Proponents of ranked-choice voting (RCV) highlight a number of arguments for why such an approach to elections should be adopted. One major argument is that ranked-choice voting will encourage voters to support more third-party or independent candidates and break the electoral stranglehold of the two main parties in America. Considering approximately two-thirds of Americans want a third major party this argument may prove appealing to American voters, but there is currently no empirical evidence to support such claims. In this project, we explore a theory of why ranked-choice voting may increase voter support for third-party or independent candidates and test the argument that RCV will improve the fortunes of third-party candidates using a survey experiment. We find significant support for the claim that ranked-choice voting increases support for third-party candidates.

Ranked-Choice voting is an electoral system that has become a subject of analysis after its implementation across multiple municipalities and two states. An electoral system can affect several aspects of the election, including how voters perceive the system. Our research addresses the impact of RCV on voters’ attitudes towards democracy. In this study, we develop a theory of why ranked-choice voting will increase support for democracy and candidates, even if their preferred choice does not win. With a survey experiment, we find some support for the claim that participating in an RCV election affects how respondents perceive democracy. With the ongoing polarization and partisanship, RCV may provide an avenue for improving assessments and attitudes towards democracy.

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Years after the 2007-2009 financial crisis and European debt crisis, the European Union's (EU) banking system sustained persistent strain due to those two shocks, austerity and economic contraction, political events, poor banking operations, enhanced regulation, and litigation. The European Central Bank's response was significant: short-term interest rates collapsed and markets were flooded with money via quantitative easing programs. Consequently, investors fled risky assets for the safety of government debt. Yet as banks recovered, savers sacrificed asymmetrically: yields on bank deposits and bonds were decimated. As macroeconomic challenges subsided, Fintech increasingly threatened legacy financial institutions' business models to the benefit of the EU savings public. This study assesses the impact by Fintech companies on legacy banks in the EU with respect to savings, lending, and wealth management. This study also assesses and makes recommendations on a strategy by Fintech to benefit savers, and the measures legacy institutions must take to survive amidst this new competitive landscape.

The aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis and European debt crisis proved to be a transformative event to financial markets, primarily in the areas of fixed-income asset yields and asset price appreciation due to wide-spread credit contraction at the retail level. After worldwide markets collapsed for equities and many corporate debt securities, frightened investors liquidated holdings at absurdly low prices. However, the worldwide recovery, while uneven, remains underway. Yet despite the recoveries in the broader indices, individual investors at the retail level have not widely shared in market gains after exiting from their investments during the crises. As a result of uncomfortably high asset prices and the lack of income potential to investment-grade fixed income investments, new alternatives are sought which may present better yield-earning potential amidst the current credit market environment made available by certain Fintech companies.