This thesis examines the international political economy of China’s exchange rate policymaking from a theoretical and an empirical perspective. The literature review identifies the limitations in the existing Economics studies on the RMB exchange rate and the research gap of the Comparative Political Economy (CPE) and International Political Economy (IPE) approaches to exchange rate politics. The author develops a three-level game framework for China’s exchange rate policymaking based on revision and synthesis of the existing CPE and IPE approaches. Specifically, the three-level game framework refers to the Chinese leadership’s negotiations with the international bargainers (mainly the U.S. government and the IMF) at the international level (level I), negotiations between central government’s ministries (People’s Bank of China and Ministry of Commerce) at the central governmental level (level II) and negotiations with the domestic interest groups and local governments at the local level (level III). The main argument of the thesis is that the three-level game framework provides a richer portrait of the dynamism and complexity of China’s exchange rate policymaking. The three-level game framework is applied empirically through an examination of China’s exchange rate policymaking between 2003 and 2013. The empirical studies have four major findings. First, the level I game played an agenda-setting role in China’s exchange rate policymaking before the 2005 exchange rate reform. Second, the level II game determined the limited scope of the initial reform and the subsequent gradual RMB appreciation. Third, the level III game provided the most important sources for China’s exchange rate policy returning to the de facto dollar-pegged exchange rate regime during the global financial crisis. Lastly, the level I game once again played an agenda-setting role in the 2010 exchange rate reform, but the level II game was important as well, in which the Chinese leadership reached the consensus to allow the RMB to appreciate against the dollar in a gradual and steady manner to improve the confidence and promote the international use of RMB. This thesis provides original and systematic research on China’s exchange rate policymaking in the Hu-Wen era to the academic literature. It makes a modest theoretical contribution to the existing body of CPE and IPE literature by developing the three-level game framework to explain China’s exchange rate policymaking. More importantly, this research sheds light on the international political economy of China’s exchange rate policymaking based on documentary analysis and primary data from interviews and questionnaire surveys. Overall, this is a timely and rigorous study on the role that international and domestic politics play in forging China’s exchange rate policymaking.

Employability has become a new buzzword of the 21st century. It advocates that to keep oneself attractive - through lifelong learning and the continuous acquisition of skills - protects oneself from the vulnerabilities of the labour market. The purpose of this PhD project is twofold: First, I investigate in what ways the employability agenda recreates neoliberal hegemony. Second, I analyse through what type of collective agency people contest the concept of employability. It is a comparative project of two main employability sectors, namely welfare to work programmes and higher education. In particular, I elaborate on the link between employability and the rise of unpaid labour in form of work-experiences. In line with neo-Gramscian theory and my critique of it this PhD research looks at the material structures, institutions and ideology which have shaped the political economy of employability through processes of class contestation. Participatory Action Research methodology is used to provide insights into the formations, dynamics, and outcomes of the main social forces resisting employability outside of established trade unions. This PhD, thereby, feeds into broader discussions on the decline and future of trade unionism and new ways of organising around work, which go beyond the workplace and might demand new workers institutions as well as a greater engagement with other actors in the community.

Introduction and background: Malnutrition, particularly undernutrition remains a major development challenge for sub-Saharan Africa. There has been mixed progress in reducing undernutrition and the numbers remain unacceptably high. However, high impact nutrition interventions have been recommended for implementation in high burden malnutrition countries to address undernutrition. Countries have responded by designing policies and programmes that reflect these recommendations. However, there is limited evidence of what works and how in local contexts. Objectives: This research explored the efficacy of nutrition interventions and modality of delivery of interventions and programmes in Uganda at national, local government and community levels. Specifically this study examined key stakeholders’ experiences of current nutrition interventions at district level in Uganda; assessed the effectiveness of previous nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions on maternal and child health outcomes in Uganda; and examined the relationship between socio demographic and health factors on nutrition outcomes in Uganda. Methods and subjects: Using a combination of methods (mixed methods), this study explored nutrition interventions targeting mothers of reproductive age and children (0-5 years) in three separate studies. A systematic review was conducted to explore existing evidence on the nature of maternal and child health and nutrition interventions; and methods used to deliver them since 1986-2014. Studies were included if they were done in Uganda and reported health and nutrition related outcomes among the study group. Included studies were assessed for quality using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Twenty-two predominantly cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were included in the review. A qualitative study covering project implementers and project beneficiaries (n=85) in local communities was conducted using face-to-face interviews. Interviews explored methods used to deliver interventions and implementers’ and community participants’ perspectives and experiences of on-going nutrition interventions at local government (LG) and community level. Community beneficiaries were mothers or caretakers of children aged 0-59 months accessing interventions from two studied projects, while implementers were project staffs or health workers on the same projects. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Population based data of the 2011 Uganda demographic and health Survey (DHS) was quantitatively analysed. Logistic regressions analyses were done to establish factors that influence child stunting and anaemia in Uganda. Models were constructed based on 2350 stunted and 2056 child anaemia cases in the data set. Using a multilevel model design of mixed methods research, findings from each study were triangulated to obtain complementary information on the study phenomena. Results: Results suggest that planning and implementation of nutrition interventions in Uganda has transformed from random to systematic implementation since 1986. Nutrition interventions delivered diverse activities to address multiple causes of undernutrition in Uganda. However, activities were predominantly non-integrated delivered specifically at facilities or in communities. Methods of delivering interventions were broad to include community and health system compatible strategies (community mobilisation, outreaches and individual or group nutrition education and counselling) to prevent, manage and treat undernourished cases at facilities and within communities. Results further showed that maternal anaemia status, age of child and geographic factors were associated with stunting and anaemia in children. Further, the qualitative study showed, there was a conducive policy environment to implement multi-sectoral nutrition interventions in Uganda. There were linkages, collaborations and partnerships to delivery multi-sectoral integrated nutrition actions in communities and LG. Results however reveal that the dominance of external partners in implementing nutrition interventions; and absence of functional coordinating structures and mechanisms hinders intervention scale up. Further there was a need to address system and community barriers that affect implementation to improve nutrition outcomes and scale up at LG and community level. Conclusion: There have been great strides towards solving challenges of malnutrition in Uganda. Integrated approaches using community mobilisation and nutrition education and counselling at health facilities were among common delivery methods. However, bottlenecks exist in prioritisation and commitment to scale. There is a need to strengthen integrated approaches to delivering interventions across the LG and communities for multi-sectoral programming and implementation to reduce the number of undernourished Ugandans.

This thesis examines the manufacture, use, exchange (including gift exchange), collecting and commodification of German medals and badges from the early 18th century until the present-day, with particular attention being given to the symbols that were deployed by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) between 1919 and 1945. It does so by focusing in particular on the construction of value through insignia, and how such badges and their symbolic and monetary value changed over time. In order to achieve this, the thesis adopts a chronological structure, which encompasses the creation of Prussia in 1701, the Napoleonic wars and the increased democratisation of military awards such as the Iron Cross during the Great War. The collapse of the Kaiserreich in 1918 was the major factor that led to the creation of the NSDAP under the eventual strangle-hold of Hitler, a fundamentally racist and anti-Semitic movement that continued the German tradition of awarding and wearing badges. The traditional symbols of Imperial Germany, such as the eagle, were then infused with the swastika, an emblem that was meant to signify anti-Semitism, thus creating a hybrid identity. This combination was then replicated en-masse, and eventually eclipsed all the symbols that had possessed symbolic significance in Germany’s past. After Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933, millions of medals and badges were produced in an effort to create a racially based “People’s Community”, but the steel and iron that were required for munitions eventually led to substitute materials being utilised and developed in order to manufacture millions of politically oriented badges. The Second World War unleashed Nazi terror across Europe, and the conscripts and volunteers who took part in this fight for living-space were rewarded with medals that were modelled on those that had been instituted during Imperial times. The colonial conquest and occupation of the East by the Wehrmacht, the Order Police and the Waffen-SS surpassed the brutality of former wars that finally culminated in the Holocaust, and some of these horrific crimes and the perpetrators of them were perversely rewarded with medals and badges. Despite Nazism being thoroughly discredited, many of the Allied soldiers who occupied Germany took part in the age-old practice of obtaining trophies of war, which reconfigured the meaning of Nazi badges as souvenirs, and began the process of their increased commodification on an emerging secondary collectors’ market. In order to analyse the dynamics of this market, a “basket” of badges is examined that enables a discussion of the role that aesthetics, scarcity and authenticity have in determining the price of the artefacts. In summary, this thesis demonstrates how the symbolic, socio-economic and exchange value of German military and political medals and badges has changed substantially over time, provides a stimulus for scholars to conduct research in this under-developed area, and encourages collectors to investigate the artefacts that they collect in a more historically contextualised manner.

This thesis is primarily concerned with the economic value of the sellside analyst in the UK equity markets. Fundamental to the sell-side analyst's economic value is the concept of market efficiency. If markets are fully efficient in the absence of the analyst then his/her investment recommendations and earnings forecast revisions would not generate abnormal returns as the information content of such earnings forecast revisions and recommendations would already have been absorbed by the market through other sources. Though analysts' investment recommendations may generate abnormal returns, it does not necessarily follow that the sell- side analyst plays a major role in keeping the equity markets efficient. Analysts' earnings forecast revisions and investment recommendations may, in fact, explain such a small proportion of company prices changes and trading volume activity that their investment recommendations and earnings forecast revisions may be dominated by other forms of firm-specific news in explaining company share price changes and trading volume activity. In such circumstances the economic value of the sell-side analyst may indeed be limited. Central to the analyst's role in keeping the markets informationally efficient is the nature of the information impounded into his/her investment recommendations. Is the analyst a superior processor of publicly available information and! or is the analyst privy to private information not generally available to the market as a whole? In addition is the nature of some "information" such that, in the absence of the sellside analyst, the information may otherwise go unreported in the marketplace perhaps arising from its intangibility (Roll, 1988)? In this thesis we undertake three empirical investigations into the economic role of the sell-side analyst in the equity markets. Firstly, we test the "absolute" value of sell-side analysts' investment recommendations by analysing the abnormal return performance associated with the new buy and new sell recommendations made by six leading UK based stockbroking houses over the 18 month period January, 1994 to June, 1995. Secondly, we explore the "relative" value of analysts' recommendations and earnings forecast revisions by determining the size (proxying for information content) of company "large" market-adjusted price changes and trading volume movements that are triggered by analysts' recommendations and earnings forecast revisions vis-a-vis other firm specific information categories. We perform this test on 215 London Stock Exchange FTSE 100 and FTSE Mid 250 companies covering the two-year period January, 1994 to December, 1995. Thirdly, we directly test the nature of the analyst's informational advantage, and in particular hislher ability to act as a conduit for the flow of "nonpublic" information to the market. We perform this test for a sample of 1 00 companies drawn predominantly from the upper regions of the FTSE Mid 250 Index. In addition, in performing this test, we examine the nature of the information not apparently in the public domain and whether it differs in nature from its "publicly -available" counterpart (Roll, 1988). Our results show that analysts' investment recommendations have value in an "absolute" sense. We fInd that share prices are significantly influenced by analysts' recommendation changes, not only at the time of the recommendation change but also in subsequent months. We also find that the magnitude of the abnormal return performance generated is influenced cross-sectionally by factors associated with firms' information environments and the analysts' incentives literature. In addition, we report that analysts' earnings forecast revisions and recommendations not taking place concurrently with other firm specific information releases account for 18 % of large "explained" price changes and 160/0 of large "explained" trading volume movements thus suggesting that sell-side analysts have a major role to play in keeping the equity markets efficient. Finally, we find that the sell-side analyst is able to explain in excess of 90% of those price movements not traceable to "publicly-available" information which is consistent with a high degree of market knowledge. We find that a significant proportion of these price changes (17%) are attributable to factors unrelated to information per se thus providing support for Roll's (1988) hypothesis that a significant proportion of company price changes are triggered by "soft" events relating to fads, fashions, sentiment etc. In summary, therefore, the sell- side analyst plays a major role in the UK equity markets. His/her investment recommendations and earnings forecast revisions communicate valuable information to the market. In addition, an important aspect of the analyst's role in the market is to communicate information to the market that may not be available from other more conventional sources, thus suggesting that tests of the investment value of analysts' company recommendations and earnings forecast revisions may, at least in part, be tests of strong-form efficiency. A substantial proportion of this information may be classified as "soft" information which in the absence of the sell-side analyst may otherwise go unreported.

The study examines the theory and practice of social marketing and aims to identify key criteria that are linked to the successful outcome of social marketing campaigns. The premise underpinning the thesis is that although theory and the definition of social marketing are still being discussed, the practice is expanding rapidly around the world, with many campaigns being launched in attempts to tackle a whole range of issues. There is therefore a need to understand the efficacy of the use of benchmarks and marketing strategies employed during campaigns and to consider how these are linked to success. In order to identify and evaluate success and the various relationships with these core variables, the study utilizes a mixed method analysis of a sample of global social marketing campaign case studies from both statutory and non-statutory organizations. The research was undertaken in two stages: stage one was a qualitative survey of twelve campaigns that identified key benchmarks and strategies; stage two was a quantitative survey of one hundred case campaigns which sought to statistically assess the importance of the benchmarks and strategies. The study identified key benchmarks and strategies that could help to develop more efficient campaigns in a climate of time and budgetary constraints. The study provides one of the first frameworks for developing future campaigns and for assessing those already undertaken. However, only a small number of benchmarks were found to be significant and no specific strategies were found to be statistically significant with regard to success. The main limitation of the study was relatively small sample size and future research should attempt to evaluate a larger sample so that a more robust statistical analysis can be undertaken. The original contribution to knowledge that this research has generated lies in the identification of a framework for social marketing campaign design. This research presents a significant step forward in understanding the essential components of successful social marketing campaigns and identifying benchmarks that are important for success.

This research examines the effects of the changes taking place within the field of credit unions (CU) in Glasgow. It examines the ways in which competing hierarchical and social accountabilities are implicated in and affected by these changes. In recent decades policy makers in the UK have looked to credit unions to help tackle issues of poverty and social inclusion. However, credit unions in the UK have tended to disappoint in terms of their growth and stability, and there have been notable failures. Some influential parties – including local councils, HM Treasury, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Association of British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL) – have argued that the way to avoid future failures, achieve a high growth rate, and ultimately meet aspirations in terms of poverty alleviation and social inclusion, is to transform credit unions to implement a more commercialised model. Such a model potentially clashes with the traditions and ethos of some sectors of the credit union community, and thus it faces resistance. The value- rational approach of this research is inspired by the work of Bent Flyvbjerg who provided a modern interpretation of the traditional Greek concept of phronesis and applied it to research with the aim of making social science really matter. Four value-laden questions permeate this research: (1) Where are we going? (2) Who gains and who loses? And by which mechanisms of power? (3) Is this desirable? (4) What should we do? The research analyses developments in the Glasgow credit union (CU) field; it also studies the accountability practices of CUs with a particular focus on a community-based Glasgow CU that has traditions and values which are not easily reconciled with the commercialisation agenda and the demands of modern financial regulatory authorities. The research uses interviews, observations and secondary data sources to answer its research questions. The analysis is classified into both macro and micro levels. On the macro level analysis, the research found that power defines a new reality where accountability has been shifted from people and values to rules and authorities. On the micro level, the analysis shows that neither trust nor accountability work effectively alone; instead, an intelligent integration of trust and accountability is needed to sustain the viability and ethos of the community-based CU.

No description available.

Sverige har under många decennier sett en minskning av tuberkulos (TBC), men infektionen har kontinuerligt ökat från 2003. Majoriteten av TBC-fallen är personer som är födda utanför Sverige. Hälsotillståndet har förbättrats i Sverige men det finns fortfarande problem. Kommunikationen mellan flyktingar och sjukvårdsspecialister är bristande idag, vilket resulterar att endast ett fåtal genomgår hälsokontroller. Detta kan leda till en ökning av infektioner och sjukdomar i Sverige. Denna studie undersöker hur hälsokommunikationen idag fungerar mellan den svenska sjukvården, nyanlända immigranter, asylsökande och flyktingar, samt vilken typ av vård som finns tillgänglig för flyktingar med hög risk för att utveckla TBC. Specifikt syftar studien till att förstå på vilket sätt kommunikation brister på samt analysera vilka sätt det finns för att en reducering av TBC i Sverige ska kunna ske och hur kommunikationen kan förbättras. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av både primära källor i form av intervjuer och sekundära källor. Baserat på de intervjuer och sekundära källor som genomförts i studien dras slutsatsen att trots att den svenska sjukvården utvecklas positivt så finns det en hel del brister - hälsokommunikation är bristande idag mellan nyanlända flyktingar, sjukvårdspersonal och myndigheter. En av huvudorsakerna som informanterna i studien nämnt är språket, mycket av det som skrivs och sägs är på svenska. Det är viktigt att en mer välfungerad hälsokommunikation utvecklas mellan de nyanlända flyktingarna, sjukvårdspersonal och myndigheterna för att det ska kunna underlättas för flyktingar att söka vård och samarbeta med sjukvårdspersonal med deras arbete för att kunna förhindra spridning av TBC och andra sjukdomar och infektioner i Sverige. / Sweden has for many decades witnessed a decrease of the spread of tuberculosis (TB), but between the years of 2003-2012 a new pattern has emerged with refugees carrying TB entering the country and contributing to a situation where the infection has slowly begun to spread again. The communication between the refugees and the health professionals has been inefficient, which inevitably results in fewer refugees undergoing health examinations. This in turn can lead to an increase of infections and diseases. The purpose of this study is to examine the current health communication between Swedish health professionals and immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and to give an overview of what type of health care currently exist for refugees with a high risk of TB. This is done to understand what is missing in the communication process, what has been done in order to improve the situation, and how it can be further improved in order to prevent TB. In order to fulfill the purpose of this study, a qualitative method has been used combining text analysis of interviews and secondary sources. This study has shown based on the interviews and secondary sources that the Swedish prevention work regarding TB is developing positively in general, but the communication between newly arrived refugees, health professionals and authorities in Sweden is lacking due to the fact that most of what is written and said in this communication process is in Swedish. This makes it difficult for the refugees to understand what is communicated and is stated as one of the main reasons why many refugees do not undergo health examinations, combined with the lack of awareness. Therefore a better functioning health communication between refugees, authorities and health professionals is required to support refugees seeking health care, as well as co-operating with health professionals to prevent the spread of not only TB but other infections and diseases in Sweden.

Ce travail traite de la réduction catalytique sélective des oxydes d’azote en utilisant du méthane comme agent réducteur sur catalyseurs bimétalliques Pd/Ce/zéolithes. Dans un premier temps, la méthode d’introduction du palladium, la teneur en palladium et cérium ainsi que l’ordre d’introduction des métaux ont été optimisés pour une formulation considérant une zéolithe MOR comme support catalytique. Puis, l'effet des différentes conditions opératoires ont été évalués. L’effet du support catalytique a été également étudié en comparant un catalyseur PdCe-BEA au catalyseur PdCe-MOR résultant de l’optimisation effectuée. Il a été montré que les deux catalyseurs possèdent différentes espèces métalliques conduisant ainsi à différentes performances catalytiques. Des Relations structure/réactivité ont été établies par différentes techniques de caractérisation et des résultats des tests catalytiques. Il a été mis en évidence un effet synergique résultant de la combinaison de ces deux catalyseurs dans le même pot catalytique (configurations lit mélangé et lit double). Un traitement thermique innovant appliqué au catalyseur PdCe-MOR, pendant sa préparation a été développé et optimisé. Dans certaines conditions, ce traitement conduit à l’amélioration de la performance catalytique, notamment, à une conversion de NOx à N2 et à une sélectivité de CH4 pour la réaction NOx RCS plus élevée. Enfin, des catalyseurs structurés ont été préparés par "washcoating" de PdCe-MOR sur des monolithes de cordiérite possédant des géométries différentes. Les paramètres de préparation ont été ainsi évalués par des techniques de caractérisations et par des tests en banc de gaz. / The selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides, in lean-conditions, using methane as reductant (NOx CH4-SCR) over PdCe/zeolite-based catalysts was considered in this work. Preparation method for palladium introduction, palladium/cerium loadings and metal introduction order were optimised for a formulation considering MOR zeolite as the catalytic support. The effect of different test conditions, namely [CH4]/[NO] ratio and water presence in the reaction mixture was assessed. The effect of the zeolite support in the stabilisation of Pd/Ce species was also evaluated by preparing a similar PdCe-BEA catalyst to the optimised PdCe-MOR catalyst, considering the same metal loadings and preparation methods. Both catalysts exhibited different metal species and different catalytic performances. Structure-reactivity relationships were drawn from the comparison of several characterisation techniques and catalytic test results for both catalysts. A synergic effect resulting from the use of both catalysts in a single bed application (mixed-bed and dual-bed configuration) is reported. An innovative thermal treatment applied to PdCe-MOR catalyst during its preparation is reported. Under certain conditions, this treatment results in the enhancement of the catalytic performance, namely, in higher NOx conversion into N2 and CH4 selectivity towards NOx SCR. Structured catalysts were prepared by washcoating of PdCe-MOR onto cordierite monoliths with different geometry (cpsi). Preparation parameters were evaluated through characterisation techniques and the catalytic performance was assessed in a synthetic gas bench plant.