An Analysis Of Remittance Tendencies Of Philippine Migrant Workers,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
An Analysis Of Remittance Tendencies Of Philippine Migrant Workers, Maryan S. Samson
CMC Senior Theses
In developing countries, remittances play a key role as a source of external finance. Remittances are a form of aid that migrant workers send back to their families, located in their home countries, in order to support the needs of the household. In about 25% of developing countries, remittances are larger than public and private capital flows combined (International Monetary Fund, 2009). In 2008, the Philippines economy was the 47th largest economy in the world with a GDP of $322 billion dollars (Asian Development Bank, Fact Sheet). Remittances accounted for over 10% of the Philippine economy, making the Philippines …
The Impact Of A Conditional Cash Transfer Program On Credit Behavior In Colombia,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
The Impact Of A Conditional Cash Transfer Program On Credit Behavior In Colombia, Brittany Pineros
CMC Senior Theses
This paper investigates the impact of Familias en Acción, a conditional cash transfer program in Colombia, on participant credit behavior. The motivation of the research is derived from previous studies which indicate that conditional cash transfer programs have effects on households aside from those directly intentioned by the programs. While the direct impacts of Familias en Acción have been measured by the research team responsible for evaluating the program, potential indirect effects remain uninvestigated. My research specifically focuses on the impacts of the program on credit behavior. I compute estimates on the percent change in loan balance outstanding and …
The Impact Of Weather Forecasts On Day-Ahead Power Prices,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
The Impact Of Weather Forecasts On Day-Ahead Power Prices, Noah Levin
CMC Senior Theses
1. Introduction Power industry deregulation and electricity market restructuring, which began in Chile in the 1980s and then spread to Norway, New Zealand and the UK, were introduced in the United States with the passage of the Energy Policy Act (EPA) of 1992 (Jameson, 1997). The EPA and subsequent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Orders led to the restructuring of vertically integrated electric utilities, the establishment of Independent System Operators (ISO) and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO) and the development of competitive wholesale power markets. Deregulation also led to the creation of various electricity contract–based financial derivative products. In 1996, the …
Does The Provision Of Healthcare Vary With Race? Evidence From Health Shocks To Patients Far From Home,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
Does The Provision Of Healthcare Vary With Race? Evidence From Health Shocks To Patients Far From Home, Ajay Sridhar
CMC Senior Theses
A vast literature acknowledges that minority groups, particularly African-Americans, receive less, and lower-quality treatment than Caucasians in U.S. health facilities. It remains an open question as to how much of this disparity is a result of poverty, and how much, a result of more overt discrimination. Former empirical studies are far from conclusive given the endogeneity of hospital quality, as minorities are overrepresented in areas served by poor health facilities. To remedy this endogeneity issue, we observe visitors to the state of Florida, as well as travelers within Florida. When an individual experiences a health shock far from home, her …
Take Me Out Of The Ball Game: The Efficacy Of Public Subsidies In The Success Of Professional Sports Stadiums,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
Take Me Out Of The Ball Game: The Efficacy Of Public Subsidies In The Success Of Professional Sports Stadiums, Jonah Chodosh
CMC Senior Theses
This paper weights the relative advantages of multiple factors that lead to the success of professional sports stadiums in major markets, though a discussion of the arguments for and against public subsidies towards these projects. Using a logit statistical model, the paper determines that the two factors determining the highest likelihood of venue success include multiple tenants and access to mass transit. The analysis demonstrates that public subsidies towards stadiums don’t generate sufficient economic returns, and that successful stadiums can be created without using taxpayer funds.
The Effect Of Culture On Female Labor Force Partcipation,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
The Effect Of Culture On Female Labor Force Partcipation, Joycelyn J. Ho
CMC Senior Theses
This article looks at the effect of culture on female labor force participation. Proxies of culture used are Globe cultural social practice dimensions, and Hofstede cultural dimensions. This article finds that globe cultural dimensions have a stronger explantory value that Hofstede cultural dimensions. It confirms that gender eglaitarianism is a predictor of female labor force participation. It also suggests that assertiveness and uncertainty avoidance are also predictors of female labor force participation.
Strategic Significance: A Model Of G-20 Membership,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
Strategic Significance: A Model Of G-20 Membership, Patrick Eagan-Van Meter
CMC Senior Theses
The membership of the Group of 20 was selected without any official criteria. This paper investigates whether group membership can be explained through the consideration of several different factors that coincide with the mission of the organization. I found strong evidence that membership in the Group of 20 was based on some combination of land mass and economic output. The results demonstrate that these factors are highly predictive of group membership.
Democratic Strength And Terrorism: An Economic Approach,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
Democratic Strength And Terrorism: An Economic Approach, Brian P. Winter
CMC Senior Theses
There has been much literature about the economic effects of terrorism in democratic countries, but this literature often considers democracy to be a binary variable. This paper sought to explore how the effects might differ depending on the strength of a democracy. In the end, I found that the numbers of attacks and the effects of those attacks do not follow a linear path. The results for autocracies and anocracies require further analysis, but democracies have revealed interesting results. It seems that democracies as a whole have more terrorist attacks, but, within this group, the more democratic a country is …
Fiscal Impact Of Privatization In Developing Countries,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
Fiscal Impact Of Privatization In Developing Countries, Alexander H. Sunderland
CMC Senior Theses
This paper examines the fiscal impact of privatization revenues in 47 developing countries. There are many reasons that privatization is attractive for the central government of developing countries. If substantial, these revenues from the sale of state owned enterprises can present a potential solution to persistent deficits. On the other hand, the privatization revenues could be used to finance an even larger deficit. In this paper, I will discuss previous research on the fiscal impact of privatization revenues, the factors that contribute to persistent fiscal budget deficits and explain how empirical research on the fiscal impact of privatization in the …
Public Dollar Private Owners; Tax Subsidies For New Stadiums In Professional Sports,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
Public Dollar Private Owners; Tax Subsidies For New Stadiums In Professional Sports, Grant J. Bunnage
CMC Senior Theses
The growing popularity of North American professional sports over the last twenty years directly coincides with the recent trend of urban communities using tax dollars to publically subsidize professional football, baseball, and basketball stadiums. Communities across North America invest substantial amount of public tax dollars in private facilities in light of a consensus among policy analysts that the economic impact of the new stadium is greatly exaggerated. The economic impact of new stadiums has been extensively researched, the focus of this paper rather, is to examine the impact publically subsidized facilities built in the last twenty years have on the …
Tie The Knot Or You Tighten The Noose? The Current Effect Of Pre-Marital Cohabitation On Marriage Survival Rates,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
Tie The Knot Or You Tighten The Noose? The Current Effect Of Pre-Marital Cohabitation On Marriage Survival Rates, Matthew D. Beienburg
CMC Senior Theses
Pre-marital cohabitation has become a mainstream practice among couples in the United States, yet initial empirical evidence demonstrated significant correlations between cohabitation and subsequent marital instability. Later studies disputed a causal relation and have attempted to show a weakened connection over time, but have themselves suffered from the use of exclusively older and/or unreliable data. This paper uses figures from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997-08) and the National Survey of Family Growth (2006-08) to provide an updated analysis of cohabitation’s effect on marriage over the past decade. Using proportional hazard and competing risk models, this paper confirms a …
The Gift That Keeps Giving: Fdi Inflows In China,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
The Gift That Keeps Giving: Fdi Inflows In China, Joseph Chang
CMC Senior Theses
This paper investigates the primacy of foreign direct investment inflows in liberalizing China’s economy and whether the long-term gains from economic openness will justify its inefficient energy uses and growing regional income disparities. By examining the history of FDI inflows in China, it becomes evident that FDI inflows were an instrumental part in institutional and technological development in China. I extend the argument to take into account how these developed infrastructures react to China’s growing energy demand in light of a shrinking world supply. Lastly, I perform a meta-analysis on the Environmental Kuznets Curve theory and the Pollution Haven Hypothesis, …
The Impact Of Terrorism On Foreign Direct Investment: Which Sectors Are More Vulnerable?,
2011
Claremont McKenna College
The Impact Of Terrorism On Foreign Direct Investment: Which Sectors Are More Vulnerable?, Shivani Agrawal
CMC Senior Theses
The impact of conflict and violence on foreign direct investment (FDI) is not a topic that has been done justice by the literature, and what few studies exist have contradictory results. This paper studies the impact that transnational terrorism has on FDI inflows by economic sector, in developed countries. Results indicate a statistically significant negative correlation between terrorist events and total FDI inflows. Amongst a list of 12 broad industrial sectors, FDI inflows for manufacturing, trade and repair, and construction were found to have a statistically significant negative correlation with terrorist events.
Inequality Aversion And Altruism In Bargaining Experiments: The Effect Of Gender,
2011
University of Texas at El Paso
Inequality Aversion And Altruism In Bargaining Experiments: The Effect Of Gender, Carolina Del Pilar Cerda
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
This paper examines gender-related inequality aversion, altruism and the effect of gender on decision-making using ultimatum and dictator experiments. A triple-anonymous design was incorporated into the experiments by excluding monetary payments in order to eliminate any aspect of social pressure that the experimenter may exert by exchanging money with the subjects. The absence of social pressure allows for observation of gender differences in economic behavior. Results show that there is a sharp difference between genders. Women are more likely to give larger amounts than men indicating that altruism does vary depending on gender. Also, inequality aversion appears to be more …
Public Investment And Economic Growth In El Paso,
2011
University of Texas at El Paso
Public Investment And Economic Growth In El Paso, Azucena Gonzalez Monzon
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
This research focuses on the impact from public capital stock on economic growth in El Paso, Texas. A time series analysis is used to gauge the dynamic relationship between public infrastructure and the productivity of this city's economy. An Error Correction model and a Vector Error Correction model are utilized to discover short-run and long-run impacts from public capital stock on the growth of this particular economy. The Vector Autoregressive model is used to determine causality amongst the variables and to determine the structure of this economy. This research finds that public infrastructure growth actually follows economic growth and private …
Impact Of Science And Engineering Graduates On Key Economic Indicators,
2011
University of Texas at El Paso
Impact Of Science And Engineering Graduates On Key Economic Indicators, Nathaniel V. Robinson
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
There are clear trends in the USA with regard to a stagnant growth in science and engineering, particularly engineering, and in greater contrast when considered per capita. Meanwhile certain Asian counties, such as China and Taiwan, have experienced growth in science and engineering graduates beyond mere population growth. This has caught the eye of alarmists and so discussions have ensued over offshoring, national security, economic loss and future impact in the United States. Alarmists and proponents of policies promoting more science, engineering and math have pointed out the trends in overseas growth and US offshoring with a flurry of statistics …
Transit In A Border Zone: The Demand For Public Transportation In Three Texas Border Cities,
2011
University of Texas at El Paso
Transit In A Border Zone: The Demand For Public Transportation In Three Texas Border Cities, Adam Gregory Walke
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Factors affecting the demand for public transportation include those, like fares or the level of service, that transit administrators can directly influence as well as those, like gasoline prices, that are beyond administrators' control. This study considers both but focuses on the latter and, more specifically, on how proximity to an international border affects transit ridership. Pedestrian border crossings have a significant effect on ridership levels in El Paso, Brownsville, and Laredo, Texas. Also, ridership correlates positively with the purchasing power of the peso in Laredo and with Mexico's industrial production index in El Paso. In the context of prior …
The Second-Generation Effects Of Microcredit In Western Guatemala,
2011
University of Texas at El Paso
The Second-Generation Effects Of Microcredit In Western Guatemala, Jordyn Elizabeth Haught
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Most microfinance institutions have assumed that positive second-generation effects follow involvement in microcredit, but the nature of these effects has been unclear since few scholars have directly focused their attention on them. To address this gap in the literature I conducted exploratory survey research in Western Guatemala in January 2011. I returned with 97 interviews conducted with 68 Guatemalans who had received a microloan at some point in their lives, and 29 who had never received a formal loan. In the sample of their 306 children, the parents of 94 had never received a loan, while the parents of 212 …
Residential Electricity Demand In Seattle,
2011
University of Texas at El Paso
Residential Electricity Demand In Seattle, David Alan Juarez
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
This study examines residential electricity demand for the Seattle City Light (SCL) public utility market. SCL is interesting because all of its electricity is generated through hydro-electric facilities as well as its purchased power, mostly through contracts with the Bonneville Power Administration, resulting in below-average residential electricity prices. An error-correction model is estimated using annual time series data. Income, price, and climate data are used to identify both economic and seasonal effects. In addition, a customer equation is also estimated using the error-correction approach. The income-elasticity is negative indicating that electricity is an inferior good in this market. Out-of-sample forecasts …
The Relationship Between Divided Government And Real Per Capita Gross State Product,
2011
University of Texas at El Paso
The Relationship Between Divided Government And Real Per Capita Gross State Product, Adrian Christopher Villasenor
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
This paper analyzes the relationship between divided government and real per capita gross state product in U.S. states using a panel study of data from all of the contiguous U.S. states, except Nebraska, for the period of 1990 to 2007. Some literature can be found on the relationship between divided government and economic growth at the national level. There is a lack of study of this relationship at the state level. Real per capita gross state product is the dependent variable in this study. Divided government, partisan control of the governor's office, partisan control of the state legislature, combined federal …
