Do Payday Lending Bans Harm Consumers? Evidence from the Pawn Market

Payday lending is a highly controversial form of short-term, small-dollar credit that is banned in 13 states. Proponents of payday lending claim it provides a needed service to low-income families, and that bans take away options for these consumers, while its detractors claim it exploits vulnerable borrowers. I analyze the behavior of consumers in the market of a substitute, pawn shops, and find that consumers in states where payday lending is banned use pawn shops significantly more than consumers in states where payday lending is legal. This indicates that bans on payday lending could harm consumer welfare instead of preventing consumers from making ill-informed choices

Assessing Human Vulnerability in Major River Systems - The Human Dimension

This presentation will summarize ongoing work at the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center (WRC) and the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) to investigate socioeconomic vulnerability to multiple stresses and hazards occurring in the lower Mekong River basin

A methodology for black geographies

This methodology was created to investigate the relationship between Black spatial imaginaries and Black identities to explore the impact of these imaginaries on place-making in Atlanta, Georgia. I utilize a number of frameworks that center Blackness, humanness, and critical race studies in order to collect qualitative data that privileges space alongside the lived experiences of the participants. In this paper, I make a case for the consideration and development of new methodologies that center Blackness within the context of a Black geographic frameworks and study around cultivating empathy and vulnerability, emplacement, and understanding tensions and negotiations between Blackness and sense of place. The centering of Blackness in this methodology is emphasized in order to dismantle the white spatial gaze and white supremacist practices that often occur within research methodologies where the participants are not white

HIV and Pre-eclampsia: Is there a connection?:

Student Number : 9402058P - M Med Research Report - School of Clinical Medicine - Faculty of Health SciencesObjective In view of recent suggestions that HIV infection may protect against pre-eclampsia, this study was done to estimate whether untreated HIV positive pregnant women have a lower rate of preeclampsia-eclampsia than HIV negative women. Methods Subjects for this study were pregnant women from Soweto, South Africa, who gave birth from March to December 2002 at midwife-run clinics or at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, and in whom the HIV status was known. A sample size calculation indicated that 2588 subjects would be required to show statistical significance at P<0.05 with a power of 80% for a reduction in the rate of preeclampsia from 8% to 5% with HIV seropositivity, assuming an HIV seroprevalence rate of 30%. Data collection was by record review from randomly selected patient files and birth registers. Results In the total sample of 2600 women, 1797 gave birth at the hospital and 803 at the midwife-run clinics. The HIV seroprevalence rate was 27.1%. Hypertension was found in 17.3% of women, with 5.3% having preeclampsia-eclampsia. The rates of preeclampsia-eclampsia were 5.2% in HIV negative and 5.7% in HIV positive women (P=0.61). CD4 count results were available for only 13 women (0.5%). Conclusion HIV seropositivity was not associated with any reduction in the risk of developing preeclampsia-eclampsia

The Role of Descriptive Social Norms in Opioid and Other Substance Use Among College Students

Recreational opioid use among college students has increased steadily over the past decade, and has been shown to be influenced by social pressures. Social norm informed interventions have been used to help correct student misperceptions of peer substance use and curb personal substance use, however most of this research has been centered on alcohol use. This study examined the role of descriptive social norms of two peer reference groups (close friend and acquaintance) at two time periods (30 days and 12 months) in a number of different substances, including opioids, alcohol, marijuana, stimulants, sedatives, and psychedelics in a diverse sample of undergraduate college students at the University of New Mexico. In addition, differences in perceptions of peer opioid use was examined between recreational opioid users and non-users. Results indicated that descriptive close friend norms predicted personal substance use across all substances at both time points, and descriptive acquaintance norms predicted personal substance use for all substances, except opioids, at both time points. In addition, those who used opioids recreationally perceived their close friends and acquaintances to use more opioids in the past 30 days, however no differences emerged within the past 12 months. This study provides preliminary support for the effectiveness of social norm informed interventions to help curb growing recreational opioid use among college students

Enhancing Student Motivation

It can be difficult to understand the reasons why students are succeeding or failing in our classes. One often misunderstood explanation is students\u27 motivation. In this workshop you will learn key ideas in modern academic achievement motivation theory, with special attention to effectively using group work to support motivation for adult learners and supporting UT Tyler\u27s large first-generation and transfer-student population. Additionally, you\u27ll have the opportunity to collaboratively develop solutions for motivation challenges you\u27ve observed in your classrooms