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Essays on Financial Institutions:
Get PDFThesis advisor: Rui AlbuquerqueThesis advisor: Philip StrahanMy dissertation aims to understand the economic determinants of the forbearance behavior of financial institutions and their cross section of equity returns. It contains three chapters. Chapter One shows that higher capital requirements create a regulatory arbitrage incentive for banks to forbear on loans suboptimally. I develop a dynamic bank model with a capital requirement, where a bank can roll over bad loans without reducing their face value. When the capital constraint binds, banks hold excess non-performing loans (NPLs) and reduce the credit supply. I solve the model globally with occasionally binding capital constraints and calibrate the model to the pre-crisis banking sector in both the US and Italy. The model quantitatively explains about two-thirds of the difference in NPL ratios in the two countries following a simulated recession. I provide direct causal evidence of the effects of the capital constraint channel on banks’ NPL holdings using the Euro Area crises, supporting the predictions the model generates. Chapter Two studies the information externality of banks’ forbearance behavior in a sequential game with incomplete information. Follower banks observe less liquidation in the market due to leader’s forbearance and take it as a false positive signal of the aggregate state, leading to more forbearance and zombie firms. This chapter shows that the size of the externality decreases with the prior belief of the aggregate state of the economy being good. In other words, my model predicts a higher probability of bank herding in suboptimal forbearance during bad times. Chapter Three constructs a dynamic disaster model with implicit government guarantee to explain the hump shape relation between bank size and stock returns. The model shows two opposing effects on the bank expected returns. Lower cost of debt induces more risk shifting behavior of larger banks while the safety net effect provides insurance to equity investors during market downturns. A size threshold increasing with disaster probability determines which effect dominates, thus contributing to the hump shape relation.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management.Discipline: Finance
A Triple Consciousness: African Muslim Women Navigating Belonging in College
Get PDFThesis advisor: Kyrah DanielsThesis advisor: Gustavo MorelloIn many ways, college campuses represent a microcosm of the world where standards of whiteness are upheld and larger societal issues are recreated. Though American Muslim populations expand each year in the United States, few college campuses provide space for African Muslim women to fully express their spirituality and other aspects of their identities without compromise. This thesis examines how African Muslim women navigate belonging and dis-belonging in college. Additionally, it explores how African Muslim women use their triple consciousness to negotiate between their racial, cultural, religious, and gendered identities.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Departmental Honors.Discipline: Sociology.Discipline: African & African Diaspora Studies
Development of Catalyst Systems for Regio- and Enantioselective Transformations of Amine and Ether C-H Bonds:
Get PDFThesis advisor: Masayuki WasaThis dissertation describes the development of novel catalyst systems that could promote the regio- and enantioselective transformations of C-H bonds contained in N-alkylamines and ethers through Lewis acid-mediated hydride abstraction processes. The progress made in C-H functionalization of N-alkylamines and ethers that served as the intellectual foundation of this dissertation research are summarized in Chapter 1. Despite notable advances, the development of broadly applicable, enantioselective, and catalytic protocols to functionalize C-H bonds in N-alkylamines and ethers with high regio- and stereo-selectivity was regarded as an unsolved problem when we started this dissertation research. In an effort to overcome these fundamental limitations, we first identified a B(C6F5)3/Cu-PyBOX cooperative catalyst system for the enantioselective conversion of a-amino C-H bonds through the generation of an iminium by (F5C6)3B-catalyzed hydride abstraction process (Chapter 2). We then envisioned that in situ generated iminium ions could be further deprotonated to furnish an enamine intermediate, which may react with electrophilic species for a-amino C-H functionalization. The design and development of such a catalyst system were discussed in Chapter 3. Finally, we disclose enantioselective Cu–BOX-catalyzed hetero Diels-Alder reactions of enol ethers generated through Ph3C+-mediated oxidation of alkyl ethers. (Chapter 4).Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Chemistry
Conscience in Crisis: The Need for a Better Understanding of Conscience
Get PDFThesis advisor: James KeenanThesis advisor: Dominic DoyleThesis (STL) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry.Discipline: Sacred Theology
Marginalized, Privileged, or Both: Identities as Moderators of Gendered Racism and the Mental Health of Men of Color
No full textThesis advisor: Janet E. HelmsDue to the intersection of their race and gender categories, with one (race) being marginalized and the other (gender) being privileged, men of color have unique experiences of gendered racism, defined as the ways in which racist incidents are focused specifically on their race-gender categorization. Research has shown that gendered racist experiences are related to worse mental health outcomes in men of color. However, it is not known how men of color’s understanding of themselves, as both people of color and men, interacts with the relationships between their gendered racist experiences and mental health. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to explore men of color’s racial and maleness identities in relation to their mental health and gendered racist experiences.Adult men of color (N = 195) were invited to complete measures that assessed gendered racist experiences (Everyday Discrimination Scale), racial identity (People of color Racial Identity Attitudes Scale), maleness identity (Maleness Identity Attitudes Scale), and psychological distress and wellbeing as mental health outcomes (Mental Health Inventory). Multivariate regression analyses revealed that more experiences of gendered racism were related to higher levels of psychological distress, but were not related to psychological wellbeing. Simple linear moderation analyses indicated that racial identity moderated the relationship between gendered racist experiences and psychological distress, while maleness identity moderated the relationship between gendered racist experiences and psychological wellbeing, in some instances. Moderated moderation analyses indicated that the interaction between racial and maleness identities did not moderate the relationship between experiences with gendered racism and mental health in most instances.
Collectively, the results indicate that the ways in which men of color make sense of themselves as people of color and men, independently, have implications for how gendered racist experiences relate to their mental health. However, results did not paint a clear picture of how men of color’s conceptualizations of themselves as both people of color and men relates to their experiences of gendered racism and mental health. Limitations, including the availability of measures for assessing men of color’s identities holistically rather than independently, are addressed. Implications of the results for intersectionality theory and research, practice, and lay men are discussed.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology
Sophistic Threat and Socratic Shield: Education, Inequality, and Influence in Athenian Democracy
Get PDFThesis advisor: John SallisThis dissertation looks at the way that educational systems affect the legal and political realms. The context in this dissertation is the ancient Greek practice of sophistry and its effect on the nascent Athenian democracy. A sophistical education in persuasive speaking could only be afforded by the wealthy, and Athenians would send their sons to a sophist in order to learn how to be persuasive in the Assembly and influence the decision of the democratic body in their favor. My inquiry surrounds whether or not that inequality in education serves to undermine democracy or if it in fact strengthens the Athenian state – on the one hand, there exists an inequality based on wealth, but on the other hand, education in virtue (what the sophists claim to teach, it remains to be seen whether or not they succeed in delivering an education in virtue) cannot be a detriment to the polis. I conclude that while a sophistical education is premised on wealth inequality, and as such cannot serve the polis properly, there does exist a way to improve the polis by means of virtue that does not rely on wealth inequality: Socratic education. Socrates fully embodies the democratic value of equality and the virtuous improvement of the Athenians in his 1) commitment to beginning in ignorance rather than an assumed knowledge of the truth, 2) his refusal to flatter his conversation partners which can serve to disguise the truth, and 3) his adherence to dialectic in which two (or more) interlocutors converse as equals, with the aim of uncovering the truth together.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Philosophy
Enantioselective Synthesis and Stereospecific Transformation of Alkylboronates:
Get PDFThesis advisor: James P. MorkenThesis advisor: Marc L. SnapperThis dissertation will present three projects focusing on the enantioselective synthesis and stereospecific transformation of alkylboronates. The first project describes the development of a nickel-catalyzed enantioselective dicarbofunctionalization of alkenylboronates, which provides a modular route to secondary alkylboronic esters. Intramolecular reaction leads to enantioselective synthesis of exocyclic boronates. The second project depicts a new method for the synthesis of azetidines, pyrrolidines and piperidines via an intramolecular amination of alkylboronic esters. Regioselective amination of vicinal bis(boronates) allows the synthesis of saturated azacycles bearing boronic ester substitutions that can serve as useful synthetic handles. As the transformation is stereospecific, stereodefined cyclic amines can be synthesized from the enantioenriched boronic esters. The method is applied to the synthesis of an intermediate towards a Kras G12C inhibitor. The third project describes the development of a new chiral auxiliary on boron that can be easily synthesized from inexpensive starting materials. The auxiliary is applied to a diastereoselective radical ring-opening/closing [3+2] cycloaddition of cyclopropylanilines with alkenylboron species.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Chemistry
TheReinvention of Tradition: The Nationalist Network and the Making of the American Citizen, 1920-1955
Get PDFThesis advisor: Marilynn JohnsonThis dissertation examines how a coalition of nationalist organizations invented, revised, and popularized the performance of patriotic traditions in everyday life in the United States. Between 1920 and 1955, the Nationalist Network encouraged public schools, local governments, and sports and entertainment venues to incorporate patriotic symbols and rituals into Americans’ daily lives. This “everyday nationalism” included traditions as simple as displaying the American flag in front of government buildings or as elaborate as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or performing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Network’s strategy entailed popularizing patriotic traditions in American society before asking for the endorsement of the federal and state governments. Some of these traditions remain integral to American national identity in the twenty-first century, in large part because the Network normalized the idea that patriotism must be publicly performed. The Nationalist Network comprised a variety of civic, hereditary, and veterans’ organizations, most notably the Daughters of the American Revolution, American Legion, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, which collaborated to advance their goal of spreading everyday nationalism. These organizations largely represented upper middle-class, white, Protestant, American-born citizens and the groups’ leaders believed that immigrants, people of color, workers, and others different from themselves were inherently less patriotic and needed to regularly perform patriotic traditions to truly become American. The Network began popularizing patriotic traditions as part of everyday life in the 1890s but between 1920 and 1955, its work became politically polarized. During these decades, right- and left-wing forces within the Network contested whether American national identity should be exclusive or inclusive. By examining the period between 1920 and 1955, we can see how different ideological factions of the Network used patriotic culture to appeal to Americans’ sense of national pride and to advance their particular beliefs about what the United States can and should represent.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: History
Professional Learning and Instructional Leadership During COVID-19: The Learning of Middle-Level Leaders
Get PDFThesis advisor: Martin ScanlanThesis advisor: Nathaniel BrownThe COVID-19 global pandemic has had major implications on the work educational leaders do on a daily basis, including frequently attending to health and well-being matters as well as operations in order to ensure the safety of all community members. At the same time, school leaders are tasked with maintaining a focus on instructional leadership to close opportunity gaps that may have been exasperated due to the pandemic. One way to increase sustained improvement efforts is to maximize the impact of Middle-level Instructional Leaders (MILs) within the district. Yet, research on MILs is grim and rarely attends to cultivation of learning for these varying roles. In order to address this gap in research, the purpose of this study is to understand how MILs pursue and make sense of instructional leadership during a time of crisis. Through an analysis of 10 semi-structured interviews, two observations and a document review, this qualitative case study presents the perspectives of MILs within a single district, capturing a description of two Communities of Practice (CoPs): District MILs and school-based MILs. Findings indicate that MILs’ individual investment on vision and goals can supersede that of hierarchical accountability structures. In addition, the social-emotional well-being of students and teachers was an emergent and conflicting priority with instructional leadership. Workplace experiences and collaborative, experiential practices are amongst the exemplary practices that develop the capacity of MILs. However, limited enrollment capacity, lack of frequency of experiences, and ambiguous role expectations hinder the ability to develop the practice of MILs. These findings have implications for how to best maximize MILs to pursue instructional leadership, and identify additional areas to consider for future research.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education
Professional Learning and Instructional Leadership During COVID-19: Principal Autonomy and Instructional Leadership During Crisis
Get PDFThesis advisor: Martin ScanlanThis qualitative case study examined the roles autonomy played in how principals in one Massachusetts district learned to prioritize curricular goals and to support instruction during a time of crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. A Communities of Practice (CoP) theory and the concepts of boundaries and brokering served as a theoretical framework to examine principal autonomy. Findings revealed that principals, as members of both their school CoP and the district CoP, existed in a state of multi-membership between the two. Principals then reconciled competing messages and demands between the district CoP and their school CoPs through bridging and buffering. Findings further demonstrated that principals struggled to see themselves as instructional leaders during the pandemic given logistical challenges. Principals also had to adjust their instructional goals to meet changing student social emotional needs and developmental gaps. Finally, data revealed that there was a shift in the roles of autonomy over the course of the three school years of the pandemic: district leaders supported principal autonomy, and the needed improvisation it brought to the district CoP, at the onset of the pandemic and during the second school year but returned to a more centralized calibration as the pandemic continued into the third school year. This research has implications for districts seeking to prepare for crises and suggests that districts might consider principal autonomy as a strategy for innovation.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education