This thesis consists of four empirically oriented papers on central bank independence (CBI) reforms.    Paper [1] is an investigation of why politicians around the world have chosen to give up power to independent central banks, thereby reducing their ability to control the economy. A new data-set, including the possible occurrence of CBI-reforms in 132 countries during 1980-2005, was collected. Politicians in non-OECD countries were more likely to delegate power to independent central banks if their country had been characterized by high variability in inflation and if they faced a high probability of being replaced. No such effects were found for OECD countries.    Paper [2], using a difference-in-difference approach, studies whether CBI reform matters for inflation performance. The analysis is based on a dataset including the possible occurrence of CBI-reforms in 132 countries during the period of 1980-2005. CBI reform is found to have contributed to bringing down inflation in high-inflation countries, but it seems unrelated to inflation performance in low-inflation countries.    Paper [3] investigates whether CBI-reforms are important in reducing inflation and maintaining price stability, using a random-effects random-coefficients model to account for heterogeneity in the effects of CBI-reforms on inflation. CBI-reforms are found to have reduced inflation on average by 3.31 percent, but the effect is only present when countries with historically high inflation rates are included in the sample. Countries with more modest inflation rates have achieved low inflation without institutional reforms that grant central banks more independence, thus undermining the time-inconsistency theory case for CBI. There is furthermore no evidence that CBI-reforms have contributed to lower inflation variability    Paper [4] studies the relationship between CBI and a suggested trade-off between price variability and output variability using data on CBI-levels, and data the on implementation dates of CBI-reforms. The results question the existence of such a trade-off, but indicate that there may still be potential gains in stabilization policy from CBI-reforms.

År 2014 blev komponentavskrivning ett krav för alla bolag som följer K3-regelverket och har materiella anläggningstillgångar med komponenter av betydande värde. K3 är ett principbaserat regelverk vilket innebär att företagen behöver göra sin egen tolkning för hur det ska tillämpas. Den nya redovisningsförändringen innebär att organisationerna måste anpassa deras nuvarande regler och rutiner efter det nya regelverket.Syftet med denna uppsats är att skapa ökad förståelse för förändringsprocessen vid införande av en ny redovisningsstandard och att bidra med större medvetenhet kring dess komplexitet. För att uppnå syftet så användes i studien en kvalitativ metod där det genomfördes sex semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Intervjuerna genomfördes med kommunala fastighetsbolag i Västra Götalands län som alla nyligen infört komponentavskrivning. Den insamlande empirin analyserades sedan med en egenkonstruerad analysmodell med utgångspunkt från tidiga institutionella ekonomin. Genom analysen av den insamlade empirin skapades en ökad förståelse för hur interna regler och rutiner utvecklats i och med införandet av komponentavskrivning.Studien visar att utvecklingen av interna regler och rutiner är en lång process när det saknas vägledning. Motstånd på grund av osäkerhet är en stor bidragande faktor till fördröjningen av införandet. Organisationen behöver vid införandet av en ny redovisningsstandard göra en egen bedömning av vad regeln innebär och hur de ska tillämpa den. Vidare framkom i studien att externa och interna faktorer har stor påverkan på formandet av den interna regeln. / In 2014 component depreciation became a requirement for all who follow the K3 regulatory and have tangible assets with components of significant value. K3 is a principles-based regulatory, which means that companies need to make their own interpretation of how it should be applied. The new accounting change means that organizations must adapt their current rules and routines for the new regulations.The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the process of change with the introduction of a new accounting standard and to bring greater awareness of its complexity. To achieve the purpose of the study a qualitative method were used and six semi-structured interviews were conducted. The interviews were conducted with municipal property companies in Västra Götaland county who all recently introduced component depreciation. The collected empirical data were then analyzed with a self-constructed analysis model based of the old institutional economics. Through the analysis of the collected empirical data a greater understanding were created of how internal rules and routines evolved with the introduction of component depreciation.The study shows that the development of internal rules and routines is a long process in the absence of guidance. Resistance due to uncertainty is a major contributing factor to the delay of the introduction. At the introduction of a new accounting standard the organization need to make their own assessment of what the rule means and how to apply it. It also emerged in the study that external and internal factors have great influence on the formation of the internal rule.

The management of natural resources located on private lands often involves a perceived conflict between the mix of private and public benefit outputs they produce. Governments have tended to respond through legislation to restrict and redirect private decisions about resource management. However, the legislative response faces a lack of information about the costs and benefits of alternative management and policy instruments. A pertinent example of this debate is the management of wetlands on private lands. The goal in this thesis is to advance the design of policy relating to the production of environmental outputs on private lands. This goal is achieved by first estimating the welfare impacts of alternative private land management strategies on the wider community. These estimates are used as inputs into the development of alternative policy instruments that are then evaluated in terms of their potential cost-effectiveness in influencing private management. Two case studies of wetland management on private land in Australia are presented ??? the Upper South East Region of South Australia, and, the Murrumbidgee River Floodplain in New South Wales. The conceptual approach described in the first part of the thesis includes a description of the resource management problem and the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative decision frameworks widely employed in Australia. Identification of the cause and nature of transaction costs in the management process is the focus in this discussion. The welfare impacts of alternative wetland management strategies are investigated through the construction of a bio-economic model for each of the case study areas. The approach integrates biophysical analysis of changing wetland management with the value society places on wetlands. Outputs from this process are used in the development of a range of policy instruments directed towards influencing wetland management. The impact of poorly quantified and uncertain transaction costs on the potential cost-effectiveness of these options is evaluated using threshold policy analysis. The empirical results show that the perception of a conflict between the private and public values generated by resource management is accurate. For example, scenarios changing wetland management in the Upper South East of South Australia on the Murrumbidgee River floodplain in New South Wales were shown to generate net benefits of $5.2m and $5.1m respectively. Hence, changing wetland management could generate increased community welfare. The potential for these findings to be translated into wetland policy is less conclusive. Policies directed towards wetland management (in part or in whole) incur a range of transaction costs and deliver differential wetland protection benefits. Ten ???best bet??? policies are identified, but more information is required to determine conclusively whether a net benefit results to the wider community when transaction costs are included.

The management of natural resources located on private lands often involves a perceived conflict between the mix of private and public benefit outputs they produce. Governments have tended to respond through legislation to restrict and redirect private decisions about resource management. However, the legislative response faces a lack of information about the costs and benefits of alternative management and policy instruments. A pertinent example of this debate is the management of wetlands on private lands. The goal in this thesis is to advance the design of policy relating to the production of environmental outputs on private lands. This goal is achieved by first estimating the welfare impacts of alternative private land management strategies on the wider community. These estimates are used as inputs into the development of alternative policy instruments that are then evaluated in terms of their potential cost-effectiveness in influencing private management. Two case studies of wetland management on private land in Australia are presented ??? the Upper South East Region of South Australia, and, the Murrumbidgee River Floodplain in New South Wales. The conceptual approach described in the first part of the thesis includes a description of the resource management problem and the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative decision frameworks widely employed in Australia. Identification of the cause and nature of transaction costs in the management process is the focus in this discussion. The welfare impacts of alternative wetland management strategies are investigated through the construction of a bio-economic model for each of the case study areas. The approach integrates biophysical analysis of changing wetland management with the value society places on wetlands. Outputs from this process are used in the development of a range of policy instruments directed towards influencing wetland management. The impact of poorly quantified and uncertain transaction costs on the potential cost-effectiveness of these options is evaluated using threshold policy analysis. The empirical results show that the perception of a conflict between the private and public values generated by resource management is accurate. For example, scenarios changing wetland management in the Upper South East of South Australia on the Murrumbidgee River floodplain in New South Wales were shown to generate net benefits of $5.2m and $5.1m respectively. Hence, changing wetland management could generate increased community welfare. The potential for these findings to be translated into wetland policy is less conclusive. Policies directed towards wetland management (in part or in whole) incur a range of transaction costs and deliver differential wetland protection benefits. Ten ???best bet??? policies are identified, but more information is required to determine conclusively whether a net benefit results to the wider community when transaction costs are included.

The management of natural resources located on private lands often involves a perceived conflict between the mix of private and public benefit outputs they produce. Governments have tended to respond through legislation to restrict and redirect private decisions about resource management. However, the legislative response faces a lack of information about the costs and benefits of alternative management and policy instruments. A pertinent example of this debate is the management of wetlands on private lands. The goal in this thesis is to advance the design of policy relating to the production of environmental outputs on private lands. This goal is achieved by first estimating the welfare impacts of alternative private land management strategies on the wider community. These estimates are used as inputs into the development of alternative policy instruments that are then evaluated in terms of their potential cost-effectiveness in influencing private management. Two case studies of wetland management on private land in Australia are presented ??? the Upper South East Region of South Australia, and, the Murrumbidgee River Floodplain in New South Wales. The conceptual approach described in the first part of the thesis includes a description of the resource management problem and the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative decision frameworks widely employed in Australia. Identification of the cause and nature of transaction costs in the management process is the focus in this discussion. The welfare impacts of alternative wetland management strategies are investigated through the construction of a bio-economic model for each of the case study areas. The approach integrates biophysical analysis of changing wetland management with the value society places on wetlands. Outputs from this process are used in the development of a range of policy instruments directed towards influencing wetland management. The impact of poorly quantified and uncertain transaction costs on the potential cost-effectiveness of these options is evaluated using threshold policy analysis. The empirical results show that the perception of a conflict between the private and public values generated by resource management is accurate. For example, scenarios changing wetland management in the Upper South East of South Australia on the Murrumbidgee River floodplain in New South Wales were shown to generate net benefits of $5.2m and $5.1m respectively. Hence, changing wetland management could generate increased community welfare. The potential for these findings to be translated into wetland policy is less conclusive. Policies directed towards wetland management (in part or in whole) incur a range of transaction costs and deliver differential wetland protection benefits. Ten ???best bet??? policies are identified, but more information is required to determine conclusively whether a net benefit results to the wider community when transaction costs are included.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Göttingen, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Alors que les nations du monde se rapprochent et deviennent plus interdépendantes, le contexte global changeant nécessite une recherche académique plus adaptée. Les théories développées pour les démocraties avancées au vingtième siècle ont maintenant besoin d’additions complémentaires, ou peut-être de contreparties divergentes, pour expliquer les processus de développement des pays émergents. Pour traiter ces changements, les académiques ont soit créé de nouvelles théories soit étendu d’anciennes pour les adapter aux pays en développement. Cependant, malgré d’encourageants progrès, la nature dynamique des pays en cours de développement, à la fois économiquement et politiquement, implique qu’une large travail reste à accomplir. La littérature sur les développements institutionnels dans le domaine de l’économie politique pour les pays avancés est, tout en évoluant, bien établie. Les théories qui soutiennent cette thèse viennent d’études de capitalisme comparatif (CC) sur les pays avancés. Cette thèse donne un aperçu de l’impact de la structure économique sur les institutions économiques et politiques, l’évolution de ces institutions, et comment ces institutions affectent l’état social d’un pays, avec une importance particulière accordée aux résultats de l’état social. Après un premier chapitre introductif, le chapitre deux suggère que les pays en développement caractérisés par des économies plus coordonnées devraient avoir des systèmes électoraux plus proportionnels. Le chapitre trois continue avec cette idée et suggère que les économies coordonnées devraient produire des états sociaux plus généreux avec de hautes dépenses gouvernementales. Aussi, ces pays devraient avoir des résultats sociaux plus optimaux, tels que des baisses d’inégalités et des niveaux de pauvreté. Cette évolution connective peut être expliquée par la co-évolution des institutions économiques et politiques. Afin de mieux comprendre la formation et la variété des états sociaux dans les pays en développement, le chapitre quatre ne considère qu’une région, Afrique Subsaharienne (AS). Ce chapitre considère aussi comment la générosité de l’état social influe les résultats de la protection sociale. / As nations around the world become closer and increasingly interdependent, the changing global context requires a parallel advancement of academic research. Theories developed for advanced democracies in the twentieth century now require complimentary additions, or perhaps diverging counterparts, to help explain the developmental processes of developing countries. To address these changes, scholars have created new theories or extended old ones to consider developing countries. However, despite the positive and thorough advancements thus far, the dynamic nature of countries undergoing development and transition, both economic and political, means that the work is far from finished. The literature on institutional developments in the political economy for advanced democracies is, while still evolving, well established. The theories supporting the research within this thesis rely on comparative capitalism studies and the varieties of capitalism approach focused on advanced democracies. The purpose of this thesis is, using the key tenants of comparative capitalism and the varieties of capitalism theory, to expand this literature to developing countries. After the introduction found in chapter one, chapter two suggests that developing countries with more coordinated economies should have more proportional electoral rule systems, which are a type of political institution. Chapter three continues along the idea of this subject by suggesting that these coordinated economies, which have more proportional electoral rules systems, according to chapter two, should produce more generous welfare states with higher government spending and more optimal welfare outcomes, such as low inequalities and low levels of poverty. This connective story can be explained by the co-evolution of economic and political institutions. In order to understand more deeply welfare state formation and variety, along with how welfare generosity affects welfare outcomes in developing countries, chapter four takes a closer look at one region in particular, Sub­-Saharan Africa.

Essa tese aborda o empresário industrial ascendente no contexto da urbanização e industrialização do Brasil sob a perspectiva da prática do mecenato. Tal ação, catalisada pelo desejo, nesse segmento social, de distinção, respondeu a instituições presentes no ambiente de transformação socioeconômica brasileira na primeira metade do século XX. Trata, portanto, de Economia da Cultura, História Econômica e Economia Institucional, propondo a justaposição instrumental de arcabouços teóricos construídos nesses três campos da ciência econômica. O núcleo duro dos pressupostos aqui assumidos é o de que a instalação do setor urbano-industrial brasileiro no período em estudo foi liderada, em sua maior parte, por imigrantes convertidos em empresários industriais, que capitanearam a prática do mecenato para afirmar sua condição de protagonismo social como uma nova elite. A hipótese do trabalho é a de que o mecenato brasileiro no período posterior à Segunda Guerra Mundial (1947-1960) teve como protagonistas membros desse segmento social. Essa nova elite, ligada à indústria e negócios urbanos, teve papel ativo e preponderante no financiamento à cultura em relação à oligarquia agrária, de riqueza mais antiga e enfrentando decadência econômica. Para esse fim, garantindo foco ao estudo, serviram como referencial de análise o contexto da cidade de São Paulo e a identificação empírica dos doadores que formaram o acervo do Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), efetivada dentro do período em estudo. Para fundamentação e comprovação dessa hipótese foram acionados como estratégia heurística: a) na esfera teórica, os conceitos da Sociologia da Cultura de Pierre Bourdieu e da Economia Institucional de Thorstein Veblen, balizados por uma revisão teórica das origens étnicas, sociais e atuação econômica do empresário industrial brasileiro; b) na esfera empírica, uma pesquisa de campo no acervo do MASP, identificando todas obras doadas ao museu dentro do período estudado e enquadrando em tipologias de segmentos sociais os respectivos doadores. Os resultados obtidos nesse trabalho forneceram elementos para corroborar a hipótese da tese, emergindo como corolário que a busca por afirmação social de novas elites de renda, através da distinção simbólica e consumo conspícuo, como resposta a instituições de uma sociedade urbana e industrial é componente relevante para compreendermos o mecenato no Brasil no período estudado. / This thesis discusses the ascending industrial entrepreneur in the context of Brazilian urbanization and industrialization under the perspective of patronage practices. Such action, catalyzed by the wish, in this specific social segment, of distinction, responded to institutions established in the ambience of Brazilian socio-economic transformation in the XX century’s first half. It discusses, therefore, Cultural Economics, History Economics and Institutional Economics, and proposes the instrumental juxtaposition of theoretical framework constructed in these three fields of Economy Science. The hard core of here assumed presuppositions is that the installation of Brazilian urban-industrial sector in the studied period was, in its most part, leaded by immigrants converted to industrial entrepreneurs, who commanded the practice of patronage to affirm their social protagonist condition as a new elite. This work’s hypothesis is that Brazilian patronage in the period immediately after the Second World War (1947-1960) had members of this social segment as protagonists. This new elite, connected to industry and urban affairs, played an active and preponderant role in the financing of culture, in relation to the agrarian oligarchy, of ancient richness and facing economical decadence. For this purpose, the context of the city of São Paulo and the empirical identification of donators who have constituted the collection of the Museum of Art of São Paulo (MASP) from 1947 to 1960 served as reference for analysis. In order to ground and validate this hypothesis, the following strategies have been assumed : a) in the theoretical sphere, the concepts of Pierre Bourdieu’s Sociology of Culture and Thorstein Veblen’s Institutional Economy, delimited by a theoretical review of ethnic and social origins as well as economic praxis of Brazilian industrial entrepreneur; b) in the empirical sphere, a field research in the MASP collection, identifying all works donated to the museum in the studied period and framing their respective donators in typologies of social segments. The results achieved in this work have provided elements to corroborate the hypothesis of the thesis, emerging as corollary that the pursuit of social affirmation by new income elites, through symbolic distinction and conspicuous consumption, as an answer to institutions of an urban and industrial society is a relevant component to comprehend Brazilian patronage in the studied period.

Esta dissertação procurou relacionar a teoria da Nova Economia Institucional e a Cliometria com o método de pesquisa em história econômica, a partir da revisão teórica das obras dos seus principais autores, Douglass North e Robert Fogel, respectivamente. Estas teorias serão relacionadas com os acontecimentos que ocorreram na história econômica do Brasil durante o século XIX, em específico no Rio Grande de Sul. Antes disso serão apresentadas diversas interpretações clássicas e modernas a respeito deste período de importantes transformações, focando a mais importante delas: a transição da escravidão para o trabalho assalariado. Por fim serão analisados dados relativos à riqueza financeira no estado do Rio Grande do Sul neste período. / This dissertation seeks to relate New Institutional Economics theory and Cliometrics with economic history research method, since the theorethical review of it main autors, Douglass North and Robert Fogel. These theories will be related with happenings which occurred during the XIXth century in Economic History of Brazil, specifically at Rio Grande do Sul state. Before it, will be presented many classic and modern interpretations about this period of important changes focusing on the most important of them: the transition from slavery to free work. At the end will be analized data relative to financial richess in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

O objetivo deste estudo foi estudar as performances socioeconômicas dos assentamentos de reforma agrária do estado do Rio Grande do Sul por meio da análise dos indicadores de capital social e de suas instituições. O problema de pesquisa foi exposto com a seguinte questão: Em que medida as abordagens da Nova Economia Institucional e do Capital Social explicam as distintas performances dos assentamentos de reforma agrária? Tratou-se de estudar as relações entre os assentados e entre esses e os demais atores envolvidos no processo de desenvolvimento dos assentamentos para conhecer o tipo de capital social que é gerado e acumulado internamente. As áreas de estudos compreenderam três assentamentos da região metropolitana de Porto Alegre, a saber: Capela, 19 de Setembro e Integração Gaúcha localizados nos municípios de Nova Santa Rita, Guaíba e Eldorado do Sul, respectivamente. A metodologia utilizada foi a de corte qualitativo fazendo-se uso do método histórico, do comparativo, do survey de questionários e entrevistas pessoais semi-estruturadas. A base de dados foi organizada utilizando o software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) e cotejada por meio da análise de Variância, Crosstabulation e Regressão Linear. O estudo foi dividido em sete capítulos. O primeiro, a introdução, expõe o problema de pesquisa, os objetivos e hipóteses, os procedimentos metodológicos e a área de estudo. O segundo apresenta o referencial teórico metodológico abordando as teorias do Capital Social e da Nova Economia Institucional. O terceiro capítulo trata da discussão e análise dos resultados. Começam com a caracterização dos assentamentos e exposição da trajetória de luta dos assentados desde o acampamento até a criação dos assentamentos, período muito difícil para aquelas famílias, mesmo depois de assentadas. Inicialmente os assentamentos se organizaram em cooperativas. A única que continua em operação é a Coopan do assentamento Capela. A falta de orientação e o desconhecimento sobre como gerir uma cooperativa foram as causas da liquidação das outras. A continuidade da Coopan pode ser atribuída ao estoque de capital social que vinha se acumulando antes mesmo dos acampamentos. O quarto capítulo identifica e caracteriza as organizações que atuam nos assentamentos. Observou-se que as relações entre assentados e outras organizações se restringem ao Movimento Social de Trabalhadores sem Terra (MST). O quinto capítulo investiga a percepção dos assentados sobre a confiança e a honestidade dentro do grupo (assentamento) e nas relações com outros agentes. Observou-se que o MST é a organização em que eles mais confiam e consideram a mais honesta. O governo federal aparece em segundo lugar. Apesar do MST ser uma organização não formal é ele quem estabelece as regras a serem seguidas dentro dos assentamentos. No sexto capítulo são analisadas as dimensões do capital social, relacionando-as com as performances dos assentamentos. As análises estatísticas mostraram não haver diferenças significativas com relação às dimensões do capital social, analisadas entre os três assentamentos. No entanto as informações socioeconômicas coletadas permitem afirmar que o grupo Coopan do assentamento Capela é o que apresenta melhor performance socioeconômica. O sétimo capítulo apresenta as conclusões. / This study had the aim of studying the socioeconomic performances of settlements of the agrarian reform in the Rio Grande do Sul state (southerm Brazil), through the analysis of indicators of social capital and their institutions. The research problem is exposed by means of the following question: in what extent the approach of the New Institutional Economy and the Social Capital can explain the different performances of the settlements of agrarian reform? The attempt was to study the relationships among the different settlements and among them and other actors involved in the process of development of settlement to know the type of social capital which is created and accumulated inside the settlements. The areas of this study included three settlements of the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, as follows: "Capela", "19 de Setembro" and "Integração Gaúcha", located in the municipalities of Nova Santa Rita, Guaíba and Eldorado do Sul, respectively. The used methods were of qualitative type that employs historical and comparative methods, survey inquiries and semi-structured personal interviews. The data base was organized utilizing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software and compared through analysis of variance, cross tabulation and linear regression. The study was divided in seven chapters. The first chapter, which is the introduction, expounds the research problem, the objectives, the hypothesis, the methodological procedures and the area of study. The second chapter presents the theoretical reference with the approaching theories of the Social Capital and the New Institutional Economy. The third chapter tackles the discussion and analysis of the results. It begins with the characterization of the settlements and the presentation of the path of struggle of the settled people from the occupation camp until the settlement formation that was very hard even after the settlement formation. Initially the settled people were organized in cooperatives. The only cooperative currently in activity is that from the settlement "Capela" (Coopan). Lack of orientation and knowledge about managing were the causes of the liquidation of the cooperatives. The continuity of the Coopan may be attributed to the social capital stoking accumulated before the settlement was established. The fourth chapter identifies and characterizes the organizations that act inside the settlements. It was observed that the relationships maintained between the settlements and organizations are restricted to the MST (landless movement). The fifth chapter investigates the perception of the settled people concerning the confidence and honesty inside the group (settlement) and the relationships with other agents. It was observed that the MST is the organization in which they have more confidence and that consider to be more honest. The federal government appears in the second place. In spite of the MST being a non formal organization, the settlement follows the rules established by that organization. The sixth chapter analyses the dimensions of the social capital in relation to the performances of the settlements. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in relation to the dimensions and the social capital in the three settlements. However the socioeconomic information that was collected let state that the Coopan group from "Capela" settlement was that of the best socioeconomic performance. The seventh chapter presents the conclusion.