Economics Commons^™

"Ain’T No Slump...I Just Ain’T Hittin’": Investigating Psychological Momentum And Loss Aversion In Major League Baseball, Josephine Matalone

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the history of America’s pastime, it has long been concluded among fans, athletes, and coaches alike that momentum is a key element necessary should one want to win when it counts. However, this issue of “hot hand” existence in the context of baseball has been largely glazed over since the canon of literature on the topic was initiated, and even more so has the concept of a “cold hand.” This study seeks to make a novel contribution by exploring streaks in professional baseball. Using 10-years’ worth of regular season MLB data between 2012 and 2021, a comparative analysis of …

Saved By Naloxone: The Path To Sobriety?, Marli Rose-Firillo Fichtner

Theses and Dissertations

Beginning in the early 2000s, lawmakers sought to mitigate harm and reduce mortality rates by enacting various policies and increasing community outreach, such as educating society about the dangers of opioids. These efforts can be divided into two broad categories: Drug use prevention and harm reduction. Research has been conducted on both of these strategies, utilizing retrospective analysis on outcomes including crime and mortality, among others. It is of great interest to understand which policies are most effective. NALs are an example of harm reduction because they reverse overdoses should they occur. Preemptive naloxone distribution reduces the likelihood of fatal …

Essays In Labor Economics, Inclusion, And Diversity, Saharnaz Babaei Balderlou

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive analysis of various teacher staffing policies and their impact on teacher retention and turnover. It comprises three studies, each addressing a unique aspect of teacher staffing challenges in the United States and in South Carolina. Chapter 2 investigates how different salary structures (frontloading vs. backloading) affect teacher turnover in South Carolina. Using a Difference-in-Differences (DID) approach and data from FY2014 to FY2023, the study finds that frontloading salary schedules do not significantly impact overall teacher turnover, with negligible effects on novice teachers. However, the impact varies with district characteristics: specifically, frontloading may reduce turnover in …

Measurements In Kautilya’S Arthasastra, In The Domains Of Public Finance And Governance, Saraswathi Murali M

Theses and Dissertations

Ancient Sanskrit literature has rich discussion of measurements by different authorities. Examples from the Vedic Age and the period of Itihāsas can be found in Ṛgveda (c. 1500 BCE), Rāmāyaṇa, and Mahābhārata. A subsequent, and more elaborate, exercise of codification of measurements, relevant to finance and administration, is observed in Arthaśāstra, written by Kauṭilya, also known as Cāṇakya and Viṣṇugupta (c. 350-275 BCE).

The author, a scholar from Takṣaśilā, was the advisor during Cāndragupta Maurya’s reign (c. 321-297 BCE). After millennia of hibernation, Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra resurfaced, in the beginning of the twentieth century. Ever since, Arthaśāstra has been a subject …

Refugees Insertion And Labor Market Outcomes And: An Analysis Of The Egyptian Context, Salma Ebrahim

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the association between the inflow of refugees to Egypt and labor market outcomes during the period 2012-2018, using data from the Egyptian Labor Market Panel Survey (ELMPS). By applying Difference-in Differences and Probit models, the study compares labor market outcomes between Greater Cairo, characterized by high refugee inflow, and the Suez Canal region, which has a very low inflow. The labor force outcomes analyzed wages, formality and labor force participation. The results indicate that the refugee influx is associated with a decline in wages for both formal and informal workers in the treatment group compared to the …

Policy Frameworks And Citizens’ Use Of Fintech Solutions: The Pros And Cons In Egypt, Salma Al-Mohamady

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of the significant influence of financial technology (FinTech) on the banking industry, consumer finance, and economic growth. It specifically concentrates on the swiftly changing FinTech environment in Egypt. The study investigates the impact of incorporating advanced technologies on worldwide financial practices, which has significantly transformed traditional banking models and facilitated the emergence of inventive financial services. The transition is clearly apparent in Egypt, where the expansion of FinTech has been driven by advances in regulations, adaptation to technology, and a population that is becoming more comfortable with digital solutions.

Using a combination of quantitative …

Unraveling The Nexus: Social Spending, Development, And Breaking The Cycle Of Poverty, Yasmin Shehata

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the role of development, as indicated by the Human Development Index (HDI), in shaping the connection between social public spending on health, education, and social protection and poverty in terms of the poverty headcount ratio at $3.65/day (2017 PPP). Empirical analysis is used to this end, employing a panel dataset of 68 countries at varied stages of development over the period 1995-2021. The empirical model is estimated using the Fixed Effects Two-stage Least Squares (2SLS). It is also re-estimated using the Instrumental Variable Generalized Method of Moments (IV-GMM) and Limited Information Maximum Likelihood (LIML) to test the …

The Effect Of Fiscal And Monetary Policy On Public Debt In Egypt, Malak Mohamed

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis aims to examine the effect of monetary policies and fiscal policies on public debt in Egypt during the period from 2006 until 2021. Egypt is witnessing aggravated levels of debt, with limited fiscal and monetary space. Therefore, the objective of the paper is to analyze the effect of discount rates, inflation rates, subsidies, taxes and economic growth on debt-to-GDP in Egypt using a VAR model with an extended test of Impulse Response Function. The results suggest that a positive shock in government expenditures initially decreases public debt but leads to a fluctuating increase in the debt-to-GDP ratio in …

Bitcoin And Stock Market Return Correlation: A Sectoral Analysis Of The S&P500, Michael Narouz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies the correlation between Bitcoin returns and stock market price returns for the S&P500 US stock market index by dividing the index into 11 sectors based on the industry and checking for correlation between Bitcoin returns and the returns of the stocks in each sector individually. The GARCH model is used due to its ability to account for the empirical phenomenon of volatility clustering that is usually present in financial time series datasets such as those used in this thesis. The results show statistically significant positive correlation between Bitcoin returns and stock market returns for all 11 sectors, …

Investment Strategies Of Gcc Sovereign Wealth Funds: Aligning National Development And Geopolitical Goals, Roy Conners

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) prioritize and implement investment strategies in the context of national development and geopolitical dynamics. Using a qualitative case study approach, it analyzes the assets, key industries, leadership, and historical evolution of major GCC SWFs (ADIA, Mubadala, ADQ, QIA, and PIF) based on publicly made available information.

The findings show that GCC SWFs prioritize investments in strategic sectors, geographical destinations, and the private sector. These investments align closely with their respective national development plans, such as 'We the UAE 2031', Qatar National Vision 2030, and Saudi Arabia’s …

Farmers’ Hiring Decisions Towards Farm Mechanization Services In The Cauvery Delta Zone Of Tamil Nadu, Krishnadas R

Theses and Dissertations

Agriculture is critical to any country's economic development. It not only benefits the primary and secondary sectors but also helps the economy flourish. In addition to ensuring food security, the Indian agricultural sector provides work to huge populations, both directly and indirectly. Traditional farming practices are now overused, labour is no longer abundant, and the power demand is rising steadily. The rapid development of technology has given rise to new opportunities in agriculture (Balafoutis, Evert, & Fountas, 2020). Technology aids agricultural growth by allowing more effective utilization of inputs. It has the potential to make an immense contribution to agricultural …

Adverse Selection In Online Auctions: A Study Of Ebay Motors, Ilanith Nizard

Theses and Dissertations

This study provides evidence of adverse selection by examining the disparity in the value of a photo between dealer sellers and non-dealer sellers in online used-car auctions. It examines the impact of photos on three outcomes in auctions of auto- mobiles: bid prices, the number of bidders, and the probability of a trade. To do so, it uses non-linear regression models and data from 80,000 completed used-car auctions on eBay Motors from March to October 2006. The results show that an additional photo will increase all three of the outcome variables and more so for non-dealers than for dealers. The …

The Effects Of Pre-Abortion Restrictions On Women's Well-Being, Reesa Sooklall

Theses and Dissertations

Eleven states require women seeking abortions to undergo mandated ultrasounds prior to the procedure while twenty-four states require women to wait either 24, 48 or 72 hours between receiving state mandated counseling and the procedure. I examine the effects of abortion restrictions on health behaviors and health care of women. I apply staggered difference-in-differences to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to estimate the causal effects of the two-trip mandatory waiting period (MWP) law and mandatory ultrasounds (MUS) law on women’s mental health, use of alcohol and tobacco, and whether women are obtaining routine mammograms and pap smears. The …

Impact Of Exposure To Coal Plants On Birth Weight: Evidence From India Coal Plant Capacity, Deborah Nakkungu

Theses and Dissertations

Air pollution in developing nations presents a significant health threat; India's reliance on coal to meet increasing electricity demands and the non-compliance of coal plants with emission regulations worsen air pollution, resulting in considerable health risks. In this paper, I estimate the effect of exposure to coal plants on birth weight using data from the 2019-21 Demographic Health Survey (DHS) and the Central Electricity Authority's data on coal plants in India. A linear regression controls for confounding factors, including village and birth cohort effects, as well as birth and household variables. I find that an additional gigawatt (GW) increase in …

The Impact Of Sexual Orientation And Sexual Behavior On Wages, Curtis Lowe

Theses and Dissertations

On General Social Survey data from 2008–2018, I estimate the impact of sexual orientation on wages by addressing mismeasurement in sexual orientation that causes the estimates to attenuate towards zero. I use interval regression to estimate wages on reported sexual orientation. I then identify consistent reports of sexual orientation and sexual behavior to estimate wage gaps between individuals whose reported sexual orientation is consistent with their behavior. Removing inconsistent reports reduces the amount of attenuation that biases the estimates. Interacting sexual orientation and sexual behavior improves the wage gap estimates slightly and increases the value in absolute terms, suggesting that …

Effects Of The Automatic Enrollment Provision Of The Pension Protection Act Of 2006 On Labor Market Outcomes Of Older Americans, Yannis Giannoulakis

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 is to protect pension plans, reinforce individual savings and prepare Americans for retirement. A provision of the act strengthens the 1998-2000 IRS ruling that allows firms to automatically enroll their employees in 401(k) plans by superseding state written permission requirements. Prior to the Pension Protection Act of 2006, several states required written permission from employees to authorize wage deductions and 401(k) enrollments. Single-event difference-in-difference regressions estimate the effects of the Pension Protection Act of 2006’s auto-enrollment provision on labor market outcomes in states that had written permission requirements in the years …

Trade Liberalization With Brics: A Cge Model Of Egypt, Kareem Ashraf

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents an ex-ante impact assessment of a hypothetical FTA between Egypt and the BRICS from an Egyptian economy-wide and sectorial perspectives, with a granular look into manufacturing. The chosen methodology is a static SAM-based Computable General Equilibrium model calibrated to Egypt’s 2018-2019 Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). With respect to existing literature, the paper uniquely stands in considering an Egypt-BRICS FTA with a granular assessment of manufacturing subsectors and in running a simulation of Egypt’s trade liberalization with the wider BRICS alliance, including the accession of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ethiopia, and Iran, which joined the bloc along with Egypt …

Covid-19 And Labor Shortage In France: Exploring The Contribution Of Tunisian Migrant Workers In Bridging The Labor Shortage, Sana Gasmi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis employed a qualitative approach, combining both desk research and in-depth interviews with 11 participants: nine Tunisian migrant workers and two Tunisian migrant experts. The thesis examined labor shortage in France during the pandemic and the extent to which Tunisian migrant workers managed to bridge the labor shortage relying on the Segmented Labor market theory which was originally developed by Piore (1979), and the two concepts: System Effects and Systemic Resilience. Findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic unveiled several weaknesses in the French labor market system including the acute labor shortage. Faced by labor shortage, France turned to migrant …

Fiscal Administration Versus Fiscal Policy: An Investigation Into The Determinants Of The Real Tax Revenues From Consumption Tax In Egypt, Nariman Zahran

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis highlights the importance of fiscal administration relative to fiscal policies. It presents a broad view of the developments in both fields and tests their effects on real revenues from consumption tax in Egypt from fiscal year 2002 till 2023. It initially explains the proxies used for fiscal administration: the size of the tax base and the collection lag. The major fiscal policy change in Egypt was shifting from sales tax to Value-Added Tax (VAT) during fiscal year 2016/17. The effects of fiscal administration and fiscal policy on real tax revenues will be assessed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag …

Budget Capping Health Care: Its Impact On Health, Susan Chen

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of a budget cap on healthcare is to constrain total healthcare expenditure without compromising quality. This paper examines the impacts of budget capping on health and behavioral health outcomes, exploiting the completed Maryland All-Payer Model and the ongoing, extensional Maryland Total Cost of Care model, both of which capped healthcare budgets in Maryland. I use data from 2011-2021 surveys of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance system and generalized difference-in-difference regression models to find that budget capping improves health and behavioral health outcomes with a greater favorable effect during the Maryland Total Cost of Care model.

An Analysis Of New York State Education Funding As It Relates To Minority Student Achievement, Linda Elizabeth Macias

Theses and Dissertations

he purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to explore the relationship between New York State education funding for public school districts, the academic achievement of Black and Latinx students, and educational opportunity gaps that may result from a lack of access to Advanced Placement courses. These relationships were assessed with multiple linear regressions using the variables of student enrollment rates by race, English and math proficiency scores, the number of Advanced Placement, and levels of state education funding per district. The data were obtained from New York State Education Department financial reporting. The problem addressed by this study was …

Reevaluating Positive Freedom Through The Philosophy Of Amartya Sen With A Focus On Education As A Catalyst For Freedom, Emilie Mathilde Vesten Haakansson

Theses and Dissertations

Education has since ancient times been used as a societal tool to develop and cultivate society’s individuals into participating members. Education which is considered a fundamental human right also holds potential transformative power to enable and empower individuals to exercise their freedom to create a life that aligns with their own values, ideas and goals. However, how effective an educational system can be, ultimately depends on the accessibility and quality of the education as well as the overall system the educational institutions operate in. This thesis explores how education can function as a catalyst for furthering individuals’ freedom through a …

Poverty And Inequality: A New Deal For America’S Most Disadvantaged Communities, Thomas St. Hilaire

Theses and Dissertations

The United States, often hailed as the most affluent nation globally, paradoxically grapples with rates of poverty, disadvantage, and inequality that surpass those of its advanced democratic counterparts. The persistence of poverty and inequality in the United States have often been justified by beliefs of welfare dependency, “free market” thinking and utilitarianism. This master's thesis explores the far-reaching moral, political, and economic consequences of America’s high rates of poverty and inequality. It contends that federal action is urgently needed on more robust social programs that target poverty, such as affordable housing, accessible healthcare, greater worker protections, and deepened social capital …

The Influence Of Flavor On The Abuse Liability Of A Heated Tobacco Product And Its Feasibility As A Menthol Cigarette Substitute, Augustus White

Theses and Dissertations

Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) purport to expose people that use cigarettes to fewer of the harmful or potentially harmful constituents of tobacco while still delivering reinforcing amounts of nicotine (Auer, Concha-Lozano et al., 2017). An exemplar of the HTP class, IQOS, and its three varieties of “HeatSticks” have been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as “Modified Risk Tobacco Products” (MRTP). However, as the FDA is planning to ban menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes, questions remain regarding whether characterizing flavors should be permitted in HTPs (FDA, 2022e). New evidence regarding HTP abuse liability (i.e., the likelihood …

We Built This Country For Free – Using A Phenomenological Approach For (Re) Imagining Mississippi Black Small-Scale Farmers, Destiny Denise Crockett

Theses and Dissertations

By the early 20th century, in 1920, Black farmers owned 14% of US farmland. Today, in the 21st century, Black farmers own less than 2% of US farmland. The demise of Black farmers and Black farmland in US Agriculture is a direct result of social, political, and racial weaponization against their foodways, culture, and livelihoods. The history concerning the plight of Black farmers goes beyond USDA's historical discrimination but enters a position where racism is embedded and perpetuated within the structure of US agriculture. In effect, Black small-scale farmers have reaped the downfall of this system, enduring racial biases and …

Insights Into The Challenges Posed By Climate Change And Land Competition To Brazil’S Midwest Pulpwood Market, Roberto Hajime Sant Anna Kimura

Theses and Dissertations

I investigated the effect of climate change in one of the few expanding markets in the world in Brazil. In the last decades the demand for pulpwood increased from zero to 11 million tons, leading to an expansion of 700 thousand hectares of Eucalyptus plantation. In 2024, a new mill will start operating increasing the consumption of wood fiber by 8.2 million tons (+49%). I used mathematical programming to investigate how different scenarios of productivity and land will affect the market. My results showed that around 946,000 hectares (+124%) of additional timberland will be necessary in the upcoming decades. The …

Valuation Of Oyster Reef Restoration Along The Gulf Coast, Freedom Enyetornye

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to estimate the willingness to pay of U.S. Gulf Coast residents to support oyster reef restoration. The Gulf Coast is the leading commercial oyster- producing region in the United States, accounting for approximately 46% of the total commercial oyster harvest in 2021. My benefit estimates were based on data obtained from a contingent valuation survey of 6,475 Gulf Coast respondents. I estimated the willingness to pay (WTP) for oyster reef restoration using interval regression and Turnbull lower-bound methods. The estimated mean WTP value is in the range of $142 and $436 per household. The …

Regional Economic Impacts Of Enterococcus-Related Beach Closures In Mississippi, Jessica Lynn Browne

Theses and Dissertations

High levels of Enterococcus are the most frequent reason for beach closures on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and can be made worse by human activities. When beaches close, tourism can decrease, affecting sales. This study aims to 1) analyze the regional economic impact of beach closures at the county level, 2) show empirically how serious the impact of high levels of Enterococcus are compared to other causes of beach closures, and 3) discuss the policy implications for regional economies linked to beach closures. I use a response function approach with beach closure and county-level monthly gross taxable sales data. Results …

Utilizing Soil Quality Data For Premium Rate Making In The Federal Crop Insurance Program, Rylan Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The federal crop insurance program provides crop insurance for millions of acres and many commodities every year. The Risk Management Agency of the USDA is responsible for determining the premium rates for these covered commodities. Currently, the quality of soil is not considered when determining baseline yields and expected premium rates. This study utilizes the moment-based maximum entropy method to assess the effect of incorporating soil in the rate making methodology. Several moments of upland cotton yield in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas are conditioned on weather, irrigation, and soil control variables. Ultimately, I find evidence of mispriced premium rates for …

Skilled Workers’ Mobility And Attrition: The Case Of Florida Emergency Medicine Physicians, Vassina Hassane Meite

Theses and Dissertations

Emergency medicine (EM) physicians constitute the front line of healthcare providers. They work swiftly to address critical situations, diagnose illnesses, and stabilize patients. Amidst a growing need and shortage of EM physicians, this longitudinal descriptive study captures EM physicians’ preferences for practice locations by studying Florida EM physicians’ relocation patterns between 2006 and 2020. Esti- mates from a Cox Proportional-Hazards model and fixed effects logistic regressions suggest that wage amenities are not a strong determinant of relocation over time. Physician attrition and relocation are instead more saliently affected by high work volumes within the EM physician’s primary work location.