Economics Commons^™

The Determinants Of The Distribution Of Mortality In Mountain States Counties, Anne Israelsen Whyte

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

There has been significant concern about economic equity, expressed in legislation at federal, state, and local levels affecting income distribution and access to public services. Such a large interest in equity must also extend, then, to the ultimate inequality: distribution of life spans. The purpose of this paper is to determine the significant factors that affect the distribution of mortality by county in the Mountain States. Mortality distribution is the span of differences of age at death. This is an interesting topic because mortality affects everyone. Hence, individuals who care about living longer would be interested in knowing the factors …

A Comparison Of Emissions Taxes And Permit Markets For Controlling Correlated Externalities, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This paper provides an answer to the question, are emission taxes an efficient and self-enforcing mechanism to control correlated externality problems? By “correlated externalities” we mean multiple pollutants that are jointly produced by a single source but which cause differentiated regional and global externalities. By “self-enforcing” we mean a mechanism that accounts for the endogeneity that exists between competing jurisdictions in the setting of environmental policy within a federation of regions. This mechanism incorporates sequential decision making among the jurisdictions and therefore determines an equilibrium based on the concept of subgame perfection. We find that, unlike joint domestic and international …

Interactive Geometry For Surplus Sharing In Cooperative Games, Arthur J. Caplan, Yuya Sasaki

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

The need to understand surplus-sharing rules in cooperative game theory occurs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The rules are generally depicted as mathematical problems that entail the calculation of a vector of allocations. This Web page provides a downloadable program that enables users to interactively generate geometrical depictions of the rules for an unlimited number of three-player games. The program (1) demonstrates graphically how the simplex (i.e., area of potential cooperation) is shrunk to its corresponding core on the basis of the game’s characteristic function (i.e., the specification of the payoffs for each of the seven possible coalitions, …

Interactive Scenario Analysis Of Exhaustible Resource Problems, Arthur J. Caplan, John Gilbert

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

We provide several interactive models that can be used in an intermediate- or graduate-level, natural-resource economics course to numerically solve a host of exhaustible-resource problems, and thereby help to verify the intuition and symbolic solutions typically provided in textbooks. Examples are drawn from Tietenberg (2006).

Cheap Talk Reconsidered: New Evidence From Cvm, David M. Aadland, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Two recent studies have shown that “cheap talk” is an effective means of eliminating positive hypothetical bias in experimental and field-auction settings. We further investigate the ability of cheap talk to mitigate positive hypothetical bias in a contingent-valuation phone survey administered to over 4,000 households. Positive hypothetical bias is detected in our data by contrasting revealed and stated preference information. However, a short, neutral cheap-talk script appears to exacerbate rather than mitigate the bias. Based on this and mixed evidence from earlier studies, we suggest caution in using cheap talk as an ex ante control for hypothetical bias.

Curbside Recycling: Waste Resource Or Waste Of Resources?, David M. Aadland, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

In this paper, we address the often contentious debate over state and local recycling policy by carefully estimating the social net benefit of curbside recycling. Benefits are estimated using household survey data from over 4,000 households across 40 western U.S. cities. We calibrate household willingness-to-pay for hypothetical bias using an innovative experimental design that contrasts stated and revealed preferences. Cost estimates are compiled from previous studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Institute for Local Self Reliance, and from in-depth interviews with recycling coordinators in our sampled cities. Across our sample of cities, we find that the estimated …

Risk-Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Atrazine In Drinking Water From Agricultural Activities And Policy Implications, Aklilu A. Tesfamichael, Arthur J. Caplan, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This study provides an improved methodology for investigating the trade‐offs between the health risks and economic benefits of using atrazine in the agricultural sector by incorporating public attitude to pesticide management in the analysis. Regression models are developed to predict finished water atrazine concentration in high‐risk community water supplies in the United States. The predicted finished water atrazine concentrations are then used in a health risk assessment. The computed health risks are compared with the total economic surplus in the U.S. corn market for different atrazine application rates using estimated demand and supply functions developed in this work. Analysis of …

An Efficient Mechanism To Control Correlated Externalities: Redistributive Transfers And The Coexistence Of Region And Global Pollution Permit Markets, Arthur J. Caplan, Emilson C.D. Silva

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

We examine joint tradable permit markets as a self-enforcing mechanism to control correlated externality problems. By “correlated” we mean multiple pollutants that are jointly produced by a single source but which simultaneously cause differentiated regional and global externalities (e.g. smog and global warming). By “self-enforcing” we mean a mechanism that accounts for the endogeneity that exists between competing jurisdictions in the setting of environmental policy within a federation of regions. We find that joint domestic and international permit markets are Pareto efficient for a wide class of preferences.

Determinants Of Residential Water Conservation: The Case Of Salt Lake City Utah, Eric A. Coleman

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This study evaluates the effectiveness of demand-side water conservation policies in Salt Lake City, Utah for the years 1999 to 2002. We add to the existing residential water demand literature by exploring panel estim ation techniques with disaggregated household level data. Alternative policies used to induce water conservation are di scussed based on estimates of demand schedule parameters. We find that public conservation .campaigns have had negli gible impacts on the city's water use. There have been, however, statistically significant reductions in consumption due to price changes despite minimal price increases. Our findings should enable local and state policymakers to …

Incentive Incompatibility And Starting-Point Bias In Iterative Valuation Questions: Comment, David M. Aadland, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

In a recent study, Whitehead (2002) proposes incentive-incompatibility and starting-point-bias tests for iterative willingness-to-pay questions. We show that if restrictions associated with the nature of starting-point bias are not imposed on the estimation, one obtains inconsistent estimates of the structural parameters and may draw inaccurate conclusions regarding the extent of incentive incompatibility and starting-point bias in contingent-valuation survey data.

International Economic Convergence: Measuring Economic Growth And Income Inequality From 1975-1999, Brian Kent Smedley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As the world continues to be reshaped by technological advances and globalization, national borders are rapidly dissolving. Nations that are many thousands of miles away now seem closer than ever due to modern technology and transportation. The world has experienced tremendous progress and economic growth in the last few decades, and today people in many countries enjoy a higher standard of living than the world's citizens have ever known. Yet despite all that we have accomplished as a human society, somehow we are still unable to solve the most fundamental problem facing humanity: relieving the poverty and misfortune of billions …

Personal Financial Planning Online Course, Camille Olsen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

My main interest in the financial field is Personal Financial Planning, which has just been developing over the past few years in the finance industry. Utah State University has been a pioneer in this area, and now offers a minor in personal financial planning through the accounting department. The courses offered fulfill the educational requirements needed to take the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) exam. This designation can be compared to the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) in the accounting field. Therefore, the College of Business has decided to offer these courses online so that students and professionals throughout the state can …

Reputation And The Control Of Pollution, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This paper investigates the effectiveness of reputation in inducing a polluting firm to self-regulate its emissions when consumers have imperfect information. In particular, we ask to what extent must consumers reward and punish the firm before it chooses self-regulation as its dominant strategy? We find that if payoffs in the stage game are such that both the consumer and the polluting firm have beliefs that are consistent with each others’ behaviors, then the firm has a positive probability of playing clean in each period of a finite game. Further, we find that a weak reward/punishment scheme may have an adverse …

An Efficient Mechanism To Control Correlated Externalities: Redistributive Transfers And Coexistence Of Regional And Global Pollution Permit Markets, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Willingness To Pay For Curbside Recycling With Detection And Mitigation Of Hypothetical Bias, David M. Aadland, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

In this article, we estimate willingness to pay for curbside recycling. Using a unique data set, we also test for and detect significant hypothetical bias using stated- and revealed-preference data. A short-scripted “cheap-talk” statement is used to mitigate the bias and provide more efficient estimates of the welfare impacts of curbside recycling programs.

The Efficient-Market Hypothesis During A Recession, Jill Marie Williams

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The phrase, "A Random Walk Down Wall Street" may make a portfolio manager shudder. I first learned about this theory while reading a book of the same name by Burton G. Malkiel. I saw the last four years crashing down around me as I read about the competition I would be facing upon graduation–a blindfolded chimpanzee.

The random walk theorizes that the stock market is so efficient that a blindfolded chimpanzee can throw darts at the Wall Street Journal to select a portfolio of stocks that will perform equally as well as those managed by the experts. Unfortunately for the …

Do You Have Tips On Discussing Property Distribution?, Liz Gorham

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Costos De Cierre, Leona K. Hawks, Lucy Delgadillo

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Un Agente De Bienes Raíces, Un Corredor De Bienes Raíces...¿Quíenes Son Ellos?, Leona K. Hawks, Lucy Delgadillo

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Manufactured Homes, Leona K. Hawks, Tawnee Mccay

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Setting New Priorities For Spending, Barbara R. Rowe

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

How Can I Make The Most Of My Tax Refund?, Barbara Rowe

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Tipos De Préstamos, Leona K. Hawks, Tawnee Mccay, Lucy Delgadillo

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Home Buyer Checklist, Leona K. Hawks, Tawnee Mccay

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Ways To Reduce Debt And Save Money, Tawnee Mccay

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Waste Not Or Want Not? A Contingent Ranking Analysis Of Curbside Waste Disposal Options, Arthur J. Caplan, Therese Grijalva, Paul Mark Jakus

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Recent growth in the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream nationwide has prompted considerable research into alternative waste management programs that would divert a portion of the MSW stream from landfills. Using a sample of 350 individuals from a random digit-dialed telephone survey, a discrete choice contingent ranking approach is used to estimate household’s willingness-to-pay for various curbside trash-separation services in Ogden, Utah. Results indicate that Ogden residents are willing to pay approximately 3.7–4.6¢ per gallon of waste diverted for a curbside service that enables separation of green waste and recyclable material from other solid waste. Relative to costly waste diversion …

Estimating Willingness To Pay For Curbside Recycling With Detection And Mitigation Of Hypothetical Bias, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ways To Save On Your Home Purchase, Leona K. Hawks, Lucy Delgadillo

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

How Can I Be A Smarter Online Shopper?, Karen Biers

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Types Of Lending Products, Leona K. Hawks, Tawnee Mccay

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.