Growth and Development Commons^™

Aiding To Repair: An Analysis On The Impact Of Foreign Aid In Rwanda After The 1994 Genocide, Mary Atta-Dakwa

International Relations Honors Papers

Between April 1994 to July 1994, about 1 million Hutus and Tutsis were murdered in the Rwandan genocide. The genocide not only severely declined the population of Rwandans, but largely impacted its infrastructure, government, and economy. After the genocide, about $15 billion US dollars was sent to provide humanitarian aid. Post-genocide Rwanda has seen a significant growth in its economy; however, speculators may question if the economic growth is attributed to the foreign aid it received after the 1994 genocide. This paper seeks to examine the impact of foreign aid on post-war reconstruction on Rwanda as a case study.

The Digital Global Supply Chain: The Growing Case For Blockchain Technology Expansion Within Global Supply Chain, Jonathan Chichoni, Scott Webb Dr.

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In a competitive global market place, technology adoption and application in supply chain is becoming increasingly important as companies seek to acquire competitive advantages. Since blockchain’s advent to the global stage of modern disruptive technologies, several questions remain unanswered pertaining to the benefits that blockchain adoption poses to global supply chains. I apply a typology analysis to a corpus of company filings, press releases and industry studies to better understand the reasons for which global supply chains industry wide are adopting blockchain technology and the specific benefits which they seek to exploit through the use of blockchain. I characterize the …

Challenges Facing Youth Entering The Labor Market, Martha Ross

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

As part of the Brookings Scholar Lecture Series, Brookings Mountain West invites you to a lecture titled "Challenges Facing Youth Entering the Labor Market" by Fellow in Metropolitan Policy, Martha Ross. Labor force participation and employment are declining among teens and young adults, suggesting that fewer young people are having the kinds of work experiences that prepare them for the world of full-time employment. Not everyone is equally affected, as there are marked differences by race/ethnicity, income, and education. This lecture will discuss employment trends among young people and the various strategies that cities and specific programs are using to …

Making The Grade: The Contribution Of Education Expenditure To Economic Growth, Neil Frank

Undergraduate Economic Review

Does education expenditure promote long-run economic growth? Empirical evidence is inconclusive. This paper addresses the question of how education expenditure influences economic growth using a long run growth accounting model analyzing 179 countries from 1970 to 2014. Overall, the results indicate that education expenditure does positively affect growth. However, when the sample is split into different criteria based on economic prosperity of the countries in question, the results change. In non-oil countries education expenditure increases economic growth, in developing countries education expenditure has a negative impact and in OECD countries the impact is non-significant.

What Factors Drive Individual Misperceptions Of The Returns To Schooling In Tanzania? Some Lessons For Education Policy, Plamen Nikolov, Nursat Jimi

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Evidence on educational returns and the factors that determine the demand for schooling in developing countries is extremely scarce. Building on previous studies that show individuals underestimating the returns to schooling, we use two surveys from Tanzania to estimate both the actual and perceived schooling returns and subsequently examine what factors drive individual misperceptions regarding actual returns. Using ordinary least squares and instrumental variable methods, we find that each additional year of schooling in Tanzania increases earnings, on average, by 9 to 11 percent. We find that on average individuals underestimate returns to schooling by 74 to 79 percent and …

Connecticut Economic Outlook For 2018-2020: A Perspective From Sacred Heart University Students In Business Economics, Jack Welch College Of Business

WCBT Undergraduate Publications

The United States economy has been through its fair share of struggles in recent years. Following the 2008 Financial Crisis, many people were uncertain of how it was going to impact the future of American business, policies, and individual states economic potential. After the election of President Donald Trump, it is evident that there has been a great amount of growth in the United States economy, and the growth that has been made can be reflected in multiple ways. Using the tools and knowledge we have obtained in our Economic and Financial Forecasting course at Sacred Heart University, we are …

Land-Use And Land-Ownership Changes In Usoma Village, Kenya, Ernest Tan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study attempted to find out how land-use activities and land-ownership patterns have changed since land adjudication in Usoma Village, a peri-urban community on the fringe of Kisumu City. The methods used were photo-observation and geo-tagging based on walkabouts onsite, documentary analysis of maps obtained from the Ministry of Lands, interviews with key authority figures, independent experts and community leaders, and interviews as well as focus-group discussions with community members. In terms of land ownership, it was found that subdivisions of land, both formal and informal, had been common over the period. Land transfers based on compulsory acquisition and investment …

Shaping Our World For A Better Tomorrow: Sustainable Investing, Esg, And Industry Insight, Anna M. Ballate

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sustainable investing is a relatively new field in the world of finance and banking. Even though there is tremendous growth in sustainable investments over the past few years, it is still a niche market that requires more transparency, standards, and incentives. Switzerland has become one of the leading countries for sustainable finance, exhibiting a growth in sustainable investments under management. Despite the vast amount of research and development on sustainable investing, there is still much confusion and negative perception in the professional banking world about the topic. This study is designed to fill the gap between the academic rhetoric behind …

Nature And Nomads: Service Approach To Mongolia Tours, Jesse E. Shircliff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tourism has potential to diversify Mongolia’s geopolitically challenged economy. Tourism development and promotion has increased since 1990, and there is reason to expect continued sector growth. Cultural tourism has potential to commodify or degrade cultural resources (Gilbert, 2006, Pigliasco, 2010, Soma & Suhkee, 2014) and alter the physical landscape and identity of local people (Chang & Yeoh, 1999, Seng, 2005, Phua & Berkowitz, 2014). As tourism in Mongolia increases, its effects on cultural resources should be understood. This study of Mongolian tourism interviews fifteen tour company employees to understand how Mongolian culture is perceived and used from a business perspective. …

An Examination Of Sectoral Growth’S Impact On Income Inequality In The United States, Josh Paton

Honors Projects in Economics

This paper is threefold in purpose; it aims to explore the relationship between the growth of manufacturing and service sectors and income inequality, determine if GDP growth helps reduce income inequality, and establish the existence of the Kuznets Curve from 1967-2017. The data supports an inverse relationship between growth in the manufacturing sector and income inequality however is not sufficient enough to conclude growth in the manufacturing sector impacts income inequality. Growth of GDP is shown to decrease income inequality which supports the notion that “a rising tide lifts all boats” and makes everyone better off than before. The positive …

An Inquiry Into The Causes Of Growth In Gross Domestic Product, Thomas Hext, Michael Davidsson

Paper Presentations

This study is an inquiry into the causes of growth in nationwide gross domestic product in the United States of America. The primary objective has been to measure the effects of taxation, saving rate and government investment on this important economic indicator. “Taxation” has been broken down into three components; personal income tax, corporate income tax and consumption tax. Personal income tax is separated once again into the highest and lowest brackets to facilitate more incisive analysis of the results. Consumption taxes are decided at the state level which meant that an average national consumption tax had to be calculated …

Which Affects Gdp More: Exchange Rates Or Fdi, Nicolas Robinson, Michael Davidsson

Paper Presentations

Which affects GDP First, Exchange Rates or FDI? Many people have argued which comes first, FDI or Exchange rates. This is very important to countries because it could allow them to know which is more likely to affect their GDP first and possibly take counter measures to make sure these affects are managed properly.

Anticipations With The Personal Savings Rate: An Outlook In The Us Economy Today, Rece Dawson, Michael Davidsson

Paper Presentations

The personal savings rate is identified as an average savings rate for the individual American. The current rate is 5.7%, and that means for every $100 of after tax income an American brings in, he or she saves 5.7% of it. Since the 1980’s Americans have been saving less and less possibly because there more comfortable with their wealth. Looking forward though we try to identify in an environment where the cost of living will be rising, and the interest rates will be rising, will Americans face fiscal troubles if they don’t start saving more now? One thing we can …

Paradigmas Del Desarrollo Urbano En Cuenca: Abordando Los Procesos De Segregación, Marginación Y Desplazamiento / Paradigms Of Urban Development In Cuenca: Addressing The Processes Of Segregation, Marginalization And Displacement, Sarah Rothschild

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Cuenca, tercerca ciudad más grande de Ecuador, ha experimento un crecimiento rápido en los últimos años, que ha influenciado en los paradigmas de desarrollo urbano de forma considerable. Los impactos de la urbanización han cambiado las dinámicas y condiciones de vida de la ciudad y de su gente, creando un ambiente urbano que favorece a los sectores más ricos de la población, y al mismo tiempo relegando y segregando a comunidades con menos recursos; si bien, no son tan extremos como en ciudades más grandes como Quito y Guayaquil. Por otro lado, el reciente fenómeno de migración extranjera, también ha …

Parallel Worlds: Comparing Rural Development To Development In Global Communities, Jena Martin, Karon Powell

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Private Wealth And Public Goods: A Case For A National Investment Authority, Robert C. Hockett, Saule T. Omarova

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Much American electoral and policy debate now centers on how best to reignite the nation’s economic dynamism and rebuild its competitive strength. Any such undertaking presents an extraordinary challenge, demanding a correspondingly extraordinary institutional response. This Article proposes precisely such a response. It designs and advocates a new public instrumentality--a National Investment Authority (“NIA”)--charged with the critical task of devising and implementing a comprehensive long-term development strategy for the United States.

Patterned in part after the New Deal-era Reconstruction Finance Corporation, in part after modern sovereign wealth funds, and in part after private equity and venture capital firms, the NIA …

Engaging America: Unearthing The Middle Way In The Conflict Between Liberals And Conservatives, Noah Cadet

Capstone Collection

Liberals and conservatives have waged conflict over development strategies since the founding of the United States of America. Observers of the 2016 Presidential Election may have noticed an escalation of a preexisting trend of destructive engagement between Democrats and Republicans. The researcher pursued primary and secondary research in an attempt to understand how conflict within and between development paradigms in the United States can be transcended. The central research question was regarding how this conflict affects efforts towards peacebuilding at the grassroots from the perspective of a liberal. The literature review provides a brief histories of US American Political Economy …

The Path To Mainstream Finance: Exploring Complementary Currencies And Interest-Free Lending, Ema Di Fruscia

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper explores elements of alternative finance including complementary currencies, credit clearing systems, and Islamic Banking practices. I begin first by outlining the issues created by the mainstream western banking model, including wealth inequality, socioeconomic discrimination, environmental degradation, and the collapse of small businesses and local economies. I go on to introduce and define the concepts of complementary currencies, Local Exchange Trading Systems, and credit clearing systems; I argue that these systems challenge the popularly held perceptions that currencies and mainstream banking practices in general are immutable, given, or ideal. To support this assertion, I transition into my research findings …

Coming In Hot: Motor Vehicles, Capitalism, And Modernization In Mongolia, Thea Bergen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditionally, nomads in Mongolia have used horses for transportation. The horse was used to help herd livestock and also allowed them to get to the soum center quicker (Yembuu, 2015). This way of transportation is seen less and less now. With globalization comes an increase in different products from around the world. Herders now have the opportunity to buy cars and the ever popular motorcycle. Now, when out in the open Mongolian steppe, one can see motorcycles racing around to get herders from place to place. Some even use them to herd instead of a horse. And when a family …

El Valor De Verde Neoliberalismo, Crisis Económica Y Políticas Polarizadas: Cómo Afecta En La Vida Cotidiana De La Gente De Clase Media En Buenos Aires. / The Value Of Green Neoliberalism, Economic Crisis And Polarized Politics: How They Affect The Everyday Life Of The Citizens Of The Middle Class In Buenos Aires., Sierra Conboy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The history of a country can haunt them for decades. For Argentina, the history of neoliberal economics has plagued the economic development of the country; so much so that as a result of neoliberalism, Argentina experienced the worst social, political, and economic crisis of the countries entire existence between the years of 1998 and 2002. With the height of the crisis being in 2001, it continues to lurk in the economic and political infrastructure of the country today. The threat of constant economic dilemmas has manifested into the minds of the citizens of Argentina, but how far has it gone? …

An Analysis Of The Social And Political Barriers To Wind Energy Development In Lancaster County, Nebraska, Corrin Bemis

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

With the increasing threat of climate change beginning to impact cities and regions in the United States, many states are turning to renewable energy sources as a way to mitigate their carbon footprint. While Nebraska has the potential to be a leader in wind energy development within the next few years, some restrictions are still put in place that slow down the expansion of wind farms. Although the state is ranked 4^th in the nation for wind energy potential, Nebraska is ranked 20^th for actual wind energy development. This paper will define the social and political barriers that …

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: March 9, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Nebraska consumer and business confidence fell during February 2018, dropping from the near-peak levels seen in January. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) fell to 101.6 in February from a value of 115.2 in January. The February value remains above the neutral level of 100.0. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) fell to 107.4 In February from 112.2 in January. Both monthly readings were well above the neutral value of 100.0 suggesting that business confidence remains strong. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, customer demand was mentioned by 38 percent of respondents. But, there …

Entrepreneurship Education Empowers Youth To Change Their Lives, Marianna Brashear, Jason Riddle

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) aims at equipping Title 1 schools with free, hands-on, engaging materials that any teacher can facilitate either individually or in a classroom setting with no background in entrepreneurship necessary. These versatile lessons, courses, and workshops teach the entrepreneurial mindset optimizing opportunities for grades 8-12 students no matter which life/career path they choose.

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: February 2, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer and business confidence rebounded in Nebraska during January 2018. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) rose to 115.2, well above the neutral level of 100.0 and a value of 93.3 in December 2017. This is the highest level recorded for the CCI-N since it was first released in February of 2016. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) rose to 112.2 in January from 107.5 in December. Both monthly readings were well above the neutral value of 100.0. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, customer demand was mentioned by 40 percent of respondents. The …

Education As A Catalyst For Socio-Economic Development In South Africa, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

In order to progress socially and economically, a united South Africa will have to focus on an education sector hindered by apartheid era policies.

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: January 5, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer and business confidence declined in Nebraska during December 2017. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) fell to 93.3 in December, well below the neutral level of 100.0. The index had reached a record level of 106.2 in November, but that high level of confidence was not sustained. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) fell from 114.1 in November to 107.5 in December. While lower, the December reading remains well above the neutral value of 100.0. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, customer demand was mentioned by 38 percent of respondents. The availability and …

The Economic Impact Of Natural Gas Capital Expenditures In West Virginia, Eric Bowen

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Behavioral Finance/Economics On Investment Decisions, Vidur Relan

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the impact of certain behavioral and psychological factors on financial investment decisions. The study of behavioral finance underlines the impact of psychological elements on financial markets progression. This paper will further explain how certain cognitive and emotional factors influence irrational decision making by people. Generally financial investors have very limited number of deviations from rational behavior. They lay emphasis on taking rational decisions which are focused on achieving the maximum amount of returns from their investments with a certain degree of bearable risk involvement. The behavioral finance paradigm suggests that financial decisions are largely influenced by emotional …

Does Night Skiing Save Ski Areas? A Survival Analysis, Andrew Krom

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper conducts a survival analysis on New England ski areas to examine the factors that cause a ski area to exit the industry. The main variable of interest in this case was whether or not the mountain conducted night time operations. Very specific criteria was used for the areas included in the study. This paper also suggests improvements that could be made to future studies on the subject.

A Data Analysis Of Fdi Inflows And Poverty Rates In Central America, Scott Jarrett

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the impact of Foreign Direct Investment on poverty rates in Central America. The study incorporates a data analysis to discover whether FDI improves (lowers) poverty rates in Central American countries. this paper found that FDI Inflows did have significant and positive impacts on life expectancy and household consumption while having no impact on infant mortality rate.