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Financial Literacy And Fraud Vulnerability In Digital Finance: Evidence From The 2024 Nfcs, Mercedes Palacios Diaz

Posters - 2026

Digital finance has expanded rapidly through fintech platforms and cryptocurrency markets, increasing access to financial services while also exposing individuals to higher levels of financial fraud. Most research treats fraud vulnerability as a single outcome, without distinguishing between financial loss and the ability to recognize scams. This study examines how financial literacy shapes fraud vulnerability through its effects on fraud victimization and scam awareness, highlighting its dual role in reducing financial losses and improving scam recognition. Fraud vulnerability is therefore analyzed across two distinct dimensions: realized financial loss and scam awareness.

An Austrian Approach To Accounting Regulation: How Policy Intervention Distorts The Market For Assurance Services, Kyan Howe

Student Scholarship

This thesis applies the causal-realist method of the Austrian School of Economics to the market for assurance services in the United States. The central argument is that post-crisis accounting regulation has systematically distorted the incentive structures of independent public accounting firms in ways regulators do not predict and cannot fully control. Financial crises, properly understood through Austrian Business Cycle Theory, originate in monetary distortions rather than market failure. Post-crisis regulatory responses nonetheless target the profession rather than the underlying distortion, introducing rules that alter the institutional constraints within which auditors exercise professional judgment.

The thesis develops a judgment-based equation of …

Delenda Est Norfolk: The Tidewater Revolts!, Kiera Dillman, Alise Dunham, Kristen Gary, Olivia M. Haris, Nelliel A. Herrera, Logan Holzgrefe, R. J. Lynch, Adam M. Manis, David Mogan, Luke Pickard, Shayla M. Shaw, Landon Swain, Kenny Wilcox, Bailey M. Wimberly, Tracy L. Barnett

Student Projects

Introduction to the Exhibit:

Today—exactly 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence—many Americans trace the origins of the nation’s revolutionary sentiment to Boston, Massachusetts or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We remember the violence of March 1770, when red-coated British soldiers fired into a crowded Boston street, massacring innocent colonists and igniting outrage. We recall the patriotic defiance of the Sons of Liberty, who boarded three East India Company ships and dumped chests of imported British tea into the Boston Harbor in December 1773. We can still hear, too, the reverberations of the “shot heard ’round the world,” when British …

From Ruins To Rival: How The Japanese Economic Miracle Forged A Global Power, Elizabeth Rips

The Dialogue

The Japanese Economic Miracle (1950-1975) represents one of the most sustained periods of rapid economic growth in modern history. This paper examines the extent to which political policies contributed to Japan’s transformation into a leading global industrial power during the postwar era. While some historians emphasize the decisive role of U.S. occupation reforms and American economic support, this paper argues that Japan’s rise resulted from the interaction of multiple factors. Focusing on political institutions such as the Yoshida Doctrine, the dissolution of zaibatsu’s, and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), the paper analyzes how state-led industrial policy fostered …

A National Security Strategy For The Middle East, Vanessa Rice, Rudy Torres, Addy Horgan, Joy Omosa, Mark Westfall

School of Public Policy Capstones

This National Security Strategy addresses the persistent national security challenges the United States faces in the Middle East, a region vital for global energy supply, economic connectivity, and a source of anti-American extremism. Recognizing the failures of past "haphazard experimentation," the strategy proposes a thoughtful, pragmatic plan prioritizing five distinct and congruent interest areas: Maintaining Regional Access, Supporting Regional Stability, Ensuring Energy Security, Defending American Citizens and Personnel, and Preserving and Protecting Western Ideals. The strategy outlines actions such as: countering Chinese and Russian influence through intelligence sharing and defense incentives; containing Iran via a new, permanent nuclear deal and …

From Index To Impact: How Vietnam’S Provincial Competitiveness Index Shapes Governance, Investment And Reform, Edmund J. Malesky

Asian Management Insights

Why business leaders should watch Vietnam’s subnational reform experiment closely.

Pay-Per-Crawl Pricing For Ai: The Lm-Tree Agent, Richard Archer, Soheil Ghili, Nima Haghpanah

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

No abstract provided.

Optometry Associations And The Free Rider Problem Revisited, Matthew Mullis, Joshua Hall, Edgar Orozco

Graduate Student Scholarship

Members of professional associations pay dues to professional associations for a variety of reasons, including lobbying. This can lead to a free-rider problem if non-members enjoy the benefits without paying. Using 2023 data from 30 states, we revisit earlier work on the free-riding problem by analyzing how continuing education requirements, number of optometrists, benefit salience, and legal services affect membership rates. We find no significant relationship between continuing education hours or total optometrists and membership percentages. We introduce two variables measuring selective incentives: salience of advertised benefits and availability of legal services. Legal services exhibit a negative association with membership …

Hitler Must Be Killed: A Wwii Case Study, Jeffrey Byford, Presley Shilling, Alisha Milam

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Social studies education during the 1960s experienced an educational renaissance known as the new social studies movement. Over 50 projects were funded by the National Science Foundation or private corporations to interject a student-centered curriculum into K-12 classrooms during this period. Nearly 60 years later, can student-centered decision-making activities be used in an era of high-stakes testing and planned curriculum? This article attempts to rekindle students' interest in decision-making and discussion by exploring elements in Moral Reasoning: The Value of Life from the Harvard Social Studies Project (HSSP). The activity called "Hitler Must Be Killed" helped students bring the content …

Macroprudential Easing Measures In The Context Of Contractionary Monetary Policy: The Case Of Brazil In 2014, Marcos Antonio Paliari, Marcos Roberto Vasconcelos

Journal of Banking and Financial Economics

This paper evaluates the effects of a macroprudential policy of regulatory easing implemented amidst a contractionary monetary policy in Brazil. The intervention, carried out by the Central Bank in the third quarter of 2014, relaxed reserve requirements on time deposits to stimulate bank credit for vehicle financing. Using a Difference-in-Differences approach with fixed effects by credit modality and month, the analysis is based on monthly disbursement data for consumer loans from 2011 to 2018. Twelve rolling monthly windows are used to capture the dynamic evolution of the policy’s effects. Results based on a synthetic control group indicate statistically significant and …

Fixed Effects Estimation Of Spatial Panel Model With Missing Responses: An Application To Us State Tax Competition, Xiaoyu Meng, Zhenlin Yang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We consider estimation and inferences for general spatial panel data models with randomly missing observations on responses. It allows for unobserved spatiotemporal heterogeneity, time-varying endogenous and contextual spatial interactions, time-varying cross-sectional error dependence, and serial correlation. A general M-estimation method is proposed for model estimation and a novel corrected plug-in method is proposed for model inference. Both take into account the estimation of fixed effects. Asymptotic properties of the proposed methods are studied, and finite sample properties are investigated. An empirical application is given using U.S. state tax competition data. The proposed methods apply to matrix exponential spatial specification and …

Genuinely Unbalanced Spatial Panel Data Models: Fixed Effects M-Estimation And Inference, Xiaoyu Meng, Zhenlin Yang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We consider spatial panel data models with genuine unbalancedness arising from the non-presence of some spatial units in certain time periods. General M-estimation methods are proposed for model estimation, which take into account the estimation of the incidental fixed effects parameters and allow for spatiotemporal heteroskedasticity and high-order time-varying spatial effects. Corrected plug-in methods are proposed for standard error estimation. The proposed estimation and inference methods are rigorously studied for their asymptotic properties and finite sample performance. An application to China’s provincial FDI inflows shows that properly accounting for genuine unbalancedness uncovers significant positive spatial spillovers that are masked when …

From Conversations To Mechanisms: Aligning Advertiser Incentives In Ai-Powered Product Recommendations, Dirk Bergemann, Marek Bojko, Paul Dütting, Renato Paes Leme, Haifeng Xu, Song Zuo

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We study the design of efficient dynamic recommendation systems, such as AI shopping assistants, in which a platform interacts with a user over multiple rounds to identify the most suitable product among those offered by advertisers. Advertisers have multi-dimensional private information: their private value from a purchase and private information about the user’s preferences. In each round, the platform displays recommendations; the user learns product characteristics of the shown items and then chooses whether to purchase, exit without purchasing, or submit a new query. These actions generate a stream of feedback—purchase, exit, and follow-up queries—that is informative about the user’s …

Wildfires, Smoke Pollution, And Household Purchasing Behaviors, Tamara Sheldon, Crystal Zhan

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we investigate households’ behavioral responses to wildfires in California to understand their mitigation and adaptation strategies. We combine daily household-level consumer purchase data from the NielsenIQ Consumer Panel with detailed wildfire incident and smoke exposure data from various sources. Our analysis reveals that wildfires reduce retail trips and overall spending, both in-store and online, likely due to evacuations. However, wildfire-driven smoke increases purchases of essential goods, indicating adaptive behavior. More experienced households tend to respond more cautiously, and we observe heterogeneity in responses based on income, age, and pre-existing health conditions. These findings highlight the complexity and …

Reasoning On Time-Series For Financial Technical Analysis, Kelvin J. L. Koa, Jan Chen, Yunshan Ma, Huanhuan Zheng, Tat-Seng Chua

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

While Large Language Models have been used to produce interpretable stock forecasts, they mainly focus on analyzing textual reports but not historical price data, also known as Technical Analysis. This task is challenging as it switches between domains: the stock price inputs and outputs lie in the time-series domain, while the reasoning step should be in natural language. In this work, we introduce Verbal Technical Analysis (VTA), a novel framework that combine verbal and latent reasoning to produce stock time-series forecasts that are both accurate and interpretable. To reason over time-series, we convert stock price data into textual annotations and …

Connectivity And Tourism Flow In Small Island Developing States, Edmir Luciano Dos Santos Ferreira, João Paulo Madeira

International Journal of Islands Research

Tourism in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) faces unique sustainability challenges, with connectivity emerging as a critical factor. These nations, often situated in remote locations, encounter significant accessibility constraints and limited infrastructure, which restrict tourist flows and adversely affect economic development. The primary aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between connectivity and tourism flows in SIDS, exploring how connectivity, proxied by geographical and cultural-political distance, influences tourism in these regions. Furthermore, the study seeks to determine whether belonging to different SIDS regions or exhibiting varying levels of development helps destinations attract greater tourist flows, by examining several …

The Roles Of The Human Resources Management Director And Their Impact On Entrepreneurial Training:An Analytical Study At The Ministry Of Labor And Social Affairs, Ali Abd Al-Salam Abd Al-Daem

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

The research problem lies in the weak level of entrepreneurial training in Iraqi ministries despite the importance of the strategic roles of human resources management. The research gap is represented by the scarcity of empirical studies that measure the relative impact of the roles of the HR manager (according to Ulrich’s model) in activating entrepreneurial training within the Iraqi public sector environment. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze the relationship between the roles of the Human Resources Management Director—as a strategic partner, administrative expert, developmental supporter, and change agent—and their impact on activating entrepreneurial training at the Ministry of Labor …

Digital Financial Innovation, Currency Outside Banking System, And Inflationary Rate In Nigeria: Implications For Exchange Rate Management, Philip Ifeakachukwu Nwosa

Bullion

Digital financial innovation has expanded globally, supporting cashless systems and reducing currency outside banks and inflation in advanced economies. In Nigeria, however, rising use of digital payment platforms has coincided with increasing inflation and higher cash in circulation. This study explores the relationship among digital financial innovation, currency outside the banking system, and inflation from 2009 to 2024, while assessing implications for exchange rate management. Findings show that despite rapid digital payment growth, both inflation and cash outside banks remain elevated, creating challenges for effective exchange rate stability. The study adopts a descriptive research design to examine the relationship among …

The Impact Of Corporate Governance Practices On Enhancing The Quality Of Financial Reporting: An Applied Study On A Sample Of Commercial Banks Listed On The Iraq Stock Exchange, Ahmed Hashem Sakr

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

This study examines the impact of corporate governance practices on the quality of financial reporting in a sample of commercial banks listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange. Motivated by the increasing need for transparency and reliability in financial information within the Iraqi banking environment characterized by regulatory challenges and economic instability the research investigates how key governance mechanisms contribute to enhancing the credibility and accuracy of financial reports. The study focuses on three core governance indicators: board size, board independence, and audit committee activity, in addition to relevant control variables reflecting firm characteristics.Employing panel data analysis and fixed-effects regression models, …

From Reclamation To Restoration: Remaking Nature On Portland's Peninsula, Theus Richards

University Honors Theses

This environmental history of the North Portland Peninsula is a critical case study of a landscape in transition, where new "natures" have been constructed through shifting projects of reclamation and restoration. The Port of Portland, who controlled the Peninsula, transformed the marshy bottomlands near the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers to accommodate greater networks of industrial infrastructure and expand their capacity for global trade. Beginning in 1967, the Port began dredging operations to fill Ramsey Lake to make way for the construction of Rivergate Industrial District. Through this process, Smith & Bybee Lakes were set aside as a …

His Role In Government Investment In Economic Development Services In Iraq, Hatem Jabr Atshan

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

This study aims to shed light on the reality of government investment spending in Iraq by analyzing its indicators and estimating the government investment spending index and its impact on economic growth for the period 2004-2024, based on theoretical and applied frameworks. The study concluded that the contribution of investment spending to GDP was determined to be between (5.7%) and (69.6%), with an average rate of (17.75%), indicating government involvement in socio-economic fields. There is no financial approach worldwide that reduces the scope of public spending in favor of investment spending in a way that leads to increased economic growth.

Integrated Reporting And Its Role In Enhancing The Reliability Of Financial Reports: The Mediating Role Of Digital Transformation Technology: A Field Study, Mohammed Jumaah Kareem Sajet Al-Barki, Qasim Mohammed Abdullah, Majid Gazi Hasan, Ali Awadh Atshan

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

The primary objective of the research is to demonstrate the impact of Integrated Reporting on enhancing the reliability of financial reports through the adoption of digital transformation technology, and to provide the cognitive foundations regarding Integrated Reporting and the reliability of financial reports. The research focused on the community of commercial companies listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange, with the sample limited to seven (7) companies according to specific criteria, as they are listed on the exchange and possess externally audited financial reports. These companies did not experience any mergers during the research period, which allowed for the completion of …

Work Environment Quality And Its Relationship To Job Satisfaction In The Kirkuk Education Directorate, Ahmed Abd Saleh

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

The study aimed to examine the relationship between the quality of the work environment in its dimensions (teamwork, improvement of working conditions, and motivation) and the achievement of job satisfaction among the employees of Kirkuk Directorate of Education, with a focus on the extent to which the elements of the work environment affect the level of satisfaction and organizational commitment. The study population consisted of 970 employees of the directorate, from which a random sample of 100 employees from various departments and job levels was selected as the study sample. The majority of the sample were male, with work experience …

Exploring The Impact Of Psychological Hardiness On Career Prosperity: An Analytical Study Of The Opinions Of Employees Of The Ministry Of Migration And Displacement/Najaf Governorate Branch, Mustafa Hasan Kareem Al-Hamami

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

This study aims to explore the impact of psychological hardiness on career well-being among employees of the Ministry of Migration and Displaced Persons – Najaf Al-Ashraf Branch, with a focus on how psychological hardiness contributes to enhancing employee welfare and improving professional performance. The study adopted a descriptive- analytical approach, where data were collected and analyzed to determine the relationship between the variables. The study population included all employees of the Ministry – Najaf Al-Ashraf Branch, and a random sample of 100 employees was selected to ensure adequate representation of different departments and job categories. A standardized questionnaire measuring psychological …

Analyzing The Impact Of Applying Ipsas 42 On Social Benefits In Enhancing Reporting Quality And Promoting Financial Sustainability, Burhan Hussein Khalaf Al-Rawi, Hasan Saleh Yusuf Al-Bajari

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

The study aims to explore the impact of applying IPSAS 42 on social benefits in enhancing the efficiency of financial reporting and strengthening the sustainability of financial capabilities within Iraqi government institutions. The study objectives were achieved by examining the nature and objectives of IPSAS 42, assessing the current state of disclosure of social benefits in government financial reports, and measuring the extent to which the social benefits standard contributes to promoting financial sustainability. The study relied on secondary financial data from a set of Iraqi government entities, including current expenditures, capital/investment expenditures, oil revenues, non-oil revenues, fiscal deficit, and …

The Impact Of Earnings Volatility On Debt Financing: A Study On A Sample Of Iraqi Banks, Ali Ayyd Al Jbori, Alaa Abdlzahra Obaid, Mohammed Sadeq Jappar

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

This study aims to analyze the impact of earnings volatility on the debt financing structure of Iraqi banks, using an analytical descriptive approach and financial data from a sample of private Iraqi banks listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange for the period (2017-2024). A multiple linear regression model was applied to examine the relationship, while controlling key variables (liquidity ratio and bank size). The results revealed a statistically significant negative impact of earnings volatility on the reliance on debt financing, where increased volatility led to reduced dependence on debt in the capital structure. The study concludes that capital structure decisions …

The Role Of Organizational Resilience In Reducing Organizational Collapse: An Analytical Study Of The Opinions Of A Sample Of Workers In The Tal Afar Education Department, Shuab Ahmed Aziz Al-Mawla

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

Purpose: This research aims to study the relationship between organizational resilience (capital resilience, strategic resilience, cultural resilience, learning resilience, and relationship resilience) and organizational breakdown (internal factors, external factors, structural factors, human factors, and financial factors) in the Tal Afar Education Department, Nineveh Governorate. Design/Methodology: Based on stratified random sampling, 400 questionnaires were distributed from a population of 650 to employees of the Tal Afar Education Department. The sample was drawn using Sakran’s (2010) formula. A similar questionnaire was also distributed to principals and assistant principals working in affiliated schools. Of these, 191 questionnaires were deemed valid. The …

Human Talent Management And Its Role In Enhancing The Quality Of Educational Service: An Exploratory Study Of The Opinions Of A Sample Of Supervisors In The General Directorate Of Education Of Nineveh, Ibrahim Khalil Ibrahim Mohammed Al-Hayali

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

This research aims to examine the actual role reflected by human talent management, specifically its dimensions (recruitment, performance management, training and development, talent retention), in enhancing the quality of educational service, which includes (the academic background of the teacher, the curriculum, infrastructure and facilities, quality of recruitment, safety and security, development of students’ skills). The research stems from a real problem whose features are embodied in the following question: What is the actual role reflected by the dimensions of human talent management in enhancing the quality of educational service in the researched directorate? Using the descriptive-analytical approach to diagnose and …

The Role Of Digital Governance In Improving The Quality Of Financial Reporting Under Fair Value Measurement In Accordance With International Financial Reporting Standard (Ifrs 13): An Applied Study On Jordanian Banks Listed On The Amman Stock Exchange., Ashraf Hashim Faris Alabdoon

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

This study investigates the role of digital governance in enhancing the quality of financial reporting, while examining the mediating effect of fair value measurement under IFRS 13. The study is based on the hypothesis that digital governance practices have a positive impact on improving financial reporting quality within the fair value measurement framework. The empirical analysis focuses on Jordanian commercial banks listed on the Amman Stock Exchange over the period 2017–2024. Data were collected from published annual financial reports to construct a dataset suitable for statistical analysis and to bridge theoretical concepts with practical applications in the banking sector. The …

Blockchain Technology As A Tool To Enhance Information Security Elements In The Government Organizations Sector: An Exploratory Study In The Nineveh Governorate Traffic Directorate, Saif Khalid Zakaria

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

Purpose: The objective of this study is oriented to investigate what are the determinant features of Blockchain Technology (BCT) that contribute in boosting ISE factors in governmental institutions. The research work is grounded on referring to the most popular features of Blockchain (BC) in enhancing the core and supportive (ISE). Research Design/ Methods and approach: The data for this research was based on a crosssectional and correlational survey (95 responses were finally analyzed). The collected data were first analyzed using SPSS v.26 and then through variance based structural equation modeling (SEM; Smart PLS v.4) for assessing validity and …