International Economics Commons^™

Latin American Participation In The Current Process Of Economic Globalization, Sullivan D. Padgett

Journal of Global Awareness

From World War II to the present, Latin America has participated in the current process of economic globalization to varying degrees. The Washington Consensus of the late twentieth century supplanted the region’s earlier model of state-led development and increased its participation in the global capitalist regime. However, Latin America has shown minimal participation in the current process of economic globalization since the late 2000s and, instead, espouses regionalization. Nevertheless, regionalization has proven to be an arduous undertaking in Latin America, especially with China’s increasing regional influence. Variations of benefits are discussed, and recommendations are offered. While the future of Latin …

The Impact Of Refractive Error Correction On Harvest Productivity In The Guatemalan Coffee Sector, Bryce C. Everett

Master's Theses

Providing refractive error correction has the potential to bolster productivity within developing countries. Current literature is in agreement that interventions targeting those with uncorrected visual impairment can realize benefits in various sectors, with particular regard to agriculture. The design of this experiment attempts to derive the intent-to-treat (ITT) effect stemming from the provision of glasses to coffee harvesters in Guatemala. Methodology incorporates two distinct approaches: an ANCOVA model with basic controls and a fixed effects model with a control for farm-specific harvest trends. With daily harvest weight observations serving as a proxy for productivity, and a sample of 321 participants …

Can Aspiration And Financial Literacy Interventions Relieve Internal Constraints? Evidence From Uganda And India, Veronika Divis

Master's Theses

Can aspiration and financial literacy interventions relieve internal constraints? We address this question through a novel experiment in Uganda and India, using 617 participants in 89 already existing borrowing groups of microfinance institutions. We carry out aspiration and financial literacy treatments as well as a combined treatment group which received both treatments to measure effects on aspirations, hope, agency, and pathway indices. Results show that receiving the aspirations treatment led to 0.34, 0.42, 0.18, and 0.40 standard deviation increases in aspirations, agency, pathways, and aspirational hope, respectively. The game and combined treatment groups also showed positive effects but lacked statistical …

Financial Literacy And Aspirations: Experimental Evidence From Eastern Uganda, Ester Agasha

Master's Theses

Financial literacy and the cultivation of aspirations are pivotal in empowering individuals and fostering economic growth, particularly within disadvantaged com munities. Although prior research has extensively analyzed the individual effects of financial education and motivational interventions on economic behaviors, there is less clarity on how the synergy between them can collectively impact the socioe conomic status of individuals in developing economies, especially women. Through randomized control experiment(RCT), this study explored the effectiveness of two interventions; 1) a financial literacy digital gaming application and, 2) an aspirations intervention (a short video documentary and a follow-up curriculum) in not only enhancing financial …

Income Differences Among Nations: Measuring The Effects Of Human Capital On Total Factor Productivity (Tfp), Ashley Tarrolly

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

In the past two centuries, long-term economic growth has been defined by The Great Divergence, where the gap of income distribution has widened as a result of some nations experiencing modern economic growth while others have remained stagnant in their economic well-being. This panel data research examines differences in income across countries by applying development accounting to analyze differences in per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and predict each country’s total factor productivity (TFP). Data from the Penn World Tables were collected and categorized into groups based on GDP per capita to create a sample of 144 countries in 10-year …

How Do Immigration And Technological Growth Affect One Another? Providing Guiding Principles For Policymakers, Nate Karren

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The relationship between immigration and technological growth is more nuanced than a simple statement of positive or negative correlation. How one affects the other varies depending on the skill level of the immigrant and the field where they work. Conclusions drawn by the literature form patterns that can be used to best understand the relationship between immigration and technology. High-skilled immigration boosts technological development through a complementary relationship, but low-skilled immigration can be a complement or a substitute with technological growth depending on the sector. Policymakers interested in promoting long-term economic growth through technological growth should have a clear picture …

A Red Awakening: An Analysis Of China’S Quest For Global Dominance Through Economic Alternative Warfare Methods, Sarah Beddingfield

Senior Honors Theses

In the 2023 annual meeting of China’s parliament, Chinese President Xi made it clear to his political leaders and the world that he was preparing for war. This should come as no surprise after analysis of China's grand strategy points clearly to the intent to surpass the U.S. as the premier global superpower in all respects. China has been building towards this goal for years through untraditional methods of warfare, forcing the national security community to reevaluate its own strategy and assess the Chinese threat through a different lens. This thesis seeks to address one specific area in which China …

De-Escalating The United States-China Trade War Using A Global Conflict Resolution Methodology Framework, Angelina Kapp

Undergraduate Honors Theses

How can the United States and China collaboratively de-escalate their current trade relationship using a conflict resolution methodology to foster economic growth and foreign investor confidence in the evolving landscape of global trade? This paper will serve as a guide to those wanting to gain a comprehensive understanding of the macroeconomic causes and impacts of the contentious trade war between the U.S. and China. The year 2018 can be attributed to the start of the war when then-President Donald Trump implemented tariffs on Chinese goods and products. These back-and-forth financial and economic measures have been continually imposed to this day …

Economic Anomalies Following The Handover Of Hong Kong, Nathan Martin

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper seeks to examine and provide a possible explanation for economic anomalies in Hong Kong following its handover to China. Hong Kong was on a 99-year lease to the United Kingdom from China before being handed back over July 1^st, 1997. Due to the “one country, two systems” policy espoused in the handover agreement that was to be implemented for fifty years, this event marks a rare natural experiment of a peaceful regime change without a significant change in governance. This paper seeks to understand the impact of the act of regime change on selected key macroeconomic …

Essays On Spatial Economics And International Trade, Naiyuan Hu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation consists of three papers on spatial economics and international trade. The first paper focuses on spatial inequalities. Educational resources are distributed unevenly and contribute to spatial inequality. A dynamic spatial model with life-cycle elements studies the impacts of location-specific educational resources. Individuals determine where to attend college, weighing distance, expected value of education, and available resources. Locations with more colleges attract more students. As mobility costs increase with age, many graduates stay in the city where they studied, affecting skill composition. Applied to China, it finds that the 2005- 2015 college expansion had minimal welfare impacts and suggests …

The Impact Of The 2002 Economic Crisis On Remittances & Emigration In Uruguay, Abigail Robeson

Honors Theses

Throughout 2002, the Uruguayan peso depreciated by 85 percent, causing an economic crisis and a rise in people searching outward for employment. This increased both the number of remittances received and emigration in an unprecedented way within Uruguay. Reports of remittances, and migration patterns of Uruguayans before 2002 are vastly different from those of the years following. Using quantitative analysis and a variety of data sources, this paper finds that the Uruguayan economic crisis undoubtedly spurred both remittance relevance and emigration in Uruguay. Emigration and remittances concerning Uruguay are seen to be permanently impacted by the crisis – though to …

Essays On Trade Policy, Ward Reesman

All Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays on international trade and trade policy, focusing on a quantitative evaluation of the causes and consequences of trade barriers and economic integration. In the first essay, I examine the role of a widely-used discriminatory trade barrier in shaping dynamic trade patterns of exporters across a range of affected and unaffected export markets. In the next chapter, I explore the heterogeneous economic determinants impacting the formation of economic integration agreements among countries, paying specific attention to the role of bilateral migration flows.

The first chapter estimates the dynamic trade effects of temporary trade barriers (TTBs), …

Regulatory Protection And The Role Of International Cooperation, Yuan Mei

Research Collection School Of Economics

I develop a general equilibrium framework to analyze the welfare consequences of product regulations and their international harmonization. In my model, raising product standards reduces a negative consumption externality, but also increases the marginal and fixed costs of production. When product standards are set noncooperatively, the effects of standards on other countries' wages and number of firms are not internalized, giving rise to an international inefficiency. The World Trade Organization's nondiscrimination principle of national treatment only partly addresses this inefficiency. Welfare losses from abandoning national treatment average 2.8%, whereas the maximum welfare gains from efficient cooperation average 11.8%.

The Balance Of Concessions In Trade Agreements, Mostafa Beshkar, Pao-Li Chang, Shenxi Song

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper introduces a quantitative framework to analyze the WTO’s reciprocity principle. Utilizing two polar bargaining environments, we measure terms-of-trade concessions among WTO members and examine how shifts in applied tariffs and economic fundamentals affect bilateral and multilateral balance of concessions. We find significant disparities in concessions, largely driven by the rise in trade imbalances since the early 1990s. Notably, although US-China bilateral tariffs suggest considerable terms-of-trade benefits for China, under a hypothetical balanced trade scenario, their relationship evolves towards near reciprocity following China’s accession to the WTO. Furthermore, in contrast to the significant gains in its relationship with the …

Community Development In Stann Creek, Belize, Connor O'Neill

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research attempts to understand the inner workings of community development by taking part in ongoing development projects in Belize. Through collaboration with existing government entities, we took part in meetings, surveys, and site visits to gather the data necessary for the development projects. These projects consisted of finding cost of production, collecting market research, and constructing business plans. During our time, we experienced multiple difficulties similar to those that developers consistently encounter. Ultimately, we gained valuable insight into procedures involved in community development, as well as being able to aid in ongoing development work.

Navigating The Threat Posed By The Chinese Communist Party, Adam Opp

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

For decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the economic growth of China has become a threat to the United States. Beginning in 1978, the CCP issued a series of economic, market-oriented reforms which led to a period of economic growth and productivity increase in China. The CCP turned to diplomacy with the United States and other nations to increase foreign investment and implemented the Belt and Road initiative. The impressive scale of Chinese economic growth poses an economic and hegemonic threat to the United States, as China’s economy is projected to outpace the United States and the CCP has …

Roger Altman’S 2008 Public Policy Analysis: At Fault Without The Blame, Isaac Deak

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Roger Altman published “Globalism in Retreat” in 2009, in which he offers analysis of the 2008 financial crisis, blaming free-markets and globalism as causes of the calamity, only to praise China’s “state-capitalism”, which he believes allowed the Chinese to emerge ahead of the globalists in recovery. This article, despite its age, provides a timeless example of a dangerous tendency in public policy. It demonstrates how policymakers can implement deleterious policies which result in inevitable crisis, and then, they subsequently escape blame by explaining away the crisis with bad analysis and even worse policy suggestions for the future. Policy suggestions, in …

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 …

The Role Of Firms In Enhancing Economic Competitiveness, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Talks, Speeches, & Discourse

The challenge of improving competitiveness is intricate as nations themselves do not directly compete; rather, it is the myriad firms, enterprises, and companies within these nations that engage in competition. While factors like endowments, public policies, institutions, macroeconomic conditions, and business environment elements such as tariffs, taxation, regulations, utility pricing, and the ease and cost of doing business certainly play a role, the primary responsibility lies with the individual firms participating in the international markets for goods and services. Consequently, a comprehensive analysis of competitiveness necessitates a two-layered approach—one at the national level and another at the firm level. At …

Emerging Giants And Lessons For Development: China, India, And Their Different Paths To Progress, Eskander Alvi Editor, Wei-Chiao Huang Editor

Upjohn Press

This book explores the differences and commonalities in growth experiences of two looming economic giants, China and India—countries that follow often-contrasting economic, social, and political paths as they struggle to achieve long-term prosperity for their billion-plus populations. The papers included within show that the economic and political realities in the two countries are quite different, and that these realities are deeply embedded in each country’s social framework. China and India are at markedly different stages of economic development but the challenges facing the two countries, unsurprisingly, diverge—not only because of the different stage of development each has reached, but also …