Public Economics Commons^™

Connecticut Economic Outlook For 2011-2012: A Perspective From Sacred Heart University Students In Business Economics, John F. 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.

As an undergraduate class in Economic Forecasting at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, we evaluated the overall health and well being of both the Connecticut as compared to the United States. We wanted to determine where the fiscal policy of the Nutmeg State should be going in the future by looking at outlook for the real Connecticut economy, labor market developments, the public sector, the housing …

Welfare Reform Policies And Their Effect On Poverty Rates Across The United States, Luke N. Welle

Political Science Theses and Capstones

We have all heard the arguments on the pros and cons of welfare reform, its effect on recipient’s lives, and its effectiveness in achieving its goals. In concluding whether or not it is effective in achieving its goals, the actual goals are broad and difficult to define. I consider the goal being reducing the number of citizens living in poverty. My research focuses specifically on how variations in the welfare system perform in reducing poverty rates across the United States. I investigate what governmental policies each state has in place and their effect on poverty. Those states, in which poverty …

Economic Circumstances And Support For Universal Health Care, Daniel Cotter

Political Science Theses and Capstones

There have been many differing opinions over the new health care bill passed in 2010. My research is aimed at finding what factors play a role in forming an opinion on the new health care bill. Specifically looking at the economic and demographic circumstances of citizens of the United States and how it has affected their opinions on the health care bill. I use data gathered from the Pew Research Center and ran crosstabs on various different variables including opinions on the current economy, demographic characteristics, as well as opinions on the current health care plan. I anticipate finding that …

The Politics Of Subsidizing Sports: Legislative Voting For Three Minnesota Sports Venues, Dave Hitchcock

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Since 1998 the State of Minnesota has funded the building of the Xcel Energy Center, Target Field, and TCF Bank Stadium. The focus of this research is to locate voting trends within the Minnesota House of Representatives towards these venues. I recorded the votes of each member on the legislation approving these venues from the Minnesota Journal of the House and then constructed data sets for all three buildings. From this data, trends emerge potentially linking the voting tendencies of members based on party, gender, and geographical location of their district. Initial analysis supports a fairly strong relationship between district …

Target Industry Study: An Empirical Analysis Of Intertemporal Trends In Regional Industrial Base Composition, David M. Smith

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This paper follows existing literature on local industrial conditions and agglomeration economies in an adapted shift-share framework. The purpose of this study is to develop a cost-efficient empirical model that meets the needs of local government in analyzing changes in industrial composition. The data for this model is obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) with nondisclosed data provided by the Virginia Employment Commission which is sorted by North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 2-digit industrial sectors. The model developed in this paper identifies certain industrial sectors which exert significant influence on the …

Rich Have Responsibility To Give Back, Aaron W. Hughey

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Impact Of The Economic Downturn On Local Governments In South Carolina, William Tomes

Georgia Journal of Public Policy

Across the country local government revenues have decreased while operating costs such as fuel, materials, equipment, and health insurance costs have significantly increased. In addition to reduced revenues, interest earnings for city and county government investments are low. These factors combined have created a difficult financial arena in which local governments must operate. While economists are reporting signs of economic recovery, many city and county budgets are just now feeling the full brunt of the economic downturn that began in 2008. On a daily basis, news media nationwide report local governments addressing budget deficits by cutting services, eliminating positions, or …

The Effect Of U.S. State Taxes On State Economic Prosperity, Casey Dainsberg

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Policy makers today are faced with trying to create solutions for economic troubles that become increasingly more complex and foreboding. Tax cuts and tax hikes are proposed and considered as possible solutions to various economic problems. However, the question still remains regarding which policies are most effective. The purpose of this research is to asses these competing claims. It seeks to find evidence that will shed light on one of these views. I have done this by accumulating tax and economic data from the fifty U.S. States between the years 2001-2009. Previous research has concluded that taxes do affect the …

Disconnects & Mismatches, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Popular discourse pertaining to Pakistan`s economic problems usually takes place at a highly superficial level, looking merely at symptoms. It is essential to go beyond generalisations and diagnose the real sources of the malignancy affecting the economy.

Several disconnects and mismatches of various kinds are sapping the economy`s energy and vitality. These need to be fixed as part of a medium-term consensus agenda. First, unlike the past where the rural population lived under miserable conditions, the increase in commodity prices has transferred additional purchasing power worth about Rs450-500bn from the urban economy to the rural. Rural incomes are exempt from …

The Inadequacy Of Our Economic Agenda, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

The government and opposition parties deserve the nation’s gratitude for sitting together to evolve a national consensus on finding solutions to the economic problems facing the country. My research suggests that the setting of long-term economic direction, continuity and consistency of economic policies, as well as the predictability and transparency of decision-making, are important factors that boost investor confidence and stimulate economic growth. Changes in political regimes, under those conditions, do not make any significant negative impact.

The present efforts by the federal government’s economic team to seriously discuss a 10-point economic agenda are highly commendable. But in my view, …

The Gettysburg Economic Review, Volume 5, 2011

Gettysburg Economic Review

No abstract provided.

Local Technological And Demographic Effects On Electricity Transmission: A Spatially Lagged Local Estimation Of New England Marginal Losses, Jacob P. Hochard

Gettysburg Economic Review

Electricity transmission is subject to distribution losses and congestion costs. Economists have prior theorized that these transmission imperfections could create divided markets with electricity generating spatial oligopolists. This concern has been largely dismissed because of recent technological advances in electricity transmission. The effects of local technological and demographic indicators on electricity transmission costs remains both commonly accepted as negligible and spatially untested. This analysis employs a spatially lagged local estimation of New England’s marginal electricity losses with respect to both technological and demographic indicators. The results of this analysis are consistent with the widely accepted notion that technological advances have …

Friedrich Von Hayek: The Socialist-Calculation Debate, Knowledge Arguments, And Modern Economic Development, Cara A. Elliott

Gettysburg Economic Review

At the close of the nineteenth and the commencement of the twentieth century, socialism began to gain momentum as a large-scale movement in Europe and the United States. This popularity was supported by an increased influence of the working class in society, which put pressure for representation upon European parliaments and began to secure concrete improvements in labor protection laws. Moreover, socialist proponents looked hopefully towards the living example of the Soviet Union, which began its socialist experiment in 1917 following the success of the Bolshevik Revolution. Socialism, which found its economic grounding in the legacies of such men as …

Monetary And Fiscal Policies: Ordinary Recessions And Financial Crises, Svetoslav I. Semov

Gettysburg Economic Review

This paper uses two different samples to study the effects of monetary and fiscal policies on the profiles of recessions and recoveries. Several results emerge from the econometric analysis presented. First, monetary policy during ordinary recessions and banking crises is a powerful tool with lasting effects that extend to recovery growth rates. However, the effect of monetary policy during financial crises is strongly diminished in the case of forbearance – banks left to function despite being technically insolvent. Second, the effectiveness of fiscal policy is reversed – it is a powerful tool during banking crises, but it does not seem …

"Does It Pay To Be Informed?" Expenditure Efficiency In The Us Mutual Fund Industry, Jan Cerny

Gettysburg Economic Review

The mutual fund industry would like us to believe that fund expenses are justifiable by their extensive management expertise, security analysis and the consequent delivery of returns that exceed the market performance. Management know-how is costly and thus it drives up the expenditure of actively managed mutual funds and potentially lowers their net returns. Nevertheless the fund managers argue that their contributions to the returns fully outweigh their costs and in general their trading strategies add value to the investors. On the other hand many academics hold that such claims are fundamentally misleading and actively managed funds cannot continuously outperform …

Economic Development Analysis & Action Plan: Camden, Maine, Charles S. Colgan

Regional Studies

This report addresses the issues of economic growth in the context of the Town of Camden, one of the 20 communities examined in the Gateway 1 planning process. The intention of this Commercial Development Inventory and Economic Development Analysis is to guide the Economic Development efforts of Camden for the next 5-10 years within the context of the Gateway 1 initiative.

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.

Ohio's Aerospace & Aviation Industries, Wright State University Center For Urban And Public Affairs

Economic Development

Despite the struggling economy and the challenges that have plagued the commercial aviation market, the U.S. Aerospace and Aviation industries have experienced growth and an increase in profits and sales from 2005 to 2009.

There is a window of opportunity for the State of Ohio to emerge as a global industry leader. In order to capitalize on this opportunity, the State must address critical gaps in workforce and economic development. The talent development pipeline must focus not only on meeting the current business demand, but also on anticipating future national demand. This forward reaching strategy would position the state to …

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.

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.