The objectives of foreign aid are closely associated with the global political and economic issues during the last 60 years. In recent years foreign aid flows have been considerably influenced by international terrorism. In this paper I attempt to investigate whether and how sectoral aid has affected international conflicts and intra-country violence. The analysis is initiated by case studies. I use graphical analysis to examine the rationale and disbursements of sectoral foreign aid to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2002 to 2010. It is discovered that aid for agriculture and food are extremely low in these conflict areas. Then I use a comprehensive panel data to show the relationships between conflicts/violence and sectoral foreign aid covering 123 developing countries from 2002 to 2010. It shows that agricultural aid can significantly reduce conflict, and aid for food security can significantly mitigate violence. Aid for some sectors will increase conflict/violence. Finally I use directed acyclic graphs (DAG) to present preliminary results on the structure of causality among conflicts/violence and sectoral aid, showing that aid to government is positively associated with both conflict and violence.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-100). / ix, 100 leaves, bound 29 cm

Interpersonal violence against women is a prevalent and often accepted part of North American life. Statistics from both Canada and the United States indicate that one-half of North American women have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical violence that affects their physical, emotional, and/or mental health. Governments and institutions, including educational institutions, minimize the prevalence of violence and the often debilitating effects it can have on women, silencing the voices of women who have experienced violence, and obscuring the need for intervention and prevention. The primary objective of this study was to examine the connections between women's experiences with interpersonal violence and their educational experiences in graduate school. More generally, I hoped to add to the limited information about how violence affects learning. I interviewed 11 female graduate students who had experienced interpersonal violence about their experiences in graduate school. The research revealed that the participants connected their experiences with interpersonal violence to their graduate school experiences through the effects of unequal relations of power and of silencing on their self-confidence and self-determination. They also recognized graduate school as a place where they were sometimes able to recover a sense of voice and personal authority that they felt was "lost" in their violent interpersonal relationship(s). The study findings point to the need for university policy makers and administrators, faculty, and students to understand the effects that experiencing violence may have on women's learning. At the most basic level, policy makers and administrators must think about the gendered implications when creating policies and suggesting strategies for implementation. In addition, pedagogical policies and practices, including the graduate supervisory model, need to be examined from a gendered perspective for issues of power and the possible abuse(s) of power. Through recognizing the prevalence and effects of interpersonal violence against women and addressing how relations of power in graduate school programs may reflect those experiences and affect women's learning, institutions of higher education will increase opportunities for female students and others affected by violence, to be successful, and will strengthen the learning of all students.

This study addressed substantial limitations in the literature pertaining to intimate partner violence (IPV). In particular, I addressed the gender symmetry debate, and identified factors associated with the dynamics of violent relationships by examining the correlates related to perpetrating and suffering IPV for both men and women. Finally, I examined attitudes towards IPV, communication behaviour, and conflict management techniques as a function of abuse history. Participants were recruited from three samples of the New Zealand population (student, general, and incarcerated). The inclusion of an incarcerated sample enabled the examination of more severe, frequent and injurious violence than is typically experienced within the student and general samples. There were three phases to the study. The first phase explored incidence rates and psychological correlates of IPV. As expected, the incidence of IPV was highest within the incarcerated sample (Chapter 5). Of greater significance, the incidence of IPV was similar for males and females, with the majority of violence being bi-directional (Chapters 4 & 5). Moreover, the psychological correlates associated with IPV were similar for perpetrators and victims, and males and females (Chapters 4 & 5). Due to the bi-directional nature of IPV, analyses presented in Chapters 4 and 5 were limited by the categorisation of participants as both perpetrators and victims. In Chapter 6, I overcame this limitation. The attitudes of victims were examined separately to individuals experiencing bi-directional violence. Validating the findings of Chapters 4 and 5, the attitudes and behaviours of victims and perpetrators were similar. These included being more hostile and negative towards others and ones� partner, being more controlling, and reporting more communication problems. I also further explored gender symmetry in IPV. Male and female IPV was found to be similar in frequency, severity, and similarly associated with control. However, the type of acts perpetrated differed across gender. During the second and third phase of the study, I further examined participants� communication behaviour (Chapter 7), conflict behaviour, and attitudes (Chapter 8). Findings revealed that perpetrators and victims employed less facilitative and polite linguistic devices (Chapter 7) and reported fewer skills for dealing with conflict (Chapter 8) than did other individuals. An examination of attitudes towards IPV revealed males and females had similar attitudes and were more condoning of female, than male-perpetrated IPV. Moreover, individuals with a history of IPV were the most condoning of violence. Additionally, a number of correlates associated with experiencing IPV were also associated with attitudes condoning IPV (Chapter 8). Overall, the findings revealed IPV to be bi-directional and gender symmetrical. Male and female IPV was similar in incidence, severity, and injury. Furthermore, the psychological correlates associated with IPV were similar for men and women, and perpetrators and victims. Individuals with a history of IPV were more controlling, hostile towards others, more condoning of IPV, employed less positive communication styles, and lacked skills for dealing with conflict. In light of these findings, suggestions are offered for violence prevention initiatives in the discussion sections of each chapter and in the final chapter (Chapter 9).

This thesis concerns violence among nurses in their formalised working relationships. There has been little, if any, previous research into violence among nurses. Prior research into violence in nursing has produced no adequate explanation for understanding how, and why, nurses respond in certain ways to violent events. Nor has research demonstrated the genesis and persistence of these events, or suggested ways in which nurses can effectively deal with this behaviour from their colleagues. / Thesis (PhDNursing)--University of South Australia, 1999.

This thesis concerns domestic violence in New Zealand. Its aim is to help find effective ways of preventing domestic violence in our homes through community level public education/awareness interventions. Domestic violence has a damaging effect within a large number of New Zealand households; the primary aim of this thesis is to contribute research to the efforts in New Zealand directed at preventing domestic violence.This thesis situates domestic violence within both a sociological and theoretical framework as well as within the context of New Zealand public education campaigns. Central to this thesis is a critical analysis of one particular community level public education and awareness intervention that was implemented in the United States throughout the 1990s. The core community-level principles of this US project have been analysed with regard to the suitability of integrating them into a hypothetical domestic violence public awareness campaign in New Zealand (one that would aim to help victims seek appropriate help from their situation).This US community level intervention was called the AIDS Community Demonstration Project (ACDP), its aim being to increase HIV risk reduction behaviours amongst at-risk people within the community. It is acknowledged throughout this thesis that the risk of HIV infection and the nature of domestic violence are very different issues although both are key health issues. However, the analysis of the ACDP was chosen predominantly because of the broad community focussed principles that it followed. The core research question of this thesis is as follows: Are the broad principles used within the ACDP suitable to be integrated into a victim-based domestic violence public awareness campaign in New Zealand? If so, to what extent? If not, why?My critical analysis has been informed by qualitative interviews with key experts in the field of domestic violence prevention in New Zealand. This critical analysis has highlighted a number of key elements in the complex task of domestic violence prevention and discusses the measures needed to sustain an abuse-free New Zealand.

Background Violence in the emergency department (ED) is a significant problem and it is increasing. Several studies have shown that violence in the ED is more likely to occur within the first hour of a patient’s presentation. Therefore, it is possible that there are some indicators of violence observable during the initial nurse-patient/relative interaction at triage. Nevertheless the problem remains inadequately investigated as many incidents are not reported and most studies that have investigated this issue are descriptive in nature. Although these studies have provided important preliminary information, they fail to reveal the complexities of the problem, in particular the cultural aspects of violence which are crucial for the ED. Aims The main aims of this study were to explore the cultural aspects of violence in the ED and to determine the possible indicators of violence at triage. Methodology Contemporary ethnography based on interpretive and post-positive paradigms was adopted to frame the methodology of this study. Methods This study was carried out at a major metropolitan ED over three months. The data collection techniques included field observations, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The data analysis framework adopted for this study incorporated Spradley's (1980) and LeCompte and Schensul's (1999) approaches. Findings The study indicated that the cultural meanings of violence were complex and highly subjective with variations among nurses which in turn influenced their responses to violence (e.g. reporting or not reporting an incident). The cultural meanings were sometimes contradictory and confusing as violence could be seen as both a challenge and a threat or predictable and unpredictable. The same type of behaviour from one individual could be perceived as violent but not for another. Many nurses perceived that violence was unpredictable and inevitable but the study demonstrated that there were indicators of violence which could be used to predict and prevent the problem. Factors such as environment, conflicting messages regarding waiting time, and patients' expectations and needs played an important part in violence. Besides, there were immediate warning signs of violence such as the overt verbal (e.g. mumbling or shouting) and covert nonverbal signs (e.g. staring or agitation). This study showed that patients' behaviours for instance being unfriendly, not appreciative, inattentive and uncooperative were better predictors of violence in the ED than their traits or problems alone. However, nurse-patient/relative behaviours and the resulting reciprocal relationship were considered central in determining if violence would occur or be avoided. Nurses' efforts to establish rapport with patients was crucial in minimising violence and needed to occur early. There was usually a ‘turning point’ that provided an opportunity for the nurse to avoid violence. Nurses’ behaviours at the ‘turning point’ strongly influence the outcome. Nurses' awareness of their personal expectations, prejudices and ethnocentrisms were the pivotal points in preventing escalation of violence. Conclusion This study has provided a more comprehensive and sophisticated understanding of the cultural aspects of violence in the ED. While violence is a complex issue with many paradoxes, there are lessons to be learned. The study indicates that effective interpersonal empathetic communication has a significant role in reducing violence in the ED. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1457967 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Population Health and Clinical Practice, 2009

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Drexel University, 2008. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-111).

Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2007. / Thesis Advisor(s): Simons, Anna. "December 2007." Title from title page of PDF document (viewed on: Mar 28, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-72).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Graduate School of Education, Oral Roberts University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-156).