This article contributes to the field of evolutionary macroeconomics by highlighting the dynamic interlinkages between micro-meso-macro with a Veblenian meso foundation in an agent-based macroeconomic model. Consumption is dependent on endogenously changing social class and signaling, such as bandwagon, Veblen and snob effects. In particular, we test the macroeconomic effects of this meso foundation in a generic agent-based model of a closed artificial economy. The model is stock-flow consistent and builds upon local decision heuristics of heterogeneous agents characterized by bounded rationality and satisficing behavior. These agents include a multitude of households (workers and capitalists), firms, banks as well as a capital goods firm, a government and a central bank. Simulation experiments indicate coevolutionary dynamics between signaling-by-consuming and firm specialization that eventually effect employment and consumer prices, as well as other macroeconomic aggregates.

根據民國88至90年教育部統計處出版的資料，本文首先利用資料包絡分析法評估個別國立大學之技術效率；然後，以Tobit截斷迴歸模型探討可能造成國立大學技術效率差異之因素。技術效率評估結果顯示，在不同投入產出組合下，國立大學整體的技術效率平均值介於115.30﹪與122.17﹪之間，並且，規模效率平均值大於1，代表：台灣國立大學在產出上仍存在改善空間；且造成其不效率之原因，主要歸咎於純技術無效率及規模無效率。Tobit截斷迴歸實證結果顯示，大學部學生比例與技術效率之關係為負向，競爭程度的提高可提昇國立大學的經營效率，師範與科技類大學的技術效率低於其他大學。 關鍵詞：技術效率、資料包絡分析法、Tobit截斷迴歸方法 JEL Classification：L83、M11、M21

It is increasingly acknowledged that the proper objective of government efforts towards economic development should be aimed at improvements beyond simple measures of growth, poverty and inequality towards richer measures of human well-being. Herein, the economic and non-economic quality of life, as well as the quantity of life, becomes important indicators. Economists and other social planners therefore need to develop more meaningful indicators of the quality of life. Objective and subjective indicators of the quality of life can be distinguished. For various reasons, this thesis will focus on the search for more meaningful objective indicators of the quality of life. One of the most wellknown objective indicators of quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI). There is, however, a growing dissatisfaction with the HDI. In this thesis, two recent methodological advances in the measurement of quality of life are applied and combined and, in particular, in the measurement of the non-economic quality of life, to the sub-national quality of life in South Africa. As such, this thesis’ contribution is twofold. First, it investigates the extent to which the quality of life differs within a developing country, as opposed to most studies that focus on either inter-country differences in quality of life, or studies that focus only on spatial inequalities within countries using a restricted set of measures such as per capita income or poverty rates and headcounts. Secondly, this thesis applies a recent methodology proposed by McGillivray (2005) to isolate the non-economic (non-monetary) quality of life in various composite indices and to focus on the non-economic quality of life across 351 South African magisterial districts Indices for the non-economic quality of life are compiled for geographical quality, for demographic quality, and based on the human development index. Furthermore, given that composite indices used in the construction of measures of quality of life consist of weightings of multiple proxies, this thesis implements the method of Lubotsky and Wittenberg (2006) which proposed a new estimator for the case where multiple proxies are to be used for a single, unobserved variable such as quality of life. This thesis establishes that when the non-economic quality of life of the demographic index is considered, the top ten regions in 1001 were as follows: Pretoria, Johannesburg, Soweto, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Inanda, Pietermaritzburg, Wynberg, Mitchellsplain and Vanderbijlpark. It is important to note that, when interpreting these results, one should take caution since variables such as the number of people, number of households etc. is included in this index and as a region grows in population size the more negative consequences such as a higher crime rate can be associated with the particular region. The top ten regions in which to reside in 1004 as determined by the geography quality of life index were: Calvinia, Gordonia, Namaqualand, Kenhardt, Carnarvon, Ubombo, Williston, Hlabisa, Ceres and Ingwavuma. This geography index measures a region's natural beauty which, according to Wey (2000), contributes positively to one's perceived quality of life. Considering changes in non-economic quality of life indices between 1996 and 2004, the conclusion can he drawn that the South African government has been successful to a certain degree in addressing non-economic quality of life. Social policies such as health care, education, housing, water and sanitation appear to have had a positive effect on people's perceived non-economic quality of life in areas that were relatively deprived in 1996. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Economics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

O setor de transporte automotivo é um dos principais responsáveis pelas emissões de gases nocivos à saúde ou causadores do efeito estufa. Existem inúmeras propostas econômicas para a redução destas emissões, que se dividem basicamente entre regulamentação de emissões e impostos sobre combustível ou veículos. Apresentaremos neste trabalho um esquema de feebate, uma alternativa baseada num mercado de carbono em que um carro que tem emissões de poluentes abaixo de certo nível ganha um subsídio para sua compra, enquanto que outro que apresenta emissões acima paga um imposto. Este esquema é projetado para que no fim, contabilizados o imposto pago e o subsídio oferecido, faça com que o governo não tenha receita, nem despesas com este. Para mostrar sua eficácia, faremos simulações com base em estimações do mercado de automóveis brasileiro do período de 2008 a 2012 usando um modelo de escolhas discretas através de um logit multinomial aninhado, e faremos análises de bem estar. / The automotive transport sector is one of the main responsible for emissions of harmful gases and greenhouse gases. There are numerous economics proposals for reducing these emissions, which are basically divided between emission regulations and taxes on fuel or vehicles. We will present in this work a feebate scheme, an alternative based on a carbon market in which a car that has emissions of pollutants below a certain level gains a subsidy for its purchase, while another that presents emissions above a level pays a tax. This scheme is designed so that at the end, counting the tax paid and the subsidy offered, make the government have no revenue, nor expenses with it. To show its effectiveness, we will make simulations of this scheme based on estimates of the Brazilian auto market from 2008 to 2012 using a discrete choice model with a nested multinomial logit, and we will analise social welfare changes.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-05-16T18:21:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcus Vinícius de Souza Almeida Conceição_.pdf: 1027394 bytes, checksum: ec1fa126f0db08777cb3c87ff8bdd7bd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-16T18:21:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcus Vinícius de Souza Almeida Conceição_.pdf: 1027394 bytes, checksum: ec1fa126f0db08777cb3c87ff8bdd7bd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-25 / Nenhuma / Este trabalho tem como objetivo, dentro da abordagem dos ciclos de negócios reais, elaborar dois indicadores compostos, antecedente e coincidente, para o complexo metalmecânico brasileiro. Delimita-se e caracteriza-se como complexo metalmecânico as atividades industriais nas seções 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30 do CNAE 2.0. A elaboração dos indicadores orientou-se sob adaptação da metodologia proposta pela OCDE 2012 para elaboração de indicadores compostos. Consoante com as rotinas difundidas por esta metodologia foram coletadas e tratadas 1026 séries de tempo, com dados mensais abrangendo o período de 1994 a 2015. Estes dados sendo submetidos a tratamentos estatísticos de filtragem, avaliação, aplicação de filtros X-12, HP, CF, FD, realização de testes Cross-Correlation e utilização de modelos ARIMA e PROBIT. Como resultado, elaborou-se um índice (I-MM) para acompanhar em tempo real o desempenho do complexo metalmecânico e três indicadores antecedentes, estes compreendendo uma probabilidade de ocorrência de recessões e expansões para cenários de curto prazo (IACP-MM) e médio prazo (IAMP1-MM, IAMP2-MM). / This study aims, in the approach to real business cycles, draw two composite indicators, antecedent and coincident to the Brazilian metal-mechanic complex. It delimits and is characterized as metal-mechanic complex industrial activities in sections 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30 of CNAE 2.0. The development of indicators was guided through adapting the methodology proposed by the OECD in 2012 for the preparation of composite indicators. According to the routines revealed by this methodology were collected and treated in 1026 time series with monthly data covering the period 1994 to 2015. These data were submitted to statistical treatment filtering and evaluation, application of X-12 filters, HP, CF FD, conducting Cross-Correlation tests using ARIMA models and PROBIT. As a result, produced an index (I-MM) to follow in real time the performance of the metal-mechanic complex and three leading indicators, these comprising a probability of occurrence of an event, which stipulate short-term scenarios (IACP-MM) and medium term (IAMP1-MM, IAMP2-MM)

O setor de transporte automotivo é um dos principais responsáveis pelas emissões de gases nocivos à saúde ou causadores do efeito estufa. Existem inúmeras propostas econômicas para a redução destas emissões, que se dividem basicamente entre regulamentação de emissões e impostos sobre combustível ou veículos. Apresentaremos neste trabalho um esquema de feebate, uma alternativa baseada num mercado de carbono em que um carro que tem emissões de poluentes abaixo de certo nível ganha um subsídio para sua compra, enquanto que outro que apresenta emissões acima paga um imposto. Este esquema é projetado para que no fim, contabilizados o imposto pago e o subsídio oferecido, faça com que o governo não tenha receita, nem despesas com este. Para mostrar sua eficácia, faremos simulações com base em estimações do mercado de automóveis brasileiro do período de 2008 a 2012 usando um modelo de escolhas discretas através de um logit multinomial aninhado, e faremos análises de bem estar. / The automotive transport sector is one of the main responsible for emissions of harmful gases and greenhouse gases. There are numerous economics proposals for reducing these emissions, which are basically divided between emission regulations and taxes on fuel or vehicles. We will present in this work a feebate scheme, an alternative based on a carbon market in which a car that has emissions of pollutants below a certain level gains a subsidy for its purchase, while another that presents emissions above a level pays a tax. This scheme is designed so that at the end, counting the tax paid and the subsidy offered, make the government have no revenue, nor expenses with it. To show its effectiveness, we will make simulations of this scheme based on estimates of the Brazilian auto market from 2008 to 2012 using a discrete choice model with a nested multinomial logit, and we will analise social welfare changes.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Economics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) is of utmost importance for African countries in order to create employment opportunities, reduce poverty and to ensure sustainable economic growth. Despite Africa’s exceptional FDI performance during the past decade, the majority of FDI inflows have been directed to a few selected countries. As investors face many risks when investing in developing countries it is argued that risk perception plays a vital role in the FDI inflows into Africa. This thesis focuses on the relationship between risk and FDI. A structural equation model is used to analyse this relationship with a dataset of ten risk categories and FDI data from 42 African countries. The importance of SEM for this study lies in the capability of modelling data from multiple groups. Hence, the four sectors used comprise metals, automotive, communications and the real estate sector. Overall results indicate that government effectiveness and legal and regulatory risks produce the biggest concern for investors. The conclusion is that there are different risk patterns regarding FDI in Africa. The empirical results further imply that if African countries wish to attract the levels of FDI required to stimulate economic growth, policies are needed to reduce risks in order to create a favourable investment climate for investors. / Thesis (MCom (International Trade))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) is of utmost importance for African countries in order to create employment opportunities, reduce poverty and to ensure sustainable economic growth. Despite Africa’s exceptional FDI performance during the past decade, the majority of FDI inflows have been directed to a few selected countries. As investors face many risks when investing in developing countries it is argued that risk perception plays a vital role in the FDI inflows into Africa. This thesis focuses on the relationship between risk and FDI. A structural equation model is used to analyse this relationship with a dataset of ten risk categories and FDI data from 42 African countries. The importance of SEM for this study lies in the capability of modelling data from multiple groups. Hence, the four sectors used comprise metals, automotive, communications and the real estate sector. Overall results indicate that government effectiveness and legal and regulatory risks produce the biggest concern for investors. The conclusion is that there are different risk patterns regarding FDI in Africa. The empirical results further imply that if African countries wish to attract the levels of FDI required to stimulate economic growth, policies are needed to reduce risks in order to create a favourable investment climate for investors. / Thesis (MCom (International Trade))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

It is increasingly acknowledged that the proper objective of government efforts towards economic development should be aimed at improvements beyond simple measures of growth, poverty and inequality towards richer measures of human well-being. Herein, the economic and non-economic quality of life, as well as the quantity of life, becomes important indicators. Economists and other social planners therefore need to develop more meaningful indicators of the quality of life. Objective and subjective indicators of the quality of life can be distinguished. For various reasons, this thesis will focus on the search for more meaningful objective indicators of the quality of life. One of the most wellknown objective indicators of quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI). There is, however, a growing dissatisfaction with the HDI. In this thesis, two recent methodological advances in the measurement of quality of life are applied and combined and, in particular, in the measurement of the non-economic quality of life, to the sub-national quality of life in South Africa. As such, this thesis’ contribution is twofold. First, it investigates the extent to which the quality of life differs within a developing country, as opposed to most studies that focus on either inter-country differences in quality of life, or studies that focus only on spatial inequalities within countries using a restricted set of measures such as per capita income or poverty rates and headcounts. Secondly, this thesis applies a recent methodology proposed by McGillivray (2005) to isolate the non-economic (non-monetary) quality of life in various composite indices and to focus on the non-economic quality of life across 351 South African magisterial districts Indices for the non-economic quality of life are compiled for geographical quality, for demographic quality, and based on the human development index. Furthermore, given that composite indices used in the construction of measures of quality of life consist of weightings of multiple proxies, this thesis implements the method of Lubotsky and Wittenberg (2006) which proposed a new estimator for the case where multiple proxies are to be used for a single, unobserved variable such as quality of life. This thesis establishes that when the non-economic quality of life of the demographic index is considered, the top ten regions in 1001 were as follows: Pretoria, Johannesburg, Soweto, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Inanda, Pietermaritzburg, Wynberg, Mitchellsplain and Vanderbijlpark. It is important to note that, when interpreting these results, one should take caution since variables such as the number of people, number of households etc. is included in this index and as a region grows in population size the more negative consequences such as a higher crime rate can be associated with the particular region. The top ten regions in which to reside in 1004 as determined by the geography quality of life index were: Calvinia, Gordonia, Namaqualand, Kenhardt, Carnarvon, Ubombo, Williston, Hlabisa, Ceres and Ingwavuma. This geography index measures a region's natural beauty which, according to Wey (2000), contributes positively to one's perceived quality of life. Considering changes in non-economic quality of life indices between 1996 and 2004, the conclusion can he drawn that the South African government has been successful to a certain degree in addressing non-economic quality of life. Social policies such as health care, education, housing, water and sanitation appear to have had a positive effect on people's perceived non-economic quality of life in areas that were relatively deprived in 1996. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Economics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007