This paper examines the increasing use of bilateral investment treaties as instruments of foreign investment protection. The outcomes of treaty arbitrations are analysed to assess the extent to which treaties limit the economic policy choices available to host states. The disputes are also analysed to determine how such treaties may affect the development of legal institutions and the general appl

In May 2004 eight former communist countries (EU-8) with close historical trade ties to Russia joined the European Union. According to integration theory, we expect that Russia – a so called third country – in some cases may suffer from trade diversion due to this. This thesis focuses on the possible effects on Russian trade resulting from the 2004 eastern enlargement of the European Union. It aim

Vatten är inte en vanlig vara och bör därför inte heller betraktas som en sådan. Dess avgörande egenskaper och svåra hantering gör att kraven på välfungerande institutioner är stora, men gör också den ekonomiska analysen mer komplicerad. Traditionella, ekonomiska lösningar på externaliteter och effektivitetsproblem går inte alltid att ena med de rättvise- och moralaspekter som uppkommer när det ha

Uppsatsen behandlar frågan om huruvida högre takt i produktivitetsutvecklingen påverkar sysselsättningsgraden negativt i en ekonomi då förbättringar i arbetsbesparande teknologi medför lägre efterfrågan på arbete. Frågeställningen har uppkommit med jämna mellanrum genom historien sedan den första industriella revolutionen utan att något långsiktigt samband kunnat bekräftas. Uppsatsens undersökning

From the early 1990s and onwards the use of debt relief as a method of providing development assistance has become increasingly popular, especially since the launch of the HIPC initiative in 1996. This thesis aims to investigate the general theoretical and empirical support of the growth enhancing properties of debt relief with regard to low income countries. Focus is put on evaluating the harmful

Organizations’ external environment is full of business ventures. Individuals play ‘in role’ and ‘extra role’ at the same time within the organizations. They are also located in an online environment where they participate and communicate using online social tools. Moreover, individuals within organizations seldom know who are likely to provide the right information or knowledge. The "who kno

The aim of this thesis is to uncover the determining factors behind the feminisation of the Swedish bank sector 1910-1939, through analysis of time-series and the Union periodical Bankvärlden. Economic and institutional explanations are tried, from a structural-analytical and gender perspective. The results show that feminisation was most rapid during the 1910’s, driven by a strong demand for labo

Vi undersöker den ickeparametriska optionsprissättningsmodellen med namnet kanonisk värdering. Vi visar att den kanoniska modellen fungerar väl på svensk data. Vi visar också att kanonisk värdering kan generera ett volatilitetsleende som stämmer överens med det vi observerar på marknaden. Dessa empiriska resultat är konsistenta med tidigare forskning. Ett teoretiskt motiverat resultat är att den k

Sammanfattning Denna uppsats utreder sambandet mellan privatiseringsreform av vattendistribution och det teoretiska begreppet ojämlikhetsfällan. En ojämlikhetsfälla är ett tillstånd av relativ brist på tillgångar och möjligheter, skapat och bevarat av en snedvriden institutionell miljö. Vår frågeställning är huruvida ojämlikhetsfällan som fenomen består efter en genomgripande privatiseringsreform.

Ingen sammanfattning krävdes i denna uppsats.

The way we see computers is changing nowadays. Computers are being seen not only as a utility, but also as a means and mediums of communication. With the proliferation of virtual communities and various social networks, the problem of trust becomes significant. Trust in virtual settings has been mostly researched from a security perspective; however, when it comes to virtual communities sociologic

A tiny larva of ʻOrstenʼ-type of three-dimensional preservation has been recovered from the Upper Cambrian Bitiao Formation of Wangcun section, western Hunan, South China, herein in- terpreted as an orthonauplius stage of a crown-group crustacean. The specimen comprises an ovoid body with a prominent labrum and three pairs of appendages. In all it exhibits comparable morpho- logical similarities w

Ammonia (NH3) is regarded as one of the most viable alternatives to produce carbon-free energy. However, its low flammability and high NOx emissions associated with its combustion inhibit the implementation of pure NH3 as a fuel. Dual-fuel approaches with NH3 and more reactive fuels have been proposed; however, information on pollutant emissions is still scarce. The present work focuses on quantif

The housing sector is important for achieving ambitious environmental targets. In the European Union, buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions. Considering the scale of the housing sector's environmental impact, interventions in how new housing is built and existing housing is renovated have great potential for sustainable transformation. However, the sector has not

Fire evacuations at wildland-urban interfaces (WUI) pose a serious challenge to the emergency services, and are a global issue affecting thousands of communities around the world. This paper presents a multi-physics framework for the simulation of evacuation in WUI wildfire incidents, including three main modelling layers: wildfire, pedestrians, and traffic. Currently, these layers have been mostl

Treated bamboo can be made into large, durable structural elements which have the potential to become a transformative large-scale building material, but the fracture behaviour which determines their ultimate strength in various loading scenarios has not been studied. Laminated bamboo is a promising structural engineered bamboo material, and is generally made from bamboo treated to improve its dur

In order to characterize the radium distribution and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in the Bohai Sea area, the three isotopes 223Ra, 224Ra and 228Ra in different water bodies were measured in a 4-year period with the radium-delayed coincidence counting (RaDeCC) system. The results indicated that radium activities take an order of groundwater > coastal seawater > river water > central seawat

Denna femte studie behandlar Supply chain information sharing (SCIS), d.v.s. hur företag delar information i försörjningskedjan. Vi försöker också förstå hur företag delar information i försörjningskedjan - både mellan företagets interna avdelningar/funktioner och med viktiga partners. Analysen bygger på svar från 34 panelmedlemmar.

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) organized the first European Strategic Forum on Allergic Diseases and Asthma. The main aim was to bring together all relevant stakeholders and decision-makers in the field of allergy, asthma and clinical Immunology around an open debate on contemporary challenges and potential solutions for the next decade. The Strategic Forum was an

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder. Depositions of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) and tau protein are among the major pathological hallmarks of AD. Aβ and tau burden follows predictable spatial patterns during the progression of AD. Nevertheless, it remains obscure why certain brain regions are more vulnerable than others; to investigate this and dysregulate