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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
21

Measuring the social costs of coal-based electricity generation in South Africa

Nkambule, Nonophile P. January 2015 (has links)
Energy technologies interact with the economic, social and environmental systems, and do so not only directly but indirectly as well, through upstream and downstream processes. In addition, the interactions may produce positive and negative repercussions. To make informed decisions on the selection of energy technologies that assist a nation in reaping the socio-economic benefits of power generation technologies with minimal effects on the natural environment, energy technologies need to be understood in the light of the multifaceted system in which they function. But frequently, as disclosed by the literature review conducted in this research, the evaluation of energy technologies lacks clear benchmarks of appropriate assessments, which has resulted in difficulty to compare and to gauge the quality of various assessment practices. The assessment methods and tools tend to be discipline specific with little to no integrations. Parallel with the tools, the technology assessment studies offer piecemeal information that limits deeper understanding of energy technologies and their consequent socio-economic-environmental repercussions. Improved energy technology assessment requires the use of a holistic and integrative approach that traverses the disciplinary nature of energy technology assessment tools, examines the long-term implications of technologies while at the same time embracing energy technologies’ positive-and-negative interactions with the economic, social and environmental systems and in this manner offering economic, social and environmental indicators to assist decision makers in the decision-making process. Accordingly, this study focuses on improving the assessment of energy technologies through the application of a holistic and integrative approach, specifically system dynamics approach along a life-cycle viewpoint. Precisely, focus is on coal-based electricity generation and in particular, the Kusile coal-fired power station near eMalahleni as a case study. A COAL-based Power and Social Cost Assessment (COALPSCA) Model was developed for: (i) understanding coal-based power generation and its interactions with resource inputs, private costs, externalities, externality costs and hence its consequent socio-economic, and environmental impacts over its lifetime and fuel cycle; (ii) aiding coal-based power developers with a useful tool with a clear interface and graphical outputs for detecting the main drivers of private and externality costs and sources of socio-environmental burdens in the system; (iii) aiding energy decision makers with a visual tool for making informed energy-supply decisions that takes into account the financial viability and the socio-environmental consequences of power generation technologies; and for (iv) understanding the impacts of various policy scenarios on the viability of coal-based power generation. The validation of the COALPSCA Model was also conducted. Five structural validity tests were performed, namely structure verification, boundary adequacy, parameter verification, dimensional consistency and extreme condition tests. Behavioural validity was also conducted which included an analysis of the sensitivity of the model outcomes to key parameters such as the load factor, discount rate, private cost growth rates and damage cost growth rates using univariate and multivariate sensitivity analysis. Finally, while attempts were made to incorporate most of the important aspects of power generation in a coal-fired power plant, not all intrinsic aspects were incorporated due to lack of data, gaps in knowledge and anticipated model complication. The shortcomings of the model were highlighted and recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / tm2015 / Economics / PhD / Unrestricted
22

Insurability of catastrophic risks / Assurabilité des risques catastrophiques

Louaas, Alexis 03 July 2018 (has links)
Cette thèse étudie l’assurabilité des risques catastrophiques sous différents angles. Le premier chapitre intéresse aux risques de très faibles probabilités. Nous montrons comment des instruments financiers hybrides, tels que les obligations catastrophes, peuvent être utilisés pour étendre le domaine d’assurabilité des risques catastrophiques. Notre application au cas du nucléaire en France révèle que, malgré des prix plus élevés pour la réassurance des événements de faibles probabilités, il est possible, et vraisemblablement souhaitable d’organiser un système d’assurance plus important que ce que prévoit la loi française. Le second chapitre s’attaque à la question du prix de la réassurance des risques de faibles probabilités. Nous montrons que les risques catastrophiques, ayant une composante systémique, donnent lieu à une prime de risque dont le montant décroit avec la probabilité de la catastrophe moins rapidement que la disposition à payer d’un assuré typique. Cela explique pourquoi les risques systémiques de faibles probabilités sont difficiles à assurer. Le troisième chapitre étudie le rôle des contrats mutuels et participatifs pour améliorer l’assurabilité des risques catastrophiques. De tels contrats permettent aux assurés d’ajuster au mieux leur demande d’assurance, en prenant en compte la dimension systémique des risques auxquels ils sont exposés. Enfin, le quatrième chapitre étudie l’utilisation d’obligations catastrophes pour assurer le risque de variations du prix des matières premières agricoles consécutives à des aléas climatiques extrêmes. En émettant une obligation catastrophe, l’entreprise qui s’approvisionne en matières premières emprunte un capital qu’elle peut conserver en cas de catastrophe, lorsque ses coûts d’approvisionnement sont élevés. Cette solution présente deux avantages par rapport à une couverture par achats de contrats à terme. D’une part,elle permet de réduire la facture d’assurance par effet de diversification. D’autre part, elle permet d’ajuster la couverture aux contraintes logistiques et stratégiques particulières de l’entreprise. / This thesis addresses several aspects of the insurability of catastrophic risks. In a first chapter, we focus on very low probability events and we show how hybrid financial instruments can be used to extend the domain of insurablerisks. Our application to the case of nuclear accidents using cat-bonds data in France shows that despite the higherprice of reinsurance for low probability events, it is advisable to insure more than is currently provided for by the Frenchlaw. The second chapter takes on the issue of why reinsurance is more costly for low probability events. We show thatbecause catastrophic risks have a systemic component, they give rise to a risk premium in equilibrium which decreasesat a lower pace than the willingness to pay for insurance. We use this finding to explain why systemic low probability catastrophes are hard to insure. The third chapter investigates the role of mutual and participating contracts to improveinsurability. Such contracts are necessary for people to adjust their demand for insurance when individual losses are correlated. Finally, the fourth chapter investigates the use of cat-bonds to hedge the risk of extreme agricultural suppliesprice variations. By issuing a cat-bond, the firm that purchases supplies borrows a capital that can be retained in caseof catastrophe. Such a solution would combine the advantage of risk-pooling, to lower the price of insurance, with lowerbasis risk compared to more traditional hedging strategies such as future purchases.
23

Economic analysis of EPR policy in South Korea / 韓国の拡大生産者責任政策に関する経済分析

Kim, Soyoung 23 March 2015 (has links)
京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第19156号 / 地環博第131号 / 新制||地環||27(附属図書館) / 32107 / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎地球環境学専攻 / (主査)准教授 森 晶寿, 教授 劉 徳強, 准教授 吉野 章 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM
24

The impact of carbon taxation on the triple bottom line of the South African motor vehicle manufacturing industry / Surendran Subryan Pillay

Pillay, Surendran Subryan January 2014 (has links)
Climate change has become an important concern for most governments in the current day. The impact of global warming on economic productivity, human welfare and environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly apparent to most people on the planet, resulting in a rapid evolution of policy instruments which are capable of addressing the issue of climate change. The ultimate aim of these policy instruments is to influence corporate activity to environmentally sustainable behaviour. The two most common policy instruments to effect change to most environmentally sustainable behaviour is carbon taxation and cap-and-trade schemes. Linked to climate change and environmental sustainability is the concept of sustainable development which encompasses environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. These principles are formalized and made relevant for companies in the form of the triple bottom line. In South Africa, National Treasury implemented a carbon excise tax in 2010 for the motor vehicle manufacturing industry in response to the problem of global warming, and published a discussion document in support of their decision to implement carbon tax. The document highlighted reasons for the choice of carbon tax over other policy instruments such as cap-and-trade schemes and penalties. Even though the choice for carbon tax was assessed from an environmental perspective, the concept of sustainable development encompasses environmental, economic and social sustainability. The subject matter for the 1st article was to compare the two most widely used climate change instruments, known as cap-and-trade schemes and carbon tax, from the broader perspective of sustainable development. This included an analysis of the effects of both instruments on both greenhouse gases as well as economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) and fiscal revenue. Linked to the implementation of any instrument designed to address carbon emissions is the concept of the social cost of carbon (SCC). The SCC is an estimate of the associated monetary cost of the damage cause by emitting one additional ton of carbon into the atmosphere. In a perfect world the SCC would be equal to, or lower than, the carbon tax price. National Treasury‟s carbon tax price has never been assessed from an economic perspective and in particular whether the price equates to the SCC from a feasibility viewpoint. The testing of the carbon tax price against the SCC from an economic perspective was the subject of the 2nd article, which then also evaluated the impact of carbon tax on motor vehicle manufacturer‟s production techniques and vehicle fuel efficiency. Under the assumption that the carbon tax price approximates the SCC it is arguable that companies are effectively paying for the damage cost to the environment in the form of the carbon excise tax implemented. If the argument holds true, then the corporate social investment expenditure may well be adjusted since corporate responsibilities to the environment have been partially addressed by the payment of carbon tax. The impact of carbon tax on CSI expenditure by motor vehicle manufacturers in South Africa was the subject of the 3rd article in the thesis. Furthermore, also linked to the implementation of carbon taxation for the motor vehicle industry is the financial and sustainability reporting of the motor vehicle manufacturers‟ tax in the sustainability report and financial statements. Since carbon tax was designed to promote behaviour toward a lower carbon footprint, evidence that such behaviour is being affected can be observed in a company‟s sustainability report, which specifies the company‟s planned path to carbon reduction in accordance with the disclosure standards set in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In terms of financial accounting there is no specific International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) statement dealing with carbon tax, and the correct treatment thereof will have to be interpreted in accordance with existing accounting standards on revenue (IAS 18) and provisions (IAS 37). The subject matter of 4th article assessed motor vehicle manufacturers reporting compliance of carbon tax transactions in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. In summary, the implementation of carbon tax in South Africa is seen as a significant move in the fight against climate change. If the instrument is to be considered effective it must prove to be sustainable from an environmental, economic and social perspective. The effectiveness of the instrument can only be measured if it was accurately reported in the financial statements and sustainability reports in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. Furthermore, the instrument should not be seen as an opportunity by motor vehicle manufacturers to forego corporate responsibility to environment and thus should not impact CSI expenditure which is a significant part of the welfare contribution by South African businesses to the people of South Africa. / PhD (Tax), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
25

The impact of carbon taxation on the triple bottom line of the South African motor vehicle manufacturing industry / Surendran Subryan Pillay

Pillay, Surendran Subryan January 2014 (has links)
Climate change has become an important concern for most governments in the current day. The impact of global warming on economic productivity, human welfare and environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly apparent to most people on the planet, resulting in a rapid evolution of policy instruments which are capable of addressing the issue of climate change. The ultimate aim of these policy instruments is to influence corporate activity to environmentally sustainable behaviour. The two most common policy instruments to effect change to most environmentally sustainable behaviour is carbon taxation and cap-and-trade schemes. Linked to climate change and environmental sustainability is the concept of sustainable development which encompasses environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. These principles are formalized and made relevant for companies in the form of the triple bottom line. In South Africa, National Treasury implemented a carbon excise tax in 2010 for the motor vehicle manufacturing industry in response to the problem of global warming, and published a discussion document in support of their decision to implement carbon tax. The document highlighted reasons for the choice of carbon tax over other policy instruments such as cap-and-trade schemes and penalties. Even though the choice for carbon tax was assessed from an environmental perspective, the concept of sustainable development encompasses environmental, economic and social sustainability. The subject matter for the 1st article was to compare the two most widely used climate change instruments, known as cap-and-trade schemes and carbon tax, from the broader perspective of sustainable development. This included an analysis of the effects of both instruments on both greenhouse gases as well as economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) and fiscal revenue. Linked to the implementation of any instrument designed to address carbon emissions is the concept of the social cost of carbon (SCC). The SCC is an estimate of the associated monetary cost of the damage cause by emitting one additional ton of carbon into the atmosphere. In a perfect world the SCC would be equal to, or lower than, the carbon tax price. National Treasury‟s carbon tax price has never been assessed from an economic perspective and in particular whether the price equates to the SCC from a feasibility viewpoint. The testing of the carbon tax price against the SCC from an economic perspective was the subject of the 2nd article, which then also evaluated the impact of carbon tax on motor vehicle manufacturer‟s production techniques and vehicle fuel efficiency. Under the assumption that the carbon tax price approximates the SCC it is arguable that companies are effectively paying for the damage cost to the environment in the form of the carbon excise tax implemented. If the argument holds true, then the corporate social investment expenditure may well be adjusted since corporate responsibilities to the environment have been partially addressed by the payment of carbon tax. The impact of carbon tax on CSI expenditure by motor vehicle manufacturers in South Africa was the subject of the 3rd article in the thesis. Furthermore, also linked to the implementation of carbon taxation for the motor vehicle industry is the financial and sustainability reporting of the motor vehicle manufacturers‟ tax in the sustainability report and financial statements. Since carbon tax was designed to promote behaviour toward a lower carbon footprint, evidence that such behaviour is being affected can be observed in a company‟s sustainability report, which specifies the company‟s planned path to carbon reduction in accordance with the disclosure standards set in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In terms of financial accounting there is no specific International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) statement dealing with carbon tax, and the correct treatment thereof will have to be interpreted in accordance with existing accounting standards on revenue (IAS 18) and provisions (IAS 37). The subject matter of 4th article assessed motor vehicle manufacturers reporting compliance of carbon tax transactions in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. In summary, the implementation of carbon tax in South Africa is seen as a significant move in the fight against climate change. If the instrument is to be considered effective it must prove to be sustainable from an environmental, economic and social perspective. The effectiveness of the instrument can only be measured if it was accurately reported in the financial statements and sustainability reports in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. Furthermore, the instrument should not be seen as an opportunity by motor vehicle manufacturers to forego corporate responsibility to environment and thus should not impact CSI expenditure which is a significant part of the welfare contribution by South African businesses to the people of South Africa. / PhD (Tax), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
26

Fördröjningen till celiakidiagnos : En kvantitativ studie om sjukskrivning, vårdkonsumtion och social situation hos vuxna med celiaki före och efter diagnos. / The delay to coeliac diagnosis : A quantitative study of sick leave, health care use and social situation amongst adults with coeliac disease before and after diagnosis.

Guldstrand, Maria, Rydström, Andreas January 2013 (has links)
Bakgrund Celiaki är en autoimmun sjukdom som ger inflammation i tunntarmsslemhinnan vid intag av gluten. Symtom hos vuxna kan vara diffusa och därför svåra att koppla till celiaki. I Sverige är genomsnittstiden från första symtom till celiakidiagnos ungefär 10 år och det finns luckor i kunskapen om vilka konsekvenser fördröjningen till diagnos ger. Syfte Studiens syfte är att överblicka hur fördröjd diagnos av celiaki hos vuxna påverkar samhällets resurser, hur dessa individer upplever att symptomen påverkat deras sociala liv före och efter diagnos, samt om diagnostiken behöver effektiviseras. Metod I Sverige, september 2012, skickades en Internetbaserad enkät ut till 4337 medlemmar i Svenska Celiakiförbundet varav 611 kvarstod efter bortfall. Enkätens fokus var främst sjukfrånvaro, vårdkontakter och social påverkan p.g.a. symtom av celiaki. Enkäterna analyserades i SPSS (v.20.0) med p<0,05. Resultat Efter diagnos sjönk både sjukfrånvaro och vårdkontakter. Deltagarna undvek också sociala aktiviteter i mindre utsträckning och majoriteten upplevde förbättrad livskvalité. En stor del (39 %, n=238) uppgav att de fått diagnos först 10 år eller mer efter symtomdebut, varav majoriteten var äldre. Det var framför allt de som uppgav en fördröjning på fyra år eller mer från första symtom till diagnos som upplevde att deras livskvalité förbättrades av diagnosen. Slutsats Det är viktigt att celiakidiagnos ställs tidigt för att bespara kostnader som annars kommer av sjukfrånvaro och vårdkonsumtion, samt minska den negativa påverkan av symtom på det sociala livet och livskvalitén. Då mer än hälften av deltagarna i studien haft symtom i minst 5 år innan diagnos anser vi att åtgärder måste sättas in. Tidigare diagnos kräver antingen screening av befolkningen eller nya vårdplaner där diffusa symtom av celiaki uppmärksammas mer. Mer studier behövs för att avgöra vilken åtgärd som är mest hållbar. / Background Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease where gluten causes inflammation in the mucosa of the small intestine. Symptoms in adults may be vague and therefore difficult to associate with coeliac disease. In Sweden, the average delay from first symptom to diagnosis is about 10 years. There are gaps in the knowledge of the consequences of a delayed diagnose. Objective The purpose of this study is to review the effect of the delay of coeliac diagnosis among adults on society’s resources, how the symptoms may have affected these individuals social life and the need of improved diagnosis. Method In Sweden, September 2012, an online questionnaire was distributed to 4,337 members of the Swedish Coeliac Society of which 611 was included in the study. The survey focus was mainly sick leave, health care contacts and social impacts due to symptoms of coeliac disease. The questionnaires were analyzed in SPSS (v.20.0) with p<0,05. Results Both sick leave and health care contacts decreased after diagnosis. The participants also avoided social activities to a lower extent and the majority experienced an improved quality of life. A large proportion (39%, n=238) reported that diagnosis delayed at least 10 years from the onset of symptoms, the majority of whom were older than the average. It was mainly those who reported a long delay from first symptom to diagnosis who experienced an improvement in quality of life due to diagnosis. Conclusion Early diagnosis is important in order to reduce costs that would otherwise derive from health care consumption and sick leave. Early diagnosis would also reduce the negative impact of symptoms on social life and quality of life. Since the majority of the participants reported a delay of at least 5 years from onset of symptoms to diagnosis, we believe that it is necessary to take action. In order to diagnose individuals with coeliac disease at an earlier stage it is necessary to apply effective methods such as screening or new care plans with more attention on vague symptoms. To determine which method is most sustainable, more studies needs to be done.
27

Avaliação da efetividade de um modelo da terapia cognitivo-comportamental em grupos para transtorno de ansiedade social: ensaio clínico randomizado / Evaluation of the effectiveness of a Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: Randomized Clinical Trial

Priscila de Camargo Palma 08 June 2017 (has links)
O Transtorno de Ansiedade Social (TAS) consiste em um medo acentuado e persistente de situações sociais ou de desempenho nas quais o indivíduo poderia sentir vergonha. Dentre os transtornos de ansiedade, o TAS é um dos mais prevalecentes, sendo considerado o quinto transtorno mais incapacitante, contudo, a busca por tratamento é muito baixa. Diferentes estudos clínicos randomizados evidenciam que a TCCG apresenta resultados satisfatórios e duradouros, sendo considerada padrão ouro de intervenção para TAS, porém, ainda assim, uma parcela de pacientes com TAS não respondem ao tratamento. Assim sendo, o objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar o efeito de uma intervenção em grupo de exposição com alto custo social em pacientes com TAS sobre variáveis psicológicas e também sobre a qualidade de memória. A intervenção utilizada nesse estudo foi a proposta por Hofmann e Otto (2008). Dentre as variáveis psicológicas estudadas foram avaliadas mudanças em sintomas de ansiedade social, ansiedade, medo da avaliação negativa, esquiva e desconforto social, depressão e sintomas de transtornos psiquiátricos comuns. Participaram desse estudo 58 adultos, compondo três grupos experimentais diferentes: o grupo de comparação sem TAS, que consiste em participantes sem sintomas clínicos, o grupo de comparação com TAS, que são participantes portadores de TAS os quais não realizaram a intervenção durante a pesquisa (grupo lista de espera) e o grupo de portadores de TAS participaram da intervenção (grupo TCCG). Um pesquisador independente ao estudo realizou a distribuição aleatória dos participantes com TAS entre os grupos TCCG e lista de espera. Foram realizadas avaliações no pré e pós-teste através do Inventário de Fobia Social (SPIN), Inventários de Ansiedade e Depressão de Beck (BAI e BDI-II), Escala de Medo da Avaliação Negativa (FNE), Escala de Esquiva e Desconforto Social (SADS), Questionário sobre a saúde do paciente (PHQ-9), Questionário de Autorrelato (SRQ) e teste de falsas memórias. Assim, os resultados encontrados evidenciam que a intervenção alcançou redução significativa nos sintomas de ansiedade social, ansiedade geral, depressão e sintomas de transtornos mentais comuns, mostrando que foi uma intervenção efetiva. Além disso, os escores relacionados à ansiedade geral, depressão e sintomas de transtornos mentais comuns, após a intervenção foram equiparados com o escore obtidos pelo grupo de participantes saudáveis, evidenciando a excelente eficácia do processo de intervenção. A eficácia também pode ser constatada a partir da mensuração do tamanho de efeito grande encontrado no estudo relacionado ao principal instrumento de avaliação de TAS utilizado (SPIN), ou seja, esse estudo evidenciou que a forma psicoterápica utilizada atingiu o objetivo esperado da intervenção considerada padrão ouro. No que concerne às medidas relacionadas à qualidade de memória, a hipótese inicial relacionava-se à teoria de que os indivíduos ansiosos sociais apresentariam um número maior de falsas memórias e/ou uma redução de memórias verdadeiras, porém essa hipótese não foi confirmada. / Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) consists of a marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which the individual could feel shame. Among the anxiety disorders, SAD is one of the most prevalent, considered the fifth most disabling disorder, however, the search for treatment is very low. Different randomized clinical trials show that Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy (CBGT) presents satisfactory and long-lasting results, which is considered the gold standard of intervention for SAD, however, a portion of patients with SAD do not respond to treatment. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a group intervention related to high social cost exposure in patients with SAD about psychological variables and memory quality. The intervention used in this study was proposed by Hofmann and Otto (2008). Among the psychological variables studied changes in symptoms of social anxiety, anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, avoidance and social discomfort, depression and symptoms of common psychiatric disorders were evaluated. Fifty-five adults participated in this study, composing three different experimental groups: the comparison group without SAD, which consists of participants without clinical symptoms, the comparison group with SAD, participants with SAD who did not receive intervention during the research (Waitlist control condition), and the group of SAD patients who participated in the intervention. An independent researcher to study distributed randomly the participants with SAD between CBGT or Waitlist condition. Assessments were made at pre and post-test using Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE), Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS), Patient Health-Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ), and false memories test in the three groups. The results showed that the intervention achieved a significant reduction in the symptoms of social anxiety, general anxiety, depression and symptoms of common mental disorders, showing that it was an effective intervention. In addition, the scores related to general anxiety, depression and common mental disorder symptoms after the intervention were similar to the scores obtained by the group of healthy participants, evidencing the excellent efficacy of the intervention process. Efficacy can also be seen from the measurement of the large effect size found in the study evaluated by the main evaluation instrument of SAD used (SPIN), this study achieved the expected goal of the gold standard considered intervention. Concerning measures related to memory quality, the initial hypothesis was that social anxious individuals would present a greater number of false memories and / or a reduction of true memories, but this hypothesis was not confirmed.
28

The simple arithmetic of carbon pricing and stranded assets

van der Ploeg, Frederick, Rezai, Armon 09 1900 (has links) (PDF)
A simple rule for the optimal global price of carbon is presented, which captures the geo-physical, economic, and ethical drivers of climate policy as well as the effect of uncertainty about future growth of consumption. There is also a discussion of the optimal carbon budget and the amount of unburnable carbon and stranded fossil fuel reserves and a back-on-the-envelope expression are given for calculating these. It is also shown how one can derive the end of the carbon era and peak warming. This simple arithmetic for determining climate policy is meant to complement the simulations of large-scale integrated assessment model, and to give analytical understanding of the key determinants of climate policy. The simple rules perform very well in a full integrated assessment model. It is also shown how to take account of a 2 °C upper limit on global warming. Steady increases in the efficiency of labour do not affect the optimal price of carbon or the safe carbon budget, but do postpone the carbon-free era. / Series: Ecological Economic Papers
29

Avaliação da efetividade de um modelo da terapia cognitivo-comportamental em grupos para transtorno de ansiedade social: ensaio clínico randomizado / Evaluation of the effectiveness of a Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: Randomized Clinical Trial

Palma, Priscila de Camargo 08 June 2017 (has links)
O Transtorno de Ansiedade Social (TAS) consiste em um medo acentuado e persistente de situações sociais ou de desempenho nas quais o indivíduo poderia sentir vergonha. Dentre os transtornos de ansiedade, o TAS é um dos mais prevalecentes, sendo considerado o quinto transtorno mais incapacitante, contudo, a busca por tratamento é muito baixa. Diferentes estudos clínicos randomizados evidenciam que a TCCG apresenta resultados satisfatórios e duradouros, sendo considerada padrão ouro de intervenção para TAS, porém, ainda assim, uma parcela de pacientes com TAS não respondem ao tratamento. Assim sendo, o objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar o efeito de uma intervenção em grupo de exposição com alto custo social em pacientes com TAS sobre variáveis psicológicas e também sobre a qualidade de memória. A intervenção utilizada nesse estudo foi a proposta por Hofmann e Otto (2008). Dentre as variáveis psicológicas estudadas foram avaliadas mudanças em sintomas de ansiedade social, ansiedade, medo da avaliação negativa, esquiva e desconforto social, depressão e sintomas de transtornos psiquiátricos comuns. Participaram desse estudo 58 adultos, compondo três grupos experimentais diferentes: o grupo de comparação sem TAS, que consiste em participantes sem sintomas clínicos, o grupo de comparação com TAS, que são participantes portadores de TAS os quais não realizaram a intervenção durante a pesquisa (grupo lista de espera) e o grupo de portadores de TAS participaram da intervenção (grupo TCCG). Um pesquisador independente ao estudo realizou a distribuição aleatória dos participantes com TAS entre os grupos TCCG e lista de espera. Foram realizadas avaliações no pré e pós-teste através do Inventário de Fobia Social (SPIN), Inventários de Ansiedade e Depressão de Beck (BAI e BDI-II), Escala de Medo da Avaliação Negativa (FNE), Escala de Esquiva e Desconforto Social (SADS), Questionário sobre a saúde do paciente (PHQ-9), Questionário de Autorrelato (SRQ) e teste de falsas memórias. Assim, os resultados encontrados evidenciam que a intervenção alcançou redução significativa nos sintomas de ansiedade social, ansiedade geral, depressão e sintomas de transtornos mentais comuns, mostrando que foi uma intervenção efetiva. Além disso, os escores relacionados à ansiedade geral, depressão e sintomas de transtornos mentais comuns, após a intervenção foram equiparados com o escore obtidos pelo grupo de participantes saudáveis, evidenciando a excelente eficácia do processo de intervenção. A eficácia também pode ser constatada a partir da mensuração do tamanho de efeito grande encontrado no estudo relacionado ao principal instrumento de avaliação de TAS utilizado (SPIN), ou seja, esse estudo evidenciou que a forma psicoterápica utilizada atingiu o objetivo esperado da intervenção considerada padrão ouro. No que concerne às medidas relacionadas à qualidade de memória, a hipótese inicial relacionava-se à teoria de que os indivíduos ansiosos sociais apresentariam um número maior de falsas memórias e/ou uma redução de memórias verdadeiras, porém essa hipótese não foi confirmada. / Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) consists of a marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which the individual could feel shame. Among the anxiety disorders, SAD is one of the most prevalent, considered the fifth most disabling disorder, however, the search for treatment is very low. Different randomized clinical trials show that Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy (CBGT) presents satisfactory and long-lasting results, which is considered the gold standard of intervention for SAD, however, a portion of patients with SAD do not respond to treatment. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a group intervention related to high social cost exposure in patients with SAD about psychological variables and memory quality. The intervention used in this study was proposed by Hofmann and Otto (2008). Among the psychological variables studied changes in symptoms of social anxiety, anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, avoidance and social discomfort, depression and symptoms of common psychiatric disorders were evaluated. Fifty-five adults participated in this study, composing three different experimental groups: the comparison group without SAD, which consists of participants without clinical symptoms, the comparison group with SAD, participants with SAD who did not receive intervention during the research (Waitlist control condition), and the group of SAD patients who participated in the intervention. An independent researcher to study distributed randomly the participants with SAD between CBGT or Waitlist condition. Assessments were made at pre and post-test using Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE), Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS), Patient Health-Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ), and false memories test in the three groups. The results showed that the intervention achieved a significant reduction in the symptoms of social anxiety, general anxiety, depression and symptoms of common mental disorders, showing that it was an effective intervention. In addition, the scores related to general anxiety, depression and common mental disorder symptoms after the intervention were similar to the scores obtained by the group of healthy participants, evidencing the excellent efficacy of the intervention process. Efficacy can also be seen from the measurement of the large effect size found in the study evaluated by the main evaluation instrument of SAD used (SPIN), this study achieved the expected goal of the gold standard considered intervention. Concerning measures related to memory quality, the initial hypothesis was that social anxious individuals would present a greater number of false memories and / or a reduction of true memories, but this hypothesis was not confirmed.
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An economic analysis of addictive behaviors and drug policy in France / Analyse économique des comportements d'addiction et des politiques publiques relatives aux drogues en France

Ogrodnik, Marysia 22 September 2016 (has links)
L'objectif de cette thèse composée de six articles théoriques et empiriques, est d'identifier les moyens les plus efficaces d'encourager les usagers de drogues – légales et illégales – à adopter des habitudes plus saines en réduisant leur consommation. La première étape consiste à évaluer l’ampleur du problème en mesurant le coût social des drogues (tabac, alcool et drogues illicites) en France en 2010. Malgré les campagnes de prévention massives, la proportion inquiétante des consommateurs de substances nocives, mais surtout, la part élevée de personnes déclarant regretter d'avoir commencé leur consommation, conduisent à reconsidérer le paradigme traditionnel de l’addiction rationnelle, à la base de la plupart des travaux de recherche sur les addictions en économie. Au contraire, admettre une polyphasie cognitive chez les individus avec d’une part, un planner prenant ses décisions aussi rationnellement que ses capacités cognitives ne le lui permettent, et un doer ne cherchant qu’à atteindre une satisfaction immédiate, permet de construire un cadre théorique original tenant compte des émotions de court terme et de long terme des agents, ainsi que le rôle des normes sociales sur leurs décisions de consommation addictives. Le modèle construit à partir de ce cadre, ainsi que son analyse sur un panel de fumeurs français, permet de proposer des politiques novatrices visant à renforcer la motivation des individus à arrêter leur consommation addictive en réduisant leurs problèmes d’autocontrôle, en agissant sur leur perception des dangers liés à l’usage de drogues, et en ciblant un changement normatif de leur consommation. La plupart de ces recommandations ne sont pas applicables aux drogues illégales en raison de leur statut juridique. De ce fait, le seul levier permettant de définir une stratégie visant à réduire les coûts induits, est l’étude des alternatives juridiques à la pénalisation de la consommation, en particulier en ce qui concerne le cannabis, qui est la drogue illicite la plus largement utilisée en France, mais également dans la plupart des pays développés. / The objective of this thesis, composed of six academic papers, is to identify how to encourage people to adopt healthier habits by reducing their ⎯ legal and illegal ⎯ drug consumption. The first step is to evaluate the importance of the problem by measuring the social costs of drugs (tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs) in France in 2010. Despite massive prevention campaigns, the worrying proportion of harmful substance users and the high proportion of individuals who declare they regret having started consumption leads to reconsideration of the traditional paradigm of rational addiction and its extensions at the basis of most research works on addiction in economics. In contrast, admitting that individuals exhibit a dual process of reasoning, with a planner acting as rationally as the individual’s cognitive capabilities permit on the one hand and a doer who only seeks short-term rewards on the other, allows the construction of an original theoretical framework that takes into account consumers’ short-term and long-term emotions, and the role of social norms in addictive consumption. The model built from this framework and its testing through an analysis of smokers permit the proposal of innovative policies aiming to enhance individuals’ motivation to quit addictive consumption by (i) reducing their self-control problems, (ii) acting on their perception of the danger of the drug, and (iii) by targeting a normative change. Most of these recommendations are not applicable to illegal drugs due to their legal status. Thus, the strategy to reduce harm in this instance is to study the legal alternatives to the criminalization of use, especially for cannabis, which is the most widely used illegal drug in France, as it also is in most developed countries.

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