Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'National economic systems'

In today's world, information security becomes vital for ensuring the interests of man, society and the state and the most important, part of the whole system of national security. Doctrine considers all the work in the field of information based on the Concept of National Security of Ukraine. The doctrine identifies four main components of Ukraine's national interests in the information sphere.

Infrastructure network systems support society and the economy by facilitating the distribution of essential services across broad spatial extents, at a range of scales. The complex and interdependent nature of these systems provides the conditions for which localised failures can dramatically cascade, resulting in disruptions that are widespread and very often unforeseen. This systemic vulnerability has been highlighted multiple times over the previous decades in infrastructures systems from around the world. In the future, the hazards to which infrastructure systems are exposed are set to grow with increasing extreme event risks caused by climate change. The aim of this thesis is to develop methodology and analysis for understanding and reducing the risk of failure of national interdependent infrastructure network systems. This study introduces multi-scale, system-of-systems based methodology and applied analysis that provides important new insights into interdependent infrastructure network risk and adaptation. Adopting a complex network based approach; real-world asset data is integrated from the energy, transport, water, waste and digital communications sectors to represent the physical interconnectivity that exists within and between interdependent infrastructure systems. Given the often limited scope of real-world datasets, an algorithm is presented that is used to synthesise missing network data, providing continuous network representations that preserve the most salient spatial and topological properties of real multi-level infrastructure systems. Using the resultant network representations, the criticality of individual assets is calculated by summing the direct and indirect customer disruptions that can occur in the event of failure. This is achieved by disrupting sets of functional service flow pathways that transcend sectorial and operational boundaries, providing long-range connectivity between service originating source nodes and customer allocated sink nodes. Kernel density estimation is used to integrate discrete asset criticality values into a continuous surface from which statistically significant infrastructure geographical criticality hotspots are identified. Finally, a business case is presented for investment in infrastructure adaptation, where adaptation costs are compared to the reduction in expected damages that arise from interdependency related failures over an assets lifetime. By representing physical and geographic interdependence at a range of scales, this analysis provides new evidence to inform the targeting of investments to reduce risks and enhance system resilience. It is concluded that the research presented within this thesis provides new theoretical insights and practical techniques for a range of academic, industrial and governmental infrastructure stakeholders, from the UK and beyond.

This thesis is an attempt to estimate the regional and national economic consequences of a wholesale move to sustainable agricultural systems in the UK. The study reviews definitions of agricultural sustainability, and draws a distinction between sustainable and organic farming systems. Farm-level definitions of sustainability are developed for all the main farm types encountered in the UK, and key indicators with targets are developed to assess and monitor any move towards sustainability. Linear Programming models are constructed, for 23 representative UK farm types under conventional and sustainable farming scenarios, to estimate the farm-level impacts of the adoption of sustainable farming at some point in the future. The farm-level models are aggregated to regional and national levels to estimate the likely changes in UK agricultural production of a more widespread adoption of sustainable farming practices. The wider economic effects of these changes at the regional and national levels are then examined by the use of output, income and employment multipliers. The study found that the biggest financial losses were predicted to be on intensive livestock farms, and in the more productive agricultural regions in the East and the South. Losses in net farm income were greatest on pig and poultry farms on which incomes fell to 33% of the conventional incomes, specialist dairy incomes fell to 47%, and on mainly dairy farms they fell to 58%. Average incomes on cropping and large LFA farms fell only slightly to 97% of the conventional scenario, whilst incomes on small LFA farms rose slightly to 102% an on mixed lowland farms they increased to 119% of the conventional scenario. The aggregated results project a fall in total net farm income for the UK to 85% of that under conventional farming. However, the total net farm income for Scotland would rise, whilst the biggest losses would be projected for Wales and Northern Ireland. Agricultural output was projected to fall by £2.42 billion, leading to an indirect fall of £1.58 billion in the farm supply industries, and a further induced fall of £1.68 billion in household spending, totalling a net loss of output of £5.66 billion. There would be a negative direct effect on household incomes however of £167 million, with indirect losses of £84 million and induced losses of £565 million. Direct employment in agriculture was also projected to fall by 28,830 FTEs, which would lead to an indirect loss of 31,740 FTEs in industries supplying farming, and induced losses of 30,292 FTEs in the wider economy leading to an overall loss of 90,862 FTEs. Gains in direct agricultural employment were however projected for the South East of England, and the West of Scotland. The North West of Scotland being the only region, where there would be a net overall increase in employment. Nationally sustainable agriculture would lead to a significant fall in the total income from farming, yet there would be substantial variations around the country, and between farm sectors. Indirect effects on the farm supply industries, and induced effects on households spending would lead to substantial losses, which would need to be offset against the environmental gains. The implications of these results for agricultural policy are discussed.

Since the 1960s the government of Burkina Faso has consistently sought to implement new development policies to improve the economic and social conditions of its people. Until the end of the 1990s these efforts have been disappointing and unsatisfactory. In the early 2000s there was a shift towards a knowledge-centred development policy and policy makers trusted that it would bring about the sough-after improvements. In 2006 Burkina Faso chose to adopt the National Innovation Systems (NIS) framework as a policy tool to implement this new policy. Drawing on a broader definition of technology that covers social technologies, this thesis used the ST-Systems analytical concept to chart the adoption and diffusion of the NIS policy tool at two levels, namely at strategic policy level and at the operational level, focusing here on the case of Bt cotton which was officially introduced to Burkina Faso in 2003. Ethnographic methods, including in-depth interviews with policy makers, farmers, Monsanto representatives, civil society actors and researchers, were used to gain new insights into the difficulties encountered by these actors when trying to implement the NIS policy tool. 60 interviews were analyzed against a backdrop of detailed historical studies, based on examining a large amount of grey literature, published between 1961 and 2016. Findings show that the implementation of the NIS policy for innovation diffusion for socio-economic development in Burkina Faso was shaped by local actors competing for control of financial resources and power positions. The new tool also had to compete with older, more familiar tools. In the end, it failed to bring about the expected improvements in policy design and practice at sectoral level. The thesis is among the first to have studied empirically the transfer processes of the NIS policy tool for innovation diffusion in an African country (Burkina Faso) through a case study focusing on the introduction of Bt cotton. The results achieved should contribute to more informed development policy-making in Burkina Faso.

This thesis was motivated by the importance of technological capability for economic growth process in developing countries. The main objective of this study is to analyze the creation of technological capability in the Turkish manufacturing industry
and to set out opportunities and impediments for technological development by ascribing special emphasis to MNCs in this process within the framework of national innovation system. The technology policy advice relying on attracting foreign firms is also questioned. In order to shed light on how technological capability is accumulated in the Turkish manufacturing industry
and to understand the role that MNCs play in this process, the thesis investigates static and dynamic spillover effects of MNCs in the Turkish manufacturing industry. The study also focuses on the factors that determine innovativeness of, and the technology transfer by the firms in Turkey, and the role of MNCs in this context. The probable effects of firm and technology specific characteristics such as size and technology level are taken into consideration in the analyses. Our results suggest that foreign firms are superior to domestic firms in many respects. There are no horizontal or vertical spillovers from MNCs in Turkey for the 1983-2000 period. We found lagged positive horizontal spillovers, though. However, these spillovers are far beyond to register a net dynamic benefit for the whole Turkish manufacturing industry to be felt in the current period. This lagged spillover is found for large firms
and one can mention net dynamic positive spillovers for the large firms. We also found positive spillovers from labor transfer from MNCs to domestic firms for the 1995 and 2000 period. We conclude that technological capability is limited in domestic firms
and it can be improved by on-the-job training and general education policies as well as increasing domestic R&
D. The technology policies relying attracting more FDI should be reviewed given the insights provided by the analysis conducted in this thesis.

Political and environmental chaos recently experienced in Haiti has damaged the economic sector and telecommunication infrastructure. Developmental data from Haiti show 3 major trends: inadequate social and economic development, insufficient benefits from the global economy, and poorly planned information technology infrastructure (ITI). The specific problem addressed in this study is a knowledge gap in the views of stakeholders within Haiti's national culture on how the country's ITI can be developed to better engage Haiti in 21st century global and digital economy. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the views of 48 expert participants regarding ITI development within Haiti's national culture to better engage Haiti with the 21st century global and digital economy. To satisfy the goal of this exploratory research a case study research design was used, and data were collected from multiple sources including in-depth interviews of 48 participants, observational field notes, and archival documentation. The analysis of the archival data, online surveys, and semi-structured interviews of expert informants revealed that nationwide broadband internet availability has been achieved, which has resulted in internet usage increasing from 2% in 2002 to 12% in 2009. The study participants noted the lack of reliable access to electricity limits the implementation of ITI in the nation. Legislation and financial investment are needed to improve ITI in Haiti. The academic significance and social change implications of the study include filling the knowledge gap of the status of ITI in Haiti, helping the national development of a modernized ITI well-connected to the global economy, and a better quality of life for Haiti's people.

The practice of forcing onto developing countries policies developed in other contexts assumes standardised paths to social and economic growth. These policies should enable rapid economic development by “correcting” local market inefficiencies, without considering the role these may have in preserving stability and preventing violence. Moreover, this approach does not address the compatibility of such policies with the culture, values and norms of the receiving country. The thesis aims at extending our understanding of success factors for policy transfer, focusing on organisational schemes for innovation support. It follows the pragmatic Research paradigm and adopts a deductive approach using mixed methods to study the link between administrative efficiency and innovation performance in developing countries, an under-researched area. This thesis argues that policies successfully implemented in culturally proximal contexts are more likely to lead to similar results in the receiving context. The results of the quantitative analysis indicate a strong relationship between administrative efficiency and innovation performance in low-middle income countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The performance of organisational schemes supporting innovation in the national innovation systems of Egypt and Morocco is qualitatively assessed on the basis of 72 face-to-face interviews with entrepreneurs, policy makers and academics. The research finds that similar organisational schemes have produced similar results in the two case studies, confirming the working hypothesis and supporting an approach to policy transfer based on “relevant” good practice.

The practice of forcing onto developing countries policies developed in other contexts assumes standardised paths to social and economic growth. These policies should enable rapid economic development by “correcting” local market inefficiencies, without considering the role these may have in preserving stability and preventing violence. Moreover, this approach does not address the compatibility of such policies with the culture, values and norms of the receiving country. The thesis aims at extending our understanding of success factors for policy transfer, focusing on organisational schemes for innovation support. It follows the pragmatic Research paradigm and adopts a deductive approach using mixed methods to study the link between administrative efficiency and innovation performance in developing countries, an under-researched area. This thesis argues that policies successfully implemented in culturally proximal contexts are more likely to lead to similar results in the receiving context. The results of the quantitative analysis indicate a strong relationship between administrative efficiency and innovation performance in low-middle income countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The performance of organisational schemes supporting innovation in the national innovation systems of Egypt and Morocco is qualitatively assessed on the basis of 72 face-to-face interviews with entrepreneurs, policy makers and academics. The research finds that similar organisational schemes have produced similar results in the two case studies, confirming the working hypothesis and supporting an approach to policy transfer based on “relevant” good practice.

The national laboratories (NLs) play a critical role in the economic and social development of technological latecomer countries, yet no academic study has ever quantified how knowledge inflows and internal knowledge impact the performance of the NLs. This dissertation identifies and ranks the importance of factors pertaining to knowledge inflows and project-internal knowledge, which determine the success or failure of research projects in the NLs of Thailand. A survey of 123 project managers in the NLs, which covers 208 R&D projects, has been conducted. It consists of a questionnaire and unstructured interviews in which the project managers discuss their project(s). Data from the questionnaire are analyzed by factor analysis, multiple regression and logistic regression; qualitative data from the interviews are used to interpret the quantitative results from the questionnaire. The research finds that, regardless of a project's mission, knowledge inflows from outside the project group impact performance more significantly than knowledge from inside the project group does. Second, the capacity of R&D project groups within the NLs to absorb knowledge from external sources is very selective. Absorptive capacity does not just pertain to prior related knowledge; it is also a function of the source of external knowledge, the knowledge pathway into the project group, the source of complementary or substitutive knowledge that resides within the project group, and the mission to which the knowledge contributes. Third, the NLs face an ambidexterity challenge that is commonly observed in private industry--exploiting current capabilities interferes with the national laboratories' capability to explore. The discovery of selective absorption of knowledge provides practicing managers with a toolkit of micro-levers with which they can enhance performance as measured by a variety of metrics in highly specific ways. The dissertation also proposes and validates a theoretical framework for knowledge management that decomposes the national laboratory system into nine knowledge subsystems, which can be managed at a relatively low level of the organization. The methods by which this research has been conducted can be used as a tool to benchmark how knowledge management practices in different R&D organizations and environments impact performance. Guidelines for structural adjustments to the national innovation system, which are based on these contributions, should enable policymakers in most countries to implement an Open Innovation program for their national laboratories and enhance the ambidexterity of their organizations.

This thesis investigates the evolutionary foundation of the Innovation System concept and the quantitative techniques that could be used for a systemic evaluation of innovation policies. This topic has been covered through 6 chapters:
Chapter I: The innovation system concept, which is the central concept of this thesis, finds its foundations in the evolutionary theory of economics and the Schumpeterian point of view on the co-evolution of innovation, organizations and institutions. Developed by Nelson and Winter in 1982, this theory is based on the idea that the surviving firms on the markets are not necessarily the ones that maximize their profits. Indeed, their ability to survive is reinforced by the development of internal organizational routines allowing for a fast adaptation to their changing environment. Thus, when assessing performances in terms of innovation in general, the single firm should not by the only centre of attention anymore. The entire environment surrounding its innovation activities should by analysed to understand the conditions underlying its failure or success. The definition of the innovation system (IS) concept finds its roots in this theory: the environment in which innovation activities take place is as important as the decision of the single innovation actor. Defined as all the institutions and organizations involved in the creation and diffusion of new knowledge and technology, the IS includes not only stakeholders of the innovation process, but also all the transversal sectors affecting innovation near or far: labour market, finance, and education… In such a context, the main justification for public intervention shifted from the market failures described by the neo-classical theory, to systemic failures, i.e. the dysfunctions of the IS, on which governments may take actions. And this shift in the policy rationale also leads to specific evaluation techniques of public initiatives.
Chapter II: The IS concept is defined as all the institutions and organizations involved in the creation, diffusion and absorption of new knowledge and technology. An important question is raised by such a point of view: what is a system? What are its components? How does it foster innovation? This theoretical step is necessary to understand all the aspect of the innovation environment that are concerned by innovation policy design. How could a policy-maker integrate the systemic framework of the IS when initiating public action with the aim to improve performances in terms of science, technology and innovation? A large part of the economic literature is dedicated to the description of innovation systems. So the aim of this chapter consists of synthetizing the aspects referenced in the economic theory as the components of the IS in a normative exercise. First, the term “system” involves the articulation of several components and the relationships existing between them. Departing from this definition, three broad aspect of the IS are considered: the actors of the innovation process, the functions of the system and the resulting objectives that should be pursued by the stakeholders, and the instruments used by public authorities to intervene in such a systemic context. The actors involved in the innovation process are not only the recipient of a public policy, they are also policy makers, implementation agents and targets of the policy measures. The functions of the IS mainly concerns the creation, diffusion and absorption of new knowledge and technology. As the role of the State is to improve the performances of such a system, those functions should be considered as the objectives of public action. Finally, the instruments used by the State to reach these goals can also be detailed: innovation policies can be implemented through direct support measures (financial or fiscal tools), the improvement of the infrastructure allowing for the diffusion of innovation, or the general framework conditions affecting performances. The normative exercise ended up with an exhaustive taxonomy that may be used for further analysis
Chapter III: As the aim of this thesis is to develop analytical tools to integrate the IS point of view in public policy evaluation, the most important aspect of the work consisted in building an exhaustive database on innovation policies implemented in the EU28 Member States and its main non-EU competitors (Australia, China, Japan, the US, India, the Russian Federation, Brazil, South Korea and Canada). This database was constructed in the context of the ENIRI study conducted by the European Commission, between 2013 and 2015. This long-lasting work involved the collection of information concerning the innovation policy measures implemented in all the considered countries, both at the national and regional levels. This information was related to the IS dimensions highlighted in previous chapter. The main sources for data collection were the RIO (former Erawatch) and OECD STIP databases, the RIM Plus Monitor and national sources (Ministry websites), as well as national experts. The budgets was also included or estimated for the 2007-2013 period. Once the data were collected, the policy measures were classified according to the theoretical canvas developed through the taxonomy of chapter II. Functional matrices combining different aspects of the IS allowed for detailed information on the distribution of policy measures among the different dimensions of the system. For example, it is possible to estimate the percentage of policy measures implemented in one country that are dedicated to the fundamental research activities in SMEs. This distribution has been computed both in absolute and budget terms. This difference provided information on the contrast existing between governmental claims and intentions in terms of innovation policies and the effective use of money dedicated to the announced target. Indeed, it is not because a substantial number of policies are dedicated to a specific sector of beneficiary that the allocated budget will be more important. Thus, this policy database should shed a light on the way innovation policies are articulated at a national level, and how they are effectively implemented through their budgets
Chapter IV: The evolutionary foundations of the IS concept imply that there is no general equilibrium describing an ideal situation to which a specific case can be compared. In other words, there is no optimal innovation system, and no ideal configuration that should be imitated by the others. This absence of equilibrium and the systemic point of view adopted in this context lead to the use of alternative techniques to evaluate performances and policies. As suggested by Edquist (2006), this has to be done through a diagnosis of the IS, consisting in the identification of the systemic failures, and the elaboration of strategy to fix the problem. This demarche will be investigated in this chapter of the thesis and the following. In this section, a diagnosis of the IS of 37 countries (28 EU and their 9 non-EU competitors) will be realized through a typology based on innovation performances indicators. The aim of such an analysis is to see whether the different IS can be gathered in groups sharing the same characteristics, relative strengths and weaknesses. The expected results should reveal groups of countries sharing the same configurations in terms of innovation process, and facing the same type of weaknesses, dysfunctions or systemic failures. By doing so, one should be able to identify the needs of each IS, i.e. the components that may need improvement and eventually public intervention. To do so, a principal component analysis and a hierarchical ascendant clustering technique have been implemented on the 37 IS, revealing 4 clusters of countries, depending on their NIS characteristics and advancement: 1) The Asian economies, 2) The lagging-behind and catching-up NIS, 3) The small opened systems, 4) The technological leaders. This analysis has been realized for the 2003-2005 and 2013-2015 periods, revealing that, if the general features of the clusters do not tend to change over time, some countries faced a change a modification of their status: Korea left the Asian group to join the leaders, Cyprus and Ireland opened their boarders to a larger extent in a decade.
Chapter V: Innovation policy typologyThis chapter is focused on the construction of an innovation policy typology based on the distributions of policies obtained in the database presented in chapter III. The results of this typology will be compared with the diagnosis realized in previous section to see if the weaknesses and needs of the NIS are effectively targeted by public action in innovation. Also, the aspects that could enhance or weaken such action, and their combination with other component of the NIS could be better understood. To this purpose, a multiple factor analysis has been implemented on the distributions of policy measures in terms of NIS components, followed by a hierarchical ascendant clustering, revealing groups of countries sharing the same characteristics in terms of policy design and implementation. 34 NIS have been examined (India, Brazil and Russia have been removed from the sample due to the bad quality of the information), using both the budget-weighted and non-budget-weighted distributions of measures on the 2007-2013 period. However, the results of this typology cannot be interpreted separately from the general innovation framework in which the public action is implemented. Indeed, countries having the same features in terms of beneficiaries and/or objectives in terms of policy do not necessarily share the same kind of IS. These implementation characteristics should rather be interpreted in light of the results obtained in the NIS diagnosis typology, in order to examiner if the public money effectively go where it is needed. In general, the different examined countries seem to effectively tackle their weaknesses, but countries facing the same types of problems do not implement the same type of policy mix, reinforcing the hypothesis that the innovation process is embedded in a large institutional framework that my orient public action in a direction rather than another. Two specific cases hold the attention in those results: South Korea, whose leader status came along with an improvement of the in force regulatory framework and a focus on private research, and Japan, dealing with research in the pharmaceutical research and ageing-population issues.
Chapter VI: The impact of macroeconomic and IS factors on the efficiency of public R&DAnother point of view can be adopted in an attempt to integrate the IS representations in policy evaluation techniques: the analysis of their impact on the efficiency of public R&D in leveraging private investments. In this chapter, a combination of two types of analysis is used to examine the problematic: the study of the efficiency of public R&D expenditure and its determinants on one hand, and the investigation of a possible crowding out effect of public R&D on the private one on another hand. The crowding out effect is translated into efficiency analysis, considering the BERD funded by government as an input, and the BERD funded by business as an output. And if an increase in the output leads to a decrease in the output, public intervention is considered to crowd out private initiative, as the firm may decide to replace its own investment with public money, instead of using it as an extra resource to increase its R&D activities. In this context, the IS as environment of R&D activities can be seen as a determinant of this efficiency, as it can strengthen or weaken this crowding out effect. The question asked in this section is the following: how to quantify and model the interdependencies existing between the different components of a NIS in order to integrate them in a quantitative analysis. This has been done in this study by implementing factorial analysis (Buesa, 2010) on a set of indicators collected in the Global Competitiveness Index database, and considered as descriptors of the different aspects of the innovation system. Those IS factors are: 1) the general STI environment, 2) the accessibility of the financial markets, 3) the internationalization of the system, 4) barriers to entrepreneurship and 5) the flexibility of labour regulation. Afterwards, these variables have been added as efficiency determinants in a stochastic frontier model assessing a possible crowding out effect between public and private initiatives. The main results showed that there is an additional effect of public R&d expenditure on private R&D investments (no crowding out). Moreover, the general STI environment and accessibility of financial markets have a positive impact on this efficiency, contrary to the presence of foreign stakeholders in the system. The two last factors remain insignificant. Those results suggest that, if public intervention should have an effect on the performances of the NIS, this relationship is also reciprocal: a well-functioning NIS may have a positive effect on the results of a policy measure.
Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This dissertation presents a multilevel model of national-level factors and their impact on the organizational-level characteristics of social enterprises and their innovations. This study builds on the foundations of two theoretical frameworks: the national systems of innovation, which recognizes economic competitiveness to be a product of several interrelated institutions (e.g. financial, educational, cultural, historical) and where organizational-level innovation drives country level competitiveness; and the comparative social enterprise framework, which contends that national-level institutions (e.g., economic competitiveness, models of civil society) drive the size and shape of the social enterprise sector of a country. Data for this study were collected from multiple secondary global datasets representing 54 countries across seven world regions. Research questions and hypotheses are examined using ordinal and logistic hierarchical generalized linear modeling, two analytical techniques capable of explaining variation at one level (i.e., organizations) as a consequence of factors at another level of analysis (i.e., countries) for non-normally distributed dependent variables. Findings indicate that economic competitiveness, welfare spending, culture and quality of life significantly impact the odds of a business being a social enterprise. Fewer significant relationships were found social enterprise innovations. Conclusions and policy implications are discussed in light of data limitations and the current state of the field.

This thesis provides a range of analyses to examine the current Chinese pension reform in both provincial and national contexts, with special emphasis on coverage increase and its long term financial implications. Quantitative assessment includes econometric analysis of survey data initiated and organized by the author and her colleagues. Special models are designed to reflect the transitional characteristics of the current Chinese pension system. The results confirm that the coverage increase delays the system-aging process, through labor migration and urbanization, by about 20 years. But a funding crisis is inevitable if no parametric reforms could be made in the current system and if the system is not well managed. Policy suggestions are made in line with the empirical analysis and model results. In addition, some structural pension reform options are discussed. Two Notional Defined Contribution (NDC) applications are presented and simulations indicate that an NDC system may be effective in smoothing the financial pressure for government while maintaining adequate levels of individual retirement benefit. In the final part of the thesis, a hypothetical safety net is assessed in the context of the current policy framework, and its cost is examined. The thesis introduces new data and first hand information about Chinese pension reform in a provincial context to reflect the features of the national system.

Since the mid 70’s politicians have realized how important transport has become in the economy of South Africa and the advantages it has on growth, job creation and infrastructure. The result was involvement in the rules and regulations that govern South African transport in our country today. Economic growth has become a critical factor for the survival of economies as well as the future prospects of generations to come. The global recession which had a direct and indirect effect on South Africa has highlighted the importance. The question on how the National Development Plan could have an influence on local and national economic growth has developed as well as what the impact will be of the contribution road transport can make on the growth of the South African society and the economy. When the current road transport sector is taken into consideration, the need for a constructive plan that can assist transporters, drivers and businesses to grow and expand has been identified. The purpose of this study is thus to determine what the current economic situation in the world and in South Africa is as well as how the current political spheres are contributing to the national economy. An in-depth analysis of the National Development Plan has been done with emphasis on the effect on transport in general and the effect on road transport in South Africa. In order to accomplish this objective a detailed literature study was done which highlighted the academics information that pertains to the above mentioned topics. An empirical study that would measure the thought process and feelings about the National Development Plan and road transport has been conducted by means of a questionnaire. The results of the study have indicated that the National Development Plan could be an important tool and could have an enormous positive effect on the overall economic situation of South Africa and its citizens. In addition, the study has revealed that in the long term the effect of the plan could be to the advantage of the road transport sector. Factors that could contribute to the success would be features such as the planned improvements on the main transport corridors, upgrade of infrastructure and the controlling of environmental matters would have give a positive ring to it. On the other hand, recommendations to rectify and improve other issues such as corruption, leadership, maintenance backlogs and stricter laws and policies have been identified that are hindering businesses to grow and expand. Literature and data gained through the empirical study has indicated that the National Development Plan will improve South Africa’s economic situation. Respondents were optimistic about the plan and the overall feeling were that the plan will succeed in improving the road transport sector thus contribute to the National Development Plan objective to eliminate poverty and inequality by 2030.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA (DVS)
The South African government has earmarked infrastructure development as a key driver of the economy. The infrastructure sectors of energy, water and transport have received large Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) loans to fund new projects, repairs and maintenance. The DBSA loan approvals to municipalities for the period 2012-2013 was R2.3 billion. Loans to 'under-resourced' municipalities totalled R927 million for the same period. Key infrastructure sectors included electricity (R466 million), roads and drainage (R678 million), community facilities (R735 million) and water and sanitation (R1.2 billion). The DBSA is owned by the South African state and its relationship with municipalities is legislated and regulated through the Constitution and an Act of Parliament. One of the post-apartheid roles of the DBSA is to support the infrastructure development agenda of the State through a complexed network of infrastructure projects in the key infrastructure sectors of water and sanitation, education, housing, health and housing. It does so through project, technical and development finance support to municipalities. The underlying rationale for the relationship between municipalities and the DBSA is to forward the States' agenda of providing equal access to basic services and develop infrastructure to support its social and economic development agenda. While the DBSA does provide infrastructure grants and facilitates intergovernmental transfers to municipalities, it also provides infrastructure loans to municipalities for both capital expenditure and large-scale infrastructure projects. The premise of development banks is to provide development finance for infrastructure projects at low interest. The DBSA specifically as a state-owned bank has an overall agenda to develop the infrastructure of poorer municipalities whose credit-worthiness will not allow it to qualify for commercial loans.

The dissertation presents a system dynamics model for national industrial development in developing economies. A development system is defined by national boundary, components and activities. The system is represented by ten activity sectors grouped into three functional classes: (1) Two driving sectors comprising population and investment capital sectors; (2) Seven industrial sectors: resources, manufacturing, agriculture, physical infrastructure, services, technology, and social infrastructure; and (3) An outlet sector represented by a trade sector. The model's general theory of industrial development dynamics is described by causal feedback loops. A causal feedback loop consists of two or more interrelated variables where a change in one of the loop's variables causes all others to change as well. The industrial development model's specific structure evolved by applying the causal feedback theory to the system activity sectors. The model is written in DYNAMO, a continuous system, computer simulation language. A prototype model run illustrated the basic development process and possible effects of alternative policies. Several conclusions were drawn regarding sensitive system parameters and various development policies. In addition, three developing-country examples representing low, middle, and high income groups were evaluated. Recommendations about model use and system analysis were presented. The industrial development model is intended to aid during development analysis and planning phases.
Ph. D.

It is widely agreed globally that innovation, knowledge and learning is a vital part of economic development. It creates and promotes competitiveness at the firm level, national and regional levels. Furthermore, innovation processes are dependent on relationships and the interaction of various actors thus, it is necessary for policy makers to strengthen the innovative environment so that collaboration is encouraged and facilitated. However, in order to develop relevant policies, the innovation system in question needs to be reviewed; in this case, Zambia's national system of innovation (NSI). Science, technology and innovation (STI) in Zambia is described as relatively underdeveloped. The country gained independence in 1964 and only after 32 years of independence (1996) did it draft its first STI policy document. Sound economic policy accompanied by efficient institutions plays a key role in shaping a country's economic development. Therefore, it is believed that a timely national STI policy and mobilization of supporting institutions in Zambia could have helped the country exploit its abundant natural resources, to drive sustainable economic development. This study, which is the first of its kind, provides a review of the performance of Zambia's NSI during the period 2001 to 2010. The study starts by examining comprehensive literature on STI and NSI, particularly in relation to developing countries such as Zambia. Thereafter, key concepts from the literature are applied to the Zambian case to formulate a framework for analyzing the country's NSI. The framework involved organizing the NSI into three hierarchal levels namely; micro, meso and macro. Under these levels, system functions were selected namely; knowledge development at the micro level, business, industrial and entrepreneur activities at the meso level and resource mobilization at the macro level. Thereafter, indicators were selected to measure the performance of each system function. Subsequently, trend analysis was conducted on the set of indicators. The results of the analysis suggest that during the period 2001 to 2010, there has been significant increase in innovation input (government funding of R&D activities) and a significant growth in output (scientific research publications) at the micro level. The rise in the ratio of input to output suggests a level of efficiency in knowledge development, because the output indicator was increasing more rapidly than the increases in the input indicator. On the contrary results at the meso level, particularly with regards to exports of goods and services, revealed comparative advantage of merchandise exports, manufactured exports and high-technology exports, suggest that knowledge and innovation is not being exploited efficiently and effectively for commercial purposes. These results imply that there are some significant constraints and factors in scarce supply. In addition, the policy environment may not be favourable. Finally despite significant growth in government funding at the macro level, the results of this study show that it is still limited. The National Science and Technology Policy initially proposed that government allocates 3% of GDP annually as funding for science, technology and innovation activities. However, this has not been the case. The study indicates that an average of only 0.04% was annually allocated during the period under analysis.

Nesse artigo, comparamos, por meio da Análise de Redes, a dimensão institucional dos Sistemas Nacionais de Inteligência. Com base em fontes ostensivas sobre as agências de inteligência, entrevistas com especialistas de cada país e revisão bibliográfica, foi possíel compilar uma base de dados capaz de mapear as relações (arestas) de comunicação e autoridade entre os três tipos de atores coletivos (vértices): organizações governamentais de supervisão e direção, organizações colegiadas de coordenação e agências de inteligência. Por enquanto, a base de dados é composta de informações no formato de matrizes e grafos de 34 países com centenas de dados. Como resultado, estão sendo consuzidos estudos de casos sobre os países, assim como análises comparativas com amostras pequenas. Os estudos comparados estão sendo orientados de acordo com um determiando conjunto de paises ou de variáveis de interesse (centralidade de grau, centralidade de intermediação, centralização de grau e centralização de intermediação). Neste exercício em particular, os resultados obtidos indicam a distribuição de poder e as vulnerabilidades organizacionais no nível de países, permitindo comparações dentro e entre os Sistemas Nacionai de Inteligências do Brasil, Rússia, India, China e África do Sul (BRICS).
In this article we compare institutional dimensions of National Intelligence Systems using Network Analysis. Based upon open data on intelligence agencies, interviews with country expert scholars, and bibliographical review, we were able to compile a database allowing the mapping of authority and communication links (edges) between three types of collective actors (nodes), namely intelligence agencies, coordinating bodies, and central government. So far, the database comprises matrix and graph information for thirty-four countries each with hundreds of data points. As a result, case studies on specific countries, as well as small n comparative analyses are being conducted. Comparative studies are driven either by interest in clusters of countries or in variables of interest (degree centrality, betweenness centrality, degree centralization, and betweenness centralization). In this particular exercise, results obtained indicate power distributions and organizational vulnerabilities at country level, allowing for comparisons between and among the national intelligence systems of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS).

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-55).
Using survey data from the third World Values Survey and democracy scores from Freedom House, I outline and test a supply and demand model of democratic change and stability. While "support for democracy" is a common concept in political science, the only empirical studies of the relationship between these regime preferences and democracy (Inglehart, 2003; Inglehart & Welzel, 2003; Welzel, Inglehart and Klingemann 2003) do not control for reciprocal causation and use poorly conceptualised and measured variables. They claim that deeply-rooted cultural orientations called "self-expression values" are a better measure of implicit support for democracy than overt expressions of regime preference. However, I find that once I control for the possibility that democracy is exogenous, there is little difference between the explanatory power of cultural values versus overtly expressed preferences. Furthermore, I argue that popular regime preferences (or demand) affect the change in the level of democracy, but do so only in relation to its current supply. "Net demand" is the driver of system change rather than absolute levels of popular support for democracy.

High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology has never before been used to connect a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) directly to the National Electricity Transmission System (NETS). There are both technical and economic factors which need to be considered and understood before such a technology is adopted for an NPP connection. In this thesis, both technical and economic factors surrounding the suitability of Current Source Converter (CSC) and Voltage Source Converter (VSC) HVDC technology for NPP connections are investigated. Power system models of both HVDC technologies, connected to an NPP, are studied in Power System Computer Aided Design (PSCAD) software. The studies highlight the susceptibility of CSC-HVDC technology to commutation failure during a three-phase fault condition at the inverter, and simulations demonstrate some key benefits of adopting VSC-HVDC technology for NPP connections: provision of independent reactive power support to both the NPP and AC system; black-start capability; fast current reversal for dynamic conditions; and the ability to connect to a weak High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) system. The simulations show the vulnerability of VSC-HVDC vector current control when the short circuit ratio of the AC system is very low (<1); in such cases, the Phase Locked Loop (PLL) is affected and power transfer through the VSC-HVDC link may drop to 50% of nominal rating. An economic analysis of HVDC technology development, cost and converter station size is presented. The size of a CSC-HVDC converter station can be much larger than an equivalent-rated VSC due to the additional filters required for reactive power compensation and harmonic mitigation. With the fast evolution of VSC-HVDC technology, the ratings required for an NPP connection are now available. The cost difference between the two technologies can vary from project to project and hence neither one can be ruled out for an NPP connection based only on price.

China and Russia – two giants in the group of emerging markets – continue to attract wide attention as evolving science and technological superpowers. However, both countries demonstrate mixed success in innovation development and are struggling to overcome the legacies of the former state planning system and accelerate their transition to effective national innovation systems. This study employs a number of theoretical constructs and evidence sources to evaluate the existing path dependencies and compare the achievements of China and Russia in fostering development and effective systems of innovation and governance. A detailed analysis of the state planning legacies is provided together with a study of innovation system transformation and the role of public policy in (re)building national innovation capabilities in China and Russia. The system-evolutionary approach is applied to provide a detailed assessment of the strategic effort undertaken by the governments of both countries. Several government failures and path dependencies seem to prevent the nations from implementing a more effective reform. Yet, there are a number of complementarities and opportunities for mutual learning where both countries can benefit from closer collaboration. The challenges of turning universities into research institutions, increasing productivity of state-owned enterprises, constructing effective science parks, promoting indigenous innovation, ensuring more even distribution of innovation development across regions, turning ‘brain drain’ into ‘brain gain’, and improving intellectual property rights protection are common in Russia and China. As a lens through which to identify and assess innovation systems transformation, the thesis examines emerging nanotechnology development in China and Russia. Nanotechnology is a new science and technology area where policies seem to be independent of many system weaknesses and contribute to breaking existing development lock-ins due to its explorative nature and assumed transformative capacity. Yet, a number of path dependencies do exist in this area but seem to play a marginal role in its progression. An early assessment is provided of nanotechnology impacts on broader socioeconomic development of China and Russia in six key areas: institutional development, knowledge flows, and network efficiency; research and education capabilities; industrial and enterprise growth; cluster and network development; regional spread; and product innovation.The conclusion summarizes the main findings, revisits the major research questions, links the analysis to the conceptual framework, and offers a number of policy recommendations that seem relevant to both Russia and China with a need to increase the transparency of innovation policy, improve the regulation for innovation process, and promote growth of the private sector to ensure effective technology transfer.Results from this study have been reported in various forms in the author’s articles published in Research Policy, Science and Public Policy, Review of Policy Research, International Journal of Economics and Business Research, and European Journal of Development Research as well as presented at a number of international conferences (see Appendix).

Climate change and global commodity demands have increased access to and feasibility of extracting natural resources in Arctic regions. As a result, Nunavut is now poised to compete on the global market for oil, gas, minerals, and precious metals. The impacts of increasing resource exploration and development activities on nearby communities therefore require study. In particular, new methodologies are needed to explore how adjacent communities can harness the economic potential of resource extraction toward goals of self-sufficiency, sustainability, and cultural continuity while minimizing the associated risks. Using the predominantly Inuit community of Pond Inlet, Nunavut, as a case study, this thesis uses an article format to introduce the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development’s ‘nation building’ conceptual framework, as well as a post-colonial theory to explore resource development in the Canadian Arctic context. The nation building framework is a well-established and validated approach to understanding economic development in Indigenous society that has been refined and used in hundreds of case studies over the past three decades. Based on interviews with residents and regional decision-makers, it was found that the community of Pond Inlet currently lacks the self-determination and effective institutions needed to implement local strategies for prosperity due to a number of complex factors, including educational and capacity deficiencies; infrastructure needs; as well as a centralized decision-making structure that poorly matches local culture and serves to alienate residents. As a result, the anticipated resource boom in Arctic Canada is in danger of indirectly repeating the colonial legacy of assimilation, this time justified by contemporary economic reasons, instead of providing the region with an inclusive, balanced economic development approach in line with local ideas for development and cultural continuity.This thesis follows the article format and is organized into four chapters: Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter. Chapter 2 is the first of two articles in the thesis titled: Community and Economic Development in Arctic Canada (CEDAC) – Understanding factors that contribute toward self-determined sustainable community development. Chapter 3 is the second of two articles in the thesis titled: Community and Economic Development in Arctic Canada (CEDAC) – Mining in Nunavut: A new path to prosperity or re‐paving old paths of colonial rule? Chapter 4 concludes the thesis.

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This thesis explores the causes of Russian foreign policy towards Georgia. It argues that the Russian Federation continues to pursue a policy which weakens the sovereignty of the Caucasus. The main priority of this thesis is to identify why the Russian Federation seems to be pursuing a set of policies that economically and politically weaken the sovereignty of Georgia. Therefore, this thesis examines the forces and factors of Russian domestic politics that drive Russian national interests towards the Caucasus. The analysis focuses on one particular issue-area: the role of the economic elite in shaping Russia's domestic and foreign policies vis-a-vis the state in the electricity sector. In focusing on the energy policies of the Russian Federation, this thesis reveals the negative consequences for Georgia's sovereignty that result from a strong Russian influence in the region. This thesis analyzes how Russian national interests towards Georgia challenge the latter to establish autonomous decisionmaking with regard to its foreign policy and to exercise its own authority through an exclusive competence in internal affairs of the state. In conclusion, this thesis offers policy prescriptions on how Georgia might best preserve its sovereignty with respect to the Russian Federation in terms of energy dependency.
Civilian, Ministry of Defense, Georgia

The objective of this thesis is to outline steps that the Obama Administration could take to help pass legislation for an innovative funding mechanism known as a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB). The recommended steps are based on a historical analysis of the leadership provided by Presidents Roosevelt and Eisenhower when passing the original bills that authorized the Interstate system. Key policy recommendations include: framing the need for an NIB as a means of economic growth and natural disaster resilience, building strategic stakeholder support through education, and engaging and compromising with Congress while developing the NIB proposal. If successfully applied, these lessons can contribute to enabling the creation of an NIB that would increase infrastructure investment by billions of dollars while rehabilitating the struggling economy and transportation network.

Abstract The research question we wish to investigate is the degree to which different countries with differing levels of NSI strength and weakness cope in mitigating some of the adverse impacts of the recession. In general during the recession confidence declines or what Keynes calls the „animal spirit‟. Creative destruction is heightened as firms destroyed need to find other ways of recreating their economic activities. Exports and imports change. Investment from abroad declines and consumers afraid of the recession save or even hoard. Such a state is likely to impact those who are absorbing FDI and exporting to the heartland of the current recession which is the US market. China and India both export mainly hardware and software related goods and services respectively to this market where reduction in demand has resulted in company closures and unemployment. Even free trade has been challenged with protectionist and nationalist rhetoric on the rise during this recession. Given a recession that has affected the entire world economy and its constituent parts, both the way the recession impacts on different national economies and the ability of national economies to mitigate the recession are likely to be different. This paper concentrates on the latter not on the former per se. We examine what mitigating capability different national innovation systems have in relation to dealing with and responding to the current world financial and economic crises. The hypothesis we would like to test with descriptive comparative data is how far the relative strength or weakness of the NSI is capable of mitigating the adverse impact of the recession. We assume that that the nature and degree of impact of the recession across countries are likely to be different. In this paper we would like to take only the NSI factor in trying to account how such differences due to the individual characteristics of NSIs across different countries mitigate recessionary impact on given economies. For this, we propose to examine selected sectors from selected emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa (BRICS excluding Russia) to estimate mitigating capabilities of different NSIs.

"Development on the basis of extraction and export of natural resources is a dynamically complex problem. Empirical evidence shows that while some nations have been successful to translate natural resource wealth into long-term development but many have failed too. In this dissertation a system dynamics approach is taken to understand why this is happening and what strategies could facilitate a resource-based development process. In this regard, Mashayekhi’s model of oil-dependency of Iranian economy as one of the few relevant system dynamics examples is updated and revalidated. The results show that despite its capability in showing the dynamics of the problem from an economic perspective it lacks socio-political features that are necessary to address the most fundamental issues of resource-based development. It is shown that Katouzian’s theory of “arbitrary state and society” could fill this gap. The theory is, thus, translated into a system dynamics model so that it could be tested for internal consistency and used for policy analysis. The model is able to explain long-term socio-political-economic instability of a resource-dependent society. On the basis of Mashayekhi’s model, Katouzian’s theory, and other fundamental explanations of natural resource dependency that are available from the literature, a generic eclectic model is developed. The model has gone through a comprehensive list of confidence-building tests. Controlled experimentation through Monte Carlo simulations show that, on the contrary to the current belief, it is unlikely that natural resource wealth be harmful for social welfare. Results also revealed that rule of law is a crucial factor that affects trajectory of the socio-political-economic development. Other findings are as follow. Civil resistance (disobedience) can be harmful for the system in the long-run. While sanctions could affect the economy it has barely an impact on socio-political settings of a society. Finally, wage stabilization, facilitation of social mobility, and privatization of natural resource revenues within certain limits) could help the resource-based development to achieve better outcomes."

Mestrado em Economia e Gestão de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação
O conceito de Sistema Nacional de Inovação (SNI), recentemente aplicado num contexto de economias em desenvolvimento, surgiu originalmente nos países mais avançados como o Japão, países escandinavos e EUA. Esta questão levanta um problema metodológico que se centra em saber se o que foi apreendido no estudo de SNI dos países economicamente desenvolvidos é relevante para todos os tipos de economias, independentemente da maturidade dos seus sistemas de inovação. Tendo por base esta questão foi desenvolvido um exercício exploratório seguindo uma técnica de mapeamento de SNI que consta no agrupamento de um conjunto de indicadores organizados em dimensões. A cartografia que gera permite estabelecer uma taxonomia entre as variáveis definidas e assim comparar directamente os diferentes países. Esta técnica foi aplicada a 69 países e a um conjunto de 31 indicadores que se circunscrevem em dimensões. Mediante os dados obtidos, e com a ajuda da análise factorial e análise de clusters, foi então proposta uma taxonomia dos sistemas de inovação que permite relacionar as características das diversas economias.
The National Innovation System (NIS) concept, recently applied in the context of developing economies, came up originally in more advanced countries such as Japan, Scandinavian countries and the USA. This issue raises a methodological problem which consists on whether what was fund in the study of the NIS of the economically developed countries is relevant to all types of economies, regardless of the maturity of their innovation systems. In addressing this matter, the following exploratory exercise was developed. A mapping technique of the NIS was defined by grouping a set of indicators organized into different dimensions. The cartography that it generates allows establishing a categorization between the variables defined and thus compare directly the different countries. This technique was applied to 69 countries and to a set of 31 indicators that confined in eight large dimensions. Using the data obtained, along with a cluster analysis, a categorization of the innovation systems is then proposed, relating both the physical and structural characteristics of the economies.

У тезах приділено увагу забезпеченню сталого, здорового та безпечного розвитку країн та регіонів. Наведені аналітичні дані щодо обсягів фінансувань регіонів України на запобігання злочинності. Визначені внутрішні та зовнішні фактори забезпечення безпеки в регіоні.
В тезисах уделено внимание обеспечению устойчивого, здорового и безопасного развития стран и регионов. Приведены аналитические данные по объемам финансирования регионов Украины на предотвращение преступности. Определены внутренние и внешние факторы обеспечения безопасности в регионе.
These focus on ensuring sustainable, healthy and safe development of countries and regions. Analytical data on the amount of funding for the regions of Ukraine for crime prevention are presented. Internal and external security factors in the region have been identified.

В роботі розкривається питання щодо напрямків формування конкурентоспроможної національної економіки та факторів здатних забезпечити конкурентоспроможність
The paper disclosed the issue of directions of formation of national economy and competitive factors can ensure competitiveness

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This Master s Thesis aims to use the theoretical models of growth with restricted balance of payments, specifically Kaldor (1970) and Thirlwall (1979) models, to analyze the behavior and the pattern of specialization of Brazilian exports and imports in the last years. It is observed that, in some periods, the pattern of specialization has contributed in restricting long-term growth of the Brazilian economy. It has been hypothesized that overall this is due to lack of structural transformation policies. To achieve this goal, it analyzed the performance of Brazilian exports and imports disaggregating them according to their technological content. The basis for comparison was a group of countries to which Brazil is inserted in, the BRIC. In this regard, the work is a comparative analysis by using descriptive statistics. It is concluded that the low rate of GDP growth experienced by Brazil since the 1980s can be explained in part by the decoupling of the Brazilian National Innovation System (NIS) and the Brazilian productive structure. This would be reducing the income elasticity of exports and raising imports, causing a pattern of specialization intensive primary commodities and labor and low-skill labor
A presente disserta??o tem como objetivo utilizar o referencial te?rico dos modelos de crescimento com restri??o do balan?o de pagamentos, especificamente os modelos de Kaldor (1970) e Thirlwall (1979), para analisar o comportamento e o padr?o de especializa??o das exporta??es brasileiras nos ?ltimos anos. Observa-se que, em alguns per?odos, o padr?o de especializa??o tem contribu?do na restri??o do crescimento de longo prazo da economia brasileira. Tem-se como hip?tese geral que isto se deve ? insufici?ncia de pol?ticas de transforma??o estrutural. Para atingir tal objetivo, analisou-se o desempenho das exporta??es e importa??es brasileiras desagregando-as de acordo com o seu conte?do tecnol?gico. A base de compara??o foi um grupo de pa?ses o qual o Brasil est? inserido, o BRIC. Neste aspecto, o trabalho consiste numa an?lise comparativa mediante o uso de estat?stica descritiva. Conclui-se que as modestas taxas de crescimento do PIB vivenciadas pelo Brasil desde a d?cada de 1980 podem ser explicadas em parte pelo descolamento entre o Sistema Nacional de Inova??o (SNI) brasileiro e a estrutura produtiva. Isto estaria reduzindo as elasticidades-renda das exporta??es e elevando a das importa??es, ocasionando um padr?o de especializa??o intensivo em commodities prim?rias e em trabalho de baixa qualifica??o

A inovação é um dos motores do aumento da produtividade e do desenvolvimento econômico de um país, aumentando a renda per capita e a qualidade de vida da população. A questão é que o êxito do sistema nacional de inovação envolve as políticas industriais adotadas pelo país e a qualidade dos instrumentos de apoio à inovação. Este trabalho espera trazer informações sobre essa discussão. A proposta é apresentar a revisão da literatura sobre o tema, evolução da história recente do Brasil sobre o assunto, análise dos impactos dos instrumentos disponíveis, apresentar alguns exemplos de outros países, bem como análise crítica do modelo atual e quais caminhos poderiam ser adotados em nosso país.
Innovation is one of the drivers of increasing a country's productivity and economic development, increasing per capita income and the quality of life of the population. The point is that the success of the national innovation system involves the industrial policies adopted by the country and the quality of the instruments to support innovation. This paper hopes to bring information about this discussion. The proposal is to present a review of the literature and evolution of Brazil's recent history on the subject, analysis of the impacts of the available instruments, demonstrate some examples from other countries, as well as critical analysis of the current model and what improvements could be adopted in our country.

Thesis deals with system of national accounts providing information for economic policy institutions. Relation of the system to economic theory is examined with focus on disposable income. We try to answer the question if SNA follows theory originally used for construction the system or if SNA constitutes separated stream of economic theory. Then, crucial concepts of GDP calculation as definition of economic activity, value added concept or concept of derived demand are discussed. Key problem is the relation of GDP to business cycle anylsis, thus, we use alternative indicator of economic activity for analysis of Czech economy.

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CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
O presente trabalho tem o fito precípuo de analisar o cenário econômico da nanotecnologia no Brasil à luz de experiências internacionais selecionadas sob o prisma de Sistemas Nacionais de Inovação. A proposta de contribuição deste trabalho está centrada na ampliação da escassa literatura sobre a temática, especialmente sob o viés analítico dos Sistemas Nacionais de Inovação. O trabalho em um primeiro momento analisa os principais conceitos, características e as funcionalidades da nanotecnologia. A partir da contextualização e caracterização, o estudo avança, dedicando-se a ingressar na teoria econômica com vistas a buscar os fundamentos analíticos que sustentam a análise da nanotecnologia sob a ótica dos Sistemas Nacionais de Inovação. Sob o viés de SNI, analisam-se, posteriormente, experiências internacionais de países selecionados: EUA, Alemanha, Rússia e China, bem como da União Europeia, intentando a compreensão da criação de iniciativas nacionais focadas no desenvolvimento da nanotecnologia. À luz dessas experiências, por fim, busca-se compreender o cenário econômico da nanotecnologia no Brasil através de uma análise das dimensões científica, tecnológica-industrial e político-regulatória ao longo dos últimos anos (2000 a 2013), uma vez que essas dimensões possibilitam o aporte ao entendimento de fatores que auxiliam a análise econômica, considerando a linha neoschumpteriana. Em linhas gerais, é possível depreender-se das experiências internacionais que todos os países estudados possuem Iniciativas Nacionais já consolidadas, com mais de 10 anos de experiências, e se caracterizam: a) pelo estímulo de atividades de inovação com interação entre Universidades e Empresas; b) pela realização de investimentos públicos em projetos para desenvolvimento da nanotecnologia em empresas; c) pelo destaque mundial na produção científica e em depósitos de patentes; e d) pela criação de marcos regulatórios e de definições, conceitos e limites de aplicações em nanopartículas na indústria. No que tange aos resultados encontrados no estudo, referente ao Brasil, verifica-se um incipiente ambiente de promoção e de incentivo à nanotecnologia no Brasil, especialmente em termos de estrutura de atividades de pesquisa aplicada, de fomento de atividades de Interação Universidade-Empresa e de inexistência de marcos regulatórios. Contudo, é possível a visualização, partir da análise do cenário das referidas dimensões, de bons resultados nos planos de produção científica (18º colocação no ranking mundial, conforme dados de 2011) e de depósitos de patentes (13º colocação no ranking mundial, conforme dados de 2011) se comparado a países líderes, seus respectivos investimentos e suas dimensões referentes à criação de iniciativas nacionais em nanotecnologias já há anos consolidadas. Em termos de contribuição teórica, destaca-se a apresentação da discussão a respeito da nova onda nos SNI com a chegada da nanotecnologia. Conclui-se também pela grande lacuna, em uma perspectiva de agenda de pesquisa, lançando-se o desafio de novos estudos sobre a temática.
This work has the aim of analyzing the economic scenario of nanotechnology in Brazil in the light of international selected experiences under the prism of National Innovation Systems. The contribution proposed by this research is focused on expanding the scarce literature on this subject, especially in the analytical bias of National Innovation Systems. The work at a first moment analyzes the main concepts, features and functionality of nanotechnology. From the contextualization and the characterization, the study advances, dedicating up to enter in the economic theory in order to get the analytical foundations underpinning the analysis of nanotechnology from the perspective of National Innovation Systems. Under the bias of SNI, we will analyze, posteriorly, international experiences of selected countries: USA, Germany, Russia and China, as well as European Union, attempting to understand the creation of national initiatives focused on the development of nanotechnology. In light of these experiences, finally, we seek to understand the economic scenario of nanotechnology in Brazil through an analysis of the scientific, technological-industrial, political and regulatory dimensions over the past years (2000-2013), since these dimensions will enable the contribution to the understanding of factors that support the economic analysis, considering the neoschumpterian line. Generally speaking, it is possible to infer from international experiences that all the countries studied have national initiatives already consolidated, with over 10 years of experience, and are characterized by: a) the encouragement of innovation activities with interaction between universities and companies; b) carrying out public investment in projects for the development of nanotechnology in companies; c) the world highlight in the scientific literature and patent applications; d) the creation of regulatory frameworks and definitions, concepts and application limits on nanoparticles in the industry. With respect to the results found in the study, referring to Brazil, there is an incipient environment of promotion and encouragement of nanotechnology in Brazil, especially in terms of structure to applied research activities, promotion of university-industry interaction activities and the absence of regulatory frameworks. However, it is possible to visualize, from the analysis of these dimensions scenario, good results in terms of scientific production (18th place in the world ranking, according to data of 2011) and patent deposits (13th place in the world ranking, according to data of 2011) compared to leading countries, their investments and its dimensions referent to the creation of national initiatives in nanotechnology which was years ago consolidated. In terms of theoretical contribution, is highlighted the discussion of the new wave in SNI with the arrival of nanotechnology. It also concluded that there is a large gap, in a perspective of research agenda, launching the challenge of new studies on the subject.

The purposes of this study were to (a) examine higher education activities from 1945 to 1980 before Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong became newly industrialized countries; (b) study the higher education reforms that each country made in its progress in order to meet the challenge; (c) compare and contrast the higher education systems that were adopted; and (d) identify a single Asian higher education system model (descriptive model) for any country that desires to become an industrialized country. Historical research was utilized in this study. This study was approached as follows: First, the economic growth of the countries under study was examined. Then, the countries' higher education systems were compared and contrasted. The result is at least one possible higher education system model that can be used by any country to improve the future performance of its higher education system. The study concluded that the models of higher education used by Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong from 1945 to 1980 were not identical. However, they came to similar conclusions in terms of economic development. In this case, an emerging industrial country like the social and economic condition of Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong would find that adoption of those higher education models might be appropriate. For instance, an emerging country with a social and economic system like Taiwan would find Taiwan's higher education model appropriate for adoption in that country. On the other hand, if an emerging industrial nation has social and economic criteria dissimilar to those of Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, a proposed single model of higher education would be appropriate, with an adjustment to suit the national resources, cultural background, and structure of trades and the labor force of that country.

Україні потрібна власна нова грошово-фінансова система. Якою бути новій системі, що повинна захистити інтереси як держави, так і її суб’єктів господарювання та громадян, слід вирішувати професіоналам. Найпершим варіантом виглядає повернення до минулого шляхом відновлення золотого стандарту грошової одиниці. Але такий варіант не виглядає зручним. Через це пропонуємо КМУ та НБУ, Президенту оголосити всеукраїнський конкурс, до участі в якому залучити вчених і практиків, навчальні заклади, наукові установи. Ukraine needs its own new monetary and financial system. The very first variant is a return to the past by restoring the gold standard currency. But this option is not convenient. For this reason we offer Cabinet of Ministers and the National Bank of Ukraine, the President declare a national competition to participate which attract scholars and practitioners, educational institutions, research institutions.

O mundo volta suas atenções para o fenômeno de crescimento econômico observado na China nas últimas décadas. Neste contexto, a literatura contemporânea destaca as iniciativas do governo chinês para transformar o país em uma potência voltada para a geração de inovações tecnológicas. Essa trajetória diferenciada começa a ser determinada, de forma mais contundente, a partir da abertura econômica promovida sob liderança de Deng Xiaoping em 1978 e possui em seus sucessores a continuidade deste projeto estratégico. Assim, sustenta-se a ideia de que exista um projeto estratégico, idealizado pelo Estado chinês, que busca promover a capacidade de gerar inovações tecnológicas como um dos meios para a resolução dos principais entraves ao crescimento do país, tais como: a manutenção da alta produtividade; a diminuição da deterioração na distribuição de renda; a redução dos impactos do crescimento em termos de poluição ambiental; a criação de fontes de energia sustentáveis e renováveis, das quais o país possui enorme carência; aproximação do país da fronteira tecnológica global. Para além disso, o desenvolvimento da capacidade de gerar inovações é fundamental para garantir o crescimento sustentável da renda e evitar a armadilha da renda média, facilitando a transição do país do status de renda média para a alta. Presume-se, assim, que o esforço em promover as inovações faça parte de uma escolha estratégica adotada pelo Estado que busca, através da melhoria técnica, a solução para os enormes desafios expostos anteriormente. Inspirado pelos pontos de convergência das perspectivas neo-schumpeteriana e institucionalista, esta tese se propõe a avaliar a intencionalidade do Estado na criação de instituições voltadas para a promoção das inovações nativas na China, denominadas de “Zizhu Chuangxin”. Mais especificamente, quer se demonstrar a dinâmica de atuação do Estado no sistema nacional de inovações do país. Com base na análise das instituições criadas, extintas ou modificadas, expressas na forma física (criação de institutos, organismos, ministérios, etc.) ou representadas por leis, hábitos, costumes, padrões de comportamento e crenças, quer se sugerir uma periodização histórica das políticas e das intenções do Estado na promoção das inovações tecnológicas como forma de diminuir os obstáculos estruturais na continuidade do processo de desenvolvimento econômico da China. Diante do exposto, a principal hipótese de pesquisa é a de que, conforme amadurecem as capacidades internas nacionais de aquisição, da assimilação e do aperfeiçoamento de tecnologias existentes na fronteira do conhecimento, os canais de atuação do Estado chinês na indução das inovações têm-se alterado ao longo do tempo em resposta às demandas estratégicas constituídas pelo avanço econômico do país. Essa situação demostra que o processo de melhoria das condições tecnológicas da China não é um processo espontâneo guiado pelas forças de mercado, mas sim, liderado em grande parte, por ações executadas pelo Estado chinês na intenção de criar um ambiente institucional favorável à inovação.
The world turns its attention to the phenomenon of economic growth observed in China in recent decades. In this context, the contemporary literature highlights the initiatives of the Chinese government to transform the country into a Great Power aimed at generating technological innovations. This differentiated trajectory begins to be determined, more incisively, from the economic opening that was taking place under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping in 1978 and has in its successors the continuity of this strategic project. Thus, the idea that there is a strategic project is maintained, the one idealized by the Chinese State, which seeks to promote the capacity to generate technological innovations as one of the means to solve the main obstacles to the country's growth, such as: productivity; the decrease of the deterioration in the distribution of income; reducing the environmental impacts of growth; the creation of sustainable and renewable energy sources, of which the country has an enormous deficiency; bringing the country closer to the global technological frontier. Beyond that, developing the ability to generate innovation is critical to ensuring sustainable income growth and avoiding the middle income trap, facilitating the country's transition from middle to high income status. It is presumed, therefore, that the effort to promote innovation is part of a strategic choice adopted by the State that seeks, through technical improvement, the solution to the enormous challenges presented above. Inspired by the points of convergence of the neo-Schumpeterian and institutionalist perspectives, this thesis proposes to evaluate the intentionality of the State in the creation of institutions aimed at promoting native innovations in China, called "Zizhu Chuangxin". More specifically, the thesis wants to demonstrate the dynamics of State action in the country's national innovation system. Based on the analysis of the created, extinct or modified institutions, expressed in the physical form (creation of institutes, agencies, ministries, etc.) or represented by laws, habits, customs, behavior patterns and beliefs, the work suggests a historical periodization of policies and State intentions in promoting technological innovations as a way to reduce structural obstacles in the continuity of China's economic development process. In view of the above, the main research hypothesis argues that, as national domestic capacities for acquiring, assimilating and improving of existing technologies at the knowledge frontier mature, the Chinese State's channels used to induce innovations have changed over time in response to the strategic demands made by the country's economic progress. This situation demonstrates that the process of improving China's technological conditions is not a spontaneous process driven by market forces but rather led, in large part, by actions intentionally carried out by the Chinese State to create a favorable institutional environment for innovation.

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A deconstruction of the role of peace support operations suggests that they sustain a particular order of world politics that privileges the rich and powerful states in their efforts to control or isolate unruly parts of the world. As a management device it has grown in significance as the strategic imperatives of the post-industrialized, capitalist world have neutered the universal pretensions of the United Nations. Drawing on the work of Robert Cox and Mark Duffield, this essay adopts a critical theory perspective to argue that peace support operations serve a narrow, problem-solving purpose - to doctor the dysfunctions of the global political economy within a framework of liberal imperialism. Two dynamics in world politics might be exploited to mobilize a counter-hegemonic transformation in global governance. First, a radical change in the global trade system and its problematic institutions will create opportunities to emancipate the weak from economic hegemony. Second, future network wars are likely to require increasingly subtle and flexible teams, similar to disaster relief experts, to supply preventive action, economic aid and civilian protection. This might only be achieved by releasing peace support operations from the state-centric control system, and making them answerable to more transparent, more democratic and accountable multinational institutions.

From  the  process  of  globalization  of  law,  the  comparative constitutional law has gained a leading role for a better understanding and solving old and new constitutional national and international challenges. Therefore, some assumptions and considerations to take into account are presented for the development of the national constitutional order within the framework of the comparative constitutional law, such as universality and relativism of human rights; the concept of power and constitutional democracy; standards of free elections and judicial independence; freedom of expression, media pluralism and access to public information; the economic,social and cultural rights; the new fundamental rights.
A partir del proceso de globalización del derecho, el derecho constitucional comparado ha ido adquiriendo un rol protagónico para una mejor comprensión y solución de los viejos y nuevos desafíos constitucionales, tanto nacionales como internacionales. Por ello, se presentan algunos presupuestos y consideraciones temáticas a tomar en cuenta para el desarrollo del ordenamiento constitucional nacional en el marco del derecho constitucional comparado, tales como la universalidad y el relativismo de los derechos humanos; el concepto de poder y democracia constitucional; los estándares de elecciones libres e independencia judicial; la libertad de expresión, la pluralidad informativa y el acceso a la información pública; los  derechos  económicos,  sociales  y  culturales,  y;  los nuevos derechos fundamentales.

Esta pesquisa mostra como o desenvolvimento do sistema jurídico institucional do mercado de crédito rural no Brasil se desenvolveu a ponto de permitir a convivência de dois modelos normalmente considerados antitéticos: o modelo de economia de mercado coordenado via bancos públicos e o modelo de economia de mercado liberal. O primeiro capítulo da dissertação reconstrói como a teoria do Law and Finance que permite identificar adequadamente esse resultado de pesquisa se desenvolve a partir da crise das postulações e premissas da teoria econômica neoclássica. O segundo capítulo narra o desenvolvimento e crise do modelo do Sistema Nacional de Crédito Rural entre as décadas de 1960 e 1980, partindo de uma análise sobre sua estrutura, regulação e institutos. Passando dos modelos de organização financeira para as modalidades de crédito rural, o capítulo narra a lógica, estrutura e evolução do modelo calcado na alocação de recursos por banco públicos, de modo que essa elucidação de contexto histórico permite que se verifique a grande ruptura que é introduzida no sistema de financiamento rural a partir dos anos 2000. O terceiro capítulo narra e descreve o surgimento da estrutura, regulação e institutos regidos pela lógica de mercado liberal, até então ausente no SNCR para, após, realizar uma apreciação do resultado alcançado. Ao final, a conclusão reúne os principais achados dessa pesquisa, destaca os principais pontos de sua narrativa e os problematiza para uma agenda de pesquisa futura.
This research shows how the development of the institutional legal system of rural credit market in Brazil grew to the point of allowing the coexistence of two models usually considered antithetical: the coordinated market economy based in public banks model and the liberal market economy model. The first chapter of the dissertation reconstructs the theory of Law and Finance - which allows us to clearly see the research findings from the crisis of the postulates and assumptions of neoclassical economic theory. The second chapter narrates the development and crisis of the model of the National System of Rural Credit between the 1960s and 1980s, from an analysis of its structure, regulation and institutions. Moving from the financial organization models to the modalities of rural credit, the chapter presents the logic, structure and evolution of the model based in public banks, so that such historical context elucidation allows to check the big rupture that was introduced in rural finance system as from 2000s. The third chapter narrates and describes the rise of the structure, regulation and institutions governed by the liberal market logic, absent in the SNCR until then; making after that an assessment of the results achieved. The conclusion presents the main findings of this research, highlights the main points of its narrative and advocate for a future research agenda.

The poor quality and fragmented state of international statistics for the hospitality and tourism sector lead international organizations like the World Tourism Organization (WTO), Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations to develop and recognize a universally acceptable framework of tourism statistics. These efforts culminated into the development of the Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA), the very first sector specific Satellite System of Accounts approved by the United Nations. The WTO has since made numerous efforts to promote the implementation of the TSA, more so in the developing countries. While the process is gaining momentum, the implementation of the entire TSA framework is a tedious procedure requiring a high level of financial and non-financial resources. This paradox, of scarce resources required for TSA implementation in developing countries that are in most need of its benefits, has been the crucial motivation for this research project. The present study proposes a framework for evaluating the implementation of the TSA so that the process is manageable and is able to economize on various resources required to implement this comprehensive statistical database. Using Tanzania as the case study, this research verifies the proposed framework for evaluating the TSA's implementation. The underlying model for the proposed implementation framework is the Co-alignment principle from the field of Strategic Management. Evidence of existence of the characteristics of Co-alignment model's components is verified, given the particular experience of TSA implementation in Tanzania. The results suggest that the process in Tanzania is currently misaligned and may require reallocation of certain resources to increase the effectiveness of TSA implementation. In context of the Co-alignment principle, there is evidence that the end-user needs have not been explicitly established. There is also a lack of knowledge regarding gaps that exist between the current statistical databases and how the TSA would be able to fill these shortcomings. This is true for both additional datasets required and the much needed improvements in statistical methodology. Furthermore, there is no clear prioritization of implementation tasks, which is contributing to the lack of financial sustainability of the project. There is indication that the allocation of current resources is misaligned with the requirements for developing institutional capacity, training, stakeholder support, (particularly with the private sector operators) and building a stable legislative framework to support the entire process. Finally, there are no clear performance monitoring and evaluation criteria to assess the ongoing performance of the implementation process as well as that of the entire statistical database. This is crucial to insure effectiveness of the resource allocation process. The conclusions from these observations have been proposed as recommendations to align the process of TSA implementation in Tanzania with the objective of increasing the efficiency of these ongoing efforts at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the proposed evaluation framework can be used for assessing the effectiveness of implementing any generic national or regional statistical database.
Ph. D.