In this dissertation we present mathematical models that help answer health policy questions relating to HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV), and analyze bias in Markov models of disease progression. We begin by developing a Markov decision process model that examines the timing of testing and treatment...

"Within the global framework of Sustainable Development, NTFPs (Non-timber Forest Products) draw a great deal of attentions from scholars. However, previous literature and research has mainly placed emphasis on how commercialization of NTFPs contributed to forest management and local livelihood...

The objective of this study was to examine if intra-racial income inequality contributes to higher infant mortality rates (IMRs) for African-Americans. The conceptual framework for this study is derived from Richard Wilkinson's psychosocial environment interpretation of the income inequality and...

The influence of intangibility on ethnic minority consumers' choice of service providers is reflected in their use of information sources, choice criteria, motivation for switching and valuation of provider attributes. This is examined by drawing from survey responses given by members of a...

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: By understanding the costs of HIV/AIDS, businesses can understand the incentives for preventing and treating the disease better. This report primarily investigates whether there is a difference in the relationship between HIV/AIDS prevalence rates and related costs in different...

This paper discusses the relationship between two threads of social science research: traditional analysis of healthcare market failures and criticism of the narrow assumptions economic models make. The results that the American healthcare system produces are relatively poor compared to other...

Nurses are a key component of the health care system and have the ability to provide innovative solutions to improve quality and safety for patients, while improving workplace conditions, and increasing recruitment and retention of nurses. Encouraging innovation behaviors among nurses is...

In what ways, if any, does the behavior of government and nonprofit organizations differ? This article examines evidence from two industries–nursing homes and mentally handicapped facilities–to determine whether government and nonprofit organization behavior differs in identifiable...

This paper considers the adoption of Health Information Technology (HIT) by physician clinics with ten or fewer physicians. The paper considers the theoretical economics literature on technology adoption for a new technology and has a place in the empirical tests of these models. The two major...

There has been an almost 60 percent increase in health care expenditures in the US in the past seven years. Employer-sponsored health coverage premiums have increased significantly (87 percent) in this same period. Besides the cost of care for chronic conditions such as migraine, arthritis and...