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Title: FLORIDA'S RISING TIDE: INCOME INEQUALITY EFFECTS BY COUNTY.
Creator: Johnson, Alyson E, Jewett, Aubrey, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Income inequality in Florida is higher than in many states and has been getting worse over time. Inequality has been argued as responsible for a wide-ranging array of economic and social problems, including suppression of lower- and middle-income growth, social fragmentation and separatism, urban sprawl, poor health and mental illnesses, violence, and shortened life expectancy. What explains variance in Florida county income inequality as measured by the GINI coefficient? Bivariate and...
Show moreIncome inequality in Florida is higher than in many states and has been getting worse over time. Inequality has been argued as responsible for a wide-ranging array of economic and social problems, including suppression of lower- and middle-income growth, social fragmentation and separatism, urban sprawl, poor health and mental illnesses, violence, and shortened life expectancy. What explains variance in Florida county income inequality as measured by the GINI coefficient? Bivariate and multivariate weighted least square regressions are conducted for the years 2000 and 2016, and for the change between 2000 and 2016. Three variables achieve statistical significance in all three multivariate models: poverty rate and population density have a positive effect as does educational attainment (although that variable is negative in the 2000 model). Income per capita has a statistically significant positive relationship with inequality in the 2000 model and in the change model. Unemployment rate is statistically significant in the 2016 model and in the change model but has a positive association with the GINI index in the former and a negative association in the latter. Several variables were statistically significant in just one model: cost-burdened housing with a positive relationship to inequality and percentage of minorities with a negative relationship in 2016; and county tax rate with a positive association with inequality in the change model. Conclusions are drawn regarding policy that might be implemented to mitigate worsening inequality in the Sunshine State.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFH2000521, ucf:45672
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000521

Title: Variational inclusions with general over-relaxed proximal point and variational-like inequalities with densely pseudomonotonicity.
Creator: Nguyen, George, Mohapatra, Ram, Han, Deguang, Shuai, Zhisheng, Xu, Mengyu, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation focuses on the existence and uniqueness of the solutions of variational inclusion and variational inequality problems and then attempts to develop efficient algorithms to estimate numerical solutions for the problems. The dissertation consists a total of five chapters. Chapter 1 is an introduction to variational inequality problems, variational inclusion problems, monotone operators, and some basic definitions and preliminaries from convex analysis. Chapter 2 is a studyof a...
Show moreThis dissertation focuses on the existence and uniqueness of the solutions of variational inclusion and variational inequality problems and then attempts to develop efficient algorithms to estimate numerical solutions for the problems. The dissertation consists a total of five chapters. Chapter 1 is an introduction to variational inequality problems, variational inclusion problems, monotone operators, and some basic definitions and preliminaries from convex analysis. Chapter 2 is a studyof a general class of nonlinear implicit inclusion problems. The objective of this study is to explore how to omit the Lipschitz continuity condition by using an alternating approach to the proximal point algorithm to estimate the numerical solution of the implicit inclusion problems. In chapter 3 we introduce generalized densely relaxed ? ? ? pseudomonotone operators and generalized relaxed ? ? ? proper quasimonotone operators as well as relaxed ? ? ? quasimonotone operators. Using these generalized monotonicity notions, we establish the existence results for the generalized variational-like inequality in the general setting of Banach spaces. In chapter 4, we use the auxiliary principle technique to introduce a general algorithm for solutions of the densely relaxed pseudomonotone variational-like inequalities. Chapter 5 is the chapter concluding remarks and scope for future work.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007693, ucf:52410
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007693

Title: Impacts of Workplace Violence: The Role of Inequality.
Creator: Bares, Lindsey, Huff-Corzine, Lin, Wright, James, Hinojosa, Melanie, Truman, Jennifer, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In 2011 the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) reported that of people who are employed and aged 16 and older, 24% of nonfatal violent incidents happened at work. To understand the magnitude of the problem, from 2005 to 2009, 572,000 nonfatal workplace crimes occurred against people aged 16 or older. Annually, the rate of workplace violence was about 5 victimizations per 1,000 employed persons aged 16 and older (Harrell 2011).The impact of crime on victims is a topic that deserves...
Show moreIn 2011 the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) reported that of people who are employed and aged 16 and older, 24% of nonfatal violent incidents happened at work. To understand the magnitude of the problem, from 2005 to 2009, 572,000 nonfatal workplace crimes occurred against people aged 16 or older. Annually, the rate of workplace violence was about 5 victimizations per 1,000 employed persons aged 16 and older (Harrell 2011).The impact of crime on victims is a topic that deserves attention because it extends our understanding beyond descriptive rates of violence. Workplace victimization, like most other types of victimizations can have far-reaching effects that extend from individuals to communities and society. This study investigates incidents of workplace violence in the United States through a theoretical lens of inequality. More specifically, do social demographics like gender, race, age, and occupation predict impacts to productivity, from the perspective of the victim? Longitudinal data from the NCVS for the years 1993 through 2014 are used to model Negative Binomial Regressions for count data and Ordinary Least Squares Regressions for expenditure data. The results suggest that the type of crime and being employed in high-risk occupations are the strongest predictors of experiencing adverse impacts as a result of workplace victimization.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006563, ucf:51318
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006563

Title: INVESTIGATING ECONOMIC INEQUALITY AND VOTER TURNOUT IN THE INDUSTRIALIZED DEMOCRACIES.
Creator: Freeman, Benjamin, Kinsey, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This paper investigates economic inequality and voter turnout in a sample of 21 industrialized democracies using a pooled time series model of elections from 1970 to 1999. The findings demonstrate a connection between inequality and voter turnout wherein increases in inequality lead to reductions in voter turnout. The ramifications for democratic accountability and representative democracy are discussed.
Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000554, ucf:46415
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000554

Title: FRAMING RACIAL INEQUALITY: REASSESSING THE EFFECT OF RELIGION ON RACIAL ATTITUDES.
Creator: Kaufman II, Jerrold, Carter, J. Scott, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Building on previous work on racial attitudes among the religious, this study reassesses the effects of religion on individuals' beliefs about racial inequality. This study relies on recent developments in the sociology of culture, which conceives of culture as a frame through which individuals interpret the world in which they inhabit (Benford and Snow 2000; Harding 2007; Small 2002, 2004). Religion is held to be an important social institution that provides substance to the frames that...
Show moreBuilding on previous work on racial attitudes among the religious, this study reassesses the effects of religion on individuals' beliefs about racial inequality. This study relies on recent developments in the sociology of culture, which conceives of culture as a frame through which individuals interpret the world in which they inhabit (Benford and Snow 2000; Harding 2007; Small 2002, 2004). Religion is held to be an important social institution that provides substance to the frames that individuals employ for interpreting racial inequality. Two particular developments from this literature inform this study: first, that individuals can employ different, even contradictory, frames simultaneously, and second, that frames are dynamic processes that can change over time. This study utilizes the General Social Survey from 1985 to 2008 and uses a theoretically informed and improved methodology for assessing beliefs about racial inequality. Three conclusions are drawn: 1) religion continues to play a role in shaping individuals' beliefs about racial inequality, 2) it is important to differentiate between "pure" frames and frames that combine different explanations for racial inequality when understanding the role of religion in forming beliefs about black-white inequality, and 3) frames for racial inequality undergo change over time, though the pattern of change depends upon the frame for racial inequality.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003650, ucf:48842
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003650

Title: THE STUDENT DEBT CRISIS AND POLITICAL POLARIZATION IN THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION.
Creator: Wallace, Dylan, Kinsey, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: According to the Pew Research Center, the modern wave of political polarization began in 1994, and is the strongest today than it has ever been during the 23-year period. (2007) Polarization in the US party system is evidenced by several factors including: growing consistent partisan views, partisan antipathy, ideological bubbles, growing difference in preferences, a shrinking political center, and the lack of political compromise. (Pew Research Center 2014) The question I attempt to answer...
Show moreAccording to the Pew Research Center, the modern wave of political polarization began in 1994, and is the strongest today than it has ever been during the 23-year period. (2007) Polarization in the US party system is evidenced by several factors including: growing consistent partisan views, partisan antipathy, ideological bubbles, growing difference in preferences, a shrinking political center, and the lack of political compromise. (Pew Research Center 2014) The question I attempt to answer in this thesis is on the factors associated with political polarization within the millennial generation. One of the most pressing issues to this generation is what is known as the Student Loan Crisis, which is the $1.45 Trillion dollars Americans owe to private and federal lenders to attend college. (StudentLoanHero.com). In this thesis, I argue that economic inequality, via the student loan crisis, contributes to political polarization within the millennial generation. My analysis takes place at the level of the individual. I conduct a statistical analysis using the 2016 American National Election Survey Dataset, to test whether political polarization, operationalized as ideological and partisan polarization, is associated with polarization on economic issues that I link to wealth inequality in the millennial generation, controlling for polarization on social issues, interest in politics, and income. The main finding is that party/ideological polarization is positive and significantly related to polarization on economic issues in the millennial generation; whether or not the Student Loan Crisis underlies this link requires further study.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFH2000381, ucf:45773
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000381

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: AFRICAN AMERICAN MOTHERS' NARRATIVES OF BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT FROM HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.
Creator: Treadwell, Tessa, Carter, Shannon Dr., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Research indicates that African American women breastfeed at the lowest rates of any racial/ethnic group in the U.S. Breastfeeding has shown to have numerous health benefits for both mother and baby, making the lower rates of breastfeeding among African Americans a public health concern. Racial disparities in healthcare may contribute to these discrepancies. This research will analyze the perceptions of information and social support for breastfeeding provided by healthcare providers among a...
Show moreResearch indicates that African American women breastfeed at the lowest rates of any racial/ethnic group in the U.S. Breastfeeding has shown to have numerous health benefits for both mother and baby, making the lower rates of breastfeeding among African Americans a public health concern. Racial disparities in healthcare may contribute to these discrepancies. This research will analyze the perceptions of information and social support for breastfeeding provided by healthcare providers among a sample of African American mothers who breastfed their babies. The study asks: Do participants regard their healthcare providers as supportive of breastfeeding? Data were collected through in-depth qualitative interviews with 22 African American mothers. Participants interpreted their providers' opinions on breastfeeding and formula and discussed whether they felt supported to breastfeed. Findings reveal which healthcare providers were perceived to be the most supportive of breastfeeding and themes within the time-frame codes: pregnancy, labor and birth, immediately after birth, and postpartum. The majority of participants felt supported during the first three stages. However, during the postpartum period, there was a lack of assistance from healthcare providers, resulting in limited breastfeeding support. Participants that did receive postpartum support typically received verbal affirmation, rather than given useful information.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFH2000260, ucf:45924
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000260

Title: INEQUALITY AS A DETERMINANT OF GROWTH IN A PANEL OF HIGH INCOME COUNTRIES.
Creator: McGuire, Joshua, Pennington, Robert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This paper empirically examines the effect of income inequality on economic growth in a sample of 69 high income economies. It uses an improved inequality dataset developed by the World Institute for Development Economics Research and panel estimation techniques in an ordinary least squares regression. The results provide robust empirical evidence that rising levels of income inequality have adverse effects on growth in high income countries and indicate that, on average, a one standard...
Show moreThis paper empirically examines the effect of income inequality on economic growth in a sample of 69 high income economies. It uses an improved inequality dataset developed by the World Institute for Development Economics Research and panel estimation techniques in an ordinary least squares regression. The results provide robust empirical evidence that rising levels of income inequality have adverse effects on growth in high income countries and indicate that, on average, a one standard deviation increase in income inequality will decrease growth by 67.91%. Results from the regression also suggest increases in human capital and international openness, decreases in the government consumption ratio, and more favorable terms of trade promote growth while higher initial per capita GDP and higher levels of investment retard growth.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFH0004166, ucf:44835
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004166

Title: Three essays on applications of intrahousehold resource allocation models.
Creator: Pamornpathomkul, Santikorn, Dickie, Mark, Gerking, Shelby, Scrogin, David, Rutstrom, Elisabet, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation consists of three chapters on the topic of intrahousehold resource allocation models. The first chapter tests the unitary and general collective models of intrahousehold resource allocation for various household compositions. I find that, for the quasi-quadratic Engel curve specification, the overall results support the previous findings in the literature that the unitary model fails to explain how resources are allocated for all household types. However, when using the...
Show moreThis dissertation consists of three chapters on the topic of intrahousehold resource allocation models. The first chapter tests the unitary and general collective models of intrahousehold resource allocation for various household compositions. I find that, for the quasi-quadratic Engel curve specification, the overall results support the previous findings in the literature that the unitary model fails to explain how resources are allocated for all household types. However, when using the QUAIDS specification, the results can reject the unitary model only for smaller-sized households. The general collective model, on the other hand, cannot be rejected in either quasi-quadratic or QUAIDS and not in any of the household compositions. Overall, the results support the general collective model of household behavior rather than the unitary model.The second chapter derives and tests restrictions imposed by the collective model for households with more than two decision-makers in the absence of price variation. It extends the two-decision-maker model in chapter one to derive the testable restrictions for households with multiple decision makers using unconditional demand systems. Moreover, for comparison, a particular type of demand system that is conditional on distribution factors is also estimated as an alternative way to test the collective model. The results show that neither unconditional nor conditional demand systems can reject Pareto efficiency. Therefore, both approaches provide consistent outcomes supporting the hypothesis that the multiple-decision-maker households in Thailand behave in the Pareto efficient manner predicted by the collective model.Finally, my third chapter attempts to examine how one can exploit household-level consumption data to recover information about individual household members for situations with no price variation. By combining consumption data from single and couple households, I am able to estimate the resource shares and indifference scales (a variation of the standard equivalence scales in the collective settings) for each household member via a system of Engel curves. The results show that, in Thailand, wives are likely to have higher resource shares than husbands in the married-couple households, while wives with higher education have the ability to extract more household resources. However, resource shares for wives are smaller for older-married compared to younger-married couples. Moreover, if a female were to live alone, she would need approximately three-quarters of the couple's income to reach the same indifference curve, and hence the same standard of living, that she would attain as a wife in the married-couple household.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004150, ucf:49057
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004150

Title: Keeping Quiet: Investigating the Maintenance and Policing of Male-dominated Gaming Space.
Creator: Charles, Christopher, Pritchard, Robert, Preston-Sidler, Leandra, Grauerholz, Liz, Corzine, Harold, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Despite the near parity between the number of female and male gamers (Entertainment Software Association, 2014), studies on gender in videogames illustrate a culture that typically reflects hegemonic masculinity and excludes women on a multitude of levels. Because these interactions occur within real and virtual space (both online and within games), a holistic approach is warranted to analyze these mechanisms of oppression. This paper seeks to uncover the ways by which gaming culture is...
Show moreDespite the near parity between the number of female and male gamers (Entertainment Software Association, 2014), studies on gender in videogames illustrate a culture that typically reflects hegemonic masculinity and excludes women on a multitude of levels. Because these interactions occur within real and virtual space (both online and within games), a holistic approach is warranted to analyze these mechanisms of oppression. This paper seeks to uncover the ways by which gaming culture is maintained and policed as a male-dominated space, through qualitative data collection. By using ethnographic, participant observation at a large, multi-genre convention the experiences of both male and female gamers were collected and analyzed. Their stories shed light on the means by which women are silenced, or (")kept quiet,(") by voice chat profiling, verbal abuse, and hostile Internet communities. They are subject to strict policing of gamer identity, relegation as casual gamers, and their calls for inclusiveness all too often fall on game developers' deaf ears.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006281, ucf:51605
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006281

Title: INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY: SOCIOECONOMIC ACTORS AND PUBLIC POLICY IN GERMANY AND THE UNITED STATES.
Creator: Hudson, Jennifer, Kinsey, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In this thesis I conduct a comparative analysis of the influence of socioeconomic actors, business and labor, on public policy in Germany and the United States, specifically public policy that has an impact on economic inequality. The objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of how institutional constructs may determine the level of influence by different socioeconomic actors on public policy. In particular, I examine the link between institutional design and economic...
Show moreIn this thesis I conduct a comparative analysis of the influence of socioeconomic actors, business and labor, on public policy in Germany and the United States, specifically public policy that has an impact on economic inequality. The objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of how institutional constructs may determine the level of influence by different socioeconomic actors on public policy. In particular, I examine the link between institutional design and economic inequality, specifically the relative influence of business interests in varying types of capitalist economies and democratic systems, and assess those facets of institutional design that may facilitate the channeling of business influence in policy making. I explore institutional changes in the German political and economic system beginning in the late 1980s to determine whether these changes have altered the policy making process over time, and analyze similarities with institutional changes that have taken place in the United States beginning in the late 1970s to present. Further, I examine whether shifts in institutional design indicate that the German system is transitioning towards a more liberal model similar to that of the United States, and consider what effects this may have on the level of economic inequality in Germany. To conduct my analysis I use the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework; based on the IAD framework I create a conceptual map of the channels by which socioeconomic actors are involved in the policy making process. I evaluate the policy-making process in both formal and informal policy arenas. The policy areas analyzed include corporate governance, industrial relations, and tax, welfare and minimum wage policy during the selected time periods. The analysis shows that the institutional designs that produced the selected policies benefit business interests and may contribute towards economic inequality. The larger goal is to develop research that will build a theoretical foundation to help us identify how these systems may be improved to produce a more equitable allocation of economic resources.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFH0004690, ucf:45243
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004690

Title: POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF MEDICINAL PLANT USE IN RURAL NEPAL: GLOBALIZATION, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, AND CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION.
Creator: Dovydaitis, Emily, Vajravelu, Rani, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Prior to the advent of biomedicine, rural communities in Nepal relied on phytochemically active compounds in medicinal plants as their primary source of medicine; however, ethnobotanical practices have shifted over time due to economic, environmental, and sociocultural stimuli. Findings from 2016 fieldwork conducted in Dumrikharka, Nepal and Tutung, Nepal are compared to existing literature to describe the political ecology of medicinal plants in rural Nepal. Anthropogenic climate change...
Show morePrior to the advent of biomedicine, rural communities in Nepal relied on phytochemically active compounds in medicinal plants as their primary source of medicine; however, ethnobotanical practices have shifted over time due to economic, environmental, and sociocultural stimuli. Findings from 2016 fieldwork conducted in Dumrikharka, Nepal and Tutung, Nepal are compared to existing literature to describe the political ecology of medicinal plants in rural Nepal. Anthropogenic climate change threatens individual plant species and ecosystem biodiversity. Globalized markets unabated by weak conservation programs place increasing demands on medicinal plants. As indigenous plants become overharvested and more difficult to access, Nepalis incorporate non-indigenous plants into the local pharmacopeia. Novel use of non-indigenous plants illustrates both the dynamic, resilient nature of traditional medicine systems and a loss of biodiversity. Social changes, including outmigration to other countries, notions of modernity, and preference for pharmaceutical drugs, reduce potential candidates to learn and preserve ethnobotanical knowledge. Waterborne pathogens caused by inadequate sanitation infrastructure continue to endanger Nepali populations. The dearth of clinical facilities throughout rural areas, when coupled with the decline ethnobotanical knowledge and traditional healers, poses a gap in healthcare jeopardizing vulnerable, marginalized populations. These factors reinforce the unequal distribution of resources in one of the world's poorest countries, buttressing power inequalities and economic inequities.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFH2000240, ucf:46008
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000240

Title: SOCIAL PATHOGENIC SOURCES OF POOR COMMUNITY HEALTH.
Creator: Smith, Hayden, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The United States currently provides a health care system that is neither efficient nor equitable. Despite outspending the world on health care, over three-fourths of developed countries produce better health outcomes (Auerbach et al., 2000). Simultaneously, the "Ecological School of Thought" has documented the large impact that social, economic, and environmental circumstances play in health outcomes. Unfortunately, these 'ecological" studies are frequently conducted without theoretical...
Show moreThe United States currently provides a health care system that is neither efficient nor equitable. Despite outspending the world on health care, over three-fourths of developed countries produce better health outcomes (Auerbach et al., 2000). Simultaneously, the "Ecological School of Thought" has documented the large impact that social, economic, and environmental circumstances play in health outcomes. Unfortunately, these 'ecological" studies are frequently conducted without theoretical justification, and rely solely on a cross-sectional research design and a myriad of unrelated variables. This study represents an important step towards the development of a true theory of "ecology". More specifically, we argue that the adversity associated with socio-economic disadvantage, social disorganization, and a lack of health care resources, leads to adverse health outcomes, represented by sentinel health events. This research employs both a cross-sectional (2000) and longitudinal designs (1990 – 2000) to assess the antecedents of sentinel health events in 309 United States counties. Structural Equation Modeling was the statistical technique employed in the study. Findings revealed that socioeconomic disadvantage remains a primary contributor to sentinel health. Indeed the economic growth between 1990 and 2000 was associated with increased rates of sentinel health events. Social disorganization was identified as a primary contributor to sentinel health events at a specific time point (2000), but was not significant over time (1990 -2000). Conversely, the inadequacy of health care resources was non-significant in the cross-sectional model (2000), but significant in the longitudinal model (1990 -2000). In both models, racial characteristics were fundamentally linked to ecological predictors of health We found support for the notion that sentinel health events would be reduced through economic equity and the development of healthy environments where community ties are reinforced. Less support is found for saturating given geographical areas with health care resources in order to reduce sentinel health events. Future research should be directed by the theoretical advancements made by this study. More specifically, future studies should examine independent cross-level effects, that is, through the inclusion of behavior variables as mediating factors for ecological constructs.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001577, ucf:47108
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001577

Title: Factors Influencing unmet Medical Need among U.S. Adults: Disparities in Access to Health Services.
Creator: Khanijahani, Ahmad, Wan, Thomas, Malvey, Donna, Liu, Albert Xinliang, Anderson, Kim, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Inequities in access to health services has negative consequences on individual well-being, and imposes financial and emotional burden on patients, families, health care systems, and the public. Inequities engendered from differences in socioeconomic status, health insurance coverage, race, and other characteristics can engender disparities. This study aimed to identify the potential predictors of unmet medical need among the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. adults. Inability to receive...
Show moreInequities in access to health services has negative consequences on individual well-being, and imposes financial and emotional burden on patients, families, health care systems, and the public. Inequities engendered from differences in socioeconomic status, health insurance coverage, race, and other characteristics can engender disparities. This study aimed to identify the potential predictors of unmet medical need among the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. adults. Inability to receive needed medical care or receiving medical care after a delay, due to the associated costs, constructed unmet medical need. This study used a four-year (2014-2017) National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data (sample size: 296,301 adults) and implemented a conceptual framework to study disparities in access to health services and estimate the relative importance of predisposing, enabling, and need factors as the predictors of unmet medical need. Findings from machine learning and logistics regression models highlight the importance of health insurance coverage as a key contributing factor of health disparities. About 60% of variation in unmet medical need was predictable, with over 90% accuracy, solely with health insurance coverage status. Self-rated health status, family structure, and family income to poverty ratio were other statistically significant predictors. Even after controlling for a wide variety of sociodemographic and health status variables such as age, gender, perceived health status, education, income, etc., health insurance remains significantly associated with unmet medical need (OR: 5.03, 95%CI: 4.67-5.42). To ensure precise national estimates, proper survey data analysis methods were incorporated to account for the complex sampling method used by NHIS. Furthermore, the enabling factors (health insurance and income) exert much more weight on unmet medical need than predisposing factors and need factors. The findings raise the concerns about the existence and magnitude of disparities in health care access and provide a comprehensive framework to a target population for understanding the sources of health inequities with data-driven evidence. Results can be utilized to address potential areas for designing public policy and program interventions by identifying the relative vulnerability of different population groups for lacking access to affordable health services. Future studies using longitudinal panel data are necessary to establish a causal relationship between the predictors and unmet medical need.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007477, ucf:52686
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007477

Title: Interaction between income, health insurance, and self-rated health: A path analysis.
Creator: Ashley West, Atalie, Unruh, Lynn, Malvey, Donna, Gau, Jacinta, Martin, Lawrence, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The political focus of equitable health outcomes in the United States have long centered on access to medical care. However, there is compelling evidence that access to medical care is only the bare minimum necessary to achieve health, and the true influence of health insurance on health is still unclear. Widely accepted models of health estimate that less than 20% of health outcomes can be attributed to clinical care, while greater than 50% is related to social and economic determinants of...
Show moreThe political focus of equitable health outcomes in the United States have long centered on access to medical care. However, there is compelling evidence that access to medical care is only the bare minimum necessary to achieve health, and the true influence of health insurance on health is still unclear. Widely accepted models of health estimate that less than 20% of health outcomes can be attributed to clinical care, while greater than 50% is related to social and economic determinants of health, with income being the most consistent predictor. As a result, this study investigated whether earned income is related to insurance status on the one hand and self-rated health on the other; whether the association between income and self-rated health is indirectly influenced by the presence of health insurance (-)namely private health insurance; whether there are differences in self-rated health between the privately insured, the publicly insured, and the uninsured; and if duration of uninsurance was inversely associated with self-rated health. As hypothesized, higher income was associated with having health insurance, and in particular private insurance. Among all included predictor variables, higher income and private insurance are the strongest predictors of higher self-rated health, and lower income and Medicaid were the strongest predictors of lower self-rated health. This study affirms that the health of persons with Medicaid is more similar to persons who are uninsured, and the health of persons with private insurance is more similar to those with Medicare. The association between income and self-rated health is indirectly influenced by health insurance. Age and education exerted the strongest overall influence on self-rated health: older respondents had lower self-rated health, and more educated respondents had higher self-rated health. And as uninsurance duration increased, self-rated health decreased. Additional studies are recommended to improve health insurance policy.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007308, ucf:52151
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007308

Title: In Quest of Bernstein Inequalities Rational Functions, Askey-Wilson Operator, and Summation Identities for Entire Functions.
Creator: Puwakgolle Gedara, Rajitha, Li, Xin, Mohapatra, Ram, Ismail, Mourad, Xu, Mengyu, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The title of the dissertation gives an indication of the material involved with the connecting thread throughout being the classical Bernstein inequality (and its variants), which provides an estimate to the size of the derivative of a given polynomial on a prescribed set in the complex plane, relative to the size of the polynomial itself on the same set. Chapters 1 and 2 lay the foundation for the dissertation. In Chapter 1, we introduce the notations and terminology that will be used...
Show moreThe title of the dissertation gives an indication of the material involved with the connecting thread throughout being the classical Bernstein inequality (and its variants), which provides an estimate to the size of the derivative of a given polynomial on a prescribed set in the complex plane, relative to the size of the polynomial itself on the same set. Chapters 1 and 2 lay the foundation for the dissertation. In Chapter 1, we introduce the notations and terminology that will be used throughout. Also a brief historical recount is given on the origin of the Bernstein inequality, which dated back to the days of the discovery of the Periodic table by the Russian Chemist Dmitri Mendeleev. In Chapter 2, we narrow down the contents stated in Chapter 1 to the problems we were interested in working during the course of this dissertation. Henceforth, we present a problem formulation mainly for those results for which solutions or partial solutions are provided in the subsequent chapters.Over the years Bernstein inequality has been generalized and extended in several directions. In Chapter \ref{Bern-ineq}, we establish rational analogues to some Bernstein-type inequalities for restricted zeros and prescribed poles. Our inequalities extend the results for polynomials, especially which are themselves improved versions of the classical Erd\"{o}s-Lax and Tur\'{a}n inequalities. In working towards proving our results, we establish some auxiliary results, which may be of interest on their own. Chapters \ref{AW-on-polynomials} and \ref{AW-on-entire} focus on the research carried out with the Askey-Wilson operator applied on polynomials and entire functions (of exponential type) respectively.In Chapter 4, we first establish a Riesz-type interpolation formula on the interval $[-1,1]$ for the Askey-Wilson operator. In consequence, a sharp Bernstein inequality and a Markov inequality are obtained when differentiation is replaced by the Askey-Wilson operator. Moreover, an inverse approximation theorem is proved using a Bernstein-type inequality in $L^2-$space. We conclude this chapter with an overconvergence result which is applied to characterize all $q$-differentiable functions of Brown and Ismail. Chapter \ref{AW-on-entire} is devoted to an intriguing application of the Askey-Wilson operator. By applying it on the Sampling Theorem on entire functions of exponential type, we obtain a series representation formula, which is what we called an extended Boas' formula. Its power in discovering interesting summation formulas, some known and some new will be demonstrated. As another application, we are able to obtain a couple of Bernstein-type inequalities.In the concluding chapter, we state some avenues where this research can progress.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007237, ucf:52220
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007237

Title: Affective Response of African American and European American Students to Portrayals of Cross-racial Relationships on Television.
Creator: Mowatt, Earl, Wright, James, Carter, James, Rivera, Fernando, Kinnally, William, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Race is a potent discourse within the world of pop culture, particularly in television where viewers are witnessing more racial diversity in scripted shows. However, show creators must maintain standards that emphasize distinct social roles among characters in order to appeal to large heterogeneous audiences. These roles tend to be characterizations of racial stereotypes that often lead to biased opinions and inaccurate perceptions of minority groups. Previous studies detail that racial...
Show moreRace is a potent discourse within the world of pop culture, particularly in television where viewers are witnessing more racial diversity in scripted shows. However, show creators must maintain standards that emphasize distinct social roles among characters in order to appeal to large heterogeneous audiences. These roles tend to be characterizations of racial stereotypes that often lead to biased opinions and inaccurate perceptions of minority groups. Previous studies detail that racial biases in media adversely shape public opinions about African Americans and depress the desire for racial integration. This seems somewhat confounding since the shift in programming towards racial diversity presumes increased affirmation, importance, and validity of African Americans and other minority groups. This study investigates the affective response of Black and White college students to cross-race relationships on TV and the perceived realism of these media depictions. Since these relationship forms are now becoming part of television's pop culture, and pop culture reflects co-existing attitudes and values in society, it is important that they be examined. Additionally, examining cross-racial relationships may help in understanding larger race relations in the United States.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004268, ucf:49539
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004268

Title: THE CONTEXTUAL IMPACT OF INCOME INEQUALITY ON SOCIAL CAPITAL AND ADVERSE SOCIAL OUTCOMES.
Creator: Schiff, Jeannie, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: An interdisciplinary approach to policy and governance recognizes that many social welfare problems are interrelated, and policy-makers have long recognized a need to address the root causes of these problems. There is much evidence that income inequality is one of these root causes but research suggesting the effect of income inequality is mediated by social capital has complicated the relationship, as have theories of causality that take different approaches. This study takes an ecological...
Show moreAn interdisciplinary approach to policy and governance recognizes that many social welfare problems are interrelated, and policy-makers have long recognized a need to address the root causes of these problems. There is much evidence that income inequality is one of these root causes but research suggesting the effect of income inequality is mediated by social capital has complicated the relationship, as have theories of causality that take different approaches. This study takes an ecological approach to these issues to test the relationship between income inequality, social capital and selected adverse outcomes proposed by the relative income hypothesis. The relative income hypothesis posits that the impact of income inequality on adverse outcomes is mediated by social capital. The study used a retrospective cross-sectional design to analyze county-level data for the year 2000 with a structural equation model composed of three constructs: income inequality, modeled by four common measures; a social capital construct based on a model developed by Rupasingha, Goetz and Freshwater (2006); and an adverse outcomes construct designed as a parsimonious measure of social outcomes in four public affairs disciplinary areas. The test of the path presumed by the relative income hypothesis revealed both a direct effect of income inequality and indirect effect of inequality through social capital. However, the direct effect of income inequality on outcomes was significantly larger than the indirect effect, indicating the relationship is moderated, rather than mediated, by social capital. Since the impact of social capital on the selected adverse outcomes was relatively small, and the final model failed to achieve statistical significance, the relative income hypothesis that income inequality exerts its primary effect on outcomes through social capital was rejected.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003205, ucf:48574
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003205

Title: Re-Thinking the Intentionality of Fraud: Constructing and Testing the Theory of Unintended Amoral Behavior to Explain Fraudulent Financial Reporting.
Creator: Dill, Andrew, Sutton, Steven, Arnold, Vicky, Schmitt, Donna, Schminke, Marshall, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: My three-paper dissertation is aimed at applying the concepts of bounded ethicality and ethical fading to accounting fraud. Typical of relatively new fields such as behavioral ethics, theoretical models are scarce (Tenbrunsel (&) Smith-Crowe, 2008). As such, the purpose of Study 1 is to unify disparate theories and ideas from psychology and behavioral ethics as a means of constructing a theory, the Theory of Unintended Amoral Behavior (TUAB), which includes the concepts of bounded ethicality...
Show moreMy three-paper dissertation is aimed at applying the concepts of bounded ethicality and ethical fading to accounting fraud. Typical of relatively new fields such as behavioral ethics, theoretical models are scarce (Tenbrunsel (&) Smith-Crowe, 2008). As such, the purpose of Study 1 is to unify disparate theories and ideas from psychology and behavioral ethics as a means of constructing a theory, the Theory of Unintended Amoral Behavior (TUAB), which includes the concepts of bounded ethicality and ethical fading. In addition, the pressure for management to meet earnings expectations is discussed through the lens of the TUAB as an example of how one may unknowingly misreport.Studies 2 and 3 apply the TUAB to investigate how certain contextual factors interact with egocentric biases to increase the likelihood of ethical fading. Specifically, Study 2 consists of an experiment exploring how inferior pay among managers interacts with egocentric perceptions of fairness and envy to affect the likelihood of one engaging in ethical fading and fraudulent behavior. Study 3 also utilizes an experimental methodology to examine how the pressure to meet earnings forecasts interacts with egocentric perceptions of fairness and negative affect to influence the probability of ethical fading and fraudulent acts.The results for Study 2 indicate that one who is paid at a lower rate is more likely to view this disparity as unfair, which leads to a greater feeling of envy. Although envy had no significant direct effect on ethical fading in the primary analyses, a supplemental analysis revealed that a person's risk preference might moderate this relationship. The primary findings of Study 2 suggest that individuals who experience a higher degree of ethical fading are more likely to commit fraud, and that ethical fading, along with perceived unfairness, seem to be significant psychological processes that explain how differences in pay may lead to fraud. The primary finding of Study 3 is that, like Study 2, fraud is more likely to occur as an individual experiences a higher degree of ethical fading. Furthermore, this study suggests that those who are closest to meeting an earnings target are the most likely to engage in fraudulent behavior. Finally, the results failed to find any support that one's egocentric perceptions of fairness and negative affect contribute towards his or her ethical behavior in a goal achievement setting. The primary contributions of this dissertation is that it unifies various theories and ideas from psychology and behavioral ethics to establish a testable theory (TUAB) that includes the concepts of bounded ethicality and ethical fading, serves as an initial test of TUAB, and provides evidence that unethical behavior is not necessarily the result of one consciously forsaking his or her ethics for some other desired goal (i.e., profit).
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006097, ucf:51211
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006097

inequality (5)	+ -
Economic Inequality (4)	+ -
Inequality (3)	+ -
income inequality (3)	+ -
Income Inequality (2)	+ -

domestic violence (2)	+ -
intimate partner violence (2)	+ -
poverty (2)	+ -
African Americans (1)	+ -
Anti-racist theory (1)	+ -
Askey-Wilson Operator (1)	+ -
Aymara (1)	+ -
Beginning Postsecondary Survey (1)	+ -
Bernstein inequality (1)	+ -
Biodiversity (1)	+ -
Bolivia (1)	+ -
Bolivian Constitution (1)	+ -
Bounded Ethicality (1)	+ -
Breastfeeding (1)	+ -
Business (1)	+ -
Chiquitano (1)	+ -
Climate change (1)	+ -
Colorblindness (1)	+ -
Constructivist Grounded Theory (1)	+ -
Corporate Governance (1)	+ -
Culturally Responsive (1)	+ -
Deficit Thinking (1)	+ -
Diversity (1)	+ -
Dynamic Contrast Enhanced imaging (1)	+ -
Earnings Forecasts (1)	+ -

ETD Collection (22)	+ -
Honors Collection (6)	+ -

University of Central Florida (28)	+ -
Kinsey, Barbara (4)	+ -
Wan, Thomas (4)	+ -
Wright, James (3)	+ -
Carter, J. Scott (2)	+ -

Corzine, Harold (2)	+ -
Gay, David (2)	+ -
Huff-Corzine, Lin (2)	+ -
Kinnally, William (2)	+ -
Malvey, Donna (2)	+ -
Mohapatra, Ram (2)	+ -
Rivera, Fernando (2)	+ -
Xu, Mengyu (2)	+ -
Anderson, Kim (1)	+ -
Arnold, Vicky (1)	+ -
Ashley West, Atalie (1)	+ -
Austin, Cavel (1)	+ -
Bagci, Ulas (1)	+ -
Baird, Andrew (1)	+ -
Bares, Lindsey (1)	+ -
Carter, James (1)	+ -
Carter, Shannon (1)	+ -
Carter, Shannon Dr. (1)	+ -
Chandler, Robert (1)	+ -
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Dickie, Mark (1)	+ -
Dill, Andrew (1)	+ -
Donley, Amy (1)	+ -
Dovydaitis, Emily (1)	+ -
Dziegielewski, Sophia (1)	+ -

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