Three Essays in Public Finance

In presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the Library of the University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote from, to copy from or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the author or, in his or her absence, the professor under whose direction it was written or, in his absence, by the Dean of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and must not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential gain will not be allowed without written permission of the author. ____________________ Signature of the Author NOTICE TO BORROWS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University Library must be used only in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. Users of this dissertation not regularly enrolled as students at Georgia State University are required to attest acceptance of the preceding stipulations by signing below. Libraries borrowing this dissertation for the use of their patrons are required to see that each user records here the information requested. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation was prepared under the direction of the candidate's Dissertation Committee. It has been approved and accepted by all members of that committee, and it has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics in vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is one of the most important achievements in my life so far. While I feel a little relaxed now and try to recall the past, what I most want to say is: it is never easy. To survive the doctorate program, complete a dissertation and in the end earn a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics is not something that I could do it by myself alone. I thank all of you who have supported me in financing, study, personal life, and many other places over these years. All of these make things possible for me, and thank you! Due to limited space, I am only allowed to give my special thanks to a selected group of people who have been involved closely with me in the dissertation writing process. First …