Suchergebnisse

Observers have classified the European Union as reluctant in its implementation of the "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P). This contribution revisits that argument by employing a more nuanced interpretation of norm implementation than the binary conceptualisation typically applied. By appraising EU reactions to the 2011 Libyan crisis, we investigate whether a "European practice of mass atrocity prevention" is emerging and if so how this relates—or not—to R2P. We do this by investigating EU practices seeking to protect people from genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity – paying particular attention to the three pillars and four policy areas included in the R2P framework. Our review of EU responses to Libya seeks to unveil whether and if so how EU practice related to mass atrocity prevention in that country rejected, adopted or indeed adapted R2P. The enquiry appraises both how R2P mattered to the EU response and how the Libya crisis affected the Union's approach to mass atrocity prevention and within it R2P. In this way, the study asks how norms can change practice, but also how practice can change norms. As such, our focus is on the inter-relationship between principles and practices of protection.

The introduction of the Euro currency in 1999 represented a major event for the European economies. The 2007 financial crisis and the subsequent 2010 sovereign debt crisis have led to question the sustainability of the Euro area and the capacity of certain member states to fulfil their commitments with respect to the single currency. The numerous austerity plans implemented within the Economic and Monetary Union in the current context of crisis constitute additional arguments for certain states to leave the single currency and retrieve their fiscal and monetary independences. It is not unconceivable anymore for countries such as Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain (the PIIGS) to envisage exiting the Euro area. This thesis considers the issue of determining the optimal monetary regime  flexible exchange rates or monetary union  for the 17 Eurozone countries, accounting for the current financial and sovereign debt crises. Chapter 1 is general and aims at formally establishing the occurrence of a structural break attributable to the 1999 passage to the single currency. It shows that such a break did take place for Euro area countries around 1992, the year which marked the adoption of the Maastricht Treaty and the settlement of the convergence criteria for the Euro. This break is not shared by the three European States which chose to preserve their own currencies (the United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark). Chapter 2 constitutes the core of this work. It introduces the benchmark model used to perform the comparison between the two monetary regimes considered for the Euro area. It features a two-country open-economy model integrating financial frictions through cross-border interbank markets. Once calibrated for the Euro area, the model suggests that financial rigidities may play a substantial role in the dynamics of Eurozone economies, with a potentially significant impact of shocks affecting the partner economies over national developments. Preliminary financial crisis simulations run on the model prove inconclusive to assess the performances of the two monetary regimes contemplated. On the one hand, the flexible exchange rate regime results in improved stability, but on the other hand the monetary union typically allows for faster recovery following the initial crisis trigger. The third and final chapter meets a double purpose. It first proposes a formal welfare criteria to assess the respective performances of the two monetary regimes under consideration for the Euro area. It then augments the benchmark model with a number of extensions, so as to integrate sovereign debt and the diverse credit policies (Covered Bonds Purchase Programme and Securities Markets Programme) implemented by the ECB since the beginning of the crisis to the basic framework. The results show that absent credit policies, a vast majority of Euro area members (15 out of 17) would enjoy higher welfare levels under a flexible exchange rate regime. These conclusions nevertheless reverse under the Securities Markets Programme, where a majority of member states then favour the monetary union. This suggests that the ECB has a role to play for the Euro area which goes beyond its primary function of monetary policy maker. ; La mise en place de l'Euro en 1999 a constitué un événement économique majeur pour les Etats européens. La crise financière de 2007, puis la crise de la dette souveraine en 2010, ont amené à remettre en question la pérennité de la zone Euro, et la capacité de certains de ses membres à respecter leurs engagements vis-à-vis de la monnaie unique. Les mesures d'austérité mises en oeuvre au sein de l'Union Economique et Monétaire dans le contexte actuel de crise peuvent constituer pour certains Etats une tentation supplémentaire pour quitter la monnaie unique et recouvrer leur indépendance monétaire et fiscale. Une sortie de la zone Euro de la Grèce, voire d'autres Etats membres en difficulté (Portugal, Irlande, Italie, et Espagne) n'est aujourd'hui plus un scénario à exclure. Cette thèse se propose de considérer la question du régime monétaire optimal, régime de change flexible ou union monétaire, pour les 17 pays de la zone Euro, dans le cadre des crises financières et de dettes souveraines qui les affectent actuellement. Le premier chapitre est général et vise à démontrer formellement la survenue d'une rupture structurelle due au passage à la monnaie unique en 1999. Il montre qu'une telle rupture s'est bien produite pour les pays de la zone Euro autour de l'année 1992, qui a marqué l'adoption du traité de Maastricht et la mise en place des critères de convergence pour l'adoption de l'Euro. Cette rupture n'est pas partagée par les trois pays européens qui ont préservé leur monnaie (Royaume-Uni, Suède, et Danemark). Le second chapitre constitue le coeur de ce travail. Il présente le modèle de référence utilisé pour mener la comparaison entre les deux régimes monétaires considérés pour la zone Euro. Il s'agit d'un modèle à deux pays intégrant des rigidités financières dans le cadre des transactions interbancaires conclues entre les Etats membres. Le modèle, une fois étalonné pour la zone Euro, suggère que les rigidités financières peuvent jouer un rôle considérable dans la dynamique de ces Etats, les chocs affectant les économies partenaires pouvant contribuer de manière significative à la dynamique nationale. Les simulations numériques préliminaires de crise financières menées sur le modèle ne permettent pas d'apporter de réponse concluante quant aux performances des deux régimes monétaires envisagés, le régime de change flexible semblant amener une stabilité accrue, là où une union monétaire permet une récupération plus rapide suite à la crise initiale. Le dernier chapitre remplit un double objectif. Il propose d'abord un critère de bien-être formel pour l'évaluation des performances respectives des deux régimes considérés. Il développe également un certain nombre d'extensions au modèle de référence, afin d'intégrer la dette souveraine, et les politiques de crédit (Covered Bonds Purchase Programme et Securities Markets Programme) mises en place par la BCE depuis le début de la crise. Les résultats montrent qu'en l'absence de politiques interventionnistes de la part de la Banque Centrale Européenne, une grande majorité des Etats de la zone Euro (15 sur 17) bénéficieraient d'un plus haut niveau de bien-être dans un régime de change flexible. Toutefois, les conclusions s'inversent dans le cadre du Securities Markets Programme, où les Etats membres deviennent alors majoritairement favorables au régime d'union monétaire. Celà suggère que la BCE a un rôle à jouer au sein de l'espace monétaire Européen qui va au-delà de sa fonction première d'instigatrice de la politique monétaire.

The world is presently buffeted by many challenges, some of which manifest in new forms, such as Fintech and cryptocurrencies, while some challenges prevail out of the legacy trailed behind by the 2007 global financial crisis. Financial stability represents a highly complex and multi-dimensional concept. This being so, a sound and holistic financial stability assessment requires a focus not only on the distinct sectors which make up an economy but also on certain key economic areas. 'Economic Areas Under Financial Stability' examines several core areas which interact directly with financial stability. A comprehensive consideration is given to local and international developments, the payment and settlements system, reserves, derivatives,and exchange rates. The book examines critical developments on both the local and international fronts, the systematic risks which characterise the payment and settlements system, different instruments of derivatives, and the significance of fiscal and monetary policy in relation to exchange rates. This book will prove valuable to central bankers, economists, and policy-makers who are involved in the field of financial stability, as well as researchers studying the field.

International audience ; We present ACME, a tool implementing algebraic techniques to solve decision problems from automata theory. The core generic algorithm takes as input an automaton and computes its stabilization monoid, which is a generalization of its transition monoid. Using the stabilization monoid, one can solve many problems: determine whether a B-automaton (which is a special kind of automata with counters) is limited, whether two B-automata are equivalent, and whether a probabilistic leaktight automaton has value 1. The dedicated webpage where the tool ACME can be downloaded is The notion of stabilization monoids appears in two distinct contexts. It has first been developed in the theory of regular cost functions, introduced by Colcom-bet [Col09,Col13]. The underlying ideas have then been transferred to the setting of probabilistic automata [FGO12]. 1.1 Stabilization Monoids in the Theory of Regular Cost Functions At the heart of the theory of regular cost functions lies the equivalence between different formalisms: a logical formalism, cost MSO, two automata model, Band S-automata, and an algebraic counterpart, stabilization monoids. Here we briefly describe the model of B-automata, and their transformations to stabilization monoid. This automaton model generalizes the non-deterministic automata by adding a finite set of counters. Instead of accepting or rejecting a word as a non-deterministic automaton does, a B-automaton associates an The research leading to these results has received funding from the French ANR project 2010 BLAN 0202 02 FREC, the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 259454 (GALE) and 239850 (SOSNA).

International audience ; We present ACME, a tool implementing algebraic techniques to solve decision problems from automata theory. The core generic algorithm takes as input an automaton and computes its stabilization monoid, which is a generalization of its transition monoid. Using the stabilization monoid, one can solve many problems: determine whether a B-automaton (which is a special kind of automata with counters) is limited, whether two B-automata are equivalent, and whether a probabilistic leaktight automaton has value 1. The dedicated webpage where the tool ACME can be downloaded is The notion of stabilization monoids appears in two distinct contexts. It has first been developed in the theory of regular cost functions, introduced by Colcom-bet [Col09,Col13]. The underlying ideas have then been transferred to the setting of probabilistic automata [FGO12]. 1.1 Stabilization Monoids in the Theory of Regular Cost Functions At the heart of the theory of regular cost functions lies the equivalence between different formalisms: a logical formalism, cost MSO, two automata model, Band S-automata, and an algebraic counterpart, stabilization monoids. Here we briefly describe the model of B-automata, and their transformations to stabilization monoid. This automaton model generalizes the non-deterministic automata by adding a finite set of counters. Instead of accepting or rejecting a word as a non-deterministic automaton does, a B-automaton associates an The research leading to these results has received funding from the French ANR project 2010 BLAN 0202 02 FREC, the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 259454 (GALE) and 239850 (SOSNA).

Sudan's transition process offers chances for conflict prevention and stabilization - core objectives of Germany's foreign policy in Africa. The international attention surrounding a visit by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Khartoum in late February 2020 gives the civilian side of Sudan's transitional government a golden opportunity to push forward difficult reforms. Germany should support these efforts and the transition process through diplomacy, mediation, and development cooperation.

Abstract Background Achieving adequate follow-up in clinical trials is essential to establish the validity of the findings. Achieving adequate response rates reduces bias and increases probability that the findings can be generalized to the population of interest. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of attention, demographic, psychological, and health status factors on web-based response rates in the ongoing Prevention of Low Back Pain in the Military (POLM) trial. Methods Twenty companies of Soldiers (n = 4,325) were cluster randomized to complete a traditional exercise program including sit-ups (TEP) with or without a psychosocial educational program (PSEP) or a core stabilization exercise program (CSEP) with or without PSEP. A subgroup of Soldiers (n = 371) was randomized to receive an additional physical and ultrasound imaging (USI) examination of key trunk musculature. As part of the surveillance program, all Soldiers were encouraged to complete monthly surveys via email during the first year. Descriptive statistics of the predictor variables were obtained and compared between responders and non-responders using two sample t-tests or chi-square test, as appropriate. Generalized linear mixed models were subsequently fitted for the dichotomous outcomes to estimate the effects of the predictor variables. The significance level was set at .05 a priori. Results The overall response rate was 18.9% (811 subjects) for the first year. Responders were more likely to be older, Caucasian, have higher levels of education and income, reservist military status, non smoker, lower BMI, and have received individualized attention via the physical/USI examination (p < .05). Age, race/ethnicity, education, military status, smoking history, BMI, and whether a Soldier received the physical/USI examination remained statistically significant (p < .05) when considered in a full multivariate model. Conclusion The overall web based response rate during the first year of the POLM trial was consistent with studies that used similar methodology, but lower when compared to rates expected for standard clinical trials. One year response rate was significantly associated with demographic characteristics, health status, and individualized attention via additional testing. These data may assist for planning of future trials that use web based response systems. Trial Registration This study has been registered at reports at http://clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT00373009 ).

This volume rests on three thematic pillars: the limits of conventional macroeconomics; the long-run agenda of structural transformation and the development of capabilities. Islam and Kucera highlight the tenuous links of conventional macroeconomics with core development concerns. The chapters of this book enunciate an empirical approach to track the various sources of structural transformation and nurture the thesis that investment in infrastructure leads to the inculcation of capabilities, broadly defined to include knowledge accumulation, dissemination and application. The editors reinterpret social protection from the perspective of inclusive development and structural transformation. The volume examines secular trends in the functional distribution of income and explores their possible macroeconomic consequences by developing a two-country macroeconomic model for open economies. It seeks to establish whether growing inequality in many countries combined with stagnant real incomes is one of the sources of the global and financial crisis of 2007-2009

The migrations of 2015 have led to a temporary destabilization of the European border and migration regime. In this contribution, we trace the process of destabilization to its various origins, which we locate around the year 2011, and offer a preliminary assessment of the attempts at re-stabilization. We employ the notion of "border (as) conflict" to emphasize that crisis and exception lies at the very core of the European border and migration regime and its four main dimensions of externalization, techno-scientific borders, an internal mobility regime for asylum seekers, and humanitarization.

The IMF's Global Integrated Monetary and Fiscal model (GIMF) is used to examine the scope for structural reforms in the euro area to offset the negative impact of fiscal consolidation required to put public debt back on a sustainable path. The results suggest that structural reforms in core countries could quite reasonably be expected to offset the near term negative impact on activity arising from the required fiscal consolidation that uses a plausible mix of instruments to achieve the permanent improvement in the deficit. However, for the periphery, where the required consolidation is roughl

Information Flow in Decentralized Systems -- Decentralized Control and Large Scale Systems -- Comparison of Information Structures in Decentralized Dynamic Systems -- On Fluctuations in Microscopic States of a Large System -- Flow Systems -- Some Remarks on the Concept of State -- On Multicriteria Optimization -- Dynamic Games with Coalitions and Diplomacies -- Three Methods for Determining Pareto-Optimal Solutions of Multiple-Objective Problems -- Stackelberg Strategies for Multilevel Systems -- Incentive Compatible Control of Decentralized Organizations -- Some Thoughts About Simple Advertising Models as Differential Games and the Structure of Coalitions -- Equilibrium Patterns for Bargaining under Strike: A Differential Game Model -- Permanent Differential Games: Quasi Stationary and Relaxed Steady-State Operations -- Modelling and Control of the U. K. Economy -- Decentralized Management and Optimization of Development -- Organization and Control -- Decentralized Stabilization and Regulation in Large Multivariable Systems -- The Role of Poles and Zeros in Multivariable Feedback Theory -- The Linguistic Approach and Its Application to Decision Analysis -- Fuzzy Core and Equilibria of Games Defined in Strategic Form -- Stabilization and Optimal Control of Nonlinear Systems Homogeneous-in-the-Input -- Stability of Large Scale Interconnected Systems -- Large-Scale Systems: Optimality vs. Reliability -- List of Authors.

Since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 the term 'ordoliberalism' has experienced a marked revival. This discussion tends to focus on the need for more state intervention. Yet this misrepresents the core ideas of ordoliberalism because its main concern is not with 'how much' but with 'what kind of' intervention is needed. Thus, this article seeks to clarify the ordoliberal position, in particular its key distinction between market conforming and nonconforming state intervention. Discussing the current financial crisis, it also evaluates the potential benefits and drawbacks of ordoliberalism. The article rebukes rhetorical shortcuts that equate every economic policy coming out of Germany with ordoliberalism. It also suggests that while the ordoliberal conception does not necessarily provide a solution to the current problems in the short run, in the long run it may form the basis for a sounder conception of economic regulation than more libertarian views can offer. Adapted from the source document.

Am 1. April 2009 trat das Stabilisierungs- und Assoziierungsabkommen zwischen Albanien und der Europäischen Union in Kraft. Dies stellt den wichtigsten Schritt Albaniens auf dem Weg in die EU-Integration dar. Ziel dieser Diplomarbeit ist es das Abkommen anhand seines Vertragstextes sowie im Rahmen seines politischen Kontextes zu analysieren.Zum Einstieg erfolgt eine Begriffsbestimmung der Assoziierung aus völkerrechtlicher und europarechtlicher Sicht. Daran anschließend werden die wichtigsten Entwicklungen der europäischen Politik gegenüber der Westbalkanregion dargestellt. Beginnend mit dem Rayaumont-Prozess und dem Regionalen Ansatz wird darauf folgend der Stabilitätspakt und der Stabilisierungs- und Assoziierungsprozess behandelt. Besonderes Augenmerk wird dabei auf die allgemeinen Ziele des Stabilisierungs- und Assoziierungsprozesses gelegt. Als letzte wichtigste Entwicklung in der Westbalkanpolitik fungiert die Agenda von Thessaloniki. Der Kern dieser Arbeit liegt in der Analyse des Stabilisierungs- und Assoziierungsabkommens der EU mit Albanien. Hierbei werden die Bestimmungen des Abkommens näher behandelt. Besondere Beachtung kommt dabei den Zielen des Abkommens, dem Aufbau und dem Funktionieren der - durch dem Stabilisierungs- und Assoziierungsabkommen - errichteten Institutionen, sowie den handelsrechtlichen Bestimmungen zu. Danach erfolgt die Erörterung der Frage inwieweit Albanien die Verpflichtungen aus dem Stabilisierungs- und Assoziierungsabkommen erfüllt hat und welche Herausforderungen das Land auf dem Weg in die EU-Integration noch bewältigen muss. ; On 1. April 2009, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Albania and the European Union entered into force. This is to be considered as Albania's most important step towards EU integration. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the agreement on the basis of the wording of the treaty and in against its political background.At the outset, the term "association" will be defined from an international and European law perspective. Subsequently, the most important developments of European politics towards the Western Balkan region are presented. Starting with the Rayaumont-Process and the Regional Approach. Subsequently, the Stability Pact and the Stabilization and Association Process are discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the general objectives of the Stabilization and Association Process. The last major development in Western Balkan policy is the Thessaloniki agenda. The core of this work lies in the analysis of the EU Stabilization and Association Agreement with Albania. The doing so, the provisions of the agreement are dealt with in more detail. Particular attention will be paid to the objectives of the agreement, to the establishment and functioning of the institutions established by the Stabilization and Association Agreement, and to the provisions of commercial law. It then discussed the extent to which Albania has fulfilled its obligations under the Stabilization and Association Agreement and what the challenges it must tackle on its way to EU. ; vorgelegt von Irsa Toska ; Abweichender Titel laut Übersetzung des Verfassers/der Verfasserin ; Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Diplomarbeit, 2018 ; (VLID)2760154

Conceptual models suggest that stability of organic carbon (OC) in soil depends on the source of plant litter, occlusion within aggregates, incorporation in organomineral complexes, and location within the soil profile. Density fractionation is a useful tool to study the relevance of OC stabilization in aggregates and in association with minerals, but it has rarely been applied to full soil profiles. We aim to determine factors shaping the depth profiles of physically unprotected and mineral associated OC and test their relevance for OC stability across a range of European soils that vary in vegetation, soil types, parent material, and land use. At each of the 12 study sites, 10 soil cores were sampled to 60 cm depth and subjected to density separation. Bulk soil samples and density fractions (free light fractions - fLF, occluded light fractions - oLF, heavy fractions - HF) were analysed for OC, total nitrogen (TN), δ13C, and Δ14C Bulk samples were also incubated to determine CO2 evolution per g OC in the samples (specific mineralization rates) as an indicator for OC stability. Depth profiles of OC in the light fraction (LF-OC) matched those of roots for undisturbed grassland and forest sites, suggesting that roots are shaping the depth distribution of LF-OC. Organic C in the HF declined less with soil depth than LF-OC and roots, especially at grassland sites. The decrease in Δ14C (increase in age) of HF-OC with soil depth was related to soil pH as well as to dissolved OC fluxes. This indicates that dissolved OC translocation contributes to the formation of subsoil HF-OC and shapes the Δ14C profiles. The LF at three sites were rather depleted in 14C, indicating the presence of fossil material such as coal and lignite, probably inherited from the parent material. At the other sites, modern Δ14C signatures and pos sit tive correlations between specific mineralization rates and fLF-OC indicate the fLF is a potentially available energy and nutrient source for subsurface microorganisms throughout the profile. Declining specific mineralization rates with soil depth confirm greater stability of OC in subsoils across sites. The overall importance of OC stabilization by binding to minerals was demonstrated by declining specific mineralization rates with increasing contributions of HF-OC to bulk soil OC, and the low Δ14C values of HF-OC. The stability of HF-OC was greater in subsoils than in topsoils; nevertheless, a portion of HF-OC was active throughout the profile. While quantitatively less important than OC in the HF, consistent older ages of oLF-OC than fLF-OC suggest that occlusion of LF-OC in aggregates also contributes to OC stability in subsoils. Overall, our results indicate that association with minerals is the most important factor in stabilization of OC in soils, irrespective of vegetation, soil type, and land use. © Author(s) 2013. ; European Union