Submitted by Salvio Rocha (salviorocha@gmail.com) on 2013-09-27T17:07:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Salvio-MFEE-FinalCompleto.pdf: 1969810 bytes, checksum: 8246730df4d70a0a3e57ce52fbe79b5e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vitor Souza (vitor.souza@fgv.br) on 2013-10-02T14:32:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Salvio-MFEE-FinalCompleto.pdf: 1969810 bytes, checksum: 8246730df4d70a0a3e57ce52fbe79b5e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-10-03T17:02:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Salvio-MFEE-FinalCompleto.pdf: 1969810 bytes, checksum: 8246730df4d70a0a3e57ce52fbe79b5e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-24 / Productivity is often calculated by the approach of the Cobb-Douglas production function. This estimate, however, may suffer from s imultaneity and inputs bias selection. The method of Olley and Pakes (1996) int roduced a semi-parametric method allows us to estimate the parameters of the production function consistently and thus obtain reliable measures of p roductivity, controlling such bias problems. This study applies this method in a company the sugarcane sector and uses the command opreg at Stata to esti mate the production function of a company and concluded with the econom ic intuition behind the result. / Produtividade é frequentemente calculada pela aproximação da função de produção Cobb-Douglas. Tal estimativa, no entanto, pode sofrer de simultaneidade e viés de seleção dos insumos. Olley e Pakes (1996) introduziu um método semi-paramétrico que nos permite estimar os parâmetros da função de produção de forma consistente e, assim, obter medidas de produtividade confiável, controlando tais problemas de viés. Este estudo aplica este método em uma empresa do setor sucroalcooleiro e utiliza o comando opreg do Stata com a finalidade de estimar a função produção, descrevendo a intuição econômica por trás dos resultados.

The purpose of this thesis is to describe selected methods for estimating potential output. In the first part, methods used for the estimation of potential output are described including the discussion of advantages and disadvantages of their application. Subsequently, the potential output from 1996 to 2016 is estimated based on three selected methods using the data of gross domestic product in the Czech Republic. The methods used are Hodrick-Prescott filter, Kalman filter and Cobb-Douglas production function. In the conclusion, results of those three methods are compared with each other and furthermore compared with results published by the Czech National Bank and the Mistry of Finance.

This thesis is considered with impact of productivity on current account of Czech Republic. It is based on model presented by Glicka, R., and K. Rogoffa "Global versus Country-Specific Productivity Shocks and the Current Account". In this model productivity is distinguished on country specific and global productivity in countries of G-7. Other authors followed this model by extension or revision. In my thesis I was working with several series of productivity based on different data from some sectors of economy. To capture productivity is used Solow residuum of Cobb-Doublas production function. Country specific productivity shock worsen current account as initial model says. Analysis of time series revealed the most suitable series for description of current account behaviour as series of total industry with investment based on gross fixed capital formation.

Thesis(M. Com.(Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / This study examined the determinants of learner performance by employing an education production function approach using the descriptive statistics, ordinary least squares (OLS) and quantile regression techniques in 2016. The study utilised the data obtained from SA-SAMS of Bankfontein combined school at Mpumalanga province. In the education production function, learner performance was estimated against variables such as age, gender, days absent and socio-economic status. The results of this study indicated that in the rural combined school, learner performance is strongly influenced by age, absenteeism and socio economic status. For instance, results revealed that absenteeism had a negative effect on learners‟ educational performance. An increase in absenteeism by 1 day led to a reduction in learner‟s examination score by approximately 0.1 percentage points during the chosen period. The “socioeconomic status” variable revealed a statistically significant and negative impact on learners‟ educational performance. The results demonstrate that poverty leads to poor educational performance as measured by examination scores. It is recommended that schools should manage learner diversity (age, gender and socio-economic factors), introduce learner motivation programmes, teacher performance improvement interventions, and improve organisational planning and development, parental involvement among others to retain learners at school. Furthermore, schools should enforce education policies that stipulate entry and exit age at different levels of schooling.

The Lunsemfwa river catchment is of paramount importance to the Zambian economy, particularly with regards to energy, agricultural and water for domestic, as well as wildlife. Water shortages during dry spells in the area present a huge problem for the various stakeholders in the basin. As the impact of climate variability increases in the basin, water resources managers in the basin are increasing challenged to efficiently allocate decreasing reserves of water resources against increasing levels of demand. This paper attempts to highlight the value of water resources to the earlier mentioned sectors; hydropower, agriculture and households, in order to inform allocation decisions in the Lunsemfwa catchment area of Zambia. The paper uses the SDDP method to investigate the average cost of electricity production, coupled with market electricity prices to ascertain the value of a unit of electricity given reservoir outflow levels. The PF method was used to evaluate the marginal value of water is agriculture, while the value of water for domestic consumers was evaluated using the Contingent Valuation method, particularly the willingness to pay, which essentially uses market prices to represent the consumers’ willingness to pay. A value of US$93/MWh is attached to hydropower produced here, while the marginal value of water in agriculture is estimated to be US$0.068/m3. The willingness to pay for connection to piped water is approximately US$34.13, while the monthly value is US$6.9. The Gross Financial Value (GFV) generated from hydropower, agriculture and domestic water supply is US$24,174,000, US$ 262,083,045.91 and $7,140,000.00 respectively.

The paper examines the extent to which the prestige value of a retiree’s former occupation increases the likelihood that they will make a transition into volunteering after retirement. Following social production function theory, we assume that when a person retires, the prestige value attached to their former occupation fades. The fact that volunteering has the character of a collective good provides the opportunity to gain social prestige to offset the loss of occupational prestige. However, the extent of the incentive to volunteer will be distributed unequally across occupations: the higher the former occupational prestige value, the higher the perceived loss of prestige after retirement. Thus, doing a job with high prestige value increases the incentive to volunteer in retirement. This assumption is tested, using data taken from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) 1992-2013. The sample contains 1,631 workers and 589 retirees, 278 of whom transitioned into volunteering during the observation window. Based on Kaplan-Meier-Failure-Estimates and complementary log-log hazard models, findings show a positive effect of occupational prestige on the transition into volunteering. Thus, the loss of high occupational prestige can be compensated by the social prestige associated with volunteering. Formal volunteering in retirement follows, albeit to a lesser extent, the logic of the occupational social strata.

Thesis (PhD (Education Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Information is a necessary resource, produced by information systems and is a key building block to the management and decision-making in any organisation. The National Department of Education’s guidelines to establish Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) in provincial departments is a recognition that proper management, planning and evaluation are contingent on quality data, data that is complete, relevant, accurate, timely and accessible. The lack of quality data and the lack of integration with other information systems hamstring the effective use of EMIS. This study addresses these limitations in three basic objectives: a) developing an information systems development model, b) applying the model in a real-life context of the development of the Western Cape EMIS, and c) applying quantitative methods on integrated data sets derived from the EMIS in the Western Cape and other information systems. The study culminates in the development of a four-phase process model for developing and using EMIS in an integrative manner that would provide a more comprehensive picture for policy and decision-making. It outlines the establishment of an information systems development (ISD) model that integrates innovative emerging trends, such as improvisation, bricolage and sensemaking, in designing and implementing information systems. These approaches postulate that beyond the numbers and quantifiable world there is a complex reality that traditional approaches do not always capture. These include, amongst other things, the atmosphere, culture and structure of an organization, together with the behaviour, emotions, knowledge and experiences of all the people who in one way or another interact with the information system. The research presents an empirical application of this developed ISD model in education management information system (EMIS) and underscores the role of information systems in everyday practice. This work practice (Practice-in-Action) approach is used to describe how the day-to-day actions and practical experiences of role players contribute to the design, development, implementation, testing, maintenance and improvement of the EMIS and is used as a lens for understanding ISD. The study further uses quantitative methods, namely education production function and learner flow-through models, to illustrate how the process of knowledge discovery in large data sets in EMIS could be facilitated. The education production function aims to identify those variables that could have a significant influence on the achievement of students in the matriculation examination. The learner flow-through models attempt to measure the effect of learner dropout and repetition on internal efficiency of the education system. Data analysis was facilitated through integration of data sets from various sources, and in turn illustrates the important role of bricolage in ISD. Through this analysis, the role of information systems of this nature to make sense of reality was highlighted. Policy making then can build on the findings from such data analyses to investigate in greater depth any trends or emerging problems, going beyond only the quantitative and macro level analysis by studies at the qualitative and micro levels.

No description available.

Pour les entreprises concernées par le phénomène du vieillissement, le rapport entre la structure par âge de la main d’œuvre, les profils des salaires et de productivité est un élément clé abordé dans cette thèse. Le premier chapitre passe en revue divers concepts théoriques et décrit les résultats empiriques en ce qui concerne le profil des salaires et de productivité en fonction de l’âge. L’étude empirique présentée dans le chapitre deux évalue le profil de productivité marginale selon l'âge. Nous considérons la main d'œuvre à la fois par qualification (peu qualifiés, hautement qualifiés) et par âge (jeunes, âge moyen, âgés). Nous estimons, sur des données françaises d'entreprises, une fonction de production de type CES emboîtée qui autorise une substitution imparfaite entre les différentes catégories de travailleurs. Parmi les résultats principaux, nous avons trouvé que la productivité du travail par l’âge dépend étroitement de la catégorie de qualification et du secteur d’activité des travailleurs. Le chapitre trois analyse le comportement des juniors et des seniors, en particulier leurs attitudes face au risque, la confiance en soi et la propension à entrer en compétition. Pour cela, nous avons organisé une expérience avec des banquiers suisse. Nous trouvons que, bien que les deux générations ne présentent ni des différences considérables quant à leurs attitudes face au risque, ni face à l’ambiguïté, les seniors font preuve d’une propension plus élevée à entrer en compétition. Cette décision est clairement influencée par l’information sur l’âge des autres participants. De plus, les deux générations maximisent leurs profits dans les groupes équilibrés en termes d’âge. / The relationship between the age structure of workforce, earnings and productivity profiles is a key issue for the enterprises facing the phenomenon of ageing. The present thesis addresses these issues in the following order. The first chapter reviews different theoretical concepts and recent empirical findings concerning the profile of earnings and productivity by age. The empirical study presented in the chapter two aims at estimating the actual profile of labour productivity across different age groups. In this purpose, we differentiate the workforce simultaneously by skills (low-skilled, high-skilled) and by age (young, middle-aged, old). Using French firm-level data, we estimate a production function with a nested constant-elasticity-of-substitution (CES) specification in labour, which allows the imperfect substitution between different age and skill categories of workers. Among the main findings, labour productivity by age highly depends on skill category of workers and the sector of activity. The third chapter involves the behavioural analysis of the workforce composed of juniors and seniors. In particular, we study workers’ risk attitudes, self-confidence and propensity to enter the competition. In this purpose, we perform an artefactual field experiment with the employees of a Swiss bank. We find that, although there are no significant differences in attitudes towards risk and ambiguity between both generations, seniors have higher propensity to enter the competition. The information on age of others players clearly has an impact on this decision. Moreover, the profits of both generations are maximised, when a pool of competitors is balanced in terms of age.

本論文嘗試解決在文獻上估計生產函數時所產生內生性及樣本選擇的問題。在模型設定上，我允許生產函數存在未觀察到的生產力，並引入技術無效率。在隨機邊際模型架構下，我利用 Olley and Pakes (1996) 及 Levinsohn and Petrin (2003) 所提之演算法先行解決內生性的問題。之後再利用關聯結構法 (copula method) 將樣本選擇問題考慮至生產函數中。如此，既可解決生產函數時所產生內生性及樣本選擇的問題，又可在此基礎上估計技術效率值。另外，根據本文所提之估計方法基礎下，我們透過共同邊界分析法 (metafrontier analysis) 比較留下 (stayer) 與離開 (exit) 市場廠商的技術效率與技術差距比率 (technology gap ratio, TGR)。 / Plants in Taiwan’s manufacturing are characterized as small- and medium-size with frequent exit and entry and the scale of survivors varies considerably with business cycles. Plants' choices on whether to exit or to stay and continuing plants' options on input quantities count on both technical efficiency and productivity. This entails a selection and a simultaneity problems in the estimation of production frontiers. This dissertation proposes a new approach to solve both issues under the framework of the stochastic frontier approach. More specific, we extend Olley and Pakes' (1996) and Levinsohn and Petrin's (2003) approaches to a stochastic production frontier and use copula methods to deal with simultaneity and selection at the same time. Based on the proposed method, we further conduct a metafrontier analysis to compare the technical efficiency and technology gap ratio between exit and continuing firms, which are operating under different technologies and subject to simultaneity and selection. The data of Taiwan’s electronic and food products industries are arbitrarily chosen to illustrate our empirics. Some results are obtained in this dissertation: first, the proposed model solves the problems of simultaneity and selectivity in the production function that exists in ordinary least square estimation; second, there is a serious downward bias in technical efficiency when the conventional stochastic frontier approach ignores simultaneity or sample selection problem; third, the results of metafrontier analysis find that, there is little difference in technology gap ratio between exit and continuing firms. The primary determinant on whether a firm can keep operating in the industry is its managerial ability, rather than its adoption of technology.