The Web as a Marginalizing Technology: The structure of web-based resources on South Asia

Abstract

The World Wide Web (WWW), a potentially non-hierarchical and open mode of information presentation and sharing based on hyperlinked text, has emerged over the last few years as the most celebrated form of information access in most countries that have a well-developed telecommunications infrastructure. From the time—not long ago—when the word “internet” would produce confused looks, we have come to a time in which the terms “Internet” and “World Wide Web” are virtually synonymous and instantly understood. Much of the Web is in the process of becoming one huge overpowering corporate resource, but even in the midst of this commercial inundation, progressive political organizers and a broad swath of progressive organizations around the world have also begun utilizing the Web both for broadcasting and for collecting information.     

Sudden Death in Marfan Syndrome

Marfan syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder of the connective tissue. The most serious complications of this syndrome are defects of the heart valves and aorta. Aneurysms of thoracic aorta are known to develop in Marfan syndrome. Other causes for development of aneurysms of the thoracic aorta are trauma, infections, valve and arch anomalies, genetic disorders, and atherosclerosis. These aneurysms upon rupture may lead to sudden deaths. They are usually detected during routine screening or follow‐up of such persons suffering from Marfan syndrome and upon death will be certified by the treating physician. Thus, an autopsy surgeon rarely comes across such deaths. One such case of sudden death due to cardiac tamponade consequent upon rupture of dissecting aortic aneurysm in a 33‐year‐old male who complained of throbbing pains in the chest, radiating to back, became breathless, cyanotic and died on the way to hospital is being presented here.     

Introduction to this Special Issue Cultural Diplomacy: What Role for Cities and Civil Society Actors?

International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society -     

A Leadership Selection Index for multi-ballot political party conventions in Canada

Eugene McGregor (Journal of Politics 35, 459–478, 1973) recognized a regularity in multi-ballot leadership conventions in the United States. He hypothesized that the change in absolute votes between the first and the second ballot could be used to forecast the eventual winner of a leadership race. When the McGregor model is applied to the Canadian multi-ballot conventions the prediction rate is only 57 per cent. This paper seeks first to discuss the qualitative similarities found between these Canadian conventions and then use this as a basis to develop and to apply a model that extends on McGregor's work. The developed model is called the Leadership Selection Index (LSI). We find that the winner of most Canadian multi-ballot conventions (86%) could be forecasted after the second ballot by using the LSI method of analysis. Based on the evidence from the literature and a survey of Canadian political conventions, we develop a hypothesis of ‘two critical conjunctures' for multi-ballot leadership conventions. This hypothesis provides a suitable theoretical framework to interpret the performance of our empirical model.     

Individual-Level Data on the Victims of Nepal’s Civil War, 1996–2006: A New Data Set

This article introduces individual-level microdata on victims of violence in Nepal’s civil war (1996–2006). The data being presented in this study are unique in that they are a census—not a sample—of the known population of victims for which information could be collected. The unit of analysis is the individual victim, and the data provide information on: whether the victim was killed, injured, or disappeared; the districts and villages where they were targeted; their permanent home addresses; the circumstances of the attack (combat, extrajudicial, etc.); socioeconomic information; whether they had any affiliation to rebel groups or other political parties; identification of the perpetrator; and whether the victim was considered to be a government or Maoist informant. After describing the data, an application of the data is performed and some preliminary findings are discussed on the differences in targeting behavior between the government and the Maoist rebels.     

Globalization,the State,and India's Halting March to Common Market: The Political Economy of Tax Reform Under Federalism

As a social phenomenon, globalization has been the target of much criticism. One particular line of attack holds that it will lead to the segmentation and disintegration of the national economy. However, an examination of the long process of reform of the indirect tax system in India underlines, paradoxically, the significant role of globalization precisely in fostering domestic economic integration in the form of a common market, which would overcome the economic segmentation existing prior to globalization. Interestingly, such tax reform has, in considerable part, been driven by the need to meet globalization's challenge that India's economy be efficient and internationally competitive. At the same time, one should not underestimate the critically important role of the state as an institutional variable—which critics tend often to ignore—in carrying through the goal of establishing a common market, presently a work still in progress.