Numerous studies have confirmed a statistically significant negative relationship between natural resource abundance and economic growth. This has been labeled “The Resource Curse”. In this paper we try to explain why Botswana, a country heavily dependent on its diamond industry, has managed to generate sustainable growth. Economists have advanced several explanations for the negative impact of natural resources on long-term growth. This paper focuses on the following important problems: First, a boom in a natural resource can pull resources away from other sectors of the economy, thus harming their international competitiveness, a phenomenon called the Dutch disease. Second, abundance in natural resources may lead to poor institutional quality in many countries. Thanks to conservative fiscal policies and accumulation of foreign reserves the local currency did not appreciate during the boom, and Botswana avoided the most severe symptoms of the Dutch disease. Historical tradition of democratic procedures and sound institutions at the time of diamond discovery has contributed to a high institutional quality in Botswana.

Die vorliegende Magisterarbeit ist eine kontrastive Untersuchung und Beschreibung der Flüche und Schimpfwörter in der deutschen und litauischen Jugendsprache. / Šis magistro darbas yra keiksmų ir keiksmažodžių lyginamasis tyrimas ir aprašymas, vokiečių ir lietuvių jaunimo kalbose. / My Master's degree's work is a comparative research and description of swears and curse words in the language of German and Lithuanian teenagers.

This thesis is about some issues in system modeling: The first is a parsimonious representation of MISO Hammerstein system, which is by projecting the multivariate linear function into a univariate input function space. This leads to the so-called semiparamtric Hammerstein model, which overcomes the commonly known “Curse of dimensionality” for nonparametric estimation on MISO systems. The second issue discussed in this thesis is orthogonal expansion analysis on a univariate Hammerstein model and hypothesis testing for the structure of the nonlinear subsystem. The generalization of this technique can be used to test the validity for parametric assumptions of the nonlinear function in Hammersteim models. It can also be applied to approximate a general nonlinear function by a certain class of parametric function in the Hammerstein models. These techniques can also be extended to other block-oriented systems, e.g, Wiener systems, with slight modification. The third issue in this thesis is applying machine learning and system modeling techniques to transient stability studies in power engineering. The simultaneous variable section and estimation lead to a substantially reduced complexity and yet possesses a stronger prediction power than techniques known in the power engineering literature so far.

This thesis is about some issues in system modeling: The first is a parsimonious representation of MISO Hammerstein system, which is by projecting the multivariate linear function into a univariate input function space. This leads to the so-called semiparamtric Hammerstein model, which overcomes the commonly known “Curse of dimensionality” for nonparametric estimation on MISO systems. The second issue discussed in this thesis is orthogonal expansion analysis on a univariate Hammerstein model and hypothesis testing for the structure of the nonlinear subsystem. The generalization of this technique can be used to test the validity for parametric assumptions of the nonlinear function in Hammersteim models. It can also be applied to approximate a general nonlinear function by a certain class of parametric function in the Hammerstein models. These techniques can also be extended to other block-oriented systems, e.g, Wiener systems, with slight modification. The third issue in this thesis is applying machine learning and system modeling techniques to transient stability studies in power engineering. The simultaneous variable section and estimation lead to a substantially reduced complexity and yet possesses a stronger prediction power than techniques known in the power engineering literature so far.

In 1995, Jeffrey Sachs and Andrew Warner found a negative relationship between natural resources and economic growth, and claimed that natural resource abundance is a curse. The work of Sachs and Warner has been widely cited, and many economists now accept the curse of natural resources as a proven phenomenon (e.g. Papyrakis and Gerlagh, 2004; Kronenberg, 2004). In this thesis, I provide a new framework for evaluating this claim. I begin by providing a summary of the related literature and discussion of possible explanations for the curse. This summary is followed by a critical assessment of the theory underlying previous research. Next, I develop a new model for evaluating the curse of natural resources. I find that natural resource abundance does not directly impact economic development. However, petroleum resources are associated with rent-seeking behaviour that can negatively influence economic development. Finally, I show that my results are robust to various sensitivity analyses. The results from my model provide a deeper understanding of how natural resource abundance affects economic outcomes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2009. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-171).

In 1995, Jeffrey Sachs and Andrew Warner found a negative relationship between natural resources and economic growth, and claimed that natural resource abundance is a curse. The work of Sachs and Warner has been widely cited, and many economists now accept the curse of natural resources as a proven phenomenon (e.g. Papyrakis and Gerlagh, 2004; Kronenberg, 2004). In this thesis, I provide a new framework for evaluating this claim. I begin by providing a summary of the related literature and discussion of possible explanations for the curse. This summary is followed by a critical assessment of the theory underlying previous research. Next, I develop a new model for evaluating the curse of natural resources. I find that natural resource abundance does not directly impact economic development. However, petroleum resources are associated with rent-seeking behaviour that can negatively influence economic development. Finally, I show that my results are robust to various sensitivity analyses. The results from my model provide a deeper understanding of how natural resource abundance affects economic outcomes.

Dynamic covariance estimation for multivariate time series suffers from the curse of dimensionality. This renders parsimonious estimation methods essential for conducting reliable statistical inference. In this paper, the issue is addressed by modeling the underlying co-volatility dynamics of a time series vector through a lower dimensional collection of latent time-varying stochastic factors. Furthermore, we apply a Normal-Gamma prior to the elements of the factor loadings matrix. This hierarchical shrinkage prior effectively pulls the factor loadings of unimportant factors towards zero, thereby increasing parsimony even more. We apply the model to simulated data as well as daily log-returns of 300 S&P 500 stocks and demonstrate the effectiveness of the shrinkage prior to obtain sparse loadings matrices and more precise correlation estimates. Moreover, we investigate predictive performance and discuss different choices for the number of latent factors. Additionally to being a stand-alone tool, the algorithm is designed to act as a "plug and play" extension for other MCMC samplers; it is implemented in the R package factorstochvol. (author's abstract) / Series: Research Report Series / Department of Statistics and Mathematics

Submitted by Noeme Timbo (noeme.timbo@metodista.br) on 2016-08-11T17:50:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Geraldo de Oliveira Souza.pdf: 2523255 bytes, checksum: 424c8da978a4a8f7daae6ef9feb29c36 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-11T17:50:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Geraldo de Oliveira Souza.pdf: 2523255 bytes, checksum: 424c8da978a4a8f7daae6ef9feb29c36 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The present research aims to assess exegetically the text found in the Bible, notably in the Book of Numbers chapters 22-24 which describes a character known as Balaam. The research also aims to study the Pantheon of Divinities reported in the same text, as well as the texts discovered in Deir Alla, in Jordan, which also mention a character called Balaam, probably the same character appearing in the Book of Numbers 22-24. The development of this research has been motivated by the finding of concepts related to different divine names in the text and by the existing prophetism outside Israel. Moreover, the view of hermeneutic possibilities opening from the reading of that biblical text was important to the decision making. Until then, according to the general concept, Israel was the only country where the “true” prophets existed and where the veneration for a single God prevailed (monotheism). So, it has been interesting to realize, mainly through the reading of biblic books, that the prophetism was not restricted to Israel. The prophetism precedes the formation of ancient Israel and it already existed in the Middle East lands. Furthermore, the ancient Israel, when formed, took much time to become monotheist. After all, who is Balaam, son of Beor? We will study his personal characteristics and his mission. We will analyse Deir Alla texts about Balaam and his mediator character nature that stays between the divine and the human. He was presented as a great prophet, famous in the role of divine presages interpreter. We will also analyse the important issue related to Pantheon of Gods appearing in Balaan’s narrative, such as El, Elyon Elohim and Shaddai, beyond Yahweh. At first, we understand that the text got a connection with the society in which it was written. Using the exegetical methodology, we will proceed with the text analysis, trying to understand its contents in depth, but always considering its historical and social setting. It’s worth remembering here that the scenario was presented by a prophet who is not Israeli, but is the one that says gods’ blessings over Israel and also pronounces curses for Israel’s enemies. We realize that part of the text under study is presented from the perspective of Israel in relation to the other countries. Therefore, the research confirms that the chapters 22-24 of the Book of Numbers, besides showing us a non-Israeli prophet equal to the Bible’s prophets, it also evidences that the Pantheon of Divinities was worshiped by Israel. Moreover, their names were, in fact, epithets of the same divinity, in this case YHWH. The research still advocates the existence of a project of political and military domination of Israel over the surrounding nations. / A presente pesquisa busca avaliar exegeticamente o texto que se encontra na Bíblia, especificamente no livro de Números capítulos 22-24 que relata sobre um personagem conhecido como Balaão. A pesquisa tem também como objeto o estudo sobre o panteão de divindades relatado no mesmo texto, assim como também o estudo dos textos descobertos em Deir Alla, na Jordânia, que apresentam um personagem designado como Balaão, possivelmente o mesmo personagem de Nm 22-24. A motivação que levou ao desenvolvimento dessa pesquisa foi o fato de se ter deparado com os conceitos dos diversos nomes divinos exibidos no texto, além da questão do profetismo fora de Israel, assim como as possibilidades hermenêuticas que se abrem para a leitura desse texto bíblico. O conceito geral sempre foi o de que Israel era a única nação onde existiam “verdadeiros” profetas e uma adoração a um único Deus, o “monoteísmo”. O que despertou interesse foi perceber, especialmente por meio da leitura dos livros bíblicos, que o profetismo não se restringiu somente a Israel. Ele antecede à formação do antigo Israel e já existia no âmbito das terras do antigo Oriente Médio, e que Israel ainda demorou muito tempo para ser monoteísta. Quem é esse Balaão, filho de Beor? Estudaremos sobre sua pessoa e sua missão. Examinaremos os textos de Deir Alla sobre Balaão e sua natureza de personagem mediador entre o divino e o humano. Esse personagem é apresentado como um grande profeta e que era famoso como intérprete de presságios divinos. Analisaremos a importante questão sobre o panteão de deuses que são apresentados na narrativa de Balaão nomeados como: El, Elyon Elohim e Shaddai, além de Yahweh. Entendemos, a princípio, que o texto possui uma conexão com a sociedade na qual foi criado e usando da metodologia exegética, faremos uma análise da narrativa em questão, buscando compreender o sentido do texto, dentro de seu cenário histórico e social. Cenário este, que nos apresentou esse profeta, não israelita, que profere bênçãos dos deuses sobre Israel e que, além disso, pronuncia maldições sobre os inimigos desse mesmo Israel. Percebemos que, parte do texto pesquisado é apresentado sob a ótica de Israel sobre as outras nações. A pesquisa defende, portanto, que o texto de Nm 22-24, além de nos apresentar um profeta fora de Israel igual aos profetas da Bíblia, defende que, o panteão de divindades também era adorado por Israel e que tais nomes são epítetos de uma mesma divindade, no caso YHWH. Defende, também, um delineamento de um projeto de domínio político e militar de Israel sobre as nações circunvizinhas.

The non-burial motif in the Hebrew Bible borrows language, imagery, and rhetorical strategies from its ancient West Asian milieu. Despite its many attestations in TANAKH, this motif often is overlooked in biblical research. Past scholarship relied on Delbert Hillers's form-critical and comparative work, which identified several occurrences of a biblical "curse of no burial" that shares stereotypical terminology with Mesopotamian treaty-curses. Nevertheless, Hillers's classification of the "curse of no burial" as a treaty-curse obstructed the identification of the majority of biblical references to non-burial. As one type of threatened or actualized post-mortem punishment, deprivation of burial appears explicitly and as the intended result of another threatened or performed act of violence. Revising Hillers's typology, I propose a description of references to non-burial that considers the following characteristics: 1) elements of post-mortem abuse; 2) agent; 3) victim; 4) reason; and 5) intended result. The identification of non-burial as post-mortem abuse, recognizable by the presence of stereotypical terminology in these five interpretive categories, broadens the net of non-burial references beyond the scope of treaty-curses. Over forty examples of the non-burial motif appear across thirteen biblical books. In-depth interpretations of six of these references to non-burial (Num 14:28-35; Deut 28:26; 1 Sam 17:44-47; 1 Kgs 14:10-11; Isa 14:18-20; Jer 8:1-3) scrutinize literary contexts, lexical features, and rhetorical functions. The non-burial motif appears in several different types of socio-literary contexts, and it functions as a literary weapon within biblical authors' ideologically-shaped rhetorical compositions. Rhetorical-historical interpretation and social-anthropological theory clarify implications of deprived funerary rites. In biblical and extra-biblical examples, the non-burial motif is used to: 1) shame victims and their communities; 2) eradicate the victims' identity; and 3) bolster the identity of the agent. When the victim's identity depends upon its relationality with the agent (i.e., Israel's vassaldom to YHWH's suzerainty), the imposition of post-mortem punishment redefines the dynamics of the relationship.