<p> This dissertation explores the interface between reflecting on ideals and the action or physical transformation that occurs in the world. Rephrased as a question: What are the appropriate and necessary epistemological pre-requisites for scholars that will increase the likelihood that their praxis succeeds in transforming society away from capitalism towards something that does a better job of assuring social justice? This question is good to organize around but makes for a poor research question because its answer is near infinitely debatable. My research questions then, come down to the following: In what ways can a researcher participate in a deliberate cultural intervention through the utilization of technological systems? What makes these interventions successful and what makes them fail? How does a researcher &ldquo;step back&rdquo; from such a project and draw out lessons for future interventions?</p><p> In service of answering these questions I have developed three &ldquo;sense-making tools&rdquo; to work through this difficult position. A sense-making tool is an epistemological framework that comes short of a theory of causation and instead prioritizes a change in perspective on the part of the individual engaging in praxis.</p><p> Those three tools are 1) capitalism is an emergent phenomenon, 2) recursivity is an epistemology that prioritizes organized complexity over rationalized efficiency, and 3) once decoupled from its main usage in reference to the Internet, the term &ldquo;online&rdquo; is a useful means of describing and understanding humans&rsquo; relationships to networks of communication and economic exchange. These three sense-making tools are applied to two case studies, an open source condom vending machine and a mesh Wi-Fi network. Both projects employed an &ldquo;inverted critical technical practice&rdquo; methodology that brought together engineering&rsquo;s tacit ways of knowing and critical theory&rsquo;s analytic tools to foster a symbiotic working relationship between the two. I fortify this experimental approach with some classic interview and participant observation techniques to ensure sufficient data collection. Taken together, this work tells a story about the importance of thinking deeply about what we as researchers bring to our field sites, both metaphorically and literally.</p><p> By evaluating my own projects and sharing what worked and what didn&rsquo;t I aim to increase the likelihood of achieving successful projects in the future. I have prioritized understanding my case studies and subject position in terms of how to do better work in the future, not necessarily painting a perfect picture of how the world works or even should work.</p>

<p> This paper utilizes survey data to compare several non-survey methods of modeling the economic impacts of biofuels plants. It examines differences in the input coefficients derived from the survey versus the trade coefficients generated through the non-survey methods. It finds that of the three non-survey methods examined, the Swenson (2006) scenario input coefficients most closely represent those found in the survey based on the performance of the non-survey scenario input coefficients in a variety of statistical tests. Further, it examines the economic impacts (multipliers) generated by these scenarios compared to those generated from the survey. Based upon statistical tests of the multipliers, the Swenson scenario&rsquo;s estimated impacts most closely represent the impacts derived from the survey.</p><p>

Crisis, conflict, and consumption| Case studies of the politics and culture of neoliberalization in urban responses to global economic transformations

Waterfront development is acknowledged as being significant to urban tourism planning and, ideally, the involvement of multiple stakeholders should be required in the development program. This research explores why and how Multi Stakeholder Approach (MSA) might contribute to good practice for the planning and decision-making processes for resource and environmental management, especially for long-term waterfront planning. Principles for the involvement of stakeholders in planning are reviewed and evaluated in the context of tourism and waterfront development in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The principles of MSA are assessed in a situation in which there is tension between the achievement of socio-economic benefits and the protection of environmental quality. This research involved a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Fieldwork comprising questionnaire surveys, interviews, on-site observations and the evaluation of planning documents were used to provide evidences of waterfront development in Manado, and the decision-making process that preceded it. Waterfront development in Manado has massively expanded the economic opportunities that are ugently required in less-developed countries. However, such develoment is occurring at the coast of adequate environmental protection. The study provides evidence of the links between MSA, waterfront development and tourism planning in a mid-sized city in a less-developed country. Governments and Manado waterfront developers expect high returns from MWD through increasing local revenues and a stronger regional economy. However, the sustainability of the development is debatable. A stronger economy, increased incomes and wider job opportunities are widely acknowledged, but an enhanced quality of life for local people is not yet certain, especially if environmental degradation continues. Successful MSA practices can enhance awareness which, in turn, can be used to increase the support of various stakeholders and, thereby, enhance benefit-sharing. Greater involvement of multiple stakeholders in Manado Waterfront Development (MSA) would be expected to enhance their contributions to a broad range of development issues such as tourism development, environment protection, social stability and the economy, leading in the direction of sustainability. This is relevant to the main purposes of MWD which is to create socio-economic advantages both for city residents and the region in which the city is located. MWD has greatly influenced the coastal areas and environmental modification is unavoidable. However, in the case of Manado, waterfront development is being achieved at considerable environmental costs. In a developing country which places economic gains as a priority, the tangible benefits appear to exceed the apparent costs in the short term. However, for the long term, the maintenance of environmental quality is very important.

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Thesis--Lund. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 221-228).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-151).

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-56).