The aim of this thesis is to develop approaches that aid agencies could use in the appraisal and/or development of basic education programs in South Pacific countries which address aspects of poverty. It is set in the context of wider international concern that aid programs need to have a more direct impact on the conditions of the poor than they have had in the recent past. Concepts of poverty, basic education and literacy appropriate to South Pacific countries are developed and relationships among them are examined as preliminary steps to data collection and analysis. The data for the thesis comes from programs of aid to basic education that were running in or have commenced since 1985 and consists of formal evaluations and reviews, the opinion of expert panels and anecdotal evidence from individuals. Analysis of the data is conducted in two stages; first, criteria by which to judge the success of programs are developed and applied to the data, and second, the common components of successful programs are identified. The 'components of success' are then used to develop approaches that aid agencies could employ in analysing program proposals and/or in developing programs in basic education that have a poverty focus. Examples of how these approaches could be applied to particular programs are given.

Thesis (M.S. in civil engineering)--Washington State University, December 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jan. 15, 2010). "Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering." Includes bibliographical references (p. [9-10]).

Thesis (doctoral)--Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, 2008. / Title from e-book title screen (viewed July 28, 2008). Description based on print version record.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009. / Prepared for: Dept. of Health Administration. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 182-192.

Thesis (M.A. in International Security and Civil-Military Relations)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Donald Abenheim, Karen Guttieri. Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-70). Also available online.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

The question of whether ratings agencies convey new information to financial markets when they assign new ratings or change previous ratings has been debated for at least 40 years. In this study I first examine equity market, bond market and CDS market reactions to long and short term rating changes from S&P, Fitch and Moody's. I find that not all the credit rating changes affect the market but only those classified as unanticipated. Subsequently, I study whether the regulatory setting, in which the Credit Ratings Agencies work, can possibly affect the financial markets reactions. Lastly I show that the probability of a future rating change is severely affected by different factors proportional hazard rate models.

No description available.

Over the last twenty years, the People's Republic of China has exhibited behaviour consistent with that of a great power attempting to elevate itself to a global power, with monumental effects on the evolving international order. Unlike rising global powers of the past, China faces two powerful constraints, which have prevented the country from taking the traditional paths of territorial expansion and political-economic domination in order to develop as a global power. The first obstacle has been the presence of the United States, which became the world's only superpower after the cold war. The second is the existence of nuclear weapons, which has made direct great-power conflict unacceptably costly. Faced with these barriers, China has chosen a more distinctive path to greater power acquisition via a post-cold war international system containing more institutions than ever before. The main argument of this thesis is that China's opening to international institutions has developed into a key component, more than that of previous rising global powers, in that country's multilateral approach to foreign policy and to the advancement of state power. This method of power acquisition is in opposition to traditional realist theories, which have not recognised such cooperation as being crucial to global power development. / Within the analyses of this thesis, four case studies of international institutions with which China aligned itself will be assessed using six "goods" which Beijing has been determined to pursue through these institutions (state security, regime security, information acquisition, economic benefits, an improved position vis-a-vis other great powers, and prestige). Two cases are primarily economic institutions, the World Trade Organisation and two "exclusive economic regimes", the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) and the newer, more informal "ASEAN-plus-three" (AP3) grouping. The other two cases, primarily strategic organisations, are the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the embryonic Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). These case studies illustrate the growing importance which China has placed on international institutions as a means of developing a more effective foreign policy, while simultaneously protecting valuable domestic interests, all in the name of reaching for global power status.

No description available.