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We observe that the location of non-primary production activities is concentrated among cities and regions. The pattern of domestic and international trade and the growth of a nation are intimately related to the country’s regional and urban structure. The theoretical and empirical essays in this dissertation analyze the consequences of these observations, seeking to determine the influence of cities on national growth and vice versa. Chapter 1 models locales which produce goods for trade outside the locale’s boundaries. I use a model that assumes monopolistic competition in both service and traded goods sectors to study the impact of both a localization externality and a nation-based externality. The localization externality is related to innovation that occurs because of agglomeration in a locale. The nation-based externality reflects the idea that some nations promote competitive industries more successfully than do others. The model highlights the “success breeds success” (or “failure breeds failure”) pattern associated with economies in various stages of economic development. Many current models in urban economics assume that cities are highly specialized in the production of goods and services, and that specialization leads to growth of output and employment; Chapter 1 yields such a result. Chapter 2 is an econometric study examining those assumptions. Using a set of 63 of the largest and potentially most specialized cities in the United States, I study data for some 40 industries and sectors in the years 1947, 1956, 1970, 1980, and 1990; I have divided the data into two periods, 1947 to 1970 and 1970 to 1990, for analyzing dynamic growth patterns. I find that static specialization is less evident in U.S. cities over time. I also find that what specialization does exist in a city is not necessarily associated with growth in an industry in a city. For some industries, increased specialization is associated with negative growth. Overall, growth in an industry in a city is more often associated with a growing labor force in that city, which I interpret as an indication of the importance of diversity. A change in the distribution of city sizes in an economy is a potential indicator of change in that economy’s structure. I consider several methods of measuring change in the city size distribution in the United States in this century, and conclude that the distribution is becoming more concentrated over that time period. I use both parametric and non-parametric distributional approaches to study the dynamics of the evolution of the U.S. city size distribution. I find that the balance between manufacturing and service sector employment, agricultural land values and the prime interest rate have statistically significant effects on the changing distribution. / Ph. D.

This study traces the evolution of the wheat industry in Zimbabwe and draws historical lessons for a food policy aimed at self-sufficiency in wheat. An activity analysis approach to the problem of wheat production is presented. The approach employs questionnaire survey data to construct wheat enterprise budgets. The budgets as well as direct statistical tests are discussed as means of evaluating hypotheses on resource use. The study suggests that economies of size exist in wheat production in Zimbabwe. / Master of Science

This dissertation contains three essays in strategic trade theory. They focus on the effects of trade barriers on the social welfare of an individual country through the effects of these barriers on the behavior of firms. Our analyses are undertaken in models with imperfectly competitive market structures. The assumption of imperfectly competitive market structures leads to certain conclusions that differ from those in the existing literature, where perfect competition is assumed. The first essay is a survey sampling recent papers dealing with the topics mentioned above. Specifically, we choose papers on trade barriers in imperfectly competitive markets, according to the types of models--static vs dynamic--and to the types of trade barriers--quotas, tariffs, voluntary export restraints, etc. We consider the case of almost every combination of the previous classifications. From this survey we find that once the assumption of perfect competition is removed, the outcome for a particular trade barrier depends critically on details of the model used. In the second essay, simple oligopolistic models are used to examine the welfare effects arising from a quota. The trade-off faced by a policymaker (concerned only with the welfare of his own country) when there is ’competition’ between foreign and domestic firms for a domestic market, is highlighted. Moreover, the impact of differing numbers of and cost differences between domestic and foreign firms is investigated. The third essay considers a repeated game with three players, two quantity-setting firms and one quota-setting government. In this model the differing effects of quotas and VER’s on the actions of firms are explored. The focus is on how a quota (or the threat of a quota) can be used not only to break up collusive behavior but also to prevent the firms from colluding in the first place. Further, various ways in which quotas can be used by the government to actually improve on the static Cournot-Nash equilibrium outcome are examined. This last result is somewhat surprising since typically in quantity-setting trade models the static Cournot-Nash equilibrium (though second best) is the benchmark used to judge various outcomes (i.e. the closer to the C-N equilibrium, the better the outcome). Indeed, quotas are usually considered clumsy instruments, inferior to some other industrial policy. However, careful use of the threat potential inherent in quotas is shown to enforce outcomes which approach the competitive solution. / Ph. D.

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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1948 S46 / Master of Science

The prime aim of this work is to examine the industrial relations of the Northumberland and Durham Coal Industry in the period 1825 - 1845. In order to do so comprehensively several different themes are examined. The North-eastern coalfield had a history of m~n~ng enterprises dating back to monastic and other medieval ecclesiastical ventures. It had witnessed expansion and development under the monopolistic Grand Alliance of aristocratic owners in the eighteenth-century. And in the second quarter of the nineteenth-century it presented a multifaceted pattern of ownership varying from some of the largest territorial magnates in the two counties to partnership~composedof representatives of the mercantile, industrial, professional and squirearchic elites of the area. The regularly-expanding labour force was initially composed of a localised aristocracy of skilled labour, who developed strong bonds of occupational solidarity, loyalty and craft-pride. They also had a strong sense of occupational status. Attitudes and beliefs developed within the workplac~ pervaded community relationships and structures) and gave them a cohesive and essentially insular character in which local traditions and folk-lore and bucolic leisure activities continued to predominate. The pitmen had a history of combination and industrial action dating back to the mid-eighteenth-century and their trade unions were craft-orientated, moderate and community-based. Disputes reflected the men's concern with status and privileges, which from the 1820's were being threatened by the employers attempts to rationalise the production processes and reduce costs. In the period under consideration there were two major strikes (1831-2 and 1844): the second involving the national trade union, the Miners' Association of Great Britain and Ireland. Strikes affected the whole community and the pit populations responded with a degree of solidarity which made the enforcement of law and order difficult. The history of the pitmen's trade unions, and their relationship with the coal owners has not been considered in detail since 1923. Using newly-available source material this work will assess the situation using as its basis the pitmen's own perceptions of the situation, to provide a framework in which to analyse their relationship with the employers.

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This thesis has investigated various opinions of Muslim Imams and Scholars which are reviewed and meticulously discussed while making an effort to identify certain transactions and arrive at the best and most accepted judgments pertaining to buying and selling issues in the market place. The study defines lawful and unlawful Trade Practices within the Islamic Sharīʻah and discusses rules and conditions pertaining to each. It also discusses certain types and scenarios which might be considered lawful or unlawful after investigating scholars‟ opinions and arguments. This study examines Trade Practices in the world of business and commercial transactions from an Islamic perspective and focusses on the basics of Islamic Trade Practices law. In particular, emphasis is placed on investigating lawful and unlawful Trade Practices of early Islamic commercial transactions while identifying parallels to determine modern-day transactions as sanctioned or not by the Islamic Sharīʻah. The researcher has explained that the basics of Islamic Sharīʻah guarantee the rights of both the seller and buyer with emphasis on maintaining an economy free of monopoly and cheating of any kind. While the seller is encouraged to honesty transactions and makes profit, guarantees are given to the customers that cheating or misguidance is forbidden within the spirit of true Islamic commercial transactions‟ teachings. The study has also focused on ethics as playing a decisive role in commercial transactions in a way that may affect the validity of sale contracts. Finally, the study calls for revitalising Islamic basics and rules to be more in tune with modern-day Trade Practices and business transactions in the organisation of trading in the market place and the world of business at large.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration