A novel set of long-term data on Swedish commercial banks in 1870–2001 is used to shed new light on some long-standing issues in money and banking. Essays 1 and 2 explore long-term changes in the leverage and profitability of the Swedish banking system, and inquire into the causes of their change. In particular, it is investigated whether inflation and high corporate taxes were the causes behind the increasing leverage of Swedish banks in the 20th century. Essays 3 to 5 describe the workings of the Swedish note-banking system in the late 19th century and compare its performance with the central-banking regime after 1904, when the Bank of Sweden gained a note monopoly. How does note monopolisation affect the elasticity of the currency, and how does it affect the size of money and credit cycles? These classical questions are tested empirically for the first time. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2005 S. 3-11: sammanfattning, s. 15-186: 5 uppsatser

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(経済学) / 甲第23401号 / 経博第643号 / 新制||経||298(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院経済学研究科経済学専攻 / (主査)准教授 菊谷 達弥, 教授 関口 格, 教授 文 世一 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Economics / Kyoto University / DGAM

The relevance of the Swedish alcohol monopoly has been widely debated for years in Sweden. In 2015 Systembolaget celebrates 60 years as the only actor on the alcohol market. To celebrate this, Systembolaget launched a campaign where the commercial The Expert is included, in which contrasts between the Swedish and the American ways to sell alcohol is addressed. In my essay I’m examining the commercial through a narrative analysis to find out how Systembolagets self image is created. In particular, how the narrative works in order to create this self image. Rhetorical agency is a way for me to reach my conclusion. Through my narrative analysis and the use of the rhetorical situation as well as rhetorical agency, I reach the conclusion that Systembolagets (self constructed) self image is a positive one where Systembolaget is to be viewed as experts in their area, in contrast to the American “expert” who is ridiculed. Systembolaget is portrayed as a responsible actor with sole rights and the implicit argumentation suggests they wish to maintain that position in Sweden.

Diploma paper "Rentseeking in the Czech legal system" is focused on the analysis of interest groups, their forms, procedures and instruments, which they use for rentseeking activities in the Czech Republic. The first section explains the concept rentseeking, the second part redefines this concept into national environment, the case studies are analyzed in the third part and the fourth is concentrated on specific interest groups in the Czech Republic.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / John M. Crespi / The objective of this analysis is to derive several econometric estimates of the Panzar-Rosse statistic of industry structure in order to determine whether the dried plums market resembles that of a firm collusion (monopoly or tightly structured oligopoly), a hybrid of monopolistic and competitive tendencies (monopolistically competitive), or perfectly competitive. The result of the Panzar-Rosse test is the H-Statistic: the sum of all elasticities of a firm’s total revenue with respect to factor prices focusing on the long run equilibrium. This study looks at data from a previous study conducted by Alston et al (1998) that includes firm level data for three of the participating firms in the dried plums industry from September 6, 1992 through July 7, 1996 and data provided from Sunsweet Cooperative encompassing firm level data from six firm participants from July 20, 2008 through June 13, 2010. Ordinary least squares regression equations were estimated to determine the elasticities of firm level input costs and other exogenous variables. A total of four regression equations per data set were tested in order to compile the necessary information for the formulation of the Panzar-Rosse H-Statistic. Adjusting for econometric concerns, overall the results show an H-Statistic commensurate with that of an industry that is operating as monopolistically competitive. In examining the evolution of firm-level changes from the time period of the first data set to that of the second, the results suggest the industry, while remaining monopolistically competitive, has also become more competitive; a finding consistent with the decreased concentration noted in the industry over time.

O presente trabalho visa compreender o processo de expansão e consolidação do Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) no sistema prisional paulista e a figuração social que se constituiu nas prisões como resultado da monopolização das oportunidades de poder pelo PCC. Para tanto, conceitos e concepções teóricas de Norbert Elias são utilizados como ferramentas analíticas para o tratamento do material empírico colhido a partir de fontes diversas. O trabalho é composto por dois eixos de análise: eixo horizontal/processual e eixo vertical/figuracional. O eixo de análise horizontal ou processual aborda o fenômeno de um ponto de vista macrossociológico, em que se focaliza o processo social de desenvolvimento do PCC tendo em vista fatores sociais, políticos e administrativos que direta ou indiretamente estão atrelados a ele. Ainda como parte desse eixo de análise, o processo de expansão do PCC é considerado em termos das várias etapas que o compõem, tendo em vista o papel da violência física direta no exercício do seu poder. O eixo de análise vertical ou figuracional tem como objetivo a compreensão da dinâmica social produzida a partir deste processo. Considerando uma figuração social como ponto de partida da análise, denominada figuração pré-PCC, procurou-se apresentar as transformações ocorridas no universo prisional e que constituíram uma nova figuração social. A nova figuração social produzida a partir da hegemonia do PCC é constituída por uma teia de interdependência individual mais longa e complexa, com uma maior divisão funcional e integração social entre os seus componentes. Diante desta nova forma de dependência, os controles sociais sobre o comportamento individual foram ampliados e centralizados na posição ocupada pelo PCC. A estrutura e organização do PCC, sua dinâmica política e o controle social que adquire a forma de imposição do autocontrole individual, são questões centrais nesta parte do trabalho. O eixo vertical é finalizado com uma discussão sobre a relação de dependência do PCC em face da administração prisional, em que o dispositivo do Regime Disciplinar Diferenciado (RDD) é central na manutenção do equilíbrio de poder que garante a hegemonia do PCC e a estabilidade da ordem social do universo prisional. Uma reflexão que perpassa todo o trabalho e que é desenvolvida no capítulo final coloca em discussão a pacificação social que é vista como o efeito mais expressivo do processo de consolidação do poder do PCC. Neste sentido, a fragilidade deste processo é apontada a partir da sua natureza conjuntural e das bases precárias nas quais está apoiado o poder hegemônico do PCC. / The present work aims to understand the process of expansion and consolidation of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) in São Paulo prison system and the social figuration that is formed in prisons as a result of the monopolization of the opportunities by the power of PCC. To this end, concepts and theoretical conceptions of Norbert Elias are used as analytical tools for the treatment of empirical data collected from various sources. The work consists of two lines of analysis: axis horizontal / vertical axis and procedural / figurational. The horizontal axis analytical or procedural approaches the phenomenon from a macrosociological point of view, which focuses on the social development of the PCC with a view to social, political and administrative problems that are directly or indirectly linked to it. Also as part of the analysis area, the expansion of the PCC is considered in terms of several steps that compose it, owing to the role of direct physical violence in the exercise of its power. The vertical axis or figurational analysis aims at understanding the social dynamics produced from this process. Whereas a social figuration as a starting point of analysis, called figuration \"pre- PCC\", tried to show the changes in the prison world, which constituted a new social figuration. The new social representation produced from the hegemony of the PCC consists of a web of a longer and more complex individual interdependence, with greater functional division and social integration among its components. Given this new form of dependency, the social controls on individual behavior have been expanded and centralized in the position occupied by the PCC. The structure and organization of the PCC, its political dynamics and social control which takes the form of imposition of individual self-control are central issues in this part of the work. The vertical axis is concluded with a discussion of the dependence of the PCC in the face of the prison administration, where the device Regime Disciplinar Diferenciado (RDD) is central in maintaining the balance of power that ensures the hegemony of the PCC and the stability of the order social of the prison. A reflection that permeates all the work that is developed in the final chapter calls into question the social pacification that is seen as the most significant effect of the consolidation of power of the PCC. In this sense, the fragility of this process is identified from its contextual nature and the precarious foundations on which rests the hegemonic power of the PCC.

The work presented here is part of a wider research programme oriented around three specific questions. First, how do individual agents appropriate returns from innovation and how is this affected by the availability (or not) of intellectual property rights such as copyrights and patents? Second, how does this translate into the aggregate production of knowledge, once one takes account of the interaction between producers and the cumulative nature of the process of knowledge production? Finally, How can we incorporate this into an estimate of the welfare trade-off inherent in intellectual property rights (the basic prerequisite for formulating rational IP policy)? The dissertation contains theoretical work on each of these questions together with a brief introductory preamble and a review of the existing literature on the economics of knowledge.

O presente trabalho visa compreender o processo de expansão e consolidação do Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) no sistema prisional paulista e a figuração social que se constituiu nas prisões como resultado da monopolização das oportunidades de poder pelo PCC. Para tanto, conceitos e concepções teóricas de Norbert Elias são utilizados como ferramentas analíticas para o tratamento do material empírico colhido a partir de fontes diversas. O trabalho é composto por dois eixos de análise: eixo horizontal/processual e eixo vertical/figuracional. O eixo de análise horizontal ou processual aborda o fenômeno de um ponto de vista macrossociológico, em que se focaliza o processo social de desenvolvimento do PCC tendo em vista fatores sociais, políticos e administrativos que direta ou indiretamente estão atrelados a ele. Ainda como parte desse eixo de análise, o processo de expansão do PCC é considerado em termos das várias etapas que o compõem, tendo em vista o papel da violência física direta no exercício do seu poder. O eixo de análise vertical ou figuracional tem como objetivo a compreensão da dinâmica social produzida a partir deste processo. Considerando uma figuração social como ponto de partida da análise, denominada figuração pré-PCC, procurou-se apresentar as transformações ocorridas no universo prisional e que constituíram uma nova figuração social. A nova figuração social produzida a partir da hegemonia do PCC é constituída por uma teia de interdependência individual mais longa e complexa, com uma maior divisão funcional e integração social entre os seus componentes. Diante desta nova forma de dependência, os controles sociais sobre o comportamento individual foram ampliados e centralizados na posição ocupada pelo PCC. A estrutura e organização do PCC, sua dinâmica política e o controle social que adquire a forma de imposição do autocontrole individual, são questões centrais nesta parte do trabalho. O eixo vertical é finalizado com uma discussão sobre a relação de dependência do PCC em face da administração prisional, em que o dispositivo do Regime Disciplinar Diferenciado (RDD) é central na manutenção do equilíbrio de poder que garante a hegemonia do PCC e a estabilidade da ordem social do universo prisional. Uma reflexão que perpassa todo o trabalho e que é desenvolvida no capítulo final coloca em discussão a pacificação social que é vista como o efeito mais expressivo do processo de consolidação do poder do PCC. Neste sentido, a fragilidade deste processo é apontada a partir da sua natureza conjuntural e das bases precárias nas quais está apoiado o poder hegemônico do PCC. / The present work aims to understand the process of expansion and consolidation of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) in São Paulo prison system and the social figuration that is formed in prisons as a result of the monopolization of the opportunities by the power of PCC. To this end, concepts and theoretical conceptions of Norbert Elias are used as analytical tools for the treatment of empirical data collected from various sources. The work consists of two lines of analysis: axis horizontal / vertical axis and procedural / figurational. The horizontal axis analytical or procedural approaches the phenomenon from a macrosociological point of view, which focuses on the social development of the PCC with a view to social, political and administrative problems that are directly or indirectly linked to it. Also as part of the analysis area, the expansion of the PCC is considered in terms of several steps that compose it, owing to the role of direct physical violence in the exercise of its power. The vertical axis or figurational analysis aims at understanding the social dynamics produced from this process. Whereas a social figuration as a starting point of analysis, called figuration \"pre- PCC\", tried to show the changes in the prison world, which constituted a new social figuration. The new social representation produced from the hegemony of the PCC consists of a web of a longer and more complex individual interdependence, with greater functional division and social integration among its components. Given this new form of dependency, the social controls on individual behavior have been expanded and centralized in the position occupied by the PCC. The structure and organization of the PCC, its political dynamics and social control which takes the form of imposition of individual self-control are central issues in this part of the work. The vertical axis is concluded with a discussion of the dependence of the PCC in the face of the prison administration, where the device Regime Disciplinar Diferenciado (RDD) is central in maintaining the balance of power that ensures the hegemony of the PCC and the stability of the order social of the prison. A reflection that permeates all the work that is developed in the final chapter calls into question the social pacification that is seen as the most significant effect of the consolidation of power of the PCC. In this sense, the fragility of this process is identified from its contextual nature and the precarious foundations on which rests the hegemonic power of the PCC.

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of Utah residents concerning what role, if any, the L.D.S. Church should play in Utah politics; if they believe in the concept of a separation of church and state; whether they feel a separation of church and state exists in Utah; and how much influence they perceive the predominant faith of the state has on its politics. Thus, the four following hypotheses were designed: 1. Utah residents will perceive that churches should be involved in moral, but not political issues. 2. Utah residents will perceive that there should be a separation of church and state. 3. Utahns will perceive that a separation of church and state does not exist in Utah. 4. Utah residents will perceive that the predominant faith of this state has considerable influence on Utah politics. In order that these hypotheses could be tested, an instrument was designed and pre-tested; a random-systematic sample was drawn from all Utah telephone directories; interviews were conducted; responses were recorded and computerized and reported in this study.

The first generation of agricultural crops developed using biotechnology have offered the primary producers of the crops agronomic benefits. Some consumers have resisted accepting this technology because of concerns with food and environmental safety, and ethical issues that arise from the processes that are involved in developing these products. The second and third generation of agricultural biotechnology are being developed to offer products with direct benefits to consumers. The focus of this thesis is the second generation, which have added health benefits. Specifically, the obstacles to commercialization of functional foods derived through biotechnology are examined. The three factors which have the potential to set back commercial introduction of functional foods derived through biotechnology are government regulatory uncertainty, consumer aversion and brand risk, and gaining access to intellectual property. The regulations governing functional foods are examined to show the regulatory ambiguity that exists in Canada. Comparisons are drawn to other nations. Literature that focuses on consumer aversion to agricultural biotechnology is reviewed, along with consumer preference studies with regards to genetically modified (GM) foods with and without health benefits. Transaction cost economics literature is used to analyse the problems related to gaining access to intellectual property and the resulting supply chain implications. Three separate theoretical models are developed to examine each of the three factors separately. Government regulatory uncertainty is incorporated into an expected profit model to show the effects of increased uncertainty on the expected profit from a new technology. A heterogeneous consumer preference model is used to show the effects of changing consumer preferences on the market share of the firm introducing the GM functional food to the market. Simulation analysis using this model shows the effects of changing variables on the market shares of three products in the market. Finally a stylized model of the vertical market shows the effects of increased transaction costs incurred in gaining access to intellectual property on the rent that is available for distribution throughout the supply chain. The results show that these factors could be an obstacle to commercial development of functional foods derived through biotechnology. When the three factors are combined, the rent available for distribution is important for the success of the supply chain. Multiple bilateral monopoly negotiations cause this rent to be less than optimal. Increased levels of government regulatory uncertainty, consumer aversion and brand risk, and costs gaining of access to intellectual property decrease the expected rent available for distribution. This could be a problem facing developers of functional foods derived through biotechnology.