Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Microfinance: A Tool For Financial Access, Poverty Alleviation Or Gender Empowerment ? - Empirical Findings From Pakistan, Ghazal Mir Zulfiqar

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

In just 30 years microfinance has transformed from a credit-based rural development scheme that has claimed to reduce poverty and empower poor women, to a $70 billion financial industry. In the process, the traditional NGO-led model has given way to commercialized institutions, resulting in an increased emphasis on profitmaking. This has also led to confusion in the sector around its mission: is it to alleviate poverty and empower poor women or simply to provide the "unbanked" with access to formal sources of finance? This research considers the main debates in microfinance with regard to its mission and presents empirical evidence …

Germs, Pigs And Silver: King Philip's War And The Deconstruction Of The Middle Ground In New England, Benjamin M. Roine

Graduate Masters Theses

Early in the seventeenth century Algonquians peoples of southern New England and English colonists built a middle ground which benefitted both groups. Trade, the existence of competition from Dutch and French colonies and powerful Algonquian tribes maintained this middle ground. However, as trade items, such as beaver pelts and wampum became rare or lost value and continued English immigration to New England weakened Dutch claims to the area, the middle ground began to crumble. As English-style farms and livestock changed the ecology of New England and the colonists sought to assert their will, Algonquians lost the ability to live as …

Hip-Hop, Medellín And Social Change, Veronica Henao Posada

Master's Theses

This study explores the ways in which the Hip-hop movement is producing social change in Medellín, Colombia. Looking specifically at a Hip-hop school called Cuatro Elementos Skuela, which exists autonomously and with very little state support in the Medellín neighborhood of Aranjuez, I argue that young people are contributing to the reconstruction of the city’s social, cultural and economic fabric. I start by explaining the historical context of Medellín, describing the different sets of conflicts that unleashed high levels of violence and caused the fragmentation of the social, cultural and economic fabric. Moreover, I review the role of the …

Six Sigma, Firm Performance And Returns Predictability In Emerging Real Estate Market, Bora Ozkan

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays. First essay investigates Fortune 500 companies that implemented Six Sigma. Since the 1980s, industrial organizations have adopted practices such as Six Sigma to maintain and enhance competitiveness. The purpose of this study is to look at the long run stock price and the operating performance of Fortune 500 companies that were identified to have implemented Six Sigma compared to the overall market performance as well as the performance of industry and size matched firms. Even though our sample firms improved several variables after implementing Six Sigma, their operating performances were not quite close to …

The Role Of Population Growth In An Emerging Multipolar Economic World., Casey C. Horner

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An empirical study presenting the social and economic proof of a global shift from a bipolar economic world to a multipolar economic world. The time period for data and projections is 2010 to 2050. The measurements used are population pyramids, total population, GDP per capita, and total GDP.

The Plight Of Kenyan Domestic Workers In Gulf Countries, Caroline Muthoni Gikuru

Master's Theses

Kenya’s economy remains the regional leader within the East African Community (EAC) and among East African countries at large. However, political instability such as the 2007 post-election violence and the region’s social and political instability trickling into Kenya, have negatively affected the country’s economic growth. To bridge the economic gap, Kenyan women are seeking employment in the domestic service sector in the Gulf Countries, with Saudi Arabia being the most popular destination. At their destination countries, some domestic workers are subjected to various forms of abuse by their employers, leaving the worker without recourse due to the lack of legal …

Mcmeasuring Diplomacy: Modeling Determinants Of International Public Opinion Toward The United States, Luke A. Petach

Student Scholarship - College of Business

This paper is concerned with modeling the extent to which external factors affect political attitudes toward the United States. The data is concerned with how economic, governance, and cultural factors impact attitudes regarding the favorability of the United States in the eyes of the world, and testing the empirical implications of Thomas Friedman’s Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention.

The results suggest a strong negative relationship between a country being a Muslim majority country and the favorability of the United States in that country, a positive relationship between the perceived “Voice and Accountability” of a country and the favorability of …

Growth, Development, And The Natural Resource Curse: Understanding The Asymmetric Gains Of Trade, Low Iishan

Student Scholarship - College of Business

Trade is an essential component of a country’s economy. The flow of goods and services across national boundaries has become emblematic of the modern global economy. Yet, the effects of trade are not constant across countries. Instead, gains from trade have been observed to be asymmetric across the diverse landscape of political economies. Sharma and Morrissey (2005) for example, suggest that while trade liberalization is generally desirable, it does not guarantee growth. Instead, any impact of trade on an economy is conditional upon the initial economic structure and prevailing policy. This makes sense since countries often differ in terms of …

Don’T Judge The S&P 500 By Its Cover: When Expectations Meet Regression, Daniel Freitag

Student Scholarship - College of Business

This study aims to answer whether the health of the United States equities market is a representation of the well-being of the macro-economy. There are two primary goals in this study. The first is to model the determinants of fluctuating stock prices in the short-run. For this reason, data is collected in monthly units intended to represent short-term fluctuations in the S&P price over time. The second is to model the expected impact of recessionary pressures on the performance of equities.

The Financial Determinants Of College Football, Mitchell Adams

HIM 1990-2015

There is a certain tradition, pageantry, rivalry, and glory in college football. It is well known that college football can be a big time money maker and sometimes covers the costs of other athletic teams within a school. However, it is also recognized that many college football programs lose money or struggle to break even. Thus, there is tremendous variability that exists in the amount of resources a school may have and the outcomes in athletic success, while there is not always a one to one correspondence between the two. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze …

Federal Funding And The Rise Of University Tuition Costs, Megan Kizzort

HIM 1990-2015

Access to education is a central part of federal higher education policy, and federal grant and loan programs are in place to make college degrees more attainable for students. However, there is still controversy about whether there are unintended consequences of implementing and maintaining these programs, and whether they are effectively achieving the goal of increased accessibility. In order to answer questions about whether three specific types of federal aid cause higher tuition rates and whether these programs increase graduation rates, four ordinary least squares regression models were estimated. They include changes in both in-state and out-of-state tuition sticker prices, …

Essays On State Fiscal Institutions, Todd Richard Yarbrough

Doctoral Dissertations

The following three essays investigate the effect various fiscal institutions have on state budgeting decisions. In the first essay, the impact of stringent balanced budget rules on a non-general fund expenditure category, environmental expenditure, is investigated. The essay finds that states with especially stringent balanced budget rules have lower average environmental expenditure than states absent stringent rules. Using a Fixed-Effects panel estimation, the paper finds that stringent balanced budget rules are associated with 1.55% lower per capita environmental expenditure than weak rules. Further, the presence of political interest groups in a state significantly mitigates this reduction, causing environmental expenditure to …

Essays In Capital Mobility, Growth, And Macroeconomic Volatility, Ping-Hang Fan

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three chapters in international macroeconomics. Specifically, we focus on international financial integration and its linkage to economic growth and volatility. In Chapter 1, we revisit the Feldstein-Horioka (1980) puzzle that saving-investment correlation exhibits a pattern contrary to expectation, being higher among the OECD countries that are more financially integrated and lower among emerging markets economies with less financial integration and greater capital controls. We find that the evolution of FH coefficient is highly consistent with increased financial integration over time, thus resolving the puzzle dynamically. We also explain the cross-country component of the puzzle by showing that …

An Examination Of The Governance Policies Of Maine Nonprofits As They Relate To Endowment And Cash Reseve Accounts, Kenneth S. Spirer

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

For my Capstone project, I examined whether Maine nonprofit organizations have established policies to manage their endowment and cash reserve funds. Based on survey responses and a literature review, I have identified governance policies that represent best practices for nonprofit organization’s responsibilities for the endowment assets. I also have drafted a sample Investment Policy Statement “template” for small nonprofits to use as a basis for developing their own policies.

Influence Of Corruption, Foreign Direct Investment And Net Domestic Credit On Economic Growth, Meng Mi

Applied Economics Theses

In Asia, it is not clear whether governments can attract increased FDI by reducing corruption, or whether corruption is irrelevant to levels of GDP growth, especially if the mechanism of net domestic credit can be used to stimulate economic growth even in the absence of high levels of FDI. The purpose of this study is to examine the potentially distinct effects of both FDI and net domestic credit on economic growth, as well as the relationship between corruption and economic growth. This relationship is studied using ex post facto data from a sample of Asian countries from the years 1980-2012. …

Foreign Aid Effectiveness: Three Essays On Aid-For-Trade And Export Performance Of Developing Countries, Shanka Prasad Ghimire

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effectiveness of foreign aid in enhancing international trade in developing countries. In that light, it presents three essays that focus on foreign aid targeted towards improving trade capacity of developing countries (Aid-for-Trade or AfT) and analyzes its impact on export performance of 121 AfT-recipient countries over a period of 16 years [1995-2010].

The first essay examines whether aggregate AfT helps aid recipients improve their aggregate export performance. The analysis using System-GMM shows a positive and significant impact of AfT on the level and growth of exports as well as export volume relative to GDP. These findings …

A Critical Examination Of Green Economic Development As A Post-Disaster Recovery Approach: The Case Of Greensburg, Kansas 2007-2012, David Edgardo Leiva

Master's Theses

In May 2007, an EF-5 tornado ripped through and annihilated 95% of Greensburg, Kansas, a town of about 1,500 people in the southwestern portion of the state. On the heels of the disastrous Hurricane Katrina federal response and with the promise of two sitting presidents to use all of the federal support available, the town vowed not only to "survive, but thrive." Months later, Greensburg civic, business and elected leaders - with a host of external expertise - unveiled a recovery plan that not only set in motion the rebuilding of the two-square mile town but also offered the opportunity …

Mental Healthcare And Violent Crime: A Case Study Of New York State, Juliana Carattini

All Theses

New York State has been among the leaders of mental healthcare since the 19th century and today the state continues to promote innovative thinking in this system. Due to budgetary concerns across the nation New York has compiled a three-year plan to decrease Inpatient costs and increase community-based care. This is the second wave of rapid deinstitutionalization that has occurred in the state and the effect of deinstitutionalization on violent crime is still a major concern to the public. In the past the connection between mental illness and violent crime has at best been established as weak association and is …

Measurement Of Working Experience And Education Level In Earning Models Among African-American And Whites, Zhuang Zheqi

All Theses

Labor market attachment differs significantly between African-American males and white males; there are various reasons that account for the wage differential. It has long been agreed that the Mincer equation method, which analyzes earnings by using experience and education levels, is very reliable. Is it only these two variables that account for the wage inequality? For instance, does discrimination exist in the labor market? And is there any improvement in the measurement of experience variables that will affect the result? In this paper, I will generate accumulated experience variables in order to compare them to potential experience variables. I will …

Agco Corporation Valuation, Sean Michael Miller

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This paper will discuss the excellent growth potential that AGCO Corporation faces and the reason that this company's stock is rated as a hold position. AGCO has seen tremendous progress and is in an industry that shows that a growing world population will continue to need food and more efficient ways to create food. However, based on sensitivities of assumptions in the models presented herein and on a current share price that is already close to my assumed fair value I do not issue a buy recommendation.

Sugar And Rice Trade Between The United States And Cuba Trade Potential And Welfare Analysis, Fabian Bloechl

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After the resignation of President Fidel Castro and forty-five years of the U.S.-trade embargo, the political environment between Cuba and the United States is expected to change. With the Trade Sanction Reform and Export Enhancement Act in 2000, trade sanctions were eased for a while. Future trade between both countries would increase the welfare in both countries. This Thesis has the approach to look at the impacts on the commodities of rice and sugar, and the trade sanctions between the United States and Cuba.

Cuba is a net importer of its food supply; therefore, agriculture and food trade is an …

Differences Between For-Profit, Non-Profit, And Public Hospitals In Medical And Non-Medical Categories: Costs And Outsourcing Decisions, Justin Knutter

All Theses

The purpose of this study is to measure and compare several potential differences between for-profit, non-profit, and public hospitals in medical and non-medical cost categories. To do this, costs associated with two medical and two non-medical categories for California short-term general care hospitals were broken down into several subsets in order to better understand exactly how and why each category behaves as it does. The results show significant differences for total costs between for-profits and the other hospital types across the board and a difference for outsourcing decisions between for-profits and the other hospital types for the medical categories but …

Chin Music: A Statistical Analysis Of Retaliation Pitches In Major League Baseball, Peter Jurewicz

All Theses

This paper is focused on hit batsmen in Major League Baseball from the 2008 season through August 20th of the 2013 season. More specifically, this paper examines the characteristics of retaliation pitches and attempts to determine the intent of the pitcher. The paper also takes into account moral hazard and cost-benefit analysis of hitting an opposing batsman. There has been a vast amount of literature in economics with regard to hit batsmen in Major League Baseball. However, very few of these papers have been able to evaluate economic theories in Major League Baseball using Pitchf/x data. Pitchf/x technology became fully …

Intergenerational Mobility Across Three Generations In The United States From 1880-1920, Amber Schrubey

All Theses

This thesis studies the transmission of human capital across generations. Intergenerational mobility explains the link between parent and child outcomes and is analyzed in this study using the human capital transmission models of Becker and Tomes (1986, 1979) and Solon (2012); and the child labor and school attendance model of Orazem and Funnarsson (2004). Data for this study comes from the IPUMS Linked Representative Sample years 1880-190 where school attendance and occupation were analyzed for the primary linked male as well as their father, mother spouse, and children. Analysis of the data suggests significant determinants of a child attending school …

The International Monetary Fund, Power Politics, And The Changing Political Economy Of The Twenty First Century, Eduardo Flores

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The governance of the global economy is in a constant state of change. Since the creation of the Bretton Woods system, the International Monetary Fund has had to pursue a series of reforms to meet the changing demands of the international monetary system. At times, the Fund's institutional design has been adjusted to reflect the rise and decline in economic fortunes of member states. Other times the Fund has been resistant to change. However, the original design has proved to be durable and has overcome a number of historical challenges. Currently, two realities are challenging the institutional design of the …

Essays On Worker Promotion And Wage Growth, Hugh Cassidy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis consists of three chapters in the field of labor economics related to worker promotion, hierarchical levels, and wage growth.

Chapter two examines the impact of the skill requirements of an occupation on the likelihood that a worker receives a promotion. Promotion data are taken from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, while skill requirements data come from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. I find that the higher the cognitive skill requirement of an occupation, and the lower the motor and strength skill requirements, the higher the probability that the worker receives a promotion. Introducing skill requirements reduces …

A Study Of Household Finance In China, Zhen Huang

Theses & Dissertations

The emerging field of household finance, which studies the welfare benefits of financial markets for households and how effectively households use this market, is of significant importance for both academics and policy makers. However, studies in this new field remain scarce. Using data from a national representative survey that is unique for its combination of abundant household characteristics and heterogeneous individual preferences, attitudes and believes, and for its inclusion of investment behaviour and performances, this thesis pioneers a positive household finance study in developing countries by systematically investigating Chinese householders’ investments in the stock market. Moreover, this is the first …

Strengths And Limitations Of The Design Of Helen Keller International’S Childsight® Program Based On Lessons Learned Through The Implementation In Vietnam, 2011-2013, Bradley J. Owen

Capstone Collection

The ophthalmology sector in Vietnam currently faces many challenges. The Asia- Pacific Region, including Vietnam, is reported to have the most cases of uncorrected refractive error in the world at approximately 62 million people. A 2009 study implemented by the World Health Organization also concluded that the Western Pacific region, including Southeast Asia, has 3.98% of the population suffering from uncorrected refractive error, with an estimated cost to the region’s GDP of 111 billion dollars, or .86% of regional GDP (Smith, et al. 2009). In Vietnam alone it is estimated that one in five children suffer from some form of …

The Primacy Of Context: An Exploration Into The Causes Of Food Insecurity In Kitere, Kenya., William O. Aludo

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this study was to explore the specific reasons why households in Kitere village, Kenya experience persistent food insecurity every year while the region enjoys the advantage of two planting/harvest seasons in a year. Kitere village lies within the lakeside region of Nyanza Province in Kenya, generally considered to be one of the more agriculturally productive parts of the country. The Participatory Rural Appraisal method was employed to gather qualitative data on the causes of food insecurity in Kitere village. The data sources were focus groups and a self-administered, one-time survey of random and non-random samples of key …

Examining The Low Volatility Anomaly In Stock Prices, Munish Malhotra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modern portfolio theory states that investments with greater beta, a common measure of risk, require greater returns from investors in order to compensate them for taking greater risk. Therefore, under the premise that market participants act rationally and therefore markets run efficiently, investments with higher beta should generate higher returns vis-à-vis investments with lower beta over the long run. In fact, many studies suggest that investments with lower beta actually generate equal to or higher returns relative to investments with higher beta. In looking at data for the S&P 500 going back 22 years between 1990 and 2012, this study …