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| 1 |
ID:
173979
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| Summary/Abstract |
The relations between China and Taiwan (cross-Strait relations) have been a thorny issue for all parties concerned. These relations are one of the flashpoints in the world, which may trigger a serious military conflict. They involve not only China and Taiwan but also the United States. The purpose of this paper is to account for the trajectory of this triangular relationship with the help of opinion surveys in Taiwan. It is shown that when the Kuomintang (KMT) gains the governing power in Taiwan, Taiwan is the median voter in the cross-Strait relations game at the international level while as a non-traditional KMT or the Democratic Progressive Party is in power, it is the US that turns out to be the median voter.
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| 2 |
ID:
173981
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| Summary/Abstract |
This paper explores the mechanisms and circumstances under which leaders in weak states adopt diversionary behavior to deal with domestic problems. We examine the case of Taiwan to see if its President, Tsai Ingwen, has adopted diversionary behavior from 2016 to the present. We found that, unlike great powers, weak-state leaders often resort to non-force tactics such as blaming foreign opponents, but the emergence of diversionary behavior is conditional on the stability of their relationship with a major power. In the case of Taiwan, Tsai adopted a more confrontational foreign policy toward China only when USA–Taiwan relations had become more stable and more favorable toward Taiwan. Future work could continue to explore the circumstances and tools unique to weak states’ diversionary behavior.
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| 3 |
ID:
173978
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| Summary/Abstract |
This study examines the association between political competition (elections in Taiwan and political successions in China) and cross-Strait conflicts. We find that the Taiwan president has been more assertive toward mainland China during the election period or in his second term, than during the inter-electoral period or in the first term. The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) reacts to Taiwan’s provocations more harshly when he was in a period of power transition than when he had consolidated power. The two phenomena rest on the same assumption: when a political leader is domestically challenged, he cannot appear weak in external behaviors; when the leader is secure in his position, he can afford to make external concessions. We test the assumption against the empirical evidence from the cross-Strait relations of 1989–2012 and find the most serious conflicts occurred during Taiwan’s electoral period and when the CCP general secretary was in power transition. The study advances our understanding of how conflicts occur in cross-Strait relations and may lead to possible ways of their prevention.
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| 4 |
ID:
173977
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| Summary/Abstract |
This special section includes four papers to examine the ups and downs of the relationship between Taiwan and China. While both sides of the Taiwan Strait have different political systems, these studies show that domestic politics play a central role in explaining the oscillation of the cross-Strait relationship. The findings provide evidence of the interaction between domestic and external factors. Leaders in Beijing and Taipei therefore need to take heed of the internal forces of both sides of the Taiwan Strait in addressing their contentious relationship.
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| 5 |
ID:
173986
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| Summary/Abstract |
Small-scale fisheries play a significant role as a source of employment, livelihood strategy and contributor to food security. However, changes in climatic variables alter the productivity and distribution of marine and freshwater fish species, negatively affecting the livelihoods of fishery-dependent communities. This study seeks to identify small-scale fishers’ livelihoods and examine the impacts of climate change on livelihoods and food security of small-scale fishing households. The study was conducted in Sanyathi fishing basin in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. The Sustainable Livelihood Approach framework of the Department for International Development was used to define the small-scale fishers’ livelihood assets and activities. The study employed a mixed-method approach for data collection. A pretested, semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions and observations were used to collect data from the small-scale fishers. The data collected were subjected to descriptive and bivariate analysis. The present results indicate that fishing is the community’s primary livelihood activity. More than 62% of fishermen stated that fishing revenue is declining, owing to declining fish catches. Of participants, 98% recognised food purchases as the primary source of food. Therefore, 78% of the small-scale fishers perceive their households to be food insecure due to declining incomes from fisheries. These findings show the need for policymakers and development agencies to formulate strategies that specifically target fishing communities whose livelihoods rely on natural ecosystems.
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| 6 |
ID:
173980
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| Summary/Abstract |
The study begins with descriptions of the changing political landscape of Taiwan’s domestic politics and China’s increasingly influential role in global politics to show the strategic terrain of asymmetric relations between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan (cross-Strait relations) and some lessons of Taiwan’s 2016 elections. It attempts to delineate the 19th Party Congress report for meaningful contemplation of and conjecture about China’s purposes and policies in dealing with the prickly Taiwan issue. In essence, China’s policy under Xi Jinping after the 19th Party Congress has been characterized by a dualist approach in which a soft power charm offensive has been the primary strategy to appeal to the Taiwanese public, whereas coercive measures in the diplomatic arena and military sphere have served as the supplementary approach to pressure the Democratic Progressive Party government.
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| 7 |
ID:
173982
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| Summary/Abstract |
This article attempts to analyse contemporary reforms of public bureaucracy in Bangladesh from the perspective of ‘political settlements’. After elaborating the concept of political settlement and identifying critical reform initiatives in the public bureaucracy, it argues that variations in the state of the implementation of bureaucratic reforms are decidedly affected by the differences in the pattern of political settlements that the nation has experienced at various times since independence. Thus, in the process of consolidating dominant power coalitions, reform measures were subverted, and formal and informal privileges given to the public bureaucracy resulted in inefficient, ineffective and unaccountable administration.
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| 8 |
ID:
173983
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| Summary/Abstract |
Although recently Chinese investment in the USA has grown exponentially, it has not flowed equally among the US states. Controlling for popular explanations in the foreign direct investment literature, we carry out subnational analysis to assess the determinants of Chinese investment in the USA. Using a panel dataset for all states from 2006 to 2016, we find that Chinese firms are more attracted to states where Republican governors hold office. Republican-governed states particularly attract greenfield investments from Chinese firms. However, we also find that US national security concerns and Chinese goals appear to affect investment flows in high-technology states, limiting the role of partisanship. Our results indicate that it is too soon to dismiss the importance of politics on foreign direct investment.
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| 9 |
ID:
173984
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| Summary/Abstract |
Climate change and variability have direct negative impacts on rural smallholder farmers. These impacts involve extreme climatic events such as excessive temperatures, prolonged droughts and floods which affect people’s livelihoods. This study was conducted in Nkomazi Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, South Africa. The main objective of the study was to investigate indigenous weather and climate indicators used by smallholder farmers and the role of indigenous knowledge in their farming systems. The research used qualitative methods, including focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The findings indicated that farmers observed animal behaviour, plants, atmospheric indicators and human ailments to predict weather.
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| 10 |
ID:
173985
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| Summary/Abstract |
‘Homelessness’ is the worst form of urban poverty, and in the wake of neoliberalism it has become more pervasive in cities across the world. Taking the case of Delhi, the study focuses on the making of homelessness, the connotation of being homeless, and the nature of responses from a governing institution to homelessness in the neoliberal city. The study reveals that large scale slum demolition in the last three decades has rendered thousands of people homeless. They are denied of basic human rights and human necessities. They are not even allowed to reside in the open spaces of the city. Governing actors have bypassed their duties by setting up only a ‘few’ night-shelters in the city, most of which remained unoccupied because of several adversities. The study also reveals that homelessness is the outcome of governance failure and the failure of the welfare state. But the structural problem of homelessness is completely overlooked both in policy and by ‘other’ sections of society.
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