South-East Asian region is the most dynamic region in the world. It is also known for having enormous number of RTAs, which became the main drive force for trade integration. Moreover, China is the leader in this region, changing fast and becoming either a pioneer or a threat for the neighbor countries. This paper uses a gravity model to estimate the influence of RTAs on the countries in the region and attempts to find out whether new agreements will deeper the trade cooperation or make the 'spaghetti bowl' effect even worse.

With the multiple globalization processes more and deeper Economic Integration in the world is being undertaken. The Asia-Pacific region has become the most dynamic and fast growing region in the world due to the rise of China, changing dramatically the way economic and political relations are conceived across the Pacific Ocean. Beijing’s new economic moves towards integration processes are sustained by the fact that China’s economy has become significantly intertwined with other regional economies over the past two decades. From this fact also arises the motivation of this research, which tries to analyze how China’s strategy regarding economic integration across the Pacific Ocean is being planned and developed, considering not only its economic, but especially its political implications and possible strategic motives. This last aspect constitutes the main purpose of this study. The hypothesis for this paper is based on the assumption that China is using its economic might as a means to enhance and expand its traditional sphere of influence in the Asia-Pacific region by achieving different kinds of trade arrangements. The ASEAN plus China FTA, together with the agreements between China and Australia, New Zealand and Chile are taken into account specifically; while some other possible future pacts are outlined as well. The methodological standpoint for the analysis is mainly built upon what is known as Political Economy, particularly its international or global strand, which helps to connect the world of politics and economics. The outcome for the question whether China is taking a leading role in regionalism just because of its growing need to coordinate and cooperate with other economies in order to keep its growth rate, or if it is also doing so because of its desire to enhance and further its traditional sphere of influence as a regional power; contemplates elements of both scenarios. The structure of this thesis consists of five chapters: (1) Scope of the Study, (2) Literature Review and Theoretical Framework, (3) A Political Analysis of an Economic Issue, (4) Main Outcomes and (5) Conclusions.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Statistics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Background: Death and economic losses due to road traffic accidents (RTA) are huge global public health and developmental problems and need urgent attention. Each year nearly 1.24 million people die and millions suffer various forms of disability as a result of road accidents. This puts road traffic injuries (RTIs) as the eighth leading cause of death globally and RTIs are set to become the fifth leading cause of death worldwide by the year 2030 unless urgent actions are taken. Aim: In this paper, we investigate factors that contribute to road traffic deaths (RTDs) in the Limpopo province of South Africa using models such as the generalized linear models (GLM) and zero inflated models. Methods: The study was based on retrospective data that comprised of reports of 18,029 road traffic accidents and 4,944 road traffic deaths over the years 2009 – 2015. Generalized linear modelling and zero-inflated models were used to identify factors and determine their relationships to RTDs. Results: The data was split into two categories: deaths that occurred during holidays and those that occurred during non-holiday periods. It was found that the following variables, namely, Monday, human actions, vehicle conditions and vehicle makes, were significant predictors of RTDs during holidays. On the other hand, during non-holiday periods, weekend, Tuesday, Wednesday, national road, provincial road, sedan, LDV, combi and bus were found to be significant predictors of road traffic deaths. Conclusion: GLM techniques, such as the standard Poisson regression model and the negative binomial (NB) model, did little to explain the zero excess, therefore, zero-inflated models, such as zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB), were found to be useful in explaining excess zeros. Recommendation: The study recommends that the government should make more human power available during the festive seasons, such as the December holidays, and over weekends.

<p>The rapid growth in the number of regional trade agreements (RTAs) has led to concern about the weakening of the multilateral trading system. This thesis examines the spread of such agreement and the extent to which they pose a threat to the multilateral system. Regionalism and multilateralism are complimentary as shown in the case study of the East African Community. The current regional trade agreement management rules are weak and ambiguous and possible amendments for these rules are proposed</p>

<p>The rapid growth in the number of regional trade agreements (RTAs) has led to concern about the weakening of the multilateral trading system. This thesis examines the spread of such agreement and the extent to which they pose a threat to the multilateral system. Regionalism and multilateralism are complimentary as shown in the case study of the East African Community. The current regional trade agreement management rules are weak and ambiguous and possible amendments for these rules are proposed</p>

Magister Legum - LLM / The rapid growth in the number of regional trade agreements (RTAs) has led to concern about the weakening of the multilateral trading system. This thesis examines the spread of such agreement and the extent to which they pose a threat to the multilateral system. Regionalism and multilateralism are complimentary as shown in the case study of the East African Community. The current regional trade agreement management rules are weak and ambiguous and possible amendments for these rules are proposed. / South Africa