Over the last two decades social vulnerability has emerged as a major area of study, with increasing attention to the study of vulnerable populations. Generally, the elderly are among the most vulnerable members of any society, and widespread population aging has led to greater focus on elderly vulnerability. However, the absence of a valid and practical measure constrains the ability of policy-makers to address this issue in a comprehensive way. This study developed a composite indicator, The Elderly Social Vulnerability Index (ESVI), and used it to undertake a comparative analysis of the availability of support for elderly Jamaicans based on their access to human, material and social resources. The results of the ESVI indicated that while the elderly are more vulnerable overall, certain segments of the population appear to be at greater risk. Females had consistently lower scores than males, and the oldest-old had the highest scores of all groups of older persons. Vulnerability scores also varied according to place of residence, with more rural parishes having higher scores than their urban counterparts. These findings support the political economy framework which locates disadvantage in old age within political and ideological structures. The findings also point to the pervasiveness and persistence of gender inequality as argued by feminist theories of aging. Based on the results of the study it is clear that there is a need for policies that target specific population segments, in addition to universal policies that could make the experience of old age less challenging for the majority of older persons. Overall, the ESVI has displayed usefulness as a tool for theoretical analysis and demonstrated its potential as a policy instrument to assist decision-makers in determining where to target their efforts as they seek to address the issue of social vulnerability in old age. Data for this study came from the 2001 population and housing census of Jamaica, with multiple imputation for missing data. The index was derived from the linear aggregation of three equally weighted domains, comprised of eleven unweighted indicators which were normalized using z-scores. Indicators were selected based on theoretical relevance and data availability.

The deployment of renewable energy (RE) technologies for electricity generation is a central element of the European energy and climate strategy and was laid down in binding targets on EU-level. The actual RE technology diffusion is, however, shaped by the framework conditions and support measures implemented in the individual EU Member States. This dissertation aims at contributing to a more integrated view of the influencing factors (determinants) for the deployment of RE technologies. To this end, a conceptual framework is drawn up to assess the boundary conditions for RE diffusion from the RE developer’s perspective. The framework is operationalised using a composite indicator (CI) approach and applied in a diffusion model to allow the anticipation of possible future technology deployment. The thesis concentrates on two mainstream RE technologies, namely onshore wind and non-residential PV, and focuses on European countries. Within the analysis, particular emphasis is placed on providing a holistic assessment of the impact of economic and non-economic determinants on the diffusion of RE technologies at national level. The assessment aims at understanding RE developers’ preferences and rationalities regarding the overall framework conditions for RE deployment in order to identify the drivers for and barriers to technological change and to facilitate efficient policy design and regulatory transformation. The most relevant diffusion determinants from the viewpoint of RE project developers are identified through literature research and moderated expert workshops. The relative relevance of the determinants in the diffusion process is then assessed based on an EU-wide questionnaire that resulted in the collection of >200 datasets. Building on this broad empirical basis, a composite indicator (CI) is developed for the diffusion of non-residential PV and wind onshore. The CI provides a transparent framework for the quantification of the diffusion determinants and allows an evaluation and benchmarking of national RE frameworks. In a further step, the CI is integrated in a diffusion model which enables projections of possible future market developments under different configurations of the national RE framework. This modelling approach applies and further develops established logistic models of technology diffusion. The overall approach is validated by applying it to three case study countries: Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. Data collection in these case study countries involved, among others, semi-structured interviews with 31 RE experts. The different regulatory framework conditions in the three countries lead to 3 different CI results and projected technology diffusion. The results verify the robustness of the approach and the applicability of the concept to different national contexts. The findings of this thesis contribute to the methodological and empirical basis for understanding and modelling technology diffusion processes in general and RE technology diffusion in particular. The approach developed in this thesis further improves the scientific basis for the evaluation of RE support policies and can contribute to RE targets being achieved in an efficient and sustainable way.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to create two composite indicators which will provide an informative value about the standard of living of seniors in selected countries of OECD. Using these indicators it will be possible to make a comparison of standards of living on the international level. First of the indicators is Consolidated replacement rate (CRR) which measures income conditions of seniors, which from the economical point of view is considered as the source of standard of living. The construction of CRR is built on theoretical basics from an OECD publication - Pension at Glance 2013. The main component of CRR indicator is a replacement rate which compares income of seniors before and after the retirement. CRR is also composed of two other indicators influencing disposable pension of seniors - imputed rents and services provided by the public sector. The highest values of CRR were reached by Netherlands, Hungary, Iceland and Denmark. On the opposite side the lowest values had countries like Great Britain, Germany and Poland. The reason of this low score for Great Britain and Germany was unavailability of data of private incomes of seniors and therefore it could not be included into CRR. The second constructed indicator is Standard of living of seniors (SLS) which provides a more complex view on the standard of living of seniors using variations of different indicators selected by the author. It includes for example the income situation, risk of poverty and social exclusion or happiness of seniors. Countries with the best values of SLS were Denmark, Netherlands, Iceland and Luxembourg. By far the lowest score was gained by Portugal followed by Estonia, Poland and Greece. In comparison with other countries the Czech Republic was below average among the observed OECD countries with the fifth lowest score of CRR and slightly below average in SLS.

This thesis brings a comprehensive view on the construction, usage and interpretation of composite indicators. Methods and techniques, which can be used for constructing composite indicators, are introduced. The focus is on their contribution to the transparent solution of the problem of correlation and compensability among underlying indicators. Transparency in construction of composite indicators is a crucial requirement for obtaining reliable results and their correct interpretation. The thesis consists of two main parts. The first part is theoretically oriented. First, the problem of adequacy and subsequently a measurement of the phenomenon by means of statistical indicators are discussed. Different methods for data normalization, setting a weighting scheme and aggregation are introduced and compared. These three steps are considered to be crucial in a process of constructing a composite indicator and thus, they are the core of the thesis. The aim is to investigate an interaction of normalization methods, weight-setting and aggregation methods, since these steps are not separate. The second part of the thesis consists of two comprehensive cases. Theoretical findings are applied and empirically verified in these cases. I investigated a robustness of the composite indicator depending on a combination of selected methods of normalization, setting weights and aggregation on a set of Europe 2020 indicators. Whereas this first case dealt with the comparative analysis of methods, the second case is focused purely on one issue -- university ranking. The proposed method reacts to criticism of currently published university rankings and takes into account specifics of the particular university as well as the exogenous background characteristics. The main added value rests in a contribution to a discussion about the improvement of construction and overall quality of composite indicators including their interpretation. I pointed out the main concerns and difficulties of composite indicators that often remain unnoticed by users and even constructors. The conclusion brings several beneficial findings, which can be used for the construction of a composite indicator and an interpretation of final scores and ranking. This work can also serve as a scientific ground for further research and development of the methodology of constructing composite indicators.

This bachelor thesis deals with the determination of influence of territorial infrastructure on regional development. Basic concepts of the issue and a procedure of the construction of a composite indicator are explained in the theoretical part. Methodology of work lies in the creation of two composite indicators characterizing areas of territorial infrastructure and regional development using appropriate input statistical data. These indicators are then subjected to a correlation analysis.

Cette étude porte sur la vitalité des institutions collégiales situées dans trois régions administratives : Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord et Gaspésie –Îles de-la-Madeleine. Ces régions sont et seront aux prises avec une conjoncture démographique défavorable qui risque fort de miner leurs effectifs étudiants déjà bien faibles. Parmi celles-ci, nous cherchons à connaître les régions administratives ainsi que les institutions collégiales les plus à risque de subir des compressions ou de faire appel à des subventions gouvernementales spéciales afin de demeurer viables. Ce questionnement est dédoublé d’une considération méthodologique : comment pouvons-nous quantifier ce rapport de force entre les institutions? Afin de répondre aux exigences de cette question de recherche, un indicateur composite a été construit à l'aide de la sommation de nombreux indices regroupant cinq dimensions jugées essentielles à une telle étude : la vitalité démographique des institutions, la force de rétention du bassin étudiant interne, la force d’attraction exercée sur le bassin étudiant externe, la vulnérabilité financière ainsi que la vitalité de l'offre de formation. En vertu des résultats de l’indicateur composite, les régions se classent selon l’ordre suivants : l’Abitibi Témiscamingue, la Côte-Nord, la Gaspésie – Îles de la Madeleine. Pour les institutions collégiales, on distingue trois sous-groupes, le premier composé du Cégep de Sept-Îles et des campus de Gaspé et de Rouyn-Noranda, le deuxième, du Cégep de Baie- Comeau et du campus de Val-d’Or et le troisième, des Centres d’études collégiales des Îles et de Baie-des-Chaleurs ainsi que du campus d'Amos. / This study concerns the vitality of the college institutions situated in three administrative regions: Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord and Gaspésie –Îles de la Madeleine. These regions are and will be battling against an unfavourable demographic situation which risks to undermine their already very low student level. Among these, we are trying to know the administrative regions as well as the college institutions that are the most at risk of undergoing compressions or of appealing to special governmental subsidies to remain viable. This questioning added a methodological consideration: how can we quantify this balance of power between institutions? To answer the requirements of this question of research, a composite indicator was built by means of the summation of numerous indicators grouping together five dimensions considered essential in such a study: the demographic vitality of institutions, the strength of retention of the internal student basin, the strength of attraction exercised on the external basin studying, the financial vulnerability as well as the vitality of the offer of formation. By virtue of the results of the composite indicator, regions are classified in the following order: Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie – Îles de la Madeleine. For the college institutions, we distinguish three subgroups, the first one consist of the Cégep of Sept-Îles and the campus of Gaspé and Rouyn Noranda, the second, of the Cégep de Baie Comeau and the campus of Val-d'Or and the third, of the Centres d’études collégiales des Îles et de Baie-des-Chaleurs as well as Amos's campus.

Cette étude porte sur la vitalité des institutions collégiales situées dans trois régions administratives : Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord et Gaspésie –Îles de-la-Madeleine. Ces régions sont et seront aux prises avec une conjoncture démographique défavorable qui risque fort de miner leurs effectifs étudiants déjà bien faibles. Parmi celles-ci, nous cherchons à connaître les régions administratives ainsi que les institutions collégiales les plus à risque de subir des compressions ou de faire appel à des subventions gouvernementales spéciales afin de demeurer viables. Ce questionnement est dédoublé d’une considération méthodologique : comment pouvons-nous quantifier ce rapport de force entre les institutions? Afin de répondre aux exigences de cette question de recherche, un indicateur composite a été construit à l'aide de la sommation de nombreux indices regroupant cinq dimensions jugées essentielles à une telle étude : la vitalité démographique des institutions, la force de rétention du bassin étudiant interne, la force d’attraction exercée sur le bassin étudiant externe, la vulnérabilité financière ainsi que la vitalité de l'offre de formation. En vertu des résultats de l’indicateur composite, les régions se classent selon l’ordre suivants : l’Abitibi Témiscamingue, la Côte-Nord, la Gaspésie – Îles de la Madeleine. Pour les institutions collégiales, on distingue trois sous-groupes, le premier composé du Cégep de Sept-Îles et des campus de Gaspé et de Rouyn-Noranda, le deuxième, du Cégep de Baie- Comeau et du campus de Val-d’Or et le troisième, des Centres d’études collégiales des Îles et de Baie-des-Chaleurs ainsi que du campus d'Amos. / This study concerns the vitality of the college institutions situated in three administrative regions: Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord and Gaspésie –Îles de la Madeleine. These regions are and will be battling against an unfavourable demographic situation which risks to undermine their already very low student level. Among these, we are trying to know the administrative regions as well as the college institutions that are the most at risk of undergoing compressions or of appealing to special governmental subsidies to remain viable. This questioning added a methodological consideration: how can we quantify this balance of power between institutions? To answer the requirements of this question of research, a composite indicator was built by means of the summation of numerous indicators grouping together five dimensions considered essential in such a study: the demographic vitality of institutions, the strength of retention of the internal student basin, the strength of attraction exercised on the external basin studying, the financial vulnerability as well as the vitality of the offer of formation. By virtue of the results of the composite indicator, regions are classified in the following order: Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie – Îles de la Madeleine. For the college institutions, we distinguish three subgroups, the first one consist of the Cégep of Sept-Îles and the campus of Gaspé and Rouyn Noranda, the second, of the Cégep de Baie Comeau and the campus of Val-d'Or and the third, of the Centres d’études collégiales des Îles et de Baie-des-Chaleurs as well as Amos's campus.

Gross Domestic Product represents the basic indicator of macroeconomic performance of the Czech economy and its importance is growing. The need to get the information on its development as quickly as possible for the necessary government actions is unquestionable, but the time taken to publish its first quarterly estimate of growth rate is significantly longer (45 days after the reference quarter) in comparison to other countries. The aim of this thesis is to attempt the construction of composite leading and coincidence indicator to estimate quarterly GDP changes, starting 30 days after the reference quarter. The methods of time series analysis, by which the relationships among GDP and indicators available in this 30-day period and possibly entering this composite leading, respectively coincidence indicator are analyzed, are used.

The South African white maize market is considered to be significantly more volatile than any other agricultural product traded on the South African Futures Exchange (SAFEX). This accentuates the need to effectively manage price risk, by means of hedging, to ensure a more profitable and sustainable maize production sector (Geyser, 2013:39; Jordaan, Grové, Jooste, A. & Jooste, Z.G., 2007:320). However, hedging at lower price levels might result in significant variation margins or costly buy–outs in order to fulfil the contract obligations. This challenge is addressed in this study by making use of technical analysis, focusing on the development of a practical and applicable composite technical indicator with the purpose of improving the timing of price risk management decisions identified by individual technical indicators. This may ultimately assist a producer in achieving a higher average hedge level compared to popular individual technical indicators. The process of constructing a composite indicator was commenced by examining the prevailing tendency of the market. By making use of the Directional Movement Index (DMI), as identified in the literature study, the market was found to continually shift between trending prices (prices moving either upwards or downwards) and prices trading sideways. Consequently, implementing only a leading (statistically more suitable for trading markets) or lagging (statistically more suitable for trending markets) technical indicator may generate false sell signals, as demonstrated by the application of these technical indicators in the white maize market. This substantiated the motivation for compiling a composite indicator that takes both leading and lagging indicators into account to more accurately identify hedging opportunities. The composite indicator made use of the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Stochastic oscillator as leading indicators, and the Exponential Moving Average (EMA) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) as lagging indicators. The results validated the applicability of such a composite indicator, as the composite indicator outperformed the individual technical indicators in the white maize market. The composite indicator achieved the highest average hedge level, the lowest average sell signals generated over the entire period, as well as the highest average hedge level as a percentage of the maximum price over the entire period. Hence, the composite indicator recognised hedging opportunities more accurately compared to individual technical indicators, which ultimately led to higher achieved hedging levels. / MCom. (Risk management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The South African white maize market is considered to be significantly more volatile than any other agricultural product traded on the South African Futures Exchange (SAFEX). This accentuates the need to effectively manage price risk, by means of hedging, to ensure a more profitable and sustainable maize production sector (Geyser, 2013:39; Jordaan, Grové, Jooste, A. & Jooste, Z.G., 2007:320). However, hedging at lower price levels might result in significant variation margins or costly buy–outs in order to fulfil the contract obligations. This challenge is addressed in this study by making use of technical analysis, focusing on the development of a practical and applicable composite technical indicator with the purpose of improving the timing of price risk management decisions identified by individual technical indicators. This may ultimately assist a producer in achieving a higher average hedge level compared to popular individual technical indicators. The process of constructing a composite indicator was commenced by examining the prevailing tendency of the market. By making use of the Directional Movement Index (DMI), as identified in the literature study, the market was found to continually shift between trending prices (prices moving either upwards or downwards) and prices trading sideways. Consequently, implementing only a leading (statistically more suitable for trading markets) or lagging (statistically more suitable for trending markets) technical indicator may generate false sell signals, as demonstrated by the application of these technical indicators in the white maize market. This substantiated the motivation for compiling a composite indicator that takes both leading and lagging indicators into account to more accurately identify hedging opportunities. The composite indicator made use of the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Stochastic oscillator as leading indicators, and the Exponential Moving Average (EMA) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) as lagging indicators. The results validated the applicability of such a composite indicator, as the composite indicator outperformed the individual technical indicators in the white maize market. The composite indicator achieved the highest average hedge level, the lowest average sell signals generated over the entire period, as well as the highest average hedge level as a percentage of the maximum price over the entire period. Hence, the composite indicator recognised hedging opportunities more accurately compared to individual technical indicators, which ultimately led to higher achieved hedging levels. / MCom. (Risk management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014