Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Can Neoclassical Trade Theory Explain Congressional Voting?, John Dellipriscoli

Master's Theses

The neoclassical trade model has notoriously been unable to empirically predict trade flows throughout the world, however there has been a notion that the same theories and predictions could also be applied to democratic voting on free trade legislation. Using roll-call votes on three 2011 United States bilateral trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, respectively, a simple empirical model based on the neoclassical concepts, specifically the Heckscher-Ohlin and Stolper-Samuelson corollary theorems, is outlined. After an analysis using a logit estimation method, it is revealed that there is conflicting evidence whether the voting on the 2011 free trade agreements …

Adoption Messages Communicated Intergenerationally, Kelcee Clark

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The purpose of this case study was to examine what, if any, messages related to adoption were passed down intergenerationally through a family with a connection to adoption. To investigate this topic, I conducted two interviews, one with a mother who was adopted and one with her biological daughter. Using Owen’s (1984) thematic analysis (1984), I found that messages of openness, positivity, and shaping of opinions on social issues were expressed and passed down through generations of this family. These results and implications for future research are described.

Negative Religious Coping Styles Predict Greater Depressive Symptoms And Less Life Satisfaction, Kira A. Barros, Hannah Toyama, John E. Perez

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The purpose of this study was to identify negative religious coping methods
 that have an association with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction among cancer patients. This study was based on Pargament’s (1997) framework of positive and
negative religious coping styles that specify how an individual makes use of religion to understand and deal with stressors. The sample included 179 predominantly White, Christian, female patients with stage II through IV cancer. We used a cross-sectional design with self-report measures to examine punishing God reappraisal and spiritual discontent as they relate to depressive symptoms and satisfaction with life. We hypothesized that both …

Incentives And Improved Economic Conditions: A Field Experiment In Medellin, Colombia, Lauren Skora

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The motivation for this research is to replicate the Oakland based Family Independence Initiative (FII) and to test the components of this model. The FII program claims its success stems from a bottom-up approach structured around setting life improving goals, mutual support groups, and small monetary incentives for achieved results. We enrolled close to 200 small business owners in four experimental treatments (group, no-group, incentives, no-incentives) and a fifth external control group. The experimental data shows that incentives have the strongest overall impact in improving the likelihood of goal achievement and economic performance. Furthermore, the interaction of goal setting, groups, …

The Effects Of Hiv/Aids On The Mother-Child Relationship, Margaret Gross

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

39 semi-structured interviews were conducted with HIV+/- mothers living in central Uganda. Interviews were assisted by a translator and recorded manually on paper then coded and analyzed. The majority of HIV+ mothers were found to be single, supported 5+ children, worked longer days to get by, and emphasized the importance of having a counselor. These findings suggest a strong relationship exists between HIV and motherhood. There is a need for further attention to help single mothers and foster programs that encourage economic growth within their families, nutritional improvement, and overall attention to a group that is currently receiving little assistance.

Why Risk It? The Effect Of Risk And Time Preferences On Microfinance Loan Default, Nike Start

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Microfinance is widely recognized as a powerful method for poverty alleviation. However, little is known about the characteristics of those who default on their loans. Understanding the behavior of borrowers is important to mitigate default for microfinance lenders. This study investigates whether non-delinquent and delinquent borrowers reveal any difference in their level of risk and time preference through an artefactual field experiment. The results reveal that non-delinquent borrowers are more likely to be risk-seeking individuals and are more impatient than delinquent borrowers, contradicting current literature on risk-aversion and time preference.

Does Child Sponsorship Have A Positive Impact On The Quality Of Life And Social Behavior Of Sponsored Children? Evidence From Indonesia, Mario Carrillo

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Relaxing internal constraints of individuals at early stages of life is an approach that complements traditional policy interventions aimed to alleviate poverty. The Compassion International child sponsorship program focuses their work on the emotional, social, and spiritual development of sponsored children. This study uses age-eligibility as an instrument for sponsorship to investigate the impacts of child sponsorship on self-esteem, aspirational reference points, aspirational capital, reciprocity and patience. It also implements an innovative way of constructing summary indices using a method proposed by Anderson, M (2008). Results reveal child sponsorship does not have an effect on the sponsored children. In fact, …

Maternal Employment And The Mother-Child Relationship, Marie Ortega, Margaret Gross, Helena Karnilowicz, Veronica Kreter, Lindsey Butrera, Shirley Mcguire, Nancy Segal

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

It has been suggested that a mother’s employment status affects her relationship with her children. This study examined whether children of stay-at-home mothers showed differences in the mother-child relationship than those of employed mothers. Participants were 252 sibling-pairs, 8-13 years, in the Twins, Adoptees, Peers and Siblings Study. Children completed measures on maternal warmth, trust, and conflict. Mothers reported their occupations. Independent t-tests were used to compare mean scores for maternal warmth, trust and conflict. There was no significant statistical difference between the groups, which suggests maternal employment does not affect relationship quality. Follow up analyses will examine biological …

Why Risk It? The Effect Of Risk And Time Preferences On Microfinance Loan Default, Nike Start

Master's Theses

Microfinance is widely recognized as a powerful method for poverty

alleviation. However, little is known about the characteristics of those who

default on their loans. Understanding the behavior of borrowers is an important

component of mitigating adverse selection and the moral hazard of lending. Both

of these concepts embody some of the greatest challenges faced by microfinance

institutions, and they provide the major motivation for this study. Accordingly,

the main objective of this research is to investigate whether non-delinquent

borrowers and delinquent borrowers of a microfinance institution reveal any

difference in their level of risk preference and time preference. This …

Do More, Say Less: Saying "I Love You" In Chinese And American Cultures, Catherine Caldwell-Harris, Ann Kronrod, Joyce Yang

Psychology

Reticence to express emotions verbally has long been observed in Chinese culture, but quantitative comparisons with Western cultures are few. Explanations for emotional reticence have typically focused on the need in collectivist culture to promote group harmony, but this explanation is most applicable to negative emotions such as anger, not positive expressions such as Wo ai ni [I love you]. A survey on verbal usage of Wo ai ni was administered to university students in Beijing and Shanghai, and compared to uses of I love you by American students in the United States. Chinese respondents were not only overall more …

Sheltering Xenophobia, Ronald Sundstrom

Philosophy

What is xenophobia? Why is xenophobia immoral? How is xenophobia’s conceptual and moral meaning diminished? Investigations of these questions would invigorate xenophobia as a topic in public morality and discourage the public’s acquiesc- ing to xenophobia’s new prominence. This paper focuses on the third question, the diminishment of xenophobia. In the first sec- tion, I outline a general conception of xenophobia. In the second, I explain how theories of membership in liberal democratic soci- eties relegate xenophobia to a minor moral concern. And, in the third, that the conflation of xenophobia with racism disadvantages the former. How liberal Democratic nations …

Migration And Children's School And Labor: Evidence From El Salvador, Zachary Intemann

Master's Theses

This paper examines the impact of parental migration on schooling outcomes for children left behind in El Salvador. Using cross sectional data collected in 2012, outcomes for children are observed for children with migrant parents. The outcomes are also analyzed by gender of the migrant parent who left his or her child behind. Results are observed using instrumental variable estimations, as well as a seemingly unrelated regression to estimate the impact of migration on a child’s time allocation. Outcomes are also analyzed measuring the impact of remittances. Results show that children with at least one migrant parent will complete more …

Comment On Elizabeth Anderson's The Imperative Of Integration, Ronald Sundstrom

Philosophy

Elizabeth Anderson draws the attention of moral, social, and political philosophy to the idea of integration, an idea that is most often associated with the struggles to desegregate schools and neighborhoods in the years before and after the U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board. Her book, The Imperative of Integration, is a remarkable contribution because integration is not frequently mentioned outside of debates in the fields of urban affairs and education policy, and residential integration and segregation are rarely mentioned in academic philosophy. There are, however, some concerns with her defense of her defense of integration that …

Gleeson Library Celebrates The Feast Of St. Jerome: Essays By Eric Paul Ewen, Eric Paul Ewen

Gleeson Library Faculty and Staff Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Has Public Administration Grown Up? A Case For Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity And The Intersection Of Public Administration In The 21st Century, Espiridion A. Borrego, Richard Greggory Johnson

Public and Nonprofit Administration

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Social Movements And The Intersection Of Social Equity: Marriage Equality And Racing Towards Justice, Richard Greggory Johnson

Public and Nonprofit Administration

The social movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s have had an irreversible positive impact on the wellbeing of all citizens in the 21st century United States. It can also be argued that social equity as a subfield of public administration and policy grew out of the 1960’s though there is no definite way of knowing what the framers of the subfield were thinking or how they were influenced by the social movements of the time. Still, it is a reasonable assumption to believe that the framers were at least marginally influenced by the changing times. Therefore, social equity is used …

Managing Large Task Public-Private Partnerships, Mark Pisano, Richard Callahan

Public and Nonprofit Administration

Memo Overview

Panel Recommendations on improving public and private relationships:

There have been numerous reports from GAO and other organizations that all levels of Governments, even assuming normal economic growth, will experience fiscal shortfalls stretching far into the future. There are also numerous reports concluding that unless we undertake major investment programs in our collective goods issues of education, infrastructure, energy and health that we will not be able to accelerate growth and alter this future. Our panel is developing strategies and recommendations, both short and long term, on putting the organizations-public, private and non-profit together differently, with new “rules …

Developing Effective Mechanisms That Promote Fiscal Sustainability, Mark Pisano, Richard Callahan

Public and Nonprofit Administration

State and local governments will likely continue to face the stress and shortfalls caused by the Great Recession for an extended period. Three years of research on fiscal sustainability in local government in Southern California identifies strategies that can be used to address this stress, including options for the executive, budget, and finance functions of these jurisdictions.

Evidence-Based Management And Leadership, R B. Briner, Neil D. Walshe

Organization, Leadership, and Communication

Organizations can be led and managed in many different ways and there is no shortage of perspectives, models, and frameworks for thinking about how such tasks can be accomplished. This chapter focuses on one such perspective: evidence-based management (EBMgt). At its core is the idea that when managers and organizations make decisions, evidence of various types should be collected, critically appraised, and taken into account. Put this way, EBMgt does not appear to be either new or radical. However, as we shall go on to discuss, recent attempts to elaborate and flesh out this idea show that while some of …

Refining Thoughts On Culture: Insights Derived From Australia And New Zealand, Kevin D. Lo, Amanda Budde-Sung

Organization, Leadership, and Communication

Culture and cross-cultural differences are increasingly important in international business and management. However, the existing models of national culture may not accurately reflect intra-cultural and intra-regional variation. We examine Australia and New Zealand as examples of the national model of culture falling short with respect to both cultural clustering and intracultural variation. Given that both of these countries are attaining greater prominence in international business, we highlight the need to consider their uniqueness and what we can learn for both management research and practice. As we call attention to the important distinctions that

University Of San Francisco Affordability And Tech Poll, University Of San Francisco, Leo T. Mccarthy Center For Public Service And The Common Good

McCarthy Center Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Summary and methodology • USF conducted an online poll of 553 San Francisco registered voters. The survey covered many topics, and here we report results on questions on affordability and the technology sector • English only • Fielded from Nov 18th-25th • Demographics matched city voters pretty well, but the survey is weighted on housing tenure • Survey was designed with the results of the recent SF Surveys in mind, accepting that affordability is a major concern in San Francisco, especially with regard to housing

Public Attitudes Concerning The America’S Cup, University Of San Francisco, Leo T. Mccarthy Center For Public Service And The Common Good

McCarthy Center Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Does International Child Sponsorship Work? A Six-Country Study Of Impacts On Adult Life Outcomes, Bruce Wydick, Paul Glewwe, Laine Rutledge

Economics

Child sponsorship is a leading form of direct aid from wealthy country households to children in developing countries. Over 9 million children are supported through international sponsorship organizations. Using data from six countries, we estimate impacts on several outcomes from sponsorship through Compassion International, a leading child sponsorship organization. To identify program effects, we utilize an age-eligibility rule implemented when programs began in new villages. We find large, statistically significant impacts on years of schooling; primary, secondary, and tertiary school completion; and the probability and quality of employment. Early evidence suggests that these impacts are due, in part, to increases …

Keeping The Doctor Away: Experimental Evidence On Investment In Preventative Health Products, Jennifer Meredith, Jonathan Robinson, Sarah Walker, Bruce Wydick

Economics

Household investment in preventative health products in developing countries is typically low even though the returns to such products are high. In this paper, we experimentally estimate demand curves for health products and test whether (1) information about health risk, (2) cash liquidity, (3) peer effects, and (4) intra-household differences in preferences affect demand. In our main experiment in Kenya involving children’s shoes - critical for preventing hookworm infection - price is by far the most important predictor of purchase. Providing liquidity and targeting women also increased demand. Information had no effect even though we find that genuine learning occurred. …

Adult Children’S Discovery Of Their Parents’ Infidelity, Allison Thorson

Communication Studies

This study extends research on communication surrounding the discovery of infidelity by examining how adult children recall becoming aware of their parents’ infidelity. This analysis resulted in the development of a five category typology of children’s parental infidelity discovery methods: third party discovery, discovery from a family member (not the parent who cheated), discovery from the parent who cheated, incremental discovery, and explicit discovery. These findings are compared and contrasted to that of previous research on infidelity.

#Occupy In The San Francisco Bay, Dorothy Kidd

Media Studies

If Occupy Wall Street focused attention on the transnational resistance to the imaginaries and practices of neo-liberalization, the networked protests, collectively identified as #Occupy each emerged out of particular places, contexts and histories of contestation. This paper examines the significance in one urban region, the San Francisco Bay, and especially the intersection between #Occupy and longer-term residual urban social movements. Understanding neo-liberalization as a dynamic process, I begin by mapping the vectors of contention in the regional imposition of the neo-liberal project, and especially the sectors of housing, employment, education and media representation. I then analyse the intersection of the …

Social Media For The Promotion Of Holistic Self-Participatory Care: An Evidence Based Approach, T Miron-Shatz, Margaret M. Hansen Edd, Msn, Rn, Fj Grajales, F Martin-Sanchez, Pd Bamidis

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives: As health information is becoming increasingly accessible, social media offers ample opportunities to track, be informed, share and promote health. These authors explore how social media and holistic care may work together; more specifically however, our objective is to document, from different perspectives, how social networks have impacted, supported and helped sustain holistic self-participatory care.

Methods: A literature review was performed to investigate the use of social media for promoting health in general and complementary alternative care in particular. We also explore a case study of an intervention for improving the health of Greek senior citizens through digital and …

Liberation Health And The Role Of The Public Health Leader, Courtney Keeler

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

The following short report lays the groundwork for rethinking the practice and implications of public health leadership in the context of liberation health. Liberation health reduces to a universal idea:health is freedom. In short, everyone holds a subjective notion of health and, within certain bounds, has the right to promote and maintain that health. This report briefly describes liberation health, discusses the implications of liberation health for public health leadership, and outlines two needed transformations in moving towards a liberation health model of leadership. The report details areas for future research on this topic among public health leaders …

Empowering Women Through Recognition Of Rights To Land: Mechanisms To Strengthen Women's Rights In Vanuatu, Vijaya Nagarajan, Therese Macdermott

Theology & Religious Studies

Although the pluralist system of land tenure in Vanuatu does not directly discriminate against women, the operation of the system and contemporary interpretations of custom are increasingly marginalizing women from decision-making processes regarding land management and control. Commitment to the principles of gender equality through constitutional guarantees and the ratification of relevant international treaty obligations, while providing an appropriate legal framework for equality, have only had limited success in addressing discriminatory practices. This article analyzes alternative ways to overcome the barriers faced by women that are currently under consideration in many Pacific Island countries, including recording and registration, as well …

The Economic Impact Of Stadia And Teams: The Case Of Minor League Baseball, Nola Agha

Sport Management

This paper uses an extensive unique dataset to investigate the justification of government subsidies for minor league baseball teams and stadiums by measuring pecuniary gains in a local economy. Specifically, a dynamic panel data model incorporating 238 Metropolitan Statistical Areas that hosted affiliated or independent minor league teams between 1985 and 2006 shows that AAA teams, A+ teams, AA stadiums, and rookie stadiums are all associated with significant positive effects on the change in local per capita income. The presence of positive effects is strikingly different from decades of non-positive results at the major league level.