Dissertations / Theses: 'Production functions (Economic theory)'

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Elasra, Amira. "Essays on educational production functions in England." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2016. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7551/.

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Despite the expansion of the literature on the implications that different inputs have on the educational outcomes of students, empirical research has so far lacked the full capacity to provide unequivocal findings. Essentially, this deficiency is mainly attributed to two main factors; the lack of reliable data and the lack of full dimensionality in the theoretical model adopted to explain such data (Levaččićć and Vignoles, 2002; Knoeppel, Verstegen, and Rinehart, 2007). This dissertation aims to fill those gaps by first building a unique large dataset that covers all aspects of the educational process and second by adopting an integrated theoretical model and advanced quantitative methodological approaches to analyze it. With the fulfillment of such aim the dissertation manages to fill some of the gaps identified in the Education Economics literature related to the relationships between the cognitive and affective educational outcomes of English adolescents on one hand and three main inputs representing each of the three indentified factors in the theoretical model on the other hand controlling for other possible heterogeneities. Specifically, the thesis examines the effect of school process inputs in Chapter 2, family structure as a key family background input in Chapter 3 and finally religion and religiosity as a key adolescent’s personal input in Chapter 4.

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Nuchsuwan, Kontee. "Essays in trade, development and political economy." Related electronic resource: Current Research at SU : database of SU dissertations, recent titles available full text, 2005. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/71215402.html.

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Mendoza, Maria Nimfa F. "Essays in production theory : efficiency measurement and comparative statics." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/30734.

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Nonparametric linear programming tests for consistency with the hypotheses of technical efficiency and allocative efficiency for the general case of multiple output-multiple input technologies are developed in Part I. The tests are formulated relative to three kinds of technologies — convex, constant returns to scale and quasiconcave technologies. Violation indices as summary indicators of the distance of an inefficient observation from an efficient allocation are proposed. The consistent development of the violation indices across the technical efficiency and allocative efficiency tests allows us to obtain comparative measures of the degrees of technical inefficiency and pure allocative inefficiency. Constrained optimization tests applicable to cases where the producer is restricted to optimizing with respect to a subset of goods are also proposed. The latter tests yield the revealed preference-type inequalities commonly used as tests for consistency of observed data with profit maximizing or cost minimizing behavior as limiting cases. Computer programs for implementing the different tests and sample results are listed in the appendix. In part II, an empirical comparison of nonparametric and parametric measures of technical progress for constant returns to scale technologies is performed using the Canadian input-output data for the period 1961-1980. The original data base was aggregated into four sectors and ten goods and the comparison was done for each sector. If we assume optimizing behavior on the part of the producers, we can reinterpret the violation indices yielded by the efficiency tests in part I as indicators of the shift in the production frontier. More precisely, the violation indices can be considered nonparametric chained indices of technical progress. The parametric measures of technical progress were obtained through econometric profit function estimation using the generalized McFadden flexible functional form with a quadratic spline model for technical progress proposed by Diewert and Wales (1989). Under the assumption of constant returns, the index of technical change is defined in terms of the unit scale profit function which gives the per unit return to the normalizing good. The empirical results show that the parametric estimates of technical change display a much smoother behavior which can be attributed to the incorporation of stochastic disturbance terms in the estimation procedure and, more interestingly, track the long term trend in the nonparametric estimates. Part III builds on the theory of minimum wages in international trade and is a theoretical essay in the tradition of analyzing the effects of factor market imperfections on resource allocation. The comparative static responses of the endogenous variables — output levels, employment levels of fixed-price factors with elastic supply and flexible prices of domestic resources — to marginal changes in the economy's exogenous variables — output prices, fixed factor prices and endowments of flexibly-priced domestic resources -— are examined. The effect of a change in a fixed factor price on other flexible factor prices can be decomposed Slutsky-like into substitution and scale effects. A symmetry condition between fixed factor prices and flexible factor prices is obtained which clarifies the concepts of "substitutability" and "complementarity" between these two kinds of factors. As an illustration, the model is applied to the case of a devaluation in a two-sector small open economy with rigid wages and capital as specific factors. The empirical implementation of the general model for the Canadian economy is left to more able econometricians but a starting point can be the sectoral analysis performed in Part II.
Arts, Faculty of
Vancouver School of Economics
Graduate

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Fortin, Nicole M. "Evaluating the aggregation biases in a production economy : a stochastic approach." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/28779.

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This dissertation presents a theoretical framework to analyze and evaluate aggregation biases. These biases measure the information lost when macro relations evaluated in terms of aggregates do not capture all of the distributional properties of micro relations. The framework is developed in the context of producer theory, but it may be used to determine the biasedness of any representative agent model and to study general relationships between exact-aggregation macro parameters and their microfoundations. The model is based on a stochastic interpretation of the production characteristics which encompasses that of previous stochastic aggregation models (Houthakker, 1955; Hildenbrand, 1981; Stoker, 1984; Lewbel, 1986a). It admits the construction of "true" aggregate relations which can be compared to pre-specifed macro relations. Many of Theil's (1954, 1971) statistical results concerning the relations between micro and macro parameters then can be formalized at the population level and generalized to non-linear functions. A moments decomposition of the "true" aggregate relation makes it possible to identify the sources and causes of potential aggregation biases. Thus, the functional-form restrictions of exact-aggregation models (Gorman, 1968a; Blackorby and Schworm, 1984, 1988) are found to be neither necessary nor sufficient conditions for consistent aggregation, if the aggregates are taken to be the usual totals or averages. Traditionally, similarity among firms, either as a maintained hypothesis or as the long-run outcome of perfect competition, has proved to ensure exact aggregation. Here, economic diversification may also provide an alternative set of circumstances under which the aggregation biases may be minimized. In the case of an average-representative firm, the output aggregation bias is explicitly derived. Empirical analyses confirm that the magnitude of the bias increases as higher moment terms in the production characteristics increase in importance. Conditions under which exact-aggregation macro parameters possess stable microdefinitions are obtained; they explain Fisher's (1971) simulation results. Empirical results show that such macro parameters are relatively stable (within the estimated confidence intervals) when based on periods of relative economic stability. Finally, theoretical implications for macroeconometric modeling and policy evaluation are explored.
Arts, Faculty of
Vancouver School of Economics
Graduate

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Marroquin, Jacklin Beatriz. "Examination of North Dakota's Production, Cost, and Profit Functions: A Quantile Regression Analysis." Thesis, North Dakota State University, 2008. https://hdl.handle.net/10365/29736.

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This thesis estimates the production, cost, and profit functions for North Dakota agriculture using state-level input-output quantity and price data for the period 1960-2004. A Cobb-Douglas functional form with Hick-neutral technology change is used to measure the contribution of capital, land, labor, materials, energy, and chemical inputs quantities and output quantity using the primal production function; contribution of capital quantity, land quantity, output quantity, labor price, materials price, energy price, and chemical price to cost using the dual restricted cost function; and the contribution of capital quantity, land quantity, labor price, materials price, energy price, chemical price, output price to profit using the dual restricted profit function. In contrast to previous studies, quantile regression is used to explore the linear or nonlinear relationship between the independent and dependent variable by estimating parameter coefficients at each quantile using time-series data. Empirical findings suggest the cost function is the best model to examine the relationship between input prices, output quantity and cost using quantile regression for North Dakota agriculture, Further, the quantile regression suggests a linear and non-linear relationship between cost and certain independent variables.

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Hajargasht, Gholamreza. "Non- and semi-parametric stochastic frontiers : a penalised spline approach /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2005. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe19533.pdf.

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Gustafsson, Martin Anders. "School production modelling to strengthen government monitoring programmes in developing countries." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2683.

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Thesis (MEcon)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.
Education production function analysis is widely recognised as one important area of research that needs to inform education policymaking, specifically policy relating to the mix of funded inputs in a schooling system. Arriving at production functions is a complex task, and is fraught with methodological pitfalls. This thesis sets out to establish a framework for undertaking education production function analysis, and in discussing its various elements, including its pitfalls, recommendations for good practice are arrived at. The material analysed is of four types: texts on econometric theory; existing production function analyses; documentation relating to three dataintensive school monitoring programmes, namely Brazil’s SAEB, South Africa’s Systemic Evaluation and the international SACMEQ programme; and lastly data, relating mainly to South Africa, from the 2000 run of SACMEQ. The thesis is organised according what can be regarded as seven key analysis steps. These steps include a focus on the importance of a ‘mental model’, the relative benefits of the one-level regression model and the hierarchical linear model (HLM), and the formulation of actual production functions for South Africa based on the SACMEQ data, using both one-level and HLM models. Key conclusions are, firstly, that the HLM, though still under-developed, offers great analysis potential and, secondly, that production function analyses ought to be translated into budgetary terms in order for them to become fully meaningful to the policymaker.

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Keller, Joachim. "Essays on innovation and investment decisions under imperfect competition." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/209548.

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Innovation incentives are imperfectly provided in market settings: When deciding on their innovation activity, firms tend to focus on the maximization of their private benefits, poorly internalizing social benefits. This thesis analyzes how policy intervention could be designed in order to align private and social incentives.

In the three papers of this thesis, I will consider three environments where firms' choices in a laissez-faire situation may be socially inefficient. The inefficiencies arise because of learning externalities, free riding when the innovation decision is made by a group of participants, or because firms are not willing to invest in a new activity that has a higher social than private value.

In the first thesis paper, I deal with the strategies of firms in innovative consumer product markets characterized by demand uncertainty. I analyze the timing and location decision of firms in that context.

In the second thesis paper, I consider the investment incentives of financial market infrastructures (FMIs). FMIs comprise the set of institutions that allow financial market participants to engage with each other. I assess the innovation incentives for different forms of ownership (user-owned versus third-party owned) and identify infrastructure service provision equilibria.

In the third thesis paper, I address the question of how a government should allocate a subsidy budget over time in order to maximize the innovation activity in an industry.
Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

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Martello, Raphael Cravo Silva. "Produto potencial e política monetária no Brasil." reponame:Repositório Institucional do FGV, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10438/11113.

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This work aims to analyze an alternative method for estimating the potential GDP in Brazil using a model with two sectors. This paper replicates a work by Basu & Fernald (2009) for the U.S. economy. Despite some strong assumptions, the results show gains in forecasting potential output in the long run by using a model with two sectors, investment and consumption. For the short term neither model replicate the data of the Brazilian economy.
Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar um método alternativo de estimação do PIB potencial brasileiro através do uso de um modelo com dois setores em trabalho feito por Basu & Fernald (2009) para a economia americana. Apesar de alguns pressupostos fortes, os resultados apontam para ganhos de previsão do produto potencial no longo prazo ao se utilizar um modelo com 2 setores, um de investimento e outro de consumo. Para o curto prazo nem o modelo com 2 setores nem com 1 setor parece replicar os dados da economia brasileira.

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Todorova, Zdravka K. Lee Frederic S. "Reconsidering households in economic theory." Diss., UMK access, 2007.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Dept. of Economics. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2007.
"A dissertation in economics and social science consortium." Advisor: Frederic S. Lee. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed Dec. 19, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-240). Online version of the print edition.

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Schaller, Barbara. "Towards a heterodox economic theory of poverty production." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2014. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/5008/.

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This thesis examines the contributions of three major figures in heterodox economic thought - Thorstein Veblen, Joan Robinson and Michał Kalecki - to the identification of what Else Oyen describes as ‘poverty producing processes’. It is argued that to date no distinct heterodox theory of the causes and consequences of poverty exists. This is surprising, not least because questions of social power, asymmetrical access to resources, and inequality are among the core themes in heterodox thought. This thesis demonstrates that Robinson, Kalecki and Veblen have devoted considerable time and effort to the investigation of poverty-related issues. Combined, they have discussed four key processes that contribute to poverty production: conspicuous consumption, mark-up pricing, industrial sabotage and hegemonic policy-making. This thesis suggests that these four core processes amount to a distinct heterodox perspective on poverty production, and may serve as a basis for a comprehensive enquiry into the causes of poverty in advanced capitalism. Being in essence a history of economic thought analysis of post-Keynesian and institutionalist theorising on poverty, this thesis contributes to economic poverty research, the history of economic thought and the development of an integrated heterodox approach.

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Fattorini, Loredana. "Production networks, firm productivity and geography." Thesis, IMT Alti Studi Lucca, 2018. http://e-theses.imtlucca.it/260/1/Fattorini_phdthesis.pdf.

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Modern economies are organised as webs of interconnected agents. Among others, companies represent the principal actors. In the recent decades, the emergence of supply networks, that is the organisation of technical processes in production stages involving specialised suppliers located in different countries, brings about an increasing complexity in the worldwide economic system. Moreover, empirical studies from firm-level data provide evidence of heterogeneous distribution in companies performance also within industries, regions and countries. However, when discussing policy-making in Europe this aspect is still neglected by many, and the impact of regional or industrial policies is evaluated at the macro level. Recently, geo-coded information on where firms run their activities is becoming available to the researchers, offering a good opportunity to improve the empirical design of specific research questions. In this thesis, we investigate these aspects in detail, showing the utility of adapting and implementing analytical tools from Network Science and Machine Learning along with ad hoc econometric techniques. Moreover, we contribute to the literature on international economics, industrial organisation and economic geography. With the first work, we propose an empirical tool, the Input Rank, adapted from the notorious PageRank, which is originally designed for social networks and search engines, and we test its empirical validity for choices of vertical integration. Then, we ambitiously test the effect of the EU Cohesion Policy on an own-built dataset with firm-level total factor productivities of European manufacturing companies. Finally, thanks to the implementation of the DBSCAN, a challenging density-based spatial clustering algorithm, we exploit firms’ location information to identify industrial clusters and examine the likelihood of firms’ survival according to their location in industrial clusters or more isolated areas.

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Capistran, Carmona Carlos. "Essays on forecast evaluation under general loss functions /." Diss., Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC campuses, 2005. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3175283.

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Wiese, Harald. "Language competition: An economic theory of language learning and production." De Gruyter, 2015. https://ul.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A21367.

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This article employs game theory to contribute to sociolinguistics (or the economics of language). From both the synchronic and the diachronic perspective, we are interested in the conditions (of language learning and literary production) that make some languages dominate others. Two results are particularly noteworthy: (i) Translations have an ambiguous effect on domination. (ii) We offer three different explanations of how a past language like Latin or Sanskrit can develop into a standard for literary production.

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JULIAN, JACK DEANE. "ESTIMATING EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS IN A MULTIPLE-OUTPUT FRAMEWORK: ISSUES AND TOPICS." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2002. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1022681028.

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Altinger, Laura Patricia. "Monetary policy reaction functions in transition economies acceding to the EU." Thesis, London Business School (University of London), 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.271105.

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Gutknecht, Daniel. "Identification and estimation of nonlinear regression models using control functions." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2012. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/50293/.

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According to Blundell and Powell (2003), the development of strategies to identify and estimate certain parameters or even entire functions of regression models under endogeneity has arguably been one of the main contributions of microeconometrics to the statistical literature. The term endogeneity, in this context, refers to a correlation between observable regressor(s) and model unobservable(s), which can arise for multiple reasons such as, among others, omitted variables, measurement error, unobserved heterogeneity, or simultaneous causality. Whereas linear identification and estimation techniques to address endogeneity date back as far as 1928 (Stock and Trebbi, 2003), advances in the field of nonlinear models are much more recent: nonlinear parametric models under endogeneity only came under investigation during the 1970s and 1980s (e.g. Ameniya, 1974; Hansen, 1982), and it was not until the mid 1990s that models of (partially) unknown functional form were considered.

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Allaoua, Hadj Abdelkader. "The neutral economy vs the monetary theory of production." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.304097.

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Schade, Don F. "Fixed-price-award-fee an economic motivational, and contracting theory analysis /." Thesis, Monterey, California : Naval Postgraduate School, 1990. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA241829.

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Thesis (M.S. in Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 1990.
Thesis Advisor(s): Gates, William R. ; Terasawa, Katsuaki L. "December 1990." Description based on title screen as viewed on April 2, 2010. DTIC Identifier(s): Award fee, economic incentives, cost reimbursement contracts, fixed price contracts, fixed price award fee. Author(s) subject Fixed Price Award Fee, FPAF, award fee, pricing arrangement, incentive contract, contractor motivation, economics, contracting, acquisition. Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-67). Also available in print.

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Hickie, Desmond James. "The government and civil aircraft production : 1942-1951." Thesis, Birkbeck (University of London), 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.260816.

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Ferga, Jumuaa. "UK monetary policy reaction functions, 1992-2014 : a cointegration approach using Taylor rules." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2016. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/28564/.

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For more than two decades, monetary policy of countries around the world has undergone significant transformation. The long-term stabilization and lowering of inflation is the primary target of central banks founded on the principles of transparency and credibility. The achievement of inflation targeting and control is ultimately judged by the public’s expectations about future inflation. This objective has focused central bank policy making on modern monetary principles and the adoption of one of its core principles, the monetary policy rule. The central bank of the United Kingdom officially adopted an explicit inflating targeting monetary policy in October 1992 following its operational independence in May 1997. In this study, we attempt to investigate the behaviour of the Central Bank of England under an inflation targeting framework. In other words, whether Taylor-type policy rules can be used to describe the behaviour of the Central Bank of England. We specifically attempt to shed light on the question does Taylor's rule (Taylor, 1993) adequately describes central bank behaviour? And whether the existence of formal targets has induced nonlinearity in this behaviour, beginning in October 1992 until December 2014. The study uses time series estimations of Taylor-type reactions functions to characterise monetary policy conduct in the UK, we use time series data, because all the other studies in this area are using the time series method and recommended it, Osterholm (2005), Nelson (2000), Adam et al (2003), Clarida et al (2000) amongst others. In addition, this study uses a long database which is useful for time series analysis. The analysis uses a modified cointegration and error correction model that is robust to the stationary properties of the data as well as vector autoregression techniques; therefore, our methodology in this study employed three types of econometric tests namely: unit root tests, cointegration tests and error correction models. We used monthly data for the UK over the period October 1992 to December 2014, and we estimate Taylor-type policy rules for the UK in order to find answers to these questions. Our results indicate that the Central Bank of England has not been following the Taylor rule. In other words, the regression results clearly indicated that the Central Bank of England did not follow the Taylor rule in the period 1992-2014. This is because all coefficients of inflation gap and the output gap were statistically insignificant. In addition, we conclude these results link with the New Consensus Macroeconomics, criticism of inflation targeting and endogenous money theory. The main contribution in this study is an up-to-date analysis, and evidence that Bank of England policy does not work with Taylor rules. In addition, on the methodological level most previous studies reviewed in the literature have measured the interest rate, inflation and the output gap using one dependent variable, to measure the behaviour of the Central Bank of England, to assess whether the Taylor rule is effective or not. However, this study fills this gap by using two measure for interest rate, three measure for inflation and two variables to measure the output gap, using The Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filter and moving averages, to assess whether the Taylor rule is effective or not effective by using more than one dependent variable.

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Ho, To Ming. "Export supply and import demand functions of Hong Kong : a dual production theory approach." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.239404.

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Yu, Ka-wai Marco. "A contractual theory of the firm : a construction project case study /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2001. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B24873226.

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Cho, Dong-Ho. "The mode of production in premonarchic Israel." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1991. http://www.tren.com.

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Kazungu, Khatibu. "Trade liberalization and the structure of production in Tanzania." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2009. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/625/.

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This thesis explores the role of trade and trade liberalization policies on Tanzanian economy with special focus on the performance of agricultural sector. In terms of methodology, we first use parametric and non-parametric tests to evaluate the impact of liberalization policies on the growth rate of exports. Secondly, we use ordinary least square and instrumental variable to test the “inverse relationship hypothesis” and then we estimate the effect of liberalization on land productivity. We also extend this analysis to Uganda in order to ascertain whether similar findings could be replicated in other developing countries. Thirdly, we employ the co-integration technique to evaluate the effects of openness on economic growth. The parametric and non-parametric tests shows that: despite the marked variation in the composition of traditional exports especially during the late 1990s; largely from coffee and cotton to cashewnuts and tobacco, the contribution of trade liberalization in fostering export growth is rather weak. Second, although the volume of food crops during the post reform period is much higher than before the reforms, there are no symptoms of increased growth overtime. The empirical evidence from econometric analysis shows the existence of diminishing returns to land in the agricultural sector. On the other hand, the impact of trade liberalization on land productivity is mixed; while in some traditional exports its impact is negative and significant, in others the impact is positive but not significant. Contrary to the conventional wisdom as documented in the traditional theories of comparative advantage, the problem with Tanzanian agriculture is not related to the land size but low productivity. Interestingly, these results are also replicated in the Ugandan case. The cointegration analysis shows that the share of trade to GDP is negatively correlated with economic growth. In general, the contribution of this thesis has wider implications in the development policy, at least for the case of Tanzania and other developing countries. First, trade liberalization policies are counterproductive unless diminishing returns to land is squarely addressed. Secondly, the existence of diminishing returns to land is incompatible with the simple prediction of the theory of comparative advantage. The presumption behind trade liberalization is that specialization according to the “comparative advantage” doctrine would inevitably enhance increased productivity (i.e., efficiency). Our results do not conform to this presumption. Third, diminishing returns means that as production increases with international specialization, every additional unit of commodity produced would be more expensive to produce. Fourth, the persistence of diminishing returns to land is incompatible with poverty reduction.

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Escoe, Gisela Meyer. "Sources of Soviet industrial growth (1961-85) : a production function analysis by branch and region /." The Ohio State University, 1991. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487688507502386.

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Clegg, L. J. "The determinants of international production : A comparative study of five developed countries." Thesis, University of Reading, 1985. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.354079.

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McGuire, Alistair James. "The economics of the hospital : an analysis of production and cost relations." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 1987. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk/R?func=search-advanced-go&find_code1=WSN&request1=AAIU009748.

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This study consists of an economic analysis of the Scottish hospital sector. In particular analysis is directed towards an understanding of the hospital production process and the resultant cost - output relations. Both theoretical and empirical study is undertaken. The underlying methodological approach relies heavily on the transaction cost analysis developed by Williamson (1975). As such the study suggests that many of the traditional neo-classical theories applied to the hospital sector have been misdirected. The study includes a review of existing theories of hospital behaviour and the empirical literature on hospital production and cost functions. This reveals that there has been little overlap between these two literatures. It is suggested that this is largely because the hospital as an economic institution does not readily lend itself to positive analysis. In part this arises because of the inherent characteristics of the hospital production process, but it is also suggested that economic analysis at this level of aggregation is not appropriate. A behavioural analysis of hospital production is forwarded which emphasises the internal allocation processes. The agency relationship that exists between the doctor and the patient is highlighted, as are the underlying ethical constraints within which this relationship operates. The importance of internal organisational and process choice aspects of production are also emphasised. The rights to self-regulation held by the medical profession are seen to lie outside of the normal monitoring and control channels which are focussed largely upon the expenditure determination process. The limitations of a neo-classical production function analysis is outlined through the empirical estimation of a generalisable production function applied to a sample of Scottish hospitals. Following consideration of the behavioural aspects of the hospital production process a behavioural cost function model is estimated. As a secondary objective analysis of the specification of hospital output is undertaken.

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Monteiro, Goncalo. "The growth process under time non-separable preferences /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/7384.

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Yildizoglu, Ergin. "A theoretical and historical study of crisis in the capitalist mode of production." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 1989. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.253653.

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Salimian, Abbas. "Production relations and technical efficiencies for selected Iranian sectors and regions : an empirical study." Thesis, University of Essex, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.387828.

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Braun, Nicholas. "On the role of public capital in production." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 1998. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/1856/.

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This thesis examines the role of public capital, in particular, "core infrastructure", in private sector production in the United States. The underlying theme is the importance of the individual infrastructure stocks, in particular highways and streets, water and sewer systems and "other structures". Two different empirical approaches are used to shed light on a number of issues. In the first study in Chapter 3, two cost function models are estimated using data for the total private business sector, one using aggregate infrastructure data and the other using disaggregated infrastructure. The parameter estimates are used to calculate optimal infrastructure stocks (the optimal total infrastructure stock and the optimal individual stocks). The results reveal that, despite the fall in infrastructure investment from 1968-82, none of the infrastructure stocks was undersupplied over the sample period. The estimated output elasticities of the different infrastructure stocks are significantly lower than those obtained in previous research. In the second study in Chapter 4, use is made of recent development sin the productivity literature to construct a measure of manufacturing total factor productivity (TFP) that takes account of varying returns to scale and variable labour and capital utilisation over the cycle. The adjusted TFP measure is used to shed light on the causal relationship between infrastructure (total, core and disaggregated core) and productivity using a selection of autoregressive model-building techniques and causality testing procedures. Contrary to the stated view of many infrastructure researchers there is no evidence of "reverse causality", i.e. productivity causing infrastructure investment. There is, however, evidence that infrastructure has a small but statistically significant positive effect on TCP. Highways and other roads are the most productive types of infrastructure, followed by "other structures". When the TFP data is disaggregated, the findings is that core infrastructure affects some industries more than others, especially those that are capital intensive and have the largest motor vehicle shares.

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33

Poitevin, Michel. "Three essays on the strategic interaction between production and financial decisions." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/29164.

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This thesis consists of three essays in the theory of Industrial Organization. More specifically, the thesis focuses on the interaction of financial structure and market structure. The intellectual starting point of this thesis is the Modigliani-Miller theorem. Modigliani & Miller (1958) show that in the presence of perfect financial and output markets, financial structure has no effect on the value of the firm. This thesis departs from a Modigliani-Miller economic environment by assuming that firms have more information about their projects than financiers have. In imperfect output markets, this departure from Modigliani-Miller world implies that there may exist important strategic interactions between production and financial decisions. In the three essays of this thesis, we derive theoretical links between financial structure and output market competition. We show that in the presence of asymmetric information in output and financial markets, firms may affect the outcome of various oligopolistic and entry games by choosing an appropriate financial policy. We explicitly introduce financial variables in these types of games to show that they may have an important role to play in the resolution of the output competition. The presence of asymmetric information is usually a sufficient condition for financial structure relevance to the firm's market value. However, this is not necessary. It is shown elsewhere that taxes or bankruptcy costs may also affect financial decisions. Throughout this thesis, we abstract from these important determinants of financial structure to focus on asymmetric information in output and financial markets to show that a firm's financial policy may be used strategically in oligopolies. The three essays may be united under the common theme of asymmetric information and strategic financial decisions. In the first essay, the choice of a lender in a debt contract becomes a determinant of the extent of competition in downstream industries. We show that in the presence of imperfect output markets and asymmetric information in financial markets, members of an industry may achieve a partial collusion in the output market by borrowing from the same bank. In an oligopoly, debt is pro-competitive as it gives incentives to the borrowing firm to undertake an aggressive output strategy. This aggressiveness is translated into an increased output. As both firms borrow, the industry becomes more competitive. The industry also becomes riskier and firms' debt value is decreased. A common lender can better control these incentive effects and hence, limit the extent of competition in the output market. This model finds a natural interpretation in an international trade context. In this framework, the result shows that freeing financial markets from trade barriers may decrease the competitiveness of international oligopolies by allowing firms to borrow from the same lender. In the second essay, we develop a theoretical link between firms' financial structure and their output market structure. In the presence of asymmetric information about the incumbent's cost level, an incumbent's financial structure may constitute a signal of its efficiency and prevent potential entrants from coming into the market. A market, threatened by entry, is occupied by one of two possible types of incumbent. The firm's type is completely characterized by its cost level. Only the own firm knows with certainty its true type while the entrant and financiers are uncertain of it. Entry is profitable for the entrant if and only if the market is occupied by the high cost type incumbent. The low cost firm chooses a financial structure that credibly distinguishes itself from the high cost incumbent. From the observation of the incumbent's financial policy, the entrant can correctly infer the incumbent's type. If it observes a financial structure consistent with the low cost incumbent's financial strategy, it stays out of the market. Otherwise, it enters. In equilibrium, financial structure allows credible revelation of all private information and entry occurs in the same circumstances as with perfect information. In the third essay, we give a formal representation of Telser (1966)'s 'deep pocket' argument. We propose that entrants are financially vulnerable because they must signal their value to financiers before entering the market. We assume that there are two possible types of entrant threatening to enter a monopoly market. The entrant's type is parametrized by its cost level. This information is private to each entrant as other players are uncertain of the entrant's true type. Entry is profitable only for the low cost entrant. But if the high cost type can misrepresent as a low cost firm, there exist financial structures which yield positive equity value. The low cost firm must avoid these structures to credibly reveal its type to financiers, secure sufficient funds and finance its entry. In equilibrium, the low cost entrant must issue debt to signal its quality to investors. It enters the market heavily leveraged. This provides incentives for the incumbent to engage in a price war to financially exhaust the entrant and cause its bankruptcy. The price war may be interpreted as the incumbent's predatory response to the entrant's leveraged entry. We argue that a diversified pool of undistinguishable entrants is sufficient to justify the 'deep pocket' argument put forward by Telser (1966). We base our explanation on the presence of asymmetric information in financial and output markets.
Arts, Faculty of
Vancouver School of Economics
Graduate

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34

Wixted, Brian L., University of Western Sydney, College of Law and Business, and Australian Expert Group in Industry Studies. "Systems of innovation beyond borders: linked clustering and the role, scale and spatial structure of extra-territorial interdependencies." THESIS_CLAB_AEGIS_Wixted_B.xml, 2005. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/639.

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The study of technological innovation covers a broad range of issues. Everything, from the public funding of science, research policy to the role of universities, from the business development of new products and services, the financing of innovation, institutional arrangements through to the spatially located conditions that promote innovation has been considered by analysts. Mostly these subject matters have been conceptualised as components of 'national’ systems of innovation even when studied at different spatial levels (including regions and clusters). The emphasis of systems research is that places (nations or localities), within the global economic landscape, are especially important for the creation, spread and use of innovations. The systems perspective on innovation encourages, due to results on the development of endogenous capabilities and the proximity of knowledge spillovers, a view that production and innovation geographies are enclaves of activity, innovating largely in isolation from what is occurring in other technologically isolated systems. A central concern in the present thesis is that this view of national and sub-national systems does not provide a sufficiently comprehensive perspective on the global architecture of production. The primary goal is to begin to develop an innovation systems framework that combines the consideration of the advantages of individual spatial entities (clusters) with an analysis of value chains as they extend across regional and national borders. To achieve this, the analysis focuses on evaluating the role, scale and spatial structure of inter-cluster linkages. The literature on role of interdependencies within clusters suggests that user producer and tacit knowledge flows are more important for innovation than traded interdependencies. To aid the analysis of the scale and spatial structure of interdependencies and rather than be restricted by case studies methods which would facilitate analysis of only one or two clusters, two inter-country input-output datasets covering nine OECD countries (33 sectors) and fifteen European Union countries (25 sectors) were developed for the research project. To analyse these datasets in a manner that was consistent with the goals of the research new modelling software was constructed. The analysis of these spatial structures reveals that substantial associations exist between some clusters, with most national clusters maintaining one important connection. The analysis reveals differences in the global architecture of production for assembly based systems (motor vehicles and aerospace) when compared to modular component based systems such as electronics and computing. Just as businesses form networks, then it seems reasonable, on the basis of the research presented here, to suggest that global production consists of networks of clusters which are organised in hierarchical circuits. This evidence supports the argument developed through the present thesis that certain elements of innovation systems can be better understood through a crossborder cluster-to-cluster framework
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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35

Dedoussopoulos, A. A. "Capitalism, simple commodity production and merchant capital : The political economy of Greece in the 19th century." Thesis, University of Kent, 1985. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.372839.

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36

Attar, Hadi Kadim. "An analysis of cotton production in Iraq, 1968-87 with special reference to the Northern Region." Thesis, Keele University, 1989. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.277161.

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37

Hatkoff, Daniel. "Production cost structure and commercial success in the new film industry." Oberlin College Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1355255118.

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38

Yu, Ka Ming. "Analyses on demand system and the trend of material welfare with application to China's data for the period of 1997-2003." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2006. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/671.

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39

Humberto, Ortiz Quevado Carlos. "Industry structure and economic growth : essays on the impact of the production structure and openness on development." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 1993. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2439/.

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This thesis contains five essays on the relationship between production structure and economic growth. The first chapter examines the conditions under which intermediate inputs can be net out from the production functions in order to relate primary factors of production with net output in each sector. We conclude that this transformation is not always possible, and this finding sets the agenda for the next three chapters. The second chapter augments Lucas' (1988) two-sector growth model of learning-by-doing by allowing for interindustry linkages between the sectors. Under certain conditions, the model reproduces a number of the key stylized facts of the industrialization process. We also examine the advantages and disadvantages of openness to world markets and the possibilities of an import-substitution strategy as a way of development. The third chapter analyses the effects of education on the process of economic diversification in underdeveloped countries. Under the assumption that most technological changes in underdeveloped countries are driven by imitation, we describe how a process of input-output deepening evolves and how this process increases real wages. In the fourth chapter we use cross-country regressions to show that the correlation between some measures of interindustry dependence and the growth rate of per capita GDP seems to be positive, significant and robust. The fifth chapter explores the consequences for economic growth of decreasing returns to scale due to fixed factors at the firm's level. By assuming that the firm's fixed factors are produced with firm creation, two possible equilibria are examined: one with entry restrictions, and another with proliferation of firms. The former is characterized by a steady state with no growth; the latter is characterized by constant returns at the aggregate level and unbounded growth. We discuss the relevance of this model for industrialization and development.

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40

余嘉偉 and Ka-wai Marco Yu. "A contractual theory of the firm: a construction project case study." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2001. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31227041.

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41

Piesse, Jenifer. "Firm level approaches to the measurement of production efficiency, technical change and total factor productivity in transition economies." Thesis, Birkbeck (University of London), 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.285834.

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42

Costabile, Lilia. "Towards the theory of a monetary economy of production : essays on the economics of Malthus, Robertson and Keynes." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.328635.

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43

Ozkaya, Evren. "Demand management in global supply chains." Diss., Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/26617.

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Thesis (Ph.D)--Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.
Committee Chair: Keskinocak, Pinar; Committee Co-Chair: Vande Vate, John; Committee Member: Ferguson, Mark; Committee Member: Griffin, Paul; Committee Member: Swann, Julie. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

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44

Limeneh, Mamaru. "The challenge of industrial development in Sub-Saharan Africa : a study of the cement production in Kenya and Ethiopia." Thesis, London South Bank University, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.245064.

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45

Kuepfer, Roland. "The low cost production imperative and foreign direct investment decision by small and medium sized enterprises." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2010. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2262/.

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Global production shifts in the form of foreign direct investments are reshaping the economic map: one of the outcomes is today’s global production system. The firms in focus are confronted with the effects of the reshaped economic map, especially with the differences in production conditions of nations. The new situation, which has emerged, is summarised by the term ‘low cost production imperative’. Consequently, the purpose of this dissertation is to empirically explore the notion of the ‘low cost production imperative’; and to investigate the implications and consequences of the low cost production imperative for internationalisation decision-making. Scholars of academic studies summarise that fairly little is known about companies’ foreign direct investment decision-making processes and the combination of the determinants with location-specific variables with the strategic motivation of the investing firm. It is assumed even more rarely, that investigations combine the knowledge based on which firms identify important location-specific variables under an enforcing strategic motive and then have to decide a location choice in a low cost operation area. The research is carried out with the eventual aim of generating theory and producing insights into the strategic management practices of the firms in focus and their position in relation to uncertainty, predictability, and preparedness for the outcome of their decision-making related to the phenomenon. The methodological conduct of this inquiry is framed within the qualitative paradigm. The methodological contribution lies in the combination of applied methodologies and modus operandi so that a rich and holistic insight into the phenomenon will be achieved. The research results show a rich variety in outcomes and details from the cases regarding their examination with the determinants important for a successful foreign direct investment. It is evident in all the cases that decision makers behave according to different rules than those assumed much of in the international business literature. Further, the phenomenon is identified as a serious outside force that causes firms to consider a decision to look abroad or more detailed, to look for efficiency in distant regions. This dissertation identifies details of mentioned aspects and calls for applications in future research in international business.

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46

Cantwell, J. A. "Technological innovation and international production in the industrialised world : A study of the accumulation of technology and capital in international networks." Thesis, University of Reading, 1986. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.373831.

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47

Doğan, Koray H. "A primal decomposition scheme for the design of strategic production distribution systems." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/25491.

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48

Pelka, Gwen Jane. "Wachstum und Strukturwandel /." Marburg : Metropolis, 2005. http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/F?func=service&doc_library=BVB01&doc_number=013222996&line_number=0002&func_code=DB_RECORDS&service_type=MEDIA.

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49

Heron, Tony. "Export processing zones and the regionalisation of the North American apparel production chain : a case study in the new political economy of the United States-Caribbean relations." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.251472.

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50

Sekkat, Khalid. "Stratégies verticales dans les filières: limites et substituts de l'intégration." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/213229.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Production functions (Economic theory)'

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