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A Socioeconomic And Spatial Analysis Of Obesity In West Virginia: Policy Implications, Anura Kumara Amarasinghe
A Socioeconomic And Spatial Analysis Of Obesity In West Virginia: Policy Implications, Anura Kumara Amarasinghe
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This dissertation integrates both theoretical and empirical insights to facilitate understanding of the current obesity epidemic in WV given heterogeneity in socioeconomic, demographic and built environment characteristics of the state. In meeting this objective, county-level and individual-level health demand analyses using secondary data sources were conducted. County-level obesity differences were studied using spatial and non-spatial random and fixed effects frameworks under a panel data structure. Individual health demand was investigated by recursive estimation of individual health responses to ordered self-assessed health (SAH) in terms of lifestyle choices, socioeconomic, demographic and built environment characteristics using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) …
Modeling Small Business Growth, Migration Behavior, Local Public Services And Household Income In Appalachia: A Spatial Simultaneous Equations Approach, Gebremeskel H. Gebremariam
Modeling Small Business Growth, Migration Behavior, Local Public Services And Household Income In Appalachia: A Spatial Simultaneous Equations Approach, Gebremeskel H. Gebremariam
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In an effort to analyze the interdependences among small business growth, migration behavior, local public services, and median household income, this study developed a simultaneous-equation system under the assumptions of profit maximization of firm and utility maximization of households as well as the neoclassical assumption of equilibrium growth in a partial lag-adjustment growth-equilibrium framework. This model is an extension of the "jobs follow people or people follow jobs" literature and it improved previous models in the growth-equilibrium tradition by explicitly modeling local government and regional income in the growth process. It also explicitly modeled gross in-migration and gross out-migration separately …
An Economic Valuation Of Improved Water Quality In Opequon Watershed, Matthew C. Benson
An Economic Valuation Of Improved Water Quality In Opequon Watershed, Matthew C. Benson
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The Opequon watershed is in northern Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. In both states, Opequon Creek is classified as impaired due to violation of the bacteria standard and the narrative General Standard. Both states are using Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plans to improve water quality. As part of the TMDL process, a contingent valuation survey was developed which would measure the benefits of improved water quality in Opequon watershed. Five thousand surveys were mailed to households in West Virginia and Virginia. Median willingness-to-pay (WTP) values were estimated from grouped tobit models. For in-state water quality improvements, …
Three Essays In Environmental Markets: Dynamic Behavior, Market Interactions, Policy Implications, Irene Margaret Xiarchos
Three Essays In Environmental Markets: Dynamic Behavior, Market Interactions, Policy Implications, Irene Margaret Xiarchos
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In order to induce or support voluntary environmental behavior, the mechanisms of existing and possible environmental markets must be understood. This dissertation analyzes two issues related to voluntary environmental behavior: (i) The reactions of firms over the long term to stakeholder concerns about the environment (essay one). (ii) Interactions between recycled and primary markets for metals (essays two and three).;Although these essays consider different phenomena, they are underlain by common factors: the exploration of behavior in environmental markets, the importance of profit as a motivation for firms' actions, the centrality of the role of information, and the necessity to look …
A Spatial Simultaneous Growth Equilibrium Modeling Of Agricultural Land Development In The Northeast United States, Yohannes G. Hailu
A Spatial Simultaneous Growth Equilibrium Modeling Of Agricultural Land Development In The Northeast United States, Yohannes G. Hailu
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
With population growth and expansion of economic activities, urbanized places have expanded; and with growing per capita income, residential location preferences have shifted towards suburban and rural locations. In many places, such new growth has been accommodated with the development of agricultural lands. The concern from natural resource economics perspective is that agricultural lands are multifunctional. They have production uses, for which there are efficient markets, and amenity and environmental benefits, for which there are no efficient markets to value these attributes. This multifunctionality and the possible under-valuation of agricultural lands, irreversibility of development, and speculative effects of development on …
An Economic Analysis Of Food Stamp Participation In West Virginia, Ahadu T. Tekle
An Economic Analysis Of Food Stamp Participation In West Virginia, Ahadu T. Tekle
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Poverty and food insecurity are challenging socio-economic problems that policy makers are trying to address for a long time. Among other things, providing financial and in-kind assistance are some of the initiatives taken to improve food security for low income households. Food Stamp Program is an important assistance program that serves to meet this goal. The objective of this study is to examine the implication of economic and policy variables on food stamp participation in West Virginia. To understand the current and lagged impact of economic variables on current food stamp participation, static and dynamic econometric models are used. These …