This dissertation assesses the evolving structure and performance of the electricity supply industry (ESI) in Queensland following the restructuring and deregulation process undertaken in 1997 and 1998 respectively. This microeconomic reform process essentially replaced a vertically integrated electricity monopoly with an oligopolistic electricity market. In theory at least, restructuring a monopoly generator, and deregulating the product and capacity markets, should lead to lower electricity production costs, more cost-reflective wholesale electricity prices, and a generation plant expansion path that reflects the least-cost, optimal mix of baseload, intermediate and peaking technologies. In economic terms, the deregulated electricity market should deliver improvements in productive, allocative and dynamic efficiency. However, a likely side effect is a deterioration of ESI environmental performance, since the minimization of production costs are of paramount importance in a competitive market. This research has utilized historic data, direct comparisons to southern market outcomes, economic theory and the development and adaptation of a suite of economic cost and generation system simulation models to test the stated hypotheses of expected improvements in productive, allocative and dynamic efficiency, and a deterioration in environmental performance. This research has not had the availability of extensive historical market data upon which to draw. When research first commenced, less than six months of historical market data were available. At the time of completion of this dissertation, only three full financial years of data existed. Consequently, this research necessarily relied upon complex simulation models of economic cost and electricity generation systems, coupled with economic theory, to forecast market outcomes. The short history of market data is examined and tentative conclusions are drawn from this, which are integrated with the outputs of the simulation models. Simulation experiments have been conducted to identify the theoretically optimal market outcome, that is, the least-cost generation plant mix that would best meet the Queensland load curve, subject to a reliability constraint. This forms the 'base case', and represents that which would reasonably be expected to emerge under a centrally planned monopoly regime with a welfare maximization objective, characterised by perfect information and zero political intervention. Such a scenario establishes efficient generation system costs, prices and plant capacity mix. The 'base case' or centrally planned scenario is contrasted with forecast 'market scenarios'. Performance of the generation system is explored under specified scenarios using the economic cost and generation system simulation models, publicly available information about committed and expected future investment in plant capacity, incumbent generator trends and behavioural assumptions consistent with oligopolistic market theories. The analysis indicates that productive efficiency, or cost efficiency, is enhanced as a result of restructuring the monopoly generator into competing entities since competitive pressures force the generators to reduce costs in order to survive. Allocative efficiency, or price efficiency, declined during the first three years of the market, with all generators earning positive economic rents. The presence of these economic rents, coupled with conventional oligopolistic strategies associated with the theory of barriers to entry, resulted in a rush to commission new baseload capacity. Not surprisingly, dynamic efficiency appears to be deteriorating, with the market-induced capacity augmentation proving to be far greater than that considered optimal. Modelling results indicate that the oversupply of baseload capacity is expected to place considerable downward pressure on electricity prices, and thus allocative efficiency is forecast to improve in the intermediate run, much to the benefit of electricity consumers. In the long run, the oversupply of baseload capacity and subsequent low market price can be expected to frustrate the timely entry of new peaking or intermediate plant capacity, which will ultimately be required by the Queensland ESI given the strong electricity demand growth. What does appear to be emerging is a five or seven year electricity generation business cycle. Modelling results from this research also point to alarming environmental implications, with the general levels of greenhouse gas emissions of the electricity system increasing. While system thermal efficiency is declining, the rush of new, low-cost coal-fired capacity represents an inferior outcome to the alternative (i.e. efficient combined cycle gas plant) because the volume of greenhouse emissions is markedly higher. The outlook for Queensland's greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation, in the absence of coincident environmental policies, is that they will more than double between the 1990 emission baseline, and the commencement of the Kyoto commitment period in 2008. Some clear warnings emerge from this research. The structure and performance of an ESI prior to deregulation is important if microeconomic reforms are to be successful. Too little generation capacity or transmission capacity is unlikely to provide a robust foundation for wholesale market implementation. To ensure that adequate competition will prevail, it will be necessary to restructure monopoly generators. The existing ESI needs to be characterised by ‘inefficiency’ if gains from trade are to be capitalized. An efficient centrally planned ESI is unlikely to benefit greatly from deregulation, particularly given that implementing a product market is likely to be a costly process. And finally, competitive markets deliver lowest cost, which is usually inconsistent with the most environmentally responsible outcome. As a result, if the environment is considered a policy imperative, it will be critical that ESI deregulation be complemented by coincident environmental regulations.

Submitted by ELISA ANDRADE (elisajunqueira@gmail.com) on 2015-12-18T12:17:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissert elisa junqueira.pdf: 17066532 bytes, checksum: af02d06d090ce64f869944266d514648 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by GILSON ROCHA MIRANDA (gilson.miranda@fgv.br) on 2016-01-05T12:26:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dissert elisa junqueira.pdf: 17066532 bytes, checksum: af02d06d090ce64f869944266d514648 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2016-01-06T11:22:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dissert elisa junqueira.pdf: 17066532 bytes, checksum: af02d06d090ce64f869944266d514648 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-06T11:23:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissert elisa junqueira.pdf: 17066532 bytes, checksum: af02d06d090ce64f869944266d514648 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-25 / This paper seeks to examine elements that have impact in the profitability of companies who have benefited with BNDES’ program focused on developing Brazilian’s software and IT services industry. The analysis of profitability pervades a number of studies in Brazil and abroad and is of utmost importance for constructing effective public policies. The criteria for the evaluation included different microeconomic aspects, like accounting information, employment, companies’ location and operating segment, among others, using panel data method. Among the results obtained, one can highlight the positive impact of employee's school background, former year’s profitability, the greater return of smaller firms when compared to bigger ones. Companies focused on hardware showed lower profitability, as did the ones with more employees. Evidence also suggested that signing a financing contract with the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) decreased companies’ profits, which were later benefited, as of implementing the project. / Este estudo objetiva analisar fatores que impactam a lucratividade de companhias beneficiadas com o Programa para Desenvolvimento da Indústria Nacional de Software e Serviços de TI – BNDES PROSOFT. A análise da lucratividade permeia diversos estudos no país e no exterior e é de suma importância para a realização de políticas públicas de qualidade. Para a avaliação, foram elencados diferentes aspectos microeconômicos, incluindo informações contábeis, de emprego, localização da empresa, segmento de atuação, entre outros, utilizando a metodologia de dados em painel. Dentre os resultados obtidos, pode-se destacar o impacto positivo do nível da escolaridade da equipe, lucratividade observada no exercício anterior, maior retorno das empresas menores frente às de maior porte. Houve penalidade no lucro daquelas companhias voltadas para fabricação de hardware, com equipes maiores. Constatou-se, também, um decréscimo no lucro de empresas no ano em que contrataram financiamentos com o BNDES, estas que foram posteriormente beneficiadas, no momento da implantação do projeto.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:22:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 66060100160.pdf: 264806 bytes, checksum: 46a9836f17569699b2c28fa360834deb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-02-26T00:00:00Z / The purpose of this work is to study, in the context of an agenda for microeconomic changes, what are the influences that a law, in special the Bankruptcy Law, can have in an economy. Since Brazil had undergone many macroeconomic changes in the 90’s, but that were not yet visible as changes in social equality in the country, there appeared what was called the “lost agenda”. Included in this agenda for microeconomic changes was the introduction of a new bankruptcy law that allowed creditors to recover the capital that they had lent, in case of insolvency or Judicial Recuperation. We try to asses here if this new law was capable or not of causing changes in Brazilian bank spread, due to a possible risk reduction. / Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar, dentro da agenda de reformas microeconômicas, quais as influências que uma lei, especialmente a lei de falências, pode gerar na economia. Uma vez que o Brasil havia atravessado diversas reformas macroeconômicas nos anos 90, mas que ainda não eram visíveis enquanto mudanças na igualdade social do país, estabeleceu-se o que foi chamado de "agenda perdida". Dentro dessa agenda, de reformas microeconômicas, estava a introdução de uma nova lei de falências, que permitisse aos credores terem acesso ao seu capital emprestado no caso de insolvência ou recuperação de uma empresa. Tentamos aqui avaliar se essa nova lei foi ou não capaz de causar mudanças no spread bancário brasileiro, dada uma possível redução no risco.

This thesis consists of three essays in the field of information economics. The first essay studies manipulation of information by partisan media. The recent increase in partisan media has generated interest in what drives media outlets to become more partisan. I develop a model to study the role of diffusion of information by word of mouth. In the model, a media outlet designs an information policy, which specifies the level of partisan slant in the outlet’s news reports. The news spread via a communication chain in a population of agents with heterogeneous preferences. The slant has an impact on whether the agents find the news credible and on their incentives to pass the news to others. The analysis elucidates how partisanship of media can be driven by political polarisation of the public and by the tendency of people to interact with people with similar political views. The second essay, co-authored by Jakub Redlicki, investigates falsification of scientific evidence by interest groups. We analyse a game between a biased sender (an interest group) and a decision maker (a policy maker) where the former can falsify scientific evidence at a cost. The sender observes scientific evidence and knows that it will also be observed by the decision maker unless he falsifies it. If he falsifies, then there is a chance that the decision maker observes the falsified evidence rather than the true scientific evidence. First, we investigate the decision maker’s incentives to privately acquire independent evidence, which not only provides additional information to her but can also strengthen or weaken the sender’s falsification effort. Second, we analyse the decision maker’s incentives to acquire information from the sender. The third essay analyses competition between interest groups for access to a policy maker. I study a model of lobbying in which two privately-informed experts (e.g., interest groups) with opposite goals compete for the opportunity to communicate with a policy maker. The main objective is to analyse the benefits which competition for access brings to the policy maker as opposed to hiring an expert in advance. I show that competition for access is advantageous in that it provides the policy maker with some information about the expert who did not gain access and gives the experts an incentive to invest in their communication skills. On the other hand, hiring an expert in advance allows the policy maker to use a monetary reward to incentivise the expert to invest more in his communication skills.

The aim of the graduation theses is the description of choice models using in microeconomics and their validation in real market situations.

El objetivo principal de la presente tesis tiene como fin conocer si los factores microeconómicos y comerciales, fueron los que han impulsado la importación de productos hidrobiológicos: tilapia y jurel congelado y atún enlatado para el consumo humano directo al Perú entre los años 2012 al 2019. Dentro de los factores microeconómicos se analizaron variables como el precio, los márgenes de ganancia y la calidad. Para los factores comerciales se analizaron variables como oferta, demanda y preferencias del consumidor. Se buscó antecedentes que respalden estas variables con el fin de conocer los factores que han causado este fenómeno. Para la realización de dicha investigación el estudio tuvo un enfoque mixto secuencial, por lo cual tiene una parte cualitativa y otra cuantitativa. Por el lado cualitativo, se realizaron entrevistas a profundidad semi estructuradas a actores relevantes de la industria de hidrobiológicos. Para la parte cuantitativa, se recabó información a través de encuestas a otros actores involucrados en la misma industria. Finalmente, luego del análisis realizado, se concluyó que los factores antes mencionados fueron los que impulsaron el aumento de la importación de productos hidrobiológicos. Además, gracias a esta investigación se encontraron hallazgos relevantes para el sector. / The main objective of this thesis is to know if the microeconomic and commercial factors were the ones that have boosted the importation of hydrobiological products: jack mackerel and frozen tilapia and canned tuna for direct human consumption to Peru between years 2012 to 2019. Within the microeconomic factors, variables such as price, profit margins and quality will be analyzed. For commercial factors, variables such as offer, demand and consumer preferences will be analyzed. Background information was sought to support these variables in order to know the factors that have caused this phenomenon. To carry out this research, the study had a mixed sequential approach, which is why it has a qualitative and a quantitative part. On the qualitative side, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with relevant actors in the hydrobiological industry. For the quantitative part, information was collected through perception surveys to other actors involved in the same industry. Finally, after the analysis carried out, it was concluded that the aforementioned factors were the ones that drove the increase in the import of hydrobiological products. In addition, thanks to this research, relevant findings for the sector were found. / Tesis

No / This important and highly original book explores the application of economics to the subject of hate via such diverse topics as war, terrorism, road rage, witchcraft mania, marriage and divorce, and bullying and harassment.

Most of mining operations in Indonesia use open pit mine methods, with truck and shovel system and a large amount of manpower. The mining industry plays an important role contributed to the national economy and development in Indonesia, otherwise the mine accidents become as sensitive issue or problem. The main cause of mine accidents is still dominant of the low safety awarenesses and accountabilities, and also improperly cost spent on the occupational health and safety (OSH) programs. This thesis describes the concept behind the return on prevention and workers‟ perception descriptive analyses of the occupational health and safety in relation to improve safety performances. The proactive action plan related to accidents prevention is as an essential step of the risk management processes. Participation and intervention for all employees are important and urgent, especially for the frontline workers, which are crucial in achieving good safety performances with financial support properly. The main objective of this study evaluates of the workers‟ perception and cost spent on the occupational health and safety program at the companies in relation to accident prevention efforts. In general, the several objectives are described to evaluate of the mine accident rates, the validity and reliability tests of the questionnaires, workers relationships and suggestions, interviews, observations, and the OSH cost effectiveness. The methods of this study are assessed by the descriptive statistical analysis approaches of the return on prevention with the microeconomic model of the net present value, internal rate of return, and cost benefit analysis to justify the benefits return and the break even point and interventions directly according to the workers‟ perception through questionnaire, interview, and observation. The methodology is assessed by the gathering data obtained from the companies through the surveys of the questionnaire, interview, observation, and the money expenses in the occupational health and safety for the workers. The valuation methods are used by the degree of significance of 95%, margin of error 5%, with total number of respondents are 1,600 persons as sampling which representation of the four surface coal mine companies in Indonesia. The seven elements are a basic assessment approached of the training and education, personal protective equipment, preventive medical check up, employment injury insurance, improvement existing technology, signalization, and organization. The result shows the advantages using these analyses which described the importance of the money invested on OSH and effectiveness of interventions by worker‟s perception in order to prevent accidents at workplace. The effectiveness of interventions to the environment working conditions and workers mindsets directly. The OSH cost invested for workers, in general, will triggers the work performances to be better, and then the occupational health and safety in a strong position to achieve the goals of the company. Improvement safety awareness and accountability of workers shall reduce or prevent accidents at work, and the company should be invested money in the OSH program with the minimum amount is US $ 207.17 per employee or US $ 0.12 per ton of coal produced. The investment of the people and money properly shall give significant impacts in preventing accidents to achieve zero accident vision in order to protect people, property, process and profit of the company for short or long term benefits, and will also give a good images for sustainable in mining business.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:17:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernando Daniel Garcia Fontaneti.pdf: 1193004 bytes, checksum: 1c703fe842b689f430da47dd82443658 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-03 / Many studies in behavioral analysis have been making use of concepts derived from the microeconomic theory of consumer demand to analyze and interpret the data obtained or simply to put the research problem forward. The present study intended to show how such concepts have been incorporated by behavior analysis in order to identify what types of approaches have been made between the two areas and what possibilities they have indicated for the development of one or both areas. Making use of key words commonly found in the consumer demand theory, a survey of articles which used concepts of the consumer demand theory was conducted in 4 journals: JEAB, JABA, Psychological Review and Behavioural Processes. 77 texts were selected for the reading of abstracts and a general characterization of the articles followed, aiming to identify the principal researchers, institutions, types of articles and, for the researches, their types (basic, applied or historic / methodological / conceptual). Among the 77 articles, a new selection was carried out for the complete reading of the articles, being 28 articles selected, which were then, read, described and classified into 5 categories, as follow: a) studies which measure the demand for reinforcers as a function of cost changes; b) studies which measure the demand for reinforcers using the concept of unit-price and/or verify how well the demand function proposed by Hursh, Raslear, Shurtfeff, Bauman e Simmons (1988) accounted for the data obtained; c) studies about the relative strength of reinforcers (relative preference) based upon their demand curves; d) experimental studies regarding changes in income; e) studies with panel data. The results of this study show the evident importance of the economic approach for the behavioral analysis, besides demonstrating, apart from restrictions, the validity of concepts of economic theory in so far as individual behavior, whether with humans or infra-humans / Muitos estudos em análise do comportamento têm utilizado conceitos derivados da teoria microeconômica da demanda do consumidor para a análise e interpretação dos dados obtidos ou, mesmo, para a colocação do problema de pesquisa. O presente trabalho pretendeu verificar como tais conceitos têm sido incorporados pela análise do comportamento, de modo a identificar que tipos de aproximações têm sido feitas entre as duas áreas e que possibilidades elas têm apontado para o avanço de uma ou ambas as áreas. Utilizando-se de palavras-chaves comumente presentes na teoria da demanda do consumidor, foi realizado levantamento de artigos que utilizaram conceitos da teoria da demanda do consumidor em 4 periódicos: JEAB, JABA, Psychological Review e Behavioural Processes. 77 textos foram selecionados para leitura de abstracts, e foi feita a caracterização geral dos estudos, buscando-se identificar principais pesquisadores, instituições, tipos de artigo e, para os relatos de pesquisa, seus tipos (básica, aplicada ou histórica / metodológica / conceitual). Dentre os 77 textos, procedeu-se a nova seleção para leitura completa dos artigos, tendo sido selecionados 28 artigos, que foram, então, lidos, descritos e classificados em 5 categorias, a saber: a) estudos que medem a demanda por em função de variações no custo; b) estudos que medem a demanda por reforçadores, utilizando-se do conceito de preço-unitário (unit price) e/ou verificam o poder explicativo da função geral da demanda nos moldes propostos por Hursh, Raslear, Shurtfeff, Bauman e Simmons (1988); c) estudos sobre força relativa de reforçadores (preferência relativa) a partir de suas curvas de demanda; d) estudos experimentais levando-se em conta variações na renda; e) estudos com painel. O resultado deste estudo aponta para a clara importância da abordagem econômica para a análise do comportamento, além de demonstrar, ainda que com restrições, a validade de conceitos da teoria econômica no âmbito do comportamento individual, seja com humanos ou infra-humanos

In interference-limited wireless networks, interference management techniques are important in order to improve the performance of the systems. Given that spectrum and energy are scarce resources in these networks, techniques that exploit the resources efficiently are desired. We consider a set of base stations operating concurrently in the same spectral band. Each base station is equipped with multiple antennas and transmits data to a single-antenna mobile user. This setting corresponds to the multiple-input single-output (MISO) interference channel (IFC). The receivers are assumed to treat interference signals as noise. Moreover, each transmitter is assumed to know the channels between itself and all receivers perfectly. We study the conflict between the transmitter-receiver pairs (links) using models from game theory and microeconomic theory. These models provide solutions to resource allocation problems which in our case correspond to the joint beamforming design at the transmitters. Our interest lies in solutions that are Pareto optimal. Pareto optimality ensures that it is not further possible to improve the performance of any link without reducing the performance of another link. Strategic games in game theory determine the noncooperative choice of strategies of the players. The outcome of a strategic game is a Nash equilibrium. While the Nash equilibrium in the MISO IFC is generally not efficient, we characterize the necessary null-shaping constraints on the strategy space of each transmitter such that the Nash equilibrium outcome is Pareto optimal. An arbitrator is involved in this setting which dictates the constraints at each transmitter. In contrast to strategic games, coalitional games provide cooperative solutions between the players. We study cooperation between the links via coalitional games without transferable utility. Cooperative beamforming schemes considered are either zero forcing transmission or Wiener filter precoding. We characterize the necessary and sufficient conditions under which the core of the coalitional game with zero forcing transmission is not empty. The core solution concept specifies the strategies with which all players have the incentive to cooperate jointly in a grand coalition. While the core only considers the formation of the grand coalition, coalition formation games study coalition dynamics. We utilize a coalition formation algorithm, called merge-and-split, to determine stable link grouping. Numerical results show that while in the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime noncooperation between the links is efficient, at high SNR all links benefit in forming a grand coalition. Coalition formation shows its significance in the mid SNR regime where subset link cooperation provides joint performance gains. We use the models of exchange and competitive market from microeconomic theory to determine Pareto optimal equilibria in the two-user MISO IFC. In the exchange model, the links are represented as consumers that can trade goods within themselves. The goods in our setting correspond to the parameters of the beamforming vectors necessary to achieve all Pareto optimal points in the utility region. We utilize the conflict representation of the consumers in the Edgeworth box, a graphical tool that depicts the allocation of the goods for the two consumers, to provide closed-form solution to all Pareto optimal outcomes. The exchange equilibria are a subset of the points on the Pareto boundary at which both consumers achieve larger utility then at the Nash equilibrium. We propose a decentralized bargaining process between the consumers which starts at the Nash equilibrium and ends at an outcome arbitrarily close to an exchange equilibrium. The design of the bargaining process relies on a systematic study of the allocations in the Edgeworth box. In comparison to the exchange model, a competitive market additionally defines prices for the goods. The equilibrium in this economy is called Walrasian and corresponds to the prices that equate the demand to the supply of goods. We calculate the unique Walrasian equilibrium and propose a coordination process that is realized by the arbitrator which distributes the Walrasian prices to the consumers. The consumers then calculate in a decentralized manner their optimal demand corresponding to beamforming vectors that achieve the Walrasian equilibrium. This outcome is Pareto optimal and lies in the set of exchange equilibria. In this thesis, based on the game theoretic and microeconomic models, efficient beamforming strategies are proposed that jointly improve the performance of the systems. The gained results are applicable in interference-limited wireless networks requiring either coordination from the arbitrator or direct cooperation between the transmitters.