This research study examined autonomy in young adult college students who grew up in intact households with 2 biological parents, compared to young adult college students who grew up in nonintact households without 2 biological parents due to divorce, separation, single parenthood, or death. The current literature lacks research regarding the impact of growing up in a nonintact household during childhood or adolescence for young adults. In recent years, there have been fewer young adults who lived in intact households during their childhood and adolescent years. Arnett's developmental theory is that the major task during young adulthood is developing decision-making skills and accepting oneself. Healthy relationships in early adult life emerge from emotional bonding with early caregivers. The 128 participants in this study were college-aged students, ages 18'24 years, who were enrolled in higher education in a midsize city in the Midwestern United States. In this between-group causal comparative analysis of survey data, the Worthington Autonomy Scale was used to determine whether there were any differences in subdivisions of autonomy in adult college students. College students who lived in intact households during childhood or adolescence had higher levels of autonomy and perceived higher household socioeconomic status when compared to students growing up in nonintact households, with no differences in autonomy based on living with a same-sex or opposite sex parent. This research will increase awareness of the potential for decreased autonomy in college students who lived in nonintact households prior to entering college and may prompt the development of programs and support groups to address autonomy for young adult college students.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 223-240).

The purpose of the study was to examine institutional autonomy as it was operationalized in the University of Malawi. Specifically, the study focussed on University of Malawis (UNIMA) autonomy in the post multi-party political climate of the country. Research questions were designed based upon James (1965) elements of university autonomy, Ashbys (1966) ingredients of institutional autonomy, areas to be protected for institutional autonomy (Ajayi et al., 1996) and McDaniels (1996) components of governance. Six groups of research questions, which included governance, administrative matters, financial matters, personnel matters, academic matters and student matters were used as interview guides in the data collection exercise. The findings of the study were examined and interpreted through a framework adapted from Govindaraj et al. (1996): Hospital Autonomy in Ghana and McDaniels (1996): The paradigms of governance in higher education systems. <p>UNIMA, the only university in Malawi (1965 1998), has five constituent colleges with a central administrative office. The researcher made field visits to all the five colleges and the central office and collected data by means of interviews and document review This formed the internal players. As external players also have an impact upon university autonomy, the four groups that the researcher interviewed were the government, regulatory bodies, politicians, and a public university. Out of a total of 44 interviews, 32 respondents were from internal groups and 12 respondents were from external groups. In addition, some data for the study were also drawn from university documents and publications, local newspapers, and periodicals. It was shown in this study, that since the founding of UNIMA in 1965, Government took much interest and intervened in the activities of the then only institution of higher learning in the country, imposing its control on the running of the institution. Since the emergence of multiparty politics in 1994, the role of government has been moving from state authority towards market control as a result of the liberalization of the education sector. The amount of autonomy UNIMA had gained compared to the pre-1994 situation was notable and was increasing as government was progressively decentralizing decisions to UNIMA.<p>Malawi is facing a rapid expansion of the higher education sector as a result of the liberalization of the education sector, evidenced by the introduction of four new private universities since 1994. The findings point to a need for the establishment of the Commission for Higher Education (CHE), to act as a buffer body between government and higher education institutions. It is also necessary to revisit the university constitution to change the provision of appointing Head of State to also be the chancellor of the university. The current heavy dependence on governmental funding is not sustainable and UNIMA should be encouraged to diversify the generation of revenue through alternative sources. <p>Since the autonomy of UNIMA was in transition, the researcher suggests that longitudinal studies be made to ascertain the variables that might have changed over a given period. Further studies were also suggested to investigate the issue of autonomy in selected African universities and to compare these with UNIMAs experience. Such studies could be extended to Western universities.

Autonomy is defined as the subjective experience of congruence between one’s basic values and behavior. Research guided by SDT has focused on the socializing conditions that either foster or undermine the individual’s autonomy at the expense of considering the individual’s capacity to function autonomously by actively and purposively shaping his or her social ecology. The present research adopted a social-ecological approach to the problem of human autonomy, wherein people are presumed to strive for autonomy by relying on their traits and abilities to extract what they need from the social environment. After completing a range of individual difference measures, first-year female undergraduates engaged in a leaderless group discussion task and provided round-robin ratings of their group-members’ social power; self-reported autonomy satisfaction was also assessed. Findings revealed that the personality trait Openness to Experience held predictive relations to social power attainment and, through this association, was positively related to autonomy satisfaction.

The purpose of the study was to examine institutional autonomy as it was operationalized in the University of Malawi. Specifically, the study focussed on University of Malawis (UNIMA) autonomy in the post multi-party political climate of the country. Research questions were designed based upon James (1965) elements of university autonomy, Ashbys (1966) ingredients of institutional autonomy, areas to be protected for institutional autonomy (Ajayi et al., 1996) and McDaniels (1996) components of governance. Six groups of research questions, which included governance, administrative matters, financial matters, personnel matters, academic matters and student matters were used as interview guides in the data collection exercise. The findings of the study were examined and interpreted through a framework adapted from Govindaraj et al. (1996): Hospital Autonomy in Ghana and McDaniels (1996): The paradigms of governance in higher education systems. <p>UNIMA, the only university in Malawi (1965 1998), has five constituent colleges with a central administrative office. The researcher made field visits to all the five colleges and the central office and collected data by means of interviews and document review This formed the internal players. As external players also have an impact upon university autonomy, the four groups that the researcher interviewed were the government, regulatory bodies, politicians, and a public university. Out of a total of 44 interviews, 32 respondents were from internal groups and 12 respondents were from external groups. In addition, some data for the study were also drawn from university documents and publications, local newspapers, and periodicals. It was shown in this study, that since the founding of UNIMA in 1965, Government took much interest and intervened in the activities of the then only institution of higher learning in the country, imposing its control on the running of the institution. Since the emergence of multiparty politics in 1994, the role of government has been moving from state authority towards market control as a result of the liberalization of the education sector. The amount of autonomy UNIMA had gained compared to the pre-1994 situation was notable and was increasing as government was progressively decentralizing decisions to UNIMA.<p>Malawi is facing a rapid expansion of the higher education sector as a result of the liberalization of the education sector, evidenced by the introduction of four new private universities since 1994. The findings point to a need for the establishment of the Commission for Higher Education (CHE), to act as a buffer body between government and higher education institutions. It is also necessary to revisit the university constitution to change the provision of appointing Head of State to also be the chancellor of the university. The current heavy dependence on governmental funding is not sustainable and UNIMA should be encouraged to diversify the generation of revenue through alternative sources. <p>Since the autonomy of UNIMA was in transition, the researcher suggests that longitudinal studies be made to ascertain the variables that might have changed over a given period. Further studies were also suggested to investigate the issue of autonomy in selected African universities and to compare these with UNIMAs experience. Such studies could be extended to Western universities.

This research explains the formation of territorial autonomy regimes, arrangements enabling ethnic groups to express their distinct identity. The origins of territorial autonomy arrangements is an important topic due to the great potential of such institutions to prevent ethnic strife or reduce ongoing conflict. While the literature has explored the consequences of autonomy regimes, its contribution to our understanding of the origins of territorial autonomy is limited. In answering why territorial autonomy regimes are adopted, I develop a theory that focuses on the bargaining strategies of ethnic groups. Specifically, I posit that nonviolent bargaining strategies adopted by ethnic groups influence national leaders’ decision-making processes. In this dissertation, I also address the question of why ethnic groups employ peaceful, as opposed to violent, tactics. Hypotheses derived from this theorization are tested using 197 ethnic groups in 95 states. In the empirical analysis I use data from 1945 to 2000 and employ the duration model and the modified Heckman selection model as my primary statistical methods. To trace the process of territorial autonomy formation I use a case study conducted in the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation. The results suggest that while groups with access to easily extractable resources choose to employ violent strategies, ethnic collectivities who use peaceful protest tactics are in fact more successful in obtaining territorial autonomy arrangements from central governments.

Since 1959, DaLai Lama established the Central Tibetan Administration at Dharamsala in India. The secessionism had been used to push the movement of Tibetan independence to separate away from China. Till now, it is very successful internationalized Tibetan questions in international society. But, the P.R.C. has rejected DaLai Lama returned to Tibet. For the Chinese, if Tibet accepted to be a part of China, there would be no problem since China would only be entering its own territory. Furthermore, DaLai Lama would to be change his subject whatever from Independence to Autonomy. It just willing to return Tibet. The PRC had always refused the reguest of DaLai Lama. This thesis discussed the argument had come from PRC and the Central Tibetan Administration. It tried to explained the Tibetan questions, and would be realized what is the movement of secessionism in Tibet.

Regarding the effects brought out by China¡¦s joining World Trade Organization (WTO), apart from the investigation on the current wide economic aspect, there are some other aspects, such as the interaction among the political, social and national departments¡¦ independence, that are also worthy of further investigation. Ever since her reforms and opening to the world, China seems to be emerged step by step in a structure entirely different from her past systems. The highly independent and initiative natures of the original national organization have been weakened. In the process of China¡¦s becoming an official member of WTO and her substantial participation in the economic globalization, just because of the trend of international economic systems, the predictability of systems required by market economy, and also the independence bestowed on the mainframe of the market, China has to establish the relative applicable law system, and promise to act according to the international regulations and practices. Besides the relevant measures and conflicts of various industries, to China, her joining WTO is a catalytic media to accelerate the emergence of system crisis and the creation of system renovation. The study finds that concerning the independence of the national organization after China¡¦s joining WTO, aside from the political aspect where the originally high independence of the traditional party and national rules can still be preserved, there is a tendency that on the economic and social aspects, the independence of the national organization will first rise, and then fall. In the short run, in order to meet the fresh participation in WTO, the national organization naturally appears to have high independence in various aspects. But in the long run, the process of globalization has inevitably made China unable to sustain the high independence that she owned in the past, especially on the economic and social aspects.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 277-284). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 207-226).