Digital Commons Network^™

Developmental State Economic Model Versus Neo-Classical Principles: The Case Of Rwanda And Burundi, Maxime Sarah Mianzokouna

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the significance of the developmental state model using the economic performances of two African countries, Burundi and Rwanda. The two neighboring African countries share similar economic characteristics and face virtually same social and political challenges. In the last two decades, Burundi and Rwanda have taken two different approaches to develop their economies. Burundi is using a standard neoclassical economic model in contrast to Rwanda that is applying the developmental state model. I use the standard method of difference-in-difference and the annual data over the period 1974-2014 from the two countries to compare …

The Effect Of Medicaid Expansion On Heart Attack Mortality, Gabrielle Epelle

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is to estimate the effect of Medicaid expansion on the number of deaths from heart attacks using a difference in differences model. We modified the standard difference in differences framework to by including both state and year fixed effects to account for the fact that states expanded Medicaid at different times. Furthermore, we added state specific linear time trends as well as state unemployment rates as controls to test the robustness of the model. We obtained our data from the Center for Disease Control’s Underlying Causes of Death Database. We found that Medicaid expansion had …

The Effects Of The Aca’S Medicaid Expansion And Woodwork Effect On Hospital Finances, Azemina Redzematovic

Theses and Dissertations

With many individuals enrolled in Medicaid through the ACA Medicaid expansion and woodwork effect, this paper estimates the effects on utilization of hospital services and hospital finances. Using a difference-in-differences (DD) instrumental variables model, the results that suggest that increased Medicaid demand does not necessarily equate to increased profits.

The Catalyst Effect Of Historic Preservation: A Spatial Analysis Of The Impact Of Historic District Designation On Housing Renovations In New York City, Ali R. Mostafa

Theses and Dissertations

The constraints on property use along with the economic merits of historic districts are critical points in the debate over preservation policies. Improving the existing housing stock is a substantial economic activity and a significant part of the nation’s overall construction industry. The purpose of this study is to present an empirical analysis of the relationship between historic district designation and renovation decisions. The results of the analysis found that historic preservation does not inhibit the renovation activity of single-family homeowners. However, contrary to the claims made by proponents, it does not give a powerful incentive for owners in undesignated …

The Connection Between Race And Performance Of Nba Draft Picks, Jeremiah Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between race and performance in terms of one of the highest forms of efficiency in basketball, field goal percentage, based on college statistics, with regard to draft position, career earnings and NBA win shares.

On The Relationship Between Exchange Rate Changes And Domestic Production: Asymmetric Cointegration Approach, Amirhossein Mohammadian

Theses and Dissertations

In the international economic literature studies mainly focused on the response of output to exchange rate in developing countries and find a positive, negative and sometimes neutral relationship between exchange rate changes and output in short run and long run. Perhaps, the mixed results are due to assuming a linear dynamic adjustment process in all previous models. This study investigates the asymmetry effects of exchange rate changes on output in a nonlinear modeling framework based on bounds testing approach which provides a flexible model to estimate short and long run effects jointly regardless of the degree of integration of variables. …

The Labor Of Play: The Political Economy Of Computer Game Culture, Justin Schumaker

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation questions the relationship between computer game culture and ideologies of neoliberalism and financialization. It questions the role computer games play in cultivating neoliberal practices and how the industry develops games and systems making play and work indistinguishable activities. Chapter 1 examines how computer game inculcate players into neoliberal practice through play. In chapter 2, the project shows Blizzard Entertainment systematically redevelops their games to encourage perpetual play aimed at increasing the consumption of digital commodities and currencies. Chapter 3 considers the role of esports, or professional competitive computer game play, to disperse neoliberal ideologies amongst nonprofessional players. Chapter …

Essays On The Career Choices Of Doctoral Students In The U.S., Chandramouli Banerjee

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of three essays on the post-graduation career choices of doctoral

students in the U.S. and the impact these choices may have on innovation and the

competitiveness that the U.S. enjoys in the global science and engineering landscape.

The first chapter studies the location choice of work of foreign-born U.S. doctorates,

who have been playing a central role in shaping the U.S. skilled workforce over the

past few decades. Evidence suggests that not all foreign-born U.S. doctorates choose

to remain in the U.S. following graduation. This chapter uses a new data set -

the International Survey of Doctoral …

The Cost Of Jaywalking On Traffic Congestion In An Intersection In Greater Cairo: A Case Study, Hussein Gawdat

Theses and Dissertations

There have been many studies focusing on different types of traffic delays, pedestrians’ interaction at signalized intersections and economic losses as a result of these delays. However, there is a huge gap in the current literature, regionally and globally, in studying the traffic delays associated with jaywalking. In Egypt, jaywalking is considered a common phenomenon, however, population increased drastically over the past decades in Greater Cairo leading to more congested streets. This research provides a case study that investigates the economic effect of jaywalking on traffic flow in Mashaal, a sample location in Greater Cairo, due to traffic congestion. The …

Institutional Quality And Illicit Financial Flows In Developing And Developed Countries: An Empirical Assessment, Zin Kyaw Lin

Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates the direct linkage between institutional quality and illicit financial flows (IFFs) of 47 developing and developed countries from the period of 2005 to 2014. Corruption and political stability are found to be correlated to the IFFs.

The Effect Of Parental Death On Children’S Wellbeing, Monil S. Shah

Theses and Dissertations

I study the effect of parental death on a child’s wellbeing, including workforce participation, education, marital status and health. Using propensity score matching, I find that parental death leads to worse outcomes for children who lose a parent compared to those with two parents, with negative effects exacerbated for daughters.

A New Keynesian Approach To Estimating Welfare Losses Under Strict And Flexible-Targeting Regimes, Shawn Weber

Theses and Dissertations

How do different inflation-targeting regimes affect the monetary loss-function of a central bank aiming at stabilizing inflation around an inflation target and stabilizing the real economy? Under a basic New-Keynesian framework, this paper examines the effect of inflation-targeting regimes on the monetary loss function of a central bank.

Impacts Of Antepartum Health Status And Health Insurance Coverage, Anjelica Gangaram

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines how a woman's antepartum health and health insurance status affect her likelihood of experiencing postpartum maternal morbidity complications.

The Effect Of College Degree Attainment On Risky Health Behaviors: Smoking, Obesity, And Vaping., Sal R. Ansari

Theses and Dissertations

This paper tests the hypothesis that completing college results in better health outcomes through the causal pathway of risky health behaviors. The results imply that completing college reduces the likelihood an individual is a smoker or e-smoker. The results do not show any causal relationship between college education and obesity.

Proposition 47 And Crime: A Difference In Differences Analysis Of Incarceration Rates And Crime Using Border Counties, Brian J. Fischer

Theses and Dissertations

California passed Proposition 47 by vote and changed the way the state punishes drug and theft. I find an increase in crime using a difference in differences model by computing the change in thefts with the change in inmates. This effect sides with anecdotal claims and disagrees with empirical studies.

Perceived Corruption In Ukraine: A National Analysis Using Individual Level Data From 2012-2014, Cody X. Weglinski

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship of perceived corruption in Ukraine and the factors that influence that perception. In particular, this paper investigates the idea that an influential Russian presence affects the perception of governmental corruption amongst Ukrainian business owners and managers.

The Economics Of Skin Tone In Nineteenth-Century Maryland, Yuree Kim

Theses and Dissertations

I analyze the effect of subtle differences in skin complexion on heights of free blacks in Maryland during the nineteenth century. I propose that lighter-skinned blacks were taller (indicating better nutrition) than their darker counterparts. I find the hypothesis holds - 15.9% taller for males and 16.5% taller for females.

Do Homebuyers Care About Good Grades? Evaluating The Effect Of Nyc School Accountability Program On Housing Values, John I. Campagna

Theses and Dissertations

This paper looks at the effect of the New York City school accountability grades on the residential property market. Grades by themselves are found to have some effect on residential property market, but the inclusion of test scores along with grades diminishes the strength of their effect.

Three Essays On The Housing Market And Financial Intermediaries, Majid Haghani Rizi

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation utilizes the valuable information present in forward looking financial intermediaries and effects of the housing market on macroeconomy. In the second chapter, I study the dynamic relationship in the shadow banking system. Particularly, I investigate theshort-runandthelong-runrelationshipamongthefinancialassetsofthemoneymarket funds, the commercial paper, and the repurchase agreement markets by undertaking a cointegration analysis of quarterly data over the 1985-2013 period. The evidence suggests that there exists a common long-term cointegrating trend among these three components of the shadow banking system. Any disequilibrium in this long-run relationship among these variables is corrected by movement in the financial assets of the money market …

Individual Demographic Transitions And Financial Hardship, Martin Erik Meder

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays on the relationship between individual demographic transitions, major life events that alter how an individual may be categorized by demographers, and financial wellbeing. Recent literature on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) has reported an absence of substitution behavior between SSDI and other social insurance programs, which is unexpected considering the observed countercyclicality of SSDI awards. In the first chapter, I decompose the increase in the SSDI enrollment rate over the period surrounding the Great Recession, finding that 54.9% of the increase in the enrollment rate can be attributed to individuals who did not previously …

Fitting A Complex Markov Chain Model For Firm And Market Productivity, Julia Ruth Valder

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops a methodology of estimating parameters for a complex Markov chain model for firm productivity. The model consists of two Markov chains, one describing firm-level productivity and the other modeling the productivity of the whole market. If applicable, the model can be used to help with optimal decision making problems for labor demand. The need for such a model is motivated and the economical background of this research is shown. A brief introduction to the concept of Markov chains and their application in this context is given. The simulated data that is being used for the estimation is …

Market Power And The Nonprofit Sector, Gabriel Courey

Theses and Dissertations

The first chapter of this dissertation is composed of three related notes on spatial price discrimination under convex production costs. First, I consider upstream monopoly when two firms downstream have convex production costs. I find that the reduction in social welfare associated with the location distortions from upstream monopoly remain but are reduced under convex costs. This first section has been published (Courey, 2016). Second, I consider sequential location choice by two firms with convex costs (without a upstream monopoly). I find that when the slope of the marginal cost curve is steep enough, sequential choice can yield locations with …

On The Relation Between Income Inequality And Economic Growth: An Asymmetric Analysis, Amid Motavallizadeh Ardakani

Theses and Dissertations

Economic growth and income inequality are two prominent topics in development economics due to their close relation to social stability. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the short-run and long-run dynamics between income inequality and income growth. Additionally, it is important to consider the dynamic between income inequality and income volatility. This investigation fills a gap in the literature by examining whether changes in income, as well as changes in income volatility, have asymmetric effects on income distribution. The study of asymmetric impacts is critical because it might not be always true that economic booms and busts …

Af Corporate Exposure Assessment Strategy: Underlying Cost Behaviors And Visibility, Bradley M. Duncan

Theses and Dissertations

The research conducted in this thesis is an initial attempt to identify the costs associated with occupational exposure assessments within the Air Force. Using cost estimation methodologies, a cost model was created to predict the total costs of occupational hazard assessments focused on air sampling. Data was gathered from bioenvironmental engineering databases and subject matter experts for analysis. The data required extensive curation before running a mixed step-wise regression. The major cost drivers for occupational exposure assessments were identified as the sample time and pre-calibration time for conducting an air sample. The average predicted cost was $183.47 with 80% of …

An Analysis Of Stability Properties In Operating And Support Costs, Scott C. Hewitson

Theses and Dissertations

Accurately predicting Operating and Support (O&S) costs is vital in the current climate of budgetary constraints. However, there is an overall lack of research in the realm of O&S which hinders cost estimator’s abilities to provide accurate sustainment estimates. This research determines when Air Force Aircraft O&S costs stabilize and to what degree. Stability is examined in three areas: total O&S costs, the six O&S cost element structures, and aircraft type. Stability results vary by category but generally is found to occur 80% of the time at approximately five years from Initial Operating Capability (IOC). The second portion of this …

Predicting Agency Contributions For The Federal Employment Retirement System (Fers) Fund, Raymond L. Mims Ii

Theses and Dissertations

The Federal Employment Retirement System is a pension fund for federal employees and is managed by the United States Office of Personnel and Management (OPM). Each year OPM publishes an annual Civil Service Retirement and Disabilities Fund (CSRDF) report that provides information on the health of the fund. The report contains historical cash flows from income provided by contributions to the fund from employees, agencies, and the U.S. Treasury. Additionally, the report shows actuarial valuations of the total liabilities owed to all current employees and annuitants. The actuaries at OPM use their estimates to provide projections needed to maintain the …

Air Force Officer Attrition: An Ecconometric Analysis, Jacob T. Elliot

Theses and Dissertations

Many organizations are concerned, and struggle, with personnel management. Training personnel is expensive, so there is a high emphasis on understanding why and anticipating when individuals leave an organization. The military is no exception. Moreover, the military is strictly hierarchical and must grow all its leaders, making retention all the more vital. Intuition holds that there is a relationship between the economic environment and personnel attrition rates in the military (e.g. when the economy is bad, attrition is low). This study investigates that relationship in a more formal manner. Specifically, this study conducts an econometric analysis of U.S. Air Force …

Phase Gate Implementation Of Project Definition Rating Index (Pdri 9f Af Milcon Project Development: A Comprehensive Analysis, Jared R. Breuker

Theses and Dissertations

The $1.3B Air Force Military Construction (MILCON) program has shown a trend of 6% cost growth and 12% schedule growth in the construction phases of its projects. Air Force leadership has attributed this to a shortfall in the standardized processes for requirements definition and scope development. The Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) has been in use on Air Force MILCON projects for almost a decade, but the development and approval process for these projects does not lend itself to direct PDRI implementation. 96 PDRI MILCON projects executed from 2009 to 2016 were analyzed for trends in project development implementation strategies …

Air Force Installation Contracting Agency Strategic Sourcing And Category Management Through Expenditure Profiling, James T. Okamoto

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines an approach to characterizing various expenditure profiles for the Air Force Installation Contracting Agency’s Operations and Maintenance Appropriated Funds. Using naive, seasonal naive, trailing moving average, exponential smoothing, linear regression, and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) forecasting methods, the paper evaluates multiple error measures over one fiscal year to find the most precise model for each level of analysis. Levels of analysis included the Air Force enterprise and level 1 category levels, as well as an illustrative approach to Information and Technology spend at the level 2 subcategory, major command, and base levels. Optimal model characteristics were …

An Analysis Of Aircraft Operating And Support Cost Element Structures, Garrett B. O'Hanlon

Theses and Dissertations

As the cost of DoD Weapon Systems continue to increase, the ability to more accurately predict the Operating and Support (O&S) costs for the various weapon systems has become more vital for long run affordability. The investigation into the O&S arena has been overshadowed by the research and development (R&D) and acquisition fields. This research focuses on the O&S portion of the total life cycle costs, specifically the OSD-CAPE Cost Element Structure (CES) elements and sub-elements. The research investigates seven categories of 52 aircrafts and their cost expenditures within the CES from the years 1996-2016. The first portion of the …