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Full-Text Articles in Public Policy

House Price Changes In The Mountain West, 1991-2020, Katie M. Gilbertson, Kristian Thymianos, Eshaan Vakil, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Dec 2020

House Price Changes In The Mountain West, 1991-2020, Katie M. Gilbertson, Kristian Thymianos, Eshaan Vakil, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This fact sheet measures the average price change in single-family house prices in Mountain West states and metropolitan areas. This fact sheet utilizes data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI) tool to show quarterly and yearly trends as far back as 1991 to 2020.


The Drug Overdose Epidemic Seen Through Different Lenses, Barbara Blake Gonzalez, Richard Cebula, James V. Koch Dec 2020

The Drug Overdose Epidemic Seen Through Different Lenses, Barbara Blake Gonzalez, Richard Cebula, James V. Koch

Economics Faculty Publications

The age-adjusted death rate from drug overdoses in the United States per 100,000 individuals rose from 6.8 in 2010 to 17.1 in 2018. The most common explanation offered is the deaths of despair hypothesis. We identify additional factors that have contributed to the rise in drug overdose deaths in cities and counties. Methods: We utilize a period fixed effects model with a multi-variate panel data set for 94 independent cities and counties in Virginia for the period 2008 through 2017. Results: The drug overdose mortality rate is: (a) an increasing function (prob.


Visualizing Vulnerable Jobs In Nevada, Peter Grema, Vanessa Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Nov 2020

Visualizing Vulnerable Jobs In Nevada, Peter Grema, Vanessa Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet summarizes data on Nevada and its metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) from the national report “Visualizing Vulnerable Jobs Across America,” by Marcela Escobari, Natalie Geismar, and Dhruv Gandhi of the Brookings Institution. Data from the original report and accompanying database are used to highlight the total number and share of vulnerable jobs in the Silver State during the COVID-19 pandemic.


A Letter To The United States Government On Wealth And Income Inequality, Matthieu Maier Nov 2020

A Letter To The United States Government On Wealth And Income Inequality, Matthieu Maier

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The United States of America is the world’s hotspot when it comes to income and wealth inequality. The wealthiest Americans are accumulating more and more wealth everyday while most Americans, who fall somewhere around middle-class, remain struggling and stagnant. The United States’ unchecked and deregulated system of capitalism is the root cause of our country’s inequities along with our government’s refusal to set aside self-interests and biases in order to combat these issues. From the inequality caused by rouged American systems larger issues are created that lead to complications in health, wages, standard of living, and race relations within our …


Traffic Scorecard In Mountain West Cities, Kelliann Beavers, Eshaan Vakil, Katie M. Gilbertson, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Sep 2020

Traffic Scorecard In Mountain West Cities, Kelliann Beavers, Eshaan Vakil, Katie M. Gilbertson, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This fact sheet presents congestion and mobility trends in 14 Mountain West cities as compiled by INRIX Research and author Trevor Reed, in the Global Traffic Scorecard, March 2020. The INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard examines the impact of vehicle travel on 975 congested cities in the world; this fact sheet focuses on the Mountain West, providing insight on the ranking and impacts of congestion. This fact sheet also supplements INRIX’s scorecard with population data from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide context for the rankings.


Covid-19: Working Parents And Child Care In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Vanessa Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Sep 2020

Covid-19: Working Parents And Child Care In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Vanessa Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet synthesizes data on child-care dependent parents in various Mountain West metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). This synthesis is based on an original report by Brookings Research Analyst, Nicole Bateman, titled “Working parents are key to COVID-19 recovery.” Additionally, this fact sheet highlights other variables that include the race-ethnic breakdown, education attainment, and federal poverty breakdown for child-care dependent parents.


The Economic Impact Of Covid-19: Rebuilding The Las Vegas Economy, Jaewon Lim Sep 2020

The Economic Impact Of Covid-19: Rebuilding The Las Vegas Economy, Jaewon Lim

Policy Briefs and Reports

This study analyzes the recent trends of monthly visitors to the Las Vegas-ParadiseHenderson, NV metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for the first five months of 2020. In addition, six scenarios for the seven-month period of June through December 2020 estimate the net loss of visitors to Southern Nevada and the impact for the state economy in terms of employment, income, the total value added (contribution to Gross State Product), output sales, and state and local tax revenues. The counter-factual scenario – projecting the regional economy if no COVID-19 outbreak occurred – serves as a baseline scenario that allows measurement of the …


The Las Vegas Medical District And The Unlv School Of Medicine: An Economic Analysis And Tax Revenue Study, Jaewon Lim, Robert E. Lang, Sabrina Wang Sep 2020

The Las Vegas Medical District And The Unlv School Of Medicine: An Economic Analysis And Tax Revenue Study, Jaewon Lim, Robert E. Lang, Sabrina Wang

Policy Briefs and Reports

In the 2011 report, “Unify, Regionalize, Diversify,” The Brookings Institution, SRI International, and Brookings Mountain West detailed Las Vegas’s experiences during and after the Great Recession, and identified the health and medical industry as a particularly potent opportunity for economic diversification – one that could improve health outcomes while also generating sustainable economic activity and high-quality jobs. The Las Vegas Metro medical industry began growing in 2006, grew during the Great Recession, and is expected to continue to grow for the next 10-year period spurred by the rapidly growing population in Southern Nevada. The establishment and launch of the UNLV …


Covid-19: Nevada Counties With Low-Income Job Loss, Katie M. Gilbertson, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Aug 2020

Covid-19: Nevada Counties With Low-Income Job Loss, Katie M. Gilbertson, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

The purpose of this fact sheet is to highlight low-income job loss due to COVID-19 in Nevada’s 17 counties. This fact sheet features data originally reported by the Urban Institute in the publication, “Where Low-Income Jobs are Being Lost to COVID-19,” which highlights data as of June 5, 2020.


Predictors Of Social Distancing And Mask-Wearing Behavior: Panel Survey In Seven U.S. States, Plamen Nikolov, Andreas Pape, Ozlem Tonguc, Charlotte Williams Aug 2020

Predictors Of Social Distancing And Mask-Wearing Behavior: Panel Survey In Seven U.S. States, Plamen Nikolov, Andreas Pape, Ozlem Tonguc, Charlotte Williams

Economics Faculty Scholarship

This paper presents preliminary summary results from a longitudinal study of participants in seven U.S. states during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to standard socio-economic characteristics, we collect data on various economic preference parameters: time, risk, and social preferences, and risk perception biases. We pay special attention to predictors that are both important drivers of social distancing and are potentially malleable and susceptible to policy levers. We note three important findings: (1) demographic characteristics exert the largest influence on social distancing measures and mask-wearing, (2) we show that individual risk perception and cognitive biases exert a critical role in influencing …


Brave New World - The Rise Of Cities Globally: Urbanizationmeets Technological Innovation And Digitization, Rhonda S. Binda Aug 2020

Brave New World - The Rise Of Cities Globally: Urbanizationmeets Technological Innovation And Digitization, Rhonda S. Binda

Open Educational Resources

The trifecta of globalization, urbanization and digitization have created new opportunities and challenges across our nation, cities, boroughs and urban centers. Cities are in a unique position at the center of commerce and technology becoming hubs for innovation and practical application of emerging technology. In this rapidly changing 24/7 digitized world, city governments worldwide are leveraging innovation and technology to become more effective, efficient, transparent and to be able to better plan for and anticipate the needs of its citizens, businesses and community organizations. This class will provide the framework for how cities and communities can become smarter and more …


Geography Of Debt In Nevada Counties, Eshaan Vakil, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Aug 2020

Geography Of Debt In Nevada Counties, Eshaan Vakil, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This Fact Sheet summarizes and expands on the Urban Institute’s Debt in America: An Interactive Map online interactive dataset. The original data source offers statistics on the share of individuals in both white communities and communities of color with debt in collections, as well as the median value of this debt. The dataset further itemizes this information by medical, student loan, and automobile debt organized within counties and states. Data are presented for white communities and communities of color in Nevada’s most populous counties: Clark and Washoe.


Covid-19: Payment Protection Program (Ppp) Loan Impact In The Mountain West, Eshaan Vakil, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Aug 2020

Covid-19: Payment Protection Program (Ppp) Loan Impact In The Mountain West, Eshaan Vakil, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet summarizes the impact of COVID-19 relief loans on small businesses in 5 Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Using data reported by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), researchers at Brookings report, “across metro areas, COVID-19 relief loans are helping some places more than others.” This fact sheet explores the geographic distribution of PPP loans in 20 “very large,” “large,” “midsize,” and “small” metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in the Mountain West.


Covid-19: Metro Recovery Index In The Mountain West, Vanessa Booth, Katie M. Gilbertson, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Jul 2020

Covid-19: Metro Recovery Index In The Mountain West, Vanessa Booth, Katie M. Gilbertson, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession that is developing as a result, researchers at the Brookings Institution created the “Metro Recovery Index dashboard,” an interactive data set that tracks changes in labor, real estate, and other economic indicators for metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. Using data from January – June 2020, this Fact Sheets highlights the impact of the COVID-19 recession on 13 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in 5 Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.


Traffic-Related Pedestrian Deaths In The Sun Belt Region, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Jul 2020

Traffic-Related Pedestrian Deaths In The Sun Belt Region, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This Fact Sheet presents data from Smart Growth America on the number of pedestrian fatalities in U.S. states and congressional districts. For the purpose of this fact sheet, the data included focus on the Sun Belt region between 2008 and 2017, highlighting areas with the highest rates of traffic-related pedestrian deaths.


Minority Owned Businesses In The Southwest Megapolitan Triangle, Yanneli Llamas, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Jul 2020

Minority Owned Businesses In The Southwest Megapolitan Triangle, Yanneli Llamas, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet presents the potential impact of COVID-19 on minority owned businesses, using data originally published by Brookings researchers Sifan Liu and Joseph Parilla in “Businesses owned by women and minorities have grown. Will COVID-19 undo that?” As noted in the original report, the coronavirus pandemic will shock a variety of industries and communities, but minority-owned businesses are likely to be hardest hit.


Downtown Population Growth In Southwest And Mountain West Metros, Peter Grema, Eshaan Vakil, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Jul 2020

Downtown Population Growth In Southwest And Mountain West Metros, Peter Grema, Eshaan Vakil, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

Summarizing data from Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program’s May 2020 research brief “big city downtowns are booming, but can their momentum outlast the coronavirus?,” this fact sheet includes an overview of population growth in downtown and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) between 1980 and 2018 in the Southwest and Mountain West regions of the United States. We focus on Mountain West states (Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico) in our analysis. In addition, we include the metros that comprise the Southwest Megapolitan Triangle (Southern California, alongside Las Vegas, NV, and Phoenix, AZ metropolitan statistical areas).


Higher Education & Economic Mobility In Nevada, Ember Smith, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Jun 2020

Higher Education & Economic Mobility In Nevada, Ember Smith, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

Using methods from both the Opportunity Insights Project and the Brookings Opportunity Engines Project, this fact sheet examines Nevada’s public higher education system and attempts to measure the success of these institutions in creating economic mobility opportunities for lower- and middle-income students. Only colleges with over 200 students from each of the 1980-1982 birth cohorts are included in the Brookings Opportunity Engine’s analysis. This fact sheet follows suit and focuses on only those in Nevada: University of Nevada, Reno (UNR); University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV); Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC); College of Southern Nevada (CSN); and Western Nevada College …


Covid-19: The Impact On Young, Low-Wage Workers Without College Degrees, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Jun 2020

Covid-19: The Impact On Young, Low-Wage Workers Without College Degrees, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet highlights select data from the Brookings Institution report “We can’t recover from coronavirus recession without helping young workers” released May 7, 2020 by Martha Ross and Nicole Bateman. In the context of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the report includes data on the long-term, near-term, and immediate-term risk for occupations held by young workers without college credentials. This Fact Sheet focuses on data pertaining to the employment demography of young workers without a college degree in Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah).


Neighborhood Change In Las Vegas, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. Jun 2020

Neighborhood Change In Las Vegas, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This Fact Sheet analyzes indicators of demographic and economic change in Las Vegas neighborhoods and suburbs, provided by “American Neighborhood Change in the 21st Century,” a study published by the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity (IMO) at the Minnesota Law School. Researchers reviewed data from the 2000 U.S. Census and the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) for the top 50 largest metros in the U.S. The study reports levels of neighborhood change, including economic growth, poverty concentration, gentrification, and low-income displacement. Data pertaining to the Las Vegas metropolitan region are synthesized to measure indicators of economic viability and housing availability.


Disamenity Or A Signal Of Competence? The Empirical Political Economy Of Local Road Maintenance, Benjamin Blemings, Margaret Bock May 2020

Disamenity Or A Signal Of Competence? The Empirical Political Economy Of Local Road Maintenance, Benjamin Blemings, Margaret Bock

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

Empirical results find different conclusions than theoretical evidence of how electorates perceive road work. This paper uses a geographically smaller unit of analysis than prior work, political alignment, local election cycles, and difference-in-differences. It finds political distortions in invasive road maintenance timing and rules out maintenance seasonality. Spatial discontinuity plots leveraging ward boundary cutoffs confirm the shift. Results identify new public distortions to road maintenance, local election cycles, which are widespread and frequent. The estimates are used to calculate financial costs of local elections on road maintenance. Local elections have cost medium-large U.S. cities over $185.5 million from 1960- 2020.


Metro Monitor 2020: Las Vegas & Reno, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. May 2020

Metro Monitor 2020: Las Vegas & Reno, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet presents changes in indicators of economic health for the State of Nevada using data provided by the Brookings Institution’s Metro Monitor analysis. Looking beyond gross domestic product (GDP) and job growth, researchers at Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program measure various indicators of economic well-being across 192 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for a 1-year period (from 2017-2018) and a 10-year period (from 2008-2018). Metro areas are classified by size: midsized metros (with populations between 250,000 and 500,000), large metros (with populations between 500,000 and 1 million), and very large metros (with populations over 1 million). For the purpose of …


Immigrants And Their Voting Power In Nevada, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr. May 2020

Immigrants And Their Voting Power In Nevada, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This Fact Sheet presents the number of both documented and undocumented immigrants in Nevada, synthesizing data provided by New American Economy (NAE), a bipartisan research non-profit organization. To estimate the total number of immigrants in the U.S. and across each of the 50 states, researchers reviewed various data sources including the U.S. Census, the American Community Survey, the Center for Migration Studies, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).


Covid-19: Projected Job Loss In Mountain West States, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Apr 2020

Covid-19: Projected Job Loss In Mountain West States, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet highlights Mountain West data from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report titled, “States are projected to lose more jobs due to the coronavirus: 14 million jobs could be lost by summer.” The original data source provides figures on the estimated job loss from private sector employment in retail, leisure, and hospitality. This Fact Sheet examines the data for large metropolitan Mountain West states (including Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) with projected job loss in the coming months due to the coronavirus.


Australian National Audit Office: Evaluating Australian Army Program Performance, Bert Chapman Apr 2020

Australian National Audit Office: Evaluating Australian Army Program Performance, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) evaluates the management and financial performance of Australian government programs for the Australian Parliament, Australian government agencies, Australian taxpayers, and individuals interested in the performance of these programs globally. This article examines how ANAO has examined the performance of Australian Army programs and strengths and weaknesses found in these programs while recommending changes to improve program performance. It also examines how government agencies and corporations which have been the subject of ANAO analyses have reacted to ANAO findings. This assessment also examines how Plan B (the possibility that Australia might have to rely less …


The Urban Heat Island Effect In Nevada, Ember Smith, Kaylie Pattni, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Mar 2020

The Urban Heat Island Effect In Nevada, Ember Smith, Kaylie Pattni, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Environment

This fact sheet explores the temperature difference between Nevada cities and their undeveloped surrounding areas using reports by the Urban Land Institute, Climate Central, National Public Radio (NPR), and various governmental organizations. We investigate what “urban heat islands” are, their effects, the correlation between heat and income, and factors that contribute to rising temperatures in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno.


Do Public Program Benefits Crowd Out Private Transfers In Developing Countries? A Critical Review Of Recent Evidence, Plamen Nikolov, Matthew Bonci Mar 2020

Do Public Program Benefits Crowd Out Private Transfers In Developing Countries? A Critical Review Of Recent Evidence, Plamen Nikolov, Matthew Bonci

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Precipitated by rapid globalization, rising inequality, population growth, and longevity gains, social protection programs have been on the rise in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the last three decades. However, the introduction of public benefits could displace informal mechanisms for risk-protection, which are especially prevalent in LMICs. If the displacement of private transfers is considerably large, the expansion of social protection programs could even lead to social welfare loss. In this paper, we critically survey the recent empirical literature on crowd-out effects in response to public policies, specifically in the context of LMICs. We review and synthesize patterns from …


How Startups Help Cities Measure Their Economic Development Frontier, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Mar 2020

How Startups Help Cities Measure Their Economic Development Frontier, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet provides data on the ability of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West to foster innovative and technology-driven industries, utilizing information presented by the Brookings Institution report, “How startups help cities measure their economic development frontier."


The Importance Of Cognitive Domains And The Returns To Schooling In South Africa: Evidence From Two Labor Surveys, Plamen Nikolov, Nusrat Jimi Mar 2020

The Importance Of Cognitive Domains And The Returns To Schooling In South Africa: Evidence From Two Labor Surveys, Plamen Nikolov, Nusrat Jimi

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Numerous studies have considered the important role of cognition in estimating the returns to schooling. How cognitive abilities affect schooling may have important policy implications, especially in developing countries during periods of increasing educational attainment. Using two longitudinal labor surveys that collect direct proxy measures of cognitive skills, we study the importance of specific cognitive domains for the returns to schooling in two samples. We instrument for schooling levels and we find that each additional year of schooling leads to an increase in earnings by approximately 18-20 percent. The estimated effect sizes—based on the two-stage least squares estimates—are above the …


Signs Of Digital Distress: The Mountain West, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Feb 2020

Signs Of Digital Distress: The Mountain West, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Transportation & Infrastructure

This Fact Sheet examines the broadband services available and their subscription rates across major metro areas in the Mountain West, using the data and analysis found in “Signs of Digital Distress,” a report by the Brookings Institution.