Digital Commons Network^™

Through The Gateway: Marijuana Production, Governance, And The Drug War Détente, Michael Polson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since the 1996 voter approval of medical marijuana laws in California, marijuana policy has become increasingly liberalized. Producers, however, have remained in the greyest of grey market zones. Federal anti-drug laws and supply-side tactics have intensively targeted them even as marijuana has become more licit. In this legally unstable environment, marijuana patient-cultivators and underground producers have articulated and asserted themselves politically and economically, particularly as the likelihood of full legalization has increased. This dissertation explores how producers navigated the nebulous zone between underground and medical markets. I argue that even as producers supplied marijuana to a formalizing, regulated medical industry …

The Effect Of Information On Avoidance Behavior And Bicycle Transportation: A Study Of “Spare The Air” And Bay Area Bikeshare, Paige W. Whistler

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper seeks to address the effect of “Spare the Air” pollution control alerts in the San Francisco Bay Area in California on the use of Bay Area BikeShare as a form of transportation. By observing the daily alerts on the duration of rides using BikeShare, this paper observes if STA ozone alerts are effective in changing human behavior. The results show that only as a subscriber to the BikeShare program and on an alert day does duration decrease whereas customers regardless of if it is an alert day will ride more often and at longer distances. The results contradict …

Media Effects On Solar Panel Installations Across 20 States, Casey Romeo

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper looks at the relationship between media coverage of solar power and the solar panel installation at a state level. Specifically, it aims to find if more newspaper articles cause more households to adopt solar energy. Use data from 20 states from 2009 to 2014. I find that there is a modest, yet positive and statistically significant relationship between newspaper articles and installations, which suggests that the media does influence the decision to install solar panels. There is possible endogeneity between these two variables. Disentangling this endogeneity is beyond the scope of this research and would be a topic …

Renewable Energy Consumption: Initiatives In Colorado And Washington, Robin K. Doroff

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper examines the use of policy mechanisms to increase renewable energy consumption within the United States. In order to effectively measure the change of renewable energy consumption, I analyze two initiatives that promote energy consumption from renewable sources and overall increases in energy conservation. Colorado and Washington had approved initiatives in the years 2004 and 2006, respectively. Although the results are not entirely statistically significant, I find that the initiatives lead to increases in total renewable energy consumption and decreases in total energy use.

Economic Clusters Research An Annotated Bibliography, Jing Chen, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Resource Documents

No abstract provided.

Development And Quality Of Life In Cities, Nate Peach, Luke Petach

Faculty Publications - College of Business

Articulating the goals of economic development and defining quality of life has drawn the attention of influential thinkers from Socrates to Sen. Attempts to quantify and compare economies as they pertain to these concepts have largely focused on the macroeconomy. In this study, the Metropolitan Development Index is created to measure development and quality of life in large, urban areas in the United States. The researchers then test the sensitivity of city rankings to the data used in constructing the index. These tests indicate that the index is a substantive conception of development and quality of life. Additionally, the index …

The Effect Of Food Price On Food Insecurity And Diet Quality: Exploring Potential Moderating Roles Of Snap And Consumer Competency, Yunhee Chang, Jinhee Kim, Swarn Chatterjee

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Higher food prices may aggravate household food insecurity and hurt diet quality. Using a sample of low-income households from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS), this study examines whether local food prices affect food insecurity and nutritional quality of foods acquired, and how households use competent consumer behaviors to mitigate any adverse effects of price. Financial management practices, nutrition literacy, and conscientious food shopping practices were considered for consumer competency. Our findings indicate that low-income households in higher-cost areas, regardless of whether they participate in SNAP or not, are more likely to adopt loyalty or other store …

Variation In Food Prices And Snap Adequacy For Purchasing The Thrifty Food Plan, Erin Bronchetti, Garret Christensen, Benjamin Hansen

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Whether Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are adequate to provide food security for eligible households is an important and timely policy question. While the nominal value of SNAP benefits is fixed across states (except for Hawaii and Alaska), variation in food prices across geographic areas is dramatic, and the real value of SNAP benefits varies widely across the U.S. Our research provides new evidence on geographic variation in the adequacy of SNAP benefits to purchase the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP).

Using multiple methods to estimate the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) faced by households across the nation, …

The Gettysburg Economic Review, Volume 9, Spring 2016

Gettysburg Economic Review

No abstract provided.

Food Security And Geographic Factors In Food Purchase And Acquisition Decisions: A Compilation Of Research Conducted Under Usda Cooperative Agreements 58-5000-1-0050 And 58-5000-3-0066, James P. Ziliak, Craig Gundersen

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Supermarket Proximity And Price: Food Insecurity And Obesity In The United States, Janelle Downing, Barbara Laraia

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Where we live matters for our health. The social, economic, and physical features of neighborhoods can play a powerful role in health and longevity. Neighborhood concentration of poverty and poor health have been shown to be linked. Residing in low-income neighborhoods has been associated with diet related chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

The Relationship Between Neighborhood Food Environment And Food Store Choice On Purchasing Habits Among Snap And Lower Income Households, Usda Foodaps Data, Alison A. Gustafson, James E. Allen Iv, Nancy E. Schoenberg, Mark Swanson

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

The objective of the study was to determine relationship between neighborhood food store availability, store choice and food purchasing habits among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participating households. The study sample consisted of SNAP households (n=1581) and low income households participating in the USDA's National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of American households with household food purchases and acquisitions data. Main Outcomes: 1) Food purchasing choices (sugar-sweetened beverages, fruits and vegetables, snacks, water, and milk) obtained from store receipts over a one-week period; 2) food shopping activities was obtained from a log book …

Do Snap Recipients Get The Best Prices?, Conrad Lyford, Raymond J. March, Carlos E. Carpio, Tullaya Boonsaeng

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

This paper examines the relationship between SNAP participation and prices paid for food items. To test this relationship, we develop an expensiveness index following the method of Aguiar and Hurst (2007) and use the FoodAPS data set. Using both the ordinary least squares method and controlling for endogeneity using an instrumental variables approach, we found SNAP participation did not hold a statistically significant relationship with the prices paid for food items when we controlled for consumer behavior and food market variables. This suggests that SNAP participants are not systematically disadvantaged in their food purchases. Additional efforts to further educate SNAP …

State Of The Northwest Arkansas Region 2016 Report, Katherine A. Deck, 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 2016 State of the Region Report compares Northwest Arkansas with these geographies in the areas of gross domestic …

Do Snap Recipients Get The Best Prices, Raymond March, Conrad Lyford, Carlos Carpio, Tullaya Boonsaeng

Faculty Publications

This paper examines the relationship between SNAP participation and prices paid for food items. To test this relationship, we develop an expensiveness index following the method of Aguiar and Hurst (2007) and use the FoodAPS data set. Using both the ordinary least squares method and controlling for endogeneity using an instrumental variables approach, we found SNAP participation did not hold a statistically significant relationship with the prices paid for food items when we controlled for consumer behavior and food market variables. This suggests that SNAP participants are not systematically disadvantaged in their food purchases. Additional efforts to further educate SNAP …

Regional Economic Development―A Survey Of Theories In The Past Two Centuries (1800-2000), Xiaohong Quan

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to survey the evolution of theories in the field of regional economic development in the past two centuries (1800-2000) before the new millennium. Theories from the ‘spacial’ dimension and from the ‘economic’ dimension are understood as the classical foundation of the field. Important theories are identified and discussed for regional economic development. Specifically, the topics examined here first center around the mechanisms behind regional economic growth, answering questions such as why growth happens in certain regions, why growth can shift to other places, and what factors or environments can foster growth in certain regions. …

Impact Of A Higher Minimum Wage On Enrollment Of Snap, Victoria Perez-Zetune

Gettysburg Economic Review

This paper investigates the effect that minimum wage policy has on enrollment in public assistance programs, specifically the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, SNAP. If raising the minimum wage decreases enrollment in SNAP, this could uncover a method to reduce spending without eliminating programs. Using a time-demeaned model to account for fixed effects, I take advantage of the variation in the minimum wage in the 50 states between 1998 and 2014. I estimated that on average an increase in minimum wage in a prior year results in a decrease in SNAP participation by 3.95%.

No. 73: Informal Entrepreneurship And Cross-Border Trade In Maputo, Mozambique, Inês Raimundo, Abel Chikanda

Southern African Migration Programme

Cross-border trading is an essential part of Mozambique’s informal economy, with the traders playing a key role in supplying commodities that are in scarce supply nationwide. This report presents the results of a SAMP survey of informal entrepreneurs connected to cross-border trade between Johannesburg and Maputo. The study sought to enhance the evidence base on the links between migration and informal entrepreneurship in Southern African cities and to examine the implications for municipal, national and regional policy. In Mozambique, cross-border trading is primarily done by women with men mainly involved in the sale of the products brought back from South …

No. 72: Food Remittances: Migration And Food Security In Africa, Jonathan Crush, Mary Caesar

Southern African Migration Programme

By drawing attention to the importance of food remittances for urban and rural food security and identifying the current knowledge gaps, this report contributes to the study of the relationship between migration and food security and creates a platform for the design of a new research agenda. Across Africa, there is considerable evidence of a massive informal trade in food, including staples, fresh and processed products. While most cross-border trade in foodstuffs is a result of commercial transactions by small-scale traders who buy in one country and sell in another, an unknown proportion is actually food remittances on their way …

Part 7: Traffic Congestion In Hampton Roads: Myths And Realities, Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Sixty-five percent of job holders in Hampton Roads cross a city or county boundary when they go to work. Many encounter traffic congestion as they do so, but the level of this congestion has increased only modestly in recent years. Major road improvements seldom change this situation very much because drivers soon redistribute themselves in response to the improvements.

Effects Of Federal Grant Money On Economic Measures In The Community, Andrea L. Miller

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With the concentration of poverty increasing throughout the United States (Kneebone, 2014) there has been a recent emphasis on mixed-income housing as a means to alleviate this issue. By creating housing in one area with pricing for different income levels it is assumed that the burden imposed by concentrated poverty will be lowered. Many years and many dollars later however, the results of mixed-income housing projects on low-income residents seem to be mixed – while some projects have found success, others seem to suggest that it has little to no effect. The federal program HOPE VI is one example of …

Informational Efficiency And The Reaction To Terrorism: A Financial Perspective, Nicholas Roland

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study is to measure the message terror organizations hope to convey using the financial markets as a proxy of measurement to determine patterns within the marketplace and the effects on the terrorists’ ability to deliver a desired message due to the increased use of digital devices and access to instantaneous news, seen over the past decade. Using death count, geographic location, and event type, this study identified 109 attacks between 1985 and 2015 to be analyzed against 5 market indices and 5 securities. Measuring the effects within a 10-day sample window from the time of the …

Export Barriers And Competitiveness Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprise In Developing Countries: Case Study In Ethiopian Leather Footwear Manufacturing Firms, Gebreyohannes Gebreslassie Gebrewahid

International Conference on African Development Archives

Export is one of the most important business activities that play a significant role for economic development of nations. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the export barriers and export competitiveness of the Ethiopian Leather Footwear manufacturing firms in particular and the industry in general. Purposively, 100 respondents were selected from 15 exporting firms in the leather industry. In addition, interview was held with some top managers and owners to collect more detail information. The survey data is analyzed using factor analysis and MDS techniques. Using factor analysis, 10 conceptually linked components were empirically identified. Both factor loadings and factor …

Analisis Konsumsi Energi Rumah Tangga Perkotaan Di Indonesia: Periode Tahun 2008 Dan 2011, Muhammad Nazer, Hefrizal Handra

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

The goal of the study is to analyze the pattern and the change of urban household energy consumption and their determinant factors in Indonesia period of 2008 and 2011 using SUSENAS data of household budget survey. The concept of energy ladder and fuel stacking (multi fuel) are used to make a model of household energy consumption. The result of study shows that total energy consumption was increase in the period of 2008 and 2011. Coefficient of income elasticity toward both of modern and traditional energy consumption are positive, it means that there is rising consumption of energy along with the …

Financial Development, Human Capital, And Economic Growth: A Cross Country Analysis, Keshob Sharma

Masters Theses

Taking a panel of 66 countries and employing panel data methodology, this study examines the impact of financial development, human capital and their interaction on economic growth. This study covers a period of 40 years from 1971 to 2010. To smooth out the short-run fluctuations in the data for my growth study, I take 5-year non-overlapping averages of variables. As a proxy for financial development, I use private credit by deposit money banks or liquid liabilities, as a percent of GDP. In turn, human capital is represented by the percentage of population above 25 years of age with the secondary …

Economic Growth Paradox In Nigeria: A Perspective From Natural Resource Wealth Time Series Analysis For The Period 1980 - 2013, Jamiu Amusa

Masters Theses

This thesis empirically examines the paradox of economic growth in Nigeria with a viewpoint from natural resource wealth. The question involved in this study is that whether natural resource wealth has a positive impact on economic growth in Nigeria or not. The economy of Nigeria is observed to be growing on paper but deplorably, poverty and unemployment is on a progressive increase in reality. The study uses the endogenous growth theory (AK Model) in terms of how resource wealth can influence economic growth. It exploits time series analysis (Unit Root and Co-integration) techniques to test for the existence of a …

Royal Uncertainty: An In-Depth Analysis Of The Potential Affects Of Brexit On The U.K. Art Market, Ashley Solmer

MA Projects

The United Kingdom, most notably London, has been known on the international commerce scene as a pivotal trade center for many centuries acting as a stepping stone from Europe to the Western World. Even though the economic importance of London can be dated back to early times, the inherent popularity of its art market only began flourishing in the late eighteenth century, riding on the back of the already established, but restrictive, art epicenter in Paris. The rise and prominence of Paris’ art market from 17^th to 19^th century eventually came to an end at the heels of …

Empowerment And Subjective And Emotional Well-Being In South Africa, Erik Kappelman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

The Economics Of Health, Donald J. Meyer Editor

Upjohn Press

Donald J. Meyer leads a group of notable health economists who explore critical issues—and their economic impacts—facing the nation's healthcare system today. These include lifestyle choices and their health impacts, decisions on medical care and self-care, the fee-for-service payment model, disability and workers’ compensation insurance claims, long-term care, and how various aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) impact the nation’s healthcare system. Contributors include M. Kate Bundorf, Marcus Dillender, John H. Goddeeris, Donald J. Meyer, Edward C. Norton, and Charles E. Phelps.

Gender In Jeopardy!: The Role Of Opponent Gender In High-Stakes Competition, Michael Jetter, Jay K. Walker

Economics Faculty Publications

Using 4,279 episodes of the popular US game show Jeopardy!, we analyze whether the opponents' gender is able to explain the gender gap in competitive behavior. Our findings indicate that gender differences disappear when women compete against men. This result is surprising, but emerges with remarkable consistency for the probability to (i) respond, (ii) respond correctly, and (iii) respond correctly in high-stakes situations. Even risk preferences in wagering decisions, where gender differences are especially pronounced, do not differ across gender once a woman competes against males. Using a fixed-effects framework, and therefore exploiting within-player …