Reel Representation: The Economic Impact of Gender on Bollywood Box Office Revenue
by Sidharth Ravi Abstract The Hindi Film Industry, known as Bollywood, is seen as a gatekeeper of Indian culture. Annually thousands of films are produced, half a million workers across India are employed and millions in revenue is created. Although Bollywood has ensured increased employment and wage opportunities for women on and off screen, the […]
Medicaid Managed Care and Emergency Department Utilization: A North Carolina Analysis
by Temitope Ayokunmi Ojo Abstract In July 2021, North Carolina Medicaid switched from a traditional fee-for-service model to a Medicaid managed care (MMC) network. This thesis explores the effect of this policy change on Emergency Department (ED) utilization for Medicaid beneficiaries in North Carolina. A linear difference-in-difference model was used to estimate the change in […]
The Impact of Land Use Restriction on Housing Supply and Urban Form
by Brendan Patrick Elliott Abstract Rising home prices have led to public concern regarding housing affordability and availability. Interest in the role that land use regulations may play in reducing housing availability has been of increasing interest. While many of these regulations were initially implemented to preserve neighborhood character and promote sustainable growth, many contend […]
The Impact of Quiet Zone Implementation on Accident Incidence at Highway-rail Grade Crossings
by Jack Duhon Abstract In the last five years, (2019-2023) there have been 10,704 accidents at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs) in the United States, resulting in 3,859 injuries and 1,233 fatalities. This paper seeks to address impact of quiet zones, where trains are not allowed to blow their horns before going through a crossing, on […]
RadioWaves and Ballot Boxes: How Conservative Broadcasting Influenced Southern Electoral Behavior
by Ian Carlson Bailey Abstract This study examines how conservative talk radio influenced electoral behavior in the American South during the postwar era. Focusing on Carl McIntire’s “Twentieth Century Reformation Hour” program, I exploit exogenous variation in radio signal strength driven by topographical differences to identify causal effects on voting patterns. Using a novel dataset […]
Investing in Rural Healthcare: Impact of Private Equity Acquisition on Financial and Utilization Outcomes of Rural Hospitals
by Amanda He Abstract Private equity investment in the healthcare sector has risen considerably in recent decades, yet the impact of private equity ownership in rural hospital markets is largely unknown. Existing research points to a correlation between private equity acquisition and increased hospital incomes and charges. Rural hospitals, however, are structurally and operationally different […]
The Effect of Gun Prevalence on the Occurrence of School Shootings
by Abigail Ullendorff Abstract This paper studies how gun prevalence, represented by federal firearm background checks, affects the occurrence of school shootings. While precedent literature has estimated adverse effects of school shootings on exposed children, including reductions in mental health, academic achievement, and labor market earnings, few studies have attempted to identify factors that influence […]
Arts Organizations and Community Socioeconomic Development
by Madeleine Reinhard Abstract This paper studies the effects of arts organizations on local socioeconomic development at the U.S. ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA) level. While prior studies have qualitatively examined the impact of the arts industry or artistic individuals on their communities, few have approached this question econometrically, and even fewer have investigated the […]
The Sub-proportionality of Subjective Probability Weighting in Poker
by William Clark Abstract This study uses Texas Hold’em poker to investigate decision making under uncertainty and the concept of probability weighting, where individuals may overvalue or undervalue uncertain outcomes. I conduct an experiment to assess Cumulative Prospect Theory’s relevance to subjective probabilities in poker by simplifying the game to compare complex and simple gamble […]
Airline Non-Price Competition Between FSC and LCC Carriers: Varying Airline Optimization Strategies
by Lucas Johnson Abstract The goal of this paper is to extend the discourse surrounding certain topics in terms of airline optimization which is defined in this paper as the ability of an airline to efficiently transport goods and passengers as well as accrue revenue from its airplanes relative to its total capacity to transport […]
