Thesis advisor: Donald Cox / What fraction of college-age youths in the United States comes from credit-constrained families? Can subjective assessments of financial difficulties inform the debate about pervasiveness of credit constraints in the demand for college education? My dissertation contains two essays addressing these questions. Credit constraints in education may lead to inefficient skill allocations and perpetuate imbalances in the distribution of economic well-being. Unfortunately, empirical evidence regarding their pervasiveness in the United States has not been consistent, in part because constraints tend to be inferred indirectly. The first essay evaluates how a potentially more direct measure can be used to enhance our understanding of the issue. I focus on subjective assessments of financial limitations available in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and find that about 12 percent of college-age individuals expect to underinvest in education because of financial reasons or the need to work. While the measure developed in this paper is noisy and not a precise indicator of credit constraints, it appears to capture important variations in educational choices, beyond these captured by the standard controls, such as parental income. The contribution of the second essay is the use of parents' reports of borrowing limitations in the NLSY79 Young Adult Supplement to evaluate the proportion of constrained college-age youths in the early 2000s. The focus on the 2000s is critical because the sharp increase in tuition costs and gradual erosion of real student borrowing limits over the past two decades have potentially made credit constraints in education more widespread. My analysis sample is limited to children of young mothers who are more likely to be disadvantaged economically and hence are of specific interest to policy-makers. Over one-fifth of youths in the sample come from families where mothers report borrowing limitations. Conditional on scholastic ability, family income, and family background characteristics, parental constraints have a strong negative correlation with children's college attendance. Although my results do not distinguish between alternative explanations for borrowing limitations, they do suggest that researchers interested in the connection between liquidity constraints and education might benefit from paying more attention to direct measures. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

Thesis advisor: Robert G. Murphy / Thesis advisor: Fabio Schiantarelli / Thesis advisor: James Anderson / This dissertation consists of four essays. The first two essays investigate macroeconomic fluctuations and their sources. The third and fourth essays examine international capital mobility. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 1994. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

Thesis advisor: Fabio Schiantarelli / In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, Europe has been grappling with both a debt and a banking crisis, which caused a prolonged recession and on-going stagnation in some countries of the Eurozone. The distinctive feature of the European crisis, compared to the global recession that originated in the United States, is that it emerged as sovereign debt crisis and later evolved into a banking crisis, finally affecting the real economy. The banking and sovereign crises are heavily intertwined because of the interplay between banks and sovereigns in Europe. In fact, the so-called bank-sovereign nexus works both ways: not only banks hold large amounts of sovereign debt, especially from the domestic government, but also European governments retain a significant presence in the domestic banks' ownership. The adverse feedback loop is reinforced during a sovereign debt crisis, as banks' losses from sovereign debt further exacerbate the strain on the domestic sovereign in expectation of a future bail-out. The overall goal of this dissertation is to have a better understanding of the interplay between sovereign, banks and capital regulation. In my first and second chapter, I analyze the two-way feedback loop between banks and sovereigns in Europe. In particular, in the first chapter, I show that banks' sovereign debt exposures had a negative effect on credit supply during the crisis. In the second chapter I explore the role that politics may play in determining banks' exposure to sovereign debt. Finally, the third chapter investigates the effect of changing bank capital requirements for the firms that borrow from the affected banks. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

Trata-se de pesquisa empírica cujo objeto são os indicadores do Índice Paulista de Responsabilidade Social (IPRS). À luz deste índice, se analisa educação e desenvolvimento nos municípios do noroeste paulista, buscando compreender que fatores levam aos bons resultados nos indicadores de escolaridade, obtidos por um grupo de municípios com baixos níveis de riqueza, denominados de grupo 3 do IPRS. O trabalho busca, por meio de um olhar crítico da composição das variáveis do IPRS, analisar a capacidade destas expressarem a realidade do ambiente educacional dos municípios e, ao mesmo tempo, serem úteis na definição de políticas visando fortalecer as dinâmicas de desenvolvimento dos mesmos. Com isso objetiva contribuir com o debate sobre a formulação de indicadores educacionais mais adequados à análise do desenvolvimento na atualidade. Parte-se da constatação da relevância da educação nas atuais dinâmicas de desenvolvimento, não mais compreendido como sinônimo de crescimento econômico, ressaltando a inclusão da dimensão educacional nos instrumentos de mensuração do desenvolvimento humano. São discutidos os conceitos de desenvolvimento como liberdade e de capital social como parâmetros para se compreender o surgimento de uma nova geração de indicadores de desenvolvimento dentre os quais o índice paulista. Estes conceitos são abordados com base nas referências teóricas fornecidas por Sen, Putnam, Bourdieu e Coleman, objetivando analisar a capacidade do IPRS em incorporar estes conceitos nas suas dimensões. Paralelamente a isso se apresenta e analisa os indicadores do IPRS no estado de São Paulo e nos municípios da região noroeste, buscando compreender o que leva a emergência de um grupo expressivo de municípios pobres em termos de riqueza mas com indicadores sociais satisfatórios. Para tanto são utilizados os dados secundários do banco de dados do IPRS da Fundação Seade. Com isso se constata dois aspectos: a relevância da dimensão escolaridade nos bons resultados sociais obtidos por estes municípios e a insuficiência dos indicadores educacionais do índice paulista, especialmente no que se refere a incorporar outras variáveis quantitativas relacionadas ao ambiente educacional disponível quanto variáveis referentes à qualidade dos processos educativos desenvolvidos. As seguintes considerações finais são apresentadas: o IPRS é um indicador que avança na sua estruturação e capacidade de retratar a realidade do desenvolvimento dos municípios, fugindo da padronização dos indicadores sintéticos, contudo, ainda apresenta limitações no que tange a capacidade de analisar o ambiente educacional e a qualidade da educação ofertada e, conseqüentemente, contribuir de maneira efetiva como instrumento de monitoramento e avaliação das políticas que visam fortalecer as dinâmicas de desenvolvimento dos municípios paulistas. / The following study is an empirical research, having as its object the indicators of the Índice Paulista de Responsabilidade Social (São Paulo Index of Social Responsibility, here referred as IPRS). Having this Index as reference, we analyze education and development of the cities located in the Northwest of São Paulo State, aiming to understand which factors lead to the good results in schooling indicators obtained by a group of low income cities, rated in group 3 in the IPRS. The study?s purpose is to analyze (through a detailed and critical look at the variables that compose the IPRS) its capacity of expressing the reality of the educational environment in the cities as well as being useful in the definition of policies that would aim to strengthen its development actions. Considering this, we intend to contribute to the debate on the creation of educational indicators that would be more adequate to the analysis of development nowadays. We take as a premise the relevance of education in the current development actions, not seen as a synonym to economical growth anymore, stressing the inclusion of the educational dimension in the measuring instruments of human development. We address the concepts of development seen as freedom and social capital as a guideline to understand the advent of a new generation of development indicators among which is the São Paulo index. These concepts are approached based on the references of theories given by Sen, Putnam, Bourdieu and Coleman, purposing to analyze the capacity of IPRS to encompass all these concepts within its boundaries. Concurrently, we present and examine the IPRS indicators in São Paulo State and in the cities of the Northwestern region, attempting to understand what leads to the appearance of an expressive number of low income cities with satisfactory social indicators. In order to do that we use the secondary data of the IPRS database from Fundação Seade. Considering this, two aspects are evidenced: the relevance of the schooling dimension in the good social results obtained by these cities and the inadequacy of the educational indicators in the São Paulo index, especially in taking into consideration other quantitative variables related to the educational environment available and to the quality of the educational processes developed. The following final points are then presented: the IPRS is an indicator that moves towards to its organization and capacity of depicting the reality of the cities development, distancing itself from the standardization of synthetic indicators, though still presenting some limitation regarding the ability to analyze the educational environment and the education quality offered, and thus effectively collaborate as an instrument of monitoring and assessment of the policies that aim the strengthening of the development actions for São Paulo cities.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:48:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Anderson Rodrigo dos Santos.pdf: 465035 bytes, checksum: 25e47d956859a8fab652835cdffbc05a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-08 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Following the guidance of Marxist and Keynesian criticisms, the dissertation aims to reflect upon the contradictions of capitalism, especially financial capital. For this purpose it is necessary to understand the capitalist nature; not only its manifestation, but its essential determinations as well. Besides the theoretical approach, we tried to highlight the political sense of the actions of policymakers. The effects of the development of financial capital, highlighting the importance of public securities and financial innovations, were observed. The dissertation seeks to apprehend the determinations of capital and the dynamics of the capitalist movement and of financial capital, as well as the process by which the capitalist class strengthens its economic power and its political dominance / Seguindo a orientação das críticas marxistas e keynesianas, a dissertação busca refletir a respeito das contradições do capitalismo, especialmente as do capital financeiro. Para isso, é necessário compreender a natureza capitalista, não só a sua manifestação, como também suas determinações essenciais. Além da abordagem teórica, buscou-se destacar o sentido político da atuação de autoridades econômicas. Foram observados os efeitos do desenvolvimento do capital financeiro, com destaque para a importância dos títulos públicos e das inovações financeiras. A dissertação procura apreender as determinações do capital e a dinâmica do movimento capitalista e do capital financeiro, bem como o processo pelo qual a classe capitalista reforça sua força econômica e sua dominância política

Este trabalho investiga a adequação científica das teorias monetárias e financeiras marxistas em face à nova realidade do pós-1971, tendo como ponto de partida a introdução lógica da forma dinheiro inconversível. A primeira parte, composta pelos dois primeiros capítulos, discute as duas maiores heranças que Marx recebeu - Hegel e o pensamento monetário inglês do século XIX -, para aí evidenciarmos tanto suas potencialidades quanto suas inevitáveis limitações. Quando passamos à segunda parte, constituída pelos dois últimos capítulos, o foco recai sobre a tentativa de fazer as categorias marxistas se adequarem ao nosso hodierno sistema financeiro e monetário; com um ponto claro: mostrar a ligação necessária entre o dinheiro inconversível e a atual formação de capital fictício. Momento no qual os derivativos financeiros se revelarão objetos contraditórios e, mais do que instrumentos, produtores de suas próprias pressuposições - em especial, o risco abstrato. Dessa forma estaremos aptos a analisar em toda sua profundidade o ciclo do moderno capital fictício - da mercadoria-capital, do capital que retorna como capital ao seu predicado lógico inicial. O resultado deste movimento será o engendramento de um novo capital abstrato, para o qual os swaps são seu veículo. / Departing from the logical introduction of the inconvertible money form this dissertation investigates the scientific adequateness of the monetary and financial Marxist theories to the new post-1971 reality. The first part, constituted by the first two chapters, discusses the two main heritages that Marx received - Hegel and the English monetary thought from the 19th century - to then make evident both its potentialities and its inevitable limitations. Moreover, with the clear objective of disclosing the necessary connection between inconvertible money and the present formation of fictitious capital, the second part, composed by the last two chapters, will focus on the attempt to adequate Marxist categories to our hodiern financial and monetary system. Moment to which financial derivatives will reveal themselves as contradictory objects and, more than just hedge devices, as producers of their own presuppositions - in special, abstract risk. In this way, we will be capable to analyze in all its profoundness the circuit of the modern fictitious capital - capital-commodity, capital that returned as capital to its first logical predicate. The outcome of this movement is the yield of an abstract capital, to which swaps are its vehicle.

In a fast changing business environment with accelerated technological development, new knowledge resources and developing dynamic capabilities are becoming vital issues in economic knowledge. Drawing on the Resource-based View in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and competitive dynamics perspectives, there has been a recent rise in the number of practitioners and academics integrating the knowledge resources of SMEs, which are intellectual capital (IC) and absorptive capacity (ACAP) to achieve superior performance. The main objective of this study is to investigate the mediating role of absorptive capacity on the relationship between intellectual capital and firm performance in high-tech sector SMEs in the UK. Current research proposed a model for the direct and indirect relationships of IC- performance through ACAP, thereby increasing contributions to knowledge in the field of strategic management. A research conceptual framework was developed with reliance on an existing body of literature in the field of study. It integrates the effects of intellectual capital with absorptive capacity to create and develop dynamic capabilities in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and the publishing of computer games firms. A quantitative research employing surveys, the selected method of study was justified, because of the number of SMEs and their being geographically widespread around the UK. A five-point Likert-type scale has been used to measure research variables. A research conceptual framework has been developed and tested by using a structural equational modelling methodology. The results of this study suggested that high-tech SMEs could enhance and improve their financial outcome, if they associate and integrate the firm’s intellectual capital with the firm’s absorptive capacity to create or develop dynamic capabilities, which has greater significant effects on firm performance. This research concludes by saying that high performance firms respond rapidly to new knowledge and also that there is a strong association between IC and ACAP affecting the performance of SMEs. It is also concluded that CEOs and managers are able to enhance the level of performance in high-tech SMEs by the creation or development of dynamic capabilities through the integration between firm IC and ACAP.

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Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T19:12:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 9 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O presente estudo objetivou identificar uma hierarquia de prioridade em um modelo de mapa estratégico para gestão do capital humano docente em uma Instituição Privada de Ensino Superior. Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa, onde os dados foram coletados através de entrevista em profundidade com gestores do nível estratégico e especialista na área. Através da técnica de análise de entrevista foram identificados os elementos mais significativos para os fins do estudo. Esses elementos foram submetidos à apreciação dos gestores a fim de que os mesmos atribuíssem grau de importância a cada um individualmente,bem como, no relacionamento entre si. Além disso, a fim de validar os elementos prospectados, procedeu-se uma análise quantitativa, realizada a partir da utilização de sistema fuzzy logic. Esse procedimento foi adotado no sentido de minimizar possível grau de subjetividade da pesquisa, e um dos benefícios no processamento dos dados através do sistema fuzzy está na quantificação da verbalização ob / This study aims at identifying a hierarchy of priorities by using a strategic map for managing the teaching staff of a private institution of higher education. To reach this objective, qualitative research has been conducted, the data having been collected through in-depth interviews with managers at strategic level and experts in the field. Through interview analysis, the most significant elements of this study have been identified. These elements were submitted to the managers, so that each of them might be assigned a degree of importance both individually and among them. Moreover, in order to validate the extracted elements, quantitative analysis was conducted through the fuzzy logic system. This procedure was adopted in order to minimize a possible degree of bias in the research. Thus, one of the benefits of data processing through the fuzzy logic system lies in the quantification of the verbalization obtained by interviewing the managers. This has resulted in a more scientific and robust study. Another

Made available in DSpace on 2019-03-29T23:20:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-02-01 / The interest on the social capital is inextricably linked to the change of perspective in the study of development, that recently focused a local potential (human, natural, physical, technological, political and social) rather than purely directed to economic aspects. This new perspective of development also sparked interest on the subject of associations as a development strategy that would provide the communities to be agents of their own destiny. This dissertation therefore aims to investigate both the general process of construction and strengthening of social capital in the community of Monte Grave, by Social Center Monte Grave Association for the local development. The especific objectives are: describing the process of creation and constitution of Social of Center Monte Grave Association, investigating the current dynamics of the Center Association (number of members, collective action, leadership), enquiring if determinant factors of social capital, according to Melo Neto and Froes (2002), are present in the Center Association and verifying if the Association favored and/or favors local development. The research employs a qualitative research method based on a case study approach with three sources of evidence: in-depth interviews, semistructured interviews and minutes of meetings of the Association. Eight interviews were carried out, two in depth and six semi-structured. For the analysis of data it was used content analysis. Both construction and strengthening of social capital were examined according to the concepts of Melo Neto and Froes s theoretical approach.The research indicated that the six determinants of those author s concepts of social capital are present and interact in a circular way in the Association. One new determinant was added to the Melo Neto and Froes s Model: the Information. The Association helped, both in the spread of the determinants of social capital and in the development achieved by the community of Monte Grave. / O interesse pelo tema do capital social está intrinsecamente ligado à mudança de perspectiva no estudo do desenvolvimento, que passou a privilegiar as potencialidades locais (humanas, naturais, físicas, tecnológicas, políticas e sociais), em detrimento das meramente econômicas. Esta nova perspectiva do desenvolvimento também despertou o interesse pelo tema do associativismo, como sendo uma estratégia de desenvolvimento capaz de proporcionar às comunidades o ensejo de serem os agentes de seu próprio destino. Esta dissertação, portanto, tem como objetivo geral investigar o processo de construção e ou fortalecimento do capital social na comunidade de Monte Grave, através da Associação Centro Social de Monte Grave, visando ao desenvolvimento local. Os objetivos específicos são: descrever o processo de criação e constituição da Associação Centro Social de Monte Grave, investigar a dinâmica de funcionamento atual da Associação Centro Social de Monte Grave (número de membros, ações coletivas, liderança), averiguar se os fatores determinantes do capital social, segundo Melo Neto e Froes (2002), estão presentes na Associação citada e detectar se esta Associação favoreceu e ou favorece o desenvolvimento local. A pesquisa apresenta um estudo de caso, segundo Yin (2005), método qualitativo de investigação, com três fontes de evidências: entrevistas em profundidade, entrevistas semiestruturadas e consulta às Atas das reuniões da Associação. Foram realizadas oito entrevistas, duas em profundidade e seis semiestruturadas. Para a análise dos dados, foi utilizada a análise de conteúdo. A construção e ou fortalecimento do capital social foram examinados à luz do referencial teórico de Melo Neto Froes (2002). A pesquisa indicou que os seis fatores determinantes do capital social segundo Melo Neto e Froes (2002) estão presentes e interagindo de maneira circular na Associação Centro Social de Monte Grave. Agregou-se ao referido modelo um novo fator determinante: a informação. A Associação ajudou, tanto na disseminação dos fatores determinantes do capital social, quanto no desenvolvimento alcançado pela comunidade em questão