LEVERAGING BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY TO REVAMP THE VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION JOURNEY: PERSPECTIVES OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND ECONOMIC CIRCULARITY

The automotive industry is undergoing a significant transition accelerated by global emission regulations for a phase out of internal combustion engines (ICEs) and a transition toward the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). While regulatory measures and incentivized adoption for EVs presents opportunities for reducing emissions and promoting sustainability, it also poses complex challenges. The EV industry faces potential production challenges, particularly in the sourcing, manufacturing, and lifecycle management of critical minerals and raw materials for electric vehicle batteries (EVBs). With a heavy reliance on a steady and diversified supply of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements, the finite nature of mineral resources poses long-term challenges for EV stakeholders. The recent measures instituted by government regulations do recognize the need for EV stakeholder accountability, requiring substantiated evidentiary proof by way of data collection and analysis mandating resource recapture and reintroduction into circularity, environmental benefits, and real-time data availability. By implementing clear end-of-life requirements such as collection targets, material recovery goals, and extended producer responsibility, EV producers are held responsible for managing the entire lifecycle of electric vehicle batteries (EVBs). Government regulations are aimed at bolstering sustainability standards, and a high degree of accountability for all battery products, showing a clear shift towards circular economic standards. This culminating experience project explores the role of collaborative initiatives and innovative technological frameworks, particularly, blockchain, smart contracts, and Nash equilibrium game theory, in addressing sustainability challenges within the EV ecosystem. The research questions are: (RQ1) How does the strategic application of blockchain technology within a circular economic framework facilitate cooperation among stakeholders in the EV industry, leading to improved oversight, enhanced accountability, and guided decision-making? (RQ2) How can the implementation of private-permissioned blockchain technology, particularly through smart contracts, be strategically employed to enhance transparency, traceability, and sustainability throughout the lifecycle of electric vehicles, within the broader context of the EV ecosystem? (RQ3) Why should EV industry stakeholders engage in a consortium, that is driven by blockchain technology, smart contracts, Nash Equilibrium game theory, and what are the potential effects? The findings for each question are: (Q1) The partnership among RCS, IBM, Ford, exemplified how integrating blockchain into a circular economic framework can establish oversight, ensure accountability, and enable informed decision-making with traceable and transparent data circularity. Ford notably improved its cobalt due diligent management system, marked by a notable forty-six percentage point within one year, demonstrating its commitment to responsible sourcing and regulatory compliance. (Q2) Private-permissioned blockchain networks, especially with smart contracts, automate performance obligations, without an intermediary interaction, strengthening self-governance within a decentralized network. The consensus mechanism, integral to blockchain architecture, enhances accountability among EV stakeholders by validating and authenticating transactions. Opting for a consensus algorithm, emphasizing participant reputation over computational power, reduces reliance on resources while maintaining network integrity. (Q3) EV stakeholders and their tier-1 suppliers, in a consortium, are incentivized to uphold their reputation and branding through adherence to ethical and sustainable practices facilitated in a blockchain network. By doing so, they contribute to the overall stability of the industry and the circular economic framework, as mutual benefits are maximized, unilateral deviations are discouraged, and collaborative dynamics are fostered. The conclusions are: (Q1) EV producers involved in circular economic initiatives can be perceived as collaborative partners that prioritize collective success over individual gain, fostering positive brand associations with teamwork and partnership. (Q2) By aligning incentives, fostering collaboration, and leveraging data-driven insights, EV producers and their suppliers can optimize resource use, minimize waste, and contribute to the transition towards a more sustainable economic model. (Q3) By adhering to ethical and sustainable practices the equilibrium ensures that EV stakeholders maintain trust and credibility, promoting a sustainable ecosystem for the EV industry within the circular economy

Corporate Social Responsibility in the work place - Experimental evidence on CSR from a gift-exchange game

We analyze the effect of investments in corporate social responsibility (CSR) on workers' motivation. In our experiment, a gift exchange game variant, CSR is captured by donating a certain share of profits to a charity. We are testing for CSR effects by varying the possible share of profits given away. Additionally, we investigate the effect of a mission match, i.e., a worker prefering the same charity the firm is actually donating to. Our results show that on average workers reciprocate investments into CSR with increased effort. A mission match does result in higher effort, but only when investment into CSR is high.Corporate Social Responsibility, gift-exchange game, experiment, labor market, incentives, moral hazard, principal agent

CURRENT ISSUES AFFECTING TRADE AND TRADE POLICY: AN ANNOTATED LITERATURE REVIEW

This review provides a base of literature describing current issues and research on the impacts of lobalization and the industrialization of agriculture and recent approaches to analyze and model agricultural trade and trade policies. Three key factors of the survey are differentiated goods, global economic integration and international supply chain linkages. The review covers 182 publications, which are presented alphabetically by author with a brief annotation describing how it relates to the above criteria. The articles are also indexed by keyword. A brief summary highlights the documented literature and includes a series of issues for future discussion and research.International Relations/Trade,

A sustainable way for apparel retailers' development : converting the supply chain into closed-loop. Case study : Min Boutique's jeans-recycle scheme

Confidential until 29 May 20162016-05-2

Environmental risk management system design for hazardous waste materials

Hazardous materials can be generally deemed as any material which, because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics, may cause, or pose a substantial or potential hazard to human health or the environment. In the context of "sustainable development", most 'materials' could be deemed to be 'hazardous' at some stage of their lifecycle, i.e. from extraction to final disposal.This PhD study develops a decision support system for engineers and policy makers to help limit environmental burden, by reducing the environmental risk and the associated carbon footprint, from the perspective of 'hazardous' materials in product design, through the application of 'game theory' and 'grey theory' etc, as well as various computational approaches, by helping the designer identify novel solutions or mitigation strategies.The thesis starts by introducing the problem situation of the study and identify the research objectives, as well as previous studies have been reviewed in order to set this study in context.Since it is evident that consumers drive the open market, and their preference may be influenced by the carbon footprint label of products, the decision support system proposes an improved carbon labelling scheme to demonstrate the significance of a product‘s carbon footprint in a more visual way. The prototype of the scheme is derived from the concept of 'tolerability of risk', providing a framework by which judgments can be made as to whether society will accept the risk from hazardous materials.Application of game theory for decision support is a novel approach in this study, which aids decision-making by selecting appropriate strategies for both organisations and policy makers to reduce environmental impact. In this context, a game between manufacturers and government in the field of clean production is generated with various game scenarios to reflect the variation trend of strategic actions, and then developed to discuss the reduction of the inherent risk posed by 'hazardous' materials and carbon emissions on the supply chain network.The 'hierarchy of waste' suggests that the most preferable state for sustainability is prevention or the elimination of waste. Although this is not wholly practicable in real terms, the framework gives the importance to waste minimisation and prevention, especially promotes the cleaner production. In addition to strategy selection for mitigating environmental impact, the decision support system also develops an evaluation methodology for application by engineers to aid decision-making on materials selection, thus to improve the materials performances, promote cleaner production and provide better and sustainable products for public consumption

The economic costs and ecological benefits of protected areas for biodiversity conservation

Conservation science acknowledges that economic cost and ecological benefit information is important for effective biodiversity conservation decision making. Obtaining this information for protected areas has proven difficult, however. This dissertation explores various aspects of obtaining information on the costs and benefits of protected areas in an effort to support applied conservation. Here I present a set of studies that 1) examine the threat and cost of plant invasion on protected areas, both for cumulative invasion and 2) across species that differ in their management priority, 3) provide a method for measuring the benefit of forest conservation, and 4) describe the conservation benefit implications from multiple conservation organizations working in the same region. The first two studies show that while conservation needs and prior costs can be estimated, there is no evidence that past expenditures relate to future budget requirements. This result is the impetus for the next study, where I develop a method to estimate the conservation benefit of forest protection using satellite imagery so that conservation professionals can better assess the relationship between conservation actions and outcomes. The final study reveals that competition for limited funding affects how conservation organizations allocate their resources, resulting in variation in benefit that depends on the organizations\u27 priority alignment. Overall, my dissertation reinforces the importance of properly accounting for costs and benefits in conservation planning and provides insight and tools to help achieve that outcome

Aboveground woody biomass estimation of green ash trees (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) along Colorado's Northern Front Range in response to the invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus plannipenis Fairmaire)

2018 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.The invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in forests and urban areas across the United States. Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) is the most widely planted street tree in the greater Denver Metro Area, comprising 15% of the urban tree population on a per-stem basis, and up to 33% of the canopy cover in some cities. EAB is currently established in Boulder, Colorado and as the infestation progresses along the Colorado Northern Front Range, municipalities will need to predict and budget for woody debris disposal from EAB-killed trees. Though existing green ash biomass predictive equations exist, most were developed for areas outside the arid West and generally represent only trees in natural forests, with full, healthy crowns. This study aimed to test whether these equations can accurately predict aboveground woody biomass of green ash trees removed as part of emerald ash borer mitigation efforts in urban areas of Colorado's Northern Front Range. Data from 42 destructively sampled ash trees removed from 11 sites as part of emerald ash borer mitigation efforts were used to evaluate the predictive capability of 12 forest-derived and five urban green ash biomass equations. The published urban equations underpredicted total sampled biomass by as much as 38% and overpredicted by as much as 47%. Forest-derived equations underpredicted by as much as 57% and overpredicted up to 52%. A local, published equation developed in the Northern Front Range overpredicted biomass by 47%. This local urban equation was developed using only open-grown trees with full, healthy crowns while the trees sampled for this study exhibited a broad spectrum of crown conditions, better representing trees that will routinely be removed as part of emerald ash borer management strategies. Sampled trees were also used to develop new local green ash biomass equations, more appropriate for use in emerald ash borer management strategies in Colorado's Northern Front Range cities. In addition, the locally-derived average specific gravity value for green ash wood was 0.57, and the locally-derived average moisture content value was 41%. These are 7.5% higher and 24% lower respectively than widely-used published values. The locally-derived values can be used to further improve the accuracy of urban forest mensuration efforts in Colorado's Northern Front Range

MONETARY POLICY AND BANKING: NON-LINEAR DYNAMIC MODELS EVOLVING AS ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS

Questa tesi presenta cinque capitoli su diversi aspetti della teoria della politica monetaria con un’analisi approfondita degli strumenti a disposizione delle banche centrali (BC) per stabilizzare e correggere gli squilibri nei mercati economici e finanziari globalizzati. I recenti shock provocati dalla recessione del Covid-19 e dalla crisi energetica hanno modificato le interdipendenze tra i principali attori economici, influenzando pesantemente il meccanismo di trasmissione della politica monetaria. L’obiettivo della tesi è indagare l’impatto di tali strumenti monetari in un costrutto teorico che include relazioni non-lineari tra variabili, eterogeneità degli agenti e razionalità limitata, frizioni di mercato e asimmetrie informative. In particolare, le aspettative degli agenti giocano un ruolo cruciale nelle decisioni di politica monetaria e, in questo lavoro, sono ben rappresentate da schemi adattivi che consentono l’apprendimento, l’interazione sociale, l’imitazione e il cambiamento di opinioni. Gli schemi adattivi sono modellati nella forma di sistemi dinamici a tempo discreto e continuo e la loro analisi fornisce nuove intuizioni economiche sul processo evolutivo che porta a situazioni di equilibrio o disequilibrio. Ciò si rivela prezioso in una prospettiva di policy-maker poiché aiuta a comprendere le fragilità intrinseche dei sistemi economici/finanziari, fornendo appropriate misure di policy per mitigarle. Dopo una breve rassegna della letteratura, il capitolo due si concentra sull’identificazione di una regola di Taylor endogena e dinamica per il tasso di interesse a breve termine al fine di ridurre l'inflazione e l'output gap. Lo scopo è quello di mitigare squilibri e shock economici temporanei. I risultati evidenziano il dilemma che le BC si trovano ad affrontare in scenari di trade-off in cui non è possibile raggiungere pienamente entrambi gli obiettivi con un unico strumento a disposizione. Il terzo capitolo fornisce un’analisi approfondita sulla relazione dinamica tra rapporto debito pubblico PIL e tasso di inflazione. Si esamina come diverse politiche monetarie (tasso di interesse, quantitative easing, monetizzazione) e regole fiscali attive possano evitare percorsi insostenibili del debito pubblico e fluttuazioni eccessive dell'inflazione. In scenari di bassa inflazione, il quantitative easing e una modesta monetizzazione finanziaria possono essere utili a stabilizzare l’evoluzione del debito grazie al loro ruolo di contenimento degli spread e di stimolo alla crescita, mentre l’effetto di incremento dell’inflazione è generalmente limitato. Inoltre, la politica basata sui tassi d'interesse da sola non è sufficiente a controllare l'inflazione: la credibilità della BC nel guidare le aspettative di inflazione risulta essere cruciale per controllare l'andamento dei prezzi e raggiungere la stabilità macroeconomica. Una delle novità di questa analisi è la presenza di un livello soglia sia per il rapporto debito/PIL che per l'inflazione, oltre il quale il rapporto debito/PIL diventa insostenibile seguendo un percorso esplosivo. Il quarto capitolo fa luce sui meccanismi attraverso i quali una BC può implementare i rischi legati al cambiamento climatico nelle sue operazioni monetarie non convenzionali (ad esempio, un programma di acquisto di obbligazioni societarie). La cosiddetta politica monetaria verde mira a orientare o a far convergere l'allocazione di attività e garanzie verso i settori industriali a basse emissioni di carbonio. Nel modello sviluppato, questa strategia della BC riduce effettivamente il costo del capitale per le obbligazioni verdi rispetto a quelle convenzionali, favorendo così gli investimenti/tecnologie sostenibili sul mercato...This thesis presents five chapters on different aspects of monetary policy theory with a thorough analysis of the instruments at disposal of central banks (CBs) to stabilize and correct imbalances in globalized economic and financial markets. The recent shocks posed by the Covid-19 recession and energy crisis have changed the interdependencies between key economic actors, heavily affecting the mechanism of transmission of monetary policy. The aim of the thesis is to investigate the impact of such monetary instruments in a theoretical construct that includes non-linear relationships among variables, agents’ heterogeneity and limited rationality, market frictions, and asymmetric information. In particular, the agents’ expectations play a crucial role in monetary policy decisions and, in this work, are well represented by adaptive schemes that allow for learning, social interaction, imitation, and changing beliefs. Adaptive schemes are modeled in the form of discrete or continuous dynamical systems and their analysis provides new economic insights into the evolution process that leads to equilibrium or disequilibrium situations. This turns out to be precious from a policy-maker perspective because it helps to understand the intrinsic fragilities of the economic/financial systems, providing appropriate policy measures to mitigate them. After a brief literature review, chapter two focuses on the identification of an endogenous and dynamic Taylor rule for the short-term interest rate to target inflation and output gaps. The aim is to mitigate temporary economic unbalances and shocks. The results highlight the dilemma faced by the CBs in trade-off scenarios where it is not possible to fully achieve both goals with a unique instrument at their disposal. The third chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the dynamic relationship between the public debt ratio and the inflation rate. It is explored how different monetary policies (interest rate, quantitative easing, monetization) and active fiscal rules can avoid unstainable government debt paths and excessive inflation fluctuations. In low inflation scenarios, quantitative easing and moderate money finance can be helpful in stabilizing debt evolution thanks to their role in containing spreads and stimulating growth, while the effect on inflation rise is generally limited. Furthermore, interest-rate-based policy alone is not sufficient to control inflation: the CB’s credibility in driving inflation expectations results to be crucial to control price developments and achieving macroeconomic stability. One of the novelties of this analysis is the presence of a threshold level for both debt ratio and inflation, beyond which the debt ratio becomes unsustainable following an explosive path. Chapter four sheds light on the mechanisms through which a CB can implement the risks related to climate change in its unconventional monetary operations (e.g. a corporate bonds purchase program). The so-called green monetary policy aims to steer or tilt the allocation of assets and collateral toward low-carbon industries. In the model developed, this CB strategy effectively reduces the cost of capital for green bonds as opposed to conventional bonds, and thus favors sustainable investment/technology in the market. However, there still could be technology trap equilibria in which no investment in green technology occurs in the long-run, even if the non-green investment equilibrium is inefficient. The green monetary policy can help firms to leave these technology traps and the degree of market competition and of market imperfections can contribute to amplifying the effects of this instrument by the transmission channel..

The development of a financing model for agricultural production in South Africa

The world agricultural industry, despite numerous supply and demand challenges, has to significantly increase its production capacity to satisfy the increased demand for food and successfully address the issues surrounding food security. Access to credit is however a key enabler in this regard, while a lack of it limits the adaptive capacity of agricultural producers. The financing needs of agricultural producers however vary and are influenced by the different production systems which have different investment, revenue and risk patterns. The sector is unique in that the risk and uncertainty in agriculture are increased by the nature of agricultural production systems, which is in many cases driven by unpredictable external factors such as adverse weather conditions. In addition agricultural production systems also function within the total food system which consists of a number of interrelated subsystems, each presenting agricultural producers with a unique set of risk factors that need to be taken into account. The development of new and innovative financing solutions for the sector therefore requires a thorough understanding of the multidimensional nature of agriculture and the unique characteristics of the sector. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the development of new and innovative financing solutions for the agricultural sector in South Africa

Contribution to the development of mathematical programming tools to assist decision-making in sustainability problems

L'activitat humana està excedint la capacitat de resposta de la Terra, el que pot tenir implicacions perjudicials per al futur benestar humà i del medi ambient. Sens dubte, severs canvis estructurals seran necessaris, el que exigeix prendre solucions eficaces davant els problemes emergents de sostenibilitat. En aquest context, aquesta tesi es centra en dues transformacions clau per re-connectar el desenvolupament humà amb el progrés sostenible: la "seguretat alimentària sostenible", desacoblant la intensificació agrícola de l'ús insostenible dels recursos; i el "model energètic sostenible", donant suport al canvi cap a una economia respectuosa amb el medi ambient. El marc metodològic consisteix a abordar diferents problemes mitjançant el desenvolupament d'eines sistemàtiques de programació matemàtica amb l'objectiu de donar suport a la presa de decisions i la formulació de polítiques conduents a la consecució del desenvolupament sostenible. Aquesta tesi doctoral inclou quatre contribucions principals en forma d'eines de decisió i suport de polítiques prou flexibles com per abordar diferents casos d'estudi. En primer lloc, es proposa una eina multiobjectiu per assignar àrees de cultiu considerant simultàniament criteris productius i mediambientals. En segon lloc, es proposa un model multiperíode per determinar plans de cultiu òptims i subsidis efectius per tal de promoure pràctiques agrícoles sostenibles. En tercer lloc, es proposa una metodologia per a analitzar la sostenibilitat que permet avaluar sistemes muticriteri i proporciona potencials millores d'acord amb els principis de la sostenibilitat. En quart lloc, es proposa un nou enfocament basat en l'optimització d'accions cooperatives amb l'objectiu de promoure i enfortir la cooperació internacional en la lluita contra el canvi climàtic La informació derivada de la investigació, com la presentada en aquesta tesi, pot tenir un paper fonamental en la transició cap a una nova era en la qual l'economia, la societat i el medi ambient coexisteixin com a pilars clau del desenvolupament sostenible.La actividades humanas están excediendo la capacidad de carga de la Tierra, lo que puede potencialmente generar implicaciones perjudiciales para el futuro bienestar humano y del medio ambiente. Sin duda son necesarios profundos cambios estructurales, lo que exige tomar soluciones eficaces ante los problemas emergentes de sostenibilidad. En este contexto, esta tesis se centra en dos transformaciones clave para reconectar el desarrollo humano con el progreso sostenible: la "seguridad alimentaria sostenible", desacoplando la intensificación agrícola del uso insostenible de los recursos; y el " modelo energético sostenible", apoyando el cambio hacia una economía respetuosa con el medio ambiente. El marco metodológico consiste en abordar distintos problemas mediante el desarrollo de herramientas sistemáticas de programación matemática cuyo objetivo es apoyar la toma de decisiones y la formulación de políticas tendentes hacia la consecución del desarrollo sostenible. La tesis incluye cuatro contribuciones principales en forma de herramientas de decisión y apoyo de políticas suficientemente flexibles para abordar diferentes casos de estudio. En primer lugar, se propone una herramienta multiobjetivo para asignar áreas de cultivo considerando simultáneamente criterios productivos y medioambientales. En segundo, se propone un modelo multiperiodo para determinar planes de cultivo óptimos y subsidios efectivos con el fin de promover prácticas agrícolas sostenibles. En tercero, se propone una metodología para realizar análisis de sostenibilidad que permite evaluar sistemas muticriterio y proporciona potenciales mejoras de acuerdo con principios de sostenibilidad. En cuarto lugar, se propone un nuevo enfoque basado en la optimización de acciones cooperativas con el objetivo de promover y fortalecer la cooperación internacional en la lucha contra el cambio climático La información derivada de la investigación, como la presentada en esta tesis, puede desempeñar un papel fundamental en la transición hacia una nueva era en la que la economía, la sociedad y el medio ambiente coexistan como pilares clave del desarrollo sostenible.Impacts from human activities are exceeding the Earth’s carrying capacity, which may lead to irreversible changes posing a serious threat to future human well-being and the environment. There is no doubt that an urgent shift is needed for sustainability, which calls for effective solutions when facing ongoing and emerging sustainability challenges. Against this background, this thesis focuses on two key structural transformations needed to reconnect the human development to sustained progress: the “food security transformation”, through decoupling the intensification of agricultural production from unsustainable use of resources; and the “clean energy transformation”, supporting the transition towards a more environmentally friendly economy. Methodologically, different sustainability issues are tackled by developing systematic mathematical programming tools aiming at supporting sustainable decision and policy-making which ultimately will lead to the development of more efficient mechanisms to foster a sustainable development. This thesis includes four major contributions in the form of decision and policy- support tools which are flexible and practical enough to address different case studies towards a more sustainable agriculture and energy future. First, a multi-objective tool is proposed which allows allocating cropping areas simultaneously maximizing the production and minimizing the environmental impact on ecosystems and resources. Second, a multi-period model is proposed which allows determining optimal cropping plans and effective subsidies to promote agricultural practices beneficial to the climate and the environment. Third, a novel methodology tailored to perform sustainability assessments is proposed which allows evaluating multi-criterion systems and providing improvements targets for such systems according to sustainability principles. Fourth, an optimised cooperative approach is proposed to promote and strengthen international cooperation in the fight against climate change. Research-based work as the one proposed herein may play a major role in the transition towards a new era where the economy, society and the environment coexist as key pillars of sustainable development