▼ In this paper, economics and religion encounter each other in the application of microeconomic models to religious “non-market” behavior in an attempt to explain patterns of church contributions and church attendance. Dennis Sullivan (1985) used a 1963 dataset of over 2,000 Protestants to look at the structural relationship between religious contributions of time and money using the household allocation model, a framework established by Azzi and Ehrenberg (1975). This paper takes a similar approach by modeling contributions of time and money in a simultaneous equations framework using a more recent and comprehensive dataset. The use of dummy variables allows us to look at the selective incentives behind church contributions and church attendance and to consider each separately. Overall, this paper validates most of Sullivan’s (1985) findings. Advisors/Committee Members: Sullivan, Dennis.

▼ Contrary to popular opinion, economics as a field has one of the most pronounced gender gaps among undergraduate majors, and the relative lack of female majors has persistent negative effects on the labor outcomes of female students and on the quality of economics departments. This paper seeks to expand on existing literature concerning undergraduate economics major choice with an investigation of Miami University undergraduates and a new model that includes a number of factors investigated separately in prior studies.The results of this probit analysis reveal that, despite including a range of student, course, and instructor characteristics, the primary statistically and economically significant determinants of economics major choice are a student's performance in introductory economic theory courses relative to their peers and their GPA in all other courses. Further, controlling for the wide range of factors present in this model, instead of explaining the gender gap, actually serves to widen it among men and women. Finally, this analysis also finds that taking a course with female instructors, or having a greater proportion of female peers in the classroom has no effect on the probability of female students graduating with a degree in economics. Advisors/Committee Members: Fletcher, Deborah.

▼ In business there have been few rivalries as spectacular as that between Boeing and Airbus. Not only are bottom lines and stakeholder returns at stake, but also national pride and supremacy of the skies. These two immense corporations have been battling it out for over four decades. But what makes this competition between two very different foes so epic? What is it that drives these two firms to compete so vigorously? Why are they competing at all? With only two firms controlling the entire market, the industry fits the classic definition of an oligopoly - and yet we observe neither firm has undertaken collusion or moved to limit output. This paper will present an analysis of the competitive relationship between the rival firms within the large commercial aircraft manufacturing industry (or more simply the commercial aircraft industry). This paper will be divided into four main parts, each attempting to answer a pivotal question to our understanding of the nature of the competition: What does standard economic theory tell us about oligopolies? What is actually observed in the commercial aircraft industry? What factors drive the competition? What implications do these findings have? Advisors/Committee Members: Brock, James.

▼ East-Central Europe has experienced dramatic changes as the early 1990s brought an end to the socialist regimes of the former Soviet Union satellites. In understanding the transition those countries have undergone from socialist to capitalist arrangements, it is necessary to appreciate the essential differences between the two systems. This thesis starts with a presentation of the basic characterizing features of socialism and capitalism as they have been manifested in practical application. The description of the fundamentals of the opposing ideologies is followed up by a discussion of the transition from one to the other, with a particular emphasis on the problem of soft budget constraints. Although the transformation of the former socialist regimes of East-Central Europe was not pursued through identical approaches, it can be described by a number of common phenomena including instability, high inflation, and significant declines in output. Romania is observed as a case study of transition, having displayed a more reluctant commitment to change. The gradualist attitude of the first years of transition brought modest growth and restructuring. A switch to more radical reforms in the late 1990s and dedication to the goal of EU integration resulted in significant improvements and led to Romania’s acceptance as an EU member nation. This paper offers an overview of its transition and economic performance during the almost two decades since the country’s 1989 revolution. Advisors/Committee Members: Hart, William.

▼ In his 1992 presidential campaign, Bill Clinton made the statement: "It's time to honor and reward people who work hard and play by the rules.... No one who works full time and has children should be poor any more.” (Putting People First, 1992) With the implementation of TANF in 1996, families who had previously been receiving welfare through ADFC began to see whether work really is the answer to eliminating decades of persistent poverty in the United States. Now, over ten years after TANF, with poverty rates still hovering around 13%, we ask the question: was Clinton’s statement realistic? The underlying assumption of welfare reform was that moving people from welfare to work could “fix” the poverty problem in the United States. This paper asks whether full time work can be expected to provide enough income for families with children to be above the poverty line. It also asks whether the answer is sensitive to how “income” is calculated. Using data from the March 2007Current Population Survey, a counterfactual exercise captures the various changes in income and expenses families would receive if all families with children were given wages of at least full time work at the minimum wage. Advisors/Committee Members: Sullivan, Dennis.

▼ Inflation targeting has become an increasingly common monetary policy adopted in an effort to reach lower and more stable levels of inflation; however, the empirical benefits of inflation targeting are hard to conclusively identify. The theoretical benefits are derived from its characterization as a rule regime, yet inflation targeting can incorporate discretion. This paper investigates how much discretion inflation targeting allows by testing for a structural break in the Taylor rule. If adopting inflation targeting represents implementing a rule regime, then we expect to observe a structural break in the Taylor rule. If inflation targeting allows for considerable discretion, then we expect the coefficients to change at the will of the central bank. I consider three early inflation targeting countries: Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. I estimate the Taylor rule using both rolling regressions and a split sample approach. In general I find that inflation targeting allows for considerable discretion. Advisors/Committee Members: Raynold, Propser.

Provides an economic analysis of the current U.S. tobacco program. Looks at possibilities for reform and the eventual elimination of the tobacco program. Advisors/Committee Members: Brock, James W.