This study focused on Corporate Community Involvement Disclosures (CCID), a theme usually disclosed under Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures (CSRD) in annual reports. The primary aim of the research is to investigate the genuineness and raison d'être of CCID in annual reports. To do this the researcher adopted a holistic approach employing an extensive theoretical framework, which integrates Legitimacy, Stakeholder, Agency, Signalling and Semiotics theories and asking three main research questions. Firstly, what are the motivations for CCID in annual reports? Secondly, what is the information content of CCID in annual reports? And lastly, how real is CCID in annual reports? That is can CCID be read and construed as a real measure of corporate community development (CCD)? Using content analysis and a quality score index the study examined a panel dataset covering the period from 1999 to 2009. The data was collected from a sample of 803 annual reports of 73 UK companies taken from the FTSE 350 companies and cutting across all ten industries of the Industrial Classification Benchmark (ICB) Index. Generally the study is more of a quantitative study with hypotheses developed and tested with panel data regression models in order to provide answers to the three research questions. However, due to the sensitivity of the third research question, in addition to panel regression, the researcher performed a qualitative analysis of question three using semiotics. The study provided evidence to show that CCID as disclosed in annual reports have an undertone of reputation/impression management like other CSR disclosures (CSRD). The community activities reported do not seem to address the expectations of the local communities per se; rather the disclosures seemed to be targeted at a wider stakeholder group that is likely to offer immediate reward for such disclosures. Similarly result from semiotic analysis revealed that signification of reality is either doubtful or unreal for most companies sampled. The study is unique as it is the first to explore the reality of CCID as it appears in annual reports using a combination of a panel study approach and semiotics. In addition a major contribution of the study is that it explored the ways in which multiple theoretical underpinnings can inform research by developing a CCID Meta-theory model and thus provided a robust and enriched analysis and unique insights into the CCID phenomenon.

This study investigates the reasons for apparent differences in entrepreneurship rates in rural and urban areas using a Survey of Rural Kentucky Residents (SRKR) and the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED) data. We estimate the determinants of dissimilar characteristics for rural and urban areas in two aspects: one is individual and contextual resources; the other is cultural tendencies of resources. The results of the analysis suggest that the difference in available individual, economic, and social support resources does not explain the observed difference in entrepreneurship rate. The results also indicate that gender, ethnicity, income, and number of children in the family have different effects on entrepreneurial intentions in rural and urban settings. The results suggest that policy makers need to account for cultural or geographical differences when designing entrepreneurial educational and support programs in order to enhance the establishment of new business between rural and urban areas.

Esta tese investiga os efeitos agudos da poluição atmosférica no pico de fluxo expiratório (PFE) de escolares com idades entre 6 e 15 anos, residentes em municípios da Amazônia Brasileira. O primeiro artigo avaliou os efeitos do material particulado fino (PM2,5) no PFE de 309 escolares do município de Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso (MT), durante a estação seca de 2006. Modelos de efeitos mistos foram estimados para toda a amostra e estratificados por turno escolar e presença de sintomas de asma. O segundo artigo expõe as estratégias utilizadas para a determinação da função de variância do erro aleatório dos modelos de efeitos mistos. O terceiro artigo analisa os dados do estudo de painel com 234 escolares, realizado na estação seca de 2008 em Tangará da Serra, MT. Avaliou-se os efeitos lineares e com defasagem distribuída (PDLM) do material particulado inalável (PM10), do PM2,5 e do Black Carbon (BC) no PFE de todos os escolares e estratificados por grupos de idade. Nos três artigos, os modelos de efeitos mistos foram ajustados por tendência temporal, temperatura, umidade e características individuais. Os modelos também consideraram o ajuste da autocorrelação residual e da função de variância do erro aleatório. Quanto às exposições, foram avaliados os efeitos das exposições de 5hs, 6hs, 12hs e 24hs, no dia corrente, com defasagens de 1 a 5 dias e das médias móveis de 2 e 3 dias. No que se refere aos resultados de Alta Floresta, os modelos para todas as crianças indicaram reduções no PFE variando de 0,26 l/min (IC95%: 0,49; 0,04) a 0,38 l/min (IC95%: 0,71; 0,04), para cada aumento de 10g/m3 no PM2,5. Não foram observados efeitos significativos da poluição no grupo das crianças asmáticas. A exposição de 24hs apresentou efeito significativo no grupo de alunos da tarde e no grupo dos não asmáticos. A exposição de 0hs a 5:30hs foi significativa tanto para os alunos da manhã quanto para a tarde. Em Tangará da Serra, os resultados mostraram reduções significativas do PFE para aumentos de 10 unidades do poluente, principalmente para as defasagens de 3, 4 e 5 dias. Para o PM10, as reduções variaram de 0,15 (IC95%: 0,29; 0,01) a 0,25 l/min (IC95%: 0,40 ; 0,10). Para o PM2,5, as reduções estiveram entre 0,46 l/min (IC95%: 0,86 to 0,06 ) e 0,54 l/min (IC95%: 0,95; 0,14). E no BC, a redução foi de aproximadamente 0,014 l/min. Em relação ao PDLM, efeitos mais importantes foram observados nos modelos baseados na exposição do dia corrente até 5 dias passados. O efeito global foi significativo apenas para o PM10, com redução do PFE de 0,31 l/min (IC95%: 0,56; 0,05). Esta abordagem também indicou efeitos defasados significativos para todos os poluentes. Por fim, o estudo apontou as crianças de 6 a 8 anos como grupo mais sensível aos efeitos da poluição. Os achados da tese sugerem que a poluição atmosférica decorrente da queima de biomassa está associada a redução do PFE de crianças e adolescentes com idades entre 6 e 15 anos, residentes na Amazônia Brasileira. / This thesis investigates the acute effects of air pollution on peak expiratory flow (PEF) of schoolchildren between the ages of 6 and 15, living in Brazilian Amazon municipalities. The first article evaluated the effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on PEF of 309 schoolchildren in the municipality of Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso (MT), during the dry season in 2006. Mixed effect models were estimated for the whole sample and stratified by the time of the day children attended school, and also by the presence of asthma symptoms. The second article describes the strategies used to determine the random error variance function of mixed effect models. The third one analyzes the data of the panel study with a sample of 234 schoolchildren carried out in Tangará da Serra, MT, during the dry season in 2008. Linear effects and the ones with distributed lag (PDLM) of inhalable particulate matter (PM10), PM2.5 and Black Carbon (BC) were assessed for the whole sample and stratified by age. In all three articles, the mixed effect models were adjusted by time trend, temperature, humidity and personal characteristics. The models also considered the adjustment of the residual autocorrelation and of the random error variance function. Regarding the exposures, its effects were evaluated in 5hs, 6hs, 12hs and 24hs, on the current day, with lags of 1 to 5 days and moving averages of 2 and 3 days. According to results in Alta Floresta, the models for all the children indicated reductions in the PEF varying from 0.26 l/min (CI95%: 0.49; 0.04) to 0.38 l/min (CI95%: 0.71; 0.04), for each increase of 10g/m3 on PM2.5. Significant effects of pollution were not observed in the group of asthmatic children. The 24-hour exposure presented significant effects in the group of students who attended school in the afternoon and in the group of non-asthmatic ones. The exposure from midnight to 5:30 A.M. was significant both to students who attended school in the morning and the ones who studied in the afternoon. In Tangará da Serra, the results showed significant reductions on the PEF for increases of 10 units of pollutants, mainly for lagged exposures of 3, 4 and 5 days. For PM10, the reductions varied from 0.15 (CI95%: 0.29; 0.01) to 0.25 l/min (CI95%: 0.40; 0.10). For PM2.5, the reductions ranged from 0.46 l/min (CI95%: 0.86 to 0.06) to 0.54 l/min (CI95%:0.95; 0.14). And for BC, the reduction was about 0.014 l/min. In relation to PDLM, more important effects were noticed in models based on the exposure of the current day until 5 past days. The global effect was significant only for PM10, with PEF reduction of 0.31 l/min (CI95%: 0.56; 0.05). This approach also indicated significant lagged effects for all pollutants. In the end, this study observed that the children between 6 and 8 years old were the most vulnerable to pollution effects. These findings in the thesis suggest that air pollution due to biomass burning is associated to PEF reduction in children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 15, living in the Brazilian Amazon.

Esta tese investiga os efeitos agudos da poluição atmosférica no pico de fluxo expiratório (PFE) de escolares com idades entre 6 e 15 anos, residentes em municípios da Amazônia Brasileira. O primeiro artigo avaliou os efeitos do material particulado fino (PM2,5) no PFE de 309 escolares do município de Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso (MT), durante a estação seca de 2006. Modelos de efeitos mistos foram estimados para toda a amostra e estratificados por turno escolar e presença de sintomas de asma. O segundo artigo expõe as estratégias utilizadas para a determinação da função de variância do erro aleatório dos modelos de efeitos mistos. O terceiro artigo analisa os dados do estudo de painel com 234 escolares, realizado na estação seca de 2008 em Tangará da Serra, MT. Avaliou-se os efeitos lineares e com defasagem distribuída (PDLM) do material particulado inalável (PM10), do PM2,5 e do Black Carbon (BC) no PFE de todos os escolares e estratificados por grupos de idade. Nos três artigos, os modelos de efeitos mistos foram ajustados por tendência temporal, temperatura, umidade e características individuais. Os modelos também consideraram o ajuste da autocorrelação residual e da função de variância do erro aleatório. Quanto às exposições, foram avaliados os efeitos das exposições de 5hs, 6hs, 12hs e 24hs, no dia corrente, com defasagens de 1 a 5 dias e das médias móveis de 2 e 3 dias. No que se refere aos resultados de Alta Floresta, os modelos para todas as crianças indicaram reduções no PFE variando de 0,26 l/min (IC95%: 0,49; 0,04) a 0,38 l/min (IC95%: 0,71; 0,04), para cada aumento de 10g/m3 no PM2,5. Não foram observados efeitos significativos da poluição no grupo das crianças asmáticas. A exposição de 24hs apresentou efeito significativo no grupo de alunos da tarde e no grupo dos não asmáticos. A exposição de 0hs a 5:30hs foi significativa tanto para os alunos da manhã quanto para a tarde. Em Tangará da Serra, os resultados mostraram reduções significativas do PFE para aumentos de 10 unidades do poluente, principalmente para as defasagens de 3, 4 e 5 dias. Para o PM10, as reduções variaram de 0,15 (IC95%: 0,29; 0,01) a 0,25 l/min (IC95%: 0,40 ; 0,10). Para o PM2,5, as reduções estiveram entre 0,46 l/min (IC95%: 0,86 to 0,06 ) e 0,54 l/min (IC95%: 0,95; 0,14). E no BC, a redução foi de aproximadamente 0,014 l/min. Em relação ao PDLM, efeitos mais importantes foram observados nos modelos baseados na exposição do dia corrente até 5 dias passados. O efeito global foi significativo apenas para o PM10, com redução do PFE de 0,31 l/min (IC95%: 0,56; 0,05). Esta abordagem também indicou efeitos defasados significativos para todos os poluentes. Por fim, o estudo apontou as crianças de 6 a 8 anos como grupo mais sensível aos efeitos da poluição. Os achados da tese sugerem que a poluição atmosférica decorrente da queima de biomassa está associada a redução do PFE de crianças e adolescentes com idades entre 6 e 15 anos, residentes na Amazônia Brasileira. / This thesis investigates the acute effects of air pollution on peak expiratory flow (PEF) of schoolchildren between the ages of 6 and 15, living in Brazilian Amazon municipalities. The first article evaluated the effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on PEF of 309 schoolchildren in the municipality of Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso (MT), during the dry season in 2006. Mixed effect models were estimated for the whole sample and stratified by the time of the day children attended school, and also by the presence of asthma symptoms. The second article describes the strategies used to determine the random error variance function of mixed effect models. The third one analyzes the data of the panel study with a sample of 234 schoolchildren carried out in Tangará da Serra, MT, during the dry season in 2008. Linear effects and the ones with distributed lag (PDLM) of inhalable particulate matter (PM10), PM2.5 and Black Carbon (BC) were assessed for the whole sample and stratified by age. In all three articles, the mixed effect models were adjusted by time trend, temperature, humidity and personal characteristics. The models also considered the adjustment of the residual autocorrelation and of the random error variance function. Regarding the exposures, its effects were evaluated in 5hs, 6hs, 12hs and 24hs, on the current day, with lags of 1 to 5 days and moving averages of 2 and 3 days. According to results in Alta Floresta, the models for all the children indicated reductions in the PEF varying from 0.26 l/min (CI95%: 0.49; 0.04) to 0.38 l/min (CI95%: 0.71; 0.04), for each increase of 10g/m3 on PM2.5. Significant effects of pollution were not observed in the group of asthmatic children. The 24-hour exposure presented significant effects in the group of students who attended school in the afternoon and in the group of non-asthmatic ones. The exposure from midnight to 5:30 A.M. was significant both to students who attended school in the morning and the ones who studied in the afternoon. In Tangará da Serra, the results showed significant reductions on the PEF for increases of 10 units of pollutants, mainly for lagged exposures of 3, 4 and 5 days. For PM10, the reductions varied from 0.15 (CI95%: 0.29; 0.01) to 0.25 l/min (CI95%: 0.40; 0.10). For PM2.5, the reductions ranged from 0.46 l/min (CI95%: 0.86 to 0.06) to 0.54 l/min (CI95%:0.95; 0.14). And for BC, the reduction was about 0.014 l/min. In relation to PDLM, more important effects were noticed in models based on the exposure of the current day until 5 past days. The global effect was significant only for PM10, with PEF reduction of 0.31 l/min (CI95%: 0.56; 0.05). This approach also indicated significant lagged effects for all pollutants. In the end, this study observed that the children between 6 and 8 years old were the most vulnerable to pollution effects. These findings in the thesis suggest that air pollution due to biomass burning is associated to PEF reduction in children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 15, living in the Brazilian Amazon.

Abstract  Course: NAA305 Bachelor Thesis in Economics 15 ECTS  University: Mälardalen University, School of Business, Society and Engineering, Västerås  Title: The effects of immigration on the income of native-born workers:  Evidence from Sweden Author: Arnold Schanzer-Larsen  Supervisor: Johan Lindén  Problem: Sweden has experienced a lot of immigration, and the phenomenon has received a great deal of attention in the public and political debate. There is, among other things, fear that immigration could be harmful for the labor market outcome of the receiving country. Researchers from a variety of countries have tried to address this issue by estimating the effect of immigration on the native wage of the receiving country. The results have varied strongly and no universal conclusion can be drawn. For what can be said about Sweden, there is no paper (of our knowledge) that has done any similar estimates. For that reason, it is of great importance that there is some research which could bring empirical evidence and shed light on the debate.  Purpose of the Research: The aim of the thesis is to quantitatively measure immigrations effect on the wage of native workers in Sweden. Methodology:  Conducting a panel study, observation of the average native income from 290 municipalities over 2011-2019 was collected. The effect was estimated using OLS regression technique and a fixed effect model.  Conclusion: From a 10% increase in the share of foreign-born within a municipality, led on average to a 2.89% increase in the native average income in that municipality.  Keywords: Immigration, Income, Wage, Unemployment rate, Panel study, Fixed effect model, Native, Labor market, The equilibrium model, Human capital, Skill-composition

No description available.

The Stockholm Congestion Tax Trial is one of the few projects where an automatic system was implemented to tax road vehicles in order to reduce congestion. The taxation period lasted from January until July 2006 and vehicles going in or out of the inner city during daytime were taxed with 10 to 20 SEK (1.07 to 2.14 Euro). The project included improved public transportation and more park & ride sites. The trial was limited to a half year and the public was able to vote on the congestion tax afterwards. A large research package was set up in order to inform everybody about the effects of the tax. The referendum was positive and the congestion tax is permanent today, but the data collected for research purposes is not fully analyzed yet. This thesis focuses on travel behavior of the population in Stockholm County and uses a household panel survey with 24,000 individuals. The waves took place in September 2004 and March 2006.The main idea is to use the advantages of the panel survey and keep track of how the individuals behaved during the two waves. The analysis is done separately for each trip purpose and examines the change of mode choice during the second wave in comparison to the individual’s choice before the congestion tax. This can be even specified for different socio-demographic groups.The cross-sectional comparison shows that avoiding trips to and from the inner city is not an option. The number of trips of the individuals passing through the congestion tax cordon is reduced to a lower extend by seasonal influences than the trips in all other parts of the county. Therefore the inner city has become more attractive as a origin or destination or the trips passing through the cordon can not be substituted by trips free of tax.Public transportation is the mode which benefits most from the congestion tax in terms of modal split. The importance of it increases in the whole county, but the gain is a lot higher for trips through the cordon. The modes foot and bike are not a relevant alternative for trips through the cordon because of long distances in general and cold weather during the survey. The panel analysis shows that many more people doing cordon passages to work, home and shopping change from car to public transportation in comparison to the rest of the county. Changes from public transport to car occur less often for cordon passages than for trips not being taxed.Certain socio-demographic groups adapt differently to the congestion tax. Compared to men, up to 30 percent point fewer women continue to use the car depending on the trip purpose. This may be related to personal income, but the variables household income has proofed to have a smaller impact. Only really poor households use the car a lot less often and the highest income group tends to continue to drive by car.The main limiting factor of the analysis is the seasonal and weather influence because of unusual cold weather during the second wave. It is not possible to take this completely into account because the control group of the cordon passages has different trip characteristics.The thesis provides better knowledge how a congestion tax affects the behavior of the people. It allows checking the reasonability of transportation modeling results and shows that certain socio-demographic variables should be used if modeling is done for areas with a different composition of the population than Stockholm. / Der Versuch der Stockholmer Innenstadtmaut ist eines der wenigen Projekte, bei dem ein automatisches Mauterhebungssystem für Fahrzeuge zur Stauminderung eingeführt wurde. Der Versuchszeitraum mit Mauterhebung reichte von Januar bis Juli 2006. Alle Fahrzeuge, die in und aus der Innenstadt fuhren, mussten tagsüber 10 bis 20 SEK (1,07 bis 2,14 Euro) bezahlen. Das Projekt beinhaltete einen verbesserten öffentlichen Personennahverkehr und mehr Park&Ride-Stellplätze.Der Versuch war auf ein halbes Jahr begrenzt und im Anschluss wurde eine Volksabstimmung durchgeführt. Zur Information der Bevölkerung über die Auswirkungen der Maut wurde ein großes Forschungspaket aufgelegt. Die Volkabstimmung verlief positiv und die Maut ist heute dauerhaft eingeführt, aber die gesammelten Daten aus dem Forschungsprojekt sind noch nicht vollständig ausgewertet. Diese Arbeit konzentriert sich auf das Mobilitätsverhalten der Bevölkerung im Bezirk Stockholm und verwendet eine Panelbefragung in Haushalten mit 24.000 Teilnehmern. Die Befragungswellen fanden im September 2004 und März 2006 statt.Die Untersuchung verfolgt das Verhalten einzelner Individuen während der beiden Wellen und nutzt somit die Vorteile, die die Panelbefragung bietet. Die Analyse wird separat für jeden Wegezweck durchgeführt und betrachtet die Änderung der Verkehrmittelwahl während der zweiten Welle im Vergleich zur ursprünglichen Wahl vor der Maut. Dies wird durch die Auswertung einzelner soziodemographischer Gruppen ergänzt.Die Querschnittsuntersuchung zeigt, dass die Maut nicht zu einer Vermeidung von Wegen in oder aus der Innenstadt führt. Die Anzahl an Wegen durch den Mautgürtel nimmt leichter durch saisonale Einflüsse ab als in anderen Teilen des Bezirkes. Somit ist die Stadt entweder als Quell- oder Zielgebiet attraktiver geworden oder die Wege durch den Mautgürtel können nicht durch kostenfreie Fahrten ersetzt werden.Der öffentliche Personennahverkehr profitiert im Sinne vom Modal Split am meisten von der Maut. Die Bedeutung steigt im gesamten Bezirk, aber das Wachstum ist deutlich stärker für Wege durch den Mautgürtel. Die Verkehrsmittel Fuß und Fahrrad sind keine Alternative für die kostenpflichtigen Wege, da die Reiseweiten zu hoch sind und das Wetter zu kalt war. Die Panelanalyse zeigt, dass deutlich mehr Personen mit Wegen durch den Mautgürtel zur Arbeit, nach Hause und zum Einkaufen vom Auto zum öffentlichen Verkehr umsteigen als im Rest des Bezirks. Wechsel vom öffentlichen Verkehr zum Auto treten seltener bei Wegen in oder aus der Innenstadt auf als bei kostenfreien Fahrten.Einzelne soziodemographische Gruppen passen sich besonders an die Maut an. Frauen ersetzen je nach Wegezweck im Vergleich zu Männern bis zu 30 % häufiger das Auto durch alternative Verkehrsmittel. Dies kann mit geringerem persönlichen Einkommen zusammenhängen, aber die Variable Haushaltseinkommen hat in der Untersuchung einen eher geringen Einfluss bewiesen. Nur sehr arme Haushalte nutzen das Auto deutlich weniger und die Haushalte in der höchsten Einkommensgruppe behalten die Autonutzung bei.Die gesamte Analyse wird durch saisonale Einflüsse und das Wetter eingeschränkt, das während der zweiten Welle ungewöhnlich kalt war. Dieser Einfluss kann nicht vollständig berücksichtigt werden, da die Kontrollgruppe für die Wege durch den Mautgürtel Unterschiede bei der Wegecharakteristik aufweist.Die Studienarbeit verbessert das Wissen über Verhaltensänderungen der Menschen durch eine Maut. Sie ermöglicht die Überprüfung von Ergebnissen der Verkehrsmodellierung und zeigt, dass einzelne soziodemographische Merkmale für die Modellierung in anderen Regionen genutzt werden sollten, wenn die Zusammensetzung der Bevölkerung von Stockholm abweicht. / Stockholmsförsöket är ett av de få projekten som brukar ett automatik systemet för beskatta fordon med trängselskatt. Syftet är att minska trängseln på gatorna. Försöksperioden låg mellan januari och juli 2006. Fordon som åkte in eller ut i innerstaden måste betala 10 till 20 SEK under dagtid. Försöket omfattade förbättrad kollektivtrafik samt fler infartsparkeringar.Försöket var begränsat till ett halvt år och allmänhet hade folkomröstning om skatten senare. En stort  paket med många forskningsprojekt startas för att informera alla om effekter av skatt. Folkomröstning gav ett jakande svar och trängselskatt är idag permanent. Men all samlad data är ännu inte analyserad. Det här examensarbetet koncentrerar på resvanor av alla invånare i Stockholms Län och använder kohortstudier med 24 000 personer. Vågor uppstod i september 2004 och mars 2006.Huvudideen var att  använda sig av kohortstudier och studera beteendet i båda vågorna. Alla ärenden analyserades separat och skillnaderna på färdmedelna undersötes mellan förre och efter trängselskatt. Det kan även bli specificerad för flera olika sociala bakgrundsgrupper.Tvärsnittstudiens analys visar att förhindra resor till och från innerstaden inte är ett alternativ. Antal av resenärer som passerat avgiftssnittet har inte minskat så mycket av väder än alla andra resor i länet. Innerstaden är mer attraktiv som utgångspungt eller destination. De kan inte ersättnas med resor som kostar ingen skatt.Färdmedelfördelning har förbättrats för kollektivtrafiken på grund av trängselskatt. Kollektivtrafiken ökar i hela länet, men vinsten är störst för resor som passerat avgiftnittet. Färdmedeln fot och cykel är inget alternativ på grund av långt avstånd och dåligt väder under andra vågor. Kohortstudier visar att många resenärer byter från bil till kollektivtrafiken när man resan till jobbet, hemmet och inför shoping om man jämför med hela länet. Växling från kollektivtrafiken till bil är mindre för resorna som måste betala skatt.Några sociala grupper anpassar sig annorlunda till trängselskatten. Kvinnor åker bil ner till 30 procent mindre än men. Orsak är kanske lägre personlig inkomst, men variabel hushållinkomst har mindre effekt. Fattiga hushåll andvänder  bil mycket mindre än rika hushåll, som åker bil mycket mer.Huvudbegränsningen av analysen är årstiderna och vädret,, som tillexempel ovanlig kallt väder under andra vågoen. Man kan inte förklara hela effekten därför att kontrollgruppen av har olika egenskaper.Examensarbetet  bättre kunskap hur trängselskatten påverkar beteendet av människor. Det möjliggör att kontrollera transportmodellerings resultat och visar att några variabler skulle användas om modellering skulle göras i annan region med en annan typ av  sammansättning av befolkning  än i Stockholm.

Intact sagebrush communities in the Great Basin are rapidly disappearing due to invasion of non-native plants, large wildfires, and encroachment of pinyon pine and juniper woodlands. Land management options include the use of prescribed fire, grazing, herbicides and mechanical treatments to reduce the potential for wildfire and restore plant communities. Land managers in the region face a complex and interrelated set of ecological, economic, and social challenges to the implementation of these management practices. Effective restoration strategies require consideration of citizens in the region and their acceptance of management practices, as well as their trust in the agencies that implement them. This longitudinal panel study (2006-2010) examines the social acceptability of management options for rangeland restoration and public trust in agencies to carry out these options in three urban and three rural regions of the Great Basin. Most similar studies in this region have been largely place-based and cross-sectional, focusing on communities at one point in time. Results from this study can be used to evaluate the success of management programs, predict support for different treatments, determine the impact of agency outreach efforts, and identify important factors for building trust between communities and agencies across the region. The study uses data from a mail-back questionnaire sent to residents in 2006 and again in 2010. Overall, 698 respondents comprise the panel of interest. Results suggest landscape scale events such as wildfire, as well as agency management and outreach programs, had little influence on respondents' perceptions of agencies or management options over the study period. Several key findings have persisted throughout the study: (1) acceptance is high for the use of prescribed fire, grazing, felling, and mowing, but low for chaining and herbicide use, though there are (2) low levels of public trust and confidence in agencies to implement these management options, and (3) there are salient differences between the region's rural and urban residents with important implications for agency communication strategies. Most changes in response over the study period were subtle, though the direction and strength of these changes highlight noteworthy trends: (1) Great Basin residents are becoming more aware of key threats facing rangelands, (2) they seem more interested in having a role in making management decisions, and (3) they are slightly more positive about their interactions with agency personnel. Finally, findings suggest many residents have had little experience with agency outreach programs. Trust and confidence in management agencies are key factors in garnering support for restoration activities. While knowledge of management activities and confidence in managers' ability to competently implement them certainly play a role, findings strongly suggest sincerity factors (e.g., good communication or the perception that agencies share citizens' goals, thoughts, or values) have the greatest influence on acceptance of management practices in the Great Basin. Results suggest it would be beneficial for agencies to take a more active role in building trust with residents across the region. Differing levels of knowledge and interest, as well as different concerns, found among rural and urban residents highlight the need to tailor outreach strategies for use in specific communities. / Graduation date: 2012

過去關於父母參與效果的研究發現：父母參與有助於提升子女的學習成就。由於父母參與被視為一種社會資本或文化資本的延伸，父母參與的愈多，其子女學習效果也愈好。有鑑於此，本研究主要在探討父母參與在家庭社經地位和子女學習成就之間所扮演的角色，並將研究目的細分為三個研究議題。首先，根據智力發展理論與認知能力成長曲線相關研究，第一個議題探討臺灣青少年學生學習成長軌跡的發展與變化情形為何？接著，運用 Bourdieu 的文化資本與 Coleman 的社會資本的概念說明父母參與的重要性，其它兩個議題則探討家庭社經地位對子女學習成長軌跡的影響歷程中，父母參與扮演著中介效果還是交互作用效果？ 原始資料來源取自臺灣教育長期追蹤資料庫（Taiwan Education Panel Survey）公共使用版中的第一波到第四波國中長期追蹤樣本，使用潛在成長曲線模型進行次級資料分析。研究結果發現：1.就整體學習發展型態來看，臺灣青少年學生學習成長軌跡的發展是一種非線性遞增減速的成長曲線，年級愈高，學習成長速率愈慢；2.就個別學習成長軌跡而言，學生間起始狀態與成長速率有個別差異現象，進一步透過潛在成長混合模型的分析，發現學生學習成長軌跡的發展型態並無類別上的差異；3.學生的起始能力會影響學習成長速率的變化而產生馬太效應；4.隨著時間的遞移，高起始能力組的學生，其學習成長速率高於低起始能力組的學生，兩者的學習成就間差距會逐漸擴大而產生扇形擴散效應；5.父母參與對子女學習成就表現有顯著正向的短期立即效果與長期延宕效果，但波段與波段之間的延宕效果則沒有顯著差異；6.在家庭社經地位對子女學習成長軌跡的影響歷程中，父母參與扮演著部份中介而不調節的影響效果。 最後，依據上述研究發現，就研究結果與研究方法兩方面，將提出相關研究建議以供實務參考及後續研究之用。 / The previous research has shown that parental involvement produces measurable gains in student achievement. Since parental involvement is seen as a form of social capital and cultural capital, it is possible that the more a student owns parental involvement, the bigger the effect is. Thus, this study explores what role parental involvement plays between parents’ social-economic status and their children’s academic performance. The major purpose is further categorized into three specific questions. Based on the intelligence developmental theory and growth curve analyses of cognitive ability, the first is to inquire what patterns the development and change of academic growth trajectories of Taiwanese teenager’s academic performance are. Using the concepts of Bourdieu’s cultural capital and Coleman’s social capital to explain the importance of parental involvement, the other two purposes are to explore whether the effects of parental involvement on adolescent academic growth trajectories are mediated or moderated by family socioeconomic status. Using the data from the public released core panel data of the Taiwan Education Panel Survey (TEPS) in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007, this study employs the method of the latent growth curve modeling to address research questions. The results are the following: (1) Academic growth trajectory of Taiwan adolescence’s achievement reveals a nonlinear de-accelerating growth curve; (2) There are significant individual differences in both the initial status and growth rate of achievement among students, but further employing different latent growth mixture models shows no individual differences in the patterns of academic growth trajectories; (3) The Matthew Effects occur in the academic growth trajectories of Taiwanese teenagers; (4) Students with lower initial status learn more slowly over time than those with higher initial status do, and the “fan-spread” effect is found; (5) There are positive short-term and longer term effects of parental involvement on the Taiwanese adolescents’ academic achievement performance, but no significant difference among patterns of longer term effects over 6 years; (6) The effects of parental involvement are partially mediated, but not moderated by family SES. Finally, the study discusses the implications of parental involvement and suggests directions for future research.