112 research outputs found
Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels – Report 2009
No full textThis paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank of Belgium. The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Oostende, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centres facilitating the commodity flow. This update paper provides an extensive overview of the economic importance and development of the Flemish maritime ports, the Liège port complex and the port of Brussels in the period 2004 - 2009, with an emphasis on 2009. Focusing on the three major variables of value added, employment and investment, the report also provides some information about social balance and the financial situation in these ports as a whole. These observations are linked to a more general context, along with a few cargo statistics. Annual accounts data from the Central Balance Sheet Office were used for the calculation of direct effects, the study of financial ratios and the analysis of the social balance sheet. The indirect effects of the activities concerned were estimated in terms of value added and employment, on the basis of data from the National Accounts Institute. In terms of maritime cargo traffic, the downturn recorded during the last quarter of 2008 continued throughout 2009. Direct value added declined in all the ports in Flanders. Maritime branches as a whole contracted. Only the value added of the maritime branches in the port of Ostend remained stable. The non-maritime branches as a whole saw a contraction in all the Flemish ports. It was the port of Antwerp that suffered the most from the drop in the value added. Its maritime branches shrank by nearly one third. While the non-maritime branches were slightly down. The port of Ghent recorded a bigger decrease in the non-maritime branches. Conversely, the value added in the port of Zeebrugge fell more sharply in the maritime branches. Direct employment in the ports of Flanders as a whole declined during the year 2009. Except in Ghent, direct employment in the maritime branches fell in all the Flemish ports. Similarly, only one of them, the port of Ostend, recorded a rise in employment in the non-maritime branches. Thanks to this, it has been the only Flemish port to register direct employment growth. Investment decreased in all the ports in Flanders. The decline in investment was between one-sixth and one-fifth in the ports of Ghent, Antwerp and Zeebrugge. While Ostend recorded a cut of more than one third in its investment levels in 2009. The volume of cargo handled in the port of Liège decreased strongly in 2009. Direct value added and employment registered a significant decline. Maritime and non-maritime branches were down for both value added and employment. Thanks to the "other services" branch of activity, investment rose steadily. The volume of cargo handled at the port of Brussels declined in 2009. Value added in this port remained steady. But employment contracted slightly. After the growth seen in 2008, investment was down by more than a quarter. This report provides a comprehensive account of these issues, giving details for each economic sector, although the comments are confined to the main changes that occurred in 2009.branch survey, maritime cluster, subcontracting, indirect effects, transport intermodality, public investments
Morphological evolution of birds recently introduced to islands: patterns of diversification
No full textEvolution was originally considered to be observable only over geological time scales. It has recently become apparent that evolutionary changes can be detected over contemporary time periods. Exotic species often experience intense selection, making them good model systems for investigating evolutionary changes over contemporary time. We often know details of the introductions, such as exact time, location of the source population, founding propagule size, and establishment history. These details allow us to formulate hypotheses concerning the evolutionary changes expected in these species' exotic ranges.
I examined contemporary morphological evolution of passerine birds introduced to islands. Passerine birds have been introduced to many islands world-wide, making them conducive for examining patterns of insular evolution. In chapters one and two, I evaluated whether these species conform to the Island Rule, an ecogeographic rule based on the study of native insular species. It states that, on islands, small species should increase in body size while large species should decrease body size. All of the species I studied are small, therefore they were expected to increase in body size. I found equivocal results concerning the Island Rule. In chapter one, I found that the great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) follows the Island Rule, as it is larger in its exotic island range than in the native source range. However, in chapter two, I found no clear Island Rule pattern examining 39 insular populations. However, I did find a clear pattern of decrease in wing length and increase in tail length. Although these populations may not be following an overall Island Rule pattern, they are still adapting to their exotic environments. In chapter three, I evaluated among-island diversification of six passerine species introduced to the Hawaiian archipelago. Five of these six species show some morphological differentiation between islands, and at least some of this differentiation cannot be accounted for by genetic drift.
The results of this dissertation provide further support for the idea that evolutionary divergence can happen over contemporary time scales. The passerine bird populations examined in these chapters have adapted to local conditions, giving us insights into the genesis of evolutionary diversity.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Blake Mathy
Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels - Report 2009
No full textThis paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank of Belgium. The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Oostende, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centres facilitating the commodity flow. This update paper provides an extensive overview of the economic importance and development of the Flemish maritime ports, the Liège port complex and the port of Brussels in the period 2004 - 2009, with an emphasis on 2009. Focusing on the three major variables of value added, employment and investment, the report also provides some information about social balance and the financial situation in these ports as a whole. These observations are linked to a more general context, along with a few cargo statistics. Annual accounts data from the Central Balance Sheet Office were used for the calculation of direct effects, the study of financial ratios and the analysis of the social balance sheet. The indirect effects of the activities concerned were estimated in terms of value added and employment, on the basis of data from the National Accounts Institute. In terms of maritime cargo traffic, the downturn recorded during the last quarter of 2008 continued throughout 2009. Direct value added declined in all the ports in Flanders. Maritime branches as a whole contracted. Only the value added of the maritime branches in the port of Ostend remained stable. The non-maritime branches as a whole saw a contraction in all the Flemish ports. It was the port of Antwerp that suffered the most from the drop in the value added. Its maritime branches shrank by nearly onethird. While the non-maritime branches were slightly down. The port of Ghent recorded a bigger decrease in the non-maritime branches. Conversely, the value added in the port of Zeebrugge fell more sharply in the maritime branches. Direct employment in the ports of Flanders as a whole declined during the year 2009. Except in Ghent, direct employment in the maritime branches fell in all the Flemish ports. Similarly, only one of them, the port of Ostend, recorded a rise in employment in the non-maritime branches. Thanks to this, it has been the only Flemish port to register direct employment growth. Investment decreased in all the ports in Flanders. The decline in investment was between one-sixth and one-fifth in the ports of Ghent, Antwerp and Zeebrugge. While Ostend recorded a cut of more than onethird in its investment levels in 2009. The volume of cargo handled in the port of Liège decreased strongly in 2009. Direct value added and employment registered a significant decline. Maritime and non-maritime branches were down for both value added and employement. Thanks to the "other services" branch of activity, investment rose steadily. The volume of cargo handled at the port of Brussels declined in 2009. Value added in this port remained steady. But employment contracted slightly. After the growth seen in 2008, investment was down by more than a quarter. This report provides a comprehensive account of these issues, giving details for each economic sector, although the comments are confined to the main changes that occurred in 2009
Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels: Report 2012
No full textThis paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank of Belgium. The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Ostend, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centers facilitating the commodity flow. This update paper provides an extensive overview of the economic importance and development of the Flemish maritime ports, the Liège port complex and the port of Brussels for the period 2007 - 2012, with an emphasis on 2012. Focusing on the three major variables of value added, employment and investment, the report also provides some information based on the social balance sheet and an overview of the financial situation in these ports as a whole. These observations are linked to a more general context, along with a few cargo statistics. Annual accounts data from the Central Balance Sheet Office were used for the calculation of direct effects, the study of financial ratios and the analysis of the social balance sheet. The indirect effects of the activities concerned were estimated in terms of value added and employment, on the basis of data from the National Accounts Institute. As a result of the underlying calculation method the changes of indirect employment and indirect value added can differ from one another. (...) Following the 2009 decline and the improvement in 2011, maritime traffic in the Flemish ports began falling again in 2012. That applies to all the Flemish ports. Value added was rising in the maritime cluster of the Flemish ports and falling in the non-maritime cluster where trade and industry were in decline. Direct value added has risen in the ports of Antwerp and Ostend whereas it has fallen in the ports of Zeebrugge and Ghent. Conversely, direct employment was expanding in both clusters in the Flemish ports viewed as a whole and in each port taken individually. The decline in investment in the Flemish ports continued in 2012. That trend is evident in all the Flemish ports except the port of Ostend where investment was maintained in 2012. The volume of cargo handled in the port of Liège decreased in 2012. Direct value added and employment contracted in both clusters. The steel giant ArcelorMittal had idled two blast furnaces at the site in Liege. Investment increased in both clusters in the Liège port complex. The volume of cargo handled at the port of Brussels declined in 2012. Value added and employment in the maritime cluster fell but rose in the non-maritime cluster. The drop in investment recorded since 2009 continued throughout 2012, albeit at a slowing pace. This report provides a comprehensive account of these issues, giving details for each economic sector, although the comments are confined to the main changes that occurred in 2012.
Document type: Boo
Der Menschgewordene als Ebenbild Gottes. Zum frühchristlichen Verständnis der Imago Dei
No full textThe author interprets the image of God in relation to the disparity between various Old and New Testament statements and examines it in the light of contemporary questions posed by the theory of evolution. He shows that the disparate biblical statements do not permit us to develop an anthropology based on the concept of the image of God. Nevertheless the author shows that this concept – even against the New Testament background of the christological exclusivity of the Imago Dei – is relevant for the understanding of humans as mediators
Importance economique des ports belges: Ports maritimes flamands, complexe portuaire liégeois et port de Bruxelles. Rapport 2007. = Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels. Report 2007. NBB Working Paper 172, July 2009
No full textThe National Bank of Belgium publishes an annual update of the study of the economic importance of the Flemish maritime ports - Antwerp, Ghent, Ostend and Zeebrugge - the port of Brussels and the Liège port complex. Each port’s contribution to the national economy is estimated on the basis of the analysis of its economic, social and financial situation over the period from 2002 to 2007. The three variables concerned in the main developments are value added, employment and investment. This study also highlights the port sector’s indirect effects in terms of value added and employment. The social balance sheet is briefly summarised in one section. The analysis of the financial results is based on the study of the return on equity, liquidity and solvency ratios, and a synthetic indicator of financial health
Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels Report 2011
No full textThis paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank of Belgium. The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Ostend, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centers facilitating the commodity flow. This update paper provides an extensive overview of the economic importance and development of the Flemish maritime ports, the Liège port complex and the port of Brussels for the period 2006 - 2011, with an emphasis on 2011. Focusing on the three major variables of value added, employment and investment, the report also provides some information based on the social balance sheet and an overview of the financial situation in these ports as a whole. These observations are linked to a more general context, along with a few cargo statistics. Annual accounts data from the Central Balance Sheet Office were used for the calculation of direct effects, the study of financial ratios and the analysis of the social balance sheet. The indirect effects of the activities concerned were estimated in terms of value added and employment, on the basis of data from the National Accounts Institute. As a result of the underlying calculation method the changes of indirect employment and indirect value added can differ from one another. () After the upturn in 2010, maritime cargo traffic in the Flemish ports continued to rise, albeit at a slower pace in 2011. Direct value added declined in the four ports in Flanders as a whole. Both maritime and non-maritime clusters as a whole were down. The only increase in value added occurred in the port of Zeebrugge. The value added of the non-maritime clusters in each port declined, while in the maritime cluster, the port of Antwerp was the only one to register a steep drop. Direct employment in the Flemish ports as a whole declined during the year 2011. This is true of both the maritime and non-maritime cluster. Only the port of Ghent registered a rise in employment in both clusters. Investment contracted in the Flemish ports as a whole for the third year in a row. The decline in investment was between 7 and 13 percent in the ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Ostend, whereas Zeebrugge recorded a negative rate of one-fifth in its investment levels in 2011. The volume of cargo handled in the port of Liège increased slightly in 2011. Direct value added rose in both clusters, while employment registered a decline in the maritime cluster and a rise in the nonmaritime cluster. After falling in 2010, investment picked up again in 2011 in both clusters. The volume of cargo handled at the port of Brussels rose in 2011. Value added in the maritime cluster was up but contracted in the non-maritime cluster. Employment increased in both clusters. The drop in investment recorded since 2009 continued throughout 2011. This report provides a comprehensive account of these issues, giving details for each economic sector, although the comments are confined to the main changes that occurred in 2011.
Document type: Boo
Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels - Report 2015. National Bank of Belgium Working Paper No. 321
No full textThis paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank
of Belgium.
The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Ostend, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and
the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian
economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centers facilitating the commodity
flow.
This update paper1 provides an extensive overview of the economic importance and development of the
Flemish maritime ports, the Liège port complex and the port of Brussels for the period 2010 - 2015, with
an emphasis on 2015. Focusing on the three major variables of value added, employment and
investment, the report also provides some information based on the social balance sheet and an
overview of the financial situation in these ports as a whole. These observations are linked to a more
general context, along with a few cargo statistics.
Annual accounts data from the Central Balance Sheet Office were used for the calculation of direct
effects, the study of financial ratios and the analysis of the social balance sheet. The indirect effects of
the activities concerned were estimated in terms of value added and employment, on the basis of data
from the National Accounts Institute. As a result of the underlying calculation method the changes of
indirect employment and indirect value added can differ from one another.
The developments concerning economic activity in the six ports in 2014 - 2015 are summarized in the
table on the next page.
In 2015 the growth of maritime traffic in the Flemish maritime ports was due to developments in the port
of Antwerp and the port of Ghent. Direct value added increased in all Flemish maritime ports in 2015.
However, direct employment is continuing to decline. Investment was down everywhere except in the
port of Zeebrugge.
Cargo traffic in the Liège port complex declined in 2015, whereas it slightly slowed down in the port of
Brussels. At the same time, direct value added in Liège shrank while it rose sharply in the port of
Brussels. By contrast, direct employment was down in both ports.
This report provides a comprehensive account of these issues, giving details for each economic sector,
although the comments are confined to the main changes that occurred in 2015
Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels – Report 2015
No full textThis paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank of Belgium. The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Ostend, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centers facilitating the commodity flow. This update paper provides an extensive overview of the economic importance and development of the Flemish maritime ports, the Liège port complex and the port of Brussels for the period 2010-2015, with an emphasis on 2015. Focusing on the three major variables of value added, employment and investment, the report also provides some information based on the social balance sheet and an overview of the financial situation in these ports as a whole. These observations are linked to a more general context, along with a few cargo statistics. Annual accounts data from the Central Balance Sheet Office were used for the calculation of direct effects, the study of financial ratios and the analysis of the social balance sheet. The indirect effects of the activities concerned were estimated in terms of value added and employment, on the basis of data from the National Accounts Institute. As a result of the underlying calculation method the changes of indirect employment and indirect value added can differ from one another. The developments concerning economic activity in the six ports in 2014-2015 are summarized in the table on the next page. In 2015 the growth of maritime traffic in the Flemish maritime ports was due to developments in the port of Antwerp and the port of Ghent. Direct value added increased in all Flemish maritime ports in 2015. However, direct employment is continuing to decline. Investment was down everywhere except in the port of Zeebrugge. Cargo traffic in the Liège port complex declined in 2015, whereas it slightly slowed down in the port of Brussels. At the same time, direct value added in Liège shrank while it rose sharply in the port of Brussels. By contrast, direct employment was down in both ports. This report provides a comprehensive account of these issues, giving details for each economic sector, although the comments are confined to the main changes that occurred in 2015
Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels – Report 2007
No full textThis paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank of Belgium. The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Oostend, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centres facilitating the commodity flow. This update paper provides an extensive overview of the economic importance and development of the Flemish maritime ports, the Liège port complex and the port of Brussels in the period 2002 - 2007, with an emphasis on 2007. Focusing on the three major variables of value added, employment and investment, the report also provides some information about social balance and the financial situation in these ports as a whole. These observations are linked to a more general context, along with a few cargo statistics. Annual accounts data from the Central Balance Sheet Office were used for the calculation of direct effects, the study of financial ratios and the analysis of the social balance sheet. The indirect effects of the activities concerned were estimated in terms of value added and employment, on the basis of data from the National Accounts Institute. [...] In terms of maritime cargo traffic, 2007 was another excellent year for all the Flemish maritime ports, driven by the expansion of world trade. Direct value added rose in all the ports in Flanders. Both maritime and non-maritime branches as a whole expanded. The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge enjoyed particularly high growth in direct value added of their maritime branches, unlike the ports of Ostend and Ghent where growth was higher in the non-maritime branches. Direct employment also rose, albeit in less spectacularly: the more moderate growth of the biggest Flemish port - Antwerp - set the tone for the overall result. In this favourable economic environment, investment increased in the Flemish ports as a whole, after falling in 2006. The ports of Antwerp, Ostend and Ghent recorded very high levels of investment in 2007, although not reaching Antwerp's peak of 2005. The rise was more marked in the maritime branches, especially in the ports of Antwerp and Ostende, but the non-maritime branches also recorded strong expansion. With the completion of the Albert II dock, investment in the port of Zeebrugge levelled out, even though there are some other projects in progress. The volume of cargo handled in the port of Liège again increased in 2007. Direct value added recorded strong growth and employment picked up. Both these variables improved on the previous year's figures, thanks mainly to the metalworking and energy sectors. Investment doubled. A major factor behind this increase was the construction of a new bioethanol plant in Wanze. Despite these good results, the threat of declining activity in the ArcelorMittal factories in Liège has prompted the local port to pursue its strategy of diversifying traffic. Preparatory work on the land for the Trilogiport project began at the end of 2008. The volume of cargo handled at the port of Brussels rose in 2007. Despite the restrictions on the land available for port-related activities, both value added and employment in the port of Brussels increased. There was a notable fall in investment in the non-maritime branches with the completion of the water purification plant. However, the port authority is continuing with its infrastructure renovation work. The present report provides a comprehensive account of these issues, giving details per economic sector, though the comments are confined to the main changes that occurred in 2007branch survey, maritime cluster, subcontracting, indirect effects, transport intermodality, public investments
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