Matching Items (108)
Description
My interest in this topic began last summer when I was fortunate enough to travel to Tomatin, Honduras on a microfinance mission with the organization Global Brigades. Microfinance previously an unknown concept to me, but once I saw the effect it had on the lives of those in need, I was immediately sold on its effectiveness. Microfinance stems from the field of developmental aid. While generally understood as one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against poverty, question as to which methods and techniques are the most effective are still unanswered. It is the goal of my thesis to examine the research in the area of microfinance, reveal the most effective methods, and apply these findings to improve the structure of the Global Brigade microfinance institution in Tomatin.
ContributorsZurek, Joseph William (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Herbert, Anne (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The progression of men's basketball and football players' careers through the means of colleges and universities has become the beaten path as of late. The problem with this path is that it is full of corruption. Players on men's collegiate basketball and football teams suffer the consequences of the many issues surrounding the current collegiate systems including recruiting violations, financial injustices, disregard of proper educations, and much more. Rather than attempt to tackle the many problems within the NCAA and its schools head on, the solution may be to provide an alternative route for players coming out of high school, who wish to pursue a professional career in their respective sport. By analyzing the current structure of baseball's major league and minor league, some aspects may be taken and implemented into new leagues for basketball and football, or potentially the National Basketball Association's existing Developmental League. After analyzing the economical impacts these proposed leagues could have on communities throughout the United States, reasonable changes to the structures of basketball and football can be made. The results show that it would be most beneficial to pursue the implementation of certain aspects stemming from baseball's minor league into the NBA D-League, rather than attempt to formulate new leagues at this time. The results of these changes to the NBA D-League would then be further analyzed to determine the steps worth pursuing further in the sport of football.
ContributorsWhitmore, David Arthur (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Jarvie, Brittney (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This paper examines how China was able to influence modernization in Southeast Asia during the time period of 1980-1995. Following thirty years of isolation, China opened itself up to foreign investments in an effort to modernize the country. Comparing the inflows and outflows of investment between China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines, the impact on industries can be seen. China opening itself up to the world served as a catalyst for the region and helped lead to development and modernization in each country examined.
ContributorsVan Streain, Taylor Andrew (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Rush, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The European Union has increasingly integrated since World War II to the point where most European countries now share a currency and have freedom of movement for travelers and workers. This has created asymmetries in the European economy because of reports and studies that have found a low labor mobility, which is a requirement of a common currency area. This paper uses an econometric model and the theory of optimum currency areas to look at whether what language grouping a migrant is from affects his or her migration decision. The paper also looks at what an inflexible labor market may mean for European Central Bank policymakers and the macroeconomic outlook of the eurozone.
ContributorsHagler, Andrew Jon (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Hill, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The situation in the Euro-Zone is fluctuating daily with various efforts to curb the contagion of certain Euro-Zone member states. In the effort to focus on the greater macroeconomic and social impact of the Euro-Zone, this paper concentrates on the history of the Euro-Zone, the causes of the crisis, outlines potential solutions, discusses individual perspectives on the issue, and describes a prediction for the future of the Euro-Zone.
ContributorsTom, Bryan (Co-author) / Smith, Kelley (Co-author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Datta, Manjira (Committee member) / Roberts, Nancy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
This paper explores policies for the management of oil wealth in Norway, Mexico, and Russia, and applies them to the situation in Kazakhstan to create policy guidelines to improve the management of oil wealth in Kazakhstan. Ultimately the paper recommends that Kazakhstan transfer oil wealth to the oil stabilization fund directly, that it increase the cap on annual transfers from the fund to the budget to 11 billion dollars, and that it create strict policies for the promotion of growth.
ContributorsHoyt, Christian Thomas (Co-author) / McCarty, Mark (Co-author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Schoellman, Todd (Committee member) / Moldabekova, Saule (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Through a literature review, this thesis investigates the United States corporate tax policy and how it relates to U.S. competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to briefly review the corporate income tax policy in the United States, analyze the impact of the tax rate on the national and international economy, compare the U.S. competitiveness relative to OECD nations, and explore reform proposals. It is found that the U.S. tax policy's complex structure, coupled with its high stated tax rate, diminishes the competitiveness of the U.S., and that the adoption of tax policy reform proposals, such as the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, would promote future growth and ensure that America is a tenacious competitor.
ContributorsNowicki, Kaitlyn Ann (Author) / Roberts, Nancy (Thesis director) / Mendez, Jose (Committee member) / Boyes, William (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
This thesis looks at the theory and empirical evidence that surrounds the debate between environmentalists and economists regarding the link between trade liberalization and environmental degradation. The main points of the theory are the scale, composition, and technique effects which, when aggregated, are ambiguous as the harm or benefit of trade's effect on the environment. The empirical evidence studied ranges in time periods from the early 1990s to 2011 and mainly focuses on the existence or absence of an environmental Kuznets curve for certain pollutant. However, the data still proves to be inconclusive. The debate about the possible link between trade and the environment is as important as ever, especially in regards to carbon dioxide emissions. Going forward, it is extremely important that international cooperation regarding emissions targets and abatement goals increases. Trade will prove to be an invaluable tool in this endeavor as it provides a mechanism for the spread of green technology as well as can be used as a method of environmental policy enforcement.
ContributorsCotterell, Emily Claire (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / McDaniel, Cara (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This project looks at the effects of American sanctions on the Sudanese economy. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the effects of the sanctions on the GDP (based on Purchasing Power Parity) of Sudan using linear regression analysis. We used a linear model to conduct analysis that included variables such as Sudan's trading partners, distance between Sudan and said partners, the GDP of these other countries, and whether there are sanctions imposed. The data collected runs from 1980 to 2011 \u2014 the year South Sudan became independent. The results of the analysis indicate that sanctions are ineffective in achieving their purpose which is ending the human rights violations in Sudan. The findings are consistent with arguments put forth by economics for decades.
ContributorsAli, Safa (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Ali, Souad T. (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
Home advantage affects the game in almost all team sports across the world. Due to<br/>COVID and all of the precautions being taken to keep games played, more extensive research is able to be conducted about what factors truly go into creating a home advantage. Some common factors of home advantage include the crowd, facility familiarity, and travel. In the English Premier League, there are no fans allowed at any of the games; furthermore, in the NBA, a bubble was created at one neutral venue with no fans in attendance. Even with the NBA being at a neutral site, there was still a “home team” at every game. The sports betting industry struggled due to failing to shift betting lines in accordance with this decreased home advantage. With these leagues removing some of the factors that are frequently associated with home advantage, analysts are able to better see what the results would be of removing these variables. The purpose of this research is to determine if these adjustments made due to COVID had an impact on the home advantage in different leagues around the world, and if they did, to what extent. Individual game data from the past 10 seasons were used for analysis of both the NBA and the Premier League. The results show that there is a significant difference in win percentage between prior seasons and seasons behind closed doors. In addition to win percentage, many other game statistics see a significant shift as well. Overall, the significance of being the home team disappears in games following the COVID-19 break.
ContributorsOsborne, Ashley A (Author) / Sopha, Matthew (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05