Magistro baigiamajame darbe tiriama Jungtinių Tautų Saugumo Tarybos veikla 2003–2013 m., siekiant įvertinti institucijos efektyvumą palaikant tarptautinę taiką ir saugumą. Darbą sudaro keturi skyriai. Pirmajame skyriuje aptariami instituciniai Saugumo Tarybos požymiai, Jungtinių Tautų Chartijoje nustatyti įgaliojimai ir pagrindiniai veiklos po Šaltojo karo bruožai. Antrajame skyriuje, remiantis išsamia surengtų posėdžių ir priimtų sprendimų analize, nagrinėjama Saugumo Tarybos veikla 2003–2013 m. Trečiajame skyriuje analizuojama pastebėtų veiklos tendencijų ir sprendimų priėmimo proceso įtaka Saugumo Tarybos efektyvumui. Atsižvelgiant į vykstančias diskusijas dėl Saugumo Tarybos reformos, pristatomi pagrindiniai reformos aspektai siekiant stiprinti efektyvumą. Ketvirtasis skyrius yra skirtas apžvelgti Lietuvos santykį su Saugumo Taryba, atkreipiant dėmesį į Saugumo Tarybos veiklą Lietuvos pirmininkavimo 2014 m. vasario mėnesį metu ir Lietuvos poziciją dėl Saugumo Tarybos reformos. / This Master Thesis examines the activity of the United Nations Security Council during the period of 2003–2013, in order to assess the effectiveness of the institution in maintaining international peace and security. The paper consists of four chapters. The first chapter presents the institutional character of the Security Council, its powers established by the United Nations Charter and the key features of post-Cold War activity. Based on the extensive analysis of the meetings held and decisions taken, the second part of this paper examines the activity of the Security Council during the period of 2003–2013. The third chapter assesses the effectiveness of the Security Council based on the observed trends of actions and the decision making processes. In light of the ongoing discussions on the reform of the Security Council, the main aspects of the reform are presented, taking into account the stated aim of strengthening the effectiveness. The fourth chapter is devoted to an overview of Lithuania’s relationship with the Security Council, with the focus on the activity of the Security Council during the Lithuanian Presidency in February 2014 as well as the official position of Lithuania on the Security Council reform.

No description available.

This paper investigates whether preference-based (empirical) power indices differ significantly from their preference-free (theoretical) counterparts. Drawing on the to date most comprehensive sample of EU Council votes (1993- 2011), we use item-response models to estimate the EU27 member states' preferences (ideal points) in a one-dimensional policy space. Their posterior distributions are then used for the calculation of empirical versions of the Banzhaf and the Shapley-Shubik index, invoking the concepts of connected coalitions and bloc voting. Our ideal point estimates indicate significant differences between member states' preferences, which often translate into significant differences between empirical and theoretical power under individual voting. However, the formation of voting blocs appears to offset differences in countries' ideal points as the bloc size grows. This result does not hold up for the Shapley-Shubik index, whose empirical variants differ from the theoretical one, both under individual and bloc voting. (authors' abstract)

This study in political science examines the UN adopted resolution 1970 (2011) and resolution 1973 (2011) on the basis of foreign policy decision-making. The study aims to explain how the UN principle of Responsibility to Protect came to be legitimized for the first time by the UN Security Council in the Libya conflict in 2011. By a poliheuristic perspective the study attempt to explain Russia and China’s acting in the voting of resolution 1970 and resolution 1973. The background to the conflict in Libya 2011 is presented in the study as well as the Security Council’s actions during the conflict, from the beginning of the conflict until the adoption of resolution 1973. The study is based on an argument analysis to crystallize the most important arguments from Russia and China’s statements regarding resolution 1970 and resolution 1973. The results of the research shows that the adoption of resolution 1973 and therefore a military intervention in Libya in 2011 can be explained, from a poliheuristic perspective, primarily by the few political options and decision-making dimensions actors have to choose from when making decisions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 266-287). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / vii, 287 leaves, bound 29 cm

This thesis considers the effects of research funding process design in the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The program delivery mechanisms that the ARC and NHMRC use differ in detail and each council claims to be using the best selection model possible. Neither council provides evidence that peer review is the best possible way of delivering government funding for research and neither can produce empirical evidence that they use the best possible peer review model to determine excellence. Data used in this thesis were gathered over several years, forming a comparative case study of the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council, with illustrative data from comparable international organizations in the UK and USA. The data collection included: a survey of applicants, semi-structured interviews with experienced panel members and former staff, observation of selection meetings, and examination of publications by and about the research councils. Researchers firmly believe in peer review and their confidence enables the system to function. However, the mechanisms of grant selection are not well understood and not well supported by applicants, who criticize the processes used to assess their work, while supporting the concept of peer selection. The notion of excellence is problematic; judgements of excellence are made within frameworks set by the research councils and vary across disciplines. Allocation of research funding depends on peer review assessment to determine quality, but there is no single peer review mechanism, rather, there exist a variety of processes. Process constraints are examined from the perspectives of panel members, peer reviewers, council staff and applicants. Views from outside and inside the black box of selection reveal the impacts of process design on judgements of excellence and decision-making capacity. Peer reviewers in selection panels are found to use a range of differentiating strategies to separate applications, with variance evident across disciplines and research councils. One dominant criterion emerges in both the ARC and NHMRC processes, track record of the applicants. Program delivery mechanisms enable and constrain selection but every peer panel member has to make selection decisions by defining discipline standards and negotiating understandings within the panel. The extent to which peers can do this depends on the number of applications assigned to them, the size of the applicant field, and the processes they have to follow. Fine details of process design, panel rules and interactions are the tools that shape funding outcomes. Research councils believe they are selecting the best, most meritorious proposed research. However, I show in this thesis that the dominant discriminator between applicants in Australian selection processes is track record of the applicant. This effect is the result of several factors operating singly or in concert. Researcher track record, largely determined by quality and number of journal publications, is considered to be the responsibility of universities but support for this capacity building has not been systematically provided in Australian universities. Reliance on track record to determine the outcomes of all but the very best applications is very like awarding prizes for past work and is significantly different from the models of grant selection that operate in comparable international research councils.

Safety culture and safety climate are terms that are used often in the context of safety management but are not very well defined or differentiated. This research concentrates on safety climate, a summary concept of employee perceptions of safety management practices within their organisation. There is a common assumption that a positive safety climate results in better safety performance outcomes, yet there is little research evidence to support this notion. / Despite being defined as a summary concept, much of the research on safety climate has been empirically driven and has concentrated on identifying the number and content of the dimensions/factors that contribute to the safety climate. Due to a lack of theoretical input in the field, the use of proprietary instruments which are unavailable in the public domain and varied developmental histories of these tools, the findings of past research has been mixed. / This research addresses several of the limitations in the literature on safety climate by using the National Safety Council of Australia’s Safety Climate Survey. The research centres around two main issues; the dimensionality and factor structure of safety climate; and investigation of the applicability of a framework linking safety climate to safety performance. / The project was divided into two studies. Study I is based on archival data collected by the National Safety Council of Australia (NSCA) (N=215, N=127, N=90). Study II utilises data collected specifically for the purposes pf this research (N=226). The survey instrument was further developed for Study II to include scales that allow for a more complete investigation of a framework linking safety climate to safety performance. / A comprehensive validation of the NSCA safety climate survey was conducted. Structural Equation Modelling was utilised to examine various models of the factor structure of safety climate. It was found that safety climate is best understood as a second order concept comprised of several specific first order factors. The factor structure remained consistent across several samples however the strength of the individual factors varied in each sample. / Structural Equation Modelling was also used to investigate the framework of the relationship between safety climate and safety performance. Evidence in support of his model was obtained however some variations to the model were necessary to achieve this support. Reinforcement for the influence of general organisational climate in providing a context for safety climate was revealed. Given that it was not possible to include all aspects of the framework within the statistical model these findings provide a good impetus for further research in this field.

Exclosure plots were monitored to investigate the impact of browsing on seedling recruitment by Trichosurus vulpecula, Oryctolagus cuniculus and Rattus rattus on seedlings under Leptospermum scoparium and Kunzea ericoides plantings in two Auckland Regional Council Parks (ARC), Shakespear and Wenderholm. The number of woody seedlings that established over a 17-month period was recorded. Gaps within the same Leptospermum scoparium and Kunzea ericoides canopy were created to investigate the influence of the canopy on seedling recruitment. Soil samples were taken to investigate the existing seed bank beneath the same Leptospermum scoparium and Kunzea ericoides canopies.At Wenderholm, net change in seedling density differed among treatments (P=0.014). Seedling density increased within the plots that excluded Trichosurus vulpecula and Oryctolagus cuniculus and within plots that additionally excluded Rattus rattus, but declined in the control plots. In contrast at Shakespear, although seedling density increased more within both the exclosure plots than in the control plots, this result was not statistically significant (P=0.728). At Wenderholm, the average seedling height increased within both types of exclosure plots, but declined in the control plots. However, these differences among treatments were not statistically significant (P=0.204). At Shakespear, seedlings increased in height within the Trichosurus vulpecula, Oryctolagus cuniculus and Rattus rattus exclosures and declined marginally in the other two treatments. Again, differences in height change among treatments were not statistically significant (P=0.202).At both regional parks, the greatest cause of mortality within the exclosures excluding Trichosurus vulpecula and Oryctolagus cuniculus was desiccation. All of the mortalities within the Trichosurus vulpecula, Oryctolagus cuniculus and Rattus rattus exclosures was unidentifiable. However, within the control plots, at Wenderholm, the greatest identified cause of mortality was browsing and at Shakespear, the only cause of mortality within the control plots was browsing.Seedbanks at Wenderholm and Shakespear under the Leptospermum scoparium and Kunzea ericoides plantings were dominated by forb species. A total of 1308 seedlings germinated from soil taken from Wenderholm, with exotic species making up 99.4% of germinations, with exotic species making up 97.9% of germinations. Similarly a total of 801 seedlings germinated from soil samples taken from Shakespear.At Wenderholm, the number of native seedling germinations within the gaps created in the Leptospermum scoparium and Kunzea ericoides canopy, was more than twice the number that germinated under the closed canopy. However, this difference was marginally non-significant (P=0.065). At Shakespear, the number of native seedling germinations within gaps created in the Leptospermum scoparium and Kunzea ericoides canopy was similar to the number that germinated under the closed canopy (P=0.2603).The results suggest that at Wenderholm, despite ongoing predator control, Trichosurus vulpecula and/or Oryctolagus cuniculus have had an adverse effect on the survival and growth of seedlings. The results also suggest that at Shakespear, Rattus rattus have had an adverse effect on the survival and growth of seedlings under the Leptospermum scoparium and Kunzea ericoides canopy. The distance from mature forest may also have had an impact on the dispersal of native seeds within the Leptospermum scoparium and Kunzea ericoides canopy. The implication of these results for the future management of restoration plantings in regional parks is discussed.

Thesis (M. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, 1964. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 45).

Thesis (B.A.(Hons.))--University of Adelaide, Dept. of English, 1994? / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-60).