Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Introduction: The History Of Economics As A History Of Practice, Harro Maas, Tiago Mata, John B. Davis

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Subtle Discrimination In The Rental Housing Market: Evidence From E-Mail Correspondence Of Landlords, Andrew Hanson, Zackary Hawley, Aryn Taylor

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We find that landlords practice subtle discrimination in the rental housing market through the use of language associated with describing and viewing a unit, inviting further correspondence, making a formal greeting, and using polite language when replying to e-mail inquiries from a white name more often than to an African American name, they also send longer e-mails and respond quicker to white names.

The Incidence Of The Mortgage Interest Deduction: Evidence From The Market For Home Purchase Loans, Andrew Hanson

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This article examines the incidence of the largest housing-related subsidy in the federal budget, the home mortgage interest deduction (MID). The author uses the difference in interest rates for loans made around the MID limit to identify the incidence of the subsidy. Using data on individual mortgages originated in 2004, the author estimates that for every $1,000 borrowed without the MID, the interest rate on the entire loan decreases by between 3.3 and 4.4 percent. Results suggest that lenders capture between 9 and 17 percent of the subsidy created by the home MID through higher mortgage interest rates.

Review Of Identity Economics By Akerlof And Kranton, John B. Davis

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Winning In Ncaa Womens Soccer: Does The Gender Of The Coach Matter?, Brian Brush, Gregory Naples

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

While women’s intercollegiate soccer has grown rapidly over the past three decades, men still hold nearly two-thirds of all head coaching positions in NCAA Division I women’s soccer programs. This paper explores whether the gender of the head coach affects success in winning games. After considering various reasons why gender might matter, we undertake a multiple regression analysis using data from the 2001-2002 season to answer this question empirically. Controlling for other factors that would be expected to influence a team’s success, including the quality of the head coach, the level of institutional support and the tradition of the program, …

Predictive Duty Cycle Adaptation For Wireless Camera Networks, Paul J. Shin, Henry Medeiros, Johnny Park, Avinash Kak

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) typically employ dynamic duty cycle schemes to efficiently handle different patterns of communication traffic in the network. However, existing duty cycling approaches are not suitable for event-driven WSN, in particular, camera-based networks designed to track humans and objects. A characteristic feature of such networks is the spatially-correlated bursty traffic that occurs in the vicinity of potentially highly mobile objects. In this paper, we propose a concept of indirect sensing in the MAC layer of a wireless camera network and an active duty cycle adaptation scheme based on Kalman filter that continuously predicts and updates the location …

In High School And Pregnant: The Importance Of Educational And Fertility Expectations For Subsequent Outcomes, Olga Yakusheva

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This study uses the High School and Beyond data (1980–1992) to examine the importance of educational and fertility expectations in explaining the achievement gap of adolescent mothers for over 5,500 young women from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Using a non-parametric local propensity score regression, the study finds that the economic disadvantage associated with having a child in high school is particularly large in poor socioeconomic environments; however, this disadvantage is a result of preexisting differences in the educational and fertility expectations and is not because of a diminished capacity of the socioeconomic environment to mediate the effect of an unplanned childbirth. …

Using Historical Simulation To Compare The Accuracy Of Nine Alternative Methods Of Estimating The Present Value Of Future Lost Earnings, Brian Brush

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

To estimate the present value of future lost earnings, forensic economists must employ some method to determine the interest rate and the earnings growth rate, or the net discount rate derived from them, to use in that estimation. Historical simulation can be used to determine how accurate any such method would have been had it been used in the past. In this paper, historical simulation is used to compare the accuracy of nine different methods of choosing the net discount rate to estimate present value for numerous 30-, 20- and 10-year loss periods. These methods include historical averages, current rates, …

On The Relative Accuracy Of Discounting Based On Risk-Free And Risky Portfolios, Brian Brush

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

The degree of risk that should be incorporated into the net discount rate that is used to estimate the present value of future lost earnings has been the subject of controversy. While some forensic economists insist that a risk-free discount rate must be used, others have offered economic arguments that support use of a risk-adjusted rate. Historical simulation studies have found that, when the discount rate is based on risk-free or low-risk securities, the historical averages method of estimating present value is subject to large forecast errors due to significant changes in net discount rates over time. This study explores …

Fdi, Education, And Economic Growth: Quality Matters!, Miao Wang, M. C. Sunny Wong

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

In this paper, we revisit the results from the influential study by Borensztein et al. (Journal of International Economics 45:115–135, 1998), which argues that inward foreign direct investment (FDI) promotes the economic growth in a less developed host country only when the host country obtains a threshold level of secondary schooling. Borensztein et al. (Journal of International Economics 45:115–135, 1998) only focus on the quantity of education. We take into consideration both the quantity and the quality of education. We adjust the original schooling data in Borensztein et al. (Journal of International Economics 45:115–135, 1998) by two quality of education …

Utilization Of Employment Tax Credits: An Analysis Of The Empowerment Zone Wage Tax Credit, Andrew Hanson

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This paper provides estimates of utilization for the Empowerment Zone (EZ) wage tax credit, a subsidy claimed by employers who operate in and hire residents of federally designated areas experiencing economic distress. The EZ credit is currently the largest employer-based wage tax credit in the federal tax code in terms of dollars claimed, with almost $250 million claimed in 2002. I show that about 6.4 percent (and at least 3.5 percent) of the working age population was claimed under the EZ wage credit in 1999. In addition, I estimate that 24.2 percent (and at least 13.1 percent) of those employed …

Inward Fdi, Remittances, And Out-Migration, Miao Grace Wang, M. C. Sunny Wong

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

In this study, we look at the relationship between remittances received at home, inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and out-migration of individuals with different levels of education. Using the bilateral international migration data in 1990 and 2000, we find that inward FDI tends to deter the out-migration of individuals with secondary and tertiary education, but has no significant impact on the out-migration of individuals with primary education. In addition, remittances received at home induce the out-migration of individuals with primary education, but not the out-migration of individuals with secondary and tertiary education. The stock of existing migrants in a foreign …

Four Scenarios Of Development And The Role Of Economic Policy, Fabrizio Carmignani, Abdur Chowdhury

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We ask which economic policies can help a country create the most favourable conditions for development. We observe that the dynamics of several development indicators can be grouped into four clusters, each cluster corresponding to a different combination of growth and changes in inequality. Based on this observation, we define four different development scenarios and use limited dependent variable regressions to study how structural and policy factors affect a country's probability to achieve the most (or the least) favourable of these scenarios. Our results point to a comforting picture: through the choice of appropriate policies countries can effectively increase their …

The Atlanta Empowerment Zone: Description, Impact, And Lessons For Evaluation, Rachana Bhatt, Andrew Hanson

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Do Landlords Discriminate In The Rental Housing Market? Evidence From An Internent Field Experiment In U.S. Cities, Andrew Hanson, Zackary Hawley

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This paper tests for racial discrimination in the rental housing market using matched-pair audits conducted via e-mail for rental units advertised on-line. We reveal home-seekers’ race to landlords by sending e-mails from names with a high likelihood of association with either whites or African Americans. Generally, discrimination occurs against African American names; however, when the content of the e-mail messages insinuates home-seekers with high social class, discrimination is non-existent. Racial discrimination is more severe in neighborhoods that are near “tipping points” in racial composition, and for units that are part of a larger building.

The Effect Of Location Based Tax Incentives On Establishment Location And Employment Across Industry Sectors, Andrew Hanson, Shawn Rohlin

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This article examines the potential for location-based employment tax incentives to have a differential effect on establishment location and employment across industry sectors. The authors model the differential effect of the location-based federal Empowerment Zone (EZ) wage tax credit on equilibrium labor and total cost savings across industry sectors. The model guides the empirical work, as the authors test the effect of the program across industry sectors. The empirical analysis shows that location-based tax incentives have a positive effect on firm location in some of the industries their model predicts and a negative effect in industries that could be crowded …

Leisure And Happiness In The U.S.: Evidence From Survey Data, Miao Wang, M. C. Sunny Wong

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We study the relationship between leisure and happiness, controlling for income and other determinants. Using survey data for the United States in 2007, our results show that certain aspects of leisure, such as leisure activity satisfaction, have a significant impact on individual well-being whereas the amount of leisure time may not play an important role in affecting happiness.

Environmental Influences On Young Adult Weight Gain: Evidence From A Natural Experiment, Kandice A. Kapinos, Olga Yakusheva

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives: This study investigated the importance of environmental influences in explaining weight gain and related behaviors among freshman college students.

Methods: We exploited a natural experiment that takes place on most college campuses in the United States - randomized dormitory assignments. We estimated the effects of living in dormitories with varying physical environment characteristics on weight gain and related behaviors (daily number of meals and snacks, weekly frequency of exercise) among randomly assigned freshman students.

Results: We found strong evidence linking weight and related behaviors to individual dormitories, as well as to specific characteristics of the dormitories. On average, students …

Fdi And Human Capital In The Usa: Is Fdi In Different Industries Created Equal?, Miao Wang

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We use data in the USA to study the effect of inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in different sectors/industries on the state-level human capital, measured by the average years of tertiary schooling. We find that inward manufacturing FDI tends to lower the tertiary schooling in a host state while information FDI increases the tertiary schooling in a host state.