Natural disasters have potentially large economic impacts on developing nations. Thereis a small, but growing literature analyzing these impacts on variables such as gross domesticproduct. In this study Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, andNicaragua are studied to measure the impact that disasters have had on economic growth overthe past twenty-nine years (1970-1998). The development indicator, gross domestic product(GDP) growth rate, will be measured over the twenty-nine year study period and analyzed withrespect to correlation with natural disasters. Regression analysis is used to investigate therelationship between natural disasters and economic growth.It is hypothesized that the number of natural disasters that a country faces has a negativeimpact on economic growth rate as measured by GDP. As the quantity of disasters experiencedin any given year increases the overall disruption of the economy is predicted to be greater, thusleading to lower levels of economic growth in the short term.

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The end of bi-polarity in the world stage ushered in a period of hegemonic power decline and the sudden emergence of peripheral empowerment. This research undertaking attempts to reformulate World System theory, an antiquated theoretical perspective based on the periphery's economic dependence on core nation-states and the resultant exploitative relationship that occurs. Current events indicate that there are multiple demands of redress and restitution made by emancipated peripheral states. Such demands are increasingly addressed and heeded to in world conferences and various international organizations since 1989 and will be measured as absolute gains. A drastic change is also observed in the structure and function of both international governmental organizations (IGOs) and international-non governmental organizations (1NGOs) from being corecentric institutional bodies to supranational, authoritative entities which now have the capacity to promote rational progress through third world advocacy. Such changes are attributed both to the multi-polarity of the world stage and the cultural construction of rational progress. The new reformulation will discover that world- level socialism is not attainable. Rather, the only solution to weaken global stratification is the continued participation of peripheral states in worlBall State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306 / Department of Political Science

This study is specifically directed to implications of international investment, policies and procedures by American business enterprise, i.e. the Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in Asia and Pacific, with specific reference to India and Developing Countries, in comparison to the total world.In anticipation of data to quantify and verify claims and counter claims concerning the effects of MINCs, the following objectives were studied: (1) the trends of the past decade of the U. S. direct investments by Majority Owned foreign affiliates, (2) the identification of significant economic and commercial areas in which public policiesand MNCs investment interact, (3) the major. policy consequences that flow from such interactions, and (4) projections of the trends for the period 1977 and 1979. The main policy areas discussed are: (1) U. S. direct investments (book value), (2) net capital outflows, (3) reinvested earnings, (4) earnings, (5) balance of payments income, (6) sales, and (7) expenditures.The research design incorporates treatment of regressions by using orthogonal polynomial model, correlations and analysis of financial ratios. Secondary source data has been primarily involved in the study. The two major sources of government data were the U.S. Department of Commerce publications from (1) the Bureau of Economic Analysis and (2) the Bureau of International Economic Policy and Research.The analysis of the data indicates that in the past decade (1966-75) the investments in the Total World had an increase of 42 percent with an increase of 172 percent in net sales. Developing Countries had an increase of 25 percent in investments with a 250 percent increase in net sales, an increase of 134 percent in plant and equipment expenditures and an increase of 120 percent in capital expenditure. _Asia and Pacific had an increase of 50 percent in investments, with 397 percent in plant and equipment expenditures and 241 percent in capital expenditure. However, in India decreases are indicated of 11 percent in investments and .13 percent in net sales, an increase of 25 percent was indicated in plant and equipment expenditures, with a decrease of 38 percent in capital expenditures.However, all the areas under study indicated a very significant increase in export sales to other foreign countries which signifies the maximum profit margin according to the analysis.The projections for 1975-1979 indicate an increase in investment of 252 percent in Developing Countries 115* percent in India, and an increase of 14 percent in Total World, with a decrease of 19 percent in Asia' and Pacific. However, there is an increase indicated in net sales of 48 percent in the Total 'world, 28 percent in Developing Countries, 100 percent in Asia and Pacific and 15 percent in India. Similarly, the expenditures project an increase in plant and equipment expenditures of 11 percent in Developing Countries, 43 percent in Asia and Pacific and a decrease of 89 percent in India.The following inferences have been drawn from this study: (1) investments of the 11NCs are going to increase in the Total World; (2) Asia and Pacific with reference also to India hive a very positive indication of expansion, particularly in petroleum and manufacturing affiliates; (3) net earnings have the maximum returns on export sales to other foreign countries followed by sales to the U. S. in all of the areas; (4) expansion of N1NCs investment in Developing Countries and Asia and Pacific indicates a higher return in the Balance of Payments Income, thus indicating a positive impact on the American economy as well as on the host country's economy; (3) defects of financial market mechanisms in the less developed countries as in India have vitally affected the flow and allocation of funds, the mobility of financial assets, and the value of money; (6) lack of a properly functioning capital market has vitally affected the economic development in the less developed countries.The following suggestions are presented as indicative of needed improvements in regard to the study:(1) A mixture of public and private institutions may achieve a workable allocation of loanable funds in a nation's credit market.(2) In the spirit of long-run analysis, it remains to be noted that current capital outflow gives to future return flow, which may depend on the degree of reinvestment abroad. This may also have its bearing on domestic investment. (3)Profits, before and after foreign tax, should be shown for foreign operations in the branch form. These profits are currently included with other types of foreign income.(4) Foreign taxes paid and the credit claimed against then: should be separated into foreign profit taxes (or other similar taxes) and foreign withholding taxes, and should be attributed to the various forms of foreign income (branch profits, dividends, interest, etc.).(5) The distribution of foreign income and taxes paid by size of total assets of the U. S. reporting corporation is inadequate. The breakdown is not advanced beyond the $250 million asset-size class and in some cases the breakdown stops at $100 million, even though the vast bulk of foreign income accrues to corporations in size classes above this level. This distribution should thus change.

The backwardness of developing countries is of concern to all students of economic development, particularly to those concerned with formulating programs for correcting regional inbalances within these countries. To this end, a lot of theories have been put forward by economists and by regional geographers.In this thesis an examination is trade of the growth pole theory and its applicability to solving the problems of regional inbalances in developing countries. First, the theory is examined in the light of other development theories. Second, an evaluation is made of the success of growth pole policies and programs in Latin America where a large variety of such programs have been studied. Last, on the basis of knowledge and experiences in Latin America, a theoretical growth pole model is made for Rhodesia. This model employs urban systems on a regional basis do correct inbalances caused by "line-of rail" development, a situation typical of developing countries.

The purpose of the study was to compare perceived master's level educational needs of baccalaureate educated community health nurses working in developed areas of the world to perceived master's level educational needs of baccalaureate educated community health nurses working in developing areas of the world. Forty subject areas recommended for master's education in community health nursing were identified. A questionnaire to determine the perceived importance of each subject area was administered to a sample population of nurses working in community settings in the United States and in twenty-eight developing countries. Forty null hypotheses were developed. Each hypothesis stated that there was no difference in perceived importance of including-the selected subject areas in master's education identified by community health nurses working in the United States and by community health nurses working in developing countries. Hypotheses were tested using the Chi-square, with the null hypotheses being rejected at the .05 level of significance.FindingsRespondents included 389 baccalaureate educated nurses from the United States and 39 baccalaureate educated nurses from developing countries. The analysis of data identified significant differences in responses of nurses working in the United States and nurses working in developing countries regarding the importance of including the following subject areas in master's education in community health nursing: applied sanitation, tropical diseases, school health practice, obstetric-gynecological practitioner skills, nurse-midwifery, outpatient medical-surgical skills, family coun seling, gerontology, grant writing, management theory, computer skills, medical anthropology, urban sociology, cross-cultural nursing, nursing theory, current issues and trends, research methods, political science, health policy and public speaking, in master's education in community health nursing.Subject areas were also analyzed for perceived importance to the entire population. Subject areas identified as very important to more than fifty percent of the population were community needs assessment, program planning, health education methods, physical assessment of adults, physical assessment of-.children, family counseling, nutrition therapy, gerontology, and current issues and trends.

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Work on relations between developing countries (LDCs) and the socialist countries has tended to focus on the Soviet Union because of its superpower status. This thesis adopts an alternative approach by examining relations between LDCs and a smaller, but still important country; because the absence of 'superpower' attitudes and concerns permits a less exclusive identification of the factors involved in bilateral economic relations between LDCs and a planned socialist economy. The immediate post-Stalinist era in Eastern Europe coincided with the post-colonial era in the Third World. Because Western literature in this period often imputed sinister motives to socialist countries 5 efforts to develop relations with the new states, this thesis has analysed (with the benefit of two decades of hindsight) the relative importance of political and economic factors in the evolution of Czechoslovak/LDC economic relations. Qualitative analysis was reinforced where appropriate with statistical correlations between economic variables (including delta coefficients) and an index of UN voting patterns developed to approximate bilateral Czechoslovak/LDC 'political affinity'. The comprehensive approach adopted contributed significantly to placing specific aspects of bilateral relations between Czechoslovakia and a core group of 41 LDCs in a broader and therefore enhanced perspective. A number of selected but interrelated issues were examined - inter alia, historical antecedents; the direction, composition, and stability of trade; payments; politics; the terms of trade; barriers to trade; development assistance; and the arms trade - within the analytical framework of the 'intensity' approach to foreign trade. It was found that trade with LDCs has been historically concentrated on a small number of the larger economies, consisting of an exchange of Czechoslovak manufactures for raw materials or semi-processed products. The overall trade share of LDCs has declined slowly but steadily since the early sixties. Relations in the period 1960-1975 appear to have been based primarily on commercial considerations. World prices are allegedly preferred in trade, entrepots are used, development assistance is extended with domestic interests in mind, etc. Political biases are apparent only on the broader level: e.g. the preponderance of India and Egypt in trade with LDCs.

Recent research has shown that money substitutes - whether in the form of foreign currency or of more exotic instruments such as privately-issued moneys - are common in developing and transition countries, and have important consequences for macroeconomic and financial sector policy. The aim of this thesis is to advance our theoretical and empirical understanding of the determinants of money substitution in developing and transition economies. We begin in Chapter 1 by addressing the need for a general theoretical framework for the analysis of money substitutes. Reviewing both the classical and the modern theoretical literature on money, we conclude that the Credit theory of money - an ancient but until recently neglected theory which conceives of money as a unilateral financial contract between its issuer and its bearer - is a useful framework for such analysis. In Chapter 2, we undertake an empirical analysis of non-cash settlements (NCS) in Croatia. Using time series econometric analysis, we demonstrate that the instruments used to settle NCS are at least in part substitutes for the national currency, created endogenously by the enterprise sector in response to constraints on their participation in the official monetary and banking system. We turn to the most important form of money substitute in developing and transition countries - foreign currency - in Chapter 3, where we present a new review of the theoretical and empirical literature on dollarisation. In particular, we track the evolution of theoretical models of dollarisation in response to the increasing empirical importance of financial dollarisation relative to currency substitution. In Chapter 4 we undertake an empirical study of the determinants of deposit dollarisation in the two transition economies of Estonia and Lithuania by building and interpreting dynamic, multiple equation, econometric models. We find that a simple, portfolio theoretic account of the dollarisation process furnishes a good explanation, but also that data availability limits the level of analytical detail that this approach can attain.

No description available.