Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of The Economic Impact Of Biodiesel Production In Illinois, Kelly Uphoff

Master's Theses - Economics

The production of biodiesel in the United States has expanded greatly in recent years. A factor contributing to the growth of this industry is the perception that renewable fuel production is an economic boon to state and local economies, particularly those of rural areas. This study estimates the economic impact of biodiesel production in the state of Illinois. Through input-output analysis and by simulating the industry using IMPLAN, the impact of a 10 million gallon per year plant using soy oil as its only feedstock is modeled. The estimated effect on output, employment, and other parameters is substantial. However, the …

Poverty Alleviation Through Geographic Targeting, Chris Elbers, Tomoki Fujii, Peter Lanjouw, Berk Ozler, Wesley Yin

Research Collection School Of Economics

In this paper, we employ recently completed “poverty maps” for three countries as tools for an ex ante evaluation of the distributional incidence of geographic targeting of public resources. We simulate the impact on poverty of transferring an exogenously given budget to geographically defined sub-groups of the population according to their relative poverty status. We find large gains from targeting smaller administrative units, such as districts or villages. However, these gains are still far from the poverty reduction that would be possible had the planners had access to information on household level income or consumption. Our results indicate that a …

Urban Rail Transit Ppps: Survey And Risk Assessment Of Recent Strategies, Sock-Yong Phang

Research Collection School Of Economics

The proliferation of urban rail transit public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Latin America and Southeast Asia is a recent phenomenon. This paper first reviews the theoretical literature on the public procurement versus PPP decision in the context of rail transit and assesses the risks involved in entering these partnerships. The urban rail transit PPP approaches adopted in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, Hong Kong, and London are described and classified into four broad approaches: (i) the development of new systems through Design-Build-Finance-Operate (DBFO), (ii) the concessioning of rail and subway services, (iii) the sale of state-owned operators …

The Effect Of Taxes On Saving: Evidence From 29 Oecd Countries, Caihua Zheng

All Theses

Despite an extensive literature on the determinants of savings, the effects of tax policy on saving behavior have not been resolved conclusively. The purpose of this thesis is to estimate the impact of tax policy on both national and private saving rates using panel data collected for 29 OECD countries spanning a thirty year period from 1975 to 2005. Using tax rate changes to reflect tax policy changes, the cross-section and the panel data models incorporate the statutory value-added tax rate, the average and top personal income tax rate and the top corporate income tax rates as indicators of tax …

The Impact Of Foreign Aid On Development And Aggregate Welfare In Developing Countries, Todd J. Kumler '07

Honors Projects

Over one billion people across the globe live in extreme poverty, struggling to survive on less than one U.S. dollar per day. The persistently low levels of aggregate welfare and human development in developing countries have recently caught the attention of many politicians and social observers. As the developed nations and multinational organizations of the world are called upon to increase development assistance to these impoverished countries, a question must be asked: Will increased foreign aid effectively raise human development in developing countries? While many studies have analyzed the impact of development aid on economic growth in developing nations, few …

The Economics Of Water Utilization: Tools And Applications, Matt Bogard

Agriculture Department Seminar Series

Given worldwide problems of access to safe potable water, this presentation examines how tools of economics can aid in drafting appropriate mitigating policies. Utilizing partial equilibrium analysis, it demonstrates the role that prices play in social coordination and then applies the framework to real world examples. In addition it examines Pigouvian Taxation and Coasean Bargaining as two classic methods for dealing with externalities in the context of water pollution. Second-best solutions such as tradable permits and metered pricing by public utilities are discussed. This presentation concludes by examining the issues and challenges that policy makers face when trying to implement …

A Key Component In Texas Manufacturing: The Economic Impact Of The Boeing Company, Mathew Mcelroy, Elizabeth K. Gibson, Dennis L. Soden, David A. Schauer

IPED Technical Reports

This study was conducted by the Institute for Policy and Economic Development (IPED) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) at the request of Boeing Corporation in the state of Texas in order to measure the economic impact of Boeing activities on the state. These include direct expenditures on wages and salaries, as well as supplier expenditures, other direct costs expended such as tuition reimbursements, and philanthropic activities.

Measurement Of The Market Data For The Ocean And Coastal Economy, Charles S. Colgan

Publications

This paper supplements reports and data released on the Coastal and Ocean Economies of the United States by the NOEP. It provides a discussion of the relevant literature involved in the investigation of the Ocean and Coastal related Economies, the theoretical background of measures such as gross domestic product (GDP) and gross state product (GSP), and provides details on sources, methods, assumptions, and limitations of the data provided by NOEP.

Those concerned with the health of coastal and ocean resources increasingly need to understand the socio-economic context in which changes are occurring. The market data of the National Ocean Economics …

How Doctors And Patients Get Better, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

In Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, Atul Gawande, a surgeon who also is a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, examines both the utilitarian and the human sides of medical practice. In the book, he examines what goes right in American medical care, what goes wrong, how things either succeed or fail, and what might be done to improve the system. Among the examples he provides: A polio "mop up" in Karnataka, where Indian health care workers deployed 37,000 vaccinators to immunize 4 million children – in three days.

April 2007, Syracuse Department Of Economics

Economics - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Partner Profiles, Esr Review

Journal of Microfinance / ESR Review

No abstract provided.

India’S Unlikely Democracy: Economic Growth And Political Accommodation, Aseema Sinha

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

There is no doubt that India’s democracy has become stable, yet economic change could create distributional conflicts and stresses on its democratic institutions. Economic change and liberalization have served to reinforce and further stabilize democracy rather than undermining it. This has happened partly because of the nature of economic and social transition, which has allowed the rich many options in the private, urban, and global economy. Simultaneously, the poor are divided and seek redress through electoral and democratic channels. Weak coalition governments in the 1990s have responded to claims from the poor contributing to the continuing stability of Indian democracy.

Pebble In A Pond, Stephen R. Barley

Journal of Microfinance / ESR Review

Paul C. Godfrey, associate academic director of BYU’s Economic Self-Reliance Center, sat down with Stephen R. Barley, the Charles M. Pigott Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University, to discuss problems and needs associated with implementing technology in developing countries. Barley is co-director of the Center for Work, Technology, and Organization at Stanford’s School of Engineering, and the co-director of the Stanford/General Motors Collaborative Research Laboratory. He has written extensively on the impact of new technologies on work, the organization of technical work, and organizational culture. Barley was a member of the Board of Senior Scholars of the …

Double Bottom Line Growth, Patrick Crompton

Journal of Microfinance / ESR Review

No abstract provided.

Vol. 09 No. 1 Esr Review, Esr Review

Journal of Microfinance / ESR Review

No abstract provided.

Fueling Samoa’S Growing Transport Sector: The Impact Of Rising Oil Prices And Imports On A Pacific Island Economy, Janis Mcdaid Ikeda

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The developed nations of the world are more concerned than ever with reducing their dependence on imported oil, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and developing alternative energy technologies. These issues are among the highest priorities for developing economies in the Pacific region as well. Samoa is a part of several regional initiatives that address petroleum and energy issues and is due to launch its own national energy policy in the coming months.

Petroleum prices in Samoa are low in comparison to other parts of the region because of the unique government/oil company partnership that administers its oil imports and pricing; however …

Nfl Governance And The Fate Of The New Orleans Saints: Some Observations, Robert Baade, Victor Matheson

Economics Department Working Papers

Prior to 2005, New Orleans had struggled to retain its NFL franchise. The Saints remained in the city, despite an outdated stadium and small media market, only through generous direct public subsidies to the team. Paradoxically, the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in September 2005 actually improved the short-term viability of the franchise by spurring an outpouring of local support for the team and by making relocation of the Saints politically untenable for the league. The long-term outlook for the team, however, appears grim. Already a small market, New Orleans’ population and business community has declined considerably due to Katrina. …

Ua23 Western Kentucky University Regional Assessment & Strategic Plan, Paul N. Markham

ALIVE Center Publications

The Regional Stewardship Program is a new initiative that seeks to promote regional and statewide economic development, livable communities, social inclusion, creative governance, and civic participation through public engagement activities initiated by comprehensive university faculty and staff. Its purpose is to link the resources and knowledge of our universities to the needs and challenges of their respective regions. Kentucky is the first state in the nation to launch a statewide stewardship program.

Understanding Buffalo's Economic Development (Review Essay), Thomas E. Headrick, John Henry Schlegel

Book Reviews

Reviewing Diana Dillaway, Power Failure: Politics, Patronage, and the Economic Future of Buffalo, New York (2006).

An Economic Critique Of Birch And Cobb’S The Liberation Of Life, Wei-Erh Chen

Major Themes in Economics

The discussion concerning humans and the environment has intensified in recent years. Now, more than ever, we must ask how we as economists can engage in a conversation regarding environmentalism when the participants come from a myriad of disciplines. I posit that it is only through an understanding of the other disciplines’ ethics and values that the economist can meaningfully engage in the conversation. This paper is an exercise in this interdisciplinary understanding. First, Charles Birch and John B. Cobb Jr.’s ecological viewpoint is presented. This is followed by the economic prescriptions arising from the ecological viewpoint. A subsequent critique …

The Implications Of Eminent Domain In A Post-Kelo World, Brock L. Toll

Major Themes in Economics

Eminent domain has been a government power for centuries. In most cases, eminent domain is used to provide essential public goods. Using it for the advantage of private entities is hotly debated. The 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo vs. New London allowed the use of eminent domain for privately driven endeavors. By examining the holdout problem, compensation and the effects of the Kelo case, national reform is determined as the best solution to private/public ventures using eminent domain.

From Quasi-Private To Quasi-Public: The Development Of Local Libraries In The United States, 1870-1930, Michael Kevane, William A. Sundstrom

Economics

The period 1870-1930 witnessed the emergence of the local public library as a widespread and enduring American institution. During these years, access to free community-based library services spread to a much larger share of the U.S. population, while the institutional structure of local libraries underwent a transition from largely quasi-private, voluntary associations to the tax-supported public institutions familiar today. In this paper we describe this transition, and document the expansion of public libraries and library services in the United States over these years, using data drawn from library surveys conducted by the federal Bureau of Education. We then review some …

Religion And Community: Mexican Americans In South Omaha (1900-1980) - Ollas Report No. 4, Maria S. Arbelaez

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

Mexicans, like all other ethnic groups that created the United States as a nation of immigrants, were adamant in establishing churches of their own. Ethnic religious affiliations were essentially of Judeo-Christian origin and benefited effectively from the tolerance of worship mandated by the Constitution. Freedom of belief was known, demanded, and exercised by all immigrants. For Mexican and other ethnic communities, religious belief and centers of worship were the very heart of their community and identity bonds, their source of strength and reason to persevere in a new society where multiple nationalities, cultures, languages, and ethnicities converged.

This report provides …

The Role Of Industrial And Traditional Fishing In Sustainable Resource Management, Aime Schwartz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For decades, the notion of ‘sustainable development’ has been a source of international contention and debate. While the meanings and implications of sustainable development are widely disputed, it is interpreted by many as an ideal that encompasses social, environmental and economic spheres while promoting the value of human rights in development. Theoretically, this approach allows for the quality of life of current and future generations to be considered in environmental decision-making and formally recognized by national and international standards, dictated primarily by wealthy industrialized governments (Adebowale et al 138). Policy-makers in developing nations continuously face the struggle to balance the …

How Do Women In Prek Toal Village (Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, Cambodia) Participate In And Benefit From Ecotourism?, Amy Dowley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Abstract This study assesses how women in the floating village of Prek Toal in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, participate and benefit from the ecotourism activities in their area. The study also investigates women’s perspective on ecotourism within their community, how it affects their lives, and if they have expectations of current and future benefits or changes resulting from ecotourism. This study is conducted in the context of current studies on livelihoods in the Tonle Sap region, including the recent technical report, “Influence of Built Structures on Local Livelihoods: Case Studies of Road Development, Irrigation, and Fishing Lots,”(ADB, 2007a) identifying …

Economy Of Change: The Organic Market As A Model For Agricultural Development In India, Amanda White

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In India, 50% of children under five years of age are malnourished amidst a yearly surplus in grain production. Approximately 40% of food is lost in transport on a daily basis, yet the country has been able to prevent major famines for over 60 years. In a country with a GDP of 8-9% and an ever-growing presence on the international economic stage, these double standards cannot be tolerated. 260 million Indians live in extreme poverty, and 40% of those depend mainly on agricultural labor. This sector accounts for approximately 26% of India’s GDP, and provides employment for about 70% of …

Self-Employed, Self-Empowered: Working Women In Benares, Madeline S. Oatman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“Economic independence is the password to women’s empowerment.”

Sathi Nair, a Senior Administrative Services official in Andhra Pradesh.

Twenty or so women sit peacefully on a cool cement floor at the Kutumb program center in Benares, India. The room floats like an oasis above the dusty heat of the street, and unobstructed light pours in through a large window. The women, heads bowed, black hair shining, are stitching and measuring, brows furrowed in concentration despite the lull of the lazy afternoon. They have come to learn a skill in order to make extra income, to be around women, exchange advice …

Pay And Performance: Among 100 Best U.S. Companies To Work For, Omair Mahmood Faisal

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

In the 21st century, world is becoming a global village and with increased competition businesses are always looking for regions with the lowest possible production costs. Appropriate compensation of U.S. employees working for major U.S. corporations is a hotly debated topic in political circles. This research focuses on the top 100 companies designated as “the best companies to work for” by Fortune Magazine for the year 2006. Performance of these companies, as measured by their return on equity, return on assets, revenue growth and earnings growth along with their profit margin is used to determine the impact on them as …

New Mexico Labor Market Review 03-31-2007, New Mexico Department Of Labor

Historic Publications

The New Mexico Labor Market Review is a monthly publication presenting statistical data and analysis on labor market conditions throughout New Mexico. Issues examine statewide and regional trends in employment, unemployment, labor force estimates, industry activity, wages, occupational demand, and related economic conditions, often accompanied by feature articles on topics affecting the state’s economy. This issue covers February 2007.

Rethinking Retirement Policy In Massachusetts, Ellen A. Bruce

New England Journal of Public Policy

Women are significantly poorer than men in old age. One major cause of women’s disproportional poverty is retirement income policy that bases pensions and savings incentives on earned income. This paper describes the structure of our retirement policies and argues that some policies should be implemented that are not associated with earned income as a way to both support women’s caregiving roles and insure their economic well-being in old age.