Thesis (M.S.)--Baylor University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-66).

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Diss. Göteborg : University.

The aim of this study is to carry out a fairly overall empirical analysis of the conditions of production in an industry. The aim of the empirical analysis is, however, not only to give information about empirical conditions, such as technical development, efficiency of production, etc, but also to illustrate the theoretical and methodological problems in the economic theory of production.The engineering analysis makes the foundation from which economic production functions are constructed. As the study focuses on Leif Johansen!s production model, four different types of functions are constructed: ex ante and ex post micro functions and long run and short run macro functions. A study of structural changes and technical development in the periods 1960-1975 and 1850-1975 then follows. For the first period a study of productive efficiency is also made.A discussion of theoretical problems is integrated with the empirical analysis, Two big problems in production theory are, however, dealt with separately, namely the theory of engineering production analysis and the aggregation of micro production functions.It is difficult to state a specitic conclusion with just a few words. The study consists of so many minor observations and results, that it is difficult to lift out any separate. A negative general conclusion can perhaps be said to be that great scepticism should be shown the empirical value of ordinary production function estimates. On the other hand, the positive conclusion can be said to be the fact that the dissertation shows the value of having an engineering approach in empirical studies of production. / digitalisering@umu

There are different views about the availability of non-renewable resources in the long run. Hotelling’s (1931) seminal model of exhaustible resources greatly influenced subsequent studies. Hotelling’s and related fixed-stock models imply decreasing availability and increasing real prices of non-renewable resources in the long run. However, most of the empirical evidence does not support the prediction of higher real price trends. Hotelling’s model has been criticised for ignoring certain factors relevant to the discovery and innovation-driven creation of additional non-renewable reserves. Contrary to Hotelling’s fixed-stock assumption, this may expand the total stock of non-renewable resources available for profitable extraction. The main research objective of this study is to address this problem by identifying a broader range of factors to be used when constructing models of the availability of non-renewable resources. This was done by means of an extensive literature survey of both historic and more contemporary thought in this regard. This study shows the evolution of thinking and reasons behind the diversity of views on the availability of non-renewable resources. Thirty core facts were identified and a broad research framework formulated, including policies and methods to mitigate resource depletion and ensure availability both at national and global levels. A key finding is that improvements in various productivity-enhancing technologies have, thus far, delayed the onset of decreased availability and higher real price trends implied by Hotelling’s and other fixed-stock models. / Economics / M. Com. (Economics)

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Timothy J. Dalton / In Kenya, agriculture governs the country’s fiscal economy, and this reliance on agriculture can cause both economic and hunger problems, a result of the country’s dependence upon rainfall for agricultural production. Kenyans must find ways to combat severe drought conditions; this can be accomplished through the adoption of inputs that decrease the probability of crop failure. The objective of this research is to determine whether variability exists in Kenyan maize yields, and whether or not specific inputs, specifically hybrid varieties, are either variance/skewness increasing or decreasing. The data used for this study was collected from a survey, designed by Egerton University’s Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development and Michigan State University, and administered in Kenya in the following years: 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2007. The survey identified factors of crop and field level production, such as inputs, crop mix, marketing data, and demographic information. This research makes use of only the 2007 data, comprising 1,397 households in total. The objectives of this thesis aim to go beyond the scope of typical production function regressions where yield is a function of a set of inputs, by examining further moments of yield, variance, and skewness to determine whether variability exists in Kenyan maize yields. Results indicate that variability does exist within Kenyan maize yields, often a result of differing input levels among households. In terms of overall impact of each variable on mean, variance, and skewness of maize yields, seed quantity, nitrogen use, and hybrid seed contribute the most to influencing these factors. In contrast, years of experience with hybrid maize, land tenure, terraced land and labor have the least influence on mean, variance and skewness within this research. Results also bring to light the popular debate against hybrid varieties versus open pollinated (OPV) or traditional varieties, and identify hybrid varieties as a source of variability in mean, variance and skewness of yields. Hybrid varieties should be paired with the knowledge of how to maximize yield in conjunction with other inputs, to give Kenya the opportunity to see substantial productivity gains throughout the country, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.

Zhou Yu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-57). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter I. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- Dynamics of A One-sector Growth Model with Consumption and Capital Externalities --- p.4 / Chapter III. --- Consumption Externalities and Individual Consumption --- p.26 / Chapter IV. --- Capital Externalities and Long-run Productions --- p.36 / Chapter V. --- Conclusion --- p.50 / Chapter VI. --- References --- p.52 / Chapter VII. --- Appendix --- p.58

Wong, Tsz Ning. / "September 2010." / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-90). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Abstract in Chinese --- p.ii / Acknowledgments --- p.iii / Contents --- p.iv / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 2 --- Two-level CES Production Technology --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1 --- Two-level Normalized CES Producation Function --- p.6 / Chapter 2.2 --- Two Measures of AES --- p.11 / Chapter 3 --- The Benchmark Models --- p.13 / Chapter 3.1 --- The Solow (1956) Model --- p.13 / Chapter 3.2 --- The Model of Mankiw et al. (1992) --- p.14 / Chapter 3.3 --- The Ramsey (1928) Model --- p.16 / Chapter 3.4 --- The Model of Stokey (1996) --- p.18 / Chapter 4 --- Nesting with Capital´ؤSkill Complementarity --- p.24 / Chapter 4.1 --- Basic Properties of the Production Function --- p.24 / Chapter 4.2 --- Empirical Evidence on Substitution Parameters --- p.30 / Chapter 4.3 --- Comparative Statics --- p.31 / Chapter 4.4 --- AES --- p.35 / Chapter 5 --- Nesting without Capital-Skill Complementarity --- p.46 / Chapter 5.1 --- Basic Properties of the Production Function --- p.46 / Chapter 5.2 --- Empirical Evidence on Substitution Parameters --- p.51 / Chapter 5.3 --- Comparative Statics --- p.52 / Chapter 5.4 --- AES --- p.54 / Chapter 5.5 --- Numerical Examples --- p.58 / Chapter 6 --- Conclusion --- p.61 / Appendix --- p.62 / Chapter A.1 --- Summary of Previous Results --- p.62 / Chapter A.2 --- Proofs for Chapter 4 --- p.63 / Chapter A.3 --- Proofs for Chapter 5 --- p.75 / Chapter A.4 --- "AES in Non-optimizing Model of Growth (Mankiw et al.,1992)" --- p.84 / References --- p.87 / Figures --- p.91

The thesis contains two chapters which address questions important both for the economic theory and applications. In Chapter I we show that inequalities are an important tool in the theory of production functions. Various notions of internal economies of scale can be equivalently expressed in terms of upper or lower bounds on production functions. In the problem of aggregation of efficiently allocated goods, if one is concerned with two-sided bounds as opposed to exact expressions, the aggregate production function can be derived from some general assumptions about production units subject to aggregation. The approach used does not require smoothness or convexity properties. In Chapter II we introduce a new forecasting techniques essential parts of which include using average high-order polynomial estimators for in-sample fit and low-order polynomial extension for out-of-sample fit. We provide some statements following the Gauss-Markov theorem format. The empirical part shows that algebraic polynomials treated in a proper way can perform very well in one-step-ahead prediction, especially in prediction of the direction of exchange rate movements. / Graduation date: 1995

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