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Pourrezajourshari, Saba. "Lifecycle Affordability Decisions." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2016. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc862724/.
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SpaceX as aerospace manufacturer and space transport service technology company work along to make reusable rockets, their long term plan is to make spaceflight affordable routine. Elon Musk, as CEO, is involved in every step of decision making as he has mentioned in interviews. The rocket's engine has undergone a number of improvements, and to increase its efficiency and power, a number of parts has been reduced. The redesigning process involves several decisions, such as in-house or out-source production. This research provides a practical framework for contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers to build a more reliable, affordable, and low cost supply chain. As a result, the objective of my dissertation is to explore how managers can extend the useful life of their assets and reduce their total cost of ownership. The main research focus for this dissertation is lifecycle affordability (LCA) for capital intensive products when post production costs are significantly higher than production costs. Lifecycle cost is often not considered by firms in a product, service or asset when making acquisition decisions. Firm's acquisition are mainly based on the initial cost of the product. Decision making without considering the entire lifecycle cost of a product impacts the firm's profitability, revenue, pricing strategies, and competitiveness. Evaluating the trade-offs between all the costs involved in the product lifecycle can help firms to have an estimation of costs before making any acquisition decisions. To address these challenges, lifecycle affordability (LCA) considerations can enable firms to focus their decisions on their long-term investment process rather than trying to save on initial cost of purchasing a product. This dissertation presents the following research question: how has lifecycle affordability been represented in supply chain research to date? And what are constructs of lifecycle affordability? To address this research question, the dissertation is comprised of three separate essays. The first essay conducts literature review method to provide a framework for lifecycle affordability that reduces the total lifecycle cost while maintaining the reliability and efficiency of the capital equipment, and identify existing research gaps and future LCA research ideas. The second essay is constructed on a survey-based method and investigations how homeowners' lack of understanding lifecycle cost, and long-term affordability affects their dissatisfaction with the home purchase. A regression model is developed to study the factors that explain Homebuyers' lack of understanding cost, and affordability considerations. The third essay developed an agent-based model (ABM) to study small medium businesses (SMB) when the business organization and the community is hit by a disaster. The objective of the study is to investigate the resiliency and lifecycle affordability management of the community and the small medium businesses.
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Adams, Amy M. "National Measures of College Affordability: A Study of the College Affordability Index." Ohio : Ohio University, 2007. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1178666421.
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Yip, Ngai Ming. "Housing affordability in England." Thesis, University of York, 1995. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14105/.
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Triggered by the state of the housing market and a change in the housing association subsidy system, housing affordability became a topical issue of discourse in Britain towards the end of the 1980s. Yet, there is little research both on the extent of the problem at the national level and how affordability should be measured. This research attempts to advance understanding in these issues based on data from the 1991 Family Expenditure Survey and the 1988 General Household Survey. In this thesis, a new definition of the residual income measurement has been proposed and threshold affordability ratios has also been established using a composite approach to affordability measurement combining the ratio and the residual income measurement, in additional to an experimentation on a behavioral approach to the measurement of affordability. Findings in this thesis suggest that, measured by the ratio measurement and the traditional residual income measurement, about a quarter of households in 1991 were in unaffordable housing. Social tenants and tenants in the unfurnished private rented sector, lone parents, the elderly persons and households with unemployed household heads and claimants of housing benefit were more likely to be in unaffordable housing. However, there is no evidence in support of distinct patterns in household expenditure between households who were affordable to housing and those who were unaffordable. It is also controversial to regard households who were unaffordable to housing but at the same time over-consumiing housing to be in voluntary unaffordability problem owing to the difficulties such households would have in adjusting their level of housing consumption. This thesis also points to the close relationship between housing affordability, housing benefit and social tenancy which suggests the inadequacy of the housing benefit system and state provision of housing in protecting households from the problem of housing affordability. A section of this thesis was devoted to the examination of the ability of tenants to buy in the late 1980s where tenure preference has been incorporated in the measurement of such ability. It was found that the majority of tenants in 1988 could not afford to buy and tenants living in London and the South East, single person households, lone parents and households on a low income were the least able to afford buying. Though the Right to Buy scheme would improve the capacity of these households in council housing to become home owners, they are still households who were the least able to buy.
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Yao, Chen. "Measuring Housing Affordability in Beijing." Thesis, KTH, Bygg- och fastighetsekonomi, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-48600.
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Housing affordability is the relationship between households’ income and housing expenditure. The public are very concerned about the high price of residential housing in Beijing, which is considered go beyond the income of average citizens. In order to fully understand the China’s real estate market, the paper first analyses the land policy, housing reform and housing finance, etc. Then this paper examine to what the extent the high housing price had led to low levels of housing affordability from 2000 until 2009 among Beijing urban households. The ratio analysis has been conducted to measure housing affordability. Meanwhile, we compute the housing-induced poverty, find maximum affordable housing prices for all the income classes, and suggest the housing assistance that should be provided to urban households in Beijing. Approximately, only 20% Beijing urban residents have purchase affordability for a standardized new residential housing, no matter which approach is used, strong statistical evidences reveal that there is an incessant large gap between residential housing prices and urban residents’ incomes in Beijing.
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Keller, George Burleigh. "Modeling and Measuring Affordability as Fitness." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/77365.
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Affordability of products and services is an economic benefit that should accrue to consumers, whether they are corporations, government agencies or individuals. This concept of affordability goes beyond conventional wisdom that considers affordability as the ability to pay the price of a product or service. This dissertation defines and explores a broader concept of affordability – one of fitness to perform at the level of quality required by the consumer, to perform at that level whenever the product or service is used, and to do so with minimum consumption of resources. This concept of affordability is applied to technological systems by using the complexity sciences concept of fitness as the metaphor for technological systems' fitness. During a system design evolution, the specific design outcome is determined by that set of design search paths followed – it is path dependent. Dynamic mechanisms create, dictate and maintain path dependence. Initial conditions define the start and direction of a path. During subsequent design steps, positive feedback influences the designer to continue on that path. This dissertation describes underlying mechanisms that create, dictate and maintain path dependence; discusses the effects of path dependence on system design and system affordability; models these effects using system dynamics modeling; and suggests actions to address its effects. This dissertation also addresses several types of fitness landscapes, and suggests that the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) solution space is a form of fitness landscape suitable for evaluating the efficiency, and thus the fitness, of research and development (R&D) projects. It describes the use of DEA to evaluate and select Department of Defense (D0D) R&D projects as a new application of DEA.Ph. D.
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Ann, Hartell. "Contextualizing Location Affordability: Urban Sprawl and Foreclosure." WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, 2015. http://epub.wu.ac.at/6096/1/sre%2Ddisc%2D2015_06.pdf.
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Location affordability is a policy concept that links housing costs with transport costs, recognizing that assessing affordability should consider the combined costs incurred by a given location choice. As a more holistic perspective on affordability than traditional thresholds of housing costs alone, location affordability opens new possibilities for applied analyses that suggest a need for stronger coordination between housing and transport sectors in policy, planning, and project development.
A range of housing and transport system configurations can result in affordable locations. For example, it may be that high housing cost burdens in densely developed urban markets can be softened by the use of low-cost transportation services, such as public transit, cycling, or walking. Intensely urban areas are usually more compatible with low-cost transport modes because distances are shorter and density concentrates people so as to make public transit feasible. Conversely, in areas where there is little pressure on land markets and development is at low densities, housing prices are usually lower. Yet such areas are inefficient and expensive to serve by public transit; at the same time, long distances between work and residential locations make walking or cycling infeasible. As a result, households rely on private automobiles for transport, which require substantial investment to purchase, maintain, and operate one or more vehicles. Between these two extremes are a variety of patterns where households¿ housing and transport costs reflect the joint configuration of the land development and transport systems in a city. This joint configuration, or urban form, creates an influential backdrop for household location decisions and affects household cost structures.
In recent decades, scholars have focused on the phenomenon of urban sprawl, broadly understood to be ex-urban, low-density development, with segregated land uses and an orientation toward automobile use. Although there is general agreement on what sprawl is, there is weak consensus on a consistent definition appropriate for use in empirical studies. This is not merely an academic problem: If research is to provide evidence on location affordability to policy- and decision-makers, a coherent and clear conceptualization of the relevant dimensions of urban form is needed to identify specific strategies that support affordability.
This paper makes two contributions to the affordability literature. First, it operationalizes location unaffordability using Census tract-level mortgage foreclosure rates during the recent housing crisis as an outcome measure. From this perspective, foreclosures are an observable effect of some combination of factors that resulted in a dwelling unit becoming unaffordable such that the homeowner defaults on a home mortgage. This is in contrast to typical methods that accept normative thresholds for affordability (i.e. 30% of household income). Second, it uses multi-dimensional measures of urban form--recently developed by Andrea Sarzynski, George Galster, and Lisa Stack (2014)-to estimate the effect of particular patterns of development on affordability. These data are combined with demographic and household cost data in a series of spatial regression models for 35 US cities that exhibited the greatest changes in their development patterns over the preceding decade (1990s).Series: SRE - Discussion Papers
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Ehrlich, David A. "America's access to space assuring future affordability." Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/5004.
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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimitedThis thesis evaluates the U.S. government policies that mandate the DoD launch government payloads only from vehicles produced domestically as a means to protect America's national security interests. Unfortunately, over the past decade, the commercial space launch industry has suffered several programmatic and economic setbacks, culminating in the DoD being forced to financially maintain the commercial space launch industry. The result is a quasi--government-run program, plagued by overruns and consuming a preponderance of the DoD's appropriated space-systems budget. How can the DoD afford to continue with its current strategy, given the realities within the industry? The evaluation of this question requires a better understanding of three issues: challenges within the domestic space launch industry; an analysis of domestic and foreign launch systems; and a review of outside contributing factors. It is apparent that the DoD's efforts to subsidize the industry are viewed as being essential, based on current policies. However, this strategy may, in fact, be weakening the U.S. space launch industry and creating a single point of failure that could jeopardize the DoD's ability to access space.
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Iskander, Abdul-Wahed Ali. "Affordability and Muncie housing market : 1970-1990." Virtual Press, 1995. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/958617.
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This thesis identifies the housing affordability in Muncie metropolitan areas through the interaction of the major housing market components, of supply and demand for housing units. The purpose of this work has been the investigation of the historical housing performance that Muncie has experienced from 1970 through 1990, in order to determine whether housing affordability problem exists in Muncie and how it has been developed over the study period. Two major approaches are used, cross-sectional and cohort analysis, to examine the relationships among several variables. The main variables are population, households , and housing characteristics which represent the demand and supply of housing stock.The findings from this study have determined that the housing affordability problem in Muncie has escalated more than the other areas within Delaware County since 1970. The major causes of accelerating affordability problem were the real decline of family incomes and the increase of the numbers of low-income populaion, families and households. The lack of employment opportunities, and low payroll were underlying the decline of real income. The decline in number of mortgages was also one of the causes of the afforadability problem over the course of the study period.Department of Urban Planning
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Lambert, Susan. "Managing lives, managing budgets : images of affordability." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.364647.
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McCord, Michael J. "Modelling affordability and access to housing markets." Thesis, Ulster University, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.536462.
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Nilsson, Evelina, and Johanna Mähler. "Rental affordability solutions for startups and SMEs." Thesis, KTH, Fastigheter och byggande, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-211068.
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This is the first study within the area of rental affordability. It is an important issue to address since many startups and SMEs are struggling with finding suitable workspace in Stockholm. This study contributes to a better understanding of different aspects of affordability. Moreover the aim is to enhance the understanding of different perspectives of rental affordability for these companies when choosing office space. When defining rental affordability it has to be a relative concept within a certain context since it includes the perspective of both tenants´ preferences and market related factors. The proposed definition of affordability solutions is based on theory and empiricism, which are found through a literature review and a qualitative method. Since there is lack of consistency in research papers of the definition of affordability, and no previous definition of affordable solutions within this context is found, this method could define what factors affecting tenants when choosing office space. The qualitative method together with a literature review resulted in a pre-study, which was supposed to combine different aspects of affordability and further suggest how to construct a rental affordability index. Methodological triangulation increases the originality of this report, since the approach involves three aspects, which together highlight what dimensions should be evaluated when constructing an affordability index. A number of benefits from affordability solutions for startups and SMEs are presented in the results. Affordability solutions are intangible factors, which in several ways benefit property owners, tenants and society. However the office market is changing and tenants do not have the same preferences as before. Thus, it could be asked whether the recent office trend is just a trend or if it is here to stay. This report provides a starting point for such discussion, which is also proposed to consider when constructing a rental affordability index in further studies.Denna masteruppsats är den första av sitt slag inom området för rental affordability. Det är av stor vikt att framhäva den problematik som är kopplat till den rådande situationen för många startups och småtill medelstora företag, vilka kämpar för att hitta lämplig kontorsplatser i Stockholm. Denna studie bidrar till en bättre förståelse för vilka aspekter som karaktäriserar rental affordability. Dessutom är målet att öka förståelsen för olika perspektiv av begreppet när det sätts i dess sammanhang. Vid en definition av rental affordability, bör hänsyn tas till sammanhanget vilket inkluderar både hyresgästers nuvarande preferenser samt rådande marknadsrelaterade faktorer. Den föreslagna definitionen av lösningar som hyresgäster har råd med, affordable solutions, baseras på hyresgästernas preferenser, vilka kartläggs genom kvalitativa intervjuer och teori. Med hänsyn till att en enhetlig definition saknas i tidigare forskning och att ingen tidigare definition finns inom kontexten för denna rapport, så kan den valda metoden användas för att definiera vilka immateriella faktorer som påverkar hyresgästerna när de väljer kontorslokaler. Den kvalitativa metoden tillsammans med en litteraturgranskning resulterade i en förstudie som kombinerar olika aspekter av affordability och vidare föreslås hur ett affordability index kan konstrueras. En metodologisk ansats i form av triangulering ökar originaliteten av denna rapport, eftersom tre aspekter tillsammans lyfter fram vilka dimensioner som bör utvärderas när ett affordability index konstrueras. Ett antal fördelar från affordability solutions för startups och små- till medelstora företag kan påvisas i resultaten. Ett flertal faktorer är framträdande och kan på flera sätt gagna fastighetsägare, hyresgäster och samhället. Emellertid så förändras kontorsmarknaden och hyresgäster har inte samma preferenser som tidigare. Således kan det diskuteras om den rådande kontorsutvecklingen bara är en trend eller om den är här för att stanna, vilket bör tas hänsyn till i vidare studier där ett affordability index konstrueras i enlighet med förstudien.
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Prashad, Neil A. R. (Neil Anthony R. ). "Affordability issues in programming continuing care retirement communitites." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/76870.
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Chaudhary, Anjali S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "System dynamics approach to healthcare affordability in India." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/105305.
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Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2015.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages [66]-[67]).
Affordability of healthcare is a growing concern across the world. For India, with a population of over 1.2 billion people and one third of world's poorest, to provide affordable and sustainable healthcare to all its citizens becomes even more challenging. The country faces the triple burden of controlling communicable diseases, managing non communicable diseases, and limiting the deaths from injury and mental health. The public healthcare system is underfunded and underutilized while the private facilities are unregulated and unaccountable for quality and cost of care. The high reliance of the population on the private facilities, low insurance coverage, and high emphasis on curative care than the preventive care is further making the cost prohibitive for the general population. There is a lot to be desired in the areas of Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, and Research and Development for a holistic development of healthcare system in India. This thesis attempts to model the current healthcare system and how different entities of the system interact to influence the affordability. The simulation of the model projects the affordability in the next 50 years. The study also checks the impact of three different policies on the affordability of care.
by Anjali Chaudhary.
S.M. in Engineering and Management
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Howell, Kenneth Roland. "Housing affordability : impacts of zoning and subdivision regulations." Thesis, Kansas State University, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/14010.
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Gan, Lurui. "A Study of urban housing affordability in China." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekonomi och organisation (Inst.), 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-150424.
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This master thesis is devoted to understand urban housing affordability in China. The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate different approaches of studying housing affordability, and the policy and social complications of the measurement of Chinese urban housing affordability. The analysis is performed in three steps. The first part reviews articles and existing studies concerning the definition of housing affordability by Hui, 2001. Two approaches are used, and a new model is built based on the two to definitions of housing affordability. The second part presents data of Chinese housing affordability based on house price to income ratio-HPI ratio for Beijing and Shanghai. The income distribution is considered as the primary factor to use HPI ratio in this section. The third part examines reforms and policies regarding housing affordability, and analyzes the positive and negative roles of government in the homeownership based housing affordability development. The last part adjusts the social complications of housing affordability study, including better home quality and size, high saving rate and imbalance of demand and supply. In this section, Chinese social characteristics are studied with housing affordability. According to my study, housing affordability deteriorated after Chinese housing privatization. Low and middle income groups are suffering the most from it. Economic developed cites are suffering more than other cities. Government policies like social housing are not satisfying the needed groups. Housing provident fund is increasing the inequality among income classes.
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Martinez-Mazza, Rodrigo. "Causes and Consequences of the Housing Affordability Crisis." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/672396.
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This Ph.D. dissertation contributes by shedding new light on three topics that significantly impact housing in urban areas, using fine-grained data.
Chapter 2 studies how Airbnb affects a city's housing market. For that, we apply several regression-based approaches that exploit the timing and geography of the entry of Airbnb in Barcelona to estimate the effects of this platform on housing markets. We use high-quality microdata on both rents and prices and combine these data with information on the location of Airbnb activity within the city.
The results show that Airbnb activity in Barcelona has increased both rents and housing prices, with larger effects for prices than for rents. Results indicate that, for a neighborhood with the average Airbnb activity in the city, rents have increased by 1.9\%, while transaction prices have increased by 4.6\% and posted prices by 3.7\%. However, in the most touristy parts of the city, the effects of Airbnb are substantially higher. In neighborhoods in the top decile of the Airbnb activity distribution, rents are estimated to increase by as much as 7\%. In contrast, increases in transaction and posted prices are as high as 17\% and 14\%, respectively.
Chapter 3 estimates the long-term effects of an increase in the unemployment rate at graduation time on housing tenure and affordability. I exploit the unemployment rate at the time of college graduation as an exogenous income shock to the individual, for a large sample of college graduates since 1960 across Europe. This strategy has been explored extensively for career outcomes, but so far, not for housing tenure and affordability. These two outcomes are essential, as they are key determinants of an individual's welfare.
The results show that a one percentage point rise in the unemployment rate at the time of graduation leads to a 1.5 percentage point increase in the probability of living with parents one year after graduation. Additionally, it decreases the probability of renting by 1.02 percentage point and of home-ownership by 0.45 percentage point. Worse initial labor market conditions translate into worse affordability ratios for homeowners and renters due to lower household income and stable rents or prices. Effects are persistent over time and are still present ten years after graduation.
I develop an overlapping generations model to link income shocks to younger cohorts to housing tenure and affordability changes. This model provides several predictions. Mainly, that rigidity on the rental market is largely responsible for whether the labor market's welfare shock is absorbed or amplified by the housing market. This rigidity will result from an outside option for landlords, a feature widely documented in the literature. In particular, if rental markets are rigid, an income shock to young agents will create a shift away from renting and ownership in favor of the parental home. Additionally, this shock worsens affordability for both renters and owners, as their income drops while housing costs do not. This scenario leads to significant welfare losses for young cohorts, while older agents become relatively wealthier and are better off.
I find that housing aid policies such as the \textit{Aide Personnalisée au Logement} (APL) in France can help mitigate the income shock by enabling young agents to afford to rent. However, these policies only improve young agents' welfare when implemented in rigid rental markets, pointing towards the importance of identifying the correct conditions for applying these policies.
Chapter 4 studies the dynamics of land development in Spanish municipalities having experienced a flood over the last 30 years. For that, we use changes in surface, distance to flood zones and water bodies, and elevation of new development compared to the year before a flood event. Our empirical strategy relies on the assumption that conditional on municipality and year fixed-effects, the timing and the extent of a flood is as good as random. We also study the impact of floods on several other economic indicators, including employment and migration patterns.
Our main results indicate that, on average, experiencing a flood does not affect new development. Development takes place at a pace similar to that of the year previous to the flood. Additionally, we find that new construction does not take place farther away from the flood zones nor on higher ground. When analyzing development's final use, we find that residential buildings are being built at the same rate as before the flood. A flood event does not significantly affect other key economic variables, such as unemployment or migration.
Nonetheless, municipalities with low development levels in the decade before the flood experience a housing boom after the event. New development increases permanently by 25\% compared to the year previous to the flood for these cities. Cities having experienced high levels of development before the flood experience a 27\% permanent drop in new construction compared to before the event.
Finally, we study an EU directive mandating EU member states to identify flood-prone areas, named ARPSIs. In the Spanish case, this directive identified areas that were not previously considered dangerous. Still, it was not accompanied by any regulation designed to restrict future development. We compare areas that were newly declared as potentially hazardous to areas close to water bodies but were not affected by the policy. Overall, signaling areas as potentially high-risk does not deter development from taking place near such areas.
We can draw three main lessons from this research in terms of policy design. First, home-sharing platforms can increase housing prices in cities like Barcelona, particularly in the most touristy neighborhoods. This points towards the potential effects that regulating these platforms' activities can have on housing affordability. Second, the success of policies directed to improving housing affordability and accessibility for young people can depend heavily on the rental market conditions. In particular, even when policies are targeted towards the young and least well-off population, benefits can still be captured by wealthier and older landlords, leaving the targeted population worse off. Third, signaling certain areas as potentially dangerous is not enough to deter development from taking place near such areas. In particular, if restrictions are not enforced after signaling areas as high-risk, it can lead to overdeveloping close to these zones, exposing more construction to potential flood risks.
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Ramirez, Guilherme Lisboa. "Indicadores de housing affordability para o mercado brasileiro." reponame:Repositório Institucional do FGV, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10438/10565.
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The analysis of the evolution of housing affordability indexes is important in monitoring variations in the capability of a household to purchase a house. The methodology used in this study allows the analysis of housing affordability indexes for different income classes, once it takes into account the whole distribution of household income and house prices, since they have different skewness. The analysis of the Brazilian market under this methodology has shown a decrease in housing affordability in recent years, due to a steeper rise in house prices when compared to the combined effect of household income variations and the loosening of credit constraints.
A análise da evolução dos indicadores de housing affordability permite acompanhar o comportamento do poder de compra de um imóvel. A metodologia utilizada nesta dissertação, ao considerar toda a distribuição da renda domiciliar e do preço dos imóveis, uma vez que as mesmas possuem assimetrias diferentes, possibilita analisar estes indicadores para diferentes segmentos da população. A aplicação desta metodologia para o mercado brasileiro possibilitou observar que a capacidade de compra se reduziu nos últimos anos devido, principalmente, ao aumento do preço dos imóveis a uma taxa maior do que a variação da renda combinada com a flexibilização das condições de credito imobiliário.
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Zagha, Lama Sami. "Urban built form and quality of life of low to middle income housing neighbourhoods : the case of Greater Amman - Jordan." Thesis, Oxford Brookes University, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.289147.
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Wong, Hannah. "AN ANALYSIS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUPPLY & DEMAND IN TUCSON, ARIZONA." The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/608578.
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Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone ProjectHousing is a basic necessity that should be available to everyone at every income level. The danger of becoming a cost burdened household (household spending 30% or more of the area median income on housing costs) is high for all income levels. However, extremely low income households are one of the demographics that are the most susceptible because they have limited affordable housing units available to them at their income level. Addressing this gap between income and affordability in housing is something that is particularly important to ensure that these extremely low income households have enough money for not only housing but other basic necessities such as food. Various incentives and programs are out there to try and provide these extremely low income households with the affordable housing they need however, it does not always happen in the areas that are the most in need. This study will examine the supply and demand of affordable housing for extremely low income households in Tucson, Arizona. The research identifies areas that have clusters of extremely low income households that are cost burdened as well as the affordable housing units available to them. Based on this information funding sources are discussed and recommendations regarding how to implement more affordable housing units in the areas of need are discussed.
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Ndubueze, Okechukwu Joseph. "Urban housing affordability and housing policy dilemmas in Nigeria." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2009. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/298/.
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Given the increasing importance of affordability in housing policy reform debates, this study develops a new composite approach to measuring housing affordability and employs it to examine the nature of urban housing affordability in Nigeria. The data used in this study are based on the Nigerian Living Standards Survey 2003-2004. The aggregate housing affordability model developed here measures housing affordability problems more accurately and classifies the housing affordability status of households more appropriately than the conventional affordability models. Findings show very high levels of housing affordability problems in Nigeria with about 3 out of every 5 urban households experiencing such difficulties. There are also significant housing affordability differences between socio-economic groups, housing tenure groups and states in Nigeria. The current national housing policy that de-emphasises government involvement in housing provision does not allow the country’s full potential for tackling its serious affordability problems to be realised and, hence, the laudable ‘housing for all’ goal of the policy has remained elusive. Nigerian socio-economic realities demand far more vigorous government involvement in housing development, working with a more committed private sector, energised civil societies and empowered communities to tackle the enormous housing problems of the country
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Jewkes, Melanie. "An Assessment of Housing Affordability in Cache County, Utah." DigitalCommons@USU, 2008. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/70.
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Multiple housing affordability indexes are used to measure and assess housing affordability. Each index has its own definition of affordability, causing varying viewpoints on what is to be considered affordable or unaffordable. Four indexes were used in this study: two from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), one from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and the last from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The indexes were applied to Census data to assess the housing affordability situation of both homeowners and renters in the census tracts of Cache County, Utah. The measures together show distinct differences in the housing markets throughout the county. The study provides implications for housing counselors, educators, lenders, and policy makers, and provides suggestions for preventing housing crisis, including the benefits of the residual income approach for determining housing affordability
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Mulliner, Emma Kate. "A model for the complex assessment of sustainable housing affordability." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2012. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/6183/.
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This study investigates the concept and assessment of housing affordability. Housing affordability is a multi-dimensional issue, yet it is typically assessed quite simply in terms of the financial burden of housing costs. The study frames the housing affordability problem as encompassing more than financial costs of housing and household ability to meet these costs, and extends to larger issues of social wellbeing and community sustainability. This thesis provides an original contribution to new knowledge by developing and applying a complex model for the assessment of sustainable housing affordability. The model is holistic and is capable of considering a broad spectrum of criteria determining housing affordability and the wellbeing of households, including economic, environmental and social aspects. Multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques are innovatively applied for the analysis of sustainable housing affordability. The chosen methodology of MCDM allows a multidimensional analysis of both quantitative and qualitative criteria Influencing the affordability of housing and household wellbeing. The thesis presents the results of a case study assessment of 10 areas in Liverpool, UK as a practical example of the sustainable housing affordability assessment model. This allows the given areas to be ranked in respect of their sustainable housing affordability. The model can assist stakeholders, such as central governments, local authorities, developers and consumers, on both a national and international scale, in making comprehensive and informed decisions concerning affordability. The model provides a complex analysis of the criteria that influence the affordability of housing, beyond the financial implications experienced by households and better reflecting household wellbeing and sustain ability concerns. The tool could be utilised as a potential planning indicator for shaping local housing markets. The rankings derived from the model may be used as a locational decision aid and to support new housing development that will meet the needs of low and moderate income residents in ways that go beyond traditional notions of financial burden.
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Husain, Sarah S. "Affordability and preservation issues in green rehabilitations of Baltimore rowhouses." Access to citation, abstract and download form provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company; downloadable PDF file, 106 p, 2008. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1633779791&sid=3&Fmt=2&clientId=8331&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Earl, William George. "Alternative housing choices at benchmark affordability levels by 'TEIRM' tenure." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 1995.
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Demetor, Mike. "The impact of privitization on the affordability of public higher education." Instructions for remote access. Click here to access this electronic resource. Access available to Kutztown University faculty, staff, and students only, 2005. http://www.kutztown.edu/library/services/remote_access.asp.
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Thesis (M.P.A. )--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 2005.Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2938. Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as 1 leaf (ii). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-83).
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Maschaykh, Ulduz [Verfasser]. "Livability and Affordability in 21st-century Canadian Dwelling Architecture / Ulduz Maschaykh." Bonn : Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn, 2013. http://d-nb.info/1042965099/34.
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Knox, Craig A., Daniel D. Reid, and Timothy M. Winters. "A qualitative study of affordability: Virginia and San Antonio class programs." Thesis, Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/42662.
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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimitedDuring the mid-1990s, the U.S. Navy initiated a wide-ranging series of Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition reforms. Amid this environment of DOD acquisition reform, the U.S. Navy started the Virginia-class submarine program and San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship program. Both of these programs sought to reduce ownership costs of these new vessels. This study compares the Virginia-class submarine and San Antonio-class ship across platforms and across time in order to find those factors that appear to affect cost. This study isolates those key metrics and relationships that demonstrate an apparently significant impact on affordability. The purpose of this study is to find the programmatic decisions, environmental circumstances or managerial tools that benefit or jeopardize affordability in a consistent manner, and recommend further study in those areas most likely to promote the development of better practices for affordability throughout a program’s life cycle. The results of this study indicated that the interpretation of affordability changes across the life cycle phases of an acquisition program; however, the factors that affected cost between the Virginia-class submarine and the San Antonio-class ship were comparable across time. The overall findings of affordability across time and between these two acquisition programs were mixed. During the pre-acquisition stage, key elements, which accept a high degree of cost-growth risk, do not appear to be sufficiently responsive to cost-growth mitigation initiatives. The findings suggest that, in the acquisition stage, it is possible to reverse cost-growth by setting a non-negotiable cost target and establishing all other factors as flexible. For the sustainment stage, analysis of the cost effectiveness of an acquisition system’s design is limited by the degree of consistency between operational events and program assumptions and the percentage of life-cycle completion that are supported by actual cost. The sustainment costs to date reflect a successful reduction of total ownership costs for the Virginia-class submarine, and inconclusive findings of cost effectiveness for the San Antonio-class ship.
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Goff, Jason. "Sustainability and Affordability: How Single-Family Home Retrofits Can Achieve Both." The University of Arizona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/584147.
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Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone ProjectClimate change and resource availability are arguably the two biggest challenges humanity faces going forward. An unprecedented body of scientific work has been compiled over the past thirty years that indicates humans have and continue to be the largest driver of these environmental concerns, and therefore must also be responsible for any solutions. Buildings and their construction account for nearly 40% of the total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Water consumption by both buildings and thermoelectric power generation is also an issue, especially in the Southwest and Western United States. Green building has been gaining steam in the U.S. for the past two decades, but the primary focus has been in the commercial and industrial sectors. The residential markets have not seen the efficiency gains, primarily due to the perception that the cost isn’t worth the benefit. This project examines the need, feasibility, and potential benefits of sustainably retrofitting existing homes as an alternative to new construction. It provides a broad definition of sustainability and then focuses into a more narrow description of its application within the built environment. Using precedents, 3D modeling, and energy simulation software it compares the energy and water savings of a retrofit versus a base case as well as the performance of the average Southern Arizona home. Finally, this capstone project provides a professional cost estimate for the implementation of the proposed changes and a side-by-side look at the available “green” housing market, the utility cost savings for the homeowner, and the environmental benefits of individual as well as large-scale adoption of sustainable retrofitting practices.
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PINTO, Mariana Reis. "Access to essential medicines in Timor-leste: availability, prices and affordability." Master's thesis, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10362/11146.
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O acesso a medicamentos essenciais a preços acessíveis de forma sustentável é um dos indicadores do cumprimento dos Objectivos de Desenvolvimento do Milénio e pode ser considerado como parte do direito universal à saúde. Tal como acontece com outros bens essenciais, o acesso aos medicamentos depende de múltiplos factores, como a sua disponibilidade, preços e capacidade de aquisição por parte da população. Na última década, foram efectuados mais de 50 estudos para avaliar esses factores, em países de baixos e médios rendimentos, utilizando uma metodologia desenvolvida pela Organização Mundial de Saúde e a organização Health Action International, numa tentativa de compreender as possíveis causas para o baixo acesso aos medicamentos. Os resultados destes estudos revelam uma baixa disponibilidade de medicamentos essenciais de um modo geral, sobretudo no sector público, e preços elevados, sobretudo no sector privado.
O objectivo deste estudo foi descrever a disponibilidade, os preços e a capacidade de aquisição de medicamentos essenciais em Timor-Leste, com recurso à metodologia da OMS/HAI. Foram recolhidos dados sobre a disponibilidade e os preços de uma lista de medicamentos em hospitais, centros de saúde e farmácias comunitárias.
Embora os resultados pareçam apontar para uma disponibilidade global razoável de medicamentos genéricos no sector público (59,2%), algumas substâncias activas e classes terapêuticas encontravam-se sistematicamente esgotadas em vários pontos do país. Nas unidades situadas em locais mais remotos, a disponibilidade de medicamentos chegava a descer para valores na ordem dos 47,5%. Verificou-se que a disponibilidade de medicamentos nas farmácias privadas era ainda mais baixa do que nos serviços públicos (38,0%). Os medicamentos são dispensados gratuitamente nos hospitais e centros de saúde, mas nas farmácias privadas chegam a ultrapassar 40 vezes os seus preços de referência internacionais, mesmo como genéricos. Consequentemente, estima-se por exemplo, que um funcionário público que utilize diclofenac para o tratamento crónico da artrose, tenha de trabalhar durante mais de 2 dias para pagar o seu tratamento mensal com o medicamento genérico, ou 12,5 dias, se for prescrito o medicamento de marca. Durante o estudo, foram detectados vários outros problemas que podem comprometer a qualidade e segurança dos medicamentos.
Apesar das limitações inerentes a uma investigação deste tipo, foi possível concluir através do presente estudo que, ao contrário da tendência geral observada em países similares, o sector público de cuidados de saúde em Timor-Leste parece ter um melhor desempenho do que o privado. No entanto, as condições limitadas da maioria das unidades de saúde públicas pode forçar alguns doentes a recorrer ao sector privado, onde os preços pagos pelos tratamentos são inaceitavelmente elevados. A ausência de regulamentação do sector farmacêutico (e fiscalização insuficiente da existente) parece estar a contribuir para a estagnação do sector privado e a encorajar indirectamente a falta de transparência nas práticas farmacêuticas.
Dada a escassez de estudos sobre este assunto em Timor-Leste, espera-se que o presente trabalho forneça evidências importantes que possam ser utilizadas em estudos subsequentes e como base a uma intervenção por parte das autoridades com o objectivo de melhorar a disponibilidade de medicamentos no sistema público e de encorajar o desenvolvimento do sector privado como alternativa viável, segura e de custo aceitável.Access to affordable essential medicines on a sustainable basis is one of the indicators of compliance with the Millennium Development Goals, and can be regarded as part of the human universal right to health. As with other basic commodities, access to medicines depends on multiple factors, like their availability, prices and affordability. Over the last decade, more than 50 surveys using a methodology developed by the World Health Organization and Health Action International have been carried out in low- and middle-income countries, to assess these parameters in an attempt to understand the causes underlying poor access to medicines. Findings typically reveal low availability of essential medicines, particularly in the public health system, and high prices, especially in the private forprofit sector. The objective of the present study was to describe the availability, prices and affordability of essential medicines in Timor-Leste using the WHO/HAI methodology. Data on the availability and prices of a drug tracer list was collected from a sample of hospitals, community health centres and private retail pharmacies. Although results seem to show a reasonable overall availability of generic medicines in the public sector (59.2%), some active substances and therapeutic classes were found to be consistently out of stock across the country. In facilities located in more remote areas, availability could be as low as 47.5%. Drug availability in private pharmacies was found to be even lower (38.0%). Medicines are dispensed free of charge in public health facilities, but in private pharmacies they were found to cost up to 40 times their international reference price, even as generics. As a result, it is estimated that a common government worker using diclofenac to treat chronic arthritis, for instance, would have to work 2.3 days to pay for his monthly treatment with the generic drug, or 12.5 days if the originator brand was prescribed. Other problems affecting medicines quality and safety were also detected throughout the study. Despite its limitations, the present study concluded that, contrarily to the general trend observed in similar countries, the public healthcare system in Timor-Leste seems to perform better than private. Nevertheless, the far from ideal conditions of most public health facilities can still push some patients to the private sector where costs of treatment are unacceptably high. The lack of regulation of the pharmaceutical sector (and inefficient monitoring/inspection of the existing one) seems to be contributing to the private sector’s stagnation and indirectly encouraging lack of transparency in pharmacy practice. Given the paucity of studies on the subject in Timor-Leste, it is hoped that the present work will provide an important evidence base for subsequent studies, and government intervention to better regulate the pharmaceutical sector, with the ultimate objective to improve the public drug supply, and encourage the growth of the private sector as a viable, affordable and safe alternative.
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Salisbury, Karli A. "Examining Market Channels for Local Produce: Consumer Affordability and Producer Profitability." DigitalCommons@USU, 2018. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7408.
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This study examines the price differences of commonly consumed produce between farmers’ markets and grocery stores in Utah. Our first objective is to compare price differences of a basket of produce between farmers’ markets and grocery stores. We compare these price differences in terms of low-income consumer affordability and if an individual can afford a market basket of produce using a combination of Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) dollars and Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) incentive dollars. Our second objective for this study is to establish the price premiums of individual produce items based on where the produce was sold, time of season, market channel (farmers’ market versus grocery store), as well as production method used (conventional versus organic).
The findings from this research can inform policy makers of the affordability of farmers’ market produce and apply incentive programs more effectively. We can inform consumers of the price differences so they can maximize their food budgets. We can use the research to help producers make market strategies that can then maximize their profits.
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Eckelkamp, Elizabeth A. "ON-FARM UTILIZATION OF PRECISION DAIRY MONITORING: USEFULNESS, ACCURACY, AND AFFORDABILITY." UKnowledge, 2018. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/animalsci_etds/86.
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Precision dairy monitoring is used to supplement or replace human observation of dairy cattle. This study examined the value dairy producers placed on disease alerts generated from a precision dairy monitoring technology. A secondary objective was calculating the accuracy of technology-generated disease alerts compared against observed disease events. A final objective was determining the economic viability of investing in a precision dairy monitoring technology for detecting estrus and diseases.
A year-long observational study was conducted on four Kentucky dairy farms. All lactating dairy cows were equipped with a neck and leg tri-axial accelerometer. Technologies measured eating time, lying time, standing time, walking time, and activity (steps) in 15-min sections throughout the day. A decrease of ≥ 30% or more from a cow’s 10-d moving behavioral mean created an alert. Alerts were assessed by dairy producers for usefulness and by the author for accuracy. Finally, raw information was analyzed with three machine-learning techniques: random forest, least discriminate analyses, and principal component neural networks.
Through generalized linear mixed modeling analyses, dairy producers were found to utilize the alert list when ≤ 20 alerts occurred, when alerts occurred in cows’ ≤ 60 d in lactation, and when alerts occurred during the week. The longer the system was in place, the less likely producers were to utilize alerts. This is likely because the alerts were not for a specific disease, but rather informed the dairy producer an issue might have occurred. The longer dairy producers were exposed to a technology, producers more easily decided which alerts were worth their attention.
Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and balanced accuracy were calculated for disease alerts that occurred and disease events that were reported. Sensitivity ranged from 12 to 48%, specificity from 91 to 96%, accuracy from 90 to 96%, and balanced accuracy from 50 to 59%. The high number of false positives correspond with the lack of usefulness producers reported. Machine learning techniques improved sensitivity (66 to 86%) and balanced accuracy (48 to 85%). Specificity (24 to 89%) and accuracy (70 to 86%) decreased with the machine learning techniques, but overall detection performance was improved. Precision dairy monitoring technologies have potential to detect behavior changes linked to disease events.
A partial budget was created based on the reproduction, production, and early lactation removal rate of an average cow in a herd. The cow results were expanded to a 1,000 cow herd for sensitivity analyses. Four analyses were run including increased milk production from early disease detection, increased estrus detection rate, decreased early lactation removal from early disease detection, and all changes in combination. Economic profitability was determined through net present value with a value ≥ $0 indicating a profitable investment. Each sensitivity analysis was conducted 10,000, with different numbers for key inputs randomly selected from a previously defined distribution. If either milk production or estrus detection were improved, net present value was ≥ 0 in 76 and 85% of the iterations. However, reduced early lactation removal never resulted in a value ≥ 0. Investing in precision dairy technology resulting in improved estrus detection rate and early disease detection was a positive economic decision in most iterations.
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Wilkerson, John D., Melissa C. Simmons, Joseph A. Katz, John D. Wilkerson, Melissa C. Simmons, and Joseph A. Katz. "Analysis of an affordability index model for Marine Corps ground combat equipment." Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/9918.
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MBA Professional ReportApproved for public release, distribution is unlimited
MBA Professional Report
Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited
The purpose of this MBA Project is to conduct an analysis of Marine Corps Logistics Command (LOGCOM) proposed Affordability Index (AI) model. This project was conducted with the sponsorship and assistance of LOGCOM. The goal of this project is to analyze the validity and usability of the AI model, and to recommend an alternative solution. The impetus behind the AI model is to view cost-to-readiness and determine the return on investment (ROI) of allocating scarce maintenance funds on system sustainability. The recommended alternative to the AI is a readiness-to-cost model. This alternative model produces a graphical depiction of readiness-to-cost over time. This model allows maintenance managers, commanders, and logistics analysts to conduct trend analysis on maintenance spending and readiness in order to plan and allocate maintenance funds and resources.
The purpose of this MBA Project is to conduct an analysis of Marine Corps Logistics Command (LOGCOM) proposed Affordability Index (AI) model. This project was conducted with the sponsorship and assistance of LOGCOM. The goal of this project is to analyze the validity and usability of the AI model, and to recommend an alternative solution. The impetus behind the AI model is to view cost-to-readiness and determine the return on investment (ROI) of allocating scarce maintenance funds on system sustainability. The recommended alternative to the AI is a readiness-to-cost model. This alternative model produces a graphical depiction of readiness-to-cost over time. This model allows maintenance managers, commanders, and logistics analysts to conduct trend analysis on maintenance spending and readiness in order to plan and allocate maintenance funds and resources.
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Wu, Marcus Shihong. "Design for affordability in defense and aerospace systems using tradespace-based methods." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/89937.
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Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2014.Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 262-270).
Program failures have plagued the defense and aerospace industry for decades, as unanticipated cost and schedule overruns have rendered the development of systems ineffective in terms of time and cost considerations. This raises the need to holistically include performance, cost and schedule considerations during the early-phase design of systems to perform valuable tradeoffs that derive more feasible and affordable solutions. This paradigm is the design for affordability. This design for affordability conundrum is targeted at defense and aerospace systems, which have complex mission requirements and stakeholder involvement that are susceptible to changes and perturbations over time. Without a systematic framework, the design for affordability process can potentially become cognitively challenging to system architects and lead to unsatisfactory results. To resolve affordability, it can first be defined as the property of becoming or remaining feasible relative to resource needs and resource constraints over time. Affordability can then be treated as an ility that drives the design of more affordable yet technically sound architectures. Tradespace-based methods are introduced to drive affordability and incorporate these holistic considerations into the design process. They facilitate the systematic and disciplined search for affordable solutions to the system, program and portfolio of interest. Multi-Attribute Tradespace Exploration (MATE), Epoch-Era Analysis (EEA) and the Multi-Attribute Expense (MAE) function were modified for affordability analysis. Their feasibility was demonstrated through application to two design case studies. Results from both case studies demonstrated the dynamic tradeoffs among performance, cost and schedule parameters. Tradespace-based methods can thus be applied to the progressive design of systems, programs and portfolios using either a bottom-up or top-down approach to deliver affordable solutions in these cases. Affordability is not only an engineering problem; it is also a policy and management problem. Therefore, affordability can be approached through perspectives beyond engineering design. New policies and refined management practices can be used alongside tradespace-based methods for affordability analysis to ensure the continued delivery of affordable systems for the future.
by Marcus Shihong Wu.
S.M.
S.M. in Technology and Policy
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Petrucci, David J. "Improved affordability in DoD acquisitions through strategic management of systemic cost risk." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/100364.
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Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, System Design and Management Program, 2014.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 93-95).
For almost 70 years, actual costs of Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) in the Department of Defense (DoD) have exceeded on average between 20% and 506% of their life cycle cost estimates, which are official expectations of actual program costs prior to completion. Despite numerous DoD acquisition reform efforts and implementation of sophisticated cost estimation techniques, this cost growth continues to exist. Accurate cost estimates are vital to the capital budgeting process for the DoD since they are used to set the affordability cap for each MDAP and across DoD Component weapon system program portfolios. Affordability is defined as the upper limit a DoD Component can allocate for a program without reducing costs or shifting resources between programs. To improve affordability in the DoD, a method that quantifies and adjusts for the persistent cost growth to enhance the accuracy of cost estimates is needed to promote more responsible and sustainable MDAP capital investment decisions. This thesis presents a simple yet powerful method of quantifying and correcting for systemic cost estimation risk in MDAPs to improve cost estimate accuracy and, consequently, affordability. Cost estimation risk is defined as the difference between estimated and actual MDAP costs (on average a deficit), and it consists of systemic and program-specific components. This dichotomized risk framework is similar to the one used in the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) in which the growth rate in value of any one of a set of assets comprising a market in equilibrium is proportional to its systemic risk exposure to that market. In the CAPM, systemic risk aggregated risk from multiple economic factors - pervades the market and is unavoidable, and asset-specific risk is considered unpredictable due to idiosyncratic uncertainties. By analogy, the growth rate in cost estimates for a program belonging to the "market" of MDAPs is assumed proportional to that MDAP's systemic risk exposure to the market. Like in CAPM, systemic cost estimation risk - aggregated risk from 26 systemic factors identified in this thesis - pervades the market for MDAPs, as evidenced by historical cost overruns, and program-specific cost risk is considered unpredictable and best mitigated by program-dedicated professional cost estimators in the DoD and defense industry. From this analogy, the expected growth-beta relationship of CAPM may be adapted to determine for MDAPs the systemic cost risk-adjusted growth rates for the defense commodity classes of aircraft, electronics and software, missiles, ships, space and satellites, and vehicles. These classes are the same used by the Bureau of Economic Analysis to segment defense commodities into distinct price index "baskets" based upon common inflation risks among commodities within each class. Based on this rationale, each MDAP is assumed to share systemic cost risk within its respective class; this risk is measured by beta in the expected growth-beta relationship. Defense commodity class beta values are calculated by linear regression of historical percentage cost estimate changes of member MDAPs with those of all MDAPs, and then averaging these beta values over the appropriate defense commodity class. Next, the expected cost estimate growth rate for any MDAP may be calculated by first estimating the future expected growth rate in all MDAPs using the arithmetic mean of historical annual cost estimate percentage changes, and then scaling this rate by the particular MDAP's systemic cost risk exposure - the defense commodity class beta value for which it is a member. Finally, the Systemic Risk Factor (SRF) for each defense commodity class is calculated from these growth rates and the forecast time horizon, adjusted for compounding effects over relatively longer time horizons, and then applied to current MDAP cost estimates to form systemic risk-adjusted cost estimates to improve affordability. This method was applied to an empirical retrospective case study using a set of cost data from six MDAPs, one from each commodity class, as a partial validation of the method. The results of this study show an overall 57% enhancement in estimation accuracy when comparing the initial and SRF-adjusted MDAP cost estimates to the final estimates, indicating quantifying and adjusting for systemic cost risk can improve cost estimation accuracy. To show the effectiveness of this method on improving affordability, these six programs were combined to form a hypothetical acquisition portfolio and assessed for affordability over a five year period. While the unadjusted portfolio was not affordable four out of five years, the SRF-adjusted portfolio was affordable in all but the last year, illustrating the benefit of adjusting cost estimates for systemic risk. However, the benefits of improved cost estimate accuracy and affordability come at the cost of potentially over-budgeting for priority MDAPs thereby leaving less funds available for other, lower priority programs. Additionally, this method is not shown to be optimal in the sense of minimizing cost estimate errors to maximize affordability. Still, empirical results are promising and warrant further research into the idea of using SRFs to adjust life cycle cost estimates and ultimately improve MDAP affordability for the DoD.
by David Petrucci.
S.M. in Engineering and Management
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Le, Giau Ngoc. "Provider Perspectives on the Accessibility and Affordability of Hearing Healthcare in Arizona." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/613284.
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Hearing loss negatively affects the lives of millions of Americans (Lin, Niparko, & Ferrucci, 2011). Amplification can enhance audibility and in turn improve quality of life (Mulrow et al., 1990). Yet it is estimated that only 20% of those who would benefit from amplification in the United States actually utilize it (Chien & Lin, 2012). Discomfort and insufficient value have been cited as reasons for low uptake as well as low motivation, negative attitudes towards hearing aids, and lack self-perceived handicap (McCormack & Fortnum, 2013; Vestergaard-Knudsen et al., 2010). Studies have also attributed the out-of-pocket cost for hearing aids as a substantial barrier (Bainbridge & Ramachandran, 2014; Kochkin, 2000). Cost as a barrier to hearing aid access may be an issue of particular importance in regions with high poverty, as low-income adults are less likely to report hearing aid use (Bainbridge & Ramachandran, 2014). Hearing aids can typically cost about $2,000 each, possibly making them out of reach for individuals living at or below the poverty line. Arizona has one of the highest poverty rates in the United States (Bishaw & Fontenot, 2014). Using US Census data and epidemiologic studies, we estimate that there are approximately 1,145,166 adults over the age of 19 living with significant bilateral or unilateral hearing loss in Arizona. An estimated 204,984 of these individuals are living at or below the federal poverty line (Lin, Naparko, & Ferrucci, 2011; Bishaw & Fontenot, 2014, Muller et al., 2015, US Census). These numbers are particularly alarming, as there are limited resources to support adults with hearing loss in Arizona. The aim of this study was to gather provider perspectives on the accessibility and affordability of hearing healthcare in Arizona. The long-term goal is to develop a state-level initiative to increase hearing aid use among low-income adults. Based on previous research from the Hearing Aid Coalition, we hypothesized that Arizona providers would prefer a state-level plan that mirrors service coverage and reimbursement mechanisms of private insurance (Hearing Aid Coalition, 2004) Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists were recruited via email to participate in focus groups and surveys. Three focus groups were held across the state in Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson (n = 26). The survey methodology included open and closed questions and was administered in paper-based and online versions (n = 77). Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using descriptive and basic regression analyses. There was wide-ranging participation from providers across the state representing urban and rural practice locations (All 15 counties represented). Data revealed most providers would prefer to see changes in the current state of hearing access for low-income adults. Providers considered a number of factors to be important when developing and implementing changes to existing service delivery. These factors included a centralized entity to distribute referrals across practices and sufficient reimbursement for service providers. Common themes included the need for a balance between quality of care and expense as well as creating a fee-for-service component to invest the patient in the process. Increased philanthropic practice image and fair compensation were cited as the greatest motivations for provider participation. Survey results also indicated that most providers are already doing pro-bono work. This study highlights that providers are willing to participate in state-level initiatives to improve hearing aid access. Ultimately, these results will inform policy makers of provider preferences for mechanisms of service-delivery and reimbursement. This research is a collaborative project funded by the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing.
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Rosner-Salazar, Ari Senghor. "Colorado Community College Student Perceptions of Higher-Education Affordability| A Phenomenological Study." Thesis, Colorado State University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10785062.
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Using a phenomenological method, this study explored the higher-education affordability perceptions of a purposively-collected group of 19 students at the pseudonymous Crestview Community College (CCC) in Colorado. The defining themes of the study were: (a) knowledge of the College Opportunity Fund (COF) program and perceptions of higher-education affordability in the Colorado context, (b) how participants learned about and implemented college selection, financing, and success strategies, (c) family finances and their impact on work and college decisions, (d) participant views on the financial aid process, and (e) benefits of attending college.
The findings were: (a) the COF was not viewed as a significant source of support or well-understood as the State of Colorado’s contribution to college students, (b) participants described difficulty in high school learning and implementing a college selection and financing strategy with some mitigation of those failures by key adults in their lives, (c) CCC was viewed as the default college choice because of price, location, dual credit experience, and peer recommendations, (d) family structural and financial context strongly influenced participants’ perceived options and decisions regarding college selection and work, (e) participant perspectives on federal financial aid and college affordability varied drastically between Pell Grant recipients and non-recipients, (f) participants uniformly held a negative perception of student loans, and (g) participants were motivated to stay in college by hope of occupational and financial benefits and discouraged by fear of debt and post-graduation joblessness.
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Kaye, George F. (George Fenwick) 1970. "Expanding access to assisted living in Massachusetts : five models of greater affordability." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/75705.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (p. 82-83).
Opportunity for further expansion of the assisted living industry in Massachusetts rests on the ability of project sponsors to create facilities which are affordable to moderate-income elders -- those earning between $11,000 and $24,000 annually. This study investigates five approaches to developing assisted living facilities which may reduce resident fees and expand access to this important seniors housing type for this population. Case studies representing each approach are discussed, and the success of each case is assessed on the basis of its successful delivery of the assisted living concept, as well as its success in reaching the moderate-income population. Comparison of the cases shows that sponsors focussed on creating affordable units may combine state and local economic development and low-income housing subsidies with a compatible service plan, and expand the horizon of affordability. Also, education and support for locally-based mission driven sponsors is a key initiative for state and local governments and industry leaders.
by George F. Kaye.
S.M.
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Vermeulen, Hester. "A balanced food basket approach to monitor food affordability in South Africa." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/73175.
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The public health landscape in South Africa today is characterised by a double-burden of nutritional challenges. Under-nutrition is prevalent, as is evident from the high levels of childhood stunting that are reported. Deficiencies of micro-nutrients such as vitamin A and iron continue to be prevalent in children, females and vulnerable groups. Simultaneously overweight and obesity among adults and children together with an associated increase in the occurrence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are increasing steadily to epidemic levels.
With approximately 40% of the population living under the International Poverty Line and approximately a quarter of the population not able to obtain enough food to fulfil their daily energy needs, poverty and food insecurity are harsh realities in many South African households. The ability of a household to make healthy food choices is, among other factors, affected by food affordability. Food affordability is determined by household income relative to the cost of purchased food items. In recent years, food affordability in South Africa has been under increased pressure due to the following factors: household income-growth barely keeping track with inflation, rising unemployment, as well as high and ever increasing food prices. The pressure on lower income households is particularly profound, forcing such households to use about a third of total expenditure for food purchases.
In this study, a multi-disciplinary approach was used (including principles of nutrition, economics and consumer behaviour sciences) to develop models to measure the cost and affordability of healthy eating in South Africa at a national level and on a socio-economically disaggregated basis. The healthy food basket model was primarily based on the South African Food-based Dietary Guidelines, typical food consumption patterns, household demographics and official urban retail food prices monitored by Statistics South Africa.
Food affordability is a major challenge, with 60% of the population unable to afford the Moderate-cost Food Basket which provides greater nutritional diversity. The more economical Thrifty Healthy Food Basket (approximately 30% less expensive) is only affordable to approximately half of the South African population. A four member household earning two minimum wages has to spend a third of total expenditure on food to be able to afford this basket, while the typical food expenditure share of such households is usually lower (approximately 24%), thus confirming the pressure on households to afford healthy eating. In future the models of healthy eating also present possibilities for further expansion (e.g. these models can be refined to study different geographical areas or different household structure typologies).
Compared to national nutritional recommendations, the study found that the intakes of whole-grain starch-rich foods, lean meat, fish, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables and legumes were low. Inadequate intake was generally more severe among lower income households. Less-affluent households spend a large proportion of their food budget on starch-rich staples, fats / oils and sugar-rich foods, but allocate insufficient resources to animal-source foods, legumes, fruit and vegetables. This study also identified that excessive intakes of refined and processed starch-rich food options, sugar-rich foods and fats / oils were common across all income groups and increased with socio-economic status. These findings confirm the reality of the nutrition transition in South Africa.
The contribution of this research to estimate the socio-economically disaggregated consumption of animal-source foods (meat, fish and eggs) and starch-rich foods (maize meal, bread, rice and potatoes), provides valuable insights into differences in food intake across the socio-economic spectrum of South Africa.
A complex combination of interventions is required to promote healthy eating patterns in South Africa. In addition to legislative measures (e.g. salt and sugar reduction legislation), consumer education (across the socio-economic spectrum) should focus on science-based practical solutions and provide advice on making healthy and budget-conscious food choices. In addition, it is also important to design and implement policy actions to improve the affordability and availability of healthy food options for the various socio-economic groups, in diverse geographic locations in South Africa.
The improvement of food affordability is a key component in moving closer to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations “to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”. Furthermore, improving household food and nutrition security (including addressing issues pertaining to healthy food consumption and affordability), through public and private sector actions, is one of the enabling milestones in the National Development Plan 2030.
The monthly costing of the food basket models which were developed in this study and analyses thereof should be used as policy analysis tools to act as a practical, scientific basis for the food security debate in South Africa. These tools are, in fact, already published on a quarterly basis in the public domain. In future the models of healthy eating also present possibilities for further expansion (e.g. these models can be refined to study different geographical areas or different household structure typologies).Thesis (PhD) - University of Pretoria. 2020.
Financial support received from: * The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) * The Department of Science and Technology (DST)/National Research Foundation (NRF) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Food Security * Agbiz * Red Meat Research and Development South Africa (RMRD SA) * DST/NRF South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChl) in the National Development Plan Priority Area of Nutrition and Food Security (Unique number: SARCI170808259212) * University of Pretoria
Animal and Wildlife Sciences
PhD Nutrition
Unrestricted
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McRae, Kent Lewis. "Housing Affordability In Collier County: How Does It Affect Moorings Park Employees." Oxford, Ohio : Miami University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=miami1209061220.
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Wood, G. A. "The taxation of owner-occupied housing in Australia: Affordability and distributional issues." Thesis, Wood, G.A. (1995) The taxation of owner-occupied housing in Australia: Affordability and distributional issues. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 1995. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/51195/.
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This thesis examines the impacts of Local, State and Federal Government tax treatment of owner-occupied housing. The central concerns are impacts on the affordability of home ownership, and the formal distribution of tax liabilities. The ABS 1990 Survey of Income, Housing Costs and Amenities is employed to conduct empirical investigations into these issues. A user cost of capital approach is invoked to measure the effective annual costs of home owners, and a distinction is drawn between the user cost of marginal and existing investments in owner-occupied housing.
We find that Local Government rates and State Government stamp duties have a regressive incidence. They make a marginal contribution to the effective annual costs of home owners, but a more significant contribution to the acquisition costs of home purchasers. These tax measures in conjunction with the Federal exemption of home owners' imputed net rents, ensure a vertically inequitable pattern to the distribution of home owners' effective annual costs.
A novel feature of the thesis is the simulation of the effects of a revenue neutral tax reform package on tax burdens and housing costs. The tax reforms involve the replacement of rates and stamp duties by the taxation of owner-occupiers' imputed net rents, where the latter are arrived at by applying a multiplier yield to home owners' equity holdings. The multiplier yield is set at a value which ensures that additional revenues offset the revenue losses from the abolition of rates and stamp duties. The tax reform package produces a progressive re-distribution of the tax burden and reduces the variation in home owners' effective annual costs. The thesis is concluded by a consideration of the practical issues associated with implementation of the proposed tax reforms.
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Mitchell, Karen L. "Federation of Canadian Municipalities Quality of Life Reporting System, measures of community affordability." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp01/MQ53195.pdf.
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Bankole, Oyetola Opeyemi. "Development of an affordability assessment framework for defence contracts at the bidding stage." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2011. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/7231.
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Defence contracting has changed from the traditional provision of spares and repairs to contracting long-term for availability and capability. In these long-term contracts, the customer decides to outsource services (that would have been provided in-house) to contractors by consenting to an arrangement whereby payment is made only for the period that the equipment is made available to satisfy the defence need. Availability contracts may last for 40 years and more, but the main defence customer (Ministry of Defence) is constantly faced with budget constraints. Therefore, it is vitally important to assess the financial viability of the customer to invest in the contractor‟s offering of availability, capability and other long-term contracts. The aim of the affordability research project is to develop an affordability assessment framework for the bidding stage of defence contracts. Thus, a close interaction with four industrial collaborators within the defence industry and the literature review revealed the need to investigate affordability from three perspectives namely, manufacturer profitability, supplier sustainability and customer affordability. In order to conduct the research, the methodology employed included the review of literature, industrial interviews, development of the affordability framework for the three perspectives, case study application and final validation. This resulted in the development of a uniquely original affordability assessment framework that consisted of four modules and an affordability management methodology. The modules provided measurement metrics for the three perspectives of affordability and guidelines for improving affordability from the perspectives. Information availability at the bidding stage was usually low which lead to uncertainty about the project; the fourth module was focused on determining the information capability of the project team. To assess the impact of uncertainty on affordability, a methodology which involved a logic (containing two aspects) was also developed and validated within this research. The framework developed was validated with three real-life case studies and the results obtained showed that the logic and content of the framework was appropriate. The benefit to industry is that the framework provides a platform for the manufacturer and customer to assess the affordability of defence project at the bidding stage and make decisions taking account of the impact of uncertainty.
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Antonucci, Kevin C. "Operating and support costs and affordability of a 324 ship Naval battle force." Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/10726.
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The purpose of this research was to determine both the added operating and support (OandS) costs and affordability of operating and maintaining a future naval battle force of 324 ships as proposed in the Navy's 30-year shipbuilding plan. Cost estimation including regression, 3-year moving averages, point, expert and analogous modeling was used to capture both historical and future OandS costs from FY1991 to FY2024. With an emphasis on the three main cost drivers, (manpower, fuel and maintenance) which arguably had the largest influence on ships' OandS costs, data were obtained from the Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Cost (VAMOSC) database and various Selected Acquisition Reports (SARs). Analysis and modeling followed suite in order to forecast expected future costs and affordability for a proposed 12.5 percent growth in naval fleet size by FY2024. Reviewing all 29 classes of ship within the expected FY2024 battle force, normalized results from the cost estimation models yielded a minimum cost growth of 17 percent in OandS costs. Even if budget growth trend rates were to remain steady, negating the possibility of budget decreases, this thesis argues the Navy would still not be able to afford its proposed future battle force in FY2024.
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Wang, Yan-Ping M. Arch Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "C.A.S.H. - communal affordable singles housing : a platform for proactive affordability in Hong Kong." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79181.
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Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-99).
In Hong Kong, young singles are left out of the affordable housing equation. They require much more space per person in comparison to those living in family housing, and the government is not willing to allocate a disproportionate amount of already limited public resources to house this demographic. Many young singles end up living in cramped conditions with their parents well into their 30s, lacking space and autonomy throughout their golden years. Conditions for elderly singles are more dire - with no family to look after them, many live in Hong Kong's notorious cage homes, stacked bed spaces within already tiny apartments in the city's poorer districts. CASH transcends this housing deadlock by providing a new approach towards affordable housing - proactive affordability - for Hong Kong's singles population. The architecture acts as a platform that maximizes opportunities for tenants to generate extra revenue, allowing them to afford their own spaces. This is achieved by re-organizing private and communal space in such a way that allows for subletting and commercial activity to coincide with the residential space. The building positions itself to generate foot traffic, creating greater opportunities for its tenants. In doing so, the residents of CASH can live larger, dream bigger and work harder, on their own terms and within their own communities.
by Yan-Ping Wang.
M.Arch.
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Lam, Terence T. (Terence Ting Yin). "The affordability of China's residential real estate market and opportunities for property developers." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65807.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-68).
China has the largest housing market in the world and the property market continues to advance at an astonishing pace. In 2009, 22.2% of China's RMB 19.3 trillion fixed asset investment and 17.9% of foreign direct investment were invested into the real estate sector. At the same time, the highly dynamic market structure and huge regional disparities in China created mixed interpretation and confusion. Nationwide statistics blending urban and suburban prices and the indifferent treatment towards subsidized housing and private housing overshadowed the actual development on the local level. With unprecedented investment pouring into the Chinese real estate market and sky rocketing property prices in most major cities, the legendary short-seller James Chanos described the Chinese real estate sector as "Dubai times 1,000 - or worse". Yet, another American financial guru Jim Rogers openly debunked the statement from James Chanos and remained his bullish views on China. This thesis is divided into two sections. First it reviews the historical development from the Chinese property market. The paper explores the current situation of the market and focuses on the affordability comparison between the national level and the local levels. On a national level, housing prices grow at a pace similar to China's GDP growth supported by an even faster growth in income levels. Affordability ratios are in line with international standards and below the levels experienced by Japan and US during their bubble era. At the local level, different cities experienced drastic differences in price growth and supply surpluses. In some cities, even the suburban areas are beyond the affordability of an average household. In the second section, this paper explores the development of affordable housing, the new frontier of Chinese real estate market. The emergence of the affordable housing market together with new housing policies has different implications and opportunities to the incumbent property developers as well as potential low-end disruptors in China. This paper concludes with recommendations on some of the available investment options for a bearish investor in the Chinese real estate market.
by Terence T. Lam.
S.M.
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Nandago, H. N. "The determinants of house prices in Namibia and their implications on housing affordability." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/97440.
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Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study attempts to establish the determinants of house prices in Namibia and their implications foraffordability of houses. The study made use of the ARDL time series model. The study established that the seven variables in the study are cointegrated. The cointegration results enabled the specification and estimation of the ARDL Error Correction Model. The results established that gross domestic product and interest rates are important in explaining the variations in house prices in the short run. Ironically, money supply and inflation, which are closely linked, were found not to affect house prices in the short run. In addition, national domestic credit, which was used as a proxy for total mortgages advanced in the country,wasnot a significant explanation of house prices in the short run. The study also established that the independent variables included in the ARDL Error Correction Model collectively influence house prices in Namibia in the long run. The implication of this is that policies that are meant to influence house prices in the long term can actually target any one or a combination of the variables included in the study. The main recommendation emanating from the study is that the government should redouble its efforts to provide affordable land and housing to the lower and/or middle income households in Namibia.
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Fabricant, Stephen Joel. "Community financing in Sierra Leone : affordability and equity of primary health care costs." Thesis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (University of London), 1992. http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/682247/.
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Critics of user charges for government primary health care have focussed on the deterrent effect these charges might have on the poor, but there is little convincing empirical evidence that supports or contradicts these claims. The main research aims were to assess the equity effects of user charges for curative PHC services on households in 2 rural districts of Sierra Leone, a country that has suffered severe economic hardship in the last decade. Secondary objectives were to assess the feasibility of using objective means-testing to identify patients for exemption, and to recoimiend a simple methodology for acquiring the same information for local, operational purposes. A survey of 1156 households was carried out in the dry post-harvest season, and covered a range of household economic factors in addition to the actions taken in response to all reported illness episodes. A followup survey was made the following rainy season to assess seasonal effects. Supplementary information was obtained through focus groups and case studies. The data were analyzed within the framework of a conceptual model which assumed that preferences, access, and ability to pay were the main factors (or groups of factors) that determined which of several medical and non-medical treatment options would be used. Multiple regression models were used to assess the effects of each group of factors. The main findings were that, while wealthier households used cheap market drugs and expensive medical treatment options more than the poor, there was little difference in use of medium-priced PHC treatment. Household wealth and income factors correlated weakly with amounts actually paid for treatment. The immediate availability of money in the household appeared to be the economic factor most affecting utilization, with wealthier households nearly as likely = to have the amounts needed for PHC treatment on hand as poorer ones. Distance was a much more important determinant of choice of treatment than was income or assets, as were certain preference factors. However, the poor spent a much higher proportion of household income on treatment than the wealthy, so a way of limiting total expenditures for the poor would be more important than limiting their deterrence. Several readily-ascertained household factors correlated well with household income, but means-testing was concluded to be an inefficient way to accomplish the objective of selectively limiting expenditures unless incorporated into a prepayment scheme.
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Ortgies, Jennifer Marie. "A Case Study of the Dimensions of Affordability of Undergraduate Education in Virginia." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/35645.
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The main purpose of this research was to examine the dimensions of affordability of public undergraduate education, focusing on a single state during a particular period of time. The main research question was: What are the dimensions of affordability of public undergraduate education in Virginia? The study examined three dimensions between the years 1981 and 2000: 1) per capita disposable income (adjusted for inflation) in Virginia, 2) financial aid at the state and federal levels, and 3) the burden of a loan for college students. In addition, the study explored several possible influences on these dimensions, including partisan control of the U.S. presidency and Congress and partisan control of the Virginia governor and state legislature. Although this study focuses on the outcomes in a single state (undergraduate, public institution enrollments in Virginia), the national data were explored because states often determine how much they are able to contribute after the national contributions are taken into consideration.
The key dependent variable was undergraduate enrollments at Virginia public higher education institutions. Do enrollments tend to increase, decrease, or remain constant when any of the dimensions of affordability increase, decrease, or remain constant? Two-year and four-year public undergraduate institutions in Virginia made up the sample of institutions examined. This research focused on the time frame of 1981 through 2000. The rationales for this specific time period were that 1) appropriate data are available for these years, and 2) it allows a big picture with contrary views of education policy at both the national and state levels. During this time period, Ronald Reagan (1981-1988), George H.W. Bush (1989-1992), and Bill Clinton (1993-2000) each served as president.
Three consecutive years of decreases in Virginiaâ s public undergraduate enrollments occurred in 1988-1990. 1990 was the highest year-to-year decrease at negative 4.79% overall. 1990 was the largest decrease in 4-year public institution enrollments in VA while 1988 was the largest decrease in enrollments for 2-year public institution enrollments in Virginia. The following things happened during these years of enrollment decreases, as they related to the dimensions of affordability and the named influences. First 1989 and 1991, were both years that the Virginia public higher education state appropriations were less than 1percent. Even though 1990 itself looked more positive with a 13.43 percent increase, the years preceding and following 1990 were not so positive. Second, when people can afford more, it appears to have an inverse relationship with public institution enrollments. When people can afford more, they most likely enroll at private institutions and when they can afford less, they enroll at public institutions. The highest enrollment year for 2-year public institutions was in 1985, which followed the second largest decrease to disposable income. The inverse relationship is less strong with four-year public institutions and is more evident in the two-year institutions. Thirdly, the 1993-1994 academic year marked the year when the number of loans for higher education appears that they will forever outnumber the amount of grants. This being said, the issue of affordability is really now a matter for after college years when the payback period for these loans begins versus during college attendance. Tuition costs rose by over 80% in four-year public institutions and by over 85% in two-year institutions while disposable income only increased by 36.% over the same time period. The issue of affordability should therefore be more closely examined during the payback period and could perhaps sway someone from enrolling knowing that this payback period is inevitable for most.Master of Arts
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Koitsiwe, Monicah. "The economics of water in Botswana : water use and affordability in urban areas." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5751.
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Bibliography: leaves 61-62.This study discusses urban water use and affordability by different consumers in Botswana. It outlines the potential urban water requirements that are expected to accompany the continuing economic developments in the country.
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Bien, Ryan James. "The rising cost of higher education the effects on access, retention and affordability /." Connect to Electronic Thesis (CONTENTdm), 2009. http://worldcat.org/oclc/460562375/viewonline.
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