Recent breakthroughs within technology and data science have initiated talks of a new emerging industrial revolution, being the fourth of its kind. This revolution, titled as Industry 4.0, implies further digitalization with AI and machine learning helping pave the way for improved robotic interconnection, decentralized decisions and linking the physical world with the virtual world. An important enabler for the transformation is 5G which will allow higher data speed, lower latency of communication, and improved network resilience, compared to its precursor 4G. That being said, a successful 5G rollout and adoption is not an easy task, especially for low-middle income countries. The 5G technology and the innovations it enables, could act as major economical catalysts for these countries and thus it is important to understand the potential barriers they are facing. To help clarify the matter, this study included a conduction of semi-structured interviews with some of the most important actors in the Malaysian 5G ecosystem. The ambition was to uncover the biggest barriers impeding the adoption of 5G technologies, as well as key enabling factors accelerating it. The results showed that low fibre infrastructure development, obscure pricing of 5G spectrum, high trait of complexity among 5G technology and associated innovations, customer unawareness, potential hampering of innovation due to a Single Wholesale Network approach (SWN), and a “Chicken or Egg”-dilemma between infrastructure providers and 5G application providers, represent the main barriers for a successful 5G implementation in Malaysia. At the same time, enabling factors such as a strong governmental backing, increased demand amongst end-users, high competitiveness of the telecommunication industry, and the SWN potentially mitigating the "Chicken or Egg"-dilemma were also identified and presented. An external validity assessment showed that most of the barriers could also be applied to neighbouring countries within the Southeast Asia region, providing practical implications for policy makers and industry actors working with the adoption of 5G technology within low-middle income countries. / De senaste genombrotten inom teknik och datavetenskap har föranlett diskussioner om närmandet av en ny industriell revolution, som blir den fjärde av sitt slag. Denna revolution som har fått tituleringen ”Industry 4.0”, väntas innebära ytterligare framsteg inom digitalisering med hjälp av AI och maskininlärning, vilket banar vägen för förbättrad robotkoppling, decentraliserade beslut och sammanlänkning av den fysiska och virtuella världen. En viktig delkomponent för denna transformation är 5G som väntas möjliggöra högre datahastighet, lägre kommunikationsfördröjning och förbättrad nätverkselasticitet jämfört mot sin föregångare 4G. En framgångsrik utrullning av 5G är dock inte en lätt uppgift, särskilt för låg- och medelinkomstländer. Tekniken bakom 5G och de innovationer den möjliggör, kan agera viktiga ekonomiska katalysatorer för dessa länder och därför blir det viktigt att förstå de potentiella hinder som de står inför. För att bättre förstå problemet genomfördes i den här studien semistrukturerade intervjuer med några av de viktigaste aktörerna i Malaysias 5G-ekosystem. Ambitionen var att avslöja de största hindren som hämmar införandet av 5G-teknik, samt viktiga möjliggörande faktorer som påskyndar denna process. Resultaten visade att låg fiberutveckling, oviss prissättning av 5G-spektrum, hög komplexitet bland 5G-teknik och tillhörande innovationer, kundomedvetenhet, potentiella innovationshämningar till följd av en ”Single Wholesale Network”-strategi (SWN) samt ett "Kyckling eller ägg"-dilemma mellan infrastrukturleverantörer och leverantörer av 5G-applikationer, utgör de främsta barriärerna för en framgångsrik 5G-utrullning i Malaysia. Samtidigt identifierades de viktigaste möjliggörande faktorerna som statligt stöd, ökad efterfrågan bland slutanvändare, den höga konkurrenskraften inom telekommunikationsindustrin samt SWN-strategins potentiellt positiva påverkan på "Kyckling eller ägg"-dilemmat. En extern validitetsbedömning visade att de flesta av barriärerna även kunde tillämpas på närliggande inom Sydostasien, vilket genererade praktiska implikationer för beslutsfattare och branschaktörer som arbetar med införandet av 5G-teknik inom låg-och medelinkomstländer.

Aim: The aim of this work was to broaden the understating of the role of parental engagement and learning materials at home, in promoting high cognitive and social emotional development. The study assessed the connection between maternal and paternal engagement, having 3 or more books and 2 or more types of playthings, towards the cognitive and social-emotional development of children. Methods: Data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) was used, involving 2517 children in Zimbabwe. Unadjusted logistic regression was conducted to assess the possible confounders. Logistic regression was performed between parental engagement, children having 3 or more books and 2 or more types of playthings, towards the outcome of interest. Results: The results indicate that 91% of the children acquired high cognitive development and 63.4% social emotional. There has not been a significant association between maternal engagement and children’s cognitive or social-emotional development. Similarly, no correlation was found between paternal engagement and children’s development. Nevertheless, households having 3 or more books, reported increased odds of children having high cognitive development and lower odds of social-emotional development. Similarly, children with 2 or more types of playthings, depicted a positive association for social-emotional growth, whereas cognitive development decreased further. Conclusion: The association between having 3 or more books and 2 or more types of playthings remained significant, although parental engagement was insignificant. Future research on parenting practices in different cultural contexts is suggested, concerning the developmental status of children. In addition, more developmental, age-related assessment items are needed.

In 2001 the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (‘Doha Declaration’), affirmed the right of member states of the World Trade Organisation (‘WTO’) to interpret and implement the TRIPS Agreement as supportive of the protection of public health and, in particular, access to medicines. While initially well-received, consternation soon arose over the interpretation of a specific paragraph in the Doha Declaration dealing with compulsory licensing. After a further two years of deliberation, the WTO Decision on the Interpretation of Paragraph 6 (‘Paragraph-6 Decision’) was announced in August 2003 specifying when countries can import drugs produced elsewhere under compulsory licence. With one third of the world's population is still denied access to essential medicines - a figure which rises to over 50 per cent in Asia and Africa - the problems facing the public health community are two-fold. The first is the capacity of developing countries (‘DCs’) actually to use the flexibilities afforded under the TRIPS Agreement, the Doha Declaration, and the Paragraph- 6 Decision amid stark inequalities in health resources and the world trading system as a whole. These include provisions for compulsory licensing, parallel importation, and addressing imbalances in research and development (‘R&D’). The pending ratification of the Paragraph-6 Decision, from an interim solution to a permanent amendment, is accompanied by considerable uncertainty: will the protections be accessible under the system currently proposed? The second problem concerns the undermining of the above hard-won flexibilities by provisions adopted under various bilateral and regional trade agreements. Known as ‘TRIPS-plus’- or ‘WTO-plus’- measures, the level of intellectual property rights (‘IPRs’) rights protection being negotiated and even adopted under other trade agreements are more restrictive as regards public health protection. These two sources of concern have led to an increase in rather than a lessening of tensions between the public health and trade policy communities. The thesis opens with a brief analysis of the interplay between patents and medicines. This includes an overview of the human rights framework and the right of access to medicines as a manifestation of human rights. The historical development of the TRIPS Agreement, its legitimacy, and the effect of the introduction of patents for pharmaceuticals are critically analysed. The terms of the Doha Declaration as it relates to public health, the Paragraph-6 Decision and its system, the December 2005 Amendment, and the progress made to date on the public health protections available under the TRIPS Agreement are reviewed and discussed in detail. The thesis describes how, despite these important clarifications, concerns as to the capacity of DCs to implement specific measures persist. This thesis further addresses the development of compulsory licensing in India and South Africa, and the legal framework for compulsory licensing in these countries. The role of competition law and constraints faced by DCs in implementing the flexibilities offered by the TRIPS Agreement and Doha Declaration are considered before turning to the threat posed by TRIPS-plus measures and calls for their critical reassessment. The thesis considers the role of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG), the WHO Commission on IPRs, Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH), Patent Pools, and international and multilateral donors in access to medicines. The thesis concludes by reviewing potential ways forward to ensure that access to medicines by the poor living in DCs is secured in all trade agreements. / Mercantile Law / LL.D.

In 2001 the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (‘Doha Declaration’), affirmed the right of member states of the World Trade Organisation (‘WTO’) to interpret and implement the TRIPS Agreement as supportive of the protection of public health and, in particular, access to medicines. While initially well-received, consternation soon arose over the interpretation of a specific paragraph in the Doha Declaration dealing with compulsory licensing. After a further two years of deliberation, the WTO Decision on the Interpretation of Paragraph 6 (‘Paragraph-6 Decision’) was announced in August 2003 specifying when countries can import drugs produced elsewhere under compulsory licence. With one third of the world's population is still denied access to essential medicines - a figure which rises to over 50 per cent in Asia and Africa - the problems facing the public health community are two-fold. The first is the capacity of developing countries (‘DCs’) actually to use the flexibilities afforded under the TRIPS Agreement, the Doha Declaration, and the Paragraph- 6 Decision amid stark inequalities in health resources and the world trading system as a whole. These include provisions for compulsory licensing, parallel importation, and addressing imbalances in research and development (‘R&D’). The pending ratification of the Paragraph-6 Decision, from an interim solution to a permanent amendment, is accompanied by considerable uncertainty: will the protections be accessible under the system currently proposed? The second problem concerns the undermining of the above hard-won flexibilities by provisions adopted under various bilateral and regional trade agreements. Known as ‘TRIPS-plus’- or ‘WTO-plus’- measures, the level of intellectual property rights (‘IPRs’) rights protection being negotiated and even adopted under other trade agreements are more restrictive as regards public health protection. These two sources of concern have led to an increase in rather than a lessening of tensions between the public health and trade policy communities. The thesis opens with a brief analysis of the interplay between patents and medicines. This includes an overview of the human rights framework and the right of access to medicines as a manifestation of human rights. The historical development of the TRIPS Agreement, its legitimacy, and the effect of the introduction of patents for pharmaceuticals are critically analysed. The terms of the Doha Declaration as it relates to public health, the Paragraph-6 Decision and its system, the December 2005 Amendment, and the progress made to date on the public health protections available under the TRIPS Agreement are reviewed and discussed in detail. The thesis describes how, despite these important clarifications, concerns as to the capacity of DCs to implement specific measures persist. This thesis further addresses the development of compulsory licensing in India and South Africa, and the legal framework for compulsory licensing in these countries. The role of competition law and constraints faced by DCs in implementing the flexibilities offered by the TRIPS Agreement and Doha Declaration are considered before turning to the threat posed by TRIPS-plus measures and calls for their critical reassessment. The thesis considers the role of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG), the WHO Commission on IPRs, Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH), Patent Pools, and international and multilateral donors in access to medicines. The thesis concludes by reviewing potential ways forward to ensure that access to medicines by the poor living in DCs is secured in all trade agreements. / Mercantile Law / LL.D.