Background: Arthritis affects 53 million U.S. adults, more than two-thirds of whom are younger than age 65. Approximately 1/3 of working-age (18-64 years) U.S adults with arthritis report arthritis-attributable work limitation. Objectives: First, to take a population-based perspective to evaluate the association of arthritis with employment participation among U.S. adults. Next, to examine whether this association differs by sex, age, or other characteristics. Finally, to investigate effects of the Great Recession (December 2007 to June 2009) on employment and to determine if arthritis status moderated its effects. Methods: All three studies were conducted using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The third study also used longitudinal data from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) linked to NHIS. Results: These manuscripts are under peer-review for publication; limited results are presented: Study 1- Employment participation was always statistically significantly and substantially lower (e.g., >10 percentage points) among adults with arthritis compared with those without arthritis. Study 2- Overall, 20.1 million adults (10.4% [95% CI=10.1-10.8] of the working-age population) reported work disability. Study 3- During the period of the Great Recession, people with arthritis stopped work at higher rates and started work at lower rates than those without arthritis, suggesting at least some differential effect among those with arthritis. Conclusion: This work contributes new knowledge by establishing long-term patterns and benchmark information for employment participation, work disability, transitions, and macro economic effects among adults with and without arthritis in the U.S. A population-based, non-condition-specific approach of this type has not been previously reported.

This thesis consists of three essays in monetary economics and international macroeconomics. / Chapter one uses Canadian data to evaluate the performance of money growth targeting and inflation targeting policy rules, especially when they react to asset price changes. There are three important findings. First, estimates of the policy rules consistent with both regimes provide evidence that the Bank of Canada has systematically reacted to stock price bubbles and exchange rate changes. Second, a counterfactual experiment reveals that, the high inflation of the 1970s and early 1980s could have been avoided if the Bank of Canada had responded more strongly to inflation and growth in aggregate demand. Third, simulation experiments yielded two important results: For both the money growth targeting and inflation targeting policy rules, it is always desirable to react to changes in exchange rates and stock price bubbles: Contrary to established findings, the results indicate that the money growth targeting policy rules are more efficient than the inflation targeting policy rules. / Chapter two uses data on Ghana to test the validity of the intertemporal model of current account that allows for external shocks in the form of variable interest rates and exchange rates, and the existence of capital controls. We find that, irrespective of the degree of capital control, the basic model fails to predict the dynamics of the actual current account. However, we find that extending the model to capture variations in interest rates and exchange rates better explains the path of the actual current account balances only during the liberalized regime. When the model was adjusted to allow for credit constraints, there was some support for the proposition that the presence of capital controls prevented economic agents in Ghana to smooth their consumption path during the control regime. / Chapter three investigates the effect of trading block on Tanzania's bilateral trade. Using a fixed effects estimation technique, the results revealed that the East African Community (EAC) and the European Union (EU) have had significant positive effects on Tanzania's bilateral trade. We also find that there is a significant intra-trade relationship between Tanzania and its major trading partners in the manufacturing sector.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-80).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 64-66).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-75).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Economics, June 1999. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 24, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Shawn Ni. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: P. Dean Corbae. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2007. / "Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering." Includes bibliographical references (p. 78-79).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Economics. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.