Understanding policy volatility in Sudan:

"In this paper we present the findings of a qualitative investigation into some dimensions and implications of policy volatility in the realms of natural resource (NR) governance and devolution in contemporary Sudan, with particular reference to Greater Kordofan. Our goal is to map out some aspects of the interplay between volatility, disempowerment processes affecting both state agents and the rural population, and certain problems of governance that are characteristic but not unique to Sudan. In particular, we argue that volatility is a dimension of poor governance worthy of investigation in its own right, as it is a primary ingredient of what we may call a “self-disempowering state,” where adaptive learning in policy processes is impeded and successful devolution faces particularly complex obstacles. The policy domain that we consider for analysis includes laws, regulations and policies enacted under the label of “Decentralization, Land Allocation and Land Use,” as well as large development projects supporting the decentralization or devolution of NR management to local communities in the region." from Authors' AbstractPolicy Volatility, Devolution, Communities, Governance, Rural population., Decentralization, Natural resource management, Land allocation, Land use, Greater Kordofan,

Recognition of Palestinian Statehood: A Clarification of the Interests of the Concerned Parties

This paper reviews the history of the claims to statehood and sovereignty of the Palestinian people, from the period of the League of Nations mandate to the current move to secure UN approval of a Palestinian State. The article examines the claims to statehood in international law and examines the problem in the broader context of claims about human rights and humanitarian violations, the Israeli claims to security and legitimacy and the US claims for its mediation goal to ensure that the problem does not descend into a legal vacuum in which the fundamental interests of all parties in security and essential dignity are destroyed. It reviews the ideological motives of the current Israeli regime in light of the complexity for the Obama administration in establishing preconditions for a negotiated settlement. The article considers the implications of the recognition of sovereignty on these continuing issues. This paper is an expanded version of one delivered at the British section of the International Law Association, annual conference in Sheffield, England (April 2011)

AGRICULTURAL LAND PROTECTION POLICY FOR ALBANIA: LESSONS FROM WESTERN EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA, AND JAPAN

This report has been prepared as one effort to assist the Albanian government in formulating a policy approach appropriate to the conditions and culture of their country. The goal of this report is to examine the approach to agricultural land protection in other parts of the world, for the lessons they can provide to Albania. There is little recent literature on the subject of agricultural land protection policies. Most of the articles found in the English-language literature are six to ten years old, and in turn often rely on other sources that are several years older still. Thus, this survey should be viewed as a somewhat dated catalog of policy approaches which have been used at various times in the respective jurisdictions rather than as a statement of the current policy structure of a particular jurisdiction.Land use, Rural--Government policy--Europe, Land use, Rural--Government policy--Canada, Land use, Rural--Government policy--United States, Land use, Rural--Government policy--Japan, Land use, Rural--Law and legislation, Agriculture and state--Albania, Agricultural planning--Albania, Land Economics/Use,

The Legal and Policy Implications of the Possibility of Palestinian Statehood

This paper reviews the history of the claims to statehood and sovereignty of the Palestinian people, from the period of the League of Nations mandate to the current move to secure UN approval of a Palestinian State. The article examines the claims to statehood in international law and examines the problem in the broader context of claims about human rights and humanitarian violations, the Israeli claims to security and legitimacy and the US claims for its mediation goal to ensure that the problem does not descend into a legal vacuum in which the fundamental interests of all parties in security and essential dignity are destroyed. It reviews the ideological motives of the current Israeli regime in light of the complexity for the Obama administration in establishing preconditions for a negotiated settlement. The article considers the implications of the recognition of sovereignty on these continuing issues. This paper is an expanded version of one delivered at the British section of the International Law Association, annual conference in Sheffield, England (April 2011)

The Nature of Consent in the American Republic: Substance or Procedure? The Elections Clause and SingleMember Congressional Districts

FOR MOST OF the last 162 years, Congress has regulated the manner of congressional elections by imposing a requirement that its members be elected from single-member districts. In doing so, it has presumed to exercise its authority under Article I, Section 4, the Elections Clause, of the Constitution, which provides: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of ch[oo]sing Senators

Computational aspects of voting: a literature survey

Preference aggregation is a topic of study in different fields such as philosophy, mathematics, economics and political science. Recently, computational aspects of preference aggregation have gained especial attention and “computational politics” has emerged as a marked line of research in computer science with a clear concentration on voting protocols. The field of voting systems, rooted in social choice theory, has expanded notably in both depth and breadth in the last few decades. A significant amount of this growth comes from studies concerning the computational aspects of voting systems. This thesis comprehensively reviews the work on voting systems (from a computing perspective) by listing, classifying and comparing the results obtained by different researchers in the field. This survey covers a wide range of new and historical results yet provides a profound commentary on related work as individual studies and in relation to other related work and to the field in general. The deliverables serve as an overview where students and novice researchers in the field can start and also as a depository that can be referred to when searching for specific results. A comprehensive literature survey of the computational aspects of voting is a task that has not been undertaken yet and is initially realized here. Part of this research was dedicated to creating a web-depository that contains material and references related to the topic based on the survey. The purpose was to create a dynamic version of the survey that can be updated with latest findings and as an online practical reference