Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Federal Minimum Wage: The Effects Of The Minimum Wage On The Youth Employment And School Enrollment, Nurlan Kussainov

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The minimum wage has been a prominent topic of discussion among labor economists. According to Neumark and Wascher, the minimum wage has been a core element of public policy for several decades. The effects of minimum wage were brought back to light during the State of the Union address by President Obama, in which he proposed increasing the minimum wage to $9.00, a 24% increase.

This capstone project contributes to the discussion in determining the effects of the change in minimum wage on the youth population. The study uses aggregate data spanning nineteen years, from 1985 and 1990 to 2007. …

Relationship Between Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratory Seizures And Burns In Kentucky, David A. Wittmer

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that is synthetically produced using equipment and chemicals available in the community. Its burden to society may be determined through a number of mechanisms, including the imposed strain on healthcare systems. The evolution of methamphetamine use and production methods has led to reports of increased methamphetamine related burn admissions among hospital burn units[1-3] . Current literature identifies an increase in injury severity, comorbid complications, and cost of care associated with methamphetamine related burn injuries[1-5]. The intent of this study is to identify burn injuries in Kentucky and assess whether a statistically significant association exists …

Developing A Best Practice Model For Forecasting Annual Franchise Fee Revenue: The Case Of The Lexington-Fayette Urban-County Government, Ian K. Banta

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The LFUCG currently forecasts their revenues internally and has their forecasts validated by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Kentucky. However, it does not have a well-developed method of forecasting franchise fee revenue. They are not alone, as the literature on revenue forecasting that finds that between 50 and 75 percent of local governments rely on informal, judgmental approaches to forecast revenue instead of more formal, quantitative techniques. However, the literature also indicates that these judgmental approaches are less accurate.

Inspired by a study of St. Petersburg, Florida by Gianakis et al., and in …

Analyzing The Impacts Of The 2010 World Equestrian Games On The Kentucky Horse Park, Pamela Henderson

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

There has been a growing trend in the United States for governments to invest in infrastructure specifically for sporting events. Proponents believe that arenas and large scale events will lead to economic development in an area. Contrary to this expectation, there is a large body of literature that contends that the economic impact expected from these projects does not generally come to fruition.

Lexington, Kentucky hosted the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in 2010. WEG is an international competition that features equestrian events and is held every four years in between the Summer Olympic Games. In order to prepare for the …

State Public Retirement Systems: An Examination Of Factors Affecting The Funded Ratio, Jenna M. Skop

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Each of the fifty states oversees at least one public retirement system for employees. This study examines which factors affect the funded ratio of these systems. The intent of this paper is not to solve the problems facing public retirement systems, but to give decision makers and policy leaders a better understanding of what affects the funding levels of these systems. Understanding the various factors that affect the funded ratio will help decision makers determine which changes should be made to public retirement systems.

The funded ratio is one of the main methods used to determine how well funded these …