Economics Commons^™

Reversing The Flood Of Forced Displacement: Shedding Light On Important Determinants Of Return Migration, Prakash Adhikari Ph.D., Wendy L. Hansen Ph.D.

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

Most current research on forced migration focuses on explaining patterns of displacement during armed conflicts and the role that social networks play in pulling people away from conflict torn areas. But what happens to displaced persons after a conflict ends? While many of these individuals are able to resettle in the place to which they fled during conflict, some individuals return to their places of origin while others remain in limbo. This research seeks to better understand behavior after flight. Using a rational choice framework, we theorize that people are strategic in their calculations of the costs and benefits of …

Energy Storage In The Golden State: An Analysis Of The Regulatory And Economic Landscape., Ryan H. Higgins

Pomona Senior Theses

On October 1st, 2013, a mandate was adopted by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requiring that 1.325 GW of energy storage capability be installed on the California electricity grid by 2024, through the actions of the state’s three investor-owned utilities. While this is a bold first step towards mandated energy storage in the United States, it may be only the beginning for an energy storage industry in this state. It has been well established that energy storage would prove to be a useful asset on the California electrical grid, but the development of storage capacity past the requirements of …

Affect And Overconfidence: A Laboratory Investigation, John Ifcher, Homa Zarghamee

Economics

We conduct two incentivized random-assignment experiments to investigate whether overconfidence is impacted by (1) incidental mild positive affect, or (2) incidental mild negative affects-anger, fear, and sadness. We measure overconfidence using overestimation of past quiz-performance and overestimation of past quiz-performance compared to peers. The results of the first experiment indicate that the effect of positive affect on both measures of overconfidence is positive and significant for male subjects. While mood-inducement is equally successful for female subjects, their overconfidence is unaffected by positive affect. These positive-affect results are robust to various specification checks. In the second experiment, we find consistent evidence …

The Development Of Public Libraries In The United States, 1870–1930: A Quantitative Assessment, Michael Kevane, William A. Sundstrom

Economics

The period 1870–1930 witnessed the emergence of the local public library as a widespread and enduring American institution. We document the expansion of public libraries in the United States using data drawn from library surveys conducted by the federal Bureau of Education. We then review causal accounts for that expansion. Exploiting cross-state and temporal variation in the data, we use statistical techniques to assess a number of plausible demand-and-supply factors affecting the pace of library development. Social and economic variables in the analysis include state income or wealth, urbanization, ethnic composition, and gender ratios. We also examine the effect of …

Inet Curriculum Proposal, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes,

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2014, October 20). INET grant application: A curriculum based on an alternative framework for economic analysis [Unpublished manuscript].

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2014, October 20). Curriculum vitae [Unpublished manuscript].

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2014, October 20). Grant proposal for the INET curriculum project [Unpublished manuscript].

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2014, October 20). Summary of the INET grant proposal [Unpublished manuscript].

• Shaikh, A., PhD. (2014, October 20). Budget for the INET grant proposal [Unpublished manuscript].

Coexistence Of Gm, Conventional And Organic Food Not Always Possible, Konstantinos Giannakas

CAFIO: Policy Research Group Policy Pagers

The coexistence of genetically modified (GM) products with their conventional and organic counterparts has been one of the most scrutinized issues surrounding the introduction of products of agricultural biotechnology into the agri-food system. Fears that the widespread adoption of GM products will drive their conventional (and, perhaps, organic) counterparts out of the market have been countered by arguments that their presence enhances the equilibrium product variety in the market. Central to the argument is, of course, the possibility of coexistence of GM, conventional and organic products with the main focus having been on farm production systems and the prospect of …

Gmos And Iprs Are Key Weapons In Fight Against Hunger, Konstantinos Giannakas

CAFIO: Policy Research Group Policy Pagers

The introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the food system and the assignment of intellectual property rights (IPRs) for plant genetic resources are among the most notable features of the increasingly industrialized agri-food marketing system of numerous developed and developing countries around the world. IPRs have provided innovating firms with incentives to aggressively pursue improvements of crop characteristics (such as herbicide tolerance, insect and virus resistance, drought tolerance and increased nutritional value) through gene splicing techniques, and the agronomic benefits associated with the genetically modified (GM) products have resulted in their embrace by a significant number of agricultural producers …

Ad Hoc Disaster And Crop Insurance Programs May Reduce The Use Of Risk-Reducing Conservation Tillage Practices, Karina Schoengold, Ya Ying, Russell Headlee

CAFIO: Policy Research Group Policy Pagers

There is growing concern that the risks facing agricultural producers are increasing due to several factors that include the predicted effects of climate change leading to more frequent floods, droughts, and higher temperatures as well greater use of agricultural outputs for nonfood energy products.

These risks are partially managed through federal agricultural programs. Ad hoc disaster payments have frequently been used to provide financial support.

Sustainability Policy’S Inherent Dilemmas – Exemplified Via Critical Examination Of The Las Vegas Metropolitan Sustainability Campaign, Kathryn A. Zimmerman

All Master's Theses

In response to a dual problem of critical water scarcity and rapid population growth, leaders of metropolitan Las Vegas implemented a region-wide, internationally marketed sustainability campaign. Preliminary studies found that, while sustainability policy attains its rhetorical goals, solutions initiated not only perpetuate but also purposefully expand the original dual problem to justify continuous water resource acquisitions. To examine this sustainability conundrum constructed by leadership—problem-perpetuation rather than problem-resolution—a critical examination in resource management asked two basic questions: what is being sustained and by what means? Via this inquiry, specific processes by which leaders perpetuate problems can be identified; and, so-informed, new …

Differentiating Among International Investment Disputes, Julie A. Maupin

Faculty Scholarship

Can investor-state arbitration tribunals, which exercise jurisdiction over limited claims involving discrete parties, render awards that deliver individualized justice while also promoting systemic fairness, predictability and coherence? The answer, I argue, is a qualified yes – provided that the methods employed are tailored to the particular characteristics of each dispute. Using three well-known investment arbitrations as case studies, I illustrate that investor-state disputes vary widely in terms of their socio-legal, territorial, and political impacts. Significant variances along these three dimensions call for a differentiated approach to investor-state dispute resolution. I outline what such an approach might look like and analyze …

Technology Use In Agriculture, Rebecca J. Vogt, Charlotte Narjes, Anne Byers, Connie Hancock

Cornhusker Economics

In September 2013, the Nebraska Broadband Initiative partnered with the Strategic Networks Group (SNG) to conduct an email survey of Nebraska businesses on their use of broadband technologies. Responses from over 800 Nebraska businesses show that broadband is being widely used and is benefitting businesses across the state. The complete report can be found online at http://broadband.nebraska.gov/. Seventy of those businesses self-reported being in the agriculture/forestry/fishing industry. This paper will take a closer look at the responses from this industry sector.

Editor's Note, Marites Tiongco

DLSU Business & Economics Review

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Structure And Dynamics Of The Philippine Macroeconomy: Results From A Dsge-Based Estimation, Ruperto P. Majuca

DLSU Business & Economics Review

I use Bayesian methods to estimate a medium-scale closed economy dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model for the Philippine economy. Bayesian model selection techniques indicate that among the frictions introduced in the model, the investment adjustment costs, habit formation, and the price and wage rigidity features are important in capturing the dynamics of the data, while the variable capital utilization, fixed costs, and the price and wage indexation features are not important. I find that the Philippine macroeconomy is characterized by more instability than the U.S. economy. An analysis of the several subperiods in Philippine economic history also reveals some …

Liberalizing The Philippine Mining Industry: A Cge Approach Into Analyzing Its Sectoral Impacts On The Economy, Jesus Carlos Exequiel D. Castillo, Krista Danielle S. Yu

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The mining industry in the Philippines was once a promising venture that could contribute to the growth of output in the economy. Numerous legislations in support of mining in the Philippines that were passed through the years have proven ineffective in spurring development in the industry. Despite the spotted history of mining in the Philippines, the rising prices of precious metals in the world would seem that mining as a venue for output is as lustrous as ever. Due to the economic downturn in the mid 2000s, the markets turned their attention back to heavy investments in metals, causing most …

Martingales In Floating Asean+3 Currencies*, Cesar C. Rufino

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The martingale properties of the floating exchange rates of the ASEAN+3 region are analyzed in this study using contemporary (2000 to 2012) weekly data of inter-bank call rates. The main goal of the analysis is to see if informational efficiency is a feature floating (managed or independently floating) currencies in this coalition of countries still possess despite the current credit crisis and other economic shocks during the period. Employing relevant state-of-the-art econometric techniques, the study sets to empirically determine the presence of two important ingredients of informationally efficient market—the existence of the unit root component and the presence of uncorrelated …

Estimating The Efficiency Of Philippine Public High Schools Using Spatio-Temporal Stochastic Frontier Analysis, Michael Ralph M. Abrigo, Rouselle F. Lavado, Erniel B. Barrios, Brian C. Gozun

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This paper proposes a method for modeling production function of education using a stochastic frontier model with spatial temporal terms. Using a unique dataset that combines school achievement scores with school characteristics from 2005-2008, the efficiency of 4,900 public high schools in the Philippines in converting school inputs into test scores was estimated. Results show that the average inefficiency is at 41% and that there is a significant positive spatial externality in efficiency, which means that efficiency in one school can spill over to its neighbors. The model was found to be robust to various environmental variables included in the …

An Approximation Of The Internal Rate Of Return Of Investment In Selected Undergraduate Degree Programs, Editha A. Lupdag–Padama, John Paolo R. Rivera, Rhory C. Fernandez–Go, Krista Danielle S. Yu, Francesca Dianne B. Solis, Rosanina A. Sayoc

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The situation of a typical Filipino household, overseas employment, and the culture of migration are deemed as determinants for investing in higher education such as in the specialized fields of accountancy, education science and teacher training, engineering, and nursing. We examine both local and international labor demand for accountants, teachers, engineers, and nurses as well as its underlying implications on the exodus of professionals. As such, the determination of the internal rate of return to investment is of crucial importance to households to fully maximize educational opportunities and for the government and other institutions to confront this globally-changing situation. Using …

The Strategy Dilemma: Why Big Business Moves Seldom Pan Out As Planned, Niceto S. Poblador

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This article looks at the complex dynamics that underlie organizational change and attempts to explain why, under present uncertain environmental conditions, it is not possible to determine in advance the results of strategic moves made by businesses and other types of organizations. It discusses an alternative approach to strategy in today’s world of business and explores the practical applications of experimental methods to the management of change in today’s highly complex, extensively interconnected, and knowledge-driven world.

International Political Economy: How Does Freedom Correlate With Economic Success?, Trevis Harrold

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

It is thought by many that the size of a nation's economy determines the amount and kind of services that any individual in that nation can access. This paper explores how freedom affects a country's economic success in terms of GDP per capita. The conclusions are that the amount of freedom a country has, as determined by Freedom house measures, does have an effect on Gross Domestic Product per Capita.

Generally, the more freedom a country has the higher the GDP per capita is. Countries should promote and establish free regimes in order to have the best economic output. In …

Still More Studies In Rio Grande Valley History, Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta

Studies in Rio Grande Valley Regional History Series

Resaca, a poem / Josie Mixon -- Matamoros before the Texas Revolution : becoming Mexico’s pivitol port city on the northern frontier / Craig H. Roell -- The Great Sequoyah Mystery : a cover-up that stretched from the Cumberland Mountains to the Rio Grande Delta (and into Mexico) / Don Clifford -- Immigration to South Texas, 1850-1900 / Thomas Daniel Knight -- Cattle barons and the creation of an empire : a case study of the expansion of the Kennedy Ranch of South Texas / Elmer Sierra, William Yaworsky, and Amy Frazier -- A history of the Brownsville Police Department …

Africa Rising: Corruption & Foreign Direct Investment Inflows, Kunaal A. Chande

CMC Senior Theses

Using a panel data set spanning from 2005 to 2012 and drawn from 35 Sub-Saharan

African countries, this paper examines the relative impact of corruption on the

inflow of foreign direct investment. This study is motivated by the recent influx of

political and media attention on the African continent that is poised to receive

billions of dollars in investment over the coming years. It is argued in this paper that

there is no significant link between the two variables. There did appear to be a

negative skew meaning higher levels of perceived corruption resulted in less FDI

inflows, while few …

The Effect Of Natural Disasters On Volunteerism, Alexander P. Kalish

CMC Senior Theses

The power of natural disasters to significantly and drastically alter the lives of the people they touch is vast, and the response rate of the provided aid can be the difference between a successful recovery and not. This study examines the relationship between natural disasters and volunteerism. The analysis makes use of panel data measurements on volunteer rate and volunteer hours per resident as well as FEMA measurements of major natural disasters from 2005 – 2012. I find that states that experience a natural disaster in the current year experience a significant and positive increase in volunteer rate in the …

The Rise Of Private Equity In China: A Case Study Of Successful And Failed Foreign Private Equity Investments, June Kim

CMC Senior Theses

China's transition from a planned economy to a market economy has brought about remarkably rapid economic growth. Year after year, China boasted of double-digit growth rates since the early 1990s. Attracted by China's so-called "economic miracle," foreign investors began entering the Chinese market hoping to benefit from the country's vast array of financial opportunities. Private equity, particularly a leveraged buyout, was an unfamiliar concept in China until late 1990s. Now China has become the most attractive destination among emerging markets for private equity investment. Global private equity firms are currently raising billions of dollars for funds focusing on China because …

The Impact Of Fitness Technology On Health Outcomes, Megan C. Kelley

CMC Senior Theses

Using 2014 data compiled from a sample of Claremont McKenna undergraduate students, I examine the effect that fitness technology (i.e., mobile and wearable technology) has on users' health outcomes. Specifically, I find no effect of mobile or wearable use on self-reported health. However, I do find some evidence of mobile use on weight but not wearable. Applying a basic OLS regression analysis, I show that mobile users tend to be heavier than non-mobile users irrespective of gender. Furthermore, I find that contemporaneous health on prior mobile use show higher weight levels compared to non- mobile prior users. Such findings provide …

Can The Chinese Economy Affect The Us Stock Market? The Case Of The 2008 Chinese Stimulus Package, Jacqueline M. Lee

CMC Senior Theses

The Chinese stimulus package of 2008 was a response by the government to rebound the second largest economy from the effects of the Global Financial Crisis. The package was one of the largest, and arguably one of the most successful, in boosting demand and spurring growth through targeting infrastructure projects and consumer spending. This paper investigates whether the package had any spillover effects on the US industrial and consumption companies with large markets in China through the time series multiple regression technique. This paper found that Chinese net exports had some explanatory power over the consumption companies, and the US …

Developing An Efficient High-Trust Model Within Audit Teams, Julian James L. Laguisma

CMC Senior Theses

An examination into dyadic trust relationships within an audit engagement team and development of a model to efficiently optimize trust.

Teaching An Old Profession New Tricks: An Analysis On The Effects Of The Flipped Classroom Model On Student Performance, Theresa K. Lomneth

CMC Senior Theses

Abstract

When traditional lecture methods prove ineffective, some professors turn to alternative teaching styles. In particular, a flipped or inverted classroom, where students watch conceptual videos before coming to class and use class time for application and fine tuning of these concepts has become popular in recent years. However, little consensus exists on the efficacy of these strategies. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a flipped classroom structure implemented in a medical school course successfully improved student performance. To do so, I analyzed exam data from the University of Nebraska Medical Center before and after implementation of …

The Liberalization Of Shibor And The Economic Fundamentals Of House Price Growth In China, Michael J. Mavredakis

CMC Senior Theses

This paper uses data collected from the National Interbank Funding Center of China, the People’s Bank of China, the National Bureau of Statistics, and Bloomberg starting in October 2006 through 2013 to test the economic fundamental’s affecting the housing market in Shanghai, particularly interest rates. This study finds that the 6- month duration Shibor has a negative and significant correlation with house price growth in Shanghai when lagged 4 months. The analysis continues by examining other economic fundamentals affecting house price growth, finding growth in inflation, the money supply and Shanghai real estate investment to have significant, positive relationships with …

The Deadweight Loss Of Equity-Based Compensation, Jessica Pence

CMC Senior Theses

In order to maximize shareholder value, firms attempt to align the incentives of the executives with those of the shareholders by giving them equity as a portion of their compensation package. The terms associated with this equity compensation forces the executives to hold undiversified portfolios, resulting in a sizeable deadweight loss. This paper uses the formula developed by Meulbroek (2001)1 to calculate the dollar value of this deadweight loss, in order to quantify the costs associated with equity-based compensation. We find that the 56 executives in our data set have a combined deadweight loss of $70 billion, and that on …

Who Is The Customer? Identifying The Initial Adopters Of Formal Savings. Field Evidence From Malawi, Karan Saggi

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines household characteristics as determinants of formal savings accounts in rural Malawi. The main questions answered in this paper include the effects of household characteristics on the probability of having formal savings, the amounts saved in these accounts, and the probability of adopting formal savings. The central discussion aims to identify the initial adopters of formal savings accounts, using a marketing approach previously unapplied to this area of research. This paper also contributes to the dialogue of the household composition by considering three untried variables: number of adults, number of children, and literacy of all household members. Results …