Business Commons^™

Economics Alumni From The City Of Hamilton, Ohio, Aaron Hufford, Jordan Schotz

Seminars in Local and Global Regional Economies

Jordan Schotz works in the Economic Development department at the City of Hamilton, Ohio. After her graduation in 2016 with a Wright State University M.S. degree in Social and Applied Economics, Jordan was part of the Russell P. Price Fellowship Program in the City of Hamilton’s Economic Development Department, and then continued there as a Workforce Development Specialist. Her unit works to bring new businesses and residents to the community, and is also involved in a number of quality of life projects. As the Workforce Development Specialist, Jordan helps businesses identify and recruit new talent, and works with high school …

Economics Newsletter - August 2019, Raj Soin College Of Business, Wright State University

Economics Newsletters

As six page newsletter from the Department of Economics at Wright State University documenting the current affairs of the department.

Dependent Coverage Mandates And Moral Hazard, Fred Bedsworth

Applied Econometrics Workshops

Empirical studies have found it difficult to separately identify adverse selection from moral hazard since the individual effects tend to affect observable behavior in the same way. Using the state level dependent coverage mandates that were passed before the Affordable Care Act's dependent coverage mandate took effect, I am able to control for selection into insurance and more credibly identify moral hazard. More specifically, I use the variation in eligibility criteria and the timing of implementations of the mandates across states over time in order to discern among the individual effects of hidden information. Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor …

Is The Internet Bringing Down Language-Based Barriers To International Trade?, Erick Kitenge

Seminars in Local and Global Regional Economies

Dr. Kitenge will discuss his collaborative research with Dr. Sajal Lahiri from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, reporting results from their analysis of bilateral aggregate export data from 205 countries over the period 1990-2014.

Moral Hazard And Adverse Selection In The Insurance Market, Kevin Willardsen

Applied Econometrics Workshops

Willardsen presented on his upcoming article with the same title. The abstract from this paper is as follows:

Understanding the relative significance of adverse selection and moral hazard is important in determining effective policy for insurance markets. Separate identification of these two effects, empirically, is difficult. To overcome this limitation, this paper uses experimental methods to examine how adverse selection and moral hazard separately affect agent performance in a real-effort task. In particular, we explore how agent behavior (effort in the task) changes across a baseline with no insurance option, a treatment where individuals can choose to purchase insurance, and …

Vaule-Added Erosion In Global Value Chains: Rethining International Trade, Xiao Jiang

Seminars in Local and Global Regional Economies

The prevalence of "vertical specialization" and global value chains (GVCs) demands that we think differently about international trade and its relationship to employment. This talk discusses employment effects of GVCs trade. Dr. Jiang argues that the expansion of foreign high value-adding activities in the upper stream of GVCs is likely to lead to a decline of domestic value-added share, leading to intensification of international and domestic distributional conflicts.

Dr. Xiao Jiang’s research combines mathematical modeling, simulations and statistics with classical political economy. He has provided economic consulting for the International Labor Organization, the Association for East and Southeast Asian Countries, …

Social Disadvantage And Child Health Among China's Rural-Urban Migrant Households, Yana Vander Meulen Rogers

Seminars in Local and Global Regional Economies

This talk examines how social disadvantage among rural-urban migrant households in China is associated with the nutritional status of children. The measures of social disadvantage are based on China’s hukou system of household registration – designed to limit domestic migration flows by denying public services in cities to migrants with rural registrations – and on gender bias that may harm women and girls.

An Update On The Economy, Gary A. Wagner

Economics Invited Speakers

Gary A. Wagner, vice president and senior regional officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, gave a presentation on the economy. As part of the nation’s central bank, the Cleveland Fed participates in the formulation of U.S. monetary policy, supervises banking organizations and provides payment and other services to financial institutions. With branches in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the Cleveland Fed serves Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

This presentation was sponsored by the Wright State Economics Club.

The Economics Of Thought, S. Marie Johnson

Best Integrated Writing

Johnson takes an economic perspective on the First Amendment. Johnson argues that freedom of speech encourages the competition and flow of ideas which, in turn, allows for an increase of knowledge about competing ideologies.

The Golden Straightjacket Is Out Of Style, Lacey Germana

Best Integrated Writing

Germana’s review of Thomas Friedman’s The Lexus and the Olive Tree provides careful summary and critique of Friedman’s argument and passionately calls for a balance between increased standards of living and careful stewardship of the earth.

The Distribution Of Globalized Power, Rachel Canter

Best Integrated Writing

Canter reviews Thomas Friedman’s The Lexus and the Olive Tree and observes the dissonance between our notions of globalization and global society; she offers an alternate worldview that pays respect to regional cultures and values.

The 24th Annual Research Conference Abstract Booklet, University Of Gondar, Ethiopia

University of Gondar Research Conferences

The 25th Annual Staff-Student Research Conference of the University of Gondar will be held on June 19 and 20, 2015 at the Science Amba Auditorium. This year's conference is special in that the year marks the Silver Jubilee of the Annual Staff and Student Research Conference. Drawing on the experiences we have accumulated for the past 25 years, we vow to strive to realize the development and transformation of the country through research and community services.

Staff, postgraduate and senior undergraduate students of the University, invited guests, and speakers will participate in the conference. The annual conference of the University …

The 24th Annual Research Conference Abstract Booklet, Nikki Lynn Rogers

University of Gondar Research Conferences

Staff members, postgraduate and senior undergraduate students of the University, invited guests and speakers participated in the conference. The annual conference of the University is meant to share experiences in research activities among juniors and seniors, staff and students, and invited guests. It is also meant to motivate students and young faculty to engage in research and also to initiate and strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations. The findings of the studies and the resulting recommendations are expected to be used in solving the diverse societal problems we have been facing.

Research activities at the University of Gondar are primarily aimed at solving …

The 23rd Annual Research Conference Abstract Booklet, Mulu Aderie Alemu, Nikki Lynn Rogers

University of Gondar Research Conferences

Staff members, postgraduate and senior undergraduate students of the University, invited guests and speakers participated in the conference. The annual conference of the University is meant to share experiences in research activities among juniors and seniors, staff and students, and invited guests. It is also meant to motivate students and young faculty to engage in research and also to initiate and strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations. The findings of the studies and the resulting recommendations are expected to be used in solving the diverse societal problems we have been facing.

Research activities at the University of Gondar are primarily aimed at solving …

Heterodox Economics: The Alternative To Neoliberal Market-Fundametalist Economics, Tae-Hee Jo

Neoliberalism Seminar

Mainstream-neoclassical economics is the theoretical foundation of neoliberal economic policy that promotes competition and commodification through markets. Increasing fragility of an economy, increasing income inequality, the scaled-back welfare system, and recurring financial crisis are prominent consequences of neoliberal restructuring of industries and the economy as a whole. Is the “law of supply and demand” the universal principle that governs all the economic activities under capitalism? Is there an alternative way of explaining and organizing the provisioning process of a capitalist economy? How can economics deal with such socio-economic problems beyond market-fundamentalist economic narratives? In my presentation, I will highlight heterodox …

Environmental Conflicts In The Neoliberal Era, Charalampos Kostantinidis

Neoliberalism Seminar

Neoliberalism is characterized as a 35-year long period of attack of capital against labor in an attempt to restore falling profit rates. This has come at the expense of increased inequality and uncertainty, leading to a crisis of legitimacy for the neoliberal model of capitalism. Environmental issues offer both an opportunity for accumulation and profits, by extending the reach of the market into areas that were not previously incorporated into the circuits of capital, as well as a chance to restore some of the waning legitimacy of the neoliberal model, to the extent that environmental problems occupy a central position …

Origins Of Money, Alla Semenova

Economics Invited Speakers

Alla Semenova, Assistant Professor of Economic, Dickinson College, presented on the Origin of Money. The seminar is part of the Pisediscalzi Lecture Series. Dr. Nicholas Pisediscalzi was the founding chair of the Religion Department and a life-long student of the dialectic of Religion and Culture—especially Art, literature, and Politics. The seminar was cosponsored by the Departments of Religion, Philosophy and Classics and the Department of Economics, Wright State University.

The Financial Crisis Viewed From The Perspective Of The Social Cost Theory, L. Randall Wray

Social Cost Workshop

The talk examines the causes and consequences of the current global financial crisis. K.W. Kapp’s “social costs” theory is contrasted with the recently dominant “efficient markets” hypothesis to provide the context for analyzing the functioning of financial institutions. Rather than operating “efficiently,” the financial sector has been imposing huge costs on the economy—costs that no one can deny in the aftermath of the economy’s collapse. While orthodox approaches lead to the conclusion that money and finance should not matter much, the alternative tradition—from Veblen and Keynes to Galbraith and Minsky—provides the basis for developing an approach that puts money and …

The Social Cost Of Labor And Its Importance For Labor Economics, Robert E. Prasch

Social Cost Workshop

The starting point and core notion of neoclassical or mainstream economics is a reductionist vision of the exchange of commodities. Missing is the historical, social, and legal environments within which exchanges occur. A parallel and equally problematic notion is that labor exists as something of a “found object.” By contrast, the classical school of economists understood that laborers must earn a wage equal to or greater than “subsistence” if society was to be an ongoing enterprise. Laborers must be fed, sheltered, socialized, and educated before they arrive in the labor market. This, in a phrase, is the Social Cost of …

Environmental Sustainability From A Social Cost Perspective, James Swaney

Social Cost Workshop

Over a quarter century, efforts to build global environmental governance institutions have been thwarted by ideology and vested interests, while ecological degradation has accelerated and disparities in wealth, living standards and economic opportunities have grown. Nonetheless, the sustainability idea remains appealing and valid: Future generations can be protected from debilitating ecological degradation only if we, the present generation, redirect development to begin restoring ecological balance to key earth systems (e.g., oceans, climate, biodiversity). The social cost perspective (SCP) of institutional economics, rooted in the contributions of Karl Polanyi (1944) and K. William Kapp (1950), provides a framework for thinking about, …

The Discourse On Social Costs: Heterodox Vs. Neoliberal Economics, Sebastian Berger

Social Cost Workshop

This presentation analyzes the discourse on social costs, focusing on how neoliberal economists in the 1950s and 1960s embarked on the successful project to marginalize the heterodox view that social controls of the economy are a good thing because markets otherwise cause too many social damages. The paper mainly looks at the intellectual project of the institutional economists John M. Clark and K. William Kapp. Both collaborated in the 1940s in crafting the institutional theory of social costs as a critique of the neoclassical theory of costs and externalities (Arthur C. Pigou), as well as the rising post WWII neoliberalism …

The Great Recession Of 2007-2009: Examining The Presence Of A Credit Crunch, Julius Britton Canter

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

This study of the Great Recession of 2007-2009 and the credit crunch phenomenon suggests that there is an ongoing rationing effect on bank loans following the financial crisis of 2008. The rationing effect may lead to lower interest rates as banks switch to safer lending in order to hedge risk. However, the credit crunch may be inequitable as it primarily affects bank dependent borrowers, as well as restricting lending to new customers. An in-depth review of the current literature, empirical studies, leading economic indicators, and bank surveys are examined to reach this conclusion. We find that there are real economic …

State Of Ohio: Insurance Industry And Occupational Highlights, Ohio Board Of Regents, Wright State University, Center For Urban And Public Affairs

Economic Development

Over 7,000 business establishments in Ohio employ 120,626 people in the Insurance Industry. Employment is expected to grow 1% a year to 2015, adding 6,323 workers, outpacing the national growth rate. In an analysis of the top ten states by employment size and industry concentration, Ohio is expected to grow at the second fastest pace.

Every year, the Insurance Industry has roughly 2,000 job openings for new and replacement jobs. The core of the industry is found in five occupations: insurance sales agents; claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators; insurance underwriters; insurance appraisers, auto damage; and actuaries. For those five occupations, …

Water Resource Distribution: Neoliberal Versus A Social Provisioning Approach, Laura Dotson

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

The purpose of this research is to examine how privatization of water resources has created social inequalities and environmental degradation on an international scale by understanding the ways in which water has become a market commodity, and how water resources are managed within a private framework versus a public framework. Two frameworks will be compared: neoliberal policy and the social provisioning approach to managing water resources. It is argued that social provisioning ought to be the focus of policy formulation so as to diminish the degree in which social inequalities and environmental degradation are generated by privatization. As a result, …

What Drives Productivity Growth At The Firm Level And Why Is It That Some Firms Outperform Their Peers?, Julie Ann Potter

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

Firms appear to outperform their peers when defined as exhibiting increased productivity growth. Specific factors have been shown to have a causal effect upon increased total factor productivity and thus the firm level with the implementation of: the use and diffusion of technological progress; diversification of firm assets through the acquisition of high productivity growth plant assets; the integration of information technology and information communications technology and the creation of innovative capacities and efficiencies. Likewise, specific factors have been shown to have a causal effect upon increased labor productivity and thus firm level productivity growth: the sharing of employee experiences …

Have Confidence In Your Interval Estimates: Improving Cognition Of Confidence Intervals Used In Business Forecasting, Jeffrey Maurath Price

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

Confidence intervals convey valuable information regarding the uncertainty of point estimates, and their utility to users of business forecasts is no exception. The conclusions drawn from these forecasts can be significantly impacted by the perception of a confidence interval's distribution, however. There is a tendency for business managers and other decision makers who lack statistical expertise, despite being generally well educated, to incorrectly assume confidence intervals are uniformly distributed. This study investigates the efficacy of various techniques for presenting confidence interval information at conveying the details of the underlying statistical distribution. The results demonstrate significant improvement in the accurate interpretation …

The Impact Of Opinion On Foreign Trade, Nikolaus Williams

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

This paper examines the impact that opinion has on foreign trade. Specifically, the paper examines how opinion towards the U.S. impacts U.S. exports and how changes in opinion toward the U.S. impact U.S. exports. Using survey data from the Pew Global Attitudes Projects and export data, the paper examines these relationships for 21 countries between 2002 and 2010. Regression analysis of the panel data reveals that positive opinion levels and positive changes in opinion have statistically significant positive impacts on U.S. exports. However, this conclusion is somewhat tempered by the unbalanced nature of the available data which prevents a greater …

The Non-Linear Influence Of School Quality On Home Prices In The Dayton, Oh Msa, Thomas Andrew Welton

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

This paper analyzes the Dayton, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) to examine the extent to which public school quality influences housing prices. Research is conducted in the Dayton region at both the city and neighborhood levels. City level analysis indicates a significant linear relationship between school quality and home prices. However, the results of this analysis are likely distorted by collinearity between school quality and neighborhood characteristics, such as crime rate. In an effort to mitigate collinearity and control for neighborhood characteristics, neighborhood level analysis is conducted using 933 individual homes located in areas where separate school districts border. The …

A Cost Benefit Analysis Of Proposed Picture Archiving And Communications System Upgrades For Ohio Health Radiology, Daniel C. Ewald

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

OhioHealth™ is a family of not-for-profit, faith-based hospitals and healthcare organizations serving patients in central Ohio since 18911. The radiology department consists of a group of 59 radiologists, who service 5 hospitals in Columbus, Springfield, Newark, and Chillicothe. Beginning in 1999, the group transitioned to a system that allowed the doctors to view CT scans and MRI exams digitally. Until that time the doctors were required to read exams from printed images one at a time. For its time, this system known as “Synapse,” was considered somewhat revolutionary. It allowed the group which functions as an independent business separate from …

Local Government Services And Regional Collaboration Grant Program: Advantage Sharing Program Feasibility Study, Wright State University Center For Urban And Public Affairs

Economic Development

The Advantage Sharing Program, or ASP, is a multi-county collaboration comprising Greene, Miami and Montgomery Counties. The program’s purpose is to provide additional dollars to economic and workforce projects that have been developed by local governments. The projects submitted by local governments address the needs of businesses that are locating, expanding or sustaining operations. ASP provides to local officials a source of additional funding to meet business needs. Local governments apply for funds after their best offer does not secure a development agreement. This funding does not replace incentives typically offered by local governments. Requests for funding are made to …