Political Economy Commons^™

Pointless?, Jonah Yuen

CMC Senior Theses

A fundamental question in politics that has no conclusive answer to this day is whether or not campaign expenditures are pointless. Determining the role of campaign contributions and spending in elections is important for formulating campaign finance reform policy and also for understanding the public choice economics behind elections. Politicians seem convinced that money is an important component in any successful election as illustrated by numerous fundraisers and lofty goals of raising $1 billion for presidential campaigns, yet the empirical research on money’s role in elections has not reached a consensus. This project seeks to further explore the relationship between …

The Great Indian Growth Puzzle: What Caused A Spike In 2003?, Aditya Bindal

CMC Senior Theses

This paper will employ unit root tests for finding structural breaks endogenously among India’s key macroeconomic aggregate series, as well as their components and subcomponents. The same analysis will be repeated, wherever data are available, for states. The results from these unit root tests will then be used in regression models for national and state level data to understand the causes behind structural breaks. We find that breakpoints cluster around 1982 and 2003 for most series at the national and state level. The services component appears to be a promising candidate for explaining the 2003 structural break in some of …

Radio Spectrum And The Disruptive Clarity Of Ronald Coase, Thomas W. Hazlett, David P. Porter, Vernon L. Smith

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

In the Federal Communications Commission, Ronald Coase exposed deep foundations via normative argument buttressed by astute historical observation. The government controlled scarce frequencies, issuing sharply limited use rights. Spillovers were said to be otherwise endemic. Coase saw that Government limited conflicts by restricting uses; property owners perform an analogous function via the “price system.” The government solution was inefficient unless the net benefits of the alternative property regime were lower. Coase augured that the price system would outperform. His spectrum auction proposal was mocked by communications policy experts, opposed by industry interests, and ridiculed by policy makers. Hence, it took …

Papers Ltv, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Shaikh, A. (2011, January 16). Profit themes (Unpublished manuscript notes) (23-39_Pape... p. 4).
• Shaikh, A. (1988, November 26). Steuart & two sources of profit: History—notes on prod/unprod labor in Marx (Unpublished manuscript notes) (23-39_Pape... p. 5).
• Shaikh, A. (1992). Values and value transfers: A comment on Itoh (Unpublished manuscript) (23-39_Pape... p. 10).
• Obrinsky, M. (1983). Profit theory and capitalism. University of Pennsylvania Press (23-39_Pape... p. 39).
• Shaikh, A. (2008, February 6). Production and nonproduction labor (Unpublished manuscript notes) (23-39_Pape... p. 44).

Class (Chapter 9), Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Chapter 9: classical, neoclassical, austrian and post keynesian views on competition, an unpublished draft book chapter prepared by Anwar Shaikh, PhD, on June 5, 2026.
• Ch 9 (class), a manuscript file folder label inscribed with the identification code NA-23-62, prepared by Anwar Shaikh, PhD, on June 5, 2026.
• Corrections and marginal notation on classical pricing and cost functions, an unpublished set of handwritten manuscript comments prepared by Anwar Shaikh, PhD, on June 5, 2026.

Competition Blue, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Roncaglia, A. (2006). Paolo Sylos Labini (1920-2005): A tribute. EAEPE Newsletter, (35).
• Shaikh, A. (2011). Appendix 7.1.xlsx. Unpublished manuscript.
• Dhawan, R. (2001). Firm size and productivity differential: Theory and evidence from a panel of US firms. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 44(3).
• Shaikh, A. (2011). Marx's example of a hand printing press vs. a lithograph. Unpublished manuscript.
• Shaikh, A. (2011). The writing of the Grundrisse. Unpublished manuscript.

Real-Time Forecasting, Dean D. Croushore

Economics Faculty Publications

This chapter will discuss real-time forecasting in a macroeconomic policy context. I will begin by talking about the Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF), a survey of private-sector forecasters. Next, I will discuss research on real-time data analysis and its importance in forecasting. Finally, I will discuss real-time forecasting in the 1990s.

Power And Capitalism Panel, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Shaikh, A. (2011, April). Comments on hegemony in academia, neoclassical economics, and vested interests (Handwritten note) (23-11_Powe... p. 2).
• Shaikh, A. (2011, April). My story: reflections on the Cambridge capital controversy, empirical production functions, and neoliberalism (Handwritten note) (23-11_Powe... p. 3).
• The New School. (2011, April 15–16). Power and the history of capitalism (Conference program). The New School (23-11_Powe... pp. 4-10).
• Milberg, W. (2011, April 15). Hegemony panel (Email) (23-11_Powe... p. 11).

Chapter 6 And Chapter 8 Tables, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Shaikh, A. (2010). Chapter 6 numerical examples: Labor values, direct prices, and prices of production (Unpublished Mathcad worksheet) 
• Shaikh, A. (2011). Chapter 8 reference tables: Price equalization, profit rate disequalization, and technical choice contenders (Unpublished Excel spreadsheet)

Strategic Significance: A Model Of G-20 Membership, Patrick Eagan-Van Meter

CMC Senior Theses

The membership of the Group of 20 was selected without any official criteria. This paper investigates whether group membership can be explained through the consideration of several different factors that coincide with the mission of the organization. I found strong evidence that membership in the Group of 20 was based on some combination of land mass and economic output. The results demonstrate that these factors are highly predictive of group membership.

Democratic Strength And Terrorism: An Economic Approach, Brian P. Winter

CMC Senior Theses

There has been much literature about the economic effects of terrorism in democratic countries, but this literature often considers democracy to be a binary variable. This paper sought to explore how the effects might differ depending on the strength of a democracy. In the end, I found that the numbers of attacks and the effects of those attacks do not follow a linear path. The results for autocracies and anocracies require further analysis, but democracies have revealed interesting results. It seems that democracies as a whole have more terrorist attacks, but, within this group, the more democratic a country is …

Has The Franco-German Power Balance In The European Union Tipped In Favor Of Germany?, Stephanie C. Haffner

CMC Senior Theses

The power balance between France and Germany in the European Union has been one of great discussion and debate. Countless journalists and scholars have argued that Germany’s power has risen gradually against the seemingly perpetually stronger France over the past sixty years, and is now finally set to surpass France; but how true are these claims? How can power within the EU truly be measured? Through an analysis of Franco-German collaboration through unionization, a critique of the contemporary discourse on the relationship, and an examination of changing contributions to the EU budget, my paper argues that the Franco-German power balance …

Take Me Out Of The Ball Game: The Efficacy Of Public Subsidies In The Success Of Professional Sports Stadiums, Jonah Chodosh

CMC Senior Theses

This paper weights the relative advantages of multiple factors that lead to the success of professional sports stadiums in major markets, though a discussion of the arguments for and against public subsidies towards these projects. Using a logit statistical model, the paper determines that the two factors determining the highest likelihood of venue success include multiple tenants and access to mass transit. The analysis demonstrates that public subsidies towards stadiums don’t generate sufficient economic returns, and that successful stadiums can be created without using taxpayer funds.

The Economic Impact Of Oil Price Shocks On Emerging Markets, Aanchal Kapoor

CMC Senior Theses

Recent spikes in oil prices have thrown light on how economic activity in emerging markets may be impacted by oil price shocks. This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the effect of oil price shocks on emerging markets. It tests for the existence of an asymmetrical relationship between oil prices and economic activity using a model developed by James Hamilton. It also assesses the impact of structural shocks to the real price of oil on output as proposed by Lutz Kilian. While our models find no consistent pattern within emerging markets, they do suggest that oil price shocks have a …

From Riches To Rags: The Political Economy Of The Natural Resource Curse, Anum Malkani

CMC Senior Theses

The natural resource curse paradox has given rise to a wide range of explanations, which look at the economic, social and political characteristics of resource-rich countries. This paper focuses on the political economy of natural resources and finds that controlling for sociopolitical factors eliminates the natural resource curse. The analysis then turns to these sociopolitical factors and examines the significant, complex and varied effects of democratization on economic growth in general, as well as in resource-rich countries in particular. I conclude that the type of institutions needed for economic development in resource-rich countries are not specific to either democratic or …

Alleviating Social Disadvantages Of Rapid Economic Growth: A Case For Conditional Cash Transfer (Cct) Application In Old Siam, Anastasia Kostioukova

CMC Senior Theses

The ongoing conflict between Thailand’s red shirt and yellow shirt parties is not purely political. This tension is rooted in a renewed awareness of regional economic and social inequality, a byproduct of rapid economic growth in the past. This thesis seeks to understand the overall consequences of unequal economic development in Thailand, as the rationale for asserting that a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program is an appropriate policy tool for the ongoing reconciliation efforts.

Mississippi Period Occupational And Political History Of The Middle Savannah River Valley, Keith Stephenson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Research focusing on the political economy of Mississippian mound centers in the middle Savannah River valley has prompted a reevaluation of current interpretations regarding societal complexity. I conclude the clearest expression of classic Mississippian riverine-adaptation is evident at centers immediately below the Fall Line with their political ties to chiefdom centers in the Piedmont, and especially Etowah. By contrast, those centers on the interior Coastal Plain were politically autonomous with minimal signatures in social ranking. The scale of appropriated labor and resulting level of surplus production, necessitated by upland settlement on the Aiken Plateau, fostered social contradictions making communally-oriented and …

The Public Sector, Migration, And Heterogeneity, Carlos J. Lopes

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Questions on the optimal size of government always provoke intense political debate. At the center of this is the public goods problem, where certain goods and services are “under-provided” by the market due to problems with rivalry and excludability. These goods are usually provided by the public sector and financed through taxes. Questions emerge over the optimal level of provision, as different individuals value these goods differently. This dissertation consists of two studies which address preferences for the size of government from different perspectives.

The first study provides a method that can be used to estimate demand for changes in …

Owen Book Capitalism Vs Economic Democracy, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Owen, M. K. (2011). Inscription to anwar shaikh (Handwritten note) (23-8_Owen ... p. 3).
• Owen, M. K. (2011). Capitalism vs. economic democracy: illuminating capitalist vs. socialist development with a theory inferred from the writings of marx, engels, lenin, dunayevskaya, and sraffa. CreateSpace (23-8_Owen ... pp. 2, 4)

Recent Debates On Ltv, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• The incoherence of the TSSI: a reply to Kliman and Freeman, written by Simon Mohun and Roberto Veneziani, published in Capital & Class, volume 30, number 2, issue 92, in the year 2006, pages 139–145, by the Conference of Socialist Economists.
• Recent debates on LTV: new interpretation, TSS, critiques, a manuscript file folder label inscribed with the identification code NA-23-52, prepared by Anwar Shaikh, PhD, on June 5, 2026.
• A temporal single-system interpretation of Marx’s value theory, written by Andrew J. Kliman and Ted McGlone, published in the Review of Political Economy, …