A Theory of Exploitative Child Labor

We develop a model of exploitative child labor with two key features: first, parents have imperfect information about whether employment opportunities available to their children are exploitative or not. Second, firms choose whether or not to exploit their child workers. In our model, a ban on exploitative child labor is desirable, because it resolves the problem of imperfect information faced by parents, and therefore leads to Pareto efficiency. We also find that a ban leads to an increase in the wages of child workers, and that firm profits, even for firms that do not exploit child workers, fall. Finally, a ban has ambiguous effects at the macroeconomic level: aggregate child employment and aggregate output can rise or fall.child labor, economic exploitation

A Theory of Exploitative Child Labor

Child labor laws should aim to protect children who work, instead of trying to remove children from work. In this paper, we identify an instance when the risk of exploitation lowers the expected bene…t of child labor to the child,and therefore suppresses child labor force participation. Targeted legal intervention that lowers or removes the risk of exploitation raises child participation in the labor market, child welfare, and overall societal welfare. Targeting on child labor more broadly may reduce child labor force participation, child welfare, and overall societal welfare. Our key assumptions for generating these results are that parents decide for each child based on their child's best interest, that parents face imperfect information about the risks their children confront upon entering the labor market, and that firms may choose to exploit this information imperfection by employing children under forced-labor-type conditions.child labor, exploitation

Slave Redemption When it Takes Time to Redeem Slaves

We analyze slave redemption programs—the buying of slaves to give them their freedom--in a simple matching model, i.e., under the assumption that it takes time to find slaves to buy or sell. Unlike in a supply and demand framework, where sufficiently large and effective redemption programs must lead to an increase in the price at which slaves are exchanged, we find that such programs do not necessarily raise the price of slaves. We also use the model to explain why a slave redemption program can slow the flow of people into the actual state of slavery, but at the same time can increase the number of people captured to be slaves. We present contemporary examples to suggest that the weight that should be assigned to costs inflicted on the extra captured people, versus the benefits enjoyed by those redeemed, depends critically on the nature of the experience at, and just after, capture.slavery, matching models

MS

thesisAs the physiological effects of smoking cigarettes constitute major health-related disease, researchers must continue to investigate and evaluate programs that attempt to decrease the adaptation of the habit. The school-based education program was conducted in a local Salt Lake City high school with a known higher incidence of smoking behavior. The intervention program was designed specifically for the adolescent with two main objectives: 1. To demonstrate the immediate negative physiological effects of smoking, and 2. To both increase awareness of the social pressures present that encourage adaptation of the smoking behavior and ways to more effectively cope with these pressures. Using the Health Belief Model as the conceptual framework, it was hypothesized that by increasing perceptions of seriousness and susceptibility to the health hazards associated with smoking, the adolescent would decide to take recommended health promotion action, not to adopt the cigarette smoking habit, and/or alter current smoking behavior. This study was divided into two equally important parts. Part I investigated the relationships between the Health Belief Model and the adolescent's smoking-related attitudes and behavior while Part II evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention program on the participant's health beliefs, smoking-related attitudes and smoking behavior. Implementing a quasiexperimental design, pre- and posttesting were administered to both the control and experimental groups. In Part I, relationships were analyzed using a Spearman Rho correlation analysis to determine association between four variables: 2) demographic data, b) perceived susceptibility, c) perceived seriousness, and d) self-esteem, as well as smoking-related attitudes and behaviors. In Part II, using an analysis of variance (ANOVA), the efficacy of the intervention upon the subjects' health beliefs (perceived seriousness and perceived susceptibility), smoking-related attitude and smoking behaviors were measured. The finding as related to Part I revealed two demographic items of importance. Significant associations between employment status and grade in school were found. Both variables correlated positively with an increase in smoking behavior. Items measuring perceived susceptibility and perceived seriousness tended to correlate together especially with reference to the physiological effects of smoking in relationship to the adolescent and his/her environment. Also, lower scores of self-esteem correlated with a higher incidence of smoking behavior. The F-statistic was found to be insignificant with respect to the significance of the intervention. Although the findings (with respect to the intervention) did not reveal statistical significance, there is clinical meaningfulness. Continued research is clearly indicated in an effort to develop smoking education programs, especially designed to meet the unique needs of the adolescent. The adaptation of the Health Belief Model as a useful clinical tool in the development of such a programs is evident

In Situ Infrared Spectroscopic Study of Iron-Catalyzed Hydromagnesiation of Vinyl Arenes

Iron catalysis, especially homogeneous catalysis, has been a resurging topic of organometallic chemistry research. Discussions of past and present mechanistic analyses for homogeneous iron catalysis will be discussed in Chapter 1. As an expansion of homogeneous iron catalysis, in situ infrared spectroscopy will be used to develop a full mechanistic study of iron-catalyzed hydromagnesiation of vinyl arenes. The kinetic analyses by both initial and observed rate measurements indicate complex concentration dependencies on the (PDI)iron catalyst as well as sacrificial Grignard reagent and styrene. These complexities are not limited to non-linear catalyst and Grignard initial rate and inhibition by styrene/Grignard at low concentrations which then change upon reaching concentrations of a 1:1 ratio by observed rates. The process of numeric timecourse simulation of probable mechanisms using COmplex PAthway Simulator (COPASI) led to the identification of a twelve-step mechanism that accurately reproduces experimental timecourse data over a wide variety of reaction conditions.1 This initial analysis was used as a building block for further identification of kinetic complexities when varying the electronics and sterics of the substrates and precatalysts. The development of an unexpected kinetic complexity with respect to the electronics of the styrene derivatives resulted in a strange “arrow-head” shaped Hammett correlation. DFT calculations and numeric timecourse simulation suggest a change in electronic character of a p-methoxystyrene or turnover limiting step, wherein the rate constants for the competitive 2,1- vs 1,2- insertion is significantly lower than that of transmetallation. Furthermore, predictions using the hydromagnesiation mechanism reveal the origins of the observed kinetic complexity. Identification of the limitations of some sacrificial Grignard reagents leads to the explanation of reaction complexity based upon the generation of a gaseous alkene byproduct. Following the kinetic analysis of Grignard reagents, electron-rich styrenes, and pre-catalysts bearing less sterically bulky PDI ligands led to the development of a mechanism consisting of 16 elementary steps

Liberian health system resilience: lessons from the 2014–2015 West African Ebola epidemic

I. BACKGROUND: Following a review of donor funding priorities and concepts of health system strengthening (HSS) and resilience, this dissertation documents health system resilience factors existing in the Liberian health system in late 2014/early 2015 as the Ebola epidemic flared. The effectiveness of the WHO health system building blocks framework in addressing resilience was assessed, and specific factors that can promote health system resilience for Liberia going forward were identified. II. METHODS: Methods applied as part of this intrinsic case study include document and literature review, analysis of health facility and population-level statistics, and key informant and group interviews at the county and national levels. The methodology allowed for an in-depth assessment of how HSS (using the WHO health system building blocks) and resilience factors (using the WHO-defined key aspects of emergency preparedness) exist (or could exist) within the Liberian institutional and cultural context, and for tentative conclusions to be drawn about the importance of system factors to building specific health system capacities and overall health system resilience. III. FINDINGS: While dealing with myriad other public health priorities, public health preparedness went largely unaddressed in pre-Ebola Liberia where effectively none of the 16 key components or their 51 essential attributes listed in the WHO table of emergency preparedness were in place. The lack of integration of public health preparedness into HSS interventions left the country vulnerable to public health emergencies. There are two limitations to the government’s Ebola recovery and investment plan: (1) lack of a holistic approach to addressing emergency preparedness; and (2) not integrating emergency preparedness needs and corresponding activities into the existing national HSS framework. IV. CONCLUSION: By integrating emergency preparedness and response initiatives into HSS activities, health systems in Liberia and elsewhere can be strengthened to be more resilient, and thus better able to anticipate and adapt to challenges, and ultimately improve the system to be able to anticipate new future challenges. However, strengthening health systems so that they are resilient takes resources, including sector-wide, HSS resources that can be used to build functioning, integrated systems and skilled, networked individuals and groups across sectors

Higher Education Accountability in Tennessee: A Corporate Perspective

This in-depth, semi-structured interview study was undertaken to describe Tennessee corporate leaders’ perception of accountability in Tennessee higher education and of current accountability policies and/or programs. Answers to four research questions were sought: 1. What are Tennessee corporate leaders’ perceptions of the meaning of accountability in higher education? 2. What are Tennessee corporate leaders’ perceptions of current higher education accountability policies and/or programs? 3. What expectations do Tennessee corporate leaders have for accountability initiatives in higher education and what do they express as evidence of those initiatives? 4. To whom is higher education accountable as perceived by Tennessee corporate leaders? The sources of information for this study included interviews with twelve corporate leaders in the private sector who were associated with Tennessee Tomorrow, Incorporated and observations of attitudes and actions relating to their perception of accountability issues in higher education. Findings of the study included the need for accountability initiatives in higher education, meaningful partnership dialog, workforce readiness demands, thoughtful stewardship of resources, and enhance performance indicators. Through the study, a substantial lack of awareness was discovered among Tennessee corporate leaders of current accountability initiatives at the state and local levels

Ann Rogers and Jane Chu in a Joint Senior Recital

This is the program for the joint senior recital of mezzo-soprano Ann Bishop Rogers and pianist Jane Chu. Pianist Sylvia McDonnough, organist Elaine Vickers, and flautist Dean Morris assisted Rogers; pianist Virginia Queen assisted Chu. The recital took place on January 29, 1979, in the Mabee Fine Arts Center Recital Hall

Reactions to Approach Distance in Overweight and Normal Weight College Females

From a large number of college students two groups of white female volunteers were selected on the basis of their reported height and weight: an overweight group (N^ = 28), consisting of persons at least +11% overweight, and a normal weight group (N^ = 25) consisting of persons within + 5% of normal weight. Heart rate was monitored for a six minute baseline period and a one minute period during which each person was approached by a confed¬ erate to a distance of 30.48 cm, 60.69 cm, or 99.06 cm. All participants completed a Comfortable Interpersonal Distance Scale (CID), the Impression Formation Questionnaire (IFQ), and Self-Monitoring of Expressive Behavior Scale (SM). Analysis of variance indicated that overweight and normal weight persons approached to the closest distance differed in terms of percentage increase in heart rate (.F (1, 47) = 3.26, £ \u3c .05). Analyses of CID and SM scores were not significant. A discriminant analysis of trait dimensions on the IFQ by weight revealed that overweight persons compared to normals significantly differed in their perceptions of the confederate {% (8) = 20.41, p