Digital Commons Network^™

On The Proper Motives Of Corporate Directors (Or, Why You Don't Want To Invite Homo Economicus To Join Your Board), Lynn A. Stout

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

One of the most important questions in corporate governance is how directors of public corporations can be motivated to serve the interests of the firm. Directors frequently hold only small stakes in the companies they manage. Moreover, a variety of legal rules and contractual arrangements insulate them from liability for business failures. Why then should we expect them to do a good job?

Conventional corporate scholarship has great difficulty wrestling with this question, in large part because conventional scholarship usually adopts the economist's assumption that directors are rational actors motivated purely by self-interest. This homo economicus model of behavior may …

Human Capital In The United States From 1975 To 2000: Patterns Of Growth And Utilization, Robert H. Haveman, Andrew Bershadker, Jonathan A. Schwabish

Upjohn Press

This study enhances the existing measures of the nation’s human capital and the extent to which that capital is utilized. Haveman, Bershadker, and Schwabish develop an indicator of the value of the human capital stock held by the nation’s working-age population called Earnings Capacity (EC), and use it to study the time trends in aggregate human capital in the United States and human capital per worker. They also use EC to evaluate utilization of the nation’s human capital stock, thereby demonstrating the usefulness of the EC indicator in measuring the size and strength of the U.S. economy.

Improving Design And Performance Of Group Lending: Suggestions From Burkina Faso, Michael Kevane, Barbara Mknelly

Economics

We summarize lessons learned by a credit program for women in Burkina Faso. Three observations are made regarding program design: 1) high membership turnover means mutual guarantee groups should be smaller and more central to non-repayment penalties; 2) high turnover in economic activities implies more training in best practices and more variety and experimentation in credit and savings mechanisms; and 3) high degrees of stocking activity suggests the need to develop instruments to mitigate commodity price risk at the individual and program level. Three observations are made regarding program implementation: 1) be more consistent in the treatment of debts of …

Are Investments In Daughters Lower When Daughters Move Away? Evidence From Indonesia, Michael Kevane, David Levine

Economics

In much of the developing world daughters receive lower education and other investments than do their brothers, and may even be so devalued as to suffer differential mortality. Daughter disadvantage may be due in part to social norms that prescribe that daughters move away from their natal family upon marriage, a practice known as virilocality. We evaluate the effects of virilocality on female disadvantage using data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey. We find little support for the hypothesis. There is no evidence that the overall pattern of rough equality in the treatment of boys and girls in Indonesia masks …

Feminist Tigers And Patriarchal Lions: Rhetorical Strategies And Instrument Effects In The Struggle For Definition And Control Over Development In Nepal, Coralynn V. Davis

Faculty Journal Articles

This article offers an analysis of a struggle for control of a women’s development project in Nepal. The story of this struggle is worth telling, for it is rife with the gender politics and neo-colonial context that underscore much of what goes on in contemporary Nepal. In particular, my analysis helps to unravel some of the powerful discourses, threads of interest, and yet unintended effects inevitable under a regime of development aid. The analysis demonstrates that the employment of already available discursive figures of the imperialist feminist and the patriarchal third world man are central to the rhetorical strategies taken …

Defining Microcredit Success In Bolivia, Kelly Miller

Honors Theses

The structure of this study is as follows: The first chapter describes the origin of microcredit and the three major lending models. This chapter also includes a description of the motivation of the study as well as the methodology used. The second chapter illustrates the changes of development strategies in Bolivia and identifies the motivation behind and significance of each development method. The third chapter discusses the informal sector, which is the targeted population of microcredit. This chapter presents several theories about the development of the informal sector and illustrates how politics shape the informal sector in Bolivia. The fourth …

Effect Of Competitive Balance On Single Game Attendance In Major League Baseball, Thomas V. Richardson

Honors Theses

Many studies have looked at competitive balance in sports. A majority of the competitive balance studies have looked at panel data sets covering multiple years, however. Many of these studies have looked at the distribution of winning percentages within a league over multiple seasons, looking to see if different teams have an ability to rise to the top of the league, or if the same teams always win (Balfour and Porter 1991; Butler 1995; Quirk and Fall 1997). Schmidt and Bern (2001) use the Gini coefficient to measure competitive balance for baseball seasons since 1900. This measure of competitive balance, …

New Social Movements And The Struggle For Worker’S Rights In The Maquila Industry, Victoria Carty

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

"Campaigns to improve worker’s rights in export processing zones (EPZs), also referred to the maquila industry in Latin America, is an important topic analytically and politically. On theoretical and practical levels, the co-existence of market economies with effective means to ensure adequate working conditions for workers is a critical question. Underlying the issue is a vigorous debate regarding how the global economy should be governed; who or what should govern it, and whose interest is should serve (Faux, 2002)."

Denying Human Homogeneity: Eugenics & Making Of Post-Classical Economics, Sandra J. Peart, David M. Levy

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

The question we propose to address is how did economics move from the classical period characterized by the hardest possible doctrine of initial human homogeneity—all the observed differences among people arise from incentives, luck, and history¹—to become comfortable with accounts of human behavior which alleged foundational differences among and within races of people? (Darity 1995) In this paper, we shall argue that early British eugenics thinkers racialized economics in the post-classical period.²

Globalism, Human Rights And The Problem Of Individualism, Richard Mcintyre

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Global Economy, Global Justice: Theoretical Objections and Policy Alternatives to Neoliberalism by George F.DeMartino. New York: Routledge, 2000. 296pp.

Can World Poverty Be Eliminated?, William F. Felice

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

World Poverty: New Policies to Defeat an Old Enemy edited by Peter Townsend and David Gordon. Bristol: The Policy Press, 2002. 454pp.

and

World Poverty and Human Rights: Cosmopolitan Responsibilities and Reforms by Thomas Pogge. Malden, MA: Blackwell/Polity, 2002. 264pp.

and

There is an Alternative: Subsistence and Worldwide Resistance to Corporate Globalization edited by Veronica Benholdt-Thomsen, Nicholas Faraclas, and Claudia von Werlhof. New York: Zed Books. 2001. 288pp.

Office Workers' Productivity Enhanced By Ergonomics, Kelly Derango

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of Human Life Expectancy And Intelligence In Hunter-Gatherer Economies, Hillard Kaplan

ESI Publications

The economics of hunting and gathering must have driven the biological evolution of human characteristics, since hunter-gatherer societies prevailed for the two million years of human history. These societies feature huge intergenerational resource flows, suggesting that these resource flows should replace fertility as the key demographic consideration. It is then theoretically expected that life expectancy and brain size would increase simultaneously, as apparently occurred during our evolutionary history. The brain here is considered as a direct form of bodily investment, but also crucially as facilitating further indirect investment by means of learning-by-doing.

Reconsidering Gender And Investment In The Intrahousehold Decision-Making Process, Lin Johnson Iii

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

In the very recent past, the economics of the household and the economics of development appear to be edging toward a new convergence of concern around the nature and use of assets. However, these two literatures of economics continue to exist in separate spheres. I draw from both bodies of literature in order to examine gender differences in asset portfolios. I find systematic differences in the way that certain assets held by husbands versus wives influence household decision outcomes. A clear understanding of the nature and functions of various types of assets in hands of husbands and wives is necessary …

Pollution Abatement Costs: Hurting Or Helping Productivity?, Jacqueline M. Volkman

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

This paper analyzes the effect that regulatory inputs or expenditures for labor, materials, and capital have on productivity for three industries (blast furnaces and steel mills, alkalies and chlorine, and petroleum refining). Data is examined from 1973 to 1994 and the growth rate of total factor productivity (TFP) is considered. The pattern of pollution abatement expenditures for three media, water, air, and solid wastes, is also examined graphically. In addition, the measurement for TFP is adjusted to net out regulatory inputs for labor, materials, and capital. A comparison between the original and adjusted measurement of TFP is made for each …

Data Users Conference_2000-2005, University Of New Mexico Bureau Of Business And Economic Research, New Mexico Economic Development Department

Historic Publications

DATA USERS CONFERENCE.

Part 8: Are New Housing And Commercial Developments Subsidized In Hampton Roads, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

When new residential and commercial developments occur, do they pay for themselves, or do others subsidize necessary governmental services and infrastructure? The answer depends upon the nature of the situation and the city.

Education, Technological Progress And Economic Growth, Winston T. H. Koh, Hing-Man Leung

Research Collection School Of Economics

An important role of education – and the resultant accumulation of human capital – for a less-developed economy is to facilitate technology diffusion in order for it to catch up with developed economies. This paper presents a model linking education, the accumulation of physical capital and technological progress. In the model, investment in education and the accumulation of physical capital are complementary, and intertwine with the technology progress through related effects on technology diffusion and the expansion of the technology frontier. The allocation of effort to education, the optimal savings rate and the technology gap are endogenously determined in the …

Strategic Development Of Airport And Rail Infrastructure: The Case Of Singapore, Sock-Yong Phang

Research Collection School Of Economics

This article recounts how a number of strategic infrastructure investment decisions in airport and rail development taken by the Singapore government were at variance with recommendations emerging from cost-benefit analysis, but were considered necessary to support external competitiveness. This link between infrastructure provision and economic development may require decision makers to assess the trade-off between prudent macro-economic planning and efficient micro-economic management for major projects. In the case of airport hubs, the most difficult assessment might be the game consideration of how much, and how far ahead, excess capacity is needed to ensure the dominance of the hub.

A Mathematical Analysis Of The Financial And Medical Impact Of Hepatitis C Among Drug Users In Perth, Western Australia, Raelene Kirkpatrick

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The ability of public health planners continues to be hampered by uncertainties encountered with transmissible diseases. Key epidemiological factors such as, how many Western Australian injecting drug users are hepatitis C seropositive or will become infected, duration of intravenous drug use, the intensity of infection, the fraction of those infected that will develop end-stage disease and after how long a period, all combine to limit the ability of a mathematical model to predict future trends. These models can, however, provide information about certain epidemiological parameters and identify data required to predict future trends. They can be applied to make predictions …

New Mexico Labor Market Review 01-01-2003, New Mexico Department Of Labor

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 November 2002.

A Q-Methodology Evaluation Of Visions Of Sustainable Development, Graham C. Marshall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The concept of the “triple bottom line” has recently become central to sustainable development (SD) and it emerged to be internationally regarded as integrating economic, environmental and social considerations into planning for the future. While numerous authors have contended that successful delivery of SD required a consensus and shared vision about implementation, objectives, and outcomes, others have argued that the lack of consensus about SD is not necessarily problematical. Whether or not a consensus is required for the successful deployment of SD is debatable, but that pluralities of views about SD exist is now widely acknowledged. Involved In the contestation …

Incentives, Institutions, And Development Assistance, Michael Kremer

Clemens Lecture Series

No abstract provided.

Southwest Center For Research On Poverty_1920, University Of New Mexico Bureau Of Business And Economic Research, Southwest Hispanic Research Institute

BBER Publications

This report narrative outlines the creation of the Southwest Center for Research on Poverty (SWCRP) at the University of New Mexico, an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to studying the causes, persistence, and consequences of poverty in New Mexico and the Southwest. The proposal details research agendas focused on poverty persistence, labor markets, health disparities, public policy, and community-based interventions while emphasizing collaboration among researchers, policymakers, students, and community organizations.

Part 7: The Impact Of State Mandates On Hampton Roads, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Local elected officials often complain that the Commonwealth imposes costly mandates on the cities and counties of the region. How many mandates are there and what are their costs? The answer to both is, more than most people think.

The Structure Of Legal Education And The Legal Profession, Multidisciplinary Practice, Competition, And Globalization, Mary C. Daly

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

The Workforce In Alternative Employment Arrangements, Elizabeth Dalton

IPED Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Cleveland State University: An Economic Impact Study, Ziona Austrian

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The economic value of an urban university to a metropolitan region is comprised of (1) the educational opportunities provided to students who rely on local institutions of higher education, (2) the unique contributions of urban universities to the social and political infrastructure of a region, and (3) the research and service contracts and other funds and philanthropic donations attracted to the campus by faculty and staff. If an urban university such as Cleveland State University (CSU) did not exist in the Cleveland metropolitan region, many, if not all of these economic and social contributions would be lost. In addition, the …

Industrial Activity In Cleveland, Robert Sadowski, Ziona Austrian

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report has four primary objectives. First, survey industrial activity in the city of Cleveland using employment and payroll data for the period from 1993 to 2000; report on key findings related to industry sectors and industries at the two-digit standard industrial classification (SIC) code level; and compare the city of Cleveland to suburban Cuyahoga County and the remainder of the Cleveland primary metropolitan statistical area (PMSA). Second, identify those industries in Cleveland that reported substantial employment levels, average annual wages, employment growth, and wage growth during the study period (high performing industries). Third, discuss the status of previously identified …

Urban Universities And Real Estate Development, Ziona Austrian, Jill Norton

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report is intended to enhance the understanding of the role that urban colleges and universities have in local economic development through university real estate investment activities. Colleges and universities across the country are becoming more involved in property acquisition and development; however, there is limited research that explores the decision-making processes that are employed and the implications of these decisions on the larger community.