Thesis--University of Kansas. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 188-194).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Nov. 22, 2006). PDF text: 179 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 1.09Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3215319. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-111)

In this thesis, I study the local employment multiplier effect; the effect of employment in the tradable sector on employment in the non-tradable sector of the same region. Using a reduced form regression with a shift-share instrument I find a significant local multiplier effect in Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the USA. I show that this result is robust to many different regional definitions, controls and ways of classifying tradable industries. I find larger multipliers for high-wage or high-skilled workers in the tradable sector and I find that most of the jobs created in the non-tradable sector are fulfilled by high-skilled workers who already reside in the region. A replication of the most influential paper in this literature, by Moretti (AER; 2010), demonstrates the sensitivity of his results to six idiosyncrasies of his analysis. To better understand how these local multipliers work, I develop an efficiency wage model with rural-urban migration for the non-tradable sector. In this model, I consider the impact of a shock to employment in the tradable sector in the city and find a positive local employment multiplier effect. The model predicts that attracting tradable jobs to a city has a bigger positive impact on employment in the non-tradable sector in the same city when the unemployment rate is higher. The model also predicts that this increase is driven by a larger multiplier for current inhabitants and that there is no, or even a negative, effect of the unemployment rate on the multiplier for movers. Both these predictions are reflected in the results of my non-parametric analysis of the data. I find similar results for European TL3 regions. Policies that try to increase growth in less favoured regions by stimulating tradable firms to locate in areas with high unemployment, will both reduce disparities between regions and efficiently reduce unemployment across the board.

The purpose of this study is to develop an economic policy framework for local urban authorities to empower them to increase economic growth and development and thus quality of life of its residents. The study integrates conventional economic growth theories with the urban environment and shows their applicability within the urban environment. An urban area is perceived as an economic powerhouse within the national economy where the majority of economic activity is generated. The concentration of people and economic activity creates certain positive externalities that should be exploited by residents, businesses and local authorities. High levels of research and development as well as innovation is possible in urban areas and contribute to realize increased economic growth and development. Unfortunately, urban areas also experience negative externalities and this should be addressed because this leads to a decrease in economic efficiency and thus a decline in quality of life. The study thus introduces several options of urban economic policies for use by the local urban authorities. The main aim of these policies is to serve as a framework for local urban authorities to address the typical relevant urban problems in order to stimulate sustainable economic growth and development and quality of life. / Thesis (DCom (Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Economics / unrestricted

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Construction Economics and Management, University of Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Building (Property Development and Management) / Purpose- The purpose of this study is to identify the facilities management strategies employed in shopping centres in Johannesburg South Africa. Furthermore it allows owners, shareholders, facilities manager and property manager etc. of shopping centres to know the facilities management strategy that bring tenants satisfaction and encourage them to renew their lease. To conclude the research seeks to find out the underlying factors that determine the choice of facilities management strategy to be employed. Key words – Facilities Management, In-House management, Out-sourcing, Out-tasking and Shopping Centers

Thesis advisor: Donald Cox / Does being a non-stop flight away from Silicon Valley help entrepreneurs access venture capital? With its abundance of researchers and investors, Silicon Valley leads the world in entrepreneurship. In Silicon Valley, venture capital investors (VCs) and startups benefit from proximity, forming strong relationships and meeting frequently in person. VCs often choose to focus their operations locally, bringing down the costs of monitoring investments. Not all entrepreneurs can locate themselves in this global hub and without a direct connection to Silicon Valley some may find it difficult to tap into the extensive resources clustered in the region. I show that startups operating in cities with non-stop connections to Silicon Valley benefit immensely from direct flights. I find that this connection matters more for cities outside the U.S. A new daily flight from Silicon Valley to an international city leads to $23 million of additional VC raised by startups in the region. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Economics.

<p>My dissertation focuses on employing microeconomic techniques to study markets and questions that are important and complex, and also have potential policy implications. Two of my chapters analyze the health industry with an emphasis on hospitals, patient welfare, and regulation. The remaining chapter focuses on the housing market in Los Angeles and explores real estate flipping.</p><p>The second chapter of my dissertation studies the impact of state level regulations on hospital bed capacity decisions. The regulations are intended to decrease hospital investments without diminishing patient access. I find that the regulation decreases total hospital investment in bed capacity as expected. When running simulations to estimate how hospitals would behave differently were the regulatory policy changed, I find that total patient utility is negatively affected by the presence of the regulation as many patients get turned away from their preferred hospital due to overcrowding. This analysis has important policy implications as it suggests that the regulation has been ineffective in ensuring that patient welfare was unharmed by the restrictions.</p><p>The third chapter is based on joint research with Patrick Bayer and James W. Roberts and studies the housing market in the Los Angeles metropolitan area from 1988 to 2009. Using novel data, I identify which housing transactions involve flippers who aim not to live in the house, but rather to quickly resell it for financial gain. I find that flipper behavior varies based on how frequently I observe the individual engage in such behavior. Experienced flippers, who are observed to flip many houses in the data, target homes being sold at below market value and earn their returns from buying them at a discount. Their effect on long term prices in the neighborhood is negligable. Inexperienced flippers who are less active, seek to earn their profits by timing the market and are more active when house prices were rapidly appreciating from 1999 to 2005. Their activity increases housing prices in the neighborhood in the short term, but decreases them in the long term. Such results are consistent with the claim that real estate flipping contributed to the housing bubble.</p><p>The fourth chapter of my dissertation again focuses on the hospital industry and looks at the question of how patient composition changes as a hospital becomes busier and has to turn patients away. I develop a theoretical model which predicts that hospitals are more likely to turn away less profitable patients. As a result, when a hospital becomes more full and therefore is more likely to have to turn patients away, its composition of patients will change and become more profitable on the whole. I test this theory by empirically analyzing the effect of hospital congestion on the composition of hospital patients using hospital discharge data. The findings are consistent with my theoretical model as when hospitals become more crowded, the fraction of uninsured patients and mental health patients (who are typically not profitable to a hospital) decreases. This result suggests that hospitals are more likely to turn away unprofitable patients while continuing to admit more profitable patients.</p> / Dissertation

This dissertation consists of two essays. The connecting theme for this body of work is social interaction. I define social interaction, for this dissertation, as non-market based face-to-face interaction between individuals where each is interested in a response. The first contribution investigates the relationship between social interaction and neighborhood population density. I use the exogenous variation in a set of geological instruments to predict the neighborhood population density. The results suggest that an increase in neighborhood population density increases some types of social interaction. The second contribution brings social interaction into a standard urban consumer theory model, the Alonso-Muth model.

published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy