Economics Commons^™

Commodity Super Cycles: A Reality Check, Maureen Derooij

Asian Management Insights

Do commodity super cycles exist, or are we simply seeing patterns in randomness? More importantly, are we in the middle of one that is showing signs of going bust?

An Economic Impact Analysis Of A Youth Softball World Series, Robert Tanner Jones

Honors Theses

Sporting events can have a large impact on an economy. From the Olympics to the Super Bowl to the World Cup, these events bring in millions of dollars of new revenue to a region. Extensive research has been conducted on the economic impact of these mega-events. However, smaller sporting events, such as a fishing tournament, youth sports tournament, or 5K race, can also boost local economies and influence future tourism choices. However, limited research has been conducted to understand the economic impact of these events, despite the significant resources needed by communities to host these smaller events. This economic impact …

Endogenous Network Production Functions With Selectivity, William C. Horrace, Xiaodong Liu, Eleonora Patacchini

Center for Policy Research

We consider a production function model that transforms worker inputs into outputs through peer effect networks. The distinguishing features of this production model are that the network is formal and observable through worker scheduling, and selection into the network is done by a manager. We discuss identification and suggest a variety of estimation techniques. In particular, we tackle endogeneity issues arising from selection into groups and exposure to common group factors by employing a polychotomous Heckman-type selection correction. We illustrate our method using data from the Syracuse University Men’s Basketball team, where at any point in time the coach selects …

Tipping, Technology And Lessons In Compensation Design, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

New technologies seem to be popping up everywhere to make it easier for customers to exercise their power to pay. From personal phone apps to iPad kiosks in restaurants to video screens in taxis, a tip amount is instantly calculated for you just choose the percent or level you wish to tip. All this technological assistance on tipping is also creating exciting, new data sources. Increasingly, labor economists and other social scientists are using such data sources to better understand how people respond to incentives and the resulting workplace implications. The tipping examples described in this article offer some interesting …

Hot Crime: Economic Analysis And Insight Into The Relationship Between A City's Latitude And Its Rate Of Violence, Erin K. Piepenbrok

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Every day in America, a case of violent crime makes headlines across the television, newspapers, websites, and social media. These tragedies deeply affect those directly involved and the communities in which the crimes take place. Not only are individuals physically and mentally affected by violent crime, but communities and cities suffer an economic loss from rising violent crime rates. Reducing the current rates of violent crime (robbery, assaults, rapes, and murders) can reduce costs for cities and taxpayers, while ultimately improving the quality of life for Americans. Research into what affects violent crime rates lead to discoveries that unemployment, gun …

Covered Interest Parity Empirical Analysis Of Non-Traditional Monetary Policy’S Effects On Exchange Rates, Tyler W. Salminen

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research sought to find an economically justifiable relationship between non-traditional monetary policies of the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve and the dollar/yen exchange rate. This research utilized the covered interest parity condition in con-junction with a partial least squares structured equation analysis in order to discern any possible relationships between these two phenomenon. Indeed, this research found a solid relationship between the non-traditional monetary policies of these central banks and dollar/yen exchange rate. In order to analyze significance, direction, and nature of this relationship this research followed up the partial least squares analysis with boot-strap structural equation …

Babies And Boardrooms: A Comparison Of Women In The Labor Forces Of Japan And The United States, Madison A. Layton

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this paper is to examine the participation of women in the Japanese labor force and to compare this participation rate to that of the United States. This paper explores various situational and cultural differences between the two countries that lead to a stagnant female participation rate in Japan as compared to significant growth in the United States. It provides historical context and applies personal experience to a current economic situation in order to understand why it is occurring. Topics covered in this paper include Japanese cultural background, labor force participations issues in Japan and the United States, …

The Effect Of School And Neighborhood Environmental Factors On Childhood Obesity, Yiwei Qian

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation consists of three chapters exploring the effect of school program and neighborhood environment on childhood obesity outcome using individual panel data set of Arkansas public schoolchildren.

The first chapter (Section 2) investigates how the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), a program that provides funding for the distribution of free fresh fruits and vegetables to students in participating schools, affects childhood obesity. We combine matching methodology and difference-in-differences analysis to estimate the effect of the FFVP on childhood BMI outcomes. Estimates of the FFVP effect are sensitive to different matching methods. Methods that provide a good balance between …

Price Discrimination Through Refund Contracts In Airlines, Diego Escobari, Paan Jindapon

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

This paper shows how an airline monopoly uses refundable and non-refundable tickets to screen consumers who are uncertain about their travel. Our theoretical model predicts that the difference between these two fares diminishes as individual demand uncertainty is resolved. Using an original data set from U.S. airline markets, we find strong evidence supporting our model. Price discrimination opportunities through refund contracts decline as the departure date nears and individuals learn about their demand.

Highlights

• We show how an airline screens consumers who are uncertain about their travel.

• The theory explains how an airline sets refundable and non-refundable prices. …

Gender And Business Outcomes Of Black And Hispanic New Entrepreneurs In The United States, Marie T. Mora, Alberto Davila

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

In light of the growing numbers of women of color in the entrepreneurial sector in the United States, employing public-use microdata from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners, this study finds that new firms owned by black and Hispanic women were more likely to cease operations than those owned by their male counterparts or by non-Hispanic whites, even when controlling for other owner- and firm-level characteristics and labor market conditions. These differences occurred despite the existence of public programs designed to help female and minority entrepreneurs, raising the question of efficiency of the current policy infrastructure in the United States.

Transnational Organized Crime And The Illegal Wildlife Trade Global Ties And Global Crime, Zachariah Edward Long

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

World biodiversity is faced with many different threats in today's globalized world. One such threat is the emergence of transnational organized crime in the illegal wildlife trade. But why would transnational organized crime which is traditionally associated with such crimes like illegal drugs, weapons, and human trafficking be interested in the illegal wildlife trade? This thesis seeks to explore why transnational organized crime as a rational business actor would it be interested in participating in the illegal wildlife trade. To explore this relationship, this thesis will look at several different variables. First the economic conditions oflocals living with wildlife and …

The Larrison Group (Tlg) Political Consulting And Fundraising Internship: Lessons Learned, Sadelle Crabb

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The Larrison Group (TLG) is a boutique political consulting firm located in Georgetown in the District of Columbia. The firm was founded by the current president, Ms. Heather Larrison. TLG fundraises for various clients including several current Senators and Congressional candidates. Some past and present clients include: Governor Hailey Barbour of Mississippi, Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, and Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. TLG also provides political consulting and event planning services for multiple CEO' s in the New York City area. The internship is a paid position of two $600 stipends per month. Overall, I spent roughly 1,050 hours …

From Inclusion To Empowerment: The Political Implications Of Microfinance, Kateri R. Ciccaglione

Honors Scholar Theses

There has been extensive literature on the positive effects of microfinance in developing countries with regards to financial inclusion of the poor, economic growth and poverty reduction. This paper seeks to take these facts one step further, arguing that microfinance paves the way for the political empowerment of the poor because it creates social capital in developing economies. I make the case that a growth in social capital due to financial inclusion helps impoverished people realize their political potential by instilling a need for political awareness and increased participation in the political process. An analysis of the current literature concerning …

Spreading The Char: The Importance Of Local Compatibility In The Diffusion Of Biochar Systems To The Smallholder Agriculture Community Context, Laura C. V. Munoz

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis enters the context of smallholder agriculture communities in the developing world. It explores the potentials of biochar and what biochar systems could bring to the smallholder communities while simultaneously bringing environmental benefits. It then acknowledges the challenges of diffusion –the spreading of an unfamiliar innovation. It seeks to answer the question of what will make diffusion of biochar systems more successful in the smallholder context, fixating on the characteristic of compatibility as well as the role local community members can play in making a new biochar system more visible to the rest of the communities.

Simecs, Ithaca Hours, Berkshares, Bitcoins And Walmarts, Martin Shubik

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The practical and theoretical meaning of the rise and fall of new local and virtual currencies suggest that two basic theories of money both have their validity and reasons for coexistence. The drive for increasing efficiency in the payment mechanisms is in full swing and still presents many opportunities for improvement.

The Shale Boon And The Effects On Energy Markets: A Look Into Natural Gas And Crude Oil Futures And Spot Prices And Their Relation To Economic Growth, Jesse Backstrom

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A key political concern for the United States (US) since World War II has been its dependence on foreign energy. These concerns have arisen from a volatile nature of crude oil prices and the country’s preexisting beliefs of peak oil in the early 1970s, resulting in unpredictable energy markets. Highlighted have been episodes of rising oil prices leading to recessions, higher inflation rates, and economic stagnation (Brown and Yucel, 2013). Changing this story are recent gains in both crude oil and natural gas production, helping to vault the country to at least temporary energy stardom. In fact, 2014 statistics from …

The Expected Value Of An Advantage Blackjack Player, Kamron Jensen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The following paper takes an in-depth look at the gambling game Blackjack, also known as Twenty-One, and asks the question: If the game is beatable, how much can one expect to win playing Blackjack? This paper starts by explaining how the game is played and continues by telling of how Thorpe (1962) discovered that the game can be beaten. It then goes into detail of how the game has changed over the past 50 years and what it takes to beat the game today. To find the expected value of a winning strategy, I create a computer program to run …

Optimal Debt-To-Equity Ratios And Stock Returns, Courtney D. Winn

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Value maximization of a firm depends heavily on the financial leverage of the company. This is measured by the debt-­‐to-­‐equity ratio, which explains what proportions of debt and equity are being used to finance the firm’s assets. By adjusting this ratio, firms can influence their stock performance.

In this study, I estimate the value function for each firm and take the derivative with respect to the debt-­‐to-­‐equity ratio. By setting this equal to zero, I solve for the optimal debt-­‐ to-­‐equity ratio or the ratio that maximizes firm value. The difference between the optimal and historically observed debt-­‐to-­‐equity ratios is …

The Optimal Cow Size For Intermountain Cow-Calf Operations: The Impact Of Public Grazing Fees On The Optimal Cow Size, Jesse Russell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The cattle industry is very competitive which is forcing cow-calf producers to strive for efficiency. Research has shown that as a cows mature weight increases, feed efficiency decreases, as well as reproductive efficiency and other production factors. The purpose of this paper is to (1) identify the economically optimum cow size when charging for grazing public lands on a true Animal Unit Equivalent (AUE) basis and (2) determine if the current practice of charging on a per head basis for grazing public lands has an effect on the optimal cow size.

To simplify the complexity of this problem, three different …

Stochastic Tests On Live Cattle Steer Basis Composite Forecasts, Elliott James Dennis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since the seminal papers of Bates and Granger in 1969, a superfluous amount of information has been published on combining singular forecasts. Materialized evidence has habitually demonstrated that combining the forecasts will produce the best model. Moreover, while it is possible that a best singular model could outperform a composite model, using multiple models provides the advantage of risk diversification. It has also been shown to produce a lower forecasting error. The question to whether to combine has been replaced with what amount of emphasis should be placed on each forecast.

Researchers are aspired to derive optimal weights that would …

The Impact Of Education Finance Reform On Student Achievement In Massachusetts, John Yinger

Center for Policy Research

It’s Elementary is a series of essays on topics in education and education policy. The main focus is on education finance in New York State, but general research findings in education and education policy issues in several other states are also discussed. John Yinger, Professor of Economics and Public Administration at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University is the author of most of these essays, although a few are written by or co-authored with other scholars.

A Case Analysis Of The Foundational Ministry Principles Of Rev. Jerry Falwell From 1956-1966, Iain Lyttle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research examines principles employed by Dr. Jerry Lamond Falwell between 1956 and 1966 and the early developmental stages of his church, Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC). The foundation built during these formative years facilitated precipitous growth within the church plant for decades, allowing TRBC to become one of America’s most prominent megachurches and to found Liberty University, the world’s largest evangelical university. As church plants are more likely to fail than to succeed, this research aimed to investigate key characteristics of a church planter who was highly successful, which can be replicated. Using primarily twenty-three interviews of TRBC congregants …

Determining The Best Career Ladder For Nurse Practitioners In Louisiana By Examining Occupational Mobility, Gina K. Wilson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Living Cities: The Integration Initiative In Cleveland, Ohio- Greater University Circle Community Wealth Building Initiative: Evaluation Executive Summary Year 3, Ziona Austrian, Kathryn W. Hexter, Candi Clouse, Serineh Baboomian

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The Living Cities Integration Initiative (TII) began in 2011 as a three-year program to accelerate local initiatives promoting greater economic inclusion in five cities across the country. In Cleveland, Ohio, the TII was known as the Greater University Circle (GUC) Community Wealth Building Initiative and was part of the more comprehensive Greater University Circle Initiative (GUCI) between 2011 and 2013. The GUCI began in 2005 and will continue beyond TII. This report will refer to the three-year Living Cities program as the GUCI/TII.

This executive summary combines findings from two evaluation reports. The first is a formative and system change …

Crony Chronicles Website Redesign, Lindsey Marie Mcbride

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The policy team at the Charles Koch Institute is broken into different areas of research. During my summer internship, I was assigned to research crony capitalism with four other members of the policy team. Along with their research on crony capitalism, these team members maintained a website called cronychronicles.org. For a definition of crony capitalism, or cronyism, see Appendix C. The goal of the website was to be "the leading online resource for everything related to cronyism" (About Us). I was very interested in the research I was conducting on crony capitalism, and enjoyed contributing information to the Crony Chronicles …

An Empirical Study On Return To Education In Urban China, Jin Han

All Theses

This study uses the most recent household survey data from 2007 to estimate return to education in urban China. Most existing literature are based on the data from 1990s and early 2000s and find that the rate of return to education in urban China has experienced a rapid increase. This study investigates whether the return to education is still in an increasing trend in later 2000s and how the return to education changed in recent years. The estimates of return in this study are lower than the findings in early 2000s. The higher education expansion started in 1999 made unbalance …

Self-Reported Health: Cross-Regional Differences In The United States, 2010, Dongqi He

All Theses

Although self-reported health surveys are used widely by governments, hospitals and companies, there has been little cross-regional investigation of the reliability of these self-reported inventories. I demonstrate the distribution of the self-reported health rate and some factors that may affect the distribution using a National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) sample that focuses on respondent aged between 50 and 85 in year 2010. Then I examine the relationship between self-reported health and real health by constructing disability weights and find that respondents' self-reported health is generally consistent with their real health status, except for west region, suggesting that more future works …

Socioeconomic Indicators Of Family Forest Owner Use Of Federal Income Tax Provisions, John Hatcher

All Dissertations

Family forest owners control a majority of the South's forest land and nearly half of its growing stock. These owners are a diverse group with widely varied objectives for ownership and management. Many family forest owners manage their holdings for timber production objectives and thus, are concerned with issues such as reforestation incentives and tax treatment of timber revenues. Their actual knowledge of the tax aspects of timber management varies, with some owners unaware of the federal income tax provisions that apply to timber. This study uses econometric techniques to establish socioeconomic predictors of family forest owner use of seven …

Essays On The Effect Of Early Investments On Children's Outcomes, Lyudmyla Sonchak

All Dissertations

The first chapter of this dissertation evaluates the impact of state-level Medicaid reimbursement rates for obstetric care on prenatal care utilization across demographic groups. It also uses these rates as an instrumental variable to assess the importance of prenatal care on birth weight. The analysis is conducted using a unique dataset of Medicaid reimbursement rates and 2001-2010 Vital Statistics Natality data. Conditional on county fixed effects, a doubling of reimbursement rates yields an additional prenatal visit for black disadvantaged mothers, an 11% increase. The magnitude of the effect is somewhat smaller for white disadvantaged mothers. However, the effect of an …

Essays On Adaptation To Climate Change, Margarita Portnykh

All Dissertations

Climate change represents a formidable challenge for mankind going forward. It is important to understand its effects. In this thesis I study how people adopt to climate change and argue that these responses could go a long way towards mitigating the effects of climate change. I show that in some cases accounting for such adaptation could completely reverse the negative effects of climate change. In the first chapter of my thesis I consider the general impact of adaptation without focusing on a particular adaptation mechanism studying mortality in Russia. Using regional monthly mortality and daily temperature data, I estimate a …