title: China’s approach towards post-cold war multilateral arms control: development of integrative steps 1990-1996

authors: Zhen, Huang

abstract: This thesis is a study of China’s changing approach towards multilateral arms control since the end of the Cold War. In the wake of the end of the bipolar confrontation, China emerged as a major concern in the international arms control arena. It appeared that the nation lagged far behind the international momentum of post-Cold War multilateral arms control aspirations. Consequently, China came to be seen as less than cooperative in most of the on-going arms control processes. Yet over time, positive changes in Chinese arms control policy did occur, characterised by a series of integrative steps taken by Beijing. Through these integrative steps, China has been moving increasingly closer to accepting international norms in arms control. But so far there has been no major scholarship yet that addresses the above development in a more systematic manner. This thesis is an attempt to fill this gap. It proposes to examine systematically China’s approach to post-Cold War multilateral arms control issues. The primary purpose is to identify and explain the development of Chinese integrative steps. It examines the four most controversial issue areas in recent Chinese arms control policies, namely, China’s accession to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT); its participation in negotiations for a comprehensive nuclear test ban (CTBT); its ambivalence towards the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR); and its attitude towards confidence and security building measures (CSBMs) with regard to the South China Sea territorial disputes. The main research task in each case study is three-fold. First, it analyses China’s unilateral national interests and the various negative dynamics that were unfavourable to the development of the multilateral arms control regime concerned. Second, it examines Beijing’s subsequent approach and policy change which occurred during encounters with the main parties involved. In doing so, it will identify integrative steps made by Beijing and to assess whether there is any compromise in Beijing’s approach and policy change. And third, it explores the main reasons for the development of Beijing’s compromise (or the relative lack of it). Based on both published research material and interview fieldwork in China, it is argued that to varying degrees, Beijing has made compromises in its traditional independent and hard realpolitik state interests. It was by these compromises from Beijing that post-Cold War Chinese arms control policy has been significantly different even from that in the 1980s. It is also argued that there has been a combination of so-called domestic and external factors that have served to enlist compromise from Beijing. Among them, some are relatively stable, others are in flux. It is suggested that in analysing the likely cooperation from Beijing to a multilateral arms control issue, one would need to pay more attention to those relevant variables that are in constant change. A closing observation is offered on the likely movement of China’s future approach towards multilateral arms control.

text: China’s approach towards post-cold war multilateral arms control: development of integrative steps 1990-1996 This thesis is a study of China’s changing approach towards multilateral arms control since the end of the Cold War. In the wake of the end of the bipolar confrontation, China emerged as a major concern in the international arms control arena. It appeared that the nation lagged far behind the international momentum of post-Cold War multilateral arms control aspirations. Consequently, China came to be seen as less than cooperative in most of the on-going arms control processes. Yet over time, positive changes in Chinese arms control policy did occur, characterised by a series of integrative steps taken by Beijing. Through these integrative steps, China has been moving increasingly closer to accepting international norms in arms control. But so far there has been no major scholarship yet that addresses the above development in a more systematic manner. This thesis is an attempt to fill this gap. It proposes to examine systematically China’s approach to post-Cold War multilateral arms control issues. The primary purpose is to identify and explain the development of Chinese integrative steps. It examines the four most controversial issue areas in recent Chinese arms control policies, namely, China’s accession to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT); its participation in negotiations for a comprehensive nuclear test ban (CTBT); its ambivalence towards the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR); and its attitude towards confidence and security building measures (CSBMs) with regard to the South China Sea territorial disputes. The main research task in each case study is three-fold. First, it analyses China’s unilateral national interests and the various negative dynamics that were unfavourable to the development of the multilateral arms control regime concerned. Second, it examines Beijing’s subsequent approach and policy change which occurred during encounters with the main parties involved. In doing so, it will identify integrative steps made by Beijing and to assess whether there is any compromise in Beijing’s approach and policy change. And third, it explores the main reasons for the development of Beijing’s compromise (or the relative lack of it). Based on both published research material and interview fieldwork in China, it is argued that to varying degrees, Beijing has made compromises in its traditional independent and hard realpolitik state interests. It was by these compromises from Beijing that post-Cold War Chinese arms control policy has been significantly different even from that in the 1980s. It is also argued that there has been a combination of so-called domestic and external factors that have served to enlist compromise from Beijing. Among them, some are relatively stable, others are in flux. It is suggested that in analysing the likely cooperation from Beijing to a multilateral arms control issue, one would need to pay more attention to those relevant variables that are in constant change. A closing observation is offered on the likely movement of China’s future approach towards multilateral arms control.

year: 1999

title: Insights into the experiences of older workers and change: Through the lens of selection, optimization and compensation

authors: Unson, Christine

subjects: encore

abstract: Purpose: The study examined the barriers faced, the goals selected, and the optimization and compensation strategies of older workers in relation to career change. Method: Thirty open-ended interviews, 12 in the United States and 18 in New Zealand, were conducted, recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for themes. Results: Barriers to finding and maintaining work included task difficulty, problems with coworkers and management, lack of self-confidence, health/physical limitations, ageism, and stereotyping. Respondents’ most frequently selected goals for a new career were the desire to help others, work satisfaction, and acquisition of learning. Seventy-five percent of respondents in paid employment had earning an income as a goal. Optimization strategies included drawing on past experience, assessing skills, seeking careers/organizations that fitted their values, and a willingness to accept lower pay or unpaid work. Attitudinal strategies included focus and persistence, optimism, and positive attitudes toward change. The compensation strategies reported were on-the-job training; help from coworkers, clients, or customers; friends and family social support; and professional networks. Management practices considered helpful were flexible work schedules, supervisors’ patience, and formal recognition of the value of older workers. Conclusion: This qualitative study, using the SOC framework, showed that evaluating one’s skills and values, being positive about change, and being part of a supportive work environment were key contributors to adaptive competence.

text: Insights into the experiences of older workers and change: Through the lens of selection, optimization and compensation Purpose: The study examined the barriers faced, the goals selected, and the optimization and compensation strategies of older workers in relation to career change. Method: Thirty open-ended interviews, 12 in the United States and 18 in New Zealand, were conducted, recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for themes. Results: Barriers to finding and maintaining work included task difficulty, problems with coworkers and management, lack of self-confidence, health/physical limitations, ageism, and stereotyping. Respondents’ most frequently selected goals for a new career were the desire to help others, work satisfaction, and acquisition of learning. Seventy-five percent of respondents in paid employment had earning an income as a goal. Optimization strategies included drawing on past experience, assessing skills, seeking careers/organizations that fitted their values, and a willingness to accept lower pay or unpaid work. Attitudinal strategies included focus and persistence, optimism, and positive attitudes toward change. The compensation strategies reported were on-the-job training; help from coworkers, clients, or customers; friends and family social support; and professional networks. Management practices considered helpful were flexible work schedules, supervisors’ patience, and formal recognition of the value of older workers. Conclusion: This qualitative study, using the SOC framework, showed that evaluating one’s skills and values, being positive about change, and being part of a supportive work environment were key contributors to adaptive competence.

year: 2012

title: Māori men, relationships, and everyday practices: towards broadening domestic violence research

authors: King, Pita

subjects: Māori

abstract: Relationships are central to the health and wellbeing of Māori (indigenous people of New Zealand). Through processes of colonisation, cultural ways of relatedness embedded within Māori social structures experienced disruption and were reshaped over decades of assimilation. Māori knowledge and everyday practices that assisted in protecting Māori from societal problems, such as domestic violence, began to dwindle. In contemporary New Zealand, Māori are over-represented in domestic violence statistics. Utilising an auto-ethnographic approach and case studies, our research focuses on five Māori men’s experiences within intimate relationships and whānau (extended family) life. A significant feature of this research is that it provides insights into the ways Māori men draw on their cultural ways-of-being to enhance intimate relationships and maintain bonds within whānau and community life to forge new ways-of-being. Such insights have the potential to inform preventative measures against domestic violence within Māori communities.

text: Māori men, relationships, and everyday practices: towards broadening domestic violence research Relationships are central to the health and wellbeing of Māori (indigenous people of New Zealand). Through processes of colonisation, cultural ways of relatedness embedded within Māori social structures experienced disruption and were reshaped over decades of assimilation. Māori knowledge and everyday practices that assisted in protecting Māori from societal problems, such as domestic violence, began to dwindle. In contemporary New Zealand, Māori are over-represented in domestic violence statistics. Utilising an auto-ethnographic approach and case studies, our research focuses on five Māori men’s experiences within intimate relationships and whānau (extended family) life. A significant feature of this research is that it provides insights into the ways Māori men draw on their cultural ways-of-being to enhance intimate relationships and maintain bonds within whānau and community life to forge new ways-of-being. Such insights have the potential to inform preventative measures against domestic violence within Māori communities.

year: 2017