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Aid Effectiveness, Informal Finance & Redistributive Pressures
No full textChapter 1 Elite Capture Through Information Distortion:
Common wisdom as well as sound analytical arguments suggest that stronger punishment of deviant behavior meted out by a principal typically prompts the agents to better conform with his objectives.We address the specific issue of donor-beneficiary relationships in the context of participatory development programs, and we show that greater tolerance on the part of donors may, under certain conditions, favor rather than hurt the interests of the poor. Also, greater uncertainty surrounding the donor's knowledge regarding the poor's preference may have the same paradoxical effect. Critical features of our framework are: (i) communities are heterogeneous and dominated by the local elite in dealing with external agencies, (ii) the elite choose the project proposed to the donor strategically, knowing that the latter has a certain amount of tolerance toward elite capture and an imperfect knowledge of the poor's priorities.
Chapter 2 consists in a previous analysis of the same issue that I carried out on my own before teaming up with Jean-Philippe and Zaki. I use more specific functions and the results are less general. Nevertheless, the central idea is there and this chapter may be useful to grasp the mechanism behind the main result.
Chapter 3 Informal Savings and Intra-Household Strategies: Theory & Evidence from Urban Benin:
Daily collectors operate worldwide; they charge a fee in exchange for the collection of their client's deposits. The clients recover their savings after one month. With a negative nominal return of -3.3% per month, the service is quite expensive but nonetheless prevalent among the very poor. The economic literature so far emphasizes one motive for making deposits: people want to commit to save. I argue that in addition, people make deposits in order to reduce their contribution to the household's expenditures and increase their private consumption. This intra-household motive is first modelled and then tested using a unique panel data-set collected in Benin. Additionally, I show that daily collectors enable women to make more gifts to their children and acquaintances, and allow men to reduce those gifts and their participation to household's public goods. There is large positive effect of the deposits on people's purchase of new clothes, and making deposits increases women's expenditures on frivolous goods substantially. Finally, the commitment motive appears to be an important determinant of men's deposits.
Chapter 4 Double, Double Toil and Trouble: An Investigation into Expenditures in Occult Forces in Benin:
Drawing on data we collected in Benin we provide evidence that highlights the importance of magico-religious expenditures within Beninese households. In the context of this study we focus on magico-religious powers used as a versatile means to cure and protect one-self or relatives against misfortunes. Far from being anecdotal, our data show that out of the 178 households in our sample 48% of their heads have made some magico-religious expenditures in the year preceding the survey. For these household heads these expenditures represented on average 5.6% of all expenditures. Our data allow us to test several conjectures that can be found in the relevant literature as to what variables drive magico-religious expenditures. We find that the main determinants are economic success and tensions within the family.(DOCSESG00) -- FUNDP, 201
Lorentzian approach to noncommutative geometry
No full textThis thesis concerns the research on a Lorentzian generalization of Alain Connes' noncommutative geometry. In the first chapter, we present an introduction to noncommutative geometry within the context of unification theories. The second chapter is dedicated to the basic elements of noncommutative geometry as the noncommutative integral, the Riemannian distance function and spectral triples. In the last chapter, we investigate the problem of the generalization to Lorentzian manifolds. We present a first step of generalization of the distance function with the use of a global timelike eikonal condition. Then we set the first axioms of a temporal Lorentzian spectral triple as a generalization of a pseudo-Riemannian spectral triple together with a notion of global time in noncommutative geometry.Le sujet de cette thèse est la recherche d'une généralisation Lorentzienne de la géométrie noncommutative d'Alain Connes. Dans le premier chapitre, nous présentons une introduction à la géométrie noncommutative dans le contexte des théories d'unification. Le second chapitre est dédié aux éléments de base de la géométrie noncommutative, comme l'intégrale noncommutative, la fonction de distance Riemannienne et les triplets spectraux. Dans le dernier chapitre, nous explorons le problème de la généralisation aux variétés Lorentziennes. Nous présentons une première étape de généralisation de la fonction de distance basée sur une condition eikonale globale de type temps. Ensuite, nous fixons les premiers axiomes d'un triplet spectral Lorentzien temporel, représentant une généralisation d'un triplet spectral pseudo-Riemannien muni d'une notion de temps global en géométrie noncommutative.(DOCSC00) -- FUNDP, 201
A coordinated codon dependent regulation of translation by the Elongator complex
No full textModifications of transfer RNA (tRNA) are widespread and numerous but their function is not well understood. Particularly, three tRNAs (tRNALysAAA, tRNAGluGAA and tRNAGlnCAA) show universal modifications of the second and fifth carbons of the wobble base. The «Elongator» complex (Elp1-6) is proposed to modify carbon five while the Ctu1-Ctu2 complex is responsible for the thiolation of carbon two. In both cases, the modification is thought to be required to optimize the codon-anticodon interaction. In the fission yeast, the deletion of either complexes results in thermosensitivity associated with growth defects on specific compounds as well as cell cycle and cytokinesis defects. A key step in understanding how these phenotypes result from a tRNA modification defect is to compare the proteome from wild type and mutants.
We determined the proteome-wide relative expression level of each S. pombe protein by combining an integrated ORFeome to reverse protein arrays. We identified subsets of proteins whose expression level was altered in the strains lacking either modification. The groups identified can be linked to the phenotypes observed. As a detailed example, the subset of proteins involved in the « mitotic cell cycle transition from G2 to M » has been thoroughly studied. Several genes coding for proteins belonging to this subset show genetic interaction with ctu1 or elp3. One of the more interesting of these genes is cdr2, coding for a protein kinase negatively regulating Wee1 to allow the entry into mitosis. The cell cycle phenotypes associated with the absence of tRNA modifications can be explained by the strong decrease in Cdr2 level observed in the corresponding mutants. Moreover, the ctu1 and elp3 mutant phenotypes mimic most of the reported
cdr2 mutant phenotypes. Yet, these phenotypes are aggravated in the triple ctu1 elp3 cdr2 mutant, suggesting that Cdr2 is not the only protein responsible for the phenotypes observed in absence of modification. Why is the translation of the proteins in these subsets – and particularly Cdr2 – hyper sensitive to the absence of mcm5s2U tRNA modification? The answer is found in the codon content of the corresponding genes. Indeed, all the sensitive groups are enriched in AAA codons (by opposition to AAG), which is read by tRNALysUUU, one of the three mcm5s2U modified tRNAs. This link between codon content and sensitivity to the absence of tRNA modification has been demonstrated experimentally via the study of Cdr2. We suppressed the translation defect of Cdr2 by overproducing tRNALysUUU from a plasmid, or by replacing every AAA lysine codon by a AAG-lysine (read by the naturally unmodified tRNALysCUU).
Taken all together, these experiments show that the translation of groups of genes enriched in AAA codon is less efficient in the absence of mcm5s2U modification. How is the selection pressure leading to an enrichment of these genes in AAA codons exerted? Why enriching a gene with the lysine AAA codon that is read with low efficiency? These issues are part of the remaining questions. We suggest the possibility of a regulation specific to these groups of genes thanks to their codon bias and the mcm5s2 double modification of tRNAs.(DOCSC03) -- FUNDP, 201
Propriétés structurales et électroniques du (Zn,M)O fabriqué par diffusion thermique d'un film mince de M déposé sur les surfaces polaires du ZnO (M = Co ou Mn)
No full textA detailed picture of the thermally activated processes occurring at the Co/ZnO or Mn/ZnO interfaces is obtained by a combination of a wide range of techniques. The low energy electron diffraction, the scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopic techniques based on Auger electron, on high energy X-ray: X-ray photoelectron and absorption spectroscopies and on the kinematical X-ray standing wave method allow not only to investigate the interaction at the heterojunction but also to describe in detail the thermal structure transformations and diffusion process.
At room temperature, the growth of a few monolayers of the transition metal M (M = Co or Mn) proceeds by the nucleation of 3D nanometer-sized clusters on the polar flat surface of a ZnO single crystal. Progressive annealing up to ~1000 K allows separating the various interfacial reactions. At the lowest annealing temperature, M clusters coalesce while keeping their metallic character. The thin film is gradually oxidized to M2+ and a thin M rich ZnxM1 xO layer is formed. For M = Co, it is observed that rocksalt CoO phases may form at the surface when the initial Co thickness exceeds 1 nm. For M = Mn, upon annealing to progressively higher temperature ranging from 575 K to 800 K, various Mn oxides phases form successively. At first, the ZnxMn1 xO layer forms on top of the surface. Then, while Mn atoms diffuse deeper into the bulk of ZnO, ZnyMn3 yO4 starts to form at the surface. Finally, at the highest annealing temperature, Mn and Co appears to be substitutionally diluted at Zn sites within the ZnO lattice.L’évolution des propriétés physico-chimiques des interfaces Co/ZnO et Mn/ZnO chauffées est élucidée par une combinaison d’un grand nombre de techniques. La diffraction d’électrons lents, la microscopie à effet tunnel et les techniques spectroscopiques basées sur les électrons Auger, sur les rayons X de haute énergie : spectroscopies de photoélectron et d’absorption et sur la méthode des ondes stationnaires permettent non seulement d’étudier les interactions à l’interface mais aussi de décrire les transformations structurales et le processus de diffusion induits thermiquement.
A température ambiante, la croissance de quelques monocouches du métal de transition M (M = Co ou Mn) se fait par formation d’îlots tridimensionnels nanométriques sur les surfaces polaires planes du monocristal de ZnO. Les recuits progressifs jusqu’à des températures proches de 1000 K permettent d’identifier différentes réactions interfaciales. Pour des recuits à basse température, les îlots de M constituant le film mince déposé coalescent tout en gardant leurs propriétés métalliques. Le film mince s’oxyde graduellement sous forme de M2+ et on observe la formation d’une fine couche de ZnxM1 xO riche en M. Dans le cas du Co (M = Co), une phase de CoO en symétrie octaédrique peut se former lorsque l’épaisseur initiale du film dépasse 1 nm. Dans le cas du Mn (M = Mn), suite à des recuits progressifs entre 575 K à 800 K, on observe la formation de différentes phases d’oxydes de Mn. En premier lieu une couche de ZnxMn1 xO est formée sur la surface. Ensuite, pendant que les atomes de Mn diffusent profondément dans le ZnO, la formation du ZnyMn3 yO4 est observée à la surface. Finalement, à des plus hautes températures de recuit, le Co tout comme le Mn se diluent dans la matrice de ZnO où ils occupent des sites de Zn.
Au cours de ce processus de diffusion de M dans le ZnO, la structure cristalline de la surface évolue et une surface atomiquement plane est obtenue à des températures de recuits élevées.(DOCSC01) -- FUNDP, 201
Les Représentations des Arabes au travers de récits de voyageurs francophones en Palestine (1799-1948)
No full textRepresentations of the Arabs of Palestine through French Travellers’ Accounts (1799-1948).
Current occidental stereotypes about the Arab world show the need of a study on the History of these representations. The present work based on 64 travellers’accounts shows the evolution of the representations on the Arabs during a century and a half long period, that has witnessed the rise of the Arab nationalism and the growth of the Jewish immigration in Palestine until Israel’s independence. Half of the studied travel accounts are by pilgrims, in order to measure the impact of the religious status of the Holy land on the travellers’ images of the Arabs, who are mostly Muslims. The crucial question of the relation to the Other proves the need to consider Anthropology’s method as a help. This study is divided in two parts. The first one analyses and organises the travellers’representations on every aspect of the past, present and future of Arab people in main themes. The second one is an attempt to explain the nature and the reasons of the travellers’views.Les stéréotypes actuels de l’Occident sur le monde arabe prouvent la nécessité de se pencher sur l’histoire de ces représentations. La question centrale du rapport à l’Autre abordée dans cette thèse fait d’emblée appel à l’anthropologie comme science auxiliaire. Étudiant 64 récits de voyageurs en Palestine, ce travail montre l’évolution de leurs représentations concernant les Arabes, au cours d’un siècle et demi (1799-1948), agité par l’immigration juive croissante et la montée du nationalisme arabe, jusque la création de l’État d’Israël. La moitié des récits sont signés par des pèlerins, afin de s’interroger sur une éventuelle corrélation entre le statut de Terre sainte du pays traversé par les voyageurs et leurs représentations des Arabes, en majorité musulmans. Le travail comporte deux parties. La première se propose d’analyser et structurer de manière thématique le discours des voyageurs sur les Arabes, dans tous les domaines de leur existence passée, présente et à venir. La seconde tente de fournir des clés de lecture pour comprendre ce discours.(DOCFILO02) -- FUNDP, 201
Étude comparative des effets des LDL oxydées avec du sulfate de cuivre ou de la myéloperoxydase sur des macrophages et des cellules endothéliales en culture – Importance de la voie de signalisation Nrf2
No full textAtherosclerosis is an arterial inflammatory and degenerative disease characterized by a subendothelial accumulation of lipids, leading to the formation of an atheroma. The rupture of the atheroma is associated with clinical outcomes such as myocardial infarction and thrombosis. Atherosclerotic lesions develop preferentially in arterial regions subjected to disturbed or low shear stress, which represents the tangential frictional force of the blood flow at the surface of endothelial cells. These local hemodynamic conditions promote the intimal accumulation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), especially in case of hypercholesterolemia. In the intima, LDL are modified, notably through their oxidation, and initiate an inflammatory response, promoting the recruitment of circulating monocytes by endothelial cells. The differentiation of monocytes into macrophages and the excessive and uncontrolled internalization of modified LDL lead to the formation of lipid-laden macrophages, also termed foam cells. The apoptotic death of foam cells contributes to the formation of the necrotic core and to the development of the atherosclerotic plaque.
The physiological oxidizing agents implicated in LDL oxidation in vivo are still unambiguously identified. In vitro, LDL are commonly oxidized using copper sulfate, leading to the formation of LDL modified both at the lipid and protein moieties. However, the physiological relevance of copper in LDL oxidation is more and more called in question. In this way, alternative and more physiological methods of LDL oxidation have emerged, such as myeloperoxidase.
In this study, we evaluated the effects of native, copper-oxidized LDL (OxLDL) and myeloperoxidase-oxidized LDL (MoxLDL) on the activation of the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory Nrf2-dependent signalling pathway in macrophages and endothelial cells: two cell types largely involved in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Moreover, the MoxLDL used in this study are exclusively modified on the protein moiety. Our results showed that both types of oxidized LDL activate the Nrf2 transcription factor in macrophages, contrary to native LDL. Moreover, the activation of the Nrf2 pathway triggered by the incubation with MoxLDL is more important than the activation triggered by the incubation with OxLDL. This differential activation can be explained, at least partly, by a more important production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells exposed to MoxLDL through a specific pathway implicating cytosolic PLA2. Moreover, we showed that the non-oxidized lipids of MoxLDL are certainly involved in this ROS production. On the other hand, MoxLDL are not able to induce the activation of the Nrf2 pathway in endothelial cells, in spite of the induction of an important intracellular oxidative stress. On the contrary, the incubation of endothelial cells with OxLDL induces the activation of the Nrf2 pathway, but through a ROS-independent pathway, involving PKCs.
In vivo, endothelial cells are constantly exposed to local hemodynamic forces induced by blood flow. In this study, we evaluated the effects of a high or low laminar shear stress, representative of the hemodynamic conditions in arterial regions respectively protected and susceptible to the development of atherosclerotic lesion, on the expression of genes in cultured endothelial cells. Using micro-fluidic cards in Real-time PCR, we showed that a low laminar shear stress globally induces the expression of pro-atherogenic genes in endothelial cells, whereas cells exposed to a high laminar shear stress exhibit an anti-atherogenic expression profile. Moreover, a high laminar shear stress induces the nuclear translocation of the Nrf2 transcription factor. Interestingly, the addition of oxidized LDL disturbs the endothelial response to a high shear stress. These preliminary results suggest that the study of the effects of risk factors on endothelial cells should be performed in relevant hemodynamic conditions, in order to better understand their pro-atherogenic role in vivo.
In conclusion, the results of this thesis notably underline that macrophages and endothelial cells are able to discriminate copper-oxidized LDL, modified both at the lipid and protein moieties, of myeloperoxidase-oxidized LDL, more physiologically relevant and only modified on the protein fraction, and respond very differently to these two types of oxidized LDL. This reality should be kept in mind in order to better understand the physiological mechanisms implicated in atherogenesis, but also to suggest intervention studies in mice, and maybe new therapies in the future, complementary to the battery of therapeutics currently available.L’athérosclérose est une pathologie inflammatoire et dégénérative des artères caractérisée par une accumulation de lipides au niveau de l’intima conduisant à la formation d’une plaque d’athérome, dont la rupture est associée à des complications cliniques telles que l’infarctus du myocarde ou l’accident vasculaire cérébral. Les lésions athéroscléreuses se développent préférentiellement dans les régions artérielles où les forces de friction du flux sanguin au niveau de l’endothélium - « shear stress » - sont faibles ou perturbées. Ces conditions hémodynamiques locales favorisent l’accumulation subendothéliale des lipoprotéines de faible densité (LDL), particulièrement en cas d’hypercholestérolémie. Dans l’intima, les LDL sont modifiées, notamment par oxydation, et initient une réponse inflammatoire, permettant le recrutement des monocytes sanguins et leur différenciation en macrophages. L’internalisation non régulée des LDL modifiées par les macrophages, via les récepteurs « scavenger », conduit à la formation de cellules gorgées de lipides, appelées cellules spumeuses, dont la mort par apoptose contribue à la formation du cœur nécrotique et au développement de la plaque d’athérome.
La nature des agents oxydants physiologiques responsables de l’oxydation des LDL est toujours sujette à controverse. In vitro, les LDL sont couramment oxydées par du sulfate de cuivre, générant des LDL modifiées au niveau protéique et lipidique. Cependant, la pertinence physiologique de cette méthode d’oxydation est de plus en plus controversée et des méthodes alternatives et plus physiologiques d’oxydation des LDL impliquant généralement des enzymes telles que la myéloperoxydase ont émergé.
Au cours de ce travail, nous avons évalué les effets des LDL natives, des LDL oxydées avec du sulfate de cuivre (OxLDL) et des LDL oxydées avec de la myéloperoxydase (MoxLDL) sur l’activation de la voie anti-oxydante et anti-inflammatoire dépendante de Nrf2 dans deux types cellulaires jouant un rôle prépondérant dans le développement des lésions athéroscléreuses : les macrophages et les cellules endothéliales. Par ailleurs, les MoxLDL utilisées au cours de ce travail sont modifiées exclusivement au niveau protéique. Nos données ont montré que les LDL oxydées activent le facteur de transcription Nrf2 dans les macrophages, contrairement aux LDL natives. De plus, les MoxLDL activent la voie de signalisation Nrf2 de manière plus importante que les OxLDL. Cette activation différentielle est due à une production d’espèces réactives dérivées de l’oxygène (ROS) accrue par les MoxLDL via une voie spécifique impliquant les PLA2 cytosoliques et dans laquelle les lipides non-oxydés des LDL pourraient jouer un rôle important. D’autre part, nous avons montré que les MoxLDL sont incapables d’activer le facteur de transcription Nrf2 dans les cellules endothéliales, malgré l’induction d’un stress oxydatif important. Par contre, l’incubation des cellules endothéliales avec les OxLDL induit l’activation de la voie Nrf2, mais indépendamment des ROS et via un mécanisme impliquant les PKCs. Par ailleurs, afin de nous rapprocher des conditions de développement de la pathologie in vivo, les effets d’un « shear stress » laminaire élevé ou faible, respectivement représentatifs des conditions hémodynamiques des régions protégées ou propices au développement de l’athérosclérose, ont été évalués sur les cellules endothéliales en culture. De manière générale, nous avons montré qu’un « shear stress » faible favorise l’expression de gènes plutôt pro-athérogènes, alors qu’un « shear stress » laminaire élevé induit notamment la translocation nucléaire de Nrf2 et l’expression de ses gènes cibles, codant pour des protéines considérées comme anti-athérogènes. De manière intéressante, l’ajout de LDL oxydées altère la réponse des cellules endothéliales soumises à un « shear stress » laminaire élevé. Ces données préliminaires soulignent l’importance de l’étude des facteurs de risque de l’athérosclérose dans un environnement physiologique, et plus particulièrement de l’étude de la réponse des cellules endothéliales en conditions hémodynamiques.
En conclusion, les résultats obtenus au cours de cette thèse auront notamment permis de mettre en évidence que les macrophages et les cellules endothéliales font la distinction entre une LDL modifiée au niveau protéique et lipidique, et une LDL modifiée uniquement sur la fraction protéique et probablement plus représentative d’un type de LDL oxydées in vivo, et réagissent de manière très différente à ces deux entités. C’est donc une réalité qu’il faudra à l’avenir mieux intégrer dans le processus patho-physiologique in vivo, pour continuer à mieux comprendre les mécanismes moléculaires de l’athérogenèse, mais aussi pour pouvoir proposer des études d’intervention en modèles murins et peut-être un jour de nouvelles approches thérapeutiques, complémentaires à l’arsenal de thérapies actuellement disponible.(DOCSC03) -- FUNDP, 201
Modélisation et analyse de la dynamique orbitale : équilibres, résonances et chaos
No full textThe gravitational fields of the Earth, Moon and Sun, perturbed by the planets and by the direct solar radiation pressure govern the dynamics of the articial satellites. The foundation stone of this thesis is our software NIMASTEP. This thesis model and study the orbital dynamics of such objects. We emphasize the complementarity of the numerical tools (numerical integration and chaos indicators as the MEGNO and the frequency analysis) with the traditional analytical methods of the celestial mechanics (Hamiltonian, averaging, models of resonance and vectorial formalism). With these various tools we study the resonances, due to the non-uniformity of the gravitational field, appearing around the asteroid Vesta. Afterwards we examine the global dynamics of geostationary space debris that are dominated by the radiation pressure creating a web of secondary resonances. Then we deal with the layout of the frozen orbits around Mercury taking into account his flattening and the gravitational effect of the Sun. We also study the effect of the octupole term onto the dynamics of a small body in an exoplanetary system. Finally, we develop an algorithm (NAFFO) to obtain numerically the initial condition of one equilibrium in a forced system.Les satellites artificiels sont soumis à différentes forces telles que l'attraction gravitationnelle de la Terre, de la Lune, du Soleil et des planètes mais également à la pression de radiation solaire. La pierre angulaire de ce travail est l'élaboration du logiciel NIMASTEP. Cette étude met l'accent sur la complémentarité des techniques numériques (intégrations numériques et détecteurs de chaos comme le MEGNO et l'analyse en fréquence) et des méthodes analytiques traditionnelles de la mécanique céleste (formalisme Hamiltonien, moyennisation, modèles de résonances et formalisme vectoriel) an de modéliser et d'analyser la dynamique orbitale de ces sondes. À l'aide de ces différents outils, nous étudions les résonances dues à la non-uniformité du potentiel gravitationnel qui apparaissent autour de l'astéroïde Vesta. Ensuite, nous nous intéressons à la dynamique globale des débris géostationnaires fortement sujets à la pression de radiation créant un réseau de résonances secondaires. Nous étudions également l'apparition d'orbites gelées autour de Mercure en tenant compte de son aplatissement et de l'influence du Soleil. La similarité de ces problèmes avec ceux issus de l'étude de la dynamique des exoplanètes nous a également permis de traiter l'effet de l'octupole
dans la dynamique d'un petit corps naturel d'un système d'exoplanètes. Pour finir, nous
développons un algorithme numérique (NAFFO) permettant d'obtenir les conditions initiales
correspondant à l'équilibre d'un système forcé.(DOCSC00) -- FUNDP, 201
Microfinance in India: Socially Disadvantaged Groups, Organization and Collective Action
No full textThe microfinance sector in India has emerged as the largest in the world, and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) formed by the government or NGOs are the dominant form. SHGs covered about 97 million households by March 2010. They enable the poor to build the capacity to save, so members can pool their resources, create a group fund and give out small loans to one another. Once SHGs develop into creditworthy institutions, they open savings accounts in commercial banks and can apply for bank loans.
Although SHGs provide financial services to a substantial number of Indian households, studies about their attrition rates, functioning and possible roles within villages are limited. To obtain this information, I took part in a survey of 1,679 SHGs, consisting of women only, with a total of 26,971 members in selected regions of rural Northern India. In the first chapter, which is co-written with Jean-Marie Baland and Rohini Somanathan, I provide an empirical analysis of the performance of SHGs. We examine whether traditionally disadvantaged villagers, such as members of lower castes or landless farmers, are less likely to have access to groups and to bank loans. We find evidence of the attrition process being selective against lower castes: they have a lower probability of becoming a permanent member of a group. The net effects in terms of their expected access to a bank loan remain however relatively limited. By contrast, even though landless farmers are more likely to fail or leave the groups, they tend to benefit disproportionately. In expected terms, they receive more than two times the amounts of bank loans given to farmers owning more than one acre. Overall, the program therefore has positive and important distributional implications.
Strict records of all saving and lending in SHGs is important, both to avoid conflicts and to obtain access to bank loans. Accounting is done either internally by a group member or externally by another villager. In the second chapter, I study the differences between groups with internal accountants and groups with external accountants. Economic theory suggests that repeated interaction between individuals can help to build social capital. However, in the context of these SHGs, the presence of an, often male, external accountant might hamper this process. I find that repeated interaction is more likely to create non-financial benefits in the form of mutual assistance and collective action when there is no external involvement. However, these benefits come at a cost, as SHGs with internal accountants distribute financial benefits more unequally and the accountants themselves receive larger shares than the other members of the groups. I provide evidence that the larger shares cannot be explained as a compensation for better financial performance, but that some form of elite capture occurs. Although this implies that an internal accountant is more expensive than an external accountant, there is no evidence that groups with an internal accountant are less stable. Members are not more likely to leave groups, possibly because the loss in financial benefits is outweighed by the gain in non-financial benefits.
During my field work, I realized that women who are SHG members gain higher social status in the village. To better understand their role, I did a follow-up study in the autumn of 2010 which I use in the third chapter of my thesis. Together with Paolo Casini, I study the impact of collective actions undertaken by SHGs on the public good provision of the elected local authorities. We provide a simple model that suggests two hypotheses that we are able to test and confirm in our empirical study. The first hypothesis states that local authorities provide a larger variety of public goods when SHGs undertake collective actions, compared to a situation with exclusive provision by the local authority. The second hypothesis states that local authorities begin or increase the provision of public goods preferred by SHGs and that these might include goods that exert a negative externality on other villagers. We provide evidence of an important non-financial benefit of microfinance: it provides a platform that allows socially disadvantaged women to meet regularly and discuss problems. When they undertake collective actions to solve those problems, these are recognized by the local authorities: problems that are closer to the needs of women seem to find their way into the political agenda.(DOCSESG00) -- FUNDP, 201
Knowledge transfers in University-Industry R&D projects: A situated approach
No full textIn today’s economy, universities are seen as a central source of knowledge for the firms. Innovation policies therefore encourage University-Industry collaborations in the hope that it will lay out the overall framework for an efficient transfer between partners. In this work, I recognize the central role of universities in the innovation process but I question the belief that knowledge is per se flowing between private and academic partners in such collaborations. Focusing on the joint R&D projects financed by the Competitiveness Clusters of Wallonia, the thesis explores knowledge exchanges as they happen, influenced by their material and social circumstances, through a situated approach. In particular, I propose to explore the impact of power exercises between partners on what is learnt, how, and by whom.Aujourd’hui, l’université est vue comme une source central de connaissances pour les firmes. Des politiques d’innovation encouragent les collaborations entre universités et entreprises afin de favoriser un transfert de connaissances efficace entre ces partenaires. Dans ce travail, je reconnais le rôle central des universités dans le processus d’innovation mais je questionne la croyance selon laquelle les connaissances se diffuseraient naturellement de l’université vers la firme au sein de telles collaborations. En s’intéressant au cas des projets de R&D financés par les pôles de compétitivité wallons, cette thèse étudie les échanges de connaissances sur le vif, influencés par les circonstances matérielles et sociales qui les encadrent, au travers d’une approche située. En particulier, j’étudie l’impact de l’exercice du pouvoir entre partenaires sur ce qui sera appris, par qui et comment au sein de la collaboration.(DOCSESG00) -- FUNDP, 201
