The objective of the study is to establish how original financial integration could be attained in southern Africa in order to attract more foreign investment and develop a financially robust and stable region in the southern part of Africa; also to deal with the challenges, risks and remedies of prospective future financial crises. Financial markets are rapidly integrating into a single global market. Developing countries of various regions are drawn into the process with little choice, and without having sound financial infrastructure and policies in place. It is against this background that countries and regions of global integration choose policies that would benefit their regional economy and avert potential economic shock. The challenges posed to countries and regions by the progressive global integration of financial markets are becoming more urgent by the day. These challenges need to be addressed more effectively, either nationally or regionally, as demonstrated by the 1998 financial turmoil in Asia. Private capital flows are becoming intra regionally concentrated, particularly in the USA, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Be that as it may, failure in one market is likely to have immediate and large regional repercussions. Globalisation also marginalises Africa and other Least Developed Countries (LDC), leaving them more impoverished and with greater disparities in terms of income, GDP and FDI. Regional financial integration has to be efficient and sound in order to prevent or contain currency and capital market crises in the southern African region. This study identifies macro economic challenges and risks associated with financial integration. Recommendations are made about methodologies of addressing these issues in order to realise the benefits of regional financial integration in southern Africa, which could be a building block in realising the dream of an African Monetary Union. The study contributes greatly to the debate around the most appropriate criteria that are to be met by the SADC countries, before monetary integration can become a reality. A comparison of the benchmark macro economic convergence criteria of the EU and of the African Monetary Union is done and the performance of SADC countries is assessed in terms of both sets of benchmarks. Southern African states are found to not even be at a comparable level with regard to the EU targets of 1997. The thesis is also critical to the impact of the political instability in the SADC region on prospective monetary integration. Most importantly, SADC would be at a permanent disadvantage and face a long-run depreciation of its common currency, should it continue to integrate financially at macro economic benchmark levels inferior to those of its major trading partner, the EU. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Economics / unrestricted

The thesis traces Southern African security dimensions from the Cold War and the period of apartheid in South Africa to the post-apartheid era. It makes an attempt to investigate the prospects of Southern Africa becoming a security community and the processes and practices underlying these efforts. Using the constructivist theory approach to international relations, the thesis argues that the preoccupation with principles of sovereignty and non-interference, a lack of political will and the absence of common values that could help SADC institute binding rules and decision-making are the main blocks that prevent the region from asserting itself as a security community. All these militate against the idea of mutual accountability among SADC member states and have a negative impact on the institutional and functional capacity of SADC. This also prevents SADC from dealing with the emerging non-military human security threats in the region. In consideration of this, the thesis argues that the idea of security community building in Southern Africa remains not only a regional issue, but also requires the involvement of extra-regional actors.

This graduation thesis focuses on regional and structural policy of European Union and its utilization in Czech Republic. The thesis explains the impact of integration theories on the different stages of development of regional policy in its present form and gives a comprehensive view on the issue of raising financial support from European Union. It also explains where the money for these grants comes and how Czech Republic stands in acquiring them. At the end thesis brings an example of a company that became a successful recipient of funding from EU. First part of graduation thesis is focused on the theoretical evolution of European integration and the related evolution of regional policy of EU. The evolution of regional policy is monitored especially in Czech republic, where the thesis describes single budget periods of EU and the volume of money gained from grants and money spent on them. The second part of the thesis is devoted to the evolution of macroeconomic indicators of Czech republic and their effects on EU regional policy.

Introduite à partir de 1992 en remplacement de l’ancienne taxe sur les affaires, la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (TVA) représente actuellement la part essentielle des prélèvements fiscaux de l’État thaïlandais. Outre l’importance de l’impôt en termes de recettes, le choix de la TVA s’imposait compte tenu des réformes entreprises en vue d’assurer une plus grande neutralité de l’impôt dans les opérations internationales. Or, dans le contexte de la mondialisation des échanges et l’émergence de l’économie de l’immatériel, la question du traitement fiscal des opérations internationales en matière de TVA, est aujourd’hui à l’origine de nombreuses difficultés qui restent à résoudre. Dans la perspective de l’adaptation des règles régissant l’application du système thaïlandais de TVA à ces nouvelles réalités économiques, l’étude portant sur les « aspects internationaux de la TVA en Thaïlande » a pour ambition de présenter, à travers une analyse approfondie des aspects substantiels et procéduraux des réglementations fiscales thaïlandaises en la matière, leurs principaux éléments caractéristiques, en vue d’une mise en comparaison avec les principes généraux ou les bonnes pratiques recommandées par les organisations internationales. La démarche adoptée devait ainsi permettre d’identifier les faiblesses ou les insuffisances du système actuel et de formuler, à l’issue de ce diagnostic, des propositions pour l’amélioration de la TVA en Thaïlande / Introduced in 1992 as a replacement for the old business tax, value added tax (VAT) currently accounts for the essential part of the tax revenues in Thailand. In addition to the importance of such form of taxation in terms of revenue, the choice of tax reform in favour of VAT was seen as a necessary way to achieve greater tax neutrality with respect to treatment of cross-border transactions. However, in the context of the globalization of trade and the emergence of the intangible economy, the application of VAT to international trade of goods and services has caused a lot of important tax issues which are yet to be resolved. With a view to ensure successful adaptation of international taxation rules under the Thai VAT system to an ever-changing economic environment, the study on the "international aspects of VAT in Thailand" seeks to explore, through an in-depth analysis of the substantive and procedural aspects of the relevant tax rules, the main features of the international application of the Thai VAT system. The analysis of these features which shall then be examined, in light of general principles of taxation or best practices recommended by international organisations, should allow to identify the weaknesses or shortcomings of the current system and to offer suggestions for improvements of VAT in Thailand

Orientador: Giuliano Contento de Oliveira / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Economia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T23:38:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Blikstad_NicholasMagunsDeleuse_M.pdf: 2418684 bytes, checksum: d8b98bbe49c4a2141d314bf67f99c71c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Esta dissertação tem o objetivo de analisar a crise da zona do euro (2007-2013) à luz do processo de integração europeu do pós-guerra e da teoria econômica ortodoxa que embasou e legitimou a forma de constituição da zona do euro. Em relação ao processo de integração, o trabalho enfatiza cinco fatores: 1) mudança das motivações; 2) consolidação da liderança alemã; 3) como as diversas etapas de integração impactaram na coordenação de políticas econômicas; 4) inserção do bloco no sistema monetário e financeiro internacional em cada período; e 5) constituição de um bloco com países heterogêneos. Argumenta-se que a evolução do processo de integração, resultando na constituição de uma união monetária, em 1999, ocorreu sob influência da teoria econômica ortodoxa, com o Novo Consenso Macroeconômico e a Hipótese dos Mercados Eficientes, além dos efeitos dessas teorias para as modificações da teoria das Áreas Monetárias Ótimas. Nesse sentido, sustenta-se que a institucionalidade da zona do euro, em um contexto de livre movimentação de capitais, resultou em problemas estruturais que permitiram: 1) a evolução dos desequilíbrios internos ao bloco, no período de expansão econômica (2000-2007), entre centro e periferia (PIIGS); 2) o aprofundamento e transformação da crise, a partir de 2010, com a crise dos títulos soberanos dos PIIGS; e 3) o prolongamento da crise, devido às recomendações realizadas pelas autoridades europeias. Defende-se, assim, que a crise da zona do euro é o resultado dessa dinâmica e que os países centrais possuem um papel essencial para sua determinação. Dessa forma, as causas da crise da zona do euro devem ser buscadas nos problemas estruturais do bloco, com a evolução de suas assimetrias internas e das dificuldades que a institucionalidade do euro impôs para a adoção de políticas econômicas autônomas, especialmente de caráter anticíclico. Para isso, será utilizado o referencial teórico keynesiano e pós-keynesiano, evidenciando a importância da incerteza, das expectativas e do comportamento dos bancos nesse processo / Abstract: This paper seeks to analyze the eurozone crisis (2007-2013) in the light of the European integration process and orthodox economic theory that contributed to legitimate the form of the constitution of the euro area. Regarding the integration process, the paper emphasizes five factors: 1) change in the motivations; 2) consolidation of the German leadership; 3) how the different integration steps impacted in the coordination of the economic policies; 4) insertion of the region in the international monetary and financial system in each period; and 5) establishment of a monetary union with heterogeneous countries. It is argued that the evolution of the integration process, resulting in the formation of a monetary union in 1999, occurred under the influence of orthodox economic theory, with the New Consensus Macroeconomic and the Efficient Market Hypothesis, in addition of the effects of these theories to the modifications of the theory of Optimal Currency Area. In this sense, the overall goal of the dissertation is to show that the institutions of the euro area, in a context of free movement of capital, resulted in structural problems that allowed: 1) development of internal imbalances, between center and periphery (PIIGS), in the economic expansion period (2000-2007); 2) deepening and transformation of the crisis, from 2010, with the crisis of sovereign bonds in the PIIGS; and 3) prolonging the crisis, due to recommendations made by the European authorities. It is argued, therefore, that the eurozone crisis is the result of this dynamic and those central countries has a key role in its determination. In this sense, the causes of the eurozone crisis must be sought in the structural problems of the monetary union, in the performance of its internal imbalances and the difficulties that the institutions of the euro imposed for the adoption of autonomous economic policies, especially countercyclical ones. For this, a theoretical framework of Keynesian and post-Keynesian nature will be used, highlighting the importance of uncertainty and bank behavior / Mestrado / Teoria Economica / Mestre em Ciências Econômicas

The diploma thesis "New Regionalism and Sub-Saharan Africa" deals with the question of economic integration in Africa and its theoretical reflexion. First chapter deals with the question whether different integration theories are applicable to African reality or not. Author subsequently analyzes Pan-Africanism as a specifically African ideology, classical economic integration theories, classical theories of political science on integration and modern theories of political science, with the conclusion that neither of these theories provides explanation of speeding up African integration in recent years. Chapter two deals with the phenomenon of so-called "new regionalism" as a process in world economy, second part deals with different theoretical conceptions and theories trying to describe and theorize about this process. Chapter three briefly describes evolution of African integration from its colonial starts to the newest initiatives connected with the transformation of Organization of African Unity into African Union. Chapter four offers five case studies of integration in different regional organizations. Each case study outlines starting position in 1991 in the sense of creation of organization, its aims and evolution of integration up to signing of the Abuja Treaty creating African Economic...

On May 1st 2004, Poland entered the European Union (EU), introducing new variables into the domestic politics of the Polish Republic. Since gaining its independence from Soviet control in 1989, Poland’s political landscape can be described as a dynamic and ever changing force towards democratic maturation. With the accession of Poland to the EU, questions of European integration and Europeanization have arisen, most specifically with how these two processes effect and shape the behaviors of domestic political actors. With Poland entering its second decade of EU membership, this study attempts to explain how, and if, further European integration has had any effect on the Europeanization of political parties in Poland. Building upon the work of various scholars, most notably Aleks Szczerbiak, this study examines the years 2009-2014, and examines Poland’s political parties through Robert Ladrech’s framework of Europeanization.

Cape Town is a city with a complex housing problem due to the apartheid planning and the design of the current housing programs. Apartheid planning has segregated the city, leading to a more divided and spread out city. With the current affordable housing programs, most houses are being built in poorly located areas, resulting in inhabitants feeling more separated and isolated from the city center. To develop a more integrated society, the concept of Inclusionary housing has had a growing appeal in South Africa. The purpose of the study was to examine the concept of inclusionary housing and how it can be implemented in Cape Town to fight segregation and housing inequalities. Interviews were conducted with various stakeholders from the private sector, public sector, NGO’s and academics with the aim to provide their perspectives on inclusionary housing and to answer the question if inclusionary housing is the right tool to help Cape Town become a more integrated city. A closer investigation was made on a specific development project in Sea Point where an inclusionary housing pilot project was going to be implemented. The majority of stakeholders agree that getting an inclusionary housing policy in place in Cape Town is a step in the right direction towards a more integrated and affordable city. / Kapstaden har ett mycket komplicerat bostadsproblem på grund av det tidigare apartheidsystemet samt utformningen av de nuvarande bostadsprogrammen för låginkomsttagare. Apartheidsystemet har lett till en uppdelad och segregerad stad. Med de nuvarande bostadsprogrammen byggs de flesta bostäder i sämre belägna områden, vilket leder till att invånarna känner sig mer separerade och isolerade från stadens centrum. För att utveckla ett mer integrerat samhälle har konceptet Inclusionary housing fått en växande uppmärksamhet i Sydafrika. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka konceptet inclusionary housing och besvara frågan hur det kan implementeras i Kapstaden för att bekämpa segregering och den rådande bostadsbristen. Intervjuer genomfördes med olika intressenter från den privata sektorn, den offentliga sektorn, icke-statliga organisationer och akademiker med syftet att ge sina perspektiv på inclusionary housing samt besvara frågan om inclusionary housing är det rätta verktyget för att hjälpa Kapstaden att bli en mer integrerad stad. En närmare undersökning gjordes av ett specifikt bostadsprojekt i Sea Point där inclusionary housing skulle implementeras.  Majoriteten av intressenterna är överens om att ett implementerade av en inclusionary housing policy i Kapstaden är ett steg i rätt riktning mot en mer integrerad och prisvärd stad med avseende på boende.

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