State-Perpetrated Wartime Sexual Violence in Latin America

This dissertation examines the patterns and motives of state-perpetrated wartime sexual violence in Peru and El Salvador. Using a new database on sexual and other forms of political violence, it documents the prevalence and the patterns of perpetration of violence. It seeks to determine whose interests motivate the commission of sexual violence in times of war and why state armed forces commit more sexual violence in some regions and at particular moments during civil war than in others. The dissertation provides a theory of sexual violence perpetrated by state militaries during counterinsurgency conflicts. It argues that sexual violence is a deliberate act of violence perpetrated to advance the politico-military goals of the state. The results of a sub-national statistical analysis show that state-perpetrated sexual violence is most at times and in locations where rebel activity presents a threat to state power but where the rebels have not yet reached dominance. State-perpetrated sexual violence is infrequent in areas where the state retains control as well as in areas where there is a preponderance of rebel power such that the state cannot engage in counterinsurgency operations without risking a significant loss of life. Additional explanatory power is drawn from an analysis of the micro-patterns of state sexual violence and other forms of political violence in Peru and El Salvador. Victims of sexual violence are more likely to be educated women from urban centers who are socially or politically active in their communities. In addition, sexual violence is more likely to be perpetrated in private spaces and in state-run detention centers when commanding officers are present than other forms of political violence. Within the state armed forces, the army and police are more likely to engage in these forms of violence than other sectors of the security apparatus. Paramilitary groups and death squads are less likely to engage in sexual violence than they are to perpetrate other forms of violence, particularly lethal violence. The preponderance of evidence presented in the dissertation demonstrates that sexual violence is often an instrumental weapon of war wielded to defeat armed and unarmed opponents to the state

TOWARD A MARKETING STRATEGY FOR FRESH WILD BLUEBERRIES IN THE NORTHEAST

Marketing,

The Power and Pathologies of Language: How Human Rights Messaging Can Also Affect Support for Violent Non-State Actors

Are framing strategies that are effective at encouraging pro-social behavior such as participation in human rights campaigns also effective at mobilizing support for “anti-social” and violent causes? Using an experimental research design, we seek to understand under what conditions individuals will express support for retributive violent action. We hypothesize that a personal story of victimization, wherein the humanity and vulnerability of the victim and the intensity of the violence suffered are described in vivid detail, will be necessary and sufficient to cause the audience to express support for the victim’s subsequent participation in organized, retaliatory violence. We expect that personal narratives will elicit both empathy and anger in the respondents, which in turn will make them more likely to support retributive violence. We also expect evocative images to enhance feelings of anger and lead to increased support for retributive violence. In our experiment, participants were randomly assigned to a control group (shown a message absent humanizing details about the victim or vivid description of the victimization that occurs) or one of eight treatment groups: (1) a personal story where neither the humanity of the victim nor the intensity of the violence is emphasized; (2) a personal story where only the humanity of the victim is emphasized; (3) a personal story where only the intensity of the violence is emphasized; (4) a personal story where both elements are emphasized; or (5-8) each of the above personal frames coupled with an evocative photograph. We survey participants regarding their reactions to the narratives, their support for human rights action, and their likelihood to approve of the victim’s participation in a fictitious violent armed resistance movement

An Experimental Examination of the Efficacy of Human Rights Campaigns: Gender Differences and Stereotypes (abstract)

International Human Rights Organizations [IHROs] attempt to shape individuals’ values and mobilize them to act. Based on previous research, we know that IHROs may strategically manipulate gender images and stereotypes in order to increase consensus and action on human rights issues. The discourse of “women and children” as protected categories rests on the assumption that women do not participate in the public sphere, and as a result are apolitical and innocent, whereas men, especially draft-age men, are seen as political agents and potential combatants, and therefore automatically do not qualify for protection as civilians. While many scholars have rightly criticized this discourse as essentialist and empirically false, we ask the question – does it work? Are human rights campaigns, which rely on gendered imagery more effective at shaping individuals’ attitudes on a particular human rights abuse, and prompting them to take action on the issue? We test the efficacy of gendered human rights campaigns using an experimental research design. In our experiment, participants are randomly assigned to the control group (shown no campaign materials) or one of the treatment groups, which are shown a campaign against various human rights abuses featuring a personal frame (see McEntire, Leiby and Krain 2015) where the gendered imagery is minimal (a baseline), or one in which this imagery is amplified. We survey participants regarding their attitudes on the human rights issues, their likelihood to get involved in a human rights campaign, and their perceptions of men and women’s roles in times of war

Human Rights Organizations as Agents of Change: When Do They Succeed and When Do They Fail?

As a key actor within the human rights transnational advocacy network, NGOs, such as Amnesty International, strive to shape individuals’ values on such contentious issues as the use of torture and to mobilize them to act on their values. While much has been written describing this advocacy work, little systematic research has been done evaluating its efficacy. We conducted archival research to identify the three most common messaging techniques employed by AI: (1) informational frames, where the focus is to educate the reader by presenting them with core facts and statistics; (2) personal frames, where a personal narrative is told with the aim of emotionally impacting the reader; and (3) motivational frames, which emphasize the reader’s agency and include a direct appeal to take action. The efficacy of each framing strategy was tested using an experimental analysis in which participants were randomly assigned to the control group (shown no campaign materials) or one of the treatment groups shown a campaign against torture featuring one of the three framing strategies. Participants were then surveyed regarding their attitudes on the use of torture and their likelihood to get involved in an anti-torture initiative. Results demonstrate that being exposed to an informational or personal narrative campaign increases one’s disapproval of the use of torture. However, none of the campaign strategies were effective at mobilizing individuals to take action. This paper bridges the gap between the advocacy and scholarly communities by empirically examining the messaging techniques commonly employed by human rights NGOs and offering suggestions for more effective campaigns

Wartime Sexual Violence in Guatemala and Peru*

This article is a comparative analysis of sexual violence perpetrated by state armed forces during the Guatemalan and Peruvian civil wars. Focusing on the type of violation and the context in which it occurs provides new insights into the motives behind its use in war. It introduces a new data set on sexual violence compiled from truth commission documents and nongovernmental human rights organizations' reports. The data reveal that members of the state armed forces perpetrated the majority of sexual violations, that rape and gang rape are the most frequent but not the only abuses committed, and that women are the overwhelming majority of victims of sexual violence. Aggregate patterns suggest that state authorities must have known of mass sexual abuse and failed to act in accordance with international law. Moreover, some evidence suggests sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. However, mono-causal models cannot sufficiently account for the variation and complexity in its use. Even within the same conflict, sexual violence can serve multiple functions in different contexts and at different points in time. The role of women and gender in analyses of the causes, costs, and consequences of civil war is not broadly recognized or systematically examined in the studies of armed conflict and political violence. This study addresses this gap by providing a comparative analysis of sexual violence during the Guatemalan and Peruvian civil wars. The article is guided by two research questions

B827: Toward a Cooperative Marketing Strategy for Fresh Wild Blueberries

Marketing wild blueberries as a fresh product has become an increasingly viable alternative for Maine wild blueberry producers. This bulletin presents the results of research that identified marketing regions with the greatest profit potential for fresh wild blueberries and whether there are packaging or promotional strategies that are likely to be more successful than others within these regions. The authors analyze retail demand for fresh wild blueberries in Maine, Boston, and New York City, as well as describe the results of a survey of wholesale buyers of fresh blueberries in Boston. The conclusions based on the analysis of demand at these two levels of the marketing chain provide some interesting evidence with which to begin to develop a fresh wild blueberry marketing strategy.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_bulletin/1042/thumbnail.jp

1993 Progress Reports

The 1993 Progress Reports which contain Blueberry Tax Supported Weed Management and Pruning Project Reports, and CSRS Supported Weed Management and Pruning Project Reports, pertain to and report on research conducted in 1992. They were prepared for the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission and the University of Maine Wild Blueberry Advisory Committee by researchers at the University of Maine, Orono. Projects in this report include: Progress Reports 1. Effects of Irrigation on Low bush Blueberry Yield and Quality 2. Economics of Investing in Irrigation for Lowbush Blueberries 3. Diammonium Phosphate Study 4. Phosphorus Dose/Response Curve 5. Winter Injury Protection by Potassium 6. Multiple Cropping of Wild Stands 7. Effect of Boron on Lowbush Blueberry Fruit Set and Yield 8.Determination of Pesticide Residue Levels in Freshly Harvested and Processed Lowbush Blueberries 9. Effects of Calcium Salts and Citric Acids on the Quality of Canned Lowbush Blueberries- missing 10. Investigation of PreProcess Changes- missing 11. The Effect of Fertilization and Irrigation on Blueberry Fruit Control - missing 12. Pollination Ecology of Lowbush Blueberry in Maine 13. Control of Secondary Blueberry Pests 14. Control of Blueberry Maggot 15. Biology and Action Thresholds of Secondary Blueberry Pests 16. Cold-Hardiness of Native Lowbush Blueberries 17. Design, Fabrication, and Testing of an Experimental Sterilizer for Blueberry Fields 18. Canned Product Quality - Heat Resistant Molds 19. Sanitation for Disease Control Blueberry Tax Supported Weed Management and Pruning Project Reports 20. Evaluation of Postemergence Applications of Tribenuron Methyl for Bunchberry Control 21. Comparison of Poast and Select for Suppression of Bunchgrass 22. Effect of Time of Fall Pruning on Growth and Productivity of Blueberries. and Evaluation of Infrared Burner to Prune Blueberries 23. Evaluation of Velpar impregnated DAP for weed control 24. Thresholds of Dogbane and Bracken Fern for Mechanical and Chemical Control in Lowbush Blueberry Fields 25. Effect of Time and Rate of Application of Clopyralid for Control of Vetch in Lowbush Blueberries 26. Hexazinone Ground Water Survey 27. Composting Blueberry Processing Waste 28. Hexazinone Movement in a Blueberry Soil in Maine CSRS Supported Weed Management and Pruning Project Reports 29. Evaluation of the Suitability of Remote Sensing to Evaluate Plant Cover in Lowbush Blueberry Fields 30. Obstruction Removal in Lowbush Blueberry Fields 31. Evaluation of Pressurized Rope Wick Wick Master Wiper for Treating Weeds Growing Above Lowbush Blueberries 32. Evaluation of Infrared Burner for Weed Control 33. Blueberry Extension Education Program Base Miscellaneous 34. Comparison of N, NP, and NPK Fertilizers to Correct Nitrogen and Phosphorus Deficienc

Maine Blueberry Advisory Committee Research Report

The 1990 edition of the Maine Blueberry Advisory Committee Research Reports was prepared for the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission and the University of Maine Wild Blueberry Advisory Committee by researchers with the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station and Maine Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Maine, Orono. Projects in this report include: 1. Biology and action thresholds of secondary blueberry pests 2. Control of blueberry maggot 3. Control of secondary blueberry pests 4. Application of steam as a method of controlling secondary pest insects on lowbush blueberry: a feasibility study 5. Pollination of the lowbush blueberry by native bees 6. Nitrogen-phosphorus study 7. Potassium study 8. Multiple cropping of wild stands 9. Phosphorus dose/response curve 10. Improvement in the color and texture of the canned blueberry 11. The effect of fertilization and irrigation on blueberry fruit quality 12. Investigation of preprocess changes (chemical, microbiological, and/or physical) that could lead to the development of a simple and inexpensive method to measure preprocess berry spoilage 13. The effect of postharvest handling on the dietary fiber and ellagic acid content of lowbush blueberries 14. Determination of pesticide residue levels in freshly harvested and processed lowbush blueberries 15. Evaluation of Defoliating Diseases 16. Vacuum Sanitation for Disease Control 17. Evaluation and modification of commercial herbicide applications 18. Evaluation of the suitability of remote sensing to evaluate plant cover in lowbush blueberry fields 19. Evaluation of Sethoxydin (POAST) in lowbush blueberry fields 20. Seedling pruning study 21. Evaluation of norflurazon (SOLICAM) with or without hexazinone (VELPAR) for bunchberry control 22. Selective wiper and mechanical control of dogbane and bracken fern 23. Evaluation of norflurazon (SOLICAM) in fall vs spring for oatgrass control 24. Evaluation of sulfonyl urea herbicides for bunchberry control 25. Evaluation of postemergence applications of DPX-L5300 for bunchberry control 26. Effect of time of application and formulation of hexazinone (VELPAR) on blueberry and bunchberry 27. Investigations of lowbush blueberry fruit-bud cold hardiness 28. The economics of investing in irrigation for lowbush blueberries 29. Effects of irrigation on lowbush blueberry yield and quality 30. Groundwater and surface water development for blueberry irrigation 31. Design, fabrication and testing of an experimental sterilizer for blueberry field

1993-94 Progress Report

The 1993 edition of the Progress Reports was prepared for the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission and the University of Maine Wild Blueberry Advisory Committee by researchers at the University of Maine, Orono. Projects in this report include: 1. Effects of irrigation on lowbush blueberry yield and quality 2. The Economics of investigating irrigation for lowbush blueberries 3. Phosphorus dose/response curve 4. Winter injury protection by potassium 5. Multiple cropping of wild stands 6. Effect of Boron and Calcium on lowbush blueberry fruit set and yield 7. Comparison of N, NP, and NPK fertilizers to correct nitrogen and phosphorus deficiency 8. Determination of pesticide residue levels in freshly harvested and processed lowbush blueberries 9. Effects of calcium salts and citric acid on the quality of canned lowbush blueberries 10. Investigation of preprocess changes (chemical, microbiological, and/or physical) that can lead to the development of a simple and inexpensive method to measure preprocess berry spoilage 11. The effect of fertilization and irrigation in blueberry fruit quality 12. Pollination Ecology of lowbush blueberry in Maine 13. Current importance of insects in lowbush blueberry fields 14. Application of heat as a method of controlling secondary pest insects on lowbush blueberry: a feasibility study 15. Control of blueberry maggot 16. Control of secondary blueberry pest insects 17. Biology and action thresholds of secondary blueberry pest insects 18. Cold-hardiness of native lowbush blueberry 19. Design, fabrication, and testing of an experimental sterilizer for blueberry fields 20. Canned Product Quality--Heat-resistant molds 21. Sanitation for disease control 22. Evaluation of Velpar® impregnated DAP and Pronone® for weed control 23. Evaluation of postemergence applications of tribenuron methyl for bunchberry control 24. Evaluation of postemergence applications of a tank mix of tribenuron methyl and hexazinone for bunchberry control 25. Thresholds of dogbane and bracken fem by mechanical and chemical control in lowbush blueberry fields 26. Effect of time of application of clopyralid for control of vetch and effect on flowering in lowbush blueberries 27. Effect of time of fall pruning on growth and productivity of blueberries and evaluation of infrared burner to prune blueberries 28. Evaluation of infrared burner for selective seedling weed control 29. Evaluation of pressurized rope wick Wick Master wiper for treating weeds growing above lowbush blueberries 30. Blueberry Extension Education Program Base 31. Blueberry ICM program for Hancock County 32. Composting blueberry processing waste 33. Hexazinone ground water survey 34. Investigations of Lowbush Blueberry Fruit bud Cold-hardiness 35. Design, Fabrication, and Testing of an Experimental Sterilizer for Blueberry Field