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Three Essays On The Economics Of Children’S Health And Education In Nepal, Khusiman Pun

Economics ETDs

First essay: This paper studies the impact of Nepal’s 1996-2006 Maoist insurgency on the nutritional status of children. We employ the difference-in-difference (DID) model. The proxy for conflict intensity is killings per thousand population (KPT). The finding of our study is that a marginal increase in KPT decreases the height-for-age (HAZ) of the children by 0.0844. The loss in child health was statistically not significant in both non-poor and poor households. Therefore, the impact of the insurgency on child health is largely driven by the negative effect of the insurgency on Janajaties, irrespective of their economic status.

Second essay: This …

Essays On The Child Health And Education Benefits Of Government Programs, Abhradeep Karmakar

Economics ETDs

This work comprises five chapters. Chapter 1 presents an outline of three separate research papers, highlighting their objectives, main findings, and contributions to existing literature. Chapter 2 evaluates the impact of the Right to Education Act on children’s health and cognition in Andhra Pradesh, using the Young Lives data. We exploit the timing of the survey rounds and variations in children’s age in each round for studying the relationship. Chapter 3 studies the impact of the Clean India Mission sanitation program on children’s math and reading test-scores. Using data from the ASER surveys and from the Govt. of India, we …

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, Environmental Quality And Public Health, Suraj Ghimire

Economics ETDs

Using dairy farm data, this dissertation investigates the environmental and health implications of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in New Mexico. It seeks to answer three primary research questions: (1) the relationship between environmental justice indicators and proximity to dairy farms; (2) the overall health consequences of dairy air pollutants; and (3) the viability of implementing an anaerobic digester (AD) system as a potential solution to externality concerns while maintaining dairy farm economic sustainability.

The first study demonstrates that foreign-born populations and Hispanics disproportionately experience emissions from CAFOs, with living near dairy farms or in areas with elevated ammonia levels …

Essays On The Economics Of Grid Modernization, Jesse Kaczmarski

Economics ETDs

I present three chapters on the economics of grid modernization. The first chapter examines the consumer acceptance of community microgrid services. In this chapter I present the results of a split-sample contingent valuation experiment in which electric bill payers across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are asked about the willingness-to-pay for the installation of a community microgrid contingent on costs and benefits. In the second chapter, I examine the role of contractual hydropower receipts in the fuel mix for a medium size power authority in Colorado. I show that hydropower offsets fossil fuel generation sources and contribute to reductions …

Acquired And Useful Abilities: Three Essays On Human Capital Development, Rajan Bishwakarma

Economics ETDs

While early childhood circumstances influence the accumulation of skills and abilities, parental and policy responses can magnify or mitigate the effects of childhood circumstances. This work explores the two ideas mentioned above.

Chapter 1 briefs the historical and philosophical roots of the study of human capital and discusses the economic approach to the understanding of child wellbeing before the age of five. Because childhood circumstances influence the accumulation of skills, Chapter 2 estimates the impact of temperature shock during pregnancy on early childhood health. Evidence from Nepal shows that prenatal exposure to high-temperature days impedes child growth; however, the damage …

Three Essays On Student Enrollment Responses To General Household And Education-Specific Assistance Programs, Usamah Wasif

Economics ETDs

Greater educational attainment is associated with an increase in expected income, lowering of internal discount rates, and improved financial and health literacy. Income transfers have the potential to positively impact educational attainment by either reducing the direct cost of college attendance or by inducing an income effect that nudges students to decrease labor supply and devote greater time to studies. Whether assistance leads to more education depends on the circumstances, particularly the educational stage and assistance type. High school students may react differently to assistance relative to college students and both may react differently to general household income transfers compared …

An Exploration Of Unintended Effects Of Education Policies In The United States, Kevin Estes

Economics ETDs

The work in this dissertation examines unintended consequences from various public policies in education. The first policy examined is the adoption of the four-day school week schedule by public-school districts across the United States. Concerns over the additional weekend night for students are explored by examining teen traffic safety within the school district before and after adoption of the four-day schedule. The second policy examined is the usage of academic probation by universities. Student responses to being placed on academic probation vary, and financial implications for the student are a potential mechanism behind these responses. Student responses segmented by Pell …

Essays On Human Capital, Soumyajit Chakraborty

Economics ETDs

The first essay: Agriculture in Nepal is the most critical sector for economic growth – it directly benefits the poor, and a considerable proportion of the population derives their livelihoods from agriculture. This essay uses the 2017–2018 baseline survey data from Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project funded through the USAID’s “Feed the Future” program. The essay explores a causal relationship between agronomical knowledge and productivity-enhancing farming decisions. Evidence indicates that there are significant, consistent, and positive returns to agronomical knowledge via engaging in advisory contact through traditional agricultural extension. Given the drawback of the institutional irregularity of advisory services, …

Three Essays In Development And Environmental Economics, Michael Benjamin Goodwin

Economics ETDs

This dissertation explores three unique topics in development and environmental economics. The first paper looks at the value people place on clean air in Mexico City using an alternative air pollution measure to the typical ground measurement. Research and policy addressing air pollution remains hampered by a lack of ground level air quality data. This study attempts to overcome this issue using aerosol optical depth from satellite imagery as a proxy for air pollution. Using a hedonic framework and least squares estimation, results show that Mexico City residents place a significant value on clean air as demonstrated by their choices …

Assessment Of Preference, Health Issues, And Spatial Dependence In A Solid Waste Management System, Mohammad Mashiur Rahman

Economics ETDs

The insurmountable population growth in developing countries, specifically in the urban cities, has posed numerous socio-economic and environmental challenges. The growth of household solid waste is one of them, creating environmental disruption and climate change from a broader perspective. This dissertation investigates three issues related to a solid waste management system; the health risks from improper waste management behavior, household's preference to participate in a waste management system, and the solution to a municipality for optimal allocation of waste disposal by multiple techniques. The first paper uses a primary survey data collected in 2016 to investigate the association between health …

Stronger Transition: Coping With Natural Disasters, And Health-Economic Investment For Adolescents In Developing Countries, Mengqi Liu

Economics ETDs

This dissertation investigates the period of adolescence as another important window for human capital development. The first chapter provides the introduction of my three research papers, highlighting the research motivation, goals, and contributions. The final chapter summarizes the conclusions and discusses the future research trajectory. The first paper examines the long-term health and socioeconomic implications of exposure to natural disasters during adolescence and childhood. In the second paper, I survey the current awareness of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccine in Nepal and test the different indicators for HPV vaccination, precisely the mother’s intention to vaccinate their adolescent girls against …

Three Chapters On Transportation And Its Impact On Employment And Health Visits For Low-Income Adults In The Southwest, Michael Hensley

Economics ETDs

Many barriers to employment and healthcare access in the United States exist. Barriers to employment include lack of education, homelessness, or a criminal background. Barriers to healthcare include lack of insurance, lack of medical knowledge, and the inability to pay for service. This dissertation examines the role of transportation access and if transportation access is a burden for employment and healthcare access in the Southwest United States. This dissertation also examines if those differences are different based on gender, race, and ethnicity. The 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) serves as the data source for this dissertation.

Chapter 1 gives …

Chad: Human Fertility, Crop Production And Changing Weather Patterns, Jake Organ

Economics ETDs

The subject of this dissertation is the effect of changing weather patterns on human fertility in Chad, Sahelian Africa. There is a body of literature on the effect of extreme weather events-usually associated with large-scale mortality-and human fertility. However, there is less of a body of literature on the effects of less extreme changing weather patterns and human fertility. Chad has known substantial warming since the late 1960s, hence I use rising heat as a proxy for changing weather patterns. Using GIS-coded fertility and weather data, I look for correlations between the birth rate and the number of days in …

Assessing The Environmental Impacts Of Urbanization In Siddharthanagar, Nepal, Bishal Raj Khanal

Economics ETDs

Rapid and haphazard infrastructural expansion often contributes to large negative externalities in cities. Environmental problems like air pollution and degradation of quality-of-life elements in an urban settlement are attributed to urban sprawl. Evidence based planning tools need to be developed which can help manage the rapid urbanization that is taking place in the developing world. In this context, we examine the relationship between health outcomes and the different spatial- temporal aspects of an urban-built environment in Siddharthanagar Metropolitan City which is a major settlement in southwestern Nepal. We attempt to identify the aspects of built environment which are closely associated …

Essays On Emotional Well-Being, Health Insurance Disparities And Health Insurance Markets, Disha Shende

Economics ETDs

This dissertation has three research papers. First paper looks at the effect of social networks on emotional well-being of cancer patients by studying the response of social networks on their depression symptoms. Using the data from a primary survey conducted in Nepal, the study finds that social networks significantly reduce depression symptoms among cancer patients. The results strongly advocate for the importance of the social networks in improving their emotional well-being. Second paper examines the health coverage disparities among Hispanic and non-Hispanic young adults in five southwestern states of the United States. Using the pooled data from American Community Survey …

Impact Of Political Action Committee On Government Contracts, Bibek Acharya

Economics ETDs

This research aims to determine whether politically active corporations are more likely to get government contracts or likely to get more massive deals than corporations that are not politically active. The research question is, to what extent is the increase in government contracts due to the presence of corporate PACs or the amount spent by corporate PACs? In sum, we expect that the existence of PACs and the higher the corporation contributions in support of candidates for federal offices, the higher their chances of getting a contract or a more massive contract. We find that corporations that have a PAC …

Adolescent Mental Health In The Developing World: Three Economic Analyses On Stressors, Coping, And Support, Siobhan K. Yilmaz

Economics ETDs

Adolescents are slowly being recognized as a generation, worldwide, that may require different policy approaches to improve staggering statistics on their failing wellbeing, including mental health. By providing the support to allow the next generation to achieve better mental health outcomes, they are going to be more economically successful and the future economic growth of nations can be better assured. In face of such a need, this dissertation approaches the evaluation of a number of key stressors and elements of coping and support. Each chapter produces results which overcome limitations throughout existing literature in terms of the simultaneous consideration of …

Labor Market Implications On The Uptake Of The Earned Income Tax Credit In New Mexico Post Great Recession: 2008-2015, James Kaminsky

Economics ETDs

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one of the most successful poverty alleviation programs in the US tax code. In New Mexico tax filers may apply for a refundable credit – the Working Family Tax Credit (WFTC) – that is predicated upon receipt of the EITC on their federal return. However, the preponderance of research examining the efficacy of the EITC is premised upon two hypotheses: economic conditions are expanding and those seeking work can find it.

Subsequent to the Great Recession, it is not clear that these hypotheses hold. The Great Recession began in Q4-2007 and continued into …

Essays On Agricultural Water Pollution And Human Health, Na Lu

Economics ETDs

This dissertation mainly focuses on agricultural policies, water pollution and human health. Chapter.2 examines the causal impact of agricultural water pollution on individual health outcomes. The findings suggest that agricultural water pollution worsens health outcomes and these adverse health effects appear to be largely due to contaminated drinking water. Chapter.3 explores both of the intended wealth effect and unintended pollution effect on human health caused by China’s agricultural support polices. I find that although the income effect dominates on reducing the overall sickness, the pollution effect is more substantial on the diarrhea incidence and adult BMI. Income affects slightly higher …

Essays On Nutrition And Cognitive Production In Developing Countries: Evidence From Ethiopia & Nepal, Mohammad Ali

Economics ETDs

This dissertation is comprised of five chapters. The first chapter provides an outline of the three separate research papers that are combined in this dissertation. It highlights the goals of each paper, discusses their importance to the field of economics, and outlines their contributions to the existing literature. The final chapter summarizes the main conclusions from the three research articles and points to how my future research trajectory is shaped by my dissertation research.

The second chapter explores the effect of current health (denoted by BMI for age scores) on cognitive test scores directly and indirectly, through time allocated to …

Freshwater Conservation, Drinking Water Quality And Climate Change Adaptation: A Case Study On Nepal, Samrat B. Kunwar

Economics ETDs

Our world today faces a myriad of unprecedented environmental challenges that transcends spatial and temporal reach. These problems involve interconnected ecological and social systems operating on multiple scales and include issues like climate disruption, water stress, food security, biodiversity loss, over-population and species declines and extinctions.These issues are more acute in rapidly growing nations like Nepal, where environmental protection is often considered a luxury. Such environmentally unsound development practices will not only create an imbalance in the ecological and the social functioning and dynamics, but it also threatens the future development of the country itself. In this dissertation, I investigate …

Ostromian Lessons For Post-Disaster Resilience: Evidence From The 2015 Earthquake In Nepal, Veeshan Rayamajhee

Economics ETDs

The dissertation is organized in six chapters. The first chapter provides a synopsis of the four research articles that are comprised in this manuscript. It outlines the goals of each article and connects them to specific Ostromian insights to shed light on the empirical findings. Chapters 2, 3, and 5 are based on a field study that I conducted in Sindhupalchowk, Nepal following the devastating earthquake in 2015. Chapter 4 uses case studies from Chicago, New Orleans, Nepal, and Indonesia. The final chapter summarizes major lessons from the four papers.

The second chapter investigates household-level coping responses to the 7.8 …

Interdependencies Between Energy, The Environment, And Stakeholder Choices, Saleh Nur Muhammad Al Mamun

Economics ETDs

This dissertation contributes to the field of energy economics by expanding the knowledge of energy stakeholders’ decisions amid the interdependence of energy and environmental policies. I analyze three specific energy development decisions from multiple stakeholders’ perspectives. Chapter 2 introduces a broader state-level policymakers’ decision on renewable portfolio standards (RPS). The renewable portfolio standards is a state-mandated obligation that requires electric load-serving entities to distribute a certain percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources. I investigate the public preferences of RPS for residents in New Mexico in 2017. I find that households are willing to pay for an increase in RPS …

The Impact Of Exogenous Shocks And Heterogeneity On Demand And Preferences Environmental And Resource Goods In The Southwestern United States, Kara A. Walter

Economics ETDs

The 2018 IPCC report declared damages from climate change rapidly approaching. This dissertation consists of three empirical studies employing unique data sets and three econometric methods. First, I consider energy portfolios; I find that political affiliation is not the strongest driving factor of heterogeneity. Second, I examine the impact of observable characteristics in explaining preferences for the environment and regulation; I find opinion on climate change is an important factor and that omitting it results in changes to the significance of other factors. Finally, I study the impact of wildfires on visitation to national parks; I find that in the …

Dynamic And Integrated Models Of The Energy-Water-Land Nexus: Economic And Environmental Evaluation Of Policy Decisions, Elmira Kalhor

Economics ETDs

This dissertation contributes to the field of environmental and natural resource economics by employing data and hybrid simulation models to assess the economic and environmental outcomes of policy instruments applied to the complex systems of humans and the physical environment. Three integrated and dynamic models are developed to measure short- and long-term outcomes of price scenarios and resource capacity constraints.

The first chapter examines the balancing problem faced by a state-level policymaker. The Permian Basin is a source of significant revenue to the state of New Mexico; however, unconventional oil and gas production in this highly productive field requires large …

Three Essays On The Societal Impact Of Health Policies And Laws, Xuanhao He

Economics ETDs

This dissertation provides evidence to the two contentious debate over health policies and laws in the US, Medicaid expansion and sex offender registration and notification. In Chapter 2, I explore one key determinant of Medicaid take-up, the benefit of access to care proxied by the Medicaid-to-Medicare primary care physician payment ratio. Using a unique dataset of Medicaid physician reimbursement rates and the American Community Survey of 2010 – 14, I find that a 10-percentage-point increase in the payment ratio of a 30-minute new patient office visit will increase Medicaid enrollment among uninsured adults in poverty by more than 150,000. In …

A Systematic Investigation Of The Effect Of Wildfire Events And Risks On Property Values, Qiuhua Ma

Economics ETDs

Wildfires frequency and severity have been increasing in the western United States over the past few decades. This rising threat is caused by the accumulated fuel load, climate change, and the rapid expansion of housing in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Since most mitigation and suppression costs are borne by taxpayers, policy analysts seek both market (e.g., protection and suppression cost) and non-market cost estimates of wildfires. As one tool, the hedonic pricing method is commonly used to investigate wildfire effects on property values. There are a variety of hedonic studies investigating wildfire, with mixed and/or inconsistent results. Model estimates are …

Market And Non-Market Valuation Of Renewable Energy, Jamal Mamkhezri

Economics ETDs

This dissertation is an assessment of market and non-market valuation of renewable energy, specifically within the electricity sector. It contributes to the energy and economics literature through a battery of three chapters. This dissertation utilizes New Mexico as a case study, which is an economically poor and natural-resource rich state that produces and consumes electricity in the southwestern United States. It is also one of the four states that have adopted a policy for 100% clean energy by 2045.

The first chapter models state- and county-level economic (e.g., employment, economic output, etc.) and environmental (e.g., externality, health impact, water use, …

Migration, Return Migration, And Economic Development In Latin America, Jose R. Bucheli

Economics ETDs

This dissertation presents a collection of essays that study ways in which human mobility affects economic development in origin countries. It focuses on Latin America—a region historically connected to episodes of large-scale migration, recipient of significant remittance flows, and victim of sluggish economic growth. The first two chapters examine the effects of return migration from the United States on aggregate economic welfare and non-state violence in communities of origin in Mexico. The analysis is motivated by the historic reversal in the Mexico-U.S. migration flows in the early 2000s. The third chapter analyzes the interaction between remittances, migration, and secondary school …

Essays On Energy Economics And Environmental Policies, Janak R. Joshi

Economics ETDs

This dissertation contains three distinct empirical chapters in applied energy and environmental economics. Each chapter focuses on a unique set of research questions, methods, and data. The unifying motivation therein concerns the development of renewable or alternative low-carbon energy sources as a policy response to the challenges of climate change mitigation, local and regional environmental quality issues, and energy security concerns. Economic and environmental evaluation of the energy policies coupled with understanding energy use patterns is of paramount importance. Together, the empirical chapters focus on demand, supply, and policy aspects of energy markets in the United States (US).

First, Chapter …