Digital Commons Network^™

Gardens Through The Ages: How Public Gardens Impact The Growth Of Society, Abby J. Cutsinger

ATU Scholars Symposium

Throughout history, gardens held a vital role in the development of civilizations, often serving as spaces for food, reflection, and community. The aim of this study was to explore the progression of gardens parallel to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Additionally, the study aimed to determine whether gardens help fulfill those needs and, in doing so, influence human morality. To examine these possibilities, the researcher conducted a literature review of historical and contemporary accounts of gardening and its effects on physical and psychological well-being, analyzing these findings through the lens of Maslow’s framework. Additionally, crime rate data were compared across several …

Impact Of Community Gardening On Neighborhood Crime Rates: Research Proposal, Abby J. Cutsinger

ATU Scholars Symposium

Gardening has been a part of human existence from the beginning of time, but people have become distanced from gardening as civilization has grown and urbanized. As this distance has grown, so has the disconnect between people and the basic needs which shape their views of themselves and of society. It is possible that, in the drift away from gardening as communities, humans have become less moral.

The purpose of this study is to determine if community gardening lowers violent crime rates.

This relationship will be gauged by answering the following questions:

• Which type of community gardening benefits community relationships …

Eco 309 Eco. Theory Of The Left, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• A syllabus for Economics 309S titled Crisis theories and political programs of the U.S. left (Spring 1982).

• Moody, K. (1979–1980). World economy: The crisis of the 1980s. Changes: Socialist Monthly, 1(11–12), 27–32.

• Moody, K. (1980). Reindustrialization: The fad in your future. Changes: Socialist Monthly, 2(10), 9–17.

• The text of a speech given by Maryon Gray for the Sojourner Truth Organization titled Current debates within STO (December 12, 1981).

• Handwritten notes titled A note on profit-squeeze theories, including notes on Bowles, Gordon, and Weisskopf (December 13, 1982).

• Publication lists titled Literature of the Revolutionary Communist Party, …

  ---

  Go to article

Bearcat Advantage: Year One Evaluation Report, Michelle Miller-Adams, Kevin Hollenbeck, Bridget Timmeney, Kyle Huisman

Reports

No abstract provided.

Analisis Kepemilikan Sertifikat Tanah Terhadap Akses Pinjaman Rumah Tangga, Abdul Azzis Azzis, Chaikal Nuryakin

Jurnal Kebijakan Ekonomi

This study aims to examine the impact of land certificate ownership on access to loans from formal financial institutions. Utilizing data from Indonesia in 2018, we employ logistic regression analysis to investigate the relationship between land certificate ownership and loan access in the country. The examination of land certification in relation to loan access, by distinguishing types of land ownership evidence and loan types, is deemed essential. The findings indicate that the impact of land certification is less effective for low-income households. Beyond ensuring accessible and affordable land certification processes, the government should formulate policies for innovative loan schemes, such …

Cover Cropping: How Sustainability & Economics Can Work Hand In Hand (Pt. Ii), Emma Reyes

Business and Economics Honors Papers

Research finds that while the average rate of soil erosion under natural conditions occurs at less than 1.9 Mg per hectare per year, the current rate of erosion for United States agricultural soils occurs at 6.7 Mg per hectare per year (Nearing et al., 2017). This problem is further heightened by the fact that many farmers are concerned about the added expenses that may come from the use of sustainable practices. As a result, this may lead to an increase in the practice of more harmful conventional agricultural techniques if they continue to be considered more economically beneficial in comparison. …

Simulated Recovery: Measuring The Impact Of Structural Adjustment On Economic Development In Latin America, Daniel Espinal

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This paper uses synthetic control analysis to assess the long-term effects of structural adjustment policies on economic development. Focusing on Mexico as a case study, the findings indicate that these policies may have contributed to economic stagnation and widening inequality. By comparing actual outcomes with a synthetic counterfactual, the analysis reveals a notable divergence in performance over time. Reforms intended to stabilize the economy and promote growth—such as austerity, liberalization, and privatization—often led to reduced public investment, weakened institutions, and increased social vulnerability. The results support broader critiques of structural adjustment, suggesting that the costs of such interventions can outweigh …

Decade-Long Deals: The Forces Driving Mlb’S Lengthening Contracts, Benjamin Cuccolo

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This study investigates the economic and institutional factors that influence lengthening contracts in Major League Baseball. Using a dataset of 652 free agent position players that signed for two years or longer from 1991 to 2025, this paper explores how factors such as age, relative player performance, collective bargaining agreements, and risk management strategies affect contract length. Results from the regression model show that younger players that are higher performing are more likely to receive long-term deals. Additionally, those that are extended a qualifying offer also typically sign for longer term deals as suggested by the regression results. A separate …

The Secret Life Of Nim: How Regulation Affects Bank Balance Sheets And Consumer Consequences, Alexandra Nenish

Business and Economics Honors Papers

After the Great Recession of 2008, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed by the Obama Administration in 2010 with hopes to protect citizens against economic downturn spurred by poor banking behaviors. This act of federal financial oversight was unprecedented, and its magnitude and level of strictness caused banks to see an increase in costs, such as increases in personnel numbers and non-interest earning reserve requirements. This research analyzes how banks, specifically community banks, paid for these increased costs by focusing on the net interest margin (NIM). The NIM is a prominent profitability ratio for banking …

Support For Progressive Taxation Amidst Economic Inequality, Emma J. Jones

Business and Economics Honors Papers

Progressive taxation remains a heavily debated topic. Among mixed evidence on the effectiveness of progressive tax systems, there is also mixed evidence on what impacts public support for progressive taxation. It is important to explore this as it can better inform politicians or NGOs how to communicate with audiences to shape support for or opposition to this policy. This thesis approaches this question through the lens of relative deprivation, where one’s sense of economic security is influenced by the status of comparison groups. Using cross-national and cross-temporal survey data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), I use logit regression …

Evaluating Nature-Based Versus Generic Physical Activity Programs To Address Chronic Health Conditions: Lessons From An Oregon (Usa) Pilot Study, Randall Bluffstone, Ma Chan, Cort Cox, Melinda M. Davis, Caitlin Dickinson, Sahan T. M. Dissanayake, Jeffrey D. Kline, Himani Ojha, Sterling Stokes, Srilakshmi Vedantam, Multiple Additional Authors

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Evidence appears to be building that direct exposure to natural landscapes characterized by significant green cover, such as forests, can help to reduce chronic health conditions such as obesity, stress, hypertension, chronic cardiovascular conditions, depression, anxiety, cancer, and diabetes. One way to encourage greater exposure to nature may be through the use of nature prescriptions, whereby clinicians formally recommend (or prescribe) time in nature to their patients. Based on self-reported data, we describe the implementation and lessons learned from a pilot field experiment examining the clinical use of nature-based versus conventional exercise recommendations in rural Oregon. We discuss the potential …

Essays In Macroeconomics, Manu Garcia

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is organized into three chapters, each offering novel insights into macroeconomic theory and practice. While the chapters address distinct phenomena, a common thread runs throughout: each study examines a transmission mechanism---whether of monetary shocks, normative change, or academic strategies---and underscores the importance of heterogeneity and dynamic adjustment in macroeconomic outcomes. In Chapter 1, I explore one of the most direct channels of monetary policy transmission---the refinancing window in the housing market. By exploiting comprehensive mortgage data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) spanning several decades, the analysis identifies episodes of heightened refinancing activity as quasi-natural experiments. Regions …

Establishing The Creative Network: Wv's Arts Entrepreneur Ecosystem Project, Mckayla R. Braun, Domenica Queen

CRC Research Symposium

The Tamarack Foundation for the Arts’ (TFA) the fellowship for the arts is an art foundation committed to nurturing the next generation of artists by providing a comprehensive support system designed to promote both creative and professional development. Through its fellowship program, TFA provides artists with access to critical resources, including financial literacy education, mentorship, and structured opportunities for artistic and professional growth. Recognizing that creative talent alone is not always sufficient to sustain a long-term artistic practice, TFA’s mission is to equip fellows with the knowledge and tools necessary to thrive both within and beyond the studio. As part …

New York Camp Econometrics Xix Program, Center For Policy Research

Camp Econometrics-Programs

No abstract provided.

How New Mass Transit Affects Labor Markets: The Honolulu Skyline, Justin Tyndall

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

The Self-Sustainability Of Federally Qualified Health Centers, Javier Vallejo

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory data analysis examines the self-sustainability of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) using the 2023 Uniform Data Systems (UDS) dataset, focusing on health centers' reliance on government grants as a revenue source. FQHCs provide high-quality healthcare services to medically underserved populations; today, nearly 1 out of every 11 Americans receives some form of care at an FQHC. There is widespread variability in the delivery of care amongst FQHCs. Additionally, funding and reimbursement methodologies vary across states and geographic regions. FQHCs face challenges maintaining operational efficiency amid federal funding shortfalls, shifting reimbursement methodologies, and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 …

How Much Can Families Afford To Pay For College?, Peter Hinrichs

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper studies families’ capacity to pay for college in the United States, focusing on changes over time and differences by race and socioeconomic status. I use data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) to document changes over time in the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The results suggest that the EFC has been rising over time, and that this has been driven primarily by families in the upper quartile of the income distribution. I then use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to calculate alternative measures …

Economic Development In Ten Massachusetts Communities: A Study Of Public Policy Implementation Methods And Outcomes, Derek Michael Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Economic renewal and development are an essential elements of urban economic development within numerous cities in the United States. Little has been reported concerning methods used to implement policy to create the conditions desirable for economic growth and development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the corelative relationship between implementation methods used and the outcomes of economic growth and development policy, applying Pierson's (1993) Policy Feedback Theory as the theoretical framework. Using a mixed methods-based study of quantitative and quantitative methods, to examine the correlation between policy implementation practices and resulting barriers in local economic growth and development, …

Examining The Impact Of Widespread Disease On The Economy, Ryan Howell

Honors College Theses

Over centuries, disease has been an instigator of economic change. From the Black Death and the overturning of feudalism to the Spanish flu and its relationship with World War 1, pandemics have a profound effect on the social, political, and economic climate of the affected areas. In 2020, COVID-19 began in Wuhan, China and spread across the world rapidly and unexpectedly. The world economy was forced into a recession with major effects on industries such as airlines, energy, and automobiles. While some industries made smooth recoveries, the pandemic undeniably altered the way business is conducted. The shift between in-person and …

2025 Acssc Program, Acssc Planning Committee

Annual Celebration for Student Scholarship and Creativity

No abstract provided.

Fiscal Policy In A Dynamic Context, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• a handwritten folder cover titled Fiscal policy in a dynamic context (November 2, 1990)
• graphs titled Figure 1: Expanded reproduction, Figure 2: The Keynesian multiplier for government spending, and Figure 3: The Keynesian investment multiplier
• notes titled Three fundamental aggregate relations (December 24, 1992)
• notes titled A dynamic approach to the theory of effective demand (December 1988)
• pages 92–99 from Lakin, W. D., & Sánchez, D. A. (1970). Topics in ordinary differential equations. Dover Publications
• a diagram titled Aggregate sources and uses of funds
• a duplicate diagram titled Aggregate sources and uses of funds …

Is Aid Good For The Poor In Sub-Saharan Africa?, Elisha Mavodyo

Business Review

We contribute to the aid-poverty literature in Sub-Saharan Africa in two fundamental respects. First, we sidestep the controversial aid-growth-poverty relationship by analysing the direct impacts of aid on poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. Second, in line with previous studies, we first analysed the impact of aid on poverty headcount, poverty gap, and poverty gap squared. We complemented this analysis with an analysis of the direct impact of aid on the incomes of the poor, followed by an analysis of aid on inequality. Such an approach allowed us to draw nuanced conclusions about how effective foreign aid is in alleviating not just …

Almost Last Again? Mississippi's Labor Force Participation Rate: Causes And Solutions, John Martin Fox

Honors Theses

Mississippi is currently ranked second to last in labor force participation rate in the country. This is the latest damning statistic inhibiting the state from growing and becoming a more nationally recognized state with higher economic output. This thesis examines how Mississippi arrived at this bleak labor force participation rate and what is currently ongoing to alleviate it. It also examines some possible proposed solutions to accelerate those efforts. Through extensive research and numerous interviews with officials from public and private sector employees directly dealing with this predicament, this thesis has assembled a thorough and comprehensive picture of how the …

Corporate Social Responsibility: Are There Financial Incentives?, Ashlyn Ryan

Economics Honors Projects

In the early 2000s, consumer trends increasingly influenced corporations to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). More recently, however, this trend has shown signs of reversing, which is puzzling, given that engagement in CSR may lead to enhanced company financial performance through channels of competitive advantage or risk reduction. Using event study methods, I analyze how investors respond to signals in the form of third-party recognitions for companies’ CSR activities. Third-party recognitions, may provide new information, altering investor behaviors and decision making. I find no statistically significant relationship between the announcement of these recognitions and either abnormal stock returns or …

The Economic Factors Of Suicide, Hogan C. Fox

Honors College Theses

This study examines how macroeconomic indicators influence state‐level suicide rates in the United States and, critically, how those effects differ by gender. Drawing on annual data from all fifty states over 2010–2020, I merge age‐adjusted suicide rates from CDC WONDER with five key economic indicator: real hourly compensation, labor productivity, employment rate, median income, and logged state GD, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. After comparing pooled OLS, random‐effects, first‐difference, and two‐way fixed‐effects specifications, I adopt a two-way, state‐and‐year fixed‐effects model for its superior fit and capacity to control for unobserved heterogeneity. …

From Delay To Payday: Easing Bureaucrat Access To Implementation Information Strengthens Social Protection Delivery, Eric Dodge, Yusuf Neggers, Rohini Pande, Charity Troyer Moore

Discussion Papers

Poor implementation frequently impedes social protection delivery in low-state-capacity settings. In such environments, reducing managers’ information acquisition costs may improve their grasp of frontline issues and program performance. However, in the presence of managerial rent-seeking, increasing the principal’s information may be key, and doing so just for managers can backfire. To assess this trade-off and implications for program performance, we collaborated with two Indian states to randomly vary bureaucrat access to PayDash, a digital platform for real-time tracking of worker payment processing for the national rural workfare program. In treated districts, PayDash expedited bureaucrat processing of workfare payments by 17%, …

Two-Stage Least Squares Estimation In A Spatial Lag Model Under A Complete Bipartite Network, Badi H. Baltagi, Long Liu

Center for Policy Research

This paper considers a spatial lag model with a complete bipartite network weighting matrix which is important in network theory. We show that two-stage least squares is equivalent to ordinary least squares and both estimators are inconsistent for the cross-section data case. This result has also been derived for the spatial lag model with an equal weight matrix by Kelejian and Prucha (2002). We also show that the fixed effects two-stage least squares estimator is consistent in case we have panel data and the spatial lag model includes time fixed effects. This is different from the result for an equal …

Personalized Discounts And Consumer Search, Zikun Liu, Jiwoong Shin, Jidong Zhou

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The growing availability of big data enables firms to predict consumer search outcomes and outside options more accurately than consumers themselves. This paper examines how a firm can utilize such superior information to offer personalized buy-now discounts intended to deter consumer search. However, discounts can also serve as signals of attractive outside options, potentially encouraging rather than discouraging consumer search. We show that, despite the firm’s ability to tailor discounts across a continuum of consumer valuations, the firm-optimal equilibrium features a simple two-tier discount scheme, comprising a uniform positive discount when the consumer outside option is intermediate and no discount …

The Formation Of The American League In Baseball; Changes In American Society And Culture That Contributed To The Demand For More Baseball In The Late 19th Century, Shawn M. Smith

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The second professional major league (the American League) in baseball came about in response to the demand for more baseball entertainment due to the increased amount of leisure time Americans had in the late-19th century as society started the shift from an agricultural based lifestyle to a culture who worked predominantly in factory work.

The culture and society of the day changed drastically due to changing economic conditions of the time period. Due to monumental changes in industry, the vast majority of the population had shifted from working in an agrarian society to working in factories as a result of …

Best Metros For Manufacturing In The Mountain West, 2024, Taylor Volk, Sean Curry, Mohit Pande, Anirudh Polagani, Kristian Thymianos, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This fact sheet examines data on the top U.S. metros for manufacturing across four Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada). The original report, titled “Best Metros for Manufacturing in the U.S.” by Commercial Search includes data on the top 100 U.S. metros for manufacturing.