Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Key Determinants Of Diamond Value, Tobey Brill, Alexander Dobrovolskyi, Rayland Labayog

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

This paper intends to examine the determinants of diamond pricing using a hedonic regression framework. Using the diamonds dataset from Wickham (2016), we analyze the four C’s, also known as carat weight, cut, color, and clarity. We also wanted to go deeper into this topic and look into the depth and table to see how it impacts diamond pricing. Results have displayed that carat weight greatly influences a diamond’s price, while characteristics such as clarity, color, and cut exert positive effects. Estimates were found to be statistically significant. Our findings confirm and reassure the idea that hedonic pricing accurately captures …

Social Determinants Of Low Educational Attainment, Isabelle Graham, Kevin Lieng, Aubriana Weisbach

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

This paper examines how socioeconomic and demographic factors influence low educational attainment across U.S. cities. The analysis estimates both a linear regression model and a semi-log model to evaluate how poverty, unemployment, family structure, age composition, overcrowding, racial and ethnic minority share, broadband access, and housing cost burden affect the percentage of adults without a high school diploma. The results show that poverty, overcrowding, and minority share are the strongest predictors of low educational attainment, each exhibiting positive and highly significant effects. Overall, the findings highlight the role of social factors in shaping educational outcomes in high school.

The Effects Of Neighborhood And Interior Characteristics On Residential Sale Prices, Ella Sophie Hagman

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

This study analyses to what extent certain neighborhood and interior characteristics affect residential sale prices, after accounting for standard property variables. This is important to examine in order to understand the function of the housing market, the sources of price differences, and whether residential values can be controlled by prioritizing specific desirable property features. The study is based on a dataset of approximately 330,000 observations from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), as well as walkability data obtained from Walk Score. The data is analyzed in Stata, using three regression models with different combinations of explanatory variables. The results show that …

Do Rural Areas Gender-Discriminate Wages More Than Metropolitan Areas?, Ali Gonzalez, Michael Montano, Brandon Sacks, Joseph Williams

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

This study analyzes the gender wage gap in metropolitan versus rural areas using U.S. hourly wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), for the period 2010-2025. The analysis uses regressions on a semi-log wage model and Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions to compare the gaps and separate the effects attributable to explained (endowment) differences from those attributable to unexplained (coefficient) differences. The semi-log wage model reveals a percentage wage decrease for females of approximately 17.4% in rural areas and 9.9% in metropolitan areas. The Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions further indicate that the unexplained (coefficient) component of the gap is substantially larger in rural …

Labor Market Responses To Ai: Measuring Wage Effects Across U.S. Occupations, Kaitlin Pham, Karla Rodriguez

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing economies around the world, with some experts predicting an impact greater than the Industrial Revolution. As AI becomes more common in daily life and business, questions have grown about how it might affect jobs, wages, and inequality. The rise of automation and highly capable AI models has made people wonder which occupations will benefit and which might be at risk. This study looks at how exposure to AI technologies affects wage trajectories in the United States. Using occupational-level data from O*NET and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we build an AI exposure index …

The Structural Limitations Of Mining Output Growth In Nevada, Mckinley Brown, Emma Kitchen

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

This study compares short and long trends in Nevada to the production output within the mining industry. Nevada produces around 70% of the United States gold and about 15% of the world's critical minerals. From its position as one of the most resource rich mining regions globally to its emergence as a growing economic hub, mining played a central role in Nevada's economy. However, despite the industry’s importance, Nevada still faces inefficiencies in production output due to insufficient attention to key inputs such as labor, infrastructure, technology, and energy resources.

Determinants Of March Madness Tournament Advancement, Jace Waldahl

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

This paper examines whether tournament seed and team efficiency ratings help explain how far teams advance in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Using Bart Torvik NCAA basketball ratings data from 2008 to 2025, I construct a team-year dataset with tournament advancement measured from 1 to 7, where higher values represent deeper runs. The main independent variables are seed, net efficiency, offensive efficiency, and defensive efficiency. Descriptive statistics, correlations, scatterplots, and OLS regressions are used to test whether better-seeded and more efficient teams advance further. The results show that seed is the strongest and most consistent predictor of advancement, but efficiency …

Innovation Capability And The Performance Of Women Entrepreneurs: The Role Of Business Incubation Programs To " Moving Up A Class, Lily Purwianti, Hepy H. Ariyanto, Edy Yulianto Putra, Suherlina Suherlina

Arab Economic and Business Journal

This study analyzes the impact of  innovation capability on the performance of women entrepreneurs, with a focus on the role of business incubation program to "move up a class" in Riau Islands Province, Indonesia. The research  aims to evaluate how  business incubation programs  influence the relationship between innovation ability and the performance of women entrepreneurs.  Data were collected through questionnaire  completed by 129 female entrepreneurs who took part in  a Business Incubation program in Riau Islands Province. This study used a quantitative methodology. The PLS (Partial Least Square) software was used for data processing. The results show that while digital …

The Relationship Between Employee Perception Of Perfectionistic Leadership And Employee Outcomes, Jennifer Parras

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research shows perfectionism to be a multidimensional trait, yielding both positive and negative results. Given its evolving nature and impact, perfectionism is becoming more widely researched and an important trait to study. Multidimensional perfectionism, in its positive side, refers to striving towards excellence, whereas in its negatives side refers to a concern of failure. Today, multidimensional perfectionism research focuses more on the individual and interpersonal consequences of the trait with less focus on the workplace consequences of performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the dyadic relationship of leader’s perfectionism and employee outcomes. This …

Characteristics And Influencing Factors Of Think Tank Talent Development, Yongna Yuan, Xuejiao Zhao, Yingming Li, Shimin Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The development of think tank talent has become a fundamental pillar for enhancing the quality of China’s new-style think tanks with Chinese characteristics. On the tenth anniversary of the establishment of China’s new-style think tanks with Chinese characteristics, this study conducts an empirical analysis of the growth patterns, basic characteristics, and influencing factors of think tank talent in China, based on data from 187 valid questionnaires collected by the Think Tank Talent Development Alliance. The study finds that think tank talent in China can be categorized into three types: the “capability accumulation” type, the “stable development” type, and the “senior …

Logic And Pathways Of Higher Education In Supporting Science And Technology Innovation In Big Science Era, Yiran Song, Ying Wang, Yijun Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The new wave of technological and industrial transformation is propelling scientific and technological innovation from isolated breakthroughs toward ecosystem-based collaboration. Deepening interdisciplinary integration and accelerated data-driven and AI-powered processes present fresh challenges to talent cultivation in higher education, demanding a systemic shift in higher education to align with the demands of scientific and technological innovation. This study analyzes the co-evolutionary relationship between higher education and scientific and technological innovation from a historical perspective; examines the defining features of scientific and technological innovation in the era of big science and the new requirements it places on higher education; elucidates the practical …

Employee Engagement And Its Motivational Drivers: Lived Experiences Of Generation Y Employees In The Workplace, Ololade Dorcas Afolabi

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative study sought to explore the meaning of employee engagement among Generation Y employees in the United States. Specifically, this research aimed to understand how Generation Y employees described their lived experiences of engagement and the motivational drivers that influence their engagement at work. The researcher interviewed five Generation Y employees. Two of them work in retail industry, two work in healthcare technology, and one works in higher education. The findings show that the participants have a shared meaning of engagement, defining engagement as alignment between their personal goals and organizational goals. In addition, participants shared lived experiences of …

Examining The Relationship Between Dark Triad Personality Traits And Career Paths, Mary Robinson Gibson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Growing opportunities in information technology, digital accounting, and remote leadership have increased interest in the personality traits associated with these emerging work environments. The researcher examined the relationship between psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism, collectively referred to as Dark Triad personality traits, and career preferences. Specifically, the researcher tested whether higher levels of these traits predicted interest in careers characterized by prestige, power, autonomy, and opportunities for manipulation. Working professionals and college students completed the Short Dark Triad (SD3) and a career preference questionnaire. The researcher used binary logistic regression to assess whether Dark Triad traits predicted career cluster selection. Model …

How Race Influences Leadership Motivation: A Study Of Career Aspirations In Diverse Workforces, Latosha V. Hayes-Sperling

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explored whether and how racial identity influenced leadership motivation among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) professionals. Despite growing attention to workplace diversity, limited research had examined the internal motivational processes shaping leadership ambition for racially marginalized groups. Using a non-experimental design, this study examined whether perceived racial discrimination predicted leadership motivation and whether this relationship differed by gender. Survey data were collected from approximately 126 BIPOC professionals using validated measures of perceived racial discrimination and leadership motivation, the latter measured as a dimension of career aspirations. Results indicated that perceived racial discrimination, operationalized through workplace microaggressions …

The Moderating Influence Of Intrinsic Religiosity For Technostress And Tech Addiction In Adults Working In A Digital Environment, Elaine M. Hensley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examined factors influencing levels of technostress and tech addiction in adults working in digital environments, where technology is rapidly advancing. The main research questions asked: If and to what extent intrinsic religiosity and resilience, independently and through their interaction, predict levels of technostress and tech addiction among adults in a digital workplace environment. The research design used two multiple linear regression analyses and two moderation analyses to ascertain whether the null hypotheses would be retained. The procedure involved recruiting 222 participants through Prolific who activated a survey link from Qualtrics. The link contained demographic data and four surveys …

The Effect Of Return-To-Office Mandates On Worker Engagement And Perceived Work-Family Conflict, Caleb M. Daughhetee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study was to examine relationships among employee perceptions of return-to-office (RTO) mandates, employee engagement (EE), and work-family conflict (WFC) among previously remote U.S.-based workers. Despite extensive RTO mandates following the COVID-19 pandemic, limited research has examined the relationship between worker perceptions, EE, and work-family dynamics. Grounded in personal engagement theory (Kahn, 1990), role theory, and the Job Demands-Resources model, this study investigates whether RTO perceptions predict EE and WFC, and whether WFC mediates or moderates the relationship between RTO perceptions and EE. Data were collected from 145 participants using a researcher-developed RTO perception scale …

Leveraging Geomarketing For Enhanced Visitor Experience And Sustainable Management In National Parks And Cultural Heritage Sites: An Examination Of Gis And Geofencing, Mark J. Sciuchetti Jr., Jianping Huang

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Weather On The Value Of Home Attributes, Jason Beck

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Person-Supervisor Fit Antecedents: Self-Determination Theory In Salesforce Turnover Intention, Ilgım Dara Benoit, Jeffrey R. Foreman, Bonnie S. Guy

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Implicit Bias In Hiring: Leveraging Avatars To Foster More Inclusive Hiring Practices, Alexa Trifilo, Gary Blau, Crystal Reeck

Engaged Management ReView

This research investigated implicit racial in-group bias in hiring and examined extended reality (XR) as a mechanism for masking visual identity cues during the interview process. By introducing avatars that obscure physical characteristics, such as race, the study extends the concept of “blind” hiring into immersive virtual environments. In our experimental design, randomly assigned participants evaluated job candidates represented by avatars that had three variations of racial identifiability (White, Asian, or racially unidentifiable avatar) and two qualification levels (strong and ambiguous). We controlled for gender by including only experienced, full-time female professionals as participants in the evaluation of female avatars …

Crowding In Private Capital For Climate Adaptation In India, Shreya Bajaj

Master in Public Policy Theses

Reports show that India is highly vulnerable to climate change. Mitigation efforts alone cannot address these risks, and adaptation remains essential. Yet while much of the existing literature documents the adaptation finance gap, it offers less practical guidance on where private capital can realistically be used and what institutional arrangements are needed to make it work. This paper tries to address that gap in the Indian context.

This paper examines three adaptation finance use cases through which private capital could support climate adaptation and resilience in India: parametric disaster risk transfer, pooled municipal finance, and water fund. For each issue, …

A Just Reimagining Of The Loss & Damage Fund, Sarah Cheung

Master in Public Policy Theses

The Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), established at COP28 in 2023, represents a historic diplomatic breakthrough in multilateral climate finance, yet its design reflects the compromises necessary to secure political agreement rather than a just institutional architecture. This thesis evaluates the FRLD and two prominent reform proposals—the Bridgetown Initiative 3.0 and Esther Duflo's Grand Bargain—against a novel framework that provides a more precise way to evaluate the “justness” of different arrangements. This framework encompasses three dimensions: compensatory, distributive, and procedural justice. [JS1] A dimension of justice is achieved in a two-fold manner; first, through rhetorical commitments in …

The Regionalization Of The North American Auto Industry: A Comparative Analysis Of Automotive And White Goods Trade Under Nafta And The Usmca, 1990-2024, Helen Alexandra Helfgott

Master in Public Policy Theses

This research examines whether the auto-specific provisions introduced under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) have had a measurable regionalizing effect on North American export flows. The USMCA's auto-specific provisions, established in the rules of origin requirements (ROOs), increase regional value content requirements (RVC) while imposing new requirements for labor value content (LVC), steel and aluminum sourcing, and core parts. This research assesses whether these provisions are associated with a distinctive pattern of intra-regional export concentration not present in other sectors.

The study employs a descriptive comparative framework using data from UN Comtrade, spanning …

The Offense-Defense Balance And The Modern System In Ukraine, Daniel Hogestyn

Master in Public Policy Theses

This thesis evaluates whether the Russo Ukrainian war represents a revolution in military affairs (RMA) by testing Stephen Biddle’s "modern system" theory of battlefield outcomes against recent combat operations. Applying Biddle’s formal model to the 2023 Ukrainian offensive in Zaporizhia, the thesis finds that the offensive's failure conforms closely to Biddle’s causal logic, with force employment variables drawn from 20th century combat sufficient to account for the outcome. Biddle's model in military power argues that force employment has explained victory and defeat since World War I, rather than technology or numerical preponderance alone. Many commentators claim that proliferation of small …

Towards Critical Agency: A Case Study Of Japanese Peacebuilding And Development In The Bangsamoro, Hana Soma

Master in Public Policy Theses

Asking “In what ways have anthropological methods been part of Japan's peacebuilding and development interventions in the Bangsamoro?”, this research hopes to make a contribution to the study of anthropology and development and their practical application by exploring the possibilities of the role of an anthropological approach in making sense of modern-day development programs, particularly through the case study of Japan’s peacebuilding-through-development efforts in the Bangsamoro. After outlining the research question as well as the design and methodology used to answer it and an overview of the histories of dispossession and the Japanese relationship to Mindanao, the essay …

Stablecoins, Geopolitical Shocks, And Imperfect Arbitrage: A Case Study Of Türkiye, Vincient Arnold

Master in Public Policy Theses

On March 19, 2025, a key Turkish opposition political figure was unexpectedly arrested on what were presumed to be politically motivated charges. In response, the lira depreciated sharply. Meanwhile, Türkiye has a large and active dollar stablecoin market. Using a time series dataset of trade-frequency Tether vs. lira trading, I exploit this natural exogenous geopolitical risk-off event to investigate the response function of stablecoin traders active in Türkiye to this shock. I find that the shock is associated with a large (5.33% ) abnormal depreciation of the lira. Further, I show that the shock is associated with an abnormal widening …

Uneven Ranks: Geographic Deepening Of The All-Volunteer Force, Christine Hogestyn

Master in Public Policy Theses

Who is enlisting in Fiscal Year 2025, and what state-level characteristics are associated with military enlistment rates, service selection, and recruit quality? This study documents the geographic landscape of U.S. military accessions during a period of recruiting recovery, filling a gap in the literature by providing a current, empirical description of who enlists and from where in today’s All-Volunteer Force. Drawing on personnel data from the Department of War, the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates, and a federal dataset of military installations, I analyze 203,987 new accessions across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps from …

Silicon Rivalry: Understanding The U.S.-China Ai Competition In Southeast Asia, Daniel Christopher Kent

Master in Public Policy Theses

In the rising global strategic competition between China and the United States, artificial intelligence (AI) has taken on a special significance given its potentially transformative impact upon economics and security. Yet while the dialogue around the “AI race” is typically centered on foundational model capability enhancement, application in security contexts, and chip design and manufacturing, there is much less attention paid to its impact on geopolitics. In particular, AI diplomacy—the work of a state to spread its model of AI governance, evangelize its AI companies, and develop critical AI interdependencies and linkages around the world—is far less studied. Nowhere is …

The Digital Rentier State: Saudi Arabia, George Ngoh

Master in Public Policy Theses

As artificial intelligence reshapes Great Power Competition, control over digital infrastructure has become a key measure of global hegemony. In this context, Saudi Arabia is using its Vision 2030 strategy to pivot from traditional hydrocarbon reliance toward diversification into the AI and emerging technology sector, seeking to secure a position of power in an increasingly multipolar world.

This thesis analyzes whether Saudi Arabia’s AI investments signal a transition away from traditional resource rentierism or the creation of a new digital rentier model. Through primary and secondary research, this study argues that the Kingdom is establishing a sustainable pathway toward a …

Nfts And The Value Of Provenance On Digital Art, Jessica Scheld, Pamila Dembla, Stef Nicovich

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.