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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Examining The Impact Of Chronic Illnesses On Household Poverty Using Social Selection Theory, Edson Acosta
Examining The Impact Of Chronic Illnesses On Household Poverty Using Social Selection Theory, Edson Acosta
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This study will examine the impact of chronic health conditions on a household’s poverty level and their propensity to become impoverished, following the implementation of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This paper will investigate this relationship using social selection theory proposed by Sir Douglas Black in 1980. Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, this analysis will use logistic and ordinary least squares regression models to map causal effects between certain types of chronic health conditions and household poverty levels. Empirical evidence shows that there is no statistically significant effect of chronic health conditions on household poverty levels or …
Shirking And Remaining Years On Players’ Contracts In Major League Baseball, Henry Tizard
Shirking And Remaining Years On Players’ Contracts In Major League Baseball, Henry Tizard
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This undergraduate economics thesis is meant to find statistically significant evidence for shirking behavior in Major League Baseball (MLB). Theory suggests that players shirk on effort when they have recently signed a long-term lucrative contract, since there is little incentive to compete when money is guaranteed to the player regardless of current performance. It is particularly important to understand the MLB labor market, since the firms giving out contracts not only have a copious amount of production information regarding their employees, but this data is widely available to the general public. This study will make use of modern sabermetric statistics …
An Examination Of Homelessness And Mental Illness: The Argument For Better Affordable Housing Policy, Alexandra Tremblay-Mcgaw
An Examination Of Homelessness And Mental Illness: The Argument For Better Affordable Housing Policy, Alexandra Tremblay-Mcgaw
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
What contributes to the homeless crisis in the United States? Why are some people chronically homeless? How does mental illness impact homelessness? The purpose of this paper is to summarize and critically analyze existing literature and policies regarding the topic of homelessness while specifically focusing on one of the most vulnerable subgroups of the chronically homeless population, the mentally ill. Additionally, San Francisco will be used as a case study in order to determine if the city as a whole fits within the trends explained across the literature reviewed. Policy recommendations are explained in Section 3.
Fdi And Economic Growth: A Case Study From China And Africa, Charles Goldberg
Fdi And Economic Growth: A Case Study From China And Africa, Charles Goldberg
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper investigates the long-debated relationship between FDI and economic growth. I use a Solow model framework to analyze this relationship. Further, I use OLS regression analysis to analyze this relationship, specifically between China and Africa. The Chinese-African trade relationship has become dynamic and expansive. I come to the conclusion that FDI doesn’t have a significant effect on economic growth in this case, and further conclude that trade relationships and policy are more important for economic growth, and can aid in determining the future value of an economic structure.
Bitcoin And Volatility: Does The Media Play A Role?, Nicholas Mcwharter
Bitcoin And Volatility: Does The Media Play A Role?, Nicholas Mcwharter
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
The worlds first successful crypto currency (Bitcoin) has gained a lot of attention both positive and negative. The main issue keeping Bitcoin from being fully accepted by the public is its high volatility and unpredictability. This research provides an empirical analysis that offers insights into the factors that cause Bitcoin to maintain a high price volatility. The primary goal of the research is to determine whether or not the media plays a role on Bitcoin volatility. Our model uses ordinary least squares regression analysis to support the findings of previous research that generally uses GARCH models. The results show that …
Consumer Awareness Of Electric Vehicles And Global Purchasing Patterns, John Mcelgunn
Consumer Awareness Of Electric Vehicles And Global Purchasing Patterns, John Mcelgunn
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship of electric vehicle consumer awareness on the subsequent purchasing patterns of consumers across the globe, in conjunction with other macroeconomic variables. For this study EVs have been defined as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). Data for this study comes from 33 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceanus over the period from 2011 to 2016. Within the field of research surrounding EV adoption, almost all work has been done at the microeconomic level, this study uses a hybrid macroeconomic approach to bridge the gap …
Does Mobile Phone Usage Boost Productivity In Developing Countries?, Fortune Zindi
Does Mobile Phone Usage Boost Productivity In Developing Countries?, Fortune Zindi
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
The aim of this study is to assess the impact of mobile phone proliferation on productivity, using data from 73 low-income countries, from the period 2000-2016. The sample includes countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Caribbean. The author's findings show that holding all else constant, a 1 percent increase in mobile penetration rate boosts output per capita by 2.6 percent. These findings confirm there are increasing returns (network effects) to productivity associated with an increase in penetration rate. Results also show that the ease of doing business matters in low-income countries in that it influences the speed at which …
Can Economic Moats Provide Investors With A Competitive Advantage?, Erik Manditch
Can Economic Moats Provide Investors With A Competitive Advantage?, Erik Manditch
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This thesis examines the relationship between competitive advantage and stock performance. Using Morningstar’s economic moat rating classifications, this paper contributes to the competitive advantage literature by providing an empirical assessment of whether wide moat stocks, or companies deemed to have sustainable competitive advantages, made for superior investments compared to non-wide moat stocks over a ten-year time-frame from 2008 to 2017. Additionally, this paper accounts for a previously under-studied topic within the economic moat literature by specifically analyzing three sectors and nine industries. The results indicate that wide moat stocks surprisingly may not make for a superior stock investment, as the …
The Impact Of Climate Change On Agricultural Productivity In The Eastern African Community, Alexia Muhire Nshuti
The Impact Of Climate Change On Agricultural Productivity In The Eastern African Community, Alexia Muhire Nshuti
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
The impact of climate change is noticeable already affecting different sectors: health, social, economic and agriculture. Although climate change impacts countries differently, agriculture is expected to be the most vulnerable sector. The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the impact of extreme temperatures on agricultural productivity in the Eastern African Community. The Eastern African Region is chosen as a case study because of its dependence on agriculture. The study observes five countries with available data from 1991 to 2015. The result of the nonlinear temperature regression models shows a significant decrease on grain yields at extreme temperatures and rainfall …
Luxury Tax And Competitive Balance In The Nba, Benjamin Louchheim
Luxury Tax And Competitive Balance In The Nba, Benjamin Louchheim
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
The NBA is widely known as the least competitively balanced professional sports league in North America. Past literature has shown that as competitive balance declines, so does fan interest and revenues for both individual teams and the league as a whole. In 2003, the NBA implemented a luxury tax,a penalty mechanism that taxes teams who spend above the salary cap, in order to improve competitive balance. Using luxury tax and league level production data from the 1998 to 2016 NBA seasons, and a model that estimates competitive balance, this paper investigates whether the implementation of the luxury tax in 2003 …
The Short, Medium, And Long-Term Growth Effects Of A Natural Disaster On Economies Within The Ring Of Fire, Erik Reed
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper investigates the economic impacts that natural disasters cause on countries located in the region of the Ring of Fire. Using information from 1960 to 2016, this paper adds to the current literature on the impacts that earthquakes have on economies in the short run, mid-term and long run. Furthermore, this paper investigates specifically developed and developing economies located within this region. The results indicate that overall natural disasters only impact developed economies located within the Ring of Fire in the short run and that only ECONOMIC and SOCIAL factors are the main drivers and hinderers of economic growth …
The Value Of Bitcoin: A Closer Look At How Investor Attention Affects The Value Of Bitcoin, Joseph Warner
The Value Of Bitcoin: A Closer Look At How Investor Attention Affects The Value Of Bitcoin, Joseph Warner
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper looks at two measure of the value of Bitcoin (the price and volume traded in the last month of Bitcoin) and sees if investor attention causes any changes in the values of Bitcoin. This paper also adds exchange rates, the S&P 500, and the price of gold as other possible explanations for the value of Bitcoin. This paper examines the variables at a worldwide level and at the countries with the top 10 GDP in the world. The results of this paper find that investor attention has a significant positive relationship with the value of Bitcoin. Specifically at …
Keep America Great: The Effect Of The H-1b Visa On The Stem Sector, Erin Silgardo
Keep America Great: The Effect Of The H-1b Visa On The Stem Sector, Erin Silgardo
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
How foreign-born workers affect the domestic labor market has been a long-standing debate in the history of the United States. Occupations in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are a fast-growing segment of the U.S. labor market. The purpose of this thesis is to answer three questions: (1) Do foreign born workers with H-1B visas workers impact native employment within the STEM sectors? (2) Does the prevailing average wage of an H-1B visa worker have an impact on the wages of native born employees? (3) How is international student enrollment affected by employer’s demand for the H-1B visa. …
Should We Stay Or Should We Go? Investigating The Impacts Of Intervention On Post-War Development, Benjamin Rudman
Should We Stay Or Should We Go? Investigating The Impacts Of Intervention On Post-War Development, Benjamin Rudman
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This study investigates the effects of military intervention in civil wars on post-war development. It was theorized that the characteristics of the intervention would influence the effects on development in different ways, and looks into its effects on three types of development: economic, social, and political. This paper looks at the effects of the regime-type of the intervener, the recipient of the intervention, the number of interveners, and whether the intervening state is neighboring the country in conflict or if it is from the same region. Results support the paper’s theory, finding that different characteristics of intervention had different effects …
Stock Market Reactions To Presidential Statements: Evidence From Company-Specific Tweets, Qi Ge, Alexander Kurov, Marketa Halova Wolfe
Stock Market Reactions To Presidential Statements: Evidence From Company-Specific Tweets, Qi Ge, Alexander Kurov, Marketa Halova Wolfe
Economics
When the President of the United States tweets, do investors respond? We analyze the impact of tweets from President Trump's official Twitter accounts from November 9, 2016 to July 31, 2017 that include the name of a publicly traded company. We find that these tweets move company stock prices and increase trading volume, volatility and institutional investor attention, with a stronger impact before the presidential inauguration. The initial impact of the presidential tweets on stock prices appears to dissipate over the next few trading days. Overall, the results show that investors pay attention to presidential company-specific statements even when such …
Examining Political, Environmental And Economic Determinants Of Refugee Flows From Mainland China To North And South Countries, Woeser Dolma
Examining Political, Environmental And Economic Determinants Of Refugee Flows From Mainland China To North And South Countries, Woeser Dolma
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This research examines refugee migration originating from Mainland China to North and South countries, like Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Nepal and India. To analyze refugee flow, I used four different determinants: political, civil, environmental, and economic to isolate the importance of each determinate. The analysis was derived from the gravity model to estimate the flow of refugees. I estimated the random effects model for all three of my models. The empirical analysis demonstrated that PTS and fertility in China were the most significant determinant within developed countries for refugee flow, whereas the most important determinants for developing countries were …
The Effects Of The European Central Bank’S Public Sector Purchase Program On Eurozone Unemployment Rates, Byron Poplawski
The Effects Of The European Central Bank’S Public Sector Purchase Program On Eurozone Unemployment Rates, Byron Poplawski
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper assesses the impact of the European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) Public Sector Purchase Program (PSPP) on Eurozone unemployment rates. Using a panel dataset, I construct a series of OLS models to test the relationship in 18 Eurozone countries. Results suggest that PSPP purchases do not significantly influence Eurozone unemployment rates. However, the strength of the relationship changes depending on monetary policy lag time and the sub-regions examined. The findings contribute to the debate surrounding how the ECB conducts the PSPP as well as to the literature studying monetary policy’s effect on the real economy.
Nfl Betting Market Efficiency: A Closer Look At The Final Day Of Betting, Shankar Mani
Nfl Betting Market Efficiency: A Closer Look At The Final Day Of Betting, Shankar Mani
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper utilizes opening and closing betting lines on the day of play in the NFL to investigate if changes in the spread are a result of uninformed bettors. I formulate and empirically test the changes in the spread as they relate to home field advantage, favorites and hot hand betting. The results show that bettors tend to overvalue information and as a result, the actual scores shift less dramatically than the spreads on the final day of betting. A profitable betting strategy can be implemented betting against the shift in the spread. Additionally, it is more profitable to bet …
Does Inflation Targeting Matter For Economic Growth During Global Financial Crises? Evidence From Emerging Economies, Kalika Likhi
Does Inflation Targeting Matter For Economic Growth During Global Financial Crises? Evidence From Emerging Economies, Kalika Likhi
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper examines the effects of inflation targeting (IT) on output income per capita growth in emerging economies over the period 1990 - 2014, which includes key globalization years and accounts for two of the biggest global financial and economic crises in recent history: the Asian Financial Crisis (1997-99) and the Global Financial Crisis (2007-08). I break down my sample into five geographical regions (the World, Asia, Latin America, Europe and Emerging Market Economies) to account for the regional effects of IT on growth as indicated in previous literature. I employ Fixed-Effects and Random-Effects Models that control for traditional growth …
The Impact Of The Minimum Wage On Employment And Hours Worked For The Young And Low-Educated: An Analysis Of The United States’ North East, Brendon Mcdonnell
The Impact Of The Minimum Wage On Employment And Hours Worked For The Young And Low-Educated: An Analysis Of The United States’ North East, Brendon Mcdonnell
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper used individual level data to analyze the impacts of an increase in the minimum wage on hours worked and employment. The demographic analyzed was individuals between the ages of 16 and 29 who don’t have a high school degree and live in the United States’ North East. This analysis was disaggregated by gender and found heterogeneous impacts on hours worked and employment. The estimated impacts of the minimum wage for men in the analyzed demographic is a slight reduction in both hours worked and the probability of being employed. The estimated impact of the minimum wage for women …
An Empirical Analysis Of The Contract Year Phenomenon In The National Football League, Nicholas Fronte
An Empirical Analysis Of The Contract Year Phenomenon In The National Football League, Nicholas Fronte
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper seeks to find evidence of the contract year phenomenon in the National Football League. The contract year phenomenon is the idea that players outperform their usual level of performance in the season prior to their free agency eligibility. Furthermore, the concept is predicated on fluctuations in effort exerted by players. The best method for measuring these fluctuations in effort is through performance statistics. In this study, I chose to measure player productivity in terms of an advanced performance statistic. For the empirical analysis, I studied 59 players from different offensive positions who signed contracts under the 2011 Collective …
Does A State’S Gun Control Legislation Significantly Influence The Number Of Violent Crimes?, Mohammed Miah
Does A State’S Gun Control Legislation Significantly Influence The Number Of Violent Crimes?, Mohammed Miah
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
Gun control legislation varies significantly between State’s and results from previous studies show great variation on the effectiveness of gun control. This paper attempts to empirically evaluate the relationship that gun control legislation has on violent crime rates throughout the United States. Upon reviewing literature, this study controls for several different economic factors in order to examine the various incentives criminals face when committing a crime. From a theoretical perspective gun control is simply enacted in order to curtail the access to firearms, but with vigorous illegal firearm markets and criminal use of firearms, evaluating the true effect of gun …
Estimate The Impact Of External Factors On College Decision Making Process For International Student. An Empirical Approach, Yutong Zhu
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
As globalization grows stronger, more and more students choose to pursue their education dream in foreign countries. Meanwhile, the economic benefit that international students bring to host countries is undeniable. Thus, the demand for higher education continues to increase, consequently the competition among higher education institution become intense. With such a significant presence on the economic benefit, contributing by the international students in United State in the academic year 2016, It is time to examine the international students’ thinking process while they choose United States Universities as their four-year higher education location. Besides, it would provide an insight to admission …
Mo’ Money Mo’ Points: World Cup Skiing Success In Relationship To Gdp Per Capita, Population, And Snowfall, Mercy Paine
Mo’ Money Mo’ Points: World Cup Skiing Success In Relationship To Gdp Per Capita, Population, And Snowfall, Mercy Paine
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper analyzes the results from the last 12 seasons of the FIS Alpine World Cup, in order to explore what demographic and economic characteristics have the most predictive power in determining success. The empirical model is formatted based on previous literature focused on predicting countries’ success at the Olympics. The results indicate that GDP Per Capita is the most significant variable when predicting success. It is followed by population. Surprisingly the snowfall variable was not significant. The final results suggest that in order for countries to outperform their demographic and economic characteristics they must aggressively fund their alpine teams.
The Effect Of Injuries On Player And Team Performance: An Empirical Analysis Of The Production Function In The National Hockey League, Ryan Warnock
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper analyzes the effect that injuries have on team performance in the National Hockey League (NHL) and on the production of the individual athlete. By using player level statistics and team level performance metrics from the 2013/2014 through the 2016/2017 NHL seasons, my analysis adds to the current production function literature in sports economics by incorporating injury data to put forth a more comprehensive production frontier. My results suggest that there is a statistically significant negative effect on both team performance, and on individual production when players are injured. This paper begins by employing a probit regression model to …
The Effect Of Globalization On Educational Attainment, Yizhe Li
The Effect Of Globalization On Educational Attainment, Yizhe Li
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper studies the effect of globalization on educational attainment. Using exports as percentage of GDP and globalization index to measure globalization, I use a series of panel regression models that includes agricultural exports, skilled manufactured exported and low-skilled manufactured exported as explanatory variables of schooling. Using a panel of 63 countries, 47 years (from 1970-2016) and OLS model, my results suggest that reduction in tariff or increasing in exports lead to increase in years of schooling. Moreover, WTO member does not play roles in education achievement. Educational attainment decreases with agriculture exports, low-skill-intensive manufactured exports and skilled manufactured exports.
Anti-Transgender Hate Speech And Hate Crime: A Ten-Year Analysis Of The Relationship Between Local Attitudes And Violent Hate Crime, Eli Roehlkepartain
Anti-Transgender Hate Speech And Hate Crime: A Ten-Year Analysis Of The Relationship Between Local Attitudes And Violent Hate Crime, Eli Roehlkepartain
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
Anti-Transgender hate crimes have been on the rise in recent years, but the reasons for this are unclear. The main question this thesis works to answer is: How do state-by-state variations in hate speech, as measured by Google searches for derogatory transgender terminology, relate to hate crimes in that state, as measured by reported hate-motivated murders of transgender people, in the United States from 2008-2017? This analysis utilizes data of reported hate crimes against transgender people, taking into account the identity of that individual, along with the economic, social, and political climate of the state in the year the victim …
No Hablo Inglés: Language And Skill Upgrading In Mexican Migration, Paul Lapinski
No Hablo Inglés: Language And Skill Upgrading In Mexican Migration, Paul Lapinski
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
Much of the literature on international migration finds a brain drain – the most skilled migrants leave their home country and stay abroad in an economy where they can maximize their performance. Studies of return migration, however, suggest the possibility of a brain gain; home countries can be made more productive if migrants engage in skill upgrading while abroad and bring their abilities back. Using data from the Mexican Migrant Project I estimate the return to migration, focusing on the role that English plays as a skill in the labor market. To overcome the possibility of endogeneity via self-selection I …
How Do Changes In Medicare, Specifically The Medicare Access And Chip Reauthorization Act Of 2015, Affect Hospital Reimbursement?, Sean Timmons
Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects
This paper studies the effects of The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and its impact on hospital reimbursements. Using Medicare data at the hospital level for fiscal years 2011 and 2015, this paper adds to current literature on the origin of Medicare policy changes through the use of nationwide hospital data, while including all 1,000 inpatient Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) definitions. The results from this paper suggest the emphasis that has been placed on delivering value over volume has effected hospital reimbursements. In 2011 a 1% increase in total discharges meant a 0.0213% increase in average …