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Exploring the Nexus of Climate Change, Energy Poverty, and Resilience through Social Enterprises
No full textThis thesis examines how social enterprises address the nexus of climate change, energy poverty, and resilience in Zambia. Despite abundant renewable resources, only 34% of Zambians have electricity access, with stark urban-rural disparities (67% vs 14.5%). Using a qualitative multiple case study approach, this research analyzes ZESCO Limited, Muhanya Solar Limited, and Nyimba Energy Service Company (NESCO) through an integrated theoretical framework combining Social-Ecological-Technical Systems (SETS), energy justice, and social entrepreneurship theories. The study reveals that social enterprises demonstrate innovative approaches including NESCO\u27s energy service company model and Muhanya\u27s prepaid metering system, yet face significant challenges achieving financial sustainability and scaling operations. Key findings indicate that institutional positioning within ZESCO\u27s dominant market structure, technical adaptation to local conditions, community engagement approaches, and resource mobilization strategies critically influence enterprise success. A fundamental tension exists between affordable rural energy provision and operational viability, with both mini-grid operators unable to achieve full cost recovery despite different business models. Climate change amplifies these challenges through Zambia\u27s hydropower vulnerability while creating opportunities for climate-resilient solar alternatives. The research contributes practical implications for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and development partners, emphasizing the need for integrated approaches addressing institutional barriers, technical standards, community engagement, and innovative financing mechanisms. These findings advance understanding of renewable energy provision in challenging contexts and inform strategies for expanding clean energy access to millions of Zambians without reliable electricity
Enhancing Clarity and Completeness of Basic Financial Text Treatments on Operating Leverage
No full textWe review degree of operating leverage (DOL) discussions from nine current elementary finance textbooks and note incomplete treatments. We argue that textual discussions on DOL could aid the beginning student’s understanding by noting, in addition to fixed costs, the impact of other variables (unit variable costs, unit price, short-run output level). We further suggest that complete treatments should reference how the DOL measure fits into the larger business risk context, point to management’s role in influencing selected DOL variables as business risk parameters, and mention the measurement discontinuities of DOL at breakeven and profit maximizing output levels
A Pedagogical Note on the Derivation of Option Profit Lines
No full textThis paper presents a simple graphic method of deriving profit lines for complex option strategies which obviates the need for numerical calculations used in finance textbooks. Having mastered the underlying profit lines associated with simple option and stock investments, students can derive profit lines for complex strategies by following two simple graphic addition rules proposed in this paper. While these rules appear in elementary math books, most finance textbooks either ignore them completely, or apply them only implicitly without explaining their derivation. The result is that the teaching of option profit lines tends to become an unnecessarily arduous exercise
The Effectiveness of Using Electronic Slides to Teach Graphical Economic Concepts
No full textQuiz results demonstrate that one-time exposure to learning graphical material from electronic slides produces no statistically significant advantage over exposure to the same material presented with “chalk and talk”. Previous electronic slide experience is not a significant explanatory variable for students who were exposed to the material via chalk. However, prior exposure to slides is the only significant variable influencing quiz grades for those students who were tested on material presented with electronic slides. The instructional benefits of using electronic slides in any course are not confined to that course but extend to other classrooms that likewise utilize this technology
The Random Lottery Mechanism as an Academic Incentive
No full textThe author shows the benefits of using the random lottery mechanism as a pedagogical tool. The mechanism’s primary advantage is to provide students an incentive to work additional problems without increasing the amount of homework the teacher must grade. In addition, this mechanism encourages in-class participation and can generate discussion of mechanism design
A Framework for Teaching the Rational Voter Model in Public Choice Courses
No full textThis study provides a simple interpretation and extension of the Rational Voter Model (RVM), which enables students in Public Choice classes to easily understand its application in a real-world context. In doing so, the presentation identifies key aggregate-level economic and non-economic determinants of the expected benefits from voting and further provides empirical findings for the period 1960-2000, data indicate that the voter participation rate has been directly/positively related to strong public approval or strong public disapproval of the incumbent President. This study also finds that the voter participation rate has been positively impacted by the opportunity to vote in Presidential elections, the Vietnam War, a “too slowly” growing real GDP, and “excessive” inflation. In addition, it is shown that the voter participation rate has been negatively impacted by the public’s general dissatisfaction with government
Illustrating trade in the classroom: How free trade can create wealth and decrease hunger, literally
No full textThis paper illustrates an active learning exercise for use in introductory economics courses to teach the benefits of trade. The easily implemented classroom game allows students to experience the power of trade on a first hand basis. This game stimulates a number of discussion topics including comparative advantage, voluntary exchange, exploitation, externalities of trade, and inequality