<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">This study examines the legal and policy objectives of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) with specific reference to international standards and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). The study sets out the history and development of the TBT Agreement and the relationship between the TBT Agreement and selected WTO Agreements. The study also explores the application and interpretation of the TBT Agreement under the WTO dispute settlement system. More importantly, the study addresses the legal, policy and practical implications of the TBT Agreement for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Africa. A central argument put forward in this study is that, albeit international standards have been recognised as an important tool for LDCs in Africa to gain access to foreign markets, there is no significant &lsquo / political will&rsquo / and commitment from the key players in standardisation work, that is, the national governments, the private sector and the ISO. At the same time, some developed and developing countries tend to use their influence and involvement in the activities of the ISO as a means of promoting the use and adoption of their homegrown standards. The study proposes, among others, that a more participatory approach which encompasses representatives from consumer groups, the private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from these LDCs in Africa, should be adopted.</p> </font></p>

<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">This study examines the legal and policy objectives of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) with specific reference to international standards and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). The study sets out the history and development of the TBT Agreement and the relationship between the TBT Agreement and selected WTO Agreements. The study also explores the application and interpretation of the TBT Agreement under the WTO dispute settlement system. More importantly, the study addresses the legal, policy and practical implications of the TBT Agreement for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Africa. A central argument put forward in this study is that, albeit international standards have been recognised as an important tool for LDCs in Africa to gain access to foreign markets, there is no significant &lsquo / political will&rsquo / and commitment from the key players in standardisation work, that is, the national governments, the private sector and the ISO. At the same time, some developed and developing countries tend to use their influence and involvement in the activities of the ISO as a means of promoting the use and adoption of their homegrown standards. The study proposes, among others, that a more participatory approach which encompasses representatives from consumer groups, the private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from these LDCs in Africa, should be adopted.</p> </font></p>

Since the introduction of computers in to organisations in the 1950s, computer information systems have become powerful organisational instruments. The uptake of information technology including information systems (IS) and the impact of these technologies have been phenomenal, particularly in the least developed countries (LDCs). Organisations in these countries have continued to utilise IS as a development tool with the belief that it will enhance business processes, in many instances accelerated by foreign assistance. IS can have a positive effect on users, organisations and national development, measured economically or otherwise at the individual, organisational, and national levels. Yet IS implementation and the measure of its success is characterised by a high rate of failure and disagreement among scholars and practitioners. The success of organisational IS is influenced by a fabric of many variables, including contextual elements. In this regard IS can be influenced by both the organisational context in terms of strategies, structures, politics and culture, and by the wider political socio-economic, cultural, and technological climate within which organisations exist. Understanding the contributing variables and the barriers that impede IS success, would better prepare organisations to overcome the inherent difficulties. There is a large body of work documenting the usefulness and consequences of IS. However, these studies have been concentrated in the developed countries (DCs), hence, little is known about IS implementation in LDCs. DCs and LDCs differ in their contextual and social settings, and a uniform analysis may not be applicable in their disparate settings. Indeed the paucity of research and data in the IS domain indicates that the study would benefit an LDC such as Papua New Guinea (PNG) and contribute to knowledge in understanding IS implementation in an LDC environment. This thesis reports on a study that examined IS implementation success in PNG organisations in the context of an LDC. Computers were introduced to PNG in the 1960s, however, no studies have been undertaken to date in this domain that the author is aware of. Hence, the objective of this study was to provide detailed analysis of IS, the context in which it was implemented, its interaction with organisational and external settings, and elicit the underlying elements associated with its success. It also explores the emphasis placed on each of the elements and the extent to which organisations effectively addressed these elements to ensure IS success. The exploratory study employs a multi method design - beginning in Stage 1 with case studies, followed by a survey in Stage 2. Stage 1 adopted a multiple case study approach. Eight case studies were undertaken, however, results of only four case studies are reported in this thesis. Data obtained in the case studies provide a useful basis for the survey. The study in Stage 2 consolidated and expanded on the case study findings from the perspective of a wider population. All the organisations contacted but not involved in the Stage 1 study contributed by participating in the survey. The study identified more than fifty elements that contributed to the success of IS in PNG organisations. There were significant similarities to the findings of studies in other DCs and LDCs despite the disparate contextual conditions. Several elements, not identified in prior studies, were also revealed. Based on this study, a set of principles pertaining to IS implementation and management in PNG were postulated. Similarly a set of recommendations were also outlined.

The thesis deals with the topic of economic growth of the poor, least developed countries. For this group of countries, which includes most of sub-Saharan Africa, is characteristic that for the last half-century this group has shown no significant economic growth per capita. This fact is surprising at first glance if compared with other economic development groups of the developing world. Economic differences between the least developed countries on the one hand, and emerging and developing countries on the other hand, are increasing despite efforts by international development agencies. I intend to answer the question, what are the causes of poor economic performance of the least developed countries.

Magister Legum - LLM / Sugar, bananas, beef and cotton are some of the few products, which are the primary commodities in many African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP).2 Many are highly vulnerable small islands, landlocked and least developed states,' thus rendering the above-mentioned sectors, of great importance to their economies." In these countries, for instance, the sugar producers often provide housing, health care, education and other benefits.i

Cette thèse doctorale s’attache à fournir une théorisation du Développement Economique Local (DEL) dans les Pays les Moins Avancés (PMA). Elle présente également une synthétisation des conditions et des hypothèses que les programmes et les institutions peuvent provoquer pour obtenir un changement durable dans les territoires. Un tel changement est prévu dans le but de conduire les PMA vers une trajectoire de développement. Le sujet de thèse est placé dans le cadre de la problématique des axes stratégiques du développement local et des choix de sociétés dans les Pays les Moins Avancés.La recherche, qui s’appuie sur une étude de cas de financement de développement local, est réalisée avec quatre sources de données qualitatives collectées de 2014 à 2017 sur le terrain d’une économie moins avancée. La posture épistémologique utilisée commence par déterminer la nature des problèmes identifiés et les spécificités des Pays les Moins Avancés. L’approche constructiviste pragmatique a permis de répondre et d’expliquer des phénomènes observables relatifs aux processus aboutissant au développement économique local suite à des financements appropriés.Les résultats de ce travail ont mis en évidence le cadre empirique du développement local dans les PMA.Les contributions de cette thèse de doctorat sont à plusieurs niveaux. D’abord elles sont d’ordre théorique, à travers un éclairage du système de gouvernance locale dans les Pays les Moins Avancés. Le cadre théorique spécifique aux PMA est approfondi et a permis de développer un ensemble de préconditions du développement local dans les PMA. Ensuite, les contributions de ce travail portent sur les politiques de développement et les politiques publiques.Nous proposons à partir de mécanismes de financements dit « mixtes » des stratégies de financements adaptées aux particularités des PMA en nous basant sur deux piliers du développement local dans les économies les moins avancés : la gouvernance locale et les entrepreneurs. Le modèle théorique et les préconditions au DEL permettent d’avoir une vue d’ensemble des stratégies à mettre en œuvre pour créer le cercle vertueux du DEL dans ces économies. / This doctoral thesis aims to provide a theorization of Local Economic Development (LED) in the Least Developed Countries (LDC). It also presents a synthesis of the conditions and assumptions of programs and institutions to reach transformative and sustainable change in local territories. Such a change is intended to drive the LDCs towards a sound development trajectory. The topic of the thesis is placed within the framework of the strategic options of local development and the choice of societies in the Least Developed Countries.The research, based on a case study of local development financing, is carried out with four qualitative data sources collected from 2014 to 2017 in the field of a less advanced economy. The epistemological posture starts by the nature of the problems identified and the specificities of the Least Developed Countries. The pragmatic constructivist approach made it possible to answer and explain observable phenomena related to the problem of identifying processes leading to local economic development following appropriate funding mechanism.The results of this doctoral research have highlighted an empirical framework for local development in LDCs.The contributions of this doctoral thesis numerous. First, they are of a theoretical nature, through an understanding of the local governance system in the least developed countries. The theoretical framework specific to the LDCs is thus analysed and allows to develop a set of preconditions for local development in the LDCs. Secondly, the contributions of this work deal with development policies and public policies.Indeed, we propose financing strategies adapted to the specificities of LDCs based on the two pillars of local development in the least developed economies: local governance and entrepreneurs, on the so-called "mixed" financing mechanisms. The theoretical model and LED preconditions provide an overview of strategies to implement the virtuous circle of LED in these economies.

This thesis is framed within the research area of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), which is concerned with how ICT can make a difference to the lives of the poor. This study focuses primarily on mobile phones and how they can be used as part of an Agriculture Market Information Service (AMIS) in order to provide crucial information to farmers in Bangladesh. AMIS principally collect, manage and disseminate agricultural market prices and related information through various processes and media. These services are mainly used by farmers. The research question of how mobile phone-based AMIS can be designed and deployed in order to improve opportunities for farmers in Bangladesh is investigated through a design science research approach in four steps; understanding the scope and challenges related to AMIS in least developed countries; diagnosing the situational realities of farmers of Bangladesh; understanding the process of adopting mobile phones and investigating market information practices and preferences in a rural context; and finally designing and implementing a mobile phone based AMIS and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of it for the farmers of Bangladesh. In this thesis, development is viewed in terms of bringing about an in-crease in farmers’ capability set directed towards the utilization of resources for the purpose of production and trade. Information and knowledge are important drivers of development and poverty reduction: ICT can create new opportunities to expand the availability, exchange, and impact of information and knowledge. This thesis contributes to ICT4D research and practice through empirical findings, the design of an AMIS, test results, and the development of analytical tools. Its major contributions include an increased understanding of farmers’ attitudes and preferences towards the use of technology in general, and mobile phones in particular, and a broader understanding of ICT for human development in the context of poor rural regions. / Informatics or ICT4D

<p>The Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region is faced with limited medical personnel and healthcare services to address the many healthcare problems of the region. Poor health indicators reflect the overall decline in socio-economic development. Shortages of access to health services in the region is further complicated by the concentration of health services in urban areas, the region’s multiple medical problems (over 70% of HIV/AIDS cases in the world); and the brain drain phenomenon – it is estimated one-third of African physicians emigrate to North America and Europe. The result is that the SSA region is left with about 10 physicians, and 20 beds, per 100,000 patients. Telemedicine has been found to offer socio-economic benefits, reduce costs, and improve access to healthcare service providers by patients, but previous attempts to move various information technologies from developers in the industrial world to the developing world have failed because of a clear neglect of infrastructural and cultural factors that influence such transfers. The objective of this study is to address key factors that challenge the introduction of telemedicine technology into the health sector in SSA in particular, and by extension, other developing countries with similar socio-economic structures.</p><p>This research offers a distinctive perspective, focusing on visually-based clinical applications in the SSA region, and considerable attention to the national infrastructure and cultural impact of telemedicine transfer (social and value) outcomes. Two research models and its associated hypotheses are proposed and empirically tested using quantitative data collected from SSA physicians and other health professionals. The study also contributes to the ongoing debate on the potential of telemedicine in improving access and reducing costs. This research can help to understand the socio-economic impact of telemedicine outcomes in a comprehensive way. The finding from the survey shows the rapid advances in telemedicine technology specifically, visual clinical applications may become an essential healthcare tool in the near future within SSA countries.</p>

Mobile technologies are emerging as one way to help address health challenges in many countries, including in Least Developed Countries. Mobile technology can reach a large share of the population but in order to provide effective support to healthcare services, technology, information collection and dissemination, and work processes need to be well aligned. The thesis uses a design science methodological approach and mixes qualitative and quantitative data analysis to address the question of, How can mobile technologies be effectively integrated with routine healthcare services? The study concerns the design, implementation, and evaluation of a mobile technology-based system, called SMSaúde, with the aim of improving the care of patients with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in Mozambique. The work started with the elicitation of functional and user requirements, based on focus group discussions. An important challenge, as in many mHealth interventions, was the integration with routine healthcare services and the existing IT systems, as well as developing a scalable technical structure. The system has now been in routine use since 2013 in more than 16 healthcare clinics in Mozambique. Evaluation was done by a randomised controlled study. Analysis of patient records showed that retention in care in urban areas was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group. In a user study both patients and health professionals were very positive to the system. The thesis contributes to research by demonstrating how information system artefacts can be constructed and successfully implemented in resource-constrained settings. The practical contributions include the designed artefact itself as well as improved healthcare practices and mHealth policy recommendations.

Health has long been referred to as a contributing development factor for economic growth, and health investments have been implemented as a strategy for achieving economic development. However, several countries have reached economic growth before improving health status, which raises questions of the significance of public health related to economic growth. The economic inequalities between countries tend to increase along with enlarged differences in health status, is there possibly a correlation between these occurrences? The purpose of this essay is to make a theoretical contribution by examining the impact of health on economic growth based on the world’s least developed countries (LDCs). This relationship has not been studied within these countries before and the essay intends to find out if basic health is a prerequisite for economic growth. The hypothesis of the study is a positive correlation between improvement of health status in a population within a country and its economic growth. Quantitative approach through a cross-sectional study of the independent variables health investments, initial GDP per capita, life expectancy and HIV along with the dependent variable of GDP per capita growth. Data from 48 LDCs during the period 1995 – 2015 was obtained. A regression analysis of Ordinary Least Squares, VIF-test and QQ-plot was performed through the computer program Gretl 2016c.  The variation in GDP per capita growth can be explained to 75 % by changes in the health-related variables. Previous theories regarding the positive effect on economic growth from increased health investments, lower initial GDP per capita and increased life expectancy were supported in this study. Health investments and initial GDP per capita showed a statistically significant correlation to economic growth. Life expectancy lacked significance, but was supported by previous research. The variable for HIV showed a positive correlation to economic growth, contrary to previous theories. The relationship can although be explained by insufficient data and low significance. / Hälsa har länge benämnts som en bidragande utvecklingsfaktor för ekonomisk tillväxt och hälsoinvesteringar har använts som en strategi för att uppnå ekonomisk utveckling. Samtidigt har flera länder uppnått ekonomisk tillväxt innan förbättrad hälsostatus vilket leder till funderingar kring vilken roll befolkningens hälsa egentligen spelar för landets ekonomiska tillväxt. De ekonomiska ojämlikheterna länder emellan tenderar att öka och skillnaden i hälsostatusen likaså, finns det möjligtvis ett samband kring detta? Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att bringa ett teoretiskt bidrag genom att undersöka hälsans inverkan på ekonomisk tillväxt med utgångspunkt i världens minst utvecklade länder (MUL-länder). Detta samband har tidigare inte studerats inom dessa länder och uppsatsen avser att ta reda på om en grundläggande god hälsa förefaller vara en förutsättning för ekonomisk tillväxt. Hypotesen för uppsatsen är ett positivt samband mellan ett förbättrat hälsotillstånd hos ett lands befolkning och dess ekonomiska tillväxt. Frågeställning: Leder en förbättrad hälsa till ökad ekonomisk tillväxt i världens minst utvecklade länder? Metod: Kvantitativt tillvägagångssätt genom en tvärsnittsstudie av de oberoende variablerna statens hälsoinvesteringar, initial BNP per capita, förväntad livslängd och HIV samt den beroende variabeln tillväxt i BNP per capita. Data från 48 MUL-länder under perioden 1995 – 2015 inhämtades. I dataprogrammet Gretl 2016c utfördes en regressionsanalys av typen Minsta kvadratmetoden, VIF-test samt QQ-plot. Slutsats: Variationen i tillväxten i BNP per capita kan till 75 % förklaras av förändringar i de hälsorelaterade variablerna. Tidigare teorier kring positiva effekter på den ekonomiska tillväxten från ökade hälsoinvesteringar, lägre initialt BNP per capita och ökad livslängd förstärktes i denna undersökning. Hälsoinvesteringar och initialt BNP per capita visade ett statistiskt säkerställt samband till den ekonomiska tillväxten. Förväntad livslängd saknade signifikans, men stöds av tidigare forskning. Variabeln för HIV visade ett positivt samband på ekonomisk tillväxt vilket strider mot tidigare teorier. Sambandet kan dock förklaras av bristfällig data och låg signifikansnivå.