Nuclear Level Density and the Determination of Thermonuclear Rates for Astrophysics

The prediction of cross sections for nuclei far off stability is crucial in the field of nuclear astrophysics. We discuss the model mostly employed for such calculations: the statistical model (Hauser-Feshbach). Special emphasis is put on the uncertainties arising from nuclear level density descriptions and an improved global description is presented. Furthermore, criteria for the applicability of the statistical model are investigated and a "map" for the applicability of the model to reactions of stable and unstable nuclei with neutral and charged particles is given.Comment: REVTeX paper + 7 B/W figures + 2 color figures; PRC, in press. Also available at http://quasar.physik.unibas.ch/preps.htm

The international political sociology of empire

Forced migration and refugee and asylum issues are, by definition, often a matter of international politics as they affect the relationship between countries of origin and countries of destination. Recent estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees suggest that in 2007 there were more than 10 million asylum seekers and refugees worldwide: that is, individuals who left their home country to seek protection in another country ( UNHCR 2007 ). This paper seeks to provide an overview of the multidisciplinary academic literature on forced migration, its key debates and major contributions. Although it attempts to provide as balanced and comprehensive an account as possible, the sheer scope of the subject means that choices as to the geographical, theoretical, and empirical coverage of the paper had to be made. The paper takes as its main focus the question of how the global refugee framework and regional legal regimes on forced migration (such as that of the European Union) have come about, how they have been assessed, and what attempts have been made to reform them. By way of conclusion, the piece identifies a number of key areas for future research. Refugees were first defined collectively at the international level, recognized on the basis of a group identity

EU asylum policy: Britain on the margins

Book synopsis: For some politicians and commentators, Britain is always destined to be the ‘odd man out’ in the European Union, with a history and set of political attitudes which must always pit the United Kingdom’s interests against those of its neighbours. For others, such claims of British exceptionalism are at best much exaggerated, and to the extent this exceptionalism exists it arises largely from subjective rather than objective factors. This collection of essays reviews British attitudes towards a number of current European issues. It does not attempt finally to decide the controversy about British exceptionalism, but rather to provide material for a more informed debate on this complex subject

A Bridge Too Phare? EU Pre-Accession Aid and Capacity-Building in the Candidate Countries

The imminent large-scale EU enlargement raises important questions regarding the success of Phare as one of the Pre-Accession Funds in preparing candidate countries' institutions for Structural Funding, the need to reform EU regional policy itself, and to what extent the Commission is using Phare to build regional-level institutions and shift an enlarged EU towards multi-level governance. Despite some successes, Phare will not be able to deliver everything it was set up for, and a coherent set of post-accession transition policies will need to be set up as part of the next reform of the Structural Funds to ensure that the process of learning and adjustment leading to the adoption of the "acquis" does not stall with the new membership. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004.

Conjunctural causation in comparative case-oriented research

Comparative methodology, Causal complexity, Theory development, Political science, Social mechanisms, Decision-making, European Union,