<p>This paper is a Master thesis for the Master’s program in International and European Relations in the Department of Management and Economics at Linköping University. As the title indicates, the aim of this thesis is to make a comparative analysis of the conflict resolution initiatives that were employed in the Sierra Leonean and Liberian conflicts. The research questions are:</p><p> • What were the root causes and trajectories of the Sierra Leonean and Liberian conflicts? </p><p>• What were the conflict resolution initiatives employed in resolving both conflicts? </p><p>• Why did the Lome Peace Accord succeed in the case of Sierra Leone whilst the Abuja Peace Accord failed in bringing peace to Liberia? </p><p>In order to answer the afore-mentioned questions and fulfil the aim of this paper, a qualitative research method has been chosen. The study is mainly based on secondary sources such as textbooks, official documents from ECOWAS and the UN, articles, magazines and newspapers as well as internet resources. In making the comparative analysis the Conflict Transformation Model as espoused by Kumar Rupesinghe has been utilized. This model has specifically helped in explaining the reasons why peace returned to Sierra Leone but eluded the people of Liberia for a long time. The conclusion drawn from the study is that a multi-track approach is required in dealing with conflicts in West Africa so that it would touch on the context of the conflict, the conflict structure, the intra-party as well as the inter- party divisions and the broader system of society and governance within the conflict area.</p>

<p>“Armaments and Economic Performance”. The literature on military expenditure (milex) is scrutinized with respect to five areas. <i>Investment</i> is reduced when milex increases. Most studies have found <i>economic growth </i>hindered by higher milex. No clear association between milex and <i>employment</i> is found. However, the same amount of other public expenditure creates more jobs. There is some evidence for milex as <i>counter-cyclical instrument</i> in the US. The result for studies if milex is used in <i>electoral cycles</i> in the US is contradictory. Disaggregated data are emphasized as a possible solution to get more definite results.</p><p>“The Economic Costs of Civil Wars”. The empirical studies of the economic costs of internal armed conflicts are divided into <i>accounting</i> and <i>modelling</i> methods. Cost is seen as the difference between the counterfactual production without conflict and the actual production. The average economic cost of internal armed conflict is a 3.7% yearly reduction of GDP. There are large differences between the estimates. One of the reasons for pursuing such studies is to give improved basis for more cost-effective post-conflict reconstruction, which is better achieved with an accounting method.</p><p>“War and Economic Performance – Different Data, Different Conclusions?” This article studies the importance of armed conflict for economic growth by replicating an earlier analysis with new data on conflicts. The basic model investigates how conflicts in 1960-1974 affect economic growth in 1975-1989. Koubi finds that “wars are conducive to higher growth”. Koubi’s finding is confirmed when different conflict data is used in a similar research design.</p><p>“The Role of External Factors in Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis of Thailand and the Philippines 1950-1990”. Can differences in economic performance be explained by external factors? Both historical and regression analyses are utilised to answer the question. Three external factors are analysed: <i>International trade, foreign direct investment</i>, and <i>external debt</i>. In the regression analysis none of the external factors qualify as statistically significant. The historical analysis finds two external factors discriminating between the two countries. Thus, they might explain the differing growth rates of Thailand and the Philippines: Manufactured exports and external debt.</p>

The purpose of this research study was to enhance understanding of successful conflict management by community college Presidents through highlighting and describing conflict experiences with the faculty union or the board of trustees in a community college context. The following questions guided the research: (a) How do community college Presidents describe the experience of conflict management in the community college context? (b) How does conflict management competence manifest itself in conflict situations? and (c) How do community college Presidents develop the competencies to manage conflict? The research design included an interpretive social science philosophical approach and phenomenological method. Seven community college Presidents representing a variety of geographical areas participated in two different semi–structured interviews. Three pervasive themes describing the experience of successful conflict management emerged from the data in response to research question one. These themes were (a) diversity, (b) inevitability, and (c) perplexing. In response to research question number two, three pervasive themes emerged from the data which were (a) avoid personalizing the conflict, (b) stay focused on college mission and students, and (c) inform and engage the board of trustees. Enhance content knowledge was the one pervasive theme that emerged for research question number three. Findings from this study highlight key themes to assist current and aspiring Presidents that seek to gain understanding of successful conflict management in the community college context. / Graduation date: 2012

This paper is a Master thesis for the Master’s program in International and European Relations in the Department of Management and Economics at Linköping University. As the title indicates, the aim of this thesis is to make a comparative analysis of the conflict resolution initiatives that were employed in the Sierra Leonean and Liberian conflicts. The research questions are: • What were the root causes and trajectories of the Sierra Leonean and Liberian conflicts? • What were the conflict resolution initiatives employed in resolving both conflicts? • Why did the Lome Peace Accord succeed in the case of Sierra Leone whilst the Abuja Peace Accord failed in bringing peace to Liberia? In order to answer the afore-mentioned questions and fulfil the aim of this paper, a qualitative research method has been chosen. The study is mainly based on secondary sources such as textbooks, official documents from ECOWAS and the UN, articles, magazines and newspapers as well as internet resources. In making the comparative analysis the Conflict Transformation Model as espoused by Kumar Rupesinghe has been utilized. This model has specifically helped in explaining the reasons why peace returned to Sierra Leone but eluded the people of Liberia for a long time. The conclusion drawn from the study is that a multi-track approach is required in dealing with conflicts in West Africa so that it would touch on the context of the conflict, the conflict structure, the intra-party as well as the inter- party divisions and the broader system of society and governance within the conflict area.

“Armaments and Economic Performance”. The literature on military expenditure (milex) is scrutinized with respect to five areas. Investment is reduced when milex increases. Most studies have found economic growth hindered by higher milex. No clear association between milex and employment is found. However, the same amount of other public expenditure creates more jobs. There is some evidence for milex as counter-cyclical instrument in the US. The result for studies if milex is used in electoral cycles in the US is contradictory. Disaggregated data are emphasized as a possible solution to get more definite results. “The Economic Costs of Civil Wars”. The empirical studies of the economic costs of internal armed conflicts are divided into accounting and modelling methods. Cost is seen as the difference between the counterfactual production without conflict and the actual production. The average economic cost of internal armed conflict is a 3.7% yearly reduction of GDP. There are large differences between the estimates. One of the reasons for pursuing such studies is to give improved basis for more cost-effective post-conflict reconstruction, which is better achieved with an accounting method. “War and Economic Performance – Different Data, Different Conclusions?” This article studies the importance of armed conflict for economic growth by replicating an earlier analysis with new data on conflicts. The basic model investigates how conflicts in 1960-1974 affect economic growth in 1975-1989. Koubi finds that “wars are conducive to higher growth”. Koubi’s finding is confirmed when different conflict data is used in a similar research design. “The Role of External Factors in Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis of Thailand and the Philippines 1950-1990”. Can differences in economic performance be explained by external factors? Both historical and regression analyses are utilised to answer the question. Three external factors are analysed: International trade, foreign direct investment, and external debt. In the regression analysis none of the external factors qualify as statistically significant. The historical analysis finds two external factors discriminating between the two countries. Thus, they might explain the differing growth rates of Thailand and the Philippines: Manufactured exports and external debt.

University of Macau / Faculty of Law

In recent decades we have seen an increase in peace processes aimed at solving armed conflicts through peaceful means. The often fragile characteristics of such processes and the settlements that they produce underline the essential importance of improving our understanding of the dynamics at play in transitions from war to peace. This thesis aims to contribute to this overarching objective by analysing ceasefire agreements in relation to peace processes in two protracted intrastate armed conflicts: Aceh, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. In the scholarly literature, ceasefire agreements are often assumed to create momentum due to their ability to pave the way to a peaceful solution. At the same time, it has also been suggested that ceasefires can influence conflict dynamics in negative ways. Although there are many unanswered questions about ceasefire agreements in contemporary peace processes, few studies have been devoted to systematic and in-depth analysis of how ceasefire agreements can be characterized and analysed in relation to peace processes in protracted intrastate conflicts. This thesis, which is based on written documents and on interviews conducted during four research trips to the region, contributes to filling this research gap by presenting comparative case studies of Aceh and Sri Lanka. The point of departure in the study is a process-oriented, conflict dynamics approach and a view that war-to-peace transitions require changes in the conflicting parties’ attitudes, behaviours and relationships. I analyse and compare ceasefire agreements by looking at their initiation, form and content, and by examining their implementation and the unfolding of the processes. I identify six key factors in the literature that can influence the conflicting parties’ attitudes, behaviours and relationships. I then use these factors to analyse ceasefire agreements in relation to the dynamics of the broader peace processes. In this thesis I show how these key factors – including issues of recognition, trust, whether the parties’ claims are met, international involvement, contextual changes and intra-party dynamics – have mattered. I also show that context is important for understanding how and why they have mattered. The results suggest that ceasefire agreements can facilitate war-topeace transitions; however, it also illuminates challenges and the risk that such agreements can be counter-productive in the context of intrastate conflicts. The study also shows that ceasefire agreements have a historical legacy, as illustrated by their impact on subsequent interactions and agreements, and it underlines the symbolic politics of ceasefires in asymmetrical intrastate conflicts. The thesis ends with a number of propositions, among others that ceasefire agreements tend to become more comprehensive over time and that power struggles and developments within the conflicting parties are important for understanding ceasefire agreements in relation to contemporary peace processes.

Problemområdet för denna studie behandlar konflikthantering mellan barn i förskolan. Det första syftet med studien är att belysa hur konflikter mellan barn i förskolan kan uppfattas och hanteras. Det andra syftet med studien är att beskriva några barns och pedagogers konflikthanteringsstrategier i konflikter mellan barn. Studiens metod är att utifrån en hermeneutisk forskningstradition genomföra fokusgruppsintervjuer med barn och parintervjuer med pedagoger. Därefter kopplades resultatet från intervjuerna till litteratur och forskning vi funnit inom området. Resultatet visar på att teori och empiri till stor del går att förena med varandra. Barns och pedagogers konflikthanteringsstrategier strävar efter en konstruktiv konflikthantering där ömsesidig respekt står i fokus. Pedagogerna strävar även efter att se det kompetenta barnet och försöka förstå barnperspektivet i konflikthanteringen. Resultatet visar även att det emellanåt kan finnas svårigheter med konflikthantering, men oavsett hur svårt det kan vara menar både pedagogerna och barnen att det är viktigt att bemöta konflikten, och hantera den på ett konstruktivt sätt.

From the point of view of interrole conflict, this study probes into the conflict that a physician encounters in his/her environment and the subsequent conflict effect on the satisfaction and intention to quit. In addition to investigating the source of conflict, the study develops a questionnaire to understand the influence of dual professional conflict on satisfaction and intention to quit. Simultaneously, the study examines the mediating effect of physician's satisfaction on dual professional conflict and intention to quit, and tests the moderating effect of professional commitment on other consequences. The rapid changes of healthcare insurance policy in Taiwan have a great impact on the hospital administration. In addition, it has a tremendous influence on physician¡¦s behaviors, which arouse conflicts on both organizational-professional (OPC) and personal-professional (PPC) levels. In the past, there were few research on interrole conflict, especially on the source of physicians' OPC and PPC. Taiwan¡¦s national health insurance and global budget system is unique (to) healthcare insurance system in the worldwide(Taiwan).Literatures are not enough to offer the cause of the dual conflicts of physicians and relevant consequences. The study, first, carries on case interview in accordance with literature review to form questionnaires and builds up hypotheses. Second, it collects the survey materials by combining quantitative and qualitative research in order to obtain a deeper and more accurate analysis of the study results. Physician including residents and attending physician from both public and private hospitals in Taiwan were enrolled for study. A total of 1,200 questionnaires were distributed and 776 were valid questionnaires. The result shows five variables in the source of conflict by using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). These five variables are significantly correlated with physician¡¦s dual professional conflicts. Results from regression analysis show that affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment of professional commitment have a moderating effect on the relationship between dual professional conflicts and the output variables. Furthermore, by structural equation modeling these results show that both internal and external job satisfaction mediate between physicians¡¦ OPC and their intention to quit, and professional satisfaction partially mediate between physicians¡¦ PPC and their intention to quit. Physicians are one of the important professional groups. Even though changes in healthcare insurance policy are worldwide phenomenon, there is relatively few studies probing into interrole conflict among physicians in Taiwan. This study developed questionnaires of the source of conflict and confirmed both the moderating effect of professional commitment and the mediating effect of satisfaction, which contributes to fill the gap in this field. These results provide a managerial reference in clinical practice and as well as a foundation of future studies.

ABSTRACT THE EXAMINATION OF GUIDANCE AND RESEARCH CENTERS&rsquo / ADMINISTRATORS&rsquo / CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES WITH THE PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AND TEACHERS Cebeci, S&uuml / lbiye M.S., Department of Educational Sciences Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hasan SimSek September 2006, 136 pages The purpose of this study is to examine conflict management strategies of administrators who are working in Guidance &amp / Research Centers (GRCs) of Central Anatolia with the perceptions of teachers and administrators themselves. The subjects of this study included 30 administrators and 141 teachers who worked in the 30 GRCs in 13 cities of Central Anatolia of Turkey. Data collection was carried out by using quantitative techniques. A survey technique was used to collect data. A questionnaire which was translated to Turkish by G&uuml / m&uuml / Seli (1994) from The Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory II (ROCI II) to identify administrators&rsquo / conflict management strategies was used to collect data. The questionnaire has two parallel forms, one for administrators to rate themselves and the other for teachers to rate administrators. Administrators&rsquo / self-ratings of their own coflict management strategies and teachers&rsquo / ratings of administrators&rsquo / conflict management strategies were measured with a 5-point likert scale. In addition, the data related with demographic characteristics of both teachers and administrators were gathered by demographic inventory. Demographic Inventory (DI) was developed by the researcher to provide basic demographic information about participants. Descriptive statistics and SPSS 14.0 were utilized to analyze data. The results revealed that concerning rank ordering of styles, both administrators and teachers indicated administrators as using the Integrating style of handling conflict first, followed by Compromising, Obliging, Avoiding, and Dominating. The data did not reveal rank order of differences between the perceptions of administrators and teachers. The study also revealed that with the perceptions of self, administrators used integrating style at 5th level (strongly agree), compromising style at 4th level (agree), obliging style at 3rd level (undecided), dominating and avoiding style at 2nd level (disagree). On the other hand, with the perceptions of teachers, administrators used Integrating and Compromising style at 4th level (agree), obliging and avoiding style at 3rd level (undecided), dominating style at 2nd level (disagree). Keywords: Conflict management, conflict management strategies, conflict management strategies of administrators, educational administrators.