As famílias assentadas na Gleba Ribeirão Bonito, que vivem ao lado do Parque Estadual do Morro do Diabo, estão, ao contrário do que se poderia esperar, contribuindo, através de projetos articulados por uma rede de organizações, para a conservação dos recursos naturais desta Unidade de Conservação. A dissertação explora os fatores que têm condicionado tal realidade, fundamentando-se nas contribuições teóricas da economia das instituições e da sociologia ambiental. A conclusão é que está em processo de construção, na região do Pontal do Paranapanema, uma nova instituição que pode contribuir para a promoção de um modelo de desenvolvimento regional que inclua, ao mesmo tempo, o desenvolvimento social e econômico das famílias assentadas e a conservação da natureza. / The families seated in the Gleba Ribeirão Bonito, who live to the side of the Morro do Diabo State Park, are, in contrast of that we could wait, contributing, through designs articulated for a network of organizations, for the conservation of the natural features of this Unit of Conservation. The text explores the factors that condition such reality, basing itself on the theoretical contributions of the institutional economics and environmental sociology. The conclusion is that it is in construction process, in the region of the Pontal of the Paranapanema, a new institution that can contribute for the promotion of a model of regional development that includes, at the same time, the social and economic development of the seated families and the conservation of the nature.

Up until the mid 1860s, an overwhelming majority of blacks in the US South were held in chattel slavery, from which they were freed after a Civil War (1861-1865). A recurring argument in institutional economics is that the institution of slavery did not disappear, but took other forms, e.g. segregation and violence. This is explored here, looking at the unsettling level of lethal violence against the black population 1875-1930. Literature empirically testing the legacy of slavery is hitherto scarce. I use a generalized difference-in-differences model to look at the effect of separate coach laws and disenfranchisement laws on lynchings and executions, respectively. All estimations are separated between blacks and non-blacks. I find precise and negative effects of disenfranchisement on executions of blacks and precise and positive effects of separate coach laws on executions of blacks. The same pattern holds true for lynchings of blacks, but only the estimate for separate coach laws is precise. No estimates are precise for lethal violence against non-blacks. This study lends support to the idea that lethal violence was used as an instrument to control the African American population.

The increasing body of literature in the field of development theory holds that information and communications technologies (ICTs) are essential for improving the living conditions in developing countries. Since this view is shared by many governments and international organizations it is also a foundation for policy making. In this thesis I examine the role of ICTbased entrepreneurship in Cameroon and how such entrepreneurs can improve the economic conditions in the developing world. Using a qualitative approach I do a case study by mapping small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Cameroon's ICT industry and identify the key drivers and barriers for the entrepreneurial process of ICT development. The data is mainly collected from field work in Cameroon during two months in 2010. The method is influenced by ethnography and apart from observations, includes semi structured interviews with 14 contributors and a survey of 20 Internet cafés. The empirical material analyzed in a development context based on a research model using theories of ICT development, institutional economics and entrepreneurship. Weak institutions are often theorized to be the main reasons why sub-Saharan Africa is behind in the economic progress and the study gives many examples of how ICT-based entrepreneurship can overcome weak institutions in Cameroon. Conversely, it also demonstrates that ICT-based entrepreneurship can create lock-ins and reinforce bad structures. In the context of this study the entrepreneurial process was found to be characterized by a strong commitment to the community, social groups and family. The most common perceived barriers among the entrepreneurs are governmental centralization, bureaucracy and corruption. The difficulty in getting funding is also a common obstacle. The study further shows that ICT entrepreneurs have an important role for increasing the level of ICT awareness. Internet cafés have many important functions in the society and serve many other purposes than just providing Internet. Private education centers are common and very important since they can make up for the malfunctions of the national education system. However, many education centers might have a wrong focus and could be made more efficient.

Property developers and investors seek to understand the drivers of prices for office and retail space. Through literature, we learn that size and age, locational attributes, physical features of the properties, and economic variables are significant determinants of commercial property prices. However, previous work has narrowly focused on aspects akin to formal structures and ignored the role of institutions, especially conventions and social norms incredibly, and what influences the behaviour of the property developers and investors while making the pricing decision. Therefore, the goal of this study was to understand how prices for commercial properties are determined in Uganda. The objectives of the study were to understand the role of conventions and social norms found in the property market environment on price determination and to explore the behaviour tendencies/heuristics exhibited by the players during the pricing decision-making process. The study was qualitative in nature. The researcher interviewed property owners, developers, institutional investors, and key informants to understand the conventions and social norms that exist in the property market and how they ultimately influence the pricing decision of commercial buildings. This study reveals that conventions exist in the Ugandan property markets. The conventions signal a price to the players in the property environment. However, due to information asymmetry and irrationality, each player interprets the price signals differently, using heuristics to develop the final price. This study helps researchers understand the role of individual behaviour/heuristics in advancing our understanding of institutions and the effects of the two on commercial property pricing, the economy at large and its consequences on economic policy.

No description available.

This dissertation is a case study of Albania regarding the influence institutions have over the utilization of the EU financial aid, more specifically, the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance II (IPA II) for the period of 2014-2020. Albania has been struggling with EU accession despite the allocation of numerous funds in the form of development programs for several years. The study attempts to identify the endogenous obstacles to development and the utilization of funds due to both formal and informal institutions. The reviewed literature shows a clear correlation between economic growth and good quality institutions. Besides, it indicates that informal institutions play a major role in the development process. Therefore the role of the Kanun in Albania is examined. As defined by mainly Douglas North, the New Institutional Economics theory is used to dive into Albania’s formal and informal institutions and discover how those determine the politico-economic and social structures. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine key participants who work in IPA II projects at the local level across the country. The country was divided into three regions in order to identify variations in the role of IPA II funds, institutions, and degree of development. Before the analysis is done and the results are presented, the historical background of the three key historical periods of the country, Ottoman, Communist and Democracy, is provided to set the base of the origin of present institutions. The results from the interviews and the macro-economic indicators of the three regions show a correlation between good defined formal institutions and economic growth and strong informal institutions and stagnation, as the theory suggested.

Com base na Nova Economia Institucional, o foco desta pesquisa foi o de identificar os custos de transação existentes nos projetos de MDL (Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo) e investigar se eles são barreiras para o desenvolvimento do projeto, e se podem afetar a eficiência de projetos já implantados. Mais especificamente, foram analisadas as variáveis que afetam as diferenças entre as reduções de emissões estimadas nos projetos de MDL e as reduções realmente verificadas (Sucesso de Redução - SR), depois do projeto implantado e monitorado. A fim de cumprir esse objetivo, esta pesquisa contou com levantamento de dados secundários relativos aos projetos de MDL realizados em todo o mundo, e dados primários relativos aos projetos brasileiros de MDL. A análise das informações mostrou que os países mais relevantes em número de projetos são Índia, China, Brasil, mas este ranking se altera dependendo da variável analisada (por exemplo, volume de emissão reduzida ou estimada). Os setores mais relevantes em volume de redução são de HFC, N2O, mas este perfil se altera quando analisado o número de projetos, ficando em primeiro lugar biomassa, hidroelétrica e energia eólica. Em relação ao SR, a maior parte dos projetos não apresenta eficiência satisfatória. No entanto, em volume de reduções a maior parte dos projetos cumpre mais que 91% de SR. Os setores mundiais mais eficientes são N2O e HFC (Brasil N2O e troca de energia fóssil), e os setores de resíduos sólidos e agricultura (Brasil, agricultura e resíduos sólidos) são os menos eficientes. Finalmente, esta pesquisa conclui que custos de transação afetam o sucesso da redução de MDL, e os mais importantes são os custos ex-ante, resultantes de problemas de falhas de informação (como, por exemplo, problemas com as organizações que intermedeiam o processo dos MDLs) e problemas de mensuração (problemas relacionados com metodologias dos MDLs). / Based on the New Institutional Economics, the focus of this research was to identify transaction costs in CDM projects (Clean Development Mechanism) and investigate if they can affect project efficiency, and also if they create project development barriers. More specifically, this research analyzed the variables that could affect the differences between CDM estimated emission reduction projects and actual reductions obtained (Reduction Success - RS) after the project has been implemented and monitored. To fulfill this goal, this research included a secondary global CDM projects data survey, and primary data survey related to Brazilian CDM projects. Data analysis showed that the most important countries in terms of number of projects are India, China, Brazil, but depending on the variable analyzed (for instance, emission reduction volume) this ranking could change. The most relevant sectors in emission reduction volume were HFCs, N2O, but this would change when we analyze number of projects, where biomass would come first, followed by hydroelectric and wind energy. When considering RS, most projects do not show satisfactory performance. However, in terms of emission reductions amount, most of the projects achieve more than 91% RS. The most efficient sectors in the world are HFC and N2O (in Brazil, N2O and fossil fuel), and the least efficient sectors are solid waste and agriculture (in Brazil, agriculture and solid waste). Finally, this research concludes that transaction costs affect the success of CDM reductions, and the most relevant are ex-ante costs, resulting from information problem gaps (these problems relate to parties involved in the CDM process) and measurement problems (CDM methodologies).

Com base na Nova Economia Institucional, o foco desta pesquisa foi o de identificar os custos de transação existentes nos projetos de MDL (Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo) e investigar se eles são barreiras para o desenvolvimento do projeto, e se podem afetar a eficiência de projetos já implantados. Mais especificamente, foram analisadas as variáveis que afetam as diferenças entre as reduções de emissões estimadas nos projetos de MDL e as reduções realmente verificadas (Sucesso de Redução - SR), depois do projeto implantado e monitorado. A fim de cumprir esse objetivo, esta pesquisa contou com levantamento de dados secundários relativos aos projetos de MDL realizados em todo o mundo, e dados primários relativos aos projetos brasileiros de MDL. A análise das informações mostrou que os países mais relevantes em número de projetos são Índia, China, Brasil, mas este ranking se altera dependendo da variável analisada (por exemplo, volume de emissão reduzida ou estimada). Os setores mais relevantes em volume de redução são de HFC, N2O, mas este perfil se altera quando analisado o número de projetos, ficando em primeiro lugar biomassa, hidroelétrica e energia eólica. Em relação ao SR, a maior parte dos projetos não apresenta eficiência satisfatória. No entanto, em volume de reduções a maior parte dos projetos cumpre mais que 91% de SR. Os setores mundiais mais eficientes são N2O e HFC (Brasil N2O e troca de energia fóssil), e os setores de resíduos sólidos e agricultura (Brasil, agricultura e resíduos sólidos) são os menos eficientes. Finalmente, esta pesquisa conclui que custos de transação afetam o sucesso da redução de MDL, e os mais importantes são os custos ex-ante, resultantes de problemas de falhas de informação (como, por exemplo, problemas com as organizações que intermedeiam o processo dos MDLs) e problemas de mensuração (problemas relacionados com metodologias dos MDLs). / Based on the New Institutional Economics, the focus of this research was to identify transaction costs in CDM projects (Clean Development Mechanism) and investigate if they can affect project efficiency, and also if they create project development barriers. More specifically, this research analyzed the variables that could affect the differences between CDM estimated emission reduction projects and actual reductions obtained (Reduction Success - RS) after the project has been implemented and monitored. To fulfill this goal, this research included a secondary global CDM projects data survey, and primary data survey related to Brazilian CDM projects. Data analysis showed that the most important countries in terms of number of projects are India, China, Brazil, but depending on the variable analyzed (for instance, emission reduction volume) this ranking could change. The most relevant sectors in emission reduction volume were HFCs, N2O, but this would change when we analyze number of projects, where biomass would come first, followed by hydroelectric and wind energy. When considering RS, most projects do not show satisfactory performance. However, in terms of emission reductions amount, most of the projects achieve more than 91% RS. The most efficient sectors in the world are HFC and N2O (in Brazil, N2O and fossil fuel), and the least efficient sectors are solid waste and agriculture (in Brazil, agriculture and solid waste). Finally, this research concludes that transaction costs affect the success of CDM reductions, and the most relevant are ex-ante costs, resulting from information problem gaps (these problems relate to parties involved in the CDM process) and measurement problems (CDM methodologies).

No description available.

É comum no Brasil, a afirmação de que existem leis que \"não pegam\". Nesse sentido, o presente estudo visa a analisar como os incentivos influenciam no cumprimento de normas positivadas em sistemas agroindustriais (SAG). Sendo assim, as leis escolhidas foram: a lei de uso e conservação do solo, com foco no combate e controle da erosão e a lei dos agrotóxicos, com ênfase no armazenamento na propriedade agrícola e retorno das embalagens. A base teórica adota a linha da Nova Economia Institucional, tratando assim do conceito e da importância do ambiente institucional, dos custos sociais, dos custos de transação e mensuração, da questão dos bens comuns e dos direitos de propriedade. Partindo-se desses conceitos foram fundamentadas cinco hipóteses de trabalho, os cinco tipos de incentivos ao cumprimento das normais formais, os quais são: alinhamento da norma formal às normas sociais; a influência do interesse privado; a influência do interesse do Estado; custos ao Estado e aos agentes econômicos. Para a parte empírica optou-se pelo método de estudo de casos, contemplados por análises de estatísticas descritivas. Foram utilizados, portanto, dados qualitativos e quantitativos. Destaca-se que foi feito um recorte com relação às culturas agrícolas e regiões para a coleta de dados. As culturas selecionadas foram a da cana-de-açúcar e a da pastagem (bovinocultura). Assim, as regiões nas quais foram feitas as entrevistas e questionários foram: Andradina, Araçatuba, Presidente Prudente, São José do Rio Preto e Ribeirão Preto. Como resultado verificou-se que quatro das cinco hipóteses de trabalho apresentaram evidências para sua não rejeição. A exceção ficou por conta da hipótese associada ao efeito do custo de adesão pelos agentes econômicos. Embora tal hipótese tenha sido rejeitada pelos números obtidos, observa-se que ela deve ser levada em consideração na análise de incentivos, mas não de forma isolada. Os custos a que se refere essa hipótese podem estar associados a outros incentivos, como, por exemplo, as outras hipóteses de estudo. Por meio de tais resultados, concluiu-se que normas que tratam dos bens comuns (em alguma medida) possuem um mecanismo de cumprimento mais complexo, já que não se trata de uma questão puramente econômica. Ações que promovam o conhecimento de tais normas e a conscientização da amplitude do tema são importantes para que as normas sociais, que não se modificam rapidamente, estejam alinhadas à norma formal promovendo o seu cumprimento voluntário. Além disso, as normas que tratam da temática ambiental devem envolver toda a cadeia (SAG), dado que, particularmente nesse tipo de cadeia, há uma dependência grande entre os atores. Assim, devem-se analisar conjuntamente os efeitos da norma formal em questão. / It is common in Brazil, the affirmation that there are laws that \"do not catch\". In this sense, this study aims to analyze how incentives influence the compliance of rules in agribusiness systems. Thus, the laws that were chosen are: the law of use and conservation ground, focusing on combating and controlling erosion, and the agrochemicals law, with an emphasis on storage on the farm and the return of packages. The theoretical basis adopts the line of the New Institutional Economics, thus treating the concept and the importance of the institutional environment, the social costs, the transaction and measurement costs, the question of the commons and property rights. Based on these concepts were developed five working hypotheses, the five types of incentives to comply formal rules which are: the alignment of the formal norms to social norms, the influence of private interest, the influence of the interest of the State, the costs to the State, and the costs to economic agents. For the empirical part it was chosen the method of cases study, contemplated by analysis of descriptive statistics. Therefore qualitative and quantitative data were employed. It is highlighted that a cut was made with respect to agricultural crops and regions for data collection. The cultures that were selected are the sugar cane and the pasture (cattle). Thus, the interviews and questionnaires were made in the following regions: Andradina Araçatuba, Presidente Prudente, São José do Rio Preto and Ribeirão Preto. As a result it was found that four of five working hypotheses showed no evidences for its rejection. The exception was the hypothesis associated with the effect of the adhesion costs by economic agents. Although this hypothesis has been rejected by data obtained, it is observed that this hypothesis must be taken into account in the analysis of incentives, but not in an isolated way. The costs that are treated on that hypothesis may be associated with other incentives, such as the incentives that are treated in the other hypotheses of this research. Through these results, it was concluded that formal rules that deal with commons (in some measure) have a compliance mechanism more complex, once it is not a purely economic question. Activities that promote knowledge of the formal norm and the awareness of the breadth of the subject are important for that the social norms (which do not change quickly) are aligned with the formal norm, promoting the voluntary compliance of this. Moreover, the formal rules that deal with environmental issues should involve the all chain (agribusiness system), inasmuch as, particularly in this type of chain there is a great dependency between actors. Thus one should make an analysis considering, in a set, the effects of the formal norm in question.