Tesis para optar al grado de Doctor en Economía / No disponible a texto completo / La presente tesis recopila tres investigaciones acerca de dos fenómenos que caracterizan a un amplio grupo de países del mundo: la evasión fiscal y la existencia de un sector subterráneo. La estructura sigue un orden lógico que inicia su proceso en la generación de evidencia empírica que pudiera retroalimentar la creación de un esquema teórico. Esta decisión se basó principalmente en que la evidencia empírica que apoya este campo de la economía es bastante escasa. Así, en el Capítulo 1 “Causas e Implicancias de la Economía Subterránea: Nueva Evidencia Empírica”, se utilizan técnicas econométricas en una base de datos de corte transversal con información de 145 países para generar una serie de hechos estilizados que permiten respaldar los supuestos bajos los cuales se estructuran los dos capítulos finales. Estos ejercicios numéricos toman en cuenta dos dificultades que subyacen y son identificadas en la primera parte del capítulo, las cuales son la definición y medición de la economía subterránea.

Stokvels have been around in South Africa for many years and they are a way that people motivate each other to save. The study explored the operations of stokvels in order to identify features of stokvels that make them successful and why they remain popular in Black communities even with people who have access to formal financial institutions. The study further explored if there were gender preferences for stokvel groups and the reasons thereof. Exploratory research in the form of three focus groups was conducted with women stokvels in Venda in the Limpopo province, South Africa. All the groups have been in existence between seven and thirty years. The women were asked questions to determine why they choose to participate in stokvels and also what it takes to make the groups successful. The study found that the success of stokvels is that they are driven by a purpose which is beyond money, they exist to assist the members improve their lives. The members take the rules seriously because they do not want to disappoint each other. Trust and social capital were found to be critical in ensuring success. The women said that stokvels forced them to save through peer pressure, and they appreciated the relationships that they were able to foster in the stokvels. Those who had no access to formal financial institutions found that the stokvels gave them access to funds that they would not otherwise have thereby making it possible for them to achieve a higher standard of living. Women were found to prefer other women as members in their stokvels groups. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Informal markets are recognised as presenting lucrative business opportunities for the private sector. However, informal markets function by a different set of rules when compared to the formal sector, and so require a different paradigm altogether. The approach proposed in this report sees the convergence of conventional micro economics with development economics and the theories of sustainable development.A community is used as the unit of analysis for the informal market. A model is proposed that uses the sustainable livelihoods framework to describe the various elements of the community as a system, and how these interact to produce desired outcomes. This study was designed from the perspective of measuring the informal market. Measurement allows quantification and qualification of the phenomenon of the informal market and allows for more effective decision making. The conceptual model was therefore developed to gain a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon to be measured. A systems perspective is taken to develop a high-level framework for indicator selection. This is considered to be the first, in a series of steps, towards developing indicators for the informal market, and even a single composite indicator for the informal market.A small sample of experts was interviewed to explore the informal economy from their own observation and experience. The insights shared in the interviews pointed to the applicability of the proposed model to informal markets, and demonstrated the complexity of these markets. A number of further research opportunities can be explored to further develop this concept. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The study aims to alert policy makers and planners in the City of Johannesburg to the problems and coping mechanisms which undermines the business performance of female street vendors in the informal economy. The research made use of twelve in-depth interviews with male and female street vendors and alluded to the reality faced by females relative to males. In addition, five interviews were conducted with leaders of organisations representing the informal sector. The findings suggest that female traders are burdened with responsibilities of child and family care which can limit the extent of their trading. Furthermore they have little access to finance and capital to expand their businesses. More women were found to be victims of crime and they experienced a sense of helplessness at the hands of criminals. Other problems experienced by both male and female traders include: inadequate trading spaces, infrastructural challenges and harassment by the Metro Police. The research concludes that the formation of street vendor co-operatives (similar to those that have been successful elsewhere), education and training, and more balanced enforcement of municipal by-laws may alleviate some of the challenges. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

In spite of the fact that informal traders in the informal economy are viewed as having the greatest prospects for creating jobs and absorbing the unemployed in developing countries, informal traders in Limpopo Province in general, and the city of Polokwane in particular, face various constraints that negatively affect them on a daily basis. The aim of the study has been to explore the constraints and opportunities of informal traders, using the city of Polokwane as a case study. The study has attempted to identify and describe constraints that affect informal traders in the Polokwane city, as well as factors that can enhance their development and growth. The study is exploratory, descriptive and qualitative in nature. Semi-structured faceto-face interviews were conducted to gather data. Findings of the study suggest that the government should improve the effectiveness of its support mechanisms by initiating targeted support programmes specifically tailored for informal traders at the survivalist level.

Recent policy developments in England and Wales suggest a further increasing role for penal voluntary organisations (PVOs) in the market for criminal justice services. In response, a flurry of Criminological commentary has provided a marketised account of thpenal voluntary sector (PVS). This body of commentary has demonstrated that understandings of the sector remain limited, and that it has not yet been rigorously theorised (Corcoran, 2011; Mills et al., 2011). This gap in understanding is particularly problematic because PVOs may play an important role in the operation of punishment (Martin, 2013; Neuberger, 2009; Armstrong, 2002).In the thesis which follows, this gap in understanding is explored and the PVS is conceptualised. The tenets of actor-network theory are applied to analyse original qualitative data. This data was collected through semi-structured interviews with voluntary and statutory sector stakeholders, and document analysis of policy and PVO publications. The key analytical foci in this thesis are: PVO heterogeneity, small-scale PVOs, the agency of PVOs, and interactions between PVOs and the statutory agencies of criminal justice. Findings are then drawn together to consider the effects of PVO work with prisoners and probationers. This thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge by conceptualising the PVS and considering aspects of the sector that scholars have not yet fully explored. The thesis provides a new awareness of small-scale PVOs and considers the heterogeneity, agency and autonomy of PVOs. The analysis chapters illustrate the diverse relationships between PVOs and the statutory agencies of criminal justice. A preliminary exploration of the effects of PVO work is also provided. Whilst the potential control and net-widening functions of PVO work must not be overlooked, this analysis indicates that PVOs may enrich statutory service provision for prisoners and probationers. Relationships between PVO staff and prisoners/probationers may be distinctive and particularly valuable, and could support desistance from crime.

0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

En la actualidad, la gestión de un almacén es un tema de suma importancia para las empresas. Ya que si se mantiene demasiados artículos almacenados los gastos aumentan y por otro lado si el inventario es demasiado escaso no habrá como vender. Debido a ello, es importante saber cómo gestionar adecuadamente los almacenes. La gestión de almacenes, ve todo lo relacionado al control y manejo de las existencias, en ella se aplican métodos y estrategias para así poder hacer rentable y productivo la adquisición de estos bienes. Además, la gestión de almacenes dentro de la red logística adquiere la gran labor de poder constituir decisiones claves que definen en gran medida la estructura de los costos y servicios del sistema logístico de una empresa. Por último, la gestión de almacenes es una herramienta muy poderosa. Las empresas pueden lograr con ello atraer más clientes otorgándoles mejor servicio. Y sobre todo tener siempre lo necesario para poder ofrecer a los clientes no perder ventas a causa de quiebre de stock. / Tesis

The thesis tested the notion of collective ownership in the small-scale fisheries sector, as advocated by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the South African government department responsible for fisheries administration. More specifically, it examined the conditions under which collective ownership would yield economic benefits to small-scale fishers. This was done according to three constructs, i.e. collective entrepreneurship, agency theory and value chain development. In testing the study’s presuppositions, a sequential qualitative-quantitative mixed methods research methodology was used. Data were gathered through focus group discussions, individual interviews and surveys with fishers from South Africa’s Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces. Qualitative data were analysed through the constant comparative approach preliminary outcomes thereof were used to devise the quantitative instruments, which were analysed with the SPSS statistical package. The outcomes of the quantitative data analysis were then discussed with key participants to validate the findings and to ensure overall congruency. In the current value chain dispensation, small-scale fishers realise approximately 38% of overall revenue accrual, whereas the remaining 62% is realised by fish-processing establishments and exporters. The value chain requires reconfiguration to progressively enable small-scale fishers to own and control all upstream and downstream catch, processing and marketing processes. In addition, greater value can be realised when all regulatory, catch, processing and marketing processes are efficiently aligned with local and export market requirements. The findings note that small-scale fishers require developmental support to exploit opportunities. The study suggests that the required support should be facilitated through a dedicated multi- and interdisciplinary fisheries institute located at a higher education institution. This institute needs to focus on training, advisory services and research, as well as on defined support for the fisheries co-operatives. Moreover, the impact of the envisaged institute provides for the establishment of localised fishing community information centres, located near coastal fishing communities, harbours and slipways. Such centres ought to improve communications, trust-building relations and shared expertise among all actors, namely small-scale fishers, their co-operatives, the various government departments, industrial associations, non-governmental organisations, agencies and all others implicated, to maximise benefit and effectively secure government’s infrastructural investment programme within the small-scale fisheries sector.

Various studies have examined the relationship between competition and efficiency in the banking sector, and others have looked at how this relates to broader economic growth. Goldsmith (1969) and King and Levine (1993), among others, consequently found that financial reform in the banking sector has led to improved efficiency and competition and, as a result, led to economic growth. Financial reform in Africa came about as a result of financial liberalization that took place during the late 1980’s. This reform process was structured to increase competition and efficiency of the financial sector. This has motivated academic inquiry into the assessment and measurement of bank efficiency, bank competition and the impact on economic growth. The literature available indicates a myriad of factors that impact upon bank efficiency and bank competition. A determinant that is scarcely addressed in the literature on Africa however is the quality of institutions. Against this background, this thesis presents a collection of empirical papers on competition, efficiency and economic growth of the banking sector in Africa. Explicitly, annual firm level data on banks from 10 frontier African countries is employed to study different economic theories using various panel data econometric methodologies. The findings reveal that the banking industry in Frontier Africa is characterised by monopolistic competition. In addition, our results may suggest that bank competition could be beneficial for economic growth. As bank competition increases via the efficiency channel, this would ultimately increase economic growth. Furthermore, we also analyse the relationship between bank competition and efficiency. We observe a positive relationship between bank competition and both profit and cost efficiency, as a consequence these findings reject the Quiet Life Hypothesis. We also observe low levels of bank efficiency and competition across the sample. However, the study finds that diversification into non-interest generating activities enables Frontier African banks increase their earnings potential. The study also looks at the quality of institutions and the impact on bank competition. Our results indicate in general, we find that regulatory quality has a positive effect on the degree of competition in the banking sector. The findings recommend that to improve economic growth, policy makers should aim at improving competitive and efficiency conditions in the banking sector because a competitive banking system will allocate resources more efficiently and spur economic growth is as a result. The focus of this policy should therefore be on competition policies, comprehensive financial liberalisation policies, macroeconomic policies and regulatory and supervisory policies.