Economics Commons^™

Structural And Financial Constraints For Arabica Coffee Planters, Chloe Wardropper

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Arabica coffee production in Cameroon is struggling. Coffee growers and their plants are aging rapidly due to a lack of incentives to continue production. The downturn in arabica production started in the 1980’s, with the drop in the world price of coffee and the privatization of formerly government-run programs and agricultural cooperatives. Financial problems continue today because there are no structures to replace those organizations which offered financial and technical support. This paper will examine the constraints facing arabica coffee growers today and the options available to them for the amelioration of their situation. This is achieved primarily through interviews …

People Moving Matters: Theorizing Tourism And Migration On The Nepali ‘Periphery’, Adam Linnard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Many papers and presentations pertaining to tourism have started something like the following:

The World Tourism Organization in its 1996/97 report states that 255 million people are employed in the tourism-related industries, which is one in every nine people employed in the world, making it the world’s number one industry and larger than the oil, automobile or weapons industries. Tourism also contributed US$653 billion to the international economy in the form of different tourism-related taxes. There is an annual growth rate of 4% in the world’s tourism market. (Bajracharya & Shakya, 1998)

Now this one begins that way, too.

It …

Valorar Lo Nuestro Para Fortalecer El Futuro: Etnoturismo Mapuche En La Ix Región, Ashleigh Martin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The mapuche people have lived a history of struggle. Today it seems they are faced with the impossible choice of being poor and without the resources to maintain their culture, or succumbing to the pressures of a world imbued with globalization and equally changing what is fundamentally theirs. As a unique solution to this problem, many mapuche individuals and communities have opted to develop “turismo mapuche”, or ethnic tourism programs—part of a recent trend toward a more responsible form of tourism. These programs strive to provide tourists with the opportunity to experience cultures different from their own. The primary aim …

Vecinos Indiferentes: Chile, Bolivia Y La Gas Natural, Daniel Hodges-Copple

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this investigation is to analyze the relationship between Chile and Bolivia with respect to the issue of natural gas exportation and importation. For various historical, political and cultural reasons, Bolivia chooses not to export any of its large natural gas reserves to its neighbor, Chile. This paper will demonstrate and analyze the current energy situation of both countries, the obstacles that prevent cooperation, the efforts being made to correct them, and suggestions for resolving the issue to the benefit of both countries in the context of regional integration.

Ua7 Ored Quarterly Newsletter, Sadiq Shah

ORED Quarterly Newsletter

Connecting Knowledge with Businesses and Society to Promote Economic Growth and to Enhance the Quality of Life

Upper Rio Grande At Work Employee Satisfaction Survey, Daniel J. Quiñones, Carlos Olmedo, Dennis L. Soden

IPED Technical Reports

The Institute for Policy and Economic Development (IPED) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was contracted by the Upper Rio Grande Workforce Development Board (URGWDB) to conduct an employee satisfaction survey as one component of a larger evaluation project. Employee satisfaction as defined in this survey includes quality of facilities and equipment as well as overall work setting and climate. The goal of this research is to assess the quality of URGWDB as a place to work and as an organization that has the processes in place to adapt and implement change to improve.

Upper Rio Grande At Work Client Satisfaction Survey 2007, Daniel J. Quiñones, Carlos Olmedo, Dennis L. Soden

IPED Technical Reports

The Institute for Policy and Economic Development (IPED) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was contracted by the Upper Rio Grande Workforce Development Board (URGWDB) to conduct a client satisfaction survey as one component of a larger evaluation project. For purposes of this survey, “client” refers to businesses that have used URGWDB’s services such as job posting and job fair assistance. Client satisfaction as defined in this survey includes how well job seekers were matched with potential jobs and the customer service clients received from URGWDB staff. The goal of this research is to assess the performance …

Upper Rio Grande At Work Customer Satisfaction Survey 2007, Daniel J. Quiñones, Carlos Olmedo, Dennis L. Soden

IPED Technical Reports

The Institute for Policy and Economic Development (IPED) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was contracted by the Upper Rio Grande Workforce Development Board (URGWDB) to conduct a customer satisfaction survey as one component of a larger evaluation project. Customer satisfaction as defined in this survey includes quality of training/instructional facilities and equipment as well as overall effectiveness of URGWDB services. The goal of this research is to assess the quality of URGWDB as a provider of services designed to help workers gain employment and as an organization that has the processes in place to adapt and …

Eco Reading List & Sign Up Sheet, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes.

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2007, Fall). Reading list for Economics 210S: Topics in economic analysis: Inflation [Course reading list].

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2007, Fall). Sign-up sheet for GECO 6210: Topics in economics: Inflation [Course sign-up sheet].

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2007, Fall). Sign-up sheet for GECO 6990: Independent study [Course sign-up sheet].

Wright State University Regional Economic Report, Fall 2007, Thomas L. Traynor, Jessica Livingston

Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of "Rethinking Asia’S Economic Miracle: The Political Economy Of War, Prosperity And Crisis", Su-Mei Ooi

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The article reviews the book Rethinking Asia’s Economic Miracle: The Political Economy of War, Prosperity and Crisis by Richard Stubbs.

The Individual, Regional And State Economic Impacts Of Kentucky Community And Technical Colleges, Glenn C. Blomquist, Paul A. Coomes, Christopher Jepsen, Brandon Koford, Barry Kornstein, Kenneth R. Troske

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

This report presents the results of our nine-month effort to measure the economic value of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), both directly to its students around the state, and indirectly to all residents of Kentucky. We find wide public support for KCTCS, and a willingness to pay for an expansion of its programs. We also find a large variation in the individual returns to community and technical college education, in terms of expected work-life earnings by gender and by region of the state.

Low Interest Rates And High Asset Prices: An Interpretation In Terms Of Changing Popular Models, Robert J. Shiller

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

There has been a widespread perception in the past few years that long-term asset prices are generally high because monetary authorities have effectively kept long-term interest rates, which the market uses to discount cash flows, low. This perception is not accurate. Long-term interest rates have not been especially low. What has changed to produce high asset prices appears instead to be changes in popular economic models that people actually rely on when valuing assets. The public has mostly forgotten the concept of “real interest rate.” Money illusion appears to be an important factor to consider.

Inference For Parameters Defined By Moment Inequalities Using Generalized Moment Selection, Donald W.K. Andrews, Patrik Guggenberger

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The topic of this paper is inference in models in which parameters are defined by moment inequalities and/or equalities. The parameters may or may not be identified. This paper introduces a new class of confidence sets and tests based on generalized moment selection (GMS). GMS procedures are shown to have correct asymptotic size in a uniform sense and are shown not to be asymptotically conservative. The power of GMS tests is compared to that of subsampling, m out of n bootstrap, and “plug-in asymptotic” (PA) tests. The latter three procedures are the only general procedures in the literature that have …

Essays On Risk And Incentives, Russell Engel

WCBT Faculty Publications

I use economic experiments to investigate individual behavior under uncertainty. The first essay examines the consistency of risk preferences over two institutions. The two institutions I use are the first price sealed bid auction and a Holt-Laury lottery. There is some controversy as to whether or not observed overbidding in first price auction is actually caused by risk aversion or simply consistent with it. Behavior in the Holt-Laury lottery being caused by risk aversion is not in dispute. By having the same subjects participate in both institutions, I show that subjects.risk preferences in the lottery are consistent with subjects' risk …

Fostering Entrepreneurship: Developing A Risk-Taking Culture In Singapore, Balbir B. Bhasin

WCBT Faculty Publications

About 10 years ago the Singapore Government realized that entrepreneurial spirit was lacking in its general population. These conclusions were confirmed by an empirical survey, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), an annual assessment of the national level of entrepreneurial activity. The paternalistic and authoritative approach of the government contributed to the general population's averseness to participating in risk-oriented ventures. Removing impediments to entrepreneurship is a key challenge for the government and the business sector if the island republic is to maintain its national competitiveness. This article explores the various initiatives taken by the government to stimulate risk-taking and attempts to …

Are Muslim Countries Less Democratic?, Frederic L. Pryor

Economics Faculty Works

Scholars and theoreticians have long argued about the compatibility of Islam and democracy. Bush administration support for export of democracy to the Middle East has brought the debate to the forefront of policy circles. As the discussion continues, statistical models can be useful to interpret the historical record. While recent studies have reached contradictory conclusions, as more data is considered, a nuanced relationship between Islam and democracy emerges: In all but the poorest countries, Islam is associated with fewer political rights.

An Assessment Of Factors Affecting Fleet Fuel Performance, Carlo D. Smith, John L. Kent, Cory J. Roberts

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Business

Improving fuel performance in all modes of transportation is becoming more important as fuel prices increase and concerns over environmental issues rise. This is particularly relevant in the class 8 motor carrier sector which accounts for the majority of fuel consumption among all classes of motor freight movement. The present study evaluated the extent that existing technologies, systems and policies designed to improve fuel efficiency have been and are expected to be adopted by current class 8 fleets. Results suggest that while many of the efforts of suppliers to the industry are focused on new technologies, there remains an opportunity …

A Future Of Good Jobs? America's Challenge In The Global Economy, Timothy J. Bartik, Susan N. Houseman

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Evaluation + Loose Notes, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes.

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (n.d.). Xun Ge: Chapter 2 on quadratic utility function, individual expenditure functions, MPCs, and APC [Unpublished handwritten notes].

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2008, March 9). Business profit equals surplus value! [Unpublished handwritten notes].

• [Author unknown]. (n.d.). Cholesterol test results and dietary recommendations [Handwritten note].

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2008, March 9 & 11). Business profit and surplus value [Unpublished handwritten notes].

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2008, March 11). Add to general notes and Nayyar on globalization and migration: Labor mobility, aging, skilled workers, and free trade zones [Unpublished handwritten notes].

• Shaikh, …

Borderplex Economic Outlook: 2007-2009, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr.

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

Northeast Ohio Entrepreneurship Confidence Survey: Second-Year Findings, David O. Kasdan, Jill S. Taylor

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Connected Lives And Embeddedness: Reading Zelizer With Granovetter – A Review And Critique, Deirdre Caputo-Levine, Alwyn Lim, Celine. Wills

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Our concern is to read Viviana Zelizer’s Purchase of Intimacy inrelation to Mark Granovetter’s embeddedness framework. We compare Zelizer’s connected-lives approach to the embeddedness literature in orderto tease out the similarities, differences, and improvements in the wayseconomic sociologists examine the intertwining of economic and socialbehavior. We argue that although Zelizer and Granovetter both focus onthis intermeshing of socioeconomic action, their perspectives reflect theirdiffering starting points: economic transactions or intimate relationships.We believe Zelizer’s connected-lives approach gives fresh insight to thenew economic sociology but we have some reservations regarding hertreatment of reciprocity and power in intimate relationships.

Will Marriage Promotion Work?, Vivian E. Hamilton

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Watered Down: The Intersection And Integration Of Tourism Development And Water Resource Management In Marrakech, Morocco, Alison Maassen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

“Share The Wealth” A Critical Analysis Of Private Sector Development In Uganda’S Rural And Urban Settings, Michael Roscitt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Privatization and private sector development have been primary methods of development throughout Uganda and Africa for the last 20 years. These two valuable tools, however, have been plagued by corruption as many former State Owned Enterprises are being divested into the pockets of political cronies and influential foreigners. If State Owned Enterprises were instead divested amongst a broad section of the population, local entrepreneurs with limited capital could participate in the privatization process. If responsibly divested, private sector development would then be able to have more far reaching effects because the enterprises being helped would be owned by the people. …

Permission To Change: The Role Of Culture And Cultural Tourism In Development, Heather Houser

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Batwa are an indigenous people living throughout areas of central equatorial Africa. In Uganda, they constitute a small minority and live in parts of the West and Southwest, primarily in the districts of Bundibugyo, Kabale, Kisoro and Kanungu. This study was conducted in Kisoro District and the data deals primarily with the Batwa that live there. Many of the Batwa’s ancestral homelands were declared national parks in 1991. The Batwa were forced to leave and were given no compensation. As a result, many of them are now squatters and have been forced to beg for a living. Several organizations …

The Learning Organization In A Post-Development Era: A Case Study On Orgnizational Development At The Valley Trust, Justin Haruyama

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the past two decades, the rise of Post-Development theory has witnessed the questioning of the core assumptions of development. Post-Development theorists point to the failures of “development” to create significant decreases in poverty or inequality worldwide. Meanwhile, other theorists call for radical transformations of conventional practice. This paper seeks to grapple with these questions, using the example of The Valley Trust, a development NGO in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, as an entry point into the debate. Research was conducted over a four-week period through a mixture of participant observation and formal interviews with staff members of The Valley Trust. An …

Community Forestry In Oaxaca: An Assessment Of The Level Of Autonomy In Forest Decision-Making And Its Environmental And Economic Importance, Peter Gill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Desarrollo Turístico Y Sustentabilidad: Caso Villa Pehuenia Y La Comunidad Mapuche Puel, Sasha Shahidi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With limited resources and overpopulation on a global level, sustainable development is the only way that human beings will be able to survive on this earth. The problem is that the dominant model of development stresses the importance of economic profits in the short term and far too often exploits natural resources and less powerful cultural groups. This creates dangerous long-term affects as natural resources and indigenous cultures that depend on them continue to disappear with no plan, or possibility, to replace them. Sustainability seeks the least negative impacts possible on the natural environment and indigenous cultures in order to …