This thesis comprises three chapters on topics in development economics. The first chapter studies access to maternal healthcare in markets with vertically differentiated public and private providers. The second chapter studies the efficacy of induction stoves in reducing indoor air pollution in rural households when faced with erratic power supply. Finally, the third chapter studies the role of financial incentives in correcting disparities in sex ratios. All three chapters study the context of India but are representative of important development issues in low-income countries. The first chapter titled "Equilibrium Effects of Subsidizing Public Services" studies one of India's largest welfare schemes Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) that incentivized pregnant women in India to access institutional maternal care at public hospitals. We argue that governments can make complementary investments to improve welfare gains from large scale policies. JSY did not improve health outcomes despite a substantial increase in the take-up of institutional care. We document three equilibrium responses that explain this policy failure. First, JSY led to a mismatch of risk across health facilities -- high-risk mothers sorted out of highest quality care at private facilities. Second, in line with the literature, public sector quality deteriorated as a result of congestion. This resulted in lower quality care for both marginal as well as infra-marginal patients at public hospitals. We show that only mothers with high socio-economic status adapted to the worsening quality of care at public hospitals by sorting into more expensive private hospitals. Third, despite increased competition, private hospitals maintained high prices, crowding out riskier and poorer mothers. We do not find evidence that private hospitals improved healthcare quality to justify higher prices. The second chapter titled "Electric Stoves as a Solution for Household Air Pollution" is an interdisciplinary field-based research study that studies the role of reliable electricity in inducing rural Indian households to switch away from dirty cooking fuels towards a clean cooking technology, induction cookstoves, thereby reducing the exposure to high levels of indoor air pollution. We collected minute-by-minute data on electricity availability, electric induction stove use, and kitchen and outdoor particulate pollution in a sample of rural Indian households for one year. Using within household-month variation generated by unpredictable outages, we estimate the effects of electricity availability and electric induction stove use on kitchen PM2.5 concentration at each hour of the day. Electricity availability reduces kitchen PM2.5 by up to 50 ??/?3, which is between 10 and 20 percent of peak concentrations during cooking hours. Induction stove use instrumented by electricity availability reduces PM2.5 in kitchens by 200-450 ??/?3 during cooking hours. The final chapter titled "Can Large-Scale Conditional Cash Transfers Resolve the Fertility-Sex Ratio Trade-off? Evidence from India" studies a large-scale conditional cash transfer (CCT) scheme Ladli Laxmi Yojana that offered cash incentives to households upon the birth of girl children. The policy also offered substantial incentive for investing in girls' education. In my evaluation of the Ladli Laxmi Yojana in Madhya Pradesh, India. I find that financial incentives aimed at the girl child increased average fertility by about 0.15 children per household (on baseline average of 0.93 children) children per household and improved sex-ratio by 3%. This points to the well known fertility-sex ratio trade-off. Moreover, these effects are quite opposite to a similar CCT scheme in Haryana (Anukriti, 2018) suggesting context dependence of such policies.

Sustainability has become a popular term within the official and local government. The concept of sustainability is now as visible in the work of the municipalities as it is at a national level. However, the term sustainability lacks a viable definition in city planning. The ecological and the social dimensions of sustainability are clearly more visible in planning processes and in planning documents than economic sustainability. Research shows that the economic perspective in city planning often is neglected compared to the other dimensions of sustainability. Thus the importance of economic sustainability is diminished in planning processes and is often left to be used as a framework to the ecological and the social dimensions of sustainability. Given this problem, this study wishes to unfold if the municipality of Trollhättan, Sweden plans for a economic sustainable development. A qualitative case-study is used were data is generated by an interview in addition to several literature analysis. In the literature analysis code words were identified to help find the relevant data. The empirical data is then analyzed and the results of the study were that the municipality of Trollhättan plans for an economic sustainable development, however the term is rather inserted in other aspects of sustainable development than treated as a sole aspect. Understanding the usage of the implementation of the term economic sustainability in city planning can help further research of development and economically sustainable communities.

Democratization and human development (HD) are inherently controversial processes, which are viewed in this dissertation as elective affinities. This means that both can be seen as mutually inclusive and potentially reinforcing. Contrary to standard modernization theory, both processes are intertwined in an endogenous relationship, hi principle, both have the same logic of inference: the promotion of individual freedoms and the expansion of well-being, both political and economic. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze how democratization can promote HD and how HD can promote democratization. In order to substantiate this argument the analysis focuses on three interrelated propositions arguing that: (1) Democratization and human development processes can be considered as mutually enhancing and complementary. This elective affinity occurs via their multifaceted characteristics as well as through their individual attributes. (2) Democratization and human development processes sometimes go through identifiable critical junctures or turning points. These turning points are path-dependent but not deterministic. (3) There are strong reciprocal connections between HD and democratization that form two chains which reinforce one another cumulatively over time. This dissertation combines in a single study qualitative and quantitative research methods to explain the mutually enhancing relationship between human development and democratization processes. In addition to reviewing these interactions in general, the dissertation contains in-depth historical and contextual analysis of the Central American cases. In particular, it compares and contrasts Costa Rica and El Salvador, investigating the elective affinities of democratization and human development processes in identifiable stages of their turning points. The findings illustrate the benefits of method triangulation (i.e. paired-comparisons complemented with cross-country analyses) to explore the complementary features between both processes over time.

This research examines the impact of acquisition strategies and the level of economic development of the target country on announcement returns of acquiring firms in the United Kingdom (UK) during the sixth (2003-2007) and upcoming takeover wave (2013-present). The different acquisition strategies concern geographic expansion (GEO), increasing market share (IMS), vertical integration (VERT), access to intangible resources (INT), concentric diversification (CDIV) and pure diversification (PDIV). Based on a sample of 877 acquisitions, evidence shows that GEO significantly creates value in the sixth wave and results in significantly lower announcement returns in the upcoming wave, possibly explained by a higher integration of capital and production markets. However, after adding the remaining acquisition strategies to the regression model, the latter effect disappears. It shows that VERT and CDIV result in significantly higher announcement returns in the upcoming wave compared to the sixth one. Evidence does not show a relation between the level of economic development of the target country and announcement returns.

No description available.

The apartheid Johannesburg was built on spatial divisions, uneven development was undertaken literally to ensure that whites and blacks were to live apart from each other. In the post-apartheid Johannesburg, uneven development persists, though no longer solely based on racial differences. These spatial divisions, as they did under apartheid, reinforce existing structures of the privileged, which mutually reinforce the system of spatial, economic and social exclusion, particularly for the unemployed poor. In the light of the continuation of this urban form, the study aimed to show that people are not unemployed only because there are no jobs generally available to people lacking marketable skills, as primarily argued by most researchers; but also because there is a strong correlation between unemployment and the spatial distribution of employment opportunities within the Johannesburg city. The study also aimed to test the applicability of various theories imported from USA and Europe, which are generally used to explain urban problems in South Africa, through identification of possible areas of contention. In attempt to explain the continuation of the apartheid urban form by the current government policy, the study adopted qualitative data collection techniques focusing on literature studies, documentary, personal observation and the design of a theoretical framework Based on the theoretical framework, the study came to the conclusion that the preoccupation with compact city development to eradicate the effects of uneven development and urban unemployment in Johannesburg is misdirected. It has revealed the need for the government to explore how best to improve the circumstances of low-income households in condition of urban sprawl. The outcome of the study in relation to uneven development is that, although Johannesburg exhibits apartheid patterns of racial oppression and exploitation, in post-apartheid South Africa, Johannesburg is characterized by structural inequality driven by two income gaps: between an increasingly multiracial middle class and the rest; and between the African urban working class and the African unemployed and marginalized poor. In this context, uneven development in Johannesburg can no longer be explained solely by race. High levels of intra-racial inequality, especially among the African population, mean that there are other social forces at work. The study also found that there has been the steady relocation of economic activities to the southern part of Johannesburg, particularly in Soweto. And that the vast majority of new households in Johannesburg are settling in and on the edges of existing townships, most often on the outer edges, mainly because of the informal housing and government's subsidised housing. Nonetheless, these developments continue to perpetuate the apartheid legacy of uneven development. According to the conclusion of the study there is evidence to suggest that employment accessibility within different population groups is largely caused by spatial factors, such as employment decentralisation and residential segregation. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

This thesis provides a critical analysis of Dubai’s approach to economic development planning over the period covered by its first three formalized plans that is 1996 to 2010. Dubai experienced a period of very rapid economic growth in the ten years before the 2008 global financial crisis, despite being a small economy with little oil; oil revenues only accounted for 2% of GDP in 2011. This dissertation analyzes and evaluates how the nature of Dubai’s strategic planning changed over the period 1996 to 2010 and the factors underpinning those changes. The thesis also offers an assessment of the potential for Dubai to develop and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in the future. To help evaluate Dubai’s first three formalized economic development plans, this thesis identifies and discusses a number of theoretical frameworks and concepts to identify key concepts and relationships between ideas and practice in the field of economic development planning. In particular, a comparison is drawn between corporate strategic planning and economic development planning approaches and their relevance to the Dubai context. Given the blurred boundaries between the state and commerce, both approaches have potential relevance, at least in part, to Dubai. Dubai’s economic development plans are set against the historical, political, economic, social and cultural and context of the Emirate. The plans are analyzed using computer-based text analytics and summarized in mindmap form. This allows the major themes of the plans to be compared and progression between the plans to be identified. The plans are analyzed from a number of perspectives including the role of government, the expected contribution of the private sector and the role of higher education and research in promoting development. However, the main area of analysis is the extent to which the plans successfully identify development paths which will result in sustainable competitive advantage for Dubai. The thesis also reports on the results of semi-structured interviews with prominent experts. The interviews provide an important source of evidence and opinions on the successes and shortcomings of Dubai’s planning and plans and the actions which need to be taken if Dubai is to achieve its long-term aim of becoming and innovation an innovation driven knowledge-based economy.

Research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration at the University of Stellenbosch / Thesis (MBA (Graduate School of Business))--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of the study is to investigate the feasibility and sustainability of producing biodiesel from Jatropha, which contains oil in its seeds by using the Rainbow Biotech economic intervention or also known as the Distributed Food and Fuel Plantation (DFFP) model. The DFFP model is an effective mechanism for producing food and fuel in conjunction with each other, without the biodiesel production influencing the production of food in an adverse way. This is very important, as food security is a high priority for Africa, in order to address the problem of hunger and poverty. Biodiesel produced from Jatropha is an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to fossil fuel diesel, as it is a carbon neutral fuel. Jatropha cultivation will also create much needed employment in the rural areas of Africa, which has the highest need for socio-economic development on the continent. Jatropha also has the ability to grow on marginal soils and wastelands. Africa has vast open spaces on which Jatropha, as a biodiesel source, can be cultivated without infringing on food production areas. The energy return of the whole production cycle of Jatropha biodiesel is nevertheless a source of much debate. Most stakeholders felt that the energy return is negative. No agreement has yet been reached about whether the energy content of the by-products from biodiesel must be included in the integrated energy balance equation. In order to make biodiesel from Jatropha a sustainable alternative for small farmers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), government and regional policies will have to support it by promoting it actively. This will generate interest from global biodiesel investors who will then be willing to invest in projects based on the DFFP model of economic development. The DFFP model offers investors economic returns on investment of between 29 and 33 per cent and payback periods of less than four years. It is a very attractive economic development instrument, as it will ensure equitable and sustainable economic and rural expansion in SADC. Ultimately, this model has the potential to create a better life for all the inhabitants on the African continent. Rainbow Biotech (the DFFP model), as an economic development mechanism, will therefore indeed be the next big thing for the SADC in the future.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 1988. / INTRODUCTION: The object of this technical report is to enhance an already existing computer program which calculates the possible growth rate under certain given conditions. These enhancements would make the program more applicable to a variety of situations and possibly a more true indication of what would happen in real life. The existing program was initially written in the FORTRAN-77 language by J C d Bruin in 1982 and translated to the TRUE BASIC language in 1985. The main objective of the program is to determine the maximum growth % of a business subject to certain given parameters or constraints.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The success of policies aimed at economic development cannot be monitored and evaluated without development indicators. These indicators are also crucial in comparing levels of development across time and space so as to come a greater understanding of the development process. Yet, economic development does not mean the same thing to everyone. As a result, there exists a variety of indicators of economic development. Five main classes of development indicators are distinguished on the basis of the shift over time in our understanding of economic development (Chapter 1). A distinction is drawn between indicators of national income and economic growth (Chapter 3), employment, unemployment and underemployment (Chapter 4), and poverty and inequality (Chapter 5). Social indicators (Chapter 6) and composite indices (Chapter 7) of economic development represent two futher classes of development indicators. These indicators differ in terms of their content, method and technique, comparative application, simplicity, clarity, focus, availability and flexibility. These main classes of development indicators are evaluated with reference to these dimensions of measurement which are described in detail in Chapter 2. There is no one indicator that can be described as an ideal, all encompassing measure of economic development, at least not in terms of its performance on these dimensions of measurement. Hence, the measurement of development remains imperfect, but nonetheless makes an invaluable contribution to the study of economic development. In fact, development studies will be impossible without access to such a variety of development indicators. Given the importance of development indicators in development studies, two new composite indices of development are presented here to address two specific gaps in indicator research. Indices of Human Security (HSIs) and Inefficiency ratios are developed to determine the extent to which countries have made progress on human security as defined by the UNDP (Chapter 8). Progress is assessed in terms of both effort and outcomes, as well as the extent to which efforts are actually translated into outcomes. Indices of Reconstruction and Development (RDIs) are employed to measure the extent to which the nine provinces of South Africa have made progress on the development objectives described in the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) (Chapter 9). The measurement results suggest that there remain substantial disparities in progress on both human security and reconstruction and development. These new composite indices are also employed to determine those development characteristics associated with progress on human security and reconstruction and development. So, for example, disparities in human security are associated with certain urban and population dynamics, as well as communications capacity and infrastructural development. Progress on reconstruction and development is associated with lower population pressure, higher matric pass rates, less poverty and inequality, and more political representativeness at the provincial level. The RDIs also underscore the extent to which progress on the RDP has not materialised in rural areas. Furthermore, current provincial disparities in progress on reconstruction and development appear still to be indicative of the racial dynamics of development so characteristic of the Apartheid era. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit is onmoontlik om sonder ontwikkelingsindikatore die sukses van beleid wat gemik is op ekonomiese ontwikkeling te moniteer of te evalueer. Ontwikkelingsindikatore IS ook onontbeerlik III die vergelyking van ontwikkelingsvlakke oor tyd en ruimte om sodoende 'n beter begrip van die ontwikkelingsproses te verkry. Ekonomiese ontwikkeling het egter nie dieselfde betekenis vir almal nie. Gevolglik bestaan daar 'n verskeidenheid van ontwikkelingsindikatore. Vyf hoofklasse van ontwikkelingsindikatore word onderskei op grond van verskuiwings oor tyd in die interpretasie van ekonomiese ontwikkeling (Hoofstuk 1). 'n Onderskeid word getref tussen maatstawwe van nasionale inkome en ekonomiese groei (Hoofstuk 3), indiensname, werkloosheid en onderindiensname (Hoofstuk 4), en armoede en ongelykheid (Hoofstuk 5). Sosiale indikatore (Hoofstuk 6) en saamgestelde indekse (Hoofstuk 7) van ekonomiese ontwikkeling verteenwoordig twee verdere groepe indikatore. Hierdie indikatore verskil in terme van hul inhoud, metode en tegniek, vergelykende toepassing, eenvoud, duidelikheid, fokus, beskikbaarheid en buigsaamheid. Hierdie hoofklasse van ontwikkelingsindikatore word geëvalueer met verwysing na hierdie dimensies van meting, wat in groter besonderhede in Hoofstuk 2 bespreek word. Daar is nie een indikator wat beskryfkan word as 'n ideale, allesomvattende maatstafvan ekonomiese ontwikkeling nie, ten minste nie in terme van die prestasie daarvan op hierdie dimensies van meting nie. Gevolglik is die meting van ekonomiese ontwikkeling onvolmaak, alhoewel dit 'n onskatbare bydrae lewer tot die studie van ekonomiese ontwikkeling. Om die waarheid te sê, ontwikkelingstudies salonmoontlik wees sonder toegang tot so 'n verskeidenheid van ontwikkelingsindikatore. Gegewe die belangrikheid van ontwikkelingsmaatstawwe In ontwikkelingstudies, word twee nuwe saamgestelde indekse hier aangebied om twee spesifieke gapings in navorsing oor ontwikkelingsmaatstawwe aan te spreek. Indekse van Menslike Sekuriteit (MSls) en Ondoeltreffendheidsratio's word ontwikkelom te bepaal tot watter mate lande vordering gemaak het in menslike sekuriteit, soos definieer deur die UNDP (Hoofstuk 8). Vordering word gemeet in terme van sowel pogings en uitkomste as die mate waartoe pogings werklik in uitkomste omskep word. In Hoofstuk 9 word Indekse van Heropbou en Ontwikkeling (HOIs) gebruik om te meet tot watter mate die nege provinsies in Suid-Afrika vordering gemaak het in die bereiking van die ontwikkelingsdoelwitte wat uitgespel word in die Heropbou- en Ontwikkelingsprogram (HOP). Die metingsresultate dui daarop dat daar wesenlike ongelykhede bestaan in beide menslike sekuriteit en heropbou en ontwikkeling. Hierdie nuwe saamgestelde indekse word ook gebruik om te bepaal met watter ontwikkelingskenmerke ongelykhede in menslike sekuriteit en heropbou en ontwikkeling geassosieer word. So, byvoorbeeld, toon dispariteite in menslike sekuriteit 'n verband met sowel stedelike en bevolkingsdinamika as kapasiteit in kommunikasie en infrastruktuur. Vordering in heropbou en ontwikkeling word ook geassosieer met laer bevolkingsdruk, beter matrikulasieresultate, minder armoede en inkomste-ongelykheid, en wyer politieke verteenwoordiging op provinsiale vlak. Die indekse beklemtoon ook die mate waartoe vordering met die HOP nog nie in landelike gebiede gematerialiseer het nie. Verder wil dit voorkom asof huidige provinsiale ongelykhede in vordering met heropbou en ontwikkeling steeds kenmerkend is van die rasse-dinamika agter ontwikkeling wat so kenmerkend was van die Apartheidsera.