@phdthesis{Boehme2011,
  author    = {B{\"o}hme, Dimo},
  title     = {EU-Russia energy relations: What chance for solutions? : A focus on the natural gas sector},
  publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam},
  address   = {Potsdam},
  isbn      = {978-3-86956-120-2},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-50210},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xix, 322},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Public debate about energy relations between the EU and Russia is distorted. These distortions present considerable obstacles to the development of true partnership. At the core of the conflict is a struggle for resource rents between energy producing, energy consuming and transit countries. Supposed secondary aspects, however, are also of great importance. They comprise of geopolitics, market access, economic development and state sovereignty. The European Union, having engaged in energy market liberalisation, faces a widening gap between declining domestic resources and continuously growing energy demand. Diverse interests inside the EU prevent the definition of a coherent and respected energy policy. Russia, for its part, is no longer willing to subsidise its neighbouring economies by cheap energy exports. The Russian government engages in assertive policies pursuing Russian interests. In so far, it opts for a different globalisation approach, refusing the role of mere energy exporter. In view of the intensifying struggle for global resources, Russia, with its large energy potential, appears to be a very favourable option for European energy supplies, if not the best one. However, several outcomes of the strategic game between the two partners can be imagined. Engaging in non-cooperative strategies will in the end leave all stakeholders worse-off. The European Union should therefore concentrate on securing its partnership with Russia instead of damaging it. Stable cooperation would need the acceptance that the partner may pursue his own goals, which might be different from one's own interests. The question is, how can a sustainable compromise be found? This thesis finds that a mix of continued dialogue, a tit for tat approach bolstered by an international institutional framework and increased integration efforts appears as a preferable solution.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Lkhagvadorj2009,
  author    = {Lkhagvadorj, Ariunaa},
  title     = {Fiscal federalism and decentralization in Mongolia},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-41196},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2009},
  abstract  = {Fiscal federalism has been an important topic among public finance theorists in the last four decades. There is a series of arguments that decentralization of governments enhances growth by improving allocation efficiency. However, the empirical studies have shown mixed results for industrialized and developing countries and some of them have demonstrated that there might be a threshold level of economic development below which decentralization is not effective. Developing and transition countries have developed a variety of forms of fiscal decentralization as a possible strategy to achieve effective and efficient governmental structures. A generalized principle of decentralization due to the country specific circumstances does not exist. Therefore, decentralization has taken place in different forms in various countries at different times, and even exactly the same extent of decentralization may have had different impacts under different conditions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current state of the fiscal decentralization in Mongolia and to develop policy recommendations for the efficient and effective intergovernmental fiscal relations system for Mongolia. Within this perspective the analysis concentrates on the scope and structure of the public sector, the expenditure and revenue assignment as well as on the design of the intergovernmental transfer and sub-national borrowing. The study is based on data for twenty-one provinces and the capital city of Mongolia for the period from 2000 to 2009. As a former socialist country Mongolia has had a highly centralized governmental sector. The result of the analysis below revealed that the Mongolia has introduced a number of decentralization measures, which followed a top down approach and were slowly implemented without any integrated decentralization strategy in the last decade. As a result Mongolia became de-concentrated state with fiscal centralization. The revenue assignment is lacking a very important element, for instance significant revenue autonomy given to sub-national governments, which is vital for the efficient service delivery at the local level. According to the current assignments of the expenditure and revenue responsibilities most of the provinces are unable to provide a certain national standard of public goods supply. Hence, intergovernmental transfers from the central jurisdiction to the sub-national jurisdictions play an important role for the equalization of the vertical and horizontal imbalances in Mongolia. The critical problem associated with intergovernmental transfers is that there is not a stable, predictable and transparent system of transfer allocation. The amount of transfers to sub-national governments is determined largely by political decisions on ad hoc basis and disregards local differences in needs and fiscal capacity. Thus a fiscal equalization system based on the fiscal needs of the provinces should be implemented. The equalization transfers will at least partly offset the regional disparities in revenues and enable the sub-national governments to provide a national minimum standard of local public goods.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Biewald2008,
  author    = {Biewald, Anne},
  title     = {A dynamic life cycle model for Germany with unemployment uncertainty},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-33111},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2008},
  abstract  = {This work analyzes the saving and consumption behavior of agents faced with the possibility of unemployment in a dynamic and stochastic life cycle model. The intertemporal optimization is based on Dynamic Programming with a backward recursion algorithm. The implemented uncertainty is not based on income shocks as it is done in traditional life cycle models but uses Markov probabilities where the probability for the next employment status of the agent depends on the current status. The utility function used is a CRRA function (constant relative risk aversion), combined with a CES function (constant elasticity of substitution) and has several consumption goods, a subsistence level, money and a bequest function.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Foerster2006,
  author    = {F{\"o}rster, Hannah},
  title     = {Rationing \& Bayesian expectations with application to the labour market},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-15217},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2006},
  abstract  = {The first goal of the present work focuses on the need for different rationing methods of the The Global Change and Financial Transition (GFT) work- ing group at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK): I provide a toolbox which contains a variety of rationing methods to be ap- plied to micro-economic disequilibrium models of the lagom model family. This toolbox consists of well known rationing methods, and of rationing methods provided specifically for lagom. To ensure an easy application the toolbox is constructed in modular fashion. The second goal of the present work is to present a micro-economic labour market where heterogenous labour suppliers experience consecu- tive job opportunities and need to decide whether to apply for employ- ment. The labour suppliers are heterogenous with respect to their qualifi- cations and their beliefs about the application behaviour of their competi- tors. They learn simultaneously - in Bayesian fashion - about their individ- ual perceived probability to obtain employment conditional on application (PPE) by observing each others' application behaviour over a cycle of job opportunities.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Bauer2005,
  author    = {Bauer, Niclas Alexandre},
  title     = {Carbon capture and sequestration : an option to buy time?},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-6544},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {The thesis assesses the contribution of technology option of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) to climate change mitigation. CCS means that CO2 is captured at large industrial facilities and sequestered in goelogical structures. The technology uses the endogenous growth model MIND. Herein the various climate change mitigation options of reducing economic growth, increasing energy efficiency, changing the energy mix and CCS are assessed simultaneously. An important question is whether CCS is a temporary or long-term solution. The results show that in the middle of the 21st century CCS has its peak contribution, which allows prolonged use of relatively cheap fossil energy carriers. However, this leads to delayed introduction of renewable energy carriers. The technology path ways are accombined with different costs of climate change mitigation. The use of CCS delays and reduces the costs of climate change mitigation. However, the delayed introduction of renewable energy carriers leads to reduced technological learning, which induces higher costs in the longer term. All in all the temporary use of CCS reduces the costs of climate change mitigation costs. The result is robust, which is tested with various uncertainty analysis.},
  subject      = {Endogenes Wirtschaftswachstum},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Scholderer2004,
  author    = {Scholderer, Joachim},
  title     = {Consumer attitudes towards genetically modified foods in Europe : structure and changeability},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-6245},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2004},
  abstract  = {Genetically modified foods have been at the center of debate in European consumer policy in the last two decades. Although the quasi-moratorium has been lifted in May 2004 and the road to the market is in principle reopened, strategies for product introduction are lacking. The aim of the research is to assess potential barriers in the area of consumer acceptance and suggest ways in which they can be overcome. After a short history of the genetically modified foods debate in Europe, the existing literature is reviewed. Although previous research converges in its central results, issues that are more fundamental have remained unresolved. Based on classical approaches in attitude research and modern theories of social cognition, a general model of the structure, function and dynamics of whole systems of attitudes is developed. The predictions of the model are empirically tested based on an attitude survey (N = 2000) and two attitude change experiments (N = 1400 and N = 750). All three studies were conducted in parallel in four EU member states. The results show that consumer attitudes towards genetically modified foods are embedded into a structured system of general socio-political attitudes. The system operates as a schema through which consumers form global evaluations of the technology. Specific risk and benefit judgments are mere epiphenomena of this process. Risk-benefit trade-offs, as often presupposed in the literature, do not appear to enter the process. The attitudes have a value-expressive function; their purpose is not just a temporary reduction of complexity. These properties render the system utterly resistant to communicative interventions. At the same time, it exerts stong anchoring effects on the processing of new information. Communication of benefit arguments can trigger boomerang effects and backfire on the credibility of the communicator when the arguments contrast with preexisting attitudes held by the consumer. Only direct sensory experience with high-quality products can partially bypass the system and lead to the formation of alternative attitude structures. Therefore, the recommended market introduction strategy for genetically modified foods is the simultaneous and coordinated launch of many high-quality products. Point of sale promotions should be the central instrument. Information campaigns, on the other hand, are not likely to have an effect on the product and technology acceptance of European consumers.},
  subject      = {Verbraucherforschung},
  language  = {en}
}