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- Latin American Research (6)
- Crime (5)
- International Finance (5)
- Latin America (5)
- Economic Growth (4)
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- Institutions (4)
- Hispanics in the U.S. (3)
- Caribbean (2)
- Economic growth (2)
- Foreign direct investment (2)
- Hispanic (2)
- Insecurity (2)
- Natural Resources (2)
- Trust (2)
- U.S. Companies (2)
- 2008 (1)
- African american (1)
- Alvaro Vargas Llosa (1)
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- Corruption (1)
- County Level Analysis (1)
- Day laborers (1)
- Democracy (1)
- Dynamic OLS estimator (1)
- El Salvador (1)
- Endogeneity (1)
- Energy Policy (1)
- Entrepreneurial economy (1)
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- Entry mode choices (1)
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Articles 1 - 17 of 17
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Impact Of Judicial Reform On Crime Victimization And Trust In Institutions In Mexico, Luisa Blanco
The Impact Of Judicial Reform On Crime Victimization And Trust In Institutions In Mexico, Luisa Blanco
Luisa Blanco
This article studies the impact of judicial reform in Mexico. It does so using a survey about crime victimization and perceptions of insecurity (Encuesta Nacional Sobre la Inseguridad [ENSI]) between 2005, 2008, and 2009 in 11 Mexican cities, 3 of which implemented the reform in 2007 and 2008. This analysis shows that judicial reform not only reduces victimization but also lowers perceptions of security. Although we find that judicial reform has a negative effect on trust in the local and federal police, judicial reform reduces the probability of being asked by the transit police for a bribe.
Study On Crime And Investment In Latin America And The Caribbean, Luisa Blanco, Christabel Dadzie, Coline Dony
Study On Crime And Investment In Latin America And The Caribbean, Luisa Blanco, Christabel Dadzie, Coline Dony
Luisa Blanco
Investment is a key determinant of economic growth. This relationship underpins the growth diagnostic and constraints analysis methodology used by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and United States Government Partnership for Growth initiative with the purpose of identifying the binding constraints to growth in a given country. Recent growth diagnostics undertaken for El Salvador (2011), Guatemala (2013), and Honduras (2013) find crime and citizen insecurity to be binding constraints to growth and investment in those countries (Acevedo et al. 2011; World Bank, 2012). The approaches taken in these growth diagnostic analyses are based on indirect proxies and shadow prices of …
In The Aftermath Of The Financial Crisis Of 2008: What Have We Learned?, Luisa Blanco, Michael Crouch
In The Aftermath Of The Financial Crisis Of 2008: What Have We Learned?, Luisa Blanco, Michael Crouch
Luisa Blanco
In the aftermath of the financial crisis and economic recession of 2008, it is important to reflect not only on its causes, but also on specific policies that can help countries to move towards sustained economic growth. This publication provides a compendium of lectures that intend to do this. The focus of the discussion is around the U.S. (first two chapters) and Latin America (last chapter), which enhances our understanding of the forces at play and the necessary policies that need to be implemented in different regions of the world. Dr. Lee Ohanian points to the strange differences between the …
The Impact Of Crime On Trust In Institutions In Mexico, Luisa Blanco
The Impact Of Crime On Trust In Institutions In Mexico, Luisa Blanco
Luisa Blanco
Using survey data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) and Encuesta Nacional Sobre la Inseguridad (ENSI) from Mexico during the period of 2004-2010, this paper analyses the impact of insecurity and crime victimization on support and satisfaction with democracy and trust in institutions. The analysis shows that perceptions of higher insecurity decrease support and satisfaction with democracy. We also find that perceptions of insecurity and crime victimization reduce trust in institutions, particularly in those that directly deal with crime (police and judicial system). There is regional variation in relation to trust in institutions that are associated with drug-trafficking …
Does Experience Matter For Patterns Of Expansion By U.S. Companies In Latin America And The Caribbean, Luisa Blanco, W. Charles Sawyer, Rossitza Wooster
Does Experience Matter For Patterns Of Expansion By U.S. Companies In Latin America And The Caribbean, Luisa Blanco, W. Charles Sawyer, Rossitza Wooster
Luisa Blanco
We describe expansion patterns by U.S. companies in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) between 1980 and 2005 using a unique sample that utilizes country, industry and time-series information on firms’ investments. We build on previous research to explore the effect of experience on firms’ preference for equity commitment. Using the time series properties of our data, we examine the extent to which previous investments in the region influence firms’ expansion patterns. Our analysis includes the traditional determinants of entry mode choices such as firm-specific factors, market seeking factors, resource seeking factors, and country specific factors. Bivariate probit results indicate …
The Impact Of Insecurity And Crime On Democracy And Trust In Institutions, Luisa Blanco, Isabel Ruiz
The Impact Of Insecurity And Crime On Democracy And Trust In Institutions, Luisa Blanco, Isabel Ruiz
Luisa Blanco
This paper examines the impact of crime and insecurity on support for and satisfaction with democracy and trust in institutions. We use survey data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) for Colombia during the 2004-2010 period. We find that perceptions of insecurity, crime victimization, being asked for a bribe and being affected by the armed conflict have a negative significant effect on satisfaction with democracy and trust in public institutions. Our findings show an important indirect channel through which crime can hinder development because distrust in institutions is associated with lower levels of social capital.
The Impact Of Research And Development On Economic Growth And Productivity In The U.S. States: Online Appendix, Luisa Blanco, James Prieger, Ji Gu
The Impact Of Research And Development On Economic Growth And Productivity In The U.S. States: Online Appendix, Luisa Blanco, James Prieger, Ji Gu
Luisa Blanco
This online appendix accompanies the article forthcoming in the Southern Economic Journal. This appendix contains additional information on the data and methodology used in the article, as well as results from additional and supplementary estimations.
Do Tax Havens Really Flourish? Accounting For Endogeneity In Growth Regressions, Luisa Blanco, Cynthia Rogers
Do Tax Havens Really Flourish? Accounting For Endogeneity In Growth Regressions, Luisa Blanco, Cynthia Rogers
Luisa Blanco
That tax haven policies contribute to favorable economic growth in tax haven countries is commonly accepted. There is, however, minimal empirical evidence to substantiate this assertion and empirical investigations are subject to endogeneity bias. Using a sample of 155 countries from 1982 to 2003, we find that the standard tax haven variable is endogenous to the error term in a typical growth regression. We offer land area measures as valid instruments for tax haven status. Results based on two-stage least squares estimation with heteroskedastic standard errors and controls for initial conditions provide support for the claim that tax havens “flourish” …
Powering America: The Impact Of Ethanol Production In The Corn Belt States, Luisa Blanco, Michelle Isenhouer
Powering America: The Impact Of Ethanol Production In The Corn Belt States, Luisa Blanco, Michelle Isenhouer
Luisa Blanco
This paper investigates the impact of ethanol production in the Corn Belt states (Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin). Employing data at the county level, from 2005 and 2006, we investigate the effect of ethanol production on employment and wages. Our empirical results show that ethanol production has a positive significant effect on employment and wages, but this effect is of insignificant magnitude. We also find that counties with high and medium levels of ethanol production capacity show higher levels of employment and wages than those counties that do not produce ethanol. …
The Impact Of Research And Development On Economic Growth And Productivity In The Us States, Luisa Blanco, James Prieger, Ji Gu
The Impact Of Research And Development On Economic Growth And Productivity In The Us States, Luisa Blanco, James Prieger, Ji Gu
Luisa Blanco
We estimate the impact of R&D on TFP and output in the private sector at the state level in the US from 1963 to 2007. R&D has a large effect on both output and TFP at the state level in the long run. The R&D elasticity in a state averages 0.056 to 0.143, implying returns to state GDP from R&D spending of 83% to 213%. There are also positive R&D spillovers, with 77% of the total returns accruing to other states. The R&D elasticities are either stable or increase slightly after 1993. The effects of R&D are dependent on the …
Retirement Planning Among Middle-Aged And Older Hispanics, Luisa Blanco, Emma Aguila, Arturo Gongora, Beverly Weidmer, O. Kenrik Duru
Retirement Planning Among Middle-Aged And Older Hispanics, Luisa Blanco, Emma Aguila, Arturo Gongora, Beverly Weidmer, O. Kenrik Duru
Luisa Blanco
The goal of this study is to deepen the understanding of how middle age and older Hispanics plan for retirement, where we conducted four focus groups in the Los Angeles area with a total of 38 participants. Our study provides interesting findings, specifically for women since 84 percent of the participants were female. We find that that most participants, whether they were already retired or not, are not well prepared for retirement since they have been unable to save for retirement and have not made specific retirement plans, such as determining desired retirement age, estimating retirement budget, and collecting information …
Hispanic Immigrant Workers In Paradise: Malibu Day Laborers In A Time Of Insecurity, Luisa Blanco, Daniel Morrison, George Carlsen, Lila Carlsen, Ashley Chaparro, Erick Molina
Hispanic Immigrant Workers In Paradise: Malibu Day Laborers In A Time Of Insecurity, Luisa Blanco, Daniel Morrison, George Carlsen, Lila Carlsen, Ashley Chaparro, Erick Molina
Luisa Blanco
Taking a multidisciplinary approach, we conducted a study consisting of written surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews with men and women who were seeking employment through the MCLE at the time of the study and who were predominantly Hispanic immigrants. The results of this study offer insight into the ways in which this population benefits from the services of the MCLE, their labor conditions, financial and saving behavior, and overall wellbeing. Our findings clarify how this population in Malibu negotiates short-term labor relationships in the context of continuing economic instability, where we provide a better understanding of the intersecting inequalities …
Equity Commitment Under Uncertainty: A Hierarchical Model Of Real Option Entry Mode Choices, Luisa Blanco, Rossitza Wooster, W. Charles Sawyer
Equity Commitment Under Uncertainty: A Hierarchical Model Of Real Option Entry Mode Choices, Luisa Blanco, Rossitza Wooster, W. Charles Sawyer
Luisa Blanco
We develop a real option hierarchical model of entry mode choice and test predictions using a sample of US companies in Latin America and the Caribbean between 1980 and 2005. Probit results indicate that the choice between a real option non-equity mode and equity commitment is influenced by previous acquisition experience, R&D and advertising intensities, and country risk. The choice of the more flexible real option JV mode over WOEs is positively related to greater firm size and market-to-book ratio in countries with better infrastructure. In contrast, greater marketing intensity and lower country risk encourage WOEs.
Economic Growth And The Optimal Level Of Entrepreneurship, Catherine Bampoky, Luisa Blanco, Aolong Liu, James Prieger
Economic Growth And The Optimal Level Of Entrepreneurship, Catherine Bampoky, Luisa Blanco, Aolong Liu, James Prieger
Luisa Blanco
What is the “growth penalty” when a country’s entrepreneurship deviates from its optimal level? We use data on entrepreneurship for a panel of developed and developing countries over 2003-2011 to estimate growth equations. We treat the impact of entrepreneurship on real GDP growth as heterogeneous across countries. The methodology accounts for unobserved heterogeneity among countries in the optimal entrepreneurship rate and other factors affecting growth. In less developed countries, there is not enough entrepreneurship, and increases in the entrepreneurship rate have a sizeable positive effect on growth. In high income countries, entrepreneurship appears to be close to the optimum. We …
Effects Of Natural Resource Abundance On Institutions: Which, Where And When?, Luisa Blanco, Jeffrey Nugent, Graham Veenstra
Effects Of Natural Resource Abundance On Institutions: Which, Where And When?, Luisa Blanco, Jeffrey Nugent, Graham Veenstra
Luisa Blanco
Much research has gone into the effects of oil and other natural resources on growth in which political institutions are often seen as the link between the two. Since institutions are difficult to measure and change very slowly over time, the analysis has largely been confined to cross-country comparisons, most frequently investigating the effects on levels of democracy. This paper builds on recent analyses of the effects of oil endowments, prices and exports on democracy to examine the effects on several different types of institutional change, making use of panel data on over 100 countries between 1975 and 2005 wherever …
Crime, Institutions And Sector-Specific Fdi In Latin America, Luisa Blanco, Isabel Ruiz, W. Charles Sawyer, Rossitza Wooster
Crime, Institutions And Sector-Specific Fdi In Latin America, Luisa Blanco, Isabel Ruiz, W. Charles Sawyer, Rossitza Wooster
Luisa Blanco
In this article, we explore how crime and institutions affect the flow of capital in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Latin American and Caribbean countries in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors during the 1996-2010 period. We use three different variables related to violent crime: homicides, crime victimization, and an index of organized crime. We find that there is a correlation between the institutional and crime variables, where the significance of institutional variables tends to disappear when the crime variables are added to the model. We find that higher crime victimization and organized crime are associated with …
A Qualitative Analysis Of The Use Of Financial Services And Saving Behavior Among Older African Americans And Latinos In The Los Angeles Area, Luisa Blanco, Maria Ponce, Arturo Gongora, O. Kenrik Duru
A Qualitative Analysis Of The Use Of Financial Services And Saving Behavior Among Older African Americans And Latinos In The Los Angeles Area, Luisa Blanco, Maria Ponce, Arturo Gongora, O. Kenrik Duru
Luisa Blanco
For this study, we conducted 7 focus groups in the Los Angeles area with a total of 70 participants (42 Latinos and 28 African Americans) recruited from 3 senior centers and a church. Overall, participants were not well prepared for the future in terms of their health care financing. African Americans in the study tended to participate more in the formal financial sector and show a high level of sophistication when managing their finances than Latinos. African Americans also were more likely to save than Latinos, but their level of saving was not very large. We also find that participants …