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Essays in Development Economics
No full textThis dissertation is divided into three independent chapters. In the first two chapters of this dissertation, I focus on issues relating to children. In Chapter One, I examine the effects of current and past climate-related disasters on children’s health in Indonesia. My findings show that current disasters in Indonesia reduce children’s weight, while past disasters reduce their height and increase their likelihood of stunting. Moreover, I find that the increase in the incidence of diarrhea and respiratory illnesses along with reductions in protein intake drive these findings. In Chapter Two, I investigate whether parenting practices differ by a child’s functional disability status using nationally-representative data. Based on the literature, it is unclear how children’s disabilities are correlated with parenting practices, and the existing evidence is inconclusive. My findings show that having a disability in early childhood is associated with a lower probability of receiving adequate parenting. The last chapter is different because it investigates the impact of a policy change in Indonesia that affected school-aged children’s future marital and fertility decisions. Specifically, the work examines the long-term impact of longer schooling in Indonesia on marriage behaviors. The findings show that staying longer in school raises the age at first marriage, but it does not affect the probability of marrying early and the ideal number of children. We also find differential impacts among men, women, and individuals residing in rural areas
Fluxing Fellowship: Bodily Fluids and Forms of Community in Medieval Devotional Literature
No full textFluxing Fellowship argues that Middle English devotional texts employ bodily fluids to explore how communities are formed and transformed. By contemplating the fluids contained within and emitting from human, divine, and animal bodies, medieval writers were able to depict the ways that bodies and selves are not separate, coherent, and stable, but entwined with one another in complex configurations and rich intimacies. Through close readings of the bodily fluids that appear in The Book of Margery Kempe, the Croxton Play of the Sacrament, the Middle English Patience, and Julian of Norwich’s Revelation of Divine Love, this study enfolds bodily fluids into the creation and evolution of communities in medieval England and across time. Sustained attention to fluidity in discourses of medicine and illness, religious otherness and theatricality, ecocriticism, and transgender theory and affect brings a new dimension to medieval—and modern—conceptions of community, showing it to be always in flux: adaptive, transformative, and deeply embodied
Iterative Quantum Search in a Hybrid System
No full textToday, the development of quantum computing systems has attracted widespread attention from society. Many research institutes and companies hope to use quantum computers to accelerate tasks that classical computers have difficulty accomplishing. Many companies such as IBM, Xanadu, and Microsoft have already started to provide universal quantum computing systems to the public. Grover’s algorithm is a quantum search algorithm that can effectively improve search efficiency. IQuCS builds upon Grover’s algorithm by converting data into binary (index, value) pairs and using iterative filtering methods to save on qubits consumption. We proposed an improved version of IQuCS, called IQuSearch, which is based on IQuCS. By enhancing the filtering method and removing the threshold, IQuSearch significantly reduces the number of iterations and qubits consumption. Experimental comparisons show that IQuSearch achieves up to 77% reduction in qubits consumption compared to IQuCS, and up to 86.4% reduction compared to the original Grover’s algorithm. IQuSearch also proposed new methods to updating value and restoring their original index in each iteration
Living Slowly: John Dewey and Deliberate Aesthetic Experience
No full textThis Thesis explores how the practice of reorienting oneself towards the world can make aesthetic experience more accessible everyday life. I argue that reorienting oneself towards the aesthetic is challenging when one is influenced by outside pressures. I approach this practice of reorientation through the work of first John Dewey and two contemporary pragmatist, Scott Stroud, and Richard Shusterman. Dewey functions as the base of this Thesis because his philosophy not only emphasizes that aesthetic experience can be experienced by everyone, but that to have such an experience work must be put in. While this paper does have a pragmatism leaning, the work of philosopher Yuriko Saito is employed. Saito adds a philosophical take to the mundaneness of everyday aesthetics and what it means for something familiar to become aesthetic. The final section of the Thesis focuses on in life application of the process of reorientation. Here I will focus on Henry David Thoreau’s practice of living slowly and how following in his footsteps can allow for a higher frequency of aesthetic experience in everyday life
The Dynamic Humanitarian: Has Traditional Humanitarianism Become Obsolete?
No full textThis thesis examines the changing nature of humanitarianism in order to address questions surrounding the field\u27s ultimate purpose. A long standing goal of humanitarian organizations has been to relieve the suffering of populations across the globe in the face of conflict and disaster alike. Theoretically, eliminating suffering negates the need for humanitarian work, thus raising questions as to whether the ultimate end goal of humanitarian work is to make themselves obsolete, and whether this is an achievable goal. Incorporating works from scholars, humanitarian professionals, organizations, and media outlets through a research based approach, this thesis explores the complex factors contributing to the changing nature of humanitarianism. Politicization, growth of the sector, increase in the occurrence of disasters and conflicts, influence of donor states and coordination with other international sectors have all influenced the ways in which humanitarians work. The Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus has been created, along with new policies in an effort to keep up with the increasingly complex and interconnected world. As the sector continues to shift and evolve, humanitarianism has changed, straying further away from the foundational principles and ethos the sector was founded upon. Change is inevitable however, and as the humanitarian world changes, humanitarianism as it has traditionally been known becomes obsolete, and a new kind takes its place
A Decolonial Feminism to U.S. Humanitarian Policy in West Africa
No full textThe present study discusses the relevance of decolonial feminism in challenging the status quo in the humanitarian aid-development nexus in West Africa. The colonial legacy of humanitarian policy has significantly impacted how gender equality and feminism are addressed in the region. Decolonial feminism aims to center the voices of the people that humanitarian aid organizations seek to help, creating a space for historically excluded individuals (Vergés F. 2021). In addition, this approach recognizes that gender, race, and class intersect in complex ways to shape the experiences of vulnerable and marginalized people, emphasizing the importance of long-term relationships based on mutual trust and respect. This topic is significant in humanitarian studies, given the need to prioritize the needs and well-being of affected communities, which are the same communities that the decolonial approach seeks to center. Moreover, the topic is relevant to the United Nations\u27 call for action to reduce the gender gap in Sustainable Development Goal 5. One way to achieve this goal is by challenging the dominant power structure, focusing on marginalized perspectives, and prioritizing long-term, sustainable approaches to responding to crises and emergencies. Overall, decolonial feminism offers a way to address the colonial legacy of humanitarianism policy and promote gender equality and feminism in West Africa more inclusively and sustainably
The Impact of Central Office and Principal Joint Work on Multilingual Language Learners\u27 Outcomes
No full textRoaring Falls Unified School District (a pseudonym), an urban New Jersey district near NYC, was challenged by K-8 Multilingual Language Learners (MLLs) who lagged significantly behind general education students in English Language Arts (ELA). The District had roughly 12,000 students, of whom 93.0% were Hispanic, 26.2% were MLLs, and 32.0% were former MLLs. Using an improvement science approach, three primary drivers were identified: 1) improve attendance, 2) increase the quality of instruction by providing culturally and linguistically relevant (CLR) feedback to ELA teachers of MLLs, and 3) improve equity in instruction by collaborating with principals and central office staff to increase outcomes in ELA using the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol Framework (SIOP). Three principals and eight teachers participated in the study, along with central office administrators. Six change ideas were implemented: 1) establishing a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) for principals and central office administrators, including the superintendent; 2) facilitating a book study focusing on CLR and SIOP; 3) implementing a 15-hour SIOP training for teachers, principals, and central office administrators, including the superintendent; 4) conducting classroom walkthroughs on MLL best practices; 5) meeting consistently with attendance officers monthly to track data and communication to parents and students, and 6) reactivating the Attendance Review Committees. As a result of the intervention, including a postcard strategy, student attendance improved significantly. Principals were able to provide CLR feedback to teachers as a result of the NIC, which implemented key social and cultural components necessary to sustain an evidence-based professional learning community. All eight ELA teachers were able to implement five or more SIOP strategies learned during 15 professional development sessions. The MAP Assessment showed statistically significant year-over-year improvement in ELA outcomes for MLLs across the three schools
Social Work Professionals’ Knowledge, Perceptions, and Experiences with Hoarding Disorder in Older Adults
No full textHoarding Disorder (HD) is a serious mental health condition that has become increasingly prevalent among older adults in the United States. With the burgeoning aging population, there is a greater need for social workers and health care professionals to provide concrete, psychosocial interventions to individuals suffering from HD. While the concept of hoarding is not new, limited research has been conducted on hoarding within the older adult population. This observational, cross-sectional study explores professionals’ knowledge, perceptions of risks, and experiences of HD in older adults, as well as strengths and barriers to treatment. A random sample of social work professionals from New York State working with older adults (N=36) completed a self-administered online questionnaire which captured information about their direct practice experiences with this population. Results found that social workers in aging were moderately knowledgeable about HD. Professionals also had moderately higher difficulty identifying risks. Additionally, their experience working with older adults with HD was relatively modest. Furthermore, social work professionals estimated that approximately 10% of the population they serve have HD. Nevertheless, most professionals indicated that they did not have professional training in hoarding (72.2%). Findings of this study may help social workers, clinicians, and other health care professionals expand their understanding of knowledge, perceptions, and experiences of HD, as well as strengths and barriers regarding HD. Discussions focused on additional practice, policies, and research regarding HD are highlighted
