This study explores the dynamics of employment and poverty in South Africa. Specifically, it is aimed at understanding, over time, the change in household well-being that occurs as a result of the employment types of household members. Secondly, the study explores the relationship between household worker combination and self employment activities, in other words, what are the odds of a household getting better as a result of income accrued from self-employment activities and how is this linked, if at all, to employment of other members of the household. This study will contribute to the debate on poverty and the labour market and that on the relationship between the formal and informal economies. The study relied on secondary data analysis from the KwaZulu-Natal Income Dynamics Survey. Instead of establishing a poverty line, the entire distribution was ranked on the basis of deciles. Decile transitions were then established with respect to household worker combinations and participation in self-employment activities. The analysis of the data revealed a range of worker types. The dominant household worker combinations have workers in regular employment, casual employment, selfemployment, and the unemployed. The number of people following the self-employment route is generally low despite the substantial number of people who remain unemployed. Seemingly, self-employment is not a desirable destination. The period 1993-1998 saw little variation with respect to household worker type. Though the number of regularly employed workers increased during the same period, there were an equally considerable number of unemployed people. The general trend shows few people assuming regular or formal work employment. This trend could not bring about a significant change in total income decile transition and hence a change in household wellbeing. With respect to self-employment, most activities are associated with households with at least a regularly employed member. In a majority of cases, there is a close association between self-employment and workers in the formal economy. The relationship suggests an intra-household transfer of resources to self-employment initiatives or the fact that households participate in self-employment activities in an effort to supplement income from regular employment that is inadequate to meet household needs. There was little variation in household rank order between the two years. It was therefore increasingly difficult for households to experience a change in income, at least, as expressed by their decile transitions. Households with regularly employed members had a greater chance of improving their decile transition. Income from labour earnings therefore played a substantial role in determining the change in household welfare. Though households engaged in a range of self-employment activities, income from these activities had little impact with respect to decile transitions. Income from selfemployment is therefore inadequate to bring about a meaningful change in total household income. In conclusion, the study notes that household welfare and its improvement is dependant upon the employment types of its members. It therefore calls into question the expectation that the unemployed and those in unstable employment should subsist on their own. Secondly, there is a close linkage between the informal economy (i.e. selfemployment) and the formal economy. In light of the links between the two economies, the analysis of the informal economy as a separate entity needs revision. / Thesis (M.Dev. Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 2004.

This thesis explores the effects of NAFTA on Mexico’s economy. In 1994, when Mexico first signed the agreement, it expected to boost its economy substantially by increasing trade with two world powers. Mexico stood to benefit the most with a convergence of economies which set high expectations for NAFTA. Twenty years later it is evident that not all goals were met. The success of NAFTA has sparked a debate in which opposing sides tend to project extremists arguments. However, this study reflects that NAFTA has not been a complete success or an absolute failure for Mexico. Rather, it looks at NAFTA as a project with room for improvement given the current results. This conclusion is reached by answering the following questions: In what ways has Mexico’s economy improved since 1994? Can these improvements be attributed to NAFTA? Twenty years later, which expectations have not been met? How does Mexico’s economic growth compare to that of other Latin American countries? And lastly, in what ways can the agreement or Mexican policy be modified to improve results?

Two parametric models for income and financial return distributions are presented. There are the four-parameter normal Laplace (NL) and the five-parameter generalized normal Laplace (GNL) distributions. Their properties are discussed; furthermore, estimation of the parameters by the method of moments and maximum likelihood is presented. The performances of fitting the two models to nine empirical distributions of family income have been evaluated and compared against the four- and five-parameter generalized beta2 (GB2) and generalized beta (GB) distributions which had been previously claimed as best-fitting four- and five- parameter models for income distribution. The results demonstrate that the NL distribution has better performance than the GB and GB2 distributions with the GNL distribution providing an even better fit. Limited application to data on financial log returns shows that the fit of the GNL is comparable to the well-known generalized hyperbolic distribution. However, the GNL suffers from a lack of closed-form expressions for its probability density and cumulative distribution functions, and fitting the distribution numerically is slow and not always reliable. The results of this thesis suggest a strong case for considering the GNL family as parametric models for income data and possibly for financial logarithmic returns.

A synthetic hypothesis is constructed to account for the pattern of manufacturing profitability. The explanatory role of labour shortage, growing openness, union bargaining power and exchange rate changes is confirmed. Set in the context of institutional and policy changes, these factors provide a more satisfying description of the determinants of profitability than previous, frequently monocausal, explanations.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, Macarthur, Faculty of Business and Technology, Department of Economics and Finance, 1997. / Bibliography: 187-202.

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Geography Department or Field of Study, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, Irvine, 2003. / Chair: Priya Ranjan.

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 26, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Jonathan Krieckhaus. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Med. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-84).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 295-302). Also issued online.