Digital Commons Network^™

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: December 11, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Nebraska consumer and business confidence remained positive during November 2018. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) stood at 107.2 in November 2018, well above the neutral value of 100, although down from the sky-high level of 117.3 achieved during October. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 106.4 in November, down slightly from 108.3 in October, but still well above the neutral value. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, 28 percent of respondents chose the availability and quality of labor while 24 mentioned customer demand and 9 percent mentioned the cost of goods …

Can A Global Fund Help Solve The Global Marine Plastic Debris Problem?, Karen Raubenheimer, Alistair Mcilgorm

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

The problem of marine plastic debris impacts all of the world’s oceans and requires all nations to respond. However, developing States require funds to improve waste management infrastructure and services in order to reduce marine debris at source. Plastics manufacturers and retailers globally must be incentivised to design products for the environment as well as for the collection and end-of-life treatment facilities available within the intended markets. Given the oceans are a global common, we investigate the option of developing a global fund mechanism to progress the necessary actions to reduce plastic waste entering the world’s oceans. This requires consideration …

Ten Years Of Economic Analyses For The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Overview Of Experiences And Lessons Learned, Rob Van Der Veeren, Ann Kathrin Buchs, Günter Hörmandinger, Soile Oinonen, Conceição Santos, Max Vretborn

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which came into force in 2008, requires from Member States inter alia to perform various (types of) economic analyses. In order to help Member States to implement this directive, the European working group on Economic and Social Analysis was initiated in 2009. This working group has developed various guidance documents which have been very useful in helping each other to understand the Directive and its requirements, to develop one language, to understand the pros and cons of various approaches, and to share experiences. However, up until now, outside of this working group this information …

Economic Potential For Distributed Manufacturing Of Adaptive Aids For Arthritis Patients N The U.S., Nicole Gallup, Jennifer Bow, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

By 2040, more than a quarter of the U.S. population will have diagnosed arthritic conditions. Adults with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions earn less than average yet have medical care expenditures that are over 12% of average household income. Adaptive aids can help arthritis patients continue to maintain independence and quality of life; however, their high costs limit accessibility for older people and the poor. One method used for consumer price reduction is distributed manufacturing with 3-D printers. In order to assess if such a method would be financially beneficial, this study evaluates the techno-economic viability of distributed manufacturing of …

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review Fall 2018

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review

No abstract provided.

Consumer Resilience And Consumer Attitude Towards Traumatic Events, Dongjun Rew, Michael Minor

Faculty Publications - College of Business

The purpose of this study is to explore consumer resilience’s role and effect on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and consumer attitude. There is little research on consumer resilience in the marketing disciplines even though the relevance of the construct has increased in other fields of study. To explore the role and effect of resilience, this study developed hypothetical conditions, in which this study assumes that each respondent is exposed to news of a traumatic incident or an experience, such as a terrorist attack or gun violence. Confirmatory factor analysis is conducted to verify each construct’s validity, and …

"Integrated Science 3002a: Big Bike Giveaway: Changing London's Environment, Health, And Economy One Bike At A Time", Jermiah Joseph, Katelyn Melo, Devanshi Shukla, Tony Nguyen, Katherine Teeter

Community Engaged Learning Final Projects

There are significant benefits that manifest when an individual chooses to ride a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation. To investigate these benefits, the environmental, health, economic, and social impacts of biking were evaluated through research and data analyses. This revealed that numerous advantages can be obtained at an individual and local scale through citizens choosing to adopt a biking lifestyle. However, it was found that many Londoners are deterred from biking due to poor biking infrastructure. This paper calls into question the current cycling framework in London and it’s limitations on achieving the numerous benefits that biking offers. …

East Texas Regional Labor Market - December 2018, Rod Mabry, Manuel Reyes-Loya, Marilyn Young

Hibbs Newsletter

This issue of Hibbs Outlook focuses on developing a regional Labor Market Profile for East Texas Employment levels in East Texas have reached historic figures in 2018. For the second quarter of 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 479,568 employees in the region, the largest number ever recorded in East Texas.

Point/Counterpoint: Is There A Case For Subsidizing Sports Stadiums?, Victor Matheson

Economics Department Working Papers

In recent decades, governments have committed enormous public resources to subsidize construction of new stadiums, and the dollar value of taxpayer contributions for these subsidies continues to climb. Spending of taxpayer dollars includes both direct subsidies from state and local governments, as well as indirect subsidies from the use of tax-exempt bonds to finance construction. In granting stadium subsidies, governments claim that the stadiums are a public good that attracts tourists and businesses, thereby generating increased spending and job creation—benefits that flow to the community rather than to team owners. But do such benefits exist, and are they large enough …

State's Fiscal Dependency And Implications On Monetary Management In Nigeria, Akinboyo O. Lawrence, Apinran O. Martins

Bullion

This study examines fiscal management by States in Nigeria and its potential to sustain growth and development. The study used secondary data from the Bank's Statistical Bulletin and the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics. Information on monthly allocations to States, internally Generated Revenue, Debt stock, total Revenue, and Total expenditure were used to examine fiscal imbalance in the States. Data were collected on statutory allocations to States by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), States' debt stock, capital and recurrent expenditure from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Descriptive statistics …

Financial Integration In The West African Monetary Zone: Towards A Single Insurance Market, Emmanuel Ating Onwioduokit

Bullion

integration of financial markets is a process of unifying markets and enabling convergence of risk-adjusted returns on the assets of comparable maturity across the markets. The insurance markets of the WAMZ countries are relatively not efficient. Although, there are several small insurance companies competing for premiums, only one company within the entire WAMZ region has a gross premium base more than $100 million. The paper recommends that the insurance sector integration 'quick wins should focus on: taking action to make the brown card scheme a more resounding success; increasing the minimum capital requirement of insurance companies in some of the …

Financial Inclusion And People Living With Disabilities (Plwds) In Nigeria: A Disaggregated Analysis, Kingsley Imandojemu, Akinlosotu Nathaniel Toyosi, Odigie Joseph Ndidi

Bullion

This study investigated the level of financial inclusion and people living with disabilities (PLWDS) in Nigeria. The disaggregated analysis was employed in investigating the level of financial inclusion of PLWDs across the geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The instrument used to collect data was titled: Financial Inclusion of People living with Disability Survey Inventory (FIPWIDSI). The construct validity of the instrument was ensured using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA).The internal consistency was verified using Cronbach's alpha technique. Descriptive and influential statistics, Mean and standard deviation, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Sidak multiple mean comparison Post Hoc test were employed for data …

Free Trade And Corporate Social Responsibility: Ethical Dilemmas In Global Economic Development, Sarah Papion

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Through the lens of the free-trade-optimist, it is black and white: corporations bring jobs, and jobs equal a happy and healthy economy. A major oversight in this neoliberal Utopian ideology is that corporations are not in the business of building communities, nor do they have an interest in keeping their operations stationary enough to allow economic growth to occur over a span of years. Corporations abandon communities as quickly as they arrive to find their next cheap labor hub. Quite contradictory to the original purpose of free trade, economic growth in Free Trade Zones is not long term or secure. …

Understanding Consumer Attitudes Towards Antimicrobial Risk Reducing Practices, Sabrina Gulab

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance is a natural evolutionary reaction to antimicrobial exposure. However, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs in human medicine and in agriculture are speeding up the process. Antimicrobials have been used in food-producing animals for therapeutic purposes as well as to promote growth by applying low concentrations in animal feed. Antimicrobial resistant pathogens can enter the food chain through food containing residues of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and cause infections in humans. In the United States, millions of people are infected every year with antimicrobial resistant bacterial diseases causing approximately 23,000 deaths (CDC 2013). This …

Borderplex Business Barometer, Volume 2, Number 12, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Aaron Nazarian, Steven L. Fullerton, Sergio Olivas

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

Assessing Efficiency In The Pharmaceutical Sector Of Nigeria, Efayena O. Obukohwo, Enoh H. Olele, Patricia N. Buzugbe

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

The study analyses, empirically, the efficiency of the Pharmaceutical sector in Nigeria. Employing a balanced panel of 20 pharmaceutical firms between 2012 and 2016, the paper uses a non-parametric technique (Data Envelopment Analysis) to analyze the firms’ efficiency under the constant returns to scale (CRS) and variable returns to scale (VRS) assumptions. The results obtained shows inefficiency in the pharmaceutical sector as it operates under a decreasing return to scale. This calls for an appropriate policy mix to stimulate the efficiency of the pharmaceutical sector in Nigeria by enhancing research and development (R&D) as ell as regulations within the sector.

Are Choice Experiment Treatments Of Outcome Uncertainty Sufficient? An Application To Climate Risk Reductions, Christos Makriyannis, Robert J. Johnston, Adam W. Whelchel

Economics

Choice experiments addressing outcome uncertainty (OU) typically reframe continuous probability densities for each risky outcome into two discrete categories, each with a single probability of occurrence. The implications of this simplification for welfare estimation are unknown. This article evaluates the convergent validity of willingness-to-pay (WTP) estimates from a more accurate multiple-outcome treatment of OU, compared to the two-outcome approach. Results for a case study of coastal flood adaptation in Connecticut, United States, suggest that higher-resolution OU treatments increase choice complexity but can provide additional information on risk preferences and WTP. This tradeoff highlights challenges facing the valuation of uncertain outcomes.

Assessing Rice Consumers’ Preferences And Willingness To Pay In Haiti, Cleeford Pavilus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the last 30 years, rice has become the number one food staple in Haiti, and rice imports have outpaced domestic production to supply the country’s increasing rice demand. Policy makers support the claim that increasing local rice supply will not only reduce the dependency on imported rice but also upheave the national economy. However, there is a lack of information on Haitian consumers’ preferences for rice to aid the development of the local rice supply chain. This research aims to bridge that gap by assessing Haitian consumer preferences and willingness to pay for selected rice quality characteristics. The results …

Renewable Portfolio Standards And Environmental Goals, Josh T. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are one of the most common state policies meant to encourage clean energy use. They require that utilities purchase electricity from certain qualifying electricity generators, usually with no reference to the cost of that electricity. AlthoughRPS are meant to clean up electricity generation through using clean energy sources instead of fossil fuels, they may not do so effectively. Further, some energy companies may lobby state legislators to include their energy sources regardless of their actual environmental benefit. The actual relationship between enacting an RPS and a state’s emissions from energy production is unclear. I explore RPS …

Examining Market Channels For Local Produce: Consumer Affordability And Producer Profitability, Karli A. Salisbury

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examines the price differences of commonly consumed produce between farmers’ markets and grocery stores in Utah. Our first objective is to compare price differences of a basket of produce between farmers’ markets and grocery stores. We compare these price differences in terms of low-income consumer affordability and if an individual can afford a market basket of produce using a combination of Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) dollars and Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) incentive dollars. Our second objective for this study is to establish the price premiums of individual produce items based on where the produce was sold, …

Semiparametric Maximum Likelihood Inference For Nonignorable Nonresponse With Callbacks, Zhong Guan, Denis H. Y. Leung, Jing Qin

Research Collection School Of Economics

We model the nonresponse probabilities as logistic functions ofthe outcome variable and other covariates in the survey sampling study withcallback. The identification aspect of this callback model is investigated. Semiparametricmaximum likelihood estimators of the parameters in the responseprobabilities are proposed and studied. As a result, an efficient estimator ofthe mean of the outcome variable is constructed using the estimated responseprobabilities. Moreover, if a regression model for conditional mean of the outcomevariable given some covariate is available, then we can obtain an evenmore efficient estimate of the mean of the outcome variable by fitting the regressionmodel using an adjusted least squares …

Sources Of Health Financing And Health Outcomes: A Panel Data Analysis, Tomoki Fujii

Research Collection School Of Economics

We study the differential impacts of public and private sources of health spending on health outcomes using a triple difference approach. We find that private health spending has on average a higher health-promoting effect than public health spending. This result is robust with respect to the choice of outcome measure and covariates in the regression and driven primarily by the countries with ineffective governments. Once we restrict our sample to countries with effective governments, private health spending is no better than public health spending for improving the health outcome.

How Gender Norms Impact Women's Access To Financial Inclusion, Caitlyn Goodman

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to determine if there is a relationship between gender norms and women's access to financial resources. Using data from the World Bank and the World Values Survey, I use a linear regression model to assess how attitudes toward education, jobs, and over-all equal rights impact women's account ownership.

Essays On The Factors That Contribute To Body Mass Index, Veronica Salinas

Economics ETDs

Using diet, exercise, consumer behavior, and demographic data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), I examine the factors that contribute to body mass index (BMI) for the adult working age population. In Chapters 2 and 3, I examine how female BMI varies by race and ethnicity. In Chapter 4, I study the effect of food deserts on BMI and obesity for both males and females.

In Chapter 2, I use Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) to examine the factors that influence female BMI for the adult working age population. Results indicate 12 of the 40 covariates are strongly …

A Study On Fiscal Policy And Economic Growth From An Institutional Perspective, Thúy Ái Hồ

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

This dissertation studies the interrelationship between fiscal policy and institutions (property right protection and economic freedom, in particular) in affecting economic growth. The vast literature on economic growth examines institutions and fiscal policy as separate determinants of economic growth, and has not established a theoretical basis or empirical link on the interaction between them. This dissertation takes a unique approach to the growth literature by studying a channel that institutions affect growth – the fiscal policy channel.

Among the first ones who incorporate economic institutions into a growth model with fiscal policy, I construct a theoretical framework in Chapter 2 …

Economic Base Analysis Of The City Of Commerce, Texas With Relation To Hunt County And Texas, Rebekah Cooper

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of The Economic Development Of Statesboro, Georgia’S Blue Mile: A Structural Approach For Diversification, Cadence Dwyer

Honors College Theses

The Blue Mile has become a center for Statesboro’s Economic Development plan of business diversification and downtown revitalization. Downtown revitalization is important not only to existing businesses but also to expanding the property tax base. The gauging of revitalization and diversification in the field of community development has been overlooked in favor of qualitative generalizations. Burayidi’s Scorecard is used as a basis to establish a standard for the structural analysis tests conducted to measure business diversification.

Re-Evaluating Subsidies For Services That Carry No Positive Externalities: A Benefit-Cost Analysis Of Convenience Loop Busing Versus Walking, Anthony N. Russo, Kevin J. Egan

The Journal of Economics and Politics

This paper seeks to provide a benefit-cost analysis of continuous loop busing service offered by The University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. The on-campus busing service is completely subsidized by the university through student fees and provided as a free service to students with less than one-quarter of students currently using the service. Using a contingent valuation survey, we estimate a lower bound mean willingness to pay (WTP) of about $6 per student user per semester. Multiplying by the student body population leads to a total WTP estimate of approximately $37,000 per semester. When compared solely to labor and fuel …

Spending Too Little In Hard Times, Alessandro Del Ponte, Peter Descioli

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

People’s decisions to consume and save resources are critical to their wellbeing. Previous experiments find that people typically spend too much because of how they discount the future. We propose that people’s motive to preserve their savings can instead cause them to spend too little in hard times. We design an economic game in which participants can store resources for the future to survive in a harsh environment. A player’s income is uncertain and consumption yields diminishing returns within each day, creating tradeoffs between spending and saving. We compare participants’ decisions to a heuristic that performed best in simulations. We …

Determinants Of Parking Fees On College Campuses, Hannah Huckeby

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The price of parking has recently been a hot topic around the Murray area, especially among the college students. Due to the drastic increase in parking pass prices there has been an abundant amount of discussion surrounding this idea of parking being a public good. Many individuals have been outraged which has brought up the questions of why there is a price tag on something that many people consider a public good. With that being said, this paper is going to take a deeper look into parking specifically pertaining to college campuses but also in the cities surrounding these institutions. …