Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Jurisdiction Size And Director Compensation In Connecticut Local Health Departments, Nicole Lorenzo, Rexford E. Santerre

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Objective: To examine if the compensation of local public health directors responds to organizational size in the same manner found for other types of for-profit, not-for-profit, and public managers.

Design: Panel data ordinary least squares with fixed effects for the local health department and time period. Control variables include median household income, the unemployment rate, and the part-time versus full-time and independent versus district status of the local public health department.

Setting: Sample of Connecticut local health departments over the period from 2001 to 2011.

Main Outcome Measures: Annual wage of the local public health director …

The Effect Of New York City Sports Outcomes On The Stock Market, Nir Levy

Undergraduate Economic Review

This thesis investigates whether sports outcomes for New York City based teams affect the daily returns, volatility or trading volume of major stock indexes in the United States. I research whether events that affect local mood in a major financial center can influence national stock indexes by swaying the sentiment of workers in the financial sector. By performing an event study I found evidence that returns are abnormally high following championships won by New York City professional sports teams. Returns are abnormally low and volume is abnormally high following elimination from a championship round.

‘Capitalism A Nuh’ Wi Frien’. The Formatting Of Farming Into An Asset, From Financial Speculation To International Aid, Luigi Russi, Tomaso Ferrando

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

This paper deciphers the formatting of farming into an asset by tracking the modalities by which financial calculation is enabled across different sites of agency.

The first focus of our analysis are commodity futures markets, which have witnessed a double spike in prices in 2008 and in 2012. In the paper, we look at these hikes as the outcome of endogenous dynamics, caused by the changing makeup of market participants after 2000, which turned futures markets into resources for hedging commodity index-linked derivative products.

We subsequently analyse the increasing reliance on financial actors placed by public development agencies that channel …

Using Future Benefits To Set Conservation Priorities For Wetlands, Samuel B. Merrill

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

In an era of rising sea levels, costal land managers including land trust representatives, municipal planners, and others contributing to decisions about whether to develop or protect coastal parcels do not have viable means of evaluating future values on wetlands that will be created when sea levels rise. This project develops and tests a software modeling approach to help address this issue, in combination with a novel, expert-opinion driven benefit-cost framework. The beta test used three parcels in Scarborough, Maine: Hampton Circle, Maine Audubon, and Pine Point. It used a group of experts to 1) allocate initial values to these …

Artificial Reef Attributes And The Relationship With Natural Reefs: Evidence From The Florida Keys, William L. Huth, O. Ashton Morgan, Paul Hindsley

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Natural or coral reefs represent extremely valuable ecosystems supporting an estimated 25 percent of all marine life, yet recent reports suggest that 75 percent of the world’s natural reefs are under threat from both natural and human stressors. In areas such as the Florida Keys that boasts an expansive mix of natural and artificial reefs, recreational diving on the system provides an important economic contribution to the local community but also potentially contributes to the stress of the existing natural reef system. We develop a revealed and stated preference modeling framework of diver behavior and find that deployment of an …

Economic Valuation Of Marine And Coastal Ecosystems: Is It Currently Fit For Purpose?, Nick Hanley, Stephen Hynes, David Patterson, Niels Jobstvogt

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

In this paper, we consider whether the current “state of the art” of environmental valuation is suitable for producing policy-relevant estimates of the benefits or costs of changes in marine and coastal ecosystems. We review recent changes in European legislation which has meant an increasing demand for economic valuation from the policy and regulatory community. The next section considers, at a more conceptual level, whether the economic “toolbox” and scientific evidence is up to the task of meeting the demand for more evidence-based policy. Finally, three case studies are used to explore the nature of the valuation task and review …

Declining Survivor Benefits And Labor Force Participation, Amanda Geary

Kaleidoscope

Social Security Survivor Benefits aim to mitigate the problem of raising children on a single income by granting a widow monthly payments in her child’s name. However, as each child reaches the age of 18 (or 19, if he or she is attending elementary or high school full-time) his or her benefits are discontinued. As is increasingly common in today’s society, simply turning 18 is not indicative of financial independence. This paper attempts to discern whether a widow changes labor force habits when her children become legal adults and survivor benefits are reduced or discontinued. Though many of my results …

The Consequences Of The Federal Deficit: An Empirical Analysis, John T. Knadler

Kaleidoscope

One of the major issues of political debate in the United States during the past 20 years has been the potential consequences of rising federal deficits. Some politicians and economists argue for the traditional view that deficits increase interest rates and erode private savings, while those who hold the Ricardian equivalence view believe that economic agents are forward looking and will realize that a tax cut today will cause a future deficit, thus they will not change their behavior in response to the increase in wealth from the tax cut. My research was designed to determine through econometric regression analysis …

Impact Study And Comparative Analysis Of The Ymca’S Black Achiever Program, Jennifer Burnett, Vladyslav Sushko, Ben Woodman

Kaleidoscope

In this study, multiple surveys were designed and administered to program participants in the Central Kentucky chapter of the YMCA Black Achievers Program. The purpose of this project was to collect data on the academic success of these students for comparison to that of students in their geographic area who did not take part in the program. The full project also collected data on individuals’ responses regarding program effectiveness, level of satisfaction, etc., to help the administrators of the BAP continue to update and improve the program to better meet participants’ needs. This research summary focuses only on the quantitative …

Homegrown Or Imported? Frugal Innovation And Local Economic Development In Zambia, Iva Peša

Southern African Journal of Policy and Development

Innovation and entrepreneurship have the potential to stimulate economic growth. Yet it remains unclear whether top-down or bottom-up innovations are more likely to lead to local economic development. By looking at three cases of frugal innovation on the Zambian Copperbelt, in the spheres of housing, water and energy, it will be argued that polycentric innovation (which connects local and international actors) is most likely to generate inclusive development. Yet even a polycentric approach does not guarantee desired outcomes, as innovation remains context specific.

The Impact Of Labour Productivity On Economic Growth: The Case Of Mauritius And South Africa, Jack Jones Zulu, Benjamin Mattondo Banda

Southern African Journal of Policy and Development

This study explores the impact of labour productivity on economic growth in Mauritius and South Africa. We establish that investments in physical capital have a positive effect on labour productivity and by implication on economic performance. Labour employment in industry is counterproductive, while the cumulative effect of new technologies on labour productivity is negligible in the three-year intervals. It is the initial stock and subsequent accumulation of human capital that stimulates faster output growth in both countries.

Mandatory Process, Matthew J.B. Lawrence

Indiana Law Journal

This Article suggests that people tend to undervalue their procedural rights—their proverbial “day in court”—until they are actually involved in a dispute. The Article argues that the inherent, outcome-independent value of participating in a dispute resolution process comes largely from its power to soothe a person’s grievance— their perception of unfairness and accompanying negative emotional reaction—win or lose. But a tendency to assume unchanging emotional states, known in behavioral economics as projection bias, can prevent people from anticipating that they might become aggrieved and from appreciating the grievance-soothing power of process. When this happens, people will waive their procedural rights …

Border Battles: The Influence Of Occupational Licensing On Interstate Migration, Morris M. Kleiner

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Research Highlights From The 2015 Inner City Economic Summit, Kim Zeuli, Haifeng Qian

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

International Trade In Telecommunication Services: A Cross Sectional Gravity Regression, Justin C. Doty

Undergraduate Economic Review

The gravity model has been successful in measuring the effects of institutions, trade barriers, and other characteristics on trade in goods. Kimura and Lee [2004] find the gravity model is also suitable for measuring trade in services. The Organization for Economic Co-Development [2009a] develop gravity models for pilot service sectors such as construction, computer, professional, and telecommunication services. The purpose of this paper is to extend the findings of the OECD paper for telecommunication services. The paper finds that a 10 percent increase in distance between countries will decrease imports by 11.77 percent. Imports of telecommunication services are influenced by …

We Saw Not Clearly Nor Understood: The Economic Background Of The Ethiopian-Eritrean War, Trace C. Lasley

Kaleidoscope

In 1991 hope reigned in Ethiopia. There was a peaceful transition of governments after a long period of civil strife. The main guerrilla movements in Ethiopia, the TPLF and the EPLF emerged from the war as brothers-in-arms ready to embark on a new era of peace and prosperity. Just seven years later, Eritrea invaded Ethiopia and a war ensued that cost 70,000 lives and did incalculable damage. This paper explores the economic relations between the two countries to show their significance in the eruption of the Ethiopian-Eritrean War.

There are three recurring themes in the recent economic history of these …

Magic Bullet, Karen Haydock

The STEAM Journal

Two of the most powerful types of corporations in the world today are those that produce pharmaceuticals and weapons. While the corporations are concerned with increasing their profits, we wonder if their products have any magical powers.

[India ink on rag paper]

This poster explores the military-industrial complex. The weapons industry profits through imperialism. The pharmaceutical industry profits through by taking advantage of people’s illnesses.

The poster has multiple interpretations, hopefully encouraging the viewer to participate by asking relevant questions, such as:

“What is that person drinking?”

”Are they pills or bombs?”

“Medicines cure us - how can a pill …

What Is Brewing In Your Latté? An Economic Analysis Of The Fair Trade Coffee Movement, Erin E. Troland

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Foreign Direct Investment To Turkey, Burcak Polat, Cem Payaslıoğlu

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

Despite the growing interest in foreign direct investment (FDI), substantial uncertainty still exists regarding what stimulates foreign investors to operate in a foreign market. Besides, previous studies have attributed the determinants of direct investments to locational and firmspecific factors. However, firm-specific and locational factors may vary across industries and their sub-sectors, as proposed by Dunning (1998). Using panel data for the 2007 to 2012 period, the major determinants of foreign investments into the manufacturing subsectors in Turkey are analyzed in this study. Strong evidence is found that turnover indices and new investment incentives introduced in 2009 have a positive impact …

Taking Into Account Sustainable Development For Mena Countries: The Calculation Of A Modified Hdi Index, Nathalie Hilmi, Alain Safa, Nicolas Peridy, Messaoud Zemouri

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

GDP, a measure of economic welfare, may be supplemented with other measures of economic welfare and environmental sustainability. This article discusses alternative measures which have been proposed in the literature concerning pollution, which can be used to augment GDP as a measure of welfare to produce a better index.

War-Fighting Or Enhanced Policing?: The Effectiveness Of Kill-Capture Tools And Tactics In The Post-9/11 Era, Jesse Paul Lehrke, Rahel Schomaker

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

For more than ten years the so-called Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) has been shaping not only national security strategies, but also influenced the definition of the enemy being fought as well as the nature of and boundaries between tactics used in this war. While the discussion about anti-terror strategies and tactics on the political level is ongoing, (empirical) research on the efficiency and effectiveness of these measures is still limited. In our article, we examine the relative impact two counter-terrorism approaches – killing and capturing – have on several measures of effectiveness. Scrutinizing data from 2001-2011 in numerous specifications, …

Why Do Women Prefer Part-Time Employment In Turkey?, Burcu Duzgun Oncel, Bilge Eris Dereli

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

Female part-time employment among female total employment has increased substantially in Turkey between 2005 and 2011. Part-time employment accounted for 13%, 22% and 27% of female employment in 2005, 2008 and 2011, respectively. The main objective of this paper is to outline some stylized facts concerning the key characteristics of female part time employment and to assess the reasons behind the increase in part-time employment for females in Turkey. We present general profile and labor status profile of part-time female workers via rich descriptive analysis by using Turkstat Household Labor Force Surveys for the period 2005 and 2011. Moreover we …

Does Public Employment Reduce Unemployment?, Alberto Behar, Junghwan Mok

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

We quantify the extent to which public-sector employment crowds out privatesector employment using specially assembled datasets for a large cross-section of developing and advanced countries, and discuss the implications for countries in the Middle East, North Africa, Caucasus and Central Asia. These countries simultaneously display high unemployment rates, low private-sector employment rates and high proportions of government-sector employment. Regressions of unemployment rates on public-sector employment point to full crowding out. This means that high rates of public employment, which incur substantial fiscal costs, do not reduce overall unemployment rates.

Shattered Health For Women: How Gender Roles Affect Health Socio-Economic Status Nexus Over Life Cycle?, Burcu Duzgun Oncel

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

The main objective of this paper is to assess the relationship between health and socio-economic status (SES) across ages by including gender roles for men and women. Although life expectancy of women is greater than men, women's average subjective health measure is worse and morbidity rates are higher. Gender roles in society would be one of the causes of this distinction. Gender roles are proxied by time spent in household work, childcare, active & passive leisure and employment. Mean comparison tests show that women spend more time in household work and childcare and less time in employment and leisure. By …

Historical Perspectives On Trade And Risk On The Silk Road, Middle East And China, E. Mine Cinar, Katherine Geusz, Joseph Johnson

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

In this paper we examine historical trends in the Silk Road where we discuss historical trade risks, Chinese dynasties and trade. We examine trade risks along the land and sea routes through Central Asia and Middle East. We discuss Chinese balance of payments during different dynasties and the changes in the land and the sea routes. We examine how the trade patterns and routes shifted with the discovery of the New World and when the Dutch and the British formed pooled risk trade associations.

The Determinants Of Youth Unemployment In Qatar, Edward Sayre, Nada Abdelqader Benmansour, Samantha Constant

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

While Qatari unemployment is low compared to regional standards, unemployment is even more concentrated among first time job-seeking youth than in other countries in the Arab world. This paper examines the factors that influence unemployment by young Qataris when they are first entering the labor market. This paper first introduces the set of labor market policies that govern the employment of Qatari nationals. Next, the paper examines the labor market outcomes of Qatari youth from 1995 to 2014 to evaluate the effect of these policies. Finally, the paper uses a unique data set of 2,000 primarily young Qataris to model …

Measuring Trade Advantages Of The Qualifying Industrial Zones Program Of Jordan And Egypt Offered By The United States For Having Signed Peace Treaties With Israel, Austin Carter, Yun Gong, Jeffrey B. Nugent

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

This paper uses detailed cross country and over time data to show that despite various limitations, the QIZs of Jordan and subsequently Egypt, along with certain US FTAs, have contributed significantly to an increase in participating countries’ shares of exports to the US in the nine most common categories of clothing items for which the effects of tariff and quota exemptions are likely to be strongest. These influences, although perhaps diminishing after a certain period of time, are stronger than those of exchange rate, transport cost and changes in openness over time. What is perhaps most surprising is that these …

Crude Oil Price Volatility: Implications For External Reserves And Exchange Rate Management In Nigeria, Moses K. Tule

Bullion

Following recent development in the world oil market, emphasis will be placed on the falling crude oil price which has far reaching implications for economic management in Nigeria. Nigeria depends heavily on crude oil for its revenue and exchange earning, hence the degree of rise or fall in oil price over a period poses concern for the government of the country.

Exchange Rate Management: Evolution Of The Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, Bismark J. Rewane

Bullion

To grasp the challenges facing the naira, an understanding of the framework of the exchange rate system is imperative. This article highlights key developments and presents an analysis of the current issues facing the Nigerian currency.

The Impact Of External Reserves' Position On Capital Flows: The Nigerian Experience, Lamido A. Yuguda

Bullion

A number of factors will determine whether capital will flow in and out of an Economy. The monetary Authority in every country have the sole right to maintain and manage the external reserves hereby maintaining confidence in the country monetary and exchange rate polices, provide confidence to international community on the country' ability to meet its external obligations and provide liquidity to government to meet its external obligations; and maintain foreign exchange liquidity. The main objectives of this paper is to access the impact of external reserves position in attracting capital flows.