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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Tax Havens And Fdi Spillovers: Implications For Ldcs, Luisa Blanco, Cynthia Rogers Nov 2011

Tax Havens And Fdi Spillovers: Implications For Ldcs, Luisa Blanco, Cynthia Rogers

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Tax competition and spillover models offer ambiguous predictions concerning the economic impact of tax havens on non-tax havens. The implications of tax havens for less developed countries (LDCs), in particular, are not well understood and are little studied. This paper investigates the impact of tax havens on non-tax haven countries in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI). We investigate the importance of agglomeration effects by accounting for the level of FDI inflows as well as the role of geography by measuring proximity to the nearest tax haven. Our analysis yields several interesting findings. First, using panel data for 142 countries, …


Competition Between Tax Havens: Does Proximity Matter?, Luisa Blanco, Cynthia Rogers Nov 2011

Competition Between Tax Havens: Does Proximity Matter?, Luisa Blanco, Cynthia Rogers

School of Public Policy Working Papers

We study whether proximity to the nearest tax haven affects FDI and the number of American affiliates in a tax haven. Our results show that distance to the nearest tax haven is positively related to FDI inflows and the number of American affiliates in tax havens. These findings suggest that there is a harmful competition between tax havens. We also find evidence of positive spillovers: the number of American affiliates in a tax haven is positively related to the number of in its closest neighboring tax haven. This suggests the presence of agglomeration benefits given there is an affiliate in …


The Finance–Growth Link Revisited And The Role Of Institutions As A Source Of Finance In Latin America, Luisa Blanco Oct 2011

The Finance–Growth Link Revisited And The Role Of Institutions As A Source Of Finance In Latin America, Luisa Blanco

School of Public Policy Working Papers

In a panel framework that includes 18 countries, this paper studies the short and long run effect of financial development on economic growth and the determinants of financial development in Latin America. Financial development shows a positive effect on economic growth in the long run, but a negative effect in the short run for the full sample. When the sample is divided by income levels, this result holds only for the high income group. For the low income group, financial development has no significant effect on economic growth in the short run or in the long run. In the analysis …


The Impact Of Insecurity On Democracy And Trust In Institutions In Mexico, Luisa Blanco Oct 2011

The Impact Of Insecurity On Democracy And Trust In Institutions In Mexico, Luisa Blanco

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Using survey data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) and Encuesta Nacional Sobre la Inseguridad (ENSI) for Mexico during the period 2004-2010, this paper analyses the impact of insecurity and crime victimization on support and satisfaction with democracy and trust in institutions. With the LAPOP data, perceptions about higher insecurity decrease support and satisfaction with democracy. Perceptions of insecurity and crime victimization have a negative significant effect on trust in institutions, and this finding is robust to using LAPOP and ENSI data. Perceptions of insecurity and crime victimization have a larger negative effect on trust in institutions that …


Do Tax Havens Really Flourish? Accounting For Endogeneity In Growth Regressions, Luisa Blanco, Cynthia Rogers Sep 2011

Do Tax Havens Really Flourish? Accounting For Endogeneity In Growth Regressions, Luisa Blanco, Cynthia Rogers

School of Public Policy Working Papers

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” …


Verifiable And Non-Verifiable Anonymous Mechanisms For Regulating A Polluting Monopolist, James Prieger, Nicholas J. Sanders Aug 2011

Verifiable And Non-Verifiable Anonymous Mechanisms For Regulating A Polluting Monopolist, James Prieger, Nicholas J. Sanders

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Optimal regulation of a polluting natural monopolist must correct for both external damages and market power to achieve a social optimum. Existing non-Bayesian regulatory methods require knowledge of the demand function, while Bayesian schemes require knowledge of the underlying cost distribution. We introduce mechanisms adapted to use less information. Our Price-based Subsidy (PS) mechanisms give the firm a transfer that matches or approximates the incremental surplus generated each period. The regulator need not observe the abatement activity or know the demand, cost, or damage functions of the firm. All of the mechanisms induce the firm to price at marginal social …


Deployment Of Mobile Broadband Service In The United States, James Prieger, Thomas V. Church Aug 2011

Deployment Of Mobile Broadband Service In The United States, James Prieger, Thomas V. Church

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Broadband deployment in the United States is expanding rapidly but unevenly. Using new FCC census data on wireline and wireless broadband providers, we study mobile broadband provision within the United States. Although rural areas lag non-rural areas in the availability of residential access to both mobile and fixed broadband, mobile broadband is at least partially filling in geographical gaps in fixed-line broadband coverage. Multiple regression results indicate that population density and growth, and the fraction of blacks, Hispanics, and youth in an area are positive predictors of the number of mobile broadband providers. The fraction of Native Americans, Asians, and …


Oust The Louse: Does Political Pressure Discipline Regulators?, James Prieger, Janice A. Hauge, Mark A. Jamison Jun 2011

Oust The Louse: Does Political Pressure Discipline Regulators?, James Prieger, Janice A. Hauge, Mark A. Jamison

School of Public Policy Working Papers

We consider a possible determinant of regulatory decisions by public utility commissioners: the desire to remain in office. We examine regulatory exit, where a regulator leaves a commission during a term or is not re-appointed/re-elected. With data from US states, we empirically investigate several hypotheses motivated by a political agency model of regulatory decision-making. Our empirical results generally support the hypotheses, including that higher electricity prices lead to ousting, that ousting is less common where it is more costly for the principal to whom the regulator reports, and that ousting is more likely where regulators are more accountable or are …


The Evolution Of Public Attitudes Toward Immigration In Europe And The United States, 2000-2010, Joel Fetzer Jan 2011

The Evolution Of Public Attitudes Toward Immigration In Europe And The United States, 2000-2010, Joel Fetzer

Joel Fetzer

This paper documents and analyzes trends in immigration-related public opinion over the past decade in the major North Atlantic countries of the EU-15 and US. Opening with a summary of the international social-scientific literature on the roots of immigration attitudes, the essay next documents changes in the average European’s and American’s views on migration since 2000 using such polls as the Eurobarometer, European Social Survey, World Values Survey, International Social Science Programme, and American National Election Study. A third major section employs over-time statistical models to examine the (minimal) impact of the current economic crisis on such attitudes. Finally, the …


A Dreadful Emancipation: Walter Lippmann’S Critique Of Modernity, Ted Mcallister Jan 2011

A Dreadful Emancipation: Walter Lippmann’S Critique Of Modernity, Ted Mcallister

School of Public Policy Working Papers

As the 1920s came to a close, Lippmann had abandoned most of his progressive shibboleths and had come to understand the great emancipation brought about by science, technology, and intellectual transformations as a particularly dangerous episode in western civilization. The liberation of the many in the great democratic transformation of the modern era did not promise wisdom or the triumph of reason. The rise of science, and particularly of social science, did not prepare the way for an age of objective knowledge and dispassionate debate. In an age of almost unprecedented personal liberty, the dissolution of inherited forms of authority …


The (Non) Effect Of Natural Resource Dependence On Capital Accumulation In Latin America, Luisa Blanco, Robin Grier Jan 2011

The (Non) Effect Of Natural Resource Dependence On Capital Accumulation In Latin America, Luisa Blanco, Robin Grier

School of Public Policy Working Papers

In a simultaneous model of human and physical capital accumulation for 17 Latin American countries from 1975 to 2004, we show that overall resource dependence is not significantly related to physical and human capital. Disaggregating the natural resource variable into subcategories, we find that petroleum export dependence is associated with higher physical capital and lower human capital, while agricultural export dependence is often associated with lower levels of physical capital. All of these effects are quantitatively small, however, casting doubt on the idea that natural resource dependence has stifled the accumulation of capital in the region.


Immigration Regulation, Luisa Blanco, Odinakachi Anyanwu Jan 2011

Immigration Regulation, Luisa Blanco, Odinakachi Anyanwu

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Immigration regulation is defined here as any policy that has the objective of encouraging or discouraging immigration. There are two major categories of immigration regulation: those policies that directly affect the inflow of immigrants and those that influence the everyday lives of immigrants and processes related to the acquisition of legal permanent residency or citizenship. Immigration regulation is quite diverse across time and space; immigration policy is fluid and dynamic and is affected by socioeconomic, cultural, and political factors. Thus, immigration regulation evolves in response to current conditions in a specific country. The role of race in immigration regulation also …


Material Support: Counternarcotics Vs. Counterinsurgency In Afghanistan, Jonathan D. Kulick, Jonathan P. Caulkins, Mark A. R. Kleiman Jan 2011

Material Support: Counternarcotics Vs. Counterinsurgency In Afghanistan, Jonathan D. Kulick, Jonathan P. Caulkins, Mark A. R. Kleiman

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Microeconomic analysis of counternarcotics strategies in Afghanistan suggests that current policies lend material support to the enemy. Vigorous enforcement can increase the flow of funds to insurgents and other parties that profit from trafficking. Rural-development programs, promoted as elements of a counternarcotics strategy, are open to some of the same objections. The benefits of drug-fighting in Afghanistan for consumer countries in Europe and North America are likely to be modest. Anti-corruption efforts in Afghanistan and demand-reduction programs both in Afghanistan and in consumer countries, insofar as they are feasible, could serve both counternarcotics and counterinsurgency objectives.


The Impact Of Spatial Interdependence On Fdi In Latin America, Luisa Blanco Jan 2011

The Impact Of Spatial Interdependence On Fdi In Latin America, Luisa Blanco

School of Public Policy Working Papers

This analysis considers whether spatial interdependence is an important determinant of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Latin America. Two types of spatial interdependence are explored: 1) surrounding market potential and 2) spatial autocorrelation of FDI. Using a sample of 17 Latin American countries, with observations from 1986 to 2006, we find that spatial interdependence matters for world net FDI in the region. Surrounding market potential has a positive effect on FDI of significant magnitude, but there is no evidence that FDI is spatially autocorrelated. Other contributors to FDI in this analysis include governance, specifically control of corruption, and exports of …


The Impact Of Fdi On Co₂ Emissions In Latin America, Luisa Blanco, Fidel Gonzalez, Isabel Ruiz Jan 2011

The Impact Of Fdi On Co₂ Emissions In Latin America, Luisa Blanco, Fidel Gonzalez, Isabel Ruiz

School of Public Policy Working Papers

This paper uses panel Granger causality tests to study the relationship between sector specific FDI and CO2 emissions. Using a sample of 18 Latin American countries for the 1980-2007 period, we find causality running from FDI in polluting intensive industries (“the dirty sector”) to CO2 emissions per capita. This result is robust to controlling for other factors associated with CO2 emissions and using the ratio of CO2 emissions to GDP. For other sectors, we find no robust evidence that FDI causes CO2 emissions.


Explaining The Rise Of The Left In Latin America, Luisa Blanco, Robin Grier Jan 2011

Explaining The Rise Of The Left In Latin America, Luisa Blanco, Robin Grier

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Latin American politics has taken a left-hand turn in the last decade, with an increasing number of chief executives hailing from left-of-center parties. We investigate the political and socio-economic factors explaining political ideology of the chief executive in a sample of 100 elections taking place between 1975 and 2007 in eighteen Latin American countries. We find that the commodity booms in agricultural, mining and oil are positively and significantly related to the probability that a country will have a chief executive from a left-of-center political party. However, for oil exports, we observe that this effect only holds for Venezuela. We …


In The Aftermath Of The Financial Crisis Of 2008: What Have We Learned?, Luisa Blanco, Michael Crouch Jan 2011

In The Aftermath Of The Financial Crisis Of 2008: What Have We Learned?, Luisa Blanco, Michael Crouch

School of Public Policy Working Papers

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 …


Unions Matter, John S. Thomas Jan 2011

Unions Matter, John S. Thomas

Pepperdine Policy Review

Unions invested heavily in the last statewide election in California. It is worthwhile to examine the correlation between the political candidates’ campaign war chests and union political funding. Meg Whitman, while largely self-funded, suffered a massive defeat at the hands of Jerry Brown. A credible argument can be made that Jerry Brown’s message resonated, while Whitman was simply out of touch with the average California voter. On the surface this might be true, but digging deeper into the campaigns reveals another story. Jerry Brown was the beneficiary of over $30 million spent by unions on negative advertising against Meg Whitman, …


Message From The Editor, Alexander N. Fondrier Jan 2011

Message From The Editor, Alexander N. Fondrier

Pepperdine Policy Review

Editor's introduction.


Against Doom And Gloom, Michael Crouch Jan 2011

Against Doom And Gloom, Michael Crouch

Pepperdine Policy Review

Popular economic literature has been overcome by competition for trendy titles and unique subject matter. After all, authors dealing with topics other than the current financial crisis must provide publishers a reason to put out the book, and prompt readers to want to look at it. Yet, Matt Ridley seems to rise above it all in his most recent book, The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (excepting, perhaps, his provocatively titled prologue). Ridley, a journalist by trade, has previously written about the fields of genetics and evolution and his skills make him a natural at answering two questions: how did …


The Political And Economic Implications Of The Asian Carp Invasion, Thomas Just Jan 2011

The Political And Economic Implications Of The Asian Carp Invasion, Thomas Just

Pepperdine Policy Review

“Asian carp will kill jobs and ruin our way of life.”1 Such is the sentiment expressed by Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox and many other politicians and interest groups in the Great Lakes Region. The invasion of non-native species into the Great Lakes is a public policy problem that has the ability to severely damage the region’s environment and economy. Alterations to the region’s waterways have led to the threat of invasive species overwhelming, and in fact, destroying the natural ecosystem of the world’s largest body of freshwater. The issue of invasive species has resulted in a clash between numerous …


Here And Back Again: Us National Security Interest In The Arab/Israeli Conflict, Miriam Keim Jan 2011

Here And Back Again: Us National Security Interest In The Arab/Israeli Conflict, Miriam Keim

Pepperdine Policy Review

It would be easy to characterize the Arab/Israeli conflict as simply a religious disagreement: fiery rhetoric, often fueled by religious beliefs, is preached by both sides as to the legitimacy of the existence of Israel. Religion cannot be completely removed from the equation, as many contested sites, particularly in Jerusalem, have deep religious significance to Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. However, the main motivator behind the conflict is land, with both Israelis and Palestinians claiming their rights to the area now known as Israel, as well as the disputed Occupied Territories, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.1 Any …


Twitter: A Platform For Political Discourse Or Social Networking, Timothy Nguyen Jan 2011

Twitter: A Platform For Political Discourse Or Social Networking, Timothy Nguyen

Global Tides

Previous research on new media has largely focused on the potential media effects of alternative news sources on their viewers. The effects of these studies have been limited, however, to the narrow audiences targeted by the increasingly polarizing alternative news sources. The advent and popularization of social networks has provided a reason to suspect that, for the first time, alternative news sources are making their way to the mainstream general public. In this study, I examine a new political and media environment that encourages the interaction between the politically inattentive public and polarized and alternative news sources – a link …


Engagement And Disengagement: Rethinking Somalia, Ethan Hamilton Jan 2011

Engagement And Disengagement: Rethinking Somalia, Ethan Hamilton

Global Tides

This paper outlines three international policy options for Somalia in an effort to begin working towards solving the issues that have plagued the Horn of Africa for over 40 years. A short introduction summarizing Somalia’s tumultuous history precedes an examination of the three policy options. The first proposal, as supported and practiced by the U.S. State Department, is an interventionist policy involving political, economic, and in the past, military intervention. The policy would continue to allow the U.S. to closely monitor Somalia’s struggling government in an effort to maintain and protect its regional interests. The second proposal reconsiders Somaliland’s de …


The Marginalization Of Afro-Asians In East Asia: Globalization And The Creation Of Subculture And Hybrid Identity”, Sierra Reicheneker Jan 2011

The Marginalization Of Afro-Asians In East Asia: Globalization And The Creation Of Subculture And Hybrid Identity”, Sierra Reicheneker

Global Tides

This article explores the topic of children born of biracial couplings in East Asia. The offspring of such unique unions face severe discrimination and marginalization. The status and future of this minority is especially salient in primarily homogenous states, such as Korea, Japan, and China, where racism varies from social stigma to institutionalized policies. The article will show that they have yet to create a cohesive group identity; they remain vulnerable to negative self image and socially imposed isolation. In such nations, progress in equality for Afro-Asians will require key Afro-Asian leaders and public figures taking a stand against prejudices, …


Fair Trade Coffee In A Global Economy, Taylor Clayton Jan 2011

Fair Trade Coffee In A Global Economy, Taylor Clayton

Global Tides

As conscientious shoppers, the fair trade label we see on the coffee we drink from Starbucks and the bananas we buy at the natural food market often assure us of our ethical consumer choices. We should, however, question the accuracy of this marketing to find out where the products we buy actually come from. Are these goods truly traded fairly? Do these products provide equitable wages to farmers and their families in the Southern Hemisphere? This paper will inspect the current state of the fair trade industry as well as offer suggestions for improvement. The positive outcomes of true fair …


The Path To Prosperity In Afghanistan And Central Asia: Obstacles At The Crossroads, Owen Lloyd Jan 2011

The Path To Prosperity In Afghanistan And Central Asia: Obstacles At The Crossroads, Owen Lloyd

Global Tides

Despite America’s lengthy nation-building project in Afghanistan, many Afghans still lack the basic resources and security necessary for a viable nation. Furthermore, the insecurity in Afghanistan is increasingly spilling over into their neighbors, stressing an already fragile region. While we in the West have largely forgotten Afghanistan, its neighbors look on with trepidation as they prepare for potential unrest. With vast amounts of natural resources and increased competition between the Russians and Chinese over the region, Afghanistan and its insecurity could lead to continued Central Asian economic and political stagnation. Despite the dangers in failure, inconsistent action and a destabilizing …


Given The Choice: Family Values In California’S Largest School Districts, Raija Churchill Jan 2011

Given The Choice: Family Values In California’S Largest School Districts, Raija Churchill

Pepperdine Policy Review

Through a quantitative analysis of twenty-five school districts, which are among the state’s largest, this research asks what policies school districts choose to implement when California’s Education Code gives them freedom to adopt or ignore policies that impact traditional moral beliefs and parental rights. These beliefs recognize that parents hold primary responsibility—and therefore, primary authority—when it comes to deciding questions such as sexual education.


The Merida Initiative: An Effective Way Of Reducing Violence In Mexico?, Sabrina Abu-Hamdeh Jan 2011

The Merida Initiative: An Effective Way Of Reducing Violence In Mexico?, Sabrina Abu-Hamdeh

Pepperdine Policy Review

In October 2007, the United States and Mexico announced the Merida Initiative, a $1.4 billion proposal for US assistance in Mexico and Central America’s drug war for FY 2008-FY 2010.8 For the 2008 fiscal year, Congress allocated $400 million for Mexico and $65 million for Central America. This marked a shift in US foreign drug policy, as until this time Colombia had been the main recipient of US aid, not Mexico. According to the US Department of State, Colombia received $600 million for FY 2006, while Mexico received approximately $40 million.9 As the US enters its fourth year of Merida …


The Impact Of The Global Financial Crisis On Sub-Saharan Africa, Odinakachi J. Anyanwu Jan 2011

The Impact Of The Global Financial Crisis On Sub-Saharan Africa, Odinakachi J. Anyanwu

Pepperdine Policy Review

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the global financial crisis on the growth and development of sub-Saharan Africa and to discuss the policy implications of the crisis. Understanding the impact of the global financial crisis on sub-Saharan Africa is of critical importance because of the continent’s severe volatility. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the largest number of low-income countries in the world; more than fifty percent of the population lives on less than US $1.25 per day.1 The region is also plagued with country-specific political problems, which are at risk of exacerbation by increasing levels …