The significance of India in the international system has been increasing not only because of its fast economic development. As one of the manifestations of India's growing position can be considered the expanding of interests to African continent, which is the pivotal topic of this diploma thesis. The presence of India in Africa and its foreign policy towards this continent was analyzed on the basis of the method of four level analysis, which means foreign policy of India towards Africa is examined on levels of international system, state, domestic influences and individuals. To show the position of India in Africa in full context the part comparing its activities with another Asian economic power -- China - is included.

State policy incentives for solar power have grown significantly in the past several years. This paper examines the effectiveness of policy incentives to increase residential solar PV capacity. County-level solar adoption data and controls for demographic characteristics, solar resources, and pro-environmental preferences are used to estimate a model of residential solar adoption. Empirical findings show that financial incentives, solar-specific mandates, and loan financing programs are important drivers of residential PV capacity growth. Incentives that reduce the up-front cost of adoption and that are subject to low uncertainty are found to have the largest impact. Results also point to a significant positive relationship between hybrid vehicle sales and residential PV capacity growth, indicating the importance of pro-environmental preference as a predictor of solar PV demand.

To master any type of process, it is estimated ten thousand hours is needed to finely tune your craft. Whether it is wood joinery, music, culinary arts or glass-blowing, it is about making something that can be seen, heard, touched and/or used. Society seems to be losing an appreciation for craft as an idea. Especially in the US, materialism has reduced quality and craftsmanship to merely a luxury to those who can afford it. It seems that while mainstream society continues to "progress", the craftsmen see their client's loss of comprehension and appreciation of the true quality in their workmanship. While many schools and guilds around the country aim to keep "the crafts", i.e. material based mediums alive, each craft brings potential processes and applications to the architectural realm. The art of glassblowing and others hold something unique to be implemented into architecture. The primary goal of the project is to study of craftsmanship within the art of glassblowing vs. how it can be translated into an architect's design process as well as his or her product. I also wanted to look at how specific craft schools pedagogies use the process of glassblowing to exemplify craft as a "making" process. Structuring my Thesis around craft and its survival in today's contemporary world, I want to address three sub-topics: First, to create a cohesive ‘genus loci’, second, to propose program additions to help redefine the artisan agenda, and lastly how to accomplish this with a low impact/ biophilic architectural tool, that functions not only at an environmental level but also as an educational component. I have chosen the Pilchuck Glass School in the Pacific Northwest as the site of my investigation. Pilchuck Glass School is an international center for glass art education, nestled into the foothills of the Cascade Mountains on a former tree farm in Stanwood, Washington. Pilchuck offers a series of courses and residencies for established artists in all media. Combining a deep focus on glass, access to a variety of resources, and an ever-expanding international community of artists, Pilchuck is the most comprehensive educational center in the world for glass artists.

With the financial growth and international acclaim brought about by Guggenheim Museum for Bilbao, the media started to talk about the so-called “Bilbao Effect”. For the next two decades, the general public has been more and more convinced and accustomed to the positive results landmark architecture might brought for their cities. Thus it is worthwhile to explore the root of the Bilbao Effect and to dig into the effects of Guggenheim Museum so that similar industrial cities may select and apply strategies basing on their own conditions.

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This paper and presentation will tell the story of Kingsport City Schools' development and use of teacher leaders. The evolution of this approach has been needs based and data informed.

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