Panel regressions are used to analyze various measures of state higher education expenditures for 45 states over a time period from 1986 through 2005. Results of panel stationarity tests indicate that each expenditures series contains a unit root. This finding is consistent with the incremental theory of public expenditures and implies that time series of these variables should be differenced if used as dependent variables in regression models. Regression results indicate that changes in state higher education expenditures are significantly procyclical. State higher education spending appears to fully adjust to population growth and over-adjust to CPI inflation. Larger state governments are associated with significantly larger annual adjustments to per capita real state higher education expenditures. No significant evidence is found that state Medicaid or elementary education expenditures crowd out higher education spending.

The effects associated with foreign direct investments onto a host economy are perceived to be multi folded. FDI is perceived to enhance, not only, the accumulation of capital in a host country, but also to promote productivity, enable introduction of new processes and skills as well as enable access to new markets. However, empirical research upon if foreign direct investments affects economic growth is ambiguous. The purpose of this thesis is due to such to investigate whether the local financial market enable FDI to affect growth positively. Hence, the aim of this paper is to establish if the domestic financial sector is a vital precondition for foreign direct investment to have a positive significant effect on GDP per capita growth for developing countries. By the use of panel data regressions and three regression models, 26 countries were investigated between the years 1996 and 2015. The empirical results enabled the conclusion that local financial markets do in fact improve the effect associated with foreign direct investment for the 26 countries investigated between the years 1996 and 2015. Thus, local financial markets are a significant and crucial precondition for FDI to affect a host economy's growth positively. Due to such, developing countries should aim towards preserving as well as developing their financial markets.

Die Nutzung von terrestrischen Ökosystemen zur Befriedigung der Grundbedürfnisse der Menschheit hat tiefgreifende Auswirkungen auf das Erdsystem und führte zur Ausprägung von anthropogen dominierten Landsystemen. Diese sind von hoher Komplexität, da sie aus einer Vielzahl von unterschiedlichsten Einflussfaktoren angetriebenen Landnutzungsveränderungen hervorgegangen sind. Aktuelle Forderungen nach einer nachhaltigen zukünftigen Landnutzung erfordern ein fundiertes und integratives Verständnis dieser Komplexität. Das Hauptziel dieser Arbeit ist es, ein besseres Verständnis der raum-zeitlichen Muster und Determinanten des Landsystemwandels, insbesondere der Landnutzungsintensität, in Europa zwischen 1990 und 2010 zu erlangen. Europa ist ein interessantes Studiengebiet, da es jüngst starke Landnutzungsveränderungen erlebte und seine Heterogenität zu einer Vielfalt von Landsystemen und Landsystemveränderungen führte. Das Ziel der Arbeit wurde durch (i) die Kartierung von Intensitätsmustern und deren Veränderungen in Forst- und Agrarsystemen sowie der Ermittlung der dafür einflussreichsten räumlichen Determinanten und (ii) die Kartierung und Charakterisierung archetypischer Muster und Entwicklungsverläufe von Landsystemen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigten einen deutlichen Ost-West-Unterschied in Landsystemmustern und -veränderungen in Europa, mit intensiv genutzten und intensivierenden Regionen vor allem in Westeuropa. Dennoch wurde Europa vor allem durch relativ stabile Landsystemmuster gekennzeichnet und (De-)Intensivierungstrends waren nur von untergeordneter Bedeutung. Intensitätsmuster und -veränderungen waren stark an Standortbedingungen gebunden, vor allem an edaphische, klimatische, und länderspezifische Besonderheiten. Diese Arbeit erweitert das Verständnis des Landsystemwandels in Europa und kann zur Entwicklung wissenschaftlicher und politikbezogener Maßnahmen sowie zur Erreichung einer nachhaltigeren Landnutzung in Europa beitragen. / The utilisation of terrestrial ecosystems to satisfy the basic needs of humankind has profound impacts on the Earth System and led to the development of human-dominated land systems. These are substantially complex as they evolved from a multitude of land-change pathways driven by a variety of influential factors. Current calls for a more sustainable future land-use require a sound and integrative understanding of this complexity. The main goal of this thesis is to better understand the spatio-temporal patterns and the determinants of land-system change in Europe between 1990 and 2010, especially with regard to land-use intensity. Europe serves as an interesting study region as it recently experienced a period of marked land-use change, and since its large environmental, political, and socio-economic heterogeneity resulted in a diversity of land systems and land-change pathways. Land-system changes in Europe were examined by (i) mapping patterns and changes in forestry and agricultural intensity and identifying the most influential spatial determinants related to these changes, and (ii) mapping and characterising archetypical patterns and trajectories of land systems considering both land-use extent and intensity indicators. Results revealed a distinct east-west divide in Europe’s land-system patterns and change trajectories, with intensively used and intensifying regions particularly located in Western Europe. However, Europe was mainly characterised by relatively stable land-systems patterns with (de-) intensification trends being only of minor importance. Land-use intensity levels and changes were strongly related to site conditions, especially with regard to soil and climate, as well as to country-specific characteristics. By fostering the understanding of land-system change, this thesis has the potential to contribute to scientific and policy-related actions that address current efforts to guide future land systems in Europe to a more sustainable use.