Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Explaining The Nonlinear Response Of Stock Markets To Oil Price Shocks, Diego Escobari, Shahil Sharma

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper is set to reconcile the existent conflicting empirical evidence on the effect of oil prices on stock prices. We estimate various nonlinear models where the response changes according to a first-order Markov switching process. More importantly, we model the transition probabilities between the high- and low-response regimes to depend on state variables to allow us to explain the forces behind the asymmetry in the response. The results show statistically significant asymmetries that can be explained by economic recessions and to a lower extent depend on the magnitude of the oil price shift and on whether the shift is …

Deaf Cultural Capital And Its Conflicts With Hearing Culture: Navigational Successes And Failures, Ashley Greene-Woods, Natalie J. Delgado, Beverly Buchanan, Misty Sides, Abbas Ali Behmanesh, Brian Cheslik, Caroline K. Koo, M. Diane Clark

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite the creation and implementation of laws intended to support and protect Deaf individuals, stories of limited opportunities and oppression within the workplace still exist and are pervasive. Current research in regard to Deaf individuals’ upward mobility includes a discussion of cultural capital, Imposter Syndrome, and navigational capital. To further understand the experiences of Deaf individuals, the research team conducted a mixed-methods study utilizing surveys and interviews. The results provided insight regarding challenges experienced by the participants in either-or-both their education and employment. The data suggests that the use of navigational capital was the most significant predictor for upward mobility.

Kant’S Foedus Pacificum: Path To Peace Or Prolegomena To Neoliberalism And Authoritarian Corporatist Globalization In Contemporary Liberal Democratic States?, Terence Garrett

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Immanuel Kant’s language and concept of foedus pacificum (league of peace) combined with his call for a spirit of trade promised a prescription for world peace—“seeking to end all wars forever.” Nation-state level cooperation between liberal democracies has borne out Kant’s analysis to some effect. A consequence of the twin pursuits of foedus pacificum and spirit of trade has ironically resulted in the exploitation of society. Today’s international corporations adversely affect public policies ostensibly designed to protect citizens through an anti-democratic market-based ideology within the State—as seen through the lenses of Foucauldian post-structural theory and Debord’s society of the spectacle. …

An Association Between Perceived Social Support And Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Severity Among Women With Lifetime Sexual Victimization: The Serial Mediating Role Of Resilience And Coping, Michiyo Hirai, Ruby Charak, Laura D. Seligman, Joseph D. Hovey, John M. Ruiz, Timothy W. Smith

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examined the association between perceived social support and severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms, serially mediated by resilience and coping among women exposed to different patterns of sexual victimization experiences: childhood sexual abuse (CSA) only, adult sexual assault (ASA) only, and sexual revictimization (SR). A total of 255 sexually victimized women recruited from four U.S. universities completed self-report measures online; 112 participants reported provisionally diagnosable levels of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The proposed model was largely supported in the CSA only group and the SR group. Different patterns of mediational effects were found across the three groups. …

Environmental Regulation And The Cost Of Bank Loans: International Evidence, Amirhossein Fard, Siamak Javadi, Incheol Kim

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using a sample of 27 countries between 1990 and 2014, we find that banks charge a higher interest rate on their loans when lending to firms that face more stringent environmental regulations. Further, we show that firms facing such regulations maintain lower financial leverage, incur more operating expenses, and have fewer banks participating in their loan syndicate. The results of the subsample analysis suggest that the increase in the cost of bank loans is more pronounced for financially constrained firms, firms in industries with high environmental litigation risk, and those located in bank-based economies. Overall, our results provide evidence that …

When It Comes To Money In Elections, It Doesn't Matter Which Paris You Live In, Jacqueline J. Arias

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I argue how money influences election outcomes in the Texas Legislature from 2010 to 2018. I explore the political history of Texas, where scholars have long alluded to the role of wealthy elites in the political process. Using an investment theory approach, where money is considered a powerful determinant in elections over other factors, this thesis will analyze total disbursements and vote totals of Texas senate and house candidates in a linear model. Along with this bivariate correlation, this thesis will conduct a multilevel analysis that includes partisanship and regions in Texas. This thesis found a strong …

Cyber Intimate Partner Victimization And Its Association With Depression And Alcohol Use Among Hispanic Emerging Adults: Identifying Protective Factors, Jorge I. Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

The advent of modern technology has inadvertently created newer avenues for intimate partner victimization (IPV) to transpire. This study investigated whether among Hispanic emerging adults psychological, sexual, and stalking intimate partner cybervictimization (cyber IPV) types were uniquely associated with depression and alcohol use; whether there were additive effects of cyber IPV types on depression and alcohol use; and to test whether cognitive reappraisal, self-compassion, and flourishing served as protective factors by moderating the unique effect of each cyber IPV type and the effect of cyber IPV multi-victimization on depression and alcohol use.

Participants were 1,129 Hispanic emerging adults in the …

The Mediating Role Of Emotion Dysregulation In The Association Between Intimate Partner Victimization Types And Symptoms Of Depression In Young Hispanic Women, Maria Gabriela Copeiro De Lestarpe

Theses and Dissertations

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is defined as the abuse or aggression that occurs in a close relationship. Statistics show that the most prevalent types of IPV are psychological, physical, and sexual. In the U.S. 1 in 4 women (24.4%, or 29.2 million) are victims of IPV before the age of 25. Minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged women are most likely to experience it. Depression, among others, is one of the harmful consequences resulting from IPV victimization. The present study focuses on the role of emotion dysregulation in the association between IPV and depression. It was hypothesized that emotion dysregulation mediates the …

Governance And Sustainable Development Goals (Sdgs): Exploring The Relatinship Between Governance And Sdgs Using An International Comparative Perspective, Apu Deb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between governance and sustainable development goals from an international comparative perspective. The research question of the study was: Does the performance level of governance affect the achievement of SD specifically in terms of reducing poverty, gender inequality, and human inequalities? This study has used the convenient sampling method to select 16 countries based on their income level and secondary data collected from the UNDP, World Bank for statistical analysis. We did the Hausman test to decide whether used fixed effects or random effects and found the Hausman test was significant …

Attitudes Of Criminal Justice Students' Towards Women: Hegemonic Masculinity In The Workplace, Lauren Escovedo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the following study is to examine positive, benevolent, and hostile attitudes towards women in the workplace held by criminal justice students enrolled at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. As well, to examine whether or not criminal justice students enrolled at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley believe that criminal justice personnel create a gender-neutral classroom environment. The application Qualtrics XM was used to comprise a 35 question survey that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, was administered online to students for a two week period during the Fall 2020 semester. Criminal justice students …

Examining The Indoctrination Of Mexican American Criminal Justice Students, Noe Leal Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Mexican American Criminal Justice students (MACJS) sometimes select a career in Department of Homeland Security, which has a history of systemic racism and oppression. The purpose of this thesis is to examine MACJS conformity to U.S. ideological hegemony and examine the differences in their understanding of human rights/ethics. A questionnaire was administered to MACJS (n = 156) wishing to pursue a career in DHS. The survey instrument used is based on the concepts of Social Identification: Mexican versus U.S. American; Support for Nationalist Racist Policies, Internal Colonialism, Followership by engaging in policies/orders by the government; and Human Rights: Knowledge of …

Displacement: An Analysis Of Foreign Aid And Its Effects On Migration Patterns In Latin America, Edgar Abraham Navejar

Theses and Dissertations

To influence a country’s behavior, aid has been used to push for specific changes, whether it be to increase security in a country or to sponsor social programs. Using neoclassical realism, this paper will analyze if US aid influences migration patterns, specifically, if U.S. foreign policy through aid creates conditions that encourage or discourage migration of people to the United States. This paper will analyze between the years 1980- 2017 to see if the Cold War played a part or if the post- Cold War international arena pivoted the United States to focus on migration patterns in Latin America.

Underlying Principles Of U.S. Media Coverage: A Case Study Of Venezuela’S Political Crisis From January-July 2019, Solange Nirere

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the U.S. mainstream media’s coverage of Venezuela’s political crisis from January to July of 2019. By deciding not only the issues presented, but their tone and stance, the media actively sets policy agendas and influences public opinion. The propaganda model (PM) provides a predictive framework for understanding media behavior and how “filters” determine published content. Using a media content analysis of 270 articles on the Venezuelan crisis in the NYT and WSJ, I found strong evidence for the PM viz a heavy reliance on U.S. government sources, strong U.S. foreign policy support, and an absence of alternate …

It’S The Experience Not The Format: Successful Techniques To Transition Social Justice Coursework To A Distance Delivery Format, Peter L. Kranz, Paul Sale, John Lowdermilk

Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

“Research on multicultural learning has focused on formal and local settings, such as schools, but young people are interacting with, and therefore learning from, informal settings and nonlocal contexts, including online platforms.” (Kim, 2016, p. 1). The instructor must be vigilant in selecting online teaching pedagogy when offering sensitive topics of courses because face-to-face intimacy is usually a component of more traditional courses in diversity (Matloob Haghanikar, 2019). The purpose of this current paper is to align critical parts of an experiential race relations curriculum (Clarke, 2019; Kranz & Lund, 2004) in a face-to-face setting with digital technologies available for …

Operating At The Edge Of Il/Legality: Systemic Corruption In Mexican Health Care, Rosalynn A. Vega, A. Paulo Maya

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Through a series of ethnographic vignettes, this article examines how providers contribute to corruption in Mexican health care, how providers are themselves subjected to logics of corruption, and the relationship between patients’ and providers’ vulnerability within contexts of resource scarcity. Doctors, faced with insecure salaries due to nonpayment of wages by the government, collude with hospital staff to sell state drugs on the black market. Meanwhile, vulnerable patients are used as teaching opportunities for private school students—with horrifying, and fatal, effects. Palancas (“favors” granted by colleagues and higher-ups to individuals with less authority) and exclusive treatment of recomendados (patients given …

Listen, Don’T Tell: Partnership And Adaptation To Implement Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy In Low-Resourced Settings, Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo, Regan W. Stewart, Bianca T. Villalobos, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez, Aubrey R. Dueweke, Michael A. De Arellano, John Young

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Clinical psychological science has developed many efficacious treatments for diverse emotional and behavioral difficulties encountered by children and adolescents, although randomized trials investigating these treatments have disproportionally been conducted by American, university-based research labs. The subsection of the world population involved in these studies, however, represents very few people among those in need of psychological services whose voices, perspectives, and orientations to therapy have not generally been reflected in well-funded research trials. Dissemination and implementation of evidence-based services designed to meet the needs of this broader global population, therefore, may require cultural and contextual adaptation to be successful. The current …

Perceived Burdensomeness And Thwarted Belongingness Influence The Childhood Polyvictimization And Suicide Ideation Association Among Hispanic Undergraduates, Claire Hsieh, Ruby Charak, Ines Cano-Gonzalez, Leo Gonzalez, Michelle E. Roley, Joseph D. Hovey

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The present study examined the mediating effect of perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB) in the association between childhood polyvictimization and suicide ideation (past week) among 528 Hispanic college students. Nearly 10% reported polyvictimization, 19.8% had suicide ideation, and polyvictimization was a risk factor of suicide ideation through PB and TB. The indirect effect through PB was stronger than the indirect effect through TB. Interventions should focus on PB and TB to alleviate suicide ideation among Hispanic undergraduate students.

Unique And Cumulative Effects Of Intimate Partner Cybervictimization Types On Alcohol Use In Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Emerging Adults, Oscar Trujillo, Jorge I. Cantu, Ruby Charak

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The use of modern technology has inadvertently created newer platforms for intimate partner victimization to take place. The present study investigated (i) whether psychological, sexual, and stalking intimate partner cybervictimization (cyber IPV) types were uniquely associated with alcohol use, and (ii) whether there were additive effect of cyber IPV types on alcohol use, after controlling for histories of childhood maltreatment types, face-to-face intimate partner victimization among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) emerging adults. Participants were 277 self-identifying LGB individuals in the age range of 18-29 years (M = 25.39, SD = 2.77; 16.6% lesbian, 25.6% gay, 43% bisexual women). Participants …

Witnessing Parental Violence And Cyber Ipv Perpetration In Hispanic Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role Of Attitudes Toward Ipv, Ines Cano-Gonzalez, Ruby Charak, Ohad Gilbar, Rosa Viñas-Racionero, Megan K. Strait

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent studies indicate that the perpetration of intimate partner violence via cyberspaces (cyber IPV), namely, psychological aggression, sexual aggression, and cyberstalking is high among emerging adults. However, little is known of the risk factors that lead to cyber IPV and far lesser within Hispanic adults. Based on the intergenerational transmission of violence hypothesis, the present study examined the indirect effect of witnessing parental violence during childhood on the three types of cyber IPV through attitudes condoning IPV in Hispanic men and women, separately. Participants were 1,136 Hispanic emerging adults in the age range of 18-29 years (M = 20.53 …

Service Encounters Across The Lifespan In Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Results From A Multisite Study In Latin America, Cecilia Montiel-Nava, Sebastián Cukier, Gabriela Garrido, Daniel Valdez, Cristiane Paula, Ricardo García, Analía Rosoli, Matías Irarrázaval, Alexia Rattazzi

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background Core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) continue to affect everyday life as children grow and transition into adulthood. That way, different services may be needed at various stages of their lifetimes. This study aimed to describe service encounters and hours of service per week for individuals with ASD in Latin American countries and compare the data from three age groups (preschoolers, school-aged, and adolescents).

Methods: The data were obtained from an online survey adapted by Red Espectro Autista Latinoamerica (REAL) in 6 different countries in South & Central America. The total sample was composed of 2520 caregivers of …

Marine Wild-Capture Fisheries After Nuclear War, Kim J. N. Scherrer, Cheryl S. Harrison, Ryan F. Heneghan, Eric Galbraith, Charles G. Bardeen, Joshua Coupe, Jonas Jägermeyr, Nicole S. Lovenduski, August Luna, Alan Robock, Jessica Stevens, Samantha Stevenson, Owen B. Toon, Lili Xia

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nuclear war, beyond its devastating direct impacts, is expected to cause global climatic perturbations through injections of soot into the upper atmosphere. Reduced temperature and sunlight could drive unprecedented reductions in agricultural production, endangering global food security. However, the effects of nuclear war on marine wild-capture fisheries, which significantly contribute to the global animal protein and micronutrient supply, remain unexplored. We simulate the climatic effects of six war scenarios on fish biomass and catch globally, using a state-of-the-art Earth system model and global process-based fisheries model. We also simulate how either rapidly increased fish demand (driven by food shortages) or …

Political Corruption And Mergers And Acquisitions, Nam H. Nguyen, Hieu V. Phan, Thuy Simpson

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research examines the relation between political corruption and mergers and acquisitions (M&As). We find that local corruption increases firm acquisitiveness but decreases firm targetiveness. The levels of corruption in acquirer areas relate positively to the bid premiums and negatively to the likelihood of deal completion. Corruption motivates acquiring firms to use excess cash for payment, which mitigates the negative effect of corruption on acquirer shareholder value. The evidence indicates that acquisitions help acquiring firms convert cash into hard-to-extract assets and relocate assets from the high to low corruption areas, thereby shielding their liquid assets from expropriation by local officials.

Life On Death Row, Gordon A. Crews, Stephen C. Stanko, Garrison A. Crews, Luzenski A. Cottrell

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the general conditions for those living on death row in the United States. This examination involves the various restrictions of freedom outside of cell, size and conditions in cells, allowances on personal property, and limits on food and recreation. Special attention is given to discussing the unique relationships that often develop between correctional officers and death row inmates. These relationships are explored through the phenomena of “Hustling” (i.e., any actions taken by an inmate to generate revenue, power, or control over their environment). This type of behavior often is used as …

Islamic Labeled Firms: Revisiting Dow Jones Measure Of Compliance, Ahmed Elnahas, Ghada Ismail, Rwan El-Khatib, M. Kabir Hassan

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

Billions of dollars, across 131 countries, are invested in Islamic law‐compliant funds that are often promoted as consistent with the spirit and overall objectives of Islam (Maqasid Al‐Sharia), thereby indicating they are more socially responsible, less risky, and less prone to failure. The empirical results of this study indicate that Shariah‐compliant firms identified by the Dow Jones do not have higher corporate social responsibility (CSR) scores, lower risk, or lower likelihood of failure than non‐compliant firms. We address endogeneity using the instrumental variable (IV) approach and selection bias using propensity score matching (PSM). Our results are similar when using the …

Greenhouse Gas Emission Efficiencies Of World Countries, Levent Kutlu

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

Greenhouse gas emissions have increased rapidly since the industrial revolution. This has led to an unnatural increase in the global surface temperature, and to other changes in our environment. Acknowledging this observation, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change started an international environmental treaty. This treaty was extended by Kyoto protocol, which was adopted on 11 December 1997. Using the stochastic frontier analysis, we analyze the efficiencies of countries in terms of achieving the lowest greenhouse gas emission levels per GDP output in the years between 1990–2015. We find that the average greenhouse gas emission efficiencies of world countries …

The Intersection Of The “Opioid Crisis” With Changes In Us Immigration Policy: Contextual Barriers To Substance Abuse Research With Latinx Communities, Micki Washburn, Luis R. Torres, Nicole Echeveria Moore, Alberto Mancillas

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

One of the 12 Grand Challenges facing contemporary social work is to close the health gap experienced by those in historically marginalized communities (Uehara et al., 2013). As social workers, we seek to understand the individual, interpersonal, social, and environmental factors along with the structural inequities leading to initiation and continuation of substance misuse. We are constantly contextualizing the circumstances under which substance misuse occurs, as well as contextualizing our approaches to addressing this issue from both a public health and social justice perspective. In order to adequately meet this challenge, considerably more research-based knowledge on the substance use treatment …

Changing Birth In The Andes: Culture, Policy And Safe Motherhood In Peru. Guerra‐Reyes, Lucia. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2019., Rosalynn A. Vega

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Tournament-Based Incentives And Mergers And Acquisitions, Nam H. Nguyen, Hieu V. Phan, Hung V. Phan, Dung T. T. Tran, Hong Vo

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research examines the relation between tournament-based incentives, which are proxied by the difference between a firm’s CEO pay and the median pay of the senior managers, and mergers and acquisitions (M&As). We find that tournament-based incentives are positively related to firm acquisitiveness and acquiring firms’ stock and operating performance. Further analysis indicates that positive acquisition performance increases the likelihood of the CEO being promoted from inside the acquiring firm. Our evidence is consistent with the view that tournament-based incentives motivate acquiring firms’ managers to make greater efforts and take more risk that result in superior acquisition performance.

Deleting Relationships In The Digital World, Sharaf Rehman, Nikkie Saldivar Hodgson

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

As women become financially independent and capable of supporting themselves and their children, they are finding it easier to correct their poor choices in mate-selection, i.e., poor interpersonal relationships and marriages. Nearly half of the marriages in the U.S. terminate either in permanent separation or divorce. The divorce rates among the Baby Boomers and members of Generations X and Y are equally high. For the older generations, the socially accepted way to end a relationship was through a face-to-face conversation but not necessarily so for the younger generation. The use of online dating, connecting through the internet, and cultivating relationships …

A Spatial Stochastic Frontier Model With Endogenous Frontier And Environmental Variables, Levent Kutlu, Kien C. Tran, Mike G. Tsionas

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

We propose a spatial autoregressive stochastic frontier model, which allows for the endogeneity in both the frontier and environmental variables (i.e., endogeneity due to correlation of inefficiency term and the two-sided error term). The model parameters are estimated using a single-stage control function approach. Monte Carlo simulations show that our proposed model and approach perform well in finite samples. We employed our methodology to the Chinese chemicals firm data and found evidence for both spatial effects and endogeneity.