Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Political And Economic Feasibility Of An American Industrial Policy, Brian S. Driscoll '93

Honors Projects

An industrial policy is "any government measure that prevents or promotes changes in the structure of an economy." This paper provides an overview of the issue, by focusing on how government can encourage productivity growth in the economy.

By studying other countries we hope to learn how industrial policy might work in America. The obvious choice to model is Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), but other countries, most notably the British and the French, have adopted certain policies as well. On the whole, while Japan has been most successful, MITI may have more credit than is due, …

Causes And Effects Of Welfare Dependency, Chris Bisaillon '93

Honors Projects

The effect of welfare on work incentives has been a hotly debated topic since its inception in 1935. My research project examines the work incentive effects of an important component of the welfare system, namely Aid to Families with Dependent Children. I have done this by analyzing data drawn from a massive database of 12,800 youths called the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. I primarily use two theories for my analysis, the neoclassical theory of labor supply and the welfare-disincentive theory promoted by Charles Murray. These two theories allow me to formulate and test a number of hypotheses regarding the …

The Demand For Higher Education: A Cost/Benefit Analysis Of The Human Capitol Theory, Bruce T. Bennett '93

Honors Projects

I will attempt to identify the costs and benefits of the high school graduate using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth as the database. The study will be cross-sectional using those respondents born in 1964 or 1965. Using this data, I will formulate and test a number of hypotheses concerning the personal characteristics such as innate ability, family background, and other socioeconomic variables affecting the decision to go to college. Furthermore, I will explore the possibility of structural differences occurring between four groups - black males, white males, black females, and white females - to see if family background and …

Tax Increment Financing: A Cost/Benefit Analysis For The State Of Illinois, James C. Joslin '93

Honors Projects

While there are many supporters of TIF, it is not without opposition. The highly respected Chicago Business letter, Crains, believes that "TIFs are one of the all time great economic development boondoggles in Illinois" (9/14/92). Many people also have the perception that 'TIF has been misused to finance 'sweetheart' deals with local developers at state expense" (Ayers 21). Whether this is true or not, there are clearly differences in the level of blight and deterioration among districts. Many argue that development would have occurred in some of these districts without the aid of TIF, and that these developments merely shift …

Foreign Direct Investment In Mexico, Yuet Wei Wan '93

Honors Projects

Over the last decade, Mexico's economy has been undergoing a series of exciting changes. In 1983, Mexico was still a highly inward-oriented economy with a government that was outspoken in its criticism of multinational cooperations. Today, Mexico ranks among the most outwardly-oriented developing economies of the world (Nunez 7). The present administration, under the leadership of President Salinas, has implemented significant changes aimed at liberalizing Mexico's policy towards foreign direct investment (FDI). The changes in Mexico's policy have been largely in response to the 1982 debt crisis and deteriorating economic conditions. This study deals with the way in which macro-economic …

The Impact Of Local Labor Markets On Black And White Family Structure, Michael Seeborg, Kristin Jaeger

Scholarly Publications

This study employs 1980 census data to determine how economic characteristics affect the incidence of female headed families in metropolitan areas. The study also attempts to determine if black family structure responds differently than white family structure to changes in the variables studied. It is found that changes in employment of men and women may have profound effects on family structure. Changes in the level of welfare support are also found to affect family structure. Black family structure is found to behave somewhat differently than white, thus lending support to Wilson's theory of the underclass.

Income And Poverty Across Smsas: A Two-Stage Analysis, Michael Seeborg, Robert Leekley

Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.