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Natural Resource Rents and Institutional Change: Author: Scarborough, Brandon Christopher; Date: 2005-08-15; Program: Applied economics; Abstract: Recent literature argues that nations with abundant natural resources - primarily oil and minerals - tend to grow more slowly comparatively to resource-poor nations. Much of this cross-national variation in economic performance may be explained by the interaction between natural resources and institutional quality. Focusing on the importance of economic institutions in the form of property rights and the rule of law this paper presents an alternative explanation for the diverging economic paths in resource rich nations. economic rents generated from abundant oil and gas resources may affect in...; Download File | View full details

The Relative Poverty of American Indian Reservations: Why Does Reservation Poverty Persist Despite Rich Neighbors?: Author: Cookson Jr., John Anthony; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Applied economics; Abstract: American Indian reservations have per capita incomes $9,000 lower than adjacent counties. This paper seeks to explain why using an approach akin to the analysis of country-level data. I estimate differences in levels of income and income growth for a decade where Indian economies were transformed greatly by casino gambling - the 1990s. I test several recent innovations in the theory of economic growth within the context of American Indian economies and assess how economic performance depends on veto players, human capital investment, and windfall wealth. I find that measures of rule of law, re...; Download File | View full details

Landscape and place-identity in a Great Plains Reservation community: a historical geography of Poplar, Montana: Author: Warren, Scott Daniel; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: This study constructs a historical-geographical narrative of Poplar, Montana and explores residents' place-identity in the context of economic restructuring. Located on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana, Poplar offers an ideal setting to better understand how economic restructuring affects the lives of residents in northern Plains reservation communities. Loss of businesses, consolidation of services, and general economic restructuring continue to challenge communities on the Great Plains. For Great Plains Indian reservations, however, these problems are compounded by a...; Download File | View full details

Infusion: urban and domestic transformation: Author: McQuinn, Dylan Thomas; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: The turn of the Century in this country brought with it the introduction and ensuing growth of water-born trade markets, facilitating the establishment of a series of metropolitan hubs scattered along the coastline. The subsequent hundred years has seen a major increase in population within these areas accompanied by an economic shift away from maritime trade. Older ports have been abandoned, leaving behind antiquated urban infrastructure. The subsequent dismantling of these vast waterfront industrial areas has provided an opportunity for the reconfiguration of these spaces and the implementat...; Download File | View full details

Creating the Old and New Wests: Landscape and Identity in Anaconda and Hamilton, Montana: Author: Bryson, Jeremy Glen; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: This research employs case studies of Anaconda and Hamilton, Montana to explore the creation of the Old and New Wests. For nearly a century, Anaconda functioned as a copper smelting city. However, since the smelter closed the community has witnessed withering population losses, economic contraction, and investment withdrawal. Alternatively, Hamilton has a long history of recreational and leisure amenity investment. Recently, Hamilton's rapid population growth, economic expansion and considerable investment have transformed the community. This research seeks to understand and interpret the chan...; Download File | View full details

The geographic and economic importance of hunting in Southwestern Montana, USA: Author: Bergstrom, Ryan Dennis; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Montana's big game species were at one time brought to near extinction through exploitation and the myth of superabundance. Today they are seen as one of the state's most prized possessions, with millions of dollars spent annually on their sustainability through the management efforts of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Funding for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks is provided through a hunter and manufacturer sponsored excise equipment tax provided through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, or as it is more commonly referred to, the Pittman-Robertson Act, as well as state hun...; Download File | View full details

An Analysis of the Enactment of Anti-Price Gouging Laws: Author: Davis, Cale Wren; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Applied economics; Abstract: Anti-price gouging (APG) laws are state-level price controls only effective during times of emergency. From standard economic analysis, there are no apparent beneficiaries from price ceilings. Thus, the enactment of APG laws is puzzling from an economic perspective. The passage of APG laws is first analyzed with case studies of all thirty-one state laws. The case studies include information such as disasters that triggered the enactment of the laws, detail on enforcement and penalties, and information on supporters and opponents. This information is used to help determine why policymakers enac...; Download File | View full details

Seeley Lake Montana. Developing a Sustainable Community within a Grid-Dependent Town.: Author: Jones, Justin Balog; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Within ten years, Seeley Lake will be modernized and receive public services such as sewer, full water treatment plants, and cable television. When these developments are implemented in Seeley, the town will grow quickly and without regard for the existing physical environment. The economics of place will change as well; property values and taxes will be inflated to unseen levels. This thesis proposes that a central portion of the small town be redeveloped as offgrid community catering to the existing and future working class of Seeley Lake. Focusing on ten existing blocks in the center of See...; Download File | View full details

Borrowing Modernity: A Comparison of Educational Change in Japan, China, and Thailand from the Early Seventeenth to the Mid-Twentieth Century: Author: Batchelor, Randal Shon; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Education; Abstract: In the pre-modern era, the Japanese, Chinese and Siamese sustained sophisticated educational systems that buttressed complex political, social, and cultural institutions. In the nineteenth century, the rise of Western imperialism threatened the survivals of all three realms. Unlike their East Asian neighbors, Japan, China, and Siam preserved a large measure of self-rule though they had to cede significant amounts of sovereignty. To defend their societies's interests, their leaders sought to modernize their political, social, and economic structures. In the process, they abandoned existing edu...; Download File | View full details

Redlining in Montana: Author: Schumacher, Joel Brent; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Applied economics; Abstract: Redlining is the practice of using the attributes of geographic location of a mortgage loan as the basis for differential and typically adverse treatment of an application. This is a particularly important social problem in the home mortgage market due to benefits which have been shown to be correlated with home ownership. Minority and low income applicants may find redlining to be a major barrier to obtaining home ownership and the benefits associated with being a home owner. This thesis uses a data set collected under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act to examine the mortgage market in Montana...; Download File | View full details

Changing Soil Degradation Trends in Senegal with Carbon Sequestration Payments: Author: Gray, Kara Michelle; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Applied economics; Abstract: In Sudo-Sahelian Africa, erosion and nutrient mining are prominent causes of soil degradation. In Senegal, harvesting grains and crop residue from the land impact heavily on soil carbon content, while the insufficient replacement of soil nutrients with fertilizers contributes to negative nutrient balances. Given the economic perspective of the rational farmer and the dynamic nature of crop and soil management issues, this thesis used a regional case study in the Groundnut Basin of Senegal to do the following: describe and assess economic incentives specific the to the case study region; model ...; Download File | View full details

I'm so bored with the U.S. - and beyond: theorizing the emergence of postmodern slackers and global Generation X culture: Author: Paliobagis, Ariana Jade; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: English; Abstract: The generation which came of age in the late 1970s through the 1980s has often been described as a cohort of slackers, lazy layabouts who shamelessly rejected the previous generation's passionate attempts at revolution. I argue instead, however, that Generation X, as Canadian writer Douglas Coupland termed it, is responsible for a revolution of its own, but its lack of resemblance to any previous social upheavals has caused it to be misunderstood by many. The failure of the youthful rebellions of the sixties and the shallow response to this of the eighties - selfish materialism - prompted thi...; Download File | View full details

Rural Women's Perceptions of the Diffusion of Technological Innovations that Increase Quality Shea Butter Productions in Mali: Author: Kante, Assa; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Agricultural Education; Abstract: An ethnographic case study was conducted in three villages in Mali (West Africa) to determine the perceptions of woman producers of shea butter toward the introduction of new technologies to save labor input in processing and improving quality of shea butter. During the in-depth interviews conducted, most of the participants said they would be grateful for the technologies, but are facing economic and external market information constraints. A few of the participants still believe that manual churning provides good quality even though it is labor intensive. Participants prefer using visual aid...; Download File | View full details

Surveying the Community of Crow Agency, MT for Interest in a Community Radio Station: Author: Doyle, Shane Michael; Date: 2005-08-15; Program: Native American Studies; Abstract: 90% of the Crow Tribe's 10,000 members live on or near its 2.5 million acre reservation. There are currently no television or radio stations intended to serve this area and its population with the vital connections and resources available through the information highway maintained by mass media. This study explores the level of interest and support the Crow community has for a Native American radio station. It also identifies areas of need within the community that can be met by the establishment of a Crow radio station and by the implementation of Native American programming. Research found t...; Download File | View full details

Cultural Healing: Author: Zentgraf, Megan Nicole; Date: 2008-12-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: "Since the stone age man has searched for a comfortable house in a safe place." Alfred Caldwell A residence should be a place where one feels safe, and should want to go at the end of the day. People living in low-income situations have a more difficult time than most at achieving peace of mind in a home due to a constant concern of bills and the stresses of an unstable socio-cultural environment. Low income housing projects frequently create high crime, violence, and a feeling of social, cultural and economic entrapment. This project searches for a solution to these problems throu...; Download File | View full details

The Historical Power of the Imagination: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o and the Production of Place: Author: Ongaro, Shannon Marie; Date: 2004-05-15; Program: History; Abstract: The Norfolk Hotel stands as a symbol for diverse cultural projects. Playground to white settlers such as Karen Blixen and her cohorts, it represents a British colonial history of Kenya. Purity, civilization, and order all are hallmarks of traditional colonial conceptions of "good government." In the Norfolk's heyday as a sanctuary for white settlers, it was seen to exist in contrast to its surroundings. The Kenyan landscape itself could not have been stranger to the colonists coming from Great Britain. Kenya did not have the green rolling hills and year round water that white settler...; Download File | View full details

Science and Natural History Film and the Larger Media Environment: Author: Ruggiero, Colin Ross; Date: 2005-08-15; Program: Science and Natural History Filmmaking; Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the ways in which science and natural history films are affected by the larger media environment and in particular, concentrated ownership structures. This first part of this examination is aimed at establishing that the corporate conglomerates that own the majority of mainstream media outlets and resources have sufficient control over the media environment to warrant speaking about specialized programming like science and natural history within the context of the larger corporate-owned environment. The remainder of the paper discusses the impacts this ...; Download File | View full details

An economic History of the United States Sugar Program: Author: Wiltgen, Tyler James; Date: 2007-12-15; Program: Applied economics; Abstract: The United States Sugar Program has utilized tariffs, import quotas, domestic processor marketing allotments, and a non-recourse loan program to raise U.S. sugar prices. The intent of the program has been to increase the incomes of U.S. sugar beet and sugarcane producers and processors. This thesis analyzes world and domestic sugar market conditions surrounding major changes in the sugar program. A theoretical model is developed in which sugar beet processors are depicted as monopsonist purchasers of sugar beets as inputs into sugar production. This model suggests that incentives exist for sug...; Download File | View full details

An evidence based policy recommendation addressing body art among nursing personnel: Author: Dorwart, Shawna Drugge; Date: 2009-08-15; Program: Nursing; Abstract: Body art in the form of tattoos and piercings is becoming more prevalent as a form of self-expression. Body art is found among members of all socio-economic groups and across a variety of professions. With this increased prevalence many organizations are developing policies to address body art among employees. The intent of this project is to look specifically at policy development in regard to body art among nursing personnel. A thorough review of literature was carried out, exploring body art from multiple perspectives. In addition to examining body art, careful consideration was made for th...; Download File | View full details

Westernization in Sub-Saharan Africa: Facing Loss of Culture, Knowledge, and Environment: Author: Scott, Meghan Marie; Date: 2007-08-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Sub-Saharan Africa faces many challenges; among them is the struggle to westernize. But is westernization really the answer for this large 'third world' population? Westernization has stripped many of the cultures that make up sub-Saharan Africa of their knowledge bases, knowledge of tradition, and pride in culture. The principles behind International architecture indicate to this part of the world that the way they are living (with sensitivity to earth, season, and hardship) is uncivilized. That instead of grass huts that can be rebuilt id a drought causes a family to move, they must build mu...; Download File | View full details

Coup d' Eventail: The Maghreb, the French, and Imperial Pretext: Author: Walker, Timothy John; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: English; Abstract: This thesis examines the experience of the men and women of the Maghreb through an analysis of regionally-based writers, historians, and cultural and geopolitical analysts, as well as alternative sources detailing salient factors involved in this era. The Maghreb, a region of North Africa consisting of three nations, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, experienced well over a century of colonial rule by the French. The colonial era lasted from the early 1800's to the culmination of the French-Algerian War in 1962. France was determined to establish Algeria as an integral component of the French emp...; Download File | View full details

What one knows one loves best: a brief administrative history of science education in the national parks, 1916-1925: Author: Smith, Diane Marie; Date: 2004-05-15; Program: History; Abstract: This study focuses on the early administrative history of the National Park Service (NPS) science education and interpretation programs. In particular, it examines 1) how publicists, academics, and park rangers initiated science and natural history programming in the early years of the National Park Service; 2) how these three approaches eventually gave way to the more pragmatic NPS emphasis on hiring ranger naturalists with training in the sciences to implement park educational programs; and, briefly, 3) how the establishment of the NPS education division in 1925, as equal to the engineering ...; Download File | View full details

Sustaining the memory [history] of place: Author: Costanti, Peter John; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Our minds have the ability to recall and sustain memories, so why can't architecture do the same? Our built environment exhibits the ability to form expectations of the future, while conducting investigations into the past. Every place has an identity, a location, and a memory that characterizes its existence. Memory is a component that, at the moment, may be vacant within the context of our forgotten sites, our terrain vague. These places are currently unseen, ignored, or forgotten, but this does not mean the history is unworthy of resurrection. There is certainly a story that exists, that ca...; Download File | View full details

The Emerging Hispanic Homeland of the Pacific Northwest: A Case Study of Yakima Valley, Washington: Author: Darian, Laurie; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: The transition of spaces and places by the increasing number of Hispanics in the United States is a topic of growing importance in cultural geography. The degree to which Hispanics integrate, or assimilate, into Anglo culture plays a vital role in such transformations. This research examines the different avenues of Hispanic assimilation and non-assimilation in the Lower Yakima Valley in Washington State. These avenues consist of economic, structural, cultural, and spatial assimilation, as well as the Hispanic representation in the cultural landscape. Fieldwork in the Valley, combined with cen...; Download File | View full details

Disturbance in the garden: toward a new portrayal of wildfire in science and natural history films: Author: Roberts, Jeremy Russell; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Science and Natural History Filmmaking; Abstract: Science has proven that wildfire has a positive rejuvenating effect on many ecosystems, creating new habitat and bolstering global biodiversity. Despite growing scientific understanding of wildfire over the past 100 years, science and natural history films repeatedly position wildfire merely to achieve dramatic effect. These films typically ignore the available science and in many cases contradict scientific truth outright for the sake of the dramatic narrative. Formulaic conventions developed by Walt Disney and various societal convictions are responsible for the perpetuation of old narrative...; Download File | View full details

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