<p> Concepts such as &ldquo;brain drain&rdquo;, although now outdated, capture the essence of the uneven distribution of costs and benefits of the migration of skilled workers from south to north. There is solid evidence of the positive contributions of skilled immigrants to their host economies. Nevertheless, the sending countries, with few exceptions, have not fully capitalized on the skills and networks of their high-skilled diasporas. This research adopts the diaspora option concept, which capitalizes on these skills and networks as a viable strategy for economic development. Using the migration relationship between Lebanon and the United States, this study contributes to a growing area of research that investigates the <i>search</i> role of skilled immigrants and returnees and their impact on knowledge transfer to the countries of origin. The research presented herein attempted to answer the overarching exploratory question: What are the patterns and dynamics of high-skilled diasporas and returnees&rsquo; direct and indirect <i>(search)</i> contributions to the home country and what related policies or facilitative interventions are needed to leverage and enhance these contributions? To address this question, the field research employed interview and survey techniques.</p><p> The findings of this research revealed that Lebanese diaspora high achievers and networks, as well as high-skilled returnees, have engaged in different forms of direct and indirect contributions to the home country, but their impact remains less than transformational on Lebanon&rsquo;s innovation system. There is substantial evidence of the nascent emergence of institutionalized Lebanese transnational search networks attempting to bridge and translate capabilities and opportunities between the home country and the global knowledge markets. These networks hold a growing portfolio of gestating projects and initiatives that have not yet materialized in tangible investments or success stories. Institutional factors at home, such as economic and political instability, weak infrastructure, and outdated regulatory and legal frameworks, in addition to the absence of diaspora engagement public policy, appear to be the main impediments for optimal and transformational engagement. These impeding factors represent areas for possible improvement if diaspora linkages and contributions were to be leveraged. Thus, the case of Lebanon demonstrates a laissez-faire diaspora option that encapsulates the suboptimal incorporation of skilled diasporas into the development process of their home countries without notable diaspora engagement public policy. Consequently, this research advocates for a proactive and fully endorsed diaspora option to better capitalize on countries&rsquo; skilled diasporas and returnees for transformational impact.</p>

Canadian Federalism has grown to incorporate the opposing ideologies of communitarianism and individualism, which compete in both social and political arenas. The cultural industry sector in Canada negotiates this ideological landscape in order to secure favourable public policy in the form of both political support and access to public resources. Within the cultural sector and as a result of the environment, the book publishing industry is active in expressing its value as both community builders and economic worthy enterprises. Drawing upon research in federalism, cultural and policy studies, an analytical framework is developed to assess the underlying intentions of cultural policy and distribution of resources with respect to cultural or economic outcomes. This comparative analysis of federal and provincial policies supporting the book publishing industry in Canada demonstrates divergent policy choices between jurisdictions. These choices gravitate towards either communitarian/collectivist or individualist/economic values, mirroring those values incorporated into the current Canadian federalist structure.

The state of the planet was briefly examined from economic, social, and environmental perspectives. The examination showed that the world has largely come under a single development paradigm and that the situation this paradigm has led us to is unsustainable and inequitable. There have been a number of efforts to set the planet on a different path to sustainability and social justice but so far they have failed to gain sufficient momentum to achieve change on a scale commensurate with the magnitude and urgency of the problem. The author contends that these efforts for change might be more effective if they could be united under a common, global theme or objective sharing common principles. The research suggests that the idea of dedevelopment might arise as a theme around which many of the movements seeking sustainability and social justice could unite. The author further attempts to show the form dedevelopment might take. The deepening of the current economic and climate crises which has occurred since this research was conducted serves to reinforce the author's argument for the necessity and urgency of a change in the current development paradigm.

<p>Cannabis cultivation has emerged as a developed world phenomenon, making cannabis market participants who embrace import substitution via domestic cultivation an extra challenge to drug law enforcement. Given drug law enforcement's reliance on deterrent measures, this study examined the factors associated with the perceived certainty of apprehension for domestic cannabis cultivation. Through secondary data analysis, it tested Stafford and Warr's reconceptualization of deterrence against an online survey data set constructed by the Global Cannabis Cultivation Research Consortium. The data set's sample consisted of participants at least 18 years of age, who had grown cannabis at least once and were residents of either Canada or the United States. With multiple linear regression analysis, this study found mixed support for Stafford and Warr's theory and moderate support for social learning, social bonding, and criminal self-efficacy theory. In light of such results, policy implications will be discussed. </p>

By lowering the energy required to provide a service, energy efficiency can help society consume less energy, emit less CO2e and other air pollutants, while maintaining quality of life. In this work, I examine a key benefit of energy efficiency, reducing renewables investment costs, and a side-effect, expanding energy service demand, also known as the rebound effect. First, I assess the economics of an energy efficiency intervention, using dedicated direct current (DC) circuits to operate lighting in commercial buildings. I find that using DC circuits in grid-connected PV-powered LED lighting systems can lower the total unsubsidized capital costs by 4% to 21% and levelized annual costs by 2% to 21% compared to AC grid-connected PV LEDs providing the same level of lighting service. I also explore the barriers and limitations of DC circuits in commercial buildings. Second, I examine the rebound effect from residential energy efficiency investments through a model in which households re-spend energy expenditure savings from an efficiency investment on more of the energy service (direct rebound) or on other goods and services (indirect rebound). Using U.S. household expenditure data and environmentally-extended input-output analysis, I find indirect rebound effects in CO2e emissions of 5-15%, depending on the fuel saved and assuming a 10% direct rebound. Third, I examine the variation in the indirect rebound from electricity efficiency across U.S. states due to differences in electric grid mix, fuel prices, household income, and spending patterns. I find that the CO2e direct and indirect rebound effects vary across states between 6-40%, when including full supply chain emissions, and between 4-30% when including only combustion and electricity emissions. I conclude that energy efficiency can provide significant benefits for reducing energy expenditures, CO2e and other pollutants, and renewables investment costs under policy mandates, even after accounting for the rebound effect. While the CO2e rebound effect is currently modest in the U.S., there are some exceptions that may be relevant for energy efficiency policy assessments. In addition, more data collection and measurements of direct rebound effects are needed, especially in developing countries where the demand for energy services has not fully been met.

The drive to make the aging electric grid more efficient, reliable, and clean has been at the heart of the “smart grid” mission. Additionally, provisions of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) and the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) have led to smart grid investments in the United States. Smart grid upgrades have included the installation of new technologies at all levels of the electric power delivery system. At the distribution system level modernization has included upgrades to communication systems, distribution automation, local control and protection systems, and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). Chapter 2 of this thesis aims to use elements of the emerging smart grid at the distribution system level to alleviate the effects of a widespread and long-duration power blackout. Despite continuing efforts to make the electric grid robust, some risk remains of widespread and extended power outages caused by extreme weather, human error, or premeditated terrorist attack. Chapter 2 applies the concept of survivability to the case of ensuring the continued provision of a subset of socially critical services during such blackouts. A load cycling based methodology is proposed, and an associated economic analysis indicates that the cost of implementing the proposed scheme constitutes less than 1% of median annual household income for a range of assumed outage probabilities, distributed generation resource availabilities, and financing options. While the technical elements of proposed scheme are largely feasible, a few policy changes are identified as necessary for successful implementation of the scheme. The latter half of this thesis focuses on one potential security risk posed by the large-scale deployment of smart meters. Smart meters constitute one component of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), a key element of the smart grid. Chapter 3 describes a few documented smart meter hacking strategies and motivates the following question: What, if any, are the implications of smart meter hacking for the bulk power grid? To help answer this question Chapter 4 focuses on one specific attack type with the potential for causing widespread disruption to electric service – the cycling of a large number of consumer loads using the remote connect/disconnect switch on several smart meters. Results from simulations performed on two IEEE test networks (the 9 and 39-bus dynamic test cases) indicate that it is improbable that the mere toggling of customer loads could destabilize the bulk power grid because the fraction of system load that needs to be cycled to induce instability is likely to be prohibitively large.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) may become a substantial part of the transportation fleet on time scales of a decade or two. This dissertation investigates battery degradation, and how the introduction of PHEVs may influence the electricity grid, emissions, and petroleum use in the US. It examines the effects of combined driving and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) usage on the lifetime performance of relevant commercial Li-ion cells. The loss of battery capacity was quantified as a function of driving days as well as a function of integrated capacity and energy processed by the cells. The cells tested showed promising capacity fade performance: more than 95% of the original cell capacity remains after thousands of driving days worth of use. Statistical analyses indicate that rapid vehicle motive cycling degraded the cells more than slower, V2G galvanostatic cycling. These data are used to examine the potential economic implications of using vehicle batteries to store grid electricity generated at off-peak hours for off-vehicle use during peak hours. The maximum annual profit with perfect market information and no battery degradation cost ranged from ∼US$140 to $250 in the three cities. If the measured battery degradation is applied, however, the maximum annual profit decreases to ∼$10–120. The dissertation details the increase in electric grid load and emissions due to vehicle battery charging in PJM and NYISO with the current generation mix, the current mix with a $50/tonne CO2 price, and this case but with existing coal generators retrofitted with 80% CO2 capture. It also models emissions using natural gas or wind+gas. PHEV fleet percentages between 0.4 and 50% are examined. When compared to 2020 CAFE standards, net CO2 emissions in New York are reduced by switching from gasoline to electricity; coal-heavy PJM shows somewhat smaller benefits unless coal units are fitted with CCS or replaced with lower CO2 generation. NOX is reduced in both RTOs, but there is upward pressure on SO2 emissions or allowance prices under a cap. Finally the dissertation compares increasing the all-electric range (AER) of PHEVs to installing charging infrastructure. Fuel use was modeled using the National Household Travel Survey and Greenhouse Gasses, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation model. It was found that increasing AER of plug-in hybrids was a more cost effective solution to reducing gasoline consumption than installing charging infrastructure. Comparison of results to current subsidy structure shows various options to improve future PHEV or other vehicle subsidy programs.

Silicon Valley is a storied region regarded by many as a model for economic development. Many governments have attempted or considered implementing policies or projects aimed at re-creating the success of Silicon Valley. However, it is not clear that we truly know what led to Silicon Valley’s success, as existing work has not pursued industry-wide firm-level analyses to examine the mechanisms that allowed Silicon Valley to emerge as a key region. This work seeks to begin to address this literature gap in order to better inform regional economic development policy moving forward. In examining the development of Silicon Valley and the semiconductor industry, a detailed analysis of the technological developments leading to both transistors and integrated circuits was performed. From this analysis, it became clear that the nature and availability of knowledge changed significantly between the transistor and integrated circuit eras, with knowledge becoming more complex, tacit, and less available throughout the industry. From this understanding, specific predictions and hypotheses regarding firm and industry development were generated guided by existing theory. Using a novel dataset of US semiconductor production between 1947 and 1987, this dissertation examines empirically the development of the semiconductor industry to test these hypotheses. The results show that the mechanisms driving success differed between the two eras of the semiconductor industry. As the industry transitioned to the transistor era, existing electronics firms dominated the industry, which resulted in a build-up of transistor firms in the same clusters that previously produced electronics products; however, this was not the case as the industry transitioned to integrated circuits. The nature of the knowledge in the integrated circuit era allowed spinoff firms to emerge as an important force in the industry, out-performing incumbent firms, which ultimately led to the emergence of Silicon Valley as the primary semiconductor industry cluster. It is important to understand the technological context that created an opportunity for spinoff firms to fuel Silicon Valley’s ascension to significance within the industry, as this dissertation demonstrates that the applicability of existing theories regarding firm entry and development are influenced by the nature of technology. Understanding the conditions under which various mechanisms can be effective in promoting firm entry and performance, and thus regional clusters is vital in order to craft efficient public policy and projects aimed at building industry clusters in the future. This dissertation contributes greatly to that understanding.

A 2007 U.N. survey found that 54% of Americans advocate ―wait-and-see‖ behavior on policies that mitigate climate change, i.e., they infer that climate mitigation actions can be deferred until there are clear signs of danger. By evaluating different cognitive factors that influence human behavior, this thesis builds a framework that provides answers to an important question: why do people advocate wait-and-see behavior on climate change? One cognitive factor is misperceptions of feedback (i.e., ignorance of large feedback delays between CO2 emission decisions and the corresponding changes in CO2 concentration). Results reveal that the use of simulation tools, that provide repeated feedback about decision actions and corresponding consequences, is likely to enable people to overcome these misperceptions. A second factor is people‘s reliance on correlational or linear thinking (that the shape of CO2 emissions and CO2 concentration should look alike). Results reveal that the use of a physical representation (i.e., a picture of a problem in the form of a metaphor), simulation tools, and presenting problems such people‘s reliance on heuristics and biases enables them to make ecofriendly decisions is likely to enable people to overcome their correlational thinking. Other cognitive factors that affect people‘s wait-and-see behavior include people‘s risk and time preferences about future climate consequences when these consequences are either described or experienced. Results reveal that descriptive methods (e.g., books, newspapers, and reports) are likely to produce more wait-and-see behavior due to a high probability, small cost, and late timing of future consequences; whereas, experiential methods (e.g., movies, imagery, and games) are likely to produce more wait-and-see behavior due to a low probability, large cost, and early timing of future consequences. Policy implications suggest a careful design of descriptive and experiential climate risk communication methods, and the use of above described manipulations to improve people‘s decision making on climate change.

Renewable energy poses a challenge to electricity grid operators due to its variability and intermittency. In this thesis I quantify the cost of variability of different renewable energy technologies and then explore the use of reconfigurable distribution grids and pumped hydro electricity storage to integrate renewable energy into the electricity grid. Cost of Variability I calculate the cost of variability of solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, and wind by summing the costs of ancillary services and the energy required to compensate for variability and intermittency. I also calculate the cost of variability per unit of displaced CO2 emissions. The costs of variability are dependent on technology type. Variability cost for solar PV is $8-11/MWh, for solar thermal it is $5/MWh, and for wind it is around $4/MWh. Variability adds ~$15/tonne CO2 to the cost of abatement for solar thermal power, $25 for wind, and $33-$40 for PV. Distribution Grid Reconfiguration A reconfigurable network can change its topology by opening and closing switches on power lines. I show that reconfiguration allows a grid operator to reduce operational losses as well as accept more intermittent renewable generation than a static configuration can. Net present value analysis of automated switch technology shows that the return on investment is negative for this test network when considering loss reduction, but that the return is positive under certain conditions when reconfiguration is used to minimize curtailment of a renewable energy resource. Pumped Hydro Storage in Portugal Portugal is planning to build five new pumped hydro storage facilities to balance its growing wind capacity. I calculate the arbitrage potential of the storage capacity from the perspective of an independent storage owner, a thermal fleet owner, and a consumer-oriented storage owner. This research quantifies the effect storage ownership has on CO2 emissions, consumer electricity expenditure, and thermal generator profits. I find that in the Portuguese electricity market, an independent storage owner could not recoup its investment in storage using arbitrage only, but a thermal fleet owner or consumer-oriented owner may get a positive return on investment