This thesis describes a practice based research journey across various projects dealing with the design of algorithms, to highlight the governance implications in design choices made on them. The research provides answers and documents methodologies to address the urgent need for more awareness of decisions made by algorithms about the social and economical context in which we live. Algorithms consitute a foundational basis across different fields of studies: policy making, governance, art and technology. The ability to understand what is inscribed in such algorithms, what are the consequences of their execution and what is the agency left for the living world is crucial. Yet there is a lack of interdisciplinary and practice based literature, while specialised treatises are too narrow to relate to the broader context in which algorithms are enacted. This thesis advances the awareness of algorithms and related aspects of sovereignty through a series of projects documented as participatory action research. One of the projects described, Devuan, leads to the realisation of a new, worldwide renown operating system. Another project, "sup", consists of a minimalist approach to mission critical software and literate programming to enhance security and reliability of applications. Another project, D-CENT, consisted in a 3 year long path of cutting edge research funded by the EU commission on the emerging dynamics of participatory democracy connected to the technologies adopted by citizen organizations. My original contribution to knowledge lies within the function that the research underpinning these projects has on the ability to gain a better understanding of sociopolitical aspects connected to the design and management of algorithms. It suggests that we can improve the design and regulation of future public, private and common spaces which are increasingly governed by algorithms by understanding not only economical and legal implications, but also the connections between design choices and the sociopolitical context for their development and execution.

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The Implications of the Estonian E-Residency Project on Statehood and Territoriality Liis Peets Charles University Prague 2017 Faculty of Social Sciences; Political Studies Programme; Geopolitical Studies Curriculum Academic Supervisor Mgr. Martin Riegl, Ph.D. Abstract In 2014 Estonia became the first country in the world to launch an e-residency project. It is advertised as opening the country's digital borders to the world. This allows for anyone anywhere to apply for an e-resident status and thus gain access to certain parts of the Estonian e-governance platform allowing almost complete location independence when it comes to creating and running a limited company. The e-residency card also gives the holder a secure state guaranteed digital identity. The program has sparked a lot of international interest on both governmental levels in various states as well as in the media. One can find an abundance of claims and expectations regarding what the e-residency project is and what it could be. Many authors in the media claim that the program could quite likely change the meaning of concepts such as citizenship, residency, borders, territoriality and sovereignty. There are also claims that the whole meaning of statehood is under threat and the behavioral logic of countries in fundamentally changing. The paper...

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As the economic, political, and cultural forces of globalization continue to proliferate throughout the international community, the concept of sovereignty will be increasingly challenged with the task of grappling with the problems of governing these forces. This thesis examines Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri's characterization of how globalization will be governed — imperial sovereignty — in their vast work, Empire. In doing so, Michel Foucault's theoretical construct of bio-power is analyzed as it relates to the constitution of sovereignty, and how it subsequently can benefit international relations theorists' understanding of how power may be implemented to help effectively govern, protect, and promote life on a global scale. Yet, Empire is not without its shortcomings. Its nebulous take on imperial sovereignty is too ephemeral; there is no conception of a center to Empire, no institutional arrangements that articulate the use of power. The role of "big players" such as the United States must be taken into consideration in addressing the future prospects of governing the forces of globalization and the populations exposed to these forces. Ultimately, it appears that the best hopes for such governance lies in wedding the national self-interests of states in seeking security to the use of international institutions for more humanitarian intervention. Such a union grants force and structure to an international community otherwise devoid of authority and order. / Master of Arts

Abstract In 2010, a Chinese fishing vessel ¡§Min Jin Yue No.5179¡¨ collided with Japanese patrol boats in Diaoyutai. The Japan Coast Guard arrested the captain of the Chinese vessel for the violation of Japanese ¡§Fisheries Act¡¨. China reiterated again and claimed that Diaoyutai fishing incidence is in Chinese territory. This incidence has resulted in the Diaoyutai sovereignty dispute on the international community. The Diaoyutai sovereignty dispute has been exist dated from 20th century into 21st.. The problem is that countries of dispute have their own national sovereignty claim. Japan claims that the Diaoyutai was included in the return area to Japan for the US-Japan Agreement to return Okinawa in 1971. By this, Japan starts harshly to prohibit both Taiwan and Chinese fishing boats into this area. This has resulted in many accidents occurring among Japan, China and Taiwan. The present study assesses and analyzes the conflicts of Diaoyutai waters associated with the attitude of China and Japan on dealing with the dispute, such as the diplomatic confrontation of China-Japan; the Japanese government quoted the wrongly legal custody of detained Chinese fishing boat captain; China postponed conference of cooperative exploitation ¡§Chunxiao Oilfield¡¨ with Japan; suspended increased flights and expanding aviation rights etc., in addition to a series of implement of political and economic sanctions, these has triggering global concerns. China practiced rare earth embargo for Japan that had probably resulted in explosive potential global trade war. Therefore, the present study has also research into the international case studies of their ruling, as examples, on resolving the sovereignty dispute. As a result of inducing settled methods and models for the island¡¦s sovereignty dispute, the present work has resulted in the deduction of ideas, suggestions and prospects to the problem of Diaoyutai especially the suspensive sovereignty and residual sovereignty issues.

This thesis explores a conception of dual sovereignty, consisting of Indigenous and state sovereignties existing and operating within the same territorial space. A dual sovereignty construct, standing in distinct contrast with the common settler-held presumption of Canadian state sovereignty and hegemony, provides a superior frame for articulating just relations between Indigenous peoples, the Canadian state, and that state’s citizens. The thesis examines the role of agreement-making in defining relations between sovereign Indigenous peoples and the state, both in treaty and non-treaty form. Focused on non-treaty agreements that pertain to land and resources in the province of British Columbia, a case study approach reveals a congruence of several such agreements with elements of a dual sovereignty construct. Some of the agreements exhibit substantial compatibility with a dual sovereignty concept, with dialogical forms of recognition and a well-articulated Indigenous land-use vision and worldview built into the agreement-making process. Those agreements centered on land-use planning seem particularly well equipped to embrace a more dialogical process that creates space for an Indigenous vision, and allows Indigenous Nations to expand their institutional and structural power meaningfully in relation to the state. Agreements designed primarily to help manage the state-driven consultation processes that are required under Canadian state law seem inherently monological by contrast, providing only a restricted space for increased institutional or structural power of Indigenous peoples. / Graduate

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how different versions of sovereignty manifestthemselves in the central founding documents relating to the Sámi parliament in bothNorway and Sweden. This analysis of the different approaches to sovereignty could beused to give an explanation to the differences between the Sámi parliaments in Norwayand Sweden. The research questions of this thesis were: Within central foundingdocuments can one see different versions of sovereignty between Sweden and Norway?What differences can one observe between the countries in relation to ideas regardinginternal and external sovereignty? To answer these questions, different theories ofsovereignty were presented and evaluated. This thesis used content analysis with adeductive approach and the primary materials that were analysed were the founding legaldocuments and law propositions to the Sámi parliaments. The major finding of this thesispaper were that Norway and Sweden were observably different when it came to theirversions of sovereignty, in conclusion Sweden had a stricter adherence to internalsovereignty and Norway was exceedingly more orthodox and put more effort into theirexternal sovereignty.