Economic structure and social order type in post-communist Europe

The paper is organized in the following way. The first section outlines the basic conceptual framework, emphasizing the symbiotic relationship between economics and politics. Social orders are defined and are shown to differ in the degree to which competition is prevalent, and the extent to which this competition is resolved according to impersonal, universally enforced rules. The second section proposes an explanation for the variation in how competition is channeled across the postcommunist region. It is suggested that different patterns of integration with the international economy, as manifested in the structure of a country’s export profile, can help increase our understanding of the sources of social order across the region. The third section provides some preliminary evidence to support this explanation. --

Economic structure and social order development in Post-Socialist Europe

This study examines the role of economic structure in explaining the different trajectories of social order development across the post-socialist region. Social orders are shown to differ according to the extent to which competitive tendencies contained within them – economic, political, social and cultural – are resolved according to open, rule-based processes. Social orders are also assumed to exhibit a ‘double balance’ between political and economic systems in which political systems will tend to reflect the prevailing economic system within a society. The focus of this dissertation is placed on tracing which economic conditions facilitate increased levels of political competition. Principally, it will test the hypothesis that the nature of a country’s ties with the international economy, and the level of competition within a country’s economic system, will shape the nature of political competition within that society. After several decades of relative ‘bloc autarky’, the ongoing process of reintegration across the post-socialist region has resulted in varying patterns of interaction with the international economy. This study will focus primarily on the links with the international economy that are formed through export sectors

Predictability of stereotyped cowboy films.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

The toxic sheep collar for control of sheep-killing coyotes: A progress report

The toxic sheep collar is the most selective method known for killing coyotes that prey on domestic sheep. The concept dates back to the early 1900's and has been studied at the Denver Wildlife Research Center (DWRC) since 1974. Field tests with sodium cyanide (NaCN) in 1975 were unsuccessful due to repellent properties of the toxicant and to the apparent reluctance of coyotes to attack tethered lambs wearing bulky collars. Coyotes attacked one or more tethered, collared lambs in 7 of the 19 test pastures. In all, 14 collared lambs were attacked. Eight of the collars were punctured but no dead coyotes were recovered. A smaller collar containing diphacinone was field tested in 1976. The diphacinone-filled collars were readily accepted by coyotes and lethal to them, but the slow action (5-16 days between dosing and death) of diphacinone made it difficult to assess the effectiveness of these collars under field conditions. Target flocks containing 1 to 12 collared lambs plus uncollared ewes were placed in 15 fenced pastures from which the larger ranch flocks had been removed after repeated coyote predation. One or more collared lambs were attacked in 11 of the 15 tests. An unknown number of coyotes were killed, and in most tests the subsequent incidence of predation was lower than that before the test. Captive coyotes continued to kill sheep for 4 or 5 days after they received a lethal dose of diphacinone; therefore a faster-acting toxicant is needed. This research has shown that problem coyotes can be killed with toxic collars, but further studies are needed to determine the feasibility of this approach compared with traditional means of control. In most tests to date the frequency of coyote predation has been too low and too irregular to permit effective use of the collar; target flocks were in the field for an average of 10 days before being attacked. The known disadvantages of the method include the need to sacrifice live lambs, the human hazards associated with the use of toxicants under field conditions, and the costs of managing target flocks and other sheep in the problem areas

Uptake of cancer screening services among middle and older ages in Ireland: the role of healthcare eligibility. ESRI Research Bulletin 2019/14

Cancer screening aims to reduce morbidity and mortality in the population through the early detection and treatment of disease. However, for a number of different reasons, not everyone who is eligible for cancer screening avails of such services. This study examined the characteristics of middle and older-aged adults associated with the uptake of two cancer screening services in Ireland. In particular, given the complex system of eligibility for healthcare services in Ireland, the study looked at whether having a medical card and/or private health insurance was associated with the uptake of screening services

Extracellular electron transfer mechanism in Shewanella loihica PV- 4 biofilms formed at indium tin oxide and graphite electrodes

Electroactive biofilms are capable of extracellular electron transfer to insoluble metal oxides and electrodes; such biofilms are relevant to biogeochemistry, bioremediation, and bioelectricity production. We investigated the extracellular electron transfer mechanisms in Shewanella loihica PV-4 viable biofilms grown at indium tin oxide (ITO) and graphite electrodes in potentiostat-controlled electrochemical cells poised at 0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Chronoamperometry and confocal microscopy showed higher biofilm growth at graphite compared to the ITO electrode. Cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, along with fluorescence spectroscopy showed that direct electron transfer through outer membrane c type cytochromes (Omcs) prevailed at the biofilm/ITO interface, while biofilms formed at graphite electrode reduced the electrode also via secreted redox mediators, such as flavins and quinones. The biofilm age does not affect the prevalent transfer mechanism at ITO electrodes. On the other hand, secreted redox mediators accumulated at biofilm/graphite interface, thus increasing mediated electron transfer as the biofilm grows over five days. Our results showed that the electrode material determined the prevalent electron transfer mechanism and the dynamic of secreted redox mediators in S. loihica PV-4 biofilms. These observations have implications for the optimization of biofilm-based electrochemical systems, such as biosensors and microbial fuel cells

Russia’s natural resources in the world economy : history, review and reassessment

Russia’s role in the global economic system today, and the Soviet Union’s in the past, is dominated by the export of natural resources, particularly oil and gas. The rents earned from these exports are both a source of strength and weakness, as they link the fortunes of Russia’s domestic economy to the volatility of global resource markets. This paper returns to a major research project conducted through the offices of the Association of American Geographers that resulted in Soviet Natural Resources in the World Economy, published in 1983. The project was first conceived in the aftermath of the resource crisis in the 1970s and concluded in the early 1980s as the Soviet Union sought to increase resource exports to support a failing domestic economy. This paper examines the origins, evolution, and management of this seminal work and presents a re-reading of the book in a contemporary context. We develop some of the key themes of the original project and conclude that it has contemporary relevance, as a reliance upon the resource sector remains a defining characteristic of Russia’s political economy and continues to shape Russia’s role in the global economy. We find that the regional dimension that was so important in the original project remains critical as Russia seeks to extend the resource frontier into new regions in the Arctic and the East and, at the same time, reduce its reliance on European markets – that are both stagnant and hostile – by developing new markets in Asia