This bachelor’s thesis examines the relationship between economic freedom and political freedom on economic growth. The main purpose of the thesis is to analyze the differences in how these freedom categories affect growth in per capita GDP using two data sets for OECD countries and middle-income countries, respectively. The analysis builds on a cross-national panel set of 72 countries for the period 2000-2019, i.e., 36 countries in each group. The findings show that gross capital formation, foreign direct investment and general government final consumption have had positive and statistically significant effects on economic growth in OECD countries during the above period. There is also a statistically significant and positive relationship between economic freedom and per capita GDP growth among the OECD countries while this was not the case for the degree of political freedom. The results also indicate that economic freedom is positively related to per capita GDP growth in middle-income countries, but this relationship was not statistically significant. Thus, my main conclusions is that there is a positive relationship between economic freedom and per capita GDP growth, at least in the OECD group. However, political freedom does not appear to help explain economic growth rates among middle-income countries. / Denna kandidatuppsats undersöker sambandet mellan ekonomisk frihet, politisk frihet och tillväxten i BNP per capita. Huvudsyftet med denna uppsats är att analysera skillnaderna i hur dessa frihets kategorier påverkar tillväxt i BNP per capita med hjälp av två datamängder för OECD-länder respektive medelinkomstländer. Analysen bygger på en paneldataanalys med 72 länder för tidsperioden 2000–2019, det vill säga 36 länder i vardera grupp. Slutsatserna visar att inhemska bruttoinvesteringar, utländska direktinvesteringar och offentlig konsumtion hade en positiv och statistiskt avgörande effekt på den ekonomiska tillväxten i OECD-länderna under den givna tidsperioden. Det fanns även ett statistiskt signifikant och positivt samband mellan ekonomisk frihet och tillväxt i BNP per capita bland OECD-länderna medan detta inte var fallet för graden av politisk frihet. Resultaten indikerar också att ekonomisk frihet är positivt relaterad till tillväxt i BNP per capita i medelinkomstländer, dock var detta samband inte statistiskt signifikant. Således är mina huvudsakliga slutsatser att det finns ett positivt samband mellan ekonomisk frihet och tillväxt i BNP per capita, åtminstone i OECD gruppen. Men politisk frihet verkar inte hjälpa till att förklara den ekonomiska tillväxttakten i medelinkomstländer.

Politische Entscheidungsträger sind zunehmend besorgt über die hohe und steigende Einkommens- und Vermögensungleichheit weltweit (Kanbur, 2019; Wood, 2018). Ein wesentlicher Faktor ist die ungleiche Verteilung von Bildung und produktiven Fähigkeiten innerhalb von Gesellschaften sowie zwischen Ländern (Martin, 2018; Stijn et al., 2019). Die Förderung von benachteiligten Bevölkerungsgruppen neue Kompetenzen zu erwerben ist daher ein wichtiger politischer Hebel zur Bekämpfung von Ungleichheiten (OECD, 2019). Diese Dissertation liefert neue Erkenntnisse darüber, wie Trainingsmaßnahmen gestaltet werden können, um das wirtschaftliche Wohlergehen von Teilnehmer effektiv zu verbessern. Auf der Grundlage kontrafaktischer Wirkungsevaluierungen wird in den vier Kapiteln die Effektivität von Trainingsmaßnahmen in drei zentralen Politikbereichen analysiert: berufliche Fähigkeiten, Unternehmertum und finanzielle Bildung. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, wie wichtig es ist, zielgerichtete und maßgeschneiderte Maßnahmen zu entwickeln, welche gleichzeitig auf verschiedene Bedürfnisse, Einschränkungen und Chancen von geringer-qualifizierten, benachteiligten Personen eingehen. / Policymakers are increasingly concerned about high and rising inequality of earnings and wealth globally (Kanbur, 2019; Wood, 2018). One key driver is the unequal distribution of productive skills within societies and across countries (Martin, 2018; Stijn et al., 2019). Improving opportunities for disadvantaged population groups to acquire new skills, therefore, presents an important policy lever to tackle inequalities (OECD, 2019). This thesis provides new evidence on how to design skills trainings that effectively improve participants’ economic well-being. Based on counterfactual impact evaluations, the four chapters assess the effectiveness of training pro-grams in three core policy areas: vocational skills, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. The findings demonstrate the importance of designing well-targeted and tailored interventions that simultaneously address the multi-faceted needs, constraints, and opportunities faced by lower-skilled, disadvantaged individuals.

In the literature, some studies argue that affluence and the financial sector encourages low-carbon investments which result in lower emissions while others find that they enhance emissions. Contemporary studies barely consider agriculture, employment generation and the degree of financial development as determinants of emissions. In view of these, the thesis investigates the impact of economic and financial development on CO2 emissions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Applying the EKC and STIRPAT framework, the study modelled three functional forms which were estimated using an unbalanced panel data of 45 SSA countries by employing static and dynamic analytical methods. The models were re-estimated for 24 low (LIC), 13 lower-middle (LMIC), six upper-middle (UMIC) and two high-income countries (HIC). The study found evidence that empirical results differ in terms of the (sub-) sample of countries, estimation methods and functional forms. In detail, the study found different CO2 emissions-economic development relationships for the income groups. However, there is evidence of a linkage between later developments of the economies with lower emissions in LIC and UMIC while this linkage does not exist in LMIC and HIC. The study also found that financial development lowers CO2 in UMIC while it enhances emissions in LIC, LMIC and HIC. Despite this, there is evidence of a linkage between later developments of financial sectors with higher emissions in LIC and HIC and a linkage between later developments of financial sectors with lower CO2 in UMIC in SSA meanwhile no linkage was found for LMIC. The study concludes that not all economic development increases the level of CO2 emissions and not all financial development limits CO2 emissions in SSA during the study period. Generally, the main contributory variables to CO2 emissions are income, trade openness, energy consumption, population density and domestic credit to private sector to GDP. The main reducing factors of CO2 emissions are agriculture and official exchange rate. The thesis recommends that SSA needs to be more responsive to a cleaner CO2 environment by moving away from the conduct of unclean development strategy to intensified green investments. / Economics / D. Phil. (Economics)

This study examined the effect of real exchange rate misalignments on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by employing 15 countries. The sample is subdivided into 7 lowincome countries and 8 middle-income countries. The dataset spans 41 years covering the period 1970-2010. The study examined this broad issue in piecewise fashion. In the first part, the study examined the validity of the Balassa-Samuelson Hypothesis (BSH) using a simplified regression model and within-effects estimations. The study found a negative and highly significant coefficient of the relative productivity term for the two subsamples (i.e. low-income SSA countries and middle-income SSA countries), in addition to the full sample. Thus, the study found a well-established BSH for the SSA countries considered. Second, the study examined the impact of the real exchange rate undervaluation on economic growth using a standard regression model with key control variables. The study constructed an index of undervaluation, following Rodrik (2008). The study also constructed a Hodrick- Prescott based undervaluation index in order to evaluate the robustness of the main undervaluation index. Generally, the study found undervaluation to promote growth and overvaluation to reduce it. The study found the effect of undervaluation on economic growth to weaken as countries migrate from the low-income bracket to the middle-income bracket. Moreover, the study examined whether the choice of the undervaluation measure mattered. The study found the choice of the undervaluation measure to matter. The Rodrik-type index appeared to overestimate the size of the impact of undervaluation on economic growth. Finally, the study examined whether the impact of undervaluation on growth was linear. The evidence showed that the impact of undervaluation on growth was linear, at least, for this study. The linear impact of real exchange rate movements on economic growth implied that undervaluation enhanced economic growth just as overvaluation hindered it. / Economics / D. Phil. (Economics)

En Haïti, la sécurité routière est un problème de santé publique important, causant plus de blessés et de morts que le système de santé du pays ne peut prendre en charge. Afin d’améliorer la sécurité routière, des stratégies de transfert de connaissances (TC) sont nécessaires pour promouvoir l’élaboration de politiques basées sur les connaissances issues de la recherche (CIR). Une stratégie de TC a été élaborée pour partager avec des acteurs clés les résultats de trois récentes études sur la sécurité routière en Haïti. L’objectif de la présente recherche était d’évaluer l’appréciation, le contenu et l’impact sur l’utilisation des connaissances de cette stratégie. L’étude a utilisé un devis mixte, employant deux questionnaires quantitatifs (n = 13/16) deux à trois mois après un atelier délibératif au coeur de la stratégie et des entretiens qualitatifs (n = 12/16) ont été menés sept à neuf mois post-atelier. L’atelier a généralement été apprécié par les participants, notamment pour la qualité des données présentées et pour son approche multidisciplinaire. Cependant, ils ont été déçus par l’absence de décideurs, et par le nombre et la variété limités de parties prenantes présentes. Même si les participants ont rapporté une forte volonté d’utiliser les connaissances présentées, l’atelier a eu un effet limité sur leur utilisation. Cette étude met en évidence le potentiel des ateliers délibératifs intégrés à une stratégie de TC dans les pays à revenu faible et intermédiaire, ainsi que l’importance d’inclure les décideurs dans le processus. Cette recherche aboutie à une série de recommandations pour de futurs ateliers, afin d’augmenter leur impact sur l’utilisation des connaissances et de promouvoir la prise de décision basée sur des CIR. / In Haiti, road safety is an important public health issue, causing more deaths and injuries that the country’s health system can provide for. Knowledge transfer (KT) strategies are needed to promote evidence-based policy-making (EBDM) to improve road safety. A KT strategy was developed to share with key actors the results of three recent studies about road safety in Haiti. The present research’s purpose was to evaluate the appreciation, the content, and the impact on knowledge use by key actors of this KT strategy. This research used a mixed-method design, using quantitative questionnaires (n = 13/16) two to three months following the workshop at the center of this strategy, and qualitative interviews (n = 12/16) seven to nine months post-workshop. The workshop was generally appreciated by participants, especially for the quality of the data presented and its multidisciplinary approach. However, they were disappointed by the absence of decision-makers and by the limited number and variety of stakeholders present. Even though the participants reported a strong will to do so, the workshop had limited effect on knowledge use. This study highlighted the potential of deliberative workshops as a knowledge transfer strategy in LMICs, as well as the importance to include policy-makers in the process. This research also resulted in certain recommendations for future workshops, in the objective of increasing knowledge use and of promoting evidence-based decision-making.

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.