The current debate about environment and climate change has contributed to more andmore investment in alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and biogas. The Swedish Parliament has set the target that wind power should supply 10 TWh in 2015.In Sweden, wind power establishment began in the early 1980s. Since then the development has gained a tremendous momentum. The purpose of this study was to find out what problems wind power brings and what power relations that exists in connection with wind power establishment and how the landscape is affected by windpower construction, focusing on some cases in Falkenberg and Varberg. This study shows that wind power establishment is a very complicated process. The wind power's impact on the landscape is evident in both municipalities and can be viewed in terms of physical and visual impact, such as shadows and noise. Wind power projects can also affect wildlife, particularly birds, in an area. Most wind farms are located along the coast, but lately establishments have begun inland and offshore. In both municipalities, there are many people who see wind power as disturbing as it has resulted in changed views, noise, shadows or that the economic value of their property falls. Although windpower generates clean, green, low-emissions energy with little impact on natural resources, there are many people who oppose wind power development. A major reason for this is the location of wind power installations and an inadequate communication between government agencies, politicians, businesses, local residents and all others involved in setting up wind power mills in a municipality. This can be linked to government power and its exercise which can create the basis for various power groupings and conflicts between stakeholders. Group authority and instrumental power are the two authority categories most often associated with wind power establishment.This study also shows that despite public protests responsible authorities grants expansion of wind turbine developments in some enviromentally sensitive areas in both Falkenberg and Varbergs municipalities. Another result this study shows is that windpower astabilishment in Falkenberg municiplity has developed furher than in Varbergs municipality. The reason for this coluld be seen as that Falkenbrg’s municipality has alonger tradition of wind power sources than Varberg’s municipality has. / Dagens miljödebatt kring klimatförändringar har bidragit till att man satsar mer och mer på nya förnyelsebara energikällor som vindkraft, sol och biogas. Riksdagen har satt upp målet att vindkraft ska producera 10 TWh år 2015. I Sverige började man med vindkraftsetableringen i början av 1980 –talet. Sedan dess har utvecklingen fått en enormfart. Syftet med denna uppsats var att ta reda på vilka problem och vilka maktrelationer som förekommer i samband med vindkraftsetableringen och hur landskapet påverkas av vindkraftsetableringen med fokus på vissa fall i Falkenbergs och Varbergs kommuner. Denna  studie visar att vindkraftsetableringen är en mycket komplicerad process. Vindkraftenspåverkan på landskapet är påtaglig i båda kommunerna och kan ses i form av fysisk och visuell påverkan. Dit räknas också skuggor och buller. Vindkraftsetableringen kan också påverka djurlivet, särskilt fåglar, i ett område. De flesta vindkraftsparker är placerade utmed kusten men på sistone har man också börjat med vindkraftsetableringen i inlandet och till havs. I båda kommunerna finns det många människor som upplever vindkraft som störande på grund av ändrad utsikt, buller, skuggor eller att deras egendom tappar i ekonomiskt värde. Trots att vindkraft genererar ren och miljövänlig energi, med litet utsläpp och påverkan på naturresurser, är det många människor som motsätter sig vindkraftsutbyggnad. En viktig anledning till detta är placering av vindkraft och otillräcklig kommunikation mellan myndigheter, politiker, företag, närboende och alla andra inblandade i vindkraftsetableringeni en kommun. Detta kan kopplas ihop med myndigheternas makt och dess bruk som kan skapa grund till olika maktgrupperingar och konflikter mellan berörda intressenter. Gruppmakt och instrumental makt är de två maktkategorier som oftast förekommer i samband med vindkraftsetableringen. Denna studie visar också att, trots allmänna protester beviljar ansvariga myndigheter både i Falkenbergs och Varbergs kommuner utbyggnad av vindsnurror i en del miljökänsliga områden. Ett annat resultat som denna studie visar är att vindkraftsetableringen i Falkenbergs kommun har kommit längre än i Varbergs kommun. Orsaken till detta kan ses i att Falkenbergs kommun har en längre tradition än Varbergskommun.

This project examines the theoretical basis for linking industrial clustering to the strategic management of firms. Specifically, a recently deployed theory building framework defined three perspectives on clustering, the competitiveness perspective, the externalities perspective and the territorial perspective, but stopped short of explaining when, where and to whom these perspectives are relevant. This thesis proposes that firms are the central recipient of cluster effects and that the product-based, resource-based and knowledge-based approaches to management provide the theoretical base from which the operational contexts of each cluster perspective can be defined. Three cluster-management relationships are modelled and beta-tested on a sample of cluster-based firms. The empirical analysis is designed to provide feedback to the theory building process and not to prove or disprove the theory itself.<p> The analysis yielded little if any evidence that the proposed cluster-management relationships are present in the sample that was studied. This result was a surprise as the exuberance with which clusters and their benefits are often promoted suggests that in a cluster there should be a pronounced correlation between firm performance and cluster attributes. The statistical limitations of this analysis mean the results can not be inferred to the general population and that the theoretical propositions are not actually disproved. Nonetheless, the muted observations do cast attention on the need for better modelling and measurement instruments in the field of cluster research. In addition, this project initiates a deductive process by which subsequent research can focus on the causal pathways that comprise the phenomenon of industrial clustering; including the pathway that links clusters to firms and then to economic performance.

In many countries, the agricultural subsidy is the existence, whether in order to protect the livelihood of farmers, or to ensure a stable supply of domestic agricultural products, the agricultural subsidy is the subject which may not neglect easily. This article uses new viewpoint which is brought by the economic geography, discusses the influence which the agricultural subsidy brings. We find that: (1) Agricultural subsidy would cause worker's nominal wage to change, causing further changes in production costs, thus affecting the equilibrium output of firms. (2) When subsidies some agricultural region, not necessarily improve the level of subsidy region. (3) If the degree of freedom of trade is low level , subsidies will make up the region's income level.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2001. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-163). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.A.)--Si li Zhongguo wen hua xue yuan. / Cover title. Mimeo. copy. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 276-310). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Despite the ‘cultural turn’ in economic geography, the discipline has yet to conclusively describe the processes through which culture influences actors’ daily economic and social practices. Without a better understanding of the role of culture, it is difficult to explain the emergence and influence of the heterogeneous landscapes of regional business culture we readily observe. This problem is particularly acute in the study of entrepreneurial environments, where regional culture is theorized to play an important role in the local entrepreneurship process. This dissertation proposes an alternative approach to culture which draws on the work of Pierre Bourdieu to reveal the underlying social processes connecting culture with entrepreneurial action. Through qualitative case studies of software entrepreneurs in three Canadian cities — Kitchener- Waterloo, Ontario; Ottawa, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta — this dissertation examines the emergence and evolution of regional cultures and how they have helped to create distinct contexts which encourage unique forms of entrepreneurial practices, outlooks and strategies. This new perspective allows for a more detailed and dynamic analysis of regional cultures and provides new tools for researchers and policy makers to understand the role of cultures within regional economic development.

Despite the ‘cultural turn’ in economic geography, the discipline has yet to conclusively describe the processes through which culture influences actors’ daily economic and social practices. Without a better understanding of the role of culture, it is difficult to explain the emergence and influence of the heterogeneous landscapes of regional business culture we readily observe. This problem is particularly acute in the study of entrepreneurial environments, where regional culture is theorized to play an important role in the local entrepreneurship process. This dissertation proposes an alternative approach to culture which draws on the work of Pierre Bourdieu to reveal the underlying social processes connecting culture with entrepreneurial action. Through qualitative case studies of software entrepreneurs in three Canadian cities — Kitchener- Waterloo, Ontario; Ottawa, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta — this dissertation examines the emergence and evolution of regional cultures and how they have helped to create distinct contexts which encourage unique forms of entrepreneurial practices, outlooks and strategies. This new perspective allows for a more detailed and dynamic analysis of regional cultures and provides new tools for researchers and policy makers to understand the role of cultures within regional economic development.