Digital Commons Network^™

Measures Of International Transport Cost For Oecd Countries, Stephen S. Golub, B. Tomasik

Economics Faculty Works

This paper presents new estimates of country-specific international transport costs for 21 OECD countries over the period 1973-2005. The methodology is based on direct measures of air, maritime, and road transport costs rather than on cif/fob ratios or other balance of payments data employed in previous studies. Transport costs are calculated as costs per kilogramme for each mode of transport at a bilateral level and then aggregated. Australia and New Zealand are found to have the highest transport costs among the OECD countries considered, followed by Japan. The time trends are sensitive to the choice of deflator, but the results …

The Significance Of Statistical Significance: Two Authors Restate An Incontrovertible Caution. Why A Book?, Richard O. Lempert

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

“The Significance of Statistical Significance” reviews THE CULT OF STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE How the Standard Error Costs Us Jobs, Justice and Lives by Stephen T. Ziliak and Dierdre N. McCloskey. The book’s core message is that statistical significance should not be equated with substantive significance and that empirical researchers should convey more information about the magnitude of relationships and effects than many now do. This review summarizes, approves of and elaborates on Ziliak and McCloskey’s message with special attention to concerns of the legal academy. It clarifies appropriate uses of significance tests within the research framework of controlling for plausible rival …

Gene Patenting In The Life Sciences Industry: Boon Or Bane?, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Does gene patenting encourage or hinder knowledge diffusion and take-up in the life sciences industry? Research by Singapore Management University management professor Kenneth Huang, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology management professor Fiona Murray found that patenting can have a negative impact on scientific progress. Huang spoke to Knowledge@SMU about the implications of his research findings in the Singapore context.

Honestly, Who Else Would Fund Such Research? Reflections Of A Non-Smoking Scholar, Michael L. Marlow

Economics

Many public-health researchers are quick to raise charges of bias to explain away the few studies that reach politically incorrect conclusions. Claims of bias are often thrown at researchers who are funded by the industries targeted for aggressive intervention. This paper discusses whether it makes sense that bias is a relevant issue only when researchers have connections to private industry or find fault with government intervention. I focus on the issue of whether smoking bans harm any restaurant or bar owners. This area of research has experienced a large number of claims of bias and deception, leveled against research that …

Rehab Or Relocation? Estimating The Demand For Cocaine Through An American Port City Analysis, Gustave A. Bartuska

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Over the past five decades American drug policy can succinctly be classified by two words: expensive and punitive. American drug policy makers have conducted the “war on drugs” largely through supply side intervention. As the theory goes, by attacking drug producers, drug prices will rise due to the increased risk faced by suppliers, this risk will in turn be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices. In order to critically asses the merits of such an expensive antidrug policy it is essential to estimate the price elasticity of demand for drugs.

The main finding of this paper …

University Of Texas At El Paso Capital Improvements: Economic Impact On El Paso, Texas, David A. Schauer, Carlos Olmedo, Dennis L. Soden

IPED Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Cd. Juárez Manufacturing And El Paso Industry Linkages, Carlos Olmedo, Roberto Tinajero, Mario E. Caire

IPED Technical Reports

The City of El Paso Economic Development Department views the development of strategies to enhance industry recruitment and retention as a key initiative to promote the regional economy. In an effort to identify opportunities for El Paso industries to become suppliers to the high demand for inputs by the Cd. Juárez manufacturing base, the Institute for Policy and Economic Development (IPED) at the University of Texas at El Paso has undertaken an input-output (I-O) study to examine customer-supplier linkages between Cd. Juárez manufacturing and El Paso industry. Analysis built on strongly associated linkages among industries (via I-O sales and purchasing …

Geography, Poverty, And Development Policy In The New African Millennium: Monitoring The Millennium Development Goals Through Human Development, Joseph Tamba Koroma

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV I AIDS, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development. The eighth goal (MDG 8), aims to develop and strengthen a global partnership for development between rich and poor countries. Three main components of the latter (MDG 8) aim to accelerate the infusion of official development aid (ODA), liberalize international trade, and introduce information and communication technologies (ICT) in the hope of creating a conducive …

Three Essays On Environmental Economics And International Trade, Patrick Mclaughlin

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT This dissertation addresses the broad topic of appropriate metrics, proxies, and estimation methods in environmental economics and international trade research, presented as three separate studies. The first, entitled, 'Something in the Water? Testing for Groundwater Quality Information in the Housing Market,' examines how informed real estate markets are with respect to groundwater quality by using a couple of different proxies for groundwater quality in a hedonic framework. This research topic has potentially suffered from imperfect proxies and incomplete information, which I test. In the second, entitled, 'Do Economic Integration Agreements Actually Work? Issues in Understanding the Causes and Consequences …

Patenting By Cleveland's Inventors: Critical Areas And Knowledge Flows, Iryna Lendel, Songpyo Kim

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

Regional competitive advantages can be created by deploying processes, product innovations, and/or improving the performance of companies. The concept of increasing returns to scale due to technology advances and the modern growth theory suggest that knowledge spillovers are passed through networks of people. Dense co-location of companies different from industries in large urban areas creates an environment for deploying new knowledge and increasing productivity of companies. Although the presence of mature industries is more often considered to be a burden than a resource of regional growth, a fair judgment about their true influence on economic development can be made if …

Northwest Ohio Manufacturing Brief, Jill S. Taylor

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Economic Variables And Their Influence On Scientific Accplishment, Willis Boykin

All Theses

ABSTRACT This research looks for an association between economic variables and scientific advancement. More specifically, the main economic variables will be average schooling in the labor force, output per worker, capital per worker and different forms of the three. Index scores will provide a quantitative measure of scientific advancement. This paper explores the relationship of these variables among individuals and societies.

A Study Of Craft Worker Length Of Employment At Select Missouri Construction Companies, Richard D. Bruce

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Craft worker retention is a constant concern of construction firms who selfperform portions of projects. These companies must maintain an understanding oftheir work force. A methodology is presented in this study for studying information in readily available employee databases to gain such an understanding. Using a sample of 10 of Missouri's 17 largest contractors, that employ 5,277 craft workers; this study examined the employee databases to identify differences in mean length of employment based on hire age, craft, union affiliation, and company size. The analysis of variance statistical technique was utilized to test four null hypotheses. Based on the test …

Evaluating Long Term Political Consequences Of Economic Restructuring Programs, James Mcgee

Senior Honors Projects

Development assistance loans provided by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are accompanied by structural adjustment programs that must be implemented as a condition of receiving the loan. These economic reforms often include currency devaluation, inflation control, increased taxation, market liberalization, decreased expenditure, and a decrease in the size of government. Populations within countries are drastically effected by these structural economic reforms as social welfare programs are often cut, government workers laid off, and the domestic economy struggles to compete in the global marketplace. The implementation of restructuring programs also constrains the policy options that are available to the …

Planning And Financial Literacy: How Do Women Fare?, Annamaria Lusardi, Olivia S. Mitchell

Dartmouth Scholarship

Many older US households have done little or no planning for retirement, and there is a substantial population that seems to undersave for retirement. Of particular concern is the relative position of older women, who are more vulnerable to old-age poverty due to their longer longevity. This paper uses data from a special module we devised on planning and financial literacy in the 2004 Health and Retirement Study. It shows that women display much lower levels of financial literacy than the older population as a whole. In addition, women who are less financially literate are also less likely to plan …

Preference Heterogeneity And Insurance Markets: Explaining A Puzzle Of Insurance, David M. Cutler, Amy Finkelstein, Kathleen Mcgarry

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Boom And Gloom, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

The popular discourse on the economy of Pakistan has swung all of a sudden from one extreme to the other. The previous discourse was set in a tone of self-congratulation and loud pronouncements that everything was honky and dory while the discussion these days is marked by a sense of alarm, blame game, doubts about the veracity of the statistics and an accusatory tone. Both these approaches are highly flawed and leave most Pakistanis in a state of daze, confusion and anger. They do not know as to what the real state of the economy is, what the factual position …

Household Access To Microcredit And Child Work In Rural Malawi, Gautam Hazarika, Sudipta Sarangi

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

This paper examines the effect of household access to microcredit upon work by 7–11-year-old children in rural Malawi. Given that microcredit organizations foster household enterprises wherein much child labor is engaged, this paper aims to discover whether access to microcredit might increase work by children. It is found that, in the season of peak labor demand, household access to microcredit, measured as self-assessed credit limits at microcredit organizations, raises the probability of child work in households with average landholdings and retail sales enterprises.

Crossing Borders: Mexican Immigration Into The United States, Ewelina L. Dzieciolowski

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Immigration has been one of the major political and economic topics debated by governments in the world. In the United States, migration legislation is debated in the Senate, and impacts every industry throughout the country. Therefore, with further research in this field more answers for why migration occurs can be found. Although various disciplines focus on this phenomenon, each offers reasons specific to the discipline which is searching for an explanation. This thesis acknowledges that economic factors, social aspects, push and pull influences are some of the reasons for immigration, but it also proposes that there are other forces behind …

Comprehensive Study Of Regionalism: Tools For Comparison And Evaluation, George A. Erickcek, Jason M. Preuss, Brad R. Watts, Kevin O'Brien, Claudette Robey, Daila Shimek, Jim Robey, Jacob Duritsky

Reports

No abstract provided.

Economic Impact Analysis Of The Tourism Industry, Robertico R. Croes

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The tourism industry in Osceola County has undergone some significant changes over the past ten years. The inventory of the accommodation sector increased by more than 20%; the industry became more diversified and complex by a greater number of timeshare properties in the area, the emergence of vacation homes as a prominent market segment and the emergence of convention hotels. The continuing evolution of the tourism industry has kept it a significant player in the economic landscape of the county. The analysis considered the local tourism industry from the perspective of both direct impacts (i.e. employment, value-added and government revenues …

Transportation And Quality Adjusted Basis: Does The Law Of One Price Hold For Feeder Cattle?, Chad Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Beef cattle and calves are raised in all areas of the United States. Since beef cattle are scattered throughout the US, there are many different types of cattle with numerous different quality characteristics which are valued differently. Many calves raised until weaning age across the US are then sent to cattle feeding areas primarily located in Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. The prices that are offered for beef calves vary considerably based on quality and location. The theory of the law of one price suggests that prices in areas that trade should not differ by more than the cost of …

New Mexico Labor Market Review 04-30-2008, New Mexico Department Of Human Services

Historic Publications

The New Mexico Labor Market Review is a monthly publication presenting statistical data and analysis on labor market conditions throughout New Mexico. Issues examine statewide and regional trends in employment, unemployment, labor force estimates, industry activity, wages, occupational demand, and related economic conditions, often accompanied by feature articles on topics affecting the state’s economy. This issue covers March 2008.

Does Quality Matter? An Hedonic Analysis Of College Tuition Price, Joshua Delano

Business and Economics Honors Papers

The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that ultimately make up the concept of quality in college institutions. Using several proxies to measure this concept of quality, this paper will seek to determine what effect the qualities of institutions have on tuition prices. By assessing this relationship, conclusions will be drawn about colleges' tuition prices as they pertain to the calculated value of the education being received. Before exploring these factors the paper will first set out to discuss the current trends involved with college tuition, specifically those trends involved in four-year private institutions.

Haven For Hope: Providing Hope For San Antonio’S Homeless, Ashley Hamilton

Economics Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Productivity Spillovers In Healthcare: Evidence From The Treatment Of Heart Attacks, Amitabh Chandra, Douglas O. Staiger

Dartmouth Scholarship

A large literature in medicine documents variation across areas in the use of surgical treatments that is unrelated to outcomes. Observers of this phenomena have invoked “flat of the curve medicine” to explain these facts, and have advocated for reductions in spending in high-use areas. In contrast, we develop a simple Roy model of patient treatment choice with productivity spillovers that can generate the empirical facts. Our model predicts that high-use areas will have higher returns to surgery, better outcomes among patients most appropriate for surgery, and worse outcomes among patients least appropriate for surgery, while displaying no relationship between …

Determinants Of Crack Cocaine Trial And Addiction, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Leekley, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Energy Efficiency, Business Competitiveness, And Untapped Economic Potential In Maine, Charles S. Colgan, Samuel Merrilll, Jonathan Rubin

Regional Studies

The economic stresses on Maine’s businesses are growing. A slowing economy and rising input costs, particularly for energy, are increasing pressures in a state where concerns about the costs of doing business remain high. But there is much that businesses can do on their own to relieve some of these pressures. Even a quick examination of Maine’s energy situation shows that there are both real challenges and opportunities. Perhaps the single most effective action to enhance Maine’s business climate and economic competitiveness is to aggressively increase the energy efficiency of Maine’s economy.

Micro-Economic Foundations Of Economic Policy Performance In Pakistan, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Talks, Speeches, & Discourse

The topic of this Conference “Micro-Economic Foundations of Economic Policy Performance in Asia” is both relevant and timely for South Asian Policy makers and researchers. I am pleased that I am able to share my thoughts with this august gathering about the microeconomic policy reforms in Pakistan with which I was associated for the past eight years. Having the interests of a researcher and academic at the same time I have chosen to present an analytical narrative of Pakistan’s reform episode. T

Perspectives On Development In Arid And Semi-Arid East Africa: Results Of A Ranking Exercise, John G. Mcpeak, Cheryl R. Doss, Christopher B. Barrett, Patti Kristjanson

Economics - All Scholarship

This study investigates perspectives on development held by individuals living in arid and semi-arid areas of northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia. Overall, we find that interventions to meet basic human needs (access to water, health care and education) are the most highly desired. Projects supporting pastoral livelihoods (livestock health and marketing-oriented, restocking and conflict resolution) are second most important, followed by those that support alternatives to pastoralism (cropping, other income generating activities). Econometric analysis indicates that variation in rankings is mostly driven by variation across communities rather than across households within communities, lending support to community-based approaches to priority setting.