In this paper I would like to raise the question at which extent the Union's cohesion policy can promote convergence within the Union. I will discuss major aspects of an analysis on the justification and of the design of the Union's cohesion policy. For this purpose recent empirical data and policies will be investigated. The paper will focus on the weaker Member States of the European Union. (author's abstract) / Series: EI Working Papers / Europainstitut

Immigration issues have dominated the political discourse of liberal democracies around the world in the 21st century. Recent elections in the United States and the Netherlands focused extensively on migrant flows, illegal immigration and migrant integration. Upcoming elections in France seem to be operating within similar parameters. These occurrences underpin a larger critique about the perceived failure of liberal democratic institutions to contend with immigration trends and successfully integrate migrants within their societies. Nowhere has this critique been more prevalent than within the public and political discourse of the European Union, the institution of focus for this paper. As the EU member states struggle to cope with their migrant issues, scholars are increasingly looking to the larger EU governmental structure to anticipate how the region will handle these challenges. Accordingly, much of the scholarly work done on subjects such as integration policy within the EU are mainly focused upon the perceived convergence of policy amongst member states. The intent of this thesis therefore, is to evaluate the validity of claims that migrant integration policy is converging amongst EU member states, and to explain why this may be the case. This was accomplished via a cross-comparison of policy outcome scores, (provided by the Migration Integration Policy Index), over time between EU-15 and EU-12 states. The convergence of policy in the EU is a topic that has been routinely addressed by scholars, but by examining the potential trends amongst the traditionally ignored EU-12 states, this thesis hopes to contribute to the academic discourse by providing a different perspective.

This study sought to understand using qualitative methods why and how the Government of Singapore came to set-up organized research units (ORU) in her two autonomous universities - the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). That is, are ORUs the chief means in transforming NUS and NTU into top WCUs? The underpinnings of the institutional theory in the globalized context, the theory of academic capitalism, and guidance by frameworks on educational policy transfer, as well as the glonacal heuristics, together with document and discourse analysis of published documents, aided in the design of this study.This study finds that key state and institutional actors in Singapore decided to emulate the key features of U.S.-originated organized research units to make R&D and innovation-led economic growth the vehicle of sustaining this global city-state's global competitiveness in the knowledge-economy and to better elevate the status of both NUS and NTU as world-class. Because global rankings have branding implications, catch-up nations and institutions should make serious attempts to balance the ranking-enhancement effort with their local, national, and regional science-research needs given the constraints of available capital and resources.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:20:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mariano Rua Lamarca Junior.pdf: 2418858 bytes, checksum: 6ea8fd2c9013941f884e45a73db0c21d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / We will analyze in this work public policies to promote the use of renewable energy sources within a group of selected countries, which are the industrialized countries in the Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol, the emerging BRICS group of countries (Brasil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the USA, focusing on solar energy for electricity generation. Comparing the main energy policies that are being designed in this representative group of countries, we find that is currently under construction, supported by a portfolio of policies that we will identify in the research, revolutionary technological innovation systems as a means of generating electricity from solar energy. We will demonstrate that the changes underway in energy policies of the most diverse Nation-States, setting goals for the participation of renewables in their energy mix, represent a global process of policy convergence, and that societies are moving towards a new paradigm where the pursuit of sustainability plays a key role in the policy building process / Analisaremos neste trabalho as políticas públicas de incentivo ao uso de fontes de energia renováveis dentro de um grupo de países selecionados, que são os países industrializados do Anexo B do Protocolo de Kyoto, os países emergentes do bloco BRICS (Brasil, Rússia, Índia, China e África do Sul) e os EUA, com foco na energia solar para geração de eletricidade. Comparando as principais políticas públicas de energia que vêm sendo desenhadas neste representativo grupo de países, verificaremos que encontram-se atualmente em construção, apoiados por um portfólio de políticas que iremos identificar na pesquisa, revolucionários sistemas de inovação tecnológica como meio de produção de eletricidade por energia solar. Iremos demonstrar que as mudanças em curso nas políticas de energia dos mais diversos Estados-Nação, estabelecendo objetivos de participação de energias renováveis em suas matrizes energéticas, representam um processo global de convergência de políticas, e que as sociedades estão avançando em direção a um novo paradigma onde a busca da sustentabilidade assume um papel fundamental no processo de construção de políticas

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:53:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mariano Rua Lamarca Junior.pdf: 2418858 bytes, checksum: 6ea8fd2c9013941f884e45a73db0c21d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / We will analyze in this work public policies to promote the use of renewable energy sources within a group of selected countries, which are the industrialized countries in the Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol, the emerging BRICS group of countries (Brasil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the USA, focusing on solar energy for electricity generation. Comparing the main energy policies that are being designed in this representative group of countries, we find that is currently under construction, supported by a portfolio of policies that we will identify in the research, revolutionary technological innovation systems as a means of generating electricity from solar energy. We will demonstrate that the changes underway in energy policies of the most diverse Nation-States, setting goals for the participation of renewables in their energy mix, represent a global process of policy convergence, and that societies are moving towards a new paradigm where the pursuit of sustainability plays a key role in the policy building process / Analisaremos neste trabalho as políticas públicas de incentivo ao uso de fontes de energia renováveis dentro de um grupo de países selecionados, que são os países industrializados do Anexo B do Protocolo de Kyoto, os países emergentes do bloco BRICS (Brasil, Rússia, Índia, China e África do Sul) e os EUA, com foco na energia solar para geração de eletricidade. Comparando as principais políticas públicas de energia que vêm sendo desenhadas neste representativo grupo de países, verificaremos que encontram-se atualmente em construção, apoiados por um portfólio de políticas que iremos identificar na pesquisa, revolucionários sistemas de inovação tecnológica como meio de produção de eletricidade por energia solar. Iremos demonstrar que as mudanças em curso nas políticas de energia dos mais diversos Estados-Nação, estabelecendo objetivos de participação de energias renováveis em suas matrizes energéticas, representam um processo global de convergência de políticas, e que as sociedades estão avançando em direção a um novo paradigma onde a busca da sustentabilidade assume um papel fundamental no processo de construção de políticas

The international air transportation industry has historically been a paradox. While the industry enables globalization, historically, the international air transportation regulatory regime has been largely mired in protectionism. This restrictive regime was developed by national actors, who either owned or heavily subsidized their domestic carriers, and guarded their interests very closely, thus insulating the industry from large levels of foreign competition. This paradox of international air transportation continued until the development of convergence in regulatory policy through the 2007 ‘open skies-plus’ air transportation agreement between the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). This thesis examines the developmental process of this agreement as an examination of policy convergence theory, in order identify the explanatory powers leading to the formation of the ‘open skies-plus’ agreement. To identify the explanatory powers, a comparative analysis is established, using two historical reference points, t(0) and t(1), as case studies. This thesis uses two mechanisms for the development of policy convergence, international harmonization and regulatory competition, to identify why the convergence took place at this specific time and why it was set at this specific level of regulation. Using these mechanisms, the 2002 European Court of Justice (ECJ) ‘open skies’ ruling is identified as the explanatory power for the convergence of policy in this field, and the precedent set by the previous bilateral agreement between the US and the Netherlands is identified as establishing the standards of regulation in the 2007 ‘open skies-plus’ agreement. The thesis concludes with an examination of the prospects for further liberalization of transatlantic air transportation, as well as recommendations for the continued development of the field.

The international air transportation industry has historically been a paradox. While the industry enables globalization, historically, the international air transportation regulatory regime has been largely mired in protectionism. This restrictive regime was developed by national actors, who either owned or heavily subsidized their domestic carriers, and guarded their interests very closely, thus insulating the industry from large levels of foreign competition. This paradox of international air transportation continued until the development of convergence in regulatory policy through the 2007 ‘open skies-plus’ air transportation agreement between the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). This thesis examines the developmental process of this agreement as an examination of policy convergence theory, in order identify the explanatory powers leading to the formation of the ‘open skies-plus’ agreement. To identify the explanatory powers, a comparative analysis is established, using two historical reference points, t(0) and t(1), as case studies. This thesis uses two mechanisms for the development of policy convergence, international harmonization and regulatory competition, to identify why the convergence took place at this specific time and why it was set at this specific level of regulation. Using these mechanisms, the 2002 European Court of Justice (ECJ) ‘open skies’ ruling is identified as the explanatory power for the convergence of policy in this field, and the precedent set by the previous bilateral agreement between the US and the Netherlands is identified as establishing the standards of regulation in the 2007 ‘open skies-plus’ agreement. The thesis concludes with an examination of the prospects for further liberalization of transatlantic air transportation, as well as recommendations for the continued development of the field.

The international air transportation industry has historically been a paradox. While the industry enables globalization, historically, the international air transportation regulatory regime has been largely mired in protectionism. This restrictive regime was developed by national actors, who either owned or heavily subsidized their domestic carriers, and guarded their interests very closely, thus insulating the industry from large levels of foreign competition. This paradox of international air transportation continued until the development of convergence in regulatory policy through the 2007 ‘open skies-plus’ air transportation agreement between the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). This thesis examines the developmental process of this agreement as an examination of policy convergence theory, in order identify the explanatory powers leading to the formation of the ‘open skies-plus’ agreement. To identify the explanatory powers, a comparative analysis is established, using two historical reference points, t(0) and t(1), as case studies. This thesis uses two mechanisms for the development of policy convergence, international harmonization and regulatory competition, to identify why the convergence took place at this specific time and why it was set at this specific level of regulation. Using these mechanisms, the 2002 European Court of Justice (ECJ) ‘open skies’ ruling is identified as the explanatory power for the convergence of policy in this field, and the precedent set by the previous bilateral agreement between the US and the Netherlands is identified as establishing the standards of regulation in the 2007 ‘open skies-plus’ agreement. The thesis concludes with an examination of the prospects for further liberalization of transatlantic air transportation, as well as recommendations for the continued development of the field. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate

在全球化與資訊通訊科技的脈絡下，各級政府之間為解決政策問題或改善政策績效而相互進行政策學習已成為趨勢。本研究應用政策趨同以及政策學習理論，分析在國內已形成顯著趨同現象的1999專線政策，並選取新北市政府為個案進行深入探討。研究結果顯示，行政區劃層級為直轄市、位於北部或中部、人口數百萬以上的縣市在1999專線上比較有採納趨同的傾向，趨同縣市在土地面積、高山地區比率、道路里程密度，行政機關公務人員數，以及歲入上也較未趨同縣市為多。在細部的服務機制和委外範圍上，各縣市仍多少有差異，較不完備之縣市則呈現人口數以及歲入較少的特徵。1999專線的趨同力量中並無中央政府的強制力介入，促成趨同的可能原因有觀念普及、政治壓力、競爭壓力、問題壓力，以及創新的認知屬性等因素導致。在政策學習分析的部分，新北市政府學習過程中的關鍵行動者為文官體系所形成的移植網絡，並以臺北市為最主要的學習對象，地理區位的接近性以及由此衍生的過往關係為雙方互動交流的有利基礎。然而新北市與臺北市之間存有結構性差異，無法全盤移植臺北市政府的經驗。本研究也發現，臺北市政府在國內1999專線的政策趨同或政策學習上扮演了重要的關鍵角色，其作為一個中介者向外國政府師法、本土化後將此政策資訊傳播給國內地方政府，成為許多地方政府的學習對象。本研究作為一初探性研究，建議未來除在學術上應豐富有關趨同及學習模式之研究外，並應將政策學習理論結合實務的管理面，建置政策知識庫以及制度化的政策學習網絡，讓地方政府的施政經驗得以保存、累積與流通應用，以作為政策知識管理和學習的有效後盾，提昇政策績效。 / Under the influence of globalization and information and communication technologies, governments at all levels get more chances to learn policy across boundaries as a way to solve policy problem or to enhance policy performance. The thesis applies policy convergence and policy learning theory to analyze the 1999 citizen hotline in Taiwan, takes New Taipei City as a case, and intends to examine the process and contributing factors for policy learning. The results show municipality, located in northern or central Taiwan with population of several million or more, tend to convergence in 1999 citizen hotline. There are some differences between convergence city and non-convergence city in land area, the ratio of total land area of alpine areas, density of the road mileage, number of public servants, and revenue. The possible reasons leading to convergence include the diffusion of concept, political pressure, the pressure of competition, the pressure of problem-solving, and the cognitive attributes of innovation. In the policy learning process of New Taipei City, the key actors are policy transfer network consist of civil servants. Taipei City is the main learning objects of New Taipei City. The proximity of geographic location and past relations is the basis for the interaction between New Taipei City and Taipei City. However, there are structural differences between the two cities; therefore, New Taipei City didn’t photocopy all the details in 1999 citizen hotline of Taipei City. This research also finds that the important role of Taipei City in the policy convergence or policy learning of 1999 citizen hotline. Taipei City, as an intermediary earned from a foreign government, localized the policy, and disseminated policy information to the domestic local governments. Based on the findings, the author suggests the government should construct policy knowledge base, and institutionalize the transfer network to improve policy performance. As an exploratory study, the author also suggests the academics could establish more appropriate convergence models by quantitative statistical analysis, or include more cities to compare models of policy learning in the future.

<p>Some researchers argue that the immigrant integration approaches in liberal (and “Western-“) states are becoming more and more alike. Some claim that the previous philosophises of integration (i.e. multiculturalism, segregationism, universalism and assimilationism) no longer exists in liberal states. This study assesses the robustness of this “convergence claim” within an East-EU context. The purpose of the study is to analyse the policy trends of immigrant integration in the East-EU and assess the robustness of the convergence claim. The analysis and methodological approach is based on a theoretical framework of ideal-types (multiculturalism, segregationism, universalism and assimilationism). The study objects are Estonia and Poland, and the analysis is primarily based on national legislation and policy documents. The study describes the immigrant integration trends in Poland and Estonia in the “post-Soviet era”, looking at the policy trends between 1991-2008. During this period both countries have shown tendencies of segregationism and cultural monism. It is clear that Estonia and Poland (i.e. parts of East-EU) have not adopted a more “Western-style” approach regarding immigrant integration, i.e. there is no evidence of such convergence. In fact, the ethnic component of their immigrant integration approaches stands in contrast to the “convergence thesis”.</p>