This research explores a disability community’s success in drawing public attention to an unlawful development of policy, that community’s efforts in resistance, and the experiences of those individuals in relation to subsequent neoliberal silencing. Specifically, this study examines the experiences of people on disability assistance in British Columbia who successfully appealed the Ministry’s unjust denial of the Community Volunteer Supplement (CVS) and documents participants’ reactions to the government’s later repeal of the CVS program. Five individuals were interviewed about their experiences in resisting the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation’s practice to wait list CVS applicants, a benefit they were legislatively entitled to receive. Of the participants interviewed, three identified as women and two identified as men. Utilizing a post-structural feminist theory, influenced by critical disability theory and Foucault, a key finding of this research is that participants’ experiences with the CVS is connected to their experiences of poverty, resistance, and community. / Graduate / 2017-08-01 / 0630 / 0452 / 0617 / cwitkowskyj@gmail.com

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-07-06T17:22:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Maicon Bazzan Schwerz.pdf: 1153930 bytes, checksum: df437153daa7fb2e93debe47794e9388 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-06T17:22:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maicon Bazzan Schwerz.pdf: 1153930 bytes, checksum: df437153daa7fb2e93debe47794e9388 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-25 / Nenhuma / Este estudo testou a hipótese da teoria da sinalização de que dividendos (neste estudo foram considerados também os proventos de Juros sobre Capital Próprio) transmitem informação, utilizando duas abordagens. A população objeto da análise foi composta pelas empresas que estiveram presentes na carteira teórica do Ibovespa referente aos meses de Setembro a Dezembro de 2013, perfazendo um total de 73 ações de 67 empresas. Foi observado o comportamento das empresas no período de 01/01/2005 à 31/12/2012. Na primeira abordagem foram testadas se as variações na distribuição de resultados (pagamentos de proventos) sinalizam efetivas mudanças no comportamento dos resultados dos anos seguintes a essa alteração. Para testar a hipótese que as empresas utilizam-se da sua distribuição de proventos para sinalizar seus resultados futuros, foram utilizados o teste de independência, utilizando a curva qui-quadrado. Os resultados encontrados indicam que as empresas utilizam da sua distribuição de proventos para sinalizar seus resultados futuros, num nível de significância de 15%, corroborando a hipótese que dividendos transmitem informação. Na segunda abordagem foram realizados testes para verificar como os investidores interpretam as variações de pagamentos de proventos realizadas pelas empresas. Foram testados como o mercado se comporta antes e após as empresas alterarem sua política de distribuição de resultados. Foram definidas, além da data do anúncio de proventos, duas janelas de evento, a primeira compreende as data -1 e 0 e 1 (3 pregões)e a segunda janela de 11 pregões incluindo a data de divulgação de distribuição de proventos, para buscar vazamento de informações e para verificar a possibilidade de arbitragem na janela de estudo. Os resultados encontrados indicaram que existe relação entre a política de distribuição de lucros e o retorno das ações. / This study tested the hypothesis that dividends (in this study were also considered the proceeds of Interest on Equity) transmit information using two approaches. The object of the analysis population consisted of the companies that were present at the Ibovespa index for the months of September to December 2013, a total of 73 shares of 67 companies. The behavior of firms in the period from 01/01/2005 to 31/12/2012 was observed. In the first approach were tested whether variations in the distribution of results (payment of dividends) actual changes in behavior indicate the results of the years following this change. To test the hypothesis that companies use up its distribution of dividends to signal future results, the test of independence were used, using the chi-square curve. The results indicate that companies use its distribution of dividends to signal future results, a significance level of 15 %, thus supporting the hypothesis that dividends convey information. In the second approach tests to see how investors interpret the variations in payments of dividends made by the companies were conducted. We tested how the market behaves before and after companies to change their policy of profit distribution. The announcement dividends date, and two other windows were defined, the first includes the date -1 and 0 and 1 (3 sessions) and the second window of 11 trading days including the date of disclosure of benefit distribution, to seek information leaks and to verify the possibility of arbitration the study window. The results indicated that there is a relationship between the policy of distribution of profits and stock returns.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / Retirement income policy in Australia has undergone significant changes over the last two decades, including the introduction of the Superannuation Guarantee [SG] with mandatory contributions in 1992 and the 2007 superannuation changes with the benefit tax abolition. Numerical implications of adopted pension reforms and reform proposals such as further increases in the SG contribution rate, changes to superannuation taxation and to means-testing of the age pension have been examined mainly by micro-simulation models. These models, often criticized for their lack of theoretical content, provide an incomplete picture of pension policy effects because of no or limited behavioural responses to underlying policy changes. In this thesis, models based on the life-cycle theory of saving pioneered by Modigliani and Brumberg (1954) are applied to simulate behavioural, welfare and macroeconomics effects of proposed changes to Australia’s pension policy. In particular, this thesis develops the following computable models: a life-cycle, single household model, a partial equilibrium, household model and a general equilibrium model with overlapping generations [OLG]. The single household model describes lifetime behaviour of the utility-maximising single household with uncertain lifespan. The model features perfect capital markets, endogenous labour supply and retirement decisions, and it incorporates main aspects of Australia’s pension and income tax policy settings. The simulated policy changes are (i) increase in the SG contribution rate, (ii) superannuation tax changes and (iii) abolition of the age pension means test. The results indicate higher retirement consumption and welfare gains from all the analysed pension policy changes. Partial equilibrium and general equilibrium models introduced in this thesis are built on lifetime behaviour of the single household. Both models distinguish many generations of households by age and, therefore, are capable of studying behavioural and welfare effects of policy changes for different generations. The partial equilibrium model examines behaviour of the household sector in the environment of the fixed factor prices. It is shown, for instance, that welfare gains from the investigated pension policy changes are not uniformly distributed across generations. The general equilibrium OLG model extends the partial equilibrium analyses by incorporating production, government and foreign sectors in addition to household and pension sectors. The model is a small open economy version of Auerbach and Kotlikoff’s (1987) OLG model. The simulation results are significantly different from those in the partial equilibrium framework, driven mainly by the changes in aggregate labour supply. For instance, the higher SG rate policy increases aggregate assets and saving. However, the saving increases are exported abroad rather than invested in the domestic capital stock. Hence, the implications of this policy change for the capital stock and output are minimal. Younger cohorts and future born generations experience consumption and welfare gains but older cohorts are negatively affected by a higher consumption tax rate resulting from this hypothetical policy change.