Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Political Economy Of Special Economic Zones, Lotta Moberg

Lotta Moberg

Special economic zones (SEZs) are a wide-spread and increasingly popular tool for economic growth. Big or small, secluded or isolated, they are areas where a government allows for different rules to apply than the rest of the country. Most commonly, this means granting fiscal privileges to investors in the zones. Exemptions from taxes, tariffs, and sometimes regulations mean that SEZs form islands of economic liberalization in a country. A common attitude to zones is therefore that while broader liberalization is preferred, SEZs always benefit a country as long as they bring about this marginal improvement. The skeptical view of SEZs …

The Correlation Between Human Capital And Morality And Its Effect On Economic Performance: Theory And Evidence, David J. Balan, Stephen Knack

David J. Balan

In this paper we analyze the relationship between the correlation between morality and human capital (‘‘ability’’) on the one hand and aggregate economic performance on the other. Morality is defined as an aversion to consuming goods obtained through appropriative rather than productive activities. In our empirical analysis we adapt the well-known regression framework of Rodrik et al. (2004), using the World Values Survey as a source of proxies for morality. Using our preferred proxy, we find evidence that higher within-country correlation between morality and ability, holding constant the levels of morality and ability, increases per-capita income levels. Under our preferred …

Smart Stimulus Amid Deepening Debt: Future-Flow Tax Credit Programs, William Werkmeister

William Werkmeister

No abstract provided.

Determinants And Effects Of Research Partnerships In China’S Emerging Market, Wubiao Zhou

Wubiao Zhou

No abstract provided.

Central Banks And Economic Development, Warren Coats, Gary Gegenheimer

Warren Coats

South Sudan is establishing a central bank to issue and regulate a new currency, and to supervise payment systems and financial firms. The provisions of the law that establish and regulate the new central bank are critically important for how well it contributes to the economic development and well being of the new country. This note explores for discussion the key issues covered in a central bank law relating to its objectives for its currency, its independence for pursuing those objectives, and the governance structure under which it operations to maximize its commitments to those objectives.

Regional Deregulation And Entrepreneurial Growth In China’S Transition Economy,, Wubiao Zhou

Wubiao Zhou

No abstract provided.

Bank Financing In China’S Private Sector: The Payoffs Of Political Capital, Wubiao Zhou

Wubiao Zhou

No abstract provided.

Delivery Of Legal Services To Immigrant Small Business Owners: The Problems And A Model To Solve Them, William A. Langer, Pablo A. Ormachea

William A Langer

Delivery of Legal Services to Immigrant Small Business Owners: The Problems and a Model to Solve Them. By Pablo Ormachea & William Langer

Immigrant entrepreneurs not only provide essential support for individual families, but also serve as key engines of economic growth for United States cities. While immigrant small-business owners continuously stimulate growth in various economic sectors, creating new jobs and helping to develop inner-city neighborhoods, they overcome considerable obstacles and barriers to reach these achievements. This article argues that a deeper understanding of such systemic barriers can help to reduce such barriers so that an increasingly larger number of …

The Output Cost Of Gender Discrimination: A Model-Based Macroeconomic Estimate, Tiago Cavalcanti, José Tavares

José Tavares

Gender-based discrimination is a pervasive and costly phenomenon. To a greater or lesser extent, all economies present a gender wage gap, associated with lower female labor force participation rates and higher fertility. This paper presents a growth model where saving, fertility and labor market participation are endogenously determined, and there is wage discrimination. The model is calibrated to mimic the performance of the U.S. economy, including the gender wage gap and relative female labor force participation. We then compute the output cost of an increase in discrimination, to find that a 50 percent increase in the gender wage gap leads …

Imported Capital Dependency As An Economic Development Strategy: The Failure Of Distortionary Tax Policies In Puerto Rico, Joseph Pelzman

Joseph Pelzman

The use of tax holidays and other financial incentives designed to attract foreign investment is an old development strategy which like a magic pill has substantial negative side effects. There are many factors that influence the flow of investment across borders. An increase in the rate of return as exemplified by a deferral of taxes is but one factor among many including, but not limited to, the quality of host location infrastructure, the human capital of the participating labor force, the state of health care provision, the state of telecommunication coverage, etc., that enter a multinational’s decision tree and determine …