Competition among individuals over shared resources reveals asymmetries in quality resulting in the formation of dominance hierarchies. These hierarchies act as a mechanism for social selection by partitioning resources among group-living animals. The following chapters describe my dissertation research which investigates the factors contributing to competitive asymmetries among broodmates as well as the short- and long-term consequences of the early social environment for the cooperatively breeding red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis). My research revealed that fledgling red-cockaded woodpeckers form male-biased, linear dominance hierarchies. Among fledgling males,, high relative nestling condition strongly predicted fledgling dominance, and this condition–rank relationship persisted through independence. Male nestlings are slightly larger and heavier than females; however, the sexual size dimorphism in mass is only present in mixed-sex broods, suggesting that the subtle structural size advantage gives males a competitive advantage over their sisters. Conflict rates among siblings increased with decreasing targeted feeding rates, and dominant fledglings were able to secure more food from provisioning adults through scramble competition. First-year survival favored males over females and dominant males over subordinates. Females were more dispersive overall than males, and subordinate males were more likely to disperse than dominants. The social environment prior to fledging influenced male dispersal decisions and subordinates delayed dispersal in the spring in situations where all dominants died over the winter. The probability of delayed dispersal in females was higher for females raised without brood-mates in one of two populations included in a long-term demographic data analysis. The availability of breeding vacancies may explain the differences in female dispersal behavior according to social environment between these populations. This research contributes to a greater understanding of the relative contribution of intrinsic benefits versus extrinsic constraints as an influence on delayed dispersal decisions in red-cockaded woodpeckers. Inter- and intra-sexual social rank is correlated with individual access to natal food resources and the probability of first-year survival. The intrabrood variation in dispersal strategies driven by social rank is sufficient to regularly produce both dispersal strategies among males and provides additional support that delaying natal dispersal is the preferred strategy for males in this system. / Ph. D.

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Doctor of Philosophy / Security Studies / Jeffrey J. Pickering / As the Internet is progressively integrated into industrial and defense-related networks around the globe, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how state and sub-state groups can use Internet vulnerabilities as a conduit of attack. The current social science literature on cyber threats is largely dominated by descriptive, U.S.-centric research. While this scholarship is important, the findings are not generalizable and fail to address the global aspects of network vulnerabilities. As a result, this dissertation employs a unique dataset of cyber threats from around the world, spanning from 1990 to 2011. This dataset allows for three diverse empirical studies to be conducted. The first study investigates the political, social, and economic characteristics that increase the likelihood of a state being targeted for cyber threats. The results show that different state characteristics are likely to influence the forms of digital attack targeting. For example, states that experience increases in GDP per capita and military size are more likely to be targeted for cyber attacks. Inversely, states that experience increases in GDP per capita and those that are more democratic are less likely to be targeted for cyber terrorism. The second study investigates the role that international rivalries play in cyber threat targeting. The results suggest that states in rivalries may have more reason to strengthen their digital security, and rival actors may be cautious about employing serious, threatening forms of cyber activity against foes because of concerns about escalation. The final study, based upon the crisis bargaining theory, seeks to determine if cyber threat targeting decreases private information asymmetry and therefore decreases conflict participation. Empirical results show that the loss of digital information via cyber means may thus illicit a low intensity threat or militarized action by a target state, but it also simultaneously increases the likelihood that a bargain may be researched, preventing full scale war by reducing the amount of private information held between parties.

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Sibling violence is a common occurrence for many children yet this form of family violence has received minimal attention in research compared to other forms of child maltreatment. With parents as an integral component in the lives of many children, parental perceptions and experiences of violence between siblings are important to understand. Furthermore, with the increased variation in family structures within society, inclusion of multiple types of families in research is necessary to encompass a broad understanding of sibling violence. This case study included seven parents from four different family structures to examine their perceptions and experiences of physical and emotional violence between siblings. Three phases of data collection including both quantitative and qualitative data gathered information about participants’ experiences with siblings in childhood, witnessed behaviors between children, behaviors associated with sibling violence and sibling rivalry, and labels used to refer to violence between siblings. Participants were also presented with several case scenarios depicting various sibling interactions in which they processed the degree to which they found the behaviors violent or non-violent. Findings indicate that family structure is less important than past and present environmental and contextual factors in understanding participant differentiation between problematic and non-problematic behaviors between siblings. Data from all three phases helped in the construction of a parental decision-making model of sibling interaction that included consideration of past experiences, children factors, the context of interaction, and family rules when classifying behaviors. Implications of the findings for social work direct practice, policy aimed at addressing violence between siblings, advocacy through parental education, social work education, and future directions for research in the area of sibling violence are presented.

En établissant une relation entre une stratégie d’alliance et la mise en œuvre d’une politique étrangère dans un espace géographique limité, l’auteur entend interpréter des intentions (géo)politiques et place son étude en discussion avec les travaux théoriques centrés sur les rapports de force. Il reconstruit le contexte de la décision polonaise de faire alliance avec les Etats-Unis et montre l’importance de savoir si les comportements d’alliance et d’alignement sont connectés dans la logique des alliances ou si ce sont deux catégories exclusives l’une de l’autre. Il propose ensuite une relecture de la politique orientale polonaise en prenant notamment en compte l’histoire de la Pologne ainsi que les conceptions de ses élites dirigeantes afin de montrer que la stratégie d’alliance avec les Etats-Unis peut être comprise comme l’instrument privilégié de la politique orientale polonaise. Enfin, il identifie les paramètres qui permettent à la fois de corroborer l’existence d’une alliance polono-américaine opérante dans l’espace post-soviétique et d’estimer sa durabilité. Le cas polonais montre qu’il ne faut pas considérer tous les Etats comme s’ils étaient des puissances satisfaites qui cherchent surtout à maximiser leur sécurité plutôt que leur puissance, et qu’il est indispensable de penser le phénomène des alliances (géo)politiquement, historiquement, mais aussi culturellement pour être en mesure d’éviter le piège des faux paradigmes dont sont porteurs des discours construits a posteriori. / By establishing a connection between an alliance strategy and the implementation of a foreign policy in a limited geographical area, the author means to interpret (geo)political intentions and place his study in the context of theoretical works focussing on balance of power. He recontextualises the Polish decision to establish an alliance with the United States and shows the importance of knowing whether alliance and alignment behaviours are connected in the logic of alliances or whether they are two mutually exclusive categories. He then proposes to reconsider Polish eastern policy, paying particular attention to the history of Poland and the thinking of its ruling elites in order to demonstrate that the strategy of alliance with the United States can be regarded as the main instrument of Polish eastern policy. Finally, he identifies the parameters that make it possible both to confirm the existence of a Polish-American alliance operating within the post-Soviet area and to estimate its durability. The example of Poland shows that not all States can be regarded as self-satisfied powers mainly striving to maximise their security rather than their power and that the phenomenon of alliances must be considered in (geo-)political and historical, but also cultural terms in order to avoid the trap of false paradigms to which post facto discourses are prone.

How does interservice rivalry affect American civil-military relations? In three essays, I develop theoretical propositions about the relationship between interservice rivalry and civil-military outcomes; propose a two-stage model of civil-military interaction surrounding use of force decisions; and investigate the correlates of interservice rivalry with a focus on budget pressure.

Thesis project (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 243-268).

Thesis project (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 243-268).

No description available.