This thesis focuses on the analysis of welfare and macroeconomic policy in small open economies. The international dimension of monetary and fiscal policy is examined in a micro-founded New-Keynesian framework. The small open economy is characterized as a limiting case of a two-country dynamic general equilibrium model featuring imperfect competition and nominal rigidities. Under this specification, Chapter 1 formulates a utility-based loss function for a small open economy completely integrated with the rest of the world. The study investigates the role of the exchange rate in monetary policy and derives the optimal monetary policy rule. In this Chapter, the dynamics of the trade balance are shown to be crucial in determining the appropriate exchange rate regime. Chapter 2 analyses optimal monetary policy under alternative asset market structures; more specifically, it compares and contrasts the cases of incomplete asset markets, financial autarky and complete asset markets. Furthermore, the performance of standard monetary policy rules is evaluated under these different scenarios. The results show that the degree of substitutability between domestic and foreign goods and the level of risk sharing are important factors in determining the performance of policy rules. Finally, Chapter 3 incorporates fiscal policy in the general framework. This Chapter introduces distortionary taxation into the model and characterizes the optimal fiscal policy. In addition, a general monetary and fiscal policy problem is formulated in the presence of nominal rigidities. The Chapter demonstrates that the stabilization problem in an open economy is more complex than in a closed economy, even under flexible prices. Apart from the incentive to avoid the distortions implied by taxation, in a small open economy there is also an incentive to strategically affect the real exchange rate. That is, proportional taxation creates a distortion in the economy, but also introduces a policy instrument that can influence the terms of trade and the overall level of production and consumption in a welfare-improving manner.

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This thesis is a contribution towards negotiating a way through the terrain of contemporary Marxist theory in the conditions of late capitalism. A Marxism which is responsive to the prevailing conditions and open to reconfiguration. I have chosen to concentrate on the works of Bhaskar, Jameson and Laclau because they all have attempted to develop their own projects rather than reiterate an orthodox Marxist line. I begin the thesis through an examination of the contribution of Althusser. Althusser's theoretical work sets up the conceptual parameters of the thesis, and offers a way into negotiating a path beyond the Marxism/post-Marxism divide. In the first chapter I demonstrate the ongoing influence of Althusser on all three of the theorists in question. This inevitably has to include a historical contextualisation and a restaging of the events that gave rise to Althusser's Marxism. Althusser had an enormous impact on Marxist theory, and the rapid decline of structural Marxism left a void which has yet to be dealt with adequately. Althusser has thus provided the possibility of connecting all three thinkers and at the same time has enabled an overview of the distinctive approaches of them. A critical evaluation of Bhaskar, Jameson and Laclau will be the theme of chapters two, three and four. The approach I will take will be to argue that each of the protagonists offers something different for a reconfigured Marxism. I will orientate the chapters on Bhaskar, Jameson and Laclau around the following critical considerations: What does Marxism in the conditions of postmodernity entail? If one takes seriously the criticisms posed by postist thought, then what remains distinctively Marxist after this process? The issue of class has been central to any Marxist analysis, but is it possible to articulate a class transformative project alongside the new social movements? How have Bhaskar, Jameson and Laclau responded to these issues and others relating to contemporary Marxism? It is in trying to answer these questions as applied to these three theorists, that the originality of the thesis lies.

Malgré la diversité des études théoriques et empiriques, la problématique de la relation compte capital – croissance économique reste une question controversée. L’objet de ce travail de recherche consiste donc à expliciter la nature d’une telle relation dans les économies de la région MENA, tout en tenant compte de la qualité institutionnelle. Dans ce contexte, les différentes estimations ont été effectuées par la méthode des moments généralisés (GMM), sur la période allant de 1986 à 2012, pour 11 pays. Les résultats montrent que la corruption et la responsabilité démocratique influencent négativement la croissance économique si la politique de la libéralisation du compte capital est adoptée. Cependant, le terme d'interaction entre la qualité bureaucratique et l'ouverture financière stimulent positivement la croissance économique. Ces résultats suggèrent alors que les avantages de la libéralisation du compte capital sont conditionnés par les facteurs institutionnels. De ce fait, notre thèse contribue aux débats politiques récents sur les mérites et les démérites de la libéralisation du compte capital. En ce qui concerne le lien entre la libéralisation du compte capital et le développement financier en Tunisie, les différentes estimations ont été effectuées par l’approche autorégressive à retards échelonnés (ARDL), sur la période allant de 1986 à 2014. Les résultats obtenus montrent que l’effet positif de l’ouverture sur le développement financier est bien plus important à long terme qu’à court terme. Par ailleurs, les résultats confirment l’impact négatif de la corruption sur le système financier tunisien. / Despite the diversity of theoretical and empirical studies, the question of capital account–economic growth relationship remains a controversial issue. This research aims to complete the existing evidence focusing on MENA countries, while taking into account the institutional quality. In this context, various estimates were made by generalized method of moments (GMM) over the period of 1986–2012 for 11 countries. The results show that corruption and democratic accountability have a significant and negative impact on economic growth if capital account liberalization is enacted. However, the interaction term of bureaucracy quality and financial openness has a significant and positive impact on economic growth. These findings therefore show that the benefits of capital account liberalization are not unconditional, but are likely to depend upon the environment in which the liberalization occurs. Hence, our thesis contributes to the recent policy debates on the merits and demerits of capital account liberalization. As regards the link between capital account liberalization and financial development in Tunisia, the various estimates were made by the autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) over the period 1986 to 2014. The results show that the positive effect of opening on financial development is much more important in the long term than in the short term. Moreover, the results confirm the negative impact of corruption on the Tunisian financial system.

Cette thèse vise à éclairer le rôle économique de la science et de la technologie dans le cadre du capitalisme. À cette fin, elle s’enracine d’abord dans une discussion des thèses développées à ce sujet par Karl Marx à l’égard du capitalisme industriel qu’il avait sous les yeux. En tenant compte de la transition du capitalisme industriel au capitalisme avancé, elle s’intéresse ensuite au rôle que joue la production scientifique et technologique dans le contexte spécifique du capitalisme avancé. Prenant le contrepied de la théorie de l’« économie immatérielle » développée par Michael Hardt et Antonio Negri, l’objectif de cette thèse est double. Elle vise, d’une part, à mettre au jour et reconstruire la façon dont Marx problématise le rapport de la science et de la technologie à la dynamique économique de son époque et, de l’autre, à éclairer les modalités et les enjeux liés à l’intégration de la production scientifique et technologique au sein de la dynamique économique contemporaine. / This dissertation aims to clarify the economic role of science and technology within capitalism. To this end, it is first rooted in a discussion of the ideas elaborated by Karl Marx on this topic in respect with the industrial capitalism that was unfolding before him. Taking into account the transition from industrial to advanced capitalism, this dissertation then seeks to question the economic role of scientific and technological production into the specific context of advanced capitalism. Supporting an opposing view to the theory of “immaterial economy”, as developed by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, this dissertation has a twofold objective. On the one hand, it aims to uncover and reconstruct the way Marx problematizes the relationship of science and technology to the economical dynamics of his time and, on the other hand, to clarify the issues relating to the integration of scientific and technological production into contemporary economical dynamics.