Economics Commons^™

Aesthetic Style As A Postructural Business Ethic, John Dobson

Finance

The article begins with a brief history of aesthetic theory. Particular attention is given to the postructuralist ‘aesthetic return’: the resurgence of interest in aesthetics as an ontological foundation for human beingin- the-world. The disordered individual-as-emergentartist- and-artifact, who is at the centre of this ‘aesthetic return’, is then translated into the ‘dis’-organization that is the firm. The firm is thus defined in terms of its primal sensory impact on the world. It invokes a myriad of aesthetic relations between its disorganized self and others: its essence resides within these relations; its power of being is determined by its ability to …

Regional Economic Development: Current Issues 2010-11, Department Of Economics

Werner Sichel Lecture Series

The Sichel Series is codirected by Professors Wei-Chiao Huang and Huizhong Zhou, and is cosponsored by the W. E. Up john Institute for Employment Research, College of Arts and Sciences, and Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies at the Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education at WMU. It is named for longtime WMU economics professor, Dr. Werner Sichel, who retired in 2004. This series also coincides timely with the founding of Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies at Western Michigan University.

Sustainability Initiatives In East Bayside Neighborhood Portland, Maine, Garvan Donegan, Henry Heyburn, Caitlyn Horose, Matt Klebes, Jennifer Riley, Damon Yakovleff, New England Environmental Finance Center

Planning

This is a bundle containing research on sustainability initiatives that could be implemented in the East Bayside neighborhood of Portland, ME. These six essays were prepared by the Spring, 2010 Sustainable Communities Class known as CPD 602 at the University of Southern Maine. The class is part of the core curriculum of the Community Planning and Development program of the Muskie School of Public Service at the university. The instructor for the class was Samuel Merrill, Ph. D. who is also director of the New England Environmental Finance Center at the University. These papers were prepared in conjunction with Alan …

The Optimal Recycling Rate, Thomas C. Kinnaman

Other Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

No. 52: Migration, Remittances And ‘Development’ In Lesotho, Jonathan Crush, Belinda Dodson, John Gay, Thuso Green, Clement Leduka

Southern African Migration Programme

Lesotho is one of the most migration dependent countries in the world. Migrant remittances are the country’s major source of foreign exchange, accounting for 25% of GDP in 2006. Lesotho is also one of the poorest countries in the world due to high domestic unemployment, declining agricultural production, falling life expectancy, rising child mortality and half the population living below the poverty line. The majority of households and rural communities are dependent on remittances for their livelihood. Households without access to migrant remittances are significantly worse off than those that do have such access.

Since 1990, patterns of migration from …

The Crime Rate In America: How Influential Is The Economy In Affecting The Level Of Crime?, Joseph Kuhar

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper explores the determinants of the crime rate, and whether or not the economy and its many indicators play a substantial role in affecting this rate. Many factors affect the crime rate in a given country/state/area including the number of police, the rate at which crime is reported, as well as the population. This paper will explore the following variables: the crime rate (dependent), number of police, conditions that affect the crime rate, the reported crime rate, and the reporting rate. It will also analyze the following economic conditions and whether or not they have a substantial effect on …

The Effect Of Education On Property Crime Across State, Wes Andrews

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the effects/importance of these independent variables (High School Graduation Rate, GDP growth Rate, GDP per capita, expenditures per capita in terms of police force, expenditures per capita in terms of the court system, employment rate, percentage of people with college degrees, and the average wage rate) on property crimes across the 50 states. The study will use OLS in order to examine the influence of these variables. Based on reviews of other similar studies it is expected that there is a negative correlation between the amount of schooling and property crime.

The Long-Run Relationship Between Inflation And Unemployment In Malaysia, Matthew Tremblay

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the long-run relationship between inflation and unemployment in the economy of Malaysia between 1972 and 2004. Basing my model off of an investigation by Fair (1997), this study will attempt to quantify the relationship between inflation rates, unemployment, wage rates, changes in production, and a measure of demand pressure. Using macro-level data from various sources, it is expected that the results will suggest periods of high inflation are directly related to high unemployment, decreased wage rates, lower production levels, and substantially weak demand pressures.

The Impact Of Socioeconomic And Environmental Factors On Infant Mortality In The U.S., Tai Abukasis

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines socioeconomic and environmental agents that may affect infant mortality rates among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics in the United States. Data was collected at the state level from both federal and private databases. Three separate ordinary least squares regressions were taken for each of the aforementioned demographics. The correlations between the independent variables and infant mortality were examined from a racially-based perspective to further evaluate potential underlying causes regarding geographic, financial, and environmental constituents. Analysis of the regressions revealed that particular variables affect the rate of infant deaths among races differently and that racial disparity continues to exist …

The Impact Of An Economic Recession On Etf Sectors: Which Etf Sectors Are Most Recession-Proof?, Salvatore Galbo

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates which ETF sectors are most recession-proof by focusing on sector performance and finding the possibility of a positive or negative correlation between specific sectors and the overall market performance during such recessionary times. The study compares the percentage gain or loss by each ETF sector with regression analysis to determine which sectors perform better than the overall market performance during an economic downturn. The study incorporates the most recent recession and the recession during 2001, when the technology bubble burst occurred, to find any relevance and/or consistency in my study. The results show that out of all …

Labor Productivity, Inflation, And Unemployment's Relationship With Wage Formation In The United States, Peter Longhi

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper discusses unemployment, labor productivity and inflation’s effect on wage formation in the United States. This paper looks at a very well researched topic of wage formations relation to unemployment and labor productivity to see if there is a long term homogenous relationship between the wage levels and the dependent variables. By using quarterly data from 1996 to 2009, I will attempt to observe if wages are following the classical theoretical relationship in the United States. The specified time period will allow us to observe a distinct boom and bust in the economy. I expect to find a long …

What Drives The United States Housing Starts, Myles Ojala

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines the determinants of new housing starts within the United States. Using recent monthly data, this study will consider factors such as residential building permits, long and short-term mortgage rates, savings rates, and mortgage availability, to show how each of these variables influence the U.S housing market in the form of residential housing starts. Using a VAR model, this paper will show the impact that the vector variables have on each other, and especially, housing starts. By using a split set of data, this paper will also show the impact of the vector variables on housing starts during …

Factors Effecting Gdp Growth In Member States Of The European Union, Kris Mortimer

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the GDP growth in member states of the European Union from 1978 until 2007. As most people are well aware of, GDP is calculated by the sum of consumption, government expenditure, investment, and net exports. The research conducted for this paper intends to discover what other variables have affected GDP growth in the past 30 years. The variables used in this paper include the public expenditure on education, total population, inflation, percentage of population who are adolescents (0-14), adults (15-64), or elderly (65+). Today there are twenty-seven member states in the Union from which I have compiled …

An Analysis Of Gender Based Wage Differential Among Teachers In The United States, Kendal Glen Cehanowicz

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

Do teachers with similar experience and age but different genders earn the same income? This study investigates the income of teachers relative to their age, education, experience, race and gender. Studies have shown that inequality in the gender wage gap is a trend which closed for almost two decades, but has recently widened again. This study identifies a specific line of work where injustice can be seen and aims to bring this knowledge to light. The Current Population Survey (CPS) data set from 2005-2009 will be used for this study. This study finds empirical evidence that gender differences do in …

Determinants Of Savings In Latin American Countries, Jamie Walker

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the determinants of the Savings per capita in Latin American Countries during the years 2002 to 2005 and their significance. Using these years provides a look at how the Latin American Countries emerged from an inflation prone society in the 1990’s to a diverse economic body according to Hernan Buchi the former finance minister of Chile. The study takes several models and applies them towards the Latin American Countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The study will use macro-level data to determine which of …

The Correlation Of Monetary Policy, Inflation And Stock Returns During Periods Of Inflation And Deflation, Jason Megaro

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines the debated issue of the existence of a relationship between a country’s monetary policy and the relative stock market and stock returns. Specifically, the paper examines the affect and correlation of overnight interest rate (known as federal funds rate in U.S.), inflationary rate and stock returns on and with each other, respectively, during periods of inflation and deflation. The deflationary period investigated is the period of deflation in Japan and the inflationary period examined is over the last decade in the United States. The analysis is performed using multivariate VAR/VEC co-integrating specifications to supplement the results from …

Determinants Of Teen Pregnancy: An Empirical Assessment Of Oecd Countries, Maxine Pamela Outerbridge

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This research paper investigates the determinants of teen pregnancy to uncover potential correlations among several social and economic factors. The study incorporates empirical data into a multivariate linear regression model to examine the impact of various socioeconomic variables such as education, income, health expenditure, abortion rates, and derive a comparison of the status of teen pregnancies among OECD countries. This study expands earlier research that concentrated on several of the most developed nations by emphasizing the socioeconomic status of women throughout the OECD members and uncovering the significance of governmental initiatives to improve such status. This study also aims to …

The Determinants Of Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence From Latin America And The Caribbean, Nicholas Colongeli

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the impact of determinants on the inflows of FDI to the Latin American and Caribbean region. The study incorporates cross-country information to describe incentives influencing flows of FDI into the region from 1992 - 2008. Factors are modeled using a least-squared regression model and are determined as significant. The results from the research and tests performed emphasize the correlation between specific economic indicators and flows of FDI. Using macro – level data from various sources, the results generally suggest that factors such as degree of openness and market size have a positive correlation with FDI flows; whereas, …

Determinants Of Foreign Direct Investment In An Emerging Market Economy: Evidence From India, Carlos Resende Jr.

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

Over the past few years, India has recorded a substantial increase in the level of annual foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. This paper examines the relationship between foreign direct investment and domestic investment, while using the ordinary least squared technique, and a time series analysis from the period 1979-2008. Building on the prior literature, this paper provides an empirical analysis of domestic determinants of FDI such as size of market, openness to trade, infrastructure, attractiveness to domestic market, and exchange rate instability. In addition, this paper will include technology growth and specific variables to examine local determinates of FDI in …

Energy Consumption, Fdi, Government Effectiveness Economic Growth., Aaron Borges

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

The availability of energy is essential in initiating and sustaining economic growth. FDI has also been positively linked to economic growth although some argue that economic growth promotes FDI. Studies examining the government effectiveness of nations have suggested FDI is more effective and energy resources are used more effectively when a country has solid governance. While studies have examined these aforementioned macroeconomic issues, there is no empirical study that examines all these variants within the same model. This paper investigates these factors and their effect on economic growth throughout 50 nations for the year of 2005. Economic growth is calculated …

Determinants Of Female Labor Force Participation In United States, Dongni Wan

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper is trying to discover the determinants of female labor force participation in United States from the year 2000 to 2009. The study contains over 1 million observations through-out the 4 business cycles and the household data from Current Population Survey (CPS) suggested that female labor force participation in the United States was influenced by several factors, namely, educational attainment, family income, marital status, age, race, number of children in the household. Women with higher education level and from wealthier households have a greater tendency of joining the labor force while those with only high school or lower degree …

Earnings And Income Volatility In America: Evidence From Matched Cps, James P. Ziliak, Bradley L. Hardy, Christopher Bollinger

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

In this paper we offer new evidence on earnings and income volatility in the United States over the past four decades by using matched data from the March Current Population Survey. We find that between 1973 and 2008 family income volatility rose by 38 percent, primarily as a result of higher volatility of husbands earnings and non means-tested nonlabor income. Rising family income volatility is in evidence across race, education, and family structure, and after declining sharply while young, it is increasing in the latter part of the life cycle among the skilled. The Federal tax and transfer system dampens …

Tao Of Downfall: The Failures Of High-Profile Entrepreneurs In The Chinese Economic Reform, Wenxian Zhang, Ilan Alon

Faculty Publications

Through historical reviews and case studies, this research seeks to understand why some initially successful entrepreneurs failed in the economic boom of past decades. Among various factors contributed to their downfalls are a unique political and business environment, fragile financial systems, traditional cultural influences and personal characteristics. Notwithstanding that these factors should be further tested through empirical studies, those high-profile entrepreneurs are oblivious but essential actors in the grand theatre of China's economic transformation and their failures have contributed to the swift development of the Chinese entrepreneurship over the last 30 years.

Asset Distribution And Productivity: Best Practices For Developing This Synergistic Relationship, Wendy Lee Willbanks Wiesner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Productivity is an essential component of lasting corporate success. It is also a critical ingredient in the recipe for making a vibrant and prosperous community.

Economics recognizes that both capital and labor make contributions to productivity through the functions of investment and production. Enhancements to productivity can be obtained in multiple areas, including technological advancement, corporate expansion, market penetration, and product development. Sustained productivity growth, however, is predicated upon continual process improvement and market innovation.

Identifying precisely "who" and "what" are contributing to productivity is challenging. Because capital and labor interact, it is difficult to determine whether the positive effect …

Does "Free Sampling" Enhance The Value Of Public Goods?, Arthur J. Caplan, Douglas Jackson-Smith, Sandra Marquart-Pyatt

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This study investigates whether a ‘free sampling’ marketing strategy induces an enduring WTP premium effect for public goods. Using data from a unique field experiment involving curbside recycling, we find that the premium effect associated with providing non-participating households a brief opportunity to participate in a curbside recycling program for free is relatively small and not enduring. It may therefore not be cost effective to offer a free-sampling participation incentive for this type (or similar types) of local public good(s).

A Partial Defense Of The Giant Squid, Sanjiv Jaggia, Satish Thosar

Economics

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Private School Enrollment On Public School Performance, Michael L. Marlow

Economics

School choice reform refers to changes that allow parents greater freedom to choose schools for their children. School choice reform is contentious because it fundamentally alters the environment in which public and private schools operate and could result in significant changes for both demanders and suppliers of education. This article develops a model of public education with imperfect exit to predict how private school enrollment influences performance of public schools. Empirical evidence from data on all private and public schools in California provides substantial support for the hypothesis that public school test scores are inversely related to private school enrollments …

A Quantile Estimation Approach To Identify Income And Age Variation In The Value Of Statistical Life, Mary F. Evans, Georg Schaur

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

In theory, heterogeneity in individual characteristics translates into variation in the marginal willingness to pay for a mortality risk reduction. Two dimensions of heterogeneity, with respect to income and age, have recently received attention due to their policy relevance. We propose a quantile regression approach to simultaneously explore these two sources of heterogeneity and their interactions within the context of the hedonic wage model, the most common revealed preference approach for obtaining value of statistical life estimates. We illustrate the approach using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). We find that the impact of age on the wage–risk …

Did I Do That? Group Positioning And Asymmetry In Attributional Bias, Brian Gunia, Brice Corgnet

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

A laboratory experiment examined whether one structural feature of groups—members’ physical positioning—may produce asymmetry in their perceived contribution to a task. In particular, we investigated asymmetry in group members’ (often excessive) claims of credit for collective tasks ("the self-serving attributional bias"). Consistent with the availability account of this bias, group members located in the middle of a group, with easy visual access to their partners’ contributions, demonstrated less bias than outside members (who demonstrated bias consistent with prior research)—but no less satisfaction. Further analyses suggested that these results reflected bias reduction among middle members and did stem from visual availability. …

The Role Of Social Protection Programs In Remittance-Centered Development Policy: A Case Study Of Morocco, Helena R. Swanson-Nystrom

International Studies Honors Projects

Remittances serve as a financial lifeline for households in emerging economies around the world, affording basic social services such as food, education, and healthcare. Alternatively, remittances from diaspora populations are an opportunity for countries to finance development projects. The case of Morocco illustrates the central role that remittances can play in the development policy of countries with high labor out-migration. Yet using remittances for long-term development requires public social protection programs to substitute for the redirection of these private funds used by individual households.