Economics Commons^™

Organizing In The Garment Industry In Mexico: Implications For New Social Movement Theory, Victoria Carty

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

This paper examines attempts to improve workers' rights in the Maquila Industry in Mexico by using two case studies. It analyzes the struggles that recently occurred at the Kukdong and Duro plants. The underlying question of the research is how to balance the co-existence of market economies with effective means to ensure adequate conditions for workers, and most importantly, ensuring their right to freedom of association. Under recent forms of global economic restructuring, the state is often unwilling or unable to uphold workers' rights. To combat the present form of corporate-driven global capitalism, workers in the South, in solidarity with …

Sozialpolitik Anders Denken. Das Verursacherprinzip – Von Der Umweltpolitischen Zur Sozialpolitischen Anwendung, Isidor Wallimann, Esteban Piñeiro

Books

The “polluter pays” principle in environmental law assumes that the actor would reduce or avoid adverse effects of his actions if he had to bear the consequences of those actions (internalization of effects). Such internalization can generally be done in two ways: either by avoiding or eliminating the harmful effects or by wearing the financial consequences of the injury. It is therefore on the one hand to have an incentive effect, on the other to a compensatory effect.

Pineiro and Wallimann apply these societal cost principles from the environmental world to the social realm, where social problems can be seen …

The Economic Challenges For The New Chinese Leadership, Yue Ma, Ping Wang

CAPS Working Paper Series

"The Impact of China's Accession to the WTO" 中國入世後的初步分析

This paper will first review the early concerns about China's entry to the WTO. Then we will evaluate the preliminary impact of the WTO membership on the Chinese economy, which turned out to be better than expected. We also discuss the current international debate on the Chinese currency renminbi revaluation and suggest that a gradual improvement of the current Chinese rigid exchange rate system will be inevitable.

Finally we will explore the potential problems and challenges to both economies of mainland China and Hong Kong in the future. We argue that …

Political Barriers And The Transmission Of Monetary Policy Across States: The New England Antebellum Banking Market, Andrew J. Economopoulos

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

The New England antebellum banking market was examined to understand the interaction of political ideology and economic forces. With each state controlling bank entry, hence the money supply, political ideology could impede the supply of money within a state. However, the monetary forces from neighboring states may have influenced the degree to which parties held true to their political ideology. The results indicate that political ideology was an effective barrier in two of the six states, while three states were responsive to neighbor states' monetary policy regardless of political ideology. These states responded by creating new banks, raising existing capital …

Growing Disparities Among Greater Boston Communities During The 1990s, David Terkla

Economics Faculty Publication Series

During the 1990s, rich communities in the Greater Boston area got richer, and the richest made gains that were proportionally greater than the gains made by those communities only slightly less rich. At the same time, the poorest communities stayed poor, and in fact became more poor in comparison with communities slightly less poor. This dynamic is even more striking when the ten poorest communities are compared and contrasted with the ten wealthiest communities. Census figures show a rapidly expanding differential between the communities of the Greater Boston area. As a commonwealth, we should be considering policies designed to ameliorate …

Social Security's Earnings Test Penalty And The Employment Rates Of Elderly Men Aged 65 To 69, Stephen Rubb

WCBT Faculty Publications

Social Security provides retirement income to eligible elderly individuals who reach age 62 and apply for benefits. Beyond this age, some recipients continue to work on a full- or part-time basis. The Social Security Administration reduces the annual level of benefits for those recipients who have earnings above a specified amount known as the earnings test threshold. Effective in 1990, the earnings test penalty for a person aged 65 to 69 was reduced from 50 cents to 33 cents for every dollar earned in excess of the annually adjusted threshold. The labor supply response to the 1990 reduction in the …

The Political Economy Of Perverse Financial Liberalization: Examples From The Asian Crisis, Nancy Neiman Auerbach, Thomas D. Willett

Scripps Faculty Publications and Research

Debates continue to rage about the causes of recent currency and financial crises around the globe and their implications for the desirability of domestic and international financial liberalization. Beneath the heated exchanges of the most vocal disputants, a quiet consensus is beginning to emerge among serious scholars and policy officials. The big lesson from these crises is that while financial liberalization is still a desirable goal, it must be approached very carefully. It’s not just that without the proper pre-conditions liberalization will not provide full benefits. The results can sometimes be disastrous. What was once considered to be an arcane …

The East Asian Model Of Economic Development And Developing Countries, Jong H. Park

Faculty Articles

This paper examines the debate on the East Asian model of economic development in light of the different approaches undertaken by different groups of countries (economies) in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. The common strengths and weaknesses shared by the East Asian countries (economies) have helped to reinforce the misconception that there is a single East Asian model of economic development. There are, however, significant differences in economic structures as well as development experiences among the East Asian economies, especially between the economic development paradigms of Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. Nonetheless, one single common thread underlies the differences in …

Us Social Security Rules In The 1990s: A Natural Experiment In Myopic And Farsighted Behaviour, Stephen D. Rubb

WCBT Faculty Publications

During the 1990s changes in the earnings test threshold and the delayed retirement credit had the potential to impact the labour supply of 65 to 69-year-olds. These changes in Social Security rules are used to examine whether labour supply behaviour of elderly men and women is 'myopic' or 'farsighted'. Men are found to be more farsighted than previously realized, perhaps due to increases in life expectancy.

Active Labor Market Programs: Conceptual Framework, Christopher J. O'Leary

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

A Tale Of Two Decades: Changes In Work And Earnings In Massachusetts, 1979–1999, Randy Albelda, Marlene Kim

Economics Faculty Publication Series

Over the past twenty years, Massachusetts has replaced the mantle of old-style manufacturing with a robust “new economy.” Our economic vitality has never been better. But not all individuals benefited from the 1990s boom as they had from the one a decade earlier. Some of our residents are worse off than they were before.

A Positive Political Model Of Supreme Court Economic Decisions, Tony Caporale, Harold Winter

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

We develop a positive political model of the U.S. Supreme Court. Looking at the Court's economic cases for the period 1953-1993, we find a significant larger fraction of conservative decisions under Republican presidents and more conservative leadership of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. Conservative decisions are also found to be positively correlated with the fraction of the Court appointed by Republican presidents and the rate of price inflation. We argue that our findings cast serious doubt on the common view of the Supreme Court as a completely independent, apolitical institution.

The Role Of Government In Managing Corporate Distress After The 1997 Financial Crisis : Theories And Case Studies Of Selected Malaysian Corporations, Sook Ching Wong

Student Works (2000-2009)

The 1997 Asian financial crisis reversed over two decades of unprecedented and amazing economic growth in the eight High-Performing Asian Economies (HPAEs) including Malaysia. The interwoven relationship of banks and corporations have created a symbiosis that can be extreme in its effects. Given the circumstances facing these corporations, it may be imperative and therefore justifiable for some appropriate government intervention to check and reverse problems of insolvency, bankruptcy and declining real output. There are numerous means of assisting financially distressed corporations, some more effective than others, often depending on circumstances. "Success" or "failure" depends on the magnitude of assistance, how …

Estimation Of The Equilibrium Exchange Rate In Malaysia, Ying Foong Yoong

Student Works (2000-2009)

In this study, we examine the long-nm relationships of the exchange rate of ringgit Malaysia through three difference methods. Firstly, we estimate the ringgit Malaysia with a simple Big Mac index. The results show that the ringgit Malaysia is undervalued since 1993. Secondly, we used the co-integrating techniques to examine the long-run relationship of the exchange rate of ringgit Malaysia against United States dollar vis-a-vis other Asian currencies, namely Japanese yen and Singapore dollar against United States dollar. The short-term impact of these variables are also estimated by an error-correction model. Our results show that the Purchasing Power Parity does …

Reflections On Market Reform In Post-War, Post-Embargo Vietnam, Lan Cao

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Have 401(K)S Raised Household Savings? Evidence From The Health And Retirement Study, Gary V. Engelhart

Center for Policy Research

The most popular tax subsidy to household saving in the United States is the 401(k)-type pension arrangement, which subsidizes saving through income-tax deferral on wages and salary dedicated to retirement saving and through investment accrual at the pre-tax interest rate. Although enabled by legislation in 1978, 401(k) plans effectively were not adopted until the Internal Revenue Service issued clarifying rules in 1981. Since then, they have grown remarkably and become the primary vehicle for retirement saving. In 1996, 33 percent of all private pension assets, 33 percent of all pension plans, and 45 percent of all active pension participants were …

Pre-Retirement Lump-Sum Pension Distributions And Retirement Income Security: Evidence From The Health And Retirement Study, Gary V. Engelhart

Center for Policy Research

This paper uses data from the 1992 and 1998 Waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine the extent of retirement wealth erosion from pre-retirement lump-sum distributions. There is little evidence that spent distributions have resulted in significant pension leakage. If spent distributions had been rolled over into a tax-qualified plan instead, they would have represented in present value between 5 and 11 percent of pension and Social Security wealth for the median household that spent a distribution. However, one-quarter of the households that spent distributions—which is 2.25 percent of all households age 51 to 61—could have increased …

The Reforms Of China's State Enterprises, The Bank System And The Relationship Between Them, Zheng Li

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

China's economic reform is now at a critical stage ofrestructuring the financial sector and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Although refonns have accomplished much over the past two decades, many problems still exist in these two sectors. Chinese banks and enterprises influence and interweave with each other. The banks can't operate fuJly as commercial banks until the principal borrowers are fully reformed. SOEs cannot become profitable unless the banking system is commercialized and stops making poHcy loans to the money-losing enterprises. How can China reform its banking system and SOEs to achieve sustained long-term growth? This study focuses on the reform of …

The Reforms Of China's State Enterprises, The Bank System And The Relationship Between Them, Zheng Li

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

China's economic reform is now at a critical stage ofrestructuring the financial sector and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Although reforms have accomplished much over the past two decades, many problems still exist in these two sectors. Chinese banks and enterprises influence and interweave with each other. The banks can't operate fully as commercial banks until the principal borrowers are fully reformed. SOEs cannot become profitable unless the banking system is commercialized and stops making policy loans to the money-losing enterprises. How can China reform its banking system and SOEs to achieve sustained long-term growth? This study focuses on the reform of …

The Role Of Microsimulation In Longitudinal Data Analysis, Douglas A. Wolf

Center for Policy Research

The term “microsimulation” has been linked to a range of tools and techniques that are finding growing use in empirical social science applications. This paper considers one such area, namely the potential for microsimulation to serve the needs of the data analyst, in contrast to the more common use of microsimulation by the model user. Furthermore, the focus is on longitudinal rather than cross-sectional data analysis. The paper identifies several types of longitudinal data modeling approaches in which microsimulation is particularly relevant, suggesting algorithms with which to conduct such microsimulations. Microsimulation can be used to extend the range of inferences …

Domestic Public Debt In Egypt: Magnitude, Structure, And Consequences, Gouda Abdel-Khalek

Faculty Book Chapters

[abstract not provided]

Chasing The Elderly: Can State And Local Governments Attract Recent Retirees?, William Duncombe, Mark Robbins, Douglas A. Wolf

Center for Policy Research

Recruiting recent retirees to relocate from elsewhere has become an important economic development strategy in an increasing number of states. State governments have planned or enacted a variety of tax and fee incentives to lure retirees. The objective of this paper is to determine whether states can, in fact, influence the retirement destination of elder households using fiscal tools. To estimate the determinants of retiree location decisions we have developed an extensive data set on county attributes, and a methodology for estimating an individual-level discrete-choice model for a very large number of potential locations. Using 1990 county-to-county migration data, we …

Association Between Body Size And Mortality In Later Life, Christine L. Himes

Center for Policy Research

The rising prevalence of obesity in the United States has focused attention on the health consequences of excess weight. Obesity is linked to many of the major causes of death in the United States, including heart disease, some types of cancer, strokes, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. However, the effects of body size on mortality and health among the elderly are much less clear. This paper extends our current understanding of the relationship between body size and mortality by using two nationally representative, longitudinal datasets of individuals at older ages. These analyses indicate that obesity may not contribute greatly to increased mortality …

Welcome Address, J. O. Sanusi

Bullion

Welcome Address presented by the formal Central Bank Governor, Mr. J. O. Sanusi. The seminar was the sixth of its kind and collaborated with inter agencies with a view to examines the Federal Government Budget for the year 2000.

Patterns Of Time Use Of People Age 55 To 64 Years Old: Some Cross-National Comparisons, Anne H. Gauthier, Timothy M. Smeeding

Center for Policy Research

Objectives. This paper examines the patterns of time use of adults age 55 to 64 years old in six countries: Austria, Canada, Finland, Italy, Sweden, and the United States. It examines the discontinuity in daily activities by employment status and gender. Methods. The paper uses nationally representative samples from time use surveys carried out in each country. We compute aggregate patterns of time use by employment status and gender for seven categories of activities: personal activities, paid work, unpaid work, housework, social leisure, active leisure, and passive leisure. We also compute dissimilarity indices to measure the degree of discontinuity in …

Soziale Arbeit Und Ökonomie : Politische Ökonomie - Arbeitsmärkte - Sozialpolitik Grenzen Der Ökonomisierung - Soziale Ökonomie Gemeinwesenentwicklung - Bürgergesellschaft, Susanne Elsen, Dietrich Lange, Isidor Wallimann

Books

Globalization has seen the removal of borders and increased global flows of capital and goods and services, changing the employment landscape, pressuring revenues and social-welfare spending of modern welfare states. This collection of essays brings together perspectives from different disciplines to discuss the role globalization has had on social policies of the modern welfare state and the changing relationship between social policy, social work and the economy, describes its consequences and presents innovative approaches for action.

A Rejoinder To Abraham Hirsch, Samuel Hollander, Sandra J. Peart

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

The dispute between Hollander and Peart, and Hirsch, turns on the nature and role of verification in Mill’s perception of the appropriate method for Political Economy. Professor Hirsch maintains against us that, for Mill, the models constructed by political economists are insulated from verification. His case is based on two counterclaims. First, that when Mill writes of “verification” in Book III of the Logic, he has in mind a procedure differing from that appropriate for Political Economy, which allows only “indirect verification” (outlined in Book VI). Hirsch finds that Hollander and Peart confuse the two. Secondly, since the contexts …

Shrinking Kin Networks In Italy Due To Sustained Low Fertility, Cecilia Tomassini, Douglas A. Wolf

Center for Policy Research

Among the closely watched demographic trends of the late 20th Century is a pronounced drop in fertility rates throughout much of the world. Italy presents a particularly interesting case for study: in 1960, Italy’s total fertility rate (TFR) was 2.41; by 1995 it had fallen to 1.17. According to United Nations projections, by 2050 Italy will be the second oldest country in the world, with 3.4 persons aged 60 or older for each person under age 15. Besides overall population aging, another implication of sustained low fertility is smaller families and kin groups. We investigate the consequences of projected changes …

Testimony Before The Working Group On The Benefit Implications Of The Growth In The Contingent Workforce: U.S. Department Of Labor, Susan N. Houseman

Testimonies

No abstract provided.

The Des Analysis/Evaluation Plan: Task 4, Report 8, H. Allan Hunt, Kelly Derango, Richard V. Burkhauser, J. S. Butler, Westat, Inc., W.E. Upjohn Institute For Employment Research

Reports

No abstract provided.