Public Economics Commons^™

Tax Reform : Toward A Simpler, More Pro-Growth Tax Regime, Lok Sang Ho

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

This paper proposes that tax reform should take the direction of focusing on economic rent as the tax base. Since personal incomes that are very high typically carries a large component of economic rent, even very high marginal tax rates may not have much adverse effect on effort provided that the tax bands are wide enough so that, say, 90% of the working population will enjoy very low marginal tax rates. From this perspective, the author proposes to abolish the profits tax altogether, but to treat dividends and capital gains (net of inflationary gains) the same as labor income.

Upward Earnings Mobility On The Decline In Hong Kong? A Study Based On Census Data, Lok Sang Ho, Kai Wai Huang, Xiangdong Wei

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

This paper offers a new intuitive approach using census data to cast light on earnings mobility. We find that in Hong Kong upward mobility opportunities indeed fell for those born in the mid 70s and later, but that there has been a remarkable improvement for degree holders in recent years. Contrary to common belief, even though starting salaries had fallen, degree holders more or less maintained their relative advantage by age 31-35. Moreover, among degree holders, beginning in 2011 upward mobility showed an improvement for all cohorts at the higher income end though less so at the lower end. The …

Analysis Of External Debt Dynamics In Ecowas Economies, A. C. Chuku

Economic and Financial Review

This paper recognised the importance of identifying the core determinants of external debt dynamics in ECOWAS economies. Using a panel dynamic generalised least squares procedure, the study sought to identify the core determinants of external debt dynamics in 12 ECOWAS economies from 1970 to 2009. Overall, the findings revealed six core determinants of external debt in ECOWAS economies. Inflation, external reserves, per capita income and real oil prices were inversely related with external debt ratio; while, GDP gap and real effective exchange rate depreciation directly affected external debt. Significant dissimilarities were observed in the influence of government size and inflation …

The Role Of The Ocean Industry In The Chinese National Economy: An Input-Output Analysis, Rui Zhao

Working Papers

The OEAS (Ocean Economy Accounting System) has been established in China for 6 years. However, the economic impact of the ocean economy in China’s national economy has not yet been understood clearly at the national or regional levels. The direct impact of ocean industries in China at national and regional levels has been compiled for the period of 2001-2011, but it is still unclear what the overall economic impacts of ocean industries are in the national economy, and how the ocean industries interact with other industries in the national economy. China is similar to other ocean countries in that, - …

Cracking The Tax Codes: How State Tax Laws Influence The Number Of Manufacturing Jobs Within Their Borders, Nick Lorenson

Political Science Theses and Capstones

With the recent economic downturn, jobs have been at the forefront of people’s concerns. Policy makers in every state have promised their constituents new jobs. Of particular importance are high paying jobs. Manufacturing jobs tend to be a well-paying and highly sought after form of employment. However, in recent decades, the percentage of manufacturing jobs has been declining in the United States. Also, manufacturing facilities have shown an increased likelihood of relocating to different states. I theorize that manufacturing facilities relocating and expanding in different states is primarily due to state tax policies. This phenomenon has increased within recent years …

Land Management, U.S. Bureau Of, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides a historical overview and current assessment of the role played by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management in its ownership of federal lands in western states and its efforts to balance economic development of natural resources and conservation of these resources on these lands.

Energy, U.S. Department Of, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides information about the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies and how DOE influences federal energy policy and scientific research in the western U.S.

Army Corps Of Engineers, U.S., Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides an overview of how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has influenced historical and contemporary economic, environmental, and political developments in the American West.

Defense, U.S. Department Of, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides an overview of U.S. Department of Defense activities in the western U.S. including the military's increasing emphasis on Asia-Pacific strategic trends and developments.

Conservatism, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides an overview of late 20th and early 21st century conservatism and its impact on western U.S. politics and national politics. Stresses the roles played by individuals such as Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan,and George W. Bush and their influence on western conservatism. Analyzes how conservatism has been influenced by policy research institutions and advocacy groups such as the Claremont Institute and Focus on the Family. Reviews areas of collaboration and contention in western conservatism between economic, national security, and social conservatives and more libertarian elements. Examines the rise of the Tea Party movement in response to Obama Administration policies and …

Agriculture, U.S. Department Of, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides a succinct organizational history of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its impact on the American West.

Colorado River Compact (1922), Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides an overview of the 1922 Colorado River Compact seeking to fairly distribute Colorado River water to Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming and their increasing populations.

Hydroelectric Power, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides a historical overview and contemporary analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of federal government support for hydroelectric power in the American West.

Oil Industry, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides an overview of the historical and contemporary development of the American oil industry and how it has impacted U.S. natural resources policies in the American west.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S., Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides a historical overview and contemporary analysis of the energy policymaking role played by the Energy Department's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC responsibilities include regulating the prices and interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. Its responsibilities also include reviewing proposals to build and locate natural gas terminals, interstate natural gas pipelines, licensing hydropower projects, and regulating relevant mergers and securities acquisitions in these areas.

Mining, Uranium, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides an overview of uranium mining's role and influence in the American West with comparative information on uranium mining in foreign countries.

Subsidies, Agricultural, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides historical and contemporary information on U.S. Government agricultural subsidies and how they affect agricultural policy in the Western U.S.

Do Singaporeans Spend Too Much On Housing?, Sock Yong Phang

Research Collection School Of Economics

According to a 2011 IMF study, Singapore's level of government intervention in housing finance is the highest in the developed world (Slide 3). This level of intervention in housing finance has correspondingly produced the highest level of homeownership amongst advanced countries. This housing outcome is the result of our very unique HDB-CPF housing framework – an institutional framework that was established in the 1960s during the formative period of our country?s history (Slides 4 and 5). Singapore was, at that particular point in time, faced with a situation of chronic housing shortage, low homeownership rates and an underdeveloped housing mortgage …

Identification Of The Common Salient Characteristics Of Successful Intergovernmental Cooperation And Consolidation Of Governmental Services In Kent County, George A. Erickcek, Brad R. Watts

Reports

No abstract provided.

[Sabbatical Report], Claudia Strow

Sabbatical Reports

This document summarizes my sabbatical leave activities for spring semester, 2014. Below my accomplishments are discussed, and the value of the sabbatical leave to my teaching and research is assessed. The main activities I conducted during my sabbatical leave period included work on a new research project examining FMLA's impact on breastfeeding, the writing of a second edition of a textbook, substantial revisions for an accepted publication for the Journal of 'Markets and Morality, a revise and resubmit of a manuscript for the Journal of Applied Economics and Public Policy, an interview for Voice of America, the presentation of a …

Connecticut Economic Outlook For 2013-2015: A Perspective From Sacred Heart University Students In Business Economics, Jack Welch College Of Business

WCBT Undergraduate Publications

Final Research Project for EC392 – Economic and Financial Forecasting. Instructor: Dr. Lucjan T. Orlowski - Professor and Chair, Department of Economics and Finance, John F. Welch College of Business, Sacred Heart University.

The state of Connecticut has been severely impacted by the recent financial crisis, perhaps more greatly than other states. It was our objective to apply the skills we have acquired as an undergraduate class in Economic Forecasting at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, to compare various economic indicators and trends of the State of Connecticut to those of the United States. We ultimately wanted to evaluate …

Designing Affordable Housing For Adaptability: Principles, Practices, & Application, Micaela R. Danko

Pitzer Senior Theses

While environmental and economic sustainability have been driving factors in the movement towards a more resilient built environment, social sustainability is a factor that has received significantly less attention over the years. Federal support for low-income housing has fallen drastically, and the deficit of available, adequate, affordable homes continues to grow. In this thesis, I explore one way that architects can design affordable housing that is intrinsically sustainable. In the past, subsidized low-income housing has been built as if to provide a short-term solution—as if poverty and lack of affordable housing is a short-term problem. However, I argue that adaptable …

Impact Of Food Inflation On Poverty In The Philippines, Tomoki Fujii

Research Collection School Of Economics

We simulate the impact of food inflation between June 2006 and June 2008 on poverty across different areas and between agricultural and non-agricultural households. We explicitly treat the spatial heterogeneity in food inflation and the differences in consumption and production patterns across households by merging household expenditure survey and price datasets at the provincial level or lower. Although some of the poor agricultural households may have escaped poverty, the poorest of the poor, whether they are in an agricultural household or not, are severely and adversely affected by the food inflation.

An Empirical Assessment Of The Performance And Competitive Effects Of Los Angeles County Charter Schools, Sam Trachtman

Undergraduate Economic Review

This paper evaluates the performance of charter elementary schools in Los Angeles County in three ways. First, I compare charter school performance to public school performance, controlling for a number of key characteristics. Second, I study the characteristics that appear to influence charter school success as compared to public school success. Third, I study the “competitive effect” of charter schools, examining how geographical proximity to charter schools affects the performance of traditional public schools. I find evidence that, ceteris paribus, traditional public schools score higher than charter schools, except in majority African American schools. Further, I find that the opening …

Civic Engagement In Low Income And Minority Neighborhoods, And The Role Of Public Investment, Saheli Nath

Undergraduate Economic Review

This study uses principal component analysis to measure civic engagement in the low-income and minority neighborhood of Fair Park in South Dallas, and seeks to identify the implications of the influx of public investment in the Fair Park neighborhood on civic engagement.

Tightening Our Belts In The New Healthcare Economy, Laura Pizzi Pharmd,Mph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

China And Global Imbalances From A View Of Sectorial Reforms, Hiro Ito, Ulrich Volz

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper examines the impact of sectorial reforms on current account imbalances, with a special focus on China. In particular, we investigate to what extent reforms pertaining to the financial sector, social protection, and healthcare may contribute to a rebalancing of China’s persistent current account imbalances. Our forecasting results suggest that reforming the financial sector would be a significant contributor to the country’s rebalancing with an effect much larger than that of capital account liberalization. Strengthened provisions of social protection and publicly-funded healthcare are also found to contribute to a rebalancing of the Chinese economy.

A Proposal For Developing An Arts And Cultural District In East Providence, Rhode Island, Lisa Bruce, Nicole Bush, Gregory Ehlinger, Kenya Fullen, Jonathan Lax, Susan Leonardi, Ana Santana, Neuci Silva, Eric Jacobs

Community Development

In an effort to prevent social polarization within the East Providence community amongst various social groups, we are recommending that the project target multiple census tracts in East Providence and the east side area of Providence. These census tracts are comprised of high-income and low-income families and individuals of all ages. Specifically, there are seniors who live within the neighborhood who might take advantage of expanded opportunities if they felt the area was safe and accessible.

Trinity Restoration Inc.: Southside Cultural Center Economic Impact Study, Joel Cooper, Alexi Schwartzkopff, Victoria Moradsky, Billy Keeley, Mohannad Aldaham, Arnold Robinson

Business

Economic development has shifted from location-oriented business models towards a more all-encompassing model that recognizes the advancement of human capital or intellectual property as continuously increasing in value. This microcosmic characteristic of development extends to aid in the growth of society as a whole. The Arts and Culture attract a demographic of inspired and motivated people to the area. It results in the development of the society surrounding art venues. The general population will always seek out entertainment, by installing a venue of artistic expression in South Providence that will motivate the community and propel development. This phenomena has been …

Price Barriers In The Stock Market And Their Effect On The Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model, Nathan A. Blyler

Gettysburg Economic Review

The predicted price of an American option by the Black-Scholes (B-S) Option Pricing Model is known to differ from the market price of that option systematically with respect to time to expiration, distance in- or out-of-the-money, and liquidity of the option. We examine the possibility of price barriers in the stock market causing further systemic pricing differences between the market price and B-S predicted price. These differences occur when an option’s strike price is near a price barrier and differ in effect and significance depending on the position of the barrier relative to the underlying stocks’ price. We find round …