Other Economics Commons^™

Embracing Diversity In Agricultural Economics, Timothy Meyer

Cornhusker Economics

To steal an overused cliché, “There’s room in the tent for everyone.” Over the 2023 academic year, I have reiterated this message to all my students, with one addition. Not only is there room for everyone, but all are invited AND welcome. Food is something we all have in common, no matter the background. I think this is why producers in the state of Nebraska feel as strongly as they do about the food they produce; it is life-giving and should be taken seriously. Nebraska Agriculture is part of what makes our state great, and that is not a secret …

Sleep Restriction Alters The Integration Of Multiple Information Sources In Probabilistic Decision-Making, Jeryl Y. L. Lim, Johanna M. Boardman, Clare Anderson, David L. Dickinson, Daniel Bennett, Sean P. A. Drummond

ESI Publications

The detrimental effects of sleep loss on overall decision-making have been well described. Due to the complex nature of decisions, there remains a need for studies to identify specific mechanisms of decision-making vulnerable to sleep loss. Bayesian perspectives of decision-making posit judgement formation during decision-making occurs via a process of integrating knowledge gleaned from past experiences (priors) with new information from current observations (likelihoods). We investigated the effects of sleep loss on the ability to integrate multiple sources of information during decision-making by reporting results from two experiments: the first implementing both sleep restriction (SR) and …

Essays On Real Estate, Flood Risk, And Political Sentiment, John P. Orellana

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of three chapters that investigate how climate change, flood risk, and political sentiment influence outcomes in housing markets.

Chapter 1: This chapter offers a brief review and discussion of several recent and seminal papers at the intersection of flood risk, climate change, and real estate, as well as a critique on some of the literature on the effects of sea-level rise on housing outcomes.

Chapter 2: FEMA flood maps serve two functions: they signal risk to homeowners and mandate insurance take-up. How these information and risk transfer mechanisms affect homeowner relocation decisions remains unknown. Combining real estate …

Representation And Bracketing In Repeated Games, Mouli Modak

ESI Working Papers

In this experimental paper, the author investigates the framing effect of different representations of multiple strategic settings or games on a player’s strategic behavior. Two representations of the same environment are employed, wherein a player engages in two infinitely repeated prisoner’s dilemma games. In the first representation (termed Split), the stage games are shown separately. In contrast, the second representation (termed Linked) displays a combined stage game. The choice bracketing, distinguishing between Narrow and Broad bracketing, is considered a potential cause behind any disparity in behavior between the two representations. The Split representation does not necessitate broad bracketing, whereas the …

Poor Oral Health Is Associated With Inflammation, Aortic Valve Calcification, And Brain Volume Among Forager-Farmers, Benjamin C. Trumble, Matthew Schwartz, Andrew T. Ozga, Gary T. Schwartz, Christopher M. Stojanowski, Carrie L. Jenkins, Thomas Kraft, Angela R. Garcia, Daniel K. Cummings, Paul L. Hooper, Daniel Eid Rodriguez, Kenneth Buetow, Bret Beheim, Andrei Irimia, Gregory S. Thomas, Randall C. Thompson, Horus Team, Margaret Gatz, Jonathan Stieglitz, Caleb E. Finch, Michael Gurven, Hillard Kaplan

ESI Publications

Poor oral health is associated with cardiovascular disease and dementia. Potential pathways include sepsis from oral bacteria, systemic inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies. However, in post-industrialized populations, links between oral health and chronic disease may be confounded because the lower socioeconomic exposome (poor diet, pollution, low physical activity) often entails insufficient dental care. We assessed tooth loss, caries, and damaged teeth, in relation to cardiovascular and brain aging among the Tsimane, a subsistence population living a relatively traditional forager-horticulturalist lifestyle with poor dental health, but minimal cardiovascular disease and dementia. Dental health was assessed by a physician in 739 participants aged …

The Relationship Between Traffic Congestion And Quality Of Life, Amer Alhusinan

Journal of Police and Legal Sciences

The problem of traffic congestion is one of the most serious problems that affect people because of the many negative effects it has on the quality of life and well-being of people, which include health, environmental, psychological and aesthetic aspects. With the increase in the number of vehicles and means of transportation, especially in large, densely populated cities, the problem of traffic congestion is exacerbated, which results in many negative effects, such as air pollution resulting from vehicle exhausts, which leads to chest diseases and suffocation, as well as the transfer of toxic substances present in fuel such as lead …

How Personalized Networks Can Limit Free Riding: A Multi-Group Version Of The Public Goods Game, Aaron S. Berman, Laurence R. Iannaccone, Mouli Modak

ESI Working Papers

People belong to many different groups, and few belong to the same network of groups. Moreover, people routinely reduce their involvement in dysfunctional groups while increasing involvement in those they find more attractive. The net effect can be an increase in overall cooperation and the partial isolation of free-riders, even if free-riders are never punished, excluded, or recognized. We formalize and test this conjecture with an agent-based social simulation and a multi-good extension of the standard repeated public goods game. Our initial results from three treatments suggest that the multi-group setting indeed raises overall cooperation and dampens the impact of …

Personal Lies, Gary Charness, Ismael Rodriguez-Lara

ESI Working Papers

Using the mind game, we provide experimental evidence that people are more likely to lie when they disclose non-personal information (e.g., reporting a number they thought of) compared with personal information (e.g., reporting the last digit of their birth year). Our findings suggest that the type of information is an important factor for lying behavior.

Experimental Research On Contests, Subhashish M. Chowdhury, Dan Kovenock, Anwesha Mukherjee

ESI Working Papers

Contests are situations in which agents compete by irreversibly expending costly resources in an attempt to win a prize. Due to their applications in conflict, rent-seeking, organizational incentives, sports, litigation, and political campaigns, contests are widely applied in the social sciences. In this survey we summarize some main results and recent developments of experimental studies in contest theory. We also point out their broader applications in the social sciences.

Comparing Generative Ai, Keyword Searchers, And Hiring Committees In Selecting Semi-Finalist Job Candidates In Academia, Sarah Snyder

Honors Theses

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of AI tools and keyword searchers in candidate evaluation. The first study examined the use of ChatGPT-4 and a traditional hiring committee in selecting a semifinalist pool for an Assistant Professor of Economics position. It was found that ChatGPT-4's selections were non-replicable, producing different semifinalist lists with each run, indicating significant variability and lack of reliability compared to human committees. The second study focused on predicting self-reported conscientiousness from resumes using both keyword searchers and ChatGPT-4. The results showed that neither method could accurately predict conscientiousness. Similarly, ChatGPT-4's selections were non-replicable, producing …

Sustainable Frameworks & The Circular Economy Within Digital Marketing & Advertising Agency Groups, Angelique Bautista

Honors Theses

Digital marketing significantly contributes to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of marketing and advertising agencies. Despite efforts towards corporate sustainability, discrepancies in carbon accounting and sustainability practices persist across the industry. An increasingly relevant topic for many industries is the circular economy (CE). It is concerned with creating a structured and cyclical sustainable practice and/or operation. This research paper examines the intersection of the CE and environmental sustainability initiatives in global digital marketing, analyzing sustainability efforts and ordinances up to April 2024, alongside theories from Science and Technology Studies (STS). Then, CE principles are explored more in-depth and the sociotechnological …

How Financial Status Affects Food Decisions In Households Of Marin City, Joe Blakely

Global Public Health | Student Research Posters

• Food insecurity is a multifaceted issue influenced by various factors, including socioeconomic status and access to nutritious foods. Research has shown that low-income households often face challenges in accessing healthy food options due to financial constraints.
• Cultural and psychological factors also play significant roles in shaping food choices among low-income populations. Additionally, the availability and affordability of healthy foods within local food environments significantly impact dietary behaviors.
• Economic factors such as income levels and household expenses further compound the challenges of food insecurity. Studies on food spending decisions among low-income demographics revealed that financial constraints often force families to prioritize …

The Affordable Housing Crisis In New York City, Mexican Studies Institute Cuny, Hashim Abdul

Publications and Research

This paper examines the current housing crisis in The Bronx that worsened during and after the COVID pandemic. It examines social and economic factors that contribute to low home ownership and housing instability. Through a comparison with European models, the author concludes that solutions to alleviate the crisis may include rental price caps, increased Airbnb regulations and government “subsidization instead of profitability”.

From It To Ai: Analysis Of Skill–Biased Technological Change In Europe, Stav Alkalay

Honors Theses and Capstones

The beginning of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution marks a significant shift in technological advancements, like the Information Technology (IT) revolution of the 20th century. This paper investigates the similarities between the two revolutions, examining evidence of skilled-biased vs. routine-biased technological change (SBTC vs. RBTC) in Europe. This paper examines the impact of information technology on labor markets, productivity, and income distribution by looking at past trends & data. It draws insights from a variety of economists to forecast trends in the age of artificial intelligence.

Factors Affecting The Adoption Of Information Technology In Medium And Small Enterprises: A Case Study In Mekong Delta, Vietnam, Thy-Lieu Nguyen-Thi, Duy-Dong Le, Kieu-Chinh Nguyen-Ly, Trung-Tien Nguyen, Mohamed Saleem Haja Nazmudeen

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This research endeavors to discern the determinants influencing the adoption of information technology in the management practices of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) situ-ated within the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Leveraging the Unified Theory of Ac-ceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), PLS-SEM, and ANN models, this study ranks the pivotal factors that impact the decision to integrate information technology into SME management. The identified factors, in order of significance, encompass (1) Support from State Agencies, (2) Managerial Qualifications, (3) Competitive Landscape, (4) Enterprise Scale, and (5) Employee Qualifications. The investigation encompasses 496 SMEs across the Mekong Delta and evaluates …

Essays On The Market For Higher Education, Samuel Lawrence Rhoads Glick

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation studies the market for higher education and impacts of higher education policy on the market. In the first chapter, I estimate the short-run elasticity of supply of higher education using the rollout of state merit grant programs as plausibly exogenous variation in student demand for in-state higher education. I find that public and private not-for-profit four-year institutions have elastic supply responses to these programs. Public institutions have an estimated elasticity of 2.1 and private institutions have an estimated elasticity of 1.34. I estimate the causal effects of marginally qualifying for and receiving the federal Pell Grant and the …

Dollars And Decibels: Quantifying The Impact Of Railroad Noise Pollution On Housing Prices In Cook County, Il, Clemens Walter Wilson

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Noise pollution is a harmful issue that affects all who have the ability to hear, especially those who live close to major noise sources. Some of the most pervasive noise pollutants are major freight and passenger trains, which are a constant nuisance for many citizens across the United States and around the world. One of the greatest impacts that railroad noise pollution has is on residential housing prices, both the value and appreciation of property are often harmed. My analysis quantifies the effect that elevated noise levels associated with proximity to railroad lines have on residential housing prices in Cook …

Eco 11, Karen David Prof.

Open Educational Resources

This the syllabus for the ECO 11 Microeconomics course taught by Prof. David. It is a ZTC course using an OpenStax OER textbook.

Medical Expenditures And The Measurement Of Poverty In The United States, Luke Petach, David Wyant

Faculty Scholarship

Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) we estimate the fraction of the US population that is health poor. A person is health poor if their income prior to paying health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket healthcare costs is above the poverty line, but their income net-of-premiums and out-of-pocket healthcare costs is below the poverty line. Because resources used to finance health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs are (A) lexicographically preferred and (B) cannot be used to maintain an individual’s standard of living, they should be excluded from official poverty estimates. Approximately 1% to 2% of the US population …

Do Inclusionary Zoning Ordinances Restrict Housing Supply: An Instrumental Variable Approach Using Evidence From California, Liam James

CMC Senior Theses

Do inclusionary zoning (IZ) ordinances restrict the supply of housing, putting undue upward pressure on prices? Using an improved version of the California Coalition of Rural Housing database, we use OLS and 2SLS methods to estimate the effect of IZ policies on supply. In demonstrating the endogeneity of OLS, we address this concern through the use of differences in two-party voter registration as an instrument for the presence of an inclusionary zoning ordinance. We find no evidence consistent with a clear restrictive effect of these policies.