Digital Commons Network^™

Natural Disasters’ Effect On Tourism Employment, Caterina Messina

Honors College Theses

Not only do natural disasters cause immediate physical damage to an area, but they often have long-lasting social and economic effects as well. Tourism is a sector of the economy that is relatively fragile and relies heavily on a stable economy. This paper attempts to capture the effect of natural disasters on the tourism industry, specifically tourism employment. This research uses panel data and focuses specifically on 7 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States between 2002-2018. Data collected from the BEA as well as SHELDUS is used in order to quantify this effect. A fixed effects model with a …

A Study Of The Impact Of Us Department Of Defense And Movie Industry Cooperation On Military Application Rates, Lindsay Varzarevsky

Honors College Theses

Using data from the Military Entertainment Media Liaison Office and the US Center for Naval Analyses, this paper examines the impact of cooperation between the Department of Defense and movie producers on military application rates. Multiple regression model results determine that movies which utilize the entertainment liaison facilities of the Department of Defense generate an increase in male and female applicants in the movies’ release year. In addition, applications from individuals from the Black population increase with a two-year lag after the movie release year. This study establishes that government institutions have an effect on media, which influences perceptions and …

Gender Differences In Labor Market Outcomes During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Cassidy Bowes

Economics

In the events of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland security released guidelines on who would be an essential worker and required to keep going to work for the benefit of society. Two of the industries deemed essential were healthcare and education, both of which are heavily concentrated by female workers. In this study, I use Current Population Survey data spanning November 2019 to December 2021 to test for gender differences in earnings among those working in the healthcare and education occupations during the pandemic. I estimate a regression model which includes controls for time trends and other factors, …

Aggregate Online Brand Name Pharmacy Price Dynamics For The United States And Mexico, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Steven L. Fullerton

Border Region Modeling Project

Virtual cross-border medical tourism allows many residents in the United States to purchase brand name medicines from companies in Mexico without travelling there. Monthly economic reports indicate that the online brand name pharmaceutical product prices in Mexico are noticeably lower than the corresponding internet prices in the United States. There have been very few econometric studies on how these prices are linked and the dynamic nature of those relationships. Results in this study indicate that online medicine prices in Mexico respond very rapidly to online prices changes in the high-price market.

Economic Opportunity And Community Development Financial Institutions In Clark County, Ar And Beyond: An Analysis, Magdalena Hopkins

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Arkansas is home to one of the greatest projects in the world of Community Development Financial Institutions: Southern Bancorp. Founded with the help and support of Bill Clinton, it pre-dates The Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994, which is now used to fund similar Community Development Financial Institutions. According to the Opportunity Finance Network (2022), there are more than 1,200 Community Development Financial Institutions in the United States. These institutions span the country and operate in unique communities. The CDFI Coalition (2017) cites Arkansas as having 19 Community Development Financial Institutions in the state. It is important …

Socioeconomic Landscape Restructuring Caused By Property Appreciation Rates, Abner Garcia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Real estate property has historically been considered the bedrock of the American Dream and a primary method used to build wealth. However, homeownership has not been attainable for many people because property appreciation rates have consistently exceeded income growth. Available research indicates that rapid appreciation rates pressure low to average income earners out of their counties of residence towards more affordable counties’ residencies. This creates a problem where the receiving counties have increased demand and prices which starts a cycle of migration for lower income populations. Shifting populations can change the economic and demographic characteristics of counties. Previous research that …

Borderplex Business Barometer, Volume 6, Number 5, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Steven L. Fullerton

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

Property Blockchains Have Failed To Realize Their Promise, Alexander Walton '22

Honor Scholar Theses

We analyze the introduction of blockchain technology in the U.S. home sales market. The introduction of blockchain technology into the real estate industry has failed to meet high expectations to streamline operations and reduce costs. Required legal changes in the management of property deeds, high investment costs and unproven technology met resistance in a fragmented industry with many players, some holding monopoly control. Many parties in the complex chain of real estate transactions have resisted the natural Schumpeterian wave of creative destruction which, at the macro level, should bring huge savings. At the micro level, title insurers have the most …

Infrastructure Development And Gentrification: A Case Study Of The 2017 Q Line Extension In New York City, Harrison Shoaf

Honors College Theses

An examination of the 2017 Q Line subway extension in New York City and the potential causal relationship between its implementation and rental rates and gentrification in the surrounding area. Analysis of data covering the timeframe from 2007 to 2019 allows for utilization of OLS regression to determine if the area subject to the implementation experienced a change in rental rates and instigation of gentrification afterward compared to areas that were not subject to the implementation. Results indicate a decrease in rental rates (and by extent, no instigation of gentrification) in the area subject to the extension after it was …

The Economic Impact Of U.S. Drone Strikes On Pakistan, Cavika Prashad

Honors College Theses

Drone strikes have a detrimental impact on the region of a nation, especially when the contact is not the targeted threat. When drone strikes are sent out, they result in consequences such as death, infrastructure damage, and consequently, unemployment increases. While proponents of drone strikes say they are precise weapons with little disruption to civilian life, this paper shows that in Pakistan, U.S. drone strikes have had an economic impact, particularly by increasing unemployment. Using an OLS model, the drone data from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and individual survey data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics were used to …

Contextualizing The 2019 “Chile Despertó” Movement: The Impact Of Historical Relational Processes On Mobilization And Repression, Tanya Leon

International Studies (MA) Theses

To expand our theoretical and empirical understanding of mobilization and repression in Latin America, this thesis asks three critical questions. Are economic indicators sufficient predictors of social movement emergence in Latin America? What other factors contribute to large-scale mobilization in Latin America? How do government’s respond to large-scale Latin American social movements? Specifically, when, and why do democratic governments choose to employ repression against social movements? Accordingly, I construct a quantitative model to test the correlation between rise in protest and worsened economic conditions. I apply it to a comprehensive dataset of political events in multiple South American countries throughout …

Perception And Play: Consumer Perceptions Of Craft Breweries And The Impacts Of Tourism Expenditures On Economic Health, Anne Wade

All Theses

This thesis evaluates two different strategies local leaders use to support and grow their economies. The first evaluates how residents from across the American South view and understand their experience of local craft breweries. The second evaluates the effects of direct tourism spending and direct tourism tax receipts on important measures of resident well-being in the twenty-three county Western North Carolina region. The first chapter in this thesis evaluates the overall consumer perception of the growing craft brewing industry within the states of Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana and what factors affect this perception. It uses …

Public Policy, Economic Development, And Taxes: An Impact Analysis Of Business Incentive Strategies At The State And Local Level, Richard Nanney

All Dissertations

In an effort to promote economic development, state-level policymakers have exercised discretion over the use of public money to incentivize subsidy packages for decades. Estimates suggest state governments spend approximately $50 billion annually on these initiatives. However, there has been little empirical research about the political and economic benefits received by local residents from these subsidy programs. This dissertation analyzes the effectiveness of state subsidy policy by considering induced economic spillover effects and population attrition rates. It examines how subsidy distribution is related to employment rates, average weekly wages, and population attrition. The project offers two methodological innovations. First, to …

The Role Of Paid Family Leave In Labor Supply Responses To A Spouse's Disability Or Health Shock, Priyanka Anand, Laura Dague, Kathryn L. Wagner

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

Disability onset and major health shocks can affect the labor supply of those experiencing the event and their family members, who face a tradeoff between time spent earning income and providing care. This decision could be affected by the availability of paid family leave. We examine the role of paid leave mandates in caregiving and labor supply decisions after a spouse's disability or health shock. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, we show that paid leave mandates reduce the likelihood that potential caregivers report decreasing their paid work hours to provide caregiving after a spouse's health …

Anticipatory Intelligence Resilience Modeling Evaluation Of Aspire Research Center, Madeleine Alder

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The analysis of threats and vulnerabilities in a system is essential in developing resilience strategies to strengthen the system’s ability to adapt and succeed. This report delivers a threat analysis of ASPIRE, a research organization centered on engineering solutions for promoting electric vehicle (EV) adoption. ASPIRE, which is an international network of university research partners and comprised primarily of engineering teams, is focused on developing technology that can be used by industry or governmental partners. The threat of low public buy-in for ASPIRE technology is one of the most significant concerns facing the system. Low adoption rates or public resistance …

Regional Economic Contribution Of Crop Insurance Indemnity Payment In The U.S., Hwangwon Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) has played a pivotal role in agricultural businesses and communities. The FCIP allows farmers to purchase farm and farm-related products and services, maintain heavy agricultural machinery, and utilize farm agency services for preparing for farming in the following agricultural years. In addition, the indemnities enable farmers to repay debts, alleviate farm collapses, and keep farm industries purchasing agricultural-related products and the necessary goods for everyday living, stabilizing the local and farming economies (Lubben & Thompson, 2013).

This study investigates the economic contribution of crop indemnity payments using a methodology that will capture the total …

Economic Experiments On Group Identity And Bias, Nathaniel Christopher Burke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Experiments in economics have been a valuable tool to understand the behavioral implications of incentives on the decision-making process. Particularly, aspects of decision making that cannot be observed in empirical data can be better isolated in an experimental setting such as bias and identity impacts. This dissertation uses three distinct experiments to further the understanding of individual biases, perceptions, and identity and how they impact the way people defer to these internal traits under incentives. This dissertation looks at how well individuals can make inferences about polling data that was collected from individuals susceptible to socially desirable responding. It also …

Covid-19 Risk Analysis Of Turkey In The Context Of Syrian Influx, Ilhan Can Oze, Pinar Derin Gure, Ecem Yargici

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

The COVID-19 crisis is finding the unknown vulnerabilities of many countries, as well as allowing some to show and perform a myriad of unknown resiliencies and strengths. In analysing the source of strength, and vulnerability, we have to explore the myriad dimensions of society and the new inequalities and new social issues that have arisen. The analysis of COVID vulnerability must be understood as analysis not only of the health resources and systems but also the aspects of the society that become important for spreading or alleviating contagion or decreasing or increasing the level of disease mortality. For the Turkish …

Covid-19 And Its Impact On Minority-Owned Banks, Salvador Contreras, Amit Ghosh

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

Employing a difference-in-differences framework, we examine the effect of COVID-19 on various performance metrics of minority-owned banks relative to peer banks. We find little evidence of worsening performance of minority-owned banks, except for Asian-owned banks. In some instances, minority banks show improved performance. We find a decline in nonperforming single-family residential loans for Hispanic-owned banks. Moreover, minority banks have disbursed more Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans than their matched non-minority counterparts. Their resilient performance indicates that minority banks are well positioned to aid in the ongoing economic recovery.

Laissez-Faire, Social Networks, And Race In A Pandemic, Roland Pongou, Guy Tchuente, Jean-Baptiste Tondji

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

We study the effects of race, network centrality, and policies that tolerate some level of virus spread (laissez-faire) on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes in the United States. Our analysis uses unique data on nursing home networks and calibration-based estimates of states' preferences for health relative to short-term economic gains. Our findings suggest that laissez-faire policies increase deaths. Nursing homes with a larger share of Black residents experience more deaths, but they are less vulnerable to laissez-faire policies, especially when not central in social networks. Our findings highlight significant interactions between COVID-19 policies, race, and network structure among US seniors.

Labor Market Institutions And The Incidence Of Payroll Taxation, Jinyoung Kim, Seonghoon Kim, Kanghyock Koh

Research Collection School Of Economics

Despite the unambiguous predictions of the canonical model of a competitive labor market, empirical studies of the labor market effects of payroll taxation provide conflicting evidence. We estimate the labor market impacts of payroll taxation in Singapore, the country with the most competitive and flexible labor market among the countries investigated in the literature. By exploiting the sharp reduction in payroll tax rate when workers turn 60, we find that the reduced payroll tax rate in Singapore has a large effect on wages without changes in employment. Our meta-analysis shows consistent evidence that varying degrees of labor market competitiveness across …

¡Avancemos Ya!: Persistent Economic Challenges And Opportunities Facing Latinos In Massachusetts, Trevor Mattos, Phillip Granberry, Vishakha Agarwal

Gastón Institute Publications

Massachusetts is among the wealthiest states in the country, yet Latino communities here have struggled economically relative to Latinos nationwide. There have been some bright spots—poverty rates have decreased and Latinos now have higher rates of entrepreneurship, education and labor force participation than in years past. Still, a disproportionate share of the more than 800,000 Latinos in Massachusetts today contend with food insecurity and have low rates of intergenerational economic mobility.

The Relationship Between Migrants, Education, And Income In The Eu, Wendi Jiang

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The European nations are currently facing one of the biggest challenges to their society since the end of World War II: Aging. While the rest of the world will also be facing this issue, it is the European societies that are the first to face this challenge and must find a sustainable solution fast. Among the choices of solutions are immigration, Universal Basic Income (UBI), and raising the retirement age. This paper aims to explore immigration as a solution to solve the problems that an aging society faces by looking into the earning power of migrants through their
education and …

Operational Structures Forming Complex Feedback Loops In Health System / Accountable Care Partnerships – A Multiple-Case Study Investigation To Enable System Dynamics Simulation, Richard J. Pro

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 introduced accountable care organizations as a critical component in the transformation of the United States healthcare industry to a value-based care model. It also triggered an ongoing series of health system consolidations consistent with the theory of transaction cost economics. Consolidations included the alignment of health systems with accountable care organizations despite the assertions of some researchers that competing economic models rendered such partnerships financially unviable. The academic literature is silent on this issue, without any published studies of the effects of health system / accountable care organization interactions. The purpose …

Effect Of Brushing Time With A Whitening Dentifrice On Surface Roughness Of Anterior Composite Resins, Ahmet Hazar, Sinem Akgül, Sibel Koçak, Mustafa Murat Koçak

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the surface roughness of three anterior composite resins with different filler size, rate, and shape after brushing for 5000, 10000, and 20000 cycles with a whitening dentifrice. Methods: 44 disk-shaped specimens of each material (5mm diameter, 2mm depth) G-aenial Anterior, Harmonize, Asteria were prepared and divided into four groups according to the brushing cycles (Initial, 5000, 10000, and 20000 cycles). Initial surface roughness values (Ra-values) were assessed using a profilometer and measurements were repeated after each brushing cycle. 4 specimens from each composite resin were observed by scanning electron microscopy before and after brushing. …

Evaluation Of The Effect Of Two Polishing Techniques And Thermocycling Process On Surface Roughness, Hardness, And Color Stability Of Composites, Muhammet Fidan, Zeynep Dereli

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two polishing techniques and 10.000 thermocycles on the color stability, surface roughness, and hardness of two nanohybrid (Tetric N-Ceram, Escom100) and one bulkfill (Filtek) resin composites. Methods: A total of 60 specimens were prepared using three resin composites and 20 discs from each composite. Specimens for each composite were randomly divided into two different polishing groups (Optrapol rubber and Sof-Lex discs) (n=10). Surface roughness (Ra, μm), microhardness (VHN), and color change (ΔE00) values were measured pre- and post-thermocycling. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate …

A Comparison Of Four Different Methods Of Prediction Of Mesiodistal Widths Of Unerupted Permanent Canines And Premolars, Waqar Jeelani, Washma Asad, Maheen Ahmed

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

The success of orthodontic treatment depends upon the accurate assessment of mesiodistal widths of unerupted canines and premolars in mixed dentition stage. There are several methods available for mixed dentition analysis with dubious reliability in our population. Objective: To statistically develop new prediction equations for Pakistani subjects to predict the widths of unerupted upper canines and premolars (U345) and lower canine and premolars (L345) using mesiodistal widths of lower incisors (I1I2) and lower incisors and first molars (I1I2M1) and compare their performance with previously established methods of Moyers and Tanaka-Johnston. Methods: Study was conducted using the data from the dental …

Endodontic Management Of Mandibular First Molar With Four Roots - A Rare Case Report With Clinical Management Guidelines, Shaikh Shahbaz, Huma Iftekhar, Sharique Alam, Zehra Shavez

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

Mandibular molar is usually two rooted with one mesial and one distal root. Additional roots are rare which requires accurate diagnosis and a methodical and scrupulous endodontic treatment. Objective: This paper aims to report the endodontic management of an unusual case of a mandibular permanent first molar with four roots (two mesial & two distal) and provide a clinical guideline to detect and manage these variant cases. Case report: A 15-year-old boy reported with a deep carious lesion in the lower left first molar (#36). The apical root contour of #36 on an intraoral periapical radiograph taken in different angulations …

Salivary Iga Depression In Drug-Influenced Gingival Enlargement Among Hypertensive Patients, Muhammad Annurdin Sabarudin, Haslina Taib, Wan Majdiah Wan Mohamad, Siti Lailatul Akmar Zainuddin, Wan Syamimee Wan Ghazali, Ahmad Azhar Misran

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

Drug-influenced gingival enlargement (DIGE) among hypertensive patients is commonly associated with antihypertensive drugs such as calcium channel blockers (CCBs). Immune response alteration is one of the proposed mechanisms for DIGE. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) in saliva which involves in defense mechanism was shown to be affected in patients with DIGE. Objective: This study aimed to determine the association of salivary IgA level with DIGE. Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 47 hypertensive patients who had consumed antihypertensive drugs for at least 3 months. Twenty-one (44.7%) males and 26 (55.3%) females had participated in this study. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. …

Privatizing Retirement: The Case Of The Female Chilean Worker, Teresa A. Renier

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

Chile has been called the “promised land” of Latin America, a First World country, and an economic miracle. Privatizing social security in Chile has often been hailed by economists as the key for their unprecedented economic growth and success within the past few decades—so much so that other countries have adopted similar pension models within their own countries. Somewhere along this path of astonishing economic growth, Chile, like other developed nations, has arrived at a point where it can no longer assume that the typical worker is a man. Yet as the gap continues to decrease between female and male …