Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my adviser Professor Paul Glewwe for his thoughtful comments, advice, endless patience and his wonderful encouragement throughout my Ph.D. program. Without his understanding and encouragement, this dissertation would not have been possible. I would also like to thank Professors Elizabeth Davis, Terry Roe, and Sanford Weisbergh for serving as my committee members, whose generous suggestions and comments were extremely invaluable to this dissertation. I would not have been able to complete my dissertation without Professor Burt Sundquist who provided his English writing and speaking support throughout my doctoral program. I would also like to thank the faculty of the Department of Applied Economics for their instruction, conversations, and ideas. I am also grateful to the department staff and invaluable friends in the department for their kind help and friendship. I worked with a great boss, Dr. Matthew Sobek, as a research assistant at the Minnesota Population Center for two years and had opportunities to learn data management skills and teamwork, and to see more friends from other research backgrounds. I would like to thank the Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development for financial support during my firs