Establishing electoral administration systems in new democracies

The difficulty of holding fair elections continues to be a critical problem in many newly democratized countries. The core of the problem is the electoral administration's lack of political autonomy and capability to regulate fraud. This paper seeks to identify the conditions for establishing an autonomous and capable electoral administration system. An electoral administration system has two main functions: to disclose the nature of elections and to prevent fraud. We argue in this paper that an autonomous and capable electoral administration system exists if the major political players have the incentive to disclose the information on the elections and to secure the ruler's credible commitment to fair elections. We examine this argument through comparative case studies of Korea and the Philippines. Despite similar historical and institutional settings, their election commissions exhibit contrasting features. The difference in the incentive structures of the major political players seems to have caused the divergence in the institutional evolution of the election commissions in the two countries.Developing countries, South Korea, Philippines, Elections, Electoral systems, Democracy, Institution

Bulk Rotational Symmetry Breaking in Kondo Insulator SmB6

Kondo insulator samarium hexaboride (SmB6) has been intensely studied in recent years as a potential candidate of a strongly correlated topological insulator. One of the most exciting phenomena observed in SmB6 is the clear quantum oscillations appearing in magnetic torque at a low temperature despite the insulating behavior in resistance. These quantum oscillations show multiple frequencies and varied effective masses. The origin of quantum oscillation is, however, still under debate with evidence of both two-dimensional Fermi surfaces and three-dimensional Fermi surfaces. Here, we carry out angle-resolved torque magnetometry measurements in a magnetic field up to 45 T and a temperature range down to 40 mK. With the magnetic field rotated in the (010) plane, the quantum oscillation frequency of the strongest oscillation branch shows a four-fold rotational symmetry. However, in the angular dependence of the amplitude of the same branch, this four-fold symmetry is broken and, instead, a twofold symmetry shows up, which is consistent with the prediction of a two-dimensional Lifshitz-Kosevich model. No deviation of Lifshitz-Kosevich behavior is observed down to 40 mK. Our results suggest the existence of multiple light-mass surface states in SmB6, with their mobility significantly depending on the surface disorder level.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure

Inventory Reduction and Productivity Growth: A Comparison of Japanese and US Automotive Sectors

This study asseses the inventory and productivity performance of the Japanese and US automotive industries in recent decades. Within each country we distinguish between vehicle assemblers and parts suppliers. In Japan, assemblers and suppliers made dramatic inventory reductions and productivity gains, particularly during the 1970s. By comparison, we find an unbalanced pattern for the United States: American assembly plants have been streamlined but parts suppliers have stagnated. In both countries our findings suggest a strong association between inventory reduction and productivity growth

Inventory Reduction and Productivity Growth: A Comparison of Japanese and US Automotive Sectors

Revised: June 30, 1996This study assesses the inventory and productivity performance of the Japanese and US automotive industries in recent decades. Within each country we distinguish between vehicle assemblers and parts suppliers. In Japan, assemblers and suppliers made dramatic inventory reductions and productivity gains, particularly during the 1970s. By comparison, we find an unbalanced pattern for the United States: American assembly plants have been streamlined, but parts suppliers have stagnated. In both countries our findings suggest a strong association between inventory reduction and productivity growth.The MIT International Motor Vehicle Program, the UCLA Center for International Business Education and Research, and the Institute for International Economic Studies in Tokyo, Japan

Quantum Oscillations in Cux_xBi2_2Se3_3 in High Magnetic Fields

Cu$_x$Bi$_2$Se$_3$ has drawn much attention as the leading candidate to be the first topological superconductor and the realization of coveted Majorana particles in a condensed matter system. However, there has been increasing controversy about the nature of its superconducting phase. This study sheds light on present ambiguity in the normal state electronic state, by providing a complete look at the quantum oscillations in magnetization in Cu$_x$Bi$_2$Se$_3$ at intense high fields up to 31T. Our study focuses on the angular dependence of the quantum oscillation pattern in a low carrier concentration. As magnetic field tilts from along the crystalline c-axis to ab-plane, the change of the oscillation period follows the prediction of the ellipsoidal Fermi surface. As the doping level changes, the 3D Fermi surface is found to transform into quasi-cylindrical at high carrier density. Such a transition is potentially a Lifshitz transition of the electronic state in Cu$_x$Bi$_2$Se$_3$.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.