Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Ohio University, 2017, Business Administration

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship between youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and social entrepreneurship. Specifically, this study looks at their interest in becoming social entrepreneurs, and at their perception on the impact of social entrepreneurship. This research contributes to the social entrepreneurship literature by exploring how youth can leverage social enterprise to contribute to the development of countries in the MENA developing region. A quantitative methodology with 77 survey respondents revealed that understanding the meaning of social entrepreneurship and being aware of the impact that social enterprises can enable youth interest in this field. This study concludes by recommending for social entrepreneurship education and institutional support from the government, private sector, and financial institutions to promote social entrepreneurial efforts among youth.

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2017, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

In Youngstown, Ohio and the Mahoning Valley region, the arts community and local economic leaders of the city wanted to jumpstart innovative change that would improve the quality of life for residents, and develop solutions to attract new businesses and organizations to be a part of the community. Discussion among artists and economic leaders were made to inspire the arts and economic development sectors to work together. However, there was an equal number of doubts expressed about the possibilities of coordinated plans to improve the state of Youngstown's community by implementing art throughout the public spaces. The purpose of this research was to study perceptions about the arts in Youngstown, Ohio in order to learn more about the feasibility of public art in the community and to better understand how to implement an arts-focused plan to strengthen the economy of Youngstown, Ohio. This study was conducted to investigate arts practitioners' and consumers' perceptions about the arts community's potential economic impact on Youngstown. Also, the study considered these perceptions when analyzing the importance of incorporating public art to encourage economic growth and development.

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2014, Mechanical Engineering

Economic Input-output analysis (EIOA) is a powerful technique for studying the economic behavior of a policy. Using this technique, one can study the consequences of applying a policy in a society from economic, social, and environmental perspectives. Chapters one through five of the study capture the economic impacts of recycling used dry cell batteries collected as a result of effective recycling policies at the higher education institutions (HEI) of the United States. Applied methodology modifies intermediate transactions of the input-output tables. The results show an $11,522 decrease in the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States by applying strong recycling policies at HEI. These results support effective tax or credit incentive budget allocations in favor of recycling as the most environmentally friendly end-of-life option. Chapter 6 designs a set of policies that aim to improve quality of the environment as well as the economic growth. A framework for analyzing the EIOA results regarding implementation of the proposed policies is developed. The developed framework applies Design and Analysis of Experiments techniques and provides reasonable insight into the selection of the most effective policies, which increases the GDP as well as the quality of environment.

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

As a relatively new economic development tool, Joint Economic Development Districts, or JEDDs, have been on the rise over the past decade. Little information exists detailing why JEDDs are becoming more frequently utilized. The information that exists only documents the history of their creation. With little to no information, the question was raised: Are JEDDs effective in achieving their goals? Through the creation and use of a Goals-Achievement Matrix, an evaluation took place on three JEDDs, each of which was created at different times. Analysis shows that JEDDs are effective in achieving the identified goals but at varying degrees of success. Likewise, JEDDs enable participating communities to achieve their goals while maintaining jurisdictional independence. This analysis is the first of its kind and provides some insight as to why JEDDs are growing in use.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, City and Regional Planning

In the past two decades, a group of prominent foundations has shifted their grantmaking from supporting social services toward directly engaging in urban development, leading significant planning and implementation processes largely outside of formal governmental structures and processes. Despite the prominence of this grantmaking and emerging interests in the urban studies and planning scholarship, systematic research on the changing forms and extent of foundations' engagement in urban development is scarce. In this three-essay dissertation, I investigate why and how prominent foundations increasingly pursue their own visions for the future of cities by directly engaging in urban development. I also tease out the implications for incorporating diverse interests in the planning and implementation of foundation-backed development schemes. In the first essay, I identify six distinctive community and economic development (CED) grantmaking patterns among large place-oriented foundations by integrating statistical and qualitative analyses. I further demonstrate that CED grantmaking by place-oriented foundations is primarily driven by organizational interests, particularly those of senior leaders and board members while being constrained by foundations' missions and the makeup of their donors. In the second essay, I investigate an attempt to implement a model of urban development based on a highly transactional view of urban development—“Capital Innovation” model—by a network of high-profile national foundations. By looking into tensions around knowledge of investment capital, scale, and representation in decision-making, I uncover challenges and conflicts around the implementation of a national model of urban development that prioritizes capital investment and financial expertise in a particular historical and institutional context. In the third essay, I analyze two prominent foundations that shifted their engagement in urban development in response to comparable socioec (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Political Science

In discussing the intersection between business and politics, Robert Dahl claimed that there is "no dearth of important and even urgent questions." This dissertation tackles one such question: How do economic firm intervention in the development of the state influence modern outcomes? I argue that when institutions are in transition, firms and state actors both face uncertainty, and as a result, they enter an arrangement in which the state actor consistently provides the firm with public resources in return for patronage. I define this as state capture. Across my three papers, I find that when we focus on the role of firms in political development, there are widespread and long-term consequences for the state and local populations when the state is captured. Across all three of these papers, I explore these ramifications in Appalachia Kentucky. State capture is not a novel concept, but its usage is uneven and unclear, and there is no cohesive intellectual conversation. The first paper ameliorates this by taking this literature and synthesizing a concept from which we can derive clearer implications. I use Kentucky and the Appalachian coal region to explore this concept. I collect archival data to test one observable implication of the concept---lack of democratic commitment and non-competitive elections. I find the inverse of what I expect to observe, elections in Appalachia Kentucky, for the locally elected sheriff and tax commissioner are more competitive than my theory predicts. I discuss this finding considering my concept and argue that this represents a need for understanding how economic firms can influence political outcomes. The second paper applies the conceptualization of state capture more deeply to the case of Appalachia Kentucky, to create a model to better understand the region's persistent economic underdevelopment. I argue that compared to previous Appalachian development models, understanding the region's local politics as captured is empiric (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2021, Rural Sociology

This research focuses on Amish and Plain farmers for several reasons. First, Amish, and Plain people are a substantial portion of the farmers in the Wayne County area. They represent 20.4% of the farmers in Wayne County and 53.7% of the farmers in neighboring Holmes County. Second, Amish and Plain farmers are likely to be a growing portion of the farming population in this multi-county area with the Amish population doubling every 21.25 years (Donnermeyer 2015), they are more likely to be younger. They are more likely to say they would encourage their children to become farmers, and less likely to say that their children cannot afford to take over their farm. Third, Amish and Plain farmers represent a large portion of the mid-sized farms in the Wayne County area. Fourth, Amish and Plain farmers have been underrepresented in government decision-making and policy creation historically (Brock, Ulrich-Schad, and Prokopy 2018). Fifth, Amish and Plain farmers are more likely to be certified organic and use specialty labels or certifications. For these reasons, Amish and Plain farmers are especially important to economic and community development in the Wayne County area. The first objective of this research is to enhance the inclusivity and effectiveness of county food and agricultural planning in Amish and Plain communities. The second objective is to provide perspective for planners, Extension workers, practitioners, and researchers for understanding the Amish and Plain farming community. Select literature about value-added agriculture, Amish and Plain studies, and rural community and economic development are used to provide background and context for this study. This research does four things: 1) Highlights the importance of Amish and Plain farmers to Wayne and Holmes Counties, Ohio. 2) Delineates the differences in production and marketing practices between Amish and non-Amish farmers in Wayne and Holmes County using the 2020 Ohio Farm Poll data. 3) Identifies the wa (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Consumer Sciences

Sustainable tourism has been considered a great solution for women empowerment in developing countries with several positive changes to the women's lives participating in these projects (Cicek et al.,2017). However, women are still facing issues of inequality in terms of socioeconomic opportunities, gender gap, and advancement openings (UNWTO, 2019). This study examined women empowerment through sustainable tourism industry and how it affects the lives of female participants as the lack of models that focus on women empowerment in tourism reduces the understanding of these issues. The study follows a mixed method approach; qualitative (interview techniques) and quantitative (survey). the findings were validated in the US context as it was found that women empowerment has a significant direct positive impact on economic changes, attuited changes, satisfaction with life, and a significant indirect effect on satisfaction with life through economic changes.

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2017, Geography (Arts and Sciences)

Baltimore gained national attention in the spring of 2015 after Freddie Gray, a young black man, died while in police custody. This event sparked protests in Baltimore and other cities in the U.S. and soon became associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. One way to bring communities together, give voice to disenfranchised residents, and broadcast political and social justice messages is through street art. While it is difficult to define street art, let alone assess its impact, it is clear that many of the messages it communicates resonate with host communities. This paper investigates how street art is defined and promoted in Baltimore, how street art is used in Baltimore neighborhoods to resist oppression, and how Black Lives Matter is influencing street art in Baltimore. Using qualitative research methods, including interviews and newspaper analysis, I explore the opinions and views of Baltimoreans with respect to street art and provide insight into the conjunction of racial tension and artistic expression. This study brings to light important aspects of urban governance, social justice, community development and public space through investigation of activism through community-based street art.

BA, Kent State University, 2017, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

I am interested in this particular topic because I would like to further understand the real intent of United States foreign aid in five West African countries with different internal challenges and conditions. In this paper, I will be discussing whether or not the United States bilateral development aid that has been given to Benin, the Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, and Senegal has helped either country develop economically. These countries are grouped into different sections. Benin and Liberia are grouped together in one section. The Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Senegal are grouped separately from Benin and Liberia. Although the United States has given aid to Benin and Liberia, the assistance has not helped improve the economic development of neither recipient country. This same assistance has not enhanced the economic development of the Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Senegal. Benin and Liberia are two West African countries which are considered to be low income nations by different intergovernmental organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. However, the central conditions of Liberia and Benin differ. Benin is a stable democracy with continually great relations with the United States that still remains underdeveloped. In contrast, Liberia has faced a variety of different conflicts and tribulations. Bilateral relations between the United States and Liberia have been inconsistent due to different ideological alignments with the U.S. The countries of the Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Senegal are all West African countries with different statuses regarding internal economic development. All three of these West African countries have close, geographical borders within West Africa. However, all three of these countries are in different stages of economic development and state of relations between the United States. The Gambia is currently beginning to politically stabilize, however the economic conditions of the country have been deteriora (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, City and Regional Planning

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, welcoming initiatives aimed specifically at attracting first generation immigrant entrepreneurs for their economic benefits are launching in shrinking cities of the Rust Belt in the Midwestern United States. However, with their narrow focus on economic benefits, these initiatives may be overlooking the spatial or community development impacts of immigrant entrepreneurship which have a strong effect on the reinvention and indeed resilience that cities are seeking to achieve by attracting immigrant entrepreneurs. The main objective of this research is to examine first generation immigrant entrepreneurship within the context of immigrant welcoming policies and plans. The five initiatives under investigation - Agenda 360 (Cincinnati), Welcome Dayton, Global Detroit, Immigrant Welcome Center of Indianapolis, and St. Louis Mosaic Project - are the longest standing consistent members of the Welcoming Economies Global Network and its predecessor organization known as the Global Great Lakes Initiative. These initiatives have the most established programming and longest track records of all member initiatives. This dissertation begins with a review of the academic literature related to the non-spatial and spatial impacts of immigrant entrepreneurship. It then presents Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analyses of each of the initiatives, a social justice framework analysis of the Welcome Dayton Plan, and an examination of eight existing indices of urban resilience. Findings include common strengths and opportunities such as peer-to-peer programs, ethnic chambers of commerce, and existing immigrant communities, as well as common weaknesses and threats such as small staff sizes, limited sources of funding, and a lack of evaluation metrics. The success of welcoming initiatives will be mitigated by external threats such as federal immigration policy, negative sentiment toward immigrants, and competing welcoming i (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies and Public Affairs, Cleveland State University, 2015, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs

A region's workforce has been described as its greatest asset. Guided by human capital theory and new growth theory, regions have pursued economic development policies to increase the number of college-educated workers and expand the pool of STEM -- science, technology, engineering, and math -- talent. Academic literature and policy interventions have focused on a region's human capital in terms of educational attainment instead of a more fine-grained definition of human capital based on skills and competencies. This dissertation integrates economic and business theory and combines three federal databases to explore regional human capital assets. Findings suggest that policymakers may be overestimating the importance of STEM knowledge requiring a bachelor's degree or higher and undervaluing the importance of soft skills such as communication and critical-thinking. Moreover, results indicate that regions may be best served by crafting distinct human capital interventions that reflect the particular needs of their mix of industry.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Regional Development Planning

My dissertation examines the Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) change impacts of major employers locating in small towns and rural areas both spatially and temporally at a regional scale. Major employer location has for decades been considered a powerful tool for economic development in small towns and rural areas, however, the impacts of such employers in instigating development activities and LULC changes are rarely evaluated even though they are acknowledged in the literature. Using the case study of the Toyota plant location near Georgetown in rural Scott County, this research develops Cellular Automata and Markov Chain Analysis (CA_MCA) based LULC change models to assess the Toyota plant impacts within 9 counties adjoining Scott from the 1980s to 2000s. The influence of a set of local socio-economic, geographic, biophysical, and land use control factors that drive LULC changes are also incorporated in the models. Two LULC change scenarios – Scenario 1 and 2 – are developed to estimate the LULC changes as impacted by the plant and understand the process of development over time and space. Scenario 1 is developed with LULC and other datasets from the pre-Toyota phase to predict the LULC changes in the region in absence of the plant, and then the predicted images are compared with the actual ones to estimate the plant impacts. Scenario 2 is developed with datasets from the post-Toyota phase to understand the changing influence of the plant in the region over time. The significance of this research is that it applies advanced methodologies for assessment of LULC changes that often occur in small towns and rural areas following large-scale economic development projects, and can assist planners and policy makers with better understanding of locations and time-frames of LULC changes so that valuable land resources can be efficiently developed, managed or protected in sustainable ways.

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Community Planning

The Main Street Approach is increasingly used to meet conventional economic development goals, as urban neighborhoods in several cities have gained Main Street programs. Bringing Main Street and conventional economic development programs in closer contact makes it necessary to evaluate the fundamental relationships between the two approaches. A new model, a Main Street program operating as a part of an urban Community Development Corporation (CDC), may serve as an object lesson. A program theory evaluation, which is a necessary first stage in a comprehensive evaluation, is an examination of the beliefs and expectations of a program and their logical relationship to the program's methods. Without a program theory assessment, it is impossible to determine conclusively whether any impacts noted result from the methods' meeting the objectives of the program theory or from other circumstances. In this thesis, the program theories of the Main Street Approach and conventional economic development are assessed and compared, as are the Main Street Approach and urban CDCs. These comparisons illuminate internal tensions within an individual program theory. They also demonstrates areas of synergy, where the two approaches can benefit each other, as well as points of potential tension, where the two approaches may find themselves in conflict. Based on the program theory evaluation, Main Street and conventional economic development programs, particularly CDCs, are likely to find several opportunities to complement each other, as well as some issues on which they will need to negotiate deep differences. Each program has the potential to benefit the other on points that range from administrative duties to offsetting internal tensions in their program theories, but program proponents will also find that their respective understanding of the problem and purpose differ significantly. This thesis recommends that proponents of both approaches improve their understanding of the others' p (open full item for complete abstract)

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Community Planning

A major obstacle to community and urban redevelopment is the lack of investment capital due to market failures, high risks, and unattractive investment returns. The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program was established by the Federal Government in 2000 in order to attract private capital to low-income communities by offering tax credits as an enhancement to investor returns. The program provides resources for low-income communities through the tax code, rather than direct subsidy, in order to engage the private sector in community development activity. This research project examines four NMTC investment funds in Cincinnati, Ohio as case studies that illustrate the different ways in which the program can be used to attract investment capital. It answers questions concerning how the investments funds are structured, the benefits of each structure type, and the effectiveness of the NMTC program for achieving community development objectives. The research finds that the NMTC program has been an extremely effective method of attracting private investment for community development financing in Cincinnati, generating $324 million of investment with $51.5 million of tax credits. Leveraged and “bottom-up” investment structures offer more flexibility in the financing stage, but are restrictive in project type. Conversely, non-leveraged and “top-down” investment structures are restrictive in financing sources, but provide greater flexibility for project types. Financing through the NMTC program is largely led by private for-profit and non-profit organizations, employing investment measures and underwriting techniques to ensure that projects are financially feasible and sustainable. The program also facilitates public-private partnership, obtaining private investment for public redevelopment projects such as parks and squares. The research also reinforces the existence of program biases toward real estate projects and large, sophisticated CDEs.

BUP/MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Asset Mapping utilizes the concepts of physical capital, human capital, and social capital, as a holistic way of evaluation for revitalization and economic development. Challenges exist within most communities and focusing on only one aspect of development and/or revitalization separate from the others is not beneficial in the long run for sustainable planning and more often than not causes a disconnection between residents, organizations, and local/regional institutions. Asset Mapping encourages cooperation between the components of a community that make it work, or not, and examines the structures of process. A capacity building initiative, Asset Mapping focuses on positive resources instead of needs and problems, encouraging momentum towards networking that can build a strong foundation connecting social and institutional dichotomy. Asset Mapping makes it easier to deal with community negatives by identifying and accentuating the positive resources which can be utilized efficiently and directly to resolve challenges and issues.

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Suburban commercial corridors, also called strips, are facing increased challenges, including vacant or underutilized storefronts, lower quality businesses entering the market, aging buildings and infrastructure, increasing traffic delays, and increased regional competition. The 4.5 mile long commercial corridor along State Route 4 in Fairfield, Ohio is facing many of these same challenges. This report studies the market conditions within the Route 4 corridor, researches other similar corridors, and ultimately makes eight recommendations aimed at improving the vitality and competitive position of Route 4.

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Community Planning

This thesis examines the potential role for community development corporations (CDCs) in the practice of business retention by investigating the industrial central city neighborhood of Greater Old North Dayton (GOND) in Dayton, Ohio. With commercial land uses dominating GOND, the health of businesses bears significant impact on the health of the neighborhood. In spite of this integral relationship between, the City of Dayton has a minimal presence in GOND, and the CDC serving the area, the Old North Dayton Development Corporation (ONDDC), has not been engaged in economic development of the neighborhood. In response, ONDDC and the GOND Business Association sponsored a survey of businesses in their community. The survey revealed that GOND is home to a significant concentration of manufacturing firms, particularly tooling and machining and related businesses. The survey also identified the chief concerns of business as being in the areas of labor supply, local government services, and the quality of the neighborhood as a place to do business. Labor supply issues were most severe for manufacturers who were suffering shortages in both skilled and unskilled workforce. Businesses expressed dissatisfaction with local government, with complaints including unfair taxes, poor quality of basic services, and unresponsiveness to business requests. Concerns regarding GOND as a place to do business surrounded problems that are typical of older central city neighborhoods. While most firms pointed to the area's regional centrality and excellent interstate access as positive location factors, most also noted that crime and blighted appearance are detractors for the neighborhood. This study offers strategies for neighborhood-based economic development. ONDDC is presented as a vehicle for economic development well-positioned to be attentive to neighborhood businesses and to fill the gap left by a shrinking city staff and a Chamber of Commerce whose focus is larger businesses. Specific r (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2010, Economics

"Development" is a ubiquitous term that at one turn refers purely to regional or national economic growth, and at another refers to achieving a basic standard of living for all the people of the world. The dearth of reflection on these multiple meanings in the literature is further overshadowed by the absence of empirical study into the different implications of development, when considered through these various lenses.In this thesis, I strive to provide some analysis into the prevailing trends in two separate measures among the 48 contiguous United States over the period 1997-2006: real Gross State Product per capita (GSP) representing the "economic growth" paradigm, and the Human Development Index (HDI) representing a more holistic "quality of life" conception. Using the standard convergence equation popularized and rigorously defined by Barro and Sala-i-Martin (2004), I analyze whether there is convergence, divergence or stability in the distribution of GSP and HDI over this time period. I also experiment with three different model specifications: the standard non-linear model, a random effects panel model, and a spatial error panel model with random effects. Each specification, by relaxing some of the assumptions of the previous model, is found to provide a more realistic and nuanced picture of the true data generating process. I find that, over the study period, there is stability in GSP among the states, and that HDI is converging rapidly. I find further that all of the components of HDI are converging with the exception of the "command over resources" component, which is based on real GSP per capita. This implies that if prevailing trends continue, the quality of life experienced by the states in terms of health and education will rapidly approach equality, but that inequality in income is persistent, and should be the focus of policy aimed to increase equity among U.S. residents. I also find that there are significant spatial relationships among the states, (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2010, Rural Sociology

Agricultural and food system economic development is important to farmers, local food-related businesses, policy makers and rural and urban communities. While rural economic development has been a longstanding interest of rural sociologists, there has been little work that has focused on the development potential of agriculture and the food system. With the growing interest in local food systems, the opportunity may exist for communities to think strategically and act collectively to develop farming and food enterprises in their locales. The goal of this research is to draw from and build upon both the agricultural and food system development literature and the community development literature to identify what types of communities choose to organize around agricultural economic development and whether organization within rural-urban interface communities impacts the type and function of agricultural economic development activities in those communities. Data are derived from the 2008 survey Agricultural Change, Land Use, and Economic Development at the Rural-Urban Interface. The community development literature indicates that a certain degree of organization enables communities to engage in self-development. However, agricultural economic development and food system literature does not clearly illustrate how community organization impacts various forms of agricultural economic development activities in communities. This study explores two questions: 1) Do communities with greater agricultural social infrastructure at the rural-urban interface engage in more agricultural and food system-related development activities than those communities with less social infrastructure, and 2) Do communities with greater agricultural social infrastructure at the rural-urban interface engage more in agricultural and food system-related self-development activities, compared to extra-local development strategies? I anticipate that social organization, or social infrastructure, withi (open full item for complete abstract)