University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Economics

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Brian Hanson, Dept. of Geography. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Grace Theological Seminary, 1986. / Abstract. Includes indexes. Bibliography: leaves 65-68.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-110).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Pennsylvania State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [183]-191). Also available online via the Pennsylvania State University's Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archives website (http://etda.libraries.psu.edu/).

This thesis analyses the impact of trade openness on urbanization in eastern China during the period of 1987 to 2005. The theoretical framework shows that open trade has a positive impact on growth of urban population, because trade serve as a factor that creates great job opportunities. According to the descriptive data, the massive rural-urban migrations are mostly concentrated in the eastern coastline of China where trade was started. Previous studies concluded that there is a positive relationship between trade openness and urbani-zation.Our study is based on a set of panel data from the period of 1987 to 2005 within 6 coast-line provinces. After running 4 different regressions we found that, 3 of the regression models revealed positive and statistically significant at 1% results, which suggest that the impact of trade openness on urbanization is positive.

Conservation of native wildlife is becoming increasingly difficult due to continued human population growth and expansion. As the human population continues to increase, so does the rate of consumption of our natural resources. As competition for resources between man and wildlife continues, it is important to understand the effects of urbanization on species. Endangered Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) are endemic to the Florida Keys archipelago stretching southwest off the southern tip of peninsular Florida. Key deer range is restricted to the Lower Florida Keys with approximately 60% residing on Big Pine Key and 15% residing on No Name Key which have undergone rapid human population growth and development over the past 30 years. Urban development and its associated risk factors (i.e., habitat loss and fragmentation, deer domestication, and deer–vehicle collisions) have been cited as the greatest threat to the Key deer population. For my dissertation research, I evaluated the impacts of 30 years of development on the Key deer population. My results suggest that increased habitat fragmentation and increased road traffic have created areas of varying habitat quality and mortality risk and have resulted in a source-sink system for Key deer on Big Pine Key. In my examination of Key deer metapopulation dynamics, I found a low probability of deer colonizing 2 target outer islands (Sugarloaf and Cudjoe) through dispersal alone in the next 20 years. Further, I examined the impacts of urbanization on changes in Key deer population dynamics, behavior, and morphology. Collectively, my results suggest that over the past 30 years Key deer have become more urbanized, which in turn has influenced Key deer behavior and population viability. Behavioral adaptations due to deer plasticity appear to have provided Key deer with mechanisms to persist in a changing environment due to urbanization. However, the future ability of Key deer to persist in a continuously urbanizing environment cannot be predicted. At some threshold, urban development would become unsustainable, and, unlike other forms of habitat change or environmental disturbances, urban development is in most cases irreversible, requiring careful planning in habitat conservation strategies.

<p>This thesis analyses the impact of trade openness on urbanization in eastern China during the period of 1987 to 2005. The theoretical framework shows that open trade has a positive impact on growth of urban population, because trade serve as a factor that creates great job opportunities. According to the descriptive data, the massive rural-urban migrations are mostly concentrated in the eastern coastline of China where trade was started. Previous studies concluded that there is a positive relationship between trade openness and urbani-zation.Our study is based on a set of panel data from the period of 1987 to 2005 within 6 coast-line provinces. After running 4 different regressions we found that, 3 of the regression models revealed positive and statistically significant at 1% results, which suggest that the impact of trade openness on urbanization is positive.</p>

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 338-352). Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-221).