50107 research outputs found
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Vulnerable Egalitarianisms: Antebellum Black Lives and the Ethics of Relations
No full textThis dissertation arises from three related interests. The first is my interest in several 19th century Black American texts that describe the US’ egalitarian promise of equality as insubstantial and empty in the face of demoralizing anti-Blackness prejudice and practices, yet which also insist on working towards “equality” as a worthwhile aspiration. The second: my interest in Black Studies scholarship that focus on examining structures of power as expressed in relational forms and as relations, including works by Christina Sharpe, Saidiya Hartman, Jared Sexton, Fred Moten, George Yancy, and Kevin Quashie, among others. The third is an interest in works in Feminist Philosophy / Ethics, specifically on “care work” and vulnerability, which conceptualize the construct of the “self” as animated by an inevitable condition of human interdependence (as opposed to the liberal conception of the self as “sovereign”). Overall, this dissertation argues that texts like Maria Stewart’s Meditations, David Walker’s The Appeal, Harriet Wilson’s Our Nig, and Frank Webb’s The Garies and Their Friends foreground what I call practices of “egalitarian relating,” oriented towards realizing a relationally-rooted and vulnerability-attuned model of “equality.”Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.
Songs of Reform: Using the National Jukebox, Prohibition Era Music, and Student Writing to Explore Cultural Change and Political Participation
No full textA History/Social Studies/AP U.S. History Learning Plan for Grades 8-12
This learning plan uses primary source materials (including music from the Library of Congress’ National Jukebox) and student writing to explore the role of music and songs during the Prohibition era of United States history
Dissecting the coloniality of power in English language learning and teaching in Thailand: An analytic autoethnography as epistemology
No full textI discern that English as a global language owes its origins to colonialism whose power has markedly affected the entire world. Learning and teaching English in Thailand, an only country in Southeast Asia that withstands the menace of colonization, I neglected to take cognizance of the coloniality of power that had a bearing on my non-colonized country. I employ an analytic autoethnography as epistemology to investigate the extent to which the coloniality of power impacts my English language teaching and learning experiences in Thailand in the post-colonial epoch. I lean on linguistic imperialism as a main theoretical construct to frame my autoethnographic research. I explore the personal memories of my English language learning and teaching as well as other relevant artifacts. I interpret my assemblages through reflexivity and mindful approach to ethnography. The following insights gained bear testimony to the coloniality of power adhering to my experiences.
My experiences in learning English are intertwined with the coloniality of power in several ways. I realize that my initial step toward learning English is interlocked with Christianity. In my schooldays, not only did I learn English, I also underwent the religious practices and cultures that belonged to the Western colonizers. Secondly, the supremacy of English over other foreign languages in Thai educational system indicates its hegemonic power and its role as a tool in service of neocolonialism. In addition, mastery of English entails the overarching structure of asymmetrical power relations and social hierarchies. Lastly, the Anglocentric dominance over my English language learning highlights the superiority of English as a British colonial lineage and seems to denigrate English as a global language that supports an equal variety of Englishes.
As regards my English language teaching experiences, my critical examination reveals the colonial construction of the native-speaker Self as superior Center and the non-native-speaker Other as inferior Periphery. I acknowledge that I legitimize my self-marginalization. In addition, my utilization of Western published materials accentuates the monolingual and monocultural tenet that perpetuates linguistic imperialism. Furthermore, my experiences in a colonial-celebratory environment uphold the superior merits of English as a colonial legacy. Finally, my attempts to create the English monolingual classroom environment demonstrate that my ideological stance is dominated by colonialingual ideologies and linguistic imperialism.
I argue that my learning and teaching of English in my non-colonized country have indissoluble links with colonialism. Patently, they perpetuate the coloniality of power. My autoethnography raises a critical awareness among Thai teachers, scholars, educators, researchers, and stakeholders of the invisible coloniality of power and its impact that are seemingly overlooked by Thai people. It has profound implications for the decolonial future of English language education in Thailand.This research was funded by Thammasat University, Thailand.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.
Essays on Child Care and Labor Market Inequality Among U.S. Women
No full textMy dissertation covers the topics of labor market inequalities among U.S. women from the perspective of child care. I aim to find answers to questions of differences in employment from societal and familial factors that shape child care responsibilities of women differently.
My first essay examines the effects of low-educated immigrants (LEI) on child care prices and U.S.-born mothers’ employment in 2010-2018. I combine multiple national datasets – the National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP), the American Community Survey, and the Annual Social and Economic Supplements (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS) – to look at immigrants’ impact on county’s child care prices and price effects on women’s employment decisions. My results indicate that, despite the reduction in child care prices possibly associated with low-educated immigrants (especially in family day care businesses where they represent a significant share of the workforce) their presence does not seem to exercise much influence on U.S.-born women’s employment.
My second essay uses the 2010-2018 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to link young women to their mothers and estimates the effect of living in a multigenerational household on women’s employment. While I find a positive impact of intergenerational coresidence on both black and white mothers with young children, I show that it reduces the employment of Black grandmothers especially those under retirement age. This finding has policy implications. If increases in the price of purchased child care increase families’ reliance on informal child care by grandmothers, the impacts will likely differ by race, increasing the economic vulnerability of Black grandmothers.
My third essay explores the differences between cohabiting/married and same-sex/different-sex partnerships on women’s employment responses to a partners’ job loss before and during the Great Recession. My findings, based on 2005-2009 data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), suggest that cohabiting women are less likely to change their employment than their married counterparts, but the gap between mothers and non-mothers is smaller. My analysis contributes to the literature on “added worker effects,” updating the ways in which countercyclical trends in women’s labor supply are affected by changes in family structure.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.
An APC Trap?: Privilege and the Perception of Reasonableness in Open Access Publishing
No full textIntroduction
This article investigates funding sources reported by authors of open access (OA) articles at four R1 universities in the United States along with these authors’ perceptions of Article Processing Charges (APCs). The study suggests a cognitive dissonance among many respondents, where there appears to be a desire and willingness to participate in open access publishing which is at odds with a sense of unreasonableness and an uneven distribution of ability of researchers to participate.
Literature Review
Much of the literature on APCs centers on rising prices, how commercial publishers profit from this model, and the resulting inequities in OA publishing. Some information exists about resources for funding APCs, including grant funding, library programs, and fee waivers.
Methods
We surveyed authors who published an OA article in the calendar year 2022. The survey asked whether there was an APC, the funding source for the fee, and the author’s perception of the reasonableness of APC prices and their relative ability to pay compared with their peers.
Results
From 321 total respondents, grant funding was the largest source of APC funding, and authors reported fees of over US$1500 as unreasonable.
Discussion
This study confirms the hypothesis that external grants are the primary support for authors paying APCs, and beyond that, authors use a variety of sources to support their publishing fees. Respondents characterized APCs in general as unreasonable for less-well-resourced colleagues.
Conclusion
Though authors were generally able to find funding or have fees waived, they perceive a threshold of reasonableness for APCs
Building a Primary Care Research Agenda for Latino Populations in the Setting of the Latino Paradox: A Report from the 2023 Latino Primary Care Summit
No full textLatinos represent almost 20% of the US population and face significant health and health care inequities. When compared with socioeconomically similar comparators, they demonstrate better all-cause mortality, a long-observed epidemiologic phenomenon known as the "Latino paradox." In May 2023, we convened the inaugural Latino Primary Care Summit, focused on the theme, "Immigrant Paradox: Primary Care Roles, Implications and Future," with the goal of helping to define a research agenda and recommendations for Latino primary care equity within the context of the Latino paradox. The Summit consisted of 8 expert presentations, including breakout discussion groups and report-outs to the entire Summit group. Six themes were identified from presentation content, and recommendations were drawn from these to better inform a primary care research agenda for Latino health equity. The 6 themes were organized into the following categories: 1) Latino Paradox Considerations, Limitations, and Implications (proper standardization and contextualization). 2) Data Issues (accurate and ethical categorization). 3) Bridging Clinic and Community (understanding partnership development and maintenance). 4) Primary Care Challenges (specific issues related to day-to-day delivery of primary care to Latino patients). 5) Social Needs (implementation and evaluation of social needs screening to Latino patients. 6) Workforce/Academics, Representation Inequities, and Innovation (research training, workforce diversity, and innovation approaches)
Structural Constraints on the Productivity of Persian Compounding
No full textThis study empirically investigates the structural constraints influencing the productivity of Persian compounding processes, using a corpus derived from the Persian Linguistic Database (PLDB). It examines phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic factors limiting the formation of new compounds. In this study, productivity refers to the degree to which a morphological process is used to create new words in a given language. The findings reveal an inverse relationship between productivity and the number of constraints applied: as constraints increase, productivity declines. Phonological factors include syllabic and phonological structure of the word, while morphological constraints relate to the category, structure, and affixation of the base. Syntactically, productivity depends on category combinations and subcategorization frames. For example, bases like /ʔāb/ (water) and /por/ (full) demonstrate higher combinatory potential compared to less flexible bases such as /pir/ (old) or /šanbe/ (Saturday). In the semantic domain, transparency and compositionality play crucial roles. Compounds with meanings derivable from their components show higher productivity, whereas opaque or metaphorical compounds stem from less productive processes. This study highlights the interaction of phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic factors in shaping Persian compound formation
Regional Invasive Species & Climate Change Research to Practice Paper: Climate-Smart Gardening 2.0
No full textGardening with native and near-native plants can help gardens and nearby ecosystems adapt to our changing climate, supporting their future biodiversity and resilience. Here, we provide updated and expanded state lists of “climate-smart” commercially available native and near-native plants that are expected to grow in the Northeast with continued climate change
Compassion and Contempt: Dante's Moral Corrections of Shades in the Inferno
No full textIn Dante’s Commedia, he uses his contrapasso as an enforcing justice of punishment as the mirrored consequence of sinner’s Earthly sin. The contrapasso is used as a tool of moral correction for how Dante responds to the shades’ choices committed in sin. Dante’s responses range from pity, contempt, and more rarely, violence. These instances of violence raise ethical questions to the reader that challenge preconceived notions about sin’s severity of punishment. These instances also include disassembling the dichotomy that is Dante auctor and Dante agens, by raising questions of historical narrative into his treatment of certain shades. This question of justice is prompted by the poet for the reader and for himself as the pilgrim. His responses are often guided or scolded by Virgil, who serves as his personification of reason, offering Dante the opportunity to extend this influence of reason to those in Hell who betrayed it in life
Essays in Labor Market Power and Productivity Growth
No full textMy first essay, “Labor Market Power and Rent Sharing in the Indian Manufacturing Sector,” examines firms’ wage-setting behavior and employer market power in India’s organized manufacturing sector from 2003–2019, using firm-level panel data from the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI). I employ a structural approach to estimate wage markdowns and study how they relate to product market competition. I find that two-thirds of firm-year observations exhibit wage markdowns, 18% wage markups, and the rest competitive wages. At the median firm, a worker earns only 60% of the marginal revenue they generate, indicating Pigouvian exploitation. Most variation in markdowns arises within industries, between firms, and is shaped by firm size (independent of concentration), age, exports, and capital intensity.
My second essay, “The Joint Estimation of Labor and Product Market Power: A Theoretical Exposition and Empirical Evidence from the Indian Manufacturing Sector," develops a growth accounting model for jointly estimating monopsony power in labor markets, monopoly power in product markets, returns to scale, and productivity growth. This work builds on an existing theoretical framework for jointly estimating efficient bargaining, monopoly, returns-to-scale, and productivity parameters. The rationale for this intervention is to introduce employer market power, instead of workers’ bargaining power captured in an efficient bargaining model, into a growth accounting framework. Using control function approaches, this model is empirically implemented for the Indian manufacturing sector from 2003-2019, providing new evidence on the interaction of labor and product market power in Indian manufacturing.
My third essay, “What to Make of the Kaldor-Verdoorn Law?” (with Deepankar Basu), examines the theoretical foundations of the Kaldor-Verdoorn (KV) Law. The conventional Kaldorian interpretation treats the KV coefficient as a direct measure of returns to scale. We challenge this view and show that the coefficient alone cannot yield unambiguous inferences about returns to scale, except under Leontief technology. Strikingly, we also demonstrate that an economy without aggregate increasing returns can still generate a KV coefficient between 0 and 1. This result complicates the standard interpretation of the KV Law within heterodox macroeconomics.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.