This dissertation analyzes where and when experienced investors add value to startups. Building on the resource-dependence theory and the relational view of the firm, I argue that the positive effect of investor experience on startup performance is stronger when the startup faces a more...

This study tests the assertion that membership growth in credit unions is constrained by their unique structural features, such as their non-profit mission and member-based ownership. Although these features enhance inclusiveness, existing theory suggest that they work against efficiency when...

This dissertation investigates how institutional environments and firm resources influence firm scope. Building on strategy and international business literatures, I propose that institutional environments influence firm scope through the impacts on both the development of internal resources and...

In developing economies, health shocks play a significant role in instigating and sustaining poverty. The impact of high catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure also fosters a culture in which people decide not to use services because they cannot afford either the direct costs, such as for...

The extent of openness to international trade may alter incentives differentially by gender for labor force participation, particularly in economies in which gender differentials in human capital investments such as schooling are large and in which norms about gender behaviors are strong. This...

Morocco and Tunisia have both achieved robust economic growth over the last 30 years by utilizing prudent economic planning and implementation. The World Bank heralds both countries as prime examples of how market-friendly capitalist systems can be implemented over a short period of time with...

The potential for economic agents to minimize risk through diversification is central to the study of finance. This dissertation analyzes the ability to diversify risks in an international context by studying risk sharing opportunities on two dimensions, consumption growth and portfolio wealth....

In this paper we argue that, for a group of converging economies of the European Union, participation in the euro area has been associated with easier access to financing by domestic economic agents. Easier access to financing was a significant impulse leading to a sharp increase in households'...

Over the past 25 years, India’s economy grew at an average real rate of close to 6 percent, yet by the end of this period, the general government debt-to-GDP ratio was 34 percentage points higher. We examine the links between the public finances and growth in the post-1991 period. The...

Bond Volatility Transmissions Between United States and European MarketsSeth KulmanFaculty Sponsor: Gordon Dash, Finance and Decision SciencesRecent events have illustrated the degree of connection between the world’s economies. Economic events occurring in one country are felt in countless...