The first part of the thesis concerns describing the main topics concerned when mentioning electroenergetics: peculiarities of electricity and specifics of this commodity as well as liberalization that took place within this sector and new patterns arisen from these changes mainly in terms of business not only in wholesale, but also with effects on retail. It also outlines the economic rationale behind these changes. The second part of the thesis is an empirical analysis of real wholesale market data, demonstrating results of correlation, convergence and cointegration in spot prices of wholesale electricity in particular European countries.

This thesis will examine whether the price level on the market of mobile services in comparison with other countries is high or not. After performing own international price comparison which revealed high price level in both analyzed consumer baskets thesis offers some possible options which could lead to the current high price level on the market. The observed high market concentration is one of the possible solutions and leads to discover several solutions whose analysis shows that high price level in the Czech mobile services market cannot be associated with only one factor. The price level is mainly affected by the absence of more operators which can be partly attributed to the insufficient steps of market regulator - ČTÚ especially in the area of termination fees and lease licenses to operating in mobile networks. Both of these steps are also very important for the future development of the market.

The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate why it is so difficult to find answer whether monetary policy should include asset prices into monetary rule and therefore increase financial stability. This is because monetary policy is potentially able to prevent the emergence of price bubbles. However, definition of bubbles is problematic itself, as well as identification, even ex-post. It appears that the inclusion of asset prices in monetary policy can reduce the variability of output, at the cost of increasing variability of inflation. The necessary condition is the ability to influence asset prices through monetary policy and early identification of imbalances. Furthermore, on empirical data from the Czech Republic and the USA is shown in the example of the 2008 crisis, that the central banks can use the warning signals from the market assets (eg. real estate market). But current monetary policy is not focused on financial stability. Macroprudential policy, combined with to some extent discretionary monetary policy represent a real and likely trajectory of future economic policy in the form of a new framework of care for financial stability.

The Kalplats platinum group metal deposit is located in the Northwestern Province of South Africa, 80 km southwest of Mafikeng, in the Stella Layered Intrusion. The Stella Layered Intrusion intruded into the Kraaipan Greenstone Belt and is dated at 3.03 billion years. The Kraaipan Greenstone Belt is host to the 80 000 ounce per annum Kalgold Gold Mine. Platinum Group Element mineralized layers in the Stella Layered Intrusion are interpreted to occur in the overturned western limb of folds, formed by an eastward vergent compressional event. Three major reefs have been identified, namely the Lower Grade (LG) reef, the Mid Reef and the Main Reef. High grade reefs occur within these three. The average Pt:Pd ratio of the Main Reef is 1:1. Highest total precious metals content is concentrated in the Upper Main and Lower Main Reefs and the average grade for these two reefs is 4g/t. Open pit mining is suggested. The total inferred precious metals resource equates to 84Mt at an average grade of 1.4 g/t Pt+Pd+Au, for 3.9million ounces. Platinum, palladium and gold occur as fine grains. Maximum recoveries of approximately 72% are possible, from sulphide ore, using a twostage mill-float circuit. The estimated reserve (non-JORC compliant) is 26 Mt at an average grade of 2.01g/t Pt+Pd+Au, for 1.68 million ounces. A financial evaluation was done on the viability of the Kalplats deposit, using a discounted cash flow model. Future projections used were a R/$ exchange rate of R6-50 to the dollar and long-term metals prices of US$ 800/oz Pt, US$ 200/oz Pd and US$ 400/oz Au. The result of the discounted cash flow model was negative and indicated no return on capital and a negative Nett Present Value (NPV) of –R206 million at a discount of 13%. Factors impacting negatively on the viability of the project, include grade, metallurgical recovery, smelter fees, government royalties, metals prices and the Rand-US$ exchange rate. / Dissertation (MSc (Geology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Geology / unrestricted

El presente trabajo describe las principales características del mecanismo de regulación por precios tope, incluyendo su ubicación dentro de las posibilidades de acción regulatoria, las críticas que se han planteado al mismo, así como los mecanismos complementarios utilizados y los riesgos involucrados en su desarrollo.---This article describes the main characteristics of the price cap regime of price regulation, including its location among other regulatory possibilities, critics received, complementary mechanisms and risks involved in its development.

Thorstein Veblen, auteur de La théorie du loisir (1899), est commémoré en sciences économiques par «l'effet Veblen», terme introduit par Harvey Leibenstein pour représenter une réponse positive de la demande des consommateurs à une augmentation de prix. L’article de Leibenstein de 1950 qui introduit «l’effet Veblen» ne cite pas Veblen parmi ses 17 références.Je commence cette thèse en revisitant la théorie de Veblen sur le comportement du consommateur et en évaluant son traitement ultérieur dans la littérature économique. Je trouve que Leibenstein (1950) interprète mal le concept de «consommation ostentatoire» de Veblen et contredit les prédictions empiriques de Veblen.Comment la théorie de Veblen pourrait-elle être interprétée plus fidèlement et avec plus de pertinence pour les marchés actuels? Dans cette thèse, j'essaie d'observer certains attributs et certaines primes de Veblen sur les marchés de consommation actuels.Je présente des résultats expérimentaux sur les marchés de la vente au détail américains de bière (partie II), de vin (partie III) et de produits alimentaires (partie IV). J'utilise diverses techniques expérimentales, notamment des enquêtes auprès des consommateurs, des expériences de dégustation à l'aveugle, des expériences de laboratoire et des expériences d'infiltration. / Thorstein Veblen, author of The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), is memorialized in economics by the “Veblen effect,” a term introduced by Harvey Leibenstein to represent a positive consumer demand response to an increase in price. However, Leibenstein’s 1950 QJE article introducing the world to the “Veblen effect” does not cite Veblen as one of its 17 references.I begin this dissertation by revisiting Veblen’s theory of consumer behavior and evaluating its subsequent treatment in the economics literature. I find that Leibenstein (1950) misunderstands Veblen’s concept of “conspicuous consumption” and contradicts Veblen’s empirical predictions.How might Veblen’s theory be interpreted more faithfully with relevance to present-day markets? I suggest that the notion of “Veblen goods” and “Veblen consumers” is misleading, because Veblen’s theories applied to nearly all goods and consumers. My alternative approach is to look for attributes and corresponding prices whose market behavior is in line with Veblen’s predictions. I divide the attributes of goods into three classes, and I suggest that each class has its own hedonic price component: “useful,” “decorative,” and “invisible” attributes.Invisible attributes cannot be detected by the consumer’s own unaided sensory apparatus. Examples of invisible attributes are a good’s market price, scarcity, reputation, ratings, place of origin, microbial content, organic certification, and age. I refer to decorative and invisible attributes, together, as “Veblen attributes”; and I refer to the premiums consumers are willing to pay for Veblen attributes as “Veblen premiums.”In this thesis, I attempt to observe some Veblen attributes and Veblen premiums in present-day consumer markets. I report experimental results from the U.S. retail markets for beer (part II), wine (part III), and food (part IV). I employ a variety of experimental techniques, including consumer surveys, blind tasting experiments, lab experiments, and undercover experiments. I include several first-person essays to round out the narrative.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most prevalent and costly chronic diseases in the United States (US). The healthcare and drug cost of diabetes has risen steadily and the increase in patients’ out-of-pocket drug expenditures are associated with a reduction in treatment adherence. The objectives of this study were to assess trends in insulin products prices in the period January 1983-July 2019, and to compare the price, acquisition costs and reimbursement amount of insulins available in the US. DATA AND METHODS: Data of insulin products marketed in the US during the period January 1983-July 2019 was derived from the FDA databases, the RedBook online, Medicaid.gov, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Prices were adjusted using the consumer price index (CPI). The compounded average group rate (CAGR) was calculated for each insulin product. Data was analyzed by summary descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Human insulins had a CPI-adjusted AWP CAGR ranging 4.89%-8.89% from the first AWP effective date to July 2019 and insulin analogues had a CPI-adjusted AWP CAGR ranging 9.5%- 9.75%. The 2 follow-on (biosimilar) insulins; long-acting insulin glargine and rapid-acting insulin lispro experienced a negative adjusted CAGR (-1.20%, -33.70%, respectively). Insulin acquisition cost and reimbursement amounts showed a large variation when compared with the average wholesale (AWP) prices. The wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) was typically set at 83.33% of the AWP. Community pharmacies acquired insulins and analogues at a median of 80.27% of the AWP. Significant reductions in AWP were observed for Medicare Part D (78.80% of the AWP), and Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) /Big4 (25.89%). CONCLUSION: Manufacturer prices of insulins and analogues increased significantly during the period of 1983- July 2019. There are significant differences in the manufacturer prices, pharmacy acquisition costs and reimbursement rates of insulins and analogues.

Cette thèse étudie deux facteurs majeurs pour le bien-être individuel, la qualité de l'emploi et l'accès aux soins. Dans le premier chapitre, nous étudions l'effet de la perte d’emploi suite à une fermeture d’usine sur un large panel d’indicateurs mesurant la qualité de l'emploi retrouvé. Nous utilisons une stratégie d’appariement exact par tranche qui prend en compte les inobservables fixes dans le temps. Nos résultats principaux montrent une dégradation de la qualité de l’emploi suite au licenciement, dont la durée et l’ampleur dépendent de la dimension considérée. Le second chapitre étudie l'impact d'une assurance maladie publique plus généreuse sur la consommation de soins de santé. Nous utilisons la coexistence de deux systèmes d'assurance maladie en France, tous deux publics et obligatoires : le système national, et le régime local d'Alsace Moselle, donc les taux de remboursement sont plus élevés. Nous évaluons comment les personnes déménageant en Alsace Moselle modifient leur consommation de soins, en utilisant les personnes déménageant entre d’autres régions françaises comme groupe de contrôle. En étudiant plusieurs postes de santé, nous trouvons qu’au total, le régime d’Alsace Moselle n’engendre pas de hausse des dépenses. Le dernier chapitre s'intéresse à l'effet de l'achat groupé sur les prix des médicaments dans les hôpitaux français, en utilisant les créations de groupements entre 2009 et 2014. Nos données contiennent les prix d’achat des médicaments innovants dans les hôpitaux publics. Nos résultats montrent que l'achat groupé baisse les prix des médicaments en oligopole, mais n'a aucun impact sur les prix des médicaments qui n'ont pas de concurrents. / This thesis focuses on two major aspects of individual well-being : job quality and the availability of medical care. We first investigate the long-term effects of job displacement on several dimensions of job quality. We use a coarsened exact matching method that takes into account time-invariant unobservables. Our main findings point to a deterioration of job quality after displacement. The magnitude and duration of the observed negative impact depends on the dimension considered. The second chapter studies the impact of a more generous public health insurance. We use the coexistence of two compulsory public health insurance systems in France, the national system, and the Alsace Moselle local system, which offers higher reimbursement rates. We investigate how moving to Alsace Moselle affects healthcare consumption, taking individuals who move between other French regions as a control group. Overall, we show that the Alsace Moselle local system does not increase healthcare consumption. The third chapter estimates the impact of group purchasing on medicine prices in French hospitals. We take advantage of the creation of regional purchasing groups between 2009 and 2014. We use a unique database that provides information on the average annual prices paid by public hospitals for all innovative medicines. Using a fixed effects model controlling for medicine-specific bargaining abilities of hospitals and medicine-specific price trends, we find that group purchasing reduces prices of medicines in oligopoly markets, but has no impact on prices of medicines for which there exist no competitors.

Ruminant feed supplements are price sensitive and are effected by the continuous fluctuation of other raw material feed prices. Therefore, improving the efficiency of production and reducing cost of supplement concentrates for dairy cows are becoming increasingly important both for the smallholder and commercial dairy farmer. This can be overcome by replacing expensive energy and protein feeds with cheaper by-products. During periods of high maize prices, replacing maize with lower cost high fibre by-products becomes an economically viable option. Palm kernel expeller (PKE) fits the profile of a low cost, high fibre by-product. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different inclusion levels of PKE in dairy concentrates for Jersey cows on milk production, milk composition, body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) change, rumen parameters and in situ ruminal kikuyu/ryegrass pasture degradability of dry matter (DMd) and neutral detergent fibre (NDFd) as well as NDFd rate (NDF kd). The study was conducted at the Outeniqua Research Farm situated near George in the Western Cape and cows grazed high quality kikuyu/ryegrass pasture during spring. Forty eight multiparous high producing Jersey cows were blocked according to 4% fat corrected milk (FCM), days in milk (DIM) and lactation number and randomly allocated to three treatments (control, low PKE, and high PKE). The PKE inclusion level in the control, low PKE, and high PKE treatment concentrates was 0, 20, and 40%, respectively. The PKE replaced part of the maize and protein sources in the concentrate. Milk yield was recorded daily and milk composition was determined in two week intervals over a 60 d period, after a 21 d adaptation period. Additionally, eight lactating rumen-fistulated cows were randomly allocated to the control and high PKE treatment in a two period crossover design. Ruminal pH, volatile fatty acids (VFA’s), ruminal ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N), and in situ ruminal kikuyu/ryegrass pasture DMd, NDFd and NDF kd were measured. Cows received 6 kg (as is) concentrate per day divided over two milking periods and strip grazed kikuyu/ryegrass pasture as one group. Milk yield and milk fat content did not differ (P > 0.05) between treatments and were 21.3, 21.3 and 20.7 kg/cow/d and 4.63, 4.65, and 4.66% for cows receiving the control, low PKE and high PKE treatments, respectively. Milk protein, milk urea nitrogen (MUN), BW and BCS did not differ (P > 0.05) between treatments. Total VFA’s, average ruminal pH, ruminal NH3-N, and in situ ruminal kikuyu/ryegrass pasture DMd and NDFd as well as NDF kd did not differ (P > 0.05) between treatments. The acetic to propionic acid ratio was, however, higher (P < 0.05) for cows supplemented with the high PKE treatment. It can be concluded that partial replacement of maize with 20 or 40% PKE in a lactating dairy cow concentrate did not affect milk yield, milk fat content, milk protein content, somatic cell count (SCC), BW, or BCS. Rumen fermentation was unaffected and a healthy rumen environment was sustained. The replacement of higher cost maize and soybean oilcake by a lower cost PKE decreased feed cost. It is however not recommended to include PKE at 40% in the concentrate due to the increased time spent by cows in the milking parlour and the low palatability of PKE, which could lead to the tendency of increased concentrate refusals. It can be extrapolated from the data obtained from this study that milk production will be sustained when PKE is fed to cows on pasture at 2.4 kg/cow/day. / Dissertation (MSc Agric)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted

The diploma thesis deals with the topic of housing cost analysis. The theoretical part of the thesis focuses on the characteristics and development of the construction and real estate market, the description of development projects and their management, the prices in the construction industry as well as the budgets of the buildings. In the practical part of the thesis, I analyze the costs of a particular development project. I set the price according to the budget, I point out possible ways of lowering this price, compiling time-charts and also the financial plans of the project.