This thesis investigates the relationship between conflict, economic growth, state capacity and natural resources in Sub-Saharan Africa. It contributes to the limited research in this area and empirically examines these relationships using different econometric models. The first empirical chapter uses a panel dataset that covers the period 1997 - 2013 to analyse the effects of economic growth on conflict in Nigeria using the negative binomial model. The findings support the direct relationship between economic growth and conflict in Nigeria. Controlling for other factors, the results indicate that increase in growth rate - measured by annual growth rate of GDP per capita - decreases the expected number of conflicts. The study finds no evidence of a relationship between levels of wealth in a state and the incidence of conflicts. The analysis controls for factors such as spill-over effects from other states and year and state effects. Finally, to address potential concerns that economic growth could be a cause of conflict or that other unobserved factors could confound the relationship between economic growth and conflict, the chapter employs instrumental variable (IV) estimation using percentage change in rainfall as an instrument. The results with the IV estimation are similar to the results without IV in terms of both sign and significance, indicating that the negative effect of economic growth on conflicts is not due to reverse causality or omitted variables. For robustness checks, a Panel Autoregressive model (PVAR) is also employed. The second empirical chapter analyses the effect of conflict on state capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa. State capacity is measured in terms of fiscal and legal capacity. It also looks at the effects of internal and external conflicts on state capacity. The chapter adopts the Ordinary least squared (OLS) and the system generalised methods of moments (GMM) estimation methods to analyse the panel data consisting of 49 Sub-Saharan countries over the period 2000 - 2015. The results suggest that conflicts have a negative and significant effect on state capacity. However, when military expenditure is used as a proxy for state capacity it is found that conflict strengthens state capacity. The results are consistent with theoretical argument that internal conflicts polarise societies and make it more difficult for governments to reach a consensus in investing in state capacity, while external conflicts mobilise domestic population against a common enemy thereby helping in state capacity building. Finally, the third empirical chapter examines the effect of natural resources on conflict onset and duration using discrete choice models with a dataset covering the period 1980 -2016. The results on the duration analysis show that natural resources prolong duration of conflicts. However, it is found that not all natural resources prolong duration of conflicts. Oil production does not seem to affect duration, whereas oil reserves and gas production lengthens the duration. The findings from the onset analysis show that both production and reserves of natural resources increase the risk of conflict onset.

The rights and obligations of States concerning their shared transboundary groundwates are not fully understood. The primary reasons for this are the complex characteristics and behaviours of groundwater, and the lack of full understanding of its interconnection with the surrounding environment. Consequently, States appear to be reluctant in concluding legally binding arrangements that specifically address this topic. This complexity is further intensified under difficult political situations, whereby the Parties sharing groundwater are unable to foresee the benefits of cooperation concerning this resource. This thesis represents an inquiry into the rules and principles governing the utilization of shared transboundary groundwater, and how cooperative frameworks can be initiated implemented, in the complex political context of the Mountain Aquifer shared between Israel and Palestine. The main objective of this thesis is to achieve an integrative mutually beneficial arrangement in the case of the Mountain Aquifer, based on lessons learnt from international law. The proposal for approaching the problem within the Palestinian-Israeli context is to progressively establish a solid basis for long-term sustainable arrangements. The progressive approach starts with a non-binding flexible arrangement that can serve the short-term need, which gradually builds up into a final legally binding arrangement based on international law.

Esta pesquisa teve por objetivos conhecer a percepção de enfermeiros sobre conflitos éticos no processo de doação de órgãos e tecidos para transplante, como são tomadas as decisões e o que é levado em consideração para a tomada de decisão frente a conflitos éticos. Foi realizado um estudo exploratório, descritivo e de abordagem qualitativa, sendo utilizada a análise de conteúdo proposta por Bardin. Foram realizadas onze entrevistas com enfermeiros que prestaram assistência a potenciais doadores na prática profissional, há pelo menos um ano, lotados nas seguintes unidades: UTI adulto e pediátrica, Pronto socorro, Centro cirúrgico, Unidades de internação e na Comissão Intra Hospitalar de Doação de Órgãos e Tecidos para Transplante. Após a análise emergiram cinco categorias: 1. Dificuldade em aceitar a morte encefálica; 2. Não aceitação da equipe multiprofissional de desconectar o ventilador mecânico do paciente em morte encefálica não doador de órgãos; 3. Dificuldades da equipe multiprofissional durante o processo de doação de órgãos; 4. Situações que podem interferir no processo de doação de órgãos e 5. Tomada de decisão frente a conflitos éticos no processo de doação de órgãos. Os resultados mostraram que os enfermeiros identificam conflitos éticos no processo de doação de órgãos, gerados por diversos fatores como: a dificuldade em aceitar a morte encefálica como morte do individuo, a resistência em aceitar a suspensão do suporte terapêutico no paciente em morte encefálica, a falta de conhecimento e comprometimento durante o processo de doação, o descaso e assistência inadequada ao potencial doador de órgãos, a dificuldade com a alocação de recursos humanos e materiais incluindo a liberação de leitos de UTI para o potencial doador; as crenças religiosas e as falhas de comunicação. Além disso, para tomar decisão frente aos conflitos éticos, eles levam em conta o princípio da beneficência, o dever legal e, principalmente, o diálogo com os colegas. Assim, ficou evidenciado que o processo de doação de órgãos está permeado por conflitos éticos, demonstrando uma necessidade de reflexão e discussão sobre o tema, incluindo as situações geradoras e as tomadas de decisão frente aos conflitos éticos / This research aimed to know the perception of nurses on ethical conflicts in the process of donating organs and tissue for transplantation, as decisions are made and what is taken into account in decision-making in the face of ethical conflicts. We conducted an exploratory, descriptive and qualitative approach, using the content analysis proposed by Bardin. Eleven interviews were conducted with nurses who provided assistance to potential donors in professional practice for at least one year, allocated in the following units: adult and pediatric ICU, First Aid, surgical center, inpatient units and the Commission Intra Hospital Organ Donation and Tissues for Transplantation. After analyzing five categories: 1. Difficulty accepting brain death, 2. Non-acceptance of the multidisciplinary team to disconnect the ventilator patient\'s brain-dead organ donor is not 3. Difficulties of the multidisciplinary team during the process of organ donation 4. Situations that may affect the process of organ donation and 5. Decision making in the face of ethical conflicts in the process of organ donation. The results showed that nurses identify ethical conflicts in the process of organ donation, generated by several factors: the difficulty in accepting brain death as death of the individual, the resistance to accept the suspension of therapeutic support in brain death, the lack of knowledge and commitment during the donation process, neglect and inadequate care of the potential organ donor, the difficulty with the allocation of human and material resources including the release of ICU beds for the potential donor, religious beliefs and failures communication. Moreover, to make decisions in the ethical conflicts, they take into account the principle of beneficence, the legal duty, and especially the dialogue with colleagues. Thus, it became evident that the process of organ donation is permeated by ethical conflicts, demonstrating a need for reflection and discussion on the topic, including generating situations and decision making in the face of ethical conflicts

Range Rider Programs (RRPs) are one example of a proactive non-lethal tool that has been implemented in western United States to mitigate gray wolf (Canis lupus) and livestock conflicts. Because RRPs are an emerging non-lethal tool that little is known about, I selected a qualitative research approach to examine participant perceptions to further contemporary understanding of how these efforts are implemented and potential benefits. I surveyed 51 participants from 17 Range Rider Programs (RRPs) in Montana, Washington, and Oregon to determine participant perceptions regarding effectiveness of RRPs as a non-lethal approach to mitigate wolf-conflicts. I developed a RRPs typology based on information provided by the participants interviewed. The typology identified 3 versions of RRPs programs that revolved around the role of the range rider. These roles included: 1) livestock monitoring, 2) wolf surveillance, and 3) livestock herding. The RRPs, although diverse in operations, shared traits exemplified by community-based conservation programs. Interview responses suggested a RRP’s primary contribution may not be a direct reduction in livestock depredation by wolves, but instead a collection of indirect technical and socio-political benefits. To improve current RRPs and develop future efforts, programs should be realistic in expectations and the sponsors must work closely with rancher participants to develop an adaptive program that meets their needs, maintains transparent and frequent communication, and provides a forum for feedback.

The prominence of the South China Sea comes from its wealth of energy resources, fisheries, and maritime trade that traverses through its waters. These assets entice many southeast Asian countries to stake their claims over the features of the sea. In recent years, China’s rising power has allowed the country to increasingly assert its authority in the territory without much of an opposing force. Of the few actors that are capable of policing China’s actions, the United States is the most promising, yet has failed to meet international expectations. Through two case studies and theoretical analysis, this thesis examines the failures of American deterrence policy through a two-part approach. First, it investigates the incident of the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff between the Philippines and China, analyzing the consequences of American policy failure. It then examines Chinese island reclamation efforts, and how the failures from the first case study can explain the new Chinese strategy and rationale behind Chinese activities. Lastly, the paper explores the deterrence theory and its applications to gray zone conflicts, pointing out components of successful deterrence in these types of engagements and why American deterrence policy was ineffective.

Most safety analysis is conducted using crash data. Surrogate safety measures, such as various time-based measures of time-to-collision can be related to crash potential and used to gain insight into the frequency and severity of crashes at a specific location. One of the most common and acknowledged measures is post-encroachment time (PET) which defines the time between vehicles occupying a conflicting space. While commonly used in studies of motor vehicle interactions, studies of PET for bicycle-vehicle interactions are few. In this research, the PET of bicycle-vehicle interactions measured in the field, a driving simulator, and in a micro-simulation are compared. A total of 52 right-hook conflicts were identified in 135 hours of video footage over 14 days at a signalized intersection in Portland, OR (SW Taylor and SW Naito Pkwy). The results showed that 4 of 17 high-risk conflicts could not be identified by the conventional definition of PET and PET values of some conflicts did not reflect true risk of collision. Therefore, right-hook conflicts were categorized into two types and a modified measure of PET was proposed so that their frequency and severity were properly measured. PETs from the field were then compared to those measures in the Oregon State University driving simulator during research conducted by Dr. Hurwitz et al. (2015) studying the right-hook conflicts. Statistical and graphical methods were used to compare field PETs to those in the simulator. The results suggest that the relative validity of the OSU driving simulator was good but not conclusive due to differences in traffic conditions and intersections. To further explore the field-observed PET values, traffic simulation models of the field intersection were developed and calibrated. Right-hook conflicts were extracted from the simulation files and conflicts observed in PM-peak hours over 6 days in the field were compared to those obtained from 24 traffic simulation runs. The field-observed PET values did not match the values from the simulation values very well. However, the approach does show promise. Further calibration of driving and bicycling behaviors would likely improve the result.

This thesis comprises of three chapters. The first essay is sole-authored and is titled `Creditor Control Rights and Managerial Risk Shifting.' The second essay is titled `Creditor Control Rights and Product Market Competition' and is joint work with Professor Matthew T. Billett and MiaoMiao Yu. The third essay is sole-authored and is titled `Merger Waves, Pseudo Market Timing, and Post-Merger Performance.' Chapter one examines agency conflicts around violations of bank loan covenants. Recent evidence shows that corporate policies change significantly following financial covenant violations. These changes are attributed to increased creditor influence over borrowing firms in ways that benefit both shareholders and debtholders. In this essay, I investigate whether shareholders engage in activities counter to creditors' interests following violations. I find that the expected negative relation between volatility and investment reverses for firms once they violate a covenant, consistent with risk-shifting behavior. This behavior is more pronounced in firms with high CEO portfolio sensitivity to stock return volatility and firms with high CEO equity ownership. Moreover, I document a significant increase in firm risk in the year following the violation. Overall, these findings suggest that even in the presence of increased creditor control risk shifting still occurs. The prior conclusions that shareholder-debtholder incentives are congruent at violations do not appear to be the case. Chapter two documents that debt covenants have a profound impact on firms' product market behavior. By examining financial covenant violations from 1996 to 2007, we show that once firms violate a covenant, they experience a substantial decrease in their market share. We also show that firms exhibit poor long-term abnormal returns following covenant violations. In contrast, their rivals grow market share and exhibit significantly positive abnormal returns after their peer firm violates a covenant. Overall, these findings suggest that creditor influence over firms have dramatic effects on product market outcomes and rival firm behavior. Chapter three questions whether managers time the market when they make merger decisions. Merger and acquisition waves seem to correspond with market tides, cresting with bull markets. A contentious debate exists over whether this trend indicates managerial market timing ability. Pseudo market timing, introduced by Schultz (2003, Journal of Finance 58, 483-517), provides an alternative hypothesis to explain abnormal performance following events even when managers cannot time the market. I find that acquiring firms which use stocks as the method of payment exhibit negative long-run abnormal returns in event-time, but not in calendar time. Simulations reveal that even when ex ante expected abnormal returns are zero (i.e. managers have no market timing ability), median ex post performance for acquirers is significantly negative when event-time is used. These findings support pseudo market timing as an explanation for acquiring firm underperformance in the context of stock mergers.

Orientador: Ana Maria Klein / Resumo: O estudo parte do pressuposto de que conflitos são inerentes às relações e expressam as diversidades humanas. Muitas vezes compreendidos de maneira negativa nas escolas, os conflitos são enfrentados por meio de práticas pautadas em um conceito de Justiça Retributiva que se traduz em ações repressivas e punitivas. Apresentamos a Justiça Restaurativa como um novo paradigma que possibilita práticas interventivas dialógicas e democráticas nas escolas, podendo favorecer o desenvolvimento moral dos estudantes. Diante do exposto, o problema que direciona a presente investigação é: “Quais as concepções de educadores sobre conflitos escolares e sobre os fundamentos e práticas de Justiça Restaurativa antes e após um curso de formação continuada?” O objetivo geral foi investigar as possíveis mudanças de concepções sobre Justiça Restaurativa e conflitos na escola após a participação em um curso de formação continuada destinado a docentes e gestores escolares. Os objetivos específicos do estudo são: 1. Caracterizar a Justiça Restaurativa por meio de seus fundamentos, práticas e possibilidades educativas; 2. Analisar as concepções iniciais e finais de gestores e professores sobre Justiça Restaurativa. 3. Analisar as concepções iniciais e finais de gestores e professores sobre conflitos escolares. Para tanto, adotou-se uma abordagem qualitativa do problema com objetivos exploratórios e cuja técnica utilizada foi o estudo de caso e a análise documental. O lócus da investigação foi o curso de... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The study assumes that conflicts are inherent in relationships and express human diversity. Often negatively understood in schools, conflicts are addressed through practices based on a concept of retributive justice that translates into repressive and punitive actions. We present Restorative Justice as a new paradigm that enables dialogical and democratic interventional practices in schools, which may favor the moral development of students. Given the above, the problem that directs the present investigation is: “What are the educators conceptions about school conflicts and restorative justice foundations and practices before and after a continuing education course?” The general objective was to investigate the possible changes in conceptions about Restorative Justice and school conflicts after participating in a continuing education course for teachers and school managers. The specific objectives of the study are: 1. Characterize restorative justice through its foundations, practices and educational possibilities; 2. Analyze the initial and final conceptions of managers and teachers about Restorative Justice. 3. Analyze the initial and final conceptions of managers and teachers about school conflicts. Therefore, a qualitative approach of the problem with exploratory objectives was adopted and the technique used was the case study and document analysis. The locus of the investigation was the university extension course “Restorative Justice through Intervention Projects”, offe... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Orientador: Flavia Foz Mange / Resumo: A presente pesquisa apresenta um estudo sobre a mediação pré-processual nos casos de compra e venda de imóvel no Centro Judiciário de Solução de Conflitos (CEJUSC) de São José do Rio Preto – SP à luz dos princípios estabelecidos na Lei de Mediação e no Código de Processo Civil de 2015. Objetivou-se, a partir de um estudo de caso, de caráter qualitativo, verificar como e quando é aplicada referida mediação e se são utilizados os princípios que a norteiam, a saber: princípio da isonomia, princípio da decisão informada e os princípios da celeridade e economia processual. Examinou-se, além disto, como referido CEJUSC estrutura a mediação pré-processual nos mutirões em relação aos contratos inadimplentes de compra e venda de imóveis, e os motivos que levaram os compradores a este descumprimento. Justifica-se a pesquisa pelo tema da mediação pré-processual no âmbito judicial ter recente visibilidade na área jurídica, sendo mais discutido após o advento dos já mencionados dispositivos legais, quais sejam, a Lei de Mediação e o Código de Processo Civil de 2015. Quanto ao método, trata-se de uma abordagem multimetodológica, pautada na pesquisa bibliográfica, no levantamento de dados por meio de entrevista e na análise de conteúdo. Obteve-se como resultado, nos casos analisados, o distanciamento da aplicação dos princípios da isonomia e da decisão informada, além de uma exacerbada prática do princípio da celeridade e o uso do princípio da economia processual apenas para uma das partes.... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The present research presents a study on the pre-procedural mediation in the cases of purchase and sale of property in the Judicial Center for Conflict Resolution (CEJUSC) of São José do Rio Preto - SP in light of the principles established in the Mediation Law and in the Code of Civil Procedure of 2015. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to verify how and when the aforementioned mediation is applied and whether the principles that guide it are used, namely: principle of isonomy, principle of decision informed and the principles of celerity and procedural economy. It was also examined how CEJUSC referred to the structure of pre-procedural mediation in the groups in relation to the delinquent contracts of purchase and sale of real estate, and the reasons that led the buyers to this non-compliance. It is justified the research by the subject of pre-procedural mediation in the judicial scope to have recent visibility in the legal area, being more discussed after the advent of the already mentioned legal devices, that is, the Mediation Law and the Code of Civil Procedure of 2015. As for the method, it is a multi-methodological approach, based on bibliographic research, data collection through interview and content analysis. As a result, in the cases analyzed the distancing of the application of the principles of isonomy and informed decision, as well as an exacerbated practice of the principle of celerity and the use of the principle of procedural economy only for one... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

The differences in the international responses to the violent conflicts in East Timor (1998–1999), Maluku (1999–2003) and Aceh (1998–2005) are examined in this research. Given the growing acceptance of the significance of the use of military force for humanitarian purposes, the humanitarian crises in Maluku and Aceh might prima facie have justified humanitarian intervention similar to that in East Timor. By analysing the differences from the Indonesia’s domestic political point of view it is clear that the conscience-shocking situation caused by the violent conflicts was not the compelling factor for the international community to militarily intervene. The deployment of a multinational force in East Timor (INTERFET) was decided only after the UN and foreign major countries believed that such military intervention would not jeopardize the ongoing process of democratization in Indonesia. This suggested that Indonesia’s domestic circumstance was central to whether a similar measure in Maluku and Aceh would take place or not. Due to the reformasi (political reform) in Indonesia within which the independence of East Timor took place, two main changes within Indonesian politics, namely the growing sentiment of anti-international intervention and the continuing democratization process, helped to ensure that humanitarian intervention in the two other regions did not happen. / These two conditions were fortified by the increasingly consolidated democratic politics which brought the communal conflict in Maluku to the Malino Peace Agreement. The emergence of a stronger and democratic government in Indonesia, furthermore, made cooperation with the international community possible in seeking a peaceful resolution to the armed conflict in Aceh. By involving the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) agreed to the Helsinki peace agreement and accepted the role of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) to secure its implementation. Thus, a strong democratic government made an international military intervention for humanitarian purposes unnecessary.