Digital Commons Network^™

Regional Economic Impacts And Emission Responses Under Solar Radiation Modification, Jenny Bjordal, Evelien Van Dijk, Henri Cornec, Anthony A. Smith Jr, Trude Storelvmo

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) has been proposed as a potential tool to limit increases in global or regional temperatures caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. While previous research has extensively examined the climate system’s response to various SRM strategies, as well as their aggregate economic consequences, the regional distribution of economic impacts has received less attention. In this study, we use NorESM2–DIAM—an Earth System Model coupled to a high-resolution integrated assessment model—to assess the economic impacts, measured in GDP per capita, in an idealised SRM scenario where incoming solar radiation is reduced by 1%. Our results suggest that, relative to …

Analyzing Social Implications Of The Gender Wage Gap, Jessie A. Clarke

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The researcher seeks to understand the gender wage gap in the United States. The research question studied is “Why do women in the United States on average earn less income than men?” Women gain less power and resources as they earn less income than men. The researcher explores the phenomenon in this paper. This research proposal utilizes qualitative methods via interviews, and analysis through coding. In previous research, there is a lack of inclusion on the gender wage gap regarding various identities such as sexual orientation, other gender identities, and race/ethnicity. The researcher hopes to fill in these gaps in …

Geography, Income, And The Incidence Of A Massachusetts Carbon Tax, Susan Stratton Sayre

Economics: Faculty Publications

I use spatial microsimulation to estimate the geographic incidence of the consumer-facing portion of various revenue-neutral carbon tax designs in Massachusetts. I identify a substantial urban-rural disparity in impacts that is reduced, but not eliminated, by proposed revenue-targeting mechanisms. I further demonstrate that seemingly small variations in the definition of rural households can have substantial impacts on urban-rural equity and the distribution of gains and losses. Proposed policies are highly progressive in the aggregate with most low-income households receiving more in rebates than they pay in taxes, but notable numbers of low-income households are likely to experience significant losses. Methodologically, …

Examining The Lives And Experiences Of Mariachi Leadership In San Antonio, Texas: A Narrative Ethnographic Inquiry Using A Constructivist Lens, Baldemar Villarreal

Theses & Dissertations

Mariachi leaders carry far more than instruments. They carry history, community, identity, and the responsibility of sustaining a living tradition within a rapidly changing world. This study explores the experiences of three Mariachi leaders in San Antonio to understand how cultural heritage, leadership development, and entrepreneurial practice unfold within the pressures of the contemporary gig economy.

Guided by a constructivist narrative inquiry approach, the study draws on the view that meaning is created through experience, relationship, and reflection (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000; Polkinghorne, 1995). The narratives reveal leadership as a dynamic process shaped by migration, gender, innovation, and communal responsibility. …

Improving Estimation Efficiency Via Regression-Adjustment In Covariate-Adaptive Randomizations With Imperfect Compliance, Liang Jiang, Oliver B. Linton, Haihan Tang, Yichong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We study how to improve efficiency via regression adjustments with additional covariates under covariate-adaptive randomizations (CARs) when subject compliance is imperfect. We first establish the semiparametric efficiency bound for the local average treatment effect (LATE) under CARs. Second, we develop a general regression-adjusted LATE estimator which allows for parametric, nonparametric, and regularized adjustments. Even when the adjustments are misspecified, our proposed estimator is still consistent and asymptotically normal, and their inference method still achieves the exact asymptotic size under the null. When the adjustments are correctly specified, our estimator achieves the semiparametric efficiency bound. Third, we derive the optimal linear …

Using Satellite-Observed Geospatial Inundation Data To Identify The Impacts Of Floods On Firm-Level Performance: The Case Of China During 2000–2009, Pao-Li Chang, Fan Zheng

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper compiles high-resolution geospatial inundation areas of China for the period 2000–2009 based on satellite imagery repositories filtered by the Global Flood Database (GFD). In parallel, we geocode a comprehensive firm-level dataset of China and combine these two sets of geospatial data to identify the set of inundated firms in each year of flood events, as well as the distances of all non-inundated firms from the inundated areas. Given the high-resolution inundation data, we adopt a generalized dynamic-panel specification to estimate dynamic and spatial spillover effects of floods on firm-level production activities (including outputs, capital and labor inputs, and …

Position: The Pre/Post-Training Boundary Should Govern Ip In Industry–Academia Ml Collaborations, Dirk Bergemann, Soheil Ghili, Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Industry–academia ML collaborations routinely fail to launch—not for scientific reasons, but because academics must publish while companies must protect models trained on proprietary data, and no standard contract framework resolves this tension. Because contracts are negotiated by legal departments alone, many apparent legal disputes are incentive misalignment problems that only scientists at the table can correctly diagnose. We propose PBOS (Protect-the-Business / Open-Source-the-Science), a community-adoptable contract template anchored to a single technically-grounded boundary: pre-training artifacts (architectures, training code, benchmarks, untrained weights) are open science; post-training artifacts (weights trained on proprietary data) are business IP. This boundary is technically meaningful, legally …

Manipulation Or Monetization?: The Rise Of Stock Buybacks And Their Effects On Firm Valuation And Investment, Thomas H. Serrano

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract:

This thesis uses basic econometrics to examine the relationship between stock buybacks, firm valuation, and investment among publicly traded firms from 2000-2024. Using firm-level data pulled from Compustat North America and a fixed-effect multivariate regression, it evaluates whether buybacks are associated with higher valuation and stronger productive investment as defined in the paper. The results show that buybacks are positively associated with firm valuation the first year that they occur, but the relationship disappears when they are lagged for a year. Furthermore, the analysis does not find strong statistical evidence that repurchases are associated with changes in investment, or …

Civilian Mass Killings Perpetrated By Nonstate Actors: Data Trends And Theoretical And Empirical Risk Factors, Charles H. Anderton, Roxane A. Anderton

Economics

This article addresses two research questions: (1) What are recent trends in nonstate actor (NSA) civilian mass killings by country locations and perpetrator groups? and (2) What are risk factors for NSA civilian mass killings based on economic choice theory and large-sample empirical inquiry? We summarize recent data on mass killings perpetrated by various NSAs including rebel groups; political, territorial, and identity militias; and terrorist organizations. Following a review of the empirical NSA mass killing literature, we develop an economic choice model of a NSA's resource allocations to direct (military) fighting and to violence against civilians when in contestation with …

Trump Opportunity Zones In Louisville, Kentucky: A Look At The Results So Far., Thomas E. Lambert

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

In 2017 the US Congress passes and President Donald J. Trump signs the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Part of the legislation allows states to create opportunity zones (OZs), census tracts which will be targeted for business investment and economic development through federal tax incentives. In Louisville, Kentucky, as in other jurisdictions throughout the US over the last several decades, special district “zones” have been used by local, state, and/or the federal government(s) to try to revive low-income, deteriorated, and blighted areas. These have been typically urban areas but sometimes have included semi-rural and rural areas. Whether named enterprise …

Exploring Self-Sufficiency And Economic Behavior In Economic Education Students, Rizza Megasari, Sheerad Sahid

International Conference on Business and Management Research (ICBMR)

This study investigates the self-sufficiency and economic behaviors of economics education students, focusing on how independent living shapes their financial management, consumption habits, and overall approach to life. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, using a question list informed by literature on 21st-century skills, sustainable development, and self-sufficiency. The interview explored the student's understanding and practice of self-sufficiency, examining their experiences with financial management (budgeting, saving, spending), living arrangements (boarding house choices, facilities, and habits), consumption patterns (food, clothing, transportation), and engagement in self-reliant activities (cooking, minor repairs). The study highlights the interplay between economic knowledge, personal values, and practical …

Tourism, Institutions, And The Paradox Of Inclusion: How Institutional Quality Moderates Tourism’S Impact On Inclusive Growth In High-Income European Countries, Saqib Munir, Abdul Ghaffar, Mushab Rashid

Arab Economic and Business Journal

Inclusive economic growth in high-income European economies remains contested despite strong institutions and advanced tourism sectors, with limited understanding of how institutional quality and gender-inclusive governance condition the tourism–inclusivity nexus. This study examines the independent and interactive effects of tourism development, institutional quality, gender-inclusive governance, digital infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and income inequality on inclusive economic growth across 15 European countries over 2000–2024. Using World Bank and WGI data, a panel ARDL framework, supported by FMOLS robustness checks is applied to capture dynamic long- and short-run relationships among mixed-order integrated variables. Results indicate that tourism development (β = 5.351, p < 0.001) and institutional quality (β = 8.029, p < 0.001) decisively enhance inclusive growth, yet their interaction exerts a significant negative effect (β = –5.271, p < 0.001), suggesting over-regulation may dampen tourism’s inclusivity potential. Environmental sustainability also contributes positively (β = 0.164, p < 0.001), while income inequality shows a counterintuitive long-run positive association (β = 0.026, p < 0.001). Gender-inclusive governance has a small but significant positive effect (β = 0.005, p = 0.004), whereas digital infrastructure is statistically insignificant. These findings extend institutional economics and endogenous growth theory by revealing governance flexibility as critical to unlocking inclusive tourism benefits, and they inform SDG 8 and 10 policies by advocating balanced regulatory frameworks, renewable energy investment, and targeted redistributive mechanisms in advanced economies.

State-Level Analysis Of Minimum Wage And Teen Employment Across The U.S. In 2024, Owen Siegel

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This study examines whether differences in state minimum wage levels are associated with variation in teen employment across U.S. states in 2024. Using a cross-sectional regression framework, the analysis estimates the relationship between minimum wage policy and the employment rate of individuals aged 16–19 while controlling for educational attainment, demographic composition, income, and regional differences. The results indicate that higher minimum wages are associated with lower teen employment rates. Specifically, a one-dollar increase in the minimum wage is associated with an estimated 0.87 percentage-point decrease in teen employment, holding other factors constant. This result is statistically significant and economically meaningful, …

Understanding Statutory Corporate Tax Rates And Corporate Tax Revenue: Evidence From Oecd Countries, 2015–2023, Carter Johnson

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This paper analyzes the relationship between statutory corporate tax rates and corporate tax revenues among the OECD countries from 2015-2023. Since the 1980’s, statutory corporate tax rates have been gradually declining, however, the relationship between rate and revenue remains unclear. The Laffer Curve helps motivate the relationship between rate and revenue within the theoretical model. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Real GDP are included as control variables, along with incorporating inflation and per capita measurements. The fixed effects panel regression findings conclude there is no direct relationship between corporate tax rate and revenue. However, FDI and Real GDP were found …

In Silico Model Of Musa Acuminata Stem As An Anticancer On Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Against Egfr, Nevrila Dewi Rachmayani, Amy Nindia Carabelly, I Wayan Arya Krishnawan Firdaus, Maharani Laillyza Apriasari, Juliyatin Putri Utami

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is characterized by overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Citral, eucalyptol, and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), which are derived from Musa acuminata, have shown anticancer activity. This study evaluated the potential of citral, eucalyptol, and CAPE from Musa acuminata as anticancer agents for OSCC by targeting EGFR using an in silico approach.

Methods: Potential biological activity was predicted using Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances (PASS) Online. Molecular docking was conducted with AutoDock Vina, and BIOVIA Discovery Studio was used to analyze binding affinity, interaction types, and bond …

Micro-Ct Evaluation Of Root Canal Transportation And Centering Ability In Mesial Canals Of Mandibular First Molars, Selen Ince Yusufoglu, Esma Saricam, Mert Ocak, Ferhat Geneci, Burak Bilecenoğlu

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

Background: This study aimed to evaluate canal transportation, centering ability, structure model index (SMI), surface area, and root canal volume changes in the mesial canals of mandibular first molars using micro-CT.

Methods: Twenty-four mandibular first molars with two separate mesial canals and moderate curvature were included. Teeth were scanned using micro-CT before instrumentation and randomly divided into three groups (N = 8). Root canals were prepared using OneShape, OneCurve, and Rotate file systems, followed by post-instrumentation micro-CT scanning (10µm/pixel resolution). Changes in canal volume, surface area, transportation, centering ability, and SMI were analyzed at the apical, middle, and …

From The Ground To The Stars: How Research And Development In Aerospace Plays A Massive Role, Bryan Sohan

Honors College Theses

Aerospace technology is a long-standing field of innovation, yet it has experienced renewed momentum in recent years due to increased public and private investment. This study analyzes how changes in budget allocations to aerospace-related firms and government organizations influence the pace and scope of technological development within the aerospace sector. By examining historical trends in aerospace innovation alongside recent funding initiatives and policy decisions, this research evaluates the relationship between financial investment and technological advancement. This analysis focuses on Hypothesis 1 (H1): that higher aerospace R&D expenditure is positively correlated with innovation output. Using a two-period state-level panel (FY2021 and …

China-Canada Resource Diplomacy: New Era Of Land Grabbing, Valdrin Dragusha

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

This paper examines the evolving economic relationship between China and Canada, particularly in the context of China's transition from a strictly social economy to an authoritarian socialist market economy. It highlights the implications of China's Going Out Policy initiated in 2000, aimed at securing vital natural resources amidst growing domestic demands driven by rapid economic expansion. The paper analyzes China's significant demand for resources, its sustainable development policies, and the changing dynamics of land acquisitions, particularly in relation to Canada, which is perceived as a strategic investment destination due to its abundant natural resources and technological advancements in clean energy. …

Money And State Politics: State Legislature Partisan Dynamics And Ideology Outcomes Following Citizens United V. Fec, Jillian E. Pastore

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

What effect has Citizens United v. FEC had on state-level partisanship and the policy outcomes that follow from it? Scholarship on the influence of corporate and union spending in political campaigns has largely centered on federal elections. In this paper, I extend the analysis to the state level, leveraging the fact that Citizens United created a natural experiment across the states. Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, roughly half of the states prohibited corporate and union independent expenditures in state elections (including for governor, state senate, state house, and state supreme court races). The Citizens United decision effectively nullified these …

Quantifying Overconsumption In The United States: A Multiple Linear Regression Analysis, Morgan Davis

Honors Projects

This study examines overconsumption in the United States by analyzing how socioeconomic factors influence household spending relative to income. Overconsumption is defined as elevated discretionary spending relative to income, with a focus on categories such as apparel, entertainment, and food away from home. Using 2024 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) data, three multiple linear regression models were created to evaluate predictors of overall consumption, discretionary consumption, and apparel spending as proportions of income.

Results show that income is the most significant predictor across all models, with higher-income households consistently spending a smaller share of their income. Age and household size also …

Luja Volume 6: Issue 1 (Full Volume)

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Supporting Those Who Serve: The Impact Of Peer Support On Law Enforcement Suicide, Emily N. Warren

Honors College Theses

Individuals working in law enforcement face daily stressors that far exceed those experienced by the general population. This elevated exposure to stress has been associated with increased rates of mental health disorders and suicide among law enforcement officers. In response, peer support programs have gained recent attention, with new state and federal legislation promoting peer support as a strategy to address the mental health crisis within law enforcement. This paper examines the impact of statewide peer support programs on law enforcement suicide rates through statistical analysis. A difference-in-differences analysis is used to compare state-level law enforcement suicide rates before and …

Caregiving For Older Adults: How The Child And Dependent Care Credit Could Help, Gabrielle Pepin, Yulya Truskinovsky

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Performance-Based Budgeting Implementation Strategies For Improving Financial Performance, Waleed Ibrahim Alsyaegh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of effective strategies for allocating organizational financial resources can lead to adverse business outcomes. Business managers are concerned about the ineffective allocation of financial resources, as it can impede financial performance and sustainability.Grounded in stakeholder theory, the purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore the performance-based budgeting strategies that business managers use to sustain financial profitability. The participants were 10 business managers who oversee subsidiaries that successfully implemented performance-based budgeting.Data were collected through semistructured interviews and the review of organization documents. Through thematic analysis, four themes were identified: (a) traditional versus contemporary budgeting; (b) importance of …

Scientific Research In Cuba: A General Analysis With A Special Focus On Energy, Agriculture And Technology, Henri Dou, Pierre Fournie

International Journal of Islands Research

An analysis of science in Cuba is carried out using data from the OpenAlex database. Examples are developed: agriculture, rice, technology in relation to the current situation: national food supply, energy and medicine. The predominance of research in biology and medicine and the low commitment in the fields of agriculture, energy, medicinal plants and technology are highlighted. Various development schemes are proposed. The conclusion is that research must be directed towards strategic areas: food and energy, must be less dispersed and that technology must be better taken into account. Three proposals are made: the development of a chemical analysis platform …

A Machine Learning Approach To Stochastic Frontier Modeling, Levent Kutlu, Xi Mao, Xuelei Sherry Ni

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

We propose a deep neural network based stochastic frontier model that can handle complex non-linear patterns both in the frontier and in the distribution of inefficiency term. To illustrate our methodology, we employ quarterly data to estimate the technical efficiencies of large US banks from the first quarter of 1984 to the second quarter of 2010. The mean efficiency of US banks during this time period is 89.43%. Between 2004 and 2008, the mean efficiencies of these banks are significantly lower than the overall average, with an average of 81.30%. This is in line with the financial conditions experienced during …

Out-Of-Pocket Costs And Antihypertensive Medication Use Among Veterans: A Natural Experiment, Alexander R. Zheutlin, Alexander Chaitoff, Daniel Addo, Joshua A. Jacobs, Catherine G. Derington, Eric L. Stulberg, Peter A. Glynn, Bernardo Modenesi, Jordana B. Cohen, Adam P. Bress

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Blood pressure (BP) control remains suboptimal in the United States despite available low-cost antihypertensive medications. Even small out-of-pocket medication costs may contribute to adherence. We determined whether $0 versus >$0 out-of-pocket costs for antihypertensive medications is associated with differences in adherence, discontinuation, BP control, and cardiovascular outcomes.

METHODS: We included veterans with newly diagnosed hypertension who initiated antihypertensive medication in the Veterans Health Administration from 2004 to 2022. A fuzzy regression discontinuity design with 2-stage residual inclusion leveraged differences in medication copay policy at a 50% service-connected disability threshold (≥50% service-connected disability: $0 out-of-pocket cost versus < 50%: $8 monthly cost). Outcomes included 1-year medication nonadherence (proportion of days covered < 80%), 1-year medication discontinuation (no medication in the final 90 days of the study year), 1-year BP control (systolic BP/diastolic BP < 140/90 mm Hg and < 130/80 mm Hg) and cardiovascular disease events (myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, peripheral artery disease, or stroke).

RESULTS: Among 417 …

Supersuit Up Or Get Left Behind: Why A Personal Agentic Os Is Required For Commercial Viability In The New Economy, Gary Sheng, Ron Roberts

Digital Laboratory: Publisher of Internet Journal

In my first article, The Writing on the Wall, we laid out the case: self-improving AI has arrived, the economy is splitting, and every organization faces an existential choice. This paper answers the question we heard most after that piece: “Okay, I believe you. What do I do on Monday morning?” The answer is your Personal Agentic OS. It is the minimum viable infrastructure that turns you from a passive consumer of AI into a sovereign operator of it. And in April 2026, three events converged to make this the most urgent professional skill in the world: Andrej Karpathy’s LLM …

Benchmarking Digitalized Innovation In Business Strategy Across Msmes, Shyam Sundar. S, Uma Raman. M, Shanmuga Priya. G, C. M. Sudha Arogya Mary

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

The contemporary globally interconnected economy is fundamentally changing international trade and opening up new prospects for businesses, particularly Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs). The basic concept of global business is changing in the modern world due to the digital environment. To preserve their competitive advantage both domestically and internationally, businesses must look for new opportunities. Since the usage of digital technology is causing entrepreneurial processes to become more fluid and irregular over time and space, our research chose a conceptual approach to examine how the digitalization of MSMEs would benefit decision-makers in global organizations. Using a conceptual approach, as …

Accounting For Non-Monetary Exchange: A Systematic Review Of Barter Literature From Colonial Ledgers To Digital Economies, Christian Timotius Peilouw, Unti Ludigdo, Imam Subekti, Yeney Widya Prihatiningtias

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Non-monetary exchange systems persist throughout human history, challenging assumptions about monetary dominance and revealing fundamental limitations in conventional accounting frameworks. This systematic literature review examines how accounting practices adapt to and shape non-monetary exchange across diverse historical and contemporary contexts, investigating patterns in accounting practices, challenges to conventional theory, and implications for economic resilience. Following PRISMA guidelines, the review analyzed 28 peer-reviewed articles from 1979 to 2025 identified through Scopus database searches combining barter-related and accounting terms. The analysis reveals four major themes: historical foundations showing sophisticated proto-banking systems in colonial America that operated without currency; crisis-driven alternatives demonstrating how …