Digital Commons Network^™

"How The Unemployment Rate In Spain Affects University Enrollment", Morgan A. Clarke

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis studies the subsequent labor market outcomes of college graduates during an economic recession in Spain over the years 2000-2012. I use data on undergraduate enrollment, unemployment, national income, and educational spend from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics, the CIA World Fact Book, Spain’s Ministry of Education, and World Bank to run regression analyses and the Granger Causality Test. I find that university enrollment and unemployment rate are positively correlated. Regression results show that for every one percent increase in unemployment, enrollment increases by approximately 7,429 students.

Income Inequality In American Professional Sports Leagues, Joshua S. Thurman

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sports leagues provide an interesting window to view issues that larger economies face that are much harder to measure due to their complexity. These leagues have many policy tools similar to those used in major world economies such as minimum wage, price ceilings, labor unions, and revenue sharing, although the impact of these policies are much easier to measure in the closed economy model of a sports league because the income and output of every player in a given year is known. In this paper, I measure the level and trend of income inequality in the NBA, NFL, and MLB, …

The Microfinance Industry In Bolivia, Jorge J. Eguino

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the international context, and particularly in Bolivia, microfinance and microcredit have been the subject of innumerable analyses. The arguments rely on the attributions of these two ways of intervention in financial services, as well as their impact with respect to poverty, their input, and their incidence on economic growth. Bolivia has contributed to the debate in these fields due to its experience with the microfinance system and its relevance to the country’s economy.

The purpose of this project is to describe the process of development and consolidation of the microfinance system in Bolivia. From a description to an analysis …

Are Music Streaming Services Healthy For The Recorded Music Industry?, Elizabeth W. Pittman

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

To listen to music just a few hundred years ago would require hundreds of miles of travel, tons of wood and metal and ivory and copper strings, construction of a stage and audience platforms, human capital to perform the music of course, and lots of money. All of these variables would combine to produce an auditory experience of approximately 45 minutes total. Today, a single musician can produce the sound of dozens with just a laptop, and it can be consumed relatively cheaply with the click of a button. Digital services such as iTunes or Spotify give listeners access to …