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From Homesteads to Hospitality: A Study of Agritourism Evolution in Montana
(2024) Bigart, Elena; Weddell, Melissa
Building on two previous agritourism studies conducted in Montana by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research, this current research aims to comprehensively understand the landscape of agritourism in the state by addressing several key inquires. First, it delineates the operational status of agritourism businesses and projects their trajectory over the upcoming years. It also creates an inventory of current agritourism offerings by farms and ranches while also investigating their plans for future. Additionally, the research examines farmer and rancher motivations and barriers to agritourism ventures, and explores agritourism visitor experiences in the state. Finally, it provides an insightful retrospective analysis of the evolution of agritourism in Montana, examining its transformational journey over the past 15 years. By analyzing agritourism from multiple angles, the study promotes sustainable growth of agritourism within the state.
Technical Change and the Rate of Profit in Classical-Marxian Models of Economic Growth
(2024) Basu, Deepankar
I study the effect of technical change on the equilibrium profit rate in Classical-Marxian models of economic growth with alternative closures. In each model, capitalists adopt a new technique of production only if it will increase the profit rate given their expectations about the movement of the real wage rate. The accumulation rate depends on a threshold rate of profit, below which capitalists do not invest. I consider three alternative closures: (a) a constant real wage rate (relevant for a labor surplus economy); (b) a constant wage share (relevant for an advanced capitalist economy with strong labor); and (c) a constant unemployment rate (relevant for an advanced capitalist economy with weak labor). For the model of the advanced capitalist economy with strong labor, the profit rate can fall after viable technical change irrespective of capitalists’ expectations about the trajectory of the real wage rate after technical change. For models of the labor surplus economy and the advanced capitalist economy with weak labor, the equilibrium rate of profit can fall after viable technical change only if capitalists’ choice of technique had been based on an expected fall in the real wage rate after technical change.
A Fortress within a Modern City: What is St. George?
(2024-05) Sajo, Helen
Baton Rouge, Louisiana is home to over 400,000 residents, of which 80,000 might become residents of a new city: St. George. In October 2019, a majority voted to incorporate their portion of East Baton Rouge Parish into a city which would become the richest and whitest city in Louisiana. The organizers of the incorporation say it was because of reasons such as the need for a better public school system and for financial sovereignty from the city of Baton Rouge, but it goes deeper than that. With a survey and personal interviews, this research suggests that residents were misled about the creation of this new city, as well as how much of an impact it would have on all of the surrounding areas. Residents were unaware of how they would receive city services, and how long it would take to get the new public schools operational. While the creation of this city could have happened and was legal, a lawsuit set it back and the incorporation has been denied on multiple technicalities. They are currently awaiting a decision from the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Deconstructing Gender and Media: A Mixed Methods Study with U.S. Early Adolescents
(2024) Zhou, Cecilia Yuxi; Scharrer, Erica; Durrani, Alina
This mixed methods study investigates conceptions of gender both in and outside of the media among a sample of 11- and 12-year-olds. Data from a quantitative survey and qualitative writing responses were collected and analyzed from 54 sixth graders at a U.S public elementary school. Results show that the majority held inclusive views of gender, indicating a recognition of gender inequities in media and society and a desire to challenge traditional gender norms. However, perhaps due to gender-typed content, stronger perceptions of the similarity of the people appearing in YouTube videos, commercials, video games, music videos, and movies to the self were associated with more stereotypical views about gender roles and norms in a weak but statistically significant correlation. This may suggest that accepting media representations as accurately reflecting oneself can still be linked to endorsing more traditional roles and norms, even within a sample with generally quite open conceptions of gender.
The Political Economy of Pragmatic Paranoia: The Strange Case of Pakistan
(2024) Razmi, Arslan
Pakistan's political economy has been characterized by some interesting and arguably unique features in recent decades. The combination of two stands out, in particular: (1) lifetime uncertainty for elected governments, and (2) a high degree of certainty that, due to reasons that are largely extraneous to popularity and policy performance, the incumbent party will not form the government in the next term. This paper argues, employing modified formal frameworks developed for other con- texts, that these features go a significant way in explaining why the economy has experienced dramatic cyclical fluctuations in internal and external macroeconomic indicators, especially official foreign exchange reserve stocks. In addition, the analysis helps explain the consistent underinvestment in tax revenue-generation capacity. The existing "partisan" and "opportunistic" varieties of political business cycle models do not satisfactorily capture these features. The analysis, thus, extends this literature in new directions.

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