The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any differences in faculty members; and administrators; perceptions of those factors which should be influential and those factors which are actually accounted for in making decisions pertaining to salary increases at Utah State University. The data for this study was collected from 55 administrators and 303 faculty members at Utah State University. A total of 21 factors, which were identified as being influential and/or determinants of faculty salary increases at Utah State University, were analyzed through the testing of four hypotheses using the chi square tests for independence. The critical region for the testing of all four hypotheses was set at the .05 level. Analysis of the data Hypothesis one. (there is no difference in the perceptions of administrators of those factors which are perceived as being of importance in awarding salary increases and those factors perceived by faculty members as actually being used in determining salary increases at Utah State University.) Hypothesis one was rejected on six of the factors. Sex, college within the university, race, fulfillment of role expectation, testing excellence, and student teaching yielded significant values of chi square. Hypothesis two. (There is no difference in the perceptions of faculty members of those factors which are perceived as being of importance in awarding salary increases and those factors perceived by faculty members as actually being used in determining salary increases at Utah State University.) Hypothesis two was rejected on 19 of the 21 factors. Research and the quality of graduate school attended were the only two factors which did not yield significant values of chi square. Hypothesis three. (There is no difference between the perceptions of faculty members an the perceptions of administrators of those factors which are of importance in awarding salary increases at Utah State University.) Hypothesis three was rejected for five of the 21 factors. Number of years at the institution, fulfillment of role expectations, extension services, writing and publication record, and grant proposals funded were the five factors with significant values of chi square. Hypothesis four. (There is no difference between the perceptions of faculty members and the perceptions of administrators of those factors which are actually used in awarding salary increases at Utah State University.) Hypothesis four was rejected for nine of the factors. Sex, years of service at the institution, tenure, rank, and quality of graduate school attended are perceived by faculty members as actually being used in determining salary increases. Administrators' perceptions were found non-congruent with faculty members' perceptions and in fact administrators indicated that they perceive fulfillment of role expectations, teaching excellence, extension services, student advisement as factors usually used in determining salary increases at Utah State University. The primary conclusion of this study is that there is a high degree of congruency between the perceptions of administrators and faculty members of those factors which are perceived to be of importance in determining salary increases. There is nevertheless, non-congruency between faculty members' and administrators' perceptions of those factors perceived to be actually used in determining salary increases at Utah State University. Although administrators as well as faculty members perceive certain factors (e.g., sex, race) as not being of importance in determining salary increases, administrators nevertheless, because of pressure, personal and institutional commitment, actually use such factors in determining salary increases.

Sagebrush plant communities are among the most threatened in North America. This project had two goals: to test how increased temperature affects native and nonnative forb species common to the Western sagebrush region and to evaluate land manager beliefs about changes in their ecosystems, including those affecting forb species. Native forbs Sphaeralcea munroana, Crepis acuminata, Linum lewisii, Penstemon palmeri, and Oenothera pallida and non-natives Erodium cicutarium and Lactuca serriola were each subjected to two treatments: experimental warming using open-top chambers and a control. Knowing how forbs used in restoration might respond to future conditions is both practical and economical information for land managers. Responses to an open-top chamber treatment suggest that S. munroana, L. lewisii, and P. palmeri may be resilient to predicted increases in temperature, while C. acuminata and O. pallida should be used with caution. As expected, temperature did not affect E. cicutarium fitness but did lead to earlier germination. This result supports the concept that competitive interactions between non-natives and natives could be compounded by increased temperature. Transplanted L. serriola was negatively affected by warming. Semi-structured phone interviews of range managers in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Oregon, and Montana addressed demographics, local climate and land changes, and forb knowledge. Additionally, local long-term climate data sets were compared to responses. Most states respondents were evenly split about beliefs of climate change in their area (half said there were no changes, and have said they thought there were some changes). Montana was the exception; Montana’s recent increases in climate-related events may explain most of the managers noting changes. Managers that had more years at their job gave more qualified, but also more accurate climate answers. Managers saying there was no change tended to base their answers on recent weather conditions, while managers that said they did notice changes tended to base their answers on long-term patterns. Forbs typically were not viewed as an important indicator of ecosystem health or resilience. This study indicates restoration organizations might benefit from more specified outreach to managers which focuses on local climate, forbs (especially those known to be used by Greater sage-grouse), and solutions.

Unbonded post-tensioning tendons are an efficient and cost effective method of reinforcing concrete floor slabs, slabs-on-grade, parking garages, and bridge structures. However, the behavior of these structures is not well understood. There is concern that due to the lack of a significant amount of reliable research data on specimens reinforced in this manner, the commonly used design methods tend to significantly under-predict the strength. Four large, scaled, floor slab sections were constructed and destructively tested with the intent of more accurately understanding the strength of specimens reinforced with this method. Four test specimens represent a significant percentage of the current body of reliable research in this field. In order to accurately predict the design strength of these members, it is necessary to predict the increase in the reinforcing strand stress when the member is loaded to a flexural failure. This increase in strand stress was measured on each of the four laboratory tests which were performed. This allowed the strength of these concrete members to be more accurately predicted, and it was observed that the current design methods are significantly under-predicting this increase in strand stress as well as the flexural capacity of the members. The behavior of the deflection of the slabs in relation to the applied load was also analyzed, as well as the cracking behaviors. The four test specimens were combined with the available body of research data to complete the largest known database of members reinforced in this manner.

I denna uppsats undersöks genom en kvalitativ metod vilka finansieringssätt somkommunala bostadsbolag använder sig av samt hur räntehöjningarna i Sverige det senasteåret har påverkat de kommunala bostadsbolagens verksamhet och agerande. För attbesvara frågeställningen har intervjuer genomförts med sju olika kommunala bostadsbolagoch med den kommunala långivaren Kommuninvest. Informationen från dessa intervjuer harsedan sammanställts och analyserats för att komma fram till ett resultat och en slutsats.Resultatet av den kvalitativa undersökningen visar att kommunala bostadsbolag till skillnadfrån privata bostadsbolag inte måste förlita sig på att låna kapital på egen hand utanuteslutande lånar med hjälp av kommunen man tillhör genom antingen en kommunalinternbank eller ett kommunalt borgensåtagande. Följaktligen får kommunala bostadsbolag iregel mer fördelaktiga lånevillkor och billigare ränta än privata bostadsbolag eftersomkommuner anses vara stabilare låntagare än enskilda företag och i de flesta fall har enväldigt god kreditrating.Slutsatsen av studien är att kommunala bostadsbolag väljer finansieringssätt främst utifrånstorleken på bostadsbolaget och kommunen som det är beläget i, vilket finansieringssätt somär billigast för tillfället samt vilka preferenser personerna som arbetar med inlåning ochfinansiering i bostadsbolagen har kring de olika finansieringssätten. En gemensam nämnareär dock att i stort sett alla kommunala bostadsbolag förutom ett fåtal lånar av Kommuninvestsom har konkurrerat ut affärsbankerna de senaste åren och blivit den överlägset vanligastefinansieringskällan för kommunala bostadsbolag.Undersökningen visade också att kommunala bostadsbolag inte har påverkats nämnvärt avdet senaste årets ränteökningar eftersom många bolag har haft långa bindningstider medfast ränta, en mindre andel rörlig ränta i låneportföljen samt andra skydd mot ränteriskensom exempelvis räntetak. Därför har andra kostnadsökningar som orsakats av den kraftigtökade inflationen varit mer betydande. Dock kommer ränteökningarna att få en störrepåverkan på många av bostadsbolagen de kommande åren eftersom många bolag har lånsom löper ut under den perioden och då kommer behöva förnya dessa lån till en högre ränta. / In this essay, a qualitative method is used to examine which financing methods municipalreal estate companies use and how the interest rate increase in Sweden the past year hasaffected the municipal real estate companies' operations and actions. To answer thequestion, interviews with seven various municipal real estate companies were conducted andone with the municipal lender Kommuninvest. The information from these interviews has thenbeen compiled and analyzed to present a result and a conclusion.The results of the qualitative study show that, unlike private real estate companies, municipalreal estate companies don't have to rely on borrowing capital on their own, but exclusivelyborrow with the help of the municipality they belong to through either a municipal internalbank or a municipal guarantee commitment. Consequently, municipal real estate companiesusually receive more favorable loan terms and cheaper interest rates than private real estatecompanies because municipalities are considered to be more stable borrowers thanindividual companies and in most cases they have a very good credit rating.The conclusion of the study is that municipal real estate companies choose financingmethods primarily based on the size of the real estate company and the municipality in whichit is located, the cheapest financing method at the moment and what preferences the peoplewho work with deposits and financing in the housing companies have regarding the variousfinancing methods. A common denominator, however, is that virtually all municipal realestate companies, apart from a few, borrow from Kommuninvest, which has out-competedthe commercial banks in recent years and become by far the most common source offinancing for municipal real estate companies.The study also showed that municipal real estate companies haven’t been significantlyaffected by the past year's interest rate increases because most of them have had long-termfixed interest rates, a smaller proportion of variable interest rates in the loan portfolio andother protections against interest rate risks such as interest rate caps. Therefore, other costincreases caused by the sharply increased inflation have been more significant. However,the interest rate increases will have a greater impact on several real estate companies in theupcoming years because many companies have loans that expire during that period and willhave to renew these loans at a higher interest rate.

This dissertation consists of three chapters. First two chapters examines how nonprofit organizations (NPOs) react to the state level minimum wage increases, and the third chapter studies the effect of board interlock on the diffusion of innovation.In the first chapter, I investigate the impact of minimum wage increases on employment. I extend the literature by hypothesizing and showing a differential impact of state-level minimum wage increases on nonprofit organizations relative to for-profit organizations. While I find that increases in minimum wages reduce employment growth in both types of organizations, this decrease is substantially larger for nonprofit organizations. I also find that investment in automation, i.e., information technology, rises in nonprofits post minimum wage increase, consistent with the substitution of capital for labor. Minimum wage increases also increase the likelihood of nonprofit exit. In the second chapter, I investigate how CEO pay in nonprofit organizations responds to an exogeneous increase in labor cost resulting from state-level minimum wage hikes. I find that these increases in labor cost, which constrain budgets, are followed by declines in the total pay of NPO CEOs. In contrast, I do not find an impact on CEO pay in for-profit companies. I attribute the differential response between NPO and for-profit organizations to NPO CEOs acting as stewards of the NPO, whereby they are willing to take less to ensure the continued existence of the enterprise, as well as fulfillment of its mission. This phenomenon has previously been observed in the nonprofit sector and termed labor donation, whereby individuals who work for NPOs are intrinsically motivated and consequently, are willing to work for less money. Cross-sectionally I find the declines in compensation are larger in NPOs headquartered in smaller counties, in counties with higher levels of religiosity, and in counties with greater levels of social capital, and in NPOs that are run by their founders. In the last chapter, I propose that board interlocks can act as a channel of information transmission and social learning, hence enhancing the diffusion of innovation among firms. I find that a firm’s patents are more likely to be cited by patents from firms that have common directors (i.e., interlocked firm). The result is robust under a difference-in-differences setting, where the death or retirement of interlocking directors is used as an exogeneous shock to board interlock. The effect is more pronounced for interlocking directors who have longer experience in R&D-intensive industries, have a larger network, and have a higher compensation delta. While I find that board interlock enhances the diffusion of innovation across industries, it has no effect on within-industry knowledge diffusion. Finally, I document that board interlock enhances firms’ overall innovation output, measured by patent counts and citation counts per patent. The paper sheds light on an important role played by board of directors in promoting knowledge spillover and innovation. / Business Administration/Finance

[pt] A transmissão de energia elétrica através de linhas de transmissão aéreas encontra um grau de dificuldade muito grande na constituição de novas faixas de passagem e licenciamento de obras, devido, principalmente, à questão ambiental. Por outro lado, a crescente demanda de energia do sistema elétrico leva o sistema de transmissão a uma progressiva elevação do carregamento de seus componentes, incluindo linhas de transmissão. Desta forma, é fundamental o desenvolvimento de técnicas que permitam aumentar a capacidade de transporte de energia a baixo custo com as instalações existentes e a recapacitação de linhas existentes aparece como uma alternativa a ser analisada nos estudos da expansão do sistema de transmissão. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar alternativas de técnicas de recapacitação de linha de transmissão, segundo a ótica de dimensionamento elétrico e da determinação das distâncias mínimas de coordenação de isolamento necessárias na torre, visando maximizar a energia transportada por área ocupada pela faixa da linha de transmissão e com isso, reduzir a necessidade de negociação de novas faixas de passagem com os órgãos de licenciamento e a comunidade, diminuindo o impacto sobre o ambiente e dando maior agilidade na ampliação da capacidade de transporte da malha existente. Busca-se, além disso, identificar, para diferentes níveis de tensão, as possíveis alternativas de recapacitação aplicáveis à linha de transmissão. / [en] The construction of new overhead transmission lines is, nowadays, a difficult activity to achieve, as new right-of- ways are not easily being permitted, due to environmental restrictions. On the other hand, the increase of electrical energy demand leads the transmission system to over load its components, including transmission lines. Therefore, it is extremely important to develop techniques in order to raise energy transmission capacity in low costs using the existent components. Capability increase in existent transmission lines is an alternative to be analyzed in transmission system expansion studies. This dissertation presents techniques to increase capability in existent transmission lines, according to electrical dimensioning and minimum distances needed in towers evaluated in insulation coordination studies. The aim is to maximize the transport capacity of an existent transmission line, reducing the need of negotiating new right-of-ways permit. This study also identifies, for different voltage levels, te available alternatives of a technique to increase the transmission line capability.

No description available.

Hydrocarbon production from mudrocks (“shales”) is vital to global economic growth and smooth transition to a clean energy infrastructure. The commercial development prospect of a shale play depends on its evolution history over millions of years. Economic hydrocarbon production from shale starts after hydraulic fracturing, that creates a multiscale fracture network leading to an increased overall permeability. The properties of the stimulated rock can be assessed via parameters at different scales (nano-, micro- and macro-scale). Better understanding of these parameters is the key to predicting well productivity and profitability. This work aims to deepen the understanding of the multiscale parameters that define effective hydraulic fracturing. To investigate permeability increase in shales, we start with a model of micro-capillary in contact with nanopores . We show that the nanopores that discharge gas into a fracture network in the source rock significantly increase and extend gas flow into the hydrofractured horizontal wells. We then use a fractal stimulated reservoir volume model to match production histories of 45 Barnett gas wells and to quantify connectivity between the nanopores and the fracture network. This model relies on a source term, ${s}$, and fracture permeability $k_f$ . Our analysis shows that the different degrees of coupling between ${s}$ and $k_f$ create distinctly different types of fracture networks after rock stimulation and impact the well production profiles. We then couple the fractal SRV model with universal scaling $τ − M$ model to simulate production history of 1000 wells each in the Barnett, Marcellus, Haynesville and Eagle Ford shale plays. The analysis shows the coupled effect of stimulated surface area $A$, fracture half-distance, $d$, and the fractal dimension ,$D$, on production and economics of gas production. These parameters define the key differences between different shale plays in the US. Finally, we simulate microfracturing associated with hydrocarbon expulsion in the Tuwaiq Mountain source rock, Saudi Arabia, and propose the pore/microchannel blocking by bitumen/pyrobitumen as a viable mechanism of sustaining the high pore pressure in the source rock for millions of years.

Enligt Bostadsrätterna (2018) utgörs avkastningen av en bostadsrättsinvestering av godaboendeförhållanden till en låg boendekostnad samt en möjlig värdestigning på bostadsrätten.Tidigare studier har undersökt vilken inverkan olika boendeförhållanden och bostadsrättsmässigaegenskaper har på prisbildningen av bostadsrätter. När det gäller boendekostnadens inverkan hardäremot bara den rådande avgiftsnivån tidigare beaktats men det saknas forskning kring huruvidaäven den framtida avgiftsnivån och risken för avgiftshöjning påverkar prisbildningen.Då man tidigare har visat att konsumenter har svårt för att ta del av informationen i enbostadsrättsförenings årsredovisning (Bohman, 2014), kan det vara möjligt att information somindikerar en framtida avgiftshöjning inte kapitaliseras vid köp av en bostadsrätt. I denna uppsats hardärför risken för en framtida avgiftshöjning och dess påverkan på prisbildningen undersökts.Efter en genomgående litteraturstudie drogs slutsats om att de viktigaste faktorerna för att analyseraoch bedöma den framtida avgiftsnivån var rådande avgift, kassaflöde, skuldsättning och föreningenssparande. För att undersöka om det fanns tendenser till att dessa faktorer har haft inverkan påprisbildningen gjordes tre jämförelser av likartade bostadsrättsobjekt. I två av tre jämförelser kundedet konstateras att det fanns en stor möjlighet till att dessa faktorer inte kapitaliserades vidprisbildningen.För att undersöka konsumenternas kunskaper och huruvida det är möjligt att risken för en framtidaavgiftshöjning inte kapitaliseras, gjordes en enkätstudie. Resultatet visade på att endast den rådandeavgiftsnivån kapitaliseras och att risken för en avgiftshöjning inte vägs in i priset. Enkätstudien visadepå att konsumenter besitter för dålig kunskap både om varför och hur risken för en framtidaavgiftshöjning borde analyseras och vägas in i prisbilden.Utifrån resultatet i enkätstudien har slutsats dragits om att det är möjligt att risken för en framtidaavgiftshöjning inte kapitaliseras vid köp av en bostadsrätt. För vidare studier hade det därför varitintressant att undersöka hur man kan förenkla för konsumenter så att faktorer som indikerar riskenför en framtida avgiftshöjning lättare kan vägas in i prisbilden. / According to Bostadsrätterna (2018) the return on a condominium investment is good housingconditions, a low housing cost and a possible increase in value. Several previous studies haveinvestigated how different housing conditions and characteristics of the apartment, impact on theprice of a condominium. When it comes to the housing cost only the current fee level and its impacton price has been researched, without taking into account the risk of a fee increase.Since it has previously been shown that consumers have difficulties in obtaining information in ahousing association´s annual report (Bohman, 2014), it may be possible that information indicating aupcoming fee increase will not be capitalized upon the purchase of a condominium. Therefore in thisessay the risk of a fee increased and it’s impact on the price of a condominium, has been examined.After a literature study it was concluded that the most important factors for analysing the future feelevel were current fee level, cash flow, indebtedness and the saving of the association. In order toinvestigate whether there were trends that these factors had an effect on the price, threecomparisons of similar condominiums were made. In two out of three comparisons, it was noted thatthere was a possibility that these factors were not capitalized.To further examine the knowledge of consumers and if it is possible that the risk of a fee increasemay not be capitalized, a survey study was conducted. The result showed that the current fee level iscapitalized but that the future fee level is not. The survey showed that consumers have poorknowledge both about why and how the risk of a future fee increase should be analysed andweighted into the price.Based on the result of the survey, it has been concluded that it is possible that the risk of a future taxincrease will not be capitalized upon the purchase of a condominium. For further studies, it wouldtherefore be interesting to investigate how to simplify for consumers so that factors that indicate therisk of a future fee increase can be more easily weighted into the price.

During the last seven years, the total cost for Swedish public transport provision has increased by over 30 percent in real terms according to figures from the government agency Transport Analysis. A similar pattern is found if considering a longer time span. Part of the cost increase can be attributed to an increased supply, and part is due to price increases on input factors that are measured by an industry index produced by the public transport industry. The fact that about half of the costs in Swedish public transport are covered by public funds calls for responsibility in how these funds are used, and this means that information about cost drivers and cost efficiency is necessary. The lack of information about these factors in the Swedish public transport sector is the main motivation for the two papers included in this thesis. In this cover essay, the developments over the last decades in Swedish public transport are described, and there is a focus on the last ten years with the Doubling Project and the market in 2012. As mentioned, the costs as a whole, as well as per unit costs such as cost per vehicle kilometer, have increased in real terms since 2007. Even though parts of the cost increase can be attributed to an increased supply or the price of input factors, this development might be problematic for at least two reasons. First, the ambition of the industry to double the number of travelers by the year 2020 seems to have resulted in a supply increase around year 2010 and a similar increase in the number of boardings. However, the cost per vehicle kilometer and cost per boarding have both increased since then, which can bring into question whether the supply increases have been made at the right places and to the proper extent to have the desired effect on travel. Second, it is not clear whether a price increase for input factors can be viewed as an ``acceptable'' explanation for the cost increase. To the extent that the Public Transport Authority (PTA) or operator can affect the price of input factors such as buses (detailed or environmental requirements, etc.) or labor (demands on take-over of previous staff), an endogenous relationship is possible, which could disguise these potentially cost-driving factors as general price increases. At the end of this essay, a discussion about the lack of publicly available data highlights the non-compliance with EU regulations related to this. More data resources, perhaps with open access, would enable more comparisons between contractual forms, PTAs, and operators, which would provide examples of good and poor solutions and concepts in the industry and would have the potential to ensure better use of public funds. Below is a summary over the two paper included in this licentiate thesis. Papper I - “Costs for Swedish Public Transport Authorities” - uses contract-level data for the year 2012 and econometric methodology to investigate how contract factors affect costs for bus contracts. A theoretical framework is established to show some of the cost mechanisms that are at work in the two most popular contractual forms in Sweden, and the paper provides some insights into what results to expect from the empirical analysis. The most important results from the econometric analysis are that higher population density and a contract being operated by a publicly owned (municipal or county council) operator are both associated with having higher costs. Also, no statistically significant differences could be found when using incentive payments in the contracts. Papper II - “Cost Efficiency in Swedish Public Transport” -has a similar perspective as Paper I, but it uses stochastic frontier analysis to focus on cost efficiency and differences across PTAs. Data for the year 2013 are used, along with other data sources, to derive a cost frontier from which some of the deviations from this can be attributed to cost inefficiencies. The results are similar to those of Paper I, namely that cost efficiency is lower in high-density areas and in contracts that are directly awarded to a publicly owned operator. When comparing the cost efficiency of the PTAs (or counties), most exhibit small differences. The difference between the 1st and 15th-ranked county is only about 8 percent. The difference is somewhat larger when turning to the third and second least efficient counties of Stockholm and Skåne. The least efficient county of Västmanland is about 30 less cost efficient than the 1st-ranked county. / De senaste sju åren har de totala kostnaderna för att bedriva kollektivtrafik i Sverige ökat med över 30 procent i reala termer enligt siffror från myndigheten Trafikanalys. Jämförs en längre tidsperiod hittas samma mönster. En del av kostnadsökningen kan förklaras med ett ökat utbud under perioden, och en del med ökade priser på insatsfaktorer vilket kan mätas med ett prisindex sammansatt av kollektivtrafikbranschen. Det faktum att ungefär hälften av kollektivtrafikens kostnader täcks av offentliga medel ställer krav på ett ansvarsfullt utnyttjande, vilket i sin tur kräver information om hur kostnader och kostnadseffektivitet påverkas. Dylik information är begränsad för svensk kollektivtrafik, vilket är den huvudsakliga motiveringen till de två papperen i denna uppsats. I den tillhörande kappan beskrivs de senaste decenniernas utveckling i den svenska kollektivtrafiken, med ett större fokus på de senaste tio åren med branschens fördubblingsprojekt samt marknadsöppningen år 2012. Som nämndes tidigare har kostnaderna som helhet, samt olika typer av styckkostnader såsom kostnad per körd utbudskilometer, ökat i reala termer sedan 2007. Även om delar av kostnadsökningarna kan attribueras till ett ökat utbud eller prisökningar i insatsfaktorer kan utvecklingen ändå vara problematisk av åtminstone två anledningar. För det första verkar branschens ambition att fördubbla resandet till år 2020 ha gett en utbudsökning under åren kring 2010, och en resandeökning något år senare. Vad som är tydligt är dock att både kostnaden per utbudskilometer och passagerare ökat. I ljuset av detta blir det tveksamt om utbudsökningarna skett på rätt ställen. För det andra är det oklart om en prisökning i insatsfaktorerna kan ses som ”acceptabla” anledningar till branschens kostnadsökning. I den mån kollektivtrafikmyndigheter och/eller operatörer kan påverka priset på insatsfaktorer såsom bussar (särkrav, miljökrav etc.) eller personal (personalövertagande etc.) riskerar man ett endogent samband vilket gör att dessa, potentiellt kostnadsdrivande, faktorer lätt kan sorteras bort som allmänna prisökningar. I slutet av kappan förs även en diskussion om den bristande tillgången på offentlig data i svensk kollektivtrafik, och att kollektivtrafikmyndigheterna inte följer uppsatta EU förordningar relaterat till detta. Ett större utbud av data, och helst ett öppet sådant, skulle möjliggöra för mer jämförelser mellan kontrakt, utförare och kollektivtrafikmyndigheter, vilket i förlängningen tydligare skulle kunna påvisa bra och dåliga exempel i branschen och bidra ett bättre resursutnyttjande av skattemedel. Nedan följer en sammanfattning av de två papper som ingår i licentiatuppsatsen. Papper I, “Costs for Swedish Public Transport Authorities”, använder data från år 2012 på kontraktsnivå för att med ekonometriska metoder analysera hur olika kontraktsfaktorer påverkar kostnaderna i busskontrakt. Analysen utgår från en teoretisk modell visar på kostnadsmekanismer i de två vanligaste kontraktstyperna, och som ger några insikter om vilka resultat som kan förväntas från den empiriska analysen. De viktigaste resultaten från den ekonometriska analysen är att kostnaderna är högre om kontraktet körs i ett område med hög befolkningstäthet, eller om operatören av ett kontrakt har en offentlig ägare (kommun eller landsting). Incitamentsersättning till operatören kan inte påvisas ha en statistiskt signifikant påverkan på kostnaderna. Papper II, “Cost Efficiency in Swedish Public Transport” , har en liknande utgångspunkt som Papper I, men använder stokastisk frontanalys för att fokusera på kostnadseffektivitet och skillnader i denna mellan kollektivtrafikmyndigheter. Data från år 2013 används tillsammans med ett antal andra datakällor för att ta fram en kostnadsfront, där vissa avvikelser från denna attribueras som kostnadsineffektivitet. Resultaten påminner om de i Papper I, nämligen att kostnadseffektiviteten är lägre i tätbefolkade områden, samt i kontrakt som direkttilldelas en offentligt ägd operatör. En jämförelse av kollektivtrafikmyndigheternas (länens) kostnadseffektivitet visar att de flesta län inte skiljer sig åt. Skillnaden mellan den mest effektiva och 15e mest effektiva länet är ca 8 procent. Skillnaden är något större till Stockholms och Skåne län, som har tredje respektive näst lägsta kostnadseffektivitet, samt det sist placerade länet, Västmanland, som är cirka 30 procent mer ineffektiv än det bäst placerade.