Econometrics Commons^™

Citizen Wellbeing And Gdp: Towards More Appropriate Measures Of Namibia's Success And Progress, Justine Braby Dr, Jessica-Jane Lavelle, Johannes Mulunga, Newman Nekwaya, Fikameni Mathias, Angula Angula

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Developing nations like Namibia are aiming to industrialize much like developed nations and use the gross domestic product to measure their progress. However, this development path has been largely unsustainable. For Namibia to develop into a sustainable society, a different approach is needed. This study aimed to find entry points toward such an approach. Surveys were conducted in Windhoek, Namibia's capital, to measure human well-being. Generally, as is expected in a developing country, well-being correlated positively along the income line. However, the indicators did illustrate that a more holistic measure would go a long way toward more effective development planning …

How Cutting The Cost Of Using A Bank Affects Household’S Behavior Of Remittance Transfers: Evidence From A Field Experiment In Rural Malawi, Chuyuan Lu

CMC Senior Theses

Using a randomized experiment in rural Malawi, this paper finds that providing information on mobile bank buses’ services leads to a higher probability of adopting savings accounts in the treatment group. Households in the treated villages are 3.06 percentage points more likely to adopt savings accounts than households in the control group. Second, the information treatment leads to an increase of in the probability of households receiving remittances in the treated villages, as well as an increase in the amount of remittances received. In particular, the effect is strongest for households that lived at least three kilometers away from the …

Escaping The Poverty Trap: Formal Savings And Asset Accumulation In Rural Malawi, Audrey Breitwieser

CMC Senior Theses

Formal savings accounts can be an effective device for households to accumulate assets over time and thus have more funds available to better afford an expensive one-time payment, in the form of either addressing an economic shock or paying for an important life event. I explore this relationship using a field experiment in rural Malawi conducted from 2008-2010, and find that adoption of a formal savings account has no effect on the frequency of economic shocks that a household experiences, nor does it affect how households respond to shocks. However, I find that account adoption does significantly increase the frequency …

The Zen Of Charity Giving In China: An Understanding Of The Chinese Philanthropic Sector And Recommendations On Moving Towards Sustainability, Li Zheng

Capstone Collection

China has shifted from a centrally planned to a market based economy in 1978. Since then, the country has experienced rapid economic growth and social development. With a more liberal economic environment, the voice of civil society becomes stronger, which incentives the emergence of philanthropy and charitable giving. As a result, the government has begun to encourage private donation and development of foundations, while watching carefully and constraining its activities. By analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, this paper explores and evaluates the effectiveness of this emerging sector. The paper further advocates for improving current charity law and developing a …

A Royal Problem: Planning Induced Supply Constraints In London, Elizabeth P. Armstrong

Lawrence University Honors Projects

We explore the impact of regulatory supply constraints on house price levels following boom and bust periods in London. We hypothesize that when regulatory restrictiveness increases during a boom period, house prices will be higher in the following year compared to house prices in less restricted areas. We also hypothesize that when regulatory restrictiveness increases during a bust period, house prices will be lower in the following year compared to house prices in less restricted areas. We empirically test our hypothesis using a multilevel mixed-effects model with a panel data set of 32 boroughs of London, ranging from 2001 to …

Is All Foreign Aid The Same? : An Empirical Comparison Of The Effect Of Multilateral And Bilateral Aid On Growth, Scott B. Jeffrey

Undergraduate Economic Review

Despite decades of research on foreign aid, there is little to no consensus on foreign aid’s effect on growth. While most in the field study recipient country characteristics, such as institutional quality, this paper also breaks down foreign aid by donor characteristics, specifically by bilateral and multilateral donors. Since about 75% of foreign aid is bilateral, my bilateral findings are in line with previous literature that finds high institutional quality key (Burnside and Dollar 2000; 2004), but I find that multilateral aid works best in low-income countries with poor policy environments, due, perhaps, to lacking political goals of donor countries.

The Impact Of Migration And Remittances On Children's Education In El Salvador, Philip H. Jakob

Master's Theses

The effect that migrant remittances have on school enrollment is a challenging relationship to empirically define, requiring both an analysis of the circumstances that lead a household member to emigrate from their home and equally, but not always independently, how the family makes investment decisions in the education of one or more of their children. This study presents a new strategy to determine the nature of this relationship for households in El Salvador, using a 2SLS estimation with a wealth-stratified panel constructed from household survey data over a nine-year period. Employing this methodology to estimate the combined effects of both …

Privatization & Fdi: Examining Growth In Vietnam's Provinces, William T. Clark

Master's Theses

Over the past three decades many developing countries have looked toward privatizing investment markets and relying more on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to supply needed capital investment for their emerging private sectors. In their pursuit of foreign capital, developing countries have enacted several changes in economic policy and regulation in hopes of transforming formerly rural and undeveloped countries into highly urbanized centers of global production. This is particularly true for a transitioning economy such as Vietnam, which has seen increasing privatization of industry and investment since the reforms of 1986 known as “Doi Moi.” In this study I …

A Test Of The Household Separation Hypothesis In Rwanda, James E. Anderson

Master's Theses

How does a farm household in rural Africa react when the government decides crop selection? In developing countries, agricultural households strive to optimize a risk mitigating utility function rather than a traditional agricultural production function. These households are termed “non-separated” as their farming efforts are directed towards family food security rather than maximizing agricultural profits. The lack of integration with labor and commodity markets makes these non-separated households difficult to influence with policy initiatives. Various tests for household separation have been developed.

We use a unique dataset from Rwanda to evaluate these separation tests. The data include households forced into …

Economic Growth And Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, And Latin America: The Impact Of Human Capital, Angui D. Macham

Applied Economics Theses

My thesis is that human capital has been important to growth, but has had differential impact in three areas: Sub-Sahara Africa; Asia; and Latin America. I estimated three regional models to determine the impact of human capital on the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Each model was estimated using the pooled OLS approach with a sample of 10 countries within each region. I make use of data from the Penn World Table- international comparisons of production data bank. I found that only the African region had statistically significant coefficients for both physical and human capital. For the …

Hdi In Transition Countries: A Panel Data Analysis, Narine Hagopian

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the factors that have the ability to affect development in transition countries. The study incorporates the human development index to examine the influence of outside variables to human development within transition countries. The study looks at a variety of contributing factors such as the Gini coefficient, federal direct investment levels, world governance contributors, health expenditure per capita, personal remittance levels among a few other contributors. Focusing on transition countries, which evolved after the breakup of the Soviet Union, this study aims to understand human development in twelve of the fourteen former Soviet Republics. Using data from the …

Evaluation Of Company Performance Post Acquisition Or Merger In The United States, Harry Waterton

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper answers the question surrounding whether or not company performance for the acquiring company improves or worsens post-merger or acquisition. This will be calculated using two separate but related financial performance tools, return on equity and return on assets. The investigation will span over a 5 year period starting the year of 2010 and end at the closing of the fourth quarter of 2014, and will contain all mergers and acquisitions between $300 million and $2 billion that took place across all sectors in America. The results conclude that acquisitions do not financially benefit the acquirer in the short …

Inequality, Poverty And Economic Growth In Different Income Classifications, Alexandra Zhang

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper defines the relationship between inequality and economic development, analyzes the impact of economic growth on income inequality and poverty rate. The study uses different indicators and panel data over 10 years and across 46 countries worldwide. As the Kuznets Curve suggested, a country’s inequality level and economic development share a non-linear relationship. The author applies this concept to 3 different models and found different results between low and middle-income countries and high-income countries. In result, this study confirms the Kuznets law as the author finds an unequal income distribution in low and middle-income countries.

The Role Of Fdi, Oda, Remittances, And Institutions On Economic Development In Developing Countries, William Manak

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper seeks to evaluate the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI), official development assistance (ODA), and migrant remittances to economic growth in developing countries, while also taking into account the qualities of the institutions of the countries. This study uses the linear system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) method as developed by Blundell and Bond (1998). Current research has been focused on adding institutions to growth models to understand how institutional quality can help improve outcomes in developing countries. This paper plans to further the discussion on how institutional quality affects FDI, ODA, and remittances. Institutional quality is measured …

An Analysis Of The Sales Cycle: A Case Of A Cloud-Computing Us Mnc, Matthew Walsh

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates sales techniques used during the sales cycle at a leading global provider of mobile workforce solutions for service-based business of all sizes. At the multi-national corporation, a publicly traded company, business solutions are delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). This study focuses on “Enterprise” customers, fleets of over 100 vehicles, and examines how leads are converted to opportunities and opportunities to sales. Characteristics of the customer, such as, aforementioned fleet size, SIC code, number of employees, region, and annual revenue are examined in an effort to tailor the marketing process when targeting large customers. Additionally, the study looks at …

Financial Deepening On Economic Growth And Productivity In Sub-Saharan Africa, Yaawa Jallow

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates impact of financial deepening on economic growth and productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. The study uses variables from various studies that are said to most likely impact economic growth and productivity in a country. This study uses a Panel Data analysis to examine the impact of these variables especially financial deepening on both economic growth and productivity. The fixed effect and random effect model both suggest that overall financial deepening has a positive impact on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. The study also suggest that financial deepening has a positive effect on productivity in sub-Saharan Africa.

Determinants Of Fdi And Economic Integration In Sub-Saharan Africa, Lachlan Davis

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines the effects of economic integration, FDI and increased trade liberalization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is a region notorious for low human development indexes, slow economic grown and high levels of corruption. Ever since the inception of western aid and corporate interests, the region has no developed at we should expect. This paper will look to find the effects of increased “globalization” in the region and attempt to suggest reasons for the developmental challenges rampant in this region of the world. I expect to find that even though development has increased in some areas (for variables such …

The Impact Of Innovation And Technology On The Economic Growth In Oecd Countries, Boqian Yin

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the impacts of innovation and technology on the economic growth in the OECD countries. This study is based on the economic growth model from the previous research study from the innovation – economic growth nexus: Global evidence (L. Hasan, et al.). We tried to adjust the original model by substituting a fee variables and focusing only in the OECD nations. In addition, we expect the results to show a positive between the evolution of innovation and technology on economic development in the 34 OECD countries from time period of 1991 to 2012. Moreover, we want to analyze …

The Effects Of Oil Shocks On Total Government Expenditure: A Var Approach, Thomas Mullally

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper aims to examine the relationship between oil price and oil revenue shocks and government expenditures in Venezuela. In order to analyze the relationship between these variables, this study uses a VAR approach. This study aims to find a positive relationship between oil revenues and government expenditures, which will show how countries adjust their public sector spending activities in order to account for changes in demand for oil.

Monetary Policy Rules In Zero Nominal Interest Rate Environments: Exiting The Zero Bound, Sean Lambert

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

The zero bound of nominal interest is known as a liquidity trap, where expansions in the monetary base no longer are effective in lowering the nominal interest rate. This takes away the main tool of traditional monetary policy, and eliminates the ability of monetary policy to stabilize economic conditions. It has been noted that monetary policy rules, such as the Taylor Rule, fail in this situation. The Federal Reserve of the United States solved this problem by massively increasing the monetary base even after the zero bound was reached. Yet another problem loomed even as the economy began to stabilize: …

Corporate Tax Rates: Causes For Tax Rate Discrepancies At The Firm Level, Matthew G. Zanotta

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines the relationship between a corporation’s tax rate and a number of different variables. The variables chosen were assets, sales, property, plant, and equipment (PPE), inventory, research and development (R&D), and return on assets (ROA). The model incorporates each of these variables to find a correlation to corporate tax rates. These specific variables were chosen to represent firm size (assets at book value), financial leverage, capital structure (PPE to assets), and inventory investment (inventory to assets). The other two variables, R&D (R&D to net sales), and profitability (ROA) were chosen because of their direct value. The results from …

Educational Attainment And The Impact Of Financial Crisis On European Youth Unemployment, Matthew Mcintyre

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates some of the underlying causes of the drastic increase of youth unemployment from before the 2008 financial crisis to after the crisis. The purpose of the study is to discover what determinants had the largest impact on youth unemployment before and after the crisis. The study also attempts to differentiate between youth unemployment on a primary, secondary, and tertiary level of education, and establish the extent that each group is at risk for unemployment. It is expected that the financial crisis will have a positive and significant impact on unemployment for those with lower education levels, while …

The Impact Of Minimum Wage On Female Labor Participation Rate In The United States, Nguyen Tran-Nguyen

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This study looks at the relationship between minimum wage and female labor participation rate in the recent years from 1990 to 2014. The study incorporates results from a multivariate regression model as well as other similar studies in the field to see whether or not an increase in minimum wage would benefit female labor participation. It is expecting to see a positive correlation between those two variables, as minimum wage increase would benefit teenage female workers and adult female workers.

Economic Reforms, Governance And Fdi: The Case Of The Unasur, Pedro E. Rodriguez

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

Since the early 2000s, member countries of the Union of South America Nations (UNASUR) have moved drastically to the left of the political spectrum and have implemented protectionist economic reforms. Contrary to what many studies and scholars have concluded, the political realignment of the region and the implementation of protectionist policies has had a positive effect on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into the region. For the past two decades, total FDI inflows into the region has increased drastically from $8 billion to $150 billion. This study found that there is a combination of both economic reform and governance variables …

Foreign Aid And Economic Growth: A Post-Soviet Analysis Of Emerging Markets, Brett Michaelson

Student Research – Stevenson Center

This paper examines the relationship between economic growth and aid receipts per capita in a post-Soviet world. Utilizing economic growth models and assumptions developed by Burnside and Dollar (2000), I find that general sources of foreign aid are detrimental to a country's economic growth. I find that net ODA per capita acts as a substitute for local government investment in pro-growth policies. As such, foreign aid should only be used in targeted and specific cases.

Shikkhangon: A Non-Disruptive Primary Education Center For The Underprivileged Children In Bangladesh, Nisar Ahmed

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

Over the last few decades, Bangladesh has achieved significant progress in providing access to primary education for all children. But, the underprivileged segment of the population still cannot send their children to schools, primarily due to the inflexible nature of the traditional school system that conflicts with their lifestyle and livelihood. Also, the quality of students’ achievements under the traditional system suffers due to low quality of pedagogy. In order to provide a quality education befitting the lifestyle of the underprivileged, a departure from the traditional schooling is proposed. This new model allows students to access and learn from motivated …

Developing Economies By Advancing Entrepreneurship: An Interview With Amaury De Parcevaux, Simone T.A. Phipps, Amaury De Parcevaux

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

Today, Amaury de Parcevaux is the President of Beeleev, a company he co-founded with Hugues Franc, Founder and CEO. Franc and de Parcevaux attended boarding school together in France, and reflect the vision and mission of Beeleev, which aims to build a collaborative business platform for entrepreneurs seeking to grow their business internationally. Entrepreneurs can benefit from Beeleev via membership. Beeleevers’ membership opens a farreaching network that connects entrepreneurs from different countries, providing the necessary contacts to aid entrepreneurs as they conduct business in another country. For example, if an American entrepreneur needs to find a way into the Korean …

Technical Efficiency Of Onion Production In Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, District Malakand, Abid Khan

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

This research was conducted to estimate the technical efficiency and determinants of onion production, by using the Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier production function with the inefficiency effects model. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect data, randomly, from 93 respondents. The empirical results showed that urea, farm yard manure (FYM), irrigation, and pesticides were the major factors that influence changes in onion production. Farm-specific variables such as education and area were found to have significant effects on the technical inefficiency among the onion producers. The technical efficiency of farmers varied from 0.7478 to 0.9851 with a mean technical efficiency of …

Cell Phone Repairers In Cameroon, 2000-2013, Walter Gam Nkwi

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

This article focuses on cell phone repairers in Cameroon history. It examines how the cell phone has been appropriated by Cameroonians by repairing and extending its life. It questions the ways the repairers have understood the inner parts of the cell phones. How has the repairing of cell phones led to sustaining the livelihood of the repairers? It appears that life would have been unimaginable in the second half of the 21st century without better communication. In Africa mobile phone communication has expanded exponentially over the last decade and will hopefully continue to do so during the coming decades. Cell …

The Resource Curse And Economic Freedom: A Bayesian Perspective, Danielle M. Roberts

CMC Senior Theses

The literature addressing the resource curse has been extensive. Many studies have put forth theories to explain the curse, but these theories are often refuted by new studies. Recently, there has been a theory that natural resource abundance leads to decreased economic freedom, which causes slower economic growth. Many of these studies have using frequentist testing to arrive at their conclusions. Although frequentist testing is widely used, there are several drawbacks. In particular, there is no way of addressing model uncertainty. Unless a study is able to incorporate every significant explanatory variable, the results will suffer from omitted variable bias. …