Economics Commons^™

The Economics Of Health 2011-12, Department Of Economics

Werner Sichel Lecture Series

The 2011-12 Werner Sichel Lecture Series features six nationally recognized economists & medical specialists whose presentations will focus on the economics of health.The Sichel Series is directed by Professor Donald Meyer, and is cosponsored by the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, College of Arts and Sciences, and the Medical Humanities Workgroup of WMU. It is named for longtime WMU economics professor, Dr. Werner Sichel, who retired in 2004.

Family Labor Participation And Child Care Decisions: The Role Of Grannies, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

One of the most significant long term trends in the labor market in most OECD countries has been the increase in the proportion of working mothers. However, not all countries show the same pattern. Countries in Southern Europe (Italy, Greece and Spain) show an average participation rate of about 45% whereas the participation rates in Northern countries (Denmark, Sweden) are around 75%. The characteristics of child care systems also differ significantly across OECD countries. This along with the characteristics of the labor market may have led families to get the necessary social services in an alternative way, i.e. through grandmothers. …

Diamonds In The Rubble: The Women Of Haiti—Institutions, Gender Equity, And Human Development In Haiti, Tonia Warnecke, Andrew Padgett

Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Publications

Although Haiti's 2010 earthquake brought to light the inconceivable poverty existing in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti's struggle for economic development long pre-dated that earthquake. One problem in Haiti is the high level of gender inequity, and we argue that human development theory is the best mode for change. We provide a brief background of Haiti's economic development over the last several decades, along with the status of women's rights and gender-differentiated socioeconomic outcomes. We analyze the ways that policy neglect of gender equity in Haiti has contributed to failed economic development in the past. Finally, we identify ways that other …

No. 54: Medical Xenophobia: Zimbabwean Access To Health Services In South Africa, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera

Southern African Migration Programme

Medical xenophobia refers to the negative attitudes and practices of health sector professionals and employees towards migrants and refugees on the job. There is considerable evidence that many officials (especially the police, home affairs officials, refugee determination officers and customs agents) bring xenophobic attitudes with them when they come to work. Those in the “helping professions” (such as teachers, social workers and health care professionals) also come into contact with migrants and refugees in the course of their jobs. They have the power to withhold services and they can certainly influence the way in which those services are delivered. This …

Firm And Industry Effects In Accounting Versus Economic Profit Data, Matthew J. Holian, Ali M. Reza

Faculty Publications

This article presents estimates of firm and industry fixed-effects on profit rates for large US corporations, using both Economic Value Added (EVA), the popular measure of profits produced by Stern Stewart and Company, as well as simple (unadjusted) accounting measures as the dependent variable. We find that the improvement in explanatory power of the fixed-effect model is substantially greater when using EVA than has been documented with alternative measures.

State Of The Northwest Arkansas Region 2011 Report, Katherine A. Deck, Mervin Jebaraj

State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report

The Center for Business and Economic Research presents the State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report, an objective analysis of the area’s performance. The report reflects a broad approach to economic development and includes metrics related to innovation, quality of life, and health in addition to measures more often associated with the economy such as employment rates, business growth and income changes. The Northwest Arkansas region’s performance over time is measured and compared with the performance of the United States, Arkansas, and four peer regions: Lexington, Kentucky; Gainesville, Florida; Huntsville, Alabama; and Austin, Texas.

Economic Racism: A Look At The Black-White Income Gap, 1967-2001, Adam Wolfe

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This preliminary study draws upon previous research to analyze the black-white income gap in America by examining trends in mean and median household incomes, educational attainment, and unemployment rates from 1966-2001. I examine some historic themes to racism and how they persist through income inequality today. Through this research I hope to highlight that there is much work to do to minimize the economic marginalization of different races. Unequal incomes are evidence of such marginalization, which at times is unrecognized even by those who are being marginalized. In order to fully embrace being a land of opportunity, we must first …

Comparative Analysis Of Rural And Urban Start-Up Entrepreneurs, Hyunjeong Joo

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This study investigates the reasons for apparent differences in entrepreneurship rates in rural and urban areas using a Survey of Rural Kentucky Residents (SRKR) and the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED) data. We estimate the determinants of dissimilar characteristics for rural and urban areas in two aspects: one is individual and contextual resources; the other is cultural tendencies of resources.

The results of the analysis suggest that the difference in available individual, economic, and social support resources does not explain the observed difference in entrepreneurship rate. The results also indicate that gender, ethnicity, income, and number of children in …

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

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

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

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.

Distribution Shifts And Declines In Autonomous Consumption: A Great Recipe For A Great Recession, David Michael Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Great Recession has been drawing the attention of many due mainly to its global impact that has been considered very similar to the Great Depression. So have been the root causes. Among the competing explanations, the present study focuses on two of them that were the same factors - among others - to explain the root causes of the Great Depression: the dramatic shift in income distribution and the sudden drop in autonomous (or wealth-based) consumption. Accordingly the present study examines first, the role of income distribution shifts to demonstrate the fact that such a shift placed a significantly …

In The Aftermath Of The Financial Crisis Of 2008: What Have We Learned?, Luisa Blanco, Michael Crouch

School of Public Policy Working Papers

In the aftermath of the financial crisis and economic recession of 2008, it is important to reflect not only on its causes, but also on specific policies that can help countries to move towards sustained economic growth. This publication provides a compendium of lectures that intend to do this. The focus of the discussion is around the U.S. (first two chapters) and Latin America (last chapter), which enhances our understanding of the forces at play and the necessary policies that need to be implemented in different regions of the world. Dr. Lee Ohanian points to the strange differences between the …

Adjustment In An Open Economy With Two Exchange-Rate Regimes, Sven W. Arndt

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

This paper examines adjustment in a model with three economies, two exchange-rate regimes, and varying capital mobility. In the benchmark scenario, the U.S. dollar fluctuates against the euro and the Chinese yuan, but capital mobility is high in the former and low in the latter case. This generates offsetting exchange-rate adjustments, which affect the efficacy of U.S. fiscal policy. In the next two scenarios, the yuan is fixed against the dollar. Rate pegging by a large country like China "interferes" with U.S. macro adjustment and undermines U.S. policy autonomy.

Financing Professional Sports Facilities, Robert A. Baade, Victor Matheson

Economics Department Working Papers

This paper examines public financing of professional sports facilities with a focus on both early and recent developments in taxpayer subsidization of spectator sports. The paper explores both the magnitude and the sources of public funding for professional sports facilities.

China And The United States' Recovery From The Global Financial Crisis, Yufei Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Faced with the global financial crisis, which has a large impact on the world's economy, China and the United Stated took different actions to pull the economy out of it, based on the fairly different financial, fiscal, and even political systems they have. This thesis focuses on the comparison of the financial and fiscal systems and trade structures between the two different countries, and how these have impact on their stimulus packages, thus influencing the economic recovery as a whole.

Structured Finance And Its Effects On Macroeconomic Stability, Brian Charles Fahey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The tools and techniques of structured finance have changed banking remarkably over the past twenty years. This area grew to become larger than the sum total of traditional banking deposits in 2007. Despite this, the field is poorly understood and its connection to macroeconomic stability was underestimated until the credit crisis. This paper explores the structured finance market in three phases. First, the market is broken into parts based on the incentives and motivations of each of the three major agents in the field. Next, a critical review of pricing models that are used to justify the valuations of the …

Community Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Current Perceptions And Future Strategies: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley D. Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Rural Poll

By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans also say it would be difficult to leave their community. In addition, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.

Differences of opinion exist by the size of their community. Residents of smaller communities are more likely than residents of larger communities to rate their community favorably on its social dimensions and to have positive sentiments about their community. However, residents of larger communities are more likely than residents of …

Brazil Under Change, Roberta Alves Costa Melo

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this case study is to identify the policies and programs that President Lula's administration has instituted to alleviate poverty in Brazil. This study will seek to determine if the economic condition of the poor has been improved as a result of Lula's ascent to the Presidency. The methodology applied to this study is a qualitative strategy of inquiry. This is a case study on the outcome of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The research design is based on a philospohical advocacy/participatory worldview.