This thesis contributes to the existing literature by studying the link between educational choices, skill mismatch and wages in a labour market with search frictions with on-the-job search. In the first paper, I used empirical techniques to look at the link between skill mismatch and wages. I found that over-education and mismatch is part of a career mobility or job-to-job transition in the labour market. Workers accept jobs for which they are overqualified and search on-the-job to move to jobs that are more matched to their educational level. In the process they accept a wage cut which is temporary until they are able to find a job better suited to their level of education. In the second paper, I used search and matching framework to study the link between on-the-job search and wages in an economy where high and low ability workers compete for jobs. On-the-job search is a way in which workers reduce the extent of mismatch and firms react to this. However, this interaction implies that when more workers try to relocate the friction in the market reduces the efficiency of resource allocation (by increasing mismatch) and it also creates more wage inequality between the different types of workers. Finally in the third paper, I looked at the link between educational choices, and skill mismatch in a labour market with search frictions. I found that fewer search frictions lead to higher inequality in wages. If the cost of education is low enough, more individuals choose to acquire education and get trained. As a consequence mismatch increases.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of fiscal (and monetary) policies on a set of macroeconomic objectives, giving explicit consideration to the alternative modes by which the budget deficits (or surpluses) are financed. The extent to which quantitative reductions in the share of the public sector is compatible with these objectives is also examined. The evaluation of optimal macroeconomic policies is undertaken in the context of the Greek economy, since the financial aspects of the budget have not received the necessary attention. The method of analysis is carried out within an optimization framework which employes an econometric model of the Greek economy estimated over the period 1957-75, and a quadratic objective function depicting the desires of the policy-makers. The specific characteristics of the Greek economy necessary for the construction of the econometric model and the specification of the objective function are discussed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 deals with the theoretical considerations of the macroeconomic model and presents the optimization approach persued in the study. Chapter 4 presents the econometric model and discusses its dynamic characteristics and structure. The specification of the objective function and the optimization results are discussed in Chapter 5. The major findings of the study are summarized in Chapter 6.

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In the past decade the introduction of eLearning technologies has been associated with innovation in Higher Education (HE) as it brings significant change and has the potential to transform practice in many facets of university life. These learning technologies have been described as a 'disruptive‘ type of innovation as they can be a catalyst for transforming the strategic direction of HE and reach well beyond the traditional activities associated with classroom pedagogies. However, the levels of adoption of eLearning vary significantly between universities in the UK, ranging from simple online availability of course content to the extensive use of content management systems. Additionally, several studies report that a significant number of academic staff are making little use of these learning technologies and that the adoption of eLearning has failed to reach the predicted expectations. Previous approaches to the examination of the adoption and diffusion of eLearning have focused either on systemic change influenced by technology that transforms the entire organisation (macro-level studies) or on various parts of, or individuals within the institution that may benefit the most from adoption of the technology (micro-level studies). Recently, there has been recognition that these singular approaches have failed to fully appreciate the complexity of the adoption of eLearning within higher educational institutions. Furthermore, there is acknowledgement that the adoption of eLearning is influenced by both the potential adopter and the institutional properties. Thus, a number of commentators have proposed that future studies need to combine macro- and micro-level perspectives that regress from singular approaches and deploy more integrative perspectives that emphasise the interactions and interconnections between individual actions and institutional structure. This thesis is situated in the field of HE and innovation management and examines the adoption and diffusion of learning technologies through a series of case studies. Drawing on Giddens‘ 'Theory of Structuration‘ and the work of Rogers in the adoption and diffusion of innovations, these exploratory case studies examine the interaction between human agency and structure. The implications of this study for university executives, managers, and academic teaching staff are far reaching, and, to some degree, contradict accepted management practice and existing literature.

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This study is important due to the crucial role of media in the dissemination of information, especially in emerging economies, such as Thailand. It adds in publishing information among the people in the community and the country. The research focuses on the development and management of the media industry. The study employed the qualitative research method, using interviews with media stakeholders, which were key informants of the research. Key informants were given in-depth face-to-face interviews. The research used the primary data of a total thirteen respondents from three groups: news producers, media regulation bodies and academic readers. The research findings showed that news coverage should be formulated along the lines of CSR and ethical codes. This means the development of the media in line with the changing society in order to be more responsible towards society and regulation should include breaking up of the media monopoly so that a more competitive environment could be built. The media organizations must set their strategy and mission to be more involved in the society and take more responsibility for the country. The constitution should clearly state the need for a service mindset and the need for ethical behaviour in all organizations, especially public organizations. Additionally, taking responsibility in the society should be for everyone and in all organizations in terms of CSR. NBTC is an important media organization but they have no authority to actually regulate the media. NBTC should be the experts from the outside of Parliament, or who have not been stakeholders in the media industry. Regarding the development and management of media in the long term, the bureaucratic reform should focus on increasing good governance and ethics, along with the national reform. Finally, the government should develop and manage the existing media regulation bodies to be more effective in producing and presenting news.

Libya is still in the early stages of its financial liberalisation and reform following eleven years of political chaos and nearly three decades of central planning control. However, it is advancing as a result of the removal of UN and US sanctions during the last few years, and there are signs of rapid development. Despite these advancements, no study has been found which explores the readiness of the Libyan financial market for the establishment of a stock market. This thesis was undertaken to develop a conceptual framework for a research model with a specific focus on the Libyan economic reform programme and the development of the Libyan stock market between 1999 and 2008. The empirical study investigates the determinants of economic reform and stock market performance within the Libyan economy utilising data from three different sources and a multi-method approach. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to the entire target population of the Libyan financial market, banking sector and a number of companies. A total of 330 questionnaires were distributed and of these, 203 were returned completed and usable, a response a rate of 61.5 per cent. Fourteen semistructured interviews were held with managers in a subset of companies, selected via a stratified sample of respondents to the self-administered questionnaires. The third method of data collection used financial market data over the period 1995-2006 from 42 emerging market countries. This data was analysed to examine whether best practice from emerging stock markets is transferable to the Libyan context. As a result, this study provides some knowledge that might usefully be generalised to other developing countries, particularly to those with a similar economic structure. The primary contribution of this study lies in the fact that it is the first attempt to study the impact of stock market development on the economic growth process of a specific-country experience and evaluates the success of the economic reform programme and Libya’s readiness to complete its transition to a market-based economy. The key findings are; first, the economic reform programme variables have an impact upon various features of the stock market performance variables within a linear regression model; second, stock market development has a significant effect on economic growth, and this effect remains strong even after controlling for banking sector and other control variables using a growth model; third, although the evidence largely supports the view that there is a stable, long-term equilibrium relationship between the evolution of the stock market and the evolution of the economy, it provides no support for the view that the stock market is a leading sector in the process of Libya’s economic development. The evidence supports the view that the relation between stock market development and economic growth in emerging economies is bi-directional. The findings describe that the stock market and the banking sector in Libya in particular and emerging economy in general are complementary rather than substitutes in providing financial services to the economy. This study seeks to make an original contribution to knowledge on the academic and practical levels as one of the first attempts at empirically investigating the impact of an economic reform programme on stock market performance in an emerging economy. The research represents an applied study of a type that has not appeared elsewhere, and the framework offered may therefore not only be appropriate to Libya as a case study, but also to other countries in similar circumstances. The research provides an important introduction to this area and has attempted to explore its significance for both the economy and business. This research adds to the existing body of literature regarding development and application of a series of models of economic reform programmes, stock market performance and economic growth in a developing country. Additionally, brief recommendations are offered regarding potential useful directions for future research arising from the conclusions of this research. These develop into a strategic framework for the improvement of an economic reform programme and stock market performance.

This dissertation consists of three empirical essays that focus on growth and investment in aggregate and at firm-level. The first essay focuses on the issue of aggregate economic growth. The purposes of this essay are to re-investigate the effectiveness of government size and quality of institutions to foster economic growth in developed and developing countries. This essay also examines a non-linear relation between government size and economic growth and finally to identify the specific channels of institutions quality that determine economic growth aggregately. The second essay identifies the response of firms’ investment to the market interest rate uncertainty and debt holding in Malaysia as one developing country. The sensitivity of firms’ investment to the interaction between aggregate uncertainty and debt holding isalso emphasized. This essay also examines the heterogeneity between high- and low-indebted firms groups. The final essay is conducted specifically at firm-level in Malaysia. The aims of this essay are to investigate the effect of financial factors on firms’ growth in Malaysia. It also examines the heterogeneity betweenfirms that have been divided into specific groups based on their size and sectors. The results for the first essay show that government size and institutions were ineffective to foster economic growth. It also revealed that government size has a non-linear effect on economic growth, while democracy and law and order play a positive role to foster economic growth. The second essay discovers that firms’ investment responds negatively to the aggregate uncertainty and debt holding. However, the effect of the interaction between aggregate uncertainty and debt holding on firms’ investment was not significant; these results were quite homogenous for high- and low-indebted firms in Malaysia. The results for the third essay indicate that financial factors, particularly internal funds, play an important role to foster firms’ growth in Malaysia. The results also indicate heterogeneity that is categorized by size and sector.

Are transport markets and associated costs important for international trade? To the present day there is a sparse and fragmented literature pointing towards an affirmative answer. This Thesis reinforces such opinion by accounting for transport markets in general equilibrium models of trade, and providing empirical evidence on the impact of determinants that explain casual trade-and-transport related phenomena. The outcomes of the Thesis promote policy and/or investment activism in developing countries, due to the gains from trade lost to excessive transport costs. Two particular observations are investigated: i) When and why should a transport hub emerge? Using a simple trade model of monopolistic competition with representative firms incorporating network theory, the determinants governing optimal network formation become the level of transport costs, increasing returns in transportation and centrality. Empirical deduction supports that exports increase more on average if a shipping route passing through a hub is selected relative to a direct route, following a reduction in variable trade costs. Thus geographically disadvantaged countries that absorb high transport costs can ameliorate these by trading via a hub. ii) Are tariffs and shipping prices complementary? By not assuming this interaction, standard trade models of representative and heterogeneous firms are unable to identify by decomposing the direct and indirect -that is, via adjustments in transport technology- effects of trade liberalisation, resulting in observing large elasticities of import demand. Invoking a model of monopolistic competition with heterogeneous firms that trade using transport services operating under increasing returns, it is the presence of the latter that amplifies the response of trade volumes to tariffs declines. Yet transportation may also dampen such responses, for the shipping price is a function of the factory price of the good and a markup. The empirical experiments provide support to such propositions. The last chapter is distinct and deliberates on the importance of modeling financial networks that represent real world transaction systems relative to abstract artificial topologies. It is found that the international network of financial exposures exhibits characteristics that are congruent with robust-yet-fragile networks. Employing a common model of contagion illustrates how the robust-yet-fragile network structure absorbs defaults by peripheral countries however becomes susceptible to default cascades when combinations of peripheral countries or a financial centre collapse.