U.S. water withdrawals have increased slowly since 1980, despite significant growth in the population and economy during this period. This implies that other factors have contributed to offsetting decreases in water withdrawals. The economic input-output life cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) model was used to estimate the total water withdrawal for 135 industrial summary sectors for 1997 and 2002. The change in water withdrawals for the economy from 1997 to 2002 was allocated to changes in five governing factors — population, GDP per capita, water use intensity, production structure, and consumption pattern — using structural decomposition analysis (SDA). The changes in population, GDP per capita and water use intensity increased total water withdrawal, while the changes in production structure and consumption pattern decreased water withdrawals from 1997 to 2002. Consumption pattern change was the largest net contributor to the change in water withdrawals. The counter balancing of these factors is what has kept U.S. water withdrawals relatively constant. To project U.S. water withdrawal for the next 20 years, four scenarios were developed for each of the five governing factors based upon available predictions or historical trends. The total water withdrawals for U.S. 66 aggregated industrial sectors for 2013-2030 were projected using the EIO-LCA model with fixed and changing economic structure, respectively. The structure and consumption pattern were held constant at the 2012 level and the other three factors were varied across time in the EIO-LCA model with fixed economic structure, while all five governing factors were changed across time with changing economic structure. The maximum projected total water withdrawal is 370 trillion gallons for 2030, which is more than 2.5 times the 2005 U.S. water withdrawal, corresponding to a scenario with maximum growth assumptions for all factors considered. The medians of total water withdrawals projected by the models with constant vs. evolving economic structure for 2013-2030 follow a continuous increasing trend, and the projected median values by the two models are comparable. The median of total water withdrawal will reach around 180 trillion gallons in 2030, about 1.2 times the 2005 U.S. water withdrawal. The variance in GDP per capita and water use intensity were the two most significant contributors to the uncertainty in projected total water withdrawals for U.S. industrial sectors. The distinction of consumptive and non-consumptive water use is important for water resource management and assessment of availability and quality of water sources. Consumptive water use coefficients (ratio of consumptive water use to water withdrawal) were estimated by aggregated industrial sectors based on available data. The projected total consumptive water uses for all industrial sectors range from 45-47 trillion gallons in 2013 to 23-51 trillion gallons in 2030 using the EIO-LCA model with fixed economic structure. The median total consumptive water use is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 0.5% during this period. The effects of changes in cooling technology for thermoelectric power generation and irrigation technology for agriculture on changes in consumptive water use for other sectors during 2013-2030 were investigated. Changes in cooling technology do not impact consumptive water use projections for most sectors, but do impact power generation-related sectors. Shifts in irrigation technology do not only affect consumptive water use for agriculture, but also affect significantly the consumptive water use for sectors requiring agricultural products as important supply chain components.

Thesis advisor: William Ames / This thesis deals with the problem of visibility culling in interactive three-dimensional environments. Included in this thesis is a discussion surrounding the issues involved in both constructing and rendering three-dimensional environments. A renderer must sort the objects in a three-dimensional scene in order to draw the scene correctly. The Binary Space Partitioning (BSP) algorithm can sort objects in three-dimensional space using a tree based data structure. This thesis introduces the BSP algorithm in its original context before discussing its other uses in three-dimensional rendering algorithms. Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) is an efficient interactive modeling technique that enables an artist to create complex three-dimensional environments by performing Boolean set operations on convex volumes. After providing a general overview of CSG, this thesis describes an efficient algorithm for computing CSG expression trees via the use of a BSP tree. When rendering a three-dimensional environment, only a subset of objects in the environment is visible to the user. We refer to this subset of objects as the Potentially Visible Set (PVS). This thesis presents an algorithm that divides an environment into a network of convex cellular volumes connected by invisible portal regions. A renderer can then utilize this network of cells and portals to compute a PVS via a depth first traversal of the scene graph in real-time. Finally, this thesis discusses how a simulation engine might exploit this data structure to provide dynamic collision detection against the scene graph. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Computer Science. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

This dissertation examines Peruvian ministries' implementation of administrative decentralization, 2003-2006, and identifies factors shaping their decentralization policymaking. In administrative decentralization, implementation involves translating broad guidelines into sectoral transfer policies. Sectoral policymakers who execute decentralization mandates are, therefore, responsible for relinquishing authority and resources to subnational governments. Despite this challenging situation, little is known said about factors-- or otherwise--shaping the implementation of administrative decentralization. The initiation of state decentralization programs throughout Latin America has been examined and largely attributed to national political factors, rather than technical considerations. However, transferring power is not an assured outcome of national politicians' decisions to decentralize. This study explores a process that continued to be shaped by ministries after national political actors ceased to be involved; after a rapid start of top-down reforms, administrative decentralization virtually stalled under their control. Peruvian policy sectors are very heterogeneous, suggesting a need for distinct approaches to reform. Nevertheless, ministries' collective failure to implement rapidly has been attributed to generalized resistance to relinquish authority. This view is consistent with a bureaucratic politics-type understanding of public policymaking. However, my comparative analysis of decentralization policies reveals that self-interested resistance is significant but does not coherently explain policymaking or variation between policies. Furthermore, while resistance is ubiquitous, there are different types of resistance to reform, coming from autonomous offices, top policymakers, or the Presidency. In contrast, institutionalist lenses identify rules and processes that significantly condition possibilities for administrative decentralization. Policymakers face distinct challenges and opportunities in each sector; some ministries had deconcentration programs underway when national reforms started. While institutionalist lenses elucidate distinct conditions for reform, focusing on "audacious reformers" highlights the role of individual agency. The exceptional case of Health features a complex organization led by a reform-minded minister to the forefront of reforms. All three approaches to analyzing the implementation of administrative decentralization are complementary in providing coherent accounts of sectoral policymaking. Different combinations of institutional conditions, sectoral characteristics and individual motivations are ultimately responsible for variation among approaches to reform. Administrative decentralization emerges, not as one process, but as a constellation of particular paths of reform. / text

This dissertation studies the relationship between output growth rate and its volatility. This study sheds light on International, Regional, and Development Economics literature. In the first chapter, we revisit the relationship between output growth rate and its volatility using cross-section techniques for our panel data set from 60 countries from 1970 to 2019. In addition to the conventional volatility measurement of the standard deviation, we incorporate the higher moments, such as skewness and kurtosis, as volatility measures. Higher moments further sharpen our understanding of the volatility and growth rate relationship. We also examine the role of the irreversibility of investment, a purported proximate factor for increased volatility in theory but not applied to empirical models, on the growth rate. We find that a higher level of the irreversibility of investment tends to reduce the growth rate. In the second chapter, we examine the growth-volatility relationship covering manufacturing activities at the two-digit level in 32 countries. In particular, we conduct a comprehensive analysis to reveal the long-term relationship between output growth rate and volatility over 1970 – 2019 within countries and across sectors. We have data for each manufacturing subsector for each country over a long period. We have redefined the growth rate and volatility measures with alternative definitions such as cross-country and cross-sector across time. This offers additional advantages from an econometric perspective, as the large cross-sectional dimension is beneficial when estimating the determinants of growth rate. Moreover, our study assesses the evolution of the long-term relationship between economic sectoral growth rate and sectoral volatility over time. Overall, we find that growth rate and volatility are negatively related, with a few exceptions. The third chapter investigates the relationship between regional growth rate and volatility in U.S. state regions. We use disaggregated data for manufacturing activities over the period 1977 – 2021. We find a significant positive relationship between sectoral volatility and GDP per worker growth rate across the U.S. states regions, meaning that manufacturing volatile sectors for the U.S. are growing faster. This finding is also robust in including additional control variables in the analysis, thus confirming that volatility does not capture the effect of other potential determinants of GDP growth in the manufacturing sectors. We further examine how policy structure and geographical similarity affect regional growth rates, in which we distinguish between the Democrat and Republican Parties and Coastline and Non-Coastline states. We find that the growth rate and volatility relationship has been weaker for Democrat-leading states and geographically more open states (states with a coastline). This suggests that the growth rate and volatility relationship can be altered by having a supporting fiscal policy or having a more open economy.

It is traditional in the preface to research on cities to elucidate the attitudes and values which underlie the selection of the problem and the theoretical approach used by scholars and others who undertake systematically to understand something of a city. In these introductions there usually emerges an inventory of attitudes with their historical antecedents and an examination of their effect on current research. In one recent example distaste for the masses in shown to first derive from Plato's thought and is seen as an influence on recent interest in social disorganization both as an empirical problem in cities and as a theoretical orientation. Most general writing on the city, it is claimed, implies a preference for either a rural or an urban existence. Antipathy to urbanism has been generated by the glorification of the simplicity and morality of agrarian or small town life, and the above mentioned distaste for the mob. Small town New England Protestantism and the Anti Saloon League in early America exemplify social movements which both symbolized and generated these urban aversions. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

We present two different interacting dark sector models: one in which the dark matter particle is charged under a non-abelian dark gauge group, whose gauge bosons constitute a dark radiation component; and one in which a fraction of the dark matter has efficient number-changing self-interactions that keep it warm. We find that in general the structure formation is slowed down in these models, which addresses a discrepancy in the measurement of the σ8 parameter of large-scale structure. We also perform fits to cosmological data for a generalization of the non-abelian model (in which only a fraction of the dark matter interacts with the dark gauge bosons) and show that it can ease the current experimental tension in the measurement of the Hubble expansion rate H0.

This study considers the market of potatoes in Amazonas, Peru from an informal production sector to a more formal retail-marketing sector. I consider and challenge current understandings that attempt to model formal/informal markets sectors. Those include state involvement in economic processes, wage structure and social security mechanisms, and size and organizational techniques. As, well I suggest that the method of transfer would be a useful addition to the work that attempts to model and define formal and informal economic sectors. I do so because of the importance of trust in economic exchange. In this study, these four models are reframed in terms of hypotheses to see which can most systematically explain increased formality along the market channel from production to retail marketing. I find that only two can. Those are state involvement and method of transfer and trust. Research methods include open-ended interviews (n=25) and participant observation.

Viso pasaulio ir atskirų valstybių ekonomika pasižymi tuo, jog pagaminamos produkcijos kiekis kasmet kinta ir ilgu laikotarpiu būna nepastovus. Vienais metais produkcijos pagaminama daugiau, kitais mažiau. Pradėjusi mažėti gamybos apimtis sukelia daugybę šalutinių efektų: ima mažėti įmonių pajamos ir pelnai, mažiau pinigų lieka investicijoms, mažėja produktyvumas, didėja prekių atsargos sandėliuose, galiausiai tenka atleisti dalį darbuotojų ar sumažinti darbo užmokestį. Žmonės, gaunantys mažesnes pajamas, išleidžia mažiau pinigų ir taip priverčia įmones dar labiau riboti savo išlaidas. Tokiu būdu patenkama į užburtą ratą, kai priežastys tampa pasekmėmis ir jos tarpusavy kartojasi, tačiau ne visos ūkio šakos vienodai stipriai reaguoja į ekonomikos svyravimus. Darbo objektas – skirtingų ūkio sektorių jautrumas verslo ciklams. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti individualų skirtingų ūkio sektorių jautrumą verslo ciklams. Darbo uždaviniai: • Išanalizuoti verslo ciklo sąvoką, siekiant suvokti jo įtaką visai ekonomikai ir įmonėms • Nustatyti ciklinių svyravimų priežastis bei pasekmes, kurios atsiranda ekonomikai esant žemiausioje verslo ciklo fazėje • Remiantis moksliniais darbais bei specializuotų agentūrų informacija, išnagrinėti verslo ciklų indikatorius, nustatant jų reikšmę verslo ciklų analizėje • Išanalizuoti įmonėje dėl ekonomikos cikliškumo susidarantį užburtą ratą, kuris leistų suprasti procesus, vykstančius ciklų metu • Remiantis mokslininkų tyrimais, nustatyti daugiausiai ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The economy of all the world and different counties is characterized by the annual changes of production volume, that in the long-term is erratic. One year the amount of production is higher, others lower. The decrease in volume of production causes many side effects such as declining corporate earnings and profits, less money for investment, declining productivity, increasing inventory of goods in warehouses, then it leads firing workers or reducing wages. People with lower levels of income, spend less money and that makes companies even more to limit their costs. In this way, we get into the vicious circle, where causes become results and they inter-repeat, but not all economic sectors equally respond to economic fluctuations. Object – different economic sectors sensitivity to business cycles. The aim – to identify the individual sensitivity of different economic sectors to business cycles. Objectives: • To explore the concept of the business cycle, in order to understand it‘s impact on the economy and companies. • To find out the causes and the consequences of the cyclical fluctuations, that appears then the economy is in the lowest stage of the business cycle. • On the basis of scientific works and information of the specialized agencies, to analyze the business cycle indicators determining their value in business cycle analysis. • To analyze a vicious circle in the company, forming because of cycles of economy, which would allow to understand the processes during the... [to full text]

A expansão dos centros urbanos, determinada pela demanda de áreas, está fortemente associada à vulnerabilidade da população. Este avanço, muitas vezes ocorre em direção a ambientes frágeis como margens de rios, encostas e mananciais. Desta maneira, as mudanças no ambiente, deflagradas pelas atividades antrópicas, têm contribuído fortemente para maior exposição da população e consequente impactos relacionados às inundações, em relação às inundações. Os mapeamentos de vulnerabilidade são medidas não estruturais muito importantes para avaliar as características de determinada população, que as tornam mais ou menos propensas aos impactos de uma inundação. Desta forma, o objetivo principal deste trabalho é propor uma metodologia, baseada na utilização de SIG, para mapeamento de vulnerabilidade à inundação a partir da integração de dados censitários e de outras fontes, usando como estudo de caso o município de Igrejinha, RS. Determinou-se- como unidade de estudo a mancha urbana presente em cada setor censitário do IBGE. Foram elaborados 10 indicadores distribuídos em 3 dimensões que buscaram avaliar aspectos demográficos, sociais e de infraestrutura e saneamento. Os dados utilizados são provenientes do IBGE e também de outras pesquisas realizadas no município por outros autores. Compreende-se nesta pesquisa que cada indicador possui uma importância diferente e atribui-se um peso especifico para cada indicador e dimensão pelo método Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Os pesos foram atribuídos por especialistas da área e por agentes de Proteção e Defesa Civil. Os pesos foram atribuídos para duas fases distintas do gerenciamento de um desastre: resposta e recuperação. Através de ferramentas presente em SIG, foi utilizado o método dasimétrico para os dados à mancha urbana de cada setor censitário. Como resultado obteve-se um mapa de cada indicador e dimensão, bem como o mapa final de vulnerabilidade à inundação. Foram gerados mapas com pesos atribuídos para resposta e para recuperação. Em cada mapa gerado pode-se obter as áreas mais vulneráveis da área de estudo, que corresponderam as Zonas de Interesse Social de Igrejinha. Para observar certos aspectos que poderiam acarretar na vulnerabilidade, segundo o indicadores utilizados, foi empregada a ferramenta Google Street View. Devido ao seu baixo custo, bem como a facilidade da obtenção dos dados, a metodologia proposta pode ser replicada em qualquer município brasileiro. / The expansion of urban centers, determined by area demand, is strongly associated with the vulnerability of the population. This breakthrough often occurs toward fragile environments such as riverbanks, slopes and springs. In this way, environmental changes triggered by anthropic activitythe changes in the environment, triggered by the anthropic activities, have contributed strongly to greater exposure of the population and consequent flood impacts. Vulnerability mappings are very important non-structural measures to assess the characteristics of a given population, which make them more or less prone to the impacts of a flood. Along these lines, the main objective of this work is to propose a methodology, based on the use of GIS, to map vulnerability to flood, from the integration of census data and other sources, using as a case study, the municipality of Igrejinha, RS. The urban spot present in each IBGE census tract was used as the unit of study. Ten indicators were elaborated in three dimensions that sought to evaluate demographic, social, and infrastructure and sanitation aspects. The data used come from IBGE and also from other surveys conducted in the municipality by other authors. It is understood in this research that each indicator has a different importance and is assigned a specific weight for each indicator and dimension by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The weights were assigned by specialists in the area and by Civil Protection and Defense agents to two distinct phases of disaster management: response and recovery. By means of tools present in GIS, the dasymetric method was used for the data to the urban spot of each census sector. As a result, a map of each indicator and size was obtained, as well as the final map of vulnerability to flooding. Maps with weights assigned for response and retrieval were generated. In each generated map, it is possible to observe the most vulnerable areas of the study area, which corresponded to the Igrejinha Social Interest Zones. In order to observe certain aspects that could lead to vulnerability, according to the indicators used, the Google Street View tool was used. Due to its low cost, as well as the ease of obtaining the data, the proposed methodology can be replicated in any Brazilian municipality.

This doctoral thesis presents a critical analysis of the global debate on the ‘good governance’ of the extractive resources sectors. Its starting point is that over the past decade this debate has seen a remarkable elevation, while at the same time the governance concept itself has been subjected to critique. To understand how the sector-focused ‘good governance’ agenda compares against this critique, the thesis uses a conceptual framework that identifies the different uses of this concept. Against this background, it reviews the main scholarly debates on the opportunities and challenges of countries producing extractive resources and identifies four critical questions, which it then sets out to answer. The main argument is that the global debate on the ‘good governance’ of the extractive resources sectors has been built on the widely endorsed conclusion that ‘good institutions’ make for better outcomes and that therefore producer countries need to improve their sector institutions. However, this seemingly obvious conclusion has ignored the complexity and confusion around ‘governance’ and ‘institutions’ that prevails across the broader social science literature. This argument is based on the answers the thesis provides to four critical questions: what are institutions; how do institutions change; how are they enforced; and do existing institutions matter for the design of interventions aimed at improving institutions. The thesis lays open that the policy conclusions of the global debate are premised on the dominance of a particular reference point paired with a particular methodology where the emphasis has been on, first, identifying the types of institutions that have apparently led to desired results, and then to promote these as a means to steer towards these results. It concludes that this focus has premised the global agenda on a false sense of clarity on what producer countries ought to be improving.