Le partage d'informations dans les systèmes de réseaux sociaux (SRS) suscite des inquiétudes concernant de possibles abus impactant la vie privée. La possibilité pour les utilisateurs de contrôler les informations qu'ils partagent avec le fournisseur de SRS et avec les autres utilisateurs peut être améliorée par la décentralisation des données personnelles et par une gestion appropriée des conflits entre politiques. Prenant son inspiration dans l'approche de décentralisation, la première contribution de cette thèse est la proposition de propriétés relevant de la conception du SRS et impactant la vie privée lorsqu'elles sont considérées par rapport à une gradation de la décentralisation. Ces propriétés ont été organises dans une grille d'analyse multicritères conçue pour analyser et comparer les SRS. L'application de la théorie des treillis à cette grille permet d'évaluer, de classifier et de visualiser différents SRS dans une hiérarchie partielle. Alors que la décentralisation résoudre des problèmes impliquant le fournisseur de SRS, les politiques de vie privée jouent un rôle majeur dans la protection contre les accès non autorisés par d'autres utilisateurs. La seconde contribution de cette thèse consiste en l'introduction du concept d'équité dans le contexte de la gestion des conflits entre politiques. Un algorithme conçu pour maintenir l'équité entre les utilisateurs de SRS est introduit pour résoudre les conflits pouvant survenir entre les politiques de plusieurs utilisateurs, évitant que certains puissent gagner un avantage sur d'autres. L'évaluation montre que l'approche introduite dans cette thèse conduit à de meilleurs résultats que les stratégies classiques de résolution de conflits, réduisant ainsi les iniquités existantes en termes d'application des politiques. / In Social Network Systems (SNSs), the sharing of information leads to many privacy concerns about potential abuses of personal information. Users’ control over information shared with the SNS provider and with other users could be improved in SNSs through the decentralization of personal data, and the proper management of policy conflicts. Inspired by the decentralization approach, the firrst contribution of this thesis is the proposal of SNS design properties relevant to privacy when considered along a gradation of decentralization. These properties are organized in a multi-criteria analysis grid, designed to analyze and compare SNSs. The application of a lattice structure on this grid allows to evaluate, classify and visualize different SNSs within a partial hierarchy. While decentralization solves issues involving the SNS provider, privacy policies play a leading role in the protection of unauthorized data access from other users. The second contribution of this thesis consists in the introduction of the concept of equity in the context of policy conflict management. An algorithm to maintain equity between users in SNSs is introduced to solve conflicts that may arise between the privacy policies of several users, avoiding that some users take advantage over others. The evaluation shows that the equity approach introduced in this thesis leads to better results than classical conflict resolution strategies, reducing existing inequities in terms of policy enforcement.

Since 2000, the number of living wage ordinances has steadily increased throughout the country. While most of the current research has focused on the beneficial outcomes of living wages, little has been published on their administrative practices. To address this shortcoming, this study focused on the identification of key administrative and political factors involved impacting the implementation of living wage ordinances in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. The study utilized a triangulation of interviews, surveys, and direct observation. The author conducted interviews of administrators and members of the living wage oversight boards in both counties and observed the monthly meetings held by each county’s oversight board from January 2006 to June 2007. These findings were buttressed with a national survey of senior staff in other living wage communities. The study utilized descriptive statistics, Chi Square, Cronbach’s Alpha, and Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient (Spearman’s rho). Interviews indicated that administrators in Dade and Broward are seriously under-staffed and budgeted. Ambiguities in the enabling ordinances have lead to loopholes that undermine implementation and accountability for participating contractors. Survey results showed that policy ambiguity, organizational politics, and a lack of organizational capacity were significant negative factors in the implementation process while an organizational culture emphasizing consistent enforcement was a positive factor. Without the proper inputs, an organization hinders itself from meeting its outputs and outcomes. This study finds that Broward and Miami-Dade Counties do not provide the necessary administrative support to implement a living wage effectively – in stark contrast to the high hopes and strong political support behind their passage. For a living wage to succeed, it first needs an organizational culture committed to providing the necessary resources for implementation as well as transparent, consistent accountability mechanisms.

This diploma thesis will basically work with the concept of security, namely, the European secu- rity in recent years. Although Ukraine is not a NATO member, and Russia is NATO's distant neighbour, in this thesis I will prove that we should connect the events on Ukrainian border with European security. From the very onset of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, NATO was firm in its support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The Allies immediately condemned the illegal "legitimate annexation" of the Crimea to Russia in March 2014 and they have repeatedly stated that they would never recognize it as well. They also condemned deliberate destabilization in eastern Ukraine which was provoked by Russia with the use of its military intervention and militants' support. The crisis in Ukraine has proved to be a real turning point in Euro-Atlantic security since some senior Western politicians began to speak about changes in the guideline of European defense policy. Ukrainian crisis created new security situation in Europe and still requires attention, in- volvement and response from NATO. This crisis sharpened strategic misunderstanding between Russia and the West. It shows very clearly that Moscow and the West understand European security in...