This dissertation looks at models in which agents make decisions under various economic frictions, and examines the role of their preferences. The first two chapters analytically characterize an infinite-horizon open economy under the friction of a stock collateral constraint, whereby borrowing is limited by the value of capital assets available. The model that is considered allows for general subjective discounting of households and fully variable productivity. The third chapter looks at a model of an ambiguity-averse benevolent mediator tasked with choosing a price contract at which a risk neutral buyer and seller transact an indivisible good under the friction of unquantifiable uncertainty of their reservation values. The first chapter establishes that it is possible for households to enjoy the allocation they would obtain absent a stock collateral constraint under a condition that relates to their patience; this condition requires a long-run depression when agents are impatient relative to the market, and allows for an economic expansion when agents are more patient relative to the market. When this condition is not met, households are tightly constrained at least once and experience debt deleveraging in all periods and deflation of asset prices in periods preceding the constrained period relative to their unconstrained allocation. Households also ration their consumption more when they expect to be more tightly constrained in the future. The second chapter is a sequel to the first chapter and shows that under constant output, agents who are impatient relative to the market can face two and three-period cycles in consumption, debt, and asset prices. Further, large initial debt can lead to multiple equilibria. The third chapter considers a mediator who plays a Stackelberg game against Nature to maximize the distributionally worst-case expected weighted Nash product subject to known mean and boundary constraints on buyer and seller reservation values. We study the role of bargaining power and show that relative to what the buyer and seller themselves would choose when equipped with the mediator's information, the mediator's price contract has a shallow dependency on bargaining power, which is only exacerbated by the possibility of dependent buyer and seller values. Comparative statics results are obtained.

No description available.

No description available.

Smallholder farmers in Honduras and the Trifinio region of Central America contend with poor roads and high transportation costs when making production decisions. Farmers select crop activities based on cost, revenue and profit but are constrained by labor requirements, cash requirements, food security concerns, and input and output market access. Market access is directly related to distance to market. Distance to market increases the cost of inputs, increases transportation costs, and reduces the effective price farmers receive for outputs. We conduct two analyses to study the impact of distance to market on crop and technology choices. We utilize a household survey to analyze the determinants of fruit and vegetable production and market participation. Probit and multinomial logit models are employed to analyze the impact of distance to market and other variables on fruit and vegetable production. Results indicate that as distance to market increases, the probability of fruit and vegetable production for consumption increases and the probability of fruit and vegetable production for sale at market decreases. In a second paper, we utilize data from extension agencies, research institutions, a household survey, and expert opinions to model a representative Honduran farm. With linear programming, we analyze the crop and technology mix selected by the farm given changes in distance to the output market, changes in distance to the input market, food security concerns, and labor market participation. We focus specifically on integrated pest management (IPM) technologies. Results indicate that beyond a specific distance, vegetable production ceases, while staple crop production remains profitable. Additionally, a combination of low, medium, and high-technology crop activities is selected by a profit-maximizing farm. Even far away from the market, medium and high-technology crop activities are selected. Overall, these two studies indicate that distance to market is negatively related to fruit and vegetable production. A reduction in transportation costs and an increase in the prevalence of less input-intensive integrated pest management techniques may increase the incidence of fruit and vegetable production and market participation in Trifinio and Honduras. / Master of Science

Yes / Detailed electricity load profile for domestic building is an important requirement for the accurate analysis of demand side management. The use of electrical appliances within domestic buildings varies significantly with respect to time, mainly in accordance with the activity and behaviour of the occupants. This paper presents results from a monitoring study of electrical energy consumption profiles for One UK household (two adults with children). Measurements for whole household electricity consumption have been obtained over a period of ten months. They were all obtained at one minute interval. Monthly energy consumptions, daily and overall profiles were derived for this household type from the monitored data. It is intended that the results presented in this paper can be used in the quest for a precise forecast method for electricity consumption for occupants living in the same type of household in the UK. This will allow greater confidence in the sizing of, e.g., adopting renewable energy sources in this type of household. Further investigation is needed for a large sample of households to improve the understanding of monitoring high resolution domestic energy consumption. / MSCRC

This qualitative study documented how household and child care task-sharing in eight dual-career families is allocated and negotiated. There were two specific aspects of shared tasks: responsibility for tasks as well as performance of tasks. Flexibility of spouses· employment as it affects task sharing was an important variable. used ethnographic methods to analyze the data from four interviews and two participant observations with each family. Findings described the balance of task sharing in the families: two families shared the total family workload equally; five families strive to share the total workload but fall just short of that goal; and in one family the wife is the primary household and child care worker; the husband helps her. Standards for household and child care tasks are very similar for each set of spouses; differences lead to task negotiation. I present the spouses’ strategies for negotiating household tasks. The findings also include spouses’ career commitment, influences on spouses’ task sharing and the importance of flexibility of employment for dual-career family life. In seven of the eight dual-career families, whose wives earned 40% of more of family income, sharing of household and child care tasks was very high: in these families, the husbands performed at least half of the household and child care tasks. Task responsibility if shared equally in only one family; wives remain the family executives. Career commitment was strong in all but two spouses: these two were considering quitting work at some time to take care of children. The two families who share the total family workload equally use more cooperative negotiation strategies than the other families use. The spouse who has the most flexible employment performs more household and child care tasks than the other spouse does. Note: All names of informants are fictitious. Some facts about the families have been changed to protect their identities. / Ph. D.

Wu, Shunan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-56). / Abstract also in Chinese. / "Collective Labor Supply, Household Production and Intra-household Allocation in Urban China" --- p.i / Abstract --- p.i / 論文摘要 --- p.ii / Acknowledgement --- p.iii / List of Tables --- p.v / Chapter I. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- Literature Review --- p.4 / Chapter 2.1 --- China´ةs evolving labor market --- p.4 / Chapter 2.2 --- Gender earnings gap in the labor market in urban China --- p.6 / Chapter 2.3 --- Male and female labor force participation --- p.7 / Chapter 2.4 --- Intra-household allocation --- p.10 / Chapter 2.5 --- The collective model of labor supply --- p.14 / Chapter III. --- Theoretical model and empirical specification --- p.18 / Chapter IV. --- Data and empirical results --- p.24 / Chapter V. --- Conclusion --- p.43 / Appendix --- p.46 / References --- p.49

Thesis (MScAgric)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

MGS / Institute of Gender and Youth Studies / In most developing countries, poverty is concentrated in female headed households especially in rural areas. Notably, these rural areas are fast becoming female spaces, as most men migrate to urban areas and neighbouring countries. The critical role of rural women in eradicating poverty through agricultural labour force, subsistence farming and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa, has been recognised by scholars yet they are the poorest and their contribution has not been fully acknowledged by the community or governments. To understand this phenomenon this study investigated the socio-economic challenges faced by female headed households, causes of high vulnerability and their coping strategies in Manama village, Matabeleland South province, Zimbabwe. This study was informed by feminist theoretical approaches of conducting research as it employed several qualitative research methods, namely key participant individual in-depth interviews; Focus group discussions; field participatory observation and documentary reviews to collect data. The findings of the study were that, due to the country’s economic situation, constrained mobility and lack of collateral security to secure credit, women have a double burden of responsibility with numerous challenges such as unequal wages in hired labourer work, inadequate food for the family, financial burdens. However they have their own coping strategies such as voluntary community networks. This study concludes by making recommendations, for gender mainstreaming in policy, agricultural extension services for Female headed households, creation of markets, counselling and psychosocial support. This research contends that although these women find themselves in a patriarchal frame they have decided to outgrow it and be autonomous as they fight the socio-economic challenges they face. They have numerous socio-economic challenges but the participants themselves are self-asserted. They are not stopped by patriarchy and are exemplary as they work hard and venture outside the domestic space to engage in honest work to take care of their households. / NRF

Diploma thesis is trying to find the main factors influencing investment decisions of Czech households and effectiveness of their saving. Habits of Czech households are compared with the economically advanced countries, where efficiency in savings is much higher. Work reveals the possibility of value funds, but also the risks that accompany investment. In the final part is swowm, how different could be the effectivenes of risk seeking household in compare to the conservative one.