Electoral Systems, Ethnic Fragmentation and Party Systems Volatility in 31 Sub Saharan African Countries

This paper thus addresses two primary issues. What is the relationship between the types of electoral systems that have been used to govern initial elections in the democratizing states of Africa and the degree to which party systems volatility has emerged? What other factors impact on the levels of volatility? I examine the above questions using data from 31 African countries. I find that most of the factors often cited as impacting on party systems development do not account for the level of legislative volatility. However, the dominance of the ruling party in the first election following democratic transition does impact the extent of legislative volatility later. Nonetheless these cases are also less likely to lead to democratic or politically stable outcomes

Examining the 2005 Ethiopian Parliamentary Election Results Under Alternative Electoral Rules

As many scholars have noted, electoral systems exert a powerful influence on the process of democratization (Taagepera and Shugart, 1989; Horowitz, 1985; Ishiyama 1997). Indeed first competitive or “transitional” elections are crucial moments for newly democratizing countries. Although these elections mark only a beginning point in an often arduous journey, their outcomes crucially affect the future course of democratic transition and democratic consolidation (Olsen 1993; Schmitter 1992; Bermeo, 1987). Indeed, whoever wins the transitional election often has the opportunity to re-write the rules of the game to their advantage and, hence, significantly influence future political developments

La política del federalismo fiscal del régimen panista en México: El caso del seguro popular (2000-2012)

Además, el conocimiento científico de las estrategias políticas utilizadas en el federalismo fiscal mexicano será útil para diseñar políticas públicas que eviten más eficazmente las prácticas que condicionan seriamente la libertad de los ciudadanos mexicanos al elegir a sus respectivos representantes políticos, y por tanto, también para la construcción de una democracia más libre, justa, y equitativa en nuestro país.El uso estratégico de los recursos públicos, ya sea en Estados federales o centrales, puede convertirse en una herramienta muy efectiva para sostener regímenes autoritarios o para mantener en el poder a ciertos partidos políticos dentro de regímenes democráticos, ya posean estos últimos sistemas de gobierno presidenciales, parlamentarios, semi parlamentarios o semi presidenciales. En efecto, el uso estratégico de los recursos públicos es un factor que impacta a los resultados electorales y afecta seriamente a un régimen democrático; este uso puede convertirse, en realidad, en un obstáculo formidable para consolidar un régimen democrático, debido a que la distribución estratégica de recursos públicos, en contraste con una justa y equitativa, condiciona seriamente la libertad de los ciudadanos para tomar decisiones políticas, y así, al final, beneficia o perjudica, según sea el caso, a determinados actores políticos

What are the Effects of Large-scale Violence on Social and Institutional Trust? Using the Civil War Literature to Understand the Case of Mexico, 2006–2012

Artículo científico en co autoría, publicado en inglés en la Revista Civil Wars, indizada a nivel internacional.El presente trabajo explora el impacto de la violencia de la delincuencia organizada en la confianza ciudadana, principalmente a nivel municipal de México. A través de un análisis multinivel, no se encontraron evidencias concluyentes de una correlación fuerte entre los niveles de violencia organizada a nivel municipal en México y la confianza ciudadana. No obstante, si se detectó una correlación significativa entre la percepción de inseguridad pública y la confianza ciudadana, empero, esta correlación es independiente de la violencia real experimentada.No aplic

Quantifying Implications of Deposit Aging from Crude Refinery Preheat Train Data

Heat exchanger fouling has been studied for some time in the petroleum industry. As understanding of fouling dynamics and mitigation methods improves, refinery fouling mitigation strategies are changing. The implications of deposit aging in refinery units have not been addressed in detail: aging refers to where the deposit undergoes physical and chemical conversion over time. In the 2009 Heat Exchanger Fouling and Cleaning conference, Wilson et al. [Ageing: Looking back and looking forward] presented a simple framework illustrating how deposit aging impacts heat exchanger thermal and hydraulic performance. This paper presents insights into deposit aging gained from analysis of refinery monitoring data. Two case studies are presented: (i) one from the Preem refinery in Sweden where stream temperature, flow and gauge pressure measurements indicated a higher deposit thermal conductivity in exchangers located in the hotter section of the preheat train. (ii) US refinery stream temperature, flow and plant cleaning log data, showing an increased resistance to cleaning when deposits are exposed to high temperature for a prolonged period. The use of deposit aging analysis to improve exchanger operation is discussed.I am a co-author on this paper. The work reported was undertaken for a Swedish company by another company, HTRI.I advised on the results

How International Is Political Science? Patterns of Submission and Publication in the American Political Science Review

How international in scope is publishing in political science? Previous studies have shown that the top journals primarily publish work by scholars from the US and, to a lesser extent, other global north countries. However, such studies used published content and could not evaluate the impact of the review process on the relative absence of international scholars in journals. Here, we evaluate patterns of submission and publication by US and international scholars for the American Political Science Review (APSR) – one of the most selective peer-reviewed journals in the discipline. We find that scholars from the US and other global north countries are published roughly in proportion to submissions, but that global south scholars fare less well. We also find that scholars affiliated with prestigious universities are overrepresented, irrespective of geographic location. We conclude with some observations about the implications of these findings for efforts to internationalize the discipline

In Vivo Imaging of Transplanted Islets with ^(64)Cu-DO3A-VS-Cys^(40)-Exendin-4 by Targeting GLP-1 Receptor

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) is highly expressed in pancreatic islets, especially on β-cells. Therefore, a properly labeled ligand that binds to GLP-1R could be used for in vivo pancreatic islet imaging. Because native GLP-1 is degraded rapidly by dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV), a more stable agonist of GLP-1 such as Exendin-4 is a preferred imaging agent. In this study, DO3A-VS-Cys^(40)-Exendin-4 was prepared through the conjugation of DO3A-VS with Cys^(40)-Exendin-4. The in vitro binding affinity of DO3A-VS-Cys^(40)-Exendin-4 was evaluated in INS-1 cells, which overexpress GLP-1R. After ^(64)Cu labeling, biodistribution studies and microPET imaging of ^(64)Cu-DO3A-VS-Cys^(40)-Exendin-4 were performed on both subcutaneous INS-1 tumors and islet transplantation models. The subcutaneous INS-1 tumor was clearly visualized with microPET imaging after the injection of ^(64)Cu-DO3A-VS-Cys^(40)-Exendin-4. GLP-1R positive organs, such as pancreas and lung, showed high uptake. Tumor uptake was saturable, reduced dramatically by a 20-fold excess of unlabeled Exendin-4. In the intraportal islet transplantation models, ^(64)Cu-DO3A-VS-Cys^(40)-Exendin-4 demonstrated almost two times higher uptake compared with normal mice. ^(64)Cu-DO3A-VS-Cys^(40)-Exendin-4 demonstrated persistent and specific uptake in the mouse pancreas, the subcutaneous insulinoma mouse model, and the intraportal human islet transplantation mouse model. This novel PET probe may be suitable for in vivo pancreatic islets imaging in the human

Central Asia and the globalisation of the contemporary legal consciousness

What is the logic which governs the processes of legal globalization? How does the transnational proliferation of legal forms operate in the contemporary geo-juridical space? What are the main defining characteristics of the currently dominant mode of transnational legal consciousness and how can the concept of legal consciousness help us understand better the historical ebb and flow of the Western-led projects of good governance promotion in regions like Central Asia after the fall of the Soviet Union? Using Duncan Kennedy’s seminal essay Three Globalizations of Law and Legal Thought as its starting platform, this essay seeks to explore these and a series of other related questions, while also drawing on the work of the Greek Marxist lawyer-philosopher Nicos Poulantzas to help elucidate some latent analytical stress-points in Kennedy’s broader theoretical framework. Reacting against the neo-Orientalist tone adopted across much of the contemporary field of Central Asian studies, it develops an alternative account of the internal history of the legal-globalizational encounter between the Western-based reform entrepreneurs and the national legal-political elites in Central Asia in the post-1991 period, complementing it with a detailed description of the general institutional and discursive structures within which this encounter took place