The main goal of this thesis is to find out whether National football league players are, even 15 years after the birth of unrestricted free agency, still paid monopsonistic salaries or whether competition among NFL teams eliminated them. After a theoretical discussion, which will help to form expectations about the player market, models in line with the standard theory of labor compensation and with Becker's human capital theory are estimated. The part of the research following the standard theory focuses mainly on estimations of players' marginal revenue product and subsequently on comparison of their wages with their MRP. To do so, OLS regressions, as well as quantile regressions, are run. The part of the research following the human capital theory has a supporting role and is used to further confirm the previous findings. It is represented by OLS player salary estimation. The hypothesis that players under a full control of their teams are still paid salaries below their MRP cannot be rejected, thus confirming a presence of monopsonistic salaries. A significant effect of free agency status on player salaries is also found. Exclusive rights players are paid significantly lower salaries than all free agents, while restricted free agents are paid significantly lower salaries than unrestricted free agents. Superstar players are found to have salaries in excess of their MRP regardless of their free agency status.

A common concern about volcanic unrest is that the communication of information about increasing volcanic alert levels (VALs) to the public could cause serious social and economic impacts even if an eruption does not occur. To test this statement, this study examined housing prices and business patterns from 1974–2016 in volcanic regions with “very-high” threat designations from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)—Long Valley Caldera (LVC), CA (caldera); Mount St. Helens (MSH), Washington (stratovolcano); and Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi (shield volcano). To compare economic trends in nonvolcanic regions that are economically dependent on tourism, Steamboat Springs, CO, served as a control as it is a ski-tourism community much like Mammoth Lakes in LVC. Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models predicted that housing prices were negatively affected by VALs at LVC from 1982–1983 and 1991–1997. While VALs associated with unrest and eruptions included in this study both had short-term indirect effects on housing prices and business indicators (e.g., number of establishments, employment, and salary), these notifications were not strong predictors of long-term economic trends. Our findings suggest that these indirect effects result from both eruptions with higher level VALs and from unrest involving lower-level VAL notifications that communicate a change in volcanic activity but do not indicate that an eruption is imminent or underway. This provides evidence concerning a systemic issue in disaster resilience. While disaster relief is provided by the U.S. federal government for direct impacts associated with disaster events that result in presidential major disaster declarations, there is limited or no assistance for indirect effects to businesses and homeowners that may follow volcanic unrest with no resulting direct physical losses. The fact that periods of volcanic unrest preceding eruption are often protracted in comparison to precursory periods for other hazardous events (e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding) makes the issue of indirect effects particularly important in regions susceptible to volcanic activity.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OFThaman Bastola, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics, presented on April 2, 2024, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: REMITTANCES IN NEPAL; LANDLOCKEDNESS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Sajal LahiriThis dissertation concentrates on two key economic areas: trade and remittances. Executing many empirical models using relevant data and estimation techniques on each of these topics, we provide some novel findings about trade in landlocked countries and micro-level determinants of remittances in a landlocked country. The international trade of landlocked countries is critical, experiencing adverse geographical effects for exporting or importing. The first paper of this dissertation focuses on analyzing the impact of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) on the trade of landlocked countries. We find the more significant positive impact that calls for a strategy to join a PTA to address poverty and speed up the growth process through trade in landlocked developing countries. The second paper attempts to determine the probability of remittances related to micro-socioeconomic factors in a landlocked country, Nepal. The results show that gender, caste and ethnicity, income, language, religion, household size, wealth, age, and employment affect the probability of domestic or foreign remittances. The third paper is an extension of the second one, which examines Nepal's extensive and intensive margins of remittances. Most variables exhibit an opposite sign for foreign remittances between the extensive and intensive margins. Groups of households that display a higher rate of migration receive lower amounts of foreign remittances and vice-versa. On the other hand, the results somewhat diverge for domestic remittances, such as wealth have a positive effect in both margins but gender have a opposite effect between two margins; even though many variables are statistically insignificant, either extensive or intensive margins of remittances.

The paper analyses the relationship between succession and firm performance. Using a unique panel data set on a sample of roughly 4,000 Austrian family firms we examine empirically the impact of past succession as well as future succession plans on employment growth and investment behaviour. Analysing succession plans, we do not find a 'shadow of succession' effect. No significant difference in employment growth and investment behaviour is found between firms that plan to transfer the firm in the next ten years and those who do not. In contrast, past succession exerts a significant and positive employment growth effect which becomes stronger over time. The impact of past succession on investments is also positive but not significantly different from zero. Thus, our findings provide support for the existence of a positive employment shadow after a transfer, whereas the shadow of succession hypothesis has to be rejected prior to transition. (author's abstract) / Series: Discussion Papers SFB International Tax Coordination

This study examines and compares farmers' succession plans and actual succession behaviour and finds that the farm operator's age and regional variables influence both. We also find a discrepancy between intention and actual behaviour which is significantly related to the farm operator's age. Whereas the likelihood of planned succession is overestimated significantly for younger farm operators, the opposite is observed once the farm operator's age exceeds 65 years. Therefore, stated plans have only a negligible value in predicting the observed behaviour and farm operator's statements on the timing of succession may not provide enough information on the grounds of designing structural policies in agriculture. (author's abstract) / Series: Discussion Papers SFB International Tax Coordination

abstract: Firms have increasingly taken on the commitment to sustainability due to environmental and social concerns. Environmental and social sustainability can create firm value and social welfare through cost reduction and revenue growth. While indicating a desire to do more, firms face challenges while engaging with stakeholders in their supply chains – suppliers and consumers. Suppliers are key partners to achieve cost reduction while customers can be the driver for revenue growth. If firms do not overcome the challenges properly, such a win-win situation of both firms and their supply chain stakeholders may not exist. This dissertation aims to understand and suggest ways to overcome the challenges which firms and their supply chain stakeholders face while collaboratively pursuing sustainability. In the first essay, I investigate the financial impact of a buyer-initiated supplier-focused sustainability improvement program on suppliers’ profitability. The results indicate that a supplier sustainability program may lead to short-term financial loss but long-term financial gain for suppliers, and this effect is contingent on supplier slack resources. The second essay of this dissertation focuses on the consumers and investigates their reactions to two types of firm environmental sustainability claims – sustainable production versus sustainable consumption. The results indicate that firm sustainable consumption claims increase consumers’ purchase, thus leads to larger firm sales, whereas firm sustainable production claims decrease consumers’ buying intention, then result in smaller firm sales. Therefore, I show that, contrary to extant belief, firm environmental sustainability can decrease consumers’ intention to buy. Finally, a firm may be impacted when some of its upstream or downstream stakeholders, or its own operations, are impacted by a natural disaster, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change. In the third essay I study the joint effect of market attention and donation timing on firm stock returns based on the experiences of firms who donated to the 2017 Hurricane Harvey. I conclude that neither the first donors nor the followers can mitigate the negative stock returns due to disasters. However, firms who match their donation timing with market attention experience less negative stock market returns compared to other counterparts. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Business Administration 2020

El objetivo de la investigación fue establecer los factores determinantes que influyen en la participación laboral de la mujer peruana a nivel regional en el año 2021. Por lo que se planeó una metodología de nivel básica y de corte transversal, además de un enfoque cuantitativo utilizando un modelo econométrico logit, así también criterios de selección que permitieron la elaboración de una base de datos recopilados del Instituto Nacional de Estadística e informática (INEI) de su Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (ENAHO-2021). Para el desarrollo del estudio se planteó la variable dependiente la cual fue la participación laboral de la mujer, y las variables independientes fueron edad, nivel educativo, ingresos, estado civil, número de hijos. De lo que se pudo encontrar que las variables independientes evidencian significancia global, a su vez se ha encontrado que ser jefa de hogar, edad, educación, ingreso, hijos menores de 6 años e hijo entre 6 a 18 años, tienen significancia individual; mientras, que no es significativo individualmente la variable estado, a su vez se evidencia para las variables educación y edad, existen impactos negativos de la educación en Amazonas, Apurímac, Ayacucho, Huánuco, La Libertad, Pasco y Piura, mientras que impactos positivos de la edad en Pasco, afirmando que existen diferencias entre los factores determinantes como influyentes en la participación laboral de las mujeres en las 24 regiones. / The objective of the research was to establish the determining factors that influence the labor participation of Peruvian women at the regional level in 2021. Therefore, a basic level and cross-sectional methodology was planned, in addition to a quantitative approach using a logit econometric model, as well as selection criteria that allowed the preparation of a database compiled from the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) from its National Household Survey (ENAHO-2021). For the development of the study, the dependent variable was raised, which was women's labor participation, and the independent variables were age, educational level, income, marital status, and number of children. From what it was found that the independent variables show global significance, in turn it has been found that being the head of the household, age, education, income, children under 6 years of age and children between 6 and 18 years of age, have individual significance; while, the state variable is not individually significant, in turn it is evident for the education and age variables, there are negative impacts of education in Amazonas, Apurímac, Ayacucho, Huánuco, La Libertad, Pasco and Piura, while positive impacts of age in Pasco, stating that there are differences between the determining factors that influence the labor participation of women in the 24 regions.

This thesis focuses on the renewable energy policies for the case study countries (European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, and Nigeria) with using quantitative and qualitative analysis. The thesis adopts a three -pronged approach to address three main issues: The first paper investigates a 1990-2008 panel dataset to conduct an econometric analysis of policy instruments, such as; feed-in tariffs, quotas, tenders, and tax incentives, in promoting renewable energy deployment in 27 EU countries and 50 US states. The results suggest that renewable energy policy instruments play a significant role in encouraging renewable energy sources. Using data from 1990 to 2012 with the vector auto regression (VAR) approach for three case study countries, namely United Kingdom, Turkey, and Nigeria, the second paper focuses on how renewable energy consumption as part of total electricity consumption is affected by economic growth and electricity prices. The findings from the VAR model illustrate that the relationship between case study countries’ economic growth and renewable energy consumption is positive and economic growth in case study countries respond positively and significantly. The third paper focuses on the relationship between renewable energy policies and investment in renewables in the countries of United Kingdom and Turkey. The third paper builds upon current knowledge of renewable energy investment and develops a new conceptual framework to guide analyses of policies to support renewables. Past and current trends in the field of renewable energy investment are investigated by reviewing the literature on renewable energy investment linkage with policies, which identifies patterns and similarities in RE investment. This also includes the interview analysis with investors focusing on policies for renewable energy investment. The results from the interview and conceptual analysis show that renewable policies play a crucial role in determining investment in renewable energy sources. The findings from this thesis demonstrate that renewable energy policies increase with a growth of the renewable energy investment in the sector. Finally, the outcomes of this thesis also contribute to the energy economics literature, especially for academic and subsequent research purposes.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze: (a) the determinants of the global price of uranium; and (b) how this price could be affected by different nuclear power generation scenarios for 2030. To do this a multivariable regression analysis will be used. Within the model, the price of uranium is the dependent variable and the independent variables are generated nuclear power electricity representing demand (GWh), price of coal as a substitute to generated nuclear power electricity, and the price of oil representing uranium production costs. The empirical results show that generated nuclear electricity and the oil price, to be statistically significant at the 5 percent level. The coal price was not however a statistically significant. The scenarios for 2030 are three possible nuclear power generation demand cases; high, medium and low demand. The results for the high demand generated a price of 255 US$/kg and the medium demand 72US$/kg.

<div>The app-based taxi services (ATS) has disrupted the traditional (street-hailing) taxi services (TTS) leading to transformative changes in the urban taxi markets and its impacts on mobility, design and environment. However, the current modeling of these new mobility markets is limited in its understanding of: (1) the underlying factors that influence the growth of the ATS market; (2) the competition of ATS and TTS markets; (3) pricing in the ATS market; (4) system wide tools to understand the impacts of the market. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to address four fundamental processes of taxi system, ranging from demand generation, supply generation and exiting, dynamic pricing generation, and vehicle-passenger matching over road network. This dissertation achieves these goals by using original large scale datasets to characterize disruptive changes in mobility, understand strategic behaviors of stakeholders, and formulate system dynamics.</div><div> </div><div>This dissertation develops various modeling structures and estimation methods, motivated from statistical, econometric, machine learning, and stochastic approaches. First, we adapt multiple econometric models for demand, supply, and platform-exiting (offline) behaviors, including mixture model of spatial lag and Poisson regression and mixture model of spatial lag and panel regression. It is apparent that all proposed econometric models should be corrected with spatial lag due to significant spatial autocorrelations. The results indicate effectiveness of dynamic pricing in controlling demand, however, it also shows no impacts on driver's online and offline behaviors. Then a dynamic pricing generation problem is formulated with multi-class classification. This model is empirically validated for the impacts of demand and supply in dynamic price generation and the significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Last, we propose a queueing network consisting of taxi service queues for vehicle-passenger matching and road service queue for vehicle movements at homogeneous spatial units. The method captures stochasticity in vehicle-passenger matching process, and more importantly, formulates the interactions with urban road traffic.</div><div> </div><div>In summary, this dissertation provides a holistic understanding of fundamental processes that govern the rapid rise in ATS markets and in developing quantitative tools for the system wide impacts of this evolving taxi markets. Taken together, these tools are transformative and useful for city agencies to make various decisions in the smart mobility landscape. </div>