Browsing by Subject "Natural resources"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Contextual learning for unit commitment with renewable energy sources
(IEEE, 2017) Lee, H. -S.; Tekin, Cem; Schaar, M.; Lee, J. -W.
In this paper, we study a unit commitment (UC) problem minimizing operating costs of the power system with renewable energy sources. We develop a contextual learning algorithm for UC (CLUC) which learns which UC schedule to choose based on the context information such as past load demand and weather condition. CLUC does not require any prior knowledge on the uncertainties such as the load demand and the renewable power outputs, and learns them over time using the context information. We characterize the performance of CLUC analytically, and prove its optimality in terms of the long-term average cost. Through the simulation results, we show the performance of CLUC and the effectiveness of utilizing the context information in the UC problem.
Open Access
Duration of civil wars from a world-systems analysis perspective : the cases, of Angola, The Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone
(2011) Boitsova, Anastassia
Since the end of the Second World War, civil conflicts emerged as one of the major threats to security not only in their respective regions but also for the whole world, especially for powerful states. With the demise of the Soviet Union, the number of new intrastate wars decreased, but the existing wars increased in duration. This thesis examines this phenomenon from Immanuel Wallerstein’s world-systems analysis perspective by arguing that the flow of capital from the periphery states to the core countries that takes place during the conflict increases the duration of the respective civil war. The main objective is to shed light on the causes of the entrenched civil warfare in Sub-Saharan Africa. This research uses theory building case study method, looking at civil wars in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. The evidence presented in the cases suggests that the powerful core states and firms located in these countries affect the duration of civil conflicts through engaging in activities aimed at increasing their capital. These states carry out international trade in illegally extracted natural resources, most notably ‘blood diamonds’, which provides funding for the warring factions. In addition, private security firms or mercenaries drain both money and resources from war-torn states under the covert support from the core states. This thesis contributes to the theoretical framework of Wallerstein’s world-systems analysis and to the literature on civil conflicts
Open Access
Economic growth, trade and environmental quality in a two-region world economy
(Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2006) Sirakaya, S.; Turnovsky, S.; Alemdar, N. M.
This paper examines the linkages between international trade, environmental degradation, and economic growth, in a dynamic North-South trade game. The North produces manufactured goods by employing capital, labor, and a natural resource that it imports from the South, using a neoclassical production function subject to an endogenously improving technology. The South extracts the resource using raw labor, in the process generating local pollution. Genetic algorithms (GA) are used to search for optimal policies in the presence of local pollution and technology spillovers from North to South. In the GA search for optimal regional policies, both noncooperative and cooperative modes of trade are considered. Noncooperative trade results in inefficiencies stemming from externalities. Though cooperative trade policies are efficient, they lack credibility. A joint maximization of the global welfare shows that transfer of technology is a viable route to improve world welfare.
Open Access
The role of natural resources in economic development: Turkey's boron experience
(2008) Okan, Menekşe
This master thesis aims to analyze the utilization of boron deposits in Turkey and to elaborate Turkey’s performance in deriving economic benefits from boron production. This research finds out that there is not a prescribed contribution of natural resources to economic development unless the resources are associated with comprehensive policies that are placing the investment in knowledge in the forefront. In this regard, this thesis asserts that, deriving significant contributions for its economy depends on Turkey’s ability in knowledge creation for high value added production rather than geological endowment.