Four years after the end of the National Socialist dictatorship and a disastrous major war, basic rights and democratic government were enshrined in the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany in May 1949. Thus parliamentary democracy was formally and institutionally reintroduced to Western Germany at the Bund level. Successful implantation of democracy, however, requires not only constitutional arrangements but also, and perhaps more importantly, participation on the part of the people in the democratic process. Through analysis of the public involvement in the Basic Law's formulation and the impact of the public debate on the deliberations of the Parliamentary Council between September 1948 and May 1949, the degree of participation of Germans in the three Western zones of occupation, upon which the new West German state could subsequently build, is explored. Initial answers are suggested in chapter II and then developed in subsequent chapters as various contentious topics debated by the Parliamentary Council are examined. Anti-parliamentarianism, the search for a new symbol, newspaper perceptions as a reflection of the reality of interaction between occupier and occupied in the constitution's formulation, and the public debate about the nature and status of the second chamber, about the relationship between God and the Basic Law, and about full equality for women are analysed. The nature and extent of the public debate 1948-1949 make clear that the German population of the Western zones had already begun to think and function in a democratic fashion on the Bund level. This thesis suggests that the creation of an institutional framework, such as the Basic Law, should not be overemphasized at the expense of the developing democratic culture in post-war Western Germany. Without the gradual democratization of the population already well underway when the provisional constitution came into force on 23 May 1949, it is unlikely that the Federal Republic of Germany could have established itself so successfully so quickly.

Architecture is an act of agency, and a technology that can be learned by anyone for their own purpose. It evolved as a system of organization and a protective shell for our fragile bodies, a vast, complex technology that enables human survival. Yet despite its universal nature, we have artificially limited our control over it, and who has access to it; we limit its potentials, its adaptive capacities, its diversity, and our continued survival. Walled-up in universities, behind certifications and dissertations, we have removed architecture from the public’s mind so that few understand it and use it. The city, in its surging complexity, is ever more opaque; the systems, infrastructure, and regulations that govern its formation are hidden from view, behind doors, walls, and fences. Hack seeks to make the city legible and architecture accessible, by leveraging a growing tide of hacker culture, and its subcultures – makers and DIY drone enthusiasts – and their respective technologies. Since the birth of the computer, Hackers have sought to democratize information technology held by military, government, and corporate interests. In doing so they’ve provided a number of methods, that enable free sharing and collaboration between individuals, distributing problem-solving practices, open-source systems, hands-on education, and free access to tools, all applicable to the challenges and opportunities facing architecture and city building today. Hack bootstraps itself to these ideals with hands-on experiments and reflections on those experiments, reframing architecture as a basic skill, a technology to be used by anyone, democratizing architecture through online communities, and the Hacker culture, in order to define a new active role for the architect. Internalizing the Hacker Ethic, and appropriate existing technologies to build new tools – devices to survey space, architecture and the city. – Hack traces the construction of a kite, a model car, a quadrocopter, and a remote-control airplane, each capable of gathering intimate information about the local environment. Hack concludes by reexamining the role of the aerial view in making cities and exercising power, speculating on the potential to level the fields of perception through online co-operation and these small-scale cartographic technologies.

The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the cooperation potential and institutional feasibility of a regional integration scheme in the Mediterranean region that would follow a similar pattern as the one proposed by the Schuman Declaration on May 9th 1950, establishing energy and environment (as the new “Coal and Steel”, the sectorial pillars of an ambitious Union for the Mediterranean. The argument defended in this dissertation is that both Europe and Mediterranean countries will face either environmental hazards or energy supply concerns in the coming years. First of all, the European Union is threatened today by a growing dependence on politically risky countries for its energy imports following the decrease of Norwegian reserves. Hence, Mediterranean countries and most of all oil-rich Libya and gas producer Algeria are among the priorities on the European Union foreign policy agenda. At the same time, Mediterranean countries suffer from growing environmental stresses that prevent their economies from reaching their potential while European Union could and should strongly invest in a Green new Deal together with its Mediterranean neighbors. As Mediterranean countries experience an historical and uncertain wave of democratization, political science theories have strongly underlined the importance of economic development to sustain democracy. A Union for the Mediterranean addressing the environmental concerns that hamper such a development would therefore be a key asset in ensuring stability and freedom in the region.

本論文是關於韓國自1980年至1993年之間進行的民主化之研究，其主要目的為，探討演變過程、推動民主化的聯盟及聯盟之間的互動關係、民主化運動回溯威權政體之原因、各時期民主化性格及意義，最後提出在韓國理想而又實現合適的民主化推動方案。 本研究基本上採用結構研究途徑（Structure Approach)和起源研究途徑（GeneticApproach)，及運用在韓國民主化研究上所需要的整合性研究途徑。本研究各章的安排簡述如下： 第一章：揭示研究動機、目的、相關文獻及理論。並介紹本論文之研究途徑、及研究架構。 第二章：韓國的民主主義與威權政體之歷史回顧。探討韓國的民主主義引進背景、其演變過程以及韓國各威權政體之特性。 第三章︰闡釋1980年「漢城之春」民主化。分析結構因素和行動者因素以及演變過程，且論述回潮威權政體之主要原因。 第四章︰探討1987年6月抗爭期間的民主化。分析社會、經濟以及政治結構因素，剖析各聯盟之間的互動關係，且提出推動民主化的正面因素。 第五章︰分析三黨合併與文人政府產生之背景、演變過程、意義。尤其著重分析演變過程中各行動者採取的理性策略。 第六章︰結論部分。表達該時期的韓國民主化之意義、民主化回潮威權政體之原因、民主化推動正面因素及負面因素，最後提出在韓國實行恰當的民主化方案。

<p>This research study seeks to investigate how institutional arrangements impact on intra-party democracy in Malawi. Intra-party democracy is essential as it promotes party unity through reduced fragmentation and factionalism, encourages a culture of democratic debate and deliberation of critical issues within the party and therefore collective ownership of decisions. Further, it creates legitimate internal conflict management systems and finally, reduces opportunistic and arbitrary use of delegated authority. These are fundamental tenets of any functioning democratic entity. These elements of intra-party democracy are attainable if they are formerly stipulated and governed by the party&rsquo / s constitutional rules. Where such rules either do not exist or are not effectively enforced, major operational problems arise. These may include: non-inclusive candidate selection procedures, centralised coalition negotiation processes, unprocedural conflict management mechanisms and unconstitutional or illegitimate party conventions. Consequently, the resulting outcomes include party instability and factionalism stimulated by resignations and expulsions, declining electoral support and weak coalitions. These factors undermine the party&rsquo / s contribution to democracy. The next section gives the context and historical evolution of parties in Malawi.</p>

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.). / Written for the Dept. of Political Science. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/01/12). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A. (Human Rights))--Mahidol University, 2003.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 344-379).