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Suutari, T. (Tero). "Economic aspects in education." Master's thesis, University of Oulu, 2015. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-201504021231.
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Leading theme in this master’s thesis is adaptation and preparation to ever changing requirements of skills and knowledge in the working life. These changes of requirements in the working life are implied by the changes in the occupational structure in Finland that is presented in the thesis. The data used in thesis to show the changes in the occupational structure in Finland Finnish Longitudinal Employer-Employee Data, FLEED, which is gathered by Statistics Finland and it shows changes in occupational structure of Finland between years 1995 and 2007. Education is considered in this thesis so that its object is to prepare children and future generations for working life with suitable skills and knowledge. The variety of other, equally important, objects that education has and possibly contradictions as well as problems that might arise in the course of achieving all the objects is beyond of this study. Changing occupational structure arises a question that how education prepares itself to the unknown changes? To answer the question asked, I will introduce Economics of education and Educational planning and how these two relate to each other, especially how economics of education has affected education and educational planning. Therefore I will first take historical review of the economics of education and introduce two main theories; human capital theory and screening theory. The main difference of these two will be explained and also what kind of difference it would make to education if either one could be proved right. It would also have an effect on how education should be arranged in the society. Educational planning has had, in its course, different approaches to analyze and predict future. I will review those approaches; also these approaches have been influenced by economics of education. In the last part of the thesis I bring up studies in Finland has tried to prepare and project changing work life. Also I discuss about can education bring something new to economics of educationTämän Pro gradu-tutkielman johtava teema on mukautuminen ja valmistautuminen muuttuviin vaatimuksiin tiedoista ja taidoista työelämässä. Ammattirakenteen muutos Suomessa viittaa siihen että vaatimukset erilaisille tiedoille ja taidoille työelämässä on tapahtumassa. Aineisto ammattirakenteen muutoksesta on Tilastokeskuksen yhdistetty työntekijä-työnantaja-aineisto (Finnish Longitudinal Employer-Employee Data FLEED). Ammattirakenteen muutos ajoittuu vuosien 1995 ja 2007 välille. Koulutus mielletään tässä Pro gradu-tutkielmassa sellaiseksi toiminnaksi jonka tavoite on valmistaa lapsia sekä tulevia sukupolvia työelämään oikeanlaisilla taidoilla ja tiedoilla. Yhtälailla tärkeät muut tavoitteet, mitä koulutukselle ja kasvatukselle on annettu, sekä mahdollisesti syntyviä ristiriitoja tavoitteita saavuttamisessa ovat tämän tutkielman ulkopuolella. Muutokset ammattirakenteessa luo kysymyksen, että miten koulutus on valmistautunut tällaisiin tuntemattomiin muutoksiin? Vastatakseni kysymykseen esittelen koulutusekonomian ja koulutussuunnittelun, sekä erityisesti miten koulutusekonomia on vaikuttanut koulutussuunnitteluun. Aluksi käyn läpi koulutusekonomian ja esittelen sen kaksi pääteoriaa: inhimillisen pääoman teorian ja siiviläteorian. Selitän millä tavoin nämä teoriat eroavat toisistaan ja mikäli jompikumpi voidaan todistaa oikeaksi millainen vaikutus sillä olisi koulutukseen. Koulutussuunnittelussa on käytetty monenlaisia analysointivälineitä tulevaisuuden ennakoimiseksi. Esittelen nämä eri tavat ja työkalut, sekä miten koulutussuunnittelu on historiansa aikana muuttunut ja miten taloudellinen ajattelu on muuttanut koulutussuunnittelua. Viimeisessä osassa tuon esille tutkimuksia siitä miten Suomessa pyritään ennakoimaan ja valmistautumaan muutoksiin työelämässä. Käyn myös keskustelua siitä voiko kasvatustiede tuoda jotain uutta koulutusekonomiaan
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Aguilar, Bobadilla Silvia E. "ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF HISTORICAL CONTAMINATION." Doctoral thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2008. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-161826.
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The main scope of the work is to support a wider understanding of the achievements and limitations of economic analysis in historical contamination issues. The work describes how various schools of economics focus their study on environmental problems, specifically on Brownfields redevelopment. It presents the ideas of environmental economics, resource economics, free market environmentalism, institutional economics, political economy and ecological economics. The work includes a case study from the region of Ralsko in North Bohemia.
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Heintz, Emelie. "Health economic aspects of diabetic retinopathy." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Utvärdering och hälsoekonomi, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-76283.
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To ensure that the resources of the health care sector are used effectively, new technologies need to be evaluated before implementation to examine if they generate health outcomes at an acceptable cost. This information can be collected by performing health economic evaluations in which the costs and health outcomes of different technologies are compared. To estimate the effect on health care budgets, there is also a need for information about the prevalence of the specific disease. Health outcomes in health economic evaluations are often measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), which are calculated by multiplying the remaining life years after an intervention by a weight representing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during those years. This thesis aims to provide deeper knowledge of the health economic aspects of diabetic retinopathy (DR), an eye complication that affects patients with diabetes and may in the worst case lead to blindness. The focus is on three empirical and two methodological health economic research questions. The empirical research areas cover prevalence, costs, and HRQoL related to patients with DR. The methodological research questions explore the performance of different methods for estimation of QALY weights. This is of interest since it has been argued that the most common methods for estimating QALY weights may not capture all relevant vision-related aspects of quality of life. The analyses comprehend the validity of different methods for estimating QALY weights among patients with DR and if the results of one of the specific methods for estimating QALY weights, the time trade-off (TTO) exercise, are affected by patients’ subjective life expectancy (SLE). The empirical results demonstrate that DR is seen in approximately 40% and 30% of patients with type I and type II diabetes respectively, indicating that the prevalence of DR has decreased in both of these patient groups. Healthcare costs vary considerably between different severity levels of the disease, being estimated at €26, €257, €216, and €433 per patient per year for background retinopathy, proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), diabetic macular oedema (DMO), and PDR combined with DMO respectively. Blindness due to DR is associated with an increased use of transportation services, caregiving services, and assistive technologies as well as productivity losses. This suggests that preventing the progression of DR may lower healthcare costs. Patients with vision impairment due to DR have lowered HRQoL in various dimensions, but the diagnosis of DR in itself has only a limited effect on HRQoL. The results on the methodological research questions show that different methods for estimating QALY weights seem to give different results. In comparison to EQ-5D, the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI-3) is the most sensitive method for detecting differences in QALY weights due to DR, and if decisions are to be made based on values from the general public, it can be recommended for use in cost-utility analyses of interventions directed at DR. Neither of the direct methods, TTO and the visual analogue scale, seems to be sensitive to differences in visual function, and more research is needed concerning the role of vision in people’s responses to the TTO exercises. In TTO exercises with time frames based on actuarial life expectancy, the patients’ SLE has an effect on their willingness to trade off years for full health. Thus, applying time frames deviating from patients’ SLE may result in biased QALY weights. Such bias may appear stronger within patient populations than within the general public. In conclusion, this thesis offers estimates for prevalence, costs, and QALY weights that can be used in economic evaluations of interventions directed at DR and as benchmarks for future DR research in order to follow up consequences of changes in diabetes care. In addition, it demonstrates that the choice of method for estimating QALY weights may have an impact on whether an intervention is considered cost-effective.
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Santos, Alvaro K. "Economic aspects of airport security measures." Thesis, Monterey, Calif. : Springfield, Va. : Naval Postgraduate School ; Available from National Technical Information Service, 1999. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA366334.
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Sach, Tracey Helen. "Economic aspects of paediatric cochlear implantation." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.403949.
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Echevarne, R. "Economic aspects of the Spanish airports." Thesis, Cranfield University, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.309617.
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Miltz, David. "Economic aspects of targeting environmental policy." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.235914.
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This thesis is composed of two parts; the first addresses theoretical aspects of the economics of targeting pollution control policy, whilst the second is an illustrative case study designed to embellish the more abstract insights of the first section.
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Nazerzadeh, Hamid. "Internet advertising : optimization and economic aspects /." May be available electronically:, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com/login?COPT=REJTPTU1MTUmSU5UPTAmVkVSPTI=&clientId=12498.
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Hefti, Elise. "Economic aspects and implications of obesity." Frankfurt, M. Berlin Bern Bruxelles New York, NY Oxford Wien Lang, 2009. http://d-nb.info/995713553/04.
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Stefani, Gianluca. "Economic aspects of information in environmental economics." Thesis, University of York, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.489205.
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Information may resolve uncertainty and uncertainty is pervasive. Thus, seeking, producing and trading of information are common economic activities. This is also true in the economics of the environment and for the different stakeholders therein involved. The central aim of this research is to investigate some theoretical aspects of the value and effects of information in environmental economics. Information is valuable either as a decision aid in contexts where either health and environmental characteristics of goods are uncertain or as the object of direct valuation under different provision rules. In a choice context three questions arise providing grounds for empirical investigations.
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Cali, Massimiliano. "Spatial aspects of the economic development process." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2009. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2068/.
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In recent years the spatial dimension of economic development has attracted increasing interest in the development field. However there is still little analysis and evidence of the ways many spatial dimensions interact with other economic dimensions in the development process. This thesis aims to help filling this gap by bringing a geographical perspective into development economics frameworks. It is empirical in nature and uses data on different sub-national units from India and Uganda. The work is structured around four main papers (divided into six chapters). The first paper analyses two important aspects of the Indian urbanisation process. First it finds a U-shaped relation between rural-urban disparities in living standards and income per capita across Indian states in the Post-Independence period. Second, it shows that the urbanisation process in India has been characterised by convergence in the 20th century: smaller towns grow faster than large ones. The second paper examines the role of the agricultural sector in influencing the shape of the urban system. The analysis suggests that the elasticity of rural-urban labour supply increases both urban primacy and the urbanisation rate in Indian states during the Post-Independence period. The third paper tests for the impact of urban growth on rural poverty using a sample of Indian districts in the period 1981-1999. It finds that urbanisation reduces poverty surrounding rural areas. This effect is largely attributable to positive spillovers from urbanisation rather than to the movement of the rural poor to urban areas. The final paper examines the deteminants of rising returns to schooling in Ugandan districts during the 1990s. The findings suggest that both educational supply and demand factors influenced the wedge between skilled and unskilled labour. Moreover while trade opening reduced this wedge, pro-market reforms increasing inter-district trade raised returns to education in districts relatively abundant in skilled labour.
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Ivlevs, Artjoms. "Economic and political economy aspects of migration." Aix-Marseille 2, 2006. http://www.theses.fr/2006AIX24009.
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L’objectif de cette thèse est d’explorer plusieurs phénomènes liés à la migration en prenant en considération différents aspects de la réalité économique contemporaine : l’importance du secteur non-échangeable, l’asymétrie entre les flux migratoires et les flux des investissements, ainsi que les problèmes persistants entre différentes communautés ethniques. Dans le premier chapitre introductif, nous explorons la littérature sur la politique économique de l’immigration et nous étudions les différentes voies par lesquelles les immigrés peuvent affecter le bien-être des résidents domestiques. Dans la deuxième partie, nous développons un cadre théorique afin d’analyser les effets de l’immigration sur le bien-être individuel dans une petite économie ouverte avec le secteur non-échangeable. Nos résultats expliquent pourquoi les résidents domestiques sont généralement opposés à l’immigration peu qualifiée et favorisent l’influx des immigrés hautement qualifiés. Dans le chapitre trois, nous faisons une extension du modèle élaboré dans le chapitre deux, en prenant en compte les flux internationaux du capital. D’abord nous cherchons à décrire le lien entre la migration peu et hautement qualifiée et les investissements directs à l’étranger. Puis, nous analysons le changement dans les attitudes envers l’immigration suite à l’introduction de la mobilité internationale du capital. Dans le quatrième chapitre, nous démontrons comment la diversité ethnique peut affecter les intentions d’émigrer. Nous traitons le cas de la Lettonie où les minorités ethniques constituent 40% de la population. Nous pouvons constater que les individus appartenant aux minorités ethniques sont plus probables d’émigrer et que cette probabilité augmente avec le revenu. Les individus appartenant à la majorité ethnique, au contraire, sont plus probables d’émigrer si leurs revenus sont plus basThe objective of this thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of migration-related economic issues in the world today. We concentrate both on immigration and emigration and at various stages of our work address all three parties involved in migration process : people hosting immigrants, people left behind and the migrants themselves. We account for several important features of today’s rapidly globalising life : the importance of the non-traded sector, asymmetry between capital and labour flows, and persisting problems between ethnic communities. The first chapter in an overview of the political economy of immigration literature and addresses the multiple ways in which immigrants may affect natives’ welfare. In particular, we discuss the role of economic and non-economic arguments in shaping immigration attitudes and summarise main labour market and welfare-state effects of immigration. Chapter two develops open economy with a non-traded sector. Our finding provide additional understanding of why native population is generally opposed to low-skilled immigrants and favouring high-skilled foreign workers. The third chapter extends the model developed in chapter two to accommodate internationally mobile capital. First, we investigate whether immigration of high-skilled and low-skilled labour leads to positive or negative FDI. Then, we find out how would immigration attitudes change if a country allows international capital movements. Chapter four investigates how ethnic diversity at home may influence emigration intentions of an individual. We explore the case of Latvia where ethnic minorities constitute 40% of the population. We find that ethnic minorities are more likely to emigrate and are positively self-selected on the basis of income, while the opposite is true for ethnic majority population
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Soares, Richard Queirós. "OTT TV services: technical and economic aspects." Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/12846.
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Mestrado em Engenharia Eletrónica e TelecomunicaçõesThe breadth of availability and variety of online video contents has helped to encourage a far more mobile experience, which has proved particularly popular among younger generations. Over The Top (OTT) services, particularly those on-demand video platforms, became more and more attractive to consumers when compared with the current main TV packages. This document describes how the video OTT Ecosystem works from a technical side. The description presented reaches both ends of the distribution chain: from how the video signals are acquired and processed, thru all the way to how they are delivered to the client, passing by the challenges and consequences that such services have on the network. The main objective of this dissertation is to understand the possibility to create in Portugal a new operator where the core business is video delivery using only OTT services.
A amplitude e variedade de conteúdos disponíveis online têm ajudado a promover uma experiência cada ver mais móvel da televisão, serviço que se tem revelado particularmente popular entre os mais jovens. Serviços Over The Top (OTT), sobretudo aqueles disponíveis através de plataformas de video on-demand, têm-se tornado cada vez mais atraentes para os consumidores, em comparação com os atuais pacotes de televisão. Este documento descreve como funciona, do ponto de vista técnico, o ecossistema do vídeo sobre OTT. A descrição apresentada abrange ambas as extremidades da cadeia de distribuição: desde a forma como os sinais de vídeo são adquiridos e processados até ao modo como eles são entregues ao cliente, passando pelos problemas e consequências que tais serviços podem ter na rede. O principal objectivo deste trabalho é contribuir para compreender se é possível criar em Portugal um novo operador onde o core business seja a distribuição de vídeo utilizando apenas serviços OTT.
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Hietasalo, P. (Pauliina). "Behavioral and economic aspects of caries control." Doctoral thesis, Oulun yliopisto, 2010. http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9789514263453.
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Abstract The aim was to determine the association between baseline factors, such as oral health-related behavior, attitudes, knowledge and beliefs in relation to caries increment during a randomized clinical trial (RCT). A further aim was to evaluate treatment costs and health outcomes during and after the RCT. In Pori Finland, 11- to 12-year-old children with active initial caries lesion(s) participated in the RCT in 2001–05. The experimental group (n=250) received multiple measures for controlling caries. The control group (n=247) received standard dental care. In 2005–08, all received standard dental care. Regression analyses were used to study the associations between behavioral factors and caries increment. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted (trial period), and costs and health outcomes as well as dental service utilization were evaluated (post-trial period). In the experimental group, brushing teeth twice a day was indicative of developing no new caries lesions, whereas eating candy at least once a day, predicted new lesions. In the experimental and control groups, lack of concern about cavities and lack of knowledge about mother’s dental health predicted new caries lesions. The average incremental cost for averting one DMF surface was €34. The experimental regimen was more effective and more costly than the standard dental care. The total costs decreased year after year. The mean total cost per adolescent was lower and the clinical outcome was better among the former participants in the experimental group. The utilization of dental services was significantly more regular among the former participants in this group. It may be feasible to control caries more effectively by affecting toothbrushing, candy eating and oral health-related attitudes, as preventive procedures may be ineffective if those factors are not in order. It is important to discuss oral health-related topics in families, because this may improve the oral health-related behavior of children. Cost-effectiveness of regimen used for the experimental group may be improved by division of work or by selective reduction of preventive procedures. Well-timed caries control can decrease treatment cost and yield long-term improvement of dental healthTiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää satunnaistetun kliinisen kokeen alussa rekisteröityjen suunterveyteen liittyvien tapojen, tietojen, asenteiden, uskomusten ja karieskertymän välisiä yhteyksiä. Lisäksi arvioitiin hoitokustannuksia ja hoidollisia tuloksia sekä kokeen ajalta että kokeen jälkeiseltä ajalta. Ne 11–12-vuotiaat lapset, joilla oli ainakin yksi alkava aktiivinen kariesvaurio, osallistuivat kokeeseen Porissa vuosina 2001–05. Koeryhmän lapset (n=250) saivat tehostettua ehkäisevää hoitoa ja kontrolliryhmän lapset (n=247) tavanomaista hammashoitoa. Kaikki saivat tavanomaista hammashoitoa vuosina 2005–08. Käyttäytymisellisten tekijöiden ja karieskertymän välisiä yhteyksiä tutkittiin regressioanalyysien avulla. Kustannusvaikuttavuusanalyysi tehtiin kokeen ajalta. Hoitokustannuksia ja hoidollisia tuloksia sekä palveluiden käyttöä arvioitiin kokeen jälkeiseltä ajalta. Lapsilla, jotka harjasivat vähintään kaksi kertaa päivässä, oli yleensä ehjät hampaat, kun taas lapsilla, jotka söivät päivittäin makeisia, oli useasti reikiä. Huolettomuus reikiintymistä kohtaan ja tietämättömyys äidin hampaiden kunnosta näkyi lasten hampaiden reikiintymisenä. Yhden hammaspinnan säästyminen paikkaukselta maksoi keskimäärin 34 €. Koeryhmän saama hoito oli vaikuttavampaa, mutta kalliimpaa kuin kontrolliryhmän saama hoito. Kokonaiskustannukset laskivat vuosi vuodelta. Keskimääräiset hoitokustannukset olivat pienemmät ja hammasterveys parempi entisen koeryhmän jäsenillä kuin kontrolliryhmäläisillä. Myös palveluiden käyttö oli säännöllisempää koeryhmässä. Karieksen hallintaa voidaan todennäköisesti tehostaa vaikuttamalla hampaiden harjaukseen, makeisten syöntiin ja suunterveyteen liittyviin asenteisiin. On tärkeää varmistaa, että nämä asiat ovat kunnossa, koska ehkäisevät toimenpiteet saattavat muuten jäädä tehottomiksi. Suunterveyteen liittyvistä asioista olisi hyvä keskustella perheissä, koska asioiden esillä pitäminen voi vaikuttaa suotuisasti lasten terveystapoihin. Koeryhmän saaman hoito-ohjelman kustannusvaikuttavuutta voisi todennäköisesti parantaa muuttamalla suunterveydenhuollon henkilöstön työnjakoa tai karsimalla valikoiden ehkäisevien toimenpiteiden määrää. Oikea-aikainen karieksen hallinta voi vähentää hoitokustannuksia ja lisätä hammasterveyttä pitkällä aikavälillä
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Agrawal, Ajay K. "Economic issues concerning the mobility of scientific inventions and implications for firm strategy." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape3/PQDD_0013/NQ56491.pdf.
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Wong, Chi-kwong Patrick, and 黃志光. "Economic changes in rural China." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1995. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31954509.
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Vigier, Adrien. "Essays on economic and social networks." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.609482.
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Genc, Talat. "Some economic aspects of a restructured electricity industry." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/280472.
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This thesis examines several issues that arise in restructured electricity markets. These issues include production, scheduling and forward contract decision making, capital investment decisions in uncertain environments, and equilibrium bidding in wholesale electricity auctions. In the chapter, "Supply Function Equilibria with Pivotal Suppliers", we study the impact of pivotal suppliers in supply function bidding settings. Observers of these markets have noted the important role that pivotal suppliers, those who can substantially raise the market price by unilaterally withholding generation output, sometimes play. However the literature on SFE has not considered the potential impact of pivotal suppliers on equilibrium predictions. This is a potentially important deficiency of applications of SFE to electricity markets, given the large role that pivotal suppliers sometimes play in these markets. We formulate a model in which generation capacity constraints can cause some suppliers to be pivotal. In symmetric and asymmetric versions of the model we show that when pivotal suppliers are present, the set of SFE is reduced relative to when no suppliers are pivotal. In the chapter, "Dynamic Oligopolistic Games Under Uncertainty: A Stochastic Programming Approach", we study several stochastic programming formulations of dynamic oligopolistic games under uncertainty. It is well known that if the number of state variables increases, dynamic programming becomes computationally intractable. For such games, we show that under certain symmetry assumptions, players earn greater expected profits as demand volatility increases. The key to our approach is the "scenario formulation" of stochastic programming. The examples presented in this paper illustrate that this approach can address dynamic games that are clearly out of reach for dynamic programming, the common approach in the literature on dynamic games. In the chapter, "Scenario-based Electricity-Gas Forward and Spot Pricing and Load Formulations", we propose load models and price and return formulations in specific energy markets. Existing energy models do not consider inter-relations between the trio: spot price, derivative price and electric load. Also these models, which are in the spirit of the models proposed in financial and commodity markets, ignore special characteristics of electricity, which may make the proposed models useless. In our formulations we consider these characteristics and correlations between these variables. Simulation results that we run support our modeling approaches.
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文玉蘭 and Yuk-lan Catherine Man. "Cyanide waste management: technologies, economic aspects, and constraints." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1996. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31253507.
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Willekens, Marleen. "Economic aspects of audit regulation and auditor liability." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1995. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/36143/.
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This thesis provides one of the first (to the author's knowledge, the first) micro-economic analyses of audit regulation and auditor liability. The analysis draws on insights from the economics and law literature that liability and regulation affect behaviour of individuals and organisations. The major research questions addressed in the thesis are the following: 1) How is demand for external audit services affected by joint and several liability of directors and external auditors? 2) How do auditor liability and professional audit standards affect audit quality? 3) Is it in the public interest to use auditor liability and professional audit standards jointly to monitor audit quality? The analysis is general, in the sense that a number of alternative regulatory scenarios are considered, and therefore hopes to be of relevance to various legal environments. Propositions about audit demand and production behaviour are drawn, as well as corollaries about the welfare implications of audit regulation and liability. Some major conclusions from the economic analysis are the following. 1) Consistency in judicial reasoning should be promoted. Certainty about what constitutes 'due care' leads to compliance by directors and auditors. 2) Uncertainty about due care crucially affects behaviour, both of auditors and directors. 3) Liability insurance arguments are irrelevant for audit demand when the due care level for directors is fairly certain. 4) Statutory audit requirements should only be imposed under limited circumstances. 5) More prescriptive professional audit standards have a positive effect on audit quality, but one standard for all client situations can never lead to social efficiency. 6) Liability restriction has a negative effect on audit quality. It may however promote socially efficient behaviour when there is overproduction of audit quality. 7) The joint use of liability restriction and more prescriptive professional audit standards may lead to a status quo in terms of audit quality produced, and therefore not welfare improving.
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Doyle, C. "Some intertemporal and informational aspects of economic theory." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.383632.
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Novais, Joana Lobo Fernandes. "Economic and engineering aspects of disposables-based bioprocessing." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.270590.
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Man, Yuk-lan Catherine. "Cyanide waste management : technologies, economic aspects, and constraints /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1996. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B17665346.
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Mani, Kevin. "Abdominal aortic aneurysm epidemiological and health economic aspects /." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala : Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis : Univ.-bibl. [distributör], 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-110810.
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Penn, Simon Andrew Christopher. "Social and economic aspects of fourteenth century Bristol." Thesis, University of Bolton, 1989. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.731703.
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Fisher, Hayley Claire. "Essays in the economics of marriage, cohabitation and divorce." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.609754.
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Fowler, Julili Southerland. "The interaction of electronic space with regional development." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/30489.
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Jalbout, Fouad Noaman. "Bayesian economic cost model for a variable sampling plan for fraction defective and manufacturing process control." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/184753.
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Acceptance sampling plans by variables are a basic quality control technique. These plans provide economical procedures to determine the acceptability of batches of product. Most of these plans are based on a single quality characteristic and are of the classical type. This work concentrates on Bayesian variable acceptance sampling plans for fraction defective. Both destructive and non-destructive sampling procedures are considered. A set of decision points are estimated and employed to make decisions about the inspected lots. Techniques to dispose of the rejected lots are provided. Components of the expected total cost relative to various decisions are estimated. The sample size required to obtain the expected optimum cost is found. An untrue assumption implicit in the measurement of the quality characteristic of items sampled is that the observed dimensions are error free. The distributions, means, and variances of a set of parameters for error free and error prone sampling is listed. Computer programs written in FORTRAN 77 are developed to compute the decision points and the costs for both destructive and nondestructive testing. Precise Bays estimate of the costs and other economic parameters involve the moments of the fraction defective p raised to the kᵗʰ power. Mathematical expressions for the conditional expectations of p|x and p|ẋ are derived and a computer program to estimate these moments is provided. Producing quality items with minimum cost requires keeping a production process under control. The quality characteristic X of each item produced is determined and the sample means are plotted on an Ẋ-control chart. A production process is assumed to start in control at time t = 0 with specific values of the mean and standard deviation. The occurrence of a single or multiple cause-failures shift the process mean outside the control limits. During the search for the causes of failure, the process is either allowed to continue in operation or shut down until the assignable cause or causes are discovered. The expected duration of time during which the process is shut down and the additional time to be taken to repair the process are considered. Computer programs are provided to estimate the optimal sample size, the interval between successive samples, the control limits, the probability of type I error, the power of the chart, and the average time the process operates in the presence of an assignable cause. The parameters estimated are employed to estimate the optimal loss-cost. The economic design of Ẋ -charts assumes one quality characteristic of interest. However a product quality in most industrial products and processes is characterized by more than one quality characteristic where the application of a Ẋ -control chart for each variable is inappropriate. In this work a Hotellings T² control chart is employed to handle cases of where products are tested relative to several quality characteristics.
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Hung, Wing-chun, and 洪榮川. "The costing of container liner service." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1999. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31952033.
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van, Zyl Johan, Bach Helmke Sartorius von, and Johann Kirsten. "Internal environment: the agricultural sector in Region E." University of Pretoria, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68792.
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The main purpose of this report is to conduct an analysis with a view to determine the potential role and contribution of agriculture in region E. This report emphasises the agricultural impact in determining an economic development strategy for region E. It is therefore the aim of this report to provide a brief situation analysis and an interpretation of existing problems affecting development. The importance of the sector, implications of the spacial distribution, the structure, potential growth and the policy environment will be addressed. From the above, constraints, bottlenecks, the likely future demand, etc will be pointed out. The interpretation of the above and its implications for development is necessary to determine objectives for the aimed strategy. The strategy for region E is necessary in determining policies stressing economic growth and fair distribution of resources to enable the mass of the population to share in increased wealth and economic opportunities.Region E economic development study
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Vougas, Dimitrios V. "Aspects of integration in econometrics." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.243693.
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Tam, Sze-ying, and 譚思映. "The development of the information and communications technology (ICT)industry in China, 1995-2005." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2006. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B36549265.
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Clarke, Damian. "Essays on fertility and family size." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:94016283-a3dd-4b6a-8427-373b49a491be.
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In these papers I discuss the causal estimation of the effects of fertility and fertility planning developments on mother and child outcomes. A number of concerns are raised with existing identification techniques, and alternative methodologies to consistently estimate the effect of interest are proposed. These concerns and new techniques are illustrated using microdata on slightly more than 43,000,000 births ocurring between 1972 and 2013. In the first substantive chapter (written with Sonia Bhalotra), we discuss the validity of the use of twin births in fertility research. We demonstrate that twin births are not random. Successfully taking twins to term depends upon positive maternal health behaviours and investments in the periods preceding birth. We show that this is of considerable concern for estimation techniques which rely on twin births being (conditionally) randomly assigned to identify causal effects. To illustrate, we consider the estimation of the child quantity-quality (QQ) trade-off, and show that existing instrumental variable estimates are inconsistent in the contexts examined. Upon partially correcting for the fact that twin births are not random, a statistically significant QQ trade-off begins to emerge. We close by examining a number of partial identification techniques to bound the true effect of fertility on child outcomes. In the second substantive chapter, I examine the effect of fertility control policies on the fertility decisions and outcomes of women. I consider the case of the emergency contraceptive pill in Chile. The staggered arrival of this technology to Chile over the last decade has resulted in the availability of the first safe and legal post-coital birth control policies. In a context of high teenage pregnancy rates, difference-in-difference (DD) style estimates suggest that this policy has accounted for reductions in short-term teen childbearing by as much as 7%, an effect similar to the arrival of abortion in the USA. This policy is also shown to reduce fetal deaths reported in early gestation with no similar reduction in late gestation: suggestive evidence that an alternative fertility control policy may reduce costly and dangerous illegal abortions. Finally, I turn to the use of DD estimators as a policy-analysis tool. I discuss how such estimators perform in the case of reforms which may not be sharply demarcated to treatment and control clusters, but rather subject to local spillovers or externalities. I propose an extension of the typical DD estimator: a spillover-robust DD estimator. This methodology is applied to estimate the effect of two localised fertility control reforms in Mexico and Chile, where women close to treatment clusters who were not themselves subject to the reform may nonetheless travel to access treatment.
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Macy, Alexandra G. "The Socio-economic and Religious Aspects in Robinson Crusoe." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2011. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/199.
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In the novel, Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe examines a wide range of complex issues. Defoe takes the typical adventure theme and transforms it into a thought-provoking reflection of many issues involving society. A blending of economic and religious issues is created by first focusing on economy, then bringing the issue of religion in, and finally allowing for the portrayal of the interpenetration between each. Defoe proves that it is possible to live by economic practices and monetary values while still maintaining a good, moral character. The emphasis on economic issues is extremely apparent, as Defoe calls into question the concept of money and its value, as well as its place in society. Crusoe is first portrayed as a man defined by money and ruled by economic principles. Even when removed from society, he is impelled to practice many economic conventions, such as investment, moderation and the idea of profit. Defoe creates Crusoe to be so greatly influenced by money and the economy in the beginning so as to better emphasize the intertwining of his economic side with his religious side. The Christian values and morals of Crusoe dominate the latter part of the novel. He rediscovers the Bible and its teachings and learns the importance of repentance and giving thanks. The provocative progression in unveiling the many layers of Crusoe allows for the reader to see that the man they thought to be defined by money is rather a man trying to live by the Word of God.
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Johnson, Ailish M. "Social aspects of economic integration : European and global governance." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.270084.
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Sevencan, Suat. "Economic Aspects of Fuel Cell-Based Stationary Energy Systems." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Tillämpad elektrokemi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-179137.
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It is evident that human activity has an important impact on climate. Constantly increasing energy demand is one of the biggest causes of climate change. The fifth assessment report of the Inter-governmental panel on climate change states that decarbonisation of electricity generation is a key component of climate change mitigation. Increased awareness of this fact and escalating concerns around energy security has brought public attention to the energy industry, especially sustainable power generation systems. Future energy systems may need to include hydrogen as an energy carrier in order to achieve necessary levels of CO2 emission reductions, and overcome the challenges renewable energy systems present. Fuel cells could be a corner stone of future hydrogen inclusive energy solutions. New solutions like fuel cells have to compete with existing technologies and overcome the shortcomings of emerging technology. Though these shortcomings are well-recognised, fuel cells also have many advantages which makes continued research and development in the field highly worthwhile and viable. Key to their adoption is the identification of a niche market to utilise their advantages while overcoming their shortcomings with continuous research and development. This thesis aims to evaluate some of the stationary fuel cell applications and determine whether one could become the niche market as an entry point for fuel cells. This is achieved by economic evaluations of real and hypothetical applications. Results of the studies here imply that to decrease the total life cycle impacts of fuel cells to more acceptable levels, resource use in the manufacturing phase and recycling in decommissioning should be shown more attention. Results also present a picture showing that none of the applications investigated are economically feasible, given the current state of technology and energy prices. However, fuel cell-based combined cooling, heating and power systems for data centres show the potential to become the niche market that fuel cells need to grow. A further conclusion is that a broad market, longer stack lifetime, the possibility of selling electricity back to the grid and governmental subsidies are essential components of an environment in which fuel cells can permeate through the niche market to the mainstream markets.QC 20151210
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Lawson, Gerald H. "Essays on aspects of the economic implications of accounting." Thesis, University of Manchester, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.284233.
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Yueh, Linda Yi-Chuang. "Gender, discrimination and inequality in China : some economic aspects." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2001. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3e1a0432-9a88-4893-9959-5dc376f78698.
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With the move to a more market-oriented economy in China, there is evidence of increased inequality in the incomes earned by men and women. To explore this outcome, we turn to an aspect of Chinese society that is pervasive in both economic and social contexts, namely, the Chinese variant of social capital, guanxi. It appears that in an imperfect labour market characterised by frictions, such as restricted mobility, costly job search, and limited employment alternatives, the cultivation of guanxi is important in reducing these transaction costs. The notion that investing in social capital can enhance an individual's opportunities leads to the development of a theory of discrimination that may explain the gender inequalities accompanying marketisation in China, and might be more generally relevant. The model of earnings discrimination is premised on imperfect product and labour markets. Under these conditions, we show that differential wages for similarly productive workers is a profit maximising outcome for firms. We apply this theory in an attempt to explain the trend of increasing gender inequality in earned income in urban China during the current reform period. First, pre-labour market gender inequality is investigated through developing a model of parental investment in children's human capital to discern whether there are productive differences between men and women prior to entering employment. In 1995, household expenditure on children's education is affected by perceived future earnings differentials and support of parents in retirement. Regarding labour markets, an original survey designed to test our model of social capital was administered in urban China in early 2000 and pertained to 1999. We find that there are differences between men and women in their investment in guanxi that correspond to gender inequalities in earned income and rates of re-employment. Both empirical chapters provide evidence in accordance with the predictions of the theory.
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Barclay, G. "Consumer product invention : Some developmental, economic and consumer aspects." Thesis, Open University, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.380055.
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Häsler, Barbara. "Economic and epidemiological aspects of bovine neosporosis in Switzerland /." Bern : [s.n.], 2006. http://www.stub.ch/index.php?p=1&i=645.
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Berger, Joshua F. "Sugar ethanol in Florida : economic, agricultural,and environmental aspects." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0003140.
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Arabzadeh, Jamali Hamzeh. "Three essays on the sectoral aspects of economic policy." Thesis, Paris 1, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016PA01E027/document.
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L’objectif sous-jacent aux trois chapitres qui composent cette thèse, est une meilleure compréhension de l’incidence des politiques publiques dont les impacts diffèrent entre secteurs hétérogènes. Nous déclinons cette analyse à trois types de politiques publiques au cœur de la macro-économie contemporaine : (i) une politique environnementale (ii) une politique d’aide au développement et (iii) une politique de déficits jumeaux. A travers ces trois chapitres, nous soutenons que les impacts sectoriels des politiques jouent un rôle crucial dans l’évaluation des politiques et dans la détermination de la politique optimale. Le premier chapitre se concentre sur la taxe sur la pollution. Il fournit un modèle théorique qui explique pourquoi il existe une relation négative entre le revenu des ménages et leur soutien pour la taxe sur la pollution. Dans le deuxième chapitre, j’étudie les impacts macroéconomiques d’une politique d’aide au développement et je considère deux secteurs: secteur des biens échangeables (T-secteur) et le secteur des biens non-échangeables (N-secteur). Je considère deux types d’aide étrangère: (i) une aide distribuée par des transferts forfaitaires aux ménages et (ii) une aide destinée à financer les investissements publics. J'étudie l'impact de la libéralisation du marché des capitaux sur la forme optimale et la performance de l'aide au développement. Le troisième chapitre est centré sur les déficits jumeaux : un déficit de la balance courante induit par un déficit de l'équilibre budgétaire. L'analyse économétrique du papier montre que les pays ayant adopté une négociation salariée centralisée présentent des déficits jumeaux plus faibles que les autres. Ce chapitre fournit aussi un modèle théorique pour expliquer ces résultats empiriquesIn this dissertation, I study the implications of policies with heterogeneous sectoral impacts in three separate research fields of macroeconomics: (i) environmental policy, (ii) foreign aid and (iii) the political economy of the twin deficits. Through the three chapters of this thesis, it is argued that, in all these three contexts, the sectoral impacts of policies play important roles in the policy evaluation and in the determination of optimal policy. In the first chapter, the policy of concern is the pollution tax. The paper provides a theoretical model to explain why in top income percentiles, there can be a negative relationship between household's income and their support for pollution tax. In the second chapter, I study the macroeconomic impacts of foreign aid and I consider two sectors: tradable sector (T-sector) and non-tradable sector (N-sector). I consider two forms of foreign aid: (i) aid which is transferred to the households and (ii) aid which is used to finance public investment. I investigate the impact of the liberalization of capital market on the optimal form and on the performance of foreign aid. In the third chapter, I consider the same sectors as in the second chapter : T-sector and N-sector. The focus of this chapter is rather on the political economy of the twin deficits: a deficit in current account induced by a deficit in fiscal balance. Econometric analysis of the paper finds evidence that wage centralization, in a cross-section of industrialized economies, is significantly associated with lower deficits in current account and budget balance. The paper provides a political economy framework to explain this empirical finding
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Pari, Anees Ahmed Abdul. "Health economic aspects in the management of bipolar disorder." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:f8ea6eae-9111-4efe-87d1-52276d97e827.
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Bipolar disorder (BD) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and has a detrimental impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and personal and social functioning. Despite this, there is insufficient knowledge of the costs, HRQoL implications relevant to BD, and the cost-effectiveness of current treatments for BD in the UK. This thesis aims to inform decisions about local and national service provision by applying a variety of health economic tools to build an economic case for BD. First, economic evaluations of BD management strategies are systematically reviewed. A cost-of-illness study is then conducted to estimate the societal burden of BD in the UK and explore the factors that drive variations in these costs. The appropriateness of applying the EQ-5D-3L outcome measure in BD is assessed, and the feasibility of mapping disease-specific measures to the EQ-5D-3L is explored. Finally, a cost-utility analysis (CUA) is conducted to bring together evidence on the costs and outcomes associated with alternative psychological interventions in BD management. This thesis makes critical contributions to multiple research domains, informing the allocation of scarce healthcare resources in this context. There is a sheer dearth of evidence on cost-effectiveness strategies for the long-term management of BD in the UK, especially the evidence for psychological therapies is limited. The annual societal costs associated with BD in the UK are estimated to be £5.14 billion, demonstrating the significant economic burden associated with this disease. The EQ-5D-3L instrument is found to be useful in measuring HRQoL in BD patients who predominantly experience depressive symptoms but is not sensitive enough to detect changes in individuals with mania. More psychometric evidence is therefore required before this instrument can be widely applied in economic evaluations of BD-related interventions. Finally, the CUA indicates that a novel structured psychoeducation intervention in individuals on remote mood monitoring in the UK is not cost-effective.
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Panopoulos, Georgios D. "Economic aspects of safety in the Greek construction industry." Thesis, Aston University, 2003. http://publications.aston.ac.uk/12233/.
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The thesis addresses the economic impacts of construction safety in Greece. The research involved the development of a methodology for determining the overall costs of safety, namely the sum of the costs of accidents and the costs of safety management failures (with or without accident) including image cost. Hitherto, very little work has been published on the cost of accidents in practical case studies. Moreover, to the author’s belief, no research has been published that seeks to determine in real cases the costs of prevention. The methodology developed is new, transparent, and capable of being replicated and adapted to other employment sectors and to other countries. The methodology was applied to three construction projects in Greece to test the safety costing methodology and to offer some preliminary evidence on the business case for safety. The survey work took place between 1999 and 2001 and involved 27 months of costing work on site. The study focuses on the overall costs of safety that apply to the main (principal) contractor. The methodology is supported by 120 discrete cost categories, and systematic criteria for determining which costs are included (counted) in the overall cost of safety. A quality system (in compliance with ISO9000 series) was developed to support the work and ensure accuracy of data gathering. The results of the study offer some support for the business case for safety. Though they offer good support for the economics of safety as they demonstrate need for cost effectiveness. Subject to important caveats, those projects that appeared to manage safety more cost-effectively achieved the lowest overall safety cost. Nevertheless, results are significantly lower than of other published works for two main reasons; first costs due to damages with no potential to injury were not included and second only costs to main constructor were considered. Study’s results are discussed and compared with other publish works.
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Wan, Chi Shun. "Economic aspects of the Sino-Soviet Alliance, 1949-1964." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/29867.
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The characteristics of the Sino-Soviet Alliance have been analyzed extensively for more than three decades. However, the economic aspects of this Alliance remain unclear. A number of factors, such as statistical discrepancies, complexity of interpretation,
and the quality and reliability of the Chinese and Soviet sources , are accountable for this obscurity. A more narrowly focused study examining the role Sino-Soviet economic relations played in shaping the Alliance is useful to better our understanding.
After a chronological, review of the Sino-Soviet economic relationship, its significance in shaping the Alliance is examined
through the reappraisal of three major areas.
Firstly, the relative costs and benefits for each partner are assessed in an objective and detached way. The Soviet Union made a decisive contribution to China's industrialization. Soviet financial aid , though modest in figure, was provided in a timely way. Together with the provision of scientific and technological knowledge, the value of Soviet aid must be regarded as considerable.
The benefits to the Soviet Union were less impressive; but since the imported Chinese consumer goods were largely consumed
in the Soviet Far East, the benefits should not be underestimated.
The cost for both sides remains obscure; though it is obvious that the questions of "Soviet exploitation", concerning the joint-stock companies, the overvaluation of the rouble and
the pricing in Sino-Soviet trade are highly complex and should be interpreted with greater care.
Secondly, the effect of Sino-Soviet economic cooperation on the Alliance — whether it strengthened or weakened it — is explored.
Undoubtedly, the economic relationship had both unifying and divisive effects. It was a unifying factor because the Soviets had provided China with support and assistance that would have been difficult to obtain elsewhere . Another factor which had tied China to the USSR was the strong Soviet influences resulting from the implementation of the Soviet model and the close cooperation in the fields of education and sciences. On the other hand, these Soviet influences proved to be a divisive factor
as well, because they produced a domestic political and social
situation that Mao found profoundly distasteful. Different economic interests and competition in foreign aid programs also created tensions and frictions. The independent outlook of China's leaders made them resentful of their role as a junior partner in the early 1950's, and prevented them from entering a long-term trade agreement with the USSR or joining the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance, as the Soviets had wished.
Finally, the impact of Sino-Soviet economic relations upon China's policy-making is discussed, albeit speculatively. In the early 1950's, China's economic and military dependence on the USSR made its leaders exercise greater caution in their claim of "Mao's Road " as the model for other Asian countries. As China
gained strength, however, Soviet influence declined. While the discontinuation of Soviet financial aid can reasonably be regarded as one of the major factors contributing to China's decision to abandon the Soviet model in 1958, the economic pressure
applied by Khrushchev failed to change China's policy, and proved counterproductive.Arts, Faculty of
History, Department of
Graduate
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Rawlins, Amy. "Socio-economic aspects of peatland management : an ecosystems approach." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2008. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/3804.
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Peatland areas comprise half of the world’s wetlands and play important ecological roles. Peatlands offer a diversity of social, economic and environmental benefits, and in so doing serve a wide range of human interests. Despite this peatlands are fast disappearing. Some uses, particularly those associated with agriculture, result in degradation of the peat stock itself. In this context, the research aims to increase the understanding of the socio-economic dimensions of lowland peatland systems in Northern Europe. Focussing on two sites in England, namely Somerset and the Fens, it uses the ecosystem services framework to explore the flow of multiple goods and services from peatlands, while simultaneously linking these to stakeholder interests and influences. Stakeholder and multi-criteria analysis were used in combination to identify the ecosystem services delivered in the case study areas and explain how these services were distributed amongst stakeholders. Using open stakeholder interviews, workshops and formal multi-criteria techniques (AHP and MAUT), it was possible to elucidate the factors that shape land use preferences. Livelihood provisions, maintenance of wildlife interest and floodwater storage were found to be the most important peatland services to stakeholders. The high livelihood associated with consumptive use of peatlands, along with the high degree of private land ownership and the continued relative freedom this affords were found to be the two largest barriers to wise use of peatlands. The findings suggest that new policy mechanisms may be required to designate property rights to secure particular ecosystem services for the public good. This might involve new institutional arrangements, possibly involving multi dimensional entitlement systems, to secure the future of peatlands. The ecosystem services framework, combined with stakeholder and multi-criteria analyses, were shown to be effective in providing an understanding of the synergies and conflicts in peatland management.
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Braun, Dane Curtis. "The Effects of Ethanol Policy on Cattle Production." Thesis, North Dakota State University, 2009. https://hdl.handle.net/10365/29632.
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Corn-based ethanol production has increased dramatically in the past ten years, causing an increase in demand for corn by ethanol producers and an increase in production of ethanol by-products such as distillers' grains. The increase in ethanol production can be attributed to ethanol policy at the state and federal levels. Because of the increase in production of corn-based ethanol, cattle producers face greater competition for a major feed source, corn, and greater supply of an emerging feed source, distillers' grains. The objective of this study is to analyze and quantify the effects of ethanol policy on cattle production. A theoretical model and an econometric model are used to fulfill the objectives of this study. The theoretical model contains an ethanol model and a general livestock model. Results of the theoretical model present the possibilities of ethanol policy affecting cattle production. The econometric model identifies the indirect and direct effects of ethanol policy on cattle production. The results of the econometric model indicate that there is a relationship between ethanol policy, specifically the Renewable Fuel Standard, and cattle production.
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Shakya, Sumadhur. "Valuing and Pricing of Random and Non-Persistent Genetically Modified Traits (Corn and HRSW)." Thesis, North Dakota State University, 2009. https://hdl.handle.net/10365/29713.
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With many genetic traits discovered and many more in progress, it is imperative to the industry that firms (biotechnology companies) decide on the trait valuation and pricing. This includes more than one trait (also referred to as stacked traits) in a single variety of crop; the risk and uncertainty of expected returns associated with the development and release of a variety increases even more in case of stacked traits.
The purpose of this thesis is to develop a model that can be used for the valuing and pricing of genetically modified (GM) traits that are random, sporadic, and non-persistent (e.g. drought tolerance, heat/cold stress) using the real option approach. The efficiency gain in case of occurrence of random event and expression of GM traits will be measured and used as a decision factor in determining the value of GM trait(s) at different phases of development. Risk premiums representing the value of GM trait to growers is calculated across risk averse attitudes. The return to labor and management (RTLM) provided by a GM trait is used to calculate the risk premiums when variation in parameters is allowed to be same as that reflected in historical data and gains from GM traits are realized. Monte Carlo simulation and stochastic efficiency with respect to a function (SERF) are used to estimate the certainty equivalents that decision makers would place on a risky alternative relative to a no risk investment. Certainty equivalents are estimated across a range of risk aversion coefficients and used to rank alternatives and determine where preferences among alternatives change while estimating risk premiums for the base case (no trait), drought tolerance, cold tolerance, NUB, and All traits (all traits combined into one as a stacked trait). Premiums provide perspective on the magnitude of differences in relative preferences among choices. The range of ARAC utilized was from 0.00 to 0.15 for all three crops. The risk premiums are treated as a potential source of revenue in the model as a technology fee charged by a biotech company. This thesis uses the Real Option methodology to evaluate GM traits as Option values at various stages of development. This approach helps managers decide the best possible option in making a certain decision today. It is also helpful in comparing different pathways (series of decisions) and thus better exploits the potential cash return in the future from investments made today (Figure D.1, Figure D.2). Three possible options to "continue", "wait", and "abandon" were modeled in this thesis. Such modeling determines the possible option values of GM traits at different stages of development depending on the kind of choices made at different points of time. This thesis shows that various GM traits that are out-of-money (OTM) at initial stages have increased probability of being in-the-money (ITM) at later stages of development. Sensitivities show that a share of potential technology fees and acreage of GM crops play a significant role in option values being ITM. Stacked traits provide a better chance of being ITM, thus the option to continue will be exercised by management. The option to wait causes reduction in option value. Among
individual traits, drought tolerance has the greatest maximum option value in most cases. Therefore, if management has to choose the development of only one GM trait, it is most likely to choose to invest in the development of drought tolerance.
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Ndeffo, Mbah Martial Loth. "Optimizing epidemic control under economic constraints." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.609007.
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Elgaard, Emil. "The impact of demographic transition and aging on economic growth : a comparative study of Japan and China." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/211027.
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China is growing old before it is growing affluent. This situation is not unique to China; at least three other countries are in the same situation. While some of these had family planning campaigns, none had a one-child policy which implies that one-child policy is not the direct cause of this predicament.
While China’s working-age share of the population has peaked, any shortages of low-skill labor currently observed in China are primarily caused by the hukou system and its barriers to labor mobility. A reform of the hukou system would secure ample supplies of migrant labor even in the face of mildly declining working-age share of the population. The absence of reforms could mean the arrival of a policy-induced Lewis Turning Point, prompting a premature and potentially counterproductive reorientation of industry. China does not yet possess an advantage in capital and technology intensive production and thus risks falling into the middle-income trap if the reorientation of industry takes place too early. If the Lewis Point can be postponed and the current rate of capital stock growth can be maintained for another decade or two, China might be able to avoid the middle-income trap.
Both China’s and Japan’s current pension systems are unsustainable and their PAYGO nature is detrimental to long-run economic growth, especially so for aging societies. It is possible for China to make the system sustainable in the long if reforms are implemented while the transition costs are manageable. Although China is aging, the pace will be relatively slow until 2030. It will still take many years before the country is as old as Japan is a present. A low debt-to-GDP ratio also offers China more flexibility than Japan currently enjoys.published_or_final_version
China Development Studies
Master
Master of Arts in China Development Studies