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Regional-scale numerical hydrodynamic modelling is increasing in importance for estimating the tidal stream energy resource that is available in any given location, and for predicting the environmental effects of exploiting that resource. However, the state-of-the-art models that are commonly used in academia are not always trusted by investors or regulators, and are hence of limited value to commercial site developers. In this work two commercially-available modelling suites that are widely used in industry - MIKE and Delft3D - are used to simulate the effects of tidal farms in the Pentland Firth, Scotland. The optimum methodology with each software package is explored, and their predictions compared. It is concluded that they are suitable for the broad-scale predictions for which they are intended, but should not be relied upon alone for fine detail. A flaw is identified in the approach to tidal turbine representation at very high resolutions, relating to the estimation of upstream velocity, which leads to inaccuracy of up to 15%. A correction is implemented and tested. A similar approach in a third model code, FVCOM, is used to estimate the power available from the Goto Islands, Japan, and to study the interactions of parallel channels when energy is extracted. It is found that the multiple channels in Goto do not behave in the same way as the multiple channels of the Pentland Firth, and a possible explanation for this is discussed. Finally, the techniques developed in earlier chapters are combined in the development of a new MIKE 3 model of Lashy Sound, Orkney, and the use of this to estimate the maximum theoretical power yield from this channel.

Nationalism in Turkey was an evolutionary process which took place during the final stages of the Ottoman Empire, the War of Independence and the Republican period. This transitional process was heavily influenced by the intellectuals and writers of the age, especially in the literature that they produced. Literature was a critical platform for nurturing and even propagating new ideologies such as nationalism, Westernization and even feminism. Literature was also the vehicle for transporting and transmitting such ideologies to the general public, as well as being an educational tool for warning people about the representation and misinterpretation of such ideological underpinnings of the new nation-state of Turkey. This dissertation examines some of the most critical literary novels from the period, written by some of the most influential intellectuals, such as Halide Edib Adivar, Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu and Resat Nuri Guntekin, in order to understand the evolution of Turkish nationalism as well as the reconstruction of Turkish national and cultural identity.

Israeli food culture mimics the story of the country and the tensions in its society. The diversity of its food and how it is used in celebrations and in the everyday is a reflection of the divisions and tensions within. This dissertation has the aim of understanding the relationship between the food culture of Israel and the creation of its national identity. It is an effort to research what the mundane little things, the behaviours and practices of the everyday, such as cooking and feeding ourselves and others tell us about the place we were born and how we think the people of that place should act and live. In order to develop a better understanding of these topics and the many facets of Israeli nationalism this thesis interrogates how ordinary Israelis use food in their everyday life to construct, perform, consume, choose, talk about and negotiate their idea of nationhood. To answer this question, it uses mainly ethnographic methods that help to explore how Israeli national identity is experienced through its food culture and how social transformations are reflected in the consumption patterns of Israeli society. It argues that national identity cannot be imposed by the elites; on the contrary, it is negotiated, accepted or rejected by ordinary people, and reproduced through their daily routines. It pays attention to the role played by women as socializing agents of new comers: children and immigrants, in the private sphere. It also emphasises the power relationships that are revealed through everyday cooking and the differences between domestic and public food consumption. This thesis is an effort to shed light on the way ordinary people negotiate ideas of nationhood and contribute to its construction.

This study examines the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the productivity of local manufacturing firms in Oman. By distinguishing patterns in spillover effects according to their channel, mechanism, and preconditional factors, the thesis explains why rentier states like Oman have failed to utilise FDI as a tool to enhance their private sectors despite having made huge strides in improving their business environment. It is argued that this limited success is due to a passive government role, weak absorptive capacity, and a preference amongst Omani nationals to work in the public rather than private sector. Through primary mixed methods research, comprising a case study research design and mixed methods (42 semi-structured interviews and a survey of foreign, joint venture and local companies in Oman (n=96)), the study finds that the impact of FDI on the development of the Omani private sector is very limited, mainly because of the overwhelming political and economic environment and rentier structure of Oman. Based on these findings the research suggests ways in which oil-producing countries can circumvent some of the negative consequences of rentierism and increase their local companies’ productivity. To this end, clear recommendations are provided for policymaking, as well as domestic and foreign investors. This study extends the existing literature on FDI spillovers to a previously unstudied region, (GCC countries) and to an economic model (rentier states) to which it has not previously been applied. This study fills a gap in global knowledge about productivity spillovers in countries which have a unique economic structure where the government is dominant in all economic activities and local human resources are mostly not engaged in domestic firms, which rely mainly on expatriates.