The Impact of MNC Involvement on the Lives of Workers in Developing Economies of Latin America

It is clear that multinational corporations (MNCs) have significant impact in the growth trajectory of developing countries. The nature of this relationship, however, is heavily debated. What is the downstream impact from MNCs on the lives of workers in developing countries? Are countries perversely incentivized to repress and exploit their unskilled labor forces to attract investment? Do multinationals promote better working conditions and raise standards of living for workers? In this essay, I argue that multinationals have the potential to bring massive benefits to the working class in developing countries. If the government of the host country develops strong linkage institutions, connecting MNCs to a large portion of the labor force and promoting information sharing, MNCs can bring increases in wage levels, decreases in inequality, and increased standards of living overall. My study combines quantitative analysis and case study research to explore the effects of MNCs on six developing Latin American economies: Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela. To preview my main findings, there are strong correlations in all countries between foreign direct investment (FDI) net inflows (a proxy variable for MNC involvement) and adjusted net national incomes. I also show that overall levels of FDI coming into a developing economy evidence a more significant relationship with income levels than do their relative share of that economy’s market, indicating that industry domination is not as important as the total amount of incoming FDI. The data also shows that increased exposure to foreign capital appears to lead to absolute wealth gains across the economy. In other words, all income groups are made absolutely better off by increased MNC involvement. However, there is strong evidence to suggest that the gains associated with FDI are not evenly distributed across income brackets, that the benefits to the wealthy are disproportionate to those to the poor. Finally, the data shows a good deal of support for the theory that different periods of FDI development affect and enfranchise different groups in different ways. When MNCs initially enter a country, in the early stages of development, we see strong associations between increased levels of FDI and increased Human Development Index (HDI) scores. As time goes on, and peripheral economies adapt and shift their development strategies, the relationship becomes weaker and appears to plateau. The central goal of this essay is to explore the extent to which predictions from the established literature hold true in select countries in Latin America, with an eye toward what their experiences can say about the impact of MNC FDI more broadly

Watering the Roman Legion

This thesis investigates how ancient Roman legions provisioned fresh water while on campaign, arguing that water logistics were an important limit on Rome's ability to defend the empire. Using comparative data, this thesis estimates the hefty water requirements of a Roman army in the field and argues that the limits of preindustrial transportation technology compelled commanders to stick close to local water supplies except in the most urgent circumstances. After a discussion of what water sources ancient armies could tap, this thesis turns to investigate how the reliance on local water sources limited the strategic maneuverability of Roman forces. Through GIS analysis of water sources along the Roman frontier in Tripolitania, it demonstrates that large swaths of nominally "Roman" territory were inaccessible to Roman troops, and that the strictures of water logistics made it challenging for the Roman Empire to adequately secure its desert frontiers.Master of Art

Hostile Ground: Terrain, Force, and Control in the Roman Empire

This dissertation fuses traditional military history and modern Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to study the relationship between terrain, military force, and imperial control in the Roman world. Drawing on ancient authors’ general antipathy towards warfare on “broken ground,” I argue that Rome’s army struggled to wage war efficiently and effectively in mountainous territory. Using GIS technology and open-access data developed by natural scientists, we can map such rugged terrain in the ancient world on a larger scale than ever before, and integrate military topography into broader discussions of imperial power dynamics. The dissertation offers three case studies which demonstrate the potential use of GIS analysis for histories of Roman imperialism. The first, on the Spanish wars of the late 3rd and early 2nd century BCE, considers how rugged terrain shaped Rome’s conquest of foreign territory. While Rome was initially hesitant to extend its forces into the Iberian highlands, it was compelled to adjust its strategy when the concentration of force in river valleys and coastal plains failed to quell widespread resistance in the hills. The second case study examines the Jewish revolt between 66 and 73 CE, in which the defensive terrain of Judaea and Galilee helped turn local discontent into outright rebellion. The third and final case study reconstructs the Romans’ northeastern frontier during the first two centuries CE, considering how Rome deployed its garrisons in response to the challenges of the eastern Anatolian mountains. In this exceptionally rugged region, the empire struck a careful balance between its primary mission—intermittent, large-scale warfare with the Parthians—and the necessity of addressing small-scale, endemic brigandage within the frontier zone. Overall, this dissertation highlights Rome’s fundamental pragmatism in response to environmental challenges; the longevity of Rome’s rule depended, to a large extent, on its willingness to balance the costs and rewards of imperial control, and to govern by compromise where it could not efficiently dominate by force. The dissertation also suggests the importance of GIS tools and training within the historian’s toolkit, and outlines a flexible methodology for studying the relationship between pre-modern states and their physical contexts.Doctor of Philosoph

The common apolipoprotein A-1 polymorphism −75A>G is associated with ethnic differences in recurrent coronary events after recovery from an acute myocardial infarction

Since data regarding the relationship between a common polymorphism (SNP) of the apoA1 gene with apoA1 levels and risk of coronary artery disease are inconsistent, we hypothesized that its association with recurrent coronary events differs for White and Black individuals with diagnosed coronary heart disease. The apoA1 −75G>A SNP was genotyped in a cohort of 834 Black (n=129) and White (n=705) post-myocardial infarction patients. Recurrent coronary events (coronary-related death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or unstable angina) were documented during an average follow-up of 28 months. Thirty percent of White and 21% of Black patients carried the SNP. Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis, adjusting for clinical and laboratory covariates, demonstrated that the SNP was not associated with recurrent events in the total cohort (HR=1.37, 95% CI 0.95–1.97; p= 0.09) but was the only variable associated with an increased risk of recurrent cardiac events in Blacks (HR=2.40, 95% CI 1.07–5.40; p= 0.034). Conversely in Whites, the SNP was not associated with recurrent events (HR=1.12, 95% CI 0.75–1.67; p= 0.59) whereas apoB (HR=1.78, 95% CI 1.20 −2.65; p= 0.0042) and calcium channel blocker use (HR=2.53, 95% CI 1.72–3.72; p<0.001) were associated; p= 0.0024 for interaction between ethnicity and the SNP. A common apoA1 SNP is associated with a significantly increased risk of recurrent cardiac events among Black, but not White, postmyocardial infarction patients. Relationships with lipoproteins may help explain this finding

Urban multi-model climate projections of intense heat in Switzerland

This paper introduces a straightforward approach to generate multi-model climate projections of intense urban heat, based on an ensemble of state-of-the-art global and regional climate model simulations from EURO-CORDEX. The employed technique entails the empirical-statistical downscaling method quantile mapping (QM), which is applied in two different settings, first for bias correction and downscaling of raw climate model data to rural stations with long-term measurements and second for spatial transfer of bias-corrected and downscaled climate model data to the respective urban target site. The resulting products are daily minimum and maximum temperatures at five urban sites in Switzerland until the end of the 21st century under three emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5). We test the second-step QM approach in an extensive evaluation framework, using long-term observational data of two exemplary weather stations in Zurich. Results indicate remarkably good skill of QM in present-day climate. Comparing the generated urban climate projections with existing climate scenarios of adjacent rural sites allows us to represent the urban heat island (UHI) effect in future temperature-based heat indices, namely tropical nights, summer days and hot days. Urban areas will be more strongly affected by rising temperatures than rural sites in terms of fixed threshold exceedances, especially during nighttime. Projections for the end of the century for Zurich, for instance, suggest more than double the number of tropical nights (Tmin above 20 ºC) at the urban site (45 nights per year, multi-model median) compared to the rural counterpart (20 nights) under RCP8.5.This research has been partly supported by the European Commission (HEAT-SHIELD 668786). EH is supported by the German Research Foundation under project number 40805747

Chemical Evolution of Atmospheric Organic Carbon over Multiple Generations of Oxidation

The evolution of atmospheric organic carbon (OC) as it undergoes oxidation has a controlling influence on concentrations of key atmospheric species, including particulate matter, ozone, and oxidants. However, the full characterization of OC over hours to days of atmospheric processing has been stymied by its extreme chemical complexity. Here we study the multigenerational oxidation of -pinene in the laboratory, characterizing products with several state-of-the-art analytical techniques. While quantification of some early-generation products remains elusive, full carbon closure is achieved (within uncertainty) by the end of the experiments. This enables new insights into the effects of oxidation on OC properties (volatility, oxidation state, and reactivity), and the atmospheric lifecycle of OC. Following an initial period characterized by functionalization reactions and particle growth, fragmentation reactions dominate, forming smaller species. After approximately one day of atmospheric aging, most carbon is sequestered in two long-lived reservoirs, volatile oxidized gases and low-volatility particulate matter