Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of the Geophysical Sciences, December 2001. / CD-Rom contains lithological and geophysical logs in Adobe PDF format. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Fuelwood is an important source of domestic energy in rural regions of Brazil. In the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais, native species from the Atlantic Forest are an important source of fuelwood, supplemented by wood from eucalyptus and coffee plantations. The use of native species is complicated by their increasing scarcity and the recent enforcement of forest policies that prohibit the felling of even dead natives trees without a permit. In this study, the factors contributing to the use of fuelwood in this region, despite the simultaneous use of liquid petroleum gas in most households, are explored by examining fuelwood use patterns in four small rural communities in the Zona da Mata Mineira using household surveys and semi-structured interviews. Two hypotheses were tested using a Jacknife regression. The first hypothesis, based on the energy ladder model, tested the predictive power of socioeconomic status in relation to fuelwood use. Two dependent variables were used to represent the importance of fuelwood to a household: the amount of time a household spent collecting fuelwood (Effort) and the number of purposes a household used fuelwood for (Class of Fuelwood Use). Socioeconomic status did explain a statistically significant percentage of the variance in Effort, but not in Class of Fuelwood Use. The second hypothesis tested for a moderating effect of the availability of fuelwood on the relationship between the socioeconomic status of a household and the dependent variables. The interaction between access to fuelwood and socioeconomic status was shown to explain a significant percentage of the variance in Effort, thereby indicating that the effect of socioeconomic status on time spent collecting fuelwood depends on access to fuelwood. However, there was no statistically significant interaction found between Class of Fuelwood Use and fuelwood availability. The Atlantic Forest Policy was found to have little influence on domestic energy decisions made by surveyed households. Few research subjects had a good understanding of the basic tenets of this policy and the Forest Police do not have adequate resources to enforce the policy at this level.

Preface: Establishing assembly and production facilities has traditionally constituted the possibility for companies to avoid high import duties, or a possibility to establish themselves in free-trade areas. Purpose statement: This thesis is intended for companies that explore their possibilities to establish an assembly plant in Brazil. The aim is to try to interpret and to create an understanding concerning which factors can have an influence when relocating production activities abroad. Research method: The basis for this study has been internal information from Tetra Pak along with literature. The study has been carried out as case study based research where interviews and articles have formed the basis for the gathering of data. Results: For companies that want to establish long-term production, Brazil possesses the prerequisites required. However, not all areas in Brazil are adequate for establishing an assembly plant – industries are mainly concentrated to the federal states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and these are therefore the areas best suited for production activities.

While in several jurisdictions corporate criminal liability is accepted, in Brazil the maxim still prevails that corporations cannot commit crimes. In common law countries the attribution of criminal liability to corporations was developed more than a century ago, and the concept of corporate criminal liability has been extensively discussed. This work is an attempt to look into the common law experience and to offer a plausible basis for the introduction of corporate criminal liability in Brazil. The research is essentially theoretical; it is mostly based on relevant literature from Britain, Canada and United States, three exponents of common law jurisdictions, and on relevant literature from Brazil.

The challenges faced by the Brazilian forest industry dealing with the natural forests and plantations have provided favourable ground for the establishment of forest certification. This study presents the first investigation of the two certification systems (FSC and Cerflor) in Brazil from the private sector perspective. Through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), market, learning, and signaling were validated as governance mechanisms of forest certification in Brazil. The results from the importance and performance analysis (IPA) indicated that companies did not see any return in terms of a better price for certified products; however, they demonstrated high satisfaction with the performances of non-economic benefits. Descriptive statistics revealed external pressures influencing companies to pursue forest certification and overall accomplishments of certification from economic, social and ecological points of view. Finally, suggestions for future research and conclusions are made in order to provide information for the industry, certification systems, and the Brazilian government.

The challenges faced by the Brazilian forest industry dealing with the natural forests and plantations have provided favourable ground for the establishment of forest certification. This study presents the first investigation of the two certification systems (FSC and Cerflor) in Brazil from the private sector perspective. Through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), market, learning, and signaling were validated as governance mechanisms of forest certification in Brazil. The results from the importance and performance analysis (IPA) indicated that companies did not see any return in terms of a better price for certified products; however, they demonstrated high satisfaction with the performances of non-economic benefits. Descriptive statistics revealed external pressures influencing companies to pursue forest certification and overall accomplishments of certification from economic, social and ecological points of view. Finally, suggestions for future research and conclusions are made in order to provide information for the industry, certification systems, and the Brazilian government.

While in several jurisdictions corporate criminal liability is accepted, in Brazil the maxim still prevails that corporations cannot commit crimes. In common law countries the attribution of criminal liability to corporations was developed more than a century ago, and the concept of corporate criminal liability has been extensively discussed. This work is an attempt to look into the common law experience and to offer a plausible basis for the introduction of corporate criminal liability in Brazil. The research is essentially theoretical; it is mostly based on relevant literature from Britain, Canada and United States, three exponents of common law jurisdictions, and on relevant literature from Brazil.

Fuelwood is an important source of domestic energy in rural regions of Brazil. In the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais, native species from the Atlantic Forest are an important source of fuelwood, supplemented by wood from eucalyptus and coffee plantations. The use of native species is complicated by their increasing scarcity and the recent enforcement of forest policies that prohibit the felling of even dead natives trees without a permit. In this study, the factors contributing to the use of fuelwood in this region, despite the simultaneous use of liquid petroleum gas in most households, are explored by examining fuelwood use patterns in four small rural communities in the Zona da Mata Mineira using household surveys and semi-structured interviews. Two hypotheses were tested using a Jacknife regression. The first hypothesis, based on the energy ladder model, tested the predictive power of socioeconomic status in relation to fuelwood use. Two dependent variables were used to represent the importance of fuelwood to a household: the amount of time a household spent collecting fuelwood (Effort) and the number of purposes a household used fuelwood for (Class of Fuelwood Use). Socioeconomic status did explain a statistically significant percentage of the variance in Effort, but not in Class of Fuelwood Use. The second hypothesis tested for a moderating effect of the availability of fuelwood on the relationship between the socioeconomic status of a household and the dependent variables. The interaction between access to fuelwood and socioeconomic status was shown to explain a significant percentage of the variance in Effort, thereby indicating that the effect of socioeconomic status on time spent collecting fuelwood depends on access to fuelwood. However, there was no statistically significant interaction found between Class of Fuelwood Use and fuelwood availability. The Atlantic Forest Policy was found to have little influence on domestic energy decisions made by surveyed households. Few research subjects had a good understanding of the basic tenets of this policy and the Forest Police do not have adequate resources to enforce the policy at this level.

From the point of view of world, the positive results of the economic globalization are: more frequent scientific and technological exchange, more obvious international division, resource reach supreme utility. But, global economy integration, the abolition of the trade barrier, and improvement of capital mobility, have produced the serious economic problem in several areas. That is to say that this kind of laissez faire causes the international economic growth rate to be slow and large quantities of unemployment. Above-mentioned problems are very apt to happen in developing countries. A lot of economic construction of most developing countries has not been ripe yet .If they open trade and capital inflow rashly, in a situation that there is not any supplementary measure effectively, the economic development of this area is hindered because of being unable to bear the strong external pressure with assault probably .If more serious, it will also cause the terrible financial crisis. From 1964 to 1988, Brazil implemented 20 several years governance of military affairs. During 20 several years governance of military affairs, Brazil had gone through the high economic growth rate. However, since 1974, the inflation of Brazil began to be accumulating constantly, the finance and account deficit frequently were serious day by day. The Brazilian government, in order to solve the problem, since 1980, limited the capital inflow. This policy made the development in economy slower, and the inflation problem was more serious. During elected president Fernando Collor de Mello was in power, from 1990, Brazilian government determined to return to the international capital market, and then economic became better. The open policy let the exchange rate appreciate, trade that accumulate, and lasting in debt of external and account deficit frequently. Brazil faced external pressure and impact once again. From 1994, Brazil was in power by new president Fernando Henrique Cardoso. In 1999, Brazilian government canceled the fixed exchange rate system of staring at U.S. dollar, and changed to adopt the floating exchange rate system. The exchange rate of Brazil was decided by market from then on. Brazil faces the huge external pressure for a long time because of the impact of the economic globalization. A lot of countries have an optimistic view of the economic development in the future of Brazil very much. The reasons are: First, natural resources of Brazil are very abundant and enough to supply with the demand of the world; Second, Brazilian population reaches 180 millions, the huge market attracts various countries to be engaged in all kinds of trade and conduct of business. No matter from the past economic development or to the economic forecasting in the future, the economy of Brazil is closely linked with open economic policy. In other words, the imports, exports and capital mobility of Brazil have dominated the development in economy of Brazil. So, I use Balance-of-payments constrained growth rate model (BPCG model) of Thirlwall (1979) to analyze Brazilian economy. I set up adjusted BPCG model according to actual state of Brazil. I use cointegration test and estimate out the Brazilian imports and exports behavior equation, and then calculate primitive BPCG model and adjusted BPCG model. Pointed out finally, the economic growth rate estimated out from the adjusted BPCG model is closer to Brazil's actual economic growth rate than the economic growth rate estimated out from the primitive BPCG model. This shows that some assumptions of primitive BPCG model do not accord with the real state of Brazil. Such as on long terms, comparative purchasing power parity is not to be hold. Imports and exports will correspond to out different price elasticity or substitution elasticity, if face different products or the price from the different areas. Thus, in the case of Brazil, the assumption of single price and single elasticity is not to be hold. In general, the long-term economic growth rate estimated out in BPCG model roughly keeps the same with long-term real economic growth rate of Brazil. This result demonstrates that BPCG model is useful for analyzing export-led economic, and the result also supports Brazil to be an export-led economic growth country.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2004. / Thesis advisor(s): Robert Looney, Harold Trinkunas. Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-60). Also available online.