Regional Economics Commons^™

Part 4: Affordability And Access In Virginia Public Higher Education, Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

The typical public four-year college in Virginia has increased its tuition and fees two to four times as rapidly as the rise in the consumer price index. Reduced state appropriations can account for only some of these increases.

Part 5: The Scourge Of Opioids, Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

The number of opioid-induced deaths has skyrocketed in Hampton Roads. Approximately three-quarters of opioid addicts began their fall from grace with a legitimate prescription from a knowledgeable physician. We estimate the costs.

Part 6: Foreign Language Instruction In The Region's Public Schools: Where Do We Stand?, Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Foreign language instruction has declined in Hampton Roads and immersion programs are relatively rare. This is not a positive development insofar as our ability to conduct international trade, understand world developments or even communicate with many other Americans.

Part 7: Do We Suffer From Brain Drain In Hampton Roads?, Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Hampton Roads has been experiencing net out-migration of residents to other metropolitan areas in recent years. Who is leaving? Why are they leaving? We address these questions and their implications.

Do Tourists Tip More Than Consumer? Evidence Of Taxi Rides In New York City, Amir B. Neto, Adam Nowak, Amanda Ross

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We revisit the mechanisms that drive tipping behavior by comparing tourists and locals in New York City. It is unlikely a tourist will tip as a way of enforcing repeated interactions since they are not from the area, while a local may tip as an enforcement mechanism. However, if people tip because of social norms, we should see both tourists and locals tipping similar amounts. We compare locals and tourists who are theatergoers to control for education and income, as these factors are likely to affect tipping behavior. Using data from the New York City and Limousine Commission on yellow …

Growing Portland: Not Whether, But How, Richard Barringer Phd, Joseph Mcdonnell Phd

Faculty Publications

In the 400 years since European settlement, Portland has survived the ravages of war, invasion, pestilence, conflagration, and economic depression and recession. Once a renowned manufacturing, trade, and shipping center, it now enjoys what might be called a post-industrial renaissance as a vibrant center for the arts, education, entertainment, and banking, legal, and medical services; and is frequently cited as one of America’s best small cities. As a result, Portland is growing today and is positioned for more growth.

The question, then, is not whether Portland will grow, but how well it will grow; or, how best to manage the …

Evaluation Of Monetary, Fiscal And External Inflationary Sources In Nigeria, Samson A. Aladejare

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

This study focuses on evaluating the monetary, fiscal and external inflationary sources in Nigeria. The Auto-Regressive Distributive Lag estimation technique was adapted to capture these effects. Empirical findings of the study showed that overall, the main determining cause of inflation in both short run and long run periods in Nigeria, are more of monetary and external factors and less of fiscal sources. Specifically, the problem of inflation in Nigeria appears to be more of structural phenomenon than monetary in the short run. However, in the long run, combinations of monetary and external factors tend to be the major cause of …

Land Tenure, Governance And Accountability In Nigeria: The Implications On Food Production To Feed The Present And The Future, Abiodun E. Obayelu, Aisha O. Arowolo, Olatokunbo H. Osinowo

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

Land is very vital for agricultural production, and for any nation that wants to be self-food sufficient. Different land reforms have taken place in Nigeria since 1960 with the aim of facilitating access to agricultural land, and make the nation self-sufficient in food production, but little changes have only been recorded. Bureaucracy by approving authorities in practice in communities where land is situated still hinders land acquisition for agricultural investment. This study therefore analyzes land policy, governance and accountability and draw out some implications on food production in Nigeria. The percentage of arable land to the total land area was …

Internal Control Activities As A Tool For Financial Management In The Public Sector: A Case Study Of Ghana Post Company Limited, Kwakye E. Agyapong

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

The case, Ghana Post Company Limited, allows for the observation of internal control activities as a tool for financial management in the public sector. The objective of the research is to examine the control environment of the Ghana Post Company to ensure there is segregation of duties, proper information and communication between employees and management; and monitoring of the policies implemented by management. The sample size of 36 included individuals from all of the departments within the company. The departments are Auditing and Finance, Human Resource, Mail and Parcels, and Financial Services. The work established had continued lapses in the …

The Economic Impact Of The Seattle Area’S Transportation Infrastructure Expansions And Changes, Meredith Crane

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This paper uses annual, tract-level data to estimate the economic impact of the Seattle area’s newly operational light rail system and recently implemented toll on a bridge traversing Lake Washington, the large lake immediately east of Seattle that bisects the region. Two modeling approaches are utilized in the estimation of each transit intervention’s economic impact: the primary model allows the transit intervention to affect the designated impact area prior to the system’s operation, under the assumption that individuals will respond to the knowledge of the change and relocate accordingly. The secondary model accounts for an impact from the intervention upon …

Professional Sports Events, Concerts, And Urban Place Based Policy: Evidence From The Staples Center, Yulia Chikish, Brad Humphreys, Crocker H. Liu, Adam Nowak

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

Abstract We analyze the relationship between sports events and concerts, important hospitality demand drivers and key components of many urban renewal projects, in the Staples Center in Los Angeles, an arena home to three pro teams, and nearby hotel performance, exploiting exogenous daily variation in the timing of games and concerts from 2002 to 2017. Results show a small positive impact on revenue per available room at hotels within one mile of the arena and an offsetting decrease at hotels located one to four miles away. Granting nearby hotels exemptions from Los Angeles hotel taxes reduces potential tourism-generated hotel tax …

The Effect Of Health Care Entrepreneurship On Local Health: The Case Of Medexpress In Appalachia, Amir B. Neto, Joshua C. Hall

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We test the hypothesis that the opening of an Urgent Care Center (UCC) has positive impacts on the local community. There are several mechanisms through which a UCC can have an impact: lower health care costs, emergency room decongestion, and improved access to medical information. We examine the entry of MedExpress into Appalachian counties between 2001 and 2013. Employing data from Health Resources Files, which provides information for all counties for specific years, we use Propensity Score Matching to create a year 2000 control group for the counties “treated” by MedExpress entry beginning in 2001. We then employ a standard …

The Fiscal Theory Of The Price Level In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Structural Break Analysis, Christian Tchamda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I provide empirical evidence of the fiscal theory of the price level (FTPL) using sub-Saharan African countries. While the traditional view of the inflation is driven and explained by the quantity theory of money, the FTPL argues that the government deficit has an impact on the price level. However, the empirical literature of the FTPL is not extensive. This paper adds to this literature in that it substantiates this theory. I determine using primary balance and liabilities data when available to classify a country as under either a monetary dominant regime (the traditional view) or under a …

Part 4: Airbnb Rising: Short-Term Rentals And The "Gig Economy", Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

Airbnb offers consumers short-term rentals that increase choice and lower costs. Cities in the Commonwealth are struggling with the question of how to work with Airbnb and similar firms, and the rise of Airbnb is a challenge to the traditional lodging sector. We explore the emergence of Airbnb, its phenomenal growth, and ask how Airbnb plays a role in the larger “gig economy.”

Part 5: Affordability And Access In Virginia Public Higher Education, Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

The typical public four-year university has increased its published tuition and fees two to four times as rapidly as the consumer price index. Have reductions in state appropriations driven these increases or are they a result of administrative proliferation, new amenities and the lack of firm control on tuition and fees by the Commonwealth? We estimate the costs and consequences.

Part 3: The Scourge Of Opioids In The Commonwealth, Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

Opioid-related deaths have skyrocketed in the Commonwealth and the United States. Almost three-quarters of those who abuse opioids start with a legitimate prescription. We investigate the rise of fentanyl as the primary cause of overdose fatalities and compare opioid practices in the United States with other industrialized countries. We estimate the costs of the opioid crisis and ask what steps can be taken to help those currently addicted and to prevent future deaths.

Part 6: Time To Go Regional Or Mega?, Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

Interest in regional cooperation is rising again in the Commonwealth. We discuss the benefits of regionalism and examine the rise of megaregions in the United States. We ask whether there is a Richmond-Hampton Roads megaregion in the making.

2017 State Of The Commonwealth Report, Vinod Agarwal, Barbara Blake Gonzalez, Chloe Cohen, Vicky Curtis, Steve Daniel, Chip Filer, Dominique Johnson, Tim Komarek, Feng Lian, Sharon Lomax, Alice Mcadory, Janet Molinaro, Ken Plum, Jennifer Seay, Aiden Thompson, Jay Walker, Son D. Wilson, Ziniya Zahedi

State of the Commonwealth Reports

This is the third State of the Commonwealth Report produced by the Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University. The report is sponsored, in part, by ODU's Strome College of Business. While the report represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, it does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion, its president, John R. Broderick, or the Board of Visitors.

This report maintains the goal of stimulating thought and discussion that ultimately will make the Commonwealth of Virginia an even better place to live, work, and do business. We are …

Chinese Superstition And Real Estate Prices: Transaction-Level Evidence From The Us Housing Market, Brad Humphreys, Adam Nowak, Yang Zhou

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We investigate the impact of Chinese superstition on prices paid by Chinese home buyers in Seattle, Washington. Chinese consider 8 lucky and 4 unlucky. Empirical results indicate Chinese buyers pay a 1-2% premium for addresses including an 8 and a 1% discount for addresses including a 4. These results are unrelated to unobserved property quality: no premium exists when Chinese sell to non-Chinese. Absent explicit identfiers for Chinese individuals, we develop a binomial name classifier using methods from the biomedical and document classification literature, allowing for falsification tests using other ethnic groups and mitigating ambiguity attributable to transliteration of Chinese …

Geography, Trade, And Macroeconomics, Hao Guo

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation studies the effects of external integration and internal liberalization on the economic geography within a country when regions within the country have different access to the world market.

The first paper introduces internal geography into the Melitz (2003) model to examine how external and internal liberalizations affect the economic geography within a country. By dividing a country into a coastal region and an inland region, the model shows that trade leads the coastal region have a higher than proportional share of industry, and causes firms in the coastal region to be larger and more productive than firms in …