Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Receiving A Queen: A Queer And Trans Feminist Classical Reception Rhetorical Historiography Of Elagabalus, Thomas William Passwater

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation studies representations of Elagabalus, the sovereign of Rome who ruled between 218–222ce, after her assassination to examine how depictions and historical accounts of Elagabalus's life make rhetorical decisions about Elagabalus's identity and being that can foreground the composer's relationship to history and the function of history as a rhetorical force. Thus, this project, through studying Elagabalus's composers, raises questions about the nature of figure studies and history. The project draws on trans, queer, and feminist theories and rhetorics which help highlight the contingent and conflicting nature of Elagabalus's identities across representations without settling them into a singular narrative …

Essays On Strategies For Increasing Repayment Rates Of Digital Microloans, Alain Rutayisire Shema

Dissertations - ALL

Access to credit can act as a highly effective tool for poverty reduction and economic growth. The ability to borrow increases the propensity of low-income people to start and maintain businesses, educate their children and withstand financial shocks. These factors, in turn, can help them to move out of poverty and lead to more sustainable economic development. However, traditional financial institutions have inherent limitations that have impeded their ability to serve the poor.

Digital lenders are able to leverage the widespread adoption of mobile phones and mobile money to extend credit quickly and conveniently to more people, especially in developing …

Three Essays On Partial Identification For Applied Health Economics, Giuseppe Germinario

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation consists of three chapters which explore the usefulness of partial identification methods for estimating treatment effects in applied health economics research. Each one applies the methodology to different settings in which establishing causality has traditionally been difficult, and seeks to demonstrate when a bounding approach can—and cannot—aid researchers in learning about causal relationships.The first chapter studies the Housing Choice Voucher program in the United States and estimates bounds on the effect that receiving this form of housing assistance has on self-reported health status and the likelihood of hospitalization within the eligible population of renters. The second chapter aims …

Fragmented Landscapes: An Archaeology Of Transformations In The Pra River Basin, Southern Ghana, Sean Hamilton Reid

Dissertations - ALL

This doctoral archaeological research examines the Pra River Basin in southern Ghana through lenses of landscape, temporality, and transformation. Drawing on the Annales school and the writings of Tim Ingold, this study moves away from binary constructions of natural and cultural landscape features toward a more integrated view of the landscape's long human history. The primary temporal focus of this research is the past three millennia but evidence recovered of even more ancient eras is also examined. The artifacts and features documented while surveying this landscape allow us to glimpse pre-Atlantic (pre-1450 CE) settlement patterns, subsistence, and technology, as well …

The Problem Of The "Virtual": Virtual Reality, Digital Dualism, And Religious Experience, Jordan Brady Loewen

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation uses resources from religious studies to critique the problem of digital dualism haunting notions of the "virtual" in the discourse of contemporary virtual reality technologies (VR). Digital dualism is the idea that digital or "virtual" worlds are fundamentally distinct from the "real" or physical world. Digital dualism is a problem because it mischaracterizes how we experience the spatial and temporal connections to our body in digital-virtual worlds and contributes to a false sense of subjective singularity rather than multiplicity that destabilizes how we relate to ourselves and others. Using the study of religion, philosophy, and aesthetics, we can …

Coparenting Quality In Separated American Parents Of Children Ages 1½ To 5: Anxiety, Social Support, Self-Efficacy, And The Associations With Coparenting And Child Outcomes, Greg Kovacs

Dissertations - ALL

The purpose of this research was to examine the mechanisms determining coparenting processes in parents following divorce or separation and the implications for the emotional and behavioral outcomes for their young children. The complex associations between parental anxiety, parental self-efficacy, social support, coparent relationship quality, and child problem behaviors were examined. Participants were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk and completed a survey regarding their coparenting dynamics. The sample consisted of 322 residents of the United States who had a child between 18 months and 5 years of age and who were no longer living with the child's other parent. Results …

Three Essays On The Economics Of Education, Rachel Jarrold-Grapes

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation is comprised of three essays on the economics of education. The first and third chapters examine marijuana legalization and its effects on students, while the second chapter examines the impact of pension incentives on teacher quality.The first chapter examines the extent to which there are negative spillovers of recreational marijuana legalization on underage marijuana use and educational outcomes. I use two complementary identification strategies that rely on plausibly exogenous spatial and temporal variation in access to marijuana in Oregon. In November of 2014, Oregon passed Measure 91, a referendum to legalize recreational marijuana. Unlike other legal states, Oregon …

Three Essays On Globalization, Structural Change, And Political Economy, Nam Seok Kim

Dissertations - ALL

Re-allocation of labor from less productive sectors to more productive sectors is essential in attaining economic growth. Because only some developing countries achieve productive labor re-allocation, it is important to address the determinant of productive labor re-allocation. Based on this motivation, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 focus on the role of unionization in structural change. In Chapter 1, I provide detailed dynamics by constructing an index for the degree of unionization for each sector in each region of South Korea and Taiwan. The magnitude of growth-enhancing structural change was lowered when a sector in a region had a higher degree …

Food Reclamation And Redistribution: Addressing Grocery Store Food Waste, Insecurity And Accessibility Through The Introduction Of Food Pantry And Educational Space On Existing Grocery Store Sites, Diane Arista

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Looking at Las Vegas, there is a lack of local agricultural systems. Due to its desert climate and current state of drought, there are insufficient resources to establish a traditional style of agriculture. With the lack of in-state or in-city agriculture, Las Vegas is seeing a rise in population of those who face food insecurity and lack of access to fresh food. In order to even consider food growth that would help to mitigate insecurities, there would need to be commitment to establishing an alternative agricultural process that would survive in Las Vegas' arid climate. These alternatives often look at …

Full Issue - Africa

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

What is the latest research in Africa related to nonprofits and social impact? Read about the latest research and statistics in Africa along with trusted nonprofits working in Africa.

Quality Nonprofits In Africa

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Read about a few nonprofits working in Africa.

If We End, I Lose Part Of Me: The Influence Of Dissolution Consideration On Perceived Self-Contraction, Abigail J. Caselli

Dissertations - ALL

Romantic relationships provide people with the opportunity to change who they are and how they come to think of themselves. This process, known as self-concept change, is generally positive and creates a perceived sense of closeness between romantic partners. However, not all romantic relationships remain intact, regardless of the benefits associated with self-concept change. Thus, people experience breakups, which impact how they perceive themselves. But before leaving their relationship, people have thoughts about leaving (i.e., dissolution consideration). People will likely perceive changes to their sense of self before leaving the relationship. Specifically, I predicted and found in Studies 1-2 that …

American Transcendentalism Contra Contemporary Political Philosophy: Applications Of Thomas Carlyle And Ralph Waldo Emerson To Liberal Democratic Capitalism, Platonism, Islamism, Technology, And The "End Of History", Brian Wolfel

Dissertations - ALL

I construct Thomas Carlyle's political philosophy in the contexts of twentieth-century and contemporary political philosophy by dialoging and contrasting Carlyle with the work of John Rawls, Alasdair MacIntyre, Jacques Ellul, and Sayyid Qutb, among others. I also focus my attention on Carlyle as a philosopher who is an intermediary between ancient Platonism and nineteenth-century American Transcendentalism. Carlyle's Sartor Resartus is a Platonic text that provided a foundational inspiration for Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and American Transcendentalism writ-large. Despite Carlyle being a chief source of inspiration for American Transcendentalism, his political theory did not inspire the development of a …

That’S Not What I Heard: A Study On University Communications And Marketing Strategies Regarding Covid-19 Policies., Hannah M. Belayachi

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This study applies Situation Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) to the crisis responses of independent college and state flagship universities to determine what strategies most effectively reach campus audiences and influence their COVID-19 attentiveness. This study mainly looks at one institution within each of the previously mentioned categories and compares their general messages regarding COVID-19, how it fits with SCCT, and if any other methods within the SCCT could have been more effective. A subsection within this paper includes looking at public commentaries made by audiences associated with the institutions of study (i.e., parents, alumni, and students) and evaluating their comments …

The Relationship Between Urban Heat Islands And Redline Districts, Emily Cornwell

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

As climate change worsens and the world attempts to find solutions to global changes, it is important to identify how climate change will affect individual communities. Climate resilience tactics aim to protect vulnerable populations against environmental harms, such as excess heat. Historically, communities of color face forms of environmental racism. One example of structural racism includes the loans given out by the Home Owners Loan Corporation during the 1940s which “redlined” certain communities of color by refusing to give these neighborhoods loans and rated these areas undesirable for loaners. Urban heat islands occur in residential, densely populated areas with lots …

What’S In A Vote? Voter Choice In The 2008 Through 2020 Presidential Elections, Matthew Gillett

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Perhaps the most important question in American politics asks what motivates a voter on Election Day? Voter’s decisions affect the direction of our country over the next four years. A long running debate in political science deals with the rationality of voters, concerning itself with the main indicators of vote choice, which include party versus policy. The paper advances these debates to the 21st century, addressing the results from the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 general elections using data sets from the ANES Data Center. The data sets were analyzed using a logistic regression to operationalize each explanation. The results …

Transgender Athlete Policy Analysis Of The National Governing Bodies Of Australia, The United Kingdom, And The United States, Dara Gregory

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Transgender (trans) athletes, particularly trans women, are not widely accepted in sports, which can be shown through a policy analysis of Olympic recognized sports in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. An analysis of the policies of different National Governing Bodies (NGBs) shows that there is inconsistency in trans policies which leaves room for unfairness and a lack of inclusivity. Additionally, each gender, sport, and country has different trans regulations, largely based on assumptions of gender norms as reflected in Metheny’s framework. Additional research on trans athletes still needs to be done all across the world.

The Effect Of Race And Gender In The Stigmatization Of Mental Illness, Kate Hines

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Previous studies have shown that men and minorities are more likely to experience stigma for having mental illnesses (Dupont-Reyes et al., 2020). This study was conducted to determine whether there would be an impact of race and gender on internal and external mental illness stigma. The participants were 179 undergraduate students at a college that is majority white and female. It was hypothesized that men and minorities would experience more internal and external stigma than women and whites. The hypotheses were tested by having participants read a vignette of a mentally ill person whose race and gender were manipulated, and …

Popular Culture Representations Of Bdsm And Subsequent Implications For Kinky People Of Color, Katelyn Lloyd

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

In this study, the researcher uses a content analysis of popular film and television from the last 30 years depicting acts of bondage, discipline, dominance/submission, and sadomasochism (BDSM), both those committed by white people and by people of color, in an attempt to determine whether this representation is inherently positive or negative. Participation in bondage, discipline, dominance/submission, and sadomasochism (BDSM) is easily considered taboo (Jones 2020), and it is even more so when people of color (POC) are playing with white practitioners (Cruz 2015). Film representations of minority groups can impact how the general public views these groups upon viewing …

The Effects Of Communication Differences On Listeners’ Attitudes Of Warmth And Competence, Credibility, Intelligences, And Social Distance, Rebecca D. Parks

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Prior research has shown that listeners may hold a variety of negative attitudes towards individuals with speech or language disorders, such as beliefs that they are lower in intelligence, friendliness, or competence (Allards & Williams, 2008; Bettens et al., 2020; Lallh & Rochet, 2000). These studies have suggested that attitudes tend to vary based on the type and severity of the disorder, but results are inconclusive on specific communication characteristics impacting perceptions. The present study measured participants’ attitudes towards an actor portraying either a language, fluency, articulation, or voice disorder. The between-subjects design involved participants being randomly assigned to listen …

The Effect Of Quantitative Easing On The U.S. Stock Market And Wealth Inequality, Griffin Phillips

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

My thesis will investigate and attempt to find a causal relationship between Quantitative Easing (QE) and the U.S. stock market since 2003. The secondary effects will then be explored to see if stock prices impact wealth inequality. To find the causal relationship between the QE and the stock market, a regression model will be used. It predicts the magnitude of effects of QE and other variables that may impact stock prices. Since 2007-2009, the Federal Reserve has used QE as a means to spur economic growth. This expansionary monetary policy has impacted many financial markets, including the U.S. stock market. …

How Do Business Cycles, Sex, And Race Affect College Major Choice?, Matthew Varsi

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Biased Scientific Covid-19 News Reporting On Mortality Salience, Jena Wilkinson

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

COVID-19 has made people aware of their own death, referred to as mortality salience. Mortality salience affects behavior. Public health uses reporting to inform the population, and many news reports reference the pandemic’s death toll. The current study investigated the difference in mortality salience between news supporting CDC-recommended guidelines and news not in compliance with CDC guidelines. It was hypothesized that CDC compliant news would induce higher rates of death anxiety. Additionally, non-CDC compliant news would influence lower perceived control of COVID-19. This was a mixed factorial design of 133 students at a small liberal arts university. Survey responses were …

Effect Of Sars-Cov-2 Vaccine Misinformation On Conspiracy Belief And Anxiety, William Alexandr Yeager

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Over the past two years, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in long-lasting damage, an increase in mood disorder diagnoses, and an increased spread of misinformation. It was this study’s focus to determine whether exposure to misinformation about SARS-CoV-2 affected anxiety, conspiracy beliefs, and vaccine hesitancy. Participants completed a pre- and post-test State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for perceived anxiety measurement alongside the Perceived Stress Scale. Participants were also connected to biofeedback machines for physiological anxiety measurement. Participants completed the Conspiracy Mentality Scale, Conspiracy Belief Scale, Vaccine Conspiracy Belief Scale, and the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale for conspiracy belief measurement. It was hypothesized that …

Household Behavior And Taxation: A Focus On The Labor Market, Mariana Odio Zuniga

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The decision-making process within the household is a significant component to be taken into consideration for policy design in both developed and developing economies. Therefore, this dissertation focuses on understanding how joint-household behavior and taxation impact the labor market and intergenerational mobility. To this end, Chapters 1 and 2, focus on how joint-household behavior and taxation impact the formal-informal sector composition in Brazil. Meanwhile, Chapter 3 analyses the role of taxation, child expenditures, and family structure on intergenerational mobility of educational outcomes. Among the most significant challenges of the labor market in developing countries is reducing high informality rates, which …

Essays In Behavioral Corporate Finance, Corporate Governance, And Higher Purpose, Kingsley Wabara

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Does individual financial risk-taking behavior indeed vary by gender? If yes, how exactly? Moreover, what happens when individuals with differential tendencies (e.g., risk-taking, sense of higher purpose, et cetera) come together in small groups such as the corporate board to decide on financial risk-taking or conduct intense board oversight? What role does group or board structure play in all of these? In effect, how does the within-group power and influence asymmetry affect the manifestation of the individual tendencies in boards’ decisions, corporate behavior, and financial outcomes? The lack of conclusive answers to these questions is at the core of several …

Gender-Targeted Policies, Women's Empowerment, And Intrahousehold Inequality, Andrea Maria Flores

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

A growing number of development policies increasingly target women as beneficiaries or grant protections to women under the premise that monetary resources in the hands of mothers are more likely to be spent on children's human capital than monetary resources in the hands of fathers. This dissertation explores how observed household responses to these policies can be effectively attributed to their impact on households' decision-making structure. The first two chapters empirically and theoretically explore whether the 2002 urban expansion of Mexico's Progresa/Oportunidades conditional cash transfer program was effective at simultaneously empowering mothers and increasing household investments in children's human capital. …

Essays On The Higher Education Market And Financial Aid Policies, Yuan Huang

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the dissertation is to study the role of market structure and education policy on the efficiency and distribution outcomes in the U.S. college market. Through economic modeling and empirical analysis, I aim to assess the effectiveness of existing and potential education policies in enhancing human capital while ensuring equity in access to high-quality education. The dissertation consists of two chapters. In the first chapter, I study the effects of college market power and Federal financial subsidy on the market equilibrium outcomes and the distribution of economic surplus, using a structural model that incorporates heterogeneous students' demand for …

Three Essays On Local Government: Responsiveness, Transparency, And Discriminatory Ordinances, Bryant James Moy

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores democratic governance at the local level: responsiveness, transparency, and the emergence of discriminatory policies. First, in Chapter 1, I consider whether citizens in overlapping governing units are represented by their elected officials. In other words, given a patchwork system of overlapping local institutions, can residents direct public policy? To answer this question, I implement a framework that takes into account multiple overlapping governing institutions: cities, counties, school districts, and special districts. In doing so, I create a novel measure of local ideological preferences that varies dynamically. I find that both cross-sectional and dynamic responsiveness exists at the …

The Effect Of Social Primes On The Perception Of Native- And Nonnative-Accented Speech, Drew J. Mclaughlin

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Listeners use more than just acoustic information when processing speech. Social information, such as a speaker’s race/ethnicity, can also affect listeners’ understanding of the speech signal. In some cases, these social primes can facilitate perception, while in others they may inhibit perception. Indeed, a picture of an East Asian face has been shown to facilitate the perception of Mandarin Chinese-accented English but interfere with the perception of American-accented English. The present dissertation builds on this line of inquiry, addressing novel topics including the generalizability and specificity of social priming effects, their relationship with implicit racial/ethnic associations, and their role in …