Project (D. Min.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tenn., 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-155).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Vanderbilt University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-117).

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Trier, 2003.

Zugl.: Marburg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2005.

The research is a study of male working class pronunciation in the Rhondda, part of the 'Valleys' area of South East Wales. It encompasses both segmental and suprasegmental (prosodic) phonology. The segmental analysis is primarily auditory although it has some supporting acoustic detail. It examines the consonant and vowel systems of Rhondda Valleys English (RVE), with phonetic realizations and lexical incidence. Comparisons with British R.P. are made and similarities with neighbouring varieties of English (e.g. the West Country) and the Welsh Language are observed. The suprasegmental (prosodic) analysis is of spontaneous conversational data, and is auditory and instrumental. The phonology of RVE intonation is described mainly via a system of intonation phrases (IPs), accents, and terminal tones. IP tunes (overall contours) are observed to contain accent profiles whose pitch obtrusions to the stressed syllable are, in the majority of cases, downwards and whose initial pitch movement from the stressed syllable is rising in over 80% of final accents and final accents. A large majority of IP terminal tones in the data are ultimately rising. Aspects of length and rhythm are examined. Evidence is found of rhythmic organization, e.g. of alternation between strong and weak beats. Strongly accented syllables can be accompanied either by lengthening of the vowel, or by shortening of the vowel with lengthening of the succeeding consonant. Which of these two strategies is adopted by the speaker depends partly on the vowel and partly on how the speaker syllabifies the word. The final 'weak' syllable of an IP may be phonetically stronger (with greater duration, envelope amplitude and pitch prominence) than the accented penult. Several of the prosodic features of RVE are found to bear strong influence from the Welsh Language.

The purpose of this study was to investigate maritime terrorism, maritime piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships and the influence of specific role-players on the issue both internationally and regionally. The study investigated established measures to regulate and combat these threats and the reasons why some areas are more affected than others. The study focused on maritime terrorism, piracy and armed robbery of ships in East and West Africa and Southeast Asia in the 21st century (1 January 2000 to 31 December 2008), specifically as these are the regions most affected by such incidents. The study aimed to establish the following: <ul> <li> Which socio-economic, and political factors in individual states influence the occurrence of maritime terrorism, piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships and could piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships be eradicated if the socio-economic and political issues in affected countries receive more attention?</li> <li> Is the eradication of maritime piracy and terrorism at all possible considering the social problems facing underdeveloped countries, the effectiveness of current international measures in combating piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships, as well as current trends in global terrorism and organised crime?</li> <li> Why are all underdeveloped countries not affected by the problem of maritime piracy?</li> <li> Is there any proof that the use of force against pirates leads to an escalation in violence?</li> <li> What forms of interaction exist between maritime pirates and terrorist groups in these areas, and will the elimination of piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships have a major effect on the continued existence of maritime terrorism?</li></ul> Both socio-economic conditions and political factors in a given country or region have an influence on the occurrence of piracy, acts of armed robbery of ships and maritime terrorism, but could be countered by other factors such as the presence of strong law enforcement agencies. The level of violence existing in a country also plays a role. As the objectives of pirates and maritime terrorists differ, very few examples of interaction between these groups exist. Both pirates and terrorists adapt to measures instituted by the international community and change their tactics and areas of operations accordingly. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Political Sciences / unrestricted

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Forest degradation and deforestation have been pervasive problems in Indonesia and the country is placed second in terms of a high rate of tropical deforestation. Different definitions and different techniques have been used to quantify forest degradation and deforestation in Indonesia, and different factors have been detected as direct and underlying causes. However, almost no quantitative studies have been conducted to relate deforestation and forest degradation to the causes. This study quantifies the rate of forest degradation and deforestation between 2000 and 2009 in three provinces of Indonesia, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and South East Sulawesi, as a case study. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to generate geographic datasets to allow quantification; accompanied by a descriptive statistical analysis. Land cover in 2000 and 2009 was used as the basis of analysis. A national land use classification was aggregated into 10 different land use classes. Changes in land use between 2000 and 2009 allowed quantification of the rates of forest degradation and deforestation as well as the association between degradation and deforestation and potential causes. Overall, 95% of primary forest degradation in South Kalimantan, 65% in East Kalimantan, and 46% in SE Sulawesi were associated with direct causes such as forest concessions, mining activities and the government-sponsored transmigration program. The selected direct causes explain 56% of secondary forest deforestation in South Kalimantan, 44% in East Kalimantan and 55% in SE Sulawesi. Results of this study also show that forest degradation and deforestation occurred across the official forest areas. Almost 40% of forest degradation in South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan occurred in conservation forests and production forests respectively; while 57% of forest degradation in SE Sulawesi occurred in protected forests. Deforestation occurred 29% and 34% in the production forests of South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan respectively. In SE Sulawesi, 34% of deforestation occurred in watershed protection forests. This study suggests that current practice in the forest resources management in Indonesia is not effective and efficient enough to mitigate and to halt forest degradation and deforestation. This is due to the lack of consistency in implementing forest land use policy, mistaken policy interventions, and non-synchronised policy between central and local governments. Policy reform is needed to conserve the remaining forest resources and mega-diversity of Indonesia.

The positive contribution of finance to the process of economic development has been debated ever since Joseph Schumpeter famously argued in 1911 that services provided by finance are essential for technological innovation and growth. A substantial theoretical literature has produced increasingly sophisticated economic models endogenising the role of finance into the growth process, while empirical studies have put forward data to detect the link between the two. Yet a large part of the empirical surveys operate with macroeconomic or cross-section data and have little to say about the channels through which finance affects growth. This is where this dissertation comes in. It provides firm-level data from Bulgaria and Yugoslavia from the period 1919-1941 to tackle a number of questions related to finance, banking, and economic performance of the European economic periphery. The analysis is broadly divided into three parts – capital flows and the effects of international investment on domestic firms, banks and the real sector during the Great Depression, and the political economy of government intervention during the Depression and post-Depression period. The first substantive chapter (chapter 2) contributes to the literature on growth and capital flows by testing the hypothesis that foreign direct investment brings about productivity improvements to host economies via the channels of technology, liquidity and know-how transfer, as opposed to market access or increased competition. Chapter 3 revisits the prominent debate over the origins of the banking crises during the Great Depression and the effects these had on the real sectors. Evidence is provided in support of the debt deflation theory of banking crises, but the broad effects of the Depression on banks’ and firms’ balance is also explored. The higher the involvement of banks with industry both directly (via interlocking directorates or equity ownership), and indirectly, via the lending channel, the greater the negative effects of the crisis on banks’ balance sheets. The evidence points to negative feedbacks from bank distress to firms’ output losses in the form of a credit crunch. Chapter 4 uses a political economy framework to analyse the state interventions in the Balkan economies during and after the Depression. The data suggests that direct and indirect bailouts of banking and industry defined the role of the state. Government cronies from the financial and economic elite, as well as the agricultural sector ended up as winners from the process, while semi-skilled and unskilled labour paid the tax bill. These quantitative findings are in agreement with the broad conclusions of transaction cost economics where finance can play an important sorting role. They also support the empirical literature that rejects the contributions of portfolio investment but argues that direct foreign investment is a source of technological progress. The conclusions of the thesis, however, call for caution as market failure in the financial sector was abundant and political economy frictions could cause lasting damage to development.