The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze land degradation from an economic perspective in order to assess its significance, understand its causes and design possible remedies. The physical extent and economic significance of land degradation is not well known, but it is indisputable that declining land productivity is a significant problem in many areas of the developing world. Past efforts to combat land degradation have shown a discouraging rate of failure. This work suggests that they have not gone to the root of the problem. The underlying forces of market and government failures are systematically discussed in the chapters which deal with the macroeconomic aspects of land degradation. This analytical framework is applied to a case study of the nation of Lesotho, Southern Africa. An attempt to estimate the economic significance of soil loss on crop land is made, and market and government failures relating to land use are reviewed. In the microeconomic analysis, a comparative review is made of the theory of cost-benefit analysis and its appliction in 20 empirical studies of land improvement projects. This review forms the basis for a new cost-beefit analysis of a specific project in southern Lesotho. The results have important implications for strategic choices in combating land degradation / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk.

Swedish drug policies are among the most prohibitive in the world. Regardless of the ever expanding “narcotics criminal code” (narkotikastrafflagen), the drug use development in Sweden has followed international fluctuations in the narcotics market. A considerable increase in the number of debutants in using narcotics can be seen in the 1960s, followed by a reduction during the 1970s reaching a low in the mid 1980s. This is when the “zero-vision” on drugs is introduced in Sweden. Despite this vision and its accompanying increase in preventive measures, a remarkable increase in the number of users of narcotics has taken place from the 1990s up until the present. Swedish policy today puts lots of recourses into catching the users of narcotics even though historically and in comparison to other countries punishment and force have not been seen to be the strategies giving results. At the same time the Netherlands who is seen as an ultra-liberal country on the issue of narcotics, show better results than ultra-prohibitive Sweden, better results being fewer serious abusers per 1000 inhabitants. The fact that they have a higher frequency of people regularly using cannabis does not seem to result in a high number of abusers of serious narcotics. With this paper I wanted to raise the question whether or not the resources the Swedish state today use on the prevention of the use of drugs could be allocated in a different way. In my research I found that the reason for the development of an abuse of narcotics was not the mere existence of drugs themselves, but rather marginalization and social maladjustment. Therefore I think it is time to shift focus from the abuse of narcotics and to these reasons for the abuse. In my paper I introduce one way of distributing legal narcotics through specialized drugstores where you need a license to be allowed to buy the narcotics. This is to help control the use of narcotics, to prevent illegal distribution, and to obtain information on the use patterns and demand for narcotics. This system is also meant to be a warning system to help the Swedish government to offer help to those who need it. I have also done a qualitative cost- benefit analysis on the legalization of narcotics, listing all the possible costs and benefits this might have for society. My conclusion is that regardless of the economical profits that could be made trough legalizing narcotics, there are bigger issues that I have not been able to monetize, that need to be considered when making this decision. One example could be health effects and the value of those. Legalization is not necessarily the only road to take, but regardless of legalizing drugs or not, focus and resources should be shifted to prevent marginalization and social maladjustment and remove the reasons why people develop an abuse in the first place. / Den svenska narkotikapolitiken är en av de mest restriktiva i världen. Oberoende av den hela tiden expanderande narkotikastrafflagen så har drogutvecklingen i Sverige följt de internationala trenderna på narkotikamarknaden. En markant ökning i antalet narkotika- debutanter kan ses på 1960-talet, följt av en nedgång under 1970-talet. En botten nås på mitten av 1980-talet. Samtidigt introduceras ”nollvisionen” i den svenska narkotikapolitiken. Trots denna visionen och de tillhörande ökningarna i preventiva åtgärder, ser man en kraftig ökning i antalet narkotikaanvändare från mitten av 1990-talet och fram till i dag. Dagens svenska narkotikapolitik lägger mycket fokus på att få tag på narkotikaanvändarna även om straff och tvång inte har varit de strategier som givit resultat, sett från ett historiskt perspektiv och i jämförelse med andra länder. Samtidigt visar Nederländerna, som ses som ett ultraliberalt land i narkotikafrågan, ett bättre resultat än ultrarestriktiva Sverige. Med ett bättre resultat menas färre missbrukare per 1000 invånare. Det faktum att Nederländerna har en högre frekvens av folk som regelbundet använder cannabis verkar inte ge ett högre antal narkotikamissbrukare. Med denna uppsats vill jag ställa frågan om de resurser som svenska staten i dag lägger på att hindra narkotikaanvändandet kan allokeras på ett annat sätt. I min forskning fann jag att orsakerna till utvecklandet av ett missbruk var marginalisering och social missanpassning, inte själva existensen av narkotika. Av den anledningen menar jag att fokus måste flyttas från narkotikamissbruket och till anledningarna till narkotikamissbruket. I min uppsats presenterar jag ett specifikt sätt att distribuera narkotika, nämligen genom specialiserade narkotikaaffärer där man behöver en licens för att köpa narkotika. Detta för att kunna kontrollera narkotikaanvändandet, hindra olaglig distribution av droger, samt för att erhålla information om användningsmönster och efterfrågan på narkotika. Detta system är också menat att hjälpa svenska staten att erbjuda hjälp till dem som behöver det. Jag har även gjort en kvalitativ kostnads- nyttoanalys om legaliseringen av narkotika, i vilken jag räknar upp de kostnader och nyttor detta kan ha för samhället. Min konklusion är dock att oberoende av de ekonomiska fördelar en legalisering skulle kunna ge, så finns det många omständigheter som jag inte kunnat värdera och vilka bör tas med när man tar detta beslut. Exempel på sådana kan vara hälsoeffekter och hur man värderar dessa. Legalisering är inte nödvändigtvis ända sättet, men oavsett en legalisering eller inte borde fokus och resurser flyttas för att hindra marginalisering och social missanpassning, och eliminera orsakarna till att folk utvecklar ett missbruk i första hand.

Esta tesis se estructura bajo la forma de dos ensayos independientes, aunque en esencia ambos tratan de evaluar lo mismo: la eficiencia económica en estructuras productivas. El primer ensayo titulado 'Análisis Coste-Beneficio para el proyecto de construcción de una terminal de contenedores' trata de determinar la rentabilidad económica global de un proyecto de inversión pública, en concreto, la construcción de una terminal de contenedores dentro de unas instalaciones portuarias en las que existe un problema de congestión. El segundo de los ensayos se titula 'Determinantes de la Eficiencia Técnica e Impacto de la Competencia en las Empresas Manufactureras Españolas' y trata, en primer lugar, de estudiar los determinantes que afectan a la variabilidad de la eficiencia técnica de las empresas manufactureras españolas durante la década de los años 90, a partir de un modelo de fronteras estocásticas. En una segunda parte del trabajo se estudia la relación entre los niveles de eficiencia técnica de las empresas y sus cuotas del mercado, demostrando que en aquellos mercados tradicionalmente concentrados y con comportamientos más cooperativos, el efecto de la eficiencia técnica sobre las cuotas de mercado de las empresas es más débil que en aquellos sectores más atomizados y con comportamientos más competitivos.

The aim of the thesis is to study some of the essential consequences of the location of Algots Ltd in three municipalities (Lycksele, Norsjö and Skellefteå) in Västerbotten County in northern Sweden. The factories were established with huge subsidies from the Swedish Government which considered the location as a major effort to stimulate regional development in Västerbotten County.The study shows that the yearly working time has increased, on average, by 80 per cent for the women who received employment in one of the factories. Both the incomemult i pi i er and the employmentmult i piier effects in Västerbotten County are rather small since the intermediate goods used by the firm are produced outside the region. The study also contain cost-benefit analysis as applied to the whole economy. Primarily due to very poor private profitability, the investment has yielded negative profitability to the whole economy except in the case of the Norsjö factory. / digitalisering@umu

Aerosol administration via small-volume nebulizers are still being used by selected patient-population. In the economic market, several nebulizer designs have become available, with each incorporating unique features that will potentially establish it as the preferred choice in aerosol delivery. With the continuous rising cost of health care services, clinicians are faced with the task of identifying opportunities for cost reduction in respiratory care. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of dosimetric nebulization using the Circulaire system and the traditional VixOne nebulizer. The desired outcome was to elevate awareness of the potential impact of the Circulaire, and how its adoption might reduce costs and enhance productivity in respiratory care. METHODS: A retrospective study using existing data collected from an urban tertiary adult hospital with a Level II Trauma Center was completed. DATA ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics were run for each variable. The total cost of a full-time Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) with benefits per hour was calculated. The average number of RRTs per 12-hour shift, average number of nebulizer treatments by an RRT per 12-hour shift, average costs of traditional VixOne nebulizer and the Circulaire system were also calculated. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics indicated the annual cost of delivering aerosol therapy using the traditional VixOne nebulizer at 9-minutes treatment time to be $114,263.25 per year. The Circulaire was compared at two different treatment times of 5-minutes and 3-minutes, and the annual costs were $137,422.50 per year and $116,982.50 respectively. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted, and the treatment load was increased by 30%, with a reduction to 5 RRTs per shift. Data indicated an annual savings of 8% with the Circulaire at 5-minutes treatment time, and 21% with the Circulaire at 3-minutes treatment time. CONCLUSION: The use of the Circulaire system at 5-minutes or 3-minutes treatment time can reduce department expenditure by reducing labor costs.

Thailand possesses high potential for solar energy, which has been given more attention from both government and the private sector lately. While the major investment in solar energy has gradually shifted from governments to private sectors, this paper aims to compare private investment's net present value (NPV) and production risks of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) projects. The scope of this paper includes PV projects on three different scales: 3 kW, 5 MW and 73 MW installed capacity in 74 locations across Thailand. The study utilizes RETscreen software to estimate means and variability in electricity productions in Thailand. Cost-benefit analysis is the method used to measure projects’ NPV and profitability, while portfolio theory is applied to capture the profit variability or production risk. The analysis also includes 3 feed-in-tariff (FIT or adder) scenarios that are likely to happen in the solar energy policy in Thailand; which are 8 baht/kWh, 6.5 baht/kWh and the case where there is no support at all. The study finds that 3 kW PV projects yield negative NPV, which means investment losses, in all scenarios and locations in the country. On the other hand, 5 MW PV projects result in positive NPV in all scenarios and locations and it is concluded to be the most profitable scale among three. 73 MW PV projects are considered as policy dependenceas the projectsyield negative NPV without the supports. Sensitivity analysis shows that the costs of 3 kW projects have to reduce at least by 60% in order to turn the projects to profits. With respect to allocation of risk, the production risks of 73 MW projects are slightly higher compared to the other two scales. Also, it is shown that the technologies located in north of Thailand have higher production risks, but yield approximately the same expected net benefits as technologies located in the rest of the country. As for conclusions, the future of PV technology in Thailand is still bright, but the investors should intensely consider about scale and location of the implementation. Further researches can examine other scales of PV technology and the drives behind the risk characteristics in Thailand.

In recent years, the use of option pricing models to support IT investment decisions has been proposed in the MIS literature. In this paper, we discuss the practical advantages of such techniques for the selection of a software platform. First, we argue that traditional quantitative approaches to a cost-benefit analysis give only a partial picture of such decision situations: due to the long planning horizon required because of the time-consuming and resource-intensive implementation process, it is not possible to exactly predict which applications will, in fact, run on the system over time. Thus, the investor is faced with the problem of valuing "implementation opportunities". We then compare different valuation techniques for this task and discuss their respective advantages and drawbacks. The practical advantages of employing such models are demonstrated by describing a real-life case study where option pricing models were used for deciding whether to continue employing SAP R/2 or to switch to SAP R/3. (author's abstract) / Series: Working Papers SFB "Adaptive Information Systems and Modelling in Economics and Management Science"

There is a debate in Sweden if the Automatic Safety and speed enforcement systems (SSS) in Sweden are profitable or not. Cost benefit analysis (CBA) is an excellent tool for determining the economy of traffic safety measures. The parameters of the CBA in this work include: tire wear, fuel consumption, environmental pollution, saved lives and injuries, reduced material damage, time for disputing tickets, time in traffic lines due to accidents, longer time due to lower speed and collected fines and maintained cost for the SSS. The sensitivity analysis shows that the SSS system appears to be profitable and the greatest uncertainty arises from the calculation of saved lives. Each SSS will on average generate a profit of approximately 250,000 SEK annually.

Abstract In Taiwan, long-line fishing has been the major technique in fishery. With the enhancement of fishing techniques, the fishing zone of Taiwan has spread all over three of World Oceans, and Taiwan has been regarded as one of five largest pelagic fishing countries. Pelagic long-line fishery plays a crucial role in economic development in Taiwan. In recent years, the fishery environments, whether in domestic or foreign fishing zone, have been dramatically changing. Since the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea has been resulted, all of coastal nations have subsequently set up the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or marine economic development zone, which is stretched out 200 nautical miles from a nation¡¦s coast. However, the establishment of marine economic development zone also brings about the high seas¡¦ largely shrinking. Since the past, the increasing extinction of fish species is mainly resulted from illegal fishing techniques, fishing in the fishing-prohibited zone or during the prohibited period, catching fingerlings and using illegitimate fishing gear. Under such a decreasing fishing circumstance, those Taiwanese long-line fishing vessels under 100 tonnes, mostly fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, are struggling with many changes, such as international fishing limitation, the fishing vessels decreasing policy, the diminishing amount of fish caused by climate changes, the raising oil price and cost. Respecting the situation that most of long-line fishing vessels are managed by ship owners instead of fishery companies, and the fishing-related records are too scarce to provide for reference, this research will explore how the 100-tonne-under long-line fishing vessels owners can manage their business in South Pacific Ocean. All information in this study is acquired from Fisheries Agency in Taiwan and interviews with long-line fishing vessels owners. The questions asked in those interviews mainly target fishing benefit, cost, method of supplies, and the policy on captain and crew management. Based on the analysis of those cases mentioned above, we can figure out the practical operation and management of the 100-tonne-under long-line fishing vessels owners in Taiwan. Furthermore, this study also points out current difficulties in fishery management, providing for those vessels owners as the crucial reference of increasing competitive advantages. Keywords: Long-Line Fishing, South Pacific Ocean, Business Management, Yellowfin Tuna, Cost-Benefit Analysis

Shihmen Reservoir has contributed to the economic development of northern Taiwan since it was built in 1964. As result of natural disasters and improper development, Shihmen Reservoir had a big problem with sediment deposition. To solve this problem, government executed the first stage of integrated treatments planning on Shihmen Reservoir.The period of program is from 2006 to 2008 and divided into three parts. From the government point of view, this study recognized the use of agriculture water¡Nindustrial water¡Ndomestic water¡Nelectricity generation¡Ntourism and decreased sediment extraction expense as benefit index ¡F recognized budgets and natural disasters as cost index to evaluate the effect of this program.The value of benefit-cost ratio before integrated treatments is 2.817 and the value of benefit-cost ratio after integrated treatments is 3.566. The value of benefit-cost ratio after integrated treatments is bigger than the value of benefit-cost ratio before integrated treatments.It means that it is workable for this program. Considering the reason that the water rate and utility bills are much cheaper in Taiwan, this study adjust the rate of water and utility individually. With the adjustment of water rate, the value of benefit-cost ratio before integrated treatments is 3.519 and the value of benefit-cost ratio after integrated treatments is 4.31. With the adjustment of utility rate, the value of benefit-cost ratio before integrated treatments is 3.689 and the value of benefit-cost ratio after integrated treatments is 4.074. It is also beneficial for this program.