Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Presidential Field Offices In Ohio, 2008-2012, Colin D. Swearingen

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Does a community’s proximity to a presidential field office impact presidential election results? Applying community-level data from the American Community Survey, we examine the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections in the battleground state of Ohio. Using spatial regression, we find that the number of Obama field offices within 10 miles significantly increased his share of the vote in 2012. While proximity to a McCain Victory Center statistically decreased a community’s Obama vote share, this result was not substantive. In 2012, a community’s proximity to a Romney field office did not influence the results. Proximity to an Obama field office also …

The Politics Of Passing And Implementing Medical Marijuana In Ohio, A. Lee Hannah

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Why did the state of Ohio adopt a medical marijuana policy? And why did it do so in 2016? This article examines the diffusion of medical cannabis policy across the U.S. and to Ohio by describing the evolution of images related to the policy and by exploring the content of the law. Using evidence from legislators’ remarks on the floor of the Ohio General Assembly and interviews with activists and analysts, I show that the direct initiative helped push members of the Ohio General Assembly to write and adopt a medical marijuana law (MML) when they were unlikely to do …

Re-Evaluating Subsidies For Services That Carry No Positive Externalities: A Benefit-Cost Analysis Of Convenience Loop Busing Versus Walking, Anthony N. Russo, Kevin J. Egan

The Journal of Economics and Politics

This paper seeks to provide a benefit-cost analysis of continuous loop busing service offered by The University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. The on-campus busing service is completely subsidized by the university through student fees and provided as a free service to students with less than one-quarter of students currently using the service. Using a contingent valuation survey, we estimate a lower bound mean willingness to pay (WTP) of about $6 per student user per semester. Multiplying by the student body population leads to a total WTP estimate of approximately $37,000 per semester. When compared solely to labor and fuel …

Transitory Ownership: A Spatial Analysis Of The Financialization Of The Housing Market In Cincinnati, Oh, Chad Kinsella, Colleen Mctague, Rafael Ranieri

The Journal of Economics and Politics

The mortgage bubble that burst in 2007 created an economic environment where many housing properties were transferred from individual households to investors hoping for quick profits with minimal investment. These properties were traded among investors, businesses, and lenders; they acquired a market identity as financial assets; and many of these properties were acquired by “out-of-area” interests. This study examines properties purchased by out-of-area interests that were sold in 2009 within the City of Cincinnati in an attempt to identify the spatial implications of the financialization of this housing stock. The analysis finds that many of these properties were sold multiple …

A Tale Of Two Administrations: A Comparison Between The George W. Bush And The Barack H. Obama Administrations On Border Security, Marcos L. Misis

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Border security remains a prominent political issue in 2018. During the 2016 presidential campaign, candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties referred to the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of policies about border security that were implemented by the Bush and Obama Administrations. This article analyzes the policies implemented by both administrations and compares them in order to assess the validity of claims about these policies made by presidential candidates from both parties during the 2016 campaign. In addition, this article quantitatively analyzes data from immigration and border enforcement policies for both the Bush and Obama administrations and offers possible policy …

Firm Behavior In The Mid-Twentieth Century American Steel Industry, Robert Rogers

The Journal of Economics and Politics

In the period from 1920 to 1972, the American steel industry consisted of eight large companies and a fringe composed of small domestic producers and foreign firms exporting to the United States. The market structure made it unlikely that the industry behaved in a perfectly competitive fashion. Thus, oligopoly hypotheses on firm behavior such as Nash-Bertrand and Stackelberg leadership seem plausible. This paper estimates a BLP demand model for the industry, and it, then, uses the demand parameters to estimate price equations under the different behavioral assumptions. From the information in this model, tests are made to see which hypothesis …

Is Capital Expenditure Contagious? An Analysis Of Ucc Data From Ohio And Its Neighbors, Peter Vanderhart, Zheng Zeng

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Economic conditions are often observed to be correlated across space and time. One interpretation of this phenomenon is that economic activity is “contagious.” That is, good or bad conditions in one economic area may later cause similar conditions to occur in nearby areas. The prevalence and extent of these relationships is important to understand for those seeking to foster regional economic development.

We focus on capital equipment spending at the state level at a monthly frequency. This is possible given our access to a unique data set, the Randall-Reilley Capital Investment Index (RRCII). This index measures capital expenditure using Uniform …

To Pay Or Not To Pay: An Empirical Examination Of The Effect Of Injunctive Norms On Charitable Donations, David Mcclough, Randall Ewing, Susan Schertzer

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Charitable endeavors often face resource constraints and rely on altruism for monetary donations necessary to pursue mission-driven operations. Implementation of an honor-based payment system to attract donations attempts to eliminate some portion of the costs associated with fundraising activity. However, honor-based systems are not monitored and, therefore, susceptible to underpayment and theft. This study examines how posting a message communicating a negative injunctive norm affects charitable donations resulting from provision of a snack box using an honor-based payment system. The study finds that presentation of an injunctive norm dissuades contributions from donors inclined toward slight underpayment but does not deter …

Does Public Transit Affect Crime? The Addition Of A Bus Line In Cleveland, Morgan Neiss

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Public transportation affects crime rates in neighborhoods surrounding its implementation. It can give criminals easier access to potential targets and decrease the probability of getting caught, or it can give lower-income individuals better access to reliable transportation, which decreases the probability of those individuals getting involved in criminal activity. This paper analyzes available criminal data, property data, and public assistance data for the City of Cleveland to study the effects on property crime rate after the 2008 implementation of a public bus line. The paper's hypothesis is that there is a difference in the mean crime rate before and after …

The Evolution Of Distributive Benefits: The Rise Of Letter-Marking In The United States Congress, Russell W. Mills, Nicole Kalaf-Hughes

The Journal of Economics and Politics

The recent moratorium on earmarks has given rise to a new and largely hidden practice for securing distributive benefits: letter-marking. Letter-marking occurs when members of Congress ask (in writing) the head of an agency to retain or allocate distributive benefits in their districts. While letter-marking is common in Washington, the scholarly literature has ignored this practice. We use a unique dataset of 101 congressional letters relating to FAA funding and empirically assess the degree to which the letter-writer’s characteristics and the letter’s content impact the likelihood of achieving the objectives. In doing so, we offer a nuanced understanding of letter-marking.

Identity And Efficacy: Latinos In The United States, Ryan Salzman, Shauna Reilly

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Questions about the effect of identity on political attitudes and behavior in the United States are increasingly important as its population becomes more diverse. The primary driver of that increased diversity is the expansion of the Latino population. Most research focuses on differences between various ethnic groups. This research project seeks to understand the effect of identity strength within the Latino population on attitudes about government. Using the 2006 Latino National Survey, the role of identity on efficacy is explored. The results indicate that efficacy among Latinos is related to identity. We also find results that reinforce the presence of …

Academic Unions In Recessionary Times, John Rothgeb, Katherine Mitakides

The Journal of Economics and Politics

This article investigates how unionization affected the way colleges and universities handled issues relating to faculty pay and layoffs, degree program cancellations and teaching loads, and student services during the severe recession that hit the country between late 2007 and early 2010. The data are from a national survey of department chairs. The results reveal that unionization reduced the likelihood of faculty pay actions and that classes would be taught at extended times, but was associated with a greater chance that classes would be offered at off-campus locations. Unionization had no effect on budget cuts, whether faculty were laid-off or …

Pain, Punishment, And Nietzsche's Vitalist Politics, Jonathan Mckenzie

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Ohio's Current Agricultural Use Program: Eligibility, Recoupment, And Current Issues, Allen Prindle

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

United States Exports And Opinions In Importing Countries, John P. Blair, Nikolaus Williams

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

The Value Of State Political Science Organizations, Darren Wheeler

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

The Poor Laws: A Comparison Of Three Original Reform Proposals, Rachel Wilson

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Partisanship And Monetary Policy: Why Do Elected Officials Acquiesce To Central Bank Independence, William Davis

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Vol. 21 Entire Issue

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Losing The World: Another Adam Smith Problem: Agency And Memory In Arendt And Smith, Kevin Quinn

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Partisan Identification Of Naturalized Americans, Shauna Reilly

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Optimal Monetary Policy: A Case For Price-Level Targeting, Steven Melanchak

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Reconciling Student Preferences For Tariffs: Classroom Applications Of Moral Systems To Government Intervention, David Mcclough

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Legal Status And Differences In Work Flexibility Among Self-Employed Women: The Case Of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, John R. Walker

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Turn And Burn: Loss Dynamic And Civilian Targeting In The Angolan War, Jen Ziemke

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

A Model Of Firm Growth And Contraction In Richland County, Ohio, Robert P. Rogers

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

Vol. 20 Entire Issue

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.

An Economic Analysis Of A Proposed Bgsu-Firelands Wind Turbine, Peter G. Vanderhart

The Journal of Economics and Politics

No abstract provided.