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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Pace University

2018

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

How Do Financial Institutions In China Mitigate Risks In Securitization Markets?, Tiantian Lyu Aug 2018

How Do Financial Institutions In China Mitigate Risks In Securitization Markets?, Tiantian Lyu

Honors College Theses

Asset securitization as the essential financial tool has increased the liquidity of underlying assets and promoted rapid economic development. In 2008, the outbreak of Subprime Mortgage Crisis that brought by the collapse of securitization triggered the U.S. securitization market to realize the risks involved in structured financial products, and thus facilitated the development of risk controlling tools. Through the analysis of securitization process, drivers, and credit rating agencies, the study concentrates on the formation of risks and modeling evaluation with evidence in both China and the U.S. markets. Statistical analysis was conducted on Chinese securitized products combining with risk management …


Made Up: A Devised Short Film, Justine Musselman Jul 2018

Made Up: A Devised Short Film, Justine Musselman

Honors College Theses

I've explored and studied the use of devising in theatre, and decided to bring that process to the making of a short film. Devising is the process of an ensemble creating a piece together in a collaborative and creative environment. These devised works start without a final script and are formed through discussion, improvisation. and ensemble exercises. Film is a new medium for devising and allows for unlimited creative opportunity and exploration. My devised short film utilizes dramatic makeup as an artistic device to assist in the storytelling. The narrative focuses on the idea of how we present ourselves publicly …


Exploring Identities In Online Music Fandoms: How Identities Formed In Online Fan Communities Affect Real Life Identities, Aimee Ratka Jul 2018

Exploring Identities In Online Music Fandoms: How Identities Formed In Online Fan Communities Affect Real Life Identities, Aimee Ratka

Honors College Theses

This thesis set out to explore the identities formed by members of online fandom communities, and to determine the ways in which those identities affect their real life, offline identities. This qualitative study encountered elements related to stereo types of young women who are fans of mainstream pop music, and provided insight on their experiences through interviews with five long time boy band online fandom members. This study asked if fans prefer to keep their fandom identities internal or let them reflect outward, how one's online identity affects or translates to their real life identity, and what experiences in the …


21st Century Propaganda: The Age Of Twitter, Holly Thayer Jul 2018

21st Century Propaganda: The Age Of Twitter, Holly Thayer

Honors College Theses

Twitter is a new platform in which politics and social engagement has found a home. Due to this a new medium to propagate a message has emerged that is unlike traditional platforms of propaganda. I hypothesize that traditional tactics of analyzing propaganda are no longer sufficient. I conducted an 8 week study cataloguing tweets that contained either the hashtag #falseflag or #hoax that were based on current topics in the United States. In total I retrieved 128 tweets. I first analyzed these tweets through the seven traditional tactics of propaganda and found that they were only present in 51% of …


What Are The Overall Benefits Of Dance Improvisation, And How Do They Affect Cognition And Creativity?, Carley Wright Jul 2018

What Are The Overall Benefits Of Dance Improvisation, And How Do They Affect Cognition And Creativity?, Carley Wright

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to define the terms improvisation, cognition, and creativity, and therefore find the direct correlation between all three, and how they can all be involved within dance. The main intention is to determine whether or not improvisational dance can positively influence one’s creative mindset, thus improving the cognitive learning process. Furthermore, it is to discover if the development of a creative mindset can be established through dance improvisation at an early age. In this exploration, the majority of my research will come from the examination of previously conducted experiments, as well as guiding and observing …


Examining Moral Hazard In The Healthcare Insurance Market, Samuel Ashby Jul 2018

Examining Moral Hazard In The Healthcare Insurance Market, Samuel Ashby

Honors College Theses

This study aims to examine the effect of insurance coverage on medical expenditure in the United States. The data was gathered from the Household Component Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and is a cross-sectional data set with a sample size of approximately 1500 observations. The study also distinguishes between public and private insurance coverage to compare the potential moral hazard in the two separate markets. The results of this study suggest that insurance status, specifically public, has a strong positive effect on healthcare expenditure. This result, combined with a negative relationship between household income and healthcare expenditure, suggests that the source …


The Impact Of Remittances On Education Attainment: Evidence From Dominican Republic, Tahiya Begum Jul 2018

The Impact Of Remittances On Education Attainment: Evidence From Dominican Republic, Tahiya Begum

Honors College Theses

This paper will examine the relationship between remittances and education attainment focusing on Dominican Republic in 2002. This study will focus on households in Dominican Republic using surveys from IPUMS international and the data is cross-sectional. Sending remittances increases the income for households, which in return, influences the spending on education. The study of remittances is analyzed in a more cultural and social value rather than entirely economic. The dynamic and structure of a family is crucial when studying the effects of remittances in a developing country. Key findings from this analysis is that the relationship between education attainment and …


Fake News And Editing: Marketing Techniques Used To Spin Controversies In Video Mediums, Alexandra Brand Jul 2018

Fake News And Editing: Marketing Techniques Used To Spin Controversies In Video Mediums, Alexandra Brand

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores the topic of fake news in today's digital landscape by analyzing how young adults (18-2) form and change prior opinions based on the media they consume. I measured this by showing respondents one of two bias montages in response to Google's Project Owl initiative. Project Owl is Google's controversial attempt to regulate false or abusive news by launching new feedback forms in addition to altering their algorithm in a way the company has not yet disclosed to the public (Sullivan). Each self-edited montage is two minutes in length and together they cover two radically different responses to …


Microfinance, Msmes And The Macro Economy: Evidence From India, Monica Casabona Jul 2018

Microfinance, Msmes And The Macro Economy: Evidence From India, Monica Casabona

Honors College Theses

Much of prior literature on the relationship between microfinance and the macro-economy has focused on the effect of the latter in determining the success of microfinance institutions (MFIs). However, the microfinance industry has been underserved in studies evaluating microfinance as a legitimate contributor toward macro-economic growth. Researching this connection would provide a clearer direction for policymakers to support microfinance, and the institutions that foster such activities. This paper investigates the hypothesis that microfinance is not only important to the people at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, but for the overall health of a national economy. We explore different mechanisms …


The Association Between Attitudes Towards High Intensity Exercise And Self-Esteem, Emily Fullhardt Jul 2018

The Association Between Attitudes Towards High Intensity Exercise And Self-Esteem, Emily Fullhardt

Honors College Theses

There has been much research that has examined the association between exercise and self-esteem. Specifically, research suggests that there is a positive association of high intensity exercise, including running, weight lifting, and interval training, with self-esteem in both children and adults. However, much of this past research involved experiments where an exercise regimen was introduced to test cause and effect of exercise and self-esteem. Further, much of the past research focused on adults outside of the United States (Hasanpour, Yìğiter, Yook). I aim to test whether there are associations of preferences for and attitudes towards high intensity exercise with self-esteem …


The Cost Of Success: The Significance Of Funding In The Academic Success Of Charter Schools' Minority Students, Rebecca Charles Jul 2018

The Cost Of Success: The Significance Of Funding In The Academic Success Of Charter Schools' Minority Students, Rebecca Charles

Honors College Theses

Since the state of Minnesota first began charter schools nearly three decades ago, they have slowly become a major part of public education throughout the United States. Often times strategically placed in communities of low socioeconomic status, charter schools have offered alternative options to at-risk, low-income students who would otherwise attend the traditional public school within their school zones. In New York City today, there are almost four times the number of charter schools than there were ten years ago. Across the city, at-risk students who have the opportunity to attend charter schools are reaching higher levels of educational achievement …


Text Or Call?: How Mode Of Communication Impacts Desire For Subsequent Conversation, Rosemary Leo Jul 2018

Text Or Call?: How Mode Of Communication Impacts Desire For Subsequent Conversation, Rosemary Leo

Honors College Theses

Previous research has found that there is variability in the effectiveness of different types of digitally facilitated communication, but no research has been conducted on whether the mode of communication being used impacts the desire to engage in subsequent conversations with a particular individual. This study examined whether the mode of initial communication would have an impact upon the desire to engage in subsequent conversations. In a sample of 33 participants ages 18-22, I sought to examine how phone conversations and texting differ as methods of initial communication in regard to their impact on participants’ expressed desire for continued communication. …


Satirical Politics And Late-Night Television Ratings, Tanner Johnson Jul 2018

Satirical Politics And Late-Night Television Ratings, Tanner Johnson

Honors College Theses

Since the 2016 Presidential election, it has become increasingly difficult to turn on the television or log onto social media without being informed of everything happening at The White House. This includes late-night television. What once was meant for humorous jokes and celebrity interviews suitable for any pop culture follower has not gotten less funny, but nowadays, the jokes are not always jokes. Satirical news has been around for a long time with The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, but as of 2016, the line between fact and fiction cannot be as easily differentiated between as it used …


Anxiety: An Epidemic Through The Lens Of Social Media, Holly M. Wright Jul 2018

Anxiety: An Epidemic Through The Lens Of Social Media, Holly M. Wright

Honors College Theses

Anxiety: An Epidemic was originally inspired by the mental health crisis in my hometown, Palo Alto, California, and evolved to specifically focus on social media-related anxiety. I examined the question: How has social media evolved over the last decade and what effect does the proliferation of social media have on the young adult population? I hypothesized that social media would have a predominately negative effect, especially on young women, and set out to create a theatrical piece inspired by my research. In my meta-analysis of studies conducted, I found that more data needs to be collected on the relatively new …


The Tragedy Zone: Ableism In Entertainment, Linnea Sumner Jul 2018

The Tragedy Zone: Ableism In Entertainment, Linnea Sumner

Honors College Theses

Ableism, or discrimination towards individuals with disabilities, is pervasive in our society. The entertainment world and the media are largely responsible for shaping the way the general public views minority groups. The topic of disability is incredibly popular on screen and stage, but very few actors and writers with disabilities are being hired in comparison to the amount of work that is being produced on the topic. A startling percentage of best actor/actress Oscar winners have won for portraying a character with a disability of some kind, but only two actors with the same disabilities as their characters have been …


Flying Closer: The Intersection Of Circus And Dance, Emma Thomas Jul 2018

Flying Closer: The Intersection Of Circus And Dance, Emma Thomas

Honors College Theses

Dancers entering the professional industry must consider whether to be a jack of all trades, able to perform any style and any skill, or a specialized performer who has achieved mastery of one specific technique. Because commercial dancers require a greater variety of skill sets, and jobs for commercial dancers such as cruise ships, backup dancing, and Broadway shows, are increasingly asking their dancers to perform aerial arts - and circus companies such as Cirque Du Soleil, and Circa are blending circus and dance, I am arguing that a dancer entering the commercial industry has to also consider the value …


Tabletop Role-Playing Games And Social Skills In Young Adults, Lily Spinelli Jul 2018

Tabletop Role-Playing Games And Social Skills In Young Adults, Lily Spinelli

Honors College Theses

This paper explores the relationship between playing tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) and the creativity, self-efficacy, and social skills of the players. Eighty-five people ages 18-25 were surveyed on their perceived levels of these three variables, as well as how often they played TTRPGs. Responses of those who did play TTRPGs were compared with results of those who did not play TTRPGs. A statistically significant positive correlation was identified in all participants between creativity and self-efficacy, creativity and social skills, and self-efficacy and social skills. Participants who played TTRPGs scored statistically significantly higher in measures of creativity than participants who did …


Scripted Stereotypes In Reality Tv, Paulette S. Strauss Jul 2018

Scripted Stereotypes In Reality Tv, Paulette S. Strauss

Honors College Theses

Diversity, or lack thereof, has always been an issue in both television and film for years. But another great issue that ties in with the lack of diversity is misrepresentation, or a substantial presence of stereotypes in media. While stereotypes often are commonplace in scripted television and film, the possibility of stereotypes appearing in a program that claims to be based on reality seems unfitting. It is commonly known that reality television is not completely “unscripted” and is actually molded by producers and editors. While reality television should not consist of stereotypes, they have curiously made their way onto the …


Tilted: Exploring The Mainstreaming And Diversity Of Modern Drag, Stephen Stanec Jul 2018

Tilted: Exploring The Mainstreaming And Diversity Of Modern Drag, Stephen Stanec

Honors College Theses

The act of presenting oneself to the world around them is a performance. Gender takes a massive part in this “performance” as the “gender roles” that we as humans embody due to preconceived societal constructs shape the world’s perception of us (Butler 92-95). The world’s normality of performing the gender that closely matches one’s sex assignment is not the only option. The long practiced Queer art form of Drag, blurs and changes the lines of gender through performance. This in turn plays with the fluidity in the manmade construct of gender. Drag is a necessary art form within the Queer …


Hbo Series Girls And Insecure’S Depiction Of Race And Gender, Kimberley Peterson Jul 2018

Hbo Series Girls And Insecure’S Depiction Of Race And Gender, Kimberley Peterson

Honors College Theses

In this research study the identification and representation of race and gender were looked at in the primetime HBO television series Insecure and Girls. The characters that were analyzed in two episodes were the young black women of Insecure and in two episodes the young white women in Girls. The method for this study was conducted using content analysis to identify the following variables focusing on identity, racial stereotypes and names used to address one another. Additionally, variables to identify gender included emotional approaches to situations, stereotypes and gender role expectations. The comprehensive findings revealed through similarities and differences …


Evolution Of Community Policing In New York City, Kristine Lamburini Jul 2018

Evolution Of Community Policing In New York City, Kristine Lamburini

Honors College Theses

This study examines the various community policing initiatives, or lack of community policing initiatives, within the New York City Police Department (NYPD) from 1984 to present. Community policing is a policing model that is currently in the forefront of the criminal justice field due to strained relationships between many communities and the police. The community policing initiatives examined in this study are organized as follows: the Community Patrol Officer Program (C-POP) under Police Commissioner Ward (1984-1989); the Safe Streets, Safe City Program under Police Commissioner Brown (1989-1992), which established community policing as the dominant operational philosophy in the NYPD; Broken …


The Economic Impact Of Failing Infrastructure In The New York Metropolitan Area, Nicholas Travis Jul 2018

The Economic Impact Of Failing Infrastructure In The New York Metropolitan Area, Nicholas Travis

Honors College Theses

Infrastructure in the New York Metropolitan Area has been seriously underfunded due to a failure of public investment on the local, state and federal level. Prior research has presented concrete reasoning that the now crumbling infrastructure will seriously affect economic growth and worker productivity. This research seeks to quantify the economic effects as a result of this failing infrastructure. My research asks: what are the concrete, additional economic expenditures, due to failing infrastructure, that drivers spend each year? How much do these economic costs decrease our economic productivity, and how do the economic costs compare with proposed infrastructure improvements? From …


The New Financial Framework For The Cuban Non-State Sector, Pavel Vidal, P.V. Viswanath Jun 2018

The New Financial Framework For The Cuban Non-State Sector, Pavel Vidal, P.V. Viswanath

Faculty Working Papers

A cornerstone of the current Cuban economic model reforms is its opening to the non-state small-scale sector. Using the results of a survey of non-state businesses, we look at the provision of financial services to the small- and medium-sized enterprises in the non-state sector from two perspectives: first, the nature of the new credit regulations and bank policies and how they accomplish the evaluation of credit to a hitherto non-existent sector; and second, how these small business clients view their relationship with their lender state banks. We look at Cuba from the perspective of a socialist economy in transition and …


Opening Up: Why Are We Not Using More Open Educational Resources (Oer’S)?, Daniel A. Sabol May 2018

Opening Up: Why Are We Not Using More Open Educational Resources (Oer’S)?, Daniel A. Sabol

CSIS Technical Reports

Open Educational Resources (OER) have the ability to alleviate student drop out rate, make faculty course design easier, allow faculty to contribute and participate in the OER undertaking that is swiftly spreading through our nation. In addition we are able to save our students $2,000 - $3,000 dollars over the course of their education. This work looks at findings from a survey which was sent out to list serves and direct email to faculty. The survey posed questions to try to determine why faculty were having a difficult time accepting and using OER’s in their own classroom. It was discovered …


United States Human Trafficking Task Force, Michael A. Palazzi Iv May 2018

United States Human Trafficking Task Force, Michael A. Palazzi Iv

Master in Management for Public Safety and Homeland Security Professionals Master's Projects

Human Trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar industry which is both a domestic and foreign issue for the United States government. The purpose of this paper is to address the issues such as: lack of a centralized task force, lack of funding and an introduction of a new method of investigation which utilizes intelligence to fight human trafficking. The results found through research and interviews with federal agents have shown that a federal task force utilizing federal, state, and local law enforcement along with nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s) and government would have a positive, profound effect against human trafficking. It is recommended that …


Natural Disasters: Continued Security In The Aftermath, Victoria Quinones May 2018

Natural Disasters: Continued Security In The Aftermath, Victoria Quinones

Master in Management for Public Safety and Homeland Security Professionals Master's Projects

This paper reviews one of the leading threats that the United States faces: natural disasters. As the rate, strength, and cost of damages increases, so too does the vulnerabilities of the country’s security and that of its people’s. This paper highlights several significant points that surround the topic of natural disasters. First, identifying first the importance of such a topic and the threats that natural disasters pose; and, secondly, how to manage those threats. This paper shows the development of a strategic plan that incorporates a multidisciplinary approach, intelligence gathering, and an assessment of the proposed plan. This strategy identifies …


Microfinance And The Decision To Invest In Children’S Education, P.V. Viswanath Feb 2018

Microfinance And The Decision To Invest In Children’S Education, P.V. Viswanath

Faculty Working Papers

Although one of the primary objectives of microfinance has been the reduction of poverty through the provision of credit for income-generating purposes, evidence of its impact on poverty has been mixed. Even if there is no direct impact of microfinance, there may be an indirect positive impact through the effect of microcredit availability on families’ decisions to invest in their children’s education. In this paper, I describe a study undertaken to gauge the impact of microcredit availability on education expenditures for children of clients of a South Indian microfinance institution. I first look at some determinants of the demand for …


Involvement Of Social Media Profiles In The Hiring Process, Theresa Lant, Ashley Mejias Jan 2018

Involvement Of Social Media Profiles In The Hiring Process, Theresa Lant, Ashley Mejias

Student and Faculty Research Days

In recent years, social media has become a popular tool in the recruitment and selection process for employers. Many companies see it as a more cost efficient screening process than traditional background checks and interviews. However, its’ use comes with a greater risk for the company and potential applicants in terms of privacy violation and discrimination. This article will examine the rising popularity of the use of social media in the recruitment and selection process. In addition, it will explore the role social media plays in the hiring process from the viewpoint of employees in their respective companies versus undergraduate …


Predictive Modeling Of The Non-Profit Sector In The Us, Francisco J. Quevedo, Andrea K. Quevedo-Prince Jan 2018

Predictive Modeling Of The Non-Profit Sector In The Us, Francisco J. Quevedo, Andrea K. Quevedo-Prince

Student and Faculty Research Days

The Non-Profit Sector contributes almost $1 trillion to the US economy, representing 5.4% of GDP, and generating over 12 million jobs in 2017. Yi (2010) suggests that a better understanding of the factors that affect fundraising should be of great interest to policy makers, and fundraisers. However, the workings of the sector are subject of much debate. Matsunaga, Yamauchi and Okuyama (2010) relate its size to the Theory of Government Failure. Sokolowski (2013) proposes that government funding does have a positive effect on revenues. Curry, Rodin and Carlson (2012) suggested they swing with GDP, but, Berman, Brooks …


An Analysis Of The Changing Modus Operandi Of Terrorist Attacks In Europe, Hasan Arslan, Elizabeth Molloy Jan 2018

An Analysis Of The Changing Modus Operandi Of Terrorist Attacks In Europe, Hasan Arslan, Elizabeth Molloy

Student and Faculty Research Days

There is a sharp increase in both the number of incidents and the deaths caused by different types of attacks in Europe recently. The assailants claimed these attacks either on behalf of Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) or as "lone wolves" with no direct affiliation to the ISIL. However, there has been some change in the way some of the attacks were carried out. Also, there was a shift in their target selection. Security experts and authorities have indicated significant factors contributing to this development. This paper examines the apparent alarming trend in the change of terrorist modus …