Zugl.: Heidelberg, Univ., Diss., 2008/2009

Zugl.: Edinburgh, Univ., Diss., 2008

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study examined the trends in household consumption expenditure among the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria within the context of Engel's law of consumption. The study specifically set out to achieve the following objectives: to determine the trends in household consumption expenditure in Nigeria; to examine the food, health, education and non-food expenditures of households in Nigeria; to estimate the food share of total household expenditure through the estimation of the Engel curve for the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria; to determine if there are consumption economies of scale among households by estimating the Working-Leser form of the Engel curve; and, to examine consumption inequality among households in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The study used the Nigeria General Household Survey data wave 1 (2010-2011) and wave 2 (2012-2013) to estimate the Working-Leser form of the Engel curve to determine households' budget share for food consumption and the scale of consumption among the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The study used the Gini coefficient to measure consumption inequality among and between the six geopolitical zones.

nÃo hà / Esta dissertaÃÃo apresenta uma anÃlise do impacto do Imposto Sobre OperaÃÃes relativas à CirculaÃÃo de Mercadorias e sobre PrestaÃÃes de ServiÃo de Transporte Interestadual e Intermunicipal e de ComunicaÃÃo- ICMS e do Imposto de Renda Pessoa FÃsica-IRPF na distribuiÃÃo de renda no Estado do CearÃ. O objetivo do estudo à identificar se o ICMS à regressivo, penalizando as pessoas das classes de menor poder econÃmico, e se o IRPF compensa o efeito regressivo do ICMS. Foram utilizados no trabalho informaÃÃes sobre consumo de 50 produtos das famÃlias cearenses constante dos microdados da POF-IBGE 2002/2003. O mÃtodo utilizado para construir a funÃÃo de regressÃo amostral foi dos mÃnimos quadrados ordinÃrios. Estimam-se curvas de Engel com o propÃsito de determinar as elasticidades-renda da demanda dos produtos selecionados em relaÃÃo aos respectivos dispÃndios. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que o IRPF compensa a regressividade do ICMS, sendo as classes mais pobres as que arcam em termos relativos com o pagamento do ICMS no Estado do CearÃ. / This thesis presents an analysis of the impact of Tax Operations on the Circulation of Goods and the Rendering of Transportation Service Interstate and Intermunicipal Communications, GST and income tax -Individual Income Tax on income distribution in the state of Ceara. The aim of study is to identify if the GST is regressive, penalizing those classes less economic power, and the PIT offsets the regressive effect of GST. Were used in the paper about consumption of 50 families of products Ceara constant of POF, IBGE 2002/2003. The method used to construct the regression function of the sample was OLS. An estimated Engel curves in order to determine the income elasticities demand of the products selected for their respective expenditures. The results show that the PIT offsets the regressivity of the VAT, and the poorer classes who bear in relative terms with the payment ICMS in the State of CearÃ.

Diss. Univ. Heidelberg, 2008/2009.

Ce mémoire est une contribution à la résolution du problème d'équivalence pour les variétés de Cauchy-Riemann en dimension inférieure ou égale à 5. On traite d'abord du cas des variétés CR de dimension 5, qui sont 2-nondégénérées et de rang de Levi constant égal à 1. Pour une telle variété, on obtient deux invariants, J et W, dont l'annulation simultanée caractérise l'équivalence locale à une variété modèle, le tube au-dessus du cône de lumière. Si l'un des deux invariants ne s'annule pas, on construit un parallélisme absolu, i.e. on montre que le problème d'équivalence se réduit à un problème d'équivalence entre {e}-structures de dimension 5. On étudie ensuite le problème d'équivalence pour certaines variétés CR de dimension 4 appelées variétés de Engel. Ce problème est résolu par la construction d'une connexion de Cartan sur un fibré principal de dimension 5. On traite ensuite du cas de variétés CR de dimension 5 dont le fibré CR vérifie une certaine hypothèse de dégénérecence. Le problème d'équivalence est résolu dans ce cas par la construction d'une connexion de Cartan sur un fibré de dimension 6. Enfin, on détermine les algèbres de Lie des automorphismes infinitésimaux des modèles pour les trois classes de variétés CR étudiées. / This memoir contributes to solve the equivalence problem for CR-manifolds in dimension up to 5. We first deal with the equivalence problem for 5-dimensional CR-manifolds which are 2-nondegenerate and of constant Levi rank 1. For such a manifold M, we find two invariants, J and W, the annulation of which gives a necessary and sufficient condition for M to be locally CR-equivalent to a model hypersurface, the tube over the light cone. If one of the invariants does not vanish on M, we construct an absolute parallelism on M, that is we show that the equivalence problem reduces to an equivalence problem between 5-dimensional {e}-structures. We then study the equivalence problem for 4-dimensional CR-manifolds which are known as Engel manifolds. This problem is solved by the construction of a canonical Cartan connection on a 5-dimensional bundle through Cartan's equivalence method. We also study the equivalence problem for 5-dimensional CR-manifolds whose CR-bundle satisfies a certain degeneracy assumption, and show that in this case, the problem is solved by the construction of a Cartan connection on a 6-dimensional bundle. The last part of this memoir is devoted to the determination of the Lie algebra of infinitesimal automorphisms for the model manifolds of the three previous classes.

nÃo hà / A presente dissertaÃÃo faz uma avaliaÃÃo do impacto do Imposto sobre OperaÃÃes relativas a CirculaÃÃo de Mercadorias e sobre PrestaÃÃes de ServiÃos de Transporte Interestadual e Intermunicipal e de ComunicaÃÃo- ICMS e do Imposto de Renda da Pessoa FÃsica âIRPF sobre a distribuiÃÃo de renda das famÃlias cearenses. O objetivo do estudo à verificar se o ICMS à um imposto regressivo e se a progressividade do IRPF neutraliza o efeito regressivo do ICMS. A pesquisa levou em consideraÃÃo somente o item alimentaÃÃo e se restringiu à informaÃÃo sobre o consumo de 50 produtos das famÃlias cearenses constantes dos microdados da POF-IBGE 2008/2009. O modelo economÃtrico utilizado para construir a funÃÃo de regressÃo amostral foi dos mÃnimos quadrados ordinÃrios, por meio do qual foram estimadas as curvas de Engel com o propÃsito de determinar as elasticidades-renda da demanda dos produtos selecionados em relaÃÃo aos respectivos dispÃndios. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram, primeiramente, que o ICMS à regressivo, atingindo fortemente as classes de renda mais baixa, e que o IRPF pago pelas classes de renda mais altas compensa a regressividade do ICMS. / The present dissertation makes an assessment of the impact of the Imposto sobre OperaÃÃes relativas a CirculaÃÃo de Mercadorias e sobre PrestaÃÃo de ServiÃos de Transporte Interestadual e Intermunicipal e de ComunicaÃÃo â ICMS and of Imposto de Renda Pessoa FÃsica -IRPF about the income distribution of Cearà families. The objective of this study is to verify if the ICMS is a regressive tax and if the progressivity of IRPF neutralizes the regressive effect of the ICMS. Search took into consideration only the feed item and was restricted to information about 50 products consumption of families in the State of Cearà contained in POF-IBGE 2008/2009. The econometric model used to build the sample regression function was ordinary least squares, through which Engel curves were estimated for the purpose of determining the demand for income-elasticities selected products in relation to their respective expenditure. The obtained results demonstrated, first, that the ICMS is regressive, hitting heavily lower income classes, and that IRPF paid by the highest income classes compensates the regressivity of ICMS.

Zugl.: Revised and amplified version of doctoral diss., Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wis.), 2007. / Bibliogr.: p. [195]-215.

Cette thèse explore et analyse l’œuvre théâtrale d’André Engel, metteur en scène français atypique. Depuis 1972, il travaille avec une équipe de création constituée des dramaturges Bernard Pautrat puis Dominique Muller, du décorateur Nicky Rieti et de l’éclairagiste André Diot. André Engel a d’abord créé ses spectacles dans des lieux inédits : haras, usine désaffectée, ancienne mairie, hangar, donnant naissance à des « Objets Théâtraux Non Identifiés » qui marquèrent le théâtre des années soixante-dix et quatre-vingt ; formes que la nécessité de travailler dans les salles fit évoluer. Attaché à la question du spectateur, André Engel a, tout au long de son œuvre, proposé un renouvellement de son statut. De la création « hors les murs » au théâtre en salle, du « détour » par l’opéra à la tentation du cinéma, l’œuvre d’André Engel, constituée en cycles, est une véritable aventure théâtrale, une machine au rhizome complexe qui sort des repères connus. Nourri de philosophie allemande, d’influences deleuziennes et de lectures situationnistes, André Engel est venu au théâtre pour changer le monde. Il crée des événements, des expérimentations, des situations, proposant de nouveaux espaces-temps dans un acte de résistance et de reconquête du monde qui s’associe à une poésie de l’errance, du voyage et de la dérive. Machine de guerre contre « la société du spectacle », le théâtre est, pour André Engel, le lieu et le moyen d’un combat contre le monde aliéné, pour la reconquête de l’authenticité du réel. / This thesis explores and analyzes the theatrical work of André Engel, an unconventional French stage director, working since 1972 with a team composed of dramatists Bernard Pautrat followed by Dominique Muller, designer Nicky Rieti and lighting designer André Diot, as a creative ensemble. André Engel staged his first performances in unusual places : a stud farm, a disused factory, a former town hall, a warehouse, giving birth to « Objets Théâtraux Non Identifiés » : landmarks in the theatre scene of the 70s and 80s. The need to work in conventional theatre brought with it in an evolution of his art. Throughout his work, André Engel proposes a new vision of the status of spectator. From « hors les murs » to more traditional venues, from incursions into opera to the temptations of cinema, these cycles in André Engel’s work are a true adventure in theatre, a machine with a complex rhizome which does not tread well-beaten paths. Nurtured by German philosophy, by the thought of Gilles Deleuze and influenced by readings of the Situationists, André Engel came to theatre in order to change the world. He creates events, experiments, situations, offering as an act of resistance, new dimensions in space and time : re-conquests of a world associated with the poetics of wandering, travelling, being adrift. As a machine for war against « la société du spectacle » as Guy Debord calls it, theatre for André Engel provides the perfect place and means for fighting against a world of alienation, for re-conquering the authenticity of the real.

Energy is the driver of activity in every economy and, therefore, its importance cannot be overemphasised. However, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces general problems of access to modern energy. Most households and industry in SSA use traditional and unclean energy resources for activities such as cooking, lighting and drying of farm produce. Many households in less developed countries have very limited choices with regard to alternatives to traditional energy supplies. Energy poverty is overt in many poor countries, particularly in the Sub-Saharan region where 700 million people are deprived of access to modern energy facilities. In Malawi, less than 6 percent of the population have access to electricity. There are, therefore, many questions regarding the state of energy poverty still to be answered, not only in Malawi, but also the entirety of the SSA region. Questions such as what is the level of energy poverty in these regions? What determines this level of poverty? Why are people not adopting renewable energy facilities for their household needs? Are some energy facilities inferior to others? Such questions were the centre of the present study. These questions are important because, with energy poverty, nearly all the Millennium Development Goals are unachievable and sustainable development could not be a success story where the dominant source of energy for both households and industry is biomass. This study was based on a survey conducted in South Lunzu Township (SLT), which is a low income area to the east of Ndirande Mountain in the city of Blantyre, Malawi. The survey administered a standard questionnaire through face-to-face interviews with heads of households. Data was collected from 319 respondents who were selected through random sampling techniques. The descriptive statistics suggest that the average household size for South Lunzu Township is 5 people. The average age of the sampled respondents was about 38. Energy Poverty and Sustainable Development The findings of the thesis suggest that over 90 percent of the households sampled were energy poor with energy expenditure exceeding 10 percent of total household expenditure. In terms of energy resources used in SLT, 2.9 percent used electricity for cooking meals. Only 2 households, representing 0.63 percent, use liquefied petroleum Gas (LPG) and just 1 household, representing 0.31 percent, depended mostly on solar power. On the other hand, energy facilities that are considered dirty, inefficient and a danger to the heath of people seem to be popular. For instance charcoal and firewood were used by 25 percent and 4.7 percent of the total sample respectively. Most households use a combination of energy facilities; however, those that are considered inferior are preferred. Of the sample, 42 percent use both charcoal and firewood to cook their meals. Further, the results of the Engel functions suggest that charcoal and wood were not regarded as inferior products for the cooking needs of households despite improvements in income. Electricity, which was also regarded as a normal energy resource, had positive income elasticity. To improve access to modern energy facilities at the household level, the thesis recommends that a flexible trade and tax regime, one that will improve the availability and affordability of renewable energy to the majority, should be adopted. The Logit model of energy poverty reveals that household expenditure on transport, income level, age, and education level of the head of household; household size; and home size, are important factors in explaining the level of energy poverty in South Lunzu Township. Further, the results revealed that expenditure on housing and marital status could not be relied upon as important predictors of the probability of energy poverty in South Lunzu. Expenditure on education was associated with lower levels of energy poverty. Households who spent more on schooling also spent more on food items and their expenditure on energy resources was less than 10 percent of the total expenditure per month. In addition, those households that spent more on food were also likely to be energy well-off. Energy Poverty and Sustainable Development Results of the multinomial logit (MNL) model suggest that most socioeconomic variables under study were inelastic in influencing the probability for the outcomes, at the household level, to be used for the purposes of cooking. Statistically, age, income and education level of the head of household, together with household size, were important factors that influenced the choice of most of the outcomes for cooking purposes, including electricity, charcoal, firewood and LP gas. The major recommendation of this study is that campaigns emphasising the abilities of renewable energy be developed and disseminated. That renewable energy is relegated to poor and uncivilised societies is a notion that must be rooted out of the mindset of the average, civilised urban dweller. Also, the use of LP gas for cooking purposes must be encouraged. Import tax regimes that discourage international trade of renewable energy resources must be removed to encourage lower prices on such facilities. These policies would ensure sustainable development by reducing reliance on biomass, which is depleting at a faster rate than it is regenerating. / Thesis (PhD (Economics))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013