Unlocking the Secrets of Domestic Political Hegemony : Political Space and Economic Liberalization in Taiwan and South Korea, 1987-2000

This thesis argues that, under certain conditions, economic liberalization can strengthen the political position of conservative coalitions in transitional democracies. A large body of literature on the effect of market-opening reforms and democratization posits that economic liberalization, by generating social change, creates new opportunities for political reform. This viewpoint, while not unchallenged, appears to be predominant within academic circles. Through an empirical analysis of two case studies, Taiwan and South Korea, this study contributes a new perspective to the debate over the political effect of economic liberalization. The analysis of these two countries focuses especially on the impact of market-opening reform on the electoral-ideological area of political life, an area (termed "political space" by this thesis) to which most existing literature seems to attach only secondary importance (as it focuses primarily on institutional dynamics). Taiwan began its democratization process in 1987 with the lifting of martial law, while the first measures to liberalize the island\u27s economy were implemented in the 1980s. However, as economic and institutional reform progressed throughout the 1990s, conservative political elements (represented mainly by the Kuomintang) have managed to maintain their dominance over Taiwan\u27s political space. A similar development can be observed in South Korea, where in spite of growing economic de-regulation and the financial crash of 1997 (through which additional neo-liberal reforms have been imposed on South Korea\u27s economy) conservative politicians and parties appear to have retained their dominance over this country\u27s political space. As in Taiwan, the liberalization of political institutions and the economy since 1987 (when authoritarian tule in South Korea ended) have not brought about the triumph of pro-reform political forces. This thesis concludes by outlining some theoretical lessons extracted from the case studies that might translate into useful generalizations on the political effect of economic liberalization

Shaping the Framework of Capital Markets Regulation: Political Institutions and Securities Regulation in Australia and Canada

This project examines the relationship between capital markets and political institutions. I use Australia and Canada as case studies. The main hypothesis I advance is that the framework of securities regulation must “fit” into a society’s broader institutional context. A regulatory system that is not well adapted to its institutional surroundings risks becoming implausible. I also argue that one of the key conditions for capital markets to be regulated in a centralized way is the presence of institutions that allow national policy makers to overcome resistance from regional authorities. This condition is present in Australia, but not in Canada. Other developments in Australia, such as large-scale corporate scandals, facilitated the centralization of capital markets regulation.Political institutions descended from the British Westminster Parliamentary system govern both Australia and Canada. However, the framework through which each country regulates capital markets presents a sharp contrast: while Australia has a single national regulatory agency, in Canada each province retains jurisdiction over securities regulation. Analysis of this contrast provides evidence to support this project’s hypotheses.Regulating capital markets can have important effects on a society’s financial and economic development. Political authorities, whether national or regional, are generally keen to exercise this power in order to prevent market failures that can impede economic development and frustrate the implementation of a government’s economic agenda

Methodology and application of surrogate plant PRA analysis to the Rancho Seco Power Plant: Final report

This report presents the development and the first application of generic probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) information for identifying systems and components important to public risk at nuclear power plants lacking plant-specific PRAs. A methodology is presented for using the results of PRAs for similar (surrogate) plants, along with plant-specific information about the plant of interest and the surrogate plants, to infer important failure modes for systems of the plant of interest. This methodology, and the rationale on which it is based, is presented in the context of its application to the Rancho Seco plant. The Rancho Seco plant has been analyzed using PRA information from two surrogate plants. This analysis has been used to guide development of considerable plant-specific information about Rancho Seco systems and components important to minimizing public risk, which is also presented herein

The evolution of the female postabdomen and genitalia in mecopterid insects (Insecta: Mecopterida)

The female postabdomen and the internal parts of the genital system of 15 mecopterid taxa were investigated in detail. The taxon sampling was strongly focused on presumably basal representatives within the orders. A total of 102 structural characters of the female postabdomen and 8 characters related to the habits of oviposition were defined and coded, and analyzed cladistically together with 106 characters from other character systems and developmental stages. An evolutionary interpretation of the female postabdomen and genitalia is presented, based on the results of the cladistic analysis. The following major clades are clearly confirmed by the cladistic analysis: Mecopterida, Amphiesmenoptera, Trichoptera, Lepidoptera, Antliophora and Diptera. The monophyly of Mecoptera is ambiguous. Apomorphic states resulting from the major evolutionary steps are the following. Mecopterida: a tapering postabdomen with telescopic retractability, loss of the segmentation of the genital appendages and oviposition into soft substrates (moist soil, rotten plant materials, bryophyte masses). Amphiesmenoptera: total median fusion of the genital appendages of segment VIII and loss of the appendages of segment IX and an associated muscle, fusion of segments IX – XI to a terminal unit, neoformation of two pairs of apophyses (on segment VIII and the terminal unit) and extrusion of the involved segments by muscle force, fusion of the posterior parts of the genital chamber and the rectum (cloaca); presence of a spermathecal process, a spermathecal gland and a bursa copulatrix; and oviposition into crevices. Antliophora: neo-formation of a transverse muscle spanning between the genital appendages of segment VIII. Nannochoristidae are probably closest to the ancestral conditions of Mecopterida.Das weibliche Postabdomen und die inneren Abschnitte des Genitalsystems von 15 Vertretern der mecopteriden Insekten wurden einer detaillierten Untersuchung unterzogen. Bei der Auswahl der Taxa wurden innerhalb der einzelnen Insektenordnungen basal abzweigende Vertreter besonders berücksichtigt. Es wurden 102 Strukturmerkmale des weiblichen Postabdomen und 8 im Zusammenhang mit den Eiablagegewohnheiten stehende Merkmale definiert und zusammen mit 106 Merkmalen anderer Körperabschnitte und Entwicklungsstadien in einer Datenmatrix codiert. Eine auf den Ergebnissen einer kladistischen Analyse dieses Datensatzes basierende evolutionäre Interpretation für das weibliche Postabdomen wird präsentiert. Die Monophylie folgender Gruppen konnte durch die Analyse bestätigt werden: Mecopterida, Amphiesmenoptera, Trichoptera, Lepidoptera, Antliophora und Diptera. Zweifel bleiben bestehen an der Monophylie der Mecoptera. Autapomorphien, welche sich aus den wichtigsten evolutiven Schritten ergeben, sind im Folgenden aufgeführt. Mecopterida: teleskopartig ineinander stülpbare terminale Segmente, unsegmentierte Genitalanhänge und Eiablage in weiche Substrate (feuchte Böden, verrottende Pflanzenreste, Moospolster). Amphiesmenoptera: Genitalanhänge von Segment VIII zu einer soliden Platte verschmolzen, Verlust der Genitalanhänge von Segment IX, Verschmelzung der Segmente IX – XI zu einer terminalen Einheit, Ausbildung innerer Apophysen und Ausstülpung der terminalen Segmente durch Muskelkraft, Ausbildung einer Kloake, Processus spermathecae, Spermathecaldrüse, Bursa copulatrix, Eiablage in Spalträume. Antliophora: Neubildung eines Transversalmuskels, welcher zwischen den Genitalanhängen von Segment VIII aufgespannt ist. Die Nannochoristidae stehen dem Grundmuster der mecopteriden Insekten wahrscheinlich am nächsten

Mountain beaver home ranges, habitat use, and population dynamics in Washington

The mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa (Rafinesque, 1817)), endemic to western North America, is the only extant member of the family Aplodontidae. Limited information on movements and habitat use throughout the species\u27 range is available. We radio-collared 41 mountain beavers to determine home ranges, dispersal, habitat use, and population densities on two managed forest sites in coastal Washington. Both sites were recently harvested for timber. The Donovan site (16.6 ha) was treated with herbicide before seedling planting and the Sylvia site (8.9 ha) was not treated. Mountain beaver home ranges (Donovan: 4.18 ± 0.81 ha; Sylvia: 1.39 ± 0.4 ha) were greater than previously reported in the literature (0.02-0.2 ha). Home ranges (P = 0.009) and core use areas (P = 0.05) on the herbicide-treated Donovan site were larger than those observed on the untreated Sylvia site. Mountain beaver population density declined from 2002 (n = 16) to 2003 (n = 8) on the Donovan site, and reinvasion onto the site after removal trapping was low (n = 7). Population density more than doubled on the Sylvia site from 2002 (n = 21) to 2003 (n = 55), and reinvasion was greater (n = 27) than observed at Donovan. In addition, we documented habitat characteristics centered at 9 Donovan and 10 Sylvia nest locations. Sites were similar in most habitat characteristics, but the Sylvia site had more herbaceous forbs, stumps, and woody debris. Our findings suggest that mountain beaver populations and home ranges are affected by availability of forage, such as herbaceous forbs, after herbicide treatment, as well as by availability of woody cover