Digital Commons Network^™

Institutional Convergence: Exit Or Voice?, Joshua C. Hall

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

There is a small but growing literature on the determinants of economic freedom. In this paper I contribute to this literature in two ways. First, I empirically show that beta-convergence in economic freedom occurred from 1980 to 2010. Countries with low levels of economic freedom in 1980 "catch up" at a rate of 0.7 percent a year on average, ceteris paribus. Second, I document the structural characteristics that contribute to this institutional convergence. My conditional convergence estimates suggest democratic institutions do not contribute to conditional convergence. Exitability, a variable that captures how easy it is for citizens to \vote …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Determinants Of Asymmetric Pricing, Marc Remer

Economics Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Building A Better Model: Variable Selection To Predict Poverty In Pakistan And Sri Lanka, Marium Afzal, Jonathan Hersh, David Newhouse

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Numerous studies have developed models to predict poverty, but surprisingly few have rigorously examined different approaches to developing prediction models. This paper applies out of sample validation techniques to household data from Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to compare the accuracy of regional poverty predictions from models derived using manual selection, stepwise regression, and Lasso-based procedures. It also examines how much incorporating publically available satellite data into the model improves its accuracy. The five main findings are that: 1) Lasso tends to outperform both discretionary and stepwise models in Pakistan, where the set of potential predictors is large. 2) Lasso and …

Object-Oriented Interindustry Systems: Proof Of Concept, Péter Járosi, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Technical Documents

This document provides a proof-of-concept demonstration of an object-oriented approach to modeling an inter-industry system. The example framework uses a small CGE model based on a three-sector social accounting matrix (SAM). The economy is shocked by changing total factor of productivity in the production function, the new equilibrium is determined in classical CGE fashion, and the original SAM is updated to conform to the new equilibrium solution. In this way, the efficiency of the Object-oriented modeling (OOM) approach can be emphasized in the context of the computational simulations of interindustry systems by a simplified CGE example written in Python. Since …

The Innovation Makerspace: Geographies Of Digital Fabrication Innovation In Greater New York City, Kathryn Dickerson

Theses and Dissertations

Desktop digital fabrication technology has the potential to powerfully alter the economics, geography, and sociology of production. The desktop technology cannot reach its potential for widespread impact until it improves in quality and decreases in price. Makerspaces have emerged in the United States in the last eight years as informal social organizations where innovation in this technology may be occurring. This study examines whether innovation in digital fabrication technology has occurred, or has the potential to occur, at makerspaces in the New York City area.

Arctic Maritime Activities In Changing Climatic & Market Conditions: Impacts On Local Community Security & Adaptation, Julia Olsen, Grete K. Hovelsrud

ShipArc 2015 Conference

No abstract provided.

The Doha Round And Globalization: A Failure Of World Economic Development?, William E. Keating

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to analyze the WTO’s Doha Round and its numerous developmental objectives, assess the major issues that led to its stagnation, as well as examine the economic prospects for developing nations and the potential future of international trade and development.

Transportation And Sanitation Drivers Of Land Use/Land Cover Change: Loss Of The Jamaica Bay Wetlands, Margaret Joy Cytryn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an analysis (1830-2014) of the historical events of land use/land cover change in the Jamaica Bay estuary, identification of the agents of change, and a perspective on the potential drivers of transportation and sanitation in land use/land cover change.

The Impact Of Panama Canal Expansion On The U.S. Gateway Ports’ Attractiveness To The Discretionary Cargo Shippers, Jie Xu

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Study On Arctic Northeast Passage By Cost-Benefit Analysis, Chengwei Hong

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Research On The Logistics Development Of Dalian Port And How To Develop Dalian Harbor City Based On Dalian Port, Yichen Shi

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Coal Mining And The Resource Curse In The Eastern United States, Stratford Douglas, Anne Walker

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We measure the effect of coal resource sector dependence on long run income growth using the natural experiment of coal mining in 409 U.S. counties that are selected for homogeneity. Using a panel data set (1970-2010), we find a one standard deviation increase in resource dependence is associated with an estimated 0.6 percentage point drop in annual growth rates of per capita personal income. We also measure the extent to which the resource curse operates through disincentives to education, and find significant effects, but results indicate that this education channel explains only perhaps 25% of the curse.

The Impact Of Gasoline Prices On Medical Care And Costs Of Motor Vehicle Injuries, He Zhu

Theses & Dissertations

Background Traffic safety has placed a tremendous economic and social burden on individuals and nations. Gasoline prices have been linked to traffic safety in the recent studies. Higher gasoline price may prompt people to reduce expenses by changing travel distance and frequency, transportation mode, or driving behaviors.

Objective This study aims to examine the relationship of gasoline prices to hospital utilization and cost for motorcycle and non-motorcycle motor vehicle injuries in the United States.

Methods Data on inpatient hospitalization for motor vehicle injuries were obtained from the 2001-2010 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, which is part of the Healthcare Costs and Utilization …

Impact Evaluation Of Investments In The Appalachian Region: A Reappraisal, Juan Tomas Sayago Gomez, Gianfranco Piras, Donald J. Lacombe, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

We evaluate the impact of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s investments on its members counties over almost fifty years. We apply different propensity score methods to find the most appropriate matching and to identify the effect of policy implementation in the most accurate way possible.

The general evidence is that counties that received ARC funding had higher per-capita income growth compared to the control counties. Per-capita income growth rate in ARC counties grew an average of 5.5 percent over the entire study time period compared to the control counties. Employment grew significantly faster in ARC counties compared to the control counties …

The Promise Of Worker Training: New Insights Into The Effects Of Government Funded Training Programs, M. Jared Mcentaffer

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Using data on worker training programs in South Dakota over the years 2002 – 11, this study estimates the employment and earnings effects of occupational skills training and on-the-job training. Average treatment effects for the first and third calendar quarters after training are reported by: gender, worker type, demographic group, region of residence, and time period of job loss.

Both occupational skills training and on-the-job training effectively increased the employment rates and incomes of participants. The effectiveness of occupational skills training tended to grow as time passed, but the effectiveness of on-the-job training tended to fade over time. Three calendar …

Do New Sports Facilities Attract New Businesses?, Kaitlyn Harger, Brad R. Humphreys, Amanda Ross

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We examine the impact of new sports facilities on new businesses, an unexplored topic in the literature. We use data from the Dunn and Bradstreet MarketPlace files to examine how new sports facilities affect nearby business activity in terms of the number of new businesses and workers. We find no evidence of increased new businesses openings after the opening of new sports facilities in 13 US cities in the 2000s; employment at new businesses near new facilities is larger than at new businesses elsewhere in the MSA; this increase cannot be linked to businesses in any specific industry.

Looking Behind The Scenes: An Assessment Of The Interdependence Of Brazilian Cultural Industries, Amir Borges Ferreira Neto, Fernando Perobelli, Alexandre Rabelo

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

How important is Brazil’s cultural industries to its economy? We provide an answer to this question by evaluating the interdependence of the cultural activities in the Brazilian production structure and its evolution over the last few years (2005 – 2009). To accomplish this, we disaggregate 13 cultural economic industries in the Brazilian input-output table and calculate several indexes, such as, the production multiplier, linkage indexes, fields of influence and extraction analysis. Results show that the only cultural sector with high links to other sectors in the production structure is Telecommunication, edition and news agencies and that this sector provides the …

The Carbon Rush: The Truth Behind The Carbon Market Smokescreen Edited By Amy Miller, Michael Classens

The Goose

Michael Classens reviews The Carbon Rush: The Truth Behind the Carbon Market Smokescreen, edited by Amy Miller.

Review Of Developing Quantitative Literacy Skills In History And The Social Sciences: A Web-Based Common Core Approach By Kathleen W. Craver, Victor J. Ricchezza, H L. Vacher

Numeracy

Kathleen W. Craver. Developing Quantitative Literacy Skills in History and Social Sciences: A Web-Based Common Core Standards Approach (Lantham MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 2014). 191 pp.
ISBN 978-1-4758-1050-9 (cloth); ISBN …-1051-6 (pbk); ISBN…-1052-3 (electronic).

This book could be a breakthrough for teachers in the trenches who are interested in or need to know about quantitative literacy (QL). It is a resource providing 85 topical pieces, averaging 1.5 pages, in which a featured Web site is presented, described, and accompanied by 2-4 critical-thinking questions purposefully drawing on data from the Web site. The featured Web sites range from …

Efek Limpahan Pertumbuhan Antar-Kabupaten/Kota Di Provinsi Jawa Timur Tahun 2001–2013, Pristiawan Wibisono, Mudrajad Kuncoro

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

This study aims to identify the typology of districts/municipalities in East Java Province, and analyze the growth spillover effects among districts/municipalities. This study was conducted using analysis tools such as Klaassen Typology, identification of growth pole based on the definition proposed by Richardson, the calculation of growth spillover effects and detection of spatial autocorrelation with local indexes Moran and Local Indicators of spatial Association (LISA). The results from this study is that advanced and fast-growing districts/municipalities from 2001 until 2013 concentrated in the central region of East Java Province. Consistency as advanced and fast-growing region is an indicator of growth …

Poverty Within Nation-States: The Impact Of Corruption, Trade, Income Inequality, Population Growth, Foreign Aid, And Military Expenditure, Mustafa Karapinar

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Theoretical approaches to development have marginalized poverty and the individual from the developmental debates. Instead, these approaches place the state as the conventional unit of development and tended to address poverty at the societal level. In these respects, these approaches have neglected how development affects poverty at the individual level.

This study criticizes one of these approaches, the modernization theory of Development, and analyzes the relationship between poverty and some economic, political, and social factors. These factors include openness to trade, foreign aid, military expenditure, income inequality, corruption, and population. There have been several studies examining the relationship between poverty …

Small Business Borrowing And Peer-To-Peer Lending: Evidence From Lending Club, Adam Nowak, Amanda Ross, Christopher Yencha

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

This study is interested in the ability of borrowers and lenders to signal to each other in the peer-to-peer lending market. We focus on small business loans and investigate the relationship between the loan description that a borrower provides and the impact of this description on the potential funding of the loan by investors. We find that the loan descriptions in the data can be used to predict the probability that the entire loan will be funded. In addition, we also find that an index created from a textual analysis of the loan description can be used to forecast the …

Quasi-Experimental Methods An Annotated Bibliography, Mulugeta Kahsai, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Resource Documents

No abstract provided.

Les Rues Des Tableaux. Géographie Du Marché De L'Art Parisien (1815-1955), Léa Saint-Raymond, Félicie De Maupeou, Julien Cavero

Artl@s Bulletin

Continuation of a first socioeconomic analysis of the "art dealers" in Paris between 1815 and 1955 (Artl@s Bulletin 2, no. 2), this paper presents the results of a spatial study of the Parisian art market at that time. Departing from serial geographical data given by a homogeneous source, the Bottin du commerce, we mapped a 140 years spatial evolution of the "art dealers", using a geocoding system with composite locators. The article exposes the spatial dynamics of this market and studies them in a multi-scalar way, making the connection between the global evolution of the Parisian economy and …

Who Takes Advanced Placement?, Benjamin Scafidi, Chris Clark, John Swinton

Faculty Articles

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in the sources of achievement gaps between groups of students. One potential source is differential access to high quality educational opportunities. This paper provides an analysis of who takes Advanced Placement (AP) Economics. Using two years of administrative data on all high school students who take a course to satisfy Georgia’s graduation requirement in economics, we find large differences in enrollment in AP Economics across groups. Specifically, African-American and Hispanic students and students from low-income backgrounds are about half as likely to be enrolled in AP Economics as other students. However, …

Hot Property In New Zealand: Empirical Evidence Of Housing Bubbles In The Metropolitan, Ryan Greenaway-Mcgrevy, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Using recently developed statistical methods for testing and dating exhuberant behavior in asset prices we document evidence of episodic bubbles in the New Zealand property market over the past two decades. The results show clear evidence of a broad-based New Zealand housing bubble that began in 2003 and collapsed over mid 2007 to early 2008 with the onset of the worldwide recession and the financial crisis. New methods of analyzing market contagion are also developed and are used to examine spillovers from the Auckland property market to the other metropolitan centres. Evidence from the latest data reveals that the greater …

Still “Saving Babies”? The Impact Of Child Medicaid Expansions On High School Completion Rates, Lincoln H. Groves

Center for Policy Research

Precipitated by the legislative decision to decouple child Medicaid benefits from welfare receipt, the number of young children qualifying for public health insurance grew markedly throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. From a baseline of roughly 15% in the average state at the beginning of the decade, the rate increased to more than 40% of all young children in the United States by the time all federal mandates were fully enacted in 1992. This paper extends the academic literature examining early childhood investments and longer-term human capital measures by exploring whether public health insurance expansions to low-income children led to …

Gold Mining And Economic And Social Change In West Africa, Michael Kevane

Economics

Economic theory often suggests that social institutions are strongly influenced by specific geographic features of regions. The history of gold mining in West Africa, however, suggests that the relationship between mineral resources and social organization is complex and fluid. First, over the centuries gold mining revenues may have encouraged state formation, but at the same time opportunities for conflict and corruption may have undermined state functioning. Second, while gold extraction and trade required social organization, the interpersonal relationships engendered by gold mining also led to new identities and social institutions. These dialectical considerations illustrate how simple theories of how geography …

Essays On The Economics And Methodology Of Social Mobility, Benjamin Zweig

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of three essays which aim to extend the methodology and analysis of the study of social mobility. In the first essay, differences in intergenerational mobility across race and across the parent's earnings distribution are explored through a nonparametric framework. Components of mobility are differentiated and analyzed separately in order to get a comprehensive account of heterogeneities in mobility. Several important differences are found including higher expected mobility for white households, higher idiosyncratic mobility for black households, larger disparities in expected mobility at the high end of the earnings distribution, and much higher rates of overall intergenerational persistence …

A Close Look At The Relationship Between Poverty And Political Violence In Nepal, Lauren C. Griffin

Global Tides

Today, one quarter of Nepal’s population of 27 million lives on a daily income of less than two dollars (Sharma 8). Villages are deprived of an ample water supply, and some areas still lie in ruins from the aftermath of the Maoist insurgency. This paper will seek to understand the role of poverty in the historically and presently unfolding political environment of Nepal. Several factors show direct correlation between poverty and insurgent activity, such as land ownership, level of education and socio-economic standing. Nepal has had a volatile and bloody past in the midst of medieval dynasties, an authoritative monarchy …