The Swamp Land Act of 1849, originally intended to give the state of Louisiana the unproductive swamplands within its borders and use the proceeds to construct the drains and levees necessary to reclaim these lands, was extended to Oregon in 1860. Oregon did not act on the matter until 1870, but once begun, it became a prolific source of political corruption, fiscal irresponsibility, fraud, and land speculation and monopolization. Even though the physiography of Oregon was much different than the states in the Mississippi Valley, millions of acres of "swampland" were filed upon and the state sold hundreds of thousands of acres long before it received legal title to these lands. In most cases final patents were never issued by the federal government. Rather than the proceeds of the sales of these lands going toward reclamation, the funds often went to the friends of state officials for dubious services. Appropriations, based on the anticipated sale of swampland, were made for the owners of wagon roads for projects never completed. This created a state indebtedness which the sale of swampland alone could not erase. A major result of the Swamp Land Act in Oregon was the withholding of arable land and water rights from actual settlers in the predominantly semiarid regions of Oregon by land speculators and by cattle barons who used it to monopolize vast tracts of grazing land. Litigation over disputed swampland claims occurred well into the twentieth century. Because little has been written on this topic, primary sources have been extensively relied upon for the research. The most important of these sources were the Portland Oregonian, government documents of the state of Oregon, and the documents of the United States Department of Interior.

The study addresses the fiscal, governance, and educational impact of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act on elementary and secondary education in Oregon from its inception in 1983 through the 1985 fiscal year. A review of the national literature and research provided rationale for hypothesizing within state redistribution of federal aid to elementary and secondary school districts, increased federal aid to local education agencies, a continuation of decreased federal funding for state educational agency positions, and an expansion of federal aid to private schools. Interviews were conducted with Oregon Department of Education officials, members of the State Block Grant Advisory Committee, and local educators. State documents and plans were studied and analyzed. Oregon's 309 elementary and secondary school districts and seven state institution schools were classified into five recipient groups: (1) Population Center; (2) Suburban; (3) Metropolitan-Urban; (4) Rural; and (5) State Institutions. School districts gains and losses within groups and among groups were computed and reported. The study showed that the metropolitan school district of Portland and the state institution schools were the only two groups to lose federal aid in the transition from the antecedent categorical programs in 1982 to the first year block grant program in 1983 while the proportion of federal aid per-pupil allocated to suburban and population center school districts increased. The trend from 1982 to 1985 showed per-pupil distribution shaped federal aid into more of a mathematical equity distribution where the percent of federal aid has become more proportionate to the percent of pupils in school district groups. The study also found that the block grant set aside at the state level is a significant source of funds to support educational change and reform. The Oregon Department of Education has used block grant funds as a major revenue source to support the Oregon Action Plan for Excellence. The study concluded that the program had moved federal aid away from previously targeted needs and that federal aid, in the absence of strongly worded purposes and national interests, may evolve into an educational revenue sharing program. In times of economic difficulty and revenue shortfalls, the justification for continued educational block grants may be questioned.

In line with the principle of local self-governance, Swedish municipalities have a high degree of discretion to manage the goals and execution of public management. However, in recent years, the national influence over local governments has increased, especially the use of targeted government grants. This shows a pattern of ambiguity as the state strive for national equality but the principle of local self-governance allows for local variation in the public welfare. Thus, this study is intended to provide insight into how Swedish municipalities under different conditions perceive and interpret the influence of the national government through economic instruments. In order to explore how the local governments perceive their degree of discretion to manage state grants, this study compares the implementation in four different municipalities of a targeted government grant denominated the “Elderly Care Boost”. By conducting interviews, this study shows that economic incentives make municipalities more susceptible to the national government’s investments and goals, but only if the municipalities view the grant as something supporting their own work. Furthermore, this study shows a paradox or dilemma as the municipalities view the clear instructions for the grant as favourable while, at the same time, these clear instructions also restrict the local government’s discretion. In addition, the study indicates that the municipalities use “framing” and thus attempt to reinterpret the governing of the national parliament as they deem favourable.

This dissertation explores the influence of corporate venture capital (CVC) on the innovation of startups. Applying the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and propensity score matching approach to the CVC investment data on China’s listed companies, we document that the CVC investment can determine the innovation level of startups.For further insight, invention patents and utility patents will be considered, in addition to a separate examination of the number of patent applications and patent grants. It is found that CVC participation, the number of CVC syndicate investors, and the level of CVC involvement, all have significantly positive effects on the total patent applications, total patent grants, utility patent applications, and utility patent grants in those listed startups after four years of their Initial Public Offering. However, CVC investments have no significant influence on the number of invention patent applications and patent grants. This result indicates that the influence of CVC investments on the innovation level of startups is still in the preliminary stage, and CVC investments only slightly affect the development of more challenging invention patents. / Business Administration/Finance

In this thesis, the response of a provincial government's budgetary decisions with respect to changes in Federal conditional and unconditional grants was investigated with special reference to whether or not the responses of a high income province (Ontario) differed from those of a low income province (New Brunswick). In order to facilitate the analysis, a theoretical framework (called Model I) was set forth in which a province's expenditure and tax responses to changes in net provincial product and Federal grants could be derived. Using this framework, separate equations were estimated for Ontario and for New Brunswick for those expenditures aided by the National Health Grant Program, the Trans-Canada Highway Program, the Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Program, and the categorical welfare programs and the Canada Assistance Plan; and for other aided expenditures, unaided expenditures, and revenue. Since expenditure data were not available according to the definitions required for Model I, separate expenditure equations could not be estimated, within the context of Model I, for education, fish and game, forest~ and lands (settlement and agriculture). Thus, an alternative framework (called Model II) was developed. In Model II, these data difficulties were taken into account through a reformulation of the province's quadratic utility function; this allowed the magnitude of the conditional and unconditional grant coefficients to be derived and interpreted prior to estimation. Nine expenditure equations and one revenue equation were estimated for Ontario and for New Brunswick within the framework of Model II. The major difference between the dependent variables used in Model I and Medel II is that in the latter the dependent expenditure variable for each program area considered separately allows the inclusion of expenditures which may be both aided and unaided whereas in Model I the dependent variable for programs considered separately properly includes expenditures only on those goods and services which are specifically aided by federal conditional grants. On the basis of the empirical estimates of Models I and II, the following conclusions may be drawn: first, Ontario and New Brunswick do not appear to respond to changes in Federal conditional and unconditional grants in the same manner. For example, the empirical estimates of Model I reveal that only New Brunswick's expenditures responded as predicted to the receipt of Federal limited conditional grants in the three limited grant programs considered separately, namely, the General Health Grants' Program, hospital construction, and the Trans-Canada Highway. On the other hand, the empirical estimates of Model II indicate that Federal conditional grants for hospital construction, hospital insurance and diagnostic services, social welfare, and lands (settlement and agriculture) stimulated both provinces' expenditures in these areas during the period from 1948 to 1970; and that Federal grants for the Trans-Canada Highway encouraged Ontario's total road expenditures while gr'-nts received under the General Health Grants' Progran and under the various forestry programs stimulated New Brunswick's expenditures on general and public health and on forests, respectively. With regard to unconditional grants, only Ontario's expenditures on education and New Brunswick's expenditures on lands (settlement and agriculture) were stimulated by their receipt. A second conclusion is that conditional grants stimulate spending on individual programs to a greater degree than do unconditional grants; and, third, unconditional grants are used as a substitute for own source revenue in the case of New Brunswick. In addition, the theoretical models' predictions that a province responds to the same extent to changes in net provincial product and unconditional federal grants is supported in the case of both Ontario and New Brunswick. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Samuel Brannan has almost become a legend in the history of the American West. Having led a group of Mormons around the Horn to California in 1846, he became a business and political leader in early California. He gained great wealth in speculation and merchandising, and is noted for his activities in the Vigilance Committee of 1851, his part in heralding the gold rush, and his developments in Calistoga and elsewhere.Although much has been written about Brannan, very little of it deals with the last years of his life. Very little factual information has been available on his activities during this period. These last ten years of his life are the focal point of this thesis. A large number of letters written by Brannan during this period have recently been found and with various secondary sources have shed light on his activities during these years.

The purpose of this research is to discuss and examine the nature of the grantor-grantee relationship between the F. W. Olin Foundation and Florida Institute of Technology in the larger context of grants by foundations and philanthropies to higher education. At the center of the research is a $50-million-dollar grant that "transformed" Florida Institute of Technology in ways that were perhaps unforeseen by either the grant-issuing foundation or the higher-education institution itself. This research will include a brief history of the two institutions involved and the circumstances that led to this grant proposal and its eventual implementation by the university, interviews with the main actors, and an examination of the challenges and opportunities presented to Florida Institute of Technology in accepting a grant from the F. W. Olin Foundation. Finally, an analysis of the outcomes brought about by accepting what the F. W. Olin Foundation marketed as a "transformational" grant ties this research into the larger question of the roles of foundations and philanthropies in higher education.

Title: To work or not: students' perspectives. A qualitative study regarding what business students believe motivates them in choosing to work or not alongside their full-time studies. Authors: Fanny Isaksson and Linnéa Lundgren Supervisor: Réka Andersson  Aim: Employers sometimes choose to offer part-time positions and it is not uncommon for part-time workers to be students. Employing students can increase the attractiveness of the organization at the same time as they obtain and retain the competence within the organization. Limited research exists regarding students' motivation to work or not during full-time studies. Students differ from full-time employees in that they seemingly have no financial incentive to work. Thus, the information is interesting for employers to understand what motivates the students to be able to adapt their offer accordingly. Methodology: A qualitative case study design with semi-structured interviews has laid the foundation for the study. A total of eight students were interviewed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Furthermore, the study was based on an inductive research approach. Conclusion: Lifestyle, freedom, flexibility, well-being, experience, merits, salary and social influence were factors that motivated the students in their choice to work or not alongside their full-time studies. However, the factors could motivate and influence the students in different ways depending on whether they worked or not. Furthermore, the majority of students who worked felt that the student grants and loans were too low given the lifestyle they wanted to live, and vice versa.  Key words: students, student grants and loans, motivation, part-time, work

A college degree provides benefits to individuals and society, but education is an expensive endeavor. College costs are high and they continue to rise while the median family income shows only modest increases. By lowering the cost of attendance, financial aid makes it possible for many students, especially those from low and middle-income families to attend college. FAFSA is the main instrument used in distributing financial assistance although completing the form is not an easy task. Each year, many students do not file the FAFSA or file it too late, missing valuable financial resources. The focus of this research was on students who file FAFSA late. The purpose of the study was two-fold: to explore the relationship between the timing of FASFA filing and the characteristics of financial aid applicants, and to assess the impact of late filing on student finances. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine how much of the variation in timing of FAFSA filing could be explained by students characteristics. The findings indicate late FAFSA filers tend to be in-state, male students, coming from single households, with weak high school academic performance. Focusing on low-income group, the study found the odds of filing late were nearly 2.8 times higher for in-state students than they were for out-of-state students. Being male increased the chances of late filing; the odds of filing late for low-income male students were 1.53 times higher than they were for low-income females. The impact of late FAFSA filing on student finances was assessed through linear regression analyses. The results show late filers received less grant aid but larger loan amounts. Compared to on time filers, late FAFSA filers received, on average, $2,815 less in grant aid and $662 more in loans. The current study shed light on several key factors that make students more likely to miss the FAFSA deadlines. In addition, it demonstrated that late filing has major financial consequences for students and their families. The findings can be used by high school guidance offices, college administrators, state and federal governments, and higher education leaders concerned with improving college affordability. / Ph. D.

This doctoral dissertation analyses depictions of hell in sanctions, i.e. threats of punishments in Anglo-Saxon charters. I am arguing that an innovative use of sanctions as pastoral and ideological instruments effected the peak of infernal imagery in the sanctions of tenth-century royal diplomas. Belonging to the genre of ritual curses, Anglo-Saxon sanctions contain the three standard ecclesiastical curses (excommunication, anathema and damnation). It cannot be established if other requirements of ritual cursing (authoritative personnel, setting and gestures) were fulfilled. A lack of evidence, together with indications of more secular punishments, suggests that sanctions were not used as legal instruments. Their pastoral function is proposed by frightening depictions of hell and the devil, as fear is an important means of achieving salvation in biblical, homiletic and theological writings available or produced in Anglo-Saxon England. The use of the infernal motifs of Hell as a Kitchen, Satan as the Mouth of Hell and winged demons in sanctions are discussed in detail. Sanctions frequently contain the overtly didactic and pastoral device of the exemplum. Notorious sinners believed to be damned in hell (e.g. Judas) are presented as negative exempla in sanctions to deter people from transgressing against charters. The repeated use of terms from classical mythology for depicting hell in Anglo-Saxon sanctions appears to correlate with the preference for hermeneutic Latin by tenth-century monastic reformers. The reasons for employing classical mythological terminology seem to agree with those suggested for the use of hermeneutic Latin (intellectual snobbery and raising the stylistic register), and glossaries constitute the main source of both types of Latinity. The sanctions of the Refoundation Charter of New Minster, Winchester, which is known to display the ‘ruler theology’ propagated by the monastic reform, are examined in their textual contexts with regard to the observations made in the earlier parts of this dissertation.