Anthropogenically forced climate change has emerged as one of the most important, and polarizing, issues of our time. Afforestation generated carbon offset projects hold a position in Canada as potentially influential, yet frustratingly under-utilized, options to mitigate climate change. This dissertation responds to the question, “what are the economic implications of afforestation generated carbon offset institutions in Canada – and how appropriate are the tools of the New Institutional Economics (NIE) in their identification?” I establish the context for discussion by arguing that the NIE, as practiced, seems incapable of providing rigorous analysis while simultaneously responding to questions of power and distribution. The case of afforestation generated carbon offset marketing is presented as an appropriate context for exploring this point. A literature review is then used to establish general patterns regarding aggregating institutions for offset production and marketing, and aggregating institutions are presented as a response to the effects of transaction costs on the Canadian offset market. I then develop supply and demand curves to describe the equilibrium state of the Canadian offset market, into which the transaction costs borne by three aggregators are integrated. Their performance in fulfilling various policy objectives is evaluated. The results indicate that the primary variation between scenarios is the distribution of benefits. This focus on the distribution of benefits continues through demonstrating how subtle variations in modeling coefficients affect the regional distribution of afforestation projects within Canada, identifying the power associated with policy maker ideology. The role of policy maker ideology is then explicitly examined through a survey of government analysts and technicians and the application of discriminant analysis. The primary axes of afforestation ideology are identified, and demonstrated to be independent of concerns of transaction costs and aggregation. These results are integrated to argue that distributional concerns, particularly when ideologies are active in informing policy maker preferences, are critical to achieving sustainable policy outcomes, and that the NIE can respond to such concerns, but only if reform takes place to legitimate these techniques as part of the standard economic discourse.

Rail rates and system costs are important to the profitability of Western Canadian agriculture. This importance is due to the high cost of transporting grain to export position combined with rails cost advantage in relation to other modes of bulk transportation. World grain markets are competitive and any increase in freight rate caused by inefficiency or market power can not be passed on consumers. <p>This thesis introduces and discusses a way to create competition in the rail industry through vertical separation of rolling stock and track. The discussion is motivated by a transactions cost framework, whereby key features of a vertically integrated railway such as we have in Canada are contrasted with those of a vertically separated railway, as is the case today in Sweden. The two systems share common characteristics, but the way system participants interact are ultimately very different. <p>Canadas vertically integrated railway system creates strong incentives for infrastructure investment along with maintenance and congestion management, but a vertically integrated system discourages new competition in the industry. Conversely, the vertically separated Swedish system creates strong incentives for inter-rail competition and improvements in customer service. Canadas rail system is now less subsidized than ever, while the Swedish system still requires significant public outlay, and will need continued government support. <p>Due to its cost structure, the choice of regulation in the rail sector continues to be a trade-off between railway cost recovery and fair rates for shippers. As applied to Canada, the example of Sweden illustrates that a limited access regime in rail can operationally function and reduce market power concerns. An access regime can achieve this reduction by supporting contestable pricing that will limit the ability of railways to price discriminate.

Anthropogenically forced climate change has emerged as one of the most important, and polarizing, issues of our time. Afforestation generated carbon offset projects hold a position in Canada as potentially influential, yet frustratingly under-utilized, options to mitigate climate change. This dissertation responds to the question, “what are the economic implications of afforestation generated carbon offset institutions in Canada – and how appropriate are the tools of the New Institutional Economics (NIE) in their identification?” I establish the context for discussion by arguing that the NIE, as practiced, seems incapable of providing rigorous analysis while simultaneously responding to questions of power and distribution. The case of afforestation generated carbon offset marketing is presented as an appropriate context for exploring this point. A literature review is then used to establish general patterns regarding aggregating institutions for offset production and marketing, and aggregating institutions are presented as a response to the effects of transaction costs on the Canadian offset market. I then develop supply and demand curves to describe the equilibrium state of the Canadian offset market, into which the transaction costs borne by three aggregators are integrated. Their performance in fulfilling various policy objectives is evaluated. The results indicate that the primary variation between scenarios is the distribution of benefits. This focus on the distribution of benefits continues through demonstrating how subtle variations in modeling coefficients affect the regional distribution of afforestation projects within Canada, identifying the power associated with policy maker ideology. The role of policy maker ideology is then explicitly examined through a survey of government analysts and technicians and the application of discriminant analysis. The primary axes of afforestation ideology are identified, and demonstrated to be independent of concerns of transaction costs and aggregation. These results are integrated to argue that distributional concerns, particularly when ideologies are active in informing policy maker preferences, are critical to achieving sustainable policy outcomes, and that the NIE can respond to such concerns, but only if reform takes place to legitimate these techniques as part of the standard economic discourse.

Rail rates and system costs are important to the profitability of Western Canadian agriculture. This importance is due to the high cost of transporting grain to export position combined with rails cost advantage in relation to other modes of bulk transportation. World grain markets are competitive and any increase in freight rate caused by inefficiency or market power can not be passed on consumers. <p>This thesis introduces and discusses a way to create competition in the rail industry through vertical separation of rolling stock and track. The discussion is motivated by a transactions cost framework, whereby key features of a vertically integrated railway such as we have in Canada are contrasted with those of a vertically separated railway, as is the case today in Sweden. The two systems share common characteristics, but the way system participants interact are ultimately very different. <p>Canadas vertically integrated railway system creates strong incentives for infrastructure investment along with maintenance and congestion management, but a vertically integrated system discourages new competition in the industry. Conversely, the vertically separated Swedish system creates strong incentives for inter-rail competition and improvements in customer service. Canadas rail system is now less subsidized than ever, while the Swedish system still requires significant public outlay, and will need continued government support. <p>Due to its cost structure, the choice of regulation in the rail sector continues to be a trade-off between railway cost recovery and fair rates for shippers. As applied to Canada, the example of Sweden illustrates that a limited access regime in rail can operationally function and reduce market power concerns. An access regime can achieve this reduction by supporting contestable pricing that will limit the ability of railways to price discriminate.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the evolution of New Zealand�s Quota Management System (QMS) for marine fisheries. Analysis is performed using institutional theory and methodology. A broad review of institutional theory is made. In contrast to neoclassical economic theory, of which institutionalists have been a major voice of dissent, institutionalism stresses a holistic approach to policy analysis. An understanding of the the forces for institutional change and the structure of that change are the primary focus of institutionalism. An institutional framework for understanding the common pool nature of fishery resources is adopted. This highlights how the physical and technical characteristics of the resource and related decision-making arrangements influence the patterns of human interaction that determine the outcomes of a management regime such as the QMS. It is shown that the QMS was adopted in 1986 to address the biological crisis that had occurred because of past open access management policies. The fiscal crisis and the economic ideology prevailing at the time were also influential in promoting the QMS. The system was not able to be expanded as was intended because of a series of challenges from Maori disputing the Crown�s right to fishery resources. The Deed of Settlement signed in 1992, has supposedly settled Maori claims to commercial fisheries and allowed expansion of the QMS. Assessing the QMS using the institutional framework developed, showed the strong influence that neoclassical ideology has played in determining the outcomes achieved. Inadequate information concerning biophysical, social and economic implications of fishing constrain the ability of the QMS to successfully manage the resource. Inconsistencies and inadequacies in the legislation are only just being addressed as part of a comprehensive legislative review process. The future development of the QMS is also addressed in terms of the likelihood of cooperative common property management regimes being adopted. The common pool nature of the fisheries makes common property management regimes preferable. Cooperative community cultures are claimed by institutionalists to improve the outcomes achieved in common property regimes. There was considered, however, to be only limited potential for cooperation within the current institutional structure for New Zealand�s fisheries. Although the changes of the legislative review appear to be making some progressive changes, the diversity of interest groups and the prevailing western culture are seen as potential impediments to a comprehensive cooperative regime.

[Truncated abstract] The links between the quality of a country’s institutions and its level of economic development is an important, and growing, area of research in economics. Broadly speaking, these institutions define the ‘rules of the game’, or the conditions under which firms and individuals operate within and between markets. The better the quality of these institutional arrangements, the more confidence market participants have to conduct transactions. Although the links between these institutions and economic growth have been empirically tested many times (and shown to be extremely important), several gaps still exist in our understanding of this relationship. Two of the more important issues are (i) what the causal relationship may be between institutions and economic growth, and (ii) what the (undoubtedly complex) transmission mechanisms may be between them . . . Using a variety of alternative variables and samples, the evidence presented here strongly suggests that institutional quality is a major causal determinant of investment and human capital (particularly higher levels of education), as well as having an additional (though weaker) causal effect on growth itself. There is also an indication that there is reverse causality running from economic growth back to institutions. The evidence of a causal relationship between institutional quality and trade remains somewhat mixed, however, there is a strong suggestion that the influence of trade on institutional quality depends heavily on what type of goods are being traded (specifically, primary commodities or manufactured goods).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Dept. of Economics. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2007. / "A dissertation in economics and social science consortium." Advisor: Frederic S. Lee. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed July 30, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-220). Online version of the print edition.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 406-432).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Johns Hopkins University, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 341-358).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 406-432) Also available in print.