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abstract: Research and Development (R&D) tax credits are one of the most widely adopted policies state governments use to incentivize R&D spending by firms operating in a state. R&D spending is associated with increases in firm productivity, innovation, and higher wages. However, most studies into these tax credits examine only the effect the credit has on firm-based R&D spending and assume the increases in R&D spending mean states are receiving the social and economic benefits endogenous growth theory predicts. This dissertation connects R&D tax credits with the expected outcomes of R&D spending increases to evaluate the efficacy of the tax credits. Specifically, the dissertation connects R&D tax credits to the movement of researchers between states, innovative activity, and state fiscal health. The study uses a panel of U.S. PhD graduates and a fixed-effects linear probability model to show R&D tax credits have a small but statistically significant impact on PhDs moving to states that have the tax credit. Using a structural equation model and a latent innovation variable, the dissertation shows R&D tax credits have a small but significant impact on innovative activity mediated by R&D spending. Finally, the dissertation examines the effect of R&D tax credits on a state’s short- and long-run fiscal health by using a distributed lag model to illustrate R&D tax credits are associated with decreases with fiscal health. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Public Administration and Policy 2020

The goal of the thesis is to consider various ways how to finance entrepreneurial plan of a concrete manufacturing company with the focus on project financing from the European Union funds. In the theoretical part financing forms from the European Funds are discussed. Practical part focuses on Montanna Ltd, possible investment objectives are presented. The thesis also identifies investment plan and deals realization methods considering financing from the European Union funds.

La siguiente tesis se basa en el análisis y evaluación de un caso de negocio sobre un rubro que en el territorio peruano aún no está del todo explotado, como las son las industrias Fintech, del tipo lending. Para lograr dicho objetivo cual se ha hecho una investigación del entorno global y nacional que rodea este nuevo ecosistema financiero que se está formando, determinar las principales características del consumidor objetivo del estudio, que viene a ser la generación Z (centennials) que vive en Lima Metropolitana y cuáles serían los factores que determinarían s vinculación con nosotros, mediante encuestas realizadas en el periodo de investigación Luego de estudiar las distintas variables del consumidor, posicionamiento de la marca en toda su extensión y los componentes fundamentales como empresa, se realizó el estudio financiero respectivo para evaluar la viabilidad del proyecto, mediante VAN y TIR respectivos a los datos proyectos. / The following thesis is based on the analysis and evaluation of a business case on an area that in the Peruvian territory is not yet fully exploited, such as the Fintech industries, like the lending business. To achieve this objective, an investigation of the global and national environment that surrounds this new financial ecosystem that is being formed has been carried out, to determine the main characteristics of the target consumer of the study, which is gen - Z (centennials) living in Lima - Metropolitana - and what would be the factors that would determine your relationship with us, through surveys carried out during the investigation period. After studying the different variables of the consumer, brand positioning in its entirety and the fundamental components as a company, the respective financial study was carried out to evaluate the viability of the project, through NPV and IRR, respectively, to the project data. / Trabajo de investigación

Para considerar este proyecto se detectó un problema en la recepción de información que obtienen los ciudadanos al momento de realizar indagaciones de créditos. Este sustento se encuentra en un informe del BCRP, “el cual indica que la deuda por habitante se multiplico entre el 2001 y 2017, de este grupo el 12% corresponde a préstamos de consumo que están en morosidad”. Por ello, nace la idea de crear un aplicativo móvil que acompañe y permita a los usuarios realizar consultas y comparaciones sobre préstamos, así mismo, agilizar el trámite de operación de un crédito personal y otras herramientas que mejoren su experiencia. De esta manera, se busca que las personas obtengan un canal de información fiable ayude a tomar una decisión inteligente y encontrar una oportunidad de ahorro. Para el desarrollo del proyecto se realizaron experimentos que permitieron identificar la aceptación para realizar la proyección de venta. Con ello, se consideraron diferentes fuentes de ingreso siendo la principal la comisión por préstamo adquirido, que se realiza a las entidades financieras, además de elaborar la estructura de procesos operativos, marketing, recursos humanos, responsabilidad social y financiero que tengan coherencia con la problemática que se pretende solucionar. Por último, dentro de los análisis cuantitativos para dar inicio al proyecto se necesita una inversión de S./38,593.25 soles para después mostrar una utilidad de S./95, 450.02 durante los cinco primeros años, por lo que se obtiene un valor del proyecto de S./. 101, 625.25

Para considerar este proyecto se detectó un problema en la recepción de información que obtienen los ciudadanos al momento de realizar indagaciones de créditos. Este sustento se encuentra en un informe del BCRP, “el cual indica que la deuda por habitante se multiplico entre el 2001 y 2017, de este grupo el 12% corresponde a préstamos de consumo que están en morosidad”. Por ello, nace la idea de crear un aplicativo móvil que acompañe y permita a los usuarios realizar consultas y comparaciones sobre préstamos, así mismo, agilizar el trámite de operación de un crédito personal y otras herramientas que mejoren su experiencia. De esta manera, se busca que las personas obtengan un canal de información fiable ayude a tomar una decisión inteligente y encontrar una oportunidad de ahorro. Para el desarrollo del proyecto se realizaron experimentos que permitieron identificar la aceptación para realizar la proyección de venta. Con ello, se consideraron diferentes fuentes de ingreso siendo la principal la comisión por préstamo adquirido, que se realiza a las entidades financieras, además de elaborar la estructura de procesos operativos, marketing, recursos humanos, responsabilidad social y financiero que tengan coherencia con la problemática que se pretende solucionar. Por último, dentro de los análisis cuantitativos para dar inicio al proyecto se necesita una inversión de S./38,593.25 soles para después mostrar una utilidad de S./95, 450.02 durante los cinco primeros años, por lo que se obtiene un valor del proyecto de S./. 101, 625.25 / In order to consider this project, a problem was detected in the reception of information obtained by citizens when making credit inquiries. This support is found in a report by the BCRP, "which indicates that the debt per inhabitant multiplied between 2001 and 2017, of this group 12% corresponds to consumer loans that are in arrears". Therefore, the idea of creating a mobile application that accompanies and allows users to make queries and comparisons on loans, as well as streamline the process of operating a personal credit and other tools that improve your experience. In this way, the aim is for people to obtain a reliable information channel to help them make an intelligent decision and find a savings opportunity. For the development of the project, experiments were carried out to identify acceptance and to be able to make the sales projection. With this, different sources of income were considered, the main one being the commission for the loan acquired, which is made to the financial entities, in addition to elaborating the structure of operative processes, marketing, human resources, social and financial responsibility that are coherent with the problem to be solved. Finally, within the quantitative analyses projected to start the project, an investment of S./ 38, 593.25 soles are needed to later show a profit of S./95,450. 02 during the first three years, so a project value of S./101, 665.25. / Trabajo de investigación

The Renewable Fuel Standard requires US oil refineries to blend biofuels into domestic transportation fuels. To ensure that compliance costs under this mandate don’t disproportionately affect any subset of refiners, the regulation includes a compliance credit program, whereby refiners blending excess biofuels can sell their excess compliance to refiners that do not blend enough. The price of these credits can be interpreted as the marginal cost of compliance with the mandate. I measure how changes in the prices of these compliance credits affect the stock prices of oil refining firms. There are a number of ways one might expect these compliance credits to affect firms. Much economic research finds that oil refiners are able to pass the costs of RFS compliance to consumers quite easily, suggesting that changes in the compliance cost should not affect firms’ value at all. Large refiners tend to claim that the RFS imposes a large cost and drags down their profits. Perhaps the most interesting claim is that of the “merchant refiners”—generally small refiners who do not own the infrastructure to blend biofuels on their own and are thus forced to comply with the mandate completely with compliance credits. They claim that larger refiners are able to hoard the credits and sell them for windfall profits at the expense of the merchant refiners. My results indicate that positive shocks in compliance credit prices are associated with stock losses only among large, non-merchant refiners, and that even this association is small. This discredits the claims of merchant refiners, but opens a new puzzle: why are large, integrated refiners the only ones affected? I conclude my paper with a number of potential explanations, though I am not able to test between them using my data.

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Carbon offsets are often presented as a multi-beneficial way for companies to mitigate their net climate impact while contributing environmental and social benefits on a global and local scale. Critics argue it is used to avoid more meaningful alterations to a company's own operations. Despite the increasing popularity of carbon offsets, little research has explored why companies choose to finance them. This study aims at addressing this research gap by exploring the motives that drive companies to offset emissions, how this fits into their sustainability strategies, and how the overall sustainability strategies are affected by acquiring carbon offsets. A multiple-method approach was deployed, using semi-structured interviews and content analysis. The study examines medium and large-sized companies in Sweden. Results indicate that carbon offsets are generally integrated as a final stage in the fundamental sustainability strategy. No indications could be identified that it has a detrimental effect on the company's overall sustainability initiatives. A model is proposed depicting the motives and drivers of corporate carbon offset financing. Legitimacy, competitiveness, and individual responsibility are three fundamental motives. Further, seven distinct drivers could be identified: labor retention, product differentiation, cost reduction, industry isomorphism, risk minimization, corporate culture, and personal values. These factors, internally or externally driven, incentivize companies to finance carbon offsets. There were two primary factors that acted as obstacles for companies when offsetting emissions. These perceived barriers were the risk of damaged credibility, and the risk concerning additionality and, what is in this study referred to as materiality. Overall, this study sheds light on the motives driving corporate carbon offset financing, and how companies integrate offsets into their broader sustainability strategies. This research is important for understanding how carbon offsets fit into companies' overall sustainability plans, and how policymakers can encourage meaningful corporate action on climate change. As a concluding remark, recommendations are provided for future research within the field.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between college retention and completion and the number of college credit hours students earn before graduating high school. The number of credit hours a student earned was analyzed along with selected demographic characteristics and academic performance indicators to determine if any one of the variables was more of a predictor of retention and completion of college than the others. The data for the study (12,834 records) were obtained from the Student Information System from five Tennessee Board of Regents Universities. An initial analysis of the data incorporated simple descriptive statistics in the form of frequency tables. Cross tabulation and chi-square were used to compare the gender and ethnicity population of dual/joint-enrolled students and nondual/joint-enrolled students. To determine if dual/joint-enrolled students had greater academic success than nondual/joint-enrolled students, a t-test for independent samples was used to compare high school grade point average, the standardized test score average, and first semester and last semester attended grade point average of the two groups. Chi-square was used to analyze if there was a difference in the retention rate and the time it took to obtain a four-year degree between dual/joint-enrolled students and nondual/joint-enrolled students. A one-way ANOVA was used to determine if the number of college credits earned while in high school had any influence on the time it took to finish a four-year college degree. Multiple Linear Regression was used to see if any of the variables could predict academic performance for a studentÆs first and last semester grading period. Discriminant Analysis was used to determine if any of the variables in the study were predictors of completing a four-year degree. The researcher found that students who participated in dual/joint-enrollment programs had more academic success and a higher retention and graduation rate than those students who did not participate in such programs. The study also revealed that dual credit hours had a significant influence on time to completing a degree.