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The Department of Housing and Urban Development is the primary public agency responsible for providing housing subsidies to low-income households. The Home Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) is currently the most significant housing subsidy. The voucher can be transferred to any location where the landlord is registered with the local housing agency to participate in the program. The mobility of the voucher is designed to decrease concentrations of low-income households in areas that lack economic, educational, and social opportunities. The results of the study found that race and income have a strong negative impact on the percentage of subsidized households and rental units. The findings also show that median area rents have a negative impact on subsidized households, while home values have a negative impact on subsidized rental units. There are more subsidized households and rental units in highly populated with many households living in areas with more transit stops. finally, the data showed that jobs paying under $3,333 per month had a negative impact on the percentage of subsidized housing units. These outcomes can provide insight for HUD and public housing agencies to assist in the utilization of subsidies and encourage more landlord participation to add units to the current housing supply. The geographical selection of subsidized households and units can help promote better housing options for voucher recipients.

Subsidies to professional sports teams remain a controversial issue, and in most European countries these subsidies have decreased over the past decades. However, in Sweden they are a common occurrence, municipalities are giving generous amounts of money to their local team. To justify these subsidies, proponents of sports team claim their great economic impact on the local area. Nevertheless, in the sport economic literature, most of the researchers cannot find any positive impact and some of them even find negative impact from a hosting a professional sports team. This study will give an explanation and extension to the earlier articles about sport economics written in Sweden by Emelie Värja (2014) and Lars Behrenz (2009). In this essay we will present two models. The idea behind our first model is to investigate if professional sport events should be considered as a substitute to other leisure activities. This model indicates that there is a substitution effect between ice hockey games and cinema admissions in Sweden. The outcome from our other model which studies the condominium market strongly contradicts the generous sport subsidies given by Swedish municipalities. The results indicate that the presence of a professional ice hockey team lowers the condominiums prices.

The thesis examines factors that influence sustainability and success of microfinance institutions in Ghana. The topic is important, particularly in poverty stricken Africa, where microfinance institutions play a significant role in supporting governments' initiatives to reduce/alleviate poverty. The developed model is tested using data collected from 14 face-to-face interviews and 114 questionnaires. The data is analysed using different techniques- descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and regression analysis. The research design and scale of the study are appropriate to both the problem addressed and doctoral level research. A number of factors in the model developed were found to be influencing the sustainability and success of microfinance institutions. A model was proposed that seeks to offer an explanation of sustainability and success of Microfinance Institutions in Ghana. The proposed model identified five categories being: institutional characteristics, agency costs, business strategy, environment/governance and success. Single factor analysis established positive relationships between sustainability and all the five factors but placed more emphasis on three out of the five factors namely; success, business strategy and environment/ governance. Multiple factor analysis established no significant differences in the sustainability with respect to the type of MFI, ownership and source of funding. Multiple Regression which allows for the testing of theories or models established a significant relationship between the Operational Self Sufficiency (OSS) and the predictors, especially the drop-out rate of clients and average loans. The Subsidy Dependence Index (SDI) was calculated for the various types of MFIs and the result was a high dependency ratio especially among the FNGOs. Though the dependency is on the decline, it is very slow indicating that most MFIs will depend on subsidies for a very long time to come. Finally it was observed that the relatively high interest rates charged by most of the MFIs tended to defeat the purpose for which the microfinance movement came about. Not only did the study confirm the research model, but it also revealed that most owners did not exhibit a deep sense of involvement and used general knowledge to practice in Ghana. The study concluded that success factors, business strategy, and environment/governance were the most critical of the sustainability factors in Ghana. It is therefore important that managers develop institutional capacities especially in managing the agency problem effectively if they have to be sustainable and successful.

一般優惠房貸是政府提供購屋家戶進入房市購屋之貸款利息補助；然而，這項全面性的補貼措施究竟補貼到哪些購屋者？此問題將牽涉到該補貼措施是否公平。是以，本文試圖從申貸人及其所購產品之屬性探討該措施之公平性，透過二項羅吉特模型（Binomial Logistic Model）探究「什麼樣的購屋者，購買了什麼樣的房屋，會選擇申貸使用政府優惠房貸？」；另一方面，購屋者在具有其他政策性房貸申貸資格的情況下，「何種特質的特殊身份補貼購屋者會選擇搭配一般政府優惠房貸？」，本研究希望藉由上述兩項問題之討論，企圖了解優惠房貸政策對於個體家戶之影響，在補貼公平層面中究竟是扮演著「雪中送炭」或是「錦上添花」的角色。 研究結果發現，一般優惠房貸之提供在住宅補貼公平面成效上之效果是弊多於利。首先在補貼對象上，購屋目的為自住之購屋者，其選擇使用政府優惠房貸的發生比較非自住目的購屋者高出約2倍；而首購購屋者選擇使用政府優惠房貸之發生比較非首購購屋者多出了54%。這代表一般優惠房貸的提供讓首購自住購屋者有相對較高的機率使用政府優惠房貸達成購屋目標，在補貼對象上相對達到了部分效果；然而，由於政府過度利用貸款補貼方式刺激房市以達景氣復甦之效果，以及貸款利息補貼制度設計上的盲點（包括申貸資格之缺乏限制與多種補貼措施並行等），高所得貸款購屋者傾向選擇使用政府優惠房貸之發生比較低所得購屋者高出約3.23倍，因而造成這些購屋者得以接受雙重補貼；此外，當購屋者購買品質越好之住宅，其使用一般政府優惠房貸的機率也越大，上述結果皆表示這項補貼措施並不能排除高所得購屋者獲得政府優惠房貸補貼，也因而造成政府優惠房貸在補貼公平性之負面作用。是故，在未來的補貼政策中，除應繼續整合現行住宅貸款利息補貼措施外，並應試圖建立一套更嚴謹的申貸資格審查標準，以確保政府所提供之住宅補貼能夠對最需要的民眾有所幫助。

國民旅遊卡措施係源自公務人員休假補助制度，本是為鼓勵公務人員適度休閒以提升工作效率，增進行政效能，卻在與振興觀光旅遊產業之政策目的結合之後，使補助制度增加諸多限制－改以持用國民旅遊卡方式辦理，並限制於「異地」、「隔夜」、「非假日旅遊」、「特約商店」消費－鼓勵公務人員於休假時從事國內旅遊。本研究著眼於人事管理角度，探討國民旅遊卡措施能否對公務人員達到激勵效果，亦即探討四項使用限制與人口屬性對於此制度激勵效果之影響。本研究係以問卷為調查工具，研究對象為臺北市政府公務人員，共計發出問卷860份，回收問卷738份，有效問卷655份，回收率為76.16%。 研究結果發現： 一、現行強制休假補助制度以「公平感」之認知最為激勵公務人員。 二、國民旅遊卡使用限制中，「非假日旅遊限制」之認同最高，「特約商店限制」認同與此制度之激勵效果則最為相關。 三、不同的人口屬性影響特定的國民旅遊卡使用限制認同，「異地限制」認同受職務別影響，「隔夜限制」認同受婚姻、子女狀況及休假年資影響，「特約商店限制」認同受婚姻狀況、休假年資與服務年資影響。 四、年齡越大、每年休假天數越多、月收入越高或服務年資越長之公務人員，此制度所發揮的「整體」激勵效果越低；越能認同異地限制、隔夜限制、非假日旅遊限制、特約商店限制之公務人員，獲得此補助制度的「整體」激勵效果越高；部分人口屬性與國民旅遊卡各項使用限制認同，亦對不同的激勵效果面向有影響。 五、相較於人口屬性之影響，國民旅遊卡使用限制認同對於強制休假補助制度激勵效果的解釋力較大。 基於以上之研究發現，本研究做成以下之建議：欲有效提高此制度之激勵效果，應放寬特約商店限制，例如，使特約商店更為普及，採負面表列的方式，於少數店家消費才不得核銷國民旅遊卡。相關單位也必須進行宣導，建立公務員有關旅遊休閒消費的正確價值觀。此外，應針對不同年資之公務人員設計不同的強制休假補助制度。若要使強制休假補助制度具備更有力的人事管理意義，則可使其與績效制度結合運作。 / The Civil Travel Card, an idea originates from the vacation regulation subsidy system, was designed to increase work efficiency and administrative effectiveness through encouraging public servants to have appropriate leisure activities. With the intention to prosper the tourism industry in Taiwan, the Civil Travel Card was designed to link up with many policies thereof. However, this intention generated many restrictions, such as “valid only if used in places other than their working districts”, “valid only if stay overnight”, “valid only if used on non-holidays”, and “valid only if used in certain permitted stores”. Accordingly, this research aims at probing into the different motivational effects of these restrictions from the perspective of personnel management. This research conducts quantitative methods and uses questionnaires as the primary tool. The research subjects are the official public servants in Taipei City Government. 860 questionnaires were issued and got 655 as valid returns. The response rate is 76.16%. Results of this research include: 1. “Sense of fairness” in the current mandatory vacation regulation subsidy system is the most effectual factor of motivation. 2. Among all the restrictions, the restriction of “valid only if used on non-holidays” is the most accepted one by the public servants; the restriction of “valid only if used in certain permitted stores” has the highest positive relationship with the motivational effects. 3. Different geographic characteristics of the subjects influence the motivational effects. The motivational effect from the restriction of “valid only if used in places other than their working districts” is subject to change by people’s positions in the organizations; the motivational effect from the restriction of “valid only if stay overnight” is subject to alter by people’s marital status, children condition and their seniority in the organizations; the motivational effects from the restriction of “valid only if used in certain permitted stores” is subject to differ by people’s marital status and seniority in the organizations. 4. The design of Civil Travel Card only has limited motivational effects for public servants with higher income, more in age, or more seniority. The aggregated motivational effects are higher for those who accept all of the four restrictions. Also, certain geographic characteristics and the restrictions affect the motivational effects differently. 5. Compared with the geographic characteristics, the four restrictions of the Civil Travel Card have more explanatory power for the motivational effects of the subsidy system. Based on these findings, this research provides recommendations as followed: Firstly, the government should loosen the regulations about the permitted stores to enhance the motivational effects. For example, the government needs to issue more permission to more stores or provide a list of the “inappropriate stores” where Civil Travel Cards cannot be used. Secondly, authorities concerned should inculcate the public servants with proper concepts and values about leisure activities and consumption. Finally, the vacation regulation subsidy system should be flexible and adjustable to different public servants to maximize its effectiveness. The vacation regulation subsidy system would be more effectual if it can be operated together with the Merit System.

The problem of this study was subsidy ("vanity") publishing among college and university faculty. The purpose of the study was to estimate the extent to which postsecondary faculty use subsidy presses for the publication of their scholarly writings and the professional reasons for which academicians choose these presses to publish their works, viz., tenure, promotion, or salary increase. An additional purpose was to compare the subsidy publication experiences of faculty according to the types of institutions which employ them. The study involved 11 national subsidy publishers and 1,124 subsidy-published authors throughout the United States. Subsidy-published authors were identified occupationally as faculty by their appearance in the 1990 edition of The National Faculty Directory. The subjects in this study consisted of (a) faculty members listed in The National Faculty Directory. 1990 who are (b) known to have used subsidy presses for publishing their writings. A major finding of the study was that the proportion of vanity-published authors who are college and university faculty was small. Twenty-seven percent of the faculty whose books had been published by subsidy presses indicated that they had written and published in order to earn salary increases. Another 23% indicated that they had their books published to obtain promotions. Seventeen percent had their books published for the purpose of gaining tenure. Finally, one-third of the faculty surveyed identified miscellaneous other reasons for publishing their books through subsidy presses. More than two-thirds of the faculty who had used vanity presses (69%) claimed that their subsidy-published books had been effective in helping them achieve their purposes for publishing. Thirty percent judged their subsidy-produced books as ineffective. The majority of the subsidy-published faculty in the study were employed either by research universities or community/junior colleges. Only 26% of those surveyed indicated that they would choose a subsidy publisher if they had it to do again.

In June of 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish a more effective Fair Market Rent System using Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs) in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) instead of the current 50th Percentile FMRs. The 50th Percentile FMR is currently in use in the Richmond, Virginia region, and the region is likely to be among early adopters of the new SAFMR System. This thesis assesses existing conditions that will affect implementation of the Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) System. First, it evaluates where voucher holders have located and concentrated with limited mobility counseling and without the SAFMR System intervention. Second, this evaluation assesses the theory of opportunity and targeting metrics currently in use by the local Move to Opportunity Program administered in the region, because the SAFMR System has a stated objective to enable voucher holders to de-concentrate from low opportunity areas. Finally, this evaluation assesses the SAFMR System’s potential for value capture, estimating total savings and a discrete number of potential new vouchers that may be created with those savings. This research attempts to answer these dimensions of SAFMR System implementation by evaluating key characteristics of current voucher holder concentration in the metropolitan region.

Title: The role of the region in sport development - Case study of Liberec region Objectives: The main objective of this thesis is set to analyse the role of the region bodies of authority in sport development illustrated by a concrete example of the Liberec region. A partial objective is to describe and analyse tools of the regional sport policy and to analyse regional budget sport financing. Methods: There was used the case study design in the diploma thesis to find out the situation of sport policy in Liberec region. Informations were collected from the documents, which are available in public and from internal documents. For data collection there was also used a method of semi - structured interview. Content analysis of documents and interviews was used for the evaluation. Then the SWOT analysis was worked up. Results: In the thesis, the most important tools of the Liberec region sport policy were described. The regional budget was allocated to sport the most funds in 2008, when the amount exceeds 120 million CZK. This fact was affected by organizing international sport events in the Liberec region. Currently, the sport is supported by an amount representing approximately 3 % of the total region budget. when organizing major sport events region often takes over patronage, but the region itself...