Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Addressing The Need For Both Affordable And Sustainable Housing: A Policy Analysis On Avoiding Environmental Gentrification, Erin Zipman

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

This article focuses on the threat of environmental gentrification in Binghamton and the surrounding municipalities. Given certain risks, including an increasing temporary student renter population, increasing rent prices, high population of renters overall and the need for updates to the housing stock, this area of Broome County is at high risk for environmental gentrification if clean energy upgrades to the housing stock are aggressively pursued. Since clean energy upgrades such as weatherization and clean technology installation will create safer housing and reduce residential greenhouse gas emissions, it is desirable to pursue them. Thus, this article will analyze four policy alternatives …

Introduction To Macroeconomics, Kenny Christianson

Economics Faculty Scholarship

The textbook begins by looking at basic economic concepts and models, such as scarcity, choice, model-building, opportunity cost, production possibilities curves, comparative advantage, and supply and demand analysis. After a chapter exploring the relationships between markets and government, the text then delves into a rigorous analysis of the theory and practice of macroeconomics. Topics include the measurement of macroeconomic variables, macroeconomic models, and fiscal and monetary policy. The text emphasizes the connections between theory and policy in exploring the field of macroeconomics.

Skill Downgrading Among Refugees And Economic Immigrants In Germany: Evidence From The Syrian Refugee Crisis, Plamen Nikolov, Leila Salarpour, David Titus

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Upon arrival to a new country, many immigrants face job downgrading, a phenomenon describing workers being in jobs below the ones they have based on the skills they possess. Moreover, in the presence of downgrading immigrants receiving lower wage returns to the same skills compared to natives. The level of downgrading could depend on the immigrant type and numerous other factors. This study examines the determinants of skill downgrading among two types of immigrants – refugees and economic immigrants – in the German labor markets between 1984 and 2018. We find that refugees downgrade more than economic immigrants, and this …

Entitled To Property: Inheritance Laws, Female Bargaining Power, And Child Health In India, Plamen Nikolov, Shahadath Hossain

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Child height is a significant predictor of human capital and economic status throughout adulthood. Moreover, non-unitary household models of family behavior posit that an increase in women’s bargaining power can influence child health. We study the effects of an inheritance policy change, the Hindu Succession Act (HSA), which conferred enhanced inheritance rights to unmarried women in rural India, on child height. We find robust evidence that the HSA improved the height and weight of children. In addition, we find evidence consistent with a channel that the policy improved the women’s intrahousehold bargaining power within the household, leading to improved parental …

Writing Tips For Economics Research Papers, Plamen Nikolov

Economics Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Social Distancing And Mask-Wearing Behavior: Panel Survey In Seven U.S. States, Plamen Nikolov, Andreas Pape, Ozlem Tonguc, Charlotte Williams

Economics Faculty Scholarship

This paper presents preliminary summary results from a longitudinal study of participants in seven U.S. states during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to standard socio-economic characteristics, we collect data on various economic preference parameters: time, risk, and social preferences, and risk perception biases. We pay special attention to predictors that are both important drivers of social distancing and are potentially malleable and susceptible to policy levers. We note three important findings: (1) demographic characteristics exert the largest influence on social distancing measures and mask-wearing, (2) we show that individual risk perception and cognitive biases exert a critical role in influencing …

Do Public Program Benefits Crowd Out Private Transfers In Developing Countries? A Critical Review Of Recent Evidence, Plamen Nikolov, Matthew Bonci

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Precipitated by rapid globalization, rising inequality, population growth, and longevity gains, social protection programs have been on the rise in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the last three decades. However, the introduction of public benefits could displace informal mechanisms for risk-protection, which are especially prevalent in LMICs. If the displacement of private transfers is considerably large, the expansion of social protection programs could even lead to social welfare loss. In this paper, we critically survey the recent empirical literature on crowd-out effects in response to public policies, specifically in the context of LMICs. We review and synthesize patterns from …

The Importance Of Cognitive Domains And The Returns To Schooling In South Africa: Evidence From Two Labor Surveys, Plamen Nikolov, Nusrat Jimi

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Numerous studies have considered the important role of cognition in estimating the returns to schooling. How cognitive abilities affect schooling may have important policy implications, especially in developing countries during periods of increasing educational attainment. Using two longitudinal labor surveys that collect direct proxy measures of cognitive skills, we study the importance of specific cognitive domains for the returns to schooling in two samples. We instrument for schooling levels and we find that each additional year of schooling leads to an increase in earnings by approximately 18-20 percent. The estimated effect sizes—based on the two-stage least squares estimates—are above the …

Do Private Household Transfers To The Elderly Respond To Public Pension Benefits? Evidence From Rural China, Plamen Nikolov, Alan Adelman

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Aging populations in developing countries have spurred the introduction of public pension programs to preserve the standard of living for the elderly. The often-overlooked mechanism of intergenerational transfers, however, can dampen these intended policy effects, as adult children who make income contributions to their parents could adjust their behavior in response to changes in their parents’ income. Exploiting a unique policy intervention in China, we examine using a difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) approach how a new pension program impacts inter vivos transfers. We show that pension benefits lower the propensity of adult children to transfer income to elderly parents in the context …

One Step At A Time: Does Gradualism Build Coordination?, Maoliang Ye, Jie Zheng, Plamen Nikolov, Sam Asher

Economics Faculty Scholarship

This study investigates a potential mechanism to promote coordination. With theoretical guidance using a belief-based learning model, we conduct a multi-period, binary-choice, and weakest-link laboratory coordination experiment to study the effect of gradualism – increasing the required levels (stakes) of contributions slowly over time rather than requiring a high level of contribution immediately – on group coordination performance. We randomly assign subjects to three treatments: starting and continuing at a high stake, starting at a low stake but jumping to a high stake after a few periods, and starting at a low stake while gradually increasing the stakes over time …

Short-Run Health Consequences Of Retirement And Pension Benefits: Evidence From China, Plamen Nikolov, Alan Adelman

Justice & Well-Being Studies Faculty Scholarship

This paper examines the impact of the New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) in China. Exploiting the staggered implementation of an NRPS policy expansion that began in 2009, we used a difference-in-difference approach to study the effects of the introduction of pension benefits on the health status, health behaviors, and healthcare utilization of rural Chinese adults age 60 and above. The results point to three main conclusions. First, in addition to improvements in self-reported health, older adults with access to the pension program experienced significant improvements in several important measures of health, including mobility, self-care, usual activities, and vision. Second, regarding …

What Factors Drive Individual Misperceptions Of The Returns To Schooling In Tanzania? Some Lessons For Education Policy, Plamen Nikolov, Nursat Jimi

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Evidence on educational returns and the factors that determine the demand for schooling in developing countries is extremely scarce. Building on previous studies that show individuals underestimating the returns to schooling, we use two surveys from Tanzania to estimate both the actual and perceived schooling returns and subsequently examine what factors drive individual misperceptions regarding actual returns. Using ordinary least squares and instrumental variable methods, we find that each additional year of schooling in Tanzania increases earnings, on average, by 9 to 11 percent. We find that on average individuals underestimate returns to schooling by 74 to 79 percent and …

Time Delay And Investment Decisions: Evidence From An Experiment In Tanzania, Plamen Nikolov

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Attitudes toward risk underlie virtually every important economic decision an individual makes. In this experimental study, I examine how introducing a time delay into the execution of an investment plan influences individuals’ risk preferences. The field experiment proceeded in three stages: a decision stage, an execution stage and a payout stage. At the outset, in the Decision Stage (Stage 1), each subject was asked to make an investment plan by splitting a monetary investment amount between a risky asset and a safe asset. Subjects were informed that the investment plans they made in the Decision Stage are binding and will …

Vocational Training Programs And Youth Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence From Nepal, S Chakravarty, M Lundberg, Plamen Nikolov, J Zenker

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Lack of skills is arguably one of the most important determinants of high levels of unemployment and poverty. In response, policymakers often initiate vocational training programs in efforts to enhance skill formation among the youth. Using a regression-discontinuity design, we examine a large youth training intervention in Nepal. We find, twelve months after the start of the training program, that the intervention generated an increase in non-farm employment of 10 percentage points (ITT estimates) and up to 31 percentage points for program compliers (LATE estimates). We also detect sizable gains in monthly earnings largely driven by women who start self-employment …

Compliance With Imf Austerity: Labor Rights, Protest, And Repression, Brendan Skip Mark

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation explores the domestic consequences of International Monetary Fund (IMF) program lending. It argues that when governments implement austerity reforms attached to IMF loans it increases human rights violations and violence in borrower governments. A new measure of IMF compliance is developed and used to explore the consequences of IMF lending in the 21st century. Past research exploring IMF lending consequences has assumed compliance away. While IMF program lending is largely seen as a failure there is significant debate about the causes of failure. Human rights scholars have argued that austerity policies impose significant hardships on citizens in borrower …

Walkability And Bikability In Montour Falls, New York: Recommendations From A Comprehensive Plan, Chelsea Reome

Capstone Projects 2015-Present

Walkability and bikability describe how friendly or conducive a place is to walking and biking, respectively. In Montour Falls, they will: • Maintain small town environment • Enhance connectivity within the Finger Lakes Region via the Catharine Valley Trail • Provide low-cost transportation options for low-income individuals • Facilitate aging in place for senior residents

Location-Based Tax Incentives: Evidence From India, Ritam Chaurey

Economics Faculty Scholarship

While policies targeting particular geographic regions are widely used by governments, there have been few rigorous evaluations of their causal impacts. In this paper, I study the impact of a location-based tax incentive scheme in India. Using aggregated and firm-level panel data, I find large increases in employment, total output, fixed capital, and the number of firms as a result of the program. These increases are due to both the growth of existing firms as well as the entry of new firms. There is supporting evidence that the new firms entering the treated regions are larger and more productive. I …

Evaluation Metric For Technical Assistance At A Community Development Financial Institution, Emma R. Miran

MPA Capstone Projects 2006 - 2015

The Mountain Association of Community Economic Development (MACED) serves a fifty-four county region in Central Appalachia and is legally registered as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). MACED provides financial capital and technical assistance to small businesses and nonprofit organizations in order to generate new employment opportunities and develop a strong local economy and community in its service region. My study explored how MACED can improve its evaluation system for assessing clients' technical assistance needs and how it can better understand the impact of these services.

Laying The Foundations For An Organizational Reincarnation Plan: Identifying Sterpdb's Future, Chelsea Marie Robertson

MPA Capstone Projects 2006 - 2015

Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board (STERPDB) is the primary funneling system of the Economic Development Administration and Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Funds to the Southern Tier area of New York State. STERPDB currently has leadership approaching retirement within the next five years and there is no succession plan in place. This would leave STERPDB with a lack of leadership and result in an ineffective organization. This study strives to answer what the key stakeholders at STERPDB would like to see for the future of STERPDB as well as what action will be necessary to foster a successful transition …

Further Investigation Into The Role Of Education In The Demand For Health Care, Mohammad Al-Hadi Al-Bakir Al-Barazi

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation intends to examine the inconsistency prevailing in the health economics literature between theoretical predictions and empirical findings concerning the role of education in the determination of health care services. Starting from the premise that the household’s stock of health capital is a nondurable commodity which depreciates over time; that it can be augmented by investment; that the household production function for gross investment in health capital stock is homogeneous of degree one in both inputs of health care services and health care time; that a ‘factor-neutral’ education enters the production function of the household as an environmental variable …

A Cash Flow Theory Of Conglomerate Mergers, Edward Barry Leviton

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

There have been three periods of intensive merger activity in the United States. The first merger movement of major significance occurred at the turn of the century, and its peak years were between 1898 and 1902. This early merger movement in many respects was the most significant of the merger waves. It saw the transformation of many industries, initially characterized by many small and medium sized firms, into those in which one or a few very large firms dominated. Nelson has said that in this period the pattern of concentration characteristic of twentieth-century American business was formed and matured. The …

Investment In Human Capital And The Nonwhite-White Unemployment Differential, Curtis Lloyd Gilroy

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of the differential incidence of unemployment between white and nonwhite male workers in the U.S. labor force. The general question to which this study addresses itself is to what extent can the higher incidence of nonwhite compared to white unemployment at a point in time and over a period of time be explained by differences in certain characteristics of the respective labor forces.

To measure and compare the relative unemployment burdens of white and nonwhite workers, the unemployment differential will be investigated. The differential can be of two types: the relative differential, denoted by the ratio …

Dynamic Models Of Economic Development And International Capital Movements, Kiyoshi Abe

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

There has been a growing awareness that the traditional theory of international capital movements is static and must be reformulated by including dynamic elements that are common in the actual world. This awareness has long since occupied the mind of the present author whose study covers not only the so-called ‘classical’ theory of J.S. Mill, F.W. Taussig, F.G. Graham, et al, and the ‘modern’ theory of B. Ohlin, G. Harberler, R.F. Harrod, et al, in the field of international economics, but also the postwar development of the theory of economic growth initiated by R.F. Harrod and E.D. Domar. The lack …