Cooperation in international organizations is to a large degree driven and sustained by socialization – the process of inducting actors into the norms and rules of a given community. In the context of international organizations, the most influential state agents are the permanent representatives, the member states’ ambassadors to an international organization. However, systematic studies on the conditions for the socialization of permanent representatives are conspicuously absent in the literature. Instead, most previous research has focused on the conditions for socialization of “high-level officials” in the European Commission. This quite narrow perspective has led to a “N=1” problem and the generalizability of these studies have suffered as a result. In this thesis, I have aimed to broaden this perspective by testing six hypotheses on the conditions for socialization within two committees of permanent representatives in two different international organizations, the PSC (EU) and the NAC (NATO). This has been done by conducting elite interviews with 21 permanent representatives and deputies in Brussels. In contrast to previous research, the results of this thesis suggest that four of the six tested hypotheses should be disregarded, while two hypotheses – the representative’s relation to its MFA and the ambiguity of the international organization’s norms– should be given more theoretical consideration in future research. In addition, the interviews have shown that the degree of “internalization”, which can be understood as the goal and outcome of socialization, is stronger in the NAC than in the PSC. This outcome also contests the conventional wisdom that the EU is a sui generis case of socialization. On the basis of these results, I argue that the socialization of permanent representatives in international organizations is likely to occur if the organization’s norms have unambiguous, existential and materialistic consequences.

The principle aim of this thesis is to construct a consumption function for Turkey for policy analysis using the annual State Planning Organisation (SPO) time-series data. This study commences from 1962 and extends until the end of 1994, when a financial crisis occurred in Turkey. It attempts to analyse not only the decline in the private savings rate during the first half of the 1980s, but also the significant rise from 1986 onwards. The thesis starts with an introduction which explodes the main research objectives, considers the existing consumption theories and extentions, records the main data features to be explained, briefly overviews the modelling strategy and discusses the basic considerations of the research and gives the structure of thesis. A literature survey on the theory of consumption is given in Chapter 2. The LifeCycle/ Permanent-Income hypothesis is considered as central to the two mainstream approach. : the Euler approach and the solved-out approach. These approaches are further extended by considering uncertainty and precautionary saving, credit restrictions, saving and leisure. habit or costs of adjustments and the durability of goods, the role of assets and asset prices. financial liberalisation and demographic factors. Finally, comparisons between the two approaches arc made in the conclusion of that chapter. Theory can deliver concepts with permanent relationships in economics, but it should be supported by empirical findings, since theory alone is insufficient to determine the actual economic relationship. Hence, Chapter 3 focuses on theoretical and appl ied modelling issues to construct a theory-consistent, congruent and encompassing consumption function. Congruency implies that the empirical model matches the available evidence in al l measured attributes (i.e., it is consistent with the theory from which it was derived, has unexplained components that arc innovations against available information, has basic parameters that are constant, is data admissible, and where any conditioning variables are weakly exogenous for the parameters of interest). Encompassing denotes that the model of interest can account for the result of rival models of the same phenomena. I also define structure as the set of invariant features of the economic mechanism. A parameter can be structural only if it is invariant for an extension of the sample period (constant), is invariant with respect to changes elsewhere in the economy (regime shifts), and is invariant over extensions of the information set (adding more variables). Chapter 4 examines the small-sample properties of the statistical methods used by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The informativeness of the data is investigated in an unrestricted Vector Auto-regression (VAR) with small-samples of noisy data combined with a high real growth rate and nominal inflation. This is to see how the relative drift dominates in explaining the informativeness of the data. The Monte results are summarised by using response surfaces to relate the biases to sample size. The ratio of standard deviations to standard errors in each equation is also analysed. The strong impacts of the system error variances in these response surfaces indicate the importance of high variances in VA Rs. Furthermore, I found noise, and a function of the signal to noise ratio. and cross-equation correlation had a large impact, but less effect from the relative drift. Chapter 5 presents an overview of the Turkish Economy, particularly during the sample period. by pointing out the lessons to be drawn from the stabilisation experiments and their effect on the private sector saving decision in Turkey. The aim of Chapter 6 is to get nominal housing wealth and housing price data from the available data, such as the nominal private disposable income. nominal private investment in the housing sector and the consumer price index, since housing wealth is claimed to be a major determinant of private savings in Turkey. Chapter 7 aims to reveal the problems of Turkish data by analysing the history of the Turkish a1ional Accounts to construct a data-base for estimating a consumption function for Turkey. GDP by expenditure is constructed from five different sources. Turkish accounting residuals are allocated by applying the linear regression approach. The results show that GDP-by-output is more reliable than the GDP-by-expenditure measure for Turkey. Chapter 8 is devoted to the time series modelling and evidence. Previous findings on consumption for Turkey have been formulated using conventional econometric techniques with a static estimation methodology within the Permanent Income Hypothesis (PIH). I adopted the equilibrium correction model (ECM) solved-out consumption function approach and tried to incorporate the effects of age. precautionary behaviour in the case of uncertainty, credit constraints, habits or costs of adjustments. and the durability of goods for developing belier understanding of private sector savings behaviour in Turkey. The modelling is based on the dynamic econometric methodology that involves the estimation of a general unrestricted model (GUM). a co-integration and long-run analysis, and the simplification of the GUM to a parsimonious dynamic model that is deduced by applying a sequential testing procedure. The final model is congruent: It matches the available evidence in all measured attributes and forecasts well, has white noise errors and constant parameters, and encompasses the VAR model equation as well as other specifications in previous models. Moreover, the model has a structural interpretation. The results of the final model reveal strong positive effects of the real interest rate. inflation and inflation uncertainty, a strong negative effect of population aged 15-44, a positive effect after one lag period of the change in the average propensity to consume. which represents the effects of expectations, habits or adjustment costs, in addition to the significant effect of the inverse of per capita Private Disposable Income and the change in housing wealth to income ra1io on the private average propensity to consume in Turkey. These findings offer an explana1ion for the salient features of the Turkish consumption pattern observed from 1he lime series data. These results also provide some policy implications such that inOation control should be strengthened and improved for consumption stabilisation. Furthermore. interest rate policy also has an important role to play in the savings process in Turkey. The research on small-sample properties of 1hc statistical methods by means of Monte Carlo Simulations strengthens the results of the empirical model. These. confirm the poor determination of intercepts in I(I) VARs, and the corresponding advantages of an equilibrium correction model formulation. Furthermore. the insignificance the of irrelevant dynamics should encourage model builders to use a dynamic econometric methodology to develop parsimonious models, such as used for building a consumption model for Turkey in this thesis.

Permanent magnet synchronous motors are finding ever increasing use in hybrid and electric vehicles. This thesis develops a new control strategy for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs) to reduce the motor and inverter losses compared to conventional control techniques. The strategy utilises three common control modes for PMSMs; brushless DC with 120°E conduction, brushless DC with 180°E conduction, and brushless AC control. The torque and power output for each control mode is determined for an example motor system using a three phase axial flux YASA motor and an IGBT inverter. The loss components for the motor and inverter are also estimated using a combination of analytical and simulation techniques and results are then validated against experimental measurements. Efficiency maps for each control mode have been used to determine an optimal mode utilisation strategy, which minimises the total system losses and maximises the available motor torque output. The proposed control strategy switches between the three control modes without interruption of motor torque to maximise the system efficiency for the instantaneous operating speed and demanded torque output. The benefits of the new strategy are demonstrated using an example vehicle over a simulated drive cycle. This yields a 10% reduction in losses compared to conventional brushless AC control.

Characterization of the effect of physical properties on the performance such as stiffness and drainage of unbound granular materials is necessary in order to incorporate them in pavement design. The stiffness, deformation and permeability behaviour of unbound granular materials are the essential design inputs for Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide as well as empirical design methods. The performance based specifications are aimed to design, and construct a durable and cost effective material throughout the design life of a pavement. However, the specification varies among jurisdiction depending on the historical or current practice, locally available materials, landform, climate and drainage. A literature review on the current unbound granular materials virgin and recycled concrete aggregate base construction specification has been carried out in this study. Resilient modulus, permanent deformation and permeability tests have been carried out on seven gradations of materials from locally available sources. Resilient modulus stiffness of unbound granular material at two different conditioning stress level have been compared in the study. The long term deformation behaviour has also been characterized from results of the permanent deformation test using shakedown approach, dissipated energy approach and a simplified approach. The results show improvement in resilient modulus and permanent deformation for the proposed specification compared to the currently used materials as a results of reduced fines content, increased crush count and inclusion of larger maximum aggregate size into the gradation. A significant effect of particle packing on permeability of granular materials have also been found, in addition to the effect of fines. / October 2016

Firms' use of external labor arrangements (ELAs), such as temporary, contract and seasonal workers, has become increasingly prevalent over the last two decades. Despite the increasing importance of this phenomenon, little is known about firms' reasons for using ELAs. Most research to date has been exploratory, using qualitative methods or archival data not well suited to the constructs. The result of this research has been a long and often contradictory list of proposed antecedents of ELA use. In this study, I tested the ability of the transaction costs theory to predict when firms will fill a given job using an ELA rather that a permanent employment relationship. According to this theory, three characteristics of the job will determine whether the job will be filled using an ELA: transaction-specific investment, likelihood of repetition, and uncertainty of performance. Firms will be less likely to staff a given job using an ELA when the job requires investment in idiosyncratic skills, when the firm is likely to require a person with that set of skills regularly, and when performance in that job is difficult to measure.

1 Abstract Title: The concept of the permanent establishment in the tax law Author: Marek Vaněk Supervisor: JUDr. Petr Kotáb, Ph.D. This thesis analyses the law concept of the permanent establishment, mainly the legislation contained in the OECD Model Tax Convention and in the Income Tax Act. The first part of the thesis analyses the types of permanent establishment (fixed, building and construction sites, service-based, agent-based and permanent establishment of the shareholders of partnerships and limited partnerships), separately according the OECD Model Tax Convention and according to the Income Tax Act. The thesis also analyses subsequent sources of law. The thesis includes a detailed analysis of conditions which are necessary for the existence of the permanent establishment, inclusive examples, including information of the Ministry of finance and the General Financial Directorate that have impact on the permanent establishment treatment. Furthermore, the thesis deals with the determination of the tax residency of persons and legal bodies which is a significant factor for the application of bilateral double taxation treaties (mainly with the circumstances of the existence of the permanent establishment), including the issues connected with proving of the tax residency of the tax transparent entities....

Master of Science / Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering / Ruth Douglas Miller / This thesis presents the design of two models for permanent-magnet direct-drive wind turbines. The models are of a 10 kW and a 5 MW wind turbine, which are representative of residential scale and commercial scale turbines respectively. The models include aerodynamic and mechanical simulations through the FAST software, as well as concurrent electrical simulations through the SimPowerSystems toolbox for MATLAB/Simulink. The aim is to provide wind turbine designers and researchers with a comprehensive simulation tool that they can use to design and test many different aspects of a wind turbine. The particular novelty of these models is their high level of detail in electromechanical simulations. For each model, a generator speed controller was designed in a reference frame attached to the generator’s rotor, and was executed with a 3-phase active rectifier using space-vector pulse-width modulation. Also for each model, active and reactive power controllers were designed in a reference frame synchronous with the grid, and were executed with a 3-phase inverter using space-vector pulse-width modulation. Additionally, a blade pitch controller was designed for the 5 MW model. Validation of the models was carried out in the MATLAB/Simulink environment with satisfactory results.

01 Double tax treaties aim to prevent double taxation. Double taxation of income is an undesirable phenomenon from the taxpayers' point of view. The most widespread way of preventing it is through bilateral agreements concluded between states under the OECD Model Agreement. In general, a prerequisite of taxation is either tax residency or the existence of a permanent establishment, which can take various forms. Double taxation treaties and the concept of a permanent establishment in which this master thesis is dedicated, have undergone a dynamic transformation over the past few years due to both Base Erosion and Profit Shifting reports (BEPS) and the Multilateral Instrument by OECD (MLI). This transformation is demonstrated in this thesis by comparing selected provisions of the OECD Model Agreement 2014 and 2017. This thesis addresses the current question of whether the current development of tax treaties is to avoid double taxation or avoid double non-taxation and artificial tax reduction. Double tax treaties, as practice shows, fulfill their traditional role. The first chapter deals with the system of national and international taxation in general. The second chapter deals with the issue of double taxation, methods of its avoidance and comparison of versions of the OECD Model Agreement 2014 and 2017. The...

Atendendo ao desafio colocado pela pesquisa O pensamento de Paulo Freire na atualidade: análise de políticas e práticas, coordenada a partir da Cátedra Paulo Freire da PUC/SP, essa investigação buscou produzir conhecimento sobre a incorporação do pensamento freireano na ação política de um sistema público de educação, a partir da análise de uma realidade concreta. Esse estudo dispôs-se demonstrar que a proposta da chamada Gestão Paulo Freire (1989-1992) não se extinguiu na Rede Municipal de Ensino (RME) de São Paulo, ao contrário, tem ressurgido, em função de condicionantes que ganham ou perdem força, em virtude de projetos de gestão pública comprometidos com a transformação social ou com a manutenção das desigualdades, em diferentes contextos e tempos históricos. Tomou-se como objeto de pesquisa políticas e práticas de formação de professores de EJA, desenvolvidas no âmbito da Diretoria Regional de Pirituba (DRE-PJ), da RME, no período 2013-2016. As questões que dirigiram a investigação foram: Como o pensamento de Paulo Freire se concretizou e se recriou nas políticas e práticas formativas de professores de EJA, na DRE-PJ, no período 2013-2016? Que condicionantes permitiram ou dificultaram o ressurgimento do pensamento de Paulo Freire nas orientações da Divisão de EJA e no trabalho de formação de professores de EJA da DRE-PJ, na referida gestão? A investigação, de abordagem qualitativa, valeu-se do Estudo de Caso como perspectiva metodológica para compreender, em profundidade, as singularidades da realidade estudada. Dentre os subsídios teóricos que apoiaram as discussões e análises dessa Tese destacam-se as contribuições de Paulo Freire, Ana Maria Saul, Luiz Carlos de Freitas, Rubens de Camargo e Vitor Paro. Os achados da pesquisa possibilitaram confirmar a hipótese de que há um legado freireano, reinventado, na RME. Essa comprovação se deu por meio da identificação de princípios, inerentes à proposta de formação permanente de Paulo Freire, em documentos, entrevistas e práticas de formação de educadores de EJA observadas pela pesquisadora, no contexto da DRE-PJ. De maneira específica, a análise dos dados permitiu concluir que as categorias leitura da realidade, diálogo, avaliação e participação se manifestaram, com variada ênfase, nas políticas e nas práticas de formação de educadores, no período estudado. Pode-se afirmar que, a despeito de limites e contradições identificados, a materialização do pensamento de Paulo Freire pode ser depreendida, sobretudo, pela presença de orientações, proposições e ações formativas que visavam fomentar a reflexão crítica e coletiva dos educadores de EJA a respeito de sua ação pedagógica, tendo como horizonte, a construção de uma educação emancipatória. Essa investigação possibilitou evidenciar condicionantes materiais, ideológicos, político-sociais e institucionais que permitiram ou dificultaram o ressurgimento da proposta de formação docente, inspirada em pressupostos freireanos. Essa pesquisa pode contribuir para acrescer evidências que demonstram como o legado de Freire tem sido recriado em redes públicas de ensino. Tem a potencialidade de inspirar, portanto, políticas públicas e processos formativos de educadores que tenham como horizonte a educação problematizadora e humanizadora defendida por Freire. / Meeting the challenge posed by the research \"Paulo Freire\'s thought at the present: analysis of policies and practices\", coordinated from the Cathedra Paulo Freire of PUC/SP, this research sought to produce knowledge on the incorporation of freirean thought in the political action of a public education system, from the analysis of a concrete reality. This study was willing to demonstrate that the proposal of the so-called Paulo Freire Administration (1989-1992) was not extinguished in the Municipal Education Network (MEN) of São Paulo, on the contrary, it has resurged, due to conditioning factors that gain or lose strength, by virtue of public management projects committed to social transformation or to the maintenance of inequalities, in different contexts and historical times. Teacher education policies and practices of Youth and Adults\' (YA) educators, developed within the scope of the Regional Board of Pirituba/Jaraguá (RBPJ), of MEN, in the period 2013-2016, were taken as the main research object. The questions that led the investigation were: How did Paulo Freire\'s thinking materialize and was recreated in the policies and practices of YA teachers at the RB-PJ, in the period 2013-2016? What constraints allowed or hindered the resurgence of the thinking of Paulo Freire in the guidelines of the YA Division, and in the formation work held with YA educators, of the RB-PJ, within the period studied? The research, with a qualitative approach, used the \"Case Study\" as a methodological perspective to understand, in depth, the singularities of the studied reality. Among the theoretical subsidies that supported the discussions and analyzes of this thesis, are the contributions of Paulo Freire, Ana Maria Saul, Luiz Carlos de Freitas, Rubens de Camargo and Vitor Paro. The findings of the research made it possible to confirm the hypothesis that there is a reinvented freirean legacy in São Paulo\'s MEN. This evidence was obtained through the identification of principles inherent to Paulo Freire\'s permanent formation proposal, in documents, interviews and teacher education practices held with YA educators, observed by the researcher, in the context of the RB-PJ. Specifically, the analysis of the data allowed to conclude that the categories \"reading of reality\", \"dialogue\", \"evaluation\" and \"participation\" manifested themselves, with varying emphasis, in the policies and practices of teacher education, during the studied period. It is possible to affirm that, in spite of identified limits and contradictions, the materialization of the thought of Paulo Freire can be understood, above all, by the presence of orientations, propositions and formative actions that aimed to foment the critical and collective reflection of the YA educators in respect of their pedagogical action, having as horizon, the construction of an emancipatory education. This research made it possible to highlight the material, ideological, political-social and institutional conditionings that allowed or hindered the resurgence of a proposal of teacher education, inspired by freirean presuppositions. Also, this research may contribute to add evidences that demonstrate how Freire\'s legacy has been recreated in public education networks. It has the potential to inspire, therefore, public policies and formative processes of educators that have as it\'s goal the problematizing and humanizing education defended by Freire.

Abstract This research report examines the relationship between legal status and national identity formation. It is based on a qualitative research of former refugees from Mozambique who have lived and settled in the Northern Province of South Africa now called Limpopo province in the border areas with Mozambique for over twenty years. The report compares the narratives of former Mozambican refugees in South Africa who have acquired permanent residence and citizenship with those that are undocumented. The distinction between undocumented and documented former refugees allows me to look at the role of access to services in identity formation, since most government services in South Africa, as elsewhere, are not accessible without legal documentation. Since most services are, however, accessible for both permanent residents and citizens, the distinction between these two statuses allow me to explore whether there is a more symbolic meaning attached to citizenship. Drawing from citizenship theory, variations in the attachment to South Africa or Mozambique that emerged in the research data are analysed in terms of the refugees’ experience of social inclusion or social exclusion norms. The benefits of social inclusion and how it shapes positive attitudes towards attaching to South Africa is discussed.