PSAI POSTGRADUATE CONFERENCE 2006

The joint PSAI-PSA Postgraduate Conference was held at Queen's University Belfast on 19 and 20 May. The papers which were presented are listed below. The PSAI would like to thank QUB's School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy for hosting the conference, and particular thanks to the two organisers - Aaron Edwards (QUB) and Lyndsey Harris (UUJ).

We must also thank Jon Tonge and John Garry who delivered a workshop on 'How to Pass Your Viva' and 'Publishing Articles in Academic Articles'; the QUB bookshop for providing a stand with discounted books and launching Religion, Identity and Politics in Northern Ireland: Boundaries of Belonging and Belief by Claire Mitchell; and the PSA's Irish Politics Group for sponsoring a wine reception.

Aspects of Northern Irish Politics (1)

• '"You Never Hit a Home Run with These Things: Sometimes you get a walk" The United States and Post-Agreement Northern Ireland, 2001-2006' Mary Alice Clancy (Queen's University Belfast)
• 'Northern Ireland Power-sharing, 1999-2002: the Constraints on 'Joined-up' Government' Joanne McEvoy (Queen's University Belfast)
• 'The Real Political Centre? The NILP, Power-sharing and the 'First Peace Process' in Northern Ireland, 1972-74' Aaron Edwards (Queen's University Belfast)

Aspects of Northern Irish Politics (2)

• 'Class versus Identity? The Contest for Political Authenticity between the DUP and Progressive Loyalism' Gareth Mulvenna (Queen's University Belfast)
• 'The Unionist Party in the Aftermath of Direct Rule: Strategic Conversations' Cillian McGrattan (University of Ulster at Jordanstown)
• 'Imperial Reflections' Sean Swan (University of Ulster at Jordanstown)
• 'Security Dilemmas in Implementing Peace Agreements' David Turizo (University of Ulster at Magee)

Russian and Central Asian Politics

• 'Are Appearances Always Deceptive? The Role of International Images in Russian Foreign Policy' Valentina Feklyunina (University of Glasgow)
• 'Lenin's State and Revolution and State Violence in the early years of the Soviet Union' James Ryan (University College Cork)
• 'Peripheries, Foreign Oil Companies and Regime Maintenance in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan' Wojciech Ostrowski (University of St. Andrews)

Conflict: Concepts and Definitions

• 'Conflict, Analysis and Ideology: Re(de)fining a Concept' Stacy Scriver (NUI Galway)
• 'A Power Failure: Ideological Competition, Politics and the Failure to Achieve Power' Robert Mauro (State University of New York - Rockefellar College)
• 'Describing Terrorism and other Concepts of Political Violence' Caspar ten Dam (Queen's University Belfast)

Political Case Studies

• 'Constituency Sports Grants as Pork Barrel Politics' Jane Suiter (Trinity College Dublin)
• 'If the Gift is Not a Good One: Blood, AIDS, Risk and Politics' Martin Power (NUI Galway)
• 'Environmental Justice: An Opportunity for Enhancing Social Cohesion in a Divided Community Context' Eamonn Megarity (Queen's University Belfast)

African Politics

• 'Democracy Promotion in Africa - a Panacea for Conflict-torn Societies?' Christine Cubitt (University of Bradford)
• 'The Dynamics of Narrativity and Dialectic of Ethno-political Conflicts in Nigeria' Chuz Eberendu (Queen's University Belfast)
• 'Notes on the political economy of ethnic diversity in Africa' Michael Seifu (Dublin City University)

European Issues

• 'The Transformative Capacity of EU Enlargement in Serbia and Montenegro since the 2004 enlargement' Máire McGrattan (Queen's University Belfast)
• 'Endogenous Preferences in the EU: Do National Political Parties Structure Behaviour Across Institutions?' Rory Costello (Trinity College Dublin)
• 'A Critical Analysis of the EU Influence at the WTO: the Case of the Doha Round Negotiations on Agriculture' Serdar Altay (University of Warwick)

Aspects of Irish Politics

• 'A Study of the Comptroller and Auditor General's Role in Administration in Ireland' Vincent McCarthy (NUI Galway)
• 'The Making of an Irish Protestant Nationalist Identity: A Historical Case Study of Stephen Gwynn' Colin Reid (Queen's University Belfast)
• 'The (Re)emergence of an Ulster Scots Ideology and Identity during the Home Rule Crisis' Martin Hay (University of Ulster at Jordanstown)