This master thesis deals with causes and some of the main instituonal answers to the financial crisis of 2007-2009. The thesis also ppresents a brief historical overview of US financial crisis. The main aim of the first chapter is to decide whether the US historical crisis have something in common. The answer is that the past crisis really share something and the difference is rather in historical circumstances. The second chapter is dedicated to some of the financial crisis causes such as Community Reinvestment Act,Gramm Leach Bliley Act, Commodity Futures Modernization Act and also to the role of moral hazard. This thesis is of a firm belief that the only aspect that can be blamed is the phenomenon of moral hazard. The last chapter is focused on the main instituonal answers to the crisis. Dodd-Frank Act, Volcker rule, reorganization of derivative market, some of the changes in rating agencies regulation and also BASEL III consequences for capital requirements are all under the radar.

The efforts of Republican congressional leaders to secure passage of civil rights measures during the 1960's will be emphasized in this thesis. Also, an effort will be made to present objectively the views of Republican congressional leaders toward civil rights measures and to show how they contributed, in the day-to-day legislative proceedings, to the passage of these measures.

The focus of this study is to critically analyse the legislative framework for private and public private zonemodels in Zambia. The analysisis against the background of Zambia’scommitment to promote private sector development and the initiative to use the investmentpolicy tool of special economic zones (SEZs). The analysis is based on the salient provisions of Zambia’s Development Agency Act and Public Private Partnerships Act which regulate SEZs and public private partnerships respectively.. The main question sought to be addressed is the efficacy of the legislative framework for private and public private model zones, taking into account accommodation of private sector participation and nature of the investment and business environment. In addressing this question this study will analyse the salient provisions of the aforementioned laws showing how private sector actors are accommodated in the development and operation of the zones.The provisions under the aforementioned laws are to an extent analysed in conjunction with some of Zambia’s international trade and investment obligations such as the World Trade organisation Trade Related Investment Measures. An examination of how the incentives in SEZs are used is also provided as well as some lessons from Ghana, Mauritius and identified international best practices The main findings of the study include the following:  In so far as admission of investors to develop and operate SEZs is concerned the legislative framework does not generally discriminate between local and foreign investors and that admission through PPPs accommodates various kinds of well-known PPPs, even allowing prospective investors to kick start projects through submission of unsolicited proposals;  The need for Zambia’s SEZ policy to continuously evolve and diversify by undergoing relevant changes and improvements so that it remains relevant and adapts to the evolving nature of market availability and needs of SEZs whilst leveraging on Zambia’s comparative advantages;  The interplay between SEZs and Zambia’s international obligations present challenges and opportunities and thus revealing cause for the better appreciation of opportunities and complexities of SEZ policies and consequence of Zambia’s membership in more than one regional arrangement Need to periodically review the incentive structure so that Zambia does not inadvertently loss revenue through incentives that do not necessarily prove useful to investors or yield the intended benefits for the country. Based on the foregoing findings, among others,this study concludes that factors relating to the establishment of SEZs in Zambia incorporate private sector participation through the lifecycle of SEZs, that is to say from the time the investment is sought to be made to when it is becomes operationalmaking significant stride towards achieving openness to private sector participation through private and public private zone models. Against the foregoing findings and conclusion this study recommends,interalia, forcontinuous and timely observation and assessment of the shifts in use of SEZ policies vis-à-vis changes in the macroeconomic conditions in whichthe SEZ policy is to be implemented and investor market availability. The rationale of the recommendation is so that any necessary review of the Zambian SEZ policy and pursuit of enhanced private sector development is done from an informed position. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2015 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM / Unrestricted

Anthropogenic effects are causing significant environmental degradation, and regardless of actions taken to mitigate further changes, humans and animals will have to live with these impacts (IPCC 2019). Rapid population growth in coastal regions, saltwater intrusion (SWI), lowering water quality, and increased presence of toxic materials are degrading coastal resiliency. An important and popular coastal region for the United States is the state of Florida, and it is also an area extremely vulnerable to aspects of climate change such as sea-level rise (SLR) (Noss 2011). This project analyzes how the state is currently experiencing the direct and indirect impacts of toxic materials on the state’s people, environment, and economy. It will do so through analysis of the performance of federal legislation created with the intent to protect human and environmental health, quantification of current rates of using toxic chemicals and potential pollution, as well as quantifying effects of both anthropogenic and natural toxic materials on Florida’s housing market. It was anticipated that legislation such as the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to ensure strict enforcement of drinking water standards and the Emergency Planning Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) to prevent toxic pollution would be present in the vulnerable region. Also that natural phenomenon such as the harmful algal blooms significantly degrade the housing market through decreasing income through tourism and lowering housing prices in coastal neighborhoods. This project found that the SDWA is not being enforced, EPCRA data shows a huge risk to potential exposures from large storms, and that algal blooms are significant to housing prices in the state. Using these scientific findings to improve policy and appropriately communicating complex scientific topics to the public is extremely important. Doing so will enable a higher level of coastal resiliency as communities continue attempt to mitigate climate change, but also learn to understand current impacts and better live in a degrading environment.

Thesis advisor: C. Patrick Proctor / Schools, districts, and states are at a time of transition from the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and this change comes alongside evolving state policy landscapes. Since NCLB and the epoch of English-only education in Massachusetts, which ended after the passage of the Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK) Act in 2017, have been shown to have a primarily negative impact on emergent bilingual students, a historically marginalized group of learners, there is a need for educators and researchers to understand how educators are comprehending and responding to policy changes. Yet processes of policy interpretation and implementation are often not straightforward and many factors from the location of an organization to an individual’s role, connections, and prior professional experiences (Burch & Spillane, 2005; Spillane, 1998) can impact policy understandings and implementation. The purpose of this qualitative dissertation was to understand how educational leaders interpreted and responded to ESSA and the LOOK Act in Massachusetts. Utilizing sensemaking theory as a theoretical framework (Spillane, Reiser, & Reimer, 2002), analysis of 17 participant interviews as well as state documents demonstrated that district, state, school, and organizational leaders were optimistic about the educational future of bilingual children in Massachusetts. They viewed the LOOK Act as offering needed flexibility for designing educational programs, as better aligning with participants’ beliefs about bilingualism and language learning, and as potentially facilitating the increased engagement of bilingual families as stakeholders with a voice. Educational leaders understood ESSA in relation to how they understood NCLB. They also viewed ESSA primarily as a compliance mandate. Participants responded to ESSA and LOOK by defending their intentional focus on the immediate: the policies, initiatives, and practices that aligned with their beliefs about what is best for bilingual students. These priorities included reconceptualizing programs of education for bilingual students and launching English Learner Parent Advisory Councils, both made possible by the LOOK Act, as well as hiring and retaining equity-minded district leaders, advocating at the state and district levels around funding structures, building teacher capacity to teach emergent bilingual students, developing multiple pathways for children, and shifting belief systems around bilingualism and bilingual children. Developing understandings of how educators interpret and respond to ESSA and LOOK can further inform educators’ crafting of policies and programs that can benefit bilingual children. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

The purpose of this dissertation is to consider whether centralised bargaining, through bargaining councils, is a suitable mechanism for determining minimum wages in South Africa. In addressing this issue, the minimum wage fixing mechanisms currently available in South Africa, the impact they have on the labour markets and whether there is a need for reformation of our labour laws relating to the setting of minimum wages will be considered. The dissertation focuses on the various philosophical perspectives on labour law, the international development of collective labour law, international wage-fixing mechanisms and the development of South African labour law from the Industrial Conciliations Act 11 of 1924 to the current Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995. The current levels of collective bargaining available in South African, focusing on the establishment and functioning of bargaining councils, the extension of and exemption from collective agreements, as well as the use of collective bargaining to set minimum wages are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of our current minimum wage fixing mechanisms are also discussed. For the purpose of comparison, reference is also made to wage fixing though sectoral determinations, although the focus of the dissertation is on collective labour law. In the international comparison, the development and functioning of the Australian and French wage-setting regulations are discussed, as well as policies that could be considered for application in South Africa. Collective bargaining, and in particular centralised collective bargaining, plays a significant role in South African labour law. Since South Africa does not have a national minimum wage, centralised bargaining remains the main form of fixing minimum wages, apart from sectoral determinations. In the conclusion and recommendations, possible solutions to the shortcomings in our centralised ii bargaining system, as well as alternative means of setting minimum wages are considered. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Mercantile Law / unrestricted

Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Private Law / unrestricted

The South African mining industry is viewed as the locomotive of the economic development in South Africa and has been a leading contributor to the economy for more than a century. However, the price paid for economic growth has left South Africa with a "mining legacy" and mining companies now face an upsurge of politically and regulatory induced challenges. Directors of mining companies have to act with a certain level of duty of care, skill and diligence in order for them to navigate through these various challenges. The heightened awareness of environmental degradation caused by mining has seen a rise in stricter mining liability legislation in South Africa, with a specific focus on company and director liability. The result is that directors are now faced with the possibility of personal liability when performing their executive function. According to the business judgment rule, directors will be shielded from liability if they acted with the necessary duty of care. The objective of this dissertation is to examine to what extent the business judgment rule will offer protection to a director of a mining company where the director caused environmental damage. The analysis of this study will be conducted in the context of the environmental damage caused by a mining company due to the decision making and 'governance' of the mining company's director or directors. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Public Law / LLM / Unrestricted

The principle of party disposition and its restriction in civil proceedings Abstract in English The submitted diploma thesis deals with the principle of party disposition in civil proceedings which is a guiding principle of civil proceedings, however, it is heavily restricted in the Code of Civil Procedure. The main aim of this thesis is to emphasise the importance of the principle of party disposition in civil proceedings, identify the number of institutes which are restricted, deal with reasons of this restriction of the principle of party disposition, and propose possible changes, which would preserve the principle of party disposition completely. The first part of the thesis presents a theoretical definition of the principle of party disposition. It is also necessary to discuss other legal principles which are connected to the principle of party disposition because it never appears alone, as it is always accompanied by another general principle. This part of the thesis also focuses on the history of the principle of party disposition in civil proceedings. The crucial period for discussed principle was the first half of the 20th century because the disposition principle was not restricted at all. On the other hand, the second half of the 20th century represents a period of strict restrictions of the...

Non-existence as a new institution of Czech law Abstract The aim of the thesis is to examine the institute of non-existence which is new in the Czech law. Therefore, the beginning of the thesis is arranged in order to make clear the chronological development of civil law in terms of wrongful conduct and/or wrongful legal act sanctions. Historically, the General Civil Code (ABGB) is of particular relevance. ABGB was an important civil code not only on our territory but also in Austria and other countries of the former Habsburg Monarchy. While the original text of this Code sanctioned wrongful legal acts by invalidity ("Ungültigkeit"), the 1916 amendment introduced another term into the Code, taken from the German Civil Code (BGB), and namely "Nichtigkeit". Although this term means "invalidity" as well, it was mistakenly translated into Czech by the word "nicotnost" (literally "nothingness" in English). In the thesis, the legal situation in the period from 1948 till 2014 is discussed briefly, mentioning in particular the Family Act which, commencing from 1998, included, in addition to the term "invalidity" (of marriage), also the term "non-existence" (of marriage) stating that no marriage is formed in these cases. The following part of the thesis deals with the applicable law. The problems of legal act, its...