This thesis concentrates on the case of Russian economy and assessment of its dependence on oil. Russia is often cited as an example of country suffering from resource curse as its natural wealth forms significant share of country's exports and revenues. Thesis will first concentrate on factors determining current state of Russian economy. Presence of the symptoms of Dutch disease in the Russian economy will be studied using the Vector error correction model (VECM) applied on the real effective exchange rate of country (REER). Thesis will also contain an assessment of Russian institutional environment to check for other symptoms of resource curse theory. Analysis of latest federal budget will be used to evaluate the sustainability of Russian federal finances. The thesis is concluded by discussion of results and possible paths of future development of Russian economy.

Thesis (M. Com.(Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / The relationship between unemployment, exchange rate and inflation has been a subject of debate for many years. Given the fact that South Africa is faced with a very low economic growth rate, inflation rate which is likely to go beyond the upper band of 6 percent and a high level of unemployment, policy makers are often faced with the trade-off between unemployment and inflation rate in the country. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between exchange rate, unemployment and inflation in South Africa. The study employed Johansen cointegration procedures and the vector error correction model (VECM) to capture the relationship between the variables. The Engle-Granger causality test was also employed to analyse causality amongst the variables. The results of Johansen cointegration test indicate that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between the variables. The VECM also confirmed the existence of short-run equilibrium relationship between the variables. The nature of the relationship indicates that there is a significant negative relationship between unemployment and inflation in South Africa. This implies that policy makers are been faced with the trade-off between these two variables. The results further indicate that inflation is positively related to exchange rate, meaning a depreciation of the Rand (South African currency) in the foreign exchange market will feed to inflation in the home country. Furthermore, it is also indicated that unemployment is positively related to exchange rate. Meaning, a depreciation of the Rand in the foreign exchange market increases the level of unemployment in South Africa. All the results appeared to be significant. Policies aimed at lowering unemployment and inflation rate are recommended. It is also recommended that policy makers in South Africa take measures to improve the quality of education, skills training and steps to increase the labour intensity of production.

This dissertation examines the causal relationship between inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth (GDP) in SADC countries. The study investigates, within a panel data context, whether causation is short-term, long-term or both; and explores whether the causal relationship between the two variables differs according to income level. The study covered a panel of 15 SADC countries over the period 1980-2012. In order to assess whether the causal relationship between FDI inflows and economic growth is dependent on the level of income, the study divided the SADC countries into two groups, namely, the low-income and the middleincome countries. The study used the recently developed panel data analysis methods to examine this causal relationship. It adopted a three stage approach, which consists of panel unit root, panel cointegration and Granger causality to examine the dynamic causal relationship between the two variables. Panel unit root results show that both variables in the two SADC country groups were integrated of order one. Panel cointegration tests showed that the variables for low-income country group were not cointegrated, while the variables for the middle-income countries were cointegrated. Since the low-income country group panels were not cointegrated, Grangercausality tests were conducted within a VAR framework, while causality tests for the middleincome country group were conducted within an ECM framework. Panel Granger causality results for the low-income countries showed no evidence of causality in either direction. However, for the middle-income countries’ panel, there was evidence of a unidirectional causal flow from GDP to FDI in both the long- and short- run. The study concludes that the FDI-led growth hypothesis does not apply to SADC countries. The results imply that the recent high economic growth rates recorded in the SADC region, especially middle-income countries, have been attracting FDI. In other words, it is economic growth that drives FDI inflows into the SADC region, and not vice versa. These findings have profound policy implications for the SADC region at large and individual countries. / Economics / MCOM (Economics)

90年代末東亞金融危機造成多國貨幣大幅貶值，銀行紛紛倒閉。基本上金融危機可分為通貨危機(Currency Crisis)與銀行危機(Banking Crisis)；通貨危機是指當年中任一季名目匯率貶值超過25%，且貶值幅度比前一季超過10個百分點。諸多實證文獻顯示，高估一國匯率為其通貨崩潰之先驅；又由於近年來新興國家快速開放資本市場，以致於成為危機之導火線。為分析此一現象，本文首先編製金融帳權數之新台幣實質有效匯率指數，並將東亞之台灣、印尼、韓國、菲律賓、泰國等五國之匯率、相對物價（各國與美國物價）、金融帳餘額等變數做共整合關係檢定，觀察三個變數的長期均衡關係，再將誤差項加入模型中，建構向量誤差模型。實證結果發現，金融帳與相對物價對匯率有顯著之影響力。 / The 1997 East Asian Crises had made exchange rate depreciations and bank bankruptcies. Broadly speaking, it can be divided into currency crisis and banking crisis. Nominal exchange rate of any season in a year, which is depreciated over 25% and 10% than last season, is called a currency crisis. Lots of papers demonstrate that overvaluation is a precursor of a currency crash. Furthermore, developing countries have opened capital markets so rapidly that it became the tinderbox of crises. To analyze the phenomenon, this thesis first compile Taiwan’s financial weighted real effective exchange rate index, then examine exchange rates, relative prices (compare to American consumer price index), and net financial account of Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea, Philippine, and Thailand with cointegrated test to identify the long run equilibrium relationships between variables; then adding error terms into models to estimates vector error correction model (VECM). The empirical results show that financial account and relative price influence exchange rate significantly.

This dissertation examines the causal relationship between inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth (GDP) in SADC countries. The study investigates, within a panel data context, whether causation is short-term, long-term or both; and explores whether the causal relationship between the two variables differs according to income level. The study covered a panel of 15 SADC countries over the period 1980-2012. In order to assess whether the causal relationship between FDI inflows and economic growth is dependent on the level of income, the study divided the SADC countries into two groups, namely, the low-income and the middleincome countries. The study used the recently developed panel data analysis methods to examine this causal relationship. It adopted a three stage approach, which consists of panel unit root, panel cointegration and Granger causality to examine the dynamic causal relationship between the two variables. Panel unit root results show that both variables in the two SADC country groups were integrated of order one. Panel cointegration tests showed that the variables for low-income country group were not cointegrated, while the variables for the middle-income countries were cointegrated. Since the low-income country group panels were not cointegrated, Grangercausality tests were conducted within a VAR framework, while causality tests for the middleincome country group were conducted within an ECM framework. Panel Granger causality results for the low-income countries showed no evidence of causality in either direction. However, for the middle-income countries’ panel, there was evidence of a unidirectional causal flow from GDP to FDI in both the long- and short- run. The study concludes that the FDI-led growth hypothesis does not apply to SADC countries. The results imply that the recent high economic growth rates recorded in the SADC region, especially middle-income countries, have been attracting FDI. In other words, it is economic growth that drives FDI inflows into the SADC region, and not vice versa. These findings have profound policy implications for the SADC region at large and individual countries. / Economics / M. Com. (Economics)

This study investigated the determinants of inflation in South Africa using quarterly data from 1970Q1 to 2015Q4. The study was motivated by recent trends in domestic inflation that has frequently been at the upper end of the target range of between 3% and 6% and the need to guide inflation related policy since 2008. These recent trends raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of the current monetary policy approach in responding to internal and external factors that are significant in determining domestic inflation. Using Error Correction Model (ECM) modelling techniques, empirical results revealed that inflation expectations, labour costs, government expenditure and import prices are positive determinants, while GDP and exchange rates are negative determinants of inflation. To achieve the macroeconomic policy objective of a stable and low inflation rate for South Africa, more emphasis should be placed on anchoring inflation expectations, which was found to be highly significant in determining inflation. / Economics / M. Com. (Economics)

本文使用共積檢定以及因果關係檢定方法，針對美國第三波購併風潮前後時期，檢定購併家數、股價及工業生產指數三個變數間的可預測性。不同以往的是，本文除了將購併風潮分段進行研究外，並以晚近由Hoornik 及Hendry（1997）以Johansen（1988）為基礎所發展的一套共積檢定法來檢定變數間的長期均衡關係，再以Toda and Phillips（1994）的因果關係檢定流程與SSW的因果關係檢定分別檢定出變數間的可預測性。 經由本文實證結果發現： （1）購併、股價及工業生產指數三個變數，在ADF單根檢定結果三變數皆呈I（1）非恆定時間數列。並進一步以共積檢定檢測出不論參變數或購併和股價兩變數模型，1967年第四季以前變數間皆有一共積關係存在，1968年以後則無任何共積關係。 （2）從因果關係檢定結果發現，三變數體系中，股價與工業生產指數兩變數間可能存在極高的線性重合現象，且子期間礙於無法取夠長的遞延期數，使得工業生產指數對其他變數的影響力無法明確地反應出來，故三變數模型無法正確的檢定購併風潮前後變數間的因果關係。 （3）在購併與股價變數間的因果關係檢定研究中發現，1948~1967年間，股價對購併存在可預測性；然而1968~1979年間，股價與購併完全不存在任何可預測性。故可知購併風潮前後，股價對購併的可預測性發生了變化，從1967年前股價可合理地預測購併活動，到1967年後股價卻完全無法預測購併的情況。 （4）對影響購併的諸多因素做進一步的考量，發現威廉法案的出現對當時購併案件有相當程度的衝擊。 從實證結果可知，以共積與因果關係檢定方法一再地證明出，購併風潮前後股價對購併活動的可預性確實發生了結構性的變化。 第一章 緒論 第一節 研究背景與動機………………………………………….1 第二節 研究目的………………………………………………….3 第三節 購併之定義及相關基本概念…………………………….4 第四節 研究架構與流程………………………………………….8 第二章 文獻回顧 第一節 理論文獻回顧……………………………………………10 第二節 實證研究文獻回顧………………………………………13 第三節 文獻回顧總結……………………………………………23 第三章 實證研究方法 第一節 單根檢定………………………………………………..24 第二節 共積檢定…………………………………………………28 第三節 因果關係檢定……………………………………………34 第四節 實證檢定流程……………………………………………40 第四章 實證結果 第一節 實證資料來源……………………………………………43 第二節 Augmented Dickey-Fuller單根檢定………………….44 第三節 共積檢定……………………………………………....49 第四節 因果關係檢定……………………………………………55 第五節 因果關係檢定結果………………………………………78 第五章 法律因素的考量 第一節 時代背景….……………………………………….……79 第二節 檢視法條之影響力……………………………………..81 第三節 從案例角度分析………………………………………..84 第四節 威廉法案的威力………………………………………..87 第六章 結論…………………………………………………………88 附錄圖表（一）：各變數資料圖….………………………………90 附錄圖表（二）：共積殘差項圖………………………………….93 參考文獻…………………………………………………………….96

自1997年以降，受到亞洲金融風暴的衝擊，亞洲各國匯率巨幅波動，於是如何增進匯率預測的準確度已成為重要的研究課題。而自1973年布列敦森林體制崩潰，各工業國家改採浮動匯率以來，匯率巨幅波動致使國際收支理論不再能解釋匯率如何決定，於是1970年代，學者們紛紛提出各種匯率決定理論，其中以貨幣學派模型與資產組合平衡模型最受到重視。然而，自1978年始，這些結構模型的解釋能力逐漸受到質疑，在1983年Meese and Rogoff甚至提出結構模型的樣本外預測能力不如隨機漫步模型的樣本外預測表現，引起學者們的討論到底何者的樣本外預測表現較佳。而隨著計量方法的演進實證研究已由恆定的計量方法演進至非恆定的計量方法，在非恆定的計量方法方面，MacDonald and Taylor(1993、1994)、吳宜璋(1996)等人的研究皆採誤差修正模型來做預測。 本研究亦採誤差修正模型來做預測，但對其他學者的研究稍作改良：1.加入結構變動虛擬變數2.以向量誤差修正模型而非一條誤差修正的式子來做預測，在此以整個體系的觀點來做預測3.以背氏方法加入相驗情報來改善預測。 結論為在金融風暴發生期間，匯率受非基本面因素影響較大時，貝氏向量自迴歸模型預測表現較佳。而在金融風暴發生之前，匯率受基本面影響較小時，以貝氏向量誤差修正模型為良好的預測模型。 / This study improves other scholars' empirical studies by testing structure changes and by using Vector Error Correction Model to forecast N.T. Dollars. Futhermore,use Bayesian Method to improve predition .The conclusion is Bayesian VAR Model perform better when forecasting period include Asian finanl crisis . And Bayesian VECM Model is better model when forecasting period don't include Asian financial crisis.And the out of sample prediction performance of structure model is better than Random Walk Model.

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The thesis examined the comprehensive causal relationship between the banking sector, stock market development and economic growth in a multi-variate framework using Zimbabwean time series data from 1988 to 2015. Three banking sector development proxies (total financial sector credit, banking credit to private sector and broad money M3) and three stock market development proxies (stock market capitalization, value traded and turnover ratio) were employed to estimate both long and short run relationships between banking sector, stock market and economic growth in Zimbabwe. The study employs the vector error correction model (VECM) as the main estimation technique and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach as a robustness testing technique. Results showed that in Zimbabwe a significant causal relationship from banking sector and stock market development to economic growth exists in the long run without any feedback effects. In the short run, however, a negative yet statistically significant causal relationship runs from economic growth to banking sector and stock market development in Zimbabwe. The study further concludes that there is a unidirectional causal relationship running from stock market development to banking sector development in Zimbabwe in both short and long run periods. Nonetheless this relationship between banking sector and stock markets has been found to be more significant in the short run than in the long run. The thesis adopts the complementary view and recommends for the spontaneity implementation of monetary policies as the economy grows. Monetary authorities should thus formulate policies to promote both banks and stock markets with corresponding growth in Zimbabwe’s economy. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)