Democracy and War
Democracy and War

Author: David L. Rousseau

Publisher: Stanford University Press

Published: 2005-03-24

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 0804767513

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Conventional wisdom in international relations maintains that democracies are only peaceful when encountering other democracies. Using a variety of social scientific methods of investigation ranging from statistical studies and laboratory experiments to case studies and computer simulations, Rousseau challenges this conventional wisdom by demonstrating that democracies are less likely to initiate violence at early stages of a dispute. Using multiple methods allows Rousseau to demonstrate that institutional constraints, rather than peaceful norms of conflict resolution, are responsible for inhibiting the quick resort to violence in democratic polities. Rousseau finds that conflicts evolve through successive stages and that the constraining power of participatory institutions can vary across these stages. Finally, he demonstrates how constraint within states encourages the rise of clusters of democratic states that resemble "zones of peace" within the anarchic international structure.

Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions
Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions

Author: William J. Kollins

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 1998-02

Total Pages: 141

ISBN-13: 0788147145

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These standards have been prepared to promote uniformity in the appraisal of real property among the various agencies acquiring property on behalf of the U.S., by both direct purchase & condemnation. Contents: standards for approaching the solution to certain recurring appraisal problems (cost approach, income approach, highest & best use, etc.); data documentation & appraisal reporting standards (zoning & other land use regulations, contents of appraisal report, etc.); general standards of a miscellaneous nature (impartiality, witness composure, leasehold takings, etc.). Cases & statutes.

Cultural Parks and National Heritage Areas
Cultural Parks and National Heritage Areas

Author: Pablo Alonso González

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2013-11-13

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 1443854123

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The number of cultural parks has been steadily increasing in recent years throughout the world. But what is a cultural park? This book provides a detailed answer to this question and sets out the basis for an academic debate that moves beyond the technical narratives that have prevailed to date. It is important to open up the topic to academic scrutiny given that cultural parks are becoming widespread devices being employed by different institutions and social groups to manage and enhance cultural and natural heritage assets and landscapes. The main problem in dealing with this topic is the predominant lack of theory-grounded, critical reflection in the literature about cultural parks. These remain largely conceived as technical instruments deployed by institutions in order to solve an array of problems they must deal with. As cultural parks are generally regarded as positive and constructive tools whose performance is associated with the preservation of heritage, the overcoming of the nature/culture divide, the reinforcing of identity and memory and the strengthening of social cohesion and economic development, this book critically explores these issues through the analysis of the literature on cultural parks. In addition, it provides a novel theoretical conceptualization of cultural parks that is connected with, and underpins, a tentative methodology developed for their empirical analysis.