Other Economics Commons^™

Public Goods With Punishment & Payment For Relative Rank, Terence C. Burnham

ESI Working Papers

A laboratory experiment designed to investigate the role of relative performance-based payoffs on cooperation in the context of punishment. Subjects play a repeated public goods game with high-powered punishment (50:1) and additional payoffs based on relative performance. Contributions to the public good are nearly maximal. Punishment levels are substantial, higher than the same game without relative rank payoffs, and sufficiently high that total payoffs are negative. The group would make much more money in the same setting without punishment. This study contributes to investigation of the role of altruism in human cooperation.

Gender Bias In Microlending: Do Opposites Attract?, Kanyinsola Adepoju

Master's Theses

This study exploits a quasi-random assignment of clients to loan officers using a unique database and survey from a large microfinance bank in Nigeria to show that opposite-sex preferences affect credit demand and supply. We find that clients matched to loan officers of the opposite gender are more likely to receive credit and are more likely to return for an additional loan with the credit lender.

The Relevance Of Economic, Institutional And Cultural Determinants For Venture Capital Investments. A Us-Europe Comparison., Nadja Benes

Master's Theses

This study analyzes the determinants of early-stage VC investments by identifying characteristics in the economic, institutional, as well as cultural framework that could explain the diverging levels of early-stage VC investments across countries. Data was assembled for 16 countries during the period from 1995 until 2013. The results indicate that countries that are more open to trade are associated with higher levels in early-stage venture capital. A higher unemployment rate negatively affects a country’s level of early-stage VC funds. Higher R&D expenditures as a proxy for the technological and innovation capacity in a country as well as a higher value …

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 …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Financial Education On Financial Literacy And Financial Behaviors, Jamie Wagner

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study estimates how financial education affects a person’s financial literacy score, short-term financial behaviors, and long-term financial behaviors using data from the 2012 National Financial Capability Study (NFCS). There are seven categories of financial education—high school, college, employer, high school and college, high school and employer, college and employer, and combinations of all three courses—to estimate the effectiveness of financial education. This course detail has not been studied in previous literature about financial education.

Financial education has a positive relationship with a person’s financial literacy score. Splitting the sample into groups based on education and income results show that …

Exploring Microfinance For Social Capital Formation And The Empowerment Of South Asian Skilled Immigrant Women In Brantford, Ontario, Fatema Taskin Chowdhury

Social Justice and Community Engagement

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Terminating Enforcement Actions On The Nation's Problem Banks, Benjamin Doehr

Undergraduate Economic Review

This paper examines whether the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's supervisory actions promote improved performance at problem banks. I show that during the three-year period following the termination of a supervisory action, return on assets rises by 10 to 20 basis points. The reaction of capital markets to the termination results in a 1.7 basis point increase in return on assets, while management actions post-termination result in a 1.6 basis point decrease in return on assets.

Inclusive Fitness And Differential Productivity Across The Life Course Determine Intergenerational Transfers In A Small-Scale Human Society, Paul L. Hooper, Michael Gurven, Jeffrey Winking, Hillard Kaplan

ESI Publications

Transfers of resources between generations are an essential element in current models of human life-history evolution accounting for prolonged development, extended lifespan and menopause. Integrating these models with Hamilton’s theory of inclusive fitness, we predict that the interaction of biological kinship with the age-schedule of resource production should be a key driver of intergenerational transfers. In the empirical case of Tsimane’ forager–horticulturalists in Bolivian Amazonia, we provide a detailed characterization of net transfers of food according to age, sex, kinship and the net need of donors and recipients. We show that parents, grandparents and siblings provide significant net downward transfers …

Economic Impacts Of The Ethanol Industry In Nebraska, Dennis Conley, Kathleen Brooks, Cory Walters, Eric Thompson

Bureau of Business Research Publications

The U.S. Department of Energy data on Nebraska’s ethanol production started in 1985 at 9 million gallons per year. Ten years later in 1995 it was 200 million gallons as shown below. A little over ten years later starting in 2007, the big jump in production was 858 million gallons, and five years later by 2011 it was 2,062 million. The twenty year growth from 1995 to 2014 was approximately tenfold. Since 2007 the effects on Nebraska’s economy and rural areas have been both sustained and substantial.

The purpose of this economic study is to estimate for a five year …

Rebuilding The Classification System Of The Ocean Economy, Dr. Kwang Seo Park, Dr. Judith T. Kildow

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Many ocean countries have attempted to estimate the size of the ocean economy or industry. However, it is difficult to compare the ocean economy among countries because the definition, classification standard, and scope vary within each country. This study aims to provide concrete practical proposals for universal definition, classification standard, and scope of the ocean economy. With regard to the definition of the ocean economy, a combination of industrial and geographical perspectives is considered simultaneously. As a result, the ocean economy is defined as the economic activities that directly or indirectly take place in the ocean and use outputs from …

Assessing The Economic Costs Of Water Pollution In The Yangtze River, China, Xiaoli Zhang

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Water pollution of the Yangtze River basin is very serious. Studies have shown that from the upper to the lower river, the water volume decreases and development and pollution increase, especially in trans-boundary areas. The Yangtze Estuary is located at the intersection of Jiangsu Province and Shanghai where the waters flow directly into the East China Sea. The estuary provides drinking water to many people and serves multiple other functions, including agricultural irrigation, tourism, and aquaculture. It plays a pivotal role in the local social and economic development and in people’s general wellbeing. Directly or indirectly, the pollution of 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 …

Humankind In Civilization’S Extended Order: A Tragedy, The First Part, Bart J. Wilson

ESI Publications

This article is a short, scientific story of the labyrinthian human career, of humankind’s place in the natural order of the world, and of the evolution of moral rules and rule following that make the extended order of civilization possible. Drawing upon work in anthropology, biology, and linguistics, I weave a science-based narrative of how Homo sapiens came to be the only primate to convert enemy aliens into trading friends. It is a Goethean story of the human condition that postulates the common origins of and modern tension between Pleistocene and Anthropocene morality. It is also a Hayekian story of …

Further Towards A Theory Of The Emergence Of Property, Bart J. Wilson

ESI Publications

This article explores the emergence of property as a moral convention. To understand this process I make use of several laboratory experiments on property in its nascence. These experiments illustrate how a rule of property arises from our knowledge of what is morally right, and not vice versa. I also argue that while the ultimate end of property is our interest in using things, the proximate end of property is not losing them, i.e., the end of a rule of property is to secure from morally unfounded harm.

Conflicted Emotions Following Trust-Based Interaction, Eric Schniter, Roman M. Sheremeta, Timothy W. Shields

ESI Publications

We observed reports of conflicted (concurrent positive and negative) emotions activated after interactions in the Trust game. Our analyses reveal that activation of 20 emotional states following trust-based interaction is better explained by predictions derived from a multi-dimensional Recalibrational perspective than by predictions derived from two-dimensional Valence and Arousal perspectives. The Recalibrational perspective proposes that emotions are activated according to their functional features – for example, emotions help people achieve short or long-sighted goals by up or down-regulating behavioral propensities, whereas Valence and Arousal perspectives consider simpler hedonic dimensions lacking functional specificity. The Recalibrational perspective is also distinguished from the …

To Trust, Or Not To Trust: Cognitive Reflection In Trust Games, Brice Corgnet, Antonio M. Espín, Roberto Hernán-González, Praveen Kujal, Stephen Rassenti

ESI Publications

We present results from two studies that show a positive relation between cognitive reflection and trusting behavior, but no significant relation with trustworthy behavior. Our finding holds regardless of individual distributional social preferences and risk aversion. Our results add to a growing body of literature that illustrates the role of cognitive ability in helping explain outcomes in economic experiments.

Dynamic Optimization And Conformity In Health Behavior And Life Enjoyment Over The Life Cycle, Hernán D. Bejarano, Hillard Kaplan, Stephen Rassenti

ESI Publications

This article examines individual and social influences on investments in health and enjoyment from immediate consumption. Our lab experiment mimics the problem of health investment over a lifetime (Grossman, 1972a,b). Incentives to find the appropriate expenditures on life enjoyment and health are given by making in each period come period a function of previous health investments. In order to model social effects in the experiment, we randomly assigned individuals to chat/observation groups. Groups were permitted to freely chat between repeated lifetimes. Two treatments were employed: In the Independent-rewards treatment, an individual's rewards from investments in life enjoyment depend only on …