Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Essays On Money Search Models, Fangfang Gong

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation comprises three papers that use money search models to revisit the distributional welfare costs of inflation, study the optimal design of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), and investigate the role of liquidity and monetary policy in initial investment and capital reallocation in secondary markets.

The second chapter develops a micro-founded general equilibrium model of payments to revisit the distributional welfare costs of inflation. We consider different cost structures incurred by merchants when accepting cash and deposits. In equilibrium, there exists a cutoff for buyers’ money holdings, above which card payments are accepted by merchants. We calibrate the …

Uncertainty, Information, And Major Choice: Evidence From Chinese Gaokao, Sikun Dou

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

An unresolved background risk makes people more averse to other, independent  risks—most of all when a high-stakes, irreversible choice must be made under that risk. College major choice is such a setting. In China, students are admitted directly into a major they cannot easily change, and in the early 2000s they had to commit before learning their exam scores, bearing a field’s academic risk on top of an unresolved admission risk. Because STEM fields carry more academic risk and women are on average more risk-averse, this burden falls hardest on women’s entry into STEM. Exploiting a reform that moved application …

Financial Technology And Household Wealth, Rongbo Zhou

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

With the spread of mobile payment platforms in China, the micro-foundations of household financial behaviour have been reshaped, and this change is increasingly reflected in household property income. Based on microdata from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) for 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021, this dissertation examines how mobile payment use affects household property income, through which channels this effect is transmitted, and how its impact differs across household groups, regional conditions, and macro-financial environments.

The empirical results show a positive association between the use of mobile payment platforms and household property income. This conclusion remains robust after controlling for …

Hkc04 - How Do Risk Perceptions Change With New Information? Evidence From A Survey Of Flood-Prone Counties, Caroline Hopkins, Timothy Hyde

Oberlin College Kasper Economics and Business Working Paper Series

Prior research has documented a tendency for insurance demand to rise abruptly in the aftermath of natural disasters. This may be attributable in part to the information shock that a disaster represents. Understanding how beliefs about risk evolve is of first-order importance for projecting climate adaptation in coming decades. Using a three-wave survey of 815 residents of flood-prone coastal counties in the southeastern United States, including 436 for whom we have longitudinal data, we study how individuals’ beliefs evolve after two very different types of informational shocks about future local flooding risk: viewing flood maps, and experiencing a local flooding …

(Wp 2026-02) Behavioral Macroeconomics, Kaleckian Post-Keynesian Economics, And Stratification Economics: Incorporating Social Identity, John B. Davis

Economics Working Papers

Behavioral Macroeconomics draws on cognitive psychology’s errors and biases approach to argue that psychological factors acting on individual choice affect how the economy functions. Keynes drew on psychology in his ‘beauty contest’ account of convention to explain individual investor expectations in terms of the average expectation of all investors. This assumes individual investors identify with the group of all investors, anticipating social psychology social identity analysis. Kaleckian Post-Keynesian Economics focuses on distributional conflict between capital and labor. This also assumes individual capitalists and laborers identify with groups of capitalists and laborers. Stratification Economics makes social group identity the basis on …

Housing Markets In The American West: A Dynamic Time Warping Analysis Of Inter-City Relationships, Daniel Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Housing markets revolve around perhaps the most consequential good to the average person, yet the relationships between local housing markets remain understudied. While major American cities appear to follow similar patterns, the nature of these connections is not fully understood. This project looks at housing markets across the western United States, using Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) to identify which cities tend to lead or lag others in price movements, and look at the overall similarity of their market movements. We also explore whether geographic distance, population growth, and income growth help explain why some markets are more similar than others. …

On The Trail, In The Towns: Visitor Use And Community Perspectives Along Montana’S Continental Divide Trail, Ava Worbets, Kika Bradford, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

As outdoor recreation participation has steadily increased nationwide over the past decade, reaching record levels in 2024 amid long‑term growth trends (OIA, 2025), the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is drawing rising numbers of hikers traveling through Montana’s gateway communities. Yet little is known about who these hikers are or how their presence affects the towns that support them. This report examines CDT hikers and their relationships with Montana gateway communities from two complementary perspectives. First, understanding hikers’ demographics, spending patterns, and trail behaviors using data from 507 respondents who completed Montana’s CDT sections between 2022 and 2024. Second, exploring how …

Rationalizable Incentives: Interim Rationalizable Implementation Of Correspondences, Takashi Kunimoto, Rene Saran, Roberto Serrano

Research Collection School Of Economics

Are there ways to enforce incentives free of equilibrium considerations? When the normative goals for a set of agents can be summarized in a set-valued rule and agents take actions that are rationalizable, a new theory of incentives emerges in which standard Bayesian incentive compatibility (BIC) is relaxed significantly. The paper studies the interim rationalizable implementation of social choice sets with a Cartesian product structure, a leading example thereof being ex-post efficiency. Setwise incentive compatibility (setwise IC), much weaker than BIC, is shown to be necessary for implementation. Setwise IC enforces incentives flexibly within the entire correspondence, instead of the …

Using Satellite-Observed Geospatial Inundation Data To Identify The Impacts Of Floods On Firm-Level Performance: The Case Of China During 2000–2009, Pao-Li Chang, Fan Zheng

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper compiles high-resolution geospatial inundation areas of China for the period 2000–2009 based on satellite imagery repositories filtered by the Global Flood Database (GFD). In parallel, we geocode a comprehensive firm-level dataset of China and combine these two sets of geospatial data to identify the set of inundated firms in each year of flood events, as well as the distances of all non-inundated firms from the inundated areas. Given the high-resolution inundation data, we adopt a generalized dynamic-panel specification to estimate dynamic and spatial spillover effects of floods on firm-level production activities (including outputs, capital and labor inputs, and …

Improving Estimation Efficiency Via Regression-Adjustment In Covariate-Adaptive Randomizations With Imperfect Compliance, Liang Jiang, Oliver B. Linton, Haihan Tang, Yichong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We study how to improve efficiency via regression adjustments with additional covariates under covariate-adaptive randomizations (CARs) when subject compliance is imperfect. We first establish the semiparametric efficiency bound for the local average treatment effect (LATE) under CARs. Second, we develop a general regression-adjusted LATE estimator which allows for parametric, nonparametric, and regularized adjustments. Even when the adjustments are misspecified, our proposed estimator is still consistent and asymptotically normal, and their inference method still achieves the exact asymptotic size under the null. When the adjustments are correctly specified, our estimator achieves the semiparametric efficiency bound. Third, we derive the optimal linear …

Geography, Income, And The Incidence Of A Massachusetts Carbon Tax, Susan Stratton Sayre

Economics: Faculty Publications

I use spatial microsimulation to estimate the geographic incidence of the consumer-facing portion of various revenue-neutral carbon tax designs in Massachusetts. I identify a substantial urban-rural disparity in impacts that is reduced, but not eliminated, by proposed revenue-targeting mechanisms. I further demonstrate that seemingly small variations in the definition of rural households can have substantial impacts on urban-rural equity and the distribution of gains and losses. Proposed policies are highly progressive in the aggregate with most low-income households receiving more in rebates than they pay in taxes, but notable numbers of low-income households are likely to experience significant losses. Methodologically, …

Long Run Effect Of Industrial Place-Based Policy On County Level Complexity, An Investigation Of The Tennessee Valley Authority, Anita Ifeyinwa Umunnah

Master's Theses

This paper studies the long-term effects of large federal investments in place-based industrial policies on regional economic development, contributing new evidence on how industrial policies shape regional local productive capabilities over time. While extensive research show that industrial policies impact regional development by advancing productive technology (capabilities), the fundamental question remains how to measure this technological transformation. The study employs the use of Economic Complexity Index (ECI) as a measure of “technological advancements” resulting from large federal investments in place-based industrial policies. Previous evaluations of such investment were based on livelihood, employment and income outcomes, with productive capability of receiving …

Analyzing Social Implications Of The Gender Wage Gap, Jessie A. Clarke

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The researcher seeks to understand the gender wage gap in the United States. The research question studied is “Why do women in the United States on average earn less income than men?” Women gain less power and resources as they earn less income than men. The researcher explores the phenomenon in this paper. This research proposal utilizes qualitative methods via interviews, and analysis through coding. In previous research, there is a lack of inclusion on the gender wage gap regarding various identities such as sexual orientation, other gender identities, and race/ethnicity. The researcher hopes to fill in these gaps in …

Trump Opportunity Zones In Louisville, Kentucky: A Look At The Results So Far., Thomas E. Lambert

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

In 2017 the US Congress passes and President Donald J. Trump signs the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Part of the legislation allows states to create opportunity zones (OZs), census tracts which will be targeted for business investment and economic development through federal tax incentives. In Louisville, Kentucky, as in other jurisdictions throughout the US over the last several decades, special district “zones” have been used by local, state, and/or the federal government(s) to try to revive low-income, deteriorated, and blighted areas. These have been typically urban areas but sometimes have included semi-rural and rural areas. Whether named enterprise …

Exploring Self-Sufficiency And Economic Behavior In Economic Education Students, Rizza Megasari, Sheerad Sahid

International Conference on Business and Management Research (ICBMR)

This study investigates the self-sufficiency and economic behaviors of economics education students, focusing on how independent living shapes their financial management, consumption habits, and overall approach to life. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, using a question list informed by literature on 21st-century skills, sustainable development, and self-sufficiency. The interview explored the student's understanding and practice of self-sufficiency, examining their experiences with financial management (budgeting, saving, spending), living arrangements (boarding house choices, facilities, and habits), consumption patterns (food, clothing, transportation), and engagement in self-reliant activities (cooking, minor repairs). The study highlights the interplay between economic knowledge, personal values, and practical …

Tourism, Institutions, And The Paradox Of Inclusion: How Institutional Quality Moderates Tourism’S Impact On Inclusive Growth In High-Income European Countries, Saqib Munir, Abdul Ghaffar, Mushab Rashid

Arab Economic and Business Journal

Inclusive economic growth in high-income European economies remains contested despite strong institutions and advanced tourism sectors, with limited understanding of how institutional quality and gender-inclusive governance condition the tourism–inclusivity nexus. This study examines the independent and interactive effects of tourism development, institutional quality, gender-inclusive governance, digital infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and income inequality on inclusive economic growth across 15 European countries over 2000–2024. Using World Bank and WGI data, a panel ARDL framework, supported by FMOLS robustness checks is applied to capture dynamic long- and short-run relationships among mixed-order integrated variables. Results indicate that tourism development (β = 5.351, p < 0.001) and institutional quality (β = 8.029, p < 0.001) decisively enhance inclusive growth, yet their interaction exerts a significant negative effect (β = –5.271, p < 0.001), suggesting over-regulation may dampen tourism’s inclusivity potential. Environmental sustainability also contributes positively (β = 0.164, p < 0.001), while income inequality shows a counterintuitive long-run positive association (β = 0.026, p < 0.001). Gender-inclusive governance has a small but significant positive effect (β = 0.005, p = 0.004), whereas digital infrastructure is statistically insignificant. These findings extend institutional economics and endogenous growth theory by revealing governance flexibility as critical to unlocking inclusive tourism benefits, and they inform SDG 8 and 10 policies by advocating balanced regulatory frameworks, renewable energy investment, and targeted redistributive mechanisms in advanced economies.

State-Level Analysis Of Minimum Wage And Teen Employment Across The U.S. In 2024, Owen Siegel

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This study examines whether differences in state minimum wage levels are associated with variation in teen employment across U.S. states in 2024. Using a cross-sectional regression framework, the analysis estimates the relationship between minimum wage policy and the employment rate of individuals aged 16–19 while controlling for educational attainment, demographic composition, income, and regional differences. The results indicate that higher minimum wages are associated with lower teen employment rates. Specifically, a one-dollar increase in the minimum wage is associated with an estimated 0.87 percentage-point decrease in teen employment, holding other factors constant. This result is statistically significant and economically meaningful, …

Understanding Statutory Corporate Tax Rates And Corporate Tax Revenue: Evidence From Oecd Countries, 2015–2023, Carter Johnson

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This paper analyzes the relationship between statutory corporate tax rates and corporate tax revenues among the OECD countries from 2015-2023. Since the 1980’s, statutory corporate tax rates have been gradually declining, however, the relationship between rate and revenue remains unclear. The Laffer Curve helps motivate the relationship between rate and revenue within the theoretical model. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Real GDP are included as control variables, along with incorporating inflation and per capita measurements. The fixed effects panel regression findings conclude there is no direct relationship between corporate tax rate and revenue. However, FDI and Real GDP were found …

In Silico Model Of Musa Acuminata Stem As An Anticancer On Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Against Egfr, Nevrila Dewi Rachmayani, Amy Nindia Carabelly, I Wayan Arya Krishnawan Firdaus, Maharani Laillyza Apriasari, Juliyatin Putri Utami

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is characterized by overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Citral, eucalyptol, and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), which are derived from Musa acuminata, have shown anticancer activity. This study evaluated the potential of citral, eucalyptol, and CAPE from Musa acuminata as anticancer agents for OSCC by targeting EGFR using an in silico approach.

Methods: Potential biological activity was predicted using Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances (PASS) Online. Molecular docking was conducted with AutoDock Vina, and BIOVIA Discovery Studio was used to analyze binding affinity, interaction types, and bond …

Micro-Ct Evaluation Of Root Canal Transportation And Centering Ability In Mesial Canals Of Mandibular First Molars, Selen Ince Yusufoglu, Esma Saricam, Mert Ocak, Ferhat Geneci, Burak Bilecenoğlu

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

Background: This study aimed to evaluate canal transportation, centering ability, structure model index (SMI), surface area, and root canal volume changes in the mesial canals of mandibular first molars using micro-CT.

Methods: Twenty-four mandibular first molars with two separate mesial canals and moderate curvature were included. Teeth were scanned using micro-CT before instrumentation and randomly divided into three groups (N = 8). Root canals were prepared using OneShape, OneCurve, and Rotate file systems, followed by post-instrumentation micro-CT scanning (10µm/pixel resolution). Changes in canal volume, surface area, transportation, centering ability, and SMI were analyzed at the apical, middle, and …

The Economic Impact Of Grand Forks Airbase On North Dakota Using Input – Output Analysis & Va Mortgage Loan Evaluation, Jack S. Weikum

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

In this paper, I examine the economic contributions of the Grand Forks Air Force Base to our community. This paper and research seek to find out what the total economic impact of the base truly is compared to its public reports. The base’s own impact statements do not consider the indirect effects associated with its operations. To fully examine its true economic impact, we must consider two important aspects that affect the local economy and other industry sectors. Specifically, I will first examine the economic impact that base operations directly have on expenditures, employment, and labor income. This information will …

From The Ground To The Stars: How Research And Development In Aerospace Plays A Massive Role, Bryan Sohan

Honors College Theses

Aerospace technology is a long-standing field of innovation, yet it has experienced renewed momentum in recent years due to increased public and private investment. This study analyzes how changes in budget allocations to aerospace-related firms and government organizations influence the pace and scope of technological development within the aerospace sector. By examining historical trends in aerospace innovation alongside recent funding initiatives and policy decisions, this research evaluates the relationship between financial investment and technological advancement. This analysis focuses on Hypothesis 1 (H1): that higher aerospace R&D expenditure is positively correlated with innovation output. Using a two-period state-level panel (FY2021 and …

Credential Shortages In Higher Education Programs In Mountain West Metro Areas, 2024, Isabelle G. Graham, Kristian Thymianos, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet reports data on workforce demand for middle-skills jobs across five high-paying occupational categories: healthcare, management, blue-collar, protective services, and STEM. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce report, “Missed Opportunities: Credential Shortages in Programs Aligned with High-Paying Middle-Skills Jobs in 55 US Metro Areas,” includes metro-level data on 55 metro areas in the United States in 2024.2 This fact sheet focuses on data for five Mountain West metro areas, including Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO; Las-Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV; Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ; Salt Lake City, UT; and Tucson, AZ.

China-Canada Resource Diplomacy: New Era Of Land Grabbing, Valdrin Dragusha

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

This paper examines the evolving economic relationship between China and Canada, particularly in the context of China's transition from a strictly social economy to an authoritarian socialist market economy. It highlights the implications of China's Going Out Policy initiated in 2000, aimed at securing vital natural resources amidst growing domestic demands driven by rapid economic expansion. The paper analyzes China's significant demand for resources, its sustainable development policies, and the changing dynamics of land acquisitions, particularly in relation to Canada, which is perceived as a strategic investment destination due to its abundant natural resources and technological advancements in clean energy. …

Treaty Database Project, Elisabeth Smith

Honors Capstones

International environmental governance is shaped by a complex network of treaties addressing issues such as water, agriculture, air and atmosphere, energy, wild species and ecosystems, mineral resources, and waste and hazardous substances, among many others.. However, information about these agreements is often fragmented across multiple sources, making it difficult for researchers, policymakers, and the public to understand how different treaties relate to one another. This project develops a structured database of environmental treaties that captures key attributes such as thematic focus, geographic scope, participating countries, and implementation mechanisms.

Building on this database, the project also provides an intuitive front-end interface …

Money And State Politics: State Legislature Partisan Dynamics And Ideology Outcomes Following Citizens United V. Fec, Jillian E. Pastore

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

What effect has Citizens United v. FEC had on state-level partisanship and the policy outcomes that follow from it? Scholarship on the influence of corporate and union spending in political campaigns has largely centered on federal elections. In this paper, I extend the analysis to the state level, leveraging the fact that Citizens United created a natural experiment across the states. Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, roughly half of the states prohibited corporate and union independent expenditures in state elections (including for governor, state senate, state house, and state supreme court races). The Citizens United decision effectively nullified these …

Luja Volume 6: Issue 1 (Full Volume)

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Supporting Those Who Serve: The Impact Of Peer Support On Law Enforcement Suicide, Emily N. Warren

Honors College Theses

Individuals working in law enforcement face daily stressors that far exceed those experienced by the general population. This elevated exposure to stress has been associated with increased rates of mental health disorders and suicide among law enforcement officers. In response, peer support programs have gained recent attention, with new state and federal legislation promoting peer support as a strategy to address the mental health crisis within law enforcement. This paper examines the impact of statewide peer support programs on law enforcement suicide rates through statistical analysis. A difference-in-differences analysis is used to compare state-level law enforcement suicide rates before and …

Expectations And Realities In Primary Care Appointment Access In The United States: A National Study, Brigham Walker, Ethan Tsai, Alexandra Shimanovsky, Edel Doherty, Sarah E. Tinkler, Rajiv Sharma

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: While patients expect timely appointments, little is known about how accurately patient expectations reflect the realities of access to a primary care physician.

Methods: We deployed a national survey (N = 6119, conducted in 2021) to measure patient expectations and a separate national field experiment (N = 11,016, conducted between 2013 and 2016) where trained research assistants called physician offices seeking an appointment to measure physician availability.

Results: Using multivariate regression analyses, we find that patients expected to call 1.9 physicians to secure an appointment, consistent with an appointment offer rate of 49%. However, expectations of 5.4 days wait …

Quantifying Overconsumption In The United States: A Multiple Linear Regression Analysis, Morgan Davis

Honors Projects

This study examines overconsumption in the United States by analyzing how socioeconomic factors influence household spending relative to income. Overconsumption is defined as elevated discretionary spending relative to income, with a focus on categories such as apparel, entertainment, and food away from home. Using 2024 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) data, three multiple linear regression models were created to evaluate predictors of overall consumption, discretionary consumption, and apparel spending as proportions of income.

Results show that income is the most significant predictor across all models, with higher-income households consistently spending a smaller share of their income. Age and household size also …