Establishing electoral administration systems in new democracies

The difficulty of holding fair elections continues to be a critical problem in many newly democratized countries. The core of the problem is the electoral administration's lack of political autonomy and capability to regulate fraud. This paper seeks to identify the conditions for establishing an autonomous and capable electoral administration system. An electoral administration system has two main functions: to disclose the nature of elections and to prevent fraud. We argue in this paper that an autonomous and capable electoral administration system exists if the major political players have the incentive to disclose the information on the elections and to secure the ruler's credible commitment to fair elections. We examine this argument through comparative case studies of Korea and the Philippines. Despite similar historical and institutional settings, their election commissions exhibit contrasting features. The difference in the incentive structures of the major political players seems to have caused the divergence in the institutional evolution of the election commissions in the two countries.Developing countries, South Korea, Philippines, Elections, Electoral systems, Democracy, Institution

Torque Magnetometry and Transport Study on Topological Superconductors and Semimetals

Recently, the topological features of materials have been intensively focused on not only due to its fundamental physical interest, but also its application to dissipationless devices and quantum computing. In this study, I investigated three materials with different topological classes: NbxBi2Se3, thin film WTe2 and LaNiO3 grown on LaAlO3. NbxBi2Se3 is a candidate of topological superconductors, which may host Majorana fermions that could be used for topological quantum computing. In the superconducting state of NbxBi2Se3, by torque magnetometry technique, I observed the in-plane angular dependence of susceptibility and supercurrent shows the two-fold symmetry although the crystal structure is trigonal. This in-plane rotational symmetry breaking is called the nematic superconducting state. On the other hand, in the normal state, the angular dependence of susceptibility follows six-fold symmetry, indicating that the nematicity occurs only in the superconducting state. However, de Haas-van Alphen study shows that the in-plane Fermi surface is also anisotropic. This would nail down the origin of the nematic order. Next, the bulk WTe2 is a type-II Weyl semimetal. However, when a thin film of WTe2 is grown on a sapphire substrate, it becomes superconducting. Moreover, there are a few exotic superconducting features in this system. First, the in-plane upper critical field Hc2 is more than 10 times larger than the Pauli limit Hp, indicating the Ising superconductivity in this system. Furthermore, the critical temperature Tc is enhanced by the in-plane magnetic field at both around T = Tc and T=0. This result may be associated with the unique Td crystal structure of this system, which also relates to the Weyl nature. Lastly, when LaNiO3 thin films are grown on LaAlO3 (111), the emergence of Dirac physics, as well as the multiferroic feature, is predicted due to the buckled honeycomb structure in (111) plane. We first observed the ferromagnetic state as predicted by many groups. This result is important not only because it gives further guidance to improve the theoretical modeling, but also because the ferromagnetic state can be coupled to the ferroelectricity for potential spintronics applications. Moreover, our results are consistent with the existence of a gapped Dirac point predicted by the theory. These results would be a significant step forward in the realization of a strongly correlated topological phase by geometrical engineering of buckled honeycomb lattice. These results will help further understand the exotic features of topological materials. In particular, the combination of topology and correlation or superconductivity is quite a new field. The observation of nematic superconductivity, field-enhanced Tc and magnetic Dirac physics would be a hallmark for this field.PHDPhysicsUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145956/1/tasaba_1.pd

Gender, Power and Local Water Governance in Rural Uganda

Gender inequality is one of the biggest challenges to equitable and sustainable natural resource and water governance in developing communities. This thesis investigates the gendered politics of access to water and participation in water governance, using a case study of Makondo Parish in rural Uganda. It empirically explores the micro political and institutional mechanisms that gender access and management of water resources in a rural context in Uganda. The study draws on a theoretical framework that includes: power and difference, particularly the works of Michel Foucault; the politics of access to resources; and theories of gender and participatory democracy and governance. A ‘qualitative-dominant’ mixed method approach was used, in which a cross-sectional survey, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, participant observation and community meetings were conducted in the study area. It is argued that whereas there are technical and administrative flaws in water governance at all levels in Makondo Parish, gender divisions and inequalities determine men and women’s access to water, water collection and participation in local water governance. The study contends that children and women are negatively impacted by the current modes of access to water, such as water technologies; formal institutions; knowledge and information; and payments or in-kind contributions. For example, despite the existence of “improved” and perhaps safer water sources in the study area, children and women mainly use “unimproved” water sources due to closer proximity, ‘reliability’ of source, and it not being necessary to pay repair or maintenance fees to use them, among other reasons. Men’s reluctance to pay repair fees and women’s inadequate access to money, a major determinant of functionality of “improved” water sources, increases the troubles that women and children face in accessing water. The study further confirms that the burden of collecting water on a daily basis falls primarily on children and women, who move long distances to fetch water, and/or queue for long periods at “improved” water sources, activities that consume their time. Women and children’s health and safety are also unevenly impacted by this burden. Health problems arise from the strain of carrying water, from accidents while negotiating hilly and uneven roads and paths, and in addition children and women’s safety can be compromised as deaths occur from drowning at ‘unimproved’ sources. Both women and children can find themselves vulnerable to verbal and physical assault as gendered social interaction unfolds around water processes. With regard to participation in water governance, this study exposes that despite their recognised roles as water managers at the household-level and national objectives to include women in community management processes, they are less involved in the governance of water than men and therefore have little influence on how water is managed. Women are not effectively represented in water resource management in Makondo parish, and although they attend water meetings more than men (largely due to their household water management role and their higher enthusiasm compared to men’s), women’s physical presence is not enough for them to voice their water needs and concerns in local water spaces. Women’s voices and choices are undermined in local water decision-making processes due to patriarchal norms and stereotypes that give men more power and opportunities and give women low self-belief in their abilities. More transformative, gender-equitable, and inclusive approaches are needed to bring about sustainable water governance in rural developing communities

Why do firms behave similarly? A study on new product introduction in the Japanese soft-drink industry

We analyze new product introduction in the Japanese soft-drink industry to distinguish among theories of why firms exhibit similar behavior. Some theories suggest that firms mimic others with comparable resource endowments in order to mitigate rivalry or to minimize risk. Other theories suggest that imitation economizes on information costs. In the Japanese soft-drink industry, there is often bunching of new product introductions and imitation of competitors' offerings. As a result, Japanese beverage manufacturers duplicate each other's product lines. In the US, by comparison, the extent of such duplication is much less. The empirical results provide support for both sets of theories, but in different contexts. The analysis of firms' initial entry into brand-new products suggests that firms enter when they observe larger competitors doing so. Entry by large firms provides information that demand for the product is likely to grow; indeed, such entry may give legitimacy to the product and stimulate consumer demand. On the other hand, the analysis of new product introduction within established product categories suggests that firms often mimic competitors that share a similar resource base. One interpretation is that the bunching of entry into emerging product markets is largely the result of economizing on information costs, whereas the bunching of product introductions within established categories is caused more by competitive interaction among similar firms

A construction of integral standard generalized table algebras from parameters of projective geometries

We construct new integral standard generalized table algebras from parameters of projective geometries. The algebras are noncommutative, imprimitive, and six dimensional.ArticleISRAEL JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICS. 194(1):395-408 (2013)journal articl

Inventory Reduction and Productivity Growth: A Comparison of Japanese and US Automotive Sectors

Revised: June 30, 1996This study assesses the inventory and productivity performance of the Japanese and US automotive industries in recent decades. Within each country we distinguish between vehicle assemblers and parts suppliers. In Japan, assemblers and suppliers made dramatic inventory reductions and productivity gains, particularly during the 1970s. By comparison, we find an unbalanced pattern for the United States: American assembly plants have been streamlined, but parts suppliers have stagnated. In both countries our findings suggest a strong association between inventory reduction and productivity growth.The MIT International Motor Vehicle Program, the UCLA Center for International Business Education and Research, and the Institute for International Economic Studies in Tokyo, Japan