Thesis (Ph.D. (Economics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

South Africa's North West Province is dependent on gold and platinum exports for its economic growth and employment. Whether this specialisation is optimal from an economic growth, employment creation and welfare point of view, or whether greater export diversification should be encouraged, can most appropriately be evaluated using a general equilibrium framework. Moreover, the answer of whether such specialisation or rather diversification is appropriate may differ depending on the spatial level of analysis that is taken. For instance, export diversification or specialisation on a national level might differ from export diversification or specialisation on sub-national (e.g. provincial) level. A general equilibrium framework is most appropriate for investigating the potential differences between these levels as it takes into consideration a region's economic structure, and the economy-wide linkages between demand, supply, production structure and income distribution. In this light this thesis proposes a regional applied general equilibrium (RAGE) model for the North West Province to address these issues. The question asked is, how can a RAGE model be formulated and implemented for the North West Province of South Africa in order to study the differential impacts of greater export specialisation versus greater export diversification? In answering this question this thesis provides policy makers at regional/provincial level with access to a potentially useful modelling tool, to analyse regional economic issues; it contributes to better understanding the spatial concentration and spatial dynamics of economic activity in the North West Province; and contributes toward the practical policy debate in South Africa. This thesis reviews the literature on export diversification and specialisation, by investigating the extent of export diversification and specialisation in the North West Province over the period 1995-2006 and its relationship to GDP per capita, and using a RAGE model to investigate the economy-wide impacts of greater export diversification versus greater export speciaRsation. These results are contrasted by investigating the economy-wide impacts of greater export diversification versus greater export specialisation on the national level, using a country-wide applied general equilibrium (AGE) model for South Africa. It is found that greater export diversification results in a more substantial increase in exports (of between 0.95 and 1.73 per cent) than in the case of greater export specialisation. In fact it was found that if the North West Province were to specialise in mining exports, such exports would need to grow or increase from the base year by approximately 78 per cent (with no increase in the export demand for other sectors) to result in the same level of growth of total export volumes as is found under export diversification. Avenues for further research are identified. These are a need for more research on elasticities and parameters at regional level, an expansion of the transport services sector in the model, incorporating Tourism Satellite Accounts, BEE and SMME aspects into the model, etc. In conclusion, the thesis implemented the first provincial regional applied general equilibrium model for South Africa, and illustrated that it can make an important contribution to the policy debate on a provincial level in South Africa. The construction of Social Accounting Matrices (SAMs) for all of South Africa's provinces, and the maintenance of these provincial databases could therefore make further contributions to the quantitative assessment of policy options facing government on both the national and provincial level. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Economics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

South Africa's North West Province is dependent on gold and platinum exports for its economic growth and employment. Whether this specialisation is optimal from an economic growth, employment creation and welfare point of view, or whether greater export diversification should be encouraged, can most appropriately be evaluated using a general equilibrium framework. Moreover, the answer of whether such specialisation or rather diversification is appropriate may differ depending on the spatial level of analysis that is taken. For instance, export diversification or specialisation on a national level might differ from export diversification or specialisation on sub-national (e.g. provincial) level. A general equilibrium framework is most appropriate for investigating the potential differences between these levels as it takes into consideration a region's economic structure, and the economy-wide linkages between demand, supply, production structure and income distribution. In this light this thesis proposes a regional applied general equilibrium (RAGE) model for the North West Province to address these issues. The question asked is, how can a RAGE model be formulated and implemented for the North West Province of South Africa in order to study the differential impacts of greater export specialisation versus greater export diversification? In answering this question this thesis provides policy makers at regional/provincial level with access to a potentially useful modelling tool, to analyse regional economic issues; it contributes to better understanding the spatial concentration and spatial dynamics of economic activity in the North West Province; and contributes toward the practical policy debate in South Africa. This thesis reviews the literature on export diversification and specialisation, by investigating the extent of export diversification and specialisation in the North West Province over the period 1995-2006 and its relationship to GDP per capita, and using a RAGE model to investigate the economy-wide impacts of greater export diversification versus greater export speciaRsation. These results are contrasted by investigating the economy-wide impacts of greater export diversification versus greater export specialisation on the national level, using a country-wide applied general equilibrium (AGE) model for South Africa. It is found that greater export diversification results in a more substantial increase in exports (of between 0.95 and 1.73 per cent) than in the case of greater export specialisation. In fact it was found that if the North West Province were to specialise in mining exports, such exports would need to grow or increase from the base year by approximately 78 per cent (with no increase in the export demand for other sectors) to result in the same level of growth of total export volumes as is found under export diversification. Avenues for further research are identified. These are a need for more research on elasticities and parameters at regional level, an expansion of the transport services sector in the model, incorporating Tourism Satellite Accounts, BEE and SMME aspects into the model, etc. In conclusion, the thesis implemented the first provincial regional applied general equilibrium model for South Africa, and illustrated that it can make an important contribution to the policy debate on a provincial level in South Africa. The construction of Social Accounting Matrices (SAMs) for all of South Africa's provinces, and the maintenance of these provincial databases could therefore make further contributions to the quantitative assessment of policy options facing government on both the national and provincial level. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Economics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

O objeto de estudo desta Tese é o impacto da formação da Área de Livre Comércio das América (Alca) sobre a economia brasileira. A economia brasileira não é homogênea internamente, possuindo contrastes importantes entre setores e regiões. A Alca, por seu lado, pode ser considerada um bloco de países com interesses distintos e marcada por importantes assimetrias. Devem ser esperados, dessa forma, impactos espaciais e setoriais diferenciados na economia brasileira como fruto das diferentes alternativas de acordo que surjam das negociações na Alca. O estudo dessas questões requer uma metodologia adequada, que considera de maneira sistemática as relações inter-regionais e intersetoriais, assim como a inserção internacional das economias locais. Modelos inter-regionais de equilíbrio geral computável são ferramentas importantes nessa área, e exemplos para a economia brasileira são encontrados na literatura. SPARTA (São Paulo Applied Regional Trade Analysis) é o modelo inter-regional de equilíbrio geral computável implementado nesta Tese. Uma de suas inovações está no tratamento detalhado dos fluxos externos, especificando mercados de origem e destino para as importações e exportações regionais, o que possibilita simular os impactos da liberalização tarifária no âmbito da Alca. Os resultados obtidos permitem projetar um efeito positivo da liberalização tarifária na Alca para o crescimento do PIB e geração de superávit comercial, no longo prazo. Regionalmente, entretanto, os impactos atuam no sentido da concentração relativa da produção e investimento na economia paulista. Além disso, uma importante diferenciação setorial dos impactos da liberalização na Alca pode ser identificada. Dentro dessa perspectiva, são discutidos aspectos relacionados à necessidade e adequação de políticas públicas. / The process of trade liberalization in Brazil has been extended in recent years to broader regional trade agreements, motivated by both economic and political objectives. The country has been pursuing different strategies of regional integration in an attempt to strengthen strategic impulses for economic development. One of the alternatives for the development of an economic trading block is the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), a process initiated in the 1994 Summit of the Americas to integrate the economies of the Western Hemisphere into a single free trade agreement. In this dissertation an interregional CGE model is used to analyze the short-run and long-run regional and sectoral effects of trade liberalization in a FTAA agreement. The model provides a description of the Brazilian inter-regional economic system, separated in two regions, São Paulo and Rest of Brazil. One of its innovations is a full specification of foreign trade in both regions, capturing the complete structure of trade flows linking the two Brazilian regions and FTAA markets. In this way, adequate tariff liberalization simulations can be implemented. The model simulations provide results in macro, regional and sectoral levels. A positive effect of FTAA liberalization on Brazilian GDP growth and trade balance can be expected. However, the results suggest that the interplay of market forces in the Brazilian economy favors the more developed state of the country (São Paulo). Additionally, sectoral liberalization under FTAA can produce heterogeneous regional impacts. These figures provide the framework to discuss adequate regional economic policies.

O objeto de estudo desta Tese é o impacto da formação da Área de Livre Comércio das América (Alca) sobre a economia brasileira. A economia brasileira não é homogênea internamente, possuindo contrastes importantes entre setores e regiões. A Alca, por seu lado, pode ser considerada um bloco de países com interesses distintos e marcada por importantes assimetrias. Devem ser esperados, dessa forma, impactos espaciais e setoriais diferenciados na economia brasileira como fruto das diferentes alternativas de acordo que surjam das negociações na Alca. O estudo dessas questões requer uma metodologia adequada, que considera de maneira sistemática as relações inter-regionais e intersetoriais, assim como a inserção internacional das economias locais. Modelos inter-regionais de equilíbrio geral computável são ferramentas importantes nessa área, e exemplos para a economia brasileira são encontrados na literatura. SPARTA (São Paulo Applied Regional Trade Analysis) é o modelo inter-regional de equilíbrio geral computável implementado nesta Tese. Uma de suas inovações está no tratamento detalhado dos fluxos externos, especificando mercados de origem e destino para as importações e exportações regionais, o que possibilita simular os impactos da liberalização tarifária no âmbito da Alca. Os resultados obtidos permitem projetar um efeito positivo da liberalização tarifária na Alca para o crescimento do PIB e geração de superávit comercial, no longo prazo. Regionalmente, entretanto, os impactos atuam no sentido da concentração relativa da produção e investimento na economia paulista. Além disso, uma importante diferenciação setorial dos impactos da liberalização na Alca pode ser identificada. Dentro dessa perspectiva, são discutidos aspectos relacionados à necessidade e adequação de políticas públicas. / The process of trade liberalization in Brazil has been extended in recent years to broader regional trade agreements, motivated by both economic and political objectives. The country has been pursuing different strategies of regional integration in an attempt to strengthen strategic impulses for economic development. One of the alternatives for the development of an economic trading block is the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), a process initiated in the 1994 Summit of the Americas to integrate the economies of the Western Hemisphere into a single free trade agreement. In this dissertation an interregional CGE model is used to analyze the short-run and long-run regional and sectoral effects of trade liberalization in a FTAA agreement. The model provides a description of the Brazilian inter-regional economic system, separated in two regions, São Paulo and Rest of Brazil. One of its innovations is a full specification of foreign trade in both regions, capturing the complete structure of trade flows linking the two Brazilian regions and FTAA markets. In this way, adequate tariff liberalization simulations can be implemented. The model simulations provide results in macro, regional and sectoral levels. A positive effect of FTAA liberalization on Brazilian GDP growth and trade balance can be expected. However, the results suggest that the interplay of market forces in the Brazilian economy favors the more developed state of the country (São Paulo). Additionally, sectoral liberalization under FTAA can produce heterogeneous regional impacts. These figures provide the framework to discuss adequate regional economic policies.

Chapter 1: A Population Aging Analysis for Canada Using the National Transfer Accounts Approach: This analysis develops a new data set for Canada using an accounting methodology called National Transfer Accounts (NTA). NTA permits building an accounting system that introduces age into national accounts. NTA is consistent with the conventional national accounts and allows the estimation of lifecycle patterns for labour income and consumption from private and public sources. It also allows the calculation of per capita and aggregate lifecycle deficits (LCD) or surpluses (LCS) in an economy. In this chapter we calculate Canada’s per capita and aggregate LCD for 2006. Using demographic projections for the next five decades, we present the aggregate LCD in Canada for the period 2006 to 2056 assuming a constant per capital LCD during this time horizon. The projection results show that labour income needs to increase rapidly or consumption needs to be cut significantly to compensate for the pressure on the aggregate lifecycle deficit as a result of population aging. Chapter 2: An Overlapping Generations Computable General Equilibrium (OLG-CGE) Model with Age-dependent Rates of Time Preference: This analysis develops a methodology to introduce an age-dependent rate of time preference to calibrate an OLG-CGE model with per capita age profile consumption path derived from the NTA framework of Chapter 1. The results show that the economic impact from an aging population will be significant. The living standard will decline by 15% from the present to 2050 and decline by 20% by the year 2105. To reduce such a decline, the Canadian government may introduce policies that could encourage labour force participation. We analyze the impact of: a) an increase in the general labour force participation rate for age 20 to 64; b) an increase in the labour force participation rate for workers aged 50 to 64; c) late retirement. Our results suggest that maintaining the current standard of living will be extremely difficult after 2026. Nevertheless, this would help reduce the economic pressure from population aging. Chapter 3: 9/11 Security Measures and North American Security Perimeter: A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis: The objective of this analysis is to assess the impact of the North American Security Perimeter (NASP) on both the Canadian and the U.S. economies. The NASP is a change in Canada-U.S. security paradigm that would allow the liberalization of the post 9/11 security measures at the Canada-U.S. border. This study applies a multi-sector and multi-region general equilibrium model together with econometric analysis. After simulating the NASP, Canada’s capital market was found to become more attractive. Under the NASP, the welfare of Canada is estimated to increase by $19 billion or 1.8% of GDP, and that of the U.S. is estimated to increase by $32 billion or 0.3% of GDP.

Cette thèse analyse le rôle de l’apprentissage dans deux cadres de modélisation distincts. Dans le cas dunouveau modèle canonique avec apprentissage adaptatif, les caractéristiques les plus marquantes des dynamiquesd’apprentissage concernent la capacité des règles de politique monétaire à assurer la convergencevers l’équilibre en anticipations rationnelles. Le mécanisme de transmission de la politique monétaire estcelui de l’effet de substitution associé au canal de la consommation. Dans le cas d’un modèle multi-agentsqui relâche des hypothèses restrictives du nouveau modèle canonique, tout en restant structurellementproche de celui-ci, les variables agrégées évoluent à bonne distance de cet équilibre, et on observe desdynamiques nettement différentes. La politique monétaire influence les variables agrégées de manièremarginale via l’effet de revenu du canal de la consommation. En présence d’un processus d’apprentissagesocial évolutionnaire, l’économie converge vers un faible niveau d’activité économique. L’introductiond’un processus caractérisé par le fait que les agents apprennent individuellement à l’aide de leurs modèlesmentaux atténue le caractère dépressif des dynamiques d’apprentissage. Ces différences entre les deuxcadres de modélisation démontrent la difficulté de généraliser les résultats du nouveau modèle canonique. / This thesis analyses the role of learning in two different modelling frameworks. In the new canonicalmodel with adaptive learning, the most remarkable characteristics of the learning dynamics deal withthe capacity of monetary policy rules to guaranty convergence to the rational expectations equilibrium.The transmission mechanism of the monetary policy is based on the substitution effect associated to theconsumption channel. In the case of an agent-based model which relaxes some restrictive assumptionsof the new canonical model - but is endowed with a similar structure - aggregate variables evolve atsome distance from the rational expectations equilibrium. Monetary policy has a marginal impact onthe agregated variables via the wealth effect of the consumption channel. When agents learn accordingto an evolutionnary social learning process, the economy converges to regions of low economic activity.The introduction of a process where agents learn individually by using their mental models induces lessdepressive learning dynamics. These differences between the two modelling frameworks show that thegeneralisation of the results of the new canonical model is not easy to achieve.

Die Einführung neuartiger Energietechnologien wird allgemein als der Schlüssel zur Senkung klimaschädlicher Treibhausgase angesehen. Allerdings ist die Abbildung derartiger Technologien in numerischen Modellen zur Simulation und ökonomischen Analyse von energie- und klimaschutzpolitischen Maßnahmen vielfach noch rudimentär. Die Dissertation entwickelt neue Ansätze zur Einbindung von technologischen Innovationen in energie-ökonomische allgemeine Gleichgewichtsmodelle, mit dem Ziel den Energiesektor realitätsnäher abzubilden. Die Dissertation adressiert einige der Hauptkritikpunkte an allgemeinen Gleichgewichtsmodellen zur Analyse von Energie- und Klimapolitik: Die fehlende sektorale und technologische Disaggregation, die beschränkte Darstellung von technologischem Fortschritt, und das Fehlen von einem weiten Spektrum an Treibhausgasminderungsoptionen. Die Dissertation widmet sich zwei Hauptfragen: (1) Wie können technologische Innovationen in allgemeine Gleichgewichtsmodelle eingebettet werden? (2) Welche zusätzlichen und politikrelevanten Informationen lassen sich durch diese methodischen Erweiterungen gewinnen? Die Verwendung eines sogenannten Hybrid-Ansatzes, in dem neuartige Technologien für Stromerzeugung und Eisen- und Stahlherstellung in ein dynamisch multi-sektorales CGE Modell eingebettet werden, zeigt, dass technologiespezifische Effekte von großer Bedeutung sind für die ökonomische Analyse von Klimaschutzmaßnahmen, insbesondere die Effekte hinsichtlich von Technologiewechsel und dadurch bedingten Änderungen der Input- und Emissionsstrukturen. Darüber hinaus zeigt die Dissertation, dass Lerneffekte auf verschiedenen Stufen der Produktionskette abgebildet werden müssen: Für regenerative Energien, zum Beispiel, nicht nur bei der Anwendung von Stromerzeugungsanlagen, sondern ebenso auf der vorgelagerten Produktionsstufe bei der Herstellung dieser Anlagen. Die differenzierte Abbildung von Lerneffekten in Exportsektoren, wie zum Beispiel Windanlagen, verändert die Wirtschaftlichkeit und die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und hat wichtige Implikationen für die ökonomische Analyse von Klimapolitik. / Energy technologies and innovation are considered to play a crucial role in climate change mitigation. Yet, the representation of technologies in energy-economy models, which are used extensively to analyze the economic, energy and environmental impacts of alternative energy and climate policies, is rather limited. This dissertation presents advanced techniques of including technological innovations in energy-economy computable general equilibrium (CGE) models. New methods are explored and applied for improving the realism of energy production and consumption in such top-down models. The dissertation addresses some of the main criticism of general equilibrium models in the field of energy and climate policy analysis: The lack of detailed sectoral and technical disaggregation, the restricted view on innovation and technological change, and the lack of extended greenhouse gas mitigation options. The dissertation reflects on the questions of (1) how to introduce innovation and technological change in a computable general equilibrium model as well as (2) what additional and policy relevant information is gained from using these methodologies. Employing a new hybrid approach of incorporating technology-specific information for electricity generation and iron and steel production in a dynamic multi-sector computable equilibrium model it can be concluded that technology-specific effects are crucial for the economic assessment of climate policy, in particular the effects relating to process shifts and fuel input structure. Additionally, the dissertation shows that learning-by-doing in renewable energy takes place in the renewable electricity sector but is equally important in upstream sectors that produce technologies, i.e. machinery and equipment, for renewable electricity generation. The differentiation of learning effects in export sectors, such as renewable energy technologies, matters for the economic assessment of climate policies because of effects on international competitiveness and economic output.