforms, one would expect the situation to be reversed? I divide my analysis into three stages. First, I use the European Parliament’s crucial vote on the European takeover directive in July 2001 as a test case to show that the left-right dimension does indeed matter in corporate governance reform, beside cross-class and cross-party nation-based interests. In a second step, by analyzing the party positions in the main German corporate governance reforms in the 1990s, I show that the SPD and the CDU behave “paradoxically” in the sense that the SPD favored more corporate governance liberalization than the CDU, which protected the institutions of “Rhenish,” “organized” capitalism. This constellation occurred in the discussions on company disclosure, management accountability, the power of banks, network dissolution, and takeover regulation. Third, I offer two explanations for this paradoxical party behavior. The first explanation concerns the historical conversion of ideas. I show that trade unions and Social Democrats favored a high degree of capital organization in the Weimar Republic, but this ideological position was driven in new directions at two watersheds: one in the late 1940s, the other in the late 1950s. My second explanation lies in the importance of conflicts over managerial control, in which both employees and minority shareholders oppose managers, and in which increased shareholder power strengthens the position of works councils.

Constructing, Creating and Contesting Cityscapes. A Socio-Anthropological Approach to Urban Transformation in Southern Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China

This manuscript is based on a PhD thesis submitted at the Institute of Social Anthropology at the University of Bern in 2014. The dissertation was part of the research project „Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Chinese Territoriality. The Development of Infrastructure and Han Migration into the Region“ under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Heinzpeter Znoj and financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF. Madlen Kobi analyzes the architectural and socio-political transformation of public places and spaces in rapidly urbanizing southern Xinjiang, P.R. China, and in doing so pays particular attention to the cities of Aksu and Kaxgar. As the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region lies in between China and Central Asia, it is especially characterized by differing political, cultural, and religious influences, and, furthermore, due to its being a multiethnic region, by multiple identities. One might expect cultural and social identities in this area to be negotiated by referring to history, religion, or food. However, they also become visible by the construction and reconstruction, if not demolition, of public places, architectural landmarks, and private residences. Based on ethnographic fieldwork performed in 2011 and 2012, the study explores everyday life in a continuously transforming urban environment shaped by the interaction of the interests of government institutions, investment companies, the middle class, and migrant workers, among many other actors. Here, urban planning, modernization, and renewal form a highly sensitive lens through which the author inspects the tense dynamics of ethnic, religious, and class-based affiliations. She respects varieties and complexities while thoroughly grounding unfolding transformation processes in everyday lived experiences. The study provides vivid insights into how urban places and spaces in this western border region of China are constructed, created, and eventually contested.

The easiest way in housekeeping and cooking : adapted to domestic use or study in classes /

Includes chapters for use in cooking schools, such as "Lessons for practice class" and "Examination questions."

2000 census population for Illinois : counties and incorporated places.

This report provides April 1, 2000 population counts for Illinois, counties and incorporated places, as well as some comparison data from earlier censuses. It also presents data on race and ethnicity, components of growth, historical population trends for the state and its counties. Census 2000 data for this report are from Summary File 1 and were downloaded from the Census Bureau's American FactFinder.

'You Never Truly Feel at Home': Students' Perceptions of their Multilingualism and its Role in their Identity Construction : - A Study Performed in a Suburb Located in a Socially Vulnerable Area

A relevant subject in our globalized world concerns the relationship between language and identity, specifically amongst migrant youngsters’ experience of group belonging. This study therefore focused on how adolescents born to foreign parents in Sweden, perceived their multilingualism as part of their identity formation. I also aimed to include how socio-economic aspects could affect the process of identity construction. Thus, the investigation was performed with seventh grade students at a primary school located in the Stockholm suburb Bredäng. The methods consisted of a questionnaire, which was completed by the entire class and a group interview where six students participated. The results revealed that students adapted their language use based on the context, but Swedish was used most habitually. The informants viewed their multilingualism as beneficial but yet fully aware of the linguistic ideologies functioning in society. By combining their minority and majority language, the students were left with different ethnic identities and had diverse interpretations of what it meant to be Swedish. Even though all of them perceived themselves to have multiple ethnic identities, this was not solely seen positively. The issue of belonging was raised and the students claimed to be outcasts everywhere. However, the results differed depending on whether the students were born in Sweden or not. Also, most of them struggled with the process of assumed and ascribed identities, since they perceived themselves to be Swedish but experienced that society valued them as immigrants. Lastly, the study revealed that there were connections between their multilingualism and social mobility as the relationship towards the motherland was highly prioritized even with low levels of economic capital. 

A Temporary Hometown: Gendered Labor and Social Citizenship in Bremerton, Washington, a Domestic Military Colony

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Neighborhoods neighboring neighborhoods: adjacency, relative position and tract-level racial change in the U.S. 2000 to 2010

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Mobilized by Injustice: Criminal Justice Contact, Political Participation and Race

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

The cultural facet of suicidal behaviour: Its importance and neglect

Culture is a central but debated concept in many disciplines and its complexity may become an even bigger source of argument in Suicidology. In spite of the intricacy of the study of this construct, the paper illustrates that various scholars have recognised the relevance of culture and ethnicity in the understanding of suicidal behaviour. The author provides evidence of the need to pay more attention to the meaning and interpretation of suicide in cross-cultural research and underlines the necessity to establish cultural-sensitive prevention strategies. The paper closes by providing methodological considerations and suggestions for future research on cultural aspects of suicidal behaviour.

'Looking good, feeling better': Consumption, Control and the Aesthetics of Exclusivity in the Service Encounter

The majority of ‘service’ literature has focused on the production side of service work (i.e. employees and management), while treating the role of the customer and/or consumer as secondary (Korczynski and Ott, 2004). Those authors who have addressed the role consumption plays in shaping and maintaining individuals' self- identity have tended to overemphasize the dominance of consumer culture in shaping ‘our consciousness’ (Ritzer, 1999), with little in the way of empirical evidence to support these assertions. This paper develops the conceptualization of service work and consumer culture literature, by placing more emphasis on the customer in the service encounter. Using an ethnographic study of a ‘high class’ department store, this paper addresses employee and customer identity and the nature of managerial, employee and customer control within this ‘exclusive’ context. Of particular interest is how employees and customer’s ‘embody’ this control. Using Bourdieu’s (1986) conception of class and habitus, the concept of exclusivity goes beyond the management /service worker dyad by providing a means of investigating identity control by the organization over both customers and service workers. However, an organization’s exclusivity is not a closed normative pursuit of control, and shows this enterprise is part of a contested terrain, while revealing the ambiguity and ‘openness’ of control practices and pursuits. In order to uphold the ideal of exclusivity, management, service workers and customers must all engage in a precarious quest for establishing and maintaining a sense of control and/or identity. This paper demonstrates the continuing contradiction between bureaucratic practices of control and consumer culture, and highlights the need for research that investigates the context -dependent nature of control in service-related and consumer studies.

South Africa and the global game:football, apartheid and beyond

Firmly situating South African teams, players, and associations in the international framework in which they have to compete, South Africa and the Global Game: Football, Apartheid, and Beyond presents an interdisciplinary analysis of how and why South Africa underwent a remarkable transformation from a pariah in world sport to the first African host of a World Cup in 2010. Written by an eminent team of scholars, this special issue and book aims to examine the importance of football in South African society, revealing how the black oppression transformed a colonial game into a force for political, cultural and social liberation. It explores how the hosting of the 2010 World Cup aims to enhance the prestige of the post-apartheid nation, to generate economic growth and stimulate Pan-African pride. Among the themes dealt with are race and racism, class and gender dynamics, social identities, mass media and culture, and globalization. This collection of original and insightful essays will appeal to specialists in African Studies, Cultural Studies, and Sport Studies, as well as to non-specialist readers seeking to inform themselves ahead of the 2010 World Cup. This book was published as a special issue of Soccer and Society. 1. Introduction Peter Alegi and Chris Bolsmann Part 1: Past is Prologue – History of Football in South Africa 2. Football as Code: The Social Diffusion of ‘Soccer’ in South Africa Lloyd Hill 3. White Football in South Africa: Empire, Apartheid and Change, 1892 – 1977 Chris Bolsmann 4. A Biography of Darius Dhlomo: Transnational Footballer in the Era of Apartheid Peter Alegi 5. Women and Gender in South African Soccer Cynthia Fabrizio Pelak Part 2: Football Culture after Apartheid: Local and Transnational Dynamics 6. "You Must Support Chiefs: Pirates Already Have Two White Fans!" Race and Racial Discourse in South African Football Fandom Marc Fletcher 7. "It wasn’t that I did not like South African Football": Media, History, and Biography Sean Jacobs 8. Soccer in a Rugby Town: Restructuring Football in Stellenbosch Sylvain Cubizolles 9. Differing Trajectories: Football Development and Patterns of Player Migration in South Africa and Ghana Paul Darby and Eirik Solberg Part 3: The 2010 World Cup: Challenges and Opportunities 10. Football's Tsars: Proprietorship, Corporatism and Politics in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Scarlett Cornelissen 11. Sports as Cultural Diplomacy: The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa’s Foreign Policy Sifiso Mxolisi Ndlovu 12. World Cup 2010: Africa’s Turn or the Turn on Africa? Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed 13. The 2010 FIFA World Cup: Critical Voices From Below Percy Ngonyama.

The effect of rock surface aspect on growth, size structure and competition in the lichen Rhizocarpon geographicum

Rhizocarpon geographicum is a crustose lichen found frequently on rock surfaces of southern aspect and less frequently on rock surfaces of northern aspect in Gwynedd, North Wales. This study tested the hypothesis that the radial growth of R. geographicum thalli predicts aspect distribution. Thalli of all sizes, however, exhibited significantly greater radial growth over 18 months on northwest compared with southeast facing surfaces. The hypothesis that a more intense competitive environment on northwest facing surfaces may explain the aspect distribution of R. geographicum was then tested. The size frequency distributions of thalli revealed a higher proportion of thalli in the smallest size class and a more restricted thallus size range on the northwest facing surfaces. In addition, thallus mortality appeared to be greater on northwest facing surfaces. Significantly more associated lichen species were present on rock surfaces of northern aspect at sites where R. geographicum was present. The mean frequency of the associated lichen species, however, was significantly lower on surfaces of northern aspect where R. geographicum was present. In addition, two common foliose species at these sites were demonstrated experimentally to overgrow thalli of R. geographicum. It is concluded that the growth of R. geographicum over the study period did not predict aspect distribution and that differences in the competitive environments on northwest and southeast surfaces may be an important factor determining aspect distribution. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

A class of perfect fluids in general relativity

This thesis is concerned with exact solutions of Einstein's field equations of general relativity, in particular, when the source of the gravitational field is a perfect fluid with a purely electric Weyl tensor. General relativity, cosmology and computer algebra are discussed briefly. A mathematical introduction to Riemannian geometry and the tetrad formalism is then given. This is followed by a review of some previous results and known solutions concerning purely electric perfect fluids. In addition, some orthonormal and null tetrad equations of the Ricci and Bianchi identities are displayed in a form suitable for investigating these space-times. Conformally flat perfect fluids are characterised by the vanishing of the Weyl tensor and form a sub-class of the purely electric fields in which all solutions are known (Stephani 1967). The number of Killing vectors in these space-times is investigated and results presented for the non-expanding space-times. The existence of stationary fields that may also admit 0, 1 or 3 spacelike Killing vectors is demonstrated. Shear-free fluids in the class under consideration are shown to be either non-expanding or irrotational (Collins 1984) using both orthonormal and null tetrads. A discrepancy between Collins (1984) and Wolf (1986) is resolved by explicitly solving the field equations to prove that the only purely electric, shear-free, geodesic but rotating perfect fluid is the Godel (1949) solution. The irrotational fluids with shear are then studied and solutions due to Szafron (1977) and Allnutt (1982) are characterised. The metric is simplified in several cases where new solutions may be found. The geodesic space-times in this class and all Bianchi type 1 perfect fluid metrics are shown to have a metric expressible in a diagonal form. The position of spherically symmetric and Bianchi type 1 space-times in relation to the general case is also illustrated.

Gender and general practice: the single-handed woman General Practitioner

This research examines women GPs' careers, how they run their practices and how they reconcile professional and domestic lives. It looks at the particular experiences of women GPs who practise alone, and at the pressures in past practice experience which have led them to do so. It is argued that many of the problems of group practice which can be identified are attributable to gender. For example, one reason given for entering general practice is a desire to be able to provide the full range of medical care and not to specialise. Women GPs, however, may find themselves seeing more women patients for "women's problems" and children than they would freely choose. Women have not entered general practice in order to specialise in these areas of medicine. Indeed, if they had wanted to specialise in obstetrics, gynaecology or paediatrics they would have had difficulty advancing very far in these male-dominated areas of hospital hierarchy. Other gender related problems exist for women in general practice and practising single-handedly is one strategy that women GPs have used to counter the problems of working in male-dominated practices and partnerships. However, the twenty-four hour commitment of single-handed practice may bring further pressures in reconciling this with responsibility for home life. Out-of-hours cover, which can be viewed as the link between professional and domestic life, where the one intrudes into the other, is also examined in terms of the gender issues it raises. The interaction of gender and ethnicity is also considered for the 11 Asian women GPs in the study. Interviews were conducted with 29 single-handed women GPs in the Midlands. In addition, some cases were studied in greater depth by being observed in their surgeries and on home visits for a day each. A qualitative/feminist approach to analysis has been employed.