The main goal of this thesis is to provide a sociologically informed analysis of tax avoidance and tax evasion in contemporary Mexico and Sweden, focusing particular attention on the explanatory role of social networks, social interactions, and positive feedback mechanisms. Two major data sources are used: (1) A panel dataset that includes all persons, 16 years or older, who resided in Stockholm County during at least one of the years 1990 to 2003 (N=1,967,993). The dataset includes detailed information on the socio-demographic characteristics, kinship networks, and criminal offences of these individuals; (2) A random sample of 36,949 firms that appeared in the Mexican Federal Register of Taxpayers for the year 2002. The records of the Mexican Federal Administrative Fiscal Tribunal provided data on all types of tax claims appealed before them during the 2002-2008 period. A variety of approaches and techniques are used such as agent-based simulation models, discrete time event history models, random effect logit models, and hierarchical linear models. These models are used to test different hypotheses related to the role of social networks, social interactions, and positive feedback mechanisms in explaining tax behaviour. There are five major empirical findings. (1) Networks seem to matter for individuals' tax behaviour because exposure to tax crimes of family members appears to increase a person’s likelihood of committing a tax crime. (2) Positive feedback mechanisms appear relevant because if a person commits a tax crime, it seems to increase the likelihood that the person will commit more tax crimes in the future. (3) Positive feedback mechanisms are also important for explaining corporate tax behaviour because a firm that has engaged in legal tax avoidance in the past appears to be more likely to engage in tax avoidance in the future. (4) Network effects are important in the corporate world because exposure to the tax avoidance of other firms increase the propensity of a firm to engage in tax avoidance. (5) Substitution effects between tax evasion and tax avoidance are likely to exist because when tax evasion becomes more prevalent in a firm’s environment, their likelihood of engaging in legal tax avoidance is lowered. The results underscore the importance of a sociological perspective on tax behaviour that takes into account social interactions and positive feedback mechanisms. In order to understand microscopic as well as macroscopic tax evasion patterns, the results presented in this thesis suggest that much more attention must be given to mechanisms through which taxation crimes breed more taxation crimes.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva hur styrkan i småföretags sociala och professionella nätverk påverkar valet av finansiell bootsrapping, med företagarens ursprung som betingad faktor. Målet med studien är att introducera och ge en generell översikt över orsakssambandet mellan de berörda koncepten. En undersökning genomfördes bland småföretag i Sverige för att identifiera det sociala och professionella nätverkets påverkan på finansiell bootstraping. I undersökningen antogs företagarens ursprung ha en modererande roll. Dessutom ingick en rad kontrollvariabler för att undersöka deras effekt på orsakssambandet. Sålunda ger det en djupare insikt om vilka underliggande individuella och organisatoriska attribut som påverkar företagares val av finansiell bootstrapping. En utökad kunskap för fenomenet finansiell bootstrapping kan ses som ett konkurrenskraftigt hjälpmedel vid egenföretagande. Framförallt blir det påtagligt för småföretagare som stöter på hinder i anskaffningen av externt finansiellt kapital. Denna uppsats baserades på 136 frågeformulär som returneras från småföretagare som är etablerade på den svenska marknaden. Medan resultatet bekräftar vikten av finansiell bootstrapping för småföretag, identifieras ursprungsskillnader i användningen av olika finansiella bootstrappingmetoder. Dessutom identifieras variationer i invandrare och inföddas användning av sociala och professionella nätverk. Vidare upptäcker vi att styrkan i småföretags nätverk har en positiv påverkan på finansiell bootstrapping. Däremot när ursprung antas ha en modererande effekt ges blandade resultat. Sålunda indikerar resultatet på att det finns vissa likheter i invandrare och infödda företagares finansieringsbeteende

Lancée en 2005, la politique des pôles de compétitivité marque un renouvellement des politiques industrielles et d'aménagement du territoire. La place faite aux concepts d'innovation et de compétitivité et le recours généralisé et à toutes les échelles à l'appel à projet transforment les modalités de l'intervention publique et ont un impact important sur les hiérarchies territoriales à l'échelle nationale et régionale. Cette thèse envisage la géographie des pôles de compétitivité par deux entrées distinctes mais complémentaires. Elle articule d'une part une réflexion à l'échelle nationale sur cette politique d'innovation et l'impact spatial des choix politiques, et d'autre part, une interrogation sur le fonctionnement et l'organisation spatiale des différents pôles de compétitivité et de leurs réseaux. Elle propose pour ce faire une méthodologie originale d'analyse des réseaux d'innovation en combinant la cartographie et les méthodes d'analyse des réseaux sociaux qui permettent d'inscrire les réseaux d'acteurs dans le raisonnement géographique. Elle montre ainsi les recompositions rapides des réseaux des pôles de compétitivité, marqués par l'ouverture à de nouveaux acteurs et de nouveaux territoires, à l'échelle nationale, comme à l'échelle régionale. En élargissant l'analyse aux politiques régionales d'innovation et aux Investissements d'Avenir, elle montre l'apparition de liens transversaux à l'échelle régionale. Elle propose en conclusion des pistes pour les politiques territorialisées d'innovation et l'identification, l'accompagnement et l'évaluation des réseaux d'innovation. / The competitiveness cluster policy launched in 2005 marks a renewal of regional and industrial policies. The emphasis put on innovation and competitiveness and the widespread use of call for projects on every scale deeply transform public action and have a major impact on territorial hierarchies on a regional and national scale. This research considers the geography of competitiveness clusters in two distinct but complementary ways. It articulates on the one hand an analysis of the national innovation policy and the spatial impact of political choices and on the other hand, empirical questions about the spatial organization of competitiveness clusters and of their networks. It builds a methodological framework based on both mapping and social network analysis in order to include actors' networks in a geographical thinking. It shows the fast transformations of competitiveness clusters' networks and the integration of new actors and new territories both on a regional and national scale. It expands the analysis to regional authorities' policies and to the Investissements d'Avenir to reveal the apparition of cross sector linkages at the regional level. It offers new solutions for innovation and regional policies to identify support and evaluate innovation networks.

A qualitative investigation into language education students' use of computer-mediated communication, this study reveals how the diversity, support and resources constructed through students on-line dialogue served to scaffold students' language and content learning. The study focuses on student interaction on an asynchronous bulletin board used as an adjunct to a graduate seminar. The radicals of persistent conversation (Bregman & Haythornthwaite, 2001) interacted with elements of the seminar design to facilitate non-native speakers' entry into the dialogue, while simultaneously affording all students with opportunities for exercising agency in their own learning. Relationships between native and nonnative speakers of English were altered by nonnative speakers' ability to communicate their competence, and participants developed a strong identity as a community. Diversity and community evolved as valuable contributors to individual learning.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2008. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-193).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:51:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PamelaMB.pdf: 1623623 bytes, checksum: 28d259510491b304e6a430ad385fc8e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-02-19 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The dissertation examines the influence of relationships among actors from Brazilian Tourism Political Network who compose the National Council of Tourism in the drafting of the National Tourism Plans (PNT) - PNTs 2003/2007 and 2007/2010, focusing on two main types of interaction: cooperation and information exchange. Therefore, the study departed from the understanding that the concept of tourism as a human phenomenon is configured as an essential conceptual basis for the development, implementation and analysis of public policies. The application of Network Theory and Social Network Analysis serves as an analytical tool, in addition, the use of concepts of Policy Networks enabled to interpret, in distinct aspects, the social reality of tourism in a more precise and detailed way. The study had a cross-sectional with a longitudinal perspective and case study was adopted, thus enabling to apply the model of social network analysis and qualitative approach. Through the survey conducted, it was found that the drafting process of National Tourism Plans was the result of the interaction of a complex network of actors from public and private initiatives, who compose the National Council of Tourism, and that their power of influence came out simultaneously, but not symmetrically, for both their performance/intervention in the meetings, and the possession of economic and organizational resources. Hence, the establishment of partnerships and information exchanges among the actors were underlying to the PNT drafting process, both in problems perception and insertion in the government agenda, as in making proposals to solve them, thus guiding the construction of large programs and programs contained in both investigated plans. / A disserta??o analisa a influ?ncia das rela??es entre atores da Rede Pol?tica do Turismo Brasileiro que comp?em o Conselho Nacional de Turismo no processo de elabora??o dos Planos Nacionais de Turismo (PNT 2003/2007 e PNT 2007/2010), centrando-se em dois principais tipos de intera??o: coopera??o e interc?mbio de informa??es. Para tanto, o estudo parte do entendimento de que a concep??o do turismo como um fen?meno humano, conforma-se como uma base conceitual imprescind?vel para a elabora??o, implementa??o e an?lise de suas pol?ticas p?blicas. A aplica??o da Teoria de Redes e da An?lise de Redes Sociais, funciona como uma ferramenta anal?tica, al?m disso, o uso dos conceitos de Rede Pol?tica (Policy Networks), permitiram interpretar por meio de aspectos diferenciados, a realidade social presente no turismo de forma mais precisa e detalhada. O estudo teve um corte seccional com perspectiva longitudinal e adotou o estudo de caso, permitindo aplicar o modelo de an?lise de redes sociais e a abordagem qualitativa. Atrav?s da pesquisa realizada, constatou-se que o processo de elabora??o dos Planos Nacionais de Turismo foi resultado da intera??o de uma complexa rede de atores p?blicos e privados, os quais comp?em o Conselho Nacional de Turismo, e que o poder de influ?ncia deles se deu simultaneamente, mas n?o simetricamente, pela sua atua??o/ interven??o nas reuni?es, e pela posse de recursos econ?micos e organizacionais. Assim sendo, o estabelecimento de parcerias e as trocas de informa??es entre os atores foram subjacentes ao processo de elabora??o dos PNTs, tanto na percep??o e inser??o de problemas na agenda governamental, quanto na realiza??o de propostas que os solucionassem, norteando assim a constru??o dos macroprogramas e programas contidos em ambos os planos investigados.

This thesis is a reception analysis using qualitative interviews to investigate the formation of cultural groups around computer-game LANs present in Rhodes University. It also looks at how issues of social inequalities evident on the university's campus impact on the participation of students in these LANs. The findings of this study are that the participants have established a community around the practice of computer LAN-gameplay based on values developed through the combination of the material and gameworlds. It serves as a home-on-campus for them; where they can fully explore their passion for games thus reaffirming their identity as gamers on a campus where being a gamer is viewed negatively. In this light, computer-game playing is not just a practice these participants perform, but a culture they live out every day. This is a culture predominantly lived out by men. One of the reasons for this is because most women have been raised to believe to have negative predispositions about digital gaming e.g. that it is childish, addictive and anti-social, but also that computer are meant to be used by men - women use them only when it is absolutely necessary, for example, that it is childish, for academic-related purposes. As a result, not many of them will use computers for any otherreason for fear of being socially criticised. In addition, the gaming culture being dominated by whites is due to the fact that admittance in to this community is still unaffordable for the majority of black students on the Rhodes University campus as a result of their social backgrounds.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-03T15:15:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 GerdivaneFD_DISSERT.pdf: 2461999 bytes, checksum: afd653d46e87e83d8b0144e8086a3d19 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-21 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / In this work a study of social networks based on analysis of family names is presented. A basic approach to the mathematical formalism of graphs is developed and then main theoretical models for complex networks are presented aiming to support the analysis of surnames networks models. These, in turn, are worked so as to be drawn leading quantities, such as aggregation coefficient, minimum average path length and connectivity distribution. Based on these quantities, it can be stated that surnames networks are an example of complex network, showing important features such as preferential attachment and small-world character / Neste trabalho ? apresentado um estudo das redes sociais baseado na an?lise dos nomes de fam?lias. Faz-se uma abordagem b?sica do formalismo matem?tico dos grafos e em seguida apresenta-se os principais modelos te?ricos para as Redes Complexas com o objetivo de fundamentar a an?lise das redes dos sobrenomes. Estas, por sua vez, s?o trabalhadas de modo a serem extra?das as principais grandezas, tais como coe ciente de agrega??o, menor caminho m?dio e distribui??o de conectividades. Com base nestas grandezas, pode-se a rmar que as redes de sobrenomes s?o um exemplo de rede complexa, exibindo caracter?sticas importantes como liga??o preferencial e o car?ter de mundo pequeno.

Orientador: Ricardo de Oliveira Anido / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T02:21:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pacheco_UrubatanRocha_M.pdf: 1174940 bytes, checksum: d2b5f4af6749eb4a1c7c6a1810b9749a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: O foco deste trabalho é viabilizar a análise estrutural em redes sociais de colaboração científica a partir de bases de dados bibliográficos. Os dados bibliográficos são utilizados para obter redes sociais de afiliação dos autores a instituições de pesquisa científica, e das publicações são extraídas as suas relações com ontologias de áreas de pesquisa. Foram estudados e aplicados métodos que utilizam a análise das redes sociais para solução/redução de ambiguidades em identidades de nomes de pesquisadores, instituições, e veículos científicos. Outro assunto estudado foi a abordagem de medida da qualidade dos resultados e os problemas que afetam a sua qualidade. Concretizando o objetivo deste trabalho, foram construídas métricas e ferramentas que permitem a comparação da produção científica entre instituições, departamentos, áreas de pesquisa, países, etc. As ferramentas também produziram um ranking de universidades baseado no prestígio dos pesquisadores destas universidades na rede social de co-autoria. Este resultado permitiu demonstrar que a informação estrutural de prestígio foi devidamente capturada ao correlacionar este ranking com outros que avaliam a qualidade da produção científica das universidades utilizando critérios semelhantes. / Abstract: This work performs social network analysis of the scientific collaborations extracted from bibliographic data bases. The analysis also includes the authors' scientific institution afiliation, and its relation with the main scientific publications and with research subject ontologies. We studied and applied methods that use social network analysis to solve or mitigate the problem of ambiguity in researchers' identities. We also applied the methods for ambiguity resolution for names of institutions, scientific meeting venues, country/state names, etc. Another study subject was measuring the quality of the results. Finally we developed metrics and implemented tools that allow the comparison of the scientific production of institutions, researcher groups, research subjects fields, countries, etc. The tools also produced a ranking of universities based on the prestige of these universities researchers at the co-authorship social network. These results demonstrated that prestige structural information was properly captured showing its correlation with other works that assess the quality of scientific production of universities using similar criteria. / Mestrado / Metodologia e Tecnicas da Computação / Mestre em Ciência da Computação

Orientadores: Ricardo Ribeiro Gudwin, Cesar José Bonjuani Pagan / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T04:03:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Angelo_TiagoNovaes_M.pdf: 3900207 bytes, checksum: 2eed8dd66c9bdc37e4d58e9eac614c9d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: O surgimento das Tecnologias de Comunicação e Informação trouxe uma nova perspectiva para o fortalecimento da democracia nas sociedades modernas. A democracia representativa, modelo predominante nas sociedades atuais, atravessa uma crise de credibilidade cuja principal consequência é o afastamento do cidadão na participação política, enfraquecendo os ideais democráticos. Neste contexto, a tecnologia surge como possibilidade para construção de um novo modelo de participação popular que resgate uma cidadania mais ativa, inaugurando o que denomina-se de democracia digital. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi desenvolver e implementar uma ferramenta, denominada "Extrator de Conhecimento Coletivo", com o propósito de conhecer o que um coletivo pensa a respeito de sua realidade a partir de pequenos relatos de seus participantes, dando voz à população num processo de democracia participativa. Os fundamentos teóricos baseiam-se em métodos de mineração de dados, sumarizadores extrativos e redes complexas. A ferramenta foi implementada e testada usando um banco de dados formado por opiniões de clientes a respeito de suas estadias em um Hotel. Os resultados apresentaram-se satisfatórios. Para trabalhos futuros, a proposta é que o Extrator de Conhecimento Coletivo seja o núcleo de processamento de dados de um espaço virtual onde a população pode se expressar e exercer ativamente sua cidadania / Abstract: The emergence of Information and Communication Technologies brought a new perspective to the strengthening of democracy in modern societies. The representative democracy, prevalent model in today's societies, crosses a crisis of credibility whose main consequence is the removal of citizen participation in politics, weakening democratic ideals. In this context, technology emerges as a possibility for construction of a new model of popular participation to rescue more active citizenship, inaugurating what is called digital democracy. The objective of this research was to develop and implement a tool called "Collective Knowledge Extractor", with the purpose of knowing what the collective thinks about his reality through small reports of its participants, giving voice to the people in a process participatory democracy. The theoretical foundations are based on methods of data mining, extractive summarizers and complex networks. The tool was implemented and tested using a database consisting of customer reviews about their stay in a Hotel. The results were satisfactory. For future work, the proposal is that the Extractor Collective Knowledge be the core data processing of a virtual space where people can express themselves and actively exercise their citizenship / Mestrado / Engenharia de Computação / Mestre em Engenharia Elétrica