Leader-member exchange in education : the effects of principal and teacher dyadic relationship quality

The purpose of this qualitative research is to explore the dyadic relationship between principals and novice teachers that have decided to leave teaching as a career. The participants in this study are novice teachers that left teaching in their first to fifth year of their educational career. This research utilized Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX) as a lens to investigate if the existence of high or low LMX relationships between principal and teacher had an impact on the teacher's sense of relational trust with the principal and colleagues, self-efficacy, creativity, sense of autonomy, sense of belonging, happiness, and decision to leave teaching. The research also included generational identifiers to better understand the needs of the novice teacher and if there was an impact on their decision to leave based upon a generational gap between them and their principal.Includes bibliographical reference

Flipping the Kill-Switch: Why Governments Shut Down the Internet

In the last decade, governments have begun more frequently cutting internet and mobile services as a response to real or potential threats. Both democratic and autocratic regimes use internet shutdowns to maintain security and suppress dissent. Why do governments intentionally shut down the internet? This paper focuses on complete blackouts of online communications, known as “kill-switch” shutdowns, and examines the factors that contribute to a regime’s choice to enact such extreme measures. Using a mixed-methods analysis, this paper evaluates multiple potential causes of internet shutdowns. Results from both cross-national, quantitative analysis and qualitative process tracing present several findings. First, government internet shutdowns follow a strong path dependency: once a government enacts a shutdown, the chances they will do so again are high. Second, there is surprisingly no apparent link between violent protest and internet shutdowns. This thesis finds strong support, on the other hand, for violent conflict and competitive elections as factors that lead governments to shut down internet services. Finally, this paper finds a negative relationship between U.S. foreign assistance and internet shutdowns in the data, suggesting that greater linkages with the West may be a way to curb government-mandated internet shutdowns in the future

The Georgia-Abkhazia conflict: critical factors shaping the present stalemate

On August 7th, 2008, Georgia attempted to militarily reassert control over South Ossetia, one of its separatist republics, thus provoking a massive Russian invasion and Georgia's rapid defeat. Russia used the opportunity provided by the Georgian provocation to consolidate its hold over Georgia's two breakaway regions, ultimately recognizing them as legitimate, sovereign states, and thus increasing its power and influence in the region. The West was left reeling, unable to stop Russia or persuade the separatist republics to reconsider federation; the conflict in Georgia has shelved any hopes of a peaceful solution that respected Georgia's "territorial integrity." This conflict was neither random nor inevitable; rather, this thesis will argue that it was the result of a history of oppression by both Georgian and Abkhaz of the other, weak and corrupt states in Georgia and Abkhazia, the purposeful Russian destabilization of the region, and a significant refugee and demographic problem. This thesis will examine the impact that these factors have had on shaping the conflict situation, and it will seek to gain a better understanding of this suddenly unfrozen conflict, in the hope of successfully dealing with other conflicts in the former Soviet sphere before they erupt into war

Left arm of the Republic: The Department of the Pacific during the Civil War

Although the Civil War was fought largely in the East it was a transcontinental war. Securing the Far West for the Union played an important, though secondary role in the northern war effort. When most of the Regular Army units were called east, holding the region and confronting the multiple threats to its security fell to the western volunteers. Through their efforts, they maintained a general stability in a vast region where both potential and actualized threats could easily have hampered Union efforts in the main theatres of war. Therefore, by quelling secessionist schemes and activities and attempting to maintain peaceful relations between the various tribes and the flood of whites that continued to flow into the region, the less than 20,000 volunteers protected the Far West from internal dangers.;Internal responsibilities were only part of the potential hazards lurking along and within the department\u27s vast territory. As had been demonstrated during the 1859 Pig War crisis, relations with the British in far western Canada could easily turn dangerous. Likewise, once the French imperial designs for Mexico were put into action, department commanders had to ensure that the United States did not become entangled in that quagmire, despite the sympathies of most Americans for the Mexican cause. Thus, despite having been ignored and misunderstood, the Department of the Pacific played an important role in the larger national scene. Had not the department carried out its responsibilities successfully, the nature of the Civil War or the development of the Far West (or both) could have gone differently. To better understand the contributions made to Union war effort, his study is an examination of the responsibilities faced by the Union\u27s most remote military command during the Civil War and how it met those responsibilities, and in turn how doing so aided the Union cause by protecting the Far West from the nation\u27s enemies