Browsing by Subject "Natural Resources"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Open Access
Four essays on overlapping generations resource economies : optimality, sustainability and dynamics
(2012) Fazlıoğlu, Burcu
This dissertation is made up of four essays on overlapping generations resource economies. The Örst essay studies the e§ects of energy saving technological progress and substitution of renewable energy resources with non-renewable resources on natural resource depletion and long run growth. A growth model in two-period overlapping generations framework incorporating the presence of both resources and resource augmenting technological progress is developed. The e§ect of an increase in the intensity of the renewable resources in producing energy on long run growth is found to be positive. Although exhaustible resources are essential in production the economy can be sustained and the balanced growth path is optimal. In the second essay, the implications of assuming di§erent energy intensities for physical capital accumulation and the Önal good production is studied in an overlapping generations resource economy where energy is obtained from the extraction of the natural resources. Apart from the standard literature, physical capital accumulation is assumed to be relatively more energy-intensive than consumption. Multiple steady states, indeterminacy and bifurcations are obtained, without taking non-linearizing assumptions evident in the literature. For the non-renewable resources if the share of energy resources is low enough, local indeterminacy and hopf bifurcations may arise in the model. The aim of third essay is to analyze can costly resource extraction and di§erentiating energy intensities induce dynamics other than saddles in an overlapping generations resource economy. The capital accumulation sector is assumed to be more energy intensive. The energy input is extracted from the natural resources with some extraction costs. The main Önding of the essay is that both naturally evident assumptions contribute to the richness of the dynamics. Depending on the share of resources in capital accumulation dynamics other than saddle ñindeterminacy, áip and hopf bifurcationsñ can arise in the model for the non-zero steady state. In the fourth essay, a feedback mechanism between population and natural resource to a standard model of renewable resource based OLG economy is incorporated to check the stability of the dynamics. Multiple steady states and indeterminacy have been obtained even in the absence of logistic regeneration and independent of intertemporal elasticity of substitution. In particular, transcritical bifurcations may arise in the model varying the rate of constant regeneration with respect to population growth rate.
Open Access
The role of natural resources during the state building process : the case of Iraq
(2009) Tulun, Teoman Ertuğrul
This thesis evaluates the relevance of natural resources during the state building process. In order to achieve its aim the thesis provides the reader with the relevant definitions. These include the definitions of state, nation building and state building. The thesis looks at the theories of state building. These are the Fast- Track Democratization, Security Firsters and Slow Democratization. It then provides the historical and current context of state building activities. It covers state building and the major state building actors since the end of World War One. Germany, Japan, Vietnam, Belgian Congo, and Bosnia as well as the role of United Nations, the United States of America and the European Countries and institutions are briefly given as examples of state building in different historical periods. This is continued by the analyses of state building activities in Iraq, from its inception until today. The case of Iraq is used to analyze the relevance of natural resources in the state building process. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates that natural resources play an important role in Iraq´s state building process while a success depends on how the distribution, management and ownership of oil and gas resources will evolve.
Open Access
Transnational terrorist franchising in sub-saharan Africa : the effects of religion and natural resources
(2016-08) Buğday, Anastassia
In the past decade or so, several major franchises took place between a transnational terrorist organization – such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State – and domestic terrorist organizations. By adopting Al Qaeda’s brand name, Algerian Salafist Group for Preaching and Fighting was not only able to survive through counterterrorism measures enforced by the Algerian government, but also to reshape itself into a transnational terrorist group extending its influence to other countries. This dissertation argues that terrorist organizations are like business firms. Whatever their proclaimed goal is, their ultimate aim is survival. Terrorist organizations apply diverse strategies, in order to ‘stay in business,’ and franchise being one of them. By applying Zelinsky and Shubik’s (2009) typological framework, this work analyzes the motivations of terrorist organizations, both domestic and transnational, for involvement in the franchise strategy. This framework characterizes franchise as centralized in terms of operations, while being decentralized in terms of resources. This dissertation posits that religion and natural resources play an essential role in this framework: religious motivations are important for the centralization of operations, while the presence of natural resources guarantees that a new affiliate will be able to finance its operations even in cases when the parent organization is unable or unwilling to provide financial support. To explore the relationship between organizational survival strategy, religion and natural resources this work first compiles a dataset on all Sub-Saharan African countries and then conducts both a quantitative descriptive analysis, as well as a qualitative analysis of the case of Nigeria.