Public Investment, Distributive Politics and Economic Growth

This paper develops on a Solow type of model where the government is introduced as a decision maker. Additionally, this paper introduces consumer decisions and assumes that individuals can be differentiated by their relative factor endowment (labor and private capital). The results indicate that the economy’s growth rate has an inverted U-shape relationship with the tax rate on private capital. They also indicate that the tax rate has a positive relation with the amount of money government spend on consumption (rather than on investment in public capital). The paper also concludes that the choice of the tax rate will be above the optimal level and hence the potential growth rate will not be achieved. Taking the analysis further, it can be assumed that voters will try to correct lower tax rates of public investment by choosing an higher tax rate. This tax rate will be higher if society is more disparate in terms of income distribution. Finally, the conclusion from a public policy perspective is that there is a negative relationship between the chosen tax rate and public investment and that this relationship is highly sensitive to the model parameters.growth, income distribution, government budget, government efficiency

Evidence on the relation between public capital and Government efficiency

This paper intends to contribute to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the relation between public capital stock and government efficiency. We present some objective indicators fo government efficiency and explore the mentioned relation. we find a positive and significant relation between both variables that survives the introduction of controls and robustness checking.

Genetic diversity of Porpitidae (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) in the Azores

Dissertação de Mestrado, Estudos Integrados dos Oceanos, 19 de outubro de 2022, Universidade dos Açores.Porpitidae é uma família de hidrozoários neustónicos pouco investigados geneticamente, onde a maioria das publicações menciona somente a sua ocorrência. Para estudar a diversidade desta família nos Açores, foram recolhidos 277 indivíduos em praias de duas ilhas (Faial e São Miguel) e morfologicamente identificados como Velella velella ou Porpita porpita. Para confirmar a identificação das espécies e investigar a sua diversidade genética, associações filogeográficas e a estrutura da população, as amostras foram sequenciadas utilizando três marcadores moleculares diferentes: COI, 16S e ITS. O dispositivo MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) foi utilizado, proporcionando uma sequenciação de leitura longa e rápida em tempo real. Foram construídas redes de haplótipos e árvores filogenéticas. A análise das sequências revelou diversidade genética dos Porpitidae nos Açores. No entanto, a variabilidade intra-género foi praticamente nula no gene nuclear (ITS) quando comparada com os genes mitocondriais (COI e 16S). Comparando com sequências disponíveis nas bases de dados, foi possível verificar uma maior semelhança com os indivíduos amostrados em locais mais próximos dos Açores (Mediterrâneo e Mar dos Sargassos). Nos genes com elevada diversidade genética, também foi possível distinguir dois indivíduos do género Porpita que exibiam uma distância genética significativa quando comparados com outros do mesmo local. Apesar da análise da delimitação das espécies ter apresentado resultados diferentes para ambos os métodos, o resultado sugeriu que podem existir duas a dezasseis espécies, mas há uma maior possibilidade de haver apenas duas espécies. Este estudo forneceu informações importantes ao nível taxonómico da família Porpitidae. Através deste trabalho foi conhecida uma boa representação da diversidade genética dos Porpitidae. Embora o número de indivíduos amostrados seja bastante grande, a baixa representação geográfica das amostras relativamente à distribuição dos géneros pode condicionar os resultados. Seria importante investigar indivíduos de outros locais e utilizar outros marcadores para providenciar informações mais completas.ABSTRACT: Porpitidae is a family of neustonic hydrozoans scarcely investigated genetically, with most scientific publications mentioning solely their occurrence. In order to study the diversity of this family in the Azores, a total of 277 individuals were analysed. These animals were collected on beach areas of two islands (Faial and São Miguel) and morphologically identified as Velella velella or Porpita porpita. To confirm species identification and to investigate their genetic diversity, phylogeographic associations and population structure, the samples were sequenced using three different molecular markers: COI, 16S and ITS. The MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) sequencing device was utilized, providing long and fast reading sequencing in real-time. Haplotype networks and phylogenetic trees were built. The analysis of the sequences revealed genetic diversity in the Porpitidae in the Azores. However, the intra-genus nucleotidic variability was practically null in the nuclear gene (ITS) when compared to mitochondrial genes (COI and 16S). When confronting with other sequences available in the databases, it was possible to verify a greater similarity with individuals sampled in locations closer to the Azores (Mediterranean and Sargasso Sea). In the genes with high genetic diversity, it was also possible to distinguish two sampled Porpita individuals, which exhibited a high genetic distance compared to the others. Although the species delimitation analysis exhibited different results in both methods, the outcome suggested that there may exist two to sixteen species, but there is a higher possibility that there are only two species. This study provided important information at the taxonomic level of the Porpitidae family. Through this work, a good representation of the genetic diversity of Porpitidae was known. Although the number of individuals sampled was quite large, the low geographical representation of the samples in relation to the distribution of the genera may condition the results. It would be important to investigate individuals from other locations as well as to use other molecular markers in order to provide more complete information

Public Investment, Distributive Politics and Economic Growth

This paper develops on a Solow type of model where the government as introduced as a decision maker. Additionally, this paper introduces consumer decisions and assumes that individuals can be differentiated by their relative factor endowment (labor and private capital). The results indicate that the economy’s growth rate has an inverted U-shape relationship with the tax rate on private capital τ . They also indicate that the tax rate has a positive relation with the amount of money government spend on consumption, θ, (rather than on investment in public capital). The paper also concludes that the choice of the tax rate will be above the optimal level and hence the potential growth rate will not be achieved. Taking the analysis further, it can be assumed that voters will try to correct lower tax rates of public investment by choosing an higher tax rate. This tax rate will be higher if society is more disparate in terms of income distribution. However, by reducing θ, τ automatically decreases thus bringing us closer to the optimum. Finally, the conclusion from a public policy perspective is that there is a negative relationship between the chosen tax rate and public investment and that this relationship is highly sensitive to the model parameters.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cultural differences and premium flexibility : the case of The Navigator Company

In a progressively digital and competitive world we live in, it is vital for the companies to objectively evaluate what competences (and not resources) bring them competitive and comparative advantage in the XXI century. Culture is a crucial resource at a country level since it shapes a nation’s character and society. This implies that individuals, who are absorbed by this influence, will transfer it for their organizations, transforming culture in a competence that can be a strong basis for achieving competitive advantage in international environments. In an international context, Portugal will struggle to be competitive in a world of top technology, scale economies and cheap labor of industrialized, emergent and developing countries, respectively. The premium flexibility theory attempts to explain the success of exporting Portuguese companies in B2B segments. Consequently, the main objective of this dissertation is to answer the research question: “How national culture effects competitive advantage on Portuguese companies?” For this purpose, a case study about The Navigator Company was performed in order to understand if the main national dimensions of the premium flexibility theory were verified in a real case context. It is also important to comprehend how do they influence the competitive advantage of The Navigator Company in the pulp sector. The outcomes of this study conclude that, premium flexibility does exist on the case of The Navigator Company, although with several limitations and modifications and that it positively contributes to a better and improved customization, agility of the processes and on a greater efficiency of the flow of information and products.No mundo cada vez mais digital e competitivo em que vivemos, é vital para as empresas avaliarem de forma objetiva quais competências (e não recursos) lhes trazem vantagem competitiva e comparativa no século XXI. A cultura é um recurso crucial ao nível do país, pois molda o caráter e a sociedade de uma nação. Isso implica que os indivíduos, absorvidos por essa influência, a transfiram para suas organizações, transformando a cultura numa competência que pode ser uma base forte para o alcance de vantagem competitiva em ambientes internacionais. Num contexto internacional, Portugal vai lutar para ser competitivo num mundo de tecnologia de ponta, economias de escala e mão-de-obra barata de países industrializados, emergentes e em desenvolvimento, respetivamente. A teoria da flexibilidade premium tenta explicar o sucesso das empresas portuguesas exportadoras nos segmentos B2B. Consequentemente, o objetivo principal desta dissertação é responder à questão de pesquisa: “Como é que a cultura nacional afeta a vantagem competitiva nas empresas portuguesas?” Para o efeito, foi realizado um estudo de caso sobre a The Navigator Company, a fim de perceber se as principais dimensões nacionais da teoria da flexibilidade premium foram verificadas num contexto de caso real. Também é importante compreender de que maneira influenciam a vantagem competitiva da The Navigator Company no setor da celulose. Os resultados deste estudo concluem que a flexibilidade premium exista no caso da The Navigator Company, embora com várias limitações e modificações e que contribui positivamente para uma melhor e melhor customização, agilidade dos processos e uma maior eficiência do fluxo de informações e produtos

Empirical Determinants of Government Efficiency - Exploring the Data

This paper is concerned with two things: finding an objective and easily quantifiable measure of government efficiency and testing possible determinants of such quality. As measures of government efficiency we use the ratios of infant mortality rate to health expenditures as a percentage of GDP and the ratios of drop out and illiteracy rates to education expenditures as a percentage of GDP. We assume that government efficiency in providing health and education services depends on economic, political and cultural factors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Empirical Determinants of Government Efficiency: A Study Based on Objective Indicators

This paper is concerned with two things: finding an objective and easily quantifiable measure of government efficiency and testing possible determinants of such quality. As measures of government efficiency we use the ratios of infant mortality rate to health expenditures as a percentage of GDP and the ratios of drop out and illiteracy rates to education expenditures as a percentage of GDP. We assume that government efficiency in providing health and education services depends on economic, political and cultural factors

Implementation and optimization of downstream strategies to manipulate Microcystis aeruginosa growth and toxicity

Dissertação de mestrado em Biologia Molecular, Biotecnologia e Bioempreendedorismo em PlantasMicrocystis aeruginosa is a microorganism that belongs to the group of cyanobacteria, which includes more than 2000 prokaryotic species. Despite being often called blue-green algae, cyanobacteria are classified as Gram negative bacteria. The microrganisms of this species possess an intracellular cyanotoxin– microcystin (MC) – that presents a great potential in therapeutic terms, both as an antimicrobial and as anticancer/antitumor agent. On the other hand, this toxin is dangerous to humans and animals, when present in high concentrations in water. These two factors, along with the high price of the cyanotoxin (above 28 000 €.mg-1), make the study of M. aeruginosa extremely interesting, specifically when it comes to its production and removal processes. In order to contribute to a decrease in the cost of MC production, this work studied the downstream processing of M. aeruginosa, particularly its harvesting process, which is responsible for 20 – 30 % of the total costs at industrial scale. The focus of this work was the optimization and comparison of the harvesting efficiency of M. aeruginosa using flocculation induced by pH and by different flocculant agents, namely: aluminium chloride (AlCl3), ferric chloride (FeCl3), and chitosan (Ch). The results obtained showed a harvesting efficiency (HE) above 90 % after 8 hours of treatment using pH 3 and 4 to induce flocculation of M. aeruginosa. Regarding the floculation induced by flocculant agents, it was possible to observe a HE of 92 % after just 4 hours using 3.75 mg.L-1 of FeCl3. Among the methods tested, this was the highest HE and was achieved at a ZP value of -8.98 mV. The optimization performed with ZP alteration allowed not only to reach higher HEs for all flocculation types, but also to decrease the used dosage of flocculant agents. Moreover, the optimal conditions of flocculation were found for a ZP in the range of -6.7 and -20.7 mV.A Microcystis aeruginosa é um microrganismo pertencente ao grupo das cianobactérias, que inclui mais de 2000 espécies procariontes. As cianobactérias, apesar de serem comummente designadas de algas verde-azuladas, são classificadas como sendo bactérias gram-negativas. Os microorganismos deste espécie produzem uma cianotoxina, a microcistina (MC), que apresenta um enorme potencial terapêutico, quer como agente anticancerígeno/antitumoral e antimicrobiano. Por outro lado, esta toxina apresenta um elevado risco para os humanos e animais quando presente em elevadas concentrações na água. Estes dois fatores, juntamente com o elevado preço desta cianotoxina (mais de 28000 € por mg), tornam o estudo da M. aeruginosa de extremo interesse, especialmente no que toca ao seu processo de produção e recolha. Com a finalidade de contribuir para a diminuição do custo de produção da MC, este trabalho foi realizado de forma a estudar o processo de recolha da M. aeruginosa, que é frequentemente responsável por 20 a 30 % dos custos totais de produção à escala industrial. Deu-se um especial enfoque à otimização e comparação da eficiência de recolha da M. aeruginosa para processos de floculação induzida por uma gama de pH de 2 a 12 e pela utilização de diferentes concentrações de três agentes floculantes: o cloreto de alumínio (AlCl3) a 15, 7.5, 3.75 e 1.88 mg.L- 1, o cloreto de ferro (FeCl3) a 30, 7.5, 3.75 e 1.88 mg.L-1 e o quitosano (Ch) a 7.31, 2, 0.5 e 0.25 mg.L-1. Os resultados revelaram que as maiores eficiências de recolha na floculação induzida por pH, acima de 90 %, foram obtidas após 8 horas de tratamento usando pH 3 e 4. Relativamente à floculação promovida por agentes floculantes, através da modificação do potencial zeta foi possível obter uma eficiência de 92 % após 4h utilizando 3.75 mg.L-1 de FeCl3. De entre os métodos testados, esta foi a melhor eficiência de recolha alcançada, sendo obtida para um valor de potencial zeta de -8.98 mV. A optimização dos processos, levada a cabo pela alteração do potencial zeta, permitiu verificar que as melhores eficiências foram obtidas para um intervalo de potenciais zeta entre -6.7 e -20.7 mV, e possibilitou também a utilização de menores dosagens de agentes floculantes

How Covid-19’s impact on pollutant emissions compares to previous pandemics

Mestrado Bolonha em EconomiaThis dissertation analyses the impact of the past major pandemics and epidemics of the 21st century – SARS, H1N1, MERS, Ebola and Zika – on pollutant emissions (more specifically, carbon dioxide), separately in Low Income Countries, Emerging Market Economies and Advanced Economies. The dataset on pandemics and epidemics used was put together by Ma et al. (2020) and all other variables were retrieved from the WB’s World Bank Indicators, for the time span 1980-2020. We also studied the relation between nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions and the number of new weekly cases and deaths (per million) of COVID-19, using a dataset from Jalles et al. (2021). Estimations were made via Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) with time and country fixed effects and concluded that pandemic shocks lead to overall decreases in pollutant emissions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio