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This thesis examines the conditions under which ethno-territorial cross-border conflicts can be resolved successfully. Ethno-territorial cross-border conflict is a type of ethnic conflict in which competing territorial and ethnic claims of distinct state and group actors occur; and this manifests itself primarily on three interrelated levels - inter-group conflict, conflict between the external minority and the institutions of its host-state, and the (territorial) conflict between host- and kin-state. An initial theoretical exploration of the subject establishes the framework of the subsequent study of individual cases, examining why the similar conflicts in Alsace, the Saarland, South Tyrol, and Northern Ireland required fundamentally different solutions. In addition to this, the condominia of Andorra and the New Hebrides are analysed, providing the basis upon which the concept of a condominium-style settlement for ethno-territorial cross- border conflicts is explored. By looking at the workings of integration, traditional consociation and consociation with permanent institutionalised kin-state involvement, secession, and condominium, the complexity of factors is studied that influence the development of ethno- territorial cross-border conflict, including inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic dimensions and the policies of the host and kin-state in relation to the conflict and each other. Thus refined, the analytical framework allows determining the conditions that must be fulfilled to provide lasting stability to a negotiated settlement. This set of stability criteria creates a paradigm that has relevance as an analytical tool beyond the case studies conducted in this thesis. It can be used to design case-specific solutions to actual ethnic conflicts and it can serve as an instrument to recognise instabilities in, and potential breakdowns of, existing settlements sufficiently early to respond to them constructively and to avoid a re-escalation of an already settled conflict.

This thesis examines the international growth and diversification of real estate advisory services in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan from over a 30-year period, 1960-1990. These four countries were selected because they were the most active in cross-border direct investment during this period, and intricate economic interdependencies among them prompted the greatest advancements in innovative real estate advisory services. Economic and cultural differences and similarities among the four focal countries and their respective service professions provide the bases for evaluating the primary hypothesis: the internationalization of real estate advisory services were most efficiently and effectively achieved by firms that first built solid reputations in their home nations, and subsequently expanded into multiregional organizations by responding to the cross-border investment activities of existing and prospective multinational clients. If leading firms in the focal countries expanded in domestic markets to capitalize on the national economy's maturing real estate markets, then moved into foreign markets to capitalize on rising cross-border investment flows over the 1960-1990 period, the primary thesis raises a question about the relative significance of cross-border real estate investment to national economic conditions, generally, and to the growth of commercial real estate markets and sectoral employment in the focal countries, specifically. A secondary hypothesis, therefore, is tested to identify the relative impact of total cross-border real estate investment flows on employment levels in the commercial real estate sector in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan. This thesis also examines the several dimensions of the economy and financial system affected by domestic and foreign investment in commercial real estate assets after 1960. For example, rising worldwide commercial property investment appeared to be an important factor in the escalation of corporate real estate values, in the growth of construction industries and related services sectors, in the changes in the net worth of major financial institutions, and in the asset diversification of insurance and pension fund portfolios. As part of this trend, the growth of international business and the rise in mergers and acquisitions also elevated cross-border direct investment activity in real estate as companies expanded into foreign markets. This thesis explores the process by which property advisory services internationalized and gained an important role in the global service economy by counseling investors on the location and volume of investment activities, and thereby influencing the international flow of real estate investment funds. It also examines whether real estate advisory firms in the focal countries gained competitive advantage over the 30-year period due to the presence of two basic conditions: an international network of property professionals; and a diversified services practice--brokerage, property management, finance, facilities planning and development, and real estate sales and purchases. By reviewing national fluctuations in cross-border direct investment in real estate, and periodic changes and major episodes in the foreign expansion of real estate advisory services in the focal countries, this thesis seeks to examine specific national factors that influenced effective internationalization in domestic property services. Basic principles in economic history provide the theoretical framework concerning competitive and comparative advantages among nations and particular organizations.

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In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 (9/11) in the United States (U.S.) the U.S. and Canada both restructured the institutions responsible for the management of the U.S.-Canada border. The United States created Customs and Border Protection (U.S. CBP) under the Department of Homeland Security in 2002 and Canada established the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) under the Ministry of Public Safety in 2003. Prior to these reforms, in both the U.S. and Canada, the border was under the jurisdiction of multiple government agencies and departments, including those associated with immigration, customs and policing. This thesis utilizes the concept of path dependency and the organizational behavior model to examine the post-9/11 institutional changes and the extent to which they impacted the management of the U.S.-Canada border after 9/11.

Tato diplomová práce podává ucelený přehled o česko-polské přeshraniční spolupráci na příkladu Euroregionu Glacensis. Součástí práce je nezbytné teoretické vymezení euroregionů a dalších přeshraničních struktur, vymezení jejich cílů a principů fungování, legislativní úprava a institucionální zabezpečení. Cílem práce je potvrdit význam a přínos přeshraniční spolupráce v procesu evropské integrace a zhodnotit do jaké míry tyto aktivity naplňují cíle vymezené ve strategii rozvoje ERG. Použitím metody komparace jsou zhodnoceny a srovnány programy, jejichž podpora je pro realizaci těchto rozvojových aktivit nezbytná. Pozornost je věnována předvstupním fondům Phare CREDO a Phare CBC, Iniciativě Společenství INTERREG IIIA a Novému operačnímu programu. Prostřednictvím dotazníkového šetření je zhodnocena informovanost studentů o existenci a aktivitách ERG. Výsledky šetření ukazují rovněž na vztah respondentů k obcím, ve kterých žijí a na jejich vztah k Polské republice.

Stock assessment and behavioral studies are needed to identify habitat use and population dynamics of endangered pallid sturgeon Scahphirhynchus albus in the freelowing lower Mississippi River; however, effective sampling methods have not been evaluated. Trotlines and otter trawls were consequently fished year-round to determine the more effective gear and to determine effects of environmental variables on catch rates. Trotlines were more effective for catching large (> 600 mm FL) pallid sturgeon and neither gear was effective for catching small (100-600 mm FL) pallid sturgeon. Greater predicted probabilities of catching large pallid sturgeon with trotlines were in 9-19 °C water temperatures, 0.7-0.9 m s-1 surface current velocities, and in greater depths (up to 12 m). Results of this study provide information that can be used to maximize sampling efficiency.

Borderlands are often peripheral geographically, administratively, and economically. A particularly illustrative case is the Szczecin area at the border between Poland and Germany, where a large city on one side neighbours to a sparsely populated hinterland on the other. There is a number of similar cases throughout Europe, but studies on them point to a mixed level of linkages following the opening and removal of the physical border. At the project’s start there were few if any studies on the Szczecin area per se, which was here studied through various methods. On the one hand, different pre-EU enlargement plans and visions for the area’s development were compared with practices and realities of recent years. This shows that earlier imaginations on the development potentials have not quite materialised, although some of them were probably too optimistic and ambitious from the beginning. Some of the area’s potentials following EU-enlargement have been more successfully exploited than others, and disproportionately by actors coming from outside. On the other hand, cross-border contacts were studied in the discourses on and attitudes towards the other side among local and regional elites, and among local residents more generally. This revealed a polarised attitudinal landscape, not least when compared to country-wide opinion surveys in both Germany and Poland. This is in line with other studies showing that identities are particularly accentuated in border situations, where the Other is more frequently encountered. These results support recent investigations pointing to a continued relevance of the border even after the physical barriers are removed. At the same time, another contribution of this work to border studies is that the time and contingency of the importance of identities and of the border needs more attention. In the Szczecin area, awareness of national identities and of the boundary appeared to be particularly high just after changes in the border’s status occurred – i.e. in 1989–1991, and then around the years 2007–2010. But while its importance may be fluctuating over time, given the opportunities and resources the boundary provides it will always be maintained in some forms. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript.</p>

The U.S. Southwest Border is associated with highly politicized topics, yet the lived experience of Border Patrol agents is not one of them. Border Patrol agents face risks to their personal safety and security as they attempt to safeguard the national security of the United States while implementing the policies of their organization, which are sometimes at odds with the beliefs and expectations of agents in the field. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore perceptions and lived experiences related to the threats and dangers that Border Patrol agents face as they protect the U.S. Southwest Border. The theoretical framework for this study involved McGregor's organizational behavior theory, Janis's groupthink theory, and the bureaucratic dissonance phenomenon. Data collected through semistructured interviews of 11 former Border Patrol agents with direct experience working along the U.S. Southwest Border were inductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. On-duty risks, emotional toll, lack of community support, and separation from family are among the stressors for members of this profession. The key findings regarding threats and dangers included: perceived manpower shortage, fear of assaults, the very nature of the job, political and presidential administration conflicts, and lack of mobility (location and career advancements). The recommendations call for greater policy-and decision-maker understanding of the stresses and conflicts facing Border Patrol agents, which could effect positive social change by encouraging policies and regulations to improve job safety and security, and to inform training programs. The promulgation of the findings may contribute to improvements of the morale and safety of Border Patrol agents and enhance security of the United States.

In this paper I discuss some of the findings in my study of the encounters between female migrants and immigration enforcement authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border. An objective of the research is to ascertain a more accurate picture of women temporarily suspended in the “intersection” of diametrically opposed processes: immigration enforcement and transnational mobility. Of the many issues that have emerged from this research, family separation is most palpable. This suggests a deeply entrenched relationship between immigration enforcement and the transnationalization of family ties. While this relationship may at first not be obvious, women’s accounts of family separation and family reunification show how, in reconciling these contradictory tendencies, migrant mobility is strengthened, which in turn challenges enforcement measures. In this way, the intersection not only sheds light on how opposing forces (enforcement and mobility) converge but also how each is contingent on the other. This analysis is possible in part through the use of a conceptual intersection of diametrically opposed forces, border enforcement and transnational movement, and thus proves useful in examining the transformative nature of globalized spaces.