[pt] O presente estudo tem por objeto examinar as normas regentes da responsabilização civil do administrador e do gestor do fundo de investimento (denominados conjuntamente prestadores de serviços essenciais pela regulação da Comissão de Valores Mobiliários) por danos causados aos seus cotistas, bem como os critérios de análise que devem ser empregados pelo tomador de decisão para determinar tal responsabilidade no caso concreto. Para tanto, a análise aqui empreendida é segmentada nos exames sucessivos sobre (i) a relação jurídica contratual existente entre os cotistas e os prestadores de serviços essenciais, com especial ênfase nos deveres atribuídos a estes e no conteúdo do adimplemento contratual que destes se espera; (ii) a ocorrência e os contornos do inadimplemento dos deveres atribuídos aos prestadores de serviços essenciais à luz das normas que disciplinam a responsabilidade civil destes perante os cotistas; e (iii) os critérios a ser adotados e as questões que necessitam ser enfrentadas pelo julgador para determinar a responsabilidade civil dos prestadores de serviços essenciais perante os cotistas no caso concreto. / [en] This study seeks to examine the norms regarding the civil liability of administrators and managers of investment funds (categorized in the regulatory acts of the Brazilian Securities Commission as essential services providers to the investment fund) for damages caused to the funds investors, as well as the criteria to analyze by the decision maker to determine such liability in concrete cases. For this purpose, the analysis made in this study is segmented in successive investigations regarding (i) the contractual relationship between the funds investors and the essential services providers, with special emphasis on the duties attributed to the latter and in the content of the contractual performance owed by these actors; (ii) the occurrence and characteristics of the contractual breach of the duties attributed to the essential services providers in the context of the norms that discipline the civil liability of these actors for damages caused to the funds investors; and (iii) the criteria to be adopted and the issues to be addressed by the decision maker in order to determine the civil liability of essential services before the funds investors in concrete cases.

Master of Arts / Department of Economics / Wayne Nafziger / Although the ozone layer is vital to life on Earth, as a common resource it has been the subject of rational exploitation. With ozone depletion a global (rather than merely regional) problem, measures to address it have necessarily been international efforts. The international treaty that addressed ozone depletion, the Montreal Protocol (with its subsequent amendments), has widely been hailed as a success. However, the triumphs of the Montreal Protocol are inseparable from its Multilateral Fund, whose creation was a prerequisite for developing nations, including juggernauts China and India, to ratify the Protocol. Since its inception the Fund has supplied over $2.5 billion to initiatives that support the phase-out of ozone-depleting chemicals in developing nations. These projects have increasingly employed market mechanisms to achieve efficient results, and have generated positive profits for participating firms. Funded initiatives have included upgrading capital, educating maintenance workers, production buyouts, public awareness, and institutional strengthening. Aside from ensuring the success of the overall Protocol, this last item will likely be the Multilateral Fund’s most enduring legacy, as inherent shortcomings of the Fund have largely been attributed to its status as a pioneering financial mechanism. The Multilateral Fund has broken new ground in international environmental regulation and shown that success on ecological issues is indeed possible at the global level, leading many to hope that the Fund will serve as a model for future mechanisms to address climate change. While the more complex chemistry and economics of climate change make such a ready duplication of the Multilateral Fund’s success unlikely, the Fund’s role in strengthening institutions that address ecological concerns has undoubtedly smoothed the way for future international environmental action.

Theoretical models predict that ambiguity is an asset pricing factor in addition to risk, however few of them have been tested in the real market. This thesis tests one of the hypotheses that, investors’ propensity to invest in stocks is reduced when ambiguity in the marketplace increases. The hypothesis is tested by using equity fund flows and households’ equity holding as measurements of the market participation, and using dispersion in analysts’ forecasts about aggregate returns as measurement of ambiguity. The results confirm this hypothesis, since the increases in ambiguity are significantly and negatively related to equity fund flows, as well as the likelihood that the average household invests in equities. Moreover, the results also find that the fund flows in non-dividend paying stocks are more sensitive to the changes in ambiguity, and investors transfer capital from the equity market into more liquid asset classes during high-ambiguity periods. In addition, this thesis also tests whether there is heterogeneity in individuals’ ambiguity aversion, and examines the psychological roots of ambiguity aversion. FNE theory explains ambiguity aversion as the result of fearing negative evaluation from others. It predicts that married households are more ambiguity averse; while households with higher income and education, or households that are more mature, are less ambiguity averse. On the other hand, self-evaluation theory explains ambiguity aversion as the result of minimizing anticipated regret. It predicts that households that are more optimistic, or have less income, are less ambiguity averse; while households that have negative market experience, or have higher income, are more ambiguity averse. The results show that married households, or households with high income / negative market experience, are more ambiguity averse; and households that are more optimistic / more mature, are less ambiguity averse. Therefore, both theories have successful predictions, suggesting that the ambiguity aversion is the combined result of the two motivations.

To gain insight into the impact that investors have on the firm's auditor choice decision, this study investigates the association between changes in investor monitoring and auditor turnovers. Hedge fund activism provides a unique setting to observe how highly motivated investors, willing to incur significant expense to effect changes in target firms, are able to influence a firm's decision to dismiss their external auditor. I find that activist hedge fund targets see an increase in auditor turnovers and dismissals during the years following hedge fund activism relative to both the two years' pre-activism and a propensity matched sample of firms. I document that the increase in auditor turnovers is primarily driven by target firms with a Big 4 auditor, and that hedge fund targets primarily seek a lateral change in auditors. Consistent with institutional concerns that excess compensation impairs auditor independence, I find that activist targets are more likely to dismiss their auditors when the auditor is earning high non-audit service fees and high abnormal audit fees. I then examine how the market interprets the lateral change in auditors. I find that financial statement reliability increases for lateral auditor changes associated with independence concerns. Finally, I examine the conditions under which the hedge funds are able to facilitate an auditor change. I find that hedge funds pursuing less aggressive activist campaigns, and hedge funds seeking less public forms of interventions are more likely to seek an auditor dismissal. This relation between non-confrontational campaigns and auditor dismissals is consistent with prior research suggesting that hedge funds seeking to work with management are better able to enact changes in a target firm.

This study analyzes 66 Swedish actively managed mutual funds investing in the Swedish stock market during the period 2005-2014. The purpose is through pooled data regressions analyze the relationship between both the mutual fund’s annual fee and risk-adjusted return to the fund’s characteristics. The characteristics of the study are the size of the fund's assets, age, if the fund is bank managed or not, Tracking Error, and standard deviation of return.By using the performance measures of CAPM, Fama and French 3-factor model, and Carhart’s 4-factor model monthly risk-adjusted returns are created for all funds over the period. Two pooled data regressions are performed with the Fixed Effect Model in which the annual fee and risk-adjusted return is set up as explanatory variables against the various characteristics.The results of the study show a clear correlation between annual fee and tracking error against the risk-adjusted return. A higher fee adds value to the investor through a higher risk-adjusted return, but will not fully compensate for the increased fee. The relationship between Tracking Error and risk-adjusted return is negative, which means that mutual funds that are distant from its benchmark perform worse than the mutual funds close to its benchmark. To explain annual fee this study finds low economic significance for the characteristics included. Although several variables show statistical significance, it is difficult to say anything about the characteristics that affect a mutual fund's annual fee due to the weak economic significance.

Pervious academic researches point out that there are two-way effects in the relationship between fund return performance and cash flows. The preceding fund return performance would attract net cash flows and cash flows would adversely affect the succeeding fund return performance. This paper tries to verify that whether these effects exist in Taiwan and examine these effects in more details. The results are partly consistent with pervious literatures. In our sample, we find that fund return performance positive influences both cash inflows and outflows and cash flows do affect succeeding return performance.

我國政府預算採基金制，所有收入支出都透過基金處理，而基金依預算法規定又分為普通基金和特種基金兩類，前者為一般用途，後者為特殊用途。依預算法第四條的定義，特種基金依性質又分為營業基金、債務基金、信託基金、作業基金、特別收入基金、資本計畫基金六種，一般定義將營業基金及信託基金以外的四類基金統稱為「非營業基金」。非營業特種基金在設置之初都有其目的與必要性，但因種種原因，逐漸產生了基金設置浮濫、疊床架屋、功能不彰、作業效能欠佳、破壞財政統收統支之運作體制、影響國庫財務靈活調度等批評。 預算審議是立法權和行政權互動的結果，有時行政權對預算還具有更高的主導力，而政府總預算裡被視為管理效率最低、使用最混亂、淪為政府隱藏預算工具，同時資訊最不透明、最難以窺見財務全貌的就是非營業特種基金預算。由於非營業特種基金審議具有不同於一般預算的特殊性，本文即計劃透過對特種基金發展及編列過程、立法院預算審議程序及盲點的研究，了解立法院對特種基金監督機制的全貌，進而完成下列研究目的： （一）從分權監督、預算原理、政府財務管理、基金制度的發展與演變等，了解存在於政府預算編列與監督之間的總體問題。 （二）從特種基金的設置理論、特種基金與總預算的關係、政府對特種基金的需求與運用等，檢視特種基金運作的問題。 （三）研究非營業特種基金設置浮濫、疊床架屋、管理困難、規模不當、經營效率不彰、淪為隱藏預算之所、不符成本效益原則等的原因出在哪理？能否透過監督機制的強化而予以妥善解決？ （四）透過預算審議過程的解構，分析立法院特種基金監督機制的困境與難題，從而提出研究建議。 　　研究結果發現，就被監督者的行政部門而言，或出於有意的逃避監督，常發生財務資訊提供不足、或不提供財務以外的經營與績效資訊以供立法院審議的現象；有時則是出於無心的如使用過於專業複雜、過於本位的會計語言來編列特種基金預算的情況，無論何者，都已對監督構成了障礙。就身為主要監督單位的立法院而言，一方面要面對千方百計保障完整行政權的行政單位，一方面也受到自我能力不足、權力不完備的制約。就能力而言，立法委員少有會計專業能力，在責司龐雜、利益團體壓力遠大於專業預算審查使命、審查時間有限、調查權不完備等限制情況下，立法院對非營業特種基金的監督成果尚不能令人滿意。 為了改善立法院在監督品質低落，除了加強立法院預算中心之功能、增加國會專業助理、政黨內培育資深專業人才外，在預算審議流程之制度設計上應從取消多餘而無實益的審議程序、強化立法院在監督預算執行過程中的參與權。管理法規的層級應該提升為立法層次，透過特種基金管理法制化以制衡行政部門，同時應建立特種基金績效評估制度、立法促使財務資訊揭露透明化、適時修訂特種基金管理辦法及預算編列，如此才能真正落實特種基金監督與管理。 / The budget of Taiwan’s government uses a fund system, where all incomes and expenditures must be processed through funds. The Budget Act distinguishes two categories of funds, general funds for general purpose use and special funds for special purpose use. According to Article 4 of the Budget Act, special funds are further divided into six categories: enterprise funds, debt service funds, trust funds, operation funds, special revenue funds, and capital revenue funds. With the exception of enterprise funds and trust funds, all other funds a generally defined as non-profit funds. There are always specific goals and necessities at the origin of the creation of non-profit special funds. However, due to various reasons, these funds have been criticized for extravagant expenditures, unclear functions, and ineffectiveness, as well as for disrupting the income and expenditure mechanism of finances and having a negative influence on the financial management of the National Treasury. Budget approval results from the interaction between the legislative and executive powers, where the executive power sometimes yields greater influence. The budget for non-profit special funds is often criticized as yielding the lowest results, being badly use, being the government as a secret budget tool, and lacking transparency. Because the approval process of non-profit special funds is different from regular budgets, this paper will examine how special funds are created and what is the process for the approval of budget by the Legislative Yuan, as well as identify possible blind spots in order to gain a complete picture of the Legislative Yuan’s supervision mechanism for special funds. This research will achieve the following goals: 1. From the perspective of control through the separation of powers, budget principles, government financial management, and the evolution of the fund system, understand the problems that exist between the government’s budget planning and budget control mechanisms. 2. By examining the theory of special funds, the relationship between special funds and the general budget, as well as the need and use by the government of special funds, identify the problems inherent to the use of special funds. 3. Inquire into the causes behind the problems inherent to non-profit special funds, such as wasteful use, management difficulties, inappropriate size, lack of efficiency, insufficient transparency and poor cost-efficiency, and explore the possibility of improving the situation by strengthening supervision mechanisms. 4. Explore the structure of the budget approval process to analyze the difficulties faced by the Legislative Yuan in supervising special funds and provide recommendations. 　　This research found that the executive departments either deliberately avoid supervision by not providing sufficient financial information, or do not provide the Legislative Yuan with other information relevant to the administration and use of special funds. Sometimes, the involuntary use of too much accounting jargon by budget makers hampers the ability of legislators to understand and supervise budgets. No matter which circumstance, this creates many hurdles for supervision. As the most important supervising department, the Legislative Yuan must on one hand face numerous executive departments all intent in protecting their executive powers, and on the other hand must deal with restrictions such as limited capacity and limited powers. In terms of capacity, few legislators have professional accounting skills, they must also deal with limitations such as pressure from interest groups, limited time for budget review, and incomplete powers for investigation. As such, the result of supervision by legislators of non-profit special funds leaves to be desired. In order to improve the quality of supervision by the Legislative Yuan, apart from strengthening the central role of the Legislative Yuan in budgeting, increasing the number of professional staff, and cultivating professional staff within political parties, it is also necessary to reduce unnecessary procedures in the budget approval process, as well as strengthen the participative power of the Legislative Yuan in supervising the budget during its execution. The management of special funds should be regulated by law (and not by executive orders as is the present case) in order to balance the power of executive departments, and at the same time establish a system to evaluate the performance of special funds. The law will encourage greater financial transparency and allow the modification of the management process of special funds as well as the planning of budgets. This will facilitate the implementation of the supervision and management of special funds.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors accounting for variations in levels of private giving to United States higher education. A second objective was to quantify the effect of each variable on voluntary contributions. Two separate analyses were performed. A cross-sectional study was designed to determine why amounts given vary among institutions for the year 1977-78. Four models were created: an overall contributions and per alumnus contributions model, an economic resource model and an eclectic model. All were analyzed using ordinary least squares regression. The dependent variable used was private giving and the independent variables examined were related to the institution itself or the state environment. In the analysis Liberal Arts I institutions were separated from Research Universities I and tests were performed that divided the sample into public/private institutions, wealthy/poor regions, and sunbelt/snowbelt regions. Second, a time-series analysis of total giving to higher education institutions was performed encompassing the years 1932 to 1974. Again, ordinary least squares regression was used. The dependent variable was total giving (TG) to higher education and the primary independent variables were largely economic factors. In the time-series analysis, three models were probed: gross receipts, net receipts, and a national income model. The cross-sectional analysis found that RUI and LAI institutions share one major variable that is strongly associated with contributions to them: quality. Other factors were found to vary among regions and between nonalumni and alumni giving. It was found also that private giving is best explained through alumni. The time-series analyses had very high explanatory power. Division of the gross receipts model revealed a decided difference between individual and business giving with business responding to classical economic fashion and individuals contributing in apparent disregard of economic motives. It would appear that different characteristics should be stressed when dealing with the different donors to institutions of higher education. Alumni and nonalumni should be solicited in disparate manners and businesses and individuals should be pursued for gifts at different times with different strategies, according to economic indicators and the demonstrated needs of the college.

臺灣公務人員退休撫卹基金（退撫基金）自1995年成立，由退撫基金管理委員會統一管理，按政府別、身分別，分戶設帳，分別以收支平衡為原則，但依據2003年退撫基金第2次精算結果(美世顧問公司)，軍職人員自2013年、教育人員2032年及公務人員2035年起，將陸續產生累積虧損（破產），主要原因為退休制度本身結構問題、提撥率不足所致，其次為經營績效無法大幅提升，原因為管理組織屬性欠彈性、專業人才不足、管理法令束縛及資產配置較保守，對於現有制度與管理之缺失，如何檢討改善，以提高收益，確保基金之永續發展，為本研究之重點。 本研究採用制度分析比較，藉由退撫基金與先進國家退休金計畫與管理制度加以比較，瞭解臺灣與其他國家退休管理制度上之差異，並探討未來世界退休制度管理趨勢。並蒐集勞工保險基金、勞工退休基金及公教保險準備金等基金相關資料，再與退撫基金作管理運用之比較研究，另外，與退撫基金同質型國外退休基金管理模式之相關研究文獻，作分析比較研究，依投資組合模型計算出最適資產配置，以瞭解退撫基金經營管理之效率性。 / 茲據研究結果發現，退撫基金管理係屬行政機構，管理較無彈性，另外退休撫卹制度設計而產生龐大潛藏負債，以及管理法令限制而影響營運績效。最後，針對研究結果提出對退撫基金管理之建議。就管理機構建議改為行政法人或提高委外比例。對退撫制度之潛藏負債問題建議為：逐步修改退撫制度，先實施退休所得合理化、展期年金，對於新進公務人員採用個人帳戶制，並依個人風險偏好，選擇不同的管理模式。對於管理制度建議為增加國外投資、資本利得比例、擴大投資範圍及建立資訊公開制度。 / The Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) of Republic of China was established in 1995. On the principle of collection/payment balance, the Management Board of Public Service Pension Fund (MBPSPF) is in charge of management of the PSPF by setting up different independent accounts in accordance with the capacities and governmental levels. The outcome of actuarial evaluation conducted in the year 2003 forecasted the accumulated net loss (insolvency) will respectively happen to the military personnel in the beginning year of 2013, the educational workers in the beginning year of 2032 and the public servants in the beginning year of 3035. The factors will result in the accumulated net loss (insolvency) mainly include incomplete framework of the public service pension system and insufficient contribution rate. Due to inelastic organization and framework, shortage of professional personnel, constraint of the laws and regulations and conservative strategies of assets allocation, overall performance can not be improved substantially is also the minor factor that will result in the accumulated net loss. The key point of this study will focus on eliminating the defects of the present system and administration and making improvement to increase overall earnings, thus continuing operation of the PSPF can be ensured. / This study adopts a measure of system analysis and comparison. In comparing with pension project and administration system of mainly advanced countries, the difference between Taiwan and other advanced countries cab be realized. Thus we can further discuss and explore the future global trend of pension administration. Besides mention above, the related information of Labor Insurance Fund, Labor Pension Fund, and the insurance reserve of public servants and education workers was collected, studied, and compared with the PSPF. Furthermore, the PSPF was compared with abroad pension funds which have same attributes of PSPF by analyzing the related studies of administration or operation. And accordingly, an optimal model of assets allocation was designed for further testing and understanding the efficiency of administration of the PSPF. From this research, the followings were discovered: 1. An administrative institution such as the PSPF with no corporation register, make administration inelastic. 2. The designed system of the “Contributory Pension Fund” will result in potential enormous debts. 3. The constraint of laws and regulations will result in ineffective overall performance. Finally, regarding to the inelastic administration (as of description 1), an ideal proposal is to register the PSPF as a corporation or increase proportion of overseas discretionary management. As to the potential enormous debts (as of description 2), the proposals are to improve the system of “Contributory Pension Fund” step by step, adopt a fair and reasonable retirement income, extend the time limit of annuity, adopt an individual account for a new public servant and manage the account in accordance with his or her risk attitude. As to the ineffective overall performance (as of description 3), the proposals are to increase the proportion of overseas investment and capital gains, extend the range of investment and establish system of information disclosure.

Foreign aid has become more and more popular after World War II; aiming to support undeveloped countries to accomplish economic growth. It is common for countries that once achieved a development stage to support other countries that haven’t; but aid as an instrument for promoting economic growth has had its difficulties to be effective and efficient. Many types of aid are used to maximize its impact and support among their recipient’s countries, nevertheless intentions from donors or surrounding conditions from recipients has not been the best to do so. Taiwan, who previously was a recipient of aid, has become a donor; it has aimed its support to those countries that not only support Taiwan’s international status but also need to achieve economic growth. Nicaragua is one of the countries who are supported by the ROC government. The main problem when supporting other countries development is evaluating the impact or efficiency with which aid is handed; therefore it is crucial for the donor country, in this case the ROC to estimate the effectiveness and efficiency of their aid. The purpose of this study is to evaluate Taiwan’s ICDF aid to the Nicaraguan society by SWOT analysis. This evaluation is important in order to establish if Taiwan’s aid has been effective or efficient; and for Nicaraguan society to acknowledge if economic growth is being achieved and how. Taiwan’s ICDF has cooperated in the country by promoting not only funding for Nicaraguan government projects but also throughout technical assistance to locals; which aim to improve their productions, auto sustainability and technical skills. This research will prove that indeed Taiwan ICDF has helped Nicaraguan society to accomplish economic growth throughout their projects, and will also provide some suggestions to maximize even more their impact among Nicaraguans. Keywords: Aid, Taiwan ICDF, Projects, Taiwan, ROC, Nicaragua, Bilateral Relations, Economic growth, SWOT analysis.