Economics Commons^™

The Environmental Effects Of Economic Growth Of China And India Its Impact On Brazil, Russia, India, China, And South Africa (Brics), Shonjira Chaiwat

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone discusses the environmental effects of economic growth, focusing on China and India and its relations with the BRICS pact. China and India have an impacted increasing population within their borders. With the increase of population and struggles for economic growth, these countries are creating a detrimental environment. In this capstone, I review the theory of ecological civilization as well as the Kuznet Curve Hypothesis. Although within the past few decades the BRICS have used unsustainable practices, they have signed the Paris Climate Agreement in order to combat climate change, which means they will use more sustainable methods for …

Workfare, Wellbeing And Consumption: Evidence From A Field Experiment With Kenya’S Urban Poor, Syon Bhanot, J. Han, C. Jang

Economics Faculty Works

Restrictions like work requirements and constraints on voucher transfers are often used in social welfare systems, but little empirical evidence exists on their impact on wellbeing. We conducted a 10-day randomized experiment with 432 individuals living below the poverty line in the Kawangware settlement of Nairobi, Kenya, testing two elements of social welfare design: workfare versus welfare and restricted versus unrestricted vouchers. Participants were randomly assigned to a “Work” condition, involving daily work for unrestricted vouchers, or one of two “Wait” conditions, involving daily waiting for vouchers that were either unrestricted or partially restricted to staple foods. We find that …

Three Essays In Economics Of Prey-Predator Relation, Dong-Hun Go

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation explores how natural ecosystem can be integrated with economic system through two case studies of multiple species interactions, or predator-prey relations. By the inclusion of biological, ecological and economic aspects, the integrated approaches aim at more clearly understanding of how regional ecosystem and economy interact with each other, given threats of resource extinction and environmental shock. I also explain strategies and policy regimes that can be considered to achieve efficient and sustainable ecosystem management in those circumstances.

The first case study focuses on a predator-prey relation in the Pacific Ocean between the United States and Canada, where endangered/threatened …

An Investigation Measuring The Impact Of Financial Literacy Programs On University Student Debt, Morgan O'Sullivan

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Student loan debt is the most common form of debt in the United States today outside of mortgage debt. The research for this study sought to (1) investigate whether financial literacy programs in the State of Florida have an impact on student debt levels, as well as (2) determine how the responsibility for the provision of financial literacy education was distributed throughout a university community. The research provided for a survey that was sent to 70 institutions in the State of Florida analyzing whether or not these institutions had financial literacy programs in place. A survey was also sent out …

Public-Private Partnerships: The Pro-Poor Gap Evaluation, Tung Nhu Nguyen

Asian Management Insights

Improving the future design and implementation of public-private partnerships.

Productivity Redesigned, Joergen Oerstroem Moeller

Asian Management Insights

Looking at productivity, not just of the plant, but of society as a whole.

Future For Children In Indonesia: On Walking Out Of Poverty, Jonathan Chang, Christopher Dula

Asian Management Insights

A social enterprise project that has brought income and dignity to a remote community in Indonesia.

Regional One Child Policies And Economic Development In China From 1997 To 2010, Austin Hayes

Honors Theses

The one child policy enacted by the Chinese government in 1979 has restricted the sizes of Chinese families and led to an abnormal male-dominated sex ratio. Abnormal sex ratios can have a variety of economic consequences that could work together to reduce the general welfare of the regions they exist in. This study aims to evaluate the effect of sex ratios on GRP (gross regional product) and GRP per capita through a series of linear regression models. Data used in this study was collected from the National Bureau of Statistics in China, a Chinese government organization in charge of collecting …

Determinants Of Employment And Earnings For Hurricane Katrina Evacuees, Kyle Putnam

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Southeast region of the United States in late August of 2005 and is considered the most catastrophic natural disaster in US history. Many argue that the federal government response was implemented too late and was insufficient to lift the residents of New Orleans, a city plagued by racial income and employment gaps, out of a dire situation. This paper examines the economic impact of Hurricane Katrina by analyzing CPS data to determine how the earnings and employment of different groups of evacuees differed from non-evacuees. The findings show a difference between the employment-population …

Income Inequality And Its Effect On Work-Related Fatalities, Luke Chadwick

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

While many papers have examined the effect of income inequality on a range of health outcomes, few have examined data on workplace fatalities. This study compiles data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Gini coefficient estimates for each of the U.S. states from 2008-2015 to estimate the effect of income inequality on workplace fatality rates using multiple regression models. The resulting estimates are partially significant; however, they do not conclusively demonstrate a causal relationship between income inequality and workplace fatalities due to biases and other factors.

Borderplex Business Barometer, Volume 2, Number 5, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Adam G. Walke, Omar Solís, Esmeralda P. Muñiz

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

A Study Into The Relationship Between Nutrition And Income In A College Setting, Alyssa Hicks

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many health related issues in the United States are linked to Americans’ poor diet choices. College students, a subset of that population, establish important trends in their diet habits that they will maintain over their four years in college and beyond. Although previous literature has found income to be a determinant of diet, this paper does not find income to be a significant predictor of student nutrition. One potential explanation is that college provides a unique environment and circumstance. Yet, additional income suggests it could be important for students who suffer from a lack of funds—increasing their income brings about …

Fantasy Football's Impact On Nfl Revenue, Joshua Hamby

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper investigates the hypothesis that fantasy football positively influences NFL revenues. While there are many variables that may substantially influence NFL revenues, such as team by team and year by year variation, the estimations in this paper attempt to isolate the effects of fantasy football. Providing evidence of impacts attributable to fantasy football would be important information for parties involved with the NFL and/or fantasy football to better understand what is creating value for the league, players in the league, and the fantasy industry. This paper has results on estimations testing the impacts of both the fantasy participation explosion …

Gender Diversity Around The World: The Role Of Country Legal Regulations And Culture, Madison E. Newton

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this project is to analyze the factors that contribute to the gender discrepancy in labor force participation rates around the world. This paper will explore potential drivers of the gender disparity phenomenon through the analyzation of country-specific elements to detect related impacts that may be imposed on a country’s composition of labor force as it relates to gender. More specifically, I interpret the degree to which specific factors can directly influence the proportion of female presence in labor forces around the world. My empirical results suggest that the societal factors, legal regulations, culture, total fertility rate (births …

A Commentary On Litigation Involving Uber Technologies, Inc., Catherine Hagemeier

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Uber Technologies, Inc. is a peer-to-peer ridesharing, food delivery, and transportation network managed in San Francisco, California. Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp developed the idea for the ridesharing app in 2008, after experiencing difficulty hailing a cab. They originally designed the app to be used in major metropolitan areas, but the business inevitably took off; it now operates in 633 cities worldwide. In 2017, Uber claimed that the company earned roughly $7.5 billion in revenue, employed more than 12,000 “independent drivers,” and connected over one billion people (“Finding the Way”). Though widely successful and heralded as a major influencer in …

Literacy Rates Analysis: An International Comparison, Macarena Arce

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper attempts to provide a more complete reckoning of the economics of literacy rates around the world. It consists on a literature review about the economic benefits and costs of literacy rates and then it shows two econometrics models that attempt to predict literacy rates based on GDP, government expenditure, and several other independent variables.

A Comparative Analysis Of The University Of Arkansas Economics Program, Will Watkins

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the University of Arkansas economics program, many students have expressed that when enrolled in upper division coursework they do not feel they are well prepared mathematically for the material that is being taught. The purpose of this thesis is to compare the University of Arkansas (UA) economics program (Fulbright and Walton) to high performing, peer, and aspirant institutions and determine how the UA economics department might be able to imitate a high performing structure using the offerings and faculty that are already present, as well as new offerings that could be added should resources become available. Using information from …

The Dictators’ Dilemma: Repression Or Concessions In The Face Of Resistance, Chris Massaro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Arab Spring revolts of late 2010 and 2011 were a profound moment in the history of a region troubled by decades of authoritarianism. Years of economic mismanagement and security force repression trammeled on the rights and aspirations of people striving for a better life. When social movements and anti-government protests erupted throughout the region, each country responded to the uprisings with different methodologies. This research closely examines why autocratic regimes of the region chose such divergent responses, with some opting to use violent repression, others attempting to make concessions and most combined repression with concessions. I will make the …

Race And Gun Violence In The United States: A Case Study Of Policy Reform In Missouri, Morgan C. Williams Jr

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Gun violence remains an important contributor to racial differences in mortality within the United States. Despite the existence of these significant racial disparities in firearm homicide victimization, the relationship between gun control policy and racial disparities in homicide remains largely unexplored within the empirical crime literature. Previous research suggests that access to secondary firearm markets serves as a salient contributor to local gun violence with the regulation of private firearm sales falling exclusively within state-level jurisdiction. The role of state-level background check requirements for private firearm sales in reducing gun violence remains controversial in both the empirical literature and gun …

Essays On The Transmission Of Risk And Volatility Across International Financial Markets, Evan Warshaw

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of three distinct but related chapters studying the behavior of international financial markets. Chapter 1 explores volatility spillovers between European equity and foreign exchange markets from 2009 until 2016. In contrast to traditional empirical methods, this study uses realized volatility estimates to analyze causal linkages across the frequency domain. Volatility spillovers are tested using the CAC 40, DAX, and FTSE 100 equity indices and the USD/GBP, USD/EUR, and GBP/EUR exchange rates. Results show that volatility spillovers are bidirectional and asymmetric across the frequency domain. Daily volatility spillover from equity to foreign exchange markets is significant at high, …

Essays On Banking And Corporate Finance, Alev Isil Yildirim

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of two chapters.

Chapter 1: The Effect of Relationship Banking on Firm Efficiency

This paper analyzes the impact of relationship bank oversight on firm operational efficiency and default risk. I find that a new loan from a relationship bank improves the technical efficiency of inefficient firms that have an elevated probability of default. Moreover, borrowing firms with elevated default risk exposure experience reductions in their probabilities of default in the years following new relationship bank loans, benefiting both banks and borrowers. Thus, the benefits of relationship bank monitoring are most apparent the higher the ex ante default …

Dancing, Mindfulness, And Our Emotions: Embracing The Mind, Body, And Sole, Alisha M. Collins

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project examines dance, as an intervention and mindfulness practice that assists with managing our emotions. There is a need for dance therapy in social institutions such as, healthcare facilities, schools, and community centers. Dance therapy has the potential to reduce negative emotions, create mindfulness, improve self-expression, and promote a healthy well-being. I am proposing that dance therapy is applied as a regular practice in social institutions to develop mindfulness and promote emotional stability.

In this study, I argue that dance therapy can contribute to our well-being long term. In addition to this written thesis, a visual component of …

Essays On The Economics Of Health And Human Capital, Paloma Lopez De Mesa Moyano

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores dynamics related to the formation of human capital. In the two chapters contained within, my work investigates how human capital is formed and maintained through either individual decisions or historic events. In particular, the first chapter analyzes the long-term health effects of a large-scale bombing campaign on the population of a developing country up to two generations after the event occurred; the second chapter analyzes how attending a public honors college in the U.S. affects the degree completion of students and their college quality choice. In these two different contexts, I approach the common topic of human …

Capital Growth: Precision Agriculture And Vertical Farming In The Corporate Food Regime, Justin Taylor

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Agriculture in the 21st century has entered a digital age. New technologies emphasize GPS, big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, automation, sensors, and robotics, contributing to two modes of modern food production known as precision agriculture and vertical farming. Through an interdisciplinary review of scientific and social scientific scholarship, this paper examines the ways in which these two technologies interact with the global corporate food regime and explores their impact in core, peripheral, and semi-peripheral countries. It also engages in a discourse analysis of promotional materials and interview statements from precision agriculture and vertical farming firms to expose …

Essays On Wealth Inequality And Asset Pricing, Georgios Koimisis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Economic and financial theories are often found to be in conflict with empirical evidence, suggesting revisions and elaborations of existing models. There are usually many revisions proposed in response to these "puzzles", but often the true resolution may be a factor not yet realized. This dissertation consists of three chapters and contributes to the explanation of a persistent and significant anomaly, the equity premium puzzle, by taking into account the implications of wealth inequality on consumer preferences and, consequently, on asset prices.

The first chapter examines how wealth inequality affects asset prices in a complete market setting. Wealth inequality is …

Venezuela: Oil And Madness. Politics, Propaganda, And Realities Of The Chavista Era, Alvaro E. De Prat

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis is an interdisciplinary exploration of Venezuela’s political paradoxes and their consequences during the Chavista years. On a concrete level, in this work I propose how the manner in which Hugo Chávez implemented his at first apparently benign redistributive politics in fact precipitated the country's current humanitarian crisis and what I will argue are the times of starkest inequality in modern Venezuelan history. Integral to this, although on a more philosophical level, here I also offer a theory of how and why Chávez’s representations might have been so misinterpreted.

The list of eminent political thinkers who have vouched for …

Out Of The Shadows: Women Of The Fmln Guerrilla Army In El Salvador’S Civil War, 1979–1992, Erica Gonzalez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Over the course of a century, revolutionary movements have emerged every few years across the region of Central America, movements that fought for overturning dictatorships and confronting socio-economic inequalities. Women experience higher levels of poverty, human rights violations and discrimination due to gender inequalities. Representing 30% of the FMLN guerrilla army, women in El Salvador took a quantum leap into one of the most horrific and violent armed conflicts in the history of the country (Montgomery 123). Theorists have sought to explain why women became involved in the war. Experts of insurgent collective action agree that women's participation played a …

Higher Education Savings And Planning: Tax And Nontax Considerations, F. Philip Manns Jr., Timothy M. Todd

Texas A&M Law Review

Funding higher education is among the critical financial decisions made by individuals and families. There are myriad options. Yet, the conventional wisdom—namely using Section 529 Plans—may not be the optimal vehicle to effectuate this goal. Therefore, this Article discusses various strategies to plan, save, and pay for higher education. It compares various savings methods including gifts, UTMA accounts, Section 529 Plans, trusts, and other vehicles. The analysis explores both tax and non-tax considerations, including the effect of different strategies on financial aid, transaction costs, investor control, income taxes, gift and estate taxes, flexibility, and creditor protection. This Article concludes that …

California Redevelopment 2.0: Implementation Of Community Revitalization And Investment Authorities, Christopher Hoem

Master's Projects

This research aims at revealing the challenges and opportunities in implementing Community Revitalization and Investment Authorities (CRIAs) in California.

This study will focus on the implementation of CRIAs, but it is worth examining alternative economic development tools to draw comprehensive comparisons and understand their advantages and disadvantages.

Understanding economic development tools may be valuable for the commercial and industrial growth and prosperity of cities and local governments. It may also be important to increase the number of affordable housing units in an area. Businesses and low-income families alike share the benefits of successful redevelopment. It may be possible to reveal …

Exploitation And Social Reproduction In The Japanese Animation Industry, James Garrett

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Japanese animation, or ‘Anime’ is considered a unique creative cultural product that has become a global phenomenon, but little attention is paid to its industrial production process, the poor working conditions of domestic animators, and their position within the structure of labor organization in Japan. By analyzing research concerning the current stakeholders in the industry, historical conditions that led to the creation of television broadcast animation, overseas subcontracting networks, and the development of commercial fan cultures through Maurizio Lazzarato’s concept of Immaterial Labor, Michael Hardt’s concept of Affective Labor, Laikwan Pang’s concepts of the intensification of contradictory creative logics and …