Regional Economics Commons^™

From Disaster To Resilience: Developing Smart Settlements In The Himalayas, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

Nepal’s catastrophic 26 August 2026 Bhote Koshi–Trishuli flood should be understood not only as a humanitarian tragedy but also as a potentially major turning point in updating national settlement and reconstruction policy. Engineers and scientists have described the floods as a glacier–bedrock collapse that triggered an ice-rock avalanche and debris flow. As per the live updates on September 7, 2026, the total death toll was 1,355, and 4,996 people were missing (The Hindu, 2026). Indian and Nepali rescuers worked urgently to locate and rescue people buried under hydropower tunnels, buildings, mud, and landslide debris.

UN News reported on September 3, …

The Introduction Of High-Speed Rail And Its Impact On Mode Choice The Case Of Morocco’S Al Boraq, Michael Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

Morocco's Al Boraq, Africa's first high-speed rail line, reshaped mode choice along the Casablanca-Tangier corridor. Drawing on ONCF ridership data, 234 rider surveys, and nine months of fieldwork, this ex-post assessment finds accelerated passenger growth, substantial induced demand, and mode shift from automobiles, informing Global South HSR development.

What Drives Sovereign Sukuk Development? The Role Of Institutional Quality And Macroeconomic Conditions In Oic Countries, Rahmatina Awaliah Kasri, Aulia Utami

International Journal of Islamic Economics and Business Sustainability

Purpose – The study examines the relationship between institutional quality, macroeconomic conditions, and sovereign sukuk outstanding in eight member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) during 2014–2021.

Design/methodology/approach– The study employs panel data for Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye. Institutional quality is measured using government effectiveness, control of corruption, regulatory quality, and voice and accountability. Macroeconomic variables included are economic size, inflation, and oil rents. Fixed-effects panel regressions with robust standard errors are applied following model specification and diagnostic tests.

Findings – Economic size and voice and accountability are positively associated …

Selective Contagion: Sovereign Credit Integration And Heterogeneous Shock Transmission In Emerging Equity And Derivative Markets, Fabiana Araujo Rincón

Economics Undergraduate Senior Theses

Contagion in Latin America is real but selective: the direction of spillover depends on whether a country is integrated more strongly into global or regional markets. Using a stacked event study across 90 manually identified shocks from 2001 to 2026, I estimate regional contagion and its determinants across credit, currency, equity, and derivative markets. Contagion travels through sovereign credit, not currency, and through economic, not political, shocks. Political shocks, despite their larger domestic impact, stay locally contained. The direction of spillover turns on shock origin: shocks from large, globally integrated economies depress their peers, while shocks from smaller, regionally focused …

Organizing To Engage: A Framework For Conflict Strategy, Paul Mason Carpenter

Dissertations

Conflict strategy can be exceedingly complex. While many of the basics are simple, even the simple can be highly complicated to execute. The Schlieffen Plan in World War I appeared straight forward, but execution was a great deal more complex. It failed and the result was years of trench warfare.  In addition, leaders entering conflict may not fully appreciate the full context, its effect, and the need for a long term result--a better state of peace.

Strategy and tactics may be challenging to transform as an engagement evolves. In addition, strategists must often commit to courses of action within very …

A National Security Strategy For The Middle East, Vanessa Rice, Rudy Torres, Addy Horgan, Joy Omosa, Mark Westfall

School of Public Policy Capstones

This National Security Strategy addresses the persistent national security challenges the United States faces in the Middle East, a region vital for global energy supply, economic connectivity, and a source of anti-American extremism. Recognizing the failures of past "haphazard experimentation," the strategy proposes a thoughtful, pragmatic plan prioritizing five distinct and congruent interest areas: Maintaining Regional Access, Supporting Regional Stability, Ensuring Energy Security, Defending American Citizens and Personnel, and Preserving and Protecting Western Ideals. The strategy outlines actions such as: countering Chinese and Russian influence through intelligence sharing and defense incentives; containing Iran via a new, permanent nuclear deal and …

Combating Iuu Fishing In The South American Pacific: An Opportunity To Counter Chinese Influence Closer To Home, Alexander E. Goodno

Joint Force Quarterly

A relatively small enterprise that began three decades ago in response to dwindling Chinese squid fisheries, China’s South American distant water fishing fleet has grown exponentially to now number nearly 500 vessels and creates a growing problem for the Pacific coastal nations of South America. By establishing itself at the forefront in combatting illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing (IUUF) activities off the Pacific coast of South America, the United States can strengthen its role as a leader in the Western Hemisphere and counter growing Chinese influence in South America. This paper will demonstrate how America can achieve this end by …

Economic Development And Its Transformation In Happiness: A Perspective Of Sustainable Development Goals Of Nepal, Dhruba Bhattarai, Bishnu Bhattarai

Journal of Global Awareness

The present paper attempts to explore the relationship between GDP Per Capita Income based economic measurements of people’s well-being in the form of happiness. The overall development of a country’s economy must be translated into people’s well-being and happiness, which the study focuses on using the relevant data. The secondary data of the Human Development Index, Gross Domestic Product, Per Capita Income, and Happiness Index for the last 20 years have been collected and analyzed. To assess the psychological aspects of the happiness concept, the relevant happiness indicators such as life expectancy, educational attainment, and index of economic freedom have …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Trump Administration Trade Policy: A Historical Perspective And Key Questions & Takeaways, Matthew P. Schaefer

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

Offers a historical perspective with key questions and takeaways about the Trump Administration's trade policy. Covers the periods of the first Trump Presidency (2017-2021), the Biden Administration (2021-2025), and the second Trump Administration (2025-).

Assessing Awareness And Trade Facilitation Under The Afcfta: A Focus On Small-Scale Cross-Border Traders In The Southern African Development Community, Faith Mbakhwa

Southern African Journal of Policy and Development

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Trade present significant opportunities for trade facilitation reforms, particularly for small-scale crossborder traders (SSCBTs). However, the success of these initiatives hinges on the awareness and participation of these key stakeholders. This study investigates the awareness levels of SSCBTs regarding the AfCFTA, and analyses their understanding of trade facilitation reforms and their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of these reforms. Drawing on border reviews across 12 SADC commercial border posts and on interviews with traders and customs officials, the study identities significant gaps in …

From Shatter Zone To Shatterbelt: The Role Of The Three Seas Initiative In Shaping Central And Eastern Europe, Ian Murphy

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

The Three Seas Initiative (TSI) is a relatively new political and economic platform aimed at enhancing connectivity and infrastructure development in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This initiative seeks to address the region’s historical underdevelopment and lack of north-south connectivity. This paper examines the role of the TSI in the context of a changing geopolitical landscape, where Russia and China are increasingly seeking to exert influence. The central research question is: Does the TSI represent a fundamental shift in the CEE region, and how can it foster interdependence while mitigating the risk of conflict? I argue that the TSI signifies …

The Cashew Nut Industry In Mongu District: Origins, Development, And Impact, 1972–2011, Namushi Situtu

Zambia Social Science Journal

This article explores the contribution of the cashew nut industry to the economic development of Mongu district. The industry was introduced in Mongu district after the Zambian government embarked on the creation of agricultural schemes to reduce the economic imbalance, inherited from the colonial government, between urban and rural areas. The new United National Independence Party government, which came to power in 1964, wanted to develop rural areas through an improved peasantry class. This led to the establishment of agricultural schemes in various rural parts of the country. Due to the sandy terrain of Mongu district, the cashew nut industry …

The Role Of Economic Sanctions In Shaping International Trade Relationships Case Study: Russia, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Economic sanctions play an influential role in international relations by shaping the behavior of states. To address security threats and uphold international norms, countries seek to punish those responsible in violating these principles through the use of economic sanctions. The paper examines the impact of economic sanctions on trade relationships and its consequences on the Russian Economy. It also seeks to analyze the evolution of trade embargo during the post-cold war era to a more resilient and sophisticated measures in the age of globalization. Through this historical perspective, this analysis examines an important case study such as Russia by evaluating …

The Rise And Fall Of Caribbean Piracy: A Socio-Technical Analysis Of The War Of Spanish Succession, Maritime Innovation, And Edward Randolf’S Policy, Dominique M. Salinski

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This paper argues that the mode and historical context in which piracy ascended in the Caribbean after the War of the Spanish Succession, as well as the historical interrelation between maritime technology and pirate tactics, coalesced into a diachronic Damocles Sword that resulted in the downfall of piracy in the Golden Age. Sanctioning piratical enterprises as a subconventional maritime strategy displayed a geopolitical reliance on piracy by great powers. However, the depraved treatment conventional sailors received across all major European navies generated a social stratum that eventually bore the Golden Age of Piracy, while simultaneously contributing significantly to British naval …

Waging A Global Trade War Alone: The Cost Of Blanket Tariffs On Friend And Foe, Edward J. Balistreri, Christine Mcdaniel

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

We use an advanced model of the global economy to consider a set of scenarios consistent with the proposal to impose a minimum 60% tariff against Chinese imports and blanket minimum 10% tariff against all other US imports. The model’s structure, which includes imperfect competition in increasing-returns industries, is documented in Balistreri, Böhringer, and Rutherford (2024). The basis for the tariff rates is a proposal from former President Donald Trump (see Wolff 2024). We consider these scenarios with and without symmetric retaliation by our trade partners. Our central finding is that a global trade war between the United States and …

Selected U.S. Government Statistical Agencies And Their Data, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Provides introductory and detailed overview of U.S. Government agencies statistics. Includes examples of how an individual U.S. law authorizes government agencies to compile statistics for particular congressional committees and the general public. Statistics cover topics such as demography, defense, foreign assistance, economic growth, criminal justice, energy, Social Security, and Medicare.

How Clientelism Works: Evidence From The Barinas Special Election, Francisco Rodríguez

Global and Public Affairs: Faculty Scholarship

Do politicians target the benefits of social programs to party loyalists or to swing voters? Traditional tests of this question are clouded by an identification problem caused by the simultaneity of politician and voter choices to participate in the exchange of assistance for votes. I use the holding of an unanticipated repeat gubernatorial election in the Venezuelan state of Barinas in 2022 as a natural experiment to identify the effects of elections on the distribution of government assistance. I estimate that the holding of the election led to an increase in the probability of voters in Barinas receiving food packages …

Three Scandinavian Countries In The Baltic Sea: A Critical Study Of The Blue Economy Programmes, Adityarachman Sofiar, Henny Saptatia Drajati Nugrahani

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

ABSTRACT. This paper examines the current state of the Blue Economy in the Baltic Sea region, with a focus on sustainable development in the Scandinavian countries. The paper begins by providing an overview of the economic, social, and environmental impacts. The paper identifies key challenges facing the industry in the Scandinavian countries, including the need for better planning and management, the preservation of natural and cultural heritage, and the protection of the marine environment. This research aims to explain the urgency of Blue Economy activities impact in the Baltic Sea, Specifically the impact on the environment and communities in Scandinavian …

Reviving Trade Justice: How Arbitration Is Saving Wto Dispute Resolution (For Now), Christine Mcdaniel

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

Yeutter Institute Non-Resident Fellow Christine McDaniel provides her thoughts about how arbitration is saving World Trade Organization dispute resolution for the time being. She suggests that the dispute mechanism and the appeal process are not fully functioning, although a temporary solution has emerged, namely, arbitration and a speedy appeals process. She covers recent cases and options facing WTO members who have a complaint.

Echoes Of War In Lithuania, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications

The chapter explores the impact of the war on the everyday lives of Lithuanians. It begins by addressing the economic challenges instigated by Vladimir Putin’s military adventurism, and the latter’s burden on workers and the poor. This is followed by documenting the unwavering determination of the Lithuanian government and its people to create a hospitable environment for Ukrainian refugees. Subsequently, the chapter delves into the trials and tribulations faced by Ukrainian arrivals in Lithuania, drawing comparisons with the experiences of Belarusian and Russian nationals who have also sought refuge in the country. The latter are currently viewed as a potential …

Labors Of Love And Loss: Exploring Relationships In Remitting Latine-American Families, Sequoyah Sv Hilton

Master's Theses

This paper examines the impact remittances have in Latin-American families across borders through qualitative interviews. Remittances, or international transfers of money, are a common support strategy of global migrant communities. There are divergent opinions on remittances, either positioning them as a great potential for developing lower and middle-income countries, or critiquing them as too heavily depended on by states and created as a survival support mechanism by communities to compensate for state neglect. While they are a massive cash flow at the international level, there is a greater need to blend analyses of remittances at the international level at the …

Capitalism In Europe Vs. Latin America, Brandy Mace, Lucas E. Mainhart, Caleb Edwards, Dayton Lamb, Jesus Herrera-Herrera

ATU Scholars Symposium

Focusing on the years 1995 to 2023, what are the universal traits of capitalism versus the more varying or flexible traits, as demonstrated by comparing European and Latin American practices of capitalism. For the country comparisons, researchers have agreed on 3 common variables to evaluate the capitalist practices of a Latin American country with a European one. These shared variables are 1) The power of the country's currency, 2) The informal versus formal employment of the labor force, as well as unemployment rate, and 3) The income gap between the rich and poor. Each researcher will also include 1-3 additional …

U.S. Government Agency Podcasts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Presents podcasts from U.S. Government agencies which can be discovered through the U.S. Government Publishing Office's Catalog of Government Publications. Agencies whose podcasts are presented include the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Peace Corps, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Government Accountability Office (GAO), National Park Service, Department of Justice, Federal Reserve System, and U.S. Naval War College.

Is Asia On The Precipice Of A Currency Crisis? Exploring Regional Risks And Implications On The Global Economy, Hannah Deng

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the economic stability of Asia in the face of a potential currency crisis through drawing upon the historical context provided by the 1997 East Asian Financial Crisis. It systematically explores the characteristics and precursors of currency crises, analyzes the Asia-Pacific region’s response to past financial upheavals, and evaluates current macroeconomic vulnerabilities as well as policy frameworks. By juxtaposing the changes in Asia’s financial landscape from the late 20th century to the present, the study identifies persistent structural weaknesses and the region’s ongoing exposure to volatile global financial markets. It also considers the possibility of emerging markets establishing …

Migration And Resource Misallocation In China, Xiaolu Li, Lin Ma, Yang Tang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We structurally estimate the firm-level frictions across prefectures in China and quantify their aggregate and distributional implications. Based on a general equilibrium model with input and output distortions and migration, we show that the firm-level frictions are less dispersed and less correlated with firm productivity in richer prefectures. Counterfactual exercises show that reducing the within-prefecture misallocation increases aggregate welfare, discourages migration toward large prefectures, and reduces spatial inequality. Moreover, internal migration alleviates micro-frictions’ impacts on aggregate welfare and worsens their effects on spatial inequality.

A Case Study Analysis Of The Financial Structure Of Boko Haram In Nigeria, John O. Opara

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the various techniques used by Boko Haram (BH) to source funds for its violent activities in Nigeria. The study also examined the reasons why the group maintains support from the locals and others despite the violence the group has caused in Nigeria. A case study qualitative research technique was selected by using Key Informant Interviews (KII) and relevant document review to gather data to address the central questions of why Boko Haram has support, and why it maintains a strong financial structure. Findings of the study revealed that Boko Haram has several sources of funding and support …

U.S. Trade And Investment Restrictions: Laudable But Costly Goals, Christine Mcdaniel

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo’s recent visit to China resulted in the announcement of a new “export control enforcement information exchange” between the United States and China. The laudable goal is to prevent China from using U.S. technology for military purposes against the United States or our allies. An information exchange may be a way to explain things to each other, but the fact remains that the export controls are indeed in place. China represents large revenue streams for three of the largest US chip producers—about 20% for Nvidia, 60% for Qualcomm, and 20-30% for Intel. If these U.S. companies cannot …

Higher Education Exports Before And After Covid, John C. Beghin, Byungyul Park

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

Historically, the higher education system in countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developing (OECD), a grouping of advanced economies, and especially in the United States, has been a magnet for foreign students, both graduate and undergraduates. Graduate students tend to be supported by teaching and research assistantships from the hosting university and do not generate direct revenues for the hosting institution. They do contribute to the economy with their productivity in research projects and with their private consumption. In contrast, most undergraduate foreign students pay fees and tuition which are often higher than those paid by local …

Democratic Facades, Authoritarian Penchants: Post-Communist Monetary Restructuring In The Baltic States, Jokubas Salyga

Political Science Faculty Publications

This paper argues that the paths taken by Estonia and Latvia in their departure from the rouble zone are illustrative of authoritarian neoliberal governance. By challenging the widely assumed simultaneity of ‘democratic’ and ‘market’ revolutions, it critiques institutionalist literature on Baltic exchange-rate regimes and sheds light on the various methods employed to curtail democratic political discourse and participation. The paper delves into the origins of the Baltic neoliberal historical blocs and identifies the social forces that influenced the development of monetary reform initiatives. It then explores the construction of exchange-rate systems through the lens of power struggles within the state …