Economics Commons^™

The Effects Of Education Across The Kentucky Economy, Christopher R. Bollinger

Issue Brief on Topics Affecting Kentucky’s Economy

The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) (Gatton College, University of Kentucky) was commissioned by Kentucky’s Council for Postsecondary Education to examine the implications of education across the Kentucky economy. This study used data on Kentuckians from the American Community Survey (ACS), the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The focus on Kentucky is unique, as most studies of this kind have used only national data. The results have allowed us to examine how education is related to important outcomes related …

How To Raise State Revenue Without Raising Taxes, Christopher R. Bollinger

Issue Brief on Topics Affecting Kentucky’s Economy

A positive relationship exists between educational attainment and earnings, which has been well established in the literature through multiple studies. This, in turn, influences the revenues generated for the state of Kentucky through the personal income tax. We predict even the modest change of increasing Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree holders by 1% would increase revenue by $37 million. Kentucky loses between $300 million and $500 million in state tax revenues every year because our educational attainment is lower than the national average.

Education For Your Health!, Christopher R. Bollinger

Issue Brief on Topics Affecting Kentucky’s Economy

The health of the people of Kentucky is of high concern for policymakers and citizens alike. Individuals want to live healthy, productive lives, while policymakers recognize that chronic illnesses cost the state in myriad ways. In this brief, we examine the link between educational attainment and health outcomes. We focus on two groups of health outcomes. The first are behavioral and include choices: tobacco use, alcohol use, obesity, and exercise. The second group are outcomes highly associated with these behaviors: heart attack, angina, stroke, and diabetes. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that these four diseases may cost Kentuckians …

Crime And Punishment And Education, Christopher R. Bollinger, Bethany L. Paris

Issue Brief on Topics Affecting Kentucky’s Economy

Crime impacts the lives of Kentuckians in myriad ways. It has direct costs to victims and indirect costs through property values and business activity. Citizens and policymakers alike desire to reduce and limit crime. In this brief, we investigate the link between crime rates in Kentucky’s counties and the aggregate level of education. Perhaps surprisingly, higher education, and specifically the percent of the population with a Bachelor’s degree, is associated with lower crime. We find that increasing educational attainment in Kentucky to the U.S. levels could reduce the costs of crime by over $3 million annually.

Education Pays Everywhere!, Christopher R. Bollinger

Issue Brief on Topics Affecting Kentucky’s Economy

Economists and other researchers have long demonstrated the relationship between education and earnings. In this brief, we focus on the relationship between educational attainment and earnings in the state of Kentucky. Our results, in many ways, are unsurprising, as the old ad campaign said, “Education Pays.” What may be surprising is that we demonstrate that education pays not only in the big cities of Lexington and Louisville, but also in the more rural parts of the state, such as eastern Kentucky and western Kentucky.

Moving People Off Public Assistance Programs Through Education, Christopher R. Bollinger

Issue Brief on Topics Affecting Kentucky’s Economy

Two of the largest federal transfer programs are the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Federal expenditures on SNAP exceeded $74 billion in 2014, and SSI exceeded $3 billion. While these programs provide families in distress with important support, ideally we desire that Kentucky families would not require this kind of assistance. In 2014, over 800,000 Kentuckians received SNAP assistance each month while over 190,000 received SSI. This brief examines the relationship between participation in these programs and educational attainment for Kentuckians. We find that education is highly related to participation and that those with higher …

We Saw Not Clearly Nor Understood: The Economic Background Of The Ethiopian-Eritrean War, Trace C. Lasley

Kaleidoscope

In 1991 hope reigned in Ethiopia. There was a peaceful transition of governments after a long period of civil strife. The main guerrilla movements in Ethiopia, the TPLF and the EPLF emerged from the war as brothers-in-arms ready to embark on a new era of peace and prosperity. Just seven years later, Eritrea invaded Ethiopia and a war ensued that cost 70,000 lives and did incalculable damage. This paper explores the economic relations between the two countries to show their significance in the eruption of the Ethiopian-Eritrean War.

There are three recurring themes in the recent economic history of these …

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- September 2015, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- August 2015, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

Democratic Governance, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Governance under a democratic dispensation has been under attack in Pakistan. The yearning for a messiah or strong authoritarian leader who can fix the ‘mess’ created by the democratically elected leaders remains quite strong. The frequent transitions from the elected governments to the military government and vice-versa have created political instability and uncertainty and we have not learnt the lessons. Political uncertainty leads to a wait-and-see attitude on the part of investors. Lack of investment – both domestic and foreign – retards the pace of economic growth. Low growth rates result in high open unemployment and rise in poverty. Furthermore, …

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- July 2015, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

Budgets And The Real Economy, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

The annual budgets of the federal and provincial governments should make a significant impact on the real economy, financial variables, social sectors, poverty and income distribution and finally make up the infrastructure deficit. The real economy is affected in terms of output level, employment, growth rate, investment and savings. The financial variables affected are fiscal balances, current account, debt-to-GDP ratio and taxto-GDP ratios, etc. Social sectors such as education, health, water supply, social safety nets are directly impacted while poverty and income distribution are indirectly impacted. Infrastructure deficit can be made up by complementary private investment.

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- June 2015, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

A Close Look At The Relationship Between Poverty And Political Violence In Nepal, Lauren C. Griffin

Global Tides

Today, one quarter of Nepal’s population of 27 million lives on a daily income of less than two dollars (Sharma 8). Villages are deprived of an ample water supply, and some areas still lie in ruins from the aftermath of the Maoist insurgency. This paper will seek to understand the role of poverty in the historically and presently unfolding political environment of Nepal. Several factors show direct correlation between poverty and insurgent activity, such as land ownership, level of education and socio-economic standing. Nepal has had a volatile and bloody past in the midst of medieval dynasties, an authoritative monarchy …

Health Of The Economy, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

A large number of professionals, academics and businessmen repeatedly ask a simple question: what is the real state of health of the Pakistani economy? Who is telling the truth? The finance ministry or ‘independent’ economists writing in newspapers and appearing on television? Should we believe reports from the IMF, World Bank and The Economist who give a relatively more optimistic picture of the economy? Or should we trust former governors, advisors and journalists telling us how weak and fragile the economy is? Is the government fudging data to make things look good? These are all legitimate questions as we are …

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- May 2015, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

Going Beyond The ‘New Normal’ In Indonesia, Mari Pangestu, Philip Charles Zerrillo

Asian Management Insights

The Republic of Indonesia’s former Minister of Trade and former Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Professor Mari Pangestu, talks about the country’s resilience, and going beyond the ‘new normal’, in this interview with Philip Zerrillo.

The Philippines Growth Story: Ground Realities Of Asean Integration, Bernardo M. Villegas

Asian Management Insights

Open policies, an attractive workforce and new market potential in the Philippines– all suggest a ‘take-off’ is underway.

The Effects Hosting An Olympic Games Has On The Host Nation's Economy, William B. Kite

Honors College Theses

In today’s world, many countries put a huge emphasis on hosting/bidding for the rights to host an Olympics Games. This has caused countries to spend enormous amounts of money to improve their country in order to be selected to host this event. Thus, this paper is going to examine the benefits that these countries get from hosting an Olympic Games. We investigate the influences that hosting an Olympic Games has on that country’s gross domestic product per capita and their levels of international trade. In addition, we also examine those countries that bid for an Olympic Games, but do not …

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- April 2015, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- March 2015, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

Pak-Afghan Economic Ties, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Several significant developments have taken place in Afghanistan in the past few months that require fresh thinking and a review of the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan. First, most of the Nato forces have withdrawn from Afghanistan while the presence of US forces has been considerably reduced and largely limited to support and training of the Afghan National Army. Second, the general elections in Afghanistan were successfully conducted with a large turnout and the majority of the population participated in this peaceful democratic transition. Third, the newly elected President Ashraf Ghani enjoys excellent credentials and is committed to the economic …

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- February 2015, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- January 2015, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Education Cascading Through The Economy, Center For Business And Economic Research, Gatton College Of Business And Economics, University Of Kentucky

CBER Infographic Posters

Research confirms what common sense suggests, higher levels of education are associated with better economic outcomes like higher wages and lower unemployment. And by improving health, increasing technology use, expanding volunteerism, and reducing public assistance, higher education levels have long-lasting effects on the economy. Eighty years ago, Kentucky's per capita personal income was just over 50% of the U.S. average; today it is just over 80%. Kentucky's educational position has improved significantly over the last twenty-five years, but the state still lags the U.S. in college attainment (23% compared to 30%) and academic achievement gaps continue to mute overall educational …

Kentucky Annual Economic Report 2015, Christopher R. Bollinger, William H. Hoyt, David Blackwell, Michael T. Childress, James M. Sharpe

Kentucky Annual Economic Report

No abstract provided.

Monitoring The Philippine Economy Year-End Report For 2014, Mitzie Irene P. Conchada, Edgardo Manuel Jopson

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Despite doubts over growth prospects and challenges in the external market, the Philippine economy attained a solid 6.1 percent growth in 2014.

It's The Economy, Stupid: Economic Voting And Gender Bias In U.S. Congressional Elections, Grace Lutz

Scripps Senior Theses

This study examines the relationship between the state of the U.S. economy and the outcome of general elections for incumbents in the U.S. House of Representatives. The analysis uses a unique data set compiled from a sample of U.S. Congressional Elections and state and economic indicators between the years 1999 and 2014. We find that economic indicators are consistently related to election outcomes, but have a larger and more significant effect when the time period examined is closer to a major economic event, such as the Great Recession. We also find that female incumbent candidates are more negatively affected by …

Political Choice And Economic Crisis In Brazil: A Case Of Mismanagement Of Public Money, Evellyn Brasil Monteiro

Dissertations and Theses

A few years ago, Brazil was the country where everybody would like to invest. Because it was one of the members of the BRIC, group of emergent countries with fast-growing economies including also Russia, India and China that gave the investors warranties that those investments would be successful. The current situation is very different from the one pictured not too long ago. High interest rates, high inflation, undervalued currency, and international political scandals describe the very serious economic crisis the country has been facing recently, making the economic growth forecast decrease. In 2013, the variation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) …

China-Based Industrial Espionage, Joel Savary

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

On Oct 8, 2014 China has surpassed the United States as the world’s largest economy in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)” (IMF). My paper explores one of the instances of unlawful business practices that have contributed to China’s new world position. China based espionage undercuts American businesses and U.S. foreign policy directly, causing catastrophic economic implications for America, its businesses, and its allies. The U.S. government is grappling with the means and methods China uses to disseminate information stolen from U.S. businesses to support China based industries. Due to the lack of transparency in China, it has been difficult …