This thesis is submitted in partial ful lment of the requirements for a PhD degree in Finance. Admittedly, the thesis is more closely related to the eld of maritime economics and focuses on crude oil tanker markets. This thesis studies freight rates, which have sparked the interest of maritime...

The essays of this book are contributions to the empirical Literature in International Trade and Public Economics. They deal with the relationship between the structure and quality of the public sector and the process of economic integration. Two of the essays add to the empirical determinants...