Suchergebnisse

Smallholder farmers around the globe are facing unstable productivity due to changing climate and weather patterns. The ways in which the private sector supports these farmers to build resilience to climate change and/or engage in efforts to mitigate climate change can have significant impact on the ability for farmers to make a living, the security of supply of smallholder crops, and the reputation of the private sector actors drawing loyalty of end consumers and investors. As part of an effort to better engage the private sector in climate smart agriculture activities the Learning Community for Supply Chain Resilience, funded by USAID's Feed the Future program and in support of the Alliance for Resilient Coffee (ARC), interviewed 18 coffee companies to better understand how they think about climate risk and climate smart agriculture, the types of activities in which they engage, and the types of climate information they use and/or need1. The results of this study are supplemented by results from a case study of Ugandan coffee companies, illustrating how their use of and need for climate information differs at the national level. The results give insight into the types of information that private sector companies are looking for to be able to design and implement effective climate smart agriculture programs. It also yields some insight on information and tools that would facilitate sector-level strategies. While all of the companies interviewed are engaged in sustainable agriculture activities, there is confusion in the sector about the definition of "climate smart agriculture" and which activities fall under that category rather than the broader "sustainability" category. Companies that worked closely with farmers, tended to not separate efforts into climate or sustainability efforts, but rather focused on holistic programs to increase productivity and make farming a viable option for today's farmers and an attractive option for the next generation. Companies in the study used a variety of types of climate information depending on their needs, which were seen to have more relation to their distance to smallholder farmers rather than position in the supply chain as a trader or roaster. The proximity to farm level along with results on drivers for decision-making, motivations for investing in climate smart practices (focus on security of supply or brand reputation) and influencers (integration of sustainability staff with procurement/sourcing or strong company values) all informed our categorization of different types of companies. For this paper, we are using three categories of (i) "direct service providers" (those providing integrated services to smallholder farmers), (ii) "collaborators" (those working with direct service providers to support work with smallholder farmers), and (iii) "catalysts" those working at global, sector or policy level on climate issues with a light touch at the farm level. These categories are intended to serve as general guideposts as the Alliance for Resilient Coffee and other partners develop and tailor tools and analyses for different audiences. Companies working closest to smallholder farmers (direct service providers) had the most access to and need for detailed farm-level data, and are looking for more local information to supplement their knowledge, such as changing local weather patterns, site-specific good agricultural practices (GAPs) and recommendations for adaptation practices for particular climate hazards. Those working with the direct service providers (the collaborators) depend on the direct service providers for information to shape their program design and implementation. These companies often work in collaborations at a slightly higher level, looking to area-specific climate maps and case studies on successful programming to inform a broader strategy. Those furthest from the farm level, (the catalysts) rely on secondary sources of information from sector groups, such as backbone organizations and trade groups, as well as suppliers and desk research to answer particular questions and develop strategy. Although differing depending on their role in the supply chain, there were several types of information that many of the companies were interested in using and felt were missing to make decisions about climate smart activities. These included (i) quality, site-specific information for improved diagnostics, (ii) information to help measure and manage climate risk and (iii) information related to specific, practical technologies to build resilience. There was also a common call from all companies for easier access to quality, digestible information and fewer long, academic papers that are hard to find the time to read. One of the key findings of this study is that in order to successfully approach companies and tailor tools and resources to their needs, tool/resource developers need to understand the role of climate smart agriculture within their business model and sustainability strategy, their motivations for investing in climate smart agriculture and the types of tools and resources that would most benefit them. This study is a deep dive into the drivers for climate investments by a subset of global coffee companies and as such not a comprehensive, definitive picture of the state of the entire industry. However, through conversations with the first mover companies, it is clear that climate change is a recognized and present issue with all companies regardless of position in the value chain. There was no reticence or denial of the severity of the threat nor a lack of recognition of the potential impact to companies' bottom line from climate change among those interviewed. There was rather an almost universal engagement and enthusiasm that the sector – companies, farmers, government, donors, research, NGOs – must tackle this threat together and act fast. There was a sense of urgency and even impatience from some that the strategies and programs must be better coordinated, informed by credible science and rigorously practical for farmers' realities. With access to the right information in the right format, coffee companies will be more likely to utilize tools and resources to make informed decisions in the face of climate change.

Al pensar en la producción agropecuaria en Colombia en términos de una nueva ruralidad, se hace evidente que las economías agropecuarias de escala, requieren de impulso y optimización en materia de tecnificación y al mismo tiempo a nivel de logística. A pesar de inversiones en materia de infraestructura y de la existencia de un espacio jurídico que promulga la competitividad, las prácticas logísticas actuales del sector agropecuario son insuficientes para desarrollar la política de seguridad alimentaria nacional PSAN. Más aún, para los Pequeños y Medianos Productores (PyMP), el riesgo es mayor, pues el producir bajo el principio de economía de escala disminuye el precio promedio de sus productos y los abruma con costos de transporte (i.e. logísticos) que reduce aún más sus ganancias. El desarrollo de esta tesis de investigación detalla una estrategia para la configuración de la logística de un sistema de recolección de carga para PyMP de fruta en el departamento de Boyacá, a partir de la idea de una plataforma rural logística: una colección de centros de consolidación de la carga de los PyMP, junto con una estrategia de rutas para consolidar la carga y reducir los costos especializados y de transporte de los PyMP. El modelo matemático subyacente a esta propuesta pretende minimizar los costos totales asociados a la administración y operación logística de los PyMP, su desarrollo se enmarca en un modelo clasificado en tres etapas (clusterización, localización y ruteo), los primeros dos resueltos por programación entera mixta y el ruteo por medio de un paquete de meta-heurísticas que permitieron diversificar los escenarios de solución. El modelo utilizado se enfrenta a restricciones generales y específicas de la situación de los PyMP en Boyacá (e.g. pérdidas de producto, capacidad, demanda, distancias máximas recorridas). La investigación presenta la novedad de un sistema de costo por kilómentro vehicular recorrido no estándar, que tiene en cuenta factores específicos tal como el estado y geometría de la red vial, así como tipología del vehículo utilizado. Esto permite acercar el modelo de ruteo a una realidad del contexto propio de infraestructura del departamento. El resultado de esta tesis genera la creación de dos centros de acopio en los municipios de Jenesano y Chiquinquirá, los cuales por medio de un sistema de ruteo consolidan la fruta producida de 32 y 17 municipios del departamento respectivamente. Los resultados obtenidos en este proyecto dan como referencia un costo logístico entre el 13,85% y el 15.09% que incluyen valor agregado puesto que presenta servicios adicionales de empaque y embalaje sobre la carga. El porcentaje obtenido - en esta investigación - sin este servicio es equivalente al 3% del precio de venta del producto, lo que permite identificar que la propuesta tiene un importante valor para el mejoramiento de los costos de transporte, distribución y almacenamiento (parcial), en comparación a lo registrado por el informe nacional de competitividad que calcula un costo logístico nacional aproximado del 15%. ; Abstract: Thinking about the colombian agricultural production in terms of a new rurality sheds a light over the thought of applying scale economies to the agricultural sector of Colombia, and is insidious to point the need of investment in both industrialization and the logistics of agricultural production. Despite major investments of road infrastructure, and the existence of political for competitiveness, current practices in the agricultural sector are insufficient to cope with the national PSAN policy (alimentary security). For small and medium-sized produce-farmers (PyMP for short), the risk is even higher, for the additional logistics costs compromise their earnings due to the fact that distribution costs, leech their earnings and reduces their income. This research made a strategy for the configuration of a logistical system in the Departamento de Boyacá, in charge of freight consolidation for PyMP, that can be accommodated within the concept of a logistical rural platform: a collection of freight consolidation centers within the Departamento de Boyacá, alongside with a route planning strategy to reduce their transport costs as well as other specialized spendings (e.g. packaging). The underlying mathematical model in our proposal optimizes the total costs associated to the management and operation of the PyMP in the Departamento de Boyacá minding the actual topography and geography of the Departamento, as well as the type of vehicles currently used. First, we clusterize the PyMP population and their production throughout the Departamento de Boyacá to locate the majority of production, and locate possible consolidation centers using mixed integer programming, to finish with the design of a routing system using a pack of meta-heuristic to analyze possible different scenarios. The model hereby constructed is tailored to the specific situation of the Departamento de Boyacá in matters of cargo loss, capacity, demand, maximal path distance, etc. and introduces as a novelty a cost-per-kilometer model that is routed through the actual road system of Boyacá and constitutes our novelty over previously conducted projects. Our results suggest that two centers in the municipalities of Jenesano and Chiquinquirá should be constructed, so that they may consolidate the cargo of 32 and 17 other municipalities respectively. Our model shows that the implementation of our consolidation centers can function properly by charging only 3% of the price of the fruit, which is significantly lower than prices paid to intermediaries currently. In addition, our proposal wishes to raise awareness on possible political control measures on existing intermediaries on the production and distribution chain in Boyacá. We remark the importance of re-elaborating the concept of economies of scale in the agricultural sector that feature practices as cooperation, association and integration for each link the distribution chain for the fresh fruit agricultural sector, so that we can witness in it continuous growth, self-organization, and technification as suggested by government planning and the colombian state. ; Maestría

Yesterday, The Washington
Post published an op-ed
piece written by Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines
about the awful wildfire season we've been experiencing here in Montana and the
West. It is good to bring attention to an issue that has gotten lost in the
coverage of the widespread devastation hitting Texas, Florida, and now Puerto
Rico during an unusually intense start to the hurricane season.



It is troubling, however, how Senator Daines takes a
very complicated issue—the causes and consequences of wildfire—and lays blame
squarely on the shoulders of "radical environmentalists" and their lawsuits,
which he purports prevent efforts to clear and thin trees by forest managers.  If these lawsuits would only cease, writes
Daines, wildfires would be less intensive, less pervasive, and produce fewer
damaging greenhouse gases. And, perhaps as importantly, Montanans would have
more jobs as there would be more timber for mills to process into lumber. Stop
the lawsuits, and everyone would benefit!



Senator Daines was a champion debater in high school,
and like a skilled orator, he does his best to frame the facts to best advance
his core thesis. In so doing, he intentionally obscures or downplays the
biggest drivers of fire: temperature
and climate. At best, that's disingenuous. At worst,
it gives us false hope for the power of forest management in stemming the
effects of wildfire in the West.



Let's unpack just one point Senator Daines makes in
his article: the association between acres burned and declining timber
harvests. Daines tells us that "If you look at the
decline in timber harvests on National Forest land since 1990, you can't miss
the correlation between harvesting and wildfire. Harvests drastically declined
and, combined with the legal obstacles preventing the removal of fire
fuel, wildfires grew larger and more
severe. We have effectively increased the risk of wildfire by allowing
cluttered forest floors to build up with more material that can burn."



The logic seems crystal clear: Declining
timber harvests have increased fuel loads, which lead to more and more
intensive forest fires. The reason? Lawsuits from the aforementioned radical
environmentalists. And Senator Daines links to a study conducted by The Nature Conservancy
and the U.S. Forest Service in support of his claim that "an abundance of
science shows that a properly managed forest would reduce the size and severity
of wildfires." Stop the lawsuits, and we'll have better managed forests with
smaller and less severe wildfires, he argues.



If only it were so simple. This Sunday morning, MTN is airing a Face the State
devoted to the problem of fire in the West. I encourage you to tune in. In
preparing for the show, it was immediately apparent to me how complicated the
issue of fire is in the American West even if I am not a fire ecologist—or any
kind of ecologist.



But there's one thing I do know as a social
scientist—and it's something that Senator Daines surely knows, too, as an
engineer: Correlation does not equal causation. Senator Daines makes a causal
claim when he asks us to look at the correlation between timber harvests and
forest fire intensity. But simple bivariate relationships are not evidence that
X generates Y; indeed, these simple associations are often misleading without
having undergone a rigorous statistical analysis. (For a bit of fun, check out
this website (LINK)
devoted to correlations which are not causally related, such as the decline of
pirates and rising global temperatures or people falling and drowning in pools
and the release of Nicolas Cage movies). If I were to draw a causal conclusion
from these relationships, we should be able to fix global warming by issuing
more letters of marque or keeping Nicolas Cage away from the box office.
Clearly, that's absurd! And it is just as absurd to make forest policy based
upon two trends moving together without a deeper analysis controlling for other
factors.


Clearly, to address global warming, we need...Pirates!




Most troubling is that Senator Daines conspicuously
ignores two key factors in his opinion piece: climate and temperature.
According to fire ecologists and foresters, those are the key drivers of fire
intensity and growth—and forest management or lack thereof plays a much smaller
role (this recent
example). You would hardly know that, however, from reading
the Senator's article.  You also would
not know that fire is an essential part of a healthy Western forest which
requires its regenerative powers to remain in balance and even to allow certain
species to propagate (such as the ubiquitous lodge pole pine).



Finally, an abundance of science
clearly demonstrates that carbon emissions by humans is a
critical factor responsible for climate change which is leading to hotter and
drier summers in the West. To reduce the likelihood of the West burning, we
should pursue policies that would reduce those emissions. Senator Daines claims
that thinning our forests would reduce the release of dangerous greenhouse
gases, but has refused to acknowledge in this piece and elsewhere that carbonemissions from the burning of fossil fuels is responsible for precisely the
conditions most directly responsible for leaving our forests in cinders.



I could go on, as Dr. Diana Six of UM, a leading
expert on pine beetles,
has argued that thinning itself by pine beetles
helps our forests adapt to the new realities of a warming world and that
thinning by cuts might stymie an important natural process. Declining timber
yields in Montana have less to do with lawsuits and more to do with the free
market (lumber companies moving south where trees grow faster and wages are
lower) and unfair trade practices (government subsidies for timber in Canada)—here's
an extensive
report on the issue published in 2005.



Bottom line: There are no silver bullets when it comes
to fire in the West, and we need our elected officials to start leading an
honest discussion instead of providing us with false hope and convenient scape
goats for a problem that is much larger and messier than Senator Daines
suggests.

Guest editors: Joanne Lehrer (Université du Québec en Outaouais), Christine Massing (University of Regina), Scott Hughes (Mount Royal University), and Alaina Roach O'Keefe (University of Prince Edward Island)Not only is professional learning conceptualised as critical for increasing educational quality and enhancing children's learning and developmental outcomes (e.g. Lazarri et al., 2013; Munton et al., 2002; Penn, 2009; Vandenbroeck et al., 2016), but specific elements of professional learning (in both initial and continuing education, or preservice and in-service learning) have been identified as essential to transforming early childhood educators' and preschool teachers' professional identities and practice. For example, critical and supported reflection (Thomas & Packer, 2013), learning experiences that target entire teams (Vangrieken, Dochy, & Raes, 2016), collaborative and empowering practice (Helterbran & Fennimore, 2004), and competent leadership (Colmer et al., 2008) have all been found to be effective means of supporting professional learning.While there appears to be consensus in the literature around what needs to be done, and even around how it should be done, numerous constraints prevent the implementation and maintenance of sustainable and transformational professional learning in ECEC. Vandenbroeck and colleagues (2016) go beyond the focus on individuals and childcare teams, identifying two further levels necessary for competent systems of professional learning: partnerships between local early childhood programs and social, cultural, and educational institutions (such as colleges and universities); and governance regarding vision, finance, and monitoring. In the Canadian context, the Canadian Child Care Federation has also stressed the importance of a system-wide strategy to strengthen the child care workforce (CCCF, 2016). However, early childhood services in Canada are under the purview of the provincial and territorial governments and, therefore, the conditions, regulations, certification requirements, curriculum documents, and educational systems vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The educational requirements for certification, for example, may include no formal training (in NWT and Nunavut), one entry-level short course, one-year certificates, or two-year diplomas. This complicates efforts to define who the early childhood professional is and what opportunities are constitutive of professional learning (Prochner, Cleghorn, Kirova, & Massing, 2016). While these disparities within the field may impede the development of a cohesive strategy, Campbell et al. (2016) recently asserted that much can be learned from sharing and appreciating the rich diversity of approaches to professional learning both within and across provinces and territories. In addition, examples from other countries serve to broaden the discussion and expand our understanding of what is possible (Vandenboreock et al., 2016).This special issue, then, is dedicated to sharing stories of hope and coordinated action, linking theory with practice. We seek Canadian and international submissions related to professional learning practices that extend beyond individual programs, showcasing partnerships and community mobilization efforts within and across various settings for young children (child care, Kindergarten, drop-in centres, etc.) in relation to philosophical, practical, critical, transformative, personal, and/or hopeful themes. Each submission will respond to one or more of the key questions, including, but not limited to:How can professional learning be conceptualised?How do we build and maintain effective partnerships to foster professional learning?What strategies for transformative community mobilization might be shared?How can innovative strategies be applied on a wider scale?How might taken-for-granted professional learning and evaluation practice be disrupted?What story about professional learning do you need (or want) to tell?How has your community been transformed through a particular activity, event, or practice?How might the lives and futures of children be positively shaped by engagement in partnerships and mobilization?Where might we be in 5, 10, or 15 years through such endeavours?We welcome submissions in multiple formats, including research articles, theoretical papers, multimedia pieces, art work, book reviews, and so forth. These may be submitted in English, French, or in any Canadian Indigenous language. Submissions are due August 1, 2017 and should be submitted as per Journal of Childhood Studies submission guidelines. ReferencesCampbell, C., Osmond-Johnson, P., Faubert, B., Zeichner, K., Hobbs-Johnson, A. with S. Brown, P. DaCosta, A. Hales, L. Kuehn, J. Sohn, & K. Steffensen (2016). The state of educators' professional learning in Canada. Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.Canadian Child Care Foundation [CCCF], (2016). An Early Learning and Child Care Framework for Canada's Children. Retrieved from: http://www.cccf-fcsge.ca/wp-content/uploads/CCCF_Framework-ENG.pdfColmer, K., Waniganayake, M. & Field, L. (2014). Leading professional learning in early childhood centres: who are the educational leaders?, Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 39(4), 103-113.Helterbran, V.R. & Fennimore, B.S. (2004). Early childhood professional development: Building from a base of teacher investigation. Early Childhood Education Journal, 31(4), 267-271.Lazarri, A., Picchio, M., & Musatti, T. (2013). Sustaining ECEC quality through continuing professional development: systemic approaches to practitioners' professionalization in the Italian context. Early Years: An International Research Journal, 33(2), 133-145.Munton, T., Mooney, A., Moss, P., Petrie, P., Calrk, A., Woolner, J. et al., (2002). Research on ratios, group size, and staff qualifications and training in early years and childcare settings. London: University of London.Penn, H. (2009). Early childhood education and care: Key lessons from research for policy makers. Brussels: Nesse.Prochner, L., Cleghorn, A., Kirova, A., & Massing, C. (2016). Teacher education in diverse settings: Making space for intersecting worldviews. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.Thomas, S., & Packer, D. S. (2013). A Reflective Teaching Road Map for Pre-service and Novice Early Childhood Educators. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 5(1), 1-14.Vandenbroeck, M., Peeters, J., Urban, M. & Lazzari, A. (2016). Introduction. In M. Vandenbroeck, M. Urban & J. Peeters (Eds.) Pathways to Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care, (pp. 1-14). London: Routledge.Vangrieken, K., Dochy, F., & Raes, E. (2016). Team learning in teacher teams: team entitativity as a bridge between teams-in-theory and teams-in-practice. European Journal Of Psychology Of Education - EJPE (Springer Science & Business Media B.V.), 31(3), 275-298. doi:10.1007/s10212-015-0279-0

[spa] En plena crisis ecológica a nivel global es imprescindible reconocer el valor de las políticas públicas para la transición hacia el desarrollo sostenible. En Chile, la presencia de conflictos socioambientales pone de manifiesto el enfrentamiento de visiones estratégicas para la sostenibilidad regional, dejando en evidencia la incapacidad del sistema de planificación para conciliar tales posiciones. La aparición de la Evaluación Ambiental Estratégica (EIA) es una oportunidad para enfrentar ese escenario, superando la ineficiencia mostrada por el proceso de Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental (EIA) y fortaleciendo el rol de la Estrategia Regional de Desarrollo (ERD) y el Plan Regional de Ordenamiento Territorial (PROT). En consecuencia, teniendo como objetivo determinar la capacidad del sistema de planificación del desarrollo regional para promover la sostenibilidad de los territorios subnacionales, se evalúan los énfasis estratégicos de las 15 ERD y cuatro PROT vigentes (Taxonomía de la Sostenibilidad), los principios básicos de la sostenibilidad de las normas legales de EAE (DS 32/2015) y EIA (DS 40/2013) (Principios de Bellagio), las características estratégicas para el desarrollo sostenible en el PROT Los Ríos, una vez aplicada la EAE (Método ASSIPAC), y las definiciones operativas para la promoción de la sostenibilidad de tres proyectos de esta misma región (Método COMPASS). Los resultados indican la existencia de una alta variabilidad en las definiciones estratégicas de las ERD y PROT, con un acentuado énfasis en el desarrollo económico, siendo aún mayor en los instrumentos de planificación territorial. Mientras que para las ERD, son los instrumentos de la Región de Aysén y la Región de Antofagasta los que presentan un mayor equilibrio de unidades estratégicas para la sostenibilidad; en el caso de los PROT, ese lugar corresponde a la Región de Los Ríos. La valoración de ambos instrumentos presentan relación con el volumen de conflictos socioambientales y la magnitud de los proyectos generadores de impacto ambiental, poniendo de manifiesto la voluntad de la política regional para hacer frente a dicho fenómeno, y del plan para concentrar territorialmente las actividades económicas y productivas, resguardando las zonas de mayor fragilidad territorial (ciudades y áreas de protección natural). Por otro lado, tanto EAE como EIA no resultan ser instrumentos que permitan la inclusión de la sostenibilidad sobre sus objetos de evaluación, siguiendo la tendencia de instrumentos normativos de la Unión Europea y Estados Unidos. No obstante, la aplicación de estos procesos normativos facilita que se incorporen en el PROT y los proyectos respectivos, las definiciones estratégicas de la ERD, demostrando el impacto de la política regional sobre todo el sistema de planificación del desarrollo regional. Solo la voluntad política de los Gobiernos Regionales en cuanto a los objetivos de la sostenibilidad podría desencadenar que el sistema de planificación del desarrollo permita el tránsito hacia ella. En caso contrario, cualquier acción de la administración regional solo profundizará el desencuentro en las visiones del desarrollo regional con la potencial ocurrencia de mayores conflictos. ; [eng] In the midst of a global environmental crisis it is essential to acknowledge the value of public policies in the transition towards sustainable development. In Chile, the presence of socio-environmental conflicts has shed light on the confrontation of strategic visions for regional sustainability, revealing the planning system's failure to reconcile such positions. The emergence of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (EAE) represents an opportunity to address this scenario, overcoming the inefficiency shown by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and strengthening the role of the Regional Development Strategy (ERD) and the Regional Land Use Plan (PROT). As a consequence, and with the aim of determining the capability of the regional development planning system to promote the sustainability of sub-national territories, we shall evaluate the strategic emphases of the 15 ERDs and four PROTs which are currently in force (Taxonomy of Sustainability), the basic principles of sustainability in the EAE (DS 32/2015) and EIA (DS 40/2013) legal standards (Bellagio Principles), the strategic characteristics for sustainable development in Los Ríos PROT following implementation of the EAE (ASSIPAC Method), and finally the operational definitions for the promotion of sustainability in three projects in this same region (COMPASS Method). The results indicate the existence of a high variability in the strategic definitions of ERDs and PROTs, with a marked emphasis on economic development, this being even greater in teritorial planning instruments. While in terms of ERDs it is the instruments of the Aysén Región and the Antofagasta Region that present a greater balance of strategic units for sustainability, in terms of PROTs this place corresponds to the Los Ríos Region. The evaluation of both types of instruments indicates that these are connected with the volume of socio-environmental conflicts and the scale of projects which generate an environmental impact, revealing the desire of regional policies to tackle this phenomenon and of the plan to concentrate economic and productive activities territorially, safeguarding the areas of greater territorial fragility (cities and protected natural areas). On the other hand, neither the EAE nor the EIA have shown themselves to be instruments which allow the inclusion of sustainability in their objects of evaluation, following the tendency towards regulatory instruments as seen in the European Union and the United States. However, the application of these regulatory processes enables the strategic definitions of the ERD to be incorporated in the PROT and its respective projects, demonstrating the impact of regional policy on the entire planning system for regional development. Only the political will of Regional Governments with regard to the aims of sustainability could prompt the development planning system to allow for a transition towards this sustainability. Otherwise, any action by the regional administration would only deepen the discord in visions of regional development, with the potential for greater conflicts to occur.

Комплексні заходи державної та регіональної туристичної політики, підкріплені належним фінансуванням і узгодженістю проектів сталого розвитку туризму в Карпатському регіоні України з проектами інших відомств і міністерств, а також з міжнародними нормативно-правовими актами з регулювання туристичної діяльності створюють передумови для успішного та перспективного розвитку туристичної галузі. При цьому має значно збільшитися обсяг надання туристичних послуг як на внутрішньому, так і міжнародному туристичних ринках, а також буде сформовано на міжнародній арені позитивний туристичний імідж України загалом і Карпатського регіону зокрема. Як і в будь-якій сфері бізнес-діяльності, так і в туристичній галузі існують ризики реалізації проектів сталого розвитку, як би там вони не були підкріплені фінансово, нормативно-правовими актами і підтримкою місцевої влади. Управління ризиками – невід'ємна частина ефективного управління будь-яким проектом. При цьому менеджер проекту, як особа, що планує, управляє та здійснює постійний контроль за всіма етапами виконання проекту, повинен чітко і ефективно управляти ризиками його реалізації. Він також має оцінювати можливість втрат від реалізації того чи іншого заходу і прагнути до мінімізації збитків при настанні ризикованих подій. Впровадження міжнародних стандартів у процес управління ризиками може дати можливість керівникам проектів сталого розвитку туризму в Карпатському регіоні зробити це управління більш ефективним і максимізувати потенційні можливості та мінімізувати затрати в ході досягнення стратегічних цілей проектів. Успішна реалізація проектів сталого розвитку туризму в Карпатському регіоні потребує наукових розробок щодо вдосконалення методів, прийомів, стандартів управління ризиками та їхнього аналізу, які б спиралися на міжнародний досвід, а також враховували особливості економічної та соціально-політичної ситуації в Україні. В роботі запропоновано підхід до кількісного оцінювання ризиків виконання проектів сталого розвитку туризму і на їхній основі визначення якісного стану реалізації проекту та можливих дій щодо усунення негативних наслідків від впливу цих ризиків. ; Комплексные меры государственной и региональной туристической политики, подкрепленные должным финансированием и согласованностью проектов устойчивого развития туризма в Карпатском регионе Украины с проектами других ведомств и министерств, а также с международными нормативно-правовыми актами по регулированию туристической деятельности создают предпосылки для успешного и перспективного развития туристической отрасли. При этом должно значительно увеличиться объем предоставления туристических услуг как на внутреннем, так и международном туристических рынках, а также будет сформирован на международной арене положительный туристический имидж Украины в целом и Карпатского региона в частности. В то же время, как и в любой сфере бизнес-деятельности, так и в туристической отрасли существуют риски реализации проектов устойчивого развития, как бы там они не были подкреплены финансово, нормативно-правовыми актами и поддержкой местных властей. Управление рисками - неотъемлемая часть эффективного управления любым проектом. При этом менеджер проекта, как лицо, планирует, управляет и осуществляет постоянный контроль за всеми этапами выполнения проекта, должен четко и эффективно управлять рисками его реализации. Он также оценивать возможность потерь от реализации того или иного мероприятия и стремиться к минимизации убытков при наступлении рискованных событий. Внедрение международных стандартов в процесс управления рисками может дать возможность руководителям проектов устойчивого развития туризма в Карпатском регионе сделать это управление более эффективным и максимизировать потенциальные возможности и минимизировать затраты в ходе достижения стратегических целей проектов. Успешная реализация проектов устойчивого развития туризма в Карпатском регионе требует научных разработок по совершенствованию методов, приемов, стандартов управления рисками и их анализа, которые опирались на международный опыт, а также учитывали особенности экономической и социально-политической ситуации в Украине. В работе предложен подход к количественной оценки рисков осуществления проектов устойчивого развития туризма и на их основе определения качественного состояния реализации проекта и возможных действий по устранению негативных последствий влияния этих рисков. ; Complex measures of state and regional tourism policy supported by proper financing and coherence of sustainable tourism development projects in the Carpathian region of Ukraine with projects of other departments and ministries, international normative and legal acts in regulating tourism activity create preconditions for successful and perspective development of tourism industry. At the same time, the volume of providing tourist services in the domestic and international tourist markets should increase considerably, as well as the positive tourist image of Ukraine in general and the Carpathian region in particular will be formed on the international scene.However, as in any sphere of business activities, as well as in the tourism industry there are risks of implementing sustainable development projects, whatever they may be supported financially, by normative and legal acts and local government support. Risk management is an integral part of effective management of any project. At the same time, the project manager, as a person who plans, manages and provides constant monitoring of all sections of the project, must clearly and effectively manage the risks of its implementation. He should also evaluate the possibility of losses from a particular event and seek to minimize losses upon the occurrence of risky events. The introduction of international standards in the risk management process can enable managers of sustainable tourism development projects in the Carpathian region to make this management more efficient, maximize potential opportunities, and minimize costs in achieving the strategic goals of projects. It was found that in spite of theoretical and practical experience in the field of risk management, a number of circumstances hinders its effective use in the tourism industry in the Ukrainian realities.First of all, the standards developed by foreign organizations are intended for use, mainly in large tourist companies, experienced specialists of which have been trained and have modern risk management techniques. In addition, standard developers, mostly, directly indicate, "the identification of the organization's risks, as a rule, should be conducted by independent consultants". Therefore, domestic project-oriented tourist companies need some adaptation of the content of these documents to their activities. Successful implementation of sustainable tourism development projects in the Carpathian region requires scientific research on improving methods, techniques, risk management standards and their analysis based on international experience, as well as taking into account the peculiarities of the economic and socio-political situation in Ukraine. The paper proposes an approach to quantitatively assessing the risks of implementing sustainable tourism development projects and, on the basis of them, determining the qualitative state of the project implementation and possible actions to eliminate the negative effects of these risks.

Guest editors: Joanne Lehrer (Université du Québec en Outaouais), Christine Massing (University of Regina), Scott Hughes (Mount Royal University), and Alaina Roach O'Keefe (University of Prince Edward Island)Not only is professional learning conceptualised as critical for increasing educational quality and enhancing children's learning and developmental outcomes (e.g. Lazarri et al., 2013; Munton et al., 2002; Penn, 2009; Vandenbroeck et al., 2016), but specific elements of professional learning (in both initial and continuing education, or preservice and in-service learning) have been identified as essential to transforming early childhood educators' and preschool teachers' professional identities and practice. For example, critical and supported reflection (Thomas & Packer, 2013), learning experiences that target entire teams (Vangrieken, Dochy, & Raes, 2016), collaborative and empowering practice (Helterbran & Fennimore, 2004), and competent leadership (Colmer et al., 2008) have all been found to be effective means of supporting professional learning.While there appears to be consensus in the literature around what needs to be done, and even around how it should be done, numerous constraints prevent the implementation and maintenance of sustainable and transformational professional learning in ECEC. Vandenbroeck and colleagues (2016) go beyond the focus on individuals and childcare teams, identifying two further levels necessary for competent systems of professional learning: partnerships between local early childhood programs and social, cultural, and educational institutions (such as colleges and universities); and governance regarding vision, finance, and monitoring. In the Canadian context, the Canadian Child Care Federation has also stressed the importance of a system-wide strategy to strengthen the child care workforce (CCCF, 2016). However, early childhood services in Canada are under the purview of the provincial and territorial governments and, therefore, the conditions, regulations, certification requirements, curriculum documents, and educational systems vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The educational requirements for certification, for example, may include no formal training (in NWT and Nunavut), one entry-level short course, one-year certificates, or two-year diplomas. This complicates efforts to define who the early childhood professional is and what opportunities are constitutive of professional learning (Prochner, Cleghorn, Kirova, & Massing, 2016). While these disparities within the field may impede the development of a cohesive strategy, Campbell et al. (2016) recently asserted that much can be learned from sharing and appreciating the rich diversity of approaches to professional learning both within and across provinces and territories. In addition, examples from other countries serve to broaden the discussion and expand our understanding of what is possible (Vandenboreock et al., 2016).This special issue, then, is dedicated to sharing stories of hope and coordinated action, linking theory with practice. We seek Canadian and international submissions related to professional learning practices that extend beyond individual programs, showcasing partnerships and community mobilization efforts within and across various settings for young children (child care, Kindergarten, drop-in centres, etc.) in relation to philosophical, practical, critical, transformative, personal, and/or hopeful themes. Each submission will respond to one or more of the key questions, including, but not limited to:How can professional learning be conceptualised?How do we build and maintain effective partnerships to foster professional learning?What strategies for transformative community mobilization might be shared?How can innovative strategies be applied on a wider scale?How might taken-for-granted professional learning and evaluation practice be disrupted?What story about professional learning do you need (or want) to tell?How has your community been transformed through a particular activity, event, or practice?How might the lives and futures of children be positively shaped by engagement in partnerships and mobilization?Where might we be in 5, 10, or 15 years through such endeavours?We welcome submissions in multiple formats, including research articles, theoretical papers, multimedia pieces, art work, book reviews, and so forth. These may be submitted in English, French, or in any Canadian Indigenous language. Submissions are due August 1, 2017 and should be submitted as per Journal of Childhood Studies submission guidelines. ReferencesCampbell, C., Osmond-Johnson, P., Faubert, B., Zeichner, K., Hobbs-Johnson, A. with S. Brown, P. DaCosta, A. Hales, L. Kuehn, J. Sohn, & K. Steffensen (2016). The state of educators' professional learning in Canada. Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.Canadian Child Care Foundation [CCCF], (2016). An Early Learning and Child Care Framework for Canada's Children. Retrieved from: http://www.cccf-fcsge.ca/wp-content/uploads/CCCF_Framework-ENG.pdfColmer, K., Waniganayake, M. & Field, L. (2014). Leading professional learning in early childhood centres: who are the educational leaders?, Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 39(4), 103-113.Helterbran, V.R. & Fennimore, B.S. (2004). Early childhood professional development: Building from a base of teacher investigation. Early Childhood Education Journal, 31(4), 267-271.Lazarri, A., Picchio, M., & Musatti, T. (2013). Sustaining ECEC quality through continuing professional development: systemic approaches to practitioners' professionalization in the Italian context. Early Years: An International Research Journal, 33(2), 133-145.Munton, T., Mooney, A., Moss, P., Petrie, P., Calrk, A., Woolner, J. et al., (2002). Research on ratios, group size, and staff qualifications and training in early years and childcare settings. London: University of London.Penn, H. (2009). Early childhood education and care: Key lessons from research for policy makers. Brussels: Nesse.Prochner, L., Cleghorn, A., Kirova, A., & Massing, C. (2016). Teacher education in diverse settings: Making space for intersecting worldviews. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.Thomas, S., & Packer, D. S. (2013). A Reflective Teaching Road Map for Pre-service and Novice Early Childhood Educators. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 5(1), 1-14.Vandenbroeck, M., Peeters, J., Urban, M. & Lazzari, A. (2016). Introduction. In M. Vandenbroeck, M. Urban & J. Peeters (Eds.) Pathways to Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care, (pp. 1-14). London: Routledge.Vangrieken, K., Dochy, F., & Raes, E. (2016). Team learning in teacher teams: team entitativity as a bridge between teams-in-theory and teams-in-practice. European Journal Of Psychology Of Education - EJPE (Springer Science & Business Media B.V.), 31(3), 275-298. doi:10.1007/s10212-015-0279-0

As indicators of social welfare, the degree of inequality and the incidence of deprivation are a concern to policy makers and researchers. Other things being constant, higher degrees of inequality and deprivation correspond to lower levels of social welfare. The availability of inequality and deprivation measures is essential if governments are to assess, analyse, and monitor the degrees of inequality and deprivation accurately over time and make appropriate decisions in order to reduce inequality and deprivation, and provide sustainable development to the society. This thesis examines the degree of inequality and the incidence of deprivation in Australia over the period 2001 - 2010 using income, mental health status, and education level as indicators of well-being. The study is a multidimensional one using Bayesian inference. A comparison of levels of well-being over time and for different population subgroups is done using Bayesian methodology for assessing unidimensional and multidimensional stochastic dominance. These well-being comparisons depend on the joint and marginal distributions of well-being and how they are estimated. Thus, the general objective is accompanied by several secondary objectives. Given that Bayesian inference is used, and that the available data are assigned survey sampling weights, our secondary aim is to propose and assess Bayesian methodology for including sampling weights in density estimation. We propose a new Bayesian weighted sampling algorithm to take into account the sampling weights in joint and marginal density estimation. It is applied to estimate a mixture of gamma densities to model income distributions, a mixture of beta densities to model mental health distributions, and an ordinal categorical model to model education distributions. The joint distribution of income and mental health and education level is modelled using a parametric class of copula. In Chapter 4, two new Bayesian methodologies that allow information from sampling weights to be incorporated into the estimation and inference of unknown parameters are proposed. They are a Bayesian pseudo posterior estimator (BPPE) and a Bayesian weighted estimator (BWE). The Monte Carlo simulation results show that the BPPE and BWE produce estimates whose means are close to the true values. However, the posterior variance associated with the BPPE is too small in the sense that it does not reflect the variance of the estimates in repeated samples. The posterior variance of BWE is comparable to the sandwich variance estimator used by pseudo maximum likelihood estimation (PMLE). Also, the BPPE approach does not extend easily to more general econometric models, such as mixture and latent variable models. A major advantage of BWE is its ability to be applied in a more general set of models that can be estimated by Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Chapter 5 contributes to the empirical stochastic dominance literature by developing a Bayesian approach, rather than continuing the current trend in the literature of further developing the sampling-theory approach. In this chapter, the proposed methods are applied to income distribution and welfare and inequality analysis in Australia. The results from the Bayesian analysis are reported as posterior probabilities of each of the possible outcomes, the probability that X dominates Y, the probability that Y dominates X, and the probability that neither dominates. This chapter extends the stochastic dominance analysis of Chotikapanich and Griffiths (2006) in several ways. Firstly, a mixture of gamma distributions is chosen as a more flexible model for the income distributions. A gamma mixture is specifically chosen to analyse data defined over the positive real line, which is appropriate for income distributions. Secondly, estimates of lower and upper bounds for the posterior probability of dominance are provided. Thirdly, using the Bayesian weighted estimator (BWE), the sampling weights provided are included in the estimation of gamma mixture models to ensure that conclusions drawn from the sample analysis apply to the general population as well. Lastly, the methodology developed is applied to analyse the individual disposable income distribution in Australia for the period 2001-2010. Chapter 6 considers estimation of the joint distribution of income, mental health score and education level using a Gaussian copula model. In this chapter, we show that all parameters of the marginals and copula functions can be estimated jointly by using MCMC to draw observations from the joint posterior density of all the unknown parameters. Flexible mixtures of beta and gamma densities are used as models for mental health and income distributions, respectively. A gamma mixture model is specifically chosen to analyse data defined over the positive real line and a beta mixture model is chosen to analyse data defined over the range (0,1), which is an appropriate for the index of mental health. An ordinal categorical model is used to model the education distribution. In Chapter 7, we introduce Bayesian test procedures for multidimensional stochastic dominance. In particular, we present a Bayesian framework for assessing multidimensional stochastic dominance involving two or more dominance conditions over the entire, or a subset of, the multidimensional distribution of well-being. We propose dominance conditions that belong to the classes of utility functions U1, U2, and U3. The dominance conditions that belong to the class U3 are related to the Muller and Trannoy (2011) conditions that include preference for more equal marginal distributions of income, mental health, and education, and substitutability among attributes such that priority is given to income-poor people by providing them with better access to mental health care and education to improve their level of these factors. Using income, level of mental health, and level of education as measures of well-being, we use the Bayesian test procedures to compare the social welfare and poverty for individuals 15 years of age or older in Australia over the period 2001 - 2010. Comparisons are made using the overall distribution and different population subgroups.

Doktorgradsavhandling i Sosialt arbeid ; Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore the phenomenon of assessment in child protection by comparing two different assessment practices, the Norwegian and the English. Additional aims have been to generate knowledge by interpreting findings from the perspectives of professionals and parents who have experienced assessment, and to contribute to identify central aspects of the use of professional judgement in child protection assessments. The guiding research questions throughout this thesis have been: what mechanisms are at play in assessments in the two contexts, and what seem to constrain and support fruitful assessment practices? Additionally, what can we learn from each other (Norway-England) in terms of such practices? A "Critical Realist" approach has been applied as an overarching perspective throughout this thesis. Methods: The data source for this study consists of interviews with social workers and parents from Norway (Bergen) and England (Bristol), together with assessment reports from both countries. This is an in-depth study with a qualitative approach, including interviews with 14 social workers regarding their perspectives on practice, analyzed by means of thematic content analysis. Additionally, 11 interviews with parents were undertaken, who had been assessed by social workers following child protection concerns, analyzed by means of thematic narrative approach. Furthermore, a total of 31 assessment reports (which were not linked to the family cases), were analyzed through textual content analysis. Results: When analyzing the professionals` experiences (Paper 1) three main themes emerged: 1.Assessment framework, 2. Professional judgements, and 3. Contextual factors. The main findings show that the social workers in Norway and England experienced their respective assessment framework quite differently. Specifically, social workers in Norway presented professional judgement as a core element of assessing in child protection, but looked for more structured ways to make good judgements. However, they were concerned about increases in bureaucracy in the assessment process, resulting in more paperwork and less time spent with families. The social workers in England were proud of their "triangle" model for assessment and the general thoroughness in the system, but they longed for more trust to use professional judgement in assessment, and more resources to meet the needs of families after assessment. Differences between the two groups were discussed in the light of contextual factors, with special focus on the concept of accountability: How does the government in each country restrict and/or support the professional judgement of social workers when assessing in child protection? Differences were found in national accountability approaches, with the English authorities turning to structural accountability strategies by controlling and reducing the space for professional judgement through structures and procedures, and the Norwegian authorities on the other hand using a more epistemic accountability approach by supporting, rather than restricting, the room for professional judgements through resources in terms of staff and education. The parents' experiences (Paper 2) resulted in two overarching themes of "emotions" and "power" in assessment practice. When asked about their opinions of the current assessment framework, families in both countries talked more about feelings than about framework and procedures. The parents` experiences of assessment were similar in both countries. First and foremost they experienced strong emotions in a stressful situation: anxiety, frustration, powerlessness, but also relief. However some differences were identified in the way social work is acted out according to the national assessment framework and policy context. The English framework and procedures seemed to contribute to provide clarity with regard to process and power within the system. The Norwegian assessment practice was characterized by professional judgement accompanied by more resources, which seems to enable helpful decisions from the family's point of view. However, this heavy reliance on professional judgement within relationships was also viewed by parents as social workers' having informal power. Paper 3 is a theoretical analysis of the different characteristics illustrated by Norway and England regarding the role of professional judgement in child protection assessments. This paper explores and discusses the different ways in which professional judgement is understood and addressed in each system. Acknowledging child protection as a "Wicked problem"(in terms of complexity), a model of Grounded Professional Judgement is proposed, based on notions of epistemic responsibility and accountability to support the exercise of professional judgement in situations of uncertainty. Thismodel occupies a middle position between those currently reflected in the assessment systems in the English and Norwegian context. Retaining a commitment to the use of professional judgements, the model nonetheless provides a structure within which a judgement can be exercised more rigorously, transparently and in a way that can be called to account. In this way, Grounded Professional Judgement may provide a counterbalance to the potential idiosyncrasies of decision making, and avoids professional judgement being elevated to a point where it is beyond challenge or critique. At the same time, in systems where the space for professional judgement has been reduced at the expense of increased procedure and bureaucracy, it would provide a framework within which professional judgement can be "reclaimed" by social workers and built back in to practice. Conclusions: Assessment frameworks in child protection seem to be of importance for all those involved in assessment practice. Experiences from Norway and England can be used as illustrations of different stances on a continuum where different assessment frameworks and practices include diverse framing of the problems. Heavy reliance on assessment structuresmay restrict the room for professional judgements (as seen in England), whilst lack of mandatory assessment structures implies heavy reliance on professional judgement (as seen in Norway). The pitfalls on both ends of this continuum imply that a middle-position might be most fruitful in assessment; the main question is where to find the balance between the two. It also appears fruitful to support assessments by systemic factors, eg enough resources in terms of staff, education and interventions, together with constructive public debate. From the families` point of view, the "right" balance involves clarity of the assessment process and power issues, and provision of tailored services and interventions after assessment.

O presente estudo partiu do interesse em aprofundar o conhecimento sobre as relações de trabalho, os trabalhadores, a atividade de trabalho e os processos de gestão de pessoas no setor público. Nesse cenário, destacou-se a noção de competências. Um tema atual, frequente e bastante difundido no meio acadêmico e organizacional, mas que ainda apresenta uma lacuna significativa quanto a sua inserção nas Instituições Públicas. Optou-se por trabalhar com a noção de competências baseada, principalmente, nos estudos de Le Boterf (2003, 2006), Schwartz (1998, 2000, 2004, 2010a, 2010b) e Zarifian (1990, 2001a, 2001b, 2003). A instituição escolhida para a realização da pesquisa foi a Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (Ufes), instituição existente desde 1954. Essa escolha também considerou a facilidade de acesso da pesquisadora ao campo por ser, além de estudante, também servidora nessa universidade. A questão que norteou o estudo foi: O que é ser competente nas práticas cotidianas da atividade de trabalho do servidor técnico-administrativo que atua na função de secretário de departamento de ensino, pesquisa e extensão da Ufes? Para responder, optou-se por uma pesquisa qualitativa. A estratégia adotada foi o estudo de caso, que utilizou como instrumentos: revisão da literatura, análise documental, entrevista semiestruturada, observação direta e grupo focal. A análise dos dados baseou-se na categorização proposta por Bardin (2004) e definiu duas categorias de análise: a primeira, que remete ao sentido dado pelos entrevistados a competências, e a segunda, que remete as especificidades da atividade de trabalho dos secretários de departamento nessa ótica. Cada categoria suscitou reflexões importantes para os processos de gestão na instituição. O estudo revelou que a noção de competências, identificada na Política Nacional de Desenvolvimento de Pessoal do governo federal, está presente, permeando a atividade de trabalho dos sujeitos de pesquisa. Esta presença, contudo, é desestruturada e carente de envolvimento e comprometimento dos trabalhadores, além de muito distante de se configurar como um processo de gestão na instituição ou de envolver seus processos decisórios. A pesquisa conclui que a Ufes precisa investir em um ambiente favorável ao desenvolvimento das competências individuais e coletivas, aliadas ao desenvolvimento das competências institucionais. Para isso será necessário definir metas claras e coerentes com os objetivos sociais da instituição, convocando os trabalhadores a adotar uma postura ativa na gestão do seu trabalho e a discutir criticamente a sua inserção na organização. Essa pesquisa teve o papel de tatear no escuro a noção de competências; escuro porque não existe nenhuma estruturação dessa noção na instituição pesquisada. A contribuição do estudo, nesse primeiro olhar, é em apontar como o movimento social das competências está além das práticas docentes no cenário universitário e é marcante na atividade de trabalho e nas políticas de gestão de pessoas que envolvem os servidores técnico-administrativos em educação. O estudo mapeia, dentro das limitações metodológicas, em que essa noção se insere e de que maneira ela é compreendida pelos Secretários participantes da pesquisa. ; This study started with the interest in furthering the knowledge about labor relations, workers, work activities, and the processes of staff management within the public sector. In this scenario the notion of competence was underscored; a current, frequent and quite widespread issue in the academic and organizational circles, but which still presents a significant gap regarding its insertion in public institutions. It was decided to work with the notion of competence mainly based on studies of Le Boterf (2003, 2006), Schwartz (1998, 2000, 2004, 2010a, 2010b), and Zarifian (1990, 2001a, 2001b, 2003). The institution chosen for the research was the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes), an institution that has existed since 1954. This choice also considered the researcher's easy access to the field, for besides being a student, she is also a public servant in this university. The question that guided the present study was: What is to be competent in the daily practices of the working activity of the technical and administrative public servant that acts as a secretary of the department of education, research and extension at Ufes? In order to answer it, a qualitative research approach was chosen. The strategy adopted was a case study, which used as instruments: literature review, documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and focus group. Data analysis was based on the categorization proposed by Bardin (2004), and defined two categories of analysis: the first refers to the sense given by interviewees to competences, and the second refers to the specificities of the work activity of the department secretaries in this light. Each category has given rise to important considerations for the management processes in the institution. The study showed that the notion of competencies identified in the National Policy on Staff Development of the federal government is present, permeating the work activity of the study subjects. This presence, however, is unstructured and it lacks the involvement and commitment of workers, in addition to being far as to set up a management process in the institution, or of involving its decision processes. The research concludes that Ufes need to invest in a favorable environment for the development of individual and collective competencies, combined with the development of institutional competencies. For this it will be necessary to set clear aims that are consistent with the social goals of the institution, calling on workers to take an active stance in managing their work and to critically discuss their inclusion in the organization. This research had the role of groping in darkness at the notion of competence; dark because there is no structuring of this notion in the institution studied. The contribution of this study is in this first look, in pointing out how the social movement of competences is beyond the teaching practices in the university setting, and it is apparent in the working activity and policies of personnel management which involve the technical and administrative staff in education. The study maps, within its methodological limitations, where this notion is inserted and how it is understood by the Secretaries who participated in this research. Key words: Competencies; working activities; public universitiy

History is an important determinant of current economic development. One reason is cultural learning, which includes imitating behaviors from ancestors in order to save individual learning costs. Amongst anthropologists, there is widespread agreement that it is cultural learning that makes humans so adaptive in comparison to other species, which imitate less or worse. Nevertheless, culture also makes humans less adaptive than economists assume for the homo economicus (because humans imitate many behaviors without appraisal, inefficient behaviors might persist for a long time before they are changed). In this PhD research, much attention is focused on a cultural trait called self-efficacy. The concept has been developed by psychologist Albert Bandura and describes how much a person believes to have the ability to achieve self-chosen goals. Research has shown that self-efficacy affects which goals are chosen and how effectively they are pursued. Individuals with low self-efficacy in a domain either avoid it, or are unmotivated to invest sufficient effort, especially in the face of obstacles. The thesis begins with an investigation of whether colonial experiences persist to affect current contract farming performance in Ghana. During colonial times, the British government established cocoa export cooperatives and Christian missionaries established schools. The performance of the cocoa export cooperatives is found to have shaped the long term self-efficacy of the farmers in regard to the profitability of such global value chains and the Christian missionary schools persistently lowered village level social capital. Thus, historically rooted cultural differences currently explain the performance of contract farming in different communities. Even earlier causes of divergent cultures are the experiences with pre-industrial subsistence farming systems. Where the biogeography incentivized cereal farming, farmers were rewarded for agricultural investments and thus developed self-efficacy regarding agricultural investments. Where the biogeography incentivized other farming systems based on roots, tubers, or tree crops, investments were less rewarding and farmers developed lower investment self-efficacy. These differences are found to significantly explain income differences amongst Ghana's current pineapple farmers. The causal channel are investments, which are critical for the profitability of pineapple and which are determined by the farmers' investment self-efficacy. A special feature of self-efficacy is furthermore, how people react to adversity. Whereas high self-efficacy leads people to increase their efforts after failure, low self-efficacy leads to decreased efforts. It is found that farmers with high self-efficacy are able to mitigate a significant share of lost income from droughts. The reason is that they are more likely to adopt a climate smart innovation that conserves water when rainfall decreases. Their peers with low self-efficacy are not found to adapt. Investing which farmers achieve higher incomes than predicted by ancestral' experiences, it is the well known variables education and social capital. Thus, overcoming history is not found to require special policies, at least for the pineapple farmers in Ghana. Agricultural trainings about innovations are also a potential policy tool to increase rural incomes in Ghana. However, a significant effect is only found for more complex innovations, whereas simpler innovations can easily be learned from other farmers. Globally, a very different relationship between culture and economics is investigated. Attempting to explain why not all World Heritage sites are promoted as such, it is found that site and regional specific, economic variables explain the pattern well – whereas constraints and the collective benefit do not matter much. To strengthen the brand, it is thus either necessary to help more sites to benefit, or to make promotion mandatory. ; Geschichte erklärt ökonomische Unterschiede – zwischen Weltregionen, Ländern, Regionen und Individuen. Ein Grund dafür ist Kultur. Kultur ermöglicht es uns, Lernkosten einzusparen, weil Verhaltensmuster unser Vorfahren übernommen werden, ohne das wir sie genau verstehen müssen. Anthropologen sind sich weitgehend einig, dass es unsere Fähigkeit der Imitation ist, die uns Menschen so anpassungsfähig macht, im Vergleich zu andere Spezies, die entweder weniger oder einfach schlechter imitieren. Allerdings macht uns Kultur auch weniger anpassungsfähig als es häufig in der Ökonomie für den Homo Oeconomicus angenommen wird. Schließlich führt Kultur dazu, dass Verhaltensmuster oft einfach imitiert werden, ohne in Frage gestellt zu werden. In dieser Doktorarbeit sind mehrere Kapitel dem Konzept der wahrgenommenen Selbst-Wirksamkeit gewidmet. Die Bedeutung der Selbst-Wirksamkeit wurde vor Allem von Psychologe Albert Bandura erforscht. Es beschreibt wie sehr eine Person daran glaubt, die Fähigkeit zu haben, ihre selbst gewählten Ziele zu erreichen. Dieser Glaube beeinflusst, welche Ziele gewählt werden, und wie effektiv ihre Erreichung verfolgt wird. Personen mit niedriger Selbst-Wirksamkeit in einer Domäne vermeiden sie entweder vollständig, oder sind unmotiviert genügend zu investieren – insbesondere wenn auch noch weitere Hürden hinzukommen. Eine der Haupt-Forschungshypothesen dieser Arbeit war, dass wahrgenommene Selbst-Wirksamkeit historisch-kulturell bedingt ist und Relevanz für die Entwicklungsökonomie hat. Die Arbeit beginnt mit einer Analyse, ob Koloniale Erfahrungen in Ghana den Erfolg von Produktions-Verträgen in der Landwirtschaft beeinflussen. Zu Kolonialzeiten etablierte die britische Regierung Kooperativen für den Kakao Export und Christliche Missionare etablierten Schulen. Der damalige Erfolg der Kooperativen beeinflusst noch heute die Selbst-Wirksamkeit der Landwirte im Bezug auf globale Wertschöpfungsketten, und die Christlichen Missions-Schulen beeinflussen noch immer ihr Sozial-Kapital. Beide Variablen sind sehr wichtig für den Erfolg der Vertragslandwirtschaft, welche wiederum ein wichtiges Werkzeug zur Armutsbekämpfung ist. Sogar noch früher als die kolonialen Erfahrungen sind Erfahrungen mit Vor-Industriellen Produktionssystemen. In Regionen, in denen die Biogeographie den Anbau von Getreide bevorzugte, entwickelten die Landwirte hohe Investitions-Selbst-Wirksamkeit, weil Getreide Investitionen belohnte. In anderen Regionen, in denen die Biogeographie eher andere Anbausysteme bevorzugte, entwickelten die Landwirte eher niedrige Selbst-Wirksamkeit, weil zum Beispiel Wurzeln und Knollen wie Cassava und Yams, Investitionen weniger erforderten und auch weniger belohnen. Im heutigen Ananas-Anbau spielen Investitionen eine sehr wichtige Rolle. Interessanterweise investieren die Nachfahren von getreideanbauenden Landwirten deutlich mehr als die Nachfahren von anderen Landwirten, weshalb sie deutlich höhere Einkommen haben. Eine besondere Eigenschaft der Selbst-Wirksamkeit ist, dass sie die Reaktion auf Rückschläge beeinflusst. Individuen mit hoher Selbst-Wirksamkeit reagieren mit erhöhter Motivation, während Individuen mit niedriger Selbst-Effektivität möglicherweise ganz aufgeben. Für die Landwirte in Ghana ist der Regen eine wichtige Einkommens-Determinante. Spannenderweise kann man in der Tat beobachten, dass Landwirte mit hoher Selbst-Wirksamkeit auf Dürren mit der Übernahme wassersparender Innovation reagieren, während Landwirte mit niedriger Selbst-Effektivität sich gar nicht anpassen. Diese Ergebnisse führen natürlich zu der Frage, welche Faktoren es wohl Personen und Regionen ermöglichen, bessere ökonomische Ergebnisse zu erzielen, als von ihrer Geschichte prognostiziert. Die Antwort: Bildung und Sozial-Kapital. Trainings in ausgewählten Innovationen können ebenfalls helfen. Es ist allerding klar, dass Trainings nicht für alle Technologien gleich effektiv sind. Im Hinblick auf nachhaltige Intensivierungs-Technologien ist das Ergebnis, dass eher simple Innovation leicht von anderen Landwirten gelernt werden können, wodurch deutlich weniger Training notwendig ist, als für komplexere Innovationen, die stark und lange vom Training profitieren. Zum Ende wird global eine ganz andere Beziehung zwischen Ökonomie und Kultur untersucht. Die Weltkulturerbeliste der UNESCO soll besondere Orte beschützen und kommunizieren. Eine wichtige Frage für die UNESCO ist jedoch, warum sich nicht alle gelisteten Orte klar als Weltkulturerbestätte identifizieren. Die Antwort ist eine Reihe orts- und regions-spezifischer Anreize, häufig verbunden mit Tourismus-Einnahmen. Die Kosten der Weltkulturerbe-Vermarkung und die Motivation das Program voranzubringen spielen im Gegensatz kaum eine Rolle. Ein großer Anteil des Verhaltens ist rein kulturell bedingt, sodass Orte im nahen Osten zum Beispiel gar nicht als Weltkulturerbe-Stätte vermarktet werden, und besonders in Asien sehr stark.

El Ente de Turismo de Necochea en el marco de una política de renovación y competitividad turística, lanzó el Plan Estratégico de Turismo Sustentable de Necochea 2013-2023 en cuya elaboración participaron actores interesados en el sector. El Plan resultó ser un instrumento participativo y dinamizador de las acciones, en el cual los actores interesados en la problemática turística, enunciaron un proyecto común. Sin embargo, la adscripción a un modelo sustentable de turismo implicaría que la puesta en marcha efectiva del plan está condicionada por la conceptualización del turismo y su sustentabilidad como constructo social. El planteo del turismo sustentable como constructo social, requiere identificar cómo la actividad turística y las condiciones ambientales para los individuos se convierten en cuestión social, en función de los procesos mediante los cuales se interiorizan los conceptos y se movilizan acciones particulares, que se generan a partir de las representaciones de nivel individual. El objetivo es comprender las significaciones que los actores interesados en la actividad tienen acerca del turismo y de la sustentabilidad para iniciar una reflexión en torno al potencial endógeno para la acción colectiva. La estrategia metodológica se plantea desde un enfoque cualitativo interpretativo que se centra en dos variables principales de análisis: el turismo y sustentabilidad como constructo social y el potencial endógeno para la acción colectiva. Para analizar al turismo y su sustentabilidad como constructo social se efectuaron entrevistas semi-estructuradas a todos los actores que participaron en los talleres del Plan y se indagó respecto de las representaciones individuales (en términos semánticos y simbólicos) relativas a significados, expectativas y predisposiciones que permiten determinar las lógicas asociadas desarrollo turístico, comprender los contenidos valorativos de identidad y establecer las interpretaciones de la sustentabilidad, en términos de preocupación y comportamiento ambientales. Para determinar el potencial endógeno se evaluaron los sentidos e interpretaciones identificados en marcos de acción colectiva vinculados a la agencialidad y la identidad, comprendidos como un nuevo marco de motivación con legitimidad social para el logro de los objetivos. Los resultados, permiten establecer que las expectativas de los actores vinculados al turismo entienden al turismo como modo de vida existiendo un fuerte apego asociado a componentes afectivos y una valoración de la naturaleza como entorno de vida. Asimismo se constata que existe un amplio consenso en que el turismo debe ser sustentable y esto tiene correlato con la preocupación ambiental manifestada y reforzada por una tendencia, en lo individual, de optar por comportamientos proambientales y para la gestión, de demandar el mantenimiento y mejora de las condiciones naturales. Como conclusión se puede afirmar que los interesados en la actividad turística tienen potencial endógeno para tornarse en actores de sustentabilidad, en función de aspectos relativos a las similitudes y coincidencias en las representaciones, tanto semánticas como simbólicas, que indican un significativo apego al lugar, una predisposición a la participación y una preocupación ambiental que se traduce en habilidades ambientales, y que en conjunto constituyen un marco de motivación con el que alcanzar los objetivos consensuados en el Plan. ; As part of a renewal and a tourism competitiveness policy, the Tourism Organization of Necochea launched the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism 2013-2023 in which stakeholders in the sector participated for its development. The Plan turned out to be a participatory instrument, in which stakeholders in tourism developed a common project. However, the ascription to a sustainable tourism model entails that tourism conceptualization and its sustainability as a social construct both condition the effective implementation of the Plan. Considering sustainable tourism as a social construct implies the need to identify how tourism activity and the environmental conditions become in a social cuestion for individuals, depending on the processes by which concepts are internalized and particular actions are mobilized, based on individual representations. The aim is to understand the meanings that stakeholders in tourism give to tourism and sustainability to start thinking about endogenous potential for collective action. The methodological strategy is based on a qualitative approach focused on two analysis variables: tourism and sustainability as a social construct and endogenous potential for collective action. To analize tourism and its sustainability semi-structured interviews were conducted with social actors that participated on the workshops for the development of the Plan. The interviews inquired about individual representations (in semantic and simbolic terms) regarding meanings, expectations and predispositions, to determine the logic of tourism development, understand valorative contents of identity and establish sustainability interpretations in terms of preocupation and environmental behavior. To determine endogenous potential the meanings and interpretations identified were evaluated on collective action frames related to agency and identity, understood as a new motivation framework with social legitimacy to achieve goals. The results indicate that stakeholders in tourism understand tourism as a way of life with a strong attachment to place and the appreciation of nature as a living environment. Furthermore, it is found that there is a large consensus that tourism must be sustainable and this is correlated with the environmental concern expressed which is also reflected in individual behavior and the demand for the government to maintain and improve natural conditions. In conclusion it can be said that stakeholders in tourism have endogenous potential to become sustainable actors, based on the similarities and matches in their representations that show a significant attachment to the place, the readiness to participate and the environmental concern translated into environmental skills. Together they constitute a motivation framework to achieve the Plan's goals. ; Fil: López, María José. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales; Argentina. ; Fil: Bertoni, Marcela. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales; Argentina. ; Fil: Testa, Joaquín. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales; Argentina.

Global warming is one of the most significant problems facing humanity, and reducing emissions from the electricity sector is critical for mitigating global warming impacts. My work here focuses on developing computational tools to plan cost effective mitigation pathways for the electricity sector and using them collaboratively. The complexity and scale of globally transitioning electrical power grids away from fossil fuels over the coming decades will require a large-scale collaborative effort with effective coordination of many actors trained in diverse disciplines. Historically, energy-modeling efforts have tended to be siloed and fragmented between and even within research groups. In my research I have attempted to provide an alternative to that status quo by improving an open source renewable planning model, Switch, increasing its usability and accessibility to interdisciplinary researchers, and collaboratively applying it to mitigation planning.We used the Switch model to conduct detailed research into cost effective mitigation pathways for the Western portion of North America, or the WECC power grid. We found that renewable portfolio standards were insufficient to meet climate stabilization goals, and more targeted policies were needed that specifically focused on emission reductions. We identified investment plans that could lead to dramatic decreases in emissions without significantly increasing electricity costs over the next twenty years by retiring coal and replacing it with natural gas and renewables while evolving the grid to better accommodate variable renewable energy.We found that meeting overall 2050 targets will require concerted action on many fronts, including aggressive efficiency programs, electrification of transportation and heating, and dramatically reducing emissions from the electricity sector. Meeting 2050 emission goals without significantly increasing energy costs also will require additional technological innovation. Two promising technological pathways for long-term cost containment are developing low cost solar in conjunction with low cost storage or demand response, and developing Biomass Energy with Carbon Capture and Sequestration (BECCS) to provide emission offsets during the last stages of emission reductions. We found that the emissions offsets provided by BECCS were much more valuable than the energy, suggesting that other sequestration options such as improved land management that increases soil carbon deposition could be a particularly valuable part of an economy-wide portfolio.We started this research in the early days of the natural gas boom caused by widespread use of hydraulic fracturing. As data emerged on potentially high methane leakage rates in the natural gas supply chain, we investigated how leakage impacts roles Natural Gas (NG) can play in a low emission power grid. We found that leakage rates significantly reduce the use of NG as a direct substitute for coal, but have a smaller impact on the use of combustion turbines for reserves and peaking capacity. Higher leakage rates increase electricity costs in optimal solutions by an average of 1.3% ±0.068 and decrease NG consumption by 18% ±0.55 for each percentage point increase in the leakage rate in the next decade.Increased leakage can increase or decrease the use of NG to complement renewables, depending on the emissions cap context and technological alternatives. In the 2020 and 2030 timeframes under moderate emission caps, higher leakage rates prompt the installation of more renewables and prompt NG Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGT) to shift from baseload operation to running as-needed to complement renewables. In the 2030 timeframe, higher leakage often prompts installation of new NG Combustion turbines with Compressed Air Energy Storage, which is used to complement variability from renewable resources within a day. Scenarios that include low-cost battery storage or low-emission baseload options of Coal CCS or Nuclear have less Compressed Air Energy Storage installed in the 2030 timeframe because these technologies provide alternate emission reduction paths. In the 2040 and 2050 timeframes with tighter emission caps, NG is already used primarily to complement renewables and higher leakage rates tend to decrease its use in any role.Throughout this process, I made significant advancements to Switch as an analytical tool for collaborative work by interdisciplinary research teams. I initially increased the usability and lowered the learning curve while training colleagues who lacked computer science backgrounds, as well as developing execution workflows to increase reproducibility and leverage high performance workstations and computing clusters. I played a crucial role in developing detailed databases to describe the WECC electricity grid and calculating renewable energy potential at a high geographic and temporal resolution over a large area. I developed new techniques for describing policies and tracking both the renewable fraction and emission intensity of electricity. I developed techniques for simulating grid dispatch of investment portfolios on ~100x as many timepoints to better estimate reliability, costs and emissions. I used that instrumentation ability to improve sampling methods and solution quality. Interviews with current and potential users indicated a need for a completely open source software stack, streamlined workflows for data ingestions and processing, as well as a graphical front-end to complement the command line interface. These usability enhancements are the subject of ongoing and future work.Overall, this open collaborative approach has proven quite successful. We trained four other research teams on two campuses to develop versions of this model for China, Chile and Nicaragua and to conduct a detailed systems-level analysis of Carbon Capture and Sequestration technologies. Those efforts led to recognition by the United Nations during the 2014 Climate Summit. The complete text of this dissertation is freely available online through the University of California Berkeley though other organizations may distribute this text behind a paywall. We have developed partnerships with a second academic campus, a consulting firm and Google who are all contributing to a new implementation of Switch in a completely open source software stack that supports stochastic programming and decomposition (Pyomo). We hope that the new version can serve as a open platform for evaluating and comparing research methodologies as well as supporting investment planning and policy analysis for consulting firms, government agencies, academics, utilities and NGOs.

Resumen: El objetivo de la presente investigación es analizar los efectos dinámicos que la política fiscal en Uruguay tiene sobre el producto interno bruto, y otras variables relevantes, tomando en cuenta los cambios en el nivel de endeudamiento. Para analizar los efectos dinámicos de la política fiscal con endeudamiento se realiza una aplicación para Uruguay utilizando la metodología econométrica de vectores autoregresivos: modelos VAR. La especificación general del modelo VAR en esta investigación se compone de cinco variables endógenas: ingresos y egresos fiscales primarios, producto interno bruto, tasa de interés, tasa de variación tipo de cambio; y una variable exógena: ratio deuda neta/PIB. Una vez estimado el modelo VAR e identificada la forma estructural del mismo por medio del enfoque recursivo (descomposición de Cholesky), se incorpora la restricción presupuestal intertemporal del gobierno que permitirá calcular dinámicamente las funciones impulso respuesta. Esta restricción permitirá obtener la ecuación dinámica de deuda donde el ratio deuda neta/PIB quedará expresado, a su vez, en función de las mismas variables de la especificación general. Esto generará una retroalimentación entre las variables presentes en la ecuación de dinámica de deuda y la especificación general, cuando se producen shocks fiscales. De esta forma, las funciones impulso respuesta quedan determinadas y permitirán analizar los efectos de la política fiscal sobre el producto bruto interno y otras variables macroeconómicas, tomando en cuenta el nivel de endeudamiento. Para alcanzar los objetivos planteados, la presente investigación se estructura en los siguientes capítulos y sus interrelaciones. El capítulo dos desarrolla las distintas corrientes y teorías que constituyen el marco teórico inicial de la política fiscal. Para analizar los efectos de la política fiscal sobre el producto y otras variables de la política fiscal, en el capítulo siguiente se expone la metodología econométrica a desarrollar: modelos de vectores autorregresivos (VAR). Se realiza breve introducción teórica de estos modelos presentando la forma estructural y reducida, el problema de la identificación, y el enfoque recursivo como solución al problema. Se introducen y desarrollan la función impulso respuesta que permitirá analizar los efectos dinámicos sobre el producto y otras variables ante shocks fiscales positivos en la política fiscal, tomando en cuenta el nivel de endeudamiento. La presentación del modelo VAR se realiza en el capítulo cuatro. Se establece el período que abarca la investigación, la cobertura seleccionada del sector público, y se definen y caracterizan las variables que conforman el modelo. Se incorpora la ecuación dinámica de deuda la cual permitirá determinar las funciones impulso respuesta de las variables. El capítulo cinco examina los trabajos empíricos más relevantes sobre la efectividad de la política fiscal, en el plano local, regional e internacional. Mientras que en el capítulo seis, se presenta la política fiscal uruguaya y cómo las variables presentadas en el modelo se comportaron históricamente durante el período que abarca la muestra. En el capítulo siete se presentan las pruebas estadísticas antes de estimar el modelo, la estimación del modelo presentado en el capítulo cuatro propiamente dicho, y las pruebas estadísticas posteriores a la estimación del modelo. Los resultados de los efectos de la política fiscal sobre el producto y otras variables del modelo por medio de las funciones impulso respuesta de las variables se muestran en el capítulo ocho. Se analizan si los resultados obtenidos se encuentran o no en línea con las teorías desarrolladas en el capítulo dos. Para el ratio deuda neta/PIB se construye un fan chart para cuantificar los riesgos sobre la trayectoria del ratio como consecuencia del shock fiscal realizado sólo en los egresos primarios. Luego, se realiza el estudio de robustez. Como análisis adicional, se compara los resultados del modelo VAR con los resultados del mismo modelo pero que no incluya el ratio deuda neta/PIB en la especificación general ni la ecuación dinámica de deuda. Finalmente, el capítulo nueve expone las principales conclusiones sobre esta investigación, algunas implicancias de política, y ciertas líneas de investigación sugeridas para el futuro. ; Abstract: The aim of the research is to analyze the dynamic effects of fiscal policy in Uruguay on gross domestic product, and other relevant variables, taking into account changes in the level of indebtedness. Covers the period from the first quarter 1999 until the last of 2013, and the coverage of the public sector is Global Public Sector. To do this research for Uruguay, the econometric methodology of vector autoregressive (VAR) is used. The general specification of the VAR model includes five endogenous variables (primary incomes, primary expenditures, gross domestic product, interest rate, rate of change of the exchange rate) and an exogenous variable (the ratio net debt/GDP). Once the model is estimated, and the fiscal shocks are identified through the recursive approach (Cholesky decomposition), the intertemporal government budget constraint is incorporated in the model in order to calculate the functions impulse response. This budget constraint allows to determine the dynamics equation of the debt where the ratio net debt/GDP will be expressed, in turn, based on the same variables included in the general specification of the VAR model. This generates a feedback between the variables in the dynamics equation of the debt and the general specification, when fiscal shocks occur. Thus, the impulse response is determined. The main results of the research are: a) the response of gross domestic product (GDP) when positive fiscal shocks occur are weak, and have a short life; b) the response of gross domestic product (GDP) are in line with what Keynesian theory predicts; however, in the case of a positive shock in the primary income, the gross domestic product increased from the fourth quarter which shows one result more associated with the approach of expectations; c) the ratio net debt/GDP increases as a result of positive fiscal shock on primary expenditures which produces changes in the balance of risks in public debt.

Diese Dissertation beschreibt Marktverzerrungen auf mehreren Ebenen, die entweder aufgrund von Fehlfunktionen oder durch Interventionen politischer Art entstehen. Die Fehlfunktionen schließen einerseits Märkte mit imperfektem Wettbewerb, und andererseits Versagen auf anderweitig vollkommenen Märkten ein. Die Erstgenannten können durch eine starke Konzentration (beispielsweise aufgrund der geringen Größe des Marktes) verursacht werden, durch Ein- oder Austrittsbarrieren, heterogene Güter und Informationsasymmetrien. Zu den Gründen für Marktversagen gehören die Existenz von Externalitäten, Störungen auf anderen, verlinkten Märkten (z.B. die von Kleinbauern erfahrenen Kreditbeschränkungen), hohe Transaktionskosten, öffentliche Güter und Staatsversagen. Abhängig von den Definitionen unterschiedlicher Autoren kann die ungleiche Verteilung von Einkommen oder Vermögen auch als Versagen des Marktmechanismus verstanden werden. In dem Abschnitt dieser Arbeit der sich Marktstörungen widmet wurde der Fokus auf die Nachfrageseite gesetzt, wo die Marktkonzentration mit der Existenz von Monopsonen, Oligopsonen oder Monopsonistischem Wettbewerb assoziiert wird. Die zweite Klasse von Verzerrungen auf den hier betrachteten Märkten wird durch politische Interventionen verursacht. Diese können verschiedene Beweggründe haben, wie die Korrektur der oben beschriebenen Marktstörungen oder Umverteilung zwischen Bevölkerungsgruppen. Das Instrument, das jeweils eingesetzt wird, um Marktversagen zu korrigieren, hängt von der beobachteten Störung ab. Wenn externe Effekte vorhanden sind, kann beispielsweise eine Steuer (Subvention) angewendet werden, um die externen Kosten (Nutzen) zu internalisieren. Umverteilung kann ebenfalls auf verschiedene Arten erreicht werden, beispielsweise durch die Direktzahlungen auf der Ebene der einzelnen Betriebe welche die europäischen Landwirte unterstützen. Um die Ergebnisse von Mikro- und Makroperspektive systematisch zu kombinieren wird die Dimension der Skalen in den theoretischen Rahmen eingeführt. Dies ist notwendig, da sowohl die Auswirkungen von Mikroprozessen auf größere Zusammenhänge, als auch der Einfluss von Makroprozessen auf das Mikroniveau nicht immer offensichtlich sind. Dieser Rahmen wurde auf a) den lokalen Kautschukmarkt in Jambi, Indonesien, der durch starke Nachfragemarktmacht auf allen Ebenen gekennzeichnet ist und b) den europäischen Markt für Zucker angewandt, der stark reguliert ist. Kapitel zwei und drei liefern eine Analyse der Fehlfunktionen innerhalb des indonesischen Kautschukmarkts, von denen sich Kapitel zwei mit einer Mikro- und Kapitel drei mit der Mesoebene befasst. Die Analyse auf Mikroniveau zeigt, dass Kleinhändler von Gummi in Jambi Marktmacht ausüben. Der Preis, den sie ihren Lieferantinnen und Lieferanten bezahlen liegt deutlich unter den Wertgrenzprodukten dieses Inputs. Diese Marktmacht ist größer in abgelegenen Regionen und schwächer mit zunehmender Marktgröße. Auch auf dem größeren Maßstab der verarbeitenden Industrie existiert Marktmacht in beträchtlichem Umfang. Die Fabriken betreiben asymmetrische Preistransmission, was bedeutet, dass Preisänderungen auf dem Weltmarkt schneller auf die Inputpreise übertragen werden wenn der Weltmarktpreis sinkt als in Zeiten von Preissteigerungen. Die asymmetrische Übertragung der Preise allein führt zu einer jährlichen Umverteilung von rund drei Millionen US-Dollar in Jambi. Es lässt sich davon ausgehen, dass die gesamte Umverteilung aufgrund von Marktmacht deutlich größer ist, was aber mit den verfügbaren Daten nicht beurteilt werden kann. Das vierte Kapitel untersucht die Auswirkungen von politischen Interventionen auf der Mesoebene. Der Schwerpunkt der Analyse liegt auf den Ergebnissen einer Marktintervention auf Drittländer, nämlich die Senkung des Interventionspreises auf dem europäischen Zuckermarkt. Diese Preissenkung war von den Auswirkungen der bisherigen Politik, sowie Veränderungen des institutionellen Rahmens, in dem die gemeinsame Marktorganisation für Zucker eingebettet ist, motiviert. Dies sind die Einführung des 'Everything But Arms' Abkommens, sowie Verpflichtungen die sich aus den multilateralen Verhandlungen im Rahmen der Welthandelsorganisation ergaben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Afrikanischen, Karibischen und Pazifischen Staaten in der Tat negativ beeinflusst worden sind, das heißt dass die Erosion von Präferenzen stattgefunden hat. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit sind für künftige Entscheidungen darüber, ob und wie auf den Agrarmärkten interveniert werden soll, relevant. Die entscheidenden Fragen bestehen darin, wann zu intervenieren ist, und durch welche Maßnahme. ; This dissertation discusses market distortions on several scales. According to the overarching theoretical framework, distortions arise either from malfunctions in one market, or are introduced by policymakers. The malfunctions include non-competitive markets, and failure of otherwise perfectly competitive markets. The former ones can be caused by a strong concentration (for example due to the small size of a market), by entrance or exit barriers, heterogenous goods, and information asymmetries. Reasons for market failure include most prominently the existence of externalities, failures on other markets that are interlinked with the market under consideration (e.g. credit constraints incurred by smallholders), high transaction costs, public goods, and government failure. Depending on different authors' definitions, highly dispersed distributions of income or wealth can also be understood as a failure of the market mechanism. In the part of this work that delved into market malfunctions, the focus was set on the demand side, where concentration is associated with the existence of monopsons, oligopsons, or monopsonistic competition. The second class of distortions on markets which are considered here are caused by political interference. They can have different motivations: the correction of market malfunctions as described above or redistribution . The instrument that is employed to correct for market failure depends on the observed failure. If externalities are present, for example, a tax (subsidy) can be used to internalize the external costs (benefits). Redistribution can also be achieved in various ways. The instrument that is currently under use to support European farmers are direct payments on the level of individual farms. The scale dimension was introduced into the theoretical framework in order to systematically combine the results from a micro- and a macro-perspective. This is important because the implications of micro processes for a greater scale, as well as the tickling down of macro processes to the micro-scale are not always obvious. This framework was applied to a) the local rubber market in Jambi, Indonesia, which is characterized by strong monopsonistic market power on all levels and b) the European common market order for sugar, which is regulated heavily. More specifically, chapters two and three provide an analysis of malfunctionings within the Indonesian rubber market, of which chapter two looks at a micro- and chapter three at a meso-scale. The micro-scale analysis shows that village traders of rubber in Jambi do exercise market power. The price that they pay to their providers lies significantly below this input's marginal value product. This market power is amplified in situations of extreme remoteness, and weakens with increasing market size. For the larger scale of the processing industry, market power does exist as well, and is substantial. The factories engage in asymmetric price transmission, which means that price changes on the world market are transmitted to the input providers faster if the international price decreases than in times of price hikes. The asymmetric transmission of prices alone leads to an annual redistribution of around three million U.S. dollars in Jambi (the total redistribution due to market power can be assumed to be much larger, but could not be assessed with the available data). Chapter four analyses the effects of policy intervention on a meso-scale. The focus of the analysis is set on the results of a market intervention on third countries, namely the reduction of the intervention price of the European sugar market. This price reduction was motivated by the effects of previous policies, as well as changes in the institutional framework in which the common market organisation for sugar is embedded. These are the introduction of the Everything But Arms agreement, as well as obligations resulting from multilateral trade negotiations within the World Trade Organisation. Results indicate that the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries were indeed negatively affected, i.e. that preference erosion did occur. The results of this dissertation are relevant for future decisions on whether or not, and how to politically intervene on agricultural markets. The key questions are when to intervene, and by which measure.