Of Kings and Criminals: Essays on Elite Violence and Economic Development

Literature on the processes that induce economic development has yielded theories emphasising the roles of institutional design, geography, gender equality and human capital. Violence, however, has largely been treated as an outcome of development rather than a contributing factor (McIlwaine 1999; Enamorado et al. 2014). On an individual level, violence is largely driven by psychological factors, but these cannot explain regional or societal disparities. Therefore, the first of three studies in this dissertation contributes to the literature by finding a causal effect of elite violence on elite human capital. The inverse relationship that is derived is an important result, since human capital encourages technological innovation and is an important driver of economic growth (see Becker 1962; Mincer 1984; Acemoglu and Dell 2010; and Barro 2001). Further, this chapter also contributes to the Great Divergence debate and shows that at its origins were rooted in violence, at least to a certain degree, from as far back as the 14th century. The second chapter’s chief contribution is that of the regicide indicator. Eisner’s (2011) idea was heavily expanded upon in this paper as we include more than 4000 rulers from across Europe between the 6th and 19th centuries and provide a wider-ranging and longer-term indicator for violence than has been available previously. Since empirical evidence of violence from before the 19th century is only available sporadically and for parts of Western Europe, the regicide indicator opens up entirely new avenues of violence research. Europe undoubtedly has the most complete and far-reaching dynastic lists of all world regions, as well as the most detailed biographical accounts of rulers from which the regicide indicator is constructed. Nevertheless, documenting rulers has been a universal phenomenon throughout history, meaning that this chapter sets a precedent which could also be followed in future studies of other world regions and perhaps even help to explain patterns of development elsewhere. This chapter then goes on to study the role of state capacity in elite violence, using ‘territorial state capacity’, following the divergent hypotheses of researchers such as Pinker (2011) and Tilly (1975). The empirical evidence shows a negative relationship between territorial state capacity and regicide, illustrating that state capacity likely had a largely pacifying role on trends and regional differences in interpersonal elite violence, at least since the High Middle Ages. Finally, as a means of providing a more rounded impression of the consequences of elite violence, and of assassinations in particular, the dissertation proceeded to investigate how shocks to political risk have caused investors to react in terms of global asset allocation since 1970. How investors allocate their holdings influences the levels of financing available to firms or national treasuries; affecting the ability of firms to grow and develop their own industries as well as the ability of governments to provide public services and to direct fiscal policy. The setting of political risk and assassinations provides an interesting conundrum, as financial doctrine dictates that investors reallocate their holdings from stocks to sovereign bonds, while governmental institutions are the source of increased risk in the aftermath of political assassinations (Markowitz 1952). The results obtained from an event analysis illustrate that investors tend to disinvest from equity following political assassinations but refrain from pursuing traditional risk-free instruments. Subsequent exchange rate depreciations likely indicate that investors prefer to move their holdings abroad, signalling that, on average, investors do not act blindly and simply follow financial doctrine. In order to make a stronger conclusion about the destination of financial flows subsequent to political assassinations, an ideal extension to this study would employ spatial methods to examine financial spillovers in conjunction with exchange rate impacts. The study also reveals that developing countries tend to experience more severe and persistent financial market effects in the aftermath of political assassinations. Because developing countries are associated with weaker institutions, investors may believe that existing political and macroeconomic policies could be threatened by the successor of an assassinated individual. Conversely, due to stronger political institutions, investors may see political assassinations in developed countries as isolated events with the continuance of existing policies guaranteed. This suggests that setting clear and long-term policy agendas may be beneficial for governments of developing countries and help to alleviate the volatility of future capital flows

Haze in the Klang Valley of Malaysia

Continuous measurements of dry aerosol light scattering (Bsp) were made at two sites in the Klang Valley of Malaysia between December 1998 and December 2000. In addition 24-h PM2.5 samples were collected on a one-day-in-six cycle and the chemical composition of the aerosol was determined. Periods of excessive haze were defined as 24-h average Bsp values greater than 150 Mm-1 and these occurred on a number of occasions, between May and September 1999, during May 2000, and between July and September 2000. The evidence for smoke being a significant contributor to aerosol during periods of excessive haze is discussed and includes features of the aerosol chemistry, the diurnal cycle of Bsp, and the coincidence of forest fires on Sumatra during the southwest (SW) monsoon period, as well as transport modelling for one week of the southwest Monsoon of 2000. The study highlights that whilst transboundary smoke is a major contributor to poor visibility in the Klang Valley, smoke from fires on Peninsular Malaysia is also a contributor, and at all times, the domestic source of secondary particle production is present

Upper Hunter Valley particle characterization study: 1st progress report – site commissioning and methodology

The objective of the Upper Hunter Valley Particle Characterization Study is to determine the major components and sources of particulate matter (as PM2.5 – particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) in the two main population centres in the Upper Hunter Valley, namely Singleton and Muswellbrook. This 1st Progress Report outlines the design of the project, the methodology, and the commissioning phase.© 2012 CSIR

Upper Hunter Valley Particle Characterization Study 3rd Progress Report

The objective of the Upper Hunter Valley Particle Characterization Study is to determine the major components and sources of particulate matter (as PM2.5 – particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) in the two main population centres in the Upper Hunter Valley, namely Singleton and Muswellbrook. This 3rd Progress Report presents an update on the project and some quality checks of the data.© 2013 CSIR

Developmental Disabilities Training Series

Effectively engaging individuals with developmental disabilities is essential to Extension\u27s diversity and inclusion mandate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that over 6 million individuals have developmental disabilities. We in Extension have the potential to include a proportionate number of individuals with developmental disabilities in our programs wherever we serve. The Developmental Disabilities Training Series, an online or in-person professional development series, prepares Extension personnel and volunteers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to design and implement community-based programs for this clientele. The series includes five courses, fact sheets, and resource materials

Upper Hunter Valley Particle Characterization Study 2nd Progress Report

The objective of the Upper Hunter Valley Particle Characterization Study is to determine the major components and sources of particulate matter (as PM2.5 – particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) in the two main population centres in the Upper Hunter Valley, namely Singleton and Muswellbrook. This 2nd Progress Report presents an update on the project, some preliminary results, and a description of the CSIRO analysis technique.© 2012 CSIR

Origins and sources of atmospheric precipitation from australia: chlorine-36 and major-element chemistry

Temporal and spatial variations of major-element and 36Cl chemistry in rainfall across Australia have been assessed. Bulk precipitation samples were collected from two arrays over two years at three-monthly intervals: the WE array (10 sites) extended in a west to east direction from the coast of Western Australia south of Geraldton, inland to Warburton in Central Australia, and the SN array (8 sites), extended in a south to north direction from Port Lincoln in South Australia to Kakadu in the Northern Territory. The major-element chemistry shows that the main influence en the composition of precipitation in remote areas of Australia is mixing between seawater and continental sources. At most sites along the two arrays it is difficult to distinguish between the separate end-members of this source, except at coastal localities where seawater dominates the chemistry of precipitation. However, the influence of seawater is also evident at non-coastal sites in association with favourable synoptic conditions, such as cold frontal activity in south and western Australia during winter, and monsoonal activity in northern Australia during summer. The continentally-derived end-member is most likely composed of resuspended soil/dust material, including salt-lake and calcareous dune components. In the south of the SN array where agriculture is intense this continental source variably includes a fertiliser component. The chemistry of precipitation across Australia is also affected by an acid-base balance factor, the components of which are derived from natural sources such as biogenic emissions, biomass burning and lightning flash production. The nature of the collection program (i.e. samples are exposed to the atmosphere from the time of deposition to the time of sample retrieval) means biodegradation is also evident in the collected sample chemistry. Chlorine-36 is a cosmogenic isotope with a half-life of 301,000 years. This time frame, combined with the hydrophilic nature of Cl, makes 36Cl useful as a hydrological tracer. The use of 36Cl as a hydrological tracer however, relies on predicted models of 36Cl and stable Cl fallout to calculate 36CJ/CJ ratios for recharge to hydrological systems. The results from this investigation agree with the general shape of the latitude-dependent theoretical 36Cl fallout curve of Lal and Peters (1967), but suggests that the curve underestimates the rate of fallout. A revised mean fallout for the southern hemisphere of 15.4 36CI atomsfm2/s is suggested, and long-term average predictions of 36CJ fallout rates used to predict the input ratios of iv 36CIJC1 in hydrological investigations should be increased by a factor of 1.4 for the southern hemisphere. Further, while stable Cl concentrations in precipitation display a general exponential decrease with distance from the coast, the nature of this relationship is geographically variable, and Cl concentrations in precipitation should be investigated for each study by local direct measurements, a process that is simple and inexpensive. The mean 36Cl fallout for the southern hemisphere, calculated from this work is three times lower than has been measured for precipitation in the northern hemisphere. The lower southern hemisphere fallout rates reflect the lower rates of transfer of stratospheric air to the troposphere in the southern hemisphere, which results from the less dynamic nature of the lower stratosphere in the southern hemisphere. The mean global 36Cl fallout that incorporates measurements from the northern hemisphere with the results of this work is calculated to be 25-35 atomsfm2fs, 2-3 times greater than predicted by Lal and Peters (1967). This suggests that the cross-section for the cosmic-ray production of 36Cl may be underestimated in their paper. This work supports the use of 36Cl as a tracer of atmospheric processes. Is production primarily in the stratosphere suggests that it may trace stratospheric-tropospheric exchange. Seasonal variations in 36Cl fallouts and 36ClJCl show high ratios and fallouts during spring, and at some localities, during summer (i.e. the north of the SN array). The increased spring 36Cl fallouts are attributed to increased transfer of stratospheric 36Cl to the troposphere that occurs as the tropopause height increases during the warmer months. High fallouts during summer in the north of the SN array may be attributed to the direct entrainment of stratospheric air into cumulus clouds during the monsoonal convection. Chlorine-36 exists in the stratosphere predominantly as HCl gas (Wahlen et al 1991). The correlation between 36CJ and N03 and the lack of any relationship between 36Cl, stable Cl and Na concentrations (the latter being entrained as aerosols), suggest that 36Cl is scavenged from the atmosphere as a gas rather than an aerosol phase

Reconceptualising assessment to promote student learning, resilience and wellbeing

In this workshop we present results from a longitudinal mixed methods study which evidences that dialogic feed-forward assessment asserts a positive influence on the undergraduate student experience in a number of inter-related cognitive and affective ways (Hill & West, 2019). Staff-student dialogue impacts positively upon learning, uncovering emotion and enhancing resilience and wellbeing (Hill et al., 2019). Through activities and discussion a staff-student team will encourage workshop participants to reconceptualise assessment and feedback as a collaborative process at a number of scales within their institutions. Participants will be encouraged to plan assessment approaches conscious of student stressors and emotions, maximising the potential for sustainable learning and academic success