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Overpopulation And The Impact On The Environment, Doris Baus

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this research paper, the main focus is on the issue of overpopulation and its impact on the environment. The growing size of the global population is not an issue that appeared within the past couple of decades, but its origins come from the prehistoric time and extend to the very present day. Throughout the history, acknowledged scientists introduced the concept of “overpopulation” and predicted the future consequences if the world follows the same behavioral pattern. According to predictions, scientists invented the birth control pill and set population control through eugenics. Despite that, population continued to increase and fight with …

Mseel Project Context: State Of The Region (2001-2014), Caleb Stair, Sriparna Ghosh, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Resource Documents

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environmental Laboratory, or MSEEL is the nation’s first integrated research initiative on shale gas drilling. An experimental hydraulic fracturing gas well is the centerpiece of the MSEEL project, "which West Virginia University launched in fall 2014 in partnership with Northeast Natural Energy, the National Energy Technology Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy and Ohio State University. The five-year, $11 million project is the first-ever long-term, comprehensive field study of shale gas resources in which scientists will study the process from beginning-to-end.1 ” Because one dimension of the MSEEL analysis is the economic impacts and …

Determinants Of Urban Land Supply In People's Republic Of China: How Do Political Factors Matter?, Wen-Tai Hsu, Xiaolu Li, Yang Tang, Jing Wu

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper explores whether and how corruption and competition-for-promotion motives affect urban land supply in the People's Republic of China. Conditional on demand-side factors, we find that corruption is highly correlated with an increase in land supply. The corruption effects are strongest for commercial land, followed by residential land, and then industrial land. To shed light on the competition motives among prefectural leaders, we examine how the number of years in office affects land supply and distinguish among different hypotheses. Our empirical results show robust rising trends in land sales. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that among prefectural …

Letting Cities Develop Naturally, Singapore Management University

Research@SMU: Connecting the Dots

Professor Hsu Wen-Tai uses mathematical models to study urban landscapes and what makes big and small cities different.

See the paper: Optimal city hierarchy: A dynamic programming approach to Central Place Theory

The Pittsburg Micropolitan Area Economic Profile, 2017, Pittsburg State University. Gladys A. Kelce College Of Business

Pittsburg Micropolitan Reports

The Pittsburg Micropolitan Area Economic Profile is created by the Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) at Pittsburg State University.

The Effects Of Airline Behavior On Aircraft Accidents, Anneliese S. Brown

Gettysburg Economic Review

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of specific airline business decisions on aircraft accident propensity. Airline safety affects everyone and has large regulatory and policy implications. Existing research has focused largely on three areas: airline financial health, safety and the resulting effects of accidents. I use both Poisson and Negative Binomial models to study two different airline features: low-cost carriers and flight length, and how they relate to the probability of an aircraft accident. Based on results using a Generalized Negative Binomial model, I find statistically significant evidence at the 99% confidence level that a 1-unit …

Is Growth In Outstate Missouri Tied To Growth In The Saint Louis And Kansas City Metro Areas?, Howard J. Wall

Center for Applied Economics

Because the Saint Louis and Kansas City metro areas together account for well over half of Missouri’s economy, the overall performance of the state is largely determined by the two metro areas. In this study, I see whether the metro areaas are important to the state beyond their relative sizes. That is, I test whether employment growth in the rest of Missouri tends to follow (or be caused by) employment growth in the metro areas.

Education, Income, And Social Behavior Across Missouri, Gail Heyne Hafer, R. W. Hafer

Center for Applied Economics

This study investigates the relationship between education and several economic and social outcomes. On the economic side we consider the link between education and income. We also look at how education is related to health choices and social cohesion. Our basic question is: “What is the relationship between educational decisions made in the past and economic and social outcomes today?” Answers to this question reflect not only personal educational choices, but also shed light on the policy issue of why it is important to improve educational attainment.

E-Government As A Tool For Stability And Socio-Economic Development In Post-Conflict Libya., Abdulmajid H. Mohamed

Faculty Articles

Usually, great challenges lie ahead of any post-conflict government, especially in states that have historically been under dictatorship, like Libya. It has been six years since the violent regime change that took place in Libya in 2011, yet no signs of improvement is foreseen in public service delivery and constructive citizen participation in influencing national policy formation and evaluation. In fact, the situation of public services has been worsened due to the absence of political and executive power from a strong, united government. The resulting widespread of collective frustration and political uncertainty has become a catalyst for a more defective …

Is There A Path For Green Growth? Evidence From India, Thuc Anh Thi Trinh

Gettysburg Economic Review

This paper uses historical temperature fluctuations in India to identify its effects on economic growth rates. Using a climate-adjusted form of the Solow growth model, I find that one degree Celsius increase in temperature decreases GDP per capita growth by 0.71%. This finding informs debates over the role of climate on economic development and suggests the possibility of a green path for economic growth, a policy agenda that is both sustainable and pro-growth.

State Of The Northwest Arkansas Region 2017 Report, Mervin Jebaraj

State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report is an annual publication, commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council, that serves as a tool for evaluating the economic performance of the region. In January 2015, the Northwest Arkansas Council created a new blueprint for development that outlines the peer regions and a strategic action agenda for 2015-2017. In the three-year plan, the performance of Northwest Arkansas is benchmarked with other contemporary, high-performing regions, namely Austin, Des Moines, Madison, Durham-Chapel Hill and Raleigh. The 2017 State of the Region Report compares Northwest Arkansas with these geographies in the areas of gross domestic …

Social Vulnerability To Climate Variability And Extremes Of Farming Households In Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines, Joan U. Ureta, Leonardo M. Florece, Juan M. Pulhin, Ma. Victoria O. Espaldon

Journal of Economics, Management and Agricultural Development

Climate-sensitive livelihoods are in the frontline of sectors which will be affected most by climate change. Without proper intervention, smallholder farmers would suffer from declining crop production, yield, and on-farm income, among others. Hence, this study aims to assess the social vulnerability of farming households residing in northern part of Puerto Princesa City, Philippines. Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) was used in developing separate social vulnerability indices for drought, typhoon, and early onset of rains. Unbalanced weighted approach through principal component analysis (PCA) was employed in assigning weights to the variables. Findings showed that financial capital has the highest contribution to …

Analyzing The Relationship Between Exposure To Extreme Weather And Economic Inequality In The Philippines, Rosalina Palanca Tan

Journal of Economics, Management and Agricultural Development

This paper looks into the relationship between typhoon exposure and inequality in per capita income and per capita expenditure of households in the Philippines by comparing the change in the Theil L and Theil T inequality indexes between 2009 and 2012 across different exposure groups. A decomposition analysis of the Theil index was also undertaken to establish the relative contributions of within-exposure group inequality and between-exposure groups inequality to total inequality. Conforming to the paper’s hypothesis, the group that has the highest exposure to typhoons was found to experience a worsening of both income and expenditure inequality while the group …

No. 78: Comparing Refugees And South Africans In The Urban Informal Sector, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera, Cameron Mccordic, Sujata Ramachandran

Southern African Migration Programme

This report compares the business operations of over 2,000 South Africans and refugees in the urban informal economy and systematically dispels some of the myths that have grown up around their activities. First, the report takes issue with the perception that South Africans are inexperienced and unmotivated participants in the informal economy. Many have years of experience and have successfully grown their businesses. Second, it contests the view that refugees enjoy a competitive advantage because they come to South Africa with inherent talent and already honed skills. On the contrary, over 80% of those surveyed had no prior informal sector …

Does Economic Freedom Promote Standard Of Living Across Countries With Different Income Levels?, George Ossei

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the possibility of a relationship between economic freedom and standard of living across countries with different income classifications. The study incorporates population with access to improved water supply sources, sanitation facilities, electricity and the internet, as well as foreign aid into the Kosack model of aid effectiveness. This is done in order to examine their effects on HDI.

Education Spending And The Lottery In The Western United States: A Panel Data Analysis, Erica Vendituoli

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the relationship between the existence of a state lottery and state education spending. When consumers participate in the lottery, it is often with the assumption that even if they lose, their money will be contributed to state funded programs like education. This study looks at ten states in the west that have a variety of lottery circumstances. Both education expenditure as a percent of total state expenditure and per pupil aid are used to measure education funding. This research also incorporates multiple independent variables to fully capture the determinants of education spending. The results of this study …

No. 77: Living With Xenophobia: Zimbabwean Informal Enterprise In South Africa, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera, Abel Chikanda, Daniel Tevara

Southern African Migration Programme

South Africa’s crisis of xenophobia is defined by the discrimination and intolerance to which migrants are exposed on a daily basis. A major target of the country’s extreme xenophobia – defined as a heightened form of xenophobia in which hostility and opposition to those perceived as outsiders and foreigners is expressed through violent acts – is the businesses run by migrants and refugees in the informal sector. Attitudinal surveys clearly show that South Africans differentiate migrants by national origin and that Zimbabweans are amongst the most disliked. Zimbabweans are certainly not the only small-business owners to have become victims of …

No. 76: Refugee Entrepreneurial Economies In Urban South Africa, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera, Cameron Mccordic, Sujata Ramachandran

Southern African Migration Programme

More than 60% of the world’s refugees now live in urban areas, according to the UNHCR. The social and economic impacts of refugee movements are therefore increasingly being felt in the towns and cities of host nations. The notion of “refugee economies” has been adopted to highlight the strong involvement of refugees in the many overlapping processes of production, consumption, exchange and entrepreneurship. As urban refugees increasingly become the norm in the urbanizing Global South, more research on the specifically urban economic impacts of protracted refugee situations is therefore urgently needed. Identifying the economic advantages and benefits associated with the …

No. 74: Informal Entrepreneurship And Cross-Border Trade Between Zimbabwe And South Africa, Abel Chikanda, Godfrey Tawodzera

Southern African Migration Programme

Informal cross-border trading in Zimbabwe has become more than a survivalist strategy and should be seen as an important pillar of the country's economy. This report, part of SAMP’s Growing Informal Cities series, seeks to provide a current picture of informal cross-border trading in Zimbabwe and provides detailed insights into the activities of traders from the capital, Harare, who travel regularly to Johannesburg, South Africa, as part of their business. The traders make a monthly profit that far exceeds the salaries of most Zimbabweans in formal employment. Furthermore, many traders have been able to grow their businesses to such an …

The Unexpected Effects Of Criminal Violence Along The Mexico-Texas Border, Gaspare Genna

Departmental Papers (PS)

The violence and insecurity that Mexico suffered during formerPresident Calderon’s war on the Mexican drug cartels havecome at a grave economic cost to many cities. The criminalviolence had an impact on interdependent borderlands, whichare geographic areas that have a symbiotic link between citiesand communities of adjoining territories. Mexican businesspeople and consumers that live in cities along the sharedborder with the United States have the ability to shift theireconomic transactions away from their insecure environmentsand to US border communities. In addition, US residents thatwould normally travel south for economic transactions woulddecide to avoid violent areas and therefore conduct businesson the northern …

Part 6: Foreign Language Instruction In The Region's Public Schools: Where Do We Stand?, Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Foreign language instruction has declined in Hampton Roads and immersion programs are relatively rare. This is not a positive development insofar as our ability to conduct international trade, understand world developments or even communicate with many other Americans.

The Colonial Legacies Of Trade Agreements With The European Union, Mia R. Warshofsky

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As European colonialism was the dominant system of long-distance governance and resource appropriation for centuries, its economic legacies are diverse albeit understated. The existing research looks mainly at the effects of colonialism on a former colony's internal development. This study broadens that scope, looking at which factors are correlated with the presence or absence of a trade agreement with the European Union as well as the number of restrictions to free trade within them. This was carried out through four large-n regressions. The first compared current former- and non-colony trading partners. The second narrowed the scope by comparing only former …

The Economic Impact Of The Seattle Area’S Transportation Infrastructure Expansions And Changes, Meredith Crane

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This paper uses annual, tract-level data to estimate the economic impact of the Seattle area’s newly operational light rail system and recently implemented toll on a bridge traversing Lake Washington, the large lake immediately east of Seattle that bisects the region. Two modeling approaches are utilized in the estimation of each transit intervention’s economic impact: the primary model allows the transit intervention to affect the designated impact area prior to the system’s operation, under the assumption that individuals will respond to the knowledge of the change and relocate accordingly. The secondary model accounts for an impact from the intervention upon …

Homeowner Preferences After September 11th, A Microdata Approach, Adam Nowak, Juan Sayago-Gomez

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

The existence of homeowner preferences - specifically homeowner preferences for neighbors -is fundamental to economic models of sorting. This paper investigates whether or not the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11) impacted local preferences for Arab neighbors. We test for changes in preferences using a differences-in-differences approach in a hedonic pricing model. Relative to sales before 9/11, we find properties within 0.1 miles of an Arab homeowner sold at a 1.4% discount in the 180 days after 9/11. The results are robust to a number of specifications including time horizon, event date, distance, time, alternative ethnic groups, and the …

How Much Does Talent Matter? Evidence From The Brazilian Formal Cultural Industry, Ricardo Da Silva Freguglia, Amir Borges Ferreira Neto

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

The goal of this paper is to evaluate how much does talent – the individual non-observed characteristics – matter to explain the wage differences between workers from the cultural industry and workers from other formal industries in Brazil. To do so we use the data from 2003 to 2008 of the Rais-Migra – MTE, which is a true panel of formal workers from Brazil, and use fixed effects estimators to capture the talent measure and the Blinder (1973) and Oaxaca (1973) decomposition to seek for evidences of wage difference. The results imply that the talent is important in the determination …

Determinants Of The Utilization Of Maternal Health Services In Myanmar, Myat Thu San

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study explored determinants of the utilization of three types of maternal health services in Myanmar: antenatal care (ANC), institutional delivery, and postnatal care (PNC), testing in particular the predisposing factors, enabling factors and perceived need factors. This study used a secondary dataset drawn from the Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey 2015-16 (MDHS). In this nationally representative survey, the number of households that were originally involved was 12,500, among which 12,885 women and 4,737 men were interviewed. The final sample used for analyses in this study consisted of over 3,800 women who had delivered at least one child within 5 …

Narrative Economics, Robert J. Shiller

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This address considers the epidemiology of narratives relevant to economic fluctuations. The human brain has always been highly tuned towards narratives, whether factual or not, to justify ongoing actions, even such basic actions as spending and investing. Stories motivate and connect activities to deeply felt values and needs. Narratives “go viral” and spread far, even worldwide, with economic impact. The 1920-21 Depression, the Great Depression of the 1930s, the so-called “Great Recession” of 2007-9 and the contentious political-economic situation of today, are considered as the results of the popular narratives of their respective times. Though these narratives are deeply human …

Three Essays On Private Market Interactions, Jonathan Daigle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The first study addresses why insurers, whom traditionally invest in relatively safe assets, choose to invest in private equity (PE). Using insurer financial disclosures, we test theories relating how risk shifting, managerial discretion, underinvestment, asset liability matching, regulation, home bias, and reaching for yield affect PE investment. Results indicate risk¬ shifting and managerial discretion by stock insurers does not factor into the PE investment decision. In addition, results confirm home bias positively influences PE investment while underinvestment, asset liability matching, and regulation deter PE investment. Finally, insurers have not increased their PE allocation due to low-yield interest rate environments. The …

The Economic Impacts Of Cougars In Western Washington, Todd Stoothoff

All Master's Theses

The combination of increasing cougar populations and the rising human population in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas suggests that the number of human-cougar encounters will rise as well. The increase in human-cougar encounters creates potential issues in regard to public safety, public policy, and management of predators. For the purposes of this research, I employ a housing dataset for eleven counties in western Washington in order to quantify the impacts of a confirmed cougar sighting on the sale value of a home. Specifically, I employ the hedonic real estate price model. Results show statistically significant impacts on housing values in the …

Structural Change And Industrial Policy: A Case Study Of Ethiopia’S Leather Sector, Michael Mbate

Journal of African Trade

Recent empirical evidence underscores the vital role of industrial development in fostering structural change and promoting a country's long-run development objectives. Devising sound industrial policy institutions emerges as a key policy option to promote the reallocation of human, physical and financial resources to high value added sectors of the economy. This paper examines the rationale for industrial policy, why it has been ineffective in most African countries and what policy lessons should be distilled from past experiences. Using the Ethiopian leather and leather product sector, it examines how industrial policies are formulated and implemented in practice. The paper concludes by …