Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Firm Capabilities Versus Regional Factors: A Random Forest Approach For Predicting Toxic Chemical Releases Among Us Industrial Facilities, Mahelet G. Fikru, Jennifer Brodmann

Economics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Predicting toxic releases remains a challenge for environmental protection, as effective regulation and mitigation depend on understanding the key drivers behind firms' pollution behavior. We examine the factors that influence firm environmental pollution by determining whether corporate capabilities or regional factors better predict toxic chemical emissions. We combine toxic releases data across 1976 industrial facilities in the United States with firm-level financial performance indicators and regional socio-demography variables to identify the most significant predictors of environmental outcomes. We use a random forest model due to its ability to capture complex, nonlinear interactions among predictors and provide robust variable importance rankings. …

Order Statistics As Finite Mixtures, José-Antonio Espín-Sánchez, Charles Hodgson, Kevin O’Neill

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We propose a new way to obtain identification results using order statistics as finite mixtures with two key properties: i) the weights are known integer numbers; and ii) the elements of the mixture are the distributions of the maximum over a subset of the original random variables. We leverage Exponentiated Distributions (ED), which extend extreme value theory results. ED are max-stable, and we show that finite mixtures of ED are linearly independent. This enables us to derive non-parametric identification results and extend commonly known results using Gumbel and Fréchet distributions, both examples of ED. The results have broad applications in …

Perkembangan Syarikat Bekerjasama Kedah Dan Perlis, 1926-1956, Nur Najwa Yusof

Student Works (2020-2029)

This study examines on the development of cooperative companies established in Kedah and Perlis between 1926 until 1956. The focus of this study is to make sure if this institution is capable to change the social economic status of its members and to elaborate the scenario of the farmers in Kedah and Perlis before the cooperative companies are fully established in these two states. This study also examines the forms of social cooperation that has been the practice of the Malay community before the British colonisation. Other than that, this study focuses on the governance and organisation of the cooperative …

Development Of An Access Charge Framework For High-Speed Rail Incorporating Rail Replacement Costs And Dynamic Train Characteristics, Nitesh Kumar Yadav

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis develops a framework to determine track access charges for shared high-speed rail corridors, with a focus on rail replacement cost driven by train-induced loads. The method explicitly accounts for both static loads, resulting from axle weights, and dynamic loads that arise from train speed and track geometry, particularly curvature. Train characteristics such as axle load, operating speed, frequency of service, and number of wheels are integrated with track parameters, including curve radius, to calculate the total vertical load. These loads are used to estimate the cumulative tonnage threshold for rail replacement and the resulting service life of the …

Rooted In Resilience: Exploring Indigenous Economic Models And Sustainability On The Rocky Boy Indian Reservation., Dominique Nault

Capstone Collection

This study examines how traditional practices and cultural values of the Chippewa Cree shape the economic identity and sustainability of the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined demographic surveys with culturally grounded interviews, the research reveals that economic development in the community is inseparable from traditional knowledge systems, collective well-being, and ecological stewardship. Rather than centering on financial accumulations, wealth is defined by family, community, and cultural continuity, placing traditional knowledge on par with land and monetary resources.

Three central themes emerged from the data: (1) the enduring role of traditional values and cultural knowledge in …

Leadership Strategies To Enhance The Sustainability Of Virginia United Methodist Churches, Randolph Raymond Shelton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University August 2025 United Methodist church attendance has declined for numerous years in the United States and other areas worldwide. Many United Methodist church leaders face challenges in achieving church sustainability. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Virginia United Methodist church leaders concerning leadership strategies to enhance church sustainability. The study’s conceptual framework consisted of Bass and Avolio’s full range leadership model and Lewin’s three-stage change model. The participants comprised United Methodist church leaders who held positions as Virginia Conference district superintendents, pastors, and the bishop. The data collection method was …

Real Earnings Management Among Industries: Does Market Competition Matter?, Michał Comporek

Journal of Banking and Financial Economics

This paper investigates real earnings management (REM) practices in public non-financial companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) from 2014 to 2023, focusing on sectoral differences and the influence of market competition. REM, defined as deviations from normal business operations aimed at manipulating reported earnings, can distort financial information and harm long-term firm value. This study contributes to the existing literature in two key ways. First, it examines variations in abnormal levels of production costs, sales, and discretionary expenditures – REM proxies based on Roychowdhury’s methodology – across sectors classified according to the WSE’s industry framework. This sectoral classification, …

The Global Gender Distortions Index (Ggdi), Pinelopi Goldberg, Charles Gottlieb, Somik Lall, Meet Mehta, Michael Peters, Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan

Discussion Papers

The extent to which women participate in the labor market varies greatly across the globe. If such differences reflect distortions that women face in accessing good jobs, they can reduce economic activity through a misallocation of talent. In this paper, we build on Hsieh et al. (2019) to provide a methodology to quantify these productivity consequences. The index we propose, the ”Global Gender Distortions Index (GGDI)”, measures the losses in aggregate productivity that gender-based misallocation imposes. Our index allows us to separately identify labor demand distortions (e.g., discrimination in hiring for formal jobs) from labor supply distortions (e.g., frictions that …

Volume Ii | Issue I | 2025

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

No abstract provided.

Inflation Targeting And Inertial Rules, Araha Uday

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

No abstract provided.

Restrictions On Veto Power: Holding The Permanent Five Accountable In The Face Of Intervention And Peacekeeping Operations, Theo Aldrighi

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

ABSTRACT: This article examines the structural constraints of the United Nations Security Council, with a focus on the veto power of its permanent members and its implications for intervention and peacekeeping. Through a realist lens and grounded in structural analysis, it contends that the recurrent paralysis of the Council in the face of mass atrocities stems from entrenched power asymmetries. The paper advances a bifold proposal: the adoption of the French-Mexican initiative to suspend veto use in cases of mass atrocities, and the entrenchment of the Council’s authority to authorize the use of force under defined conditions. Drawing on case …

Clickbait Economics: When Narratives Outshine Fundamentals, Esther Eisenstat

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

No abstract provided.

Judicial Lustration In Backsliding Democracies: Causes And Solutions For Publication, Collin Mcdonnell

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

No abstract provided.

Eco-Humanitarianism: A Political Ecological Framework For Humanitarian Resilience, Roksanna Keyvan

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

No abstract provided.

Export Processing Zones: Misguided Vehicles Of Globalization, Isabella Calise

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of A Geopolitical Policy—Case Study Of “Korea Limitation Order” Upon The Cultural Entertainment Industry In China, Zhilin Li

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

This paper examines the impact on the South Korean Cultural Entertainment Indus- try(CEI) of China’s “Korea Limitation Order”. In November 2016, Beijing restricted South Korean artists from holding concerts and the broadcast of South Korean TV dramas and banned cooperation between the two countries in the entertainment in- dustries. This paper focuses on the effect this had on exports of cultural products and relating industries from Korea, and how Korea was able to adjust to this geopolitical shock. I examine exports from Korea to China, Japan, and the United States using data from Cultural Entertainment Industry Products Exports, such as …

Development Analysis Of South Africa: Potential Impacts Of The Democratic Alliance’S Presence In The New Coalition, Mitchell Susswein

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

No abstract provided.

Does Bilingualism On Resumes Affect Callback Rates?, Autumn Halfpenny

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

I study the influence of bilingualism in Spanish on the likelihood of receiving a callback for female customer service positions in the Chicago area. Data are collected from sixteen unique resumes submitted to 131 different job postings in an audit study, with applicants differing in bilingual ability. Bilingualism in Spanish significantly in- creases the likelihood of a callback by 17.86%-25.4%, implying bilingualism is valued in customer service roles. This suggests that bilingualism in Spanish may increase job prospects. While previous research studies this using observational and survey data, I use an audit study design with resumes to obtain causal results. …

Housing Construction In Washington, Dc: A Spatiotemporal Perspective, Willem Ells

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Pandemic School Closures On Standardized Testing Outcomes: Evidence From Connecticut, Michael Manieri

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

During the Covid-19 pandemic, schools around the nation closed to prevent the virus’s spread. Following these closures, students’ performance on standardized exams worsened. Using a two-way fixed effect model with district and year fixed effects, I examine if the use of non-traditional schooling modes (i.e. hybrid and virtual) during the pandemic is associated with lower ELA and Math proficiency rates in Connecticut public schools. I find that Connecticut public school districts’ Math and ELA pass rates on the annual Smarter Balanced exam significantly decreased as they used higher levels of virtual and hybrid education. The magnitude of this decrease was …

Bank Stocks And Roosevelt’S Bank Holiday, Marc Weidenmier, Angela Vossmeyer, Nathan Stella, Oncel Aldanmaz

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Roosevelt’s Bank Holiday in March 1933 aimed to halt bank runs and implement licensing for banks. Using a new hand-collected daily database, we examine how bank stocks and bond markets responded to this sweeping regulation. We find that New York City banks saw significant negative abnormal returns, while Chicago banks experienced positive returns, highlighting regional differences in perceptions of the policy. Corporate bond yields fell by 1.4 percentage points, lowering interest rates. Our findings show how markets reacted differently across regions and asset classes to this critical intervention.

Falling Short In The Digital Age: Evaluating The Performance Of Data Center Etfs, Davinder K. Malhotra, Ivar Kirkhorn, Frank Ragone

School of Business Faculty Papers

This study evaluates the performance of U.S. data center Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) relative to major equity and technology benchmarks, using monthly returns from January 2000 through December 2024, with particular emphasis on the COVID-19 period and the subsequent post-vaccine era. Data center ETFs have not provided better risk-adjusted returns even though they are often advertised as access points to the digital economy. Digital infrastructure demand increased through the pandemic but did not improve the performance of these funds which stayed weak across both traditional and conditional multi-factor asset pricing models. These ETFs struggle with asset selection and market timing proficiency, …

Cross Section Curve Autoregression: The Unit Root Case, Peter C.B. Phillips, Liang Jiang

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper is part of a joint study of parametric autoregression with cross section curve time series, focussing on unit root (UR) nonstationary curve data autoregression. The Hilbert space setting extends scalar UR and local UR models to accommodate high dimensional cross section dependent data under very general conditions. New limit theory is introduced that involves two parameter Gaussian processes that generalize the standard UR and local UR asymptotics. Bias expansions provide extensions of the well-known results in scalar autoregression and fixed effect dynamic panels to functional dynamic regressions. Semiparametric and ADF-type UR tests are developed with corresponding limit theory …

Selective Turnout, Voting Policy, And Partisan Bias: Evidence From Multi-Level Data, Steven T. Berry, Christian Cox, Philip A. Haile

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We study voting in general elections for the U.S. House of Representatives. Our data set includes demographics and turnout of all registered voters for the years 2016–2020, as well as vote shares at the precinct and contest level. We estimate a Downsian voting model incorporating rich observed and unobserved heterogeneity at the voter and contest level. We find that voters with high perceived voting costs tend to favor Democrats, as do marginal voters in most districts. Variation in state voting policies accounts for a modest share of overall estimated voting costs but is sufficient to determine the majority party in …

Snap Benefits In A Recession: Mountain West State Projections, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet presents data on simulated recession impacts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the Mountain West. The Urban Institute’s “How Would a State Cost Share Affect SNAP in a Recession?” report provides recession projections based on the current SNAP policy – which allows SNAP to automatically expand in the event of a recession – as well as a 10% cost share scenario, for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. This fact sheet focuses on recession projections for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Births In The Mountain West, 2023, Lara Karaalp, Yashesvi Sharma, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet details data from a National Vital Statistics report on the number of births within the Mountain West in 2023. This report, offered through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), includes data on the race/ethnic demographics of mothers of American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, white, and Hispanic descent. This fact sheet explores birth data for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, by the mother’s place of residence.

At The Putting Green: The Economic Impact Of The Augusta National, William Lee Chomskis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation investigates the multifaceted economic impact of the Augusta National Golf Club on the city of Augusta, Georgia. Through a comprehensive historical, biographical, and economic analysis, the study explores how a single sporting institution has transformed a mid-sized Southern city into a globally recognized epicenter of elite sport and cultural capital. Drawing on archival research, interviews with local stakeholders, and economic data, the dissertation traces Augusta’s evolution from a strategic Confederate industrial hub to a modern city whose identity and economy are inextricably linked to the Augusta National and its flagship event, the Masters Tournament.

The research is structured …

Tax Cuts And Jobs Act: A Study On Behavioral Economic Theory, Tax Incentives, And Christian Influence, Tyler James De Haan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act was tax legislation in the United States that affected the charitable giving tax deduction. The problem is that neoclassical economics assumes that a decrease in charitable tax deductions will decrease charitable behavior. The purpose of the study is to understand how Christian influence impacts charitable behavior after a decrease in the charitable tax deduction. The study’s methodology will be mixed methods. The study’s design will be an explanatory sequential cross-unit case study. The study sample consists of Christian and public university alumni associations. The data will be collected in two ways. First, data will …

Management Behavior Required For Creating Social Value In The Uae, André De Waal, Meerna Mroueh

Arab Economic and Business Journal

This study explores how specific managerial behaviors support social value creation in UAE-based Takaful organizations. Using the High-Performance Organization (HPO) framework - particularly the Management Quality factor - it analyzes data from 230 questionnaires and 59 interviews. Findings show strengths in trust and relationship-building, but weaknesses in decision-making, leadership effectiveness, and performance management. Compared to national and global HPO benchmarks, the case organizations scored lower, indicating cultural and organizational barriers. The study offers industry-specific recommendations and presents a practical approach for measuring the alignment between managerial behaviors and ESG, CSR, and EDI goals in Islamic financial institutions.

Three Essays In International Trade And Macroeconomics, Jun Nie

Economics Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact of international trade and trade policy on key economic outcomes, including income and productivity. The first chapter investigates the role of trade-induced technology diffusion in shaping global income inequality. When bilateral trade facilitates technology transfer, such diffusion can account for up to 85% of the income gap across countries. The second chapter focuses on the determinants of international trade in services. It highlights a significant link between service and manufacturing trade, conditional on the presence of foreign direct investment (FDI) relationships between trading partners. The third chapter evaluates the 2020 U.S. presidential election, aiming to …