Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Essays On Risky Health Behavior, Bern Dealy

Economics ETDs

Risky health behaviors including substance abuse and risky sex are a significant contributor to chronic illness in the US. Efficient use of public resources to avert or mitigate the consequences of risky health behaviors requires a better understanding of the overall costs of risky health behavior to society. Additionally, a better understanding of the value and behavioral consequences of programs designed to mitigate the consequences of risky health behavior is needed. This dissertation utilizes a number of unique methodological and empirical tools to examine the consequences of risky sex and drug abuse and the value of policies which seek to …

Factors Influencing Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Land Use, Land-Use Change, And Forest Activities, Pattarawan Watcharaanantapong

Doctoral Dissertations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a major global issue because of their effects on climate and the resulting environmental and human impacts. The primary greenhouse gases (GHGs), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), are emitted into the atmosphere from a myriad of human activities such as energy supply, manufacturing, transportation, commercial and residential buildings, and waste. Additionally, management activities on agricultural and forest lands can influence GHG emissions substantially. Even though GHGs can be released into the air via the sectors mentioned, GHGs, especially CO₂, can be removed from …

An Experiment-Based Methodology To Understand The Dynamics Of Group Decision Making, Susan G. Mason, Don Holley, Aaron Wells, Amit Jain, Thomas Wuerzer, Alark Joshi

Urban Studies and Community Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we present an experiment-based design to examine the dynamics of group decision making. The experiment-based design on group decision making that we put forth provides a path for understanding collective decision making. Understanding more about the dynamics of collective decision making will benefit public policy making and design of roundtable discussions, which can enhance communication and cooperation on important issues such as the design and placement of transportation infrastructure, hospitals facilities, and housing for the homeless, and many others.

Malaysian Development Planning, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

Development planning has been described as "a deliberate governmental attempt to coordinate economic decision-making over the long-run and to influence, direct and, in some cases, even control the level and growth of a nation's principal economic variables (income, comsumption, employment, investment, saving, exports, imports, etc.) in order to achieve a pre-determined set of development objectives." One set of reasons for planning centres round the operation of the market system. Thus, market prices are often distorted and can result in a misallocation of scarce resources. Another set revolves round the need to have a rallying point for local and foreign interests …

On The Measurement Of Capital Utilisation In Less Developed Countries, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

The shortage of physical capital is often seen as the crucial constraint to growth in less developed countries (LDCs). Thus many development plans are based on the aggregate Harrod-Domar model where the growth of the economy is seen to depand only on the availability and the productivity of capital. A corollary of such a capital-centred approach to development is that the capital plant and machinery installed are utilized to the full. However, recent studies claim that capital under-utilization exists on a massive scale in manufacturing in LDCs and raise the possibility of a parabox in capital usage in capital-scarce LDCs. …

The Garnaut Report: An Overview, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

The Gaunaut Report analyses the process of economic change in Northeast Asia and assesses the implication of this on Australia. It is an important report because of what it says, when it is said, and how it is said. Its findings are neither new nor surprising for those who have been studying Northeast Asian economic development and Australia-Asia relations. But they are nevertheless important findings and presented as they are now and in a report to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade by someone who was the former's trusted chief economic adviser and the latter's …

Explaining The Growth Performances Of Asian Developing Economies, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

No matter how it is measured, the growth performance of the newly industrializing economies (NIEs) stands out. That of the Southeast Asian group, with the exception of the Philippines, and that of China is also impressive. The South Asian countries have done much less well, with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America even further behind...

Export Instability And Economic Development : The Example Of West Malaysia, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

No abstract provided.

Actual, Desired And Full Levels Of Capital Utilisation In Malaysian Manufacturing, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

This paper shows that capital utilisation in West Malaysian manufacturing, though higher than that in other less developed countries, still leaves capital plant idle for a considerable proportion of the total available time. These findings, based on a modified McGraw‐Hill measure and on the Winston time‐measure of capital utilisation, therefore calls into question the wisdom of an industrial investment incentive programme which aims primarily at maximising the volume of capital expenditure, and which pays no attention at all to the level of utilisation of the existing stock of capital.

Europe 1992: Economic Implications For Asia, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

The European Economic Community (EEC) was formed in 1957 with the signing of the Treaty of Rome. This brought together six countries (Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxemberg and the Netherlands) which were involved in the conflict of the Second World War. The Impetus for the establishment of the EEC was political but the economic gains from the operation of the scheme, popularly known as the Common Market, were so significant that eventually the original membership of six was doubled to include Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The so-called Europe 1992 Project aims to bring about …

Export Instability, Investment And Economic Growth In Developing Countries, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

Export instability is often seen to be detrimental to the economic growth of those developing countries which have a large export sector and which depend on a few primary products for this export. One of the arguments against export instability is that it produces instability in government revenue which leads to instability in government expenditure. This instability in government expenditure is then seen to affect economic growth adversely in two ways...

Another Look At Growth And Defense In Less Developed Countries, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

Using an estimating equation that was devised systematically within an explicit conceptual framework, it shows that defence spending was detrimental to economic growth. Finds regional differences in that the adverse effects were marked in Africa and the Western hemisphere, but absent in Asia, the Middle East, and Southern Europe.

Export Instability And Economic Growth: A Return To Fundamentals, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

No abstract provided.

Ce Fall 2016, Coyote Economist

Coyote Economist

Inside this Issue:
Commencement...............2
Staying Informed..............3
Class Schedule.................5

The Road Into The Future Of Health Care: The Importance Of Addressing Access To Health Facilities In Transportation Infrastructure Investment Decisions, Nicola (Nikki) Van Den Heever

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: One school of thought argues that transportation infrastructure is not an ultimate end goal of development and therefore shouldn’t be addressed within development funding decisions while the other argues that transportation infrastructure is the crucial foundation from which all development efforts are based and therefore needs to be addressed within development funding decisions. Within this framework, there is a lack of academic and other research addressing how physical access to health care for pregnant women can better be addressed when making decisions regarding funding of transportation infrastructure projects.

Purpose: To demonstrate the importance of considering access to health care …

Northeast Ocean Planning Baseline Assessment: Marine Resources, Infrastructure, And Economics, Hauke Kite-Powell, Charles Colgan, Porter Hoagland, Di Jin, Vinton Valentine, Brooke Wikgren

Publications

This document summarizes the status of coastal and marine resources in the Northeast region of the United States, and how these resources generate economic and ecological value. The Northeast region, for ocean planning purposes, includes the coastal counties of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, and the New York counties (bordering Long Island Sound) of Queens, Bronx, Suffolk, Nassau, and Westchester. The coastal and marine natural resources and coastal infrastructure of the Northeast, and the economic activities and cultural/recreational services that rely them, directly and indirectly support more than 500,000 jobs and $40 billion in economic value (GDP) …

Merger Simulation: A Simplified Approach With New Applications, Roy J. Epstein, Daniel L. Rubinfeld

Daniel L. Rubinfeld

Merger simulation is growing in importance as a tool to evaluate the unilateral competitive effects of mergers. This paper offers a relatively non-technical description of the principles of merger simulation. In addition, it introduces PCAIDS, a new and highly flexible "calibrated-demand" merger simulation methodology that is based on a simplified version of AIDS. PCAIDS can be implemented using market shares and two price elasticities; scanner or transaction-level data are not required. The paper offers some applications of merger simulation with PCAIDS that include comparisons with other simulation models. It also shows how PCAIDS can be applied to the analysis of …

Antitrust Enforcement In Dynamic Network Industries, Daniel L. Rubinfeld

Daniel L. Rubinfeld

No abstract provided.

Multiple Openings And Competitiveness Of Forward Markets: Experimental Evidence, José Luis Ferreira, Praveen Kujal, Stephen Rassenti

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

We test the competition enhancing effect of selling forward in experimental Cournot duopoly and quadropoly with multiple forward markets. We find that two forward periods yields competitive outcomes and that the results are very close to the predicted theoretical results for quantity setting duopolies and quadropolies. Our experiments lend strong support to the hypothesis that forward markets are competition enhancing. We then test a new market that allows for endogenously determined indefinitely many forward periods that only close when sellers coordinate on selling a zero amount in a forward market. We find that the outcomes under an endogenous close rule …

Delayed Planting, Prevented Planting And Replanting Crop Insurance Coverage, Steven D. Johnson, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

The frequent rains that have soaked Iowa this year have left many corn and soybean fields unplanted or with flooded areas. Many producers are wondering what options they have under their multiple peril crop insurance (MPCI) policies. In Iowa, the crop insurance “late planting period” for corn begins on June 1. Corn can still be planted after this date, but the insurance guarantee on those acres is reduced by 1 percent per day until the acres are planted. Corn acres planted after June 25 will receive insurance coverage equal to 60 percent of their original guarantee. Producers should keep accurate …

Ag Decision Maker: Combine Ownership Or Custom Hire, William M. Edwards, H. Mark Hanna

William Edwards

Includes advantages and disadvantages of custom hiring and information on estimating costs; includes worksheets.

Compensation Of Farm Employees, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Iowa farm operators were surveyed to learn what type and level of compensation they paid to full-time employees in 1997. The average total compensation paid was $26, 914, of which 79 percent consisted of cash wages.Benefits accounted for 18 percent of the compensation, and bonuses and wages in kind amounted to 3 percent.Housing and insurance plans were the most significant benefits provided

Delayed Planting, Prevented Planting And Replanting Crop Insurance Coverage, Steven D. Johnson, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

The frequent rains that have soaked Iowa this year have left many corn and soybean fields unplanted or with flooded areas. Many producers are wondering what options they have under their multiple peril crop insurance (MPCI) policies. In Iowa, the crop insurance “late planting period” for corn begins on June 1. Corn can still be planted after this date, but the insurance guarantee on those acres is reduced by 1 percent per day until the acres are planted. Corn acres planted after June 25 will receive insurance coverage equal to 60 percent of their original guarantee. Producers should keep accurate …

Flood Damaged Crops, Crop Insurance Payments And Lease Contracts, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Some Iowa corn and soybean producers are facing substantial if not complete crop losses due to flooding. In particular, many acres of crops in the Missouri River Valley have been under water for a month or more this year. Fortunately, nearly 90 percent of Iowa’s corn and soybean acres are protected by multiple peril crop insurance.

Farmland Rental Rates Show Continued Strength In 2012, William M. Edwards, Ann M. Johanns

William Edwards

Anyone who is involved with the rental market for Iowa farmland knows that rental rates have been pushed significantly higher by the favorable corn and soybean prices that farmers have enjoyed since 2010. This trend continued in 2012.

Delayed Planting, Prevented Planting And Replanting Crop Insurance Coverage, Steven D. Johnson, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

The frequent rains that have soaked Iowa this year have left many corn and soybean fields unplanted or with flooded areas. Many producers are wondering what options they have under their multiple peril crop insurance (MPCI) policies. In Iowa, the crop insurance “late planting period” for corn begins on June 1. Corn can still be planted after this date, but the insurance guarantee on those acres is reduced by 1 percent per day until the acres are planted. Corn acres planted after June 25 will receive insurance coverage equal to 60 percent of their original guarantee. Producers should keep accurate …

Insurance Coverage For Drought-Damaged Crops, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Nearly 90 percent of the corn and soybean acres in Iowa are covered by multiple peril crop insurance. Drought damage is an insurable loss under these policies. Producers should consult with their crop insurance agents before harvesting or destroying any drought-damaged crops, however.

Important Crop Insurance Dates, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Even the best crop insurance plan is of little use if the right information is not collected and submitted on time. Likewise, if certain actions are not completed by the necessary date, producers may not receive full benefit from the risk protection that they have selected.

Combine Harvester Econometric Model With Forward Speed Optimization, Nathan E. Isaac, Graeme R. Quick, Stuart J. Birrell, William M. Edwards, Bruce A. Coers

William Edwards

A combine harvester econometric simulation model was developed with the goal of matching the combine forward speed to the maximum harvested net income per acre. The model considers the machinery management costs of owning a combine and platform header for harvesting wheat. A statistical Design of Experiment (DOE) was used to evaluate the model using tri-level variables; the medium values constituted the model base case. Of the 27 input variables, the optimum speed was significantly influenced by the crop area, G/MOG ratio, grain unit price, field yield, field efficiency, grain moisture content, probability of a working day in the post-optimum …

Farmland Rental Rates Show Continued Strength In 2012, William M. Edwards, Ann M. Johanns

William Edwards

Anyone who is involved with the rental market for Iowa farmland knows that rental rates have been pushed significantly higher by the favorable corn and soybean prices that farmers have enjoyed since 2010. This trend continued in 2012.