Economics Commons^™

Capital Growth: Precision Agriculture And Vertical Farming In The Corporate Food Regime, Justin Taylor

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Agriculture in the 21st century has entered a digital age. New technologies emphasize GPS, big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, automation, sensors, and robotics, contributing to two modes of modern food production known as precision agriculture and vertical farming. Through an interdisciplinary review of scientific and social scientific scholarship, this paper examines the ways in which these two technologies interact with the global corporate food regime and explores their impact in core, peripheral, and semi-peripheral countries. It also engages in a discourse analysis of promotional materials and interview statements from precision agriculture and vertical farming firms to expose …

Essays On Wealth Inequality And Asset Pricing, Georgios Koimisis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Economic and financial theories are often found to be in conflict with empirical evidence, suggesting revisions and elaborations of existing models. There are usually many revisions proposed in response to these "puzzles", but often the true resolution may be a factor not yet realized. This dissertation consists of three chapters and contributes to the explanation of a persistent and significant anomaly, the equity premium puzzle, by taking into account the implications of wealth inequality on consumer preferences and, consequently, on asset prices.

The first chapter examines how wealth inequality affects asset prices in a complete market setting. Wealth inequality is …

Macroeconomics Course Outline And Syllabus, Sean P. Macdonald

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

The Core Of Macroeconomic Theory Ii, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

The Macroeconomic Perspective Ii: The Gdp Concept, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

This lecture presents concepts related to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its calculation. It examines nominal versus real GDP.

The Macroeconomic Perspective I: Introduction To Macroeconomics, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

This lecture evaluates concepts of macroeconomics and distinguishes it from microeconomics. It examines the role of government as well as providing a brief history of macroeconomics.

Demand, Supply, And Market Equilibrium, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

This lecture discusses the role of firms and households in the market as well as the circular flow. Market equilibrium, supply, demand and the concept of efficiency are also covered.

Welcome To Economics! The Scope And Method Of Economics, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

This lecture covers concepts, definitions and methods of Economics and discusses how theories and models are used.

Healthcare Coverage In The United States And New York Metropolitan Area, 2009 - 2015, Andrew S. Alger

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This study examines trends regarding health insurance coverage in the United States along lines of sex, race/ethnicity, place of birth, and poverty status between 2009 and 2015.

Methods: This study uses the American Community Survey PUMS (Public User Microdata Series) for the years 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015. These datasets were downloaded from the IPUMS USA website hosted by the University of Minnesota. The variables used in the study describe these populations in terms of sex, the four major race/ethnic groups (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Latino, and Asian), being born either within the United States or abroad, and being …

Immigration And The Public-Private School Choice, Lidia Farre, Francesc Ortega, Ryuichi Tanaka

Publications and Research

This paper empirically analyzes the effects of immigration on the schooling decisions of natives. We employ household-level data for Spain for years 2000-2015, a period characterized by high economic growth and large immigration that was halted by a long and severe recession. Our estimates reveal that increases in immigrant density at the school level triggered an important native flight from tuition-free, public schools toward private ones. We also find strong evidence of cream-skimming as more educated native households are the most likely to switch to private schools in response to immigration. Furthermore, we find that immigration leads to higher student-teacher …

The Balance Of Payments, Exchange Rates And Aggregate Expenditure, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

This lecture examines the effects of the economy’s openness on macroeconomic policy. The three main topics covered in this lecture are: the effect of exports and imports on the Gross Domestic Product; the workings of a foreign exchange market; and the effects of exchange rates on the economy.

Money, The Federal Reserve And The Monetary Policy, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

The Government And Fiscal Policy, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

This lecture discusses the role of fiscal policy: government spending and taxation in the economy. It examines the United States government budget.

Eco 166 Introduction To Macroeconomics, Alexander Núñez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

National income components and their measurement, unemployment rate, and price levels. Determinants of aggregate demand and output. Effects of government spending, taxation, and monetary policy on national income, employment, and the rate of inflation.

Unemployment, Inflation, And Long-Run Growth, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

This lecture covers unemployment, inflation and long-run growth.

The Core Of Macroeconomic Theory I, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

This lecture discusses the AD/AS Model, the Keynesian and neoclassical macroeconomic theories, their differences and perspectives.

Choice In A World Of Scarcity, Alexander Nunez-Torres

Open Educational Resources

This lecture introduces the concepts of scarcity, choice and opportunity costs. It also discusses economics systems and the role of government.

Econ 1401: Microeconomics, Syllabus, Gulgun Bayaz-Ozturk

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Bayesian State Space Representation Model: Applications To Macroeconomics And International Finance, Hiroshi Morita

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation develops three new econometric models using Bayesian state space representation model in order to apply to macroeconomics and international finance. It consists of 3 chapters. Chapter 1 develops a Markov mixture model of macroeconomic fundamentals to analyze the short-run dynamics of foreign exchange rates. In our model, foreign exchange rates are simultaneously determined by three parities: the interest rate parity, the inflation rate parity, and the equity return rate parity. Using four exchange rates: the U.S. dollar price of the British pound, the German mark, the Japanese yen, and the Canadian dollar, the findings are: (1) Our model …

Essays On The Economics Of Driving And Health, Jessica Lynn Peck

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation comprises three essays on the economics of driving and health. The first examines the effect of the ride-hailing service Uber, its launch in New York City in May 2011, and the resulting drunk-driving outcomes in the counties that received service compared with those that did not. The difference-in-differences estimation of this effect implies a 25 to 35 percent decrease in the alcohol-related collision rate for the affected New York City boroughs, or about 40 collisions per month. With differentiated treatment effects for each affected county, the difference-in-differences effect is higher for Manhattan, middling for the Bronx and Brooklyn, …

Essays On Environmental Conditions In Cuba, Gonzalo Cordova

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cuban environmental conditions have not attracted the attention received by otherareas of Cuba's economic performance. Chapter 1 examines selected ambient air pollutants and the use of fossil fuels in Cuba, indicators for which there are relatively better available data, as of the “Special Period” extending into recent years. In contrast with prior anecdotally-driven approaches, the empirical examination aims to specifically identify Cuba's performance and international standing on these indicators through the use of a heterogeneous individual country adaptation of the income-pollution relationship known as the Environmental Kuznets Curve. In response to critiques in the literature, extensive testing of the panel …

Economics, Politics And The Environment, Ron Mandelbaum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Classical economists were interested in macroeconomic issues, i.e. how the economy worked as a whole and how it grew over time. This is opposed to neo-classical economists, which focus on decision-making processes of individuals and individual firms. This thesis sets out to examine how that change occurred and what it means for the way that economics studies the environment. In order to provide a partial answer to this question, this paper describes the different outlooks between classical and neo-classical economists regarding value. It also examines and contrasts the economic approaches of Marx and Mill, whose way of thinking about social …

The Effect Of Expansions In Medicaid Eligibility On Hospital Financial Performance: Evidence From Medicare Cost Reports, Kevin Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Expansions in Medicaid eligibility and effects on profitability for different hospitals are examined using data from Medicare Cost Reports and difference-in-differences analysis. Critical access and disproportionate share hospitals are associated with the largest profitability gains from these expansions. Results imply that vulnerable hospitals are affected most by changes to Medicaid.

For Better, For Worse: The Effect Of Maternity Leave Policy On Divorce Rates, Toni S. Forde

Theses and Dissertations

Prior to 1993, maternity leave legislation in the United States varied from state to state. The implementation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) thus created a “natural experiment” via which we can study the effect of the law on divorce across states.

Business Economics: Data For Decision Making, Brian Barnier, Kevin Foster

Open Educational Resources

Syllabus for a course in data analytics for business economics, focusing on use of source data sets to answer the "why?" questions hidden in aggregate averages used in theory and "headline" news releases. Zero cost course using data available widely on the web. Optional texts are trade books available widely in libraries or used copies at low cost.

On The Relationship Between Economics And Ethics, Mark D. White

Publications and Research

Economics and ethics have been linked since the days of Adam Smith, but this connection became tenuous after the formalization of economic theory in the twentieth century, the success of which in academia, government, and business serves to insulate it from ethical critique. Nonetheless, a field of “economics and ethics” has developed to restore this connection, albeit in two directions with disparate methodological approaches: one applying mainstream economic theory, primarily based in utilitarian ethics, to topics of ethical concern, and the other incorporating alternate forms of ethics, such as deontology and virtue ethics, to enrich economic analysis.

New York City Taxis In An Uber World, Kristin Mammen, Hyoung Suk Shim

Publications and Research

We empirically examine the effect of Uber's presence on the demand for medallion taxi trips in New York City. We estimate the percent change in number of Yellow and Green cab trips given a one percent change in number of Uber rides - the elasticity- using rainfall as an instrumental variable. City­ wide, Uber rides supplement, rather than replace, Yellow and Green cab rides. For Yellow cabs, this result is powered by the area of Manhattan below 110th street; however during the morning rush only, Uber rides replace Yellow cab rides there. These results suggests Uber competition will have quite …

One Staff, Two Branches: The Queens Borough Public Library And New York City's Fiscal Crisis Of The 1970s, Jeffrey A. Kroessler

Publications and Research

During the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, New York City imposed deep budget cuts on the three library systems: the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Borough Public Library. As the city cut budgets, the public demanded that libraries be kept open, and elected officials struggled to do both. The Queens Library’s staff was reduced from over 1,100 to barely 700, with branches open only two or three days a week, with one staff serving both. New buildings remained vacant because the library lacked funds to operate them. When the library proposed closing some branches, …

Crisis And Reorganization In Urban Dynamics: The Barcelona, Spain, Case Study, Rafael De Balanzó Joue, Nuria Rodriguez-Planas

Publications and Research

We use adaptive cycle theory to improve the understanding of cycles of urban change in the city of Barcelona, Spain, from 1953 to 2016. More specifically, we explore the vulnerabilities and windows of opportunity these cycles of change introduced in the release (Ω) and reorganization (α) phases. In the two recurring cycles of urban change analyzed (before and after 1979), we observe two complementary loops. During the front loop, financial and natural resources are efficiently exploited by homogenous dominant groups (private developers, the bourgeoisie, politicians, technocrats) with the objective of promoting capital accumulation based on private (or private-public partnership) investments. …

Eco 167 Introduction To Microeconomics, Juan J. Delacruz

Open Educational Resources

The purpose of this course is to help the student acquire a greater degree of economic literacy to better understand the functioning of our social system. Economics is a technical discipline with its own specialized vocabulary and methodology and is also a subject where informed positions widely diverge. The student is expected to understand as well as to analyze complex social and economic settings. This course starts from how supply and demand cause prices changes leading different market equilibrium. We will examine how market economies are efficient, and the way governments can make our economy less or more efficient. We …