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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Building A Meritocracy: The American Precedent For Wealth Redistribution, Micah D. Bobo Aug 2009

Building A Meritocracy: The American Precedent For Wealth Redistribution, Micah D. Bobo

Undergraduate Economic Review

This work investigates the use of wealth redistribution mechanisms in establishing and promoting meritocratic practices in early United States history. From the fifteenth to eighteenth century, the reward system used in exploration, colonization incentives, and land redistribution techniques are examined. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the effects of industrialization and education on social mobility are reviewed. Finally, the social and economic factors resulting in southern secession, particularly slavery, are examined. While the concept may be unpopular in modern society, wealth redistribution mechanisms were essential to cultivating merit-based social mobility and overall societal stability throughout the period covered.


High School Graduation Rates In The Metro-Detroit Area: What Really Affects Public Secondary Education, Thomas A. Wilk Apr 2009

High School Graduation Rates In The Metro-Detroit Area: What Really Affects Public Secondary Education, Thomas A. Wilk

Undergraduate Economic Review

Education is essential to the future productivity of workers in the Metropolitan Detroit area, so determining what impacts high school graduation is vital to predicting the future success of our economy. This research investigates what key aspects in our society affect the high school graduation rate: poverty level, violent crime rate, student body, class size, local school taxes, and standardized test scores. Results from multiple regressions using school district and city data from the CCD and FBI suggest that poverty levels and violent crime in the Metro Detroit area significantly, negatively influence high school graduation rates. Reforms to public policy …


An Analysis Of The Impact Of Team Payroll On Regular Season And Postseason Success In Major League Baseball, Noah L. Schwartz, Jason M. Zarrow Apr 2009

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Team Payroll On Regular Season And Postseason Success In Major League Baseball, Noah L. Schwartz, Jason M. Zarrow

Undergraduate Economic Review

Major League Baseball, like other American professional sports, has become a multibillion dollar industry. The institution of free agency has led to the escalation of payrolls and altered the make-up of rosters by dramatically reducing owners’ monopsony power. The ability of large market clubs such as the New York Yankees to compete continually for the game’s greatest prize illustrates the power of the dollar. This paper examines four distinct periods from 1977 to 2008 in order to assess the influence of pecuniary advantages on regular season and postseason outcomes. Payroll exerts great influence in the regular season, but not in …