This thesis focuses on analysis of the importance of electorate expectations for voter behavior in mid-term elections. We will modify the traditional Alesina-Rosenthal model to include electorate expectations. Using this new model, we will show that Obama's loss in the 2010 mid-term elections was caused by high electorate expectations which were created during the campaign for Presidency in 2008. With the help of our framework, we will demonstrate that electorate expectations played a crucial role in several historical mid-term elections.

Thesis advisor: Eve Spangler / This study seeks to better understand the "public face" of human gene therapy through an examination of coverage of the technology in mainstream U.S. newspapers, news magazines, and online news sites from 1989 to 2011. By conducting a qualitative content analysis that employs a constant comparative method and uses the computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software HyperRESEARCH, prevailing images and metaphors about human gene therapy are identified. These images and metaphors are analyzed through the lens of the sociology of technology, with particular attention given to technological determinism, geneticization, and the sociology of expectations. Further, their connection to issues of self and identity, embodiment, and illness meanings is explored. Four main types of images and metaphors emerge from this analysis: essentialist, fatalistic, expectant, and conflictive. While these types present an array of diverse (and sometimes conflicting) characterizations of human gene therapy, they all contribute to a positive, hopeful public face of the technology, despite its limited successes and sometimes tragic failures over the past three decades. The study considers the broader implications of these findings and addresses the role sociologists could play in helping the public to navigate the media discourse surrounding human gene therapy and other emerging medical technologies. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

In recent times the emergence of the property cycle and the effects that it has on the property market has caused the relevant parties involved in the market to start placing more emphasis on how these cycle works. The overall objective of this study is to try establish if the interpretation of market related data affects at what position these parties are relative to one another on the property curve. The study concentrates on the use of market indicators, indices and variables in trying to determine an individual’s position on the property market curve. It also concentrates on how this market data is retrieved and what effect it has on how they interpret the data. The methodology adopted for this study involves the collecting and interpretation of market related indices and indicators relevant to the property market over a ten year period from 1996 through to 2006. This data was then used to establish the key indicators used. A questionnaire was sent out to the relevant parties involved in the property market to ascertain the extent of what the main sources of market information are and how this data is collected and interpreted. This was limited to individuals in the Gauteng region. The data was examined and collected in the form of line graphs, histograms and pie charts. The data was then examined and presented in four areas: the major sources of information used by parties for market related data, to try and establish where these parties are relative to one another on the property curve, the effect that the different types of sources of information has on each party and finally to try determine by how much these parties lag or lead one another on the curve.

Thesis advisor: Diana C. Pullin / It is widely accepted that school leadership has both a direct and indirect impact on student achievement. Hitt and Tucker’s (2016) unified leadership framework summarized a decade of work by numerous researchers identifying the five most effective leadership domains that influence student learning. Using that work as a conceptual framework, this qualitative case study analyzed one of the five interdependent leadership domains in an urban elementary school that succeeded in educating traditionally marginalized students and outperformed other schools with similar demographics in the district. This study identified and explored the second leadership domain which is described as building professional capacity, focusing specifically on the principal’s actions. Building professional capacity is defined in this study as developing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of teachers and is important for expanding leadership responsibility for student learning and increasing student achievement. The study resulted in identifying all seven dimensions of the domain present in practice at the school and explored the actions taken to embed them into the culture. Data were gathered through the review of district and school level documents and open-ended interviews with district leaders and members of school administration, faculty, and staff. Findings indicated that the school principal performed several specific and tangible actions to build professional capacity in the school including implementing professional practice, messaging consistently high expectations with faculty and staff, modeling expected professional behaviors and habits, and coaching faculty and staff. Many staff believed the success of the school was a result of the culture of collaboration, dedication, and high expectations forged by the principal. Recommendations for building upon this work included selecting and hiring teachers who offer evidence of effective instruction despite different philosophical viewpoints, addressing levels of trust with those who express conflicting levels of collaboration and commitment, and expanding the effective leadership practices with other school leaders throughout the district. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: David L. Blustein / This study sought to better understand the complex relationship between family, social class, and career development. Social class, which is largely influenced by family of origin, contributes to work opportunities and work, in turn, can determine social class (Diemer & Ali, 2009). As such, work has the potential to promote social mobility among individuals from low-income backgrounds (Blustein, 2006; Matthys, 2012). For young people who have not yet entered the workforce, career expectations, which have been shown to lead to positive outcomes in work and overall wellbeing (Koen et al., 2012; Perry, 2008; Taber & Blankenmeyer, 2015; Zacher, 2014), provide a promising entry point for understanding and influencing the relationship between social class, career development, and social mobility (Perry & Wallace, 2013). Previous research has shown that family, a crucible for the development of social class identity (Brown, 2004), is also a significant predictor of career expectations (Whiston & Keller, 2004). Given the intergenerational nature of social class (Wagmiller & Adelman, 2009), the current study postulates that family, social class identity, and career expectations interact to perpetuate social inequality. The purpose of the present study was to tease apart these interactions through the lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent, Brown & Hackett, 2002). Broadly, it was hypothesized that one of the ways in which family influences both social class identity and career development is through vicarious learning; children integrate information about class and the world of work through observing their parents’ work experience. This relationship was examined by surveying 298 young adults online and in person. Individuals responded to a survey asking about their caregivers’ work experiences, as well as their own social class identity, parent support, mentoring experiences, and career expectations. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and findings revealed that, overall, the hypothesized model describing social class as partially mediating the relationship between caregiver work experiences and work expectations was an excellent fit to the data. Results of the model also suggested that the quality of caregiver work experiences and work expectations is more important to overall work experience than actual occupation. Gender differences were found in the overall fit of the model, as well as the influence of specific variables, such as mentoring. The results are discussed in the context of their contribution to existing literature on intergenerational social mobility and career development. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as limitations of the study, are considered.

In this thesis we analyze learning mechanisms applied to a variety of macroeconomic models. In the first chapter, we present and discuss the advantages and limitations of estimating Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) models added with learning, thus suppressing the central assumption of rational expectations. First, we introduce the reader on how learning can be inserted in those models, starting from the discussion of where and how the rational expectations operator is substituted by the learning mechanism. We then present several additional learning setups related to the information set available to agents considered by the literature, which affect directly the dynamics of the final model. Last, we estimate three different models to assess the advantages of learning in our artificially generated data and real data for Brazil. In the second chapter, we algebraically show the limitations of learning and propose two flexible methods to deal with the parameter instability in data. The first of these methods is closely related to the DSGE-VAR methodology, which we call Learning DSGE-VAR, and the second, which departs even further from the DSGE model, which we call Learning Minimum State Variable, or LMSV. Finally, in the third chapter we provide evidences that the supposedly moderate improvements found in the previous chapters have more to do with the nature of the model at hand than to the learning method itself. To do so, we simulate problems using a time-varying structure similar to the one presented in chapter 1 and evaluate the likelihood improvements with different learning mechanisms. We then provide empirical evidences of learning in reduced form models to forecast inflation, interest rates and output gap for the Brazilian economy, using ad-hoc reduced form models commonly used by practitioners. / Nesta tese analisamos os instrumentos de aprendizado (Learning) aplicados a uma variedade de modelos macroeconômicos. Em nosso primeiro capítulo, apresentamos e discutimos as vantagens e limitações de se estimar modelos dinâmicos e estocásticos de equilíbrio geral (DSGE) acrescidos de um mecanismo de aprendizado, ou seja, abandonando-se a hipótese de expectativas racionais, tão cara a estes modelos. Em primeiro lugar, mostramos como esse mecanismo pode ser introduzido nesses modelos, começando pela discussão de onde e como o operador de expectativas racionais é substituído pelo operador de aprendizado. Em seguida apresentamos configurações alternativas em relação ao conjunto de informações disponível aos agentes dentro do mecanismo de aprendizado, que afeta diretamente a dinâmica do modelo final a ser estimado. Por fim, estimamos três modelos usando nosso mecanismo de aprendizado, aplicando-o a dados artificiais e reais para a economia brasileira. No segundo capítulo, mostramos algebricamente as limitações do mecanismo de aprendizado em modelos DSGE e propomos dois métodos mais flexíveis para lidar com a instabilidade dos parâmetros nos dados. O primeiro desses métodos é intimamente ligado à literatura de DSGEVAR, e que chamamos de Learning DSGE-VAR, enquanto o segundo método, que se afasta ainda mais do modelo DSGE, ao qual chamamos de LMSV. No terceiro capítulo, provemos evidências de que os ganhos supostamente moderados de nosso modelo de aprendizado apresentados nos dois primeiros capítulos têm mais a ver com a natureza dos modelos estimados do que com o método de aprendizado utilizado. Para tal, simulamos dois grupos de dados usando uma estrutura econômica que varia no tempo, semelhante àquela estudada no primeiro capítulo, e estimamos os modelos utilizando diferentes mecanismos de aprendizado. Por fim, fornecemos evidências empíricas de aprendizado em modelos de forma reduzida para projetar inflação, taxas de juros e hiato do produto para a economia brasileira, através de modelos ad-hoc comumente utilizado por econometristas.

O planejamento estratégico direcionado para o produto habitacional deve ser orientado para atender expectativas de um determinado estrato de mercado, apresentando características e atributos que satisfaçam à demanda desse público alvo nele inserido. Foram desenvolvidas diretrizes para estratificar um mercado habitacional e extrair informações sobre imagens de expectativas determinantes para a compra de um imóvel. O referencial teórico construído discutiu formas de estratificar um mercado por critérios geográficos, demográficos, socioeconômicos e psicográficos ou comportamentais. Identificaram-se expectativas habitacionais a partir do atendimento de necessidades durante o processo que conduziu a decisão de compra. A enquete realizada desenvolveu um processo de estratificação de mercado a partir da caracterização de um público alvo comprador de alto poder aquisitivo dentro de uma região da cidade de São Paulo. Este estrato, também foi produzido segundo os estágios do ciclo de vida familiar definidos, expresso por gerações e por um perfil psicográfico específico identificado também pela enquete. Ao final, as imagens de expectativas identificadas a partir do segmento de mercado produzido, emularam um produto hipotético apresentado que as atendesse de forma mais eficiente. / Strategic planning directed to the housing product should be directed to meet expectations of a certain stratum of the market, presenting features and attributes that meet the demand of target inserted therein. Guidelines have been developed to stratify a housing market and extract information about images determinants of expectations for the purchase of a property. The theoretical framework discussed ways to build a market stratification by geographic criteria, demographic, socioeconomic and psychographic or behavioral. Expectations were identified from the residential care needs during the process that led to the buying decision. The poll has developed a process of stratification of the market from the characterization of a buyer audience with high purchasing power within a region of São Paulo. This stratum was also produced according to the stages of family life cycle defined for generations and expressed by a specific psychographic profile also identified by the survey. In the end, the images from the expectations identified in the industry produced, emulated a product that presented hypothetical met more efficiently.

Kwong, Wai Ming. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-35). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in Chinese.

Objective: To explore 'Maternal Perception of Compliance in Adolescents Model.' The purpose of the model is to explore interrelated factors outside adolescents' agency, but which contribute to maternal perception of severity of compliance in adolescents. This model was originated from reflections on the practice of psychology. Methodology: This inquiry began with pilot studies consisting of a focus group with four parents and an interview. The pilot assisted the fine-tuning the instrument, addressing ethical concerns, forming analytical strategies and gathering a priori themes for the analysis of data from the thesis. The thesis is a qualitative inquiry, data was collected through interviews and utilised a 'maximum variation sampling' of ethnicity (Asian, White, and Black) with socioeconomic status (SES) (low, medium, and high), to recruit six mothers who had adolescent children. Analysis: There was a hybrid approach to the thematic analysis: a) in 'confirmatory analysis,' a priori themes were deductively confirmed and b) in 'exploratory analysis,' new emergent themes were inductively identified. In the first part of the analysis each participant's data was individually analysed, using the hybrid method, to explore the factors that contributed to the model. The second part of the analysis was a 'cross-case analysis,' in which factors identified as contributing to the model, in the first part of the analysis were consolidated to further explore the model. Results: Various types of knowledge (self-reflective, observational, academic, transgenerational, maternal), notions of an ideal child, expectations, style of parenting, style of attribution, maternal anxiety, SES, and single-motherhood were identified as having an effect on the model. In terms of exploration of the model: a) The expectations were largely affected by maternal ideals and standards about adolescents. b) These ideals and standards were derived from their previously acquired knowledge. c) Mothers used the resources at their disposal based on their SES and authoritative parenting style to nurture the child toward their notion of an ideal child. d) The maternal anxiety/single mother/permissive parenting style and some types of knowledge affected the expectation of degree of compliance. e) Mothers often rationalised or justified children's noncompliance through a system called the 'mediating mechanism.' f) Some types of knowledge, mixed parenting style, and external attribution were involved in the 'mediating mechanism.' g) Maternal perception of the extent of adolescents' compliance was based on their degree of expectation of compliance, i.e. the more divergence between the expectations and perception of compliance, the more severe or problematic the perception of compliance. h) Maternal views on compliance varied between mothers, based on their parenting styles. Conclusions: Maternal perception of severity of compliance is not entirely based on children's actual behaviour; rather it is influenced by number of factors that are outside the children's agency. The model, which illustrates how maternal perception of severity of compliance is formed, could have a significant impact on diagnosis and treatment options for compliance related disorders. The subjective diagnostic criteria for evaluating compliance in the DSM-5, augment this complexity in diagnosis and treatment. A larger scale replication of the study is warranted to elicit generalisation.

Over the years, citizens' trust and confidence in their governments has continued to decline and digital government is expected to reverse this trend. An enormous amount of money has been spent, worldwide, on electronic government initiatives that are focused on improving performance, reducing costs and enhancing citizens' trust and confidence in their governments. Yet, of the many initiatives that have been implemented, very few have achieved real transformation of government (i.e. fundamental changes to the way core functions of government are performed to achieve noticeable gains in performance and efficiency). As such, there is a need to understand how transformation of government as a construct affects citizens' trust and confidence in government in the presence of factors such as, government performance and citizen satisfaction. This research empirically investigates the influence of digital transformation of government on citizens' trust and confidence in the context of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Bahrain is a top ranking country in terms of use of ICT in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. A conceptual model was developed and validated using an online survey targeting randomly citizens of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Based on 313 responses, the findings of this research suggest that citizens' trust and confidence in their government is positively influenced by transformation of government, mediated by government performance and citizens' satisfaction. The study found that e-government and technology are not enough for achieving a real transformation of government, and therefore, in tackling the decline in citizens' trust and confidence in government. Other factors were found to be important in this equation, including transparency and accountability of government functions and activities in meeting citizens' expectations. The research offers multiple policy implications and theoretical contributions, in addition to helping understand how digital transformation of government can enhance citizens' trust and confidence in government, improve government-to-citizen relationship, and increase the adoption of digital services offered by governments. From a policy perspective, this research offers a validated conceptual model that can be used as a frame of reference when planning ICT-enabled transformation projects in government. From a theoretical context, this study is the first to investigate the relationship between transformation of government and citizens' trust and confidence in government.