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Title: A MICROECONOMIC MODEL OF HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS: FROM THEORETICAL TO PRACTICAL.
Creator: Helligso, Jesse, Hamann, Kerstin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis is a microeconomic market analysis of healthcare systems. Different countries use various forms for financing and providing healthcare, and the effects of market forces on the quality, access and economic efficiency of these divergent healthcare markets is the primary subject. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the forces working in the healthcare market. Free-market healthcare systems allow medical providers to become price-setters. Price-setting by medical providers...
Show moreThis thesis is a microeconomic market analysis of healthcare systems. Different countries use various forms for financing and providing healthcare, and the effects of market forces on the quality, access and economic efficiency of these divergent healthcare markets is the primary subject. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the forces working in the healthcare market. Free-market healthcare systems allow medical providers to become price-setters. Price-setting by medical providers creates an economically inefficient system which decreases public access to healthcare but creates a high quality system. Single-payer systems make government the price-setter which creates a system in which medical providers are price-takers. Government price-setting guarantees access but quality and economic efficiency vary drastically between countries. Universal single-payer systems tend to set prices higher than the theoretically necessary price which creates a high quality, economically inefficient system. Socialized single-payer systems tend to set prices lower than the theoretically necessary price which creates government savings, wait-lists and poorer quality. The quality, economic efficiency, and equity of the healthcare system are determined by the form of the market used in the country. Ultimately, this market determines price. In a free-market system price is determined by providers of healthcare, in a socialized market price is determined by government, and in a universal healthcare system price is negotiated by both healthcare providers and government. Price negotiation in a universal system creates the greatest access to healthcare, and quality of healthcare. Socialized systems can be more economically efficient than a universal system, but quality and access can be limited. Price negotiation in a universal healthcare system fixes the problems of price negotiation inherent in the healthcare market.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001821, ucf:47355
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001821

Title: THE EFFECTS OF FEDERALISM ON WOMEN'S POLITICAL REPRESENTATION: A CASE STUDY OF GERMAN FEDERALISM.
Creator: Comfort, Christine, Hamann, Kerstin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis analyzes the effects of federalism on promoting gender representation in parliaments using the case of Germany. There is no country in the world where women and men are equally represented in politics. Discrepancies in representation may stem from historical, cultural, institutional, or structural facets. One little discussed possibility is that of governmental institutions, particularly, the federalist structure of government. Theoretically, federalism should encourage minorities...
Show moreThis thesis analyzes the effects of federalism on promoting gender representation in parliaments using the case of Germany. There is no country in the world where women and men are equally represented in politics. Discrepancies in representation may stem from historical, cultural, institutional, or structural facets. One little discussed possibility is that of governmental institutions, particularly, the federalist structure of government. Theoretically, federalism should encourage minorities, including women, to be elected to parliaments at a higher rate than in unitary states because it allows additional layer of access to and entry into elected office. By investigating the proportions of women in parliament at different levels of government, we can identify the effects of the federalist structure on advancing women's representation. The German federalist system is analyzed at three different levels: the sub-national (Lander), national (the Bundestag), and supra-national (European Parliament) level to assess whether the federal structure affects the level of representation by providing a funnel effect. The thesis also analyzed the importance of voluntary gender quotas adopted by many of the political parties on mitigating the effect of federalism. The final results of federalism as it related to gender equality in parliaments were inconclusive as the effects could not be clearly separated from those of gender quotas for the case of Germany.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFH0004512, ucf:45175
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004512

Title: WOMEN, WORK AND WELFARE: A CASE STUDY OF GERMANY, THE UK, AND SWEDEN.
Creator: Legg, Meredith, Hamann, Kerstin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis examines how different welfare state regimes affect gender relations by examining variations in welfare regimes and outcomes for women between Western European countries. The research seeks to understand how the diverse systems of social provision affect women: particularly with regard to their position in the labor market and in their ability to balance occupational and domestic work. Using a comparative, qualitative approach, I compare three Western European welfare states ...
Show moreThis thesis examines how different welfare state regimes affect gender relations by examining variations in welfare regimes and outcomes for women between Western European countries. The research seeks to understand how the diverse systems of social provision affect women: particularly with regard to their position in the labor market and in their ability to balance occupational and domestic work. Using a comparative, qualitative approach, I compare three Western European welfare states (Germany, the United Kingdom, and Sweden) to evaluate gender-relevant welfare policy with female employment rates, unemployment rates, and wage differentials. Welfare states and labor market policies affect outcomes for women because these policies influence and structure womenÃ‚Â's ability to enter paid labor and at the same time perform the majority of household labor and care work. To study the effect of welfare state variations upon women, I argue that a gender-focused model of welfare states is necessary. I borrow from Diane SainsburyÃ‚Â's (1996) framework establishing two contrasting ideal-types and combine this with Pascal and LewisÃ‚Â' (2004) gender equality model. Using this framework, I will assess whether my case studies vary around specific gender dimensions of variation including bases of entitlement, maternal and parental leave, pension, and the organization of care work. Preliminary findings align Germany and the United Kingdom with a male breadwinner gender model and Sweden with a dual-earner dual-carer model, although recent policy reforms in Germany and the United Kingdom oriented toward a Scandinavian welfare model may affect future gender outcomes. My research question hopes to uncover how welfare regimes and specific gender-relevant policies support or ignore womenÃ‚Â's labor force participation by reconciling work and home for women through an evaluation of gender-relevant outcomes for women. Systematically looking at the structure of welfare state provision and outcomes through a gender-relevant framework enhances our knowledge of the ways in which the varieties of gender regimes accommodate or perpetuate womenÃ‚Â's inequality in democracies.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0002974, ucf:47946
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002974

Title: Anti-capitalism in the Contemporary Age: The Case of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.
Creator: Maddens, William, Marien, Daniel, Jacques, Peter, Hamann, Kerstin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the popularity of anti-capitalist parties around the world has fallen. However, there are still surviving anti-capitalist political parties that survived this fall. In examining these parties, it must be determined whether they have any fresh ideas to overcoming the challenges of transitioning to a socialist society, and if they have any answers to the problems that plagued past attempts at socialism. One such party that has enjoyed much...
Show moreSince the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the popularity of anti-capitalist parties around the world has fallen. However, there are still surviving anti-capitalist political parties that survived this fall. In examining these parties, it must be determined whether they have any fresh ideas to overcoming the challenges of transitioning to a socialist society, and if they have any answers to the problems that plagued past attempts at socialism. One such party that has enjoyed much electoral success is the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. When taking a look at party programs, platforms, and statements made by party leaders, it does not appear that this party has made any conscious goal to answer the questions posed by previous attempts to transition away from capitalism, nor do they appear to answer criticisms posed by scholars on the subject. The United Socialist Party of Venezuela seems to have failed to learn from history.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007221, ucf:52218
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007221

Title: Commitment and Credibility in FDI.
Creator: Sullivan, Kathleen, Hamann, Kerstin, Edwards, Barry, Boutton, Andrew, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: How can firms in foreign direct investment (FDI) best protect their assets from host government contract beach? FDI is the largest and most stable form of external financing to less developed countries (LDCs). It increases job growth, technological development, and efficiency in the host country, subsequently increasing economic development. Companies prefer to invest in countries that are less prone to contract breach. I propose that credibility of commitments can help explain variation in...
Show moreHow can firms in foreign direct investment (FDI) best protect their assets from host government contract beach? FDI is the largest and most stable form of external financing to less developed countries (LDCs). It increases job growth, technological development, and efficiency in the host country, subsequently increasing economic development. Companies prefer to invest in countries that are less prone to contract breach. I propose that credibility of commitments can help explain variation in contract breach. I propose that firms are most likely to avoid contract breach when they are involved in supply chains and when the host country has a preferential trade agreement (PTA).I measure this relationship using a difference of means test and logistic regression. Using data from 1992-2008 from the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), I find that on average, the least amount of cases filed involved supply chains and PTAs. Only 4% of cases involved supply chains and PTAs, suggesting a protective force in FDI. The interaction between supply chains and PTAs has a significantly positive effect on investors winning their cases in the ICSID. My results suggest that in the event of a contract breach, my interaction variable of membership in supply chains and PTA's help investors protect their assets. The implications of these findings are twofold. To safeguard their FDI, firms can ensure better protection from contract breach through supply chains. Furthermore, host countries can attract more FDI from PTAs. For future research, I suggest case study analysis as well as interviews with representatives from foreign firms that have dealt with contract breach.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007866, ucf:52795
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007866

Title: Hidden in Plain Sight: Development and Testing of a Model to Evaluate Political Leadership Tactics.
Creator: Citron, Albert, Hamann, Kerstin, Handberg, Roger, Houghton, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis analyzes the kinds of verbal and nonverbal signals elites manifest to show leadership qualities. Launching from Max Weber's conceptual framework of charisma as a power term and Harold Lasswell's study of propaganda, this study takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying political leadership with elements of communication methodology and an ontological basis in evolutionary psychology. The study's goal is to offer a framework for defining and evaluating the diverse signal...
Show moreThis thesis analyzes the kinds of verbal and nonverbal signals elites manifest to show leadership qualities. Launching from Max Weber's conceptual framework of charisma as a power term and Harold Lasswell's study of propaganda, this study takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying political leadership with elements of communication methodology and an ontological basis in evolutionary psychology. The study's goal is to offer a framework for defining and evaluating the diverse signal patterns employed by political elites in three real-life situations. These are the Malta Summit, the 1992 Virginia Presidential Debate, and the 2012 South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary. The cases were chosen because they display a diverse set of signal variations during different types of interactions.The three case studies are evaluated by measuring frequency and patterns of occurrence of the five different interaction constructs (indicator of interest, indicator of disinterest, demonstration of high value, demonstration of low value, and compliance testing) to explain different interaction patterns. A simple frequency distribution of the different signals during a given interaction is used to display the empirical findings and to compare patterns across the case studies. This study reveals that the presence of DLV (demonstration of low value) signals weaken an elite's position in relation to other elites and the public while the presence of DHV (demonstration of high value) signals strengthen an elite's position. It is largely the presence, absence, and frequency of these two signals that determines who conveys leadership qualities effectively regardless of leadership style. Studying the signaling patterns of political elites would allow scholars to understand better the kinds of signal patterns and signal frequencies that are used in different types of leadership styles and norm ranges for signals including for political elites belonging to different cultures and subcultures.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004984, ucf:49563
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004984

Title: Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric in Western Europe: The Role of Integration Policies in Extreme Right Populism.
Creator: Martins, Nathalia, Kinsey, Barbara, Hamann, Kerstin, Turcu, Anca, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The recent rise of Western Europe's extreme populist Right (EPR) parties has been attributed to the EPR's mobilization of grievances over the issue of immigration (Ignazi 1991; Taggart 1996; Fennema 1997; Schain, 1998; Mudde 1999; Brubaker 2001; Ivarsflaten 2007). This study contributes to the literature on EPR's anti-immigrant rhetoric by examining whether different integration policies play a role in conditioning anti-immigrant rhetoric, and if so, what their role is in the formulation of...
Show moreThe recent rise of Western Europe's extreme populist Right (EPR) parties has been attributed to the EPR's mobilization of grievances over the issue of immigration (Ignazi 1991; Taggart 1996; Fennema 1997; Schain, 1998; Mudde 1999; Brubaker 2001; Ivarsflaten 2007). This study contributes to the literature on EPR's anti-immigrant rhetoric by examining whether different integration policies play a role in conditioning anti-immigrant rhetoric, and if so, what their role is in the formulation of such rhetoric.This thesis is comprised of two case studies: the French assimilation approach to immigrant integration and the rhetoric of Front National's leaders Jean-Marie and Marine Le Pen; and the Dutch multicultural approach to integration and the rhetoric of Dutch Party for Freedom's leader Geert Wilders. The main hypothesis is that each leader's anti-immigrant rhetoric incorporates the shortcomings of the integration approach adopted by their respective governments. Elements of the rejection of both assimilationism and multiculturalism are detected in the FN's and PVV's rhetoric, respectively, through a careful review of secondary and primary sources of language usage in Jean-Marie and Marine Le Pen's and Wilders' speeches, interviews, and media appearances.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004409, ucf:49387
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004409

Title: Youth Labor Market Conditions and the NEET Population in the EU: Do Poor Labor Market Opportunities Discourage Youth?.
Creator: Hudson, Jennifer, Hamann, Kerstin, Kinsey, Barbara, Powell, Jonathan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study examines how poor labor market opportunities discourage youth between the ages of 15 and 24 and 15 to 29 from participating in the labor market in the European Union between 2005 and 2013. A critical portion of inactive NEETs (youth not in employment, education, or training) reports to be discouraged due to a recognized (")lack of opportunities in the labor market.(") Despite indications from descriptive analyses that the conditions that drive the distinct subsets of the NEET...
Show moreThis study examines how poor labor market opportunities discourage youth between the ages of 15 and 24 and 15 to 29 from participating in the labor market in the European Union between 2005 and 2013. A critical portion of inactive NEETs (youth not in employment, education, or training) reports to be discouraged due to a recognized (")lack of opportunities in the labor market.(") Despite indications from descriptive analyses that the conditions that drive the distinct subsets of the NEET population vary, empirical examinations of the effects of these conditions on the rates of different NEET groups across countries and over time are lacking. The policies prescribed for the NEET group as a whole tend to ignore the special needs of discouraged, inactive NEETs. Beyond the fundamental problem of engaging these individuals in the labor market, neglecting this group has a variety of implications, ranging from social exclusion, to poverty, and even radicalism. A central goal of this project is to determine what a recognized (")lack of opportunities(") means. What is known concretely is that fellow youth are increasingly vulnerable to a range of labor market outcomes and conditions beyond unemployment, including difficulty transitioning into the labor market (school-to-work transitions), in-work poverty risk, non-standard employment opportunities (involuntary and voluntary), limited ability to transition into secure employment (i.e. upward mobility), lower wage levels, atypical employment, limited job security and support, and long-term unemployment. Utilizing aggregated survey data from the EU Labor Force Survey and EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions, I examine how a range of labor market outcomes and conditions for youth, representative of the poor labor market opportunities, affect the frequency of discouraged NEETs across 24 EU countries between 2005 and 2013. Findings suggest that the incidence of involuntary non-standard work, in-work poverty risk, and atypical employment among fellow youth and the incidence of decreased work security among the adult working age population are associated with an increase in discouraged, inactive NEETs. This suggests that engaging this hard to reach subgroup of the NEET population requires a greater emphasis on creating improved labor market opportunities.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006605, ucf:51292
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006605

Title: A Theory of Cultural Tolerance: Evidence from Former Soviet States.
Creator: Boulibekova, Ajara, Ash, Konstantin, Powell, Jonathan, Hamann, Kerstin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The prevention of ethnic conflict has been examined and debated upon within the Political Science community; studies involving economic standing, government structure, and historical background have been credited with reducing or preventing ethnic conflict. In the years leading up to the demise of the Soviet Union ethnic conflict was felt heavily throughout the Socialist Republics. After the fall of the U.S.S.R. scholars were certain that ethnic conflict would arise in Kazakhstan but alas it...
Show moreThe prevention of ethnic conflict has been examined and debated upon within the Political Science community; studies involving economic standing, government structure, and historical background have been credited with reducing or preventing ethnic conflict. In the years leading up to the demise of the Soviet Union ethnic conflict was felt heavily throughout the Socialist Republics. After the fall of the U.S.S.R. scholars were certain that ethnic conflict would arise in Kazakhstan but alas it did not, while other post-Soviet states, such as Moldova and Russia, had experienced ethnic conflict. What prevents ethnic conflict from occurring in one state but not the other? This thesis proposes that state efforts to promote cultural tolerance reduce the likelihood of ethnic conflict occurrence. State efforts to promote cultural tolerance include: language recognition, parliamentary reserved seats, constitutional protection, and inclusive citizenship laws. This theory is tested via a large-N regression time series cross sectional model including all of the former Soviet states, examining state-minority group dyads. Relevant factors such as oil, and group level economic inequality are also controlled for. The results reveal that inclusive citizenship laws have a positive significant effect on ethnic conflict, while language recognition seems to have a negative significant effect on ethnic conflict.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0006978, ucf:51657
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006978

Title: Dimensions of State Fragility: Determinants of Violent Group Grievance, Political Legitimacy, (&) Economic Capacity.
Creator: Christensen, Jason, Kinsey, Barbara, Mousseau, Demet, Hamann, Kerstin, Kircher, Amy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: State fragility has severe political implications. In the literature, fragile states have been referred to as (")chaotic breeding grounds(") for human rights violations, terrorism, violent extremism, crime, instability, and disease (Patrick 2011, 3-4). International organizations have also expressed concern regarding the potential of (")fragile states(") to disrupt collective security as threats such as transnational terrorism and human displacement from violent conflict have the potential to...
Show moreState fragility has severe political implications. In the literature, fragile states have been referred to as (")chaotic breeding grounds(") for human rights violations, terrorism, violent extremism, crime, instability, and disease (Patrick 2011, 3-4). International organizations have also expressed concern regarding the potential of (")fragile states(") to disrupt collective security as threats such as transnational terrorism and human displacement from violent conflict have the potential to permeate borders (Patrick 2011, 5). This research project aims at extending our understanding of state fragility by examining three distinct dimensions of state fragility proposed in the literature: i) state authority, ii) state legitimacy, and iii) state capacity. I narrow the scope of these dimensions by focusing on 1) violent group grievance, 2) political legitimacy, and 3) state economic capacity, respectively. The first dimension, state authority, is related to a government's control of unlawful intrastate violence. The second dimension, legitimacy, is linked to the public acceptance of the right of an authority to govern law through its practice and influence (Weber 1958, 32-36; Gilley 2006, 48; Connolly 1984, 34). The third dimension, capacity, represents a state-society relationship characterized mainly by the state's ability to provide public goods and protection of citizens and residents from (")harm(") such as natural disasters and economic downfalls (Gr(&)#228;vingholt, Ziaja, and Kreibaum 2012, 7). This dissertation examines each of these dimensions using quantitative analyses based on large-N datasets and cross-sectional longitudinal models to fill gaps in the literature on state fragility. In particular, I hypothesize 1) number of refugees increases the level of intrastate violent group grievance (state authority), 2) state human rights violations decreases popular support and thus public perceptions of state legitimacy, and 3) population constraints, such as food insecurity and disease increase economic decline and thus compromise the state's economic capacity. Internal violence, loss of legitimacy, and a weakened economy may increase levels of state fragility. Each of these three studies controls for alternative explanations and covers the time period between 2006 and 2014. The analysis results confirm the main hypotheses of this study and are expected to offer a more concise conceptual framework of state fragility, and better empirical understanding of potential contributors to state fragility.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006728, ucf:51876
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006728

Title: Risk Perceptions of Climate Change in International Environmental Negotiations.
Creator: Dellert, Christine, Jacques, Peter, Knox, Claire, Hamann, Kerstin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Climate change poses an unprecedented risk to global human security and future generations. Yet actions to mitigate or adapt to the changing climate system vary greatly among countries and their constituencies. Despite mounting evidence detailing the economic, social, and ecological risks of climate change, many scholars agree that the greatest threats associated with climate change involve delaying or ignoring necessary action. Using theorizing of (")risk society(") from Ulrich Beck and...
Show moreClimate change poses an unprecedented risk to global human security and future generations. Yet actions to mitigate or adapt to the changing climate system vary greatly among countries and their constituencies. Despite mounting evidence detailing the economic, social, and ecological risks of climate change, many scholars agree that the greatest threats associated with climate change involve delaying or ignoring necessary action. Using theorizing of (")risk society(") from Ulrich Beck and others, this thesis examines how countries, environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and business interests construct the risk of climate change and how their respective discourses conflict in international environmental negotiations. This research uses computer-assisted qualitative data analysis to explore statements submitted by each of these constituencies to the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP) for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010. Analysis of these texts identifies climate change discourse as crisis or opportunity, in addition to discourses of development, environmentalism, and rights or responsibilities to provide us a better understanding of how we perceive and respond to ecological risk.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005602, ucf:50252
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005602

Title: The Effects of Divided Government on Women's Organizations' Political Activity in Developed Democracies.
Creator: Wilson, Alexandria, Kinsey, Barbara, Hamann, Kerstin, Santana, Maria, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study examines the relationship between divided government and women's organizations' political activity. In the literature divided government is associated with political openness leading to a decline in the repression of alternative political views and increased organizational activity. In this thesis I hypothesize that divided government is related to increased participation in political activity by women's organizations. Political activity is expected to increase during periods of...
Show moreThis study examines the relationship between divided government and women's organizations' political activity. In the literature divided government is associated with political openness leading to a decline in the repression of alternative political views and increased organizational activity. In this thesis I hypothesize that divided government is related to increased participation in political activity by women's organizations. Political activity is expected to increase during periods of divided government due to increased opportunities to influence formal government as political parties and elected officials compete for public support.This study analyzes political activity by organizations associated with the women's movement in two developed democracies, the United States and Ireland during periods of (1) divided government and (2) periods of unified government in each country. This study focuses on activity revolving around the issues of reproductive rights and violence against women, two of the most salient issues to the women's movement. Organizational activity includes participation in protests, letter writing campaigns to political elites, and the endorsement of political candidates or parties by the National Organization for Women (NOW) and The Third Wave Foundation in the United States, and The National Women's Council of Ireland and The Irish Feminist Network in the Republic of Ireland. This study examines organizational activity in two cases of unified government controlling for partisanship of the executive, and one case of divided government in each country case.The findings of this study support the hypothesis that divided government is related to an increase in political activity by women's organizations in the United States. However, more research is needed to address alternative explanations for the level of political activity of women's organizations during periods of unified government. In addition, more research is needed to address explanations of political activity of women's organizations in Ireland.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005559, ucf:50293
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005559

Title: Economic Inequality and Democratic Representative Institutions Across Western Industrialized Democracies.
Creator: Plungis, Donald, Kinsey, Barbara, Wilson, Bruce, Hamann, Kerstin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study examines the effects of political representation on economic inequality across western industrialized democracies. I explore an explanation of increases in economic inequality as a consequence of less representative democratic institutions. Explaining economic inequality in this manner is a shift from to the Transatlantic Consensus that attributes increased economic inequality to globalization. I expect to find that more representative electoral and governments institutions will be...
Show moreThis study examines the effects of political representation on economic inequality across western industrialized democracies. I explore an explanation of increases in economic inequality as a consequence of less representative democratic institutions. Explaining economic inequality in this manner is a shift from to the Transatlantic Consensus that attributes increased economic inequality to globalization. I expect to find that more representative electoral and governments institutions will be associated with lower levels of economic inequality. The analysis takes place across twenty-three countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) over the past forty years using a cross-sectional longitudinal model. Variables used to operationalize the level of representation of democratic institutions include a novel variable of the representative ratio, the effective number of parties, an index of institutional constraints, presidential system, single member districts, and judicial review. Voter turnout, the percentage of seats held by women, gross domestic product per capita, unemployment, and the size of the industrial sector are used as control variables. The findings support the main hypothesis: as political representation increases, economic inequality decreases.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005230, ucf:50591
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005230

Title: Constructing and Validating an Integrative Economic Model of Health Care Systems and Health Care Markets: A Comparative Analysis of OECD Countries.
Creator: Helligso, Jesse, Wan, Thomas, Liu, Albert Xinliang, King, Christian, Hamann, Kerstin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation argues that there are three basic types of health care systems used in industrial nations: free market (private insurance and provision), universal (public insurance and private provision), and socialized (public insurance and provision). It examines the role of market forces (supply and demand) within the health care systems and their effects on health outcomes by constructing an integrative model of health care markets and policies that is lacking within the scientific and...
Show moreThis dissertation argues that there are three basic types of health care systems used in industrial nations: free market (private insurance and provision), universal (public insurance and private provision), and socialized (public insurance and provision). It examines the role of market forces (supply and demand) within the health care systems and their effects on health outcomes by constructing an integrative model of health care markets and policies that is lacking within the scientific and academic literature. The results show that, free market systems have decreased access to care, good quality of care, and are economically inefficient resulting in 2.7 years of life expectancy lost and wasted expenditures (expenditures that do not increase life expectancy) of $3474 per capita ($1.12 trillion per year in the U.S.). Socialized systems are the most economically efficient systems but have decreased access to care compared to universal systems, increased access to care compared to free market systems and have the lowest quality of care of all three systems resulting in 3 months of life expectancy lost per capita and a saving of $335 per capita. Universal systems perform better than either of the other 2 systems based on quality and access to care. The models show that health insurance is a Giffen Good; a good that defies the law of demand. This study is the first fully demonstrated case of a Giffen good. This investigation shows how the theoretically informed integrative model behaves as predicted and influences health outcomes contingent upon the system type. To test and substantiate this integrative model, regression analysis, Time-Series-Cross-Section analysis, and structural equation modeling were performed using longitudinal data provided and standardized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The results demonstrate that universal health care systems are superior to the other two systems.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007335, ucf:52114
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007335

Title: Positive Political Outcomes From Feminist Islam in Afghanistan: Identifying Development Program Features that Raise the Status of Women.
Creator: Barnard, Margaret, Hamann, Kerstin, Owens, J. Thomas, Dolan, Thomas, Kinsey, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Existing literature establishes a connection between elevating the status of women in less developed countries and positive political outcomes including: increased national stability, decreased likelihood of civil conflict, and international stability. In particular, the literature suggests that working within the dominant cultural framework of a country makes development projects more successful. This thesis expands upon these bodies of literature and examines the outcomes of the work of two...
Show moreExisting literature establishes a connection between elevating the status of women in less developed countries and positive political outcomes including: increased national stability, decreased likelihood of civil conflict, and international stability. In particular, the literature suggests that working within the dominant cultural framework of a country makes development projects more successful. This thesis expands upon these bodies of literature and examines the outcomes of the work of two major development agencies in Afghanistan, the UN and USAID in the area of women's education and healthcare. The thesis analyzes some specific characteristics that influence the effects of these programs in the Afghan context. It argues that when development agencies work within the unique cultural context of Afghanistan, and promote development gains for women within an Islamic framework, they are more likely to be effective than if they do not work within this framework. The thesis tests this hypothesis with a comparative qualitative analysis of the goals and accomplishes of the UN and USAID and compares the results of the analysis with survey data from The Asia Foundation Survey of the Afghan people, which provides data from 2006-2013 regarding attitudes of the Afghan people. Based on a qualitative analysis, the study's results, although tentative, identifies patterns of success using the Islamic framework.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005460, ucf:50368
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005460

Development (2)	+ -
Germany (2)	+ -
OECD (2)	+ -
United States (2)	+ -
Women (2)	+ -

Afghanistan (1)	+ -
Authority (1)	+ -
Capacity (1)	+ -
Civil Conflict (1)	+ -
Climate Change (1)	+ -
Comparative Politics (1)	+ -
Contract Breach (1)	+ -
Cultural Constructs (1)	+ -
Cultural Tolerance (1)	+ -
Democratic Institutions (1)	+ -
Disease (1)	+ -
EU (1)	+ -
Economic Decline (1)	+ -
Economics (1)	+ -
Ethnic Conflict (1)	+ -
Ethnic Violence (1)	+ -
FDI (1)	+ -
Federalism (1)	+ -
Feminist (1)	+ -
Feminist Islam (1)	+ -
Food Insecurity (1)	+ -
Foreign Direct Investment (1)	+ -
Fragile States (1)	+ -
Giffen good (1)	+ -
Hate Crimes (1)	+ -

ETD Collection (14)	+ -
Honors Collection (1)	+ -

Hamann, Kerstin (15)	+ -
University of Central Florida (15)	+ -
Kinsey, Barbara (6)	+ -
Helligso, Jesse (2)	+ -
Jacques, Peter (2)	+ -

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