This study investigated fees in public schools in seven school districts of British Columbia. A conceptual framework was formulated from issues in the literature on privatization, principles of taxation, school fee law and practices, and the public/private sectors of education. The framework was then applied to study the occurrence of school fees in public education and their effects on students. Purposive sampling techniques were employed to select districts, schools, and personnel for the study. Selection criteria included size, wealth, location and ethnic composition of districts and schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of fifty-four professionals including school district officials, school administrators and teachers. The data were analyzed using qualitative techniques. Explanations for current fee practices included: 1) financial and budgetary limitations; 2) the philosophy of users' pay; and 3) an educational policy on voluntary educational pursuits. Fees as a source of revenue to maintain, improve and introduce educational services occurred in four categories: curricular, extracurricular, incidental, and supplementary and special. Administrators at the district and school levels emphasized that fee waivers, bursaries and reimbursements could be applied where necessary. However, costs could not always be absorbed by the school and, needy students were not always easily identified. Schools varied in the degree to which they experienced fee administration difficulties. Most principals indicated that the elimination of all school fees would result in curtailment or discontinuation of certain activities and items. Educators agreed that psychological and social effects from charging fees were also important concerns. Main conclusions are: 1) the benefit principle and ability-to-pay principle are both used to justify school fees; 2) school policies and laws define the application of fees according to required and non-required curricula, thus fees are encountered chiefly for course electives and voluntary activities; 3) by charging fees, schools are able to provide resources necessary for student programs and activities; 4) fees can negatively impact on student participation and psychology. Two policy directions are suggested based on the principles of benefit and abilityto- pay: the maintenance of current levels of fees and the augmentation of fee in public schools.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-120).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 303-311). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Maryland at College Park, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-126).

Thesis--Simon Fraser University, 1999. / Cover title. "April 1999." "Research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Resource Management in the School of Resource Management"--Cover. Description based on printout printed Apr. 26, 2000 from http://www.rem.sfu.ca/pdf/aktaylor.pdf. Includes bibliographical references (p. 84-89). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: B, page: 0972. Adviser: Charles Begley. Includes bibliographical references.

This dissertation is concerned with the financing of roads in terms of public finance economic theory. The theory of public goods is applied to the case of roads and it is concluded that roads possess significant elements of privateness and are therefore nonpure public goods. Given that roads are nonpure public goods, and that the market for roads has natural monopoly characteristics, it is proposed that user charges have a role to play in the financing of roads. Road user charging techniques such as licence fees, fuel levies, tolls, area licensing, parking charges and weight-distance charges are evaluated. The advantages of user charging versus tax earmarking and general fund financing are examined. A road financing system for South Africa is proposed, whereby National roads are financed by user charges, and Provincial and Local roads are financed partly by user charges and partly by general taxes. / Economics and Management Sciences / Thesis (M.Com.)--University of South Africa, 1996.

La compréhension des phénomènes de vieillissement dans les élastomères réticulés chargés par des particules inorganiques est primordiale pour proposer un critère de fin de vie aux câbles électriques en usage au sein des centrales nucléaires. En effet, la gaine isolante de ces câbles met en jeu une matrice élastomère formulée par différents adjuvants et charges. Une quantité importante de particules inorganiques, du tri-hydrate d’aluminium (ATH), est usuellement introduite au sein de la matrice afin de lui conférer des propriétés anti-feu satisfaisantes. Les particules utilisées sont de taille micrométrique et du fait de la faible surface de contact polymère / charge intrinsèque aux microcomposites, l’ajout d’ATH est supposé n’impliquer aucune modification des mécanismes de vieillissement de la matrice. Or, des travaux récents ont mis en évidence un comportement au vieillissement thermique différent entre une matrice d’EPDM (élastomère à base d’unités éthylène, propylène et diène) chargée par des particules d’ATH micrométriques et la même matrice, sans ATH.L’objectif de cette thèse est de renseigner plus en détail l’effet du vieillissement thermo- et radio-oxydatif sur une matrice d’EPDM chargée par des particules d’ATH et de mieux comprendre les modifications observées. L’influence de paramètres physico-chimiques importants (taux de charges, fonctionnalisation de la surface des charges) sur le comportement en vieillissement sera en particulier abordée. Nous nous sommes, plus précisément, attachés à décrire l’évolution du réseau à l’échelle macromoléculaire, en déterminant les différentes populations du réseau (chaînes élastiquement actives, chaînes pendantes et extractibles) ainsi que la distribution de la densité de réticulation. Ces données ont été obtenues par le biais de la RMN (Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire) du solide.Les résultats de ces expériences montrent une diminution importante de la période d’induction au vieillissement thermo-oxydatif des matrices d’EPDM lors de l’ajout de particules d’ATH dans le réseau. Cet effet dépend fortement de la quantité de charges ATH introduites et de la fonctionnalisation ou non de leur surface. Lors du vieillissement radio-oxydatif, en revanche, aucune modification des cinétiques de vieillissement n’est observée. La confrontation des données issues des deux types de vieillissement suggère une modification des mécanismes d’amorçage de l’oxydation, dans les réseaux d’EPDM, lorsque ces derniers sont chargés par des particules d’ATH. Le rôle des interfaces charge / matrice semble donc déterminant dans ces modifications / A deep understanding of the ageing behaviour within cross-linked elastomers filled by inorganic particles is a key feature to propose a criterion for the end of life of electric cables in nuclear power plants. Indeed, materials used for wire insulation are usually composed of rubbers designed with several adjuvants and fillers. A significant amount of inorganic particles, such as aluminium trihydrate (ATH), is usually incorporated with the polymer matrix in order to achieve satisfactory fire-retardant properties. The ATH particles used are characterized by a micrometric-size and due to the weak polymer / filler contact area involved in such composites, the ageing mechanisms of the polymer matrix are expected to be essentially unchanged compared to the ones involved in the unfilled matrix. However, recent studies pointed out some differences in the thermal-ageing mechanisms between a cross-linked EPDM rubber (elastomer based on ethylene, propylene and diene units) filled by micrometric ATH (aluminium trihydrate) particles and the corresponding unfilled cross-linked EPDM.In that respect, this work aims at investigating the extent of generality of the above-mentioned filler effect on both thermo- and radio-oxidative ageing behaviour of an EPDM matrix filled by ATH particles. In particular, the influence of both filler content and filler surface functionalization is investigated. A special attention was paid to the evolution of the network at the macromolecular scale by determining the fraction of the various network components (elastically active chains, dangling chains and extractibles) as well as the cross-link density distribution. Such information have been derived using solid-state NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance).The results obtained evidence a significant decrease of the thermal-ageing induction period for the EPDM network filled by ATH particles. This effect display a strong dependence with the amount and the surface functionalization of the ATH particles. However, no modifications of the oxidation kinetics may be observed under radio-chemical ageing. The comparison between the results suggests a possible modification of the oxidation initiation mechanisms within EPDM networks filled by ATH particles. Therefore, interfacial areas should play a great role in the observed modifications

O presente trabalho contribui para a discussão e aplicação dos Instrumentos Econômicos (IEs) na gestão dos recursos hídricos, em especial a cobrança sobre usos da água, consideradas suas distintas possibilidades de implementação e metodologias aplicáveis. Foram analisadas algumas experiências internacionais e brasileiras no trato com os IEs e identificados os objetivos da utilização desses instrumentos nos respectivos sistemas de gestão. Essa análise revelou que, em determinados casos, a atuação dos IEs é descaracterizada pois não é atendido o objetivo precípuo desses instrumentos, qual seja, o incentivo ao uso adequado dos recursos hídricos. Para ilustrar a aplicação da cobrança sobre usos da água como instrumento econômico de gestão é utilizada a metodologia de SOUZA (1995). Foram realizadas simulações no reservatório de Salto Grande (Americana, SP) para os seguintes anos: 2000, 2005 e 2010. Os resultados indicam que a sazonalidade e os investimentos previstos para o controle de descargas poluentes influenciam, de maneira significativa, os valores cobrados nos cenários simulados. / The present work contributes to the discussion and application of economic instruments (EIs) for water management, especially water charging, considering their different implementation possibilities and applicable methodologies. Some international and Brazilian experiences about EIs were analyzed and identified the objectives of the use of these instruments at their respective water management systems. This analysis shows that, in some cases, the EIs loose its real features because the main objective of the instruments - the incentive of sustainable water use - is not satisfied. The work shows an application of water charges as management economic instrument, based on SOUZA (1995). Simulations were made in Salto Grande reservoir (Americana, SP) for the years 2000, 2005 and 2010. The results indicate that sazonability and foreseen investments for the pollutant discharge control are of great influence the charged value on the simulated scenarios.

Cette recherche tente de clarifier la discussion autour de la répartition des charges indirectes, recenser les attitudes des entreprises confrontées au problème de la répartition et analyser les différents discours qui l’entourent. Nous nous sommes posé ici la question suivante : existe-t-il une technique de répartition qui soit intrinsèquement meilleure que les autres ? Pour nous, ce qui importe, ce n’est pas la technique (ou la méthode) de répartition, mais le sens qui émerge des pratiques et des discours. Il est donc nécessaire de changer de perspective sur la répartition, c’est-à-dire ne plus raisonner en termes de méthodes, mais chercher plutôt à comprendre ce phénomène en tant que délibération datée et contingente. Nous défendons ici l’idée que la répartition des charges indirectes constitue un processus (ou un phénomène organisationnel) qui prend des sens multiples. Ces sens émergent de la dialectique entre pratiques et discours, qui cache en réalité l’intervention de trois catégories d’acteurs : les entreprises, les scientifiques et les consultants. Dans ces conditions, non seulement il n’existe pas de technique de répartition qui soit intrinsèquement meilleure que les autres, mais il est impossible même de concevoir et de définir une telle technique. / This research attempts to clarify the ongoing debate over indirect cost allocation, evaluate the attitude of the companies confronted with the allocation issue and analyze the types of discourse surrounding it. Here, we ask the following question: does an allocation technique intrinsically better than others exist? Actually, what really counts it is not the allocation technique (or method), but its meaning, emerging both from practice and discourse. It is thus necessary to adopt a different perspective on cost allocation, i.e. to stop reasoning in terms of methods, but rather seek to understand this phenomenon as a dated and contingent deliberation. We defend the idea that cost allocation constitutes a process (or an organisational phenomenon) carrying multiple meanings. These meanings emerge from the dialectics between practice and discourse, which actually hides the intervention of three categories of actors: companies, scientists and consultants. Under these conditions, not only an allocation technique intrinsically better than the others does not exist, but it is impossible even to conceive and define such a technique.