Public Economics Commons^™

Within-Development Density And Housing Prices In Singapore, Eric Fesselmeyer, Haoming Liu, Louisa Poco

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This paper measures how much more households pay for less density in their immediate surroundings. Using transaction and administrative data and exploiting the introduction of a regulation that restricted the number of housing units for certain land lots, we find that households discount density: a 10% increase in within-development density decreases the price per square meter by 5%. Further, the mean price per square meter of the average development increased by 1%–3% after the regulation was introduced, while the amount of built-up space remained constant. The increase in total revenue suggests developers may underestimate the externality caused by density.

Horizontal Economic Inequality And Mass Atrocity Risk: A Large-Sample Empirical Inquiry, Charles H. Anderton, Roxane A. Anderton

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Our research question is: Does inter-group horizontal economic inequality elevate state-perpetrated mass atrocity risk? Theoretical perspectives in genocide studies show how economic and other forms of discrimination against ethnic or religious groups can elevate the risk of government violence against them. Among the approximately five dozen large-sample empirical studies of mass atrocity risk, only a few consider the effects of economic discrimination. Moreover, no large-sample empirical studies, to the best of our knowledge, test hypotheses related to how inter-group horizontal economic inequalities (as distinct from vertical economic inequalities based on GINI coefficients or quantile income or wealth measures) affect mass …

Essays On Real Estate, Flood Risk, And Political Sentiment, John P. Orellana

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of three chapters that investigate how climate change, flood risk, and political sentiment influence outcomes in housing markets.

Chapter 1: This chapter offers a brief review and discussion of several recent and seminal papers at the intersection of flood risk, climate change, and real estate, as well as a critique on some of the literature on the effects of sea-level rise on housing outcomes.

Chapter 2: FEMA flood maps serve two functions: they signal risk to homeowners and mandate insurance take-up. How these information and risk transfer mechanisms affect homeowner relocation decisions remains unknown. Combining real estate …

Still Waiting For The Shoe To Drop? An Empirical Analysis Of Private College And University Financial Stress, Mary Ellen Benedict, David Mcclough, John Hoag

Pennsylvania Economic Review

This study uses the 2010, 2017, and 2018 data of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to estimate which institutional factors increase the probability that a private, nonprofit, higher education institution will face financial stress. The study first estimates enrollment and net tuition with a reduced form market model. Those estimates, endowment dollars, and college rankings are used to identify institutions that are financially stressed. Our assessment indicates that approximately 11.5 percent of the sample institutions are stressed, suggesting that the earlier predictions of a 25-50 percent reduction are overestimated, at least for private-nonprofit institutions. The study next employs a …

Internal And External Determinants Of Short-Run Inflation In Pennsylvania, Corey Williams

Pennsylvania Economic Review

Using new quarterly data on consumer price inflation for the state of Pennsylvania, we study the persistence and sensitivity of consumer price inflation to both internal and external determinants of potential pass-through. Leveraging an autoregressive distributed lag modeling framework that approximates an augmented state-specific Phillips Curve, we find that the dynamics of house price inflation, and the unemployment gap are the two strongest sources of internal inflation pass-through while producer price inflation, and money supply growth are the two strongest sources of external inflation pass-through. Relative to neighboring states, we find the persistence of inflation to be the strongest in …

Perception And Prospects Of Art Of Clothing Maintenance As A Sustainable Fashion, Boiso Maria Owodiong-Idemeko, Adetona Sekinat Ajoke, Udom Owodiong

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

The study focused on the perception of the art of clothing maintenance and its prospects as a sustainable fashion for consumers in Lagos state. 250 respondents were involved. The study adopted descriptive survey design. Two hypotheses were formulated and a thirty-one (31) item questionnaire was the main instrument used to collect data for the study. The statistical tools used were, percentages, mean and Friedman’s test. The result revealed that, 200 (80%) perceived ripped clothes bring dismay to the wearer, 198 (79%), perceived ripped clothes needed to be reconstructed, 200 (80%) perceived consumers lack practical ability to repair clothes. 241 (96%) …

Essays On The Dynamics Of Subnational Public Finance In Indonesia, Much Rosidi

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This dissertation comprises three essays that collectively explore the intricacies of subnational public finance in Indonesia: vehicle tax amnesty, property tax competition, and corruption. The research aims to understand the dynamics shaping fiscal policies at the subnational level.

In the first essay, I examine vehicle tax amnesty programs in Indonesia that have been very popular in dealing with high delinquency rates. From 2008 to 2020, provincial amnesties occurred every 2.5 years on average. Using the variation in the timing of the province’s amnesty adoptions, I estimate the effect of vehicle tax amnesty on vehicle tax revenue using difference-in-differences. The short-run …

Relationships Between Local Revenue And Expenditure Policies And Urban Housing Markets, Lucas Taulbee

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This dissertation consists of three essays on urban/local public finance, specifically residential property tax assessment and the provision of local public services. A general theme of the essays is the interplay between local financial policies and housing markets. Both revenue (tax) and expenditure policies can have significant effects on housing prices which can, in turn, have feedback effects on current and future revenues and expenditures. In the first chapter, Assessment Regressivity and Capitalization of Property Taxes, I consider assessment regressivity, the phenomenon in which higher-priced homes tend to be underassessed while lower priced homes tend to be overassessed. This may …

Divided By Design? Urban Renewal’S Differential Impacts On Economic Outcomes By Race, Derik Suria

CMC Senior Theses

I study city-level effects of the federally and state-sponsored urban renewal program that aimed to improve living conditions for residents in blighted areas and slums. I use an interdisciplinary approach to estimate urban renewal effects on measures of income, property value, poverty, and employment. I first replicate the methodology and estimates of urban renewal effects on city outcomes in 1980 from Slum Clearance and Urban Renewal in the United States (Collins and Shester 2013). I extend this research by looking at a longer time horizon (1990, 2000, 2010) and incorporating race-based outcomes. From 1980 to 2010, estimated effects on property …

Towards Inclusive Public Administration Systems: Public Budgeting From The Perspective Of Critical Race Theory, Juan Pablo Martínez Guzmán, Meagan M. Jordan, Philip G. Joyce

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

While there is a developing consensus that governments need to address systemic racism, public administration scholarship has not played a large role in supporting policymakers who want to achieve that end. To institutionalize that effort, we analyze the budget process as a setting to identify inequities and incorporate social equity given its overarching reach across all programs and policies. This article uses the tenets of critical race theory to illustrate how to use the budget process to incorporate equity. The resulting racial equity budgeting (REB) framework has three tenets: acknowledging and correcting historic biases, increasing the voice of nondominant groups, …

Evaluating The Early Impacts Of The Snap Online Purchasing Pilot, Kyle Jones

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation consists of three chapters that evaluate how a change in the redemption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits impacted grocery purchasing behavior and food consumption to provide some of the first estimates of the impacts from the pilot. The SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot (OPP) allowed recipients to use their benefits online for participating retailers which was initially planned for 8 participating pilot states with a few participating retailers but massively expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first two chapters evaluate how the SNAP OPP impacts grocery purchasing behavior with the first chapter evaluating before the COVID-19 pandemic and …

Essays On Impacts Of Natural Disasters, Fang-Yu Yeh

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation consists of three chapters that study how natural disasters affect households and individuals. The first chapter examines how Kentucky’s housing market responds to changes in flood risk information. The second chapter looks at disproportionate drinking water non-compliance post-disaster. The third chapter studies the effect of flooding events and the national school meals program in Kentucky on education outcomes.

The first chapter examines Kentucky’s housing market response to changes in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) flood maps and how the responses differ depending on whether an area has been flooded recently. I use Zillow’s ZTRAX property transaction data …

State Of The Northwest Arkansas Region 2024 Report, Mervin Jebaraj, Kashfia Kamal

State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report is an annual publication commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council that serves as a tool for evaluating economic performance. In July 2018, the Council created a new blueprint for development, benchmarking Northwest Arkansas against other high-performing regions, including Austin, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Madison, Wis.; Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Provo-Orem, Utah. The 2024 report compares Northwest Arkansas with these regions in GDP, employment, unemployment, establishment growth, median household income, average annual wages, poverty, educational attainment, research and development, homeownership costs, commuting time and average domestic airfares.

Cap-And-Trade And Air Quality: Which Communities Benefit The Most?, Nicole Bobbs

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Air Quality significantly impacts public health, particularly for individuals with respiratory issues. Cap-and-trade (CAT) programs aim to mitigate emissions, focusing on greenhouse gases to improve air quality. This paper evaluated the long-run effectiveness of CAT programs, comparing multi-sector and single-sector initiatives, and their impact on air quality across counties with varying economic statuses. Using a difference-in-difference approach, comprehensive data spanning recent years up to 2023 is analyzed. The dataset includes air quality measures, population, personal income, average temperature, precipitation, and vehicle registrations enabling a thorough examination of the programs’ effects. Results reveal a complex relationship. Both programs’ initiatives create a …

Three Essays In Urban, Health And Public Economics, Dinushka Paranavitana

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation “Three Essays in Urban, Health and Public Economics” contains three chapters which explore urban, health and public economics. The first two chapters focus on examining the unexpected consequences of urban and health related policies, while the third chapter explores the nuanced relationships between health policies and religion. The first chapter examines the impact of NFL and NBA games, beyond the reach of stadium walls and arenas, extending to how it affects driver behavior after games. In this paper I analyze how game outcomes for professional level football and basketball games have an impact on affecting the rate of …

Essays On Public Finance And International Finance, Deepti Sikri

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The first chapter examines New York State's Fiscal Score Monitoring program to find the effect of two quality labels on school district outcomes: fiscal stress scores, reflecting the budget solvency, and environmental stress labels reflecting economic and demographic conditions. Using the NYS school district data from 2013-22, I employ the regression discontinuity design to find the effect of stress labels, in response to the political pressure on district finances, housing, and school outcomes. I find the effect of fiscal stress label is limited, leading to a decrease in the fund balance ratio and an increase in the tax rate. However, …

The Effects Of School Autonomy On Student Achievement, Frank P. Kastl

Honors College Theses

This paper presents new evidence on the effects of school autonomy over personnel, budgeting, and curriculum on student achievement. I use the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data, a survey and assessment of students and schools in over 80 countries along with panel data methods. The empirical findings suggest that a greater degree of autonomy over schooling decisions improves achievement in math, science, and reading. However, these improvements are most pronounced in more developed countries.

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Affordable Housing Testimonies & Sources, Asma Mahamed

What Are The Affordable Housing Options in Portland, Maine?

Asma Mahamed

December 12th, 2023

Civic Leadership

Final Testomity

The Differential Impact Of 4ps On Child Labor Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah Grace Villaret, Joey Anastacio, Yohana B. Burgos, Lyka May Pauline Fernandez, Paulynne J. Castillo, Roberto Raymundo, Joel Q. Tanchuco

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Poverty is widely considered the root cause of child labor in the Philippines. Thus, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) was designed to alleviate poverty and reduce child labor through financial assistance, conditional on welfare investments like children’s education. Using 2017, 2019, and 2020 data from the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS), the study estimated the differential impact of 4Ps on child labor before and during COVID-19 across varying demographic, socio-economic, and locational characteristics. Results from the propensity score matching (PSM) and difference-in-differences (DID) model indicated that since cash transfers cannot fully offset the opportunity cost of children’s education, children …