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The thesis begins by considering the established political business cycle models. There are five such models: (i) the pure political business cycle; (ii) strong partisan theory; (iii) conventional weak partisan theory; (iv) rational partisan theory; and (v) the rational political business cycle. We consider carefully the assumptions upon which these models are based, particularly their modelling of the government's objective function. This function is typically characterised as either opportunistic or ideological. Only conventional weak partisan theory attempts to analyse the switch mechanism between opportunism and ideology. There is little empirical evidence to support the belief that either opportunism or ideology alone has consistently affected economic outcomes and general government expenditures in the UK. Therefore, we focus on the trade-off between opportunism and ideology and its effect on UK general government expenditures. We argue that in modelling the switch between opportunism and ideology we need to consider the components of a re-election index as well as a series of qualifying indicators. These combine to define values of a qualified differential. We, therefore, develop the partisan indicator model. We stress that political business cycle theorists need to consider carefully what is meant by politically expedient behaviour. The creation of cycles need not equate with political expedience. Our other main concern is the effect of economic and political interdependencies between nations, not only on the implications of established political business cycle models, but also on the partisan indicator model. Therefore, political business cycle theorists need to look at an internationalisation of the literature.

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Understanding the true intrinsic dynamics of a complex system is a necessary requirement to an accurate understanding of the nature, characteristics and function of that system and ultimately its manipulation and control. The United Kingdom public sector is an example of a complex system. Hence, an accurate understanding of the structure, conduct and performance of the United Kingdom public sector depends on an accurate understanding of its true intrinsic dynamics. This understanding will be of benefit in the processes of management and control, policy formulation and conclusions, risk management and uncertainty in both the short and medium term. In the long term, the expectation is that there will be an array of secondary effects due to the efficient utilisation of scarce resources and so will impose a dynamic structure on the economy and provide benefits for future generations. This thesis focuses attention on the structure, conduct and performance of the U.K. public sector and considers aspects of its intrinsic dynamic nature. The peculiar nature of this dynamics is such that it will be present regardless of the colour of the Government of the day. However, the process of accurate understanding of public sector dynamics is not a simple nor indeed costless process. Further, the expectation is that the underlying dynamics is influenced in a number of ways especially by the Government of the day. For example, the Government of the day, while seeking to achieve broad macroeconomic objectives, upholding the public and national interests and constrained by its political ideology, will act as an intervention on the economy thus transforming its structure, conduct and subsequent performance, temporarily or permanently. Lastly, the problem of accurate identification is further compounded by an array of other domestic and international influences on the U.K. public sector.

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Archaelogical research has abundantly shown that the primitive lands of a wide area, of which the Forest of Dean is a survival, were densely wooded. The abundance of wood was eroded through centuries by assarting, industrial activity, neglect, and wanton spoliation. The vicissitudes of Dean from early times to Domesday, through the era of wooden ships, to modern commercial forestry, have not hitherto been fully described. The thesis is believed to be the first based on research into the records and development of a timber-producing forest. It treats of Dean (a) in its progress from natural woodland, and later hunting preserve, to an example of silviculture including use for recreation, education, and scientific purposes, and (b) as producing timber for multifarioias uses. The course of the Crown's use of the Forest is made clear. Particular attention is given to:- 1. Species of trees, from early times to the present day, and the uses of the cover. 2. Extent of (a) the Forest under forest law and (b) the extent (the lesser) of its woodland cover. Effects of afforesting and deforesting. 3. Forest law as operative in Dean. Its (a) administration; (b) decline in severity; (c) beneficial aspects; and (d) lapse into desuetude. 4. Customs common to forests: pannage, communing, and estovers. 5. Factors in reduction of the cover; assarting, gift, sale, lease, and theft. 6. Reservation, conservation, and replenishment. Changes in growth and quality of the cover. 7. Inadequacy of replenishment when timber was needed for ship-building. 8. Timber and wood for (a) the king's works, (b) gifts, (c) mining of iron-ore and coal, (d) charcoal-burning for smelting and forging, (e) fuel, building, and other local requirements, (f) quarrels for cross-bows, (g) ship-building, and (h) modem wood-processes. 9. Oak bark for tanning. 10. Beginnings of silviculture. Sowing and planting from the mid-seventeenth centuiy. The first planting of conifers in c.178l. 11. Attainment of scientific silviculture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 12. The multiple use of the Forest: commercial timber- production, education, scientific, and recreation. The thesis concludes with an explanation of Dean's present condition, and its function as an important national Forest.

In this thesis, I attempt, to analyse consumption behaviour in India during, the period 1950-51 - 1972-3. Before applying to Indian, data, the existing theories of personal consumption, have been analysed. The aggregate time-series tests of the major, theories of consumption reveal that current per-capita absolute, income strongly, influences current per-capita consumption, and that there has been, a declining trend, of consumption over, time, because of, growing urbanisation, rising, inequality in. the distribution of income and spread of education, during the period studied. The effect of past consumption standards is seen to be weak because of high priority attached to saving. For want of Data, no wealth theory, other, than, the, permanent income theory could, be tested for India. Results of testing permanent income theory reveal that both permanent and transitory incomes are equally significant in explaining personal consumption and therefore, the theory is denied by Indian data. Tests of the same theory with the help, of cross-section data for the year 1967-8 do not reveal conclusive results. I also attempt to explain, with family budget data for 1963-4, the existing regional, and rural-urban disparities in consumption of food and clothing in terms of disparities in total consumpion expenditure, price of the commodity and household size between regions and rural-urban areas within a region. Finally, an aggregate consumption function has been developed and tested in the context of an econometric model for India. The former separates income into agricultura1 and non agricultural and considers non-working population as another determinant of aggregate consumption. The time-series data for 1950-1--1970-1 reveal, signifacently higher MPC out of agricultural than, out of non-agricultural. Income and a negative influence of non-working population. The Ordinary Least Squares Estimates of the consumption function in real per-capita variables support the conclusions obtained from the Two-Stage Least Squares estimates of the aggregate specification.

This thesis seeks to provide a critical examination of the Ricardian, Marxian, Austrian, Walrasian and neoclassical productivity theories of profit. The standard of evaluation which is adopted throughout is Piero Sraffa's 'Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities'. This is a work of major significance and provides a new perspective in terms of which criticism can be structured. It is shown how Sraffa's results undermine the main propositions of the Marxian, Austrian and neoclassical productivity theories of profit. The Ricardian analysis of profit is also shown to be severely defective. Furthermore, it is argued that the destructive implications of Sraffa's work go far beyond the confines of profit theory and extend deep into the theoretical structures from which these analyses of profit derive. In each case the defects in these theories of profit, which Sraffa's work exposes, stem from inadequate primary conceptualisation and analysis. Consequently, it is schools of economic thought, and not just theories of distribution, which are undermined. Walrasian theory, however, remains unscathed by Sraffa's work. Indeed, it is shown that Walrasian theory highlights some limitations of Sraffa's own framework and thereby questions the significance of those endeavours which seek to build a 'new economics' on its basis.

This study is prompted by two factors which thus provide the respective bases for the two parts to which it is divided. The first is the Post-1960 international emphasis on economic development of the 'Third World' and the central role capital resources, flowing from the developed countries are expected to play in the development process. The second factor is my desire to examine in details the way the developing economy of Nigeria has been responding to such resources inflow. The methodology employed combines historical perspectives with critical appreciation of such flows as 'foreign aid', direct investment and export credits. The introductory chapter gives a detailed analysis of the scope of, and the rationale for this study, while chapters 2 and 3 respectively examine in a global context private and official resources flows. Chapter 4 highlights the historical changes. The main flaws of the transfer system are expounded in chapter 5 - the core of my critical stance. Chapters 6, 7 and 8 deal with Nigeria. The concluding chapter 9 brings together some of the study's major inferences, emphasis being given to findings relating Nigeria's experience. In the case of 'foreign aid', my thesis is that Nigeria will be better-off economically, economically and industrially, if she abandons altogether its receipt, and instead divert her efforts to seeking with other L.D.G.s the liberalisation of world trade. As for foreign-owned investment, though it continuously accounts for a major component of Nigeria's capital formation, its small size in relation to GDP suggests that it is not its finance-capital aspect which is of paramount importance to Nigeria, but the other qualitative components of the investment package - namely management and technical expertise. Here, policy suggestions in the face of a firml: entrenched usage center on ways and means of reducing such investment's shortcomings and of increasing its contribution to economic and social development.

The United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (UNCLDC) held in Paris in 1981, consolidated the category of least developed countries as a major issue at the international level. The creation of the category, and the theory and practice of least development are examined, and the results of the UNCLDC are assessed. Malawi is taken as a case study, to examine its response to the Substantial New Programme of Action, agreed to at the UNCLDC, and to analyse the extent to which the international community has fulfilled its commitment to substantially improve the volume and quality of assistance. The effects and causes of the recurrent cost problem in least developed countries arc analysed, at the micro and macro levels, and proposals made to ease this constraint. Attention is given to the scope of food aid to support recurrent costs, and a set of guidelines are proposed. At the UNCLDC it was suggested that very large projects (transformational investments) should be undertaken in least developed countries. The methodology for estimating the benefits of such projects is discussed, and a case study presented of the use of project appraisal and the multiplier in Malawi. A significant increase in aid was agreed as a key international support measure at the UNCLDC. As yet there is no systematic aid evaluation process. The results of an experiment arc presented, using a qualitatively based system of evaluation, which is then assessed across sets of data with quantitative summations, to measure aid effectiveness.