Economics Commons^™

An Informal Review Of The Crisis Of Global Capitalism: A Letter To George Soros, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

The author presents a review and critique of George Soros' The Crisis in Global Capiltalism, published by Public Affairs press in 1998, and attempts to draw attention to systems-theoretic ideas that pertain to the arguments proposed by Soros.

Climate, Water Navigability, And Economic Development, Andrew D. Mellinger, Jeffrey D. Sachs, John Luke Gallup

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Geographic information systems (GIS) data was used on a global scale to examine the relationship between climate (ecozones), water navigability, and economic development in terms of GDP per capita. GDP per capita and the spatial density of economic activity measured as GDP per km2 are high in temperate ecozones and in regions proximate to the sea (within 100 km of the ocean or a sea-navigable waterway). Temperate ecozones proximate to the sea account for 8 percent of the world’s inhabited land area, 23 percent of the world’s population, and 53 percent of the world’s GDP. The GDP densities in temperate …

Portable Wood Burning Camp Stove: United States Patent, John B. Hall Professor

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portable camp stove, wherein solid-fuel, especially of dried tree and bush twigs, is burned upon a supporting fuel grate positioned at bottom of a combustion-chamber. Solid-fuel is added directly into the combustion-chamber during operation through alligned stoke holes in a chimney and a vented-fire-ring, and then dropped vertically downward through an exhaust vent. Air for primary combustion is drawn into the combustion-chamber through a ring of intake apertures adjacent to and above the stove's bottom plate. Stove's outer wall is spaced apart from the wall of the combustion-chamber and the two walls are joined together and sealed by a top …

The Role Of Soil Test Information In Reducing Groundwater Pollution, Ronald A. Fleming, Richard M. Adams, David E. Ervin

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Testing soils for nutrients is expected to improve groundwater quality. However, it is unknown whether soil testing will improve groundwater quality sufficiently to decrease the demand for direct regulation of agricultural practices. Focusing on an irrigated agricultural region in eastern Oregon, the economic and environmental aspects of soil testing are assessed using a spatially distributed, dynamic simulation model which links economic behavior with the physical processes that determine groundwater quality. Results indicate that soil testing of all fields increases farm profits and reduces groundwater nitrate concentration. However, the benefits are small in terms of potential improvements in groundwater quality.

Will Business-Led Environmental Initiatives Grow In Agriculture?, Sandra S. Batie, David E. Ervin

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article was stimulated by a 1997 American Agricultural Economics Association annual meeting preconference designed by Batie and Ervin. The authors felt that there was considerable interest and activity in business-led environmental management (also caLLed corporate environmental management)-but most of the interest was found outside of the agricultural sector and the profession. The conference was a means to investigate the extent, motivation, and consequences of business-led poLLution prevention activities. The DuPont and the StahLbush Island Farms examples used in this article were drawn from discussions that took place at the conference and which were published in the proceedings. In the …

Evaluating Modernization And Dependency Explanations Of The Unequal Distribution Of Income In Developing Countries, Paul Timothy Shattuck

Dissertations and Theses

This paper tests two different theoretical explanations of the causes of the unequal distribution of income in less developed countries using data from circa 1990. There are several reasons for examining this much-studied topic. First, as described in the previous research findings chapter below, there is no consensus in the literature regarding the relative effects of modernization and dependency variables on income inequality. Determining the independent effects of the two models is still an open ended question. Second, the availability of more recent data provides us with an opportunity to check the possibility that previous findings were partly due to …

Leaner Environmental Policies For Agriculture, David E. Ervin, Elisabeth A. Graffy

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Farmers and ranchers face a most troubling dilemma. Complex political forces have mapped two quite different paths to environmental management-a rollback of federal regulations or a buildup of traditional subsidies. In the words of a famous modern philosopher, "When you reach a fork in the road, take it!" But either choice poses risk for the industry and will not likely ameliorate nettlesome environmental problems. A third path could help the industry maintain competitiveness and meet environmental challenges. This path uses me latest science to identify agroenvironmental problems and emphasizes economically attractive technology to sustain environmental improvements.

A New Era Of Water Quality Management In Agriculture: From Best Management Practices To Watershed-Based Whole Farm Approaches, David E. Ervin

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Why is reducing water pollution from agriculture such a stubbornly slow process? Despite several policy initiatives since the 1970s, farms and ranches rank as the primary contributors to impairments of the nation's surface waters [U.S.EPA, 1994b]. Emerging research also points to agricultural chemicals in many cases of groundwater contamination [Barbash and Resek; Mueller, et al.]. After a little reflection, the industry's negative distinction may not be surprising. Covering nearly half the U.S. land base, crop and livestock production inevitably alter natural vegetative cover, apply fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation water, and involve animal wastes. All of these processes can degrade water …

The English Crown's Foreign Debt, 1544-1557, Wayne M. Kline

Dissertations and Theses

As background to an investigation of the crown's foreign borrowing from 1544 though 1557, this thesis examines the general fiscal situation of the mid-Tudor Commonwealth with special emphasis on the great inflation of the 16th century, the role of Antwerp in European finance, and the relationship between war and English fiscal policy. It then examines in detail the creation of the debt under Henry VIII, its development into a standard feature of state finance under Edward VI, and its liquidation under Mary. Information on England and English crown finance was drawn principally from published primary sources while information on the …

Labor Productivity In Wood Products: Using Interviews To Supplement Statistical Estimates, Anthony M. Rufolo, Lois M. Bronfman, James G. Strathman

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

In 1986 the wood products industry in Oregon was producing more output than in 1979 but with about fifteen percent fewer workers. The employment decline in the wood products industry in Oregon can be traced to a variety of causes, including reductions in timber harvest and changes in output mix between the more labor-intensive plywood production and the less labor-intensive lumber production; but increasing labor productivity in the industry was a major factor. Despite substantial amounts of research regarding such productivity increases, there is still ample room for debate about the specific causes of the observed productivity improvement.

In section …

Structural Change And Employment Decline In Oregon's Wood Products Industry, James G. Strathman, Anthony M. Rufolo, Lois M. Bronfman

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Employment in the wood products industry in Oregon has declined over the past decade despite a recent resurgence in demand for the industry's products. Reviewing employment and productivity data over the last decade, it is apparent that wood products employment in the state has been reduced as a result of productivity increases. Thus the industry processed more timber in 1986 than in 1979, but with about fifteen percent fewer workers. Continued reductions in wood products employment pose potentially serious adjustment problems because much of rural Oregon remains heavily dependent economically on the industry. There are also indications that timber supply …

Employment Decline I Timber Dependent Regions, Anthony M. Rufolo, James G. Strathman, Lois M. Bronfman

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Employment in the wood products industry in Oregon has declined over the past decade despite the resurgence in demand for the products of the industry in the last few years. Because of the dependency of rural regions on this industry, the Ford Foundation funded the authors to undertake a study of the causes and consequences of employment decline within the industry. Such information can contribute to the development of strategies for improving the economic viability of these regions.

Tunber dependent regions in Oregon fit the classic export-base model of economic development These areas produce wood products for export to other …

Portland State University's Impact On The Portland Smsa Economy, James G. Strathman

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Portland State University's contribution to the metropolitan Portland economy is both diverse and considerable. A 1982 study estimated that the expenditures made by the University, its faculty and staff, and its full-time students generated over $150 million in gross output in the region. Given the changes that have taken place over the past five years, a re-examination of the University's economic impacts is warranted. This report examines Portland State University's contribution to metropolitan economic activity based on data from the 1985-86 academic year.

The approach taken in this report differs in several respects from the 1982 study. In addition to …

German-Czech Conflict In Cisleithania: The Question Of The Ethnographic Partition Of Bohemia, 1848-1919, Nicholas Aldorde

Dissertations and Theses

Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, the former Crownlands of Austria-Hungary which now make up the western half of Czechoslovakia, had for centuries a population mixture of 40% German, 60% Czech. The national reawakening of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries pitted the majority Czechs against their German minority master. This, coupled with the social upheavals caused by the industrial revolution, brought Czechs and Germans in Bohemia to center stage in the nationality conflict in the multinational Empire.

Structures Of Daily Life : The Material Culture Of Surry County, Virginia, 1690-1715, Anna Louise Hawley

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of the material culture of Surry County, Virginia for the years 1690 to 1715, based on an analysis of 221 probate inventories. The inventories were divided by decades and then ranked by total appraised value. The bottom 30%, lower middle 30, upper middle 30% and the top 10% are described and changes over time examined. The picture of Surry that emerges is that of a poor county which was, nevertheless, a place of opportunity for the poorer sections of society. The bottom 60% of Surry's residents profited from the brief boom in the tobacco market (1696- …

The Impact Of The Multinational Corporations On Leading Issues And Policy Making In Less Developed Countries (A Case Study On Kenya), Wamukota Francis W. Wambalaba

Dissertations and Theses

The era of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) is so significant in the development of the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) as was the era of the Industrial Revolution in the development of the now More Developed countries (MDCs). It could be referred to as one of the major economic frontiers in the LDCs as is the computer frontier in the MDCs now. Naturally, there are problems of distrust, fear of eventual crisis, uncertainty of the correct path and a pain in policy making. Coupled with the North/South delicate relationship, the MNC's acceptability in LDCs is of mixed feelings.

In this paper, we …

Integration In West Africa: An Empirical Examination Of Ecowas, Stephen C. Adkisson

Dissertations and Theses

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established by treaty in 1975 to promote the economic and political well-being of its 16 regional members. As a coordinated effort of geographically associated states ECOWAS joins an expanding group of regional integration schemes created by developing countries.

As an international organization with some claim to supranational authority the success of the ECOWAS scheme is of practical and theoretical importance. Success in this sense implies an increasing level of interaction among the ECOWAS members and the development of a regional economic and political position toward non-member states. This coordination of member …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Shift/Share Technique For Employment Forecasting, Larry Mccord

Dissertations and Theses

This research project has developed out of the desire to empirically test and evaluate the technique of shift/share analysis as applied to employment forecasting. Shifts in economic growth and more recently, the fast growth patterns on the West Coast have required the development of analytical techniques to forecast regional employment growth. Several methodologies have been applied to this problem including: regression analysis and trend extrapolation, economic base studies, and shift/share analysis.

Entropy Measures In Input-Output Analysis, Martin Zwick, Abbas Heiat

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Applications of Shannon's entropy measure to the matrices of technical and interdependence coefficients, to the final demand vector, and to other aspects of input- output tables are proposed. These entropy measures serve as indices of different types of economic diversity. The relevance of such indices for economic planning and for analyses of economic structural complexity and development is discussed.

Institutional Economics And Urban Political Economy, Forrest Clinton Blodgett

Dissertations and Theses

The emergence of a complex and highly urbanized industrial society has inspired great study of urbanization and urban phenomena by social scientists. Unfortunately, most social scientists study urbanology within the relatively narrow confines of their particular disciplines. Sociologists concentrate on urban phenomena arising out of human-group relationships, while political scientists concentrate on units of urban government and intergovernmental relations. Likewise, economists study urbanology from a market perspective while geographers tend to concentrate on urban location theory and historians are concerned about the history of urbanization. Moreover, urban planners and research specialists are principally practitioners who receive and attempt to apply …

"Energy Resources", Harrison Scott Brown

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

With: Salter, C. L. The urban enigma.

Thought, Word And Deed In The Mid-Tudor Commonwealth : Sir Thomas Smith And Sir William Cecil In The Reign Of Edward Vi, Ann B. Clark

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the general economic and intellectual climate of the mid-Tudor Commonwealth as a background for a specific study of the financial reforms instituted by Edward VI's government while the Duke of Northumberland controlled the Privy Council. The philosophy behind these measures parallels the principles expressed in A Discourse of the Commonweal of this Realm of England, a treatise written in 1549 by Sir Thomas Smith, Secretary to King Edward. In 1551-1552 the implementation of financial reform fell to Sir William Cecil, also King's Secretary and Northumberland's key administrator on the Council. In establishing the link between Smith's ideas …

Attitudes Of Income Maintenance Line Workers In The State Of Oregon About The Causes And Amelioration Of Poverty, Gene Lamar Stutzman

Dissertations and Theses

It has been of some interest to the profession of social work that eligible persons underutilize or fail to use social services and benefits to which they are legally entitled. A number of different reasons have been cited in the social work literature and otherwise generally accepted within the ranks of the social work profession as possible or probable causes of underutilization or lack of use. The variety of reasons includes client lack of knowledge about programs, lack of motivation on the part of eligible clients to apply for benefits and services, client unawareness about legal recourse in securing services, …

"The Call For A New International Economic Order, Part 1", Joaquin González, Ruth Hinerfield

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

No abstract provided.

"The Call For A New International Economic Order, Part 2", Jeffrey Garten

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

No abstract provided.

A Descriptive Study Of Participants In The Evergreen Community Organization, Douglas Edward Lehrman, Janet R. Abrams

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to present a descriptive analysis of the active participants in a voluntary association concerned with community development. This analysis will focus upon description and discussion of the socio-demographic characteristics of the active members of the organization. Some of the attitudinal factors which operated to motivate and sustain participation in the organization will also be examined. Before proceeding with discussion of the theoretical background for the study, the community and its history relative to development of the organization will be described.

Private Pensions And The Free Market, John Louis Dobra

Dissertations and Theses

In light of the retirement phenomena, the development and utilization of private pensions may be viewed as a market response based on individual and collective recognition of the need to plan to finance retirement from the labor force. This market response however, is shown to have produced a profusion of independent differential pension schemes which may vary with respect to their administrative mechanisms, the type and adequacy of benefits paid, the level at which contributions are made to the plan by participants and the basis of these contributions, and the adequacy of funding. As a result, it is not only …

A Study Of Local Union Business Agents In Portland, Oregon Area, Lillian L. Morrison

Dissertations and Theses

Labor unions are an integral part of the economy of the United States. At the grass roots, union influence and/or effectiveness depends on the local union organization, its management, and its relationship to and involvement in community affairs. This influence and involvement is focused on the local union leadership in the person of the business agent. A substantial body of literature exists on leadership in general as well as specific information about leadership in labor unions, and includes contributions from the fields of Sociology and Psychology as well as Economics. This research paper is a study of local union business …

The Rate Of Return On The Investment In Registered Nurse Education As Related To The Supply Of Registered Nurses, Barbara Zuern

Dissertations and Theses

The focus of this research is the relationship between the supply of registered nurses and the rate of return on the educational investment to become a registered nurse. Is this rate of return a determining factor in the supply, past, present, and future? Since 98. 8 percent of all registered nurses are women, an integral part of this study is a survey of the data on women in the labor force.

The empirical data, statistical, was obtained from government sources and non-government associations, The American Nurses Association, The American Hospital Association, and the educational institutions. The data indicates the following: …

The Effectiveness Of Induced Location Of Manufacturing Industry As A Means Of Fostering Sustained Economic Growth In Less Developed Regions Of Oregon, Leland F. Smith

Dissertations and Theses

The subject of this thesis was chosen from both a professional and an academic interest in the economic development of Oregon. Prompted by proposals made to the Oregon Legislature to initiate various forms of industrial subsidy programs to disperse economic growth and population away from congested areas, this research effort seeks to provide an evaluative analysis of the effectiveness of subsidy techniques in influencing industrial location and stimulating a sustained growth process in less developed areas.

Research was undertaken in two primary subjects: 1) theory of regional economic development and the effects of subsidies on the growth process; and 2) …