Operating from Postcolonial theory and using Honneth (1994), and Taylor (1995) conception of Multicultural recognition, Yosso's (2005) Community Cultural Wealth, and studies on Culturally Responsive Leadership, this dissertation presents three empirical studies that evidence the necessity of a global decolonization towards multicultural recognition. The first study shed light of a recognized Indigenous school that struggles for recognition and counters colonial domination. Findings demonstrated how a culturally responsive shared leadership fosters academic achievement and cultural pride. The second study provides an example of resilience and community cultural wealth in a group of repatriated students from the United States to Mexico, at the same time presents a re-conceptualization of cultural capital concept (Bourdieu, 1997), as a guide for recognition of cultural wealth within migrant communities. The final study examines how Southern Arizona principals conceptualize and enact successful leadership in border schools with shifting demographics and high percentages of colonized populations. Findings indicate that, along with Leithwood and Riehl's leadership dimensions, all four principals demonstrate a sociocultural affect as part of successful practice in Arizona border contexts.

In the professional services industry, it is no secret that people are the greatest assets. The investment in human capital is the core of the business, the dividends of which can never be under-estimated. The continued success of the professional services firm therefore lies in being able to retain that investment within the organisation. The current high rate of turnover within the firm, and in the professional services industry, is indeed a big challenge for management. One that necessitates a review into a variety of ways of keeping the talent within the firm. This research study was commissioned to look into one of the proposed initiatives for retaining employees; that of wealth creation. The aim was to source the views of employees on wealth creation as a way of increasing the rate of retention or otherwise as well as identify the preferred structure of such a scheme. The results of the research showed that employees deem financial remuneration to be highly important and would stay with the firm longer if provided with a wealth initiative. There was preference for a short to medium term scheme rather than a long term one, with some particular suggested schemes coming out as preferred favourites than others. Respondents also went further to highlight other factors that were contributing to loss of talent within the firm. The responses from the survey have been comprehensively analysed and recommendations made on the implementation of the wealth creation scheme. / Graduate School for Business Leadership / (M.B.A.)

This study investigates what impact mergers and acquisitions have on bank efficiency by examining both pre-merger and post-merger performance. Specifically, the research looks at the effect of bank efficiency on shareholder wealth creation upon bank merger announcement. The study finds supportive evidence that the market takes into account the pre-merger bidder bank’s efficiency in adjusting the bank stock’s price at the time of announcement. This suggests that bank efficiency has a significant positive effect on shareholder wealth creation when a merger is announced. Furthermore, in reacting to the announcement, the market also perceives the prospects for future enhancement of bank efficiency as a result of the current event. Thus, post-merger bank efficiency is found to also contribute to shareholder value creation on merger announcement. In particular, the study finds evidence suggesting that post-merger profit efficiency, rather than cost efficiency, has a positive effect on cumulative abnormal returns. The study investigates 56 commercial bank mergers that took place in 22 European countries between 2001 and 2007. The event study methodology is used to determine shareholder wealth creation, employing the market model in estimating expected returns. Efficiency is estimated using the parametric stochastic frontier approach. Performance improvement in the combined firm is obtained by comparing post-merger efficiency with pre-merger efficiency, which is the sum of bidder and target efficiencies after weighting them based on their pre-merger total assets. To find out whether efficiency has an effect on shareholder value creation, regression analyses are performed involving cumulative abnormal returns, a few efficiency variables, and a number of control variables. The main finding of this study is that pre-merger bank efficiency contributes to short-term shareholder value creation upon merger announcement. Some evidence is also found that post-merger bank efficiency has a positive effect on shareholder value creation at announcement time which is associated more with profit efficiency than with cost efficiency. Also, as the study finds statistically significant positive cumulative abnormal returns, the results of this study are supportive of the view that, increasingly, European merger studies that examine post-2000 data find that bank mergers are value-creating even for the bidding firms. Evidence that pre-merger bank efficiency has a positive effect on cumulative abnormal returns, and that the market takes into account perceived future bank efficiency on merger announcement, underscores the importance of efficiency as a performance measure. If how the market reacts to a merger announcement reflects future efficiency performance, shareholders, policy makers, and other stakeholders may be able to take that as one of the factors on which they can base their decisions regarding the yet uncompleted merger. They can also use previous efficiency records for predicting short-term and long-term performance of prospective parties to a merger before announcement.

This thesis employs advanced econometric methods to understand the determinants of race inequalities in labour markets and in higher education in Brazil. It then investigates whether race diversity can be used as a policy to reduce existing inequalities in pay and college campuses. It uses data from the National Household Sample Survey PNAD of 2005 and the National Examination of Higher Education Courses (ENC/Provão) of 2003. The main methodological contributions of this thesis are: 1) extending wage models to include several variables which can explain more than 40 percent of the total variation in wages; 2) computing a proxy for parental education (this has not been possible to estimate using PNAD since 1996); 3) correcting wage equations for selection bias using a robust instrument (most studies ignore the sample selection problem by using employed males only); 4) implementing a new algorithm that combines Heckman Two-Step, complex sample weights and constrained least squares (this increases robustness of the detailed decomposition of the discrimination term). This is done in a generalized wage decomposition setting where the level of discrimination is invariant to the choice of the reference wage group. Results show an existing pay-gap and a significant level of discrimination against nonwhites even after corrections are made. Selection bias appears to underestimate the discrimination term considerably. This study also develops a theoretical framework for the study of the impact of diversity on labour productivity and on discrimination simultaneously. Results support policies which seek greater diversity in order to reduce the existing inequalities in labour markets and on higher education campuses. However, the outcome of policies aimed at increasing diversity on campuses can significantly differ depending on the existing level of diversity and the subject majors attended by students.

Sovereign wealth funds and their regulation The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive explanation of the current issue of the role and activities of sovereign wealth funds in financial markets and to try to summarize current international regulatory framework, as well as to outline possible changes in this system. This question comes from description and interpretation of the most important international "soft-law" rules on sovereign wealth funds - the so- called Santiago Principles (Generally Accepted Principles and Practices) and the OECD's related legislation. The reason for selection of this topic is a fact that issues related to existence of sovereign wealth funds and their legal regulation have not been discussed sufficiently in Czech scientific circles. This work is divided into four chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the aforementioned issues. In the second chapter, which consists of two sections, the work is concentrated on general characteristics of existence of sovereign wealth funds. The first section is focused on definition of the term "sovereign wealth fund", categorization of such funds on the basis of their characteristic features and analysis of legal nature of these funds. The second section is devoted to influence of sovereign wealth funds on financial...

Thesis advisor: James F. Keenan / This dissertation argues that both wealth and poverty function as moral luck to impede the pursuit of virtue and that economic inequality worsens the problem. I begin with a chapter describing the state of economic inequality today, asking whether economic inequality is a problem distinct from poverty. I conclude that it is, for three reasons: inequality causes many social ills traditionally associated with poverty; it self-perpetuates; and—the argument I advance throughout the dissertation—inequality functions as moral luck to harm virtue. In the next chapter, I argue for a Christian virtue account of moral luck. Moral luck is a term used by feminist philosophers to describe the impact of life circumstances on persons’ ability to pursue virtue. I examine Scripture, Aquinas, and the work of womanist theologians to propose a Christian virtue account of moral luck that acknowledges both the pervasiveness of sin and Christian hope for God’s promised redemption. In the third chapter, I draw on Aquinas and contemporary virtue theorists to provide rich descriptions of the eight virtues I will consider throughout the dissertation. I describe a new virtue taxonomy: cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, and humility; “daughter” virtues of solidarity, fidelity and self-care; and helper virtues of temperance and fortitude. To understand how inequality functions as moral luck, we must first understand how wealth and poverty affect our pursuit of virtue. I continue with a chapter describing the impact of wealth, which I define as “having more than we need,” on the virtues in my taxonomy. Blending resources from psychology, sociology and theology, I conclude that wealth impacts the pursuit of virtue in two major ways: by endowing the wealthy person with hyperagency, or greater power, freedom and choice than that enjoyed by others; and by becoming an end in itself. This does not mean that wealth has a unilaterally negative impact on the pursuit of virtue; for example, I argue that wealth can help in pursuing the virtue of self-care. In the next chapter, I assess how poverty, which I define as being unable to meet one’s needs or meeting them only through constant and precarious struggle, functions as moral luck. Consulting social science, memoirists and journalists who write about poverty, and liberation theologians, I show that key issues in poverty’s impact on virtue include scarcity, which impacts cognitive processing and can limit access to certain virtuous practices, and diminished self-regard. This does not mean that poverty has a unilaterally negative impact on the pursuit of virtue; for example, a variety of evidence suggests that poverty encourages the virtue of solidarity. My final chapter shows how inequality exacerbates the impact of wealth and poverty on virtue in terms of hyperagency, wealth as an end in itself, scarcity and self-regard. I offer suggestions for future Christian ethical work on moral luck and responses to the impact of economic inequality on virtue. These include practical economic solutions to reduce inequality and theological solutions including encounter, conversion, satisfaction with contentment, and dependence on God. I suggest that the Christian community can respond to the impact of economic inequality on virtue through political action; a renewed approach to tithing and aid; and creating sites for encounter between the rich and the poor. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis advisor: Matthew Rutledge / This paper explores the relationship between social security wealth (SSW) and the decision to retire early in five countries: the United States, Germany, Denmark, Poland, and Australia. Individual probit regressions are used to analyze the impact of SSW on early retirement in each specific country. Next, a cross-country probit model including the United States, Germany, and Denmark is estimated to highlight the same relationship in three very different social insurance schemes. Finally, a counterfactual experiment is run in order to examine the impact of a 6.67 percent benefit cut on the likelihood of early retirement. This paper finds that SSW is associated with a greater likelihood of early retirement in the United States, Poland, and Denmark. However, these results are only statistically significant in the United States and Poland. Conversely, the relationship is statistically significant and negative in Australia, and statistically insignificant and negative in Germany. The counterfactual experiment reinforces these findings, demonstrating a particularly high responsiveness of a benefit cut in Denmark and Poland relative to the other countries. The results of the cross-country model finds that SSW has the largest positive effect on early retirement in the United States, followed by Germany, and finally Denmark. However, these contradictory results are not statistically significant. This paper presents interesting policy implications to consider in the United States. The statistically significant but small effect of SSW on early retirement in the United States indicates that policies aimed at reducing benefits as a means of decreasing the likelihood of early retirement may not be the most effective. Additionally, the creation of a system similar to Australia’s low-cost superannuation may be worth investigating, as superannuation benefits appear to have a similar negative impact on early retirement as pension benefits in the United States. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Economics.

Thesis advisor: Alicia H. Munnell / This dissertation contains three essays. Each considers an economic decision faced by elderly households. The cost of nursing home care represents a substantial financial risk for older households. Yet, only 10 percent purchase long-term care insurance (LTCI), with many relying on Medicaid. The first essay estimates a structural model of the LTCI purchase decision using Health and Retirement Study data. Estimates indicate that this population has a modest preference for higher quality care and thus Medicaid crowds out LTCI. In addition, housing wealth provides self-insurance against the cost of nursing home care, so that individuals who are "house-rich cash-poor" are less likely to purchase LTCI. I also evaluate public policies designed to stimulate the take-up of LTCI and reduce Medicaid spending. I find that a comprehensive 20 percent subsidy would increase take-up by 160 percent, but the resulting Medicaid savings would amount to only 22 percent of the subsidy cost. A targeted subsidy would be more likely to break even, but would have only a small effect on coverage. Full enforcement of Medicaid estate recovery programs would reduce Medicaid expenditure by 31 percent, but would have insignificant effect on LTCI coverage. The second essay investigates the impact of house prices fluctuations on the non-durable goods consumption decision of older households. House prices in the United States fluctuate over time with significant regional variation. Thus, understanding how these price movements affect households' consumption has important policy implications. Existing studies focus mostly on the working population, leaving the effect of older households, who could be either the largest beneficiaries or victims of house price fluctuations, unexamined. Using Health and Retirement Study data, I show that house price fluctuations significantly affect non-durable goods consumption of older households. Estimates indicate that both the wealth effect and a relaxed borrowing constraint increase consumption when house prices appreciate. In addition, I find that only unexpected changes in house prices lead to changes in consumption of non-credit constrained households, which is consistent with economic theory predictions. Finally, I provide evidence that older households usually fund the additional consumption by increasing mortgage debt, rather than by drawing down financial assets. The third essay evaluates the value of the additional longevity insurance acquired by delaying claiming social security benefit. Individuals can claim Social Security at any age from 62 to 70, although most claim at 62 or soon thereafter. Those who delay claiming receive increases that are approximately actuarially fair. I show that expected present value calculations substantially understate both the optimal claim age and the losses resulting from early claiming because they ignore the value of the additional longevity insurance acquired as a result of delay. Using numerical optimization techniques, I illustrate that for plausible preference parameters, the optimal age for non-liquidity constrained single individuals and married men to claim benefit is between 67 and 70. I calculate that Social Security Equivalent Income, the amount by which benefits payable at suboptimal ages must be increased so that a household is indifferent between claiming at those ages and the optimal combination of ages, can be as high as 19 percent. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo elucidar a atuação de um agente particular, no papel de credor, no conjunto da complexa cadeia de financiamento da cafeicultura: trata-se do Cel. Christiano Osório de Oliveira, de São João da Boa Vista, no interior do Estado de São Paulo, entre 1890 e 1937. A investigação, centrada na exclusiva atuação desse negociante de dinheiro, possibilitou conhecer mais claramente, em seus meandros, o mecanismo de fornecimento do crédito, no período enfocado, e nas regiões e localidades em que esse personagem desempenhou essa função. Permitiu, também, revelar aspectos de sua trajetória e singular transformação, desde fazendeiro a banqueiro, e, posteriormente, comissário de café no porto de Santos. O spot centrado nesse indivíduo gerou a oportunidade de se compreender, mais detidamente, o processo de formação, expansão e diversificação da riqueza cingida ao grande capital cafeeiro paulista. A análise revelou, além das principais modalidades creditícias da época, a hierarquização existente entre os agentes que atuavam nas teias do crédito. A pesquisa pautou-se pelo exame de dois blocos documentais convergentes: o primeiro, caracterizado por documentação privada e original, deixada pelo Cel. Christiano Osório de Oliveira; e, o segundo, constituído por fontes cartoriais referentes ao custeio e/ou plantação de café das propriedades rurais, via hipoteca e penhor agrícola. Em suma, busca-se contribuir para a discussão acerca do papel desempenhado pelo grande capital cafeeiro na diversificação econômica paulista, sob o enfoque do crédito na economia cafeeira. / This study aims to elucidate the performance of a specific agent, as creditor, throughout the complex financing chain of coffee: Col. ChristianoOsório de Oliveira, from São João da Boa Vista, São Paulo, between 1890 and 1937. The investigation, focused on the unique function of thismoney dealer, allowed us to know more clearly, in its intricacies, credit providing mechanism, on the present period and in the regions and localities where this character has played his role. It also allowed us to reveal aspects of his history and unique transformation, from farmer to banker, and later coffee Commissioner in the port of Santos. The spot centered on this subject has created an opportunity to understand, in greater detail, the process of formation, expansion and diversification of wealth that surrounded great coffee capital of São Paulo state. Analysis has revealed, besides the main lending modalities of time, the existing hierarchy among the agents who had worked in the credit webs. The research has been guided by examining two converging documentary blocks: the first, characterized by private and unique documentation left by Col. Christiano Osório de Oliveira; and the second consisting of notary sources for the funding and / or coffee plantation of farms, via agricultural mortgage and pledge. In short, we search to contribute to the discussion about the role of great coffee capital at economic diversification in the state of São Paulo, under the credit approach on coffee economy.

楊硯. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 220-244). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract in Chinese and English. / Yang Yan.