Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p.122-129). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 125-137). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (doctoral)--Université de Paris VII, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-288).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2005. / "Publication number AAT 3186475."

This study sketches out the ways in which a candidate talks to voters. In modern presidential campaigning far too much of the focus is upon the broadcast media and their role in determining what gets filtered through to the citizenry. This is not a study of the effects of the mass media. No attempt is made here to dispute or confirm the effects of television upon the political process. Instead, this is a study of public speaking--the relatively direct interaction between the candidate and the potential voter. The work addresses a theoretical concern about creating a public space where political communication can occur. The study is divided into rhetorical analyses of key elements of the political arena that candidates from both parties constructed. The first chapter outlines the mythic rhetoric of citizen participation that characterizes this election in New Hampshire and outlines how the press attempts to locate representations of that participation. The following three chapters treat separately key elements of the public sphere by investigating where the candidates spoke and to whom, outlining the choices of formats for these appearances, and describing the sorts of language and image strategies employed by the candidates. A fifth major chapter depicts alternate constructions of public space that a handful of candidates used to deviate from the general patterns. Although this study is focused upon a single primary election and offers a clear historical record this is not the main purpose of the work. The analysis is spatially oriented and is meant to offer a geographic record of how the campaign was shaped by collective and individual conceptions of a public stage. To accomplish this purpose a rhetorical analysis of the political arena is used to create a "map" of the 1988 New Hampshire primary. This map details where the candidates chose to speak, to whom, in what manner, and with what language and images.

This doctoral project explores the evolution of regional uneven development in Jiangsu province under China’s growth-oriented state ideology during the economic reform era. Based upon a set of political-philosophical and historical analyses, it is argued that, as the foundation of China’s regime legitimacy in the reform era, the growth orientation of China’s dominant state ideology consisted of two key rationales, those are, China’s utilitarianism and its pragmatism. And, in order to concretely study the evolution of the regional unevenness between the south and north of Jiangsu province, two city-regions were selected as the basis for detailed empirical research. They are Changzhou city in the south and Nantong city in the north. Both the theoretical and empirical analyses were conducted under a three-stage periodization of economic reform. These are: the first stage (the late 1970s – the earlier 1990s), the second stage (the mid-1990s – the earlier 2000s), and the third stage (the earlier 2000s – 2013). It is found that, generally speaking, the dominant growth-oriented state ideology exercised key influences on regional unevenness in Jiangsu through a set of utilitarian and pragmatic institutional expressions and practices. And, corresponding to the influence of the growth-oriented state ideology, there are different kinds of strategically inscribed structural selectivities being expressed during different stage of the economic reform. Such selectivities are mainly exhibited by, and practised through, the dominant local growth patterns of the respective stage of the reform. Those are: TVE-driven growth, development zone-driven growth, and state-led, urbanisation-driven growth. Whilst the actual practices of these local growth patterns all decisively (re)produced and (re)shaped regional unevenness, they also exhibited, and were subject to, polymorphic and multidimensional sociospatial relations and processes which may be explored from the perspective of the so-called TPSN framework. It is proposed that whilst regional unevenness in Jiangsu province was increasing during the first two stages of reform, it was reduced during the third stage, though in a highly unsustainable and socially unjust fashion.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2005. / "Publication number AAT 3186482."

<p> According to the scholarly literature, civic engagement practices inclusive of historically marginalized groups are critical to promote justice and contribute to the health of American democracy. Empirical studies meanwhile reveal a grim report of participation from low-income families and/or persons living in ethnically/racially diverse communities in decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods. Scholars have called for further research to address the gap in understanding how barriers to participation are created and reproduced in the day to day experience in marginalized communities, and what if anything can be done to transcend barriers and boundaries to broad based civic engagement. </p><p> By focusing on a high profile civic engagement effort in one low-income, multiethnic urban community, this research provides a context rich, textured account that sheds new light on these important questions. Drawing on four years of ethnographic research, this study finds that social and spatial boundary work intended to build diverse community engagement for an <i>inclusive </i> initiative ultimately created an <i>exclusive</i> process that kept most stakeholders out. This manuscript explains how these boundaries were created, how people gave them objective reality, and what their consequences were. The study also raises two fundamental needs for the future of civic engagement theory and practice: to change practices which are ineffective and often counterproductive of civic engagement objectives, and, to define an approach leading to meaningful participation. In response to these needs and associated tensions, this manuscript offers an integrated framework providing insights into how to create robust opportunities for civic engagement efforts in low-income and multiethnic communities.</p>

<p> The interplay between governmentality, biopolitics and the state manifests itself discursively and materially within the realm of sovereignty over territory and at the level of the population. This thesis is specifically concerned with the relational contexts of the People's Republic of China during the 'War on Terror.' Hence, this thesis engages how the state discursively produces what and how 'Uyghur' is relationally dependent on transforming notions of state sovereignty during the 'War on Terror.' Accordingly, the discursivity of 'Uyghur' allows for dialectic production by the state and the ontological rationalization of governmental practice that produces difference.</p>

Microgeneration technologies, such as solar photovoltaics (PV), have recently been cited as a potential solution to energy policy challenges such as climate change and security of supply. International evidence suggests that the benefit of a PV installation will depend on both the amount of electricity generated and the technology’s influence on energy consumption behaviour. This study seeks to quantify and explain this ‘double-dividend’ effect by examining photovoltaics in the UK domestic sector. Questionnaire and interview data were collected from owner-occupier PV households, revealing that the installation of PV increased awareness of electricity generation and consumption in the home. Guided by monitoring devices, an overall electricity saving (~8%) and load-shifting behaviours were observed. Although the installation of PV followed a series of other energy-saving measures, respondents showed an ongoing commitment to environmentally responsible behaviour and further reduction of the carbon footprint of household energy consumption. PV household electricity data and interviews with industry and government found that electricity tariffs, metering and other institutional constraints were important determinants of a household’s behavioural response. As these parts of the domestic PV system are largely still evolving, it is recommended that households and industry work together to develop systems that support sustainable electricity use, for both the early adopting households studied here and future adopters.