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Resource allocation across regions in an economy has been analysed by many authors, both from the efficiency and equity viewpoints. In general, these aspects are assumed to be conflicting - the attainment of higher growth rates and income levels in accordance with efficient resource allocation normally discrimminates against the relatively less well off sections of society. The literature concentrates largely on the allocation of resources across sectors, irrespective of geographic considerations, so that the decision to invest in a region seldom incorporates the area's absorptive capacity. The regional imbalance that results is shown just as clearly by the lack of high technology industry in some areas as it is by the (potential) congestion and overcrowding that characterises other regions. This study focuses on the relationship between the regional allocation of income generating activities and the total income generated for the nation. The growth potential of any area is defined by the availability of all essential facilities - service and repair facilities, transport and energy supplies being only a part of the picture. Factor supplies and the supply of credit, alongwith the high degree of interaction between regions and sectors also complement the picture. The low income potential of the peripheral areas of any nation is the result of a lack of these ancilliary facilities. However, once these bottlenecks are removed, the outlying areas normally depict higher growth rates than the core regions. In this study, a linear programming model is developed 1 in king the commodity, factor and asset markets of a nation, both across sectors and across regions. Thus, the commodity market of any region is related to the commodity, asset and factor markets of all regions. National absorptive capacity is now defined in terms of the potentials of all areas of the nation. The application of this model to Canada results in a set of optimal regional patterns of economic activity. Growth in any area is now encouraged only if the regional economy is not operating close to some capacity limitation, and if a full complement of goods and services, factors and assets is available. The results obtained justify these expectations because the model depicts a pattern of resource allocation that stresses areas where all facilities for growth are present. Thus, further investment in the traditional center Quebec and Ontario - is restricted, some critical thresholds regarding absorptive capacity having been hit. However, the regions where a full complement of services and asset supplies is not available - the Atlantic provinces - are not the alternatives. The relative ordering favours the modern manufacturing and service sec tors in Alberta and British Columbia. The model does suggest the existence of a tradeoff between national income and regional balance, since the imposition of regional balance constraints reduces the value of national consumption. However, even when regional equity constraints are imposed, the model suggests that more national income can be generated through reallocation of economic activity than was generated by the historical pattern of allocation. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Introduction: While the paradoxical association between overweight and household food insecurity (HFI) is well established amongst low-income women, findings remain inconclusive amongst children. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between household food insecurity (HFI) and child overweight outcomes in an inner-city, pre-school and school aged population. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional study design augmented by validated Early Pregnancy Study (EPS) data collected during a pregnancy 6 years prior. A random subset of mothers of child-bearing age (23-44 years) and the child resulting from that pregnancy (between 4-7 years of age at time of re-enrollment) were tracked and re-enrolled in this follow-up study. The primary exposure, HFI, was captured using an adaptation of the standardized US Food Security Scale -- embedded within a larger self-report questionnaire addressing selected maternal and child influences (such as health, exercise, and dietary risk factors) on child weight patterns. Maternal and the child BMI outcome was determined through in-home clinical assessment of height and weight and using standard CDC based cutoffs to classify weight status. Self-report and biologically confirmed prenatal EPS data were also obtained to establish useful baseline data and to enhance study results. Exploratory hypotheses examined: (1) Interrelatedness between select maternal and child health, social-environmental, and socio-demographic exposures and (2) Household food insecurity (HFI), prenatal and current maternal and child exposures were explored for their relationship with child BMI. Results: Thirty-six mother-child dyads participated in this follow-up study. Twenty-eight percent of mothers reported HFI; 83% of mothers were classified as overweight or obese and 58% of children were categorized as at-risk for overweight or overweight. Most bi-variate analyses yielded non-significant results, though in-utero drug use was significantly correlated, and mothers who tested positive for tobacco use during pregnancy were also likely to test positive for marijuana use, as determined through biological confirmation (p<0.05). Additionally, current maternal BMI as well as current maternal hip-to-waist ratio were each significantly associated with current child BMI (p<0.05). One unexpected finding included a significant association between current maternal BMI and presence of a co-morbidity in the child (p<0.05). No significant relationships were found between HFI or additional exploratory multivariate models looking at independent effects of prenatal and current maternal-child exposures in predicting child overweight, though current maternal BMI was predictive of child overweight in most analyses. Access to electronic medical record information was highly predictive of participation in this follow-up study (p<0.001). Discussion: This study provided an opportunity to better characterize an attrition-prone population, and, while it is possible to track and identify these women through electronic medical record databases, recruitment efforts were labor-intensive and attrition rates particularly high (~22% of mothers re-enrolled). Overall, the influence of household food insecurity on child overweight remains unclear. However, study findings also demonstrated that maternal weight alone was highly predictive of child overweight as early as pre-school, mirroring empirical evidence in this area. Ultimately, childhood obesity is more effectively prevented when treated as a familial concern. Future studies should continue to explore cumulative influences catalyzing obesity in young children in order to better inform understanding of early obesity onset. / Public Health

In this dissertation, I examined the experiences of QuestBridge Scholars attending three different elite universities that enroll more students from the top income quintile than from the lowest three income quintiles combined. The universities attended by participants in this study are among the few that are both need-blind and that fully meet students’ demonstrated financial need through grant and scholarship aid. Additionally, these universities have acceptance rates of no more than 10%. The QuestBridge organization’s mission is to match high-achieving, low-income students with elite institutions. Data from participants were collected through an audio and video recorded interview using a semi-structured protocol. Interviews were transcribed and then coded using an iterative open coding process to identify themes. The themes that emerged were: changing relationships with family and friends from before college, finding support while enrolled, the transition from family of origin to elite higher education, experiencing privilege, campus involvement, social belonging, navigating elite higher education, and academic adjustment and impostor phenomenon. These themes suggest that QuestBridge Scholars experience something akin to class culture shock when they enter the world of elite higher education. This study is significant because it focuses specifically on QuestBridge Scholars who have been successful at a highly selective subset of QuestBridge institutions with high income disparity, where success is defined by having reached second-semester junior status or having graduated. The focus on those who attend or attended highly selective institutions and who are succeeding suggests that these students might have insights that would smooth the path for others like them. This study may also have implications for practice for highly selective institutions that admit QuestBridge Scholars and other low-income students. Finally, in this study, I explored participants’ perceptions of socioeconomic class, with results suggesting that the transition from family of origin to elite higher education causes changes in self-perception and behavior.

The present study investigated the processes and factors which led to increased student achievement at a rural, high poverty, elementary school in 2014-2019. Student academic achievement was measured through the pass rates of students in third, fourth, and fifth grades on the Virginia SOL assessments in English and mathematics. In English, student pass rates increased by 22 percentage points from 2015-2019, and in mathematics, they increased 16 points for the same time period. Due to this growth, the school was recognized as one of the National Distinguished Title I Schools in 2019. Utilizing a case study methodology, interviews were conducted with building level and division level school personnel for a total of 11 participants. Other data were also analyzed such as school improvement plans, student progress monitoring data, and personnel changes at the school. Participants indicated high quality leadership, the creation and cultivation of positive relationships among faculty, staff, and students, and the implementation of the Responsive Classroom program as factors contributing to increased student academic achievement. Furthermore, 50% teacher turnover and subsequent hiring of new teachers or the transferring in of teachers new to the school was identified as a change within the school during the five years being studied. / Doctor of Education / Students in third, fourth, and fifth grades in Virginia public schools take assessments in English, mathematics, science and history, depending on grade level, at the end of each school year to determine their academic success based on common grade level standards. This study focused on a school that improved student pass rates on the English assessment by 22 percentage points and 16 percentage points on the mathematics assessment from 2014-2019. This study examined the processes and factors that went into the increased student achievement through interviews of 11 school level and division level personnel. These interviews provided administrator, teacher, and school staff perceptions of why student achievement increased, and led to the examination of other data such as school improvement plans from 2014-2016, student progress monitoring data, and school staffing changes from 2014-2019. The study found the analysis of student progress monitoring data and subsequent meetings between the teachers and literacy coaches to address student academic needs as having an impact on student achievement. Additionally, the creation and cultivation of positive relationships between faculty, staff, and students, purposeful and high-quality leadership, and the implementation of the Responsive Classroom program were identified as factors increasing student achievement. The school also experienced 50% teacher turnover from 2014-2019. In 2014, the school had 14 teachers and by the end of the study in 2019, seven of those teachers had left for various reason, allowing the building principal to hire or transfer teachers in from other schools who better fit the needs of the school and its students.

This study compares housing in two lower-income self help settlement types -- community-based and individualistic -- in two contemporary Mexican urban settings: Mexico City and Tlalnepantla. The research investigates differences in housing design preferences of occupant-builders, reflections of these preferences in built environments, and resulting housing consolidation levels. Of seven elicited housing design preferences investigated, only one suggests statistically significant differences between settlement types in both cities. Community- based settlement respondents tend to prefer an ideology for minimal and equal housing for alIi while individualistic settlement respondents, in contrast, focus on individuals' economic problems in securing private housing. Analyses of the two built environment types show design preference differences reflected in built housing. / Ph. D.

The purpose of the study was to examine the Lynchburg Covenant Fellowship program in depth and speculate implementation in other geographical area. Various programs have been implemented at all levels of government as well as by private agencies in order to assist persons attain ownership. Some programs have met with problems while others have been deemed successful. The success of many low-income programs often has been attributed to the cooperation of private and public agencies working together. Lynchburg Covenant Fellowship (LCF), a nonprofit organization located in Lynchburg, Virginia, has put together a joint venture combining public and private initiatives and investments which allowed each agency to perform in its specialized area. LCF along with four other implementers built homes to sell to low-income working families with a subsidy that insured their monthly mortgage payment would not exceed 25 percent of their income. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the homebuyers' questionnaire. The instrument showed that the housing categories (design, amount of space, cost, and maintenance), considered important by the homebuyers were satisfied and that the homebuyers were satisfied with their home. The intermediaries' questionnaire posed discussions of their specific role in the program and an assessment of the program. The LCF Homeownership Program has been considered a successful program that could be implemented in other geographical areas to provide homeownership for low-income families. / Master of Science