M.Comm. / This study attempts to investigate the validity of Wagner’s law and the Keynesian perspective of a long-run relationship and causality between government expenditure and economic growth in SADC countries from 1988 to 2004. In order to determine the existence of the long-run relationship and causality, a univariate analysis is carried out to assess whether panel series are integrated at the same order. Subsequently, this study finds that all panel series under investigation are indeed integrated of the same order. Therefore, the second stage consists of assessing whether there is cointegration between government expenditure and economic growth. This study applies two procedures of panel cointegration, namely, the Pedroni panel cointegration test and the Kao panel cointegration test. Both procedures find that certainly a long-run relationship exists between government expenditure and economic growth in the SADC. Moreover, since two equations are estimated in this study, there is unidirectional causality. In both equation 1 and 2, the study finds that economic growth Granger causes government expenditure in both the long and the short-run which is consistent with the Wagner’s law than the Keynesian stance.

Microcredit in developed countries behaves in a di erent way than in developing countries. Not only are there bigger obstacles to surpass, like regulation and heavy competition, but also the main driver for microcredit, peer pressure, is almost inexistent. Microcredit institutions turn to a di erent technique to ensure high repayment rates; they follow the loan using training and weekly meetings. However, this procedure has high costs and the institutions must plead for donations from public and private gures. Ensuring these donations come with higher repayment rates. Thus, we will observe which characteristic of a group loan has a positive or negative impact on the repayment rates using data from the Quebec institution of the RQCC. These variables range from gender to training hours and will be regressed using stata.

This dissertation seeks to analyze, both theoretically and empirically, the impact of quality of governance on growth by looking at various dimensions of the concept of governance. We use a dynamic panel estimator and various indicators of governance to estimate the impact of governance on growth. Our empirical results suggest a positive and statistically significant impact of governance on growth. The second part of the analysis looks at a possible transmission mechanism of the effect of governance on growth through the composition of expenditures. As such, we estimate a seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) model with shares of three functional categories of public expenditures – education, health, and defense – in total spending as the dependent variables. We find that high quality governance leads to a higher share of education and health expenditures and a lower share of defense expenditures in total expenditures. Further, we examine the impact of governance of public capital spending. Our empirical results from this analysis suggest that high quality governance is associated with a smaller share of capital expenditures in total expenditures

A percepção de que a economia é um sistema isolado e sem influência de fatores externos é, em algumas circunstâncias, incompleta. Considerando a validade deste raciocínio, o propósito principal desta tese é prover evidências empíricas a respeito de como fatores econômicos podem influenciar e ser influenciados por um elemento social que vem recebendo atenção especial e crescente da literatura econômica: Política. Particularmente, os municípios brasileiros durante os anos de 1989 a 2003 são o foco de três investigações distintas, separadas em três capítulos que preservam uma característica comum: uma abordagem de Econometria de dados em painel. O primeiro capítulo é uma análise a respeito de dois fenômenos específicos: o primeiro é a ocorrência, em anos eleitorais, de alterações em categorias distintas de despesas públicas ? comumente conhecido como ciclos políticos oportunistas. O segundo é a ocorrência de alterações fiscais em função de diferenças partidárias por parte dos governantes ? em outras palavras, os ciclos políticos partidários. O segundo capítulo é uma extensão natural da análise realizada no capítulo anterior, em que a possibilidade de reeleição é analisada levando em consideração como a mesma é influenciada pela política fiscal dos municípios brasileiros e pela existência de diferentes partidos políticos. Finalmente, o terceiro capítulo pode ser visto como uma avaliação particular, em que os superávits e déficits dos municípios do estado de São Paulo são analisados através da implementação da metodologia de viés de seleção numa estrutura de dados em painel, uma vez que a possibilidade de ocorrência de um superávit (déficit) fiscal não deveria ser assumida como um evento puramente aleatório. Embora resultados específicos sejam apresentados em cada capítulo, a substancial relação entre elementos econômicos e políticos, providos por uma avaliação geral desta tese, pode ser vista como sua principal contribuição. / The perception that the economy is an isolated system with no influence from external factors is, occasionally, incomplete. By considering the legitimacy of such thought, the main purpose of this thesis is to provide empirical evidences of how economic factors can influence and be influenced by a particular social element which has been receiving special and increasing interest from the economic literature: Politics. Particularly, Brazilian cities over the 1989 ? 2003 period is the focus of three different investigations, separated in three chapters which preserve a common characteristic: a panel data Econometrics approach. The first chapter is an investigation about the possibility of two specific phenomena: the first is the occurrence of changes in election years in different types of public expenditures ? commonly understood as political opportunistic cycles. The second is the occurrence of fiscal changes due to government partisanship differences - in other words, the political partisanship cycles. The second chapter is a natural extension of the analysis provided in the previous chapter, as the possibility of reelection is analyzed taking into consideration how it is influenced by Brazilian cities fiscal policy and by the existence of different political parties. Finally, the third chapter can be observed as a particular examination, as the fiscal surpluses and deficits of São Paulo state municipalities are evaluated by applying the sample selection approach in a panel data structure, due to the possibility that the occurrence of a fiscal surplus (deficit) should not be taken as a purely random outcome. Even though specific results are presented by each chapter, the substantial relation connecting economic and political elements, provided by a general evaluation of the current thesis, can be seen as its foremost contribution.

Este estudo analisa as despesas públicas da administração direta do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul no período 1971 a 2000. O objetivo é demonstrar quais modificações e alterações relevantes que ocorreram na estrutura de despesas do Estado. Para tanto, utiliza-se de três óticas para avaliá-las: a primeira, é àquela definida pela lei de orçamentos (Lei 4320/64) onde a análise das despesas é feita pela ótica da classificação econômica, restrita a suas categorias. A segunda, definida como uma consolidação gerencial-administrativa, interpreta a evolução das despesas através de novos conceitos, procurando identificar a determinação causa-efeito das alterações ocorridas na dinâmica dos gastos públicos, conforme visto no primeiro enfoque. O terceiro faz essa mesma análise, porém, obedecendo a critérios estabelecidos por James O’Connor, onde as despesas públicas são analisadas pelos interesses atendidos pelo Governo no momento da efetivação de seus gastos. / The present dissertation examines direct administration public expenditure of the State of Grande do Sul from 1971 to 2000. The main purpose is to empirically demonstrate relevant changes and alterations in the state expenditure structure. In order to accomplish that, the analysis focuses on three points. The first one is related to the Budget Law (Law 4320/64), where expenditure analysis is made in the light of economics classification, limited to its categories. The second one, expressed in a managerial-administrative consolidation, interprets expenditure evolution via new concepts, trying to identify the cause-effect determination of the changes in the public expenditure dynamics, as seen in the first point. The third one makes the same analysis, but following criteria established by O’Connor, where public expenditure is analysed according to government interests the moment expenditure is taken into effect.

Este estudo analisa as despesas públicas da administração direta do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul no período 1971 a 2000. O objetivo é demonstrar quais modificações e alterações relevantes que ocorreram na estrutura de despesas do Estado. Para tanto, utiliza-se de três óticas para avaliá-las: a primeira, é àquela definida pela lei de orçamentos (Lei 4320/64) onde a análise das despesas é feita pela ótica da classificação econômica, restrita a suas categorias. A segunda, definida como uma consolidação gerencial-administrativa, interpreta a evolução das despesas através de novos conceitos, procurando identificar a determinação causa-efeito das alterações ocorridas na dinâmica dos gastos públicos, conforme visto no primeiro enfoque. O terceiro faz essa mesma análise, porém, obedecendo a critérios estabelecidos por James O’Connor, onde as despesas públicas são analisadas pelos interesses atendidos pelo Governo no momento da efetivação de seus gastos. / The present dissertation examines direct administration public expenditure of the State of Grande do Sul from 1971 to 2000. The main purpose is to empirically demonstrate relevant changes and alterations in the state expenditure structure. In order to accomplish that, the analysis focuses on three points. The first one is related to the Budget Law (Law 4320/64), where expenditure analysis is made in the light of economics classification, limited to its categories. The second one, expressed in a managerial-administrative consolidation, interprets expenditure evolution via new concepts, trying to identify the cause-effect determination of the changes in the public expenditure dynamics, as seen in the first point. The third one makes the same analysis, but following criteria established by O’Connor, where public expenditure is analysed according to government interests the moment expenditure is taken into effect.

Este estudo analisa as despesas públicas da administração direta do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul no período 1971 a 2000. O objetivo é demonstrar quais modificações e alterações relevantes que ocorreram na estrutura de despesas do Estado. Para tanto, utiliza-se de três óticas para avaliá-las: a primeira, é àquela definida pela lei de orçamentos (Lei 4320/64) onde a análise das despesas é feita pela ótica da classificação econômica, restrita a suas categorias. A segunda, definida como uma consolidação gerencial-administrativa, interpreta a evolução das despesas através de novos conceitos, procurando identificar a determinação causa-efeito das alterações ocorridas na dinâmica dos gastos públicos, conforme visto no primeiro enfoque. O terceiro faz essa mesma análise, porém, obedecendo a critérios estabelecidos por James O’Connor, onde as despesas públicas são analisadas pelos interesses atendidos pelo Governo no momento da efetivação de seus gastos. / The present dissertation examines direct administration public expenditure of the State of Grande do Sul from 1971 to 2000. The main purpose is to empirically demonstrate relevant changes and alterations in the state expenditure structure. In order to accomplish that, the analysis focuses on three points. The first one is related to the Budget Law (Law 4320/64), where expenditure analysis is made in the light of economics classification, limited to its categories. The second one, expressed in a managerial-administrative consolidation, interprets expenditure evolution via new concepts, trying to identify the cause-effect determination of the changes in the public expenditure dynamics, as seen in the first point. The third one makes the same analysis, but following criteria established by O’Connor, where public expenditure is analysed according to government interests the moment expenditure is taken into effect.

Objectives: The main aim of this work is to evaluate the current system of sports financing from public sources in the Czech Republic. Based on this analysis, analysis of sports funding system from public budgets in selected EU countries try to create a new system of financing sport that is stable, systematic, transparent, efficient, and sustainable development. Methods: The work used the method of analysis and comparative. Analysis method was applied when examining the current financing system in the Czech Republic and in selected foreign countries. The method of comparison was then used to compare the information gathered from various funding schemes. Results: The results suggest that the sports sector in the Czech Republic is deeply underfunded, despite what economic and social benefits of each sport brings. In order to improve the current system are proposed partial measures, aimed at long-term support for the concept of the sport in the country. Partial proposals based on an analysis of the financing of sport in the Czech Republic and the subsequent comparison with selected systems in selected EU countries. Key words: public expenditures, financing of sport, institucionalizace, system of funding

D’importantes réformes ont été entreprises, depuis la fin des années 1970, dans le but de réduire les inégalités existant entre les différentes couches de la population dans l’accès aux soins de santé. Ces réformes ont aussi cherché à améliorer la performance des établissements de soins dans leurs activités. Cette thèse cherchait à mesurer les niveaux d’efficience et d’équité dans le système de santé du Sénégal. La thèse est organisée autour de trois chapitres. Le premier chapitre analyse l’utilisation faite des dépenses publiques de santé dans les deux premières décennies postindépendance. Cette analyse permet de comprendre les causes premières de l’existence des inégalités d’accès aux soins. Il met l’accent sur le rôle joué par les réseaux et groupes sociaux dans l’explication des contreperformances du secteur de la santé. Le chapitre 2 est consacré à la mesure de l’efficience technique des hôpitaux et des centres de santé, suite aux différentes réformes entreprises dans le secteur de la santé. Le chapitre 3 mesure les inégalités dans l’utilisation des soins de santé. La méthode de décomposition des inégalités dans la consommation des soins a permis de porter un jugement sur le caractère équitable de la distribution des soins de santé. Une simulation, sur l’affectation des malades, a ensuite été entreprise pour analyser le rôle du référencement dans la recherche d’équité dans le système de soins. / Major reforms have been undertaken since the late 1970s in order to reduce inequalities between the access to health care different segments of the population. These reforms also sought to improve the performance of health facilities in their activities. This thesis seeks to measure the levels of efficiency and equity in the health system in Senegal. The thesis is organized into three chapters. The first chapter analyzes the use of public health spending in the first two decades of post-independence. This analysis allows us to understand the root causes of inequalities in access to care. It focuses on the role played by social networks and groups in explaining underperformces within the health sector. Chapter 2 is devoted to the measurement of technical efficiency of hospitals and health centres, following the various reforms in the health sector. Chapter 3 measures inequalities in use of health care. The decomposition method of inequalities in the use of care enables the fairness of the distribution of healthcare to be judged. A simulation on the allocation of patients was then undertaken to analyze the role of addressing patient in equity research in the health care system.

The thesis consists of an introductory part and three self-contained papers. Paper [I] studies the determinants of the differences in expenditure on services for functionally impaired individuals among municipalities in Sweden. A spatial autoregressive model is used in order to test whether the decisions on the expenditure level in a neighboring municipality affect the municipality’s own expenditure. The results show of spatial interaction among neighbors, possible due to mimicking. However, when controlling for differences among counties there is no evidence of spatial interaction. Therefore, the positive interaction first found can be interpreted either as a result of differences in the way county councils diagnose individuals or due to interaction among the neighbors in the same county. Paper [II] takes advantage of a new intergovernmental grant in two ways. First, the grant is used to study the effect on municipal spending related to the grant. Second, the grant is used to test a hypothesis of spatial interaction among municipalities due to mimicking behavior. The data used pertains to the periods before and after the introduction of the grant. A fixed-effects spatial lag model is used to study the spatial interactions among municipalities. The results show that before the grant, municipalities interact with their neighbors when setting the expenditure level, while there is no evidence of interaction in the second period. This would support the hypothesis that the grants provide information to the municipalities and the need for mimicking diminishes with the grant. Paper [III] examines whether local public expenditures on services to functionally impaired individuals crowd out other local public expenditures in Sweden. The hypothesis is tested on five different spending areas using a two-stage least squares (2SLS) fixed-effects model. While the results give no support for crowding out in the areas of social assistance, culture & leisure, and childcare & preschool, a negative relationship on spending for elderly & disabled care and on spending for education is found, suggesting that crowding out indeed occurs within the municipal sector. The negative relationships are significant both in a statistical and an economic sense.