This dissertation is composed of three essays in which I examine the influence of formal institutions on entrepreneurs and new firms. In the first essay, "The Influence of Institutions on the Likelihood of Self-Employment: A Multilevel...
The trucking industry is the largest freight sector, making up about 70 percent of all domestic shipment in the United States and contributes greatly the American economy. About 10 billion tons of goods are shipped annually and of that, about...
Public health administration--Kentucky; Patient advocacy--Kentucky
Background: One of the core functions of public health is to develop policies that support community and individual health. There are many historic examples in which public health practitioners have advocated successfully for policies that...
Most industrial countries face with some form of housing problems. As a result, each state has adopted a variety of housing policies. Policy methods of government authorities in meeting the housing gap and addressing the low income families'...
Human exposure to mercury has been shown to cause a number of adverse health outcomes, predominantly neurological effects. The developing fetus is most susceptible, and even low levels of exposure have been shown to produce nervous system deficits....
Coal-fired power plants--Environmental aspects--United States; Mercury wastes--Environmental aspects--United States
This dissertation tests whether or not mercury emissions from electric power plants are not a significant contributor to mercury measurements in rainfall and argues that the current United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...
United States. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976; Brownfields--United States
Public investment and interest into brownfields has increased markedly in the past two decades. However, scholarship has not kept pace with this growth. Every state in the U.S. has created a brownfields program to deal with the presence of these...
This thesis is an examination and analysis of the role of law enforcement in the transformation of a city's downtown from one dominated by sleazy strip bars and prostitutes to one of family entertainment. The focus is on the police and prosecutors;...
Vehicles--Environmental aspects; Traffic flow--Environmental aspects; Motor vehicles--Motors--Exhaust gas
The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a methodology to estimate the temporal Environmental Traffic Capacity (ETC) for urban streets. The approach constitutes the main procedure of ETC calculation and an experimental process of developing...
Life care communities--Kentucky--Louisville; Congregate housing--Kentucky--Louisville; Older people--Housing--Kentucky--Louisville
As the older adult population in the United States continues its accelerated growth, there is a growing concern about the long-term care options for these elders. While nursing homes are no longer desirable and costly for federal and state...
For persons with disabilities, access to transportation is necessary for integration into society. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been instrumental in assuring transportation access to individuals with disabilities for purposes of...
Within the Appalachian hills of eastern Kentucky, large-scale coal mining operations are directly altering the headwater landscape through the construction of hollow fills. These man-made landforms and their associated in-stream structures alter a...
Social service--Evaluation; Social service--Kentucky
This dissertation is an exploratory, mixed methods study using grounded perspective to examine how stakeholders (including consumers, administrators, and practitioners) in social welfare organizations perceive effectiveness in the nonprofit social...
Gardeners--Kentucky--Louisville--Social conditions; Community gardens--Kentucky--Louisville
Using four surveys, two created by this researcher, another created by Walizcek, Mattson, and Zajicek, and a fourth created by Herbach, the researcher compared the characteristics of community gardeners, their motivations for gardening, and the...
Welfare recipients--United States; College students--United States
Using Schlossberg's transition theory as the conceptual framework, this case study explored and identified the coping strategies used by seven welfare recipients attending postsecondary institutions. Three participants were enrolled in the local...
The process of transition from high school to adult life is particularly important for students with mild disabilities because these students show a pattern of overwhelmingly low expectations and progress. Transition services, self-determination,...
Women air pilots; Women--Recreation--Social aspects; Leisure--Social aspects
Serious leisure theory (Stebbins, 1992) is used to frame this examination of women's long-term involvement in airplane piloting. Through in-depth, semi-structured telephone and e-mail interviews with women having over 15 years experience as private...
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616; Courtly love in literature
"It is in the south of France and at a very early period that we must look for the origin of the system of Courtly Love. Gathered about several small courts, there existed, as early as the eleventh century, a brilliant society, in which woman...
Medical policy--Kentucky--Louisville; Political planning--Kentucky--Louisville; Cities and towns--Growth--Kentucky--Louisville
A disciplined-configurative case study design was carried out to explore whether a growth machine exists and shapes local healthcare policy in Louisville. A historical analysis first explored whether a growth machine existed in Louisville in the...