Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Medicaid Expansion: Changes In Individual Health Outcomes, Julie Norman

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Affordable Care Act is one of the biggest changes in the American healthcare system in the 21st century. One element of the ACA is medicaid expansion, which opened up federal funding for states to cover any individual earning below 138% of the federal poverty line. 21 states expanded medicaid in 2014 while 12 haven’t expanded. This paper utilizes the disparity for a natural experiment to determine the efficacy of the program. Outcome variables of interest include measurements of individual health, health access and utilization, and premature death rates. The results indicate positive, but small improvements due to the policy, …

None Of Our Business: Examining The Economics And Business Dynamics Of The Library And Information Industry, Jason Folkman, Alex J. Sundt, Robert Heaton, Erica Finch, Stephanie Western, Nick Gittins

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Librarians are often referred to as information professionals and talk of the "information industry," but how much do we actually know about the business side of publishing and library vendors? As vendors and publishers continue to consolidate, and costs increase for libraries and our communities, the business side of libraries deserves greater scrutiny from the library community which often shies away from critically examining our role in the greater information industry. Building our awareness and engaging in critical discourse of the library industry is essential for securing our bargaining power, navigating our role as stewards of our collections, and situating …

Evaluating Short Term Effects Of Opportunity Zone Designation, Sarah M. Bennett

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 included a substantial economic development effort known as Opportunity Zones. These Zones cover 12% of the census tracts in the United States and are estimated to cost $1.6 billion in lost capital gains tax revenue. Our paper seeks to find whether this program has had an impact four years after going into effect, using an econometric analysis on changes in housing prices.

The Knights Templar: Blood And Banking, Morgan Thatcher

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

The Knights Templar were a martial religious order founded in the 12th century AD. Though they were known for their prowess on the battlefield, more importantly, they became an important and integral part of the Medieval financial and economic world. This was only possible due their unique position as a sanctioned part of the Catholic Church, their reputation, political connections, and a changing idea of what money was. The Templar utilized every facet of their position in order to gain wealth and power, but were ultimately brought low at the hands of Philip IV of France.

Renewable Portfolio Standards And Environmental Goals, Josh T. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are one of the most common state policies meant to encourage clean energy use. They require that utilities purchase electricity from certain qualifying electricity generators, usually with no reference to the cost of that electricity. AlthoughRPS are meant to clean up electricity generation through using clean energy sources instead of fossil fuels, they may not do so effectively. Further, some energy companies may lobby state legislators to include their energy sources regardless of their actual environmental benefit. The actual relationship between enacting an RPS and a state’s emissions from energy production is unclear. I explore RPS …

A Review Of Economic Studies Relating To The Bureau Of Land Management's Wild Horse And Burro Program, Paul M. Jakus

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This paper reviews literature addressing the benefits and costs of the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro (WHB) Program. Within the framework of a comprehensive benefit cost analysis of the WHB Program, I find that program cost estimates are readily available from numerous sources. A more limited set of estimates of the opportunity cost of WHB on the range is available, as is a single estimate of the benefits provided by animal adoption. In contrast, there are no economic estimates of ecological damages caused by WHB in excess of the Appropriate Management Level, nor does a search of …

Essays On The Economics Of Energy And Transportation, Ryan N. Barnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is responsible for planning, operating, and maintaining a highway network consisting of over 18,500 lane-miles of highway. In recent years the growing uncertainty about oil prices and availability has made long-range transportation planning even more challenging. Rather than relying on trend extrapolation, this study uses market mechanisms to shed light on key long-range transportation planning assumptions. In particular, this study was conducted to help WSDOT assess the likelihood that natural gas will substitute for petroleum fuels and estimate the impacts that changes in fuel prices will have on natural gas vehicle demand, fuel …

Three Essays On The Economics Of Controlling Invasive Species, Yanxu Liu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Invasive species have caused notable economic damages in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and other industries over the past several decades. Invasive species control must therefore be designed to prevent the both the introduction and spread of invasive species. This dissertation examines the efficiency and efficacy of tariffs and inspections as a joint control mechanism at a home (i.e., importing) country's border. I find that a traditional tariff can be optimal in the short run when the invasive species level is directly related to a foreign (i.e., exporting) country's shipment size. However, in the long run a traditional tariff results in a …

Estimating Hypothetical Bias In Economically Emergent Africa: A Generic Public Good Experiment, Arthur J. Caplan, David Aadland, Anthony Macharia

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This paper reports results from a contingent valuation based public good experiment conducted in the African nation of Botswana. In a sample of university students, we find evidence that stated willingness to contribute to a public good in a hypothetical setting is higher than actual contribution levels. However, results from regression analysis suggest that this is true only in the second round of the experiment, when participants making actual contributions have learned to significantly lower their contribution levels. As globalization expands markets, and economies such as Botswana's continue to modernize, there is a growing need to understand how hypothetical bias …

Treatment Of Saltcedar (Tamarix Spp.): Economics And Feasibility, Christopher L. Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The invasive species Saltcedar is affecting water and land resources throughout the western states of America. Because of great water use capabilities and other ecosystem detriments, Saltcedar has been targeted for treatment.

For successful management of Saltcedar, individual landowners need to be aware of the costs and benefits of treating Saltcedar. Eleven of the most commonly reported treatment methods were evaluated for firm level economic feasibility. Evaluated on the basis of treatment cost, treatment effectiveness, Saltcedar water-use, and re-vegetation water-use, a production plan of ten years was created for each treatment method. Some treatment methods required re-treatment and were evaluated …

A Critical Analysis Of The Cooperatives Working Together Program, Spencer N. Parkinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study analyzes the effectiveness of the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) program. This program is believed to have improved the farm-level price of milk since it began in July 2003. To date, no publicly available analysis addressing this question has been conducted. Total milk removed by the program was determined and expressed as a percentage of total milk produced nationally during the same time frame. Elasticity measures from prior studies were adapted to determine the impact of the program. This analysis suggests the program has had a significantly positive effect on the price of milk. Issues dealing with future action …

The Efficient-Market Hypothesis During A Recession, Jill Marie Williams

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The phrase, "A Random Walk Down Wall Street" may make a portfolio manager shudder. I first learned about this theory while reading a book of the same name by Burton G. Malkiel. I saw the last four years crashing down around me as I read about the competition I would be facing upon graduation–a blindfolded chimpanzee.

The random walk theorizes that the stock market is so efficient that a blindfolded chimpanzee can throw darts at the Wall Street Journal to select a portfolio of stocks that will perform equally as well as those managed by the experts. Unfortunately for the …

Scale Economies In Public Education: Evidence From School Level Data, Ryan C. Bosworth

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The structure of school finance regimes in the United States has been a subject of much political and legal debate over the past three decades. Court rulings have required many states to restructure school financing methods in order to pursue some concept of equality. Achieving equality of spending is, of course, a simple matter. Developing a funding mechanism that provides for equality of educational opportunity. however, is difficult since such a system, by definition, must allow for cost differences across schools and districts.

Political, Economic And Social Dominance Of Major Cities In East Asia During The Twentieth Century, Michael B. Toney, Chalon Keller

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

One of the greatest shift in human societies has been the change from dispersed settlement patterns toward a complex urban pattern. Prior to the industrialization there were only a few urban places scattered throughout the world and none could compare with numerous cities of today with respect to size and complexity. In recent decades the growth of cities in Asia has been particularly remarkable as there has been an increase in the number of medium sized cities and the growth of a number of mega cities. This urbanization of the worlds population has corresponded with other fundamental changes in human …

The Soviet Union And The Gatt: An Impossible Combination?, Gregory L. Waddoups

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In considering the relationship between the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs and any given state, one must examine not only the economic reasons for acceptance and participation, but also the political. This is especially true when dealing with the Soviet Union. In researching this topic, I have found that economics and politics are deeply interwoven into the fabric of international dealings with the Soviets on any level and at any given time.

Soviet participation in the GATT goes back to the very beginnings of the Bretton Woods institutions and of the International Trade Organization. While this participation runs contrary …

An Evaluation Of Two Types Of Summer Home Economics Programs Conducted In Box Elder County, Utah, Kathryn Cannon Jensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A follow-up study, involving students, parents, and teachers that participated in two types of summer home economics programs in Box Elder County during the summer of 1979, was conducted during August, 1979 to collect data relative to the following objectives: (1) to obtain demographic data as to age, sex, and participation in the program; (2) to obtain the subjects feelings about the program; and (3) to gather opinions and suggestions from the respondents about the programs.

Analysis of the data revealed (1) there were more students enrolled in the In-School program than the Home-Visit program. There were more females than …

The Economics Of Fertility In Utah, Carl E. Enomoto

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purposes of this thesis are to determine the economic forces influencing birth rates in Utah and to compare their influences with those found in similar studies for the United States. To do this, an economic model describing fertility behavior was used. Data for the model was collected primarily from Census Bureau reports for the year 1970.

Credit Cards: Average Monthly Unpaid Balance As Related To Certain Socio-Economic Factors, Marsha Gaye Maughan Cooper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of relationship between selected socio-economic factors and the average monthly unpaid credit card balance subject to a finance charge. The socio-economic factors chosen were: 1) family and per capita income; 2) education of husband; 3) education of wife; 4) gainful employment of wife; 5) amount of savings; and 6) number of children.

The sample consisted of 80 couples, married in the year 1971, currently residing in the Logan, Utah, area.

A questionnaire was used to measure the six variables. The statistical tests used were the chi square and the gamma …

An Economic Analysis Of Inter-County Variation In Residence Patterns Of Farm Families In Utah, Kansas, California, Iowa, And Texas 1964, Leroy V. Clifford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was undertaken to determine which factors, if any, are responsible for inter-county variation in the percent of farm operators residing off the farm in California, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, and Utah.

These states were selected for this study because of their wide representation of the various types of agricultural and sectional differences. These states vary significantly in type of farm, tenure conditions, off-farm employment opportunities, cultural patterns, remoteness of farms from town, and other variables.

Forward step-wise regression analysis was utilized in each of the states to correlate percent of farm operators residing off the farm with type of …

A Forecast Of Iranian Demand For Agricultural Food Products, Ivan F. Beutler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Domestic demand for Iranian agricultural food commodities was projected for 1970, 1975 and 1980. Demand for particular commodities was projected separately for Tehran (the capital city), urban Iran and rural Iran.

Income and population growth were the most significant explanatory variables in this long term projection.

Two cross-sectional family budget surveys, taken six years apart, provided consumption data for Tehran and urban Iran. A series of family budget studies provided Engel curve data for rural Iran.

The income effect was estimated for each food item by least squares regression analysis. The resulting income elasticities were found to be significantly different …

Attitudes Of Selected College Professors And College Students In Utah Toward Labor Unions, Dwain Dee Stephenson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The attitudes of selected university professors and students in Utah toward labor unions were obtained through the medium of a questionnaire.

Most students and professors favored anti-trust laws for unions, were against the abolishment of the right-to-work law, and were evenly divided in their feelings concerning the settlement of strikes by compulsory arbitration.

A majority of students and professors were against an increase in overtime pay and a shorter work week. Students favored and professors opposed a raise in the minimum wage.

Professors and students anticipated growth in union membership as a percentage of the labor force.

Except for professors …

An Economic Evaluation Of The Product Sugar With Special Emphasis On The Abnormal Sugar Market Of 1963-1964, Merlin J. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The product sugar is studied in detail with special emphasis on supply and demand factors, in an attempt to better understand the abnormal sugar market of 1963-1964.

The unusual market fluctuations of that period appear to have been initiated by a statistical imbalance in world supply and demand of sugar.

The extent of price fluctuations in the United States during 1963-1964 were accentuated by the inability of current sugar legislation to shield the U. S. market from the world market, and by the openly aggressive purchasing policies followed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture which further aggravated an already …

Assessing Achievement On A First-Grade Economics Course Of Study, A. Guy Larkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Problem

Despite the surge of interest in economic education in the elementary school in the last two decades, there have been very few attempts to assess the ability of young children to learn economic concepts. In the primary grades, this problem is compounded by the difficulty of measuring knowledge in six and seven year old children.

Objectives

The primary objective of this dissertation was to determine whether first-grade children can learn the basic concepts in Our Working World: Families at Work. Since instruments suitable for assessing achievement on Families at Work were not available when this study was initiated, …

A Study Of Input-Output Adjustments, Charles W. Briggs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of using the United States input-output table to explain Israel's economic structure was studied, by comparing price data generated on the basis of the U. S. tables and prices observed in the two countries. A substantial difference between prices generated and observed led to the conclusion that the technological structure of the United States cannot be used to approximate Israel's structure.

Various adjustments were then applied to the United States coefficient matrix to determine if it could be transformed into a new technological structure which would more closely approximate Israel's economy.

Significant improvements were noted by three of …

An Evaluation Of The Dichotomy Between Structural Versus Deficient-Demand Unemployment, Carl D. Parker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is addressed to the theoretical controversy which revolves around the explanation of the higher unemployment rates that prevailed after 1957. The debate that has been generated concerning the causes of this unemployment problem is usually referred to as the "structural" versus "deficient-demand" debate. An attempt is made to present a representative view of both sides of the debate as well as a critical evaluation of both positions. Care is taken to keep both positions separated for each leads to entirely different policy recommendations. A more general theoretical structure is presented which will be useful in analyzing the relevance …

A Study To Determine The Economic Value Of The College Of Eastern Utah To Carbon County, Jerry L. Murray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the economic impact of the College of Eastern Utah on Carbon County. The amount of income that accrued to County households, due to the College's presence in the County, was used as a measure of this impact.

The College expenditure flow to the County was $61,610. Faculty salaries amounted to $318,309, during the 1964-1965 fiscal year. Student expenditure flow to the County was estimated at $636,254.

Retail trade and service margins were calculated and applied to the College and student expenditure flow. This calculation indicated an income flow of $122,339, to the …

Patterns Of Dairy Farm Exit And Growth In The Great Basin Milk Marketing Area January 1, 1960-June 1, 1965, R. Carlyle Bradshaw

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was undertaken to determine which characteristics, if any, distinguish exit from active milk producers; why producers exit from the industry; what happens to those resources formerly used in the dairy industry; the predictability of a producer either increasing or decreasing in size.

This study encompassed the milk producers in the Great Basin Federal Milk Market Area which is the central and northern part of Utah.

It was not possible to determine any characteristics which would distinguish the exit from the active producers. All of the sample producers sold most of their cows. A large percentage kept their land …

Some Aspects Of Agricultural Trade In Respect To Economic Development Of Thailand, Prasert Wongbhan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The expansion of international trade, according to the traditional trade theory, can be the escape passage from economic stagnation. Furthermore, it will result in specialization within a country and increasing efficiency of production and real income.

The concept and measurement of economic growth are explored. Also the importance of international trade for a small nation is studied. The author traced the structure and trends of world trade, which are contributed to economic growth in the past. Then studied the structure and pattern of international trade of Thailand.

The growth in Thailand's participation in world trade is significant, but the rate …

Analysis Of Employment Service With Regard To The Thiokol Layoff, Gerald Pelovsky

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 1963 the Wasatch Division of the Thiokol Chemical Corporation, located twenty miles west of Brigham City, Utah employed approximately 6,000 workers. In December of 1963 the Defense Department phased out major activities in which Thiokol was engaged and during the next three year period about 4,000 workers were laid off. The greatest number of layoffs took place throughout the early months of 1964.

A Follow-Up Study Of The Graduates From The College Of Business And Social Sciences In 1936 Through 1940 And 1947 Through 1951, Delonne Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For some time, there has been an interest among the faculty members in the School of Business and Social Sciences to know if the graduates of this school are working in their field of specialization of which they prepared while at the University. Also, what financial success the graduates have obtained since graduation, the results of this study can be used to advise present and future students in the School of Business and Social Sciences.