Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Laszlo Kulcsar / This dissertation examines the discourse of biofuels development in Kansas as promoted by rural growth machines. Corn-based ethanol production capacity and use in the United States has grown exponentially between 2000 and 2009, culminating with the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act’s 36 billion gallon Renewable Fuels Standard 2. At the national level, biofuels development is promoted by the media as important to national goals such as energy/national security, economic growth, and environmental improvement. Examination of the biofuels discourse employed content analysis of newspaper articles as well as in-depth individual interviews and focus groups. The analysis revealed that rural growth machines created an ethanol discourse similar to the one promoted at national level, but with an almost exclusive emphasis on the economic development frame. The rural growth machine’s ideological hegemony promoting ethanol development in the region was maintained through their power of creating and disseminating information. For the issue of biofuels development in Kansas, the analyzed newspapers played both conduit and contributor roles, as newspaper coverage strongly supported the interests of growth machines when the subject was local economic growth opportunities. Members of the rural growth machines set an exclusive and one-sided discourse to legitimate their pro-growth activities and to portray the ethanol development projects as corresponding with the wider good of these communities. Because of dwindling demographic and economic bases as well as scarce natural resources, local political and economic elites approached the issue of growth form a standpoint of hegemony. They promoted growth to carry out their own political and economic agenda while there was a strong desire among the residents for almost any type of economic development. This might explain the weak opposition to the actions of the growth machine in these rural settings.

Although literature on flood risk and environmental justice investigates the link between race and ethnicity and vulnerability to floods, few studies examine the distribution of flood mitigation amenities. This study analyzes census tract proximity to flood mitigation projects (FMPs) completed between 2012 and 2016 in Harris County, Texas to determine if a) project location is biased towards economic growth and the urban core; b) areas most impacted by previous floods are prioritized for drainage assistance; and c) if low-income and Latinx populations are being neglected. A spatial error regression analysis indicates that FMPs are significantly proximate to the urban core, net of other factors. Results also indicate no significant relationship between census tract-level Latinx composition, income status, and proximity to FMPs. Finally, built environment characteristics and locations of previous flooding had no significant effect on where projects were placed.

Crystallization is an increasingly important process in a variety of applications from drug development to single crystal X-ray diffraction structure determination. However, while there is a good deal of research into prediction of molecular crystal structure, the factors that cause a molecule to be crystallizable have so far remained poorly understood. The aim of this project was to answer the seemingly straightforward question: can we predict how easily a molecule will crystallize? The Cambridge Structural Database contains almost a million examples of materials from the scientific literature that have crystallized. Models for the prediction of crystallization propensity of organic molecular materials were developed by training machine learning algorithms on carefully curated sets of molecules which are either observed or not observed to crystallize, extracted from a database of commercially available molecules. The models were validated computationally and experimentally, while feature extraction methods and high resolution powder diffraction studies were used to understand the molecular and structural features that determine the ease of crystallization. This led to the development of a new molecular descriptor which encodes information about the conformational flexibility of a molecule. The best models gave error rates of less than 5% for both cross-validation data and previously-unseen test data, demonstrating that crystallization propensity can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy. Molecular size, flexibility and nitrogen atom environments were found to be the most influential factors in determining the ease of crystallization, while microstructural features determined by powder diffraction showed almost no correlation with the model predictions. Further predictions on co-crystals show scope for extending the methodology to other relevant applications.

No description available.

<p>Who runs the development? A comparative study of the construction of residential buildings in Nacka and Södertälje.</p><p>The aim of this study is to identify actors involved in the initiation and implementation of residential house construction in two Swedish municipalities. This means who is taking initiative for new residential buildings, who affects the planning process, who finances these new buildings and who builds them. By exploring empiric material from the municipalities of Nacka and Södertälje, the above questions will be answered and by referring to pluralism, growth machine theory and regime theory a link to general theories of political science is made. The results found show that the analysed municipalities have quite different possibilities for acting and that these backgrounds are also important for which actors will take initiative for new residential buildings and which actors will be allowed to state their opinion during the planning process. Due to these differences I claim that the empirical material from the two municipalities are best described by two different theories from the above mentioned.</p>

This study tries to identify agencies&rsquo / strategies in the &lsquo / urban restructuring&rsquo / of Antalya into a &lsquo / city of culture&rsquo / by examining the underlying relation between urban cultural policies and global capitalism. Pursuing the relational thinking of the Marxist urban political economy paradigm, the theoretical frames for the concepts of &lsquo / restructuring&rsquo / and &lsquo / city of culture&rsquo / were investigated using multi-dimensional approaches of existing scholarly literature. Since the concept &lsquo / city of culture&rsquo / involves growth oriented development strategies of cities competing with other cities for capital, the concept is examined in these sub-fields: (field of art and culture / subfield(s) of urban -planning, -governance, -politics, -design / field of economy / field of tourism). Thus, to outline a theory of practice for the &lsquo / growth machine&rsquo / agents, the transformation of the &lsquo / forms of capital&rsquo / that both the agents and Antalya &lsquo / city&rsquo / possess is examined in four sub-fields in the general field of power in Antalya. Various qualitative research methods were used to understand what underlies the restructuring process. Most of the qualitative data resulted from direct interviews / 28 individuals from six groups (the representatives of -cultural, educational and academic institutions / -capitalist investors / -local government / -NGOs / -central government / Antalyalite Intelligentsia) and a group interview (with 6 academics at Akdeniz University) during the field research conducted between 2006 and 2008. This thesis identifies the Antalya Greater Municipality (AGM) as the leading agency in the pro-growth coalition in Antalya with support from ATSO (Antalya Chamber of Trade and Commerce) among various other local and global agents (T&Uuml / RSAK, iGM-istanbul Greater Municipality, WTO, EU) with their wealth of economic, cultural, commercial, social, and symbolic capitals influencing urban restructuring in Antalya. Opposing them is a group critical of cultural, economic and urban policies compatible with the policies trying to ease the transformation of Antalya into a festival marketplace or fantasy city. Eventually, it is argued that the urban elites&rsquo / strategies to transform Antalya into a &lsquo / city of culture&rsquo / have produced a &lsquo / growth machine&rsquo / using the world city ideology to convince people of the benefits of this transformation. The essential finding of this study is that the &lsquo / state&rsquo / is the most active player in the restructuring process through its interventions in various fields.

No description available.

Community development is an ongoing issue that faces communities as they develop. This is a case study where two communities where faced with an identical development proposal involving Bluegrass Stockyards. Bluegrass Stockyards a prominent livestock marketing business, located in Lexington, KY needed to relocate its facility and looked at communities in Lincoln and Woodford County Kentucky as possible new locations. By looking at the case of Bluegrass Stockyards this study is able to use Conflict Theory, Growth Theory and Frame Analysis to look at the development process and issues that was associated with this development proposal. With the two communities being faced with the same proposal, and the proposals having different outcomes, the study is able to gain a better understanding of how development occurs within these two rural communities. This study provides information to both developers and community development professionals on what issues will need to be addressed with a livestock marketing center relocation and how the different issues should be addressed in order to make the process more efficient and beneficial to the involved communities.

本論文利用超穩定機器的概念，用以解釋天津城市成長轉型的路徑選擇，三個觀察的指標包括支柱產業的選擇、土地政策的更迭以及行政區劃的調整成果。既有針對中國大陸城市治理的文獻概以成長機器作為主軸。但本文認為，受政績誘因以及中央地方關係制約下的初始條件影響，1980年代的天津以超穩定機器而非成長機器的方式運作，具體運作面向包括漸進的經濟改革、具福利性質的土地使用政策以及對外資的保守與防範。事實證明，當時建立的產業發展方向、土地運用制度與城市內部行政體制，對於天津今天在加速經濟增長階段仍然具有相當的影響力。天津經濟轉型過程中呈現的路徑依賴特質，也突顯出地方政府從超穩定機器邁向成長機器轉型的過程中，實際上涉及了學習與轉化的考驗。 / This dissertation aims to identify the patterns of urban transition in China that uses Tianjin as a specific case. In order to illustrate my argument, an analytical approach that combines path dependence and pro-stability machine is employed. Existing literature that attempts to explore the dynamics of urban development in China has been made predominantly on the basis of the “growth machine” model, which takes the growth of cities as a result of interaction among some internal urban-based players for pecuniary gains and property development. Yet, I argue that Tianjin as a pro-stability machine in the 1980s and the story background was bounded by the official’s incentive of promotion and initial provincial conditions backed by the central government influences. This dissertation identifies three core issues in relation to the pro-stability machine, including: incremental reform in economic area, welfare implication in land use policies and conservative attitude toward foreign forces. Such issues associated with challenges of rapid urban growth in Tianjin today: the selection of pillar industries, reforming land policies and drastic administrative restructuring in Binhai New Area. This dissertation argues that Tianjin’s experience significantly highlights difficulties faced with local governments when they confront with the ‘path dependency’ dilemma in economic transition. The Tianjin government has to not only adjust itself to the roles shifted from a pro-stability machine to a developmental machine but also deal with the accompanied challenges of learning and transformation. It seeks to fill the gap in the existing literature that pays scant attention to the urban renewal experience in Tianjin as a traditionally significant developmental center in north China. This dissertation, therefore, will make important contribution in two aspects. First, it will shed light on the institutional reform process in Tianjin that is critical to the developmental catch-up of the city. Second, it will offer a fresh insight into the debates upon the urban development models in contemporary China.

國家是在一定的領域內所有權力集中的中心。長久以來，都市政治所關心的核心議題為國家機器等行動主體之權力結構為何、結盟的誘因及權力運用的機制與結果又為何等等，此皆攸關都市發展，而都市的發展則脫離不了土地政策的制定與實施，以土地的管理分配與土地利益的炒作，是透過政治運作而成，而政治的本質在於利益的追求，則都市政治與土地政策之政經關係為何，是值關切。本研究以都市政治的理論基礎為主軸，輔以權力三面向作為理論分析的架構，並以南科特定區開發案為例，論述都市政治與土地政策之政經結構，探究國家機器等行動主體之權力結構，並剖析我國土地政策之結構性問題及作進一步的反省。 研究發現，隨著政治民主化，地方與中央的權力關係面臨了轉變與調節，中央雖仍居關鍵地位，惟地方與中央已建構起「地方挑戰中央，中央仰賴地方」的巧妙關係。在南科特定區開發案中，誘發成長下土地利益為都市成長機器背後成長的基礎，地方、中央政府與資本利益團體之間已鏈結為利益共生的妥協性結盟，過程中雖然在地農民從被迫呈現「親開發」的無奈，到反成長聯盟為國家機器意識形態操弄下制度性的排除與嚇阻，惟卻點燃了對抗成長聯盟的火苗。而個案「三贏」的真相，不僅是地方與中央權力的較勁，更是政客與官僚自利心作祟下，挾持公共利益，游走法律邊緣，操弄文字為資本利益團體「圈地」、「養地」的野蠻遊戲。此不僅呼應成長機器論者所論述「Local Politics ＝ Land Politics」的鐵律，更驗證都市政權理論者所強調「power to」的權力關係，另地方的主要本質雖為成長機器，惟關鍵卻是「成長」的結果，所創造的利益並非為全民所共享。在土地政策為選票保證的關鍵舞台，政客選舉至上的習性，視民意為糞土，其經濟發展掛帥的結果，官僚不僅在名利束縛下盲目的迎合上意，邊陲部門更是自我矮化淪為附庸。以土地作為空間規劃的平台，位居關鍵地位，土地應承擔更多的使命，則土地政策結構性問題的解決應回歸制度面，以跳脫「金權城市」的枷鎖。而民意的覺醒，對抗成長的共識已凝聚成一股巨大的力量，反成長聯盟的聖戰終將迫使政經合流國家機器這異形巨獸無所遁形，且這股力量亦將促使大地的守護者—人民成為國家機器權力巨獸的領航者，帶領國家駛向康莊大道，共創社會福祉。 / In certain areas, a country is the concentrated center of all powers. Over the past few years, urban politics concern for the following core issues; what is the political structure of the state machinery and the other political actors? What are the incentives for alliances? And what is the functioning mechanism for using powers and what are their results etc.? These are euphemistically vital to urban development. In addition, urban development is inseparable from land policy formulation and its implementation. Land management, land allocation and land profit speculations are all made through a political operation. But the essence of politics is to pursue interests. Therefore, it is worthy of concerning and discussing the political relationship between urban politics and land policies.In this case study, the theoretical basis of urban politics is a main element for discussion, supported by a theoretical analysis framework of the power’s three dimensions, also taking Tainan Science-based Industrial Park Special District as an example to elaborate the political and economic structure of urban politics and land policies, to explore the power structure of state apparatus and other emergent political actors, to explore the structural problem of Taiwan’s land polices and other further reflections. According to the case study, accompanying Taiwan’s political democratization, local and central governments were facing a shift and adjustment in their power relationship. In this case study’s period, the central government still led a key position. However, local and central governments had constructed a clever relationship as “local government challenging the central government”, and “central government relying on local government.”In the case of Tainan Science-based Industrial Park Special District, the induced growth of interests behind the land profits are laying the background growing foundation of the urban development. Between capital interest groups and local (including central) governments, both have links to a compromise alliance for their symbiotic interests. During the developmental process, local farmers were forced to show their helpless “pro-development” attitude. Under the institutional exclusion and deterrence, farmers were forced to join anti-growth coalition by the ideological manipulation of the state apparatus, but it also fired the flames against the growing alliances. The in-depth truth under the case “three win,” is not only describing the competition between local and central authorities, but also describing their self-serving hearts of politicians and bureaucrats to held hostage in terms of public interests, to walk a legal edge, and to manipulate the text for capital interest groups’ excuses of “land enclosure” and “land raised,” in a brutal game of earning profits.The case study is echoed growth machine commentators’ discussing the iron law of “Local Politics” equals “Land Politics.” It also verifies the urban regime theorists’ emphasizing “power to,” the relationship of power. The other main area is discussing the push for local growth, “although the nature of the growth machine.” However, the key is “growth results,” of which were not shared by all the people.It holds a key position to use spatial planning as a platform, among which the land policies should shoulder more of the mission. The land policies should return back to the systemic way and be institutionalized to escape the yoke of “money power rooted in the city.” The awakening of the public opinion against growth has been a consensus and condensed into a strong force. The anti-growth coalition jihad will eventually force the state apparatus, with political and economic convergence like a twisted-shaped monster, from the escape of detection. And this force will eventually be promoted as a guardian of the earth – therefore, the people will become the leader of the state machinery (power monster) to guide the country towards a broader road and create more social well-being.