Digital Commons Network^™

Alternative Economic Indicators, C. James Hueng, Editor

Upjohn Press

Policymakers and business practitioners are eager to gain access to reliable information on the state of the economy for timely decision making. More so now than ever. Traditional economic indicators have been criticized for delayed reporting, out-of-date methodology, and neglecting some aspects of the economy. Recent advances in economic theory, econometrics, and information technology have fueled research in building broader, more accurate, and higher-frequency economic indicators. This volume contains contributions from a group of prominent economists who address alternative economic indicators, including indicators in the financial market, indicators for business cycles, and indicators of economic uncertainty.

The Economics Of Artificial Intelligence: A Primer For Social Studies Educators, Scott Wolla

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This paper provides a framework for understanding the economic effects of automation and artificial intelligence (AI). First, it reviews how physical capital interacts with labor in the context of automation and AI. Next, it discusses recent advances in AI and potential economic outcomes such as job market polarization and income inequality. It then describes the role education has played in previous economic transitions and the role it will likely play as technology advances. Finally, the paper identifies key economic concepts and teaching resources that social studies educators can integrate into their instruction to help students understand the economic effects of …

Application Of Harvard Analytical Framework In Shipping Enterprises Under Influence Of Covid-19 Pandemic A Case Of Shanghai International Port Group, Lei Wang

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Research On The Economic Viability Of Mega Container Ships, Guozhen Peng

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Economic Behaviours And Preferences: Experimental Evidence From Wuhan, Jason Shachat, Matthew J. Walker, Lijia Wei

ESI Working Papers

We examine how the emergence of Covid-19 in Wuhan, and the ramifications of associated events, influence pro-sociality, trust and attitudes towards risk and ambiguity. We assess these influences using an experiment consisting of financially incentivized economic tasks. We establish causality via the comparison of a baseline sample collected pre-epidemic with five sampling waves starting from the imposition of a stringent lock- down in Wuhan and completed six weeks later. We find significant long-term increases - measured as the difference between the baseline and final wave average responses - in altruism, cooperation, trust and risk tolerance. Participants who remained in Wuhan …

The Long-Term Labor Market Effects Of Parental Unemployment, Bernhard Schmidpeter

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

I investigate the impact of parental unemployment on children’s educational attainment and long-run labor market outcomes in Austria. I find that parental unemployment shortly before an important educational decision by parents for their children lowers a child’s probability of holding a university degree by more than 5 percentage points. I do not find that income is affected at the beginning of a child’s labor market career along the distribution, but I find a gradual deterioration later on. A substantial share of these long-term losses can be explained by the lower parental investment decision. My results emphasize the intergenerational and long-lasting …

Does Free Information Provision Crowd Out Costly Information Acquisition? It’S A Matter Of Timing, Diego Aycinena, Alexander Elbittar, Andrei Gomberg, Lucas Rentschler

ESI Working Papers

We consider the issue of how timing of provision of additional information affects information-acquisition incentives. In environments with costly attention, a sufficiently confident agent may choose to act based on the prior, without incurring those costs. However, a promise of additional information in the future may be used to encourage additional attentional effort. This may be viewed as a novel empirical implication of rational inattention. In a lab experiment designed to test this theoretical prediction, we show that promise of future “free” information induces subjects to acquire information which they would not be acquiring without such a promise.

Gross Benefit Estimates From Reductions In Allisions, Collisions And Groundings Due To Electronic Navigational Charts, Eric Wolfe, Percy Pacheco

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Nautical charts are a fundamental tool of marine navigation. Critical information provides for safe and efficient use of our waterways and for protection of our marine environment. NOAA nautical charts developed by the Office of Coast Survey (OCS) are mandatory on commercial ships that carry America’s foreign commerce. NOAA’s charts are also used on every Navy and Coast Guard ship, fishing and passenger vessels, and are widely carried by recreational boaters. They directly support NOAA’s goal to “promote safe navigation” and the Department of Commerce’s goal of promoting U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace. Data from the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time …

Predictors Of Social Distancing And Mask-Wearing Behavior: Panel Survey In Seven U.S. States, Plamen Nikolov, Andreas Pape, Ozlem Tonguc, Charlotte Williams

Economics Faculty Scholarship

This paper presents preliminary summary results from a longitudinal study of participants in seven U.S. states during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to standard socio-economic characteristics, we collect data on various economic preference parameters: time, risk, and social preferences, and risk perception biases. We pay special attention to predictors that are both important drivers of social distancing and are potentially malleable and susceptible to policy levers. We note three important findings: (1) demographic characteristics exert the largest influence on social distancing measures and mask-wearing, (2) we show that individual risk perception and cognitive biases exert a critical role in influencing …

Preparing Law Students For The Future Of Work, Technology, And Globalization, Tashfeen Ahmad

Journal of Global Awareness

This paper aims to assist lecturers, universities, and their administrators in improving their law degrees. This is in the context of the future of work. This paper will reflect on how to tailor a law degree to improve the employability of students with this degree. This piece emerged as a viewpoint to identify best practices to prepare a law student for better employability. Significant benefits and opportunities can be unlocked if educators apply and incorporate the findings from this piece. Educators should rethink how they deliver law degrees, keeping in mind the emerging trends in their respective job markets. This …

Combatting Covid-19 In Hungary, Marietta Pókay

Journal of Global Awareness

2020 has witnessed an allegedly unprecedented situation by the outbreak of the new coronavirus pandemic. Some countries are hit more harshly by COVID-19 than others, but we all suffer the medical, economic, and social consequences, although to various extent. Hungary does not perform badly in managing the situation. This article briefly describes how Hungary handles the healthcare and economic issues raised by this pandemic.

Reflections On Globalization From Behind The Closed Quarantined Door, Andrzej Sankowski

Journal of Global Awareness

There are opinions that coronavirus will cause the end of globalization. Using examples of the European Union’s and the United States’ reaction to the pandemic crisis and other factors, this essay argues that the coronavirus will not destroy globalization but transform it into another form. This essay identifies some evolving trends and indicators triggering certain processes and suggests directions and solutions that seem to be emerging. Conditions before and reactions to the pandemic are influencing the process and the outcomes.

Heterogeneous Paths Of Industrialization, Federico Huneeus, Richard Rogerson

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Industrialization experiences differ significantly across countries. We use a benchmark model of structural change to shed light on the sources of this heterogeneity and, in particular, the phenomenon of premature deindustrialization. Our analysis leads to three key findings. First, benchmark models of structural change robustly generate hump-shaped patterns for the evolution of the manufacturing sector. Second, heterogeneous patterns of catch-up in sectoral productivities across countries can generate variation in industrialization experiences similar to those found in the data, including premature deindustrialization. Third, differences in the rate of agricultural productivity growth across economies can account for a large share of the …

Risk Management Needs And Challenges For Agriculture, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

Farmers and ranchers must continually manage risk in their operations to be successful. But the amount of risks and challenges they have faced over the past few months and years seems almost unprecedented. From financial challenges toproduction and market shocks to public health scares and policy developments, agriculture has had to respond and adapt to a wide range of issues.

Health And Profit In Student Housing During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Austin Mcneill Brown

Population Health Research Brief Series

The decision to reopen some U.S. universities during the current COVID-19 pandemic may be tied to private financial interests in student housing.

The Shadow Cost Of Parking Minimums: Evidence From Los Angeles County, Sofia Franco, W. Bowman Cutter, Skyler Lewis

Pomona Economics

Minimum Parking Requirements (MPRs) are almost universal in U.S. cities and common in the rest of the world. In the U.S., parking requirements for commercial buildings commonly require 700 ft² of parking for each 1000 ft² of floor space. To the extent this is a binding requirement, MPRs could result in distortion in commercial development. MPRs require either the allocation of land for parking, or very costly substitution of structured parking for land. Therefore, MPR distortions are likely to increase with the value of land. A steep gradient in the cost of the MPRs leads to the possibility …

The Effect Of Naloxone Access Laws On The Type Of Referrals And Admin Treatment Settings Of Drug Treatment Centers For Opioid Abuse, Samanta Kolenovic

Theses and Dissertations

Since 1999, deaths from drug overdose have more than doubled in the U.S. making it one of the leading health problems. This paper examines the impact of passing a naloxone access law on the type of referrals and admin treatment settings of drug treatment centers for opioid abuse.

Effect Of The Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion On Labor Participation Of Female Registered Nurses In Outpatient Care, Deborah R. Weissner

Theses and Dissertations

Medicaid expansions were used to examine the effects of a surge in demand for primary care on the labor participation of registered nurses (RN) in outpatient settings relative to hospitals. Using difference-in-differences and two-way fixed effects with the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample single-year 2010 through 2017 files, I find an increase in the probability of an RN working in an outpatient setting among (1) young, unmarried RNs with a maximum household income of 501 percent of the federal poverty level and (2) young unmarried RNs who have at least one child under age 6. These results are …

Social Capital Determinants And Labor Market Networks, Brian J. Asquith, Judith K. Hellerstein, Mark J. Kutzbach, David Neumark

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Regional Development Agencies In Turkey, Baris Alan

International Programs

This research examines to what extend (Neoliberal institutional structure of) the regional development agencies were successful in decreasing the regional development disparities between the regions of Turkey

Paradox In The Bayou: Development And Displacement In America’S Wetlands, Allison Oliver Haertling

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The bayou communities situated at the southern ends of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana possess a rich and uniquely diverse cultural heritage. However, economic factors, combined with environmental issues such as land loss from oil and gas dredging, subsidence, and rising seas, have spurred significant migration “up the bayou” in recent decades, threatening the loss of these cultures and leaving behind a population that is growing increasingly more vulnerable. This study investigates the current and anticipated social, physical and fiscal impacts of persistent land loss and population decline on lower Terrebonne Parish, as well as planning strategies for maintaining existing infrastructure and …

Bringing Jobs To People: Improving Local Economic Development Policies, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

Many local labor markets in the United States suffer from low employment rates, but getting people to move out of these distressed areas is difficult. Moreover, moving people to job-rich regions does not help those left behind, as out-migration destroys jobs in distressed areas. A better way to help the residents of distressed areas is through local economic development policies that boost job growth and employment rates in a sustained fashion. Such policies can successfully encourage local business and job growth through business tax incentives, cash grants, or customized public services, such as advice to small businesses, job training, infrastructure …

Mechanisms Study: Using Game Theory To Assess The Effects Of Social Norms And Social Networks On Adolescent Smoking In Schools—Study Protocol, Ruth F. Hunter, Felipe Montes, Jennifer M. Murray, Sharon C. Sanchez-Franco, Shannon C. Montgomery, Joaquín Jaramillo, Christopher Tate, Rajnish Kumar, Laura Dunne, Abhijit Ramalingam, Erik O. Kimbrough, Erin Krupka, Huiyu Zhou, Laurence Moore, Linda Bauld, Blanca Llorente, Olga L. Sarmiento, Frank Kee

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

This proof of concept study harnesses novel transdisciplinary insights to contrast two school-based smoking prevention interventions among adolescents in the UK and Colombia. We compare schools in these locations because smoking rates and norms are different, in order to better understand social norms based mechanisms of action related to smoking. We aim to: (1) improve the measurement of social norms for smoking behaviors in adolescents and reveal how they spread in schools; (2) to better characterize the mechanisms of action of smoking prevention interventions in schools, learning lessons for future intervention research. The A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial (ASSIST) …

The Effects Of Child Care Subsidies On Paid Child Care Participation And Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence From The Child And Dependent Care Credit, Gabrielle Pepin

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The Child and Dependent Care Credit (CDCC), a tax credit based on taxpayers’ income and child care expenses, reduces families’ child care costs. The nonrefundable federal CDCC is available to working families with children younger than 13 years old in all states, and nearly half of states supplement the federal credit with their own child care credits. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act expanded the federal CDCC in 2003, which led to differential increases in CDCC generosity across states and family sizes. I document CDCC eligibility and expenditures over time and across income and demographic groups. Using data …

The Impacts Of Educational, Environmental And Economic Factors On The Happiness Index: Score Of A Country, Molly Mingus

Proceedings of the Jepson Undergraduate Conference on International Economics

In this paper I analyze the impacts of educational, environmental and economic factors on the Happiness Index Score of a Country through a linear regression model. By using the most updated data for 86 countries, I was able to create a well-rounded model of happiness that includes additional variables not previously used in happiness research. This model finds a positive relationship between the Percentage of a Population in Tertiary School and happiness. A negative relationship that is discovered in the model shows that there is evidence that an increase in a country’s Infant Mortality Rate has a negative effect on …

Essays On Climate Change-Related Extreme Events, Alvin E. Harris

Dissertations

There are increasing and urgent calls for global economies to join in the fight against the impacts of climate change (World Bank, 2020). With reports such as the World Bank (2020) of climate change costing billions of dollars in losses for economies, the purpose of my dissertation is to examine the effects of climate change-related extreme events and their potential economic effects in three areas: agriculture, migration, and the labor market.

My first essay focuses on the factors that influence farmers’ perception of risk and adaptive strategies against the effects of climate change-related extreme events. I examine whether farmers’ social …

Allocation Of Public Resources: Bringing Order To Chaos, Lance Clifner

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Science Olympiad (SO) is a team-based academic competition involving multiple subject areas (Events) with arcane rules governing the team composition. Add to the mix parental contention over which student(s) get on the “All-Star” team, and you have a potentially explosive situation. This project brings order and logic to school-based SO programs and defuses tense milestones through the implementation of an institutional structure that: assigns students to Events based on solicited student preferences for the Events, collects objective student performance data, composes competitive teams based on student performance (aka “Moneyball”), and brings transparency to the Team Selection process through crowdsourcing. The …

Paso Del Norte Economic Indicator Review, August, Hunt Institute For Global Competitiveness

Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Economic Impact Study: United Methodist Community House Expansion, Christian Glupker, Leslie Muller, Julie Cowie, Grand Valley State University

Other Faculty Publications

In 2019, United Methodist Community House (UMCH) commissioned IFF, a real estate consulting firm, to perform a strategic facility plan. This strategic plan’s needs assessment included the following: A new senior center, expanded child development center, and relocation of administrative offices.

Seidman Research Office at Grand Valley State University was retained by UMCH to perform an economic assessment of the IFF strategic facility plan. This economic assessment will:

(A) evaluate the economic impact of construction of proposed senior center;

(B) evaluate the economic impact of UMCH operations;

(C) evaluate the economic impact of expanded child development center; and

(D) quantify …

Local Food Prices And The Purchasing Power Of Snap Benefits, G. Christensen, Erin Todd Bronchetti

Economics Faculty Works

While the nominal value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is fixed across states (except for Hawaii and Alaska), variation in food prices across the U.S. is dramatic. We provide new evidence describing geographic variation in the purchasing power of SNAP benefits, measured by the extent to which SNAP-recipient households are able to afford the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food plan on which legislated SNAP benefit levels are based. For more than one-quarter of SNAP households, SNAP benefits are too low to cover the cost of the TFP at the primary stores where …