Climate change, food security, and energy efficiency have become universal challenges for global economic development and environmental conservation that demand in-depth multidisciplinary research. Biofuels have emerged as a decisive factor in the fight against global warming and air pollution...

This thesis examines two important issues in economic development: exchange rates and electricity demand and addresses methodological issues of using time series and panel data analysis to investigate important policy issues. In Chapter 2, I examine the impacts of a currency board on the...

This thesis addresses the question: under what conditions do corporate codes of conduct work? To answer this question, I develop two case studies of subcontracting factories that are subject to a multinational company's (MNC) code of conduct. These two factories have many similarities-both are...

Over the past 10 years, different international organization and NGO's have given birth to a whole host of different anti corruption programs in response to the recent "endemic" of corruption which is seen to plague developing countries in the world today. Behind the formation of these new...

Climate change has become an important focus of international environmental negotiations. In response, global energy corporations have been looking for practical ways of reducing their industrial carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Capturing massive quantities of CO₂ from flue gases (at large...

Energy intensity is defined as the amount of energy consumed per dollar of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The People's Republic of China's (China's) energy intensity has been declining significantly since the late 1970s. The first part of this thesis is a direct descriptive statistical analysis...

This thesis examines how non-profit owners in Massachusetts have maintained affordability and ownership of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties after the initial fifteen-year compliance period, at the lowest possible cost. The intent is two-fold: to inform non-profit project sponsors...

Studies of international economic development often feature the competitive gains from inter-firm cooperation. By cooperating, firms within a region can draw on their collective resources and experience to test out new production processes and techniques; share the risks associated with...

Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs have been adopted in many developing countries, particularly in Latin America, as the core strategy for poverty reduction. These programs provide immediate economic support to poor populations conditional on specific actions such as sending children to...

This thesis examines the differences of Chinese and Western aid implementation and its effects in Africa though the case study of Chinese aid and finance for road development in Kenya. Today, Kenya receives tangible benefits from Chinese aid, firms, and finance in road construction. Chinese aid...