Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Cross-Country Evidence Of Corruption Spillovers To Formal And Informal Entrepreneurship, Aziz N. Berdiev, James Saunoris

Economics Faculty Journal Articles

Using cross‐country data this paper examines the spillovers of corruption to formal and informal entrepreneurship in neighboring countries. Whereas research has shown that entrepreneurs move underground to escape corruption, we argue that entrepreneurs may also seek refuge in neighboring countries. Indeed, the empirical results show that in response to a ceteris paribus increase in corruption in neighboring countries formal entrepreneurship increases in the home country with no effect on informal entrepreneurship. This is consistent with entrepreneurs circumventing corrupt public officials by immigrating to countries with presumably less corruption. These results withstand a battery of robustness checks. (JEL D73, L26)

Corporate Social Responsibility And Likelihood Of Financial Distress, Ying Zheng, Yong Wang, Crystal Jiang

Finance Department Faculty Journal Articles

Does doing good to society make firms less likely to have financial trouble? This paper looks at the benefit of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and examines whether firms’ CSR engagement affects their chance of falling into financial distress. After analyzing a broad U.S. database spanning 25 years from 1991 to 2015, we find that CSR engagement indeed reduces the likelihood of firms falling into financial distress, and the results are statistically robust and economically significant. Further, we find the impact of CSR on the likelihood of financial distress is more pronounced in economic downturns and for firms with high levels …

Cryptocurrencies: Applications And Investment Opportunities, A. Can Inci, Rachel Lagasse

Finance Department Faculty Journal Articles

Purpose

This study investigates the role of cryptocurrencies in enhancing the performance of portfolios constructed from traditional asset classes. Using a long sample period covering not only the large value increases but also the dramatic declines during the beginning of 2018, the purpose of this paper is to provide a more complete analysis of the dynamic nature of cryptocurrencies as individual investment opportunities, and as components of optimal portfolios.

Design/methodology/approach

The mean-variance optimization technique of Merton (1990) is applied to develop the risk and return characteristics of the efficient portfolios, along with the optimal weights of the asset class components …

The Psychological Implications Of Lyme Disease, Joseph Trunzo

Applied Psychology Department Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Would A Gene-Editing Ban Fit Human Rights Law?, Andrea Boggio

History and Social Sciences Faculty Journal Articles

The right to benefit from scientific progress, as set out in Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, means that member states must “respect the freedom indispensable for scientific research”. By default, biomedical research — arguably including clinical studies involving edited germline cells — is therefore permitted.

Social Media Usage Patterns: Research Note Regarding The Lack Of Universal Validated Measures For Active And Passive Use, Briana M. Trifiro, Jennifer Gerson

Communication Faculty Journal Articles

The existing literature regarding social media use provides extant evidence supporting the claim that usage patterns ultimately have the capability of impacting users. However, the vast majority of the literature is based upon experimental laboratory settings where participants are observed by researchers. The current article asserts that there is a significant deficiency within the discipline regarding the validated measurement of usage patterns of social networking sites (SNSs) and offers guidance for those who may want to develop a general measure.

Part Of Our Story: Community Building And The Institutional Repository, Patricia Lombardi, Sam Simas

Library Staff Publications, Presentations & Journal Articles

Institutional repositories act as hubs of shared cultural memory and heritage and possess untapped potential in their breadth and reach. In an effort to realize this potential, we are activating our institutional repository as a platform to inform the community, both at Bryant and in Rhode Island, of the diverse array of works (archival, creative, and scholarly) produced by our University students, faculty, and staff. During this talk, we will highlight some of the key collections in DigitalCommons@Bryant University, as well as how those collections came into existence. We will give tips that will empower you to open dialogues with …

Thinking About Engaging North Korea: A Study On The Framing Of The U.S. Human Rights Public Discourse In The Washington Post And New York Times Between 2001 And 2017, Rachael M. Rudolph

History and Social Sciences Faculty Journal Articles

North Korea said in January 2019 that it was exploring ways to engage the human rights issue. This was a much welcomed announcement because the issue must be addressed in order for the two countries to reach a formal, comprehensive peace agreement and the lifting or easing of unilateral sanctions. This study utilizes framing as an analytical tool to examine how the North Korean human rights discourse is framed in the United States for the purpose of identifying the salient rights‐based issues covered in two traditional media outlets, namely, the Washington Post and New York Times. Next, it reframes the …

The Research Data Management Interview, Sam Simas, Andrew Creamer, Hope Lappen

Library Staff Publications, Presentations & Journal Articles

This presentation was given as part of the RDAP Summit, 2019

Train-the-Trainer: Developing a Research Data Management
Workshop to Support Graduate Student NSF Doctoral
Dissertation Research Improvement Grant Proposals
Presenters: Andrew Creamer (Brown University),
Hope Lappen (New York University), Sam Simas (Bryant
University)

Workshop Objectives: Participants will be able to:
1. Teach graduate student researchers to navigate Research.gov and FastLane and provide overview of solicitation, supplementary document requirements,
and public access compliance requirements, including depositing in NSF-PAR

2. Point out common pitfalls for graduate students navigating and complying with solicitation and PAPPG

3. Conduct an evaluation of students previously funded …

Feedback Forwards: How We Found New Ways To Ask Our Students What They Want From The Library, Rachael Juskuv, Maura Keating, Patricia Lombardi, Allison Papini

Library Staff Publications, Presentations & Journal Articles

A team of Bryant University Librarians are participating in the EXCITE Transformation for Libraries program through the Connecticut State Library. We conducted a series of structured group and one-on-one conversations with students, faculty, and staff in order to learn about how they think and feel about teamwork, the library, and collaboration at the library. We found that students in particular were far more responsive to community sessions than in taking surveys.

Survival Strategies: A Study Of Working Families In New York City, Kafui Gozey

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

The main focus for this project was to find out how working families survive life in New York City which is known to be one of the most expensive places to live on earth. In effort to find answers to this, I visited the city for a period of two weeks to observe the lives of locals and also to interact with them. After days of interactions and gathering information, it was evident that there is a huge population of working families in New York who struggle to make ends meet. It was also made clear that these families do …

Using Information Literacy To The Lead The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Rachael Juskuv, Maura Keating

Library Staff Publications, Presentations & Journal Articles

Our future in the world ahead will include continued upskilling and dexterity in learning. While technical skills are crucial, we must be able to understand, be critical of, and evaluate the cultural, historical, and technical background behind the data to be effective users and creators of data. While data are the facts or details from which information is derived, individual pieces of data are rarely useful alone. For data to become information, data needs to be put into context. Information literacy is the tool that helps to build meaning. During this session, we’ll examine recent examples of data misunderstanding and …

Sailing Into The Storm, Joseph Trunzo

Applied Psychology Department Faculty Journal Articles

Before she even knew what was happening, he was already on her. He punched her in the face, smashed her head against the wall, and dragged her through the corridor by her hair. The pain was searing; the fear, overwhelming. When help finally arrived, after what seemed like an eternity, the damage had already been done. The effects of the beating were both physical and psychological. The onset of trauma, at first muted by shock, would soon unfold in ways unimaginable to her. Her illusion of safety was shattered. This was her job. She was this person’s caretaker, an authority …

Information Avoidance In Risky Financial Behavior, Shannon Foglia

Master of Arts in Communication

Maxing out credit cards, spending savings accounts, and only paying off the credit card minimum each month are all examples of risky financial behaviors that tend to get college students into debt. These risky choices can stay with a student long after college, making them unable to buy a home or achieve financial independence. As one of the last taboos, personal finances are rarely a topic of conversation among students and their social networks. This investigation uses the Theory of Motivated Information Management to understand what makes college students avoid information and communication regarding personal financial behaviors. Results showed that …

Gender Discrepancy In The Weight Room, Colby Norris

Honors Projects in Applied Psychology

This paper proposed that despite the benefits of weightlifting, especially for women, that an uneven gender divide still exists in the weight room. It was also proposed that the masculine culture of the gym deters women from lifting. It was found through an observational study that there were four times more men than women in the weights areas of gyms. It was also found that women are more uncomfortable than men when their physique is being examined and that lifting women identify more strongly with traditionally "masculine" personality terms than non-lifting women do. Women cite a lack of knowledge, a …

What Affects Academic Performance In Bryant University Students?, Emilio Avalos

Honors Projects in Economics

Looking at a student’s Grade Point Average (GPA) has been the main way of measuring academic success for many years. Of course, GPA is not the only success measure for every person after college, but it is highly relevant. The purpose of this study is to find the strongest factors that affect the academic performance of undergraduate students in Bryant University. The main objective is to provide undergraduate students with information that will help them better understand the variables that positively or negatively affect their GPA. The data for this study was gathered by sending out a questionnaire that contained …

A Panel Data Study Of The Determinants Of Life Expectancy In Low Income Countries, Taylor Rizzo

Honors Projects in Economics

This study attempts to determine the impact of several socioeconomic determinants of life expectancy for 34 low income countries using ordinary least squares linear regression. Most explanatory variables were statistically significant, implying that the socioeconomic variables of interest, including government health expenditures, access to basic sanitation facilities, HIV prevalence, urbanization, education, and sex, are important measures in influencing life expectancy. Foreign aid, corruption, and undernourishment, were determined insignificant when determining life expectancy. Based on the analysis results, it has been suggested that these developing countries implement appropriate policies and programs to increase HIV education and preventative measures, increase women’s rights …

Assessment Of Economics Education In Korea's Higher Education, Jinsoo Hahn, Kyungho Jang, Jongsung Kim

Economics Faculty Book Publications

No abstract provided.

Cognitive Processing And Climate Change: The Impact Of Political Ideology On Processing Climate Change Information, Quinn Massaroni

Master of Arts in Communication

This study addressed information processing for climate change messages from representatives of a political party. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the political ideology of a message source and message sender and its impact on perceived hazard characteristics, negative affective response, and information processing behavior. Hypothesis 1 and Hypothesis 2 posited that when the source and message receiver have the same political ideology, the receiver will experience heightened levels of concern about climate change. Hypothesis 3 and Hypothesis 4 posited that, regardless of the message source, participants are more inclined to heuristically process information. Research …

Trends In American Newspaper Coverage Of Autism, Allison Miller

Master of Arts in Communication

The public's understanding of disabilities is cultivated via several media resources, including news media. Disability scholars often cite negative representations of disabilities in mass media, yet analyses of newspaper journalists' coverage of autism remain scarce. The present study explores the frames, stereotypes, stigmatizing cues, and individuals cited in news coverage of autism through a content analysis of The New York Times and USA Today coverage of autism from 2013-2016. The findings revealed that episodic frames are consistently utilized to discuss autism. References to abnormal social tendencies and coupling autism with adverse circumstances were the most common stereotypes in newspaper coverage. …

Corruption And South American Public Health Governance: A Panel Data Analysis, Richard Mydland

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates high income South American countries and their Corruption Perception Index ranking compared to their public health economic variables alongside other macroeconomic variables. The study takes into account that each country is different by means of economic nature due to geographic location. Countries with a natural resource curse are different from traditionalist economic countries. The model examines the implications of a corruption ranking along with health and macroeconomic data that is strongly correlated with decreasing or increasing returns to scale.

Are The Food Insecure More Likely To Be Obese?, Lisa Russo

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the connections between food insecurity and obesity levels throughout the United States over three years (2011-2013). The causes of obesity are often not entirely a result of poor diet and exercise, but of the presence of food deserts in impoverished areas. Changes in income trends in recent years also the poor remain poor rather than experiencing upward mobility. This study builds on previous studies conducted both within the U.S. and internationally that found that food insecurity is a determinant of obesity rates. This study uses poverty as a proxy measurement for food insecurity at the state level, …

How Improving Prison Systems In The United States Will Positively Impact The Economy, Jordan Laube

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines the causes of high recidivism in the United States and offers a solution to theoretically bring these numbers down. This study is compiled of data over the past twenty years (1998-2018) as there have been spikes in recidivism rates during this time period. Some of the independent variables that this paper will take into account are economic and labor market freedom, race, cost, sentence length, and prison population under discretionary review. A one percent increase in state economic freedom is associated with a 0.47 % decrease in parolee recidivism. The relationship is stronger and more statistically significant …

Esg Scores Impact On The Market Value Of The Stock, Michelle Quinn

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the effects of the ESG scores on a firm’s stock valuation, using the Tobin’s Q ratio. This study will incorporate both the ESG index as a whole and the individual factors: environmental, social and governance to consider the firm’s corporate social responsibility. This model uses the Tobin’s Q measurement to evaluate if the stock is over or undervalued while including the size, risk, and development within the firm. The paper found that there is little significant evidence to prove that there is a relationship between the ESG scores and the valuation of the stock, but there is …

Economic Growth As It Relates To Women’S Labor Force Participation In The Lac, John Esher

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the dependence of economic growth in the LAC and the relationship between Women’s Labor Force Participation and growth in production and total GDP. This study is the incorporation of information and data from the LAC into a Solow Growth Model to examine the influence of participation on the GDP per capita of the region. Increases in GDP per capita are modeled by using the differences in current GDP per capita against the GDP after women’s participation is increase to the same level to men’s. The results show that if women were to actively participate in the labor …

Effects Of Private And Public Health Expenditure On Health Outcome, Hyungue Lim

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

The current level of health spending in the U.S. is the highest in the world. However, the outcomes of the health spending are among the lowest for developed countries. Therefore, for policy development purpose, it is necessary to determine which direction of healthcare spending results in better output, private or public. This paper investigates the effect of private and public health expenditure on life expectancy, infant mortality at birth, and infant mortality under age 5 among 11 OECD countries. Hausman test is performed to confirm the fixed effects models. Fixed effects GLS and GMM are used for data analysis. We …

The Effect Of Corruption On Foreign Direct Investment In Transition Economies: A Panel Data Study, Michael Chodziutko

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the FDI inflows into transition economies of Europe. The study incorporates a time series element to help see how investment has changed over time in this region. Corruption and economic conditions are what will be specifically studied in this model. Market conditions are the final independent variable present in this studied, used to try and understand how the market size can influence inflows. The results show that there is a negative relationship between corruption on FDI flows. It was also found that economic growth and integration into the world economy have a positive relationship in attracting foreign …

What Is Driving Up Health Care Costs? Does Pollution Play A Role: Oecd Country Panel Data Analysis, Sean Gillis

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This study investigates the rising health care costs among nine OECD nations from 1990 to 2014. A panel data analysis was conducted to analyze specific causes for these rises. Total health care expenditure is the dependent variable with carbon dioxide emissions being the main variable of interest. Analysis finds that the economy has grown faster than health care expenditures, and a negative relationship between CO2 emissions, elderly populations, urban population growth rates and health care expenditure.

Does Growth Have A Price Tag? Foreign Aid’S Effect On Economic Growth In Africa, Andrew Berghahn

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the linkage between Official Development Assistance (ODA) received by African countries and the growth of GDP per capita within those nations. This study uses fixed and random effects to explore to ascertain the effects of increasing the amount of ODA received in relation to the country’s GDP. The results from this analysis show that there is a clear negative impact on country’s GDP per capita as ODA increases in relation to total GDP.

The Glass-Cliff And Usa Politics: Are Women Set Up For Failure?, Amber Marin

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This study investigates the hypothesis that the glass cliff exists in Senate races for the United States in 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2016. It compares the effects to anecdotal situations focusing on Brexit. The results of the study find validity in glass cliff hypothesis.