This study tests the assertion that membership growth in credit unions is constrained by their unique structural features, such as their non-profit mission and member-based ownership. Although these features enhance inclusiveness, existing theory suggest that they work against efficiency when...

The first chapter of this dissertation introduces the generalized minimum contrast estimator (GMC) with nonsmooth moment functions, which includes Empirical Likelihood, Exponential Tilting and Continuous Updating GMM as special cases. Based on empirical process theory, this chapter studies the...

Two oil price shocks changed the pattern of cheap oil. The first was the Arab embargo on oil exports in 1973. Oil prices rose five fold. In 1978, the second was the fall of Shah Iran. Prices soared to $80-$100 a barrel in today's prices. In 1960, OPEC was established and since then it has been a...

Low-wage labor markets are traditionally viewed as competitive and the possibility of non-competitive behavior by employers is dismissed. This dissertation consists of three chapters linked by the common purpose of studying the possibility of collusive behavior by employers at the minimum wage....

This dissertation examines the fundamental concept of two-sided matching from four different perspectives. The first essay introduces the concept of intercorrelation in preference lists and considers how different degrees of intercorrelation impact the outcomes of centralized matching markets...

Traditional dual sector models have been used extensively to examine the role of efficient use of inputs in determining the process of urbanization in less developed countries. The existence of net agglomerative benefits in the urban sector is said to have been the critical determinant of the...

This thesis includes three essays analyzing the role of fiat money in decentralized trade. Essay 1 develops a model that describes a two-country-two-currency economy, in which prices are endogenized by using the "split-the-surplus" rule. The government generates seignorage revenue by issuing...

This dissertation investigates some of the ways efficiency wages are important to both the U.S. economy and research in economics. The first section develops a model to investigate the likely effects of the decline of references in the United States. Survey data and anecdotal evidence makes it...