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The Paradox Of Value, David Enrique Guarnizo

Theses and Dissertations

The present thesis project examines how, in the United States, and especially in the state of Virginia, archetypes of "wealth," "value," and "identity" have been constructed in relation to land and territory. This analysis explores the tension between the inherent value of life on the land and the economic value that can be derived from it. This tension is exemplified by a theory known as the "paradox of value", also referred to as the "paradox of water and diamonds", which was developed by the renowned Scottish economist and philosopher, Adam Smith. This theoretical framework serves as a fundamental axis for …

Introducing Sustainable Development Goals In College Curricula: A Way Forward, Christy Ashley, Jason D. Oliver, Hillary Leonard

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

The commentary proposes a blueprint to help guide curriculum innovations, partnerships, and teaching interventions that incorporate the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) into the curriculum. It suggests the utilization of AACSB’s Societal Impact Canvas with Ancona et al.’s (2007) Leadership Capabilities (Sensemaking, Relating, Visioning, Inventing) to provide a blueprint for mission-aligned SDG integration at a local level. It provides an illustrative example from the University of Rhode Island (USA), where the focus is on the Blue Economy. It aims to provide practical guidance for how a college or university can efficiently organize to gain stakeholder input that helps enhance …

Redefining The Relevant Market: Abandonment Or Return To Brown Shoe, Daniel A. Hanley

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Defining a relevant market is arguably the most important requirement in antitrust litigation. Between the 1890s and the 1940s, defining a relevant market was a simple and generalized process, typically undertaken by courts as a cursory matter. However, in the 1960s, defining relevant markets became a centerpiece of antitrust litigation. The modern method originates from the Supreme Court’s landmark 1962 decision in Brown Shoe v. United States. The method commonly known as the Brown Shoe test requires judges to construct relevant markets by carefully analyzing accessible and understandable qualitative data, such as internal corporate documents and consumer surveys. Since the …

Overconfidence Bias Amongst Student Investors, William Winship

Economics Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

The Economics Of Sex Work As Modern Day Slavery, Clifton Carragher

Economics Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Book Of Abstracts Of The Wmu International Conference 2025 : Advancing The Blue Economy Through Gender Equality, World Maritime University, Momoko Kitada, Francis Neat, Renis Auma Ojwala

Conference Papers

The 2025 World Maritime Theme by the International Maritime Organization, “Our Ocean, Our Obligation and Our Responsibility,” underscores the global need for an inclusive and sustainable approach to ocean health and maritime economic activity. In alignment with this, the World Maritime University organized the 2025 International Conference on Achieving the Blue Economy Through Gender Equality, highlighting the critical role of gender equality in advancing a sustainable blue economy. A call for case studies yielded 102 abstracts from 206 authors across 46 countries, representing diverse maritime sectors such as shipping, fisheries, and ocean sciences. The abstracts were reviewed by both internal …

The Black-Market Commodification Of Human Organs And Bones: A Marxist Perspective, Erik Schulz

Nebraska Anthropologist

The trade and treatment of human remains, while seemingly straightforward, have increasingly become subjects of ethical and moral debate. Over time and in light of recent events, questions have emerged regarding the appropriateness of how human remains are handled and exchanged. This paper examines these issues through the lens of Marxist framework and the perspective of forensic anthropology. The objective is to provide contextual understanding and encourage a reevaluation of current practices, particularly within academic settings, to ensure that human morals, dignity and ethical standards are upheld.

Deportations And Debt: How The Trump Administration’S Immigration Policies Affect The United States’ National Debt Situation, James D. Webster

Honors Theses and Capstones

The value of the United States’ national debt measured as a share of its economic output, otherwise known as its debt-to-GDP ratio, is projected to reach an all-time high and continue to climb over the span of the next 30 years. This can be attributed to a combination of tax and spending policies which generate annual budget deficits as well as a projected slowdown of economic growth. A major factor contributing to this situation is the slowing growth of the labor force in the United States. As time goes on, the growth of the U.S. population slows, and immigration becomes …

The Game Of Going Public: Market Timing, Information Asymmetry, And The Signaling Effects Of Initial Public Offerings (Ipos) In The Technology Industry, Kiana Seva

Scripps Senior Theses

My thesis explores the game of going public in the technology industry, specifically the strategic decision-making process of issuing an initial public offering (IPO), the advantages a company may gain from its market timing, and the signaling effects of its IPO. Existing research on this subject is vast but fragmented into areas that focus on the decision to go public, game theoretical analysis of the advantages, analysis of the advantages using quantitative data, and signaling effects. To address this gap, I developed and analyzed three game theoretic models which account for all these factors that affect the success of an …

Reporting And Underreporting Of Sex Harassment In United States Public Schools: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Erica S. Matthisen

Scripps Senior Theses

Using mixed methods, I assess the factors that contribute to the underreporting of sex harassment in elementary and secondary educational environments. I first use regional Title IX data to assess the impacts of Title IX resource access on several indicator variables, finding a positive impact on allegations and discipline cases when a harassment/bullying policy was made available online. Next, I seek to identify other factors that contribute to reporting or underreporting. To that end, I conduct organizational analysis and informational interviews. From the organizational analysis, I identify factors that contribute to the normalization and underreporting of sex harassment and strategies …

Where Does The Money Go? Three Essays On Intergovernmental Transfers, Spending, And Poverty In Indonesia, Jacobus Cd Rijoly

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Indonesia allocates substantial intergovernmental transfers to local governments; nonetheless, the decrease in poverty remains limited. This dissertation posits that the binding constraint is institutional, specifically the regulations and incentives that dictate the extent to which funds are allocated from the government to designated programs. Institutional pass-through refers to the fraction of a transfer that is allocated to a program expenditure. The three essays integrate estimation, budget composition evidence, and a formal model to explain both modest average effects and heterogeneity across regions and programs.

The first essay evaluates the impact of transfers on provincial poverty from 2001 to 2022 by …

Impact Of Geography On Institutions In Agricultural And Nomadic Societies, Haiwen Zhou

Economics Faculty Publications

How geography affects the choice of institutions is studied in a theoretical model. In this model, nations are located around a circle. Rulers compete through choosing tax rates, the level of military spending, and the degree of formality of institutions. Geographic condition is captured by population density. It is shown that societies with higher population densities choose lower tax rates, establish more formal institutions, and give government officials lower levels of autonomies than those with lower population densities do. A higher level of external threats induces a ruler to choose a higher level of autonomy for officials. The model is …

Politicians As Persuaders: A Field Experiment On Messenger Effects And Social Program Uptake, Syon Bhanot

Economics Faculty Works

Accessing public sector programs often involves onerous administrative processes for citizens, which can demotivate program applicants and discourage uptake. In this study, I worked with the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) to test an intervention to boost uptake of PHDC’s Basic System Repair Program (BSRP) by using local political leaders to persuade citizens to complete the program’s onboarding process. Specifically, I randomly assigned 2,575 BSRP applicants to either receive a motivational mailer from PHDC directly, or from the office of that citizen’s representative on the Philadelphia City Council. While I find that the average response rate for individuals who received …

The Implications Of A Rise In The Minimum Wage: Evidence From Female Workers In Mexico, Isabella Cardenas Padilla

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes the 2019 minimum wage reform in Mexico, evaluating its impact on female labor market outcomes, including labor force participation, formal employment, and informal employment. This reform introduced a new geographic minimum wage zone along municipalities bordering the United States, accompanied by fiscal incentives, creating a natural experiment for analysis. Using difference-in-differences regression specifications, the study finds that the minimum wage increase was associated with a rise in formal sector employment and a corresponding decline in informal employment among women with low educational attainment. This study finds a magnitude of 6 percentage points in each direction, an economically …

Synthetic Statocracy - Pakistan’S Self-Created Inferno: Examining The Causes And Consequences Of Military Dominance In Pakistan, Umer Lakhani

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines the history of military rule in Pakistan. Applying the framework of Johannes Gerschewski in The Three Pillars of Stability: Legitimation, Repression and Co-Optation in Autocratic Regimes, this paper looks to explain how military rulers who presided over the three periods of military rule in Pakistan consolidated and maintained their power, as well as the effects that these periods of rule had on Pakistani society. This paper will also supplement Gerschewski’s general framework by applying the findings of various established authors who have been published extensively on Pakistan’s political history, economy and relationship with the military. Such authors …

Bitcoin Adoption And Beliefs In Canada: A Reply To Van Hove (Journal Of Comments And Replications In Economics, 2025), Daniela Balutel, Christopher Henry, Jorge Vásquez, Marcel Voia

Economics: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Disparities In Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes And Economic Burdens Among Minorities In Southeastern Virginia, Ismail El Moudden, Asra Amidi, Reem Sharaf Alddin, Michael Bittner, Qi Zhang

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Background

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the United States, presenting significant public health challenges and financial burdens, particularly in Southeastern Virginia, where African American and Hispanic (AA&H) populations are disproportionately affected.

Methods

This retrospective observational study analyzed data from 30,855 hospital discharges of AA&H patients across Southeastern Virginia from 2016 to 2020, focusing on individuals aged 18 to 85 with cardiovascular diseases. Utilizing the Virginia Health Information database, we examined demographic information, clinical data, and healthcare utilization patterns through hypothesis tests and regression models to explore associations between these variables and the economic impacts of cardiovascular …

Unconventional Philosophies And Practices: Vietnamese Family Firm Performance In Multiple Countries, Amon Simba, Mai Thi Thanh Thai, Aymen Ammari, James V. Koch, Paul Jones

Economics Faculty Publications

The diversity of business philosophies and practices across family firms suggests their performance is influenced by factors that can be hard to isolate or understand. Based on 215 observations of Vietnamese firms operating in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America, we use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis techniques to discern the configurational relationships underlying their performance pathways. Of the 64 possible configurations, three pathways with a high consistency (95 percent) for high performance are distinguishable. These three pathways are characterized by varying degrees of family labor involvement, social network-based labor sourcing, and capital contributions from partners. They reveal how cultural factors, …

Institutionalisation And Institutional Evolution: A Model Of Selecting Government Officials In Ancient China, Haiwen Zhou

Economics Faculty Publications

The evolution of institutions in selecting government officials in ancient China reflected efficiency considerations and increased power concentration in the hands of the ruler. Selecting government officials in ancient China became more rule‐based over time, and standardisation and centralisation were some key features of this process. In this dynamic model, a higher volume of transactions, shown as the number of candidates needed to be evaluated, leads to institutionalisation, which has a higher fixed cost but a lower marginal cost in processing each transaction. In the steady state, a ruler with a more encompassing interest chooses a higher level of institutionalisation. …

What Role Do Finance Ministers Play In Political Business Cycles? Evidence-Based On A New African Dataset, Christine Olivia Strong

Economics Faculty Publications

This study investigates how the personal characteristics of finance ministers influence political budget cycles in Africa. Using a new dataset covering 300 finance ministers across 23 countries from 1980 to 2020, we find that political budget cycles primarily take the form of increased government consumption during election years. Ministers with prior central banking experience are less likely to amplify spending in election years, effectively curbing political budget cycles. These results remain consistent after accounting for institutional quality, ministerial tenure, and other confounding factors. The findings contribute to the literature by showing that the appointment of finance ministers in African countries …

Ethnic Politics And Fiscal Dominance: Implications For Currency Union Formation In Sub-Saharan Africa, Benjamin D. Keen, Christine O. Strong

Economics Faculty Publications

Numerous currency unions have been proposed in Africa over the past 50 years, but none have succeeded. This paper asserts ethnic favouritism is a crucial yet often overlooked feature that strongly influences an African government’s willingness to join a currency union. We use a Barro and Gordon (1983) style model that incorporates fiscal dominance, political business cycles and ethnic favouritism to assess the benefits and costs to African households and governments of joining a currency union. Our results show that ethnic alignment between the head of state and central bank governor amplifies fiscal dominance, which reduces an African government’s desire …

Capital Structure Models And Contingent Convertible Securities, Di Meng

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The 2007-09 financial crisis showed financial institutions are vulnerable during distressed times. As an alternative resolution to a government bail-out, contingent convertible securities (contingent capital or CoCos) were proposed by various researchers. CoCo is a hybrid capital security that converts from a bond to common equity when a pre-determined event occurs. The loss absorption mechanism of CoCo is essential to the financial health of a bank during a crisis as it provides an instant capital infusion when public capital is difficult to access.

In this thesis, we first implement a methodology to calibrate capital structure models for large Canadian banks. …

The Gender Wage Gap In An Online Labor Market: The Cost Of Interruptions, Abi Adams, Kotaro Hara, Kristy Milland, Chris Callison-Burch

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper analyses gender differences in working patterns and wages on Amazon Mechanical Turk, a popular online labour platform. Using information on 2 million tasks, we find no gender differences in task selection nor experience. Nonetheless, women earn 20% less per hour on average. Gender differences in working patterns are a significant driver of this wage gap. Women are more likely to interrupt their working time on the platform with consequences for their task completion speed. A follow-up survey shows that the gender differences in working patterns and hourly wages are concentrated amongst workers with children.

A Geopolitical Economy Analysis Of China And India’S Approaches To Transnational Data Governance, Yujia He, Ka Zeng

Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Faculty Publications

Recent literature on the behavior of rising powers in digital trade and data governance highlights their discourses of data sovereignty and desire to preserve domestic policy autonomy. This article contributes to the literature by employing a political economy lens that shifts the focus from the nation-state/inter-state framework towards the dynamics of state–capital relations, allowing for a more historical and contextual understanding of the geopolitics of data governance in emerging economies. Using China and India—two of the largest emerging economies—as comparative cases, and drawing on secondary data from government documents and other sources, the article argues that the interplay between the …

Analysis Of Safety Investment : Economic Benefit In Arctic Shipping To Shipping Companies And The Arctic Coastal States, Junjie Wan

World Maritime University Ph.D. Dissertations

Global warming severely affects the Arctic region, including ice coverage and thickness. In contrast, it allows unprecedented navigation opportunities for more extended periods each year, attracting maritime stakeholders because of the potential distance reduction compared to shipping corridor routes. However, mitigating Arctic navigation hazards requires safety investments, especially from shipowners and Arctic coastal states. When allocating limited resources to safety, decision-makers should efficiently prioritize their investments. This research aims to determine how to optimize shipping companies and Arctic coastal states’ safety investments. It begins with a comprehensive analysis of safety investments and safety economic benefits in Arctic shipping. Then, an …

One Of The Magnificent Seven Is Coming: Amazon Arrives In East Texas, Manuel Reyes-Loya, Cecilia Cuellar

Hibbs Brief

In this issue of the Hibbs Brief, the arrival of Amazon in East Texas is examined, detailing the company's plans to build a new delivery station in Tyler and estimating its potential economic impact on the region. The brief explains how Amazon's logistics infrastructure works and highlights that the new facility — a roughly 140,000‑square‑foot delivery station — is expected to generate more than 100 full‑time jobs, several hundred part‑time positions, and significant construction‑related employment and economic activity, while broadening the local tax base. By embedding Amazon's presence in the East Texas economy, the analysis shows promising prospects for job …

Exploring Perceived Value: An Analysis Of Belmont University's Dining Options, Joshua Schonland, Delaney King

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Belmont University has a number of dining options available for its students, faculty, staff, and the public. These on-campus dining options include well-known fast food restaurant chains in the United States such as Starbucks Coffee, Chick-fil-a, and Einstein Bros. Bagels. Members of Belmont University who pay for a specific 'meal plan ' have full access to these on-campus options in addition to an all-inclusive dining hall, which is also open to the public for $12.50.

The available meal plans for students, faculty, and staff vary in value and offerings. Some variations offer a fixed number of ‘swipes’, which is a …

Evaluating Visitor Valuation Of Urban Green Spaces By Modality, Vicky J. Gao, Adam Fulton, Ross Andrew

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Abstract: Urban green spaces play a critical role in enhancing the well-being of city residents by providing recreational opportunities, environmental benefits, and a social setting. While still in its early stages—focused on analyzing findings from a pilot survey—this study aims to investigate how visitors value urban green spaces through surveys conducted in Warner Parks in Nashville, with plans to expand to other significant urban green spaces in neighboring states.

For the purposes of SPARK, this study presents the findings of the pilot survey. The survey collected data on variables such as primary park activity, distance travelled to local parks, perceived …

Fiscal Citizenship And Taxpayer Privacy, Alex Zhang

Faculty Articles

Should individual tax data be public or confidential? Within the United States, secrecy has been the rule since the Tax Reform Act of 1976. But at three critical junctures—the Civil War, the 1920s, and the 1930s—Congress made individual tax records open for public inspection, and newspapers published the incomes of the billionaires of the time. Today, Finland, Norway, and Sweden all mandate significant transparency for individual tax information.

This Essay intervenes in the tax-confidentiality debate by building a new analytical framework of fiscal citizenship. Until now, scholars have focused on compliance—whether disclosure incentivizes honest reporting of income, and if it …

การศึกษาความเต็มใจที่จะจ่ายในการรับเทคโนโลยีในการทำประมงพื้นบ้านในจังหวัดชลบุรี, ชนากานต์ ศุภศิริสมบัติ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อประเมินมูลค่าความเต็มใจที่จะจ่ายในการรับเทคโนโลยีของชาวประมงพื้นบ้านในจังหวัดชลบุรี โดยใช้วิธีการประเมินมูลค่าภายใต้สถานการณ์สมมติ และศึกษาปัจจัยที่มีผลต่อ การกำหนดมูลค่าความเต็มใจที่จะจ่ายของชาวประมงพื้นบ้านในจังหวัดชลบุรีสำหรับการรับเทคโนโลยีเข้ามาช่วยในการทำประมงพื้นบ้านอย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติ โดยใช้แบบจำลอง Ordered Logistic Regression ในการวิเคราะห์ข้อมูล กลุ่มตัวอย่างของการศึกษา ได้แก่ ชาวประมงพื้นบ้านในจังหวัดชลบุรี จำนวน 454 คน และเทคโนโลยีที่ใช้ในการศึกษามี 3 ประเภท ได้แก่ เทคโนโลยีติดตามเรือประมง นวัตกรรมกระชังปลาอัจฉริยะ และนวัตกรรมอวนประมงติดหลอดไฟ LED จากผลการศึกษา พบว่า ตัวแปรที่ส่งผลต่อความเต็มใจที่จะจ่ายในการรับเทคโนโลยีในการทำประมงพื้นบ้านในจังหวัดชลบุรี โดยมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับความเชื่อมั่นร้อยละ 95 ได้แก่ ตัวแปรระดับราคาที่เสนอครั้งแรก ระดับการให้ความสำคัญกับค่าใช้จ่ายในการบำรุงรักษาเครื่องมือที่ใช้ ในการทำประมงพื้นบ้าน ระดับการให้ความสำคัญกับการได้รับการสนับสนุนจากหน่วยงานภาครัฐ ระดับความรู้เรื่องเทคโนโลยีที่ประยุกต์ใช้ในเครื่องมือประมงพื้นบ้าน และระดับความรู้เรื่องการบำรุงรักษาเทคโนโลยีที่ประยุกต์ใช้ในเครื่องมือประมงพื้นบ้าน โดยมีข้อเสนอแนะเชิงนโยบายกับภาครัฐในด้านมาตรการส่งเสริมชาวประมงพื้นบ้านในการทำประมง ได้แก่ มาตรการการสนับสนุนผลิตภัณฑ์สัตว์น้ำทะเลคุณภาพ มาตรการ ให้เช่ายืมเครื่องมือและเทคโนโลยีในการทำประมงพื้นบ้าน มาตรการการรับรองสัตว์น้ำทะเลและส่งเสริมการตลาดสัตว์น้ำทะเลจากประมงพื้นบ้าน