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Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

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Social And Economic Factors Leading To Differences In Us State Unemployment, Taylor Neighbours Jan 2012

Social And Economic Factors Leading To Differences In Us State Unemployment, Taylor Neighbours

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper dives into the socio-economic factors that lead to differences in U.S. State unemployment rates. The study will look at and evaluate prior economic literature, including regression analysis, comparative statistics, and raw data from the BLS and Census Bureau. Further, it will take select parts from past models to create and analyze an economic regression model. The data to be found below is a cross-sectional interpretation of each of the 50 states for the years 2000 & 2010. The root causes for fluctuations in unemployment can help economists better understand how to monitor and manage unemployment levels on a …


Crime Rate In Massachusetts Cities: Has The Negative Economy Affected This?, Karissa Guerette Jan 2012

Crime Rate In Massachusetts Cities: Has The Negative Economy Affected This?, Karissa Guerette

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This review concentrates on the relationship between the effects the downturned economy has had on the crime rate. The paper examines specifically Massachusetts cities unemployment rate and average income, along with education level. With the financial crisis starting in 2008, this paper will take a look 2010, a couple years after the peak of the recession. The results show the increasing crime rates are positively related to the change of times with the economy leading to unemployment and lower income level.


Correlation Between Economic Factors And High-Technology Export In Asia-Pacific Nations, Jiyan Hu Jan 2012

Correlation Between Economic Factors And High-Technology Export In Asia-Pacific Nations, Jiyan Hu

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the correlation between high-tech exports in Asian-Pacific nations and the economic effects in term of economic growth. Some economic factors will be highlighted in this paper, such as foreign direct investment inflow, R&D expenditure, country openness as well as gross saving. The model will explain some economic factors are the key to determinant the volume of the high-tech export in Asian-Pacific nations. In order to understand the model and interpretation of each factor, high-tech export per worker will be targeted as a dependent variable. This paper will include data from 1997 to 2007 and it will be …


Pigs Debt Crisis: Macroeconomic Factors, David Fiorino Jan 2012

Pigs Debt Crisis: Macroeconomic Factors, David Fiorino

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

Italy’s public debt has seen large increases over the past few years, and as a result they were bailed out by other European Union members. Either their large trade deficits, inability to stimulate growth, or lack of tax revenues are all reason why Italy has fallen to such crisis. Other countries in the EU such as Portugal, Spain, and Greece have had similar debt problems and received a bailout as well. This paper will attempt to explain the relationship between the public debt to GDP ratio and some macroeconomic conditions using panel data from 1990 to 2010 for the countries …


The Impact Of Defense Spending On Economic Growth In The United States, Nathaniel Harty Jan 2012

The Impact Of Defense Spending On Economic Growth In The United States, Nathaniel Harty

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper addresses whether or not the United States’ government’s choice to cut defense spending is going to have a negative impact on economic growth, and therefore slow down the US recovery. This paper analyzes the findings during the last 70 years regarding defense spending and its effect on economic growth, through comparing that relationship between studies under various circumstances. It then goes into detail of the most recent data from the United States to see if there is a casual relationship between defense spending and economic growth. This paper will use the Granger Causality Method to test the significance …


How Consumer Sentiment Affects Personal Consumption, Gregory Hughes Jan 2012

How Consumer Sentiment Affects Personal Consumption, Gregory Hughes

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the relationship between consumer confidence and major economic indicators as it relates to the United States after the financial crisis of 2008. This study reveals the effect consumer sentiment has on economic forecasting as it relates to personal consumption. Macro level data used to indicate future economic performance is lacking without the inclusion of consumer confidence levels.


The Environmental Kuznets: For High, Middle And Low Income Latin American Countries, Allia Afifi Jan 2012

The Environmental Kuznets: For High, Middle And Low Income Latin American Countries, Allia Afifi

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the relationship between environmental quality and economic development through the use of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. The study will examine the effect of economic development on the environmental quality for selected high, middle and low income Latin American countries. The model will look at emission levels (CO2 emissions in metric tons per capita) in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Honduras and Nicaragua as affected by changes in Gross Domestic Product. The results show that there is an inverted U-shaped curve representing the relationship between environmental degradation (CO2 emissions per capita) and GDP per capita, supporting the EKC hypothesis.


Education And Income Inequality In Latin American Countries, Courtney Weiss Jan 2012

Education And Income Inequality In Latin American Countries, Courtney Weiss

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

It is a common theory that education levels and inequality are highly correlated. In layman’s terms, as access to education increases, the earning potential of the poor also increases. Therefore, the poverty gap shrinks. However, when access to education is limited, there is a greater disparity between the earning potential of the rich and that of the poor, thereby expanding the poverty gap. The following paper examines and compares the education levels and income inequality across 14 Latin American countries. These countries experience “persistent” and “pervasive” inequality impacting all aspects of life (de Ferranti et al., 2004). Inequality will be …


The Relationship Between Poverty And Crime: A Cross Section Analysis, Luke Fleming Jan 2011

The Relationship Between Poverty And Crime: A Cross Section Analysis, Luke Fleming

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper compares the crime rates, poverty rates, and other economic statistics to determine if there is a relationship amongst the variables. The highest crime rates per capita in the world exist in developing countries; these countries also have very high rates of poverty. Is it a coincidence, or is there actually some substance to these facts? Crime is a complicated issue, and other variables like education, healthcare, and housing have to be taken into consideration. The results indicate that there is a relationship between certain types of crime and poverty, and that income inequality is significant to all types …


The Importance Of Good Governance In Achieving Economic Growth For Developing Nations: An Analysis Of Sub-Saharan Africa, Karl Turner Jan 2011

The Importance Of Good Governance In Achieving Economic Growth For Developing Nations: An Analysis Of Sub-Saharan Africa, Karl Turner

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper aims to expand on the idea that good governance is essential in sustaining growth in developing countries. I have chosen variables that are specific to determining the effect of good governance on sustained growth in several Sub-Saharan African nations. These variables will take into account the increased levels of corruption and manipulation that takes place in many of these regions. By analyzing different countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, I will be able to account for different economic and political conditions. My results show that although these countries differ in various aspects of macroeconomic policy, stable governance has been the …


A Comparative Analysis Of Development: Foreign Direct Investment And Remittances In Latin America, Jeffrey Denault Jan 2011

A Comparative Analysis Of Development: Foreign Direct Investment And Remittances In Latin America, Jeffrey Denault

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

Economic growth in developing countries has long been thought to come from a variety of different economic factors. One of the most prevalent theories has been providing a country with high levels of foreign direct investment, encouraging the country to industrialize. Whilst there are obviously many other factors either inhibiting or encouraging a developing country’s growth, foreign direct investment has long been seen as the prime inflow of capital. However, in recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the transfer of funds to developing countries from migrant workers through remittances. This study explores the aggregate impact remittances have …


Foreign Aid And Growth In Select African Countries, Thomas Strong Jan 2011

Foreign Aid And Growth In Select African Countries, Thomas Strong

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper analyzes the effects of foreign aid on economic growth in a set of African countries. This paper differs from previous literature in several ways; this paper analyzes a small sample set of aid-receiving African countries of varying distances from the equator. This paper also uses the most up-to-date data available, which will provide an insight into the 21st century conditions. Previewing the empirical results, this paper determines that aid, in the form of technical cooperation grants, has a significant, positive impact on growth.


Sexual Orientation Wage Differentials, Gian Spicuzza Jan 2011

Sexual Orientation Wage Differentials, Gian Spicuzza

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

Most early works find that homosexual and bisexual men suffer from a wage disadvantage and that lesbian and bisexual women earn a substantial wage premium compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Almost all earlier works use 1980-1990 General Social Survey data and Census 1990 data. This economic analysis uses more recent 2010 GSS data and finds statistically insignificant results that that both homosexual and bisexual men and women earn a wage differential. This is most likely attributed to the new terminology included in the 2010 GSS. For the first time, the GSS records the sexual orientation of the respondent whereas past …


Determinants Of A Country's Happiness, Timothy Caradonio Jan 2011

Determinants Of A Country's Happiness, Timothy Caradonio

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines the relationship between several macroeconomic factors and the relative happiness of a country’s citizens. Inflation, GDP growth, real interest rate, and unemployment rate were selected as independent variables. Data on the dependent variable, the degree of happiness, was not available from other studies. Therefore, life satisfaction was used as the dependent variable which was obtained from the Happy Planet Index. This study was conducted using cross sectional data and the least squared method to determine if any of the independent variables are statistically significant to the happiness of a country.


Analysis Of Employer Of Last Resort In The United States: Implications Of Educational Attainments And Wage Rates, Benjamin Dionne Jan 2011

Analysis Of Employer Of Last Resort In The United States: Implications Of Educational Attainments And Wage Rates, Benjamin Dionne

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines the feasibility and impact of an Employer of Last Resort (ELR) program in the United States. ELR could provide the US with a new policy direction in curbing poverty and creating growth. An ELR growth program would be run by the government to employ millions of unemployed and underemployed people in skilled and unskilled positions. This study aims to show that a well developed and administered ELR program could address the important issues facing the American economy and could lead to a significant economic impact. Using an ordinary least squared model the study establishes factors affecting the …


Determinants Of Hyperinflation: An Analysis Of Argentina, Eric Fudge Jan 2010

Determinants Of Hyperinflation: An Analysis Of Argentina, Eric Fudge

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines the history of inflation rates in Argentina compared to other economic factors, including: GDP, national budget, money supply, exchange rate, and unemployment levels. Using data from the World Bank and Centre of International Economics this paper will give insight into some of the causes of high inflation levels that were evident in Argentina throughout the 1980s, peaking with hyperinflation in 1989 and 1990. Results from analyzing statistics pertaining to Argentina’s economy from 1980 to present suggest that perpetual budget deficits led the government to print money more rapidly, causing a significant decrease in currency valuation and thus …


The Crime Rate In America: How Influential Is The Economy In Affecting The Level Of Crime?, Joseph Kuhar Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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 Jan 2010

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, …


Energy Consumption, Fdi, Government Effectiveness Economic Growth., Aaron Borges Jan 2010

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 …