...Public Disclosure Authorized WPS5314 Policy Research Working Paper 5314 Public Disclosure Authorized Regional Trade Agreements Caroline Freund Emanuel Ornelas Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized The World Bank Development Research Group Trade and Integration Team May 2010 Policy Research Working Paper 5314 Abstract This paper reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on regionalism. The formation of regional trade agreements has been, by far, the most popular form of reciprocal trade liberalization in the past 15 years. The discriminatory character of these agreements has raised three main concerns: that trade diversion would be rampant, because special interest groups would induce governments to form the most distortionary agreements; that broader external trade liberalization would stall or reverse; and that multilateralism could be undermined. Theoretically, all of these concerns are legitimate, although there are also several theoretical arguments that oppose them. Empirically, neither widespread trade diversion nor stalled external liberalization has materialized, while the undermining of multilateralism has not been properly tested. There are also several aspects of regionalism that have received too little attention from researchers, but which are central to understanding its causes and consequences. This paper—a product of the Trade and Integration Team, Development Research Group—is part of a larger effort in...
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...usually a lump-sum amounting to millions, that is paid in the event of a change in control of the company1. The reasons for the implementation of the Golden Parachute is something that has been constantly debated, but the most common objective, and the objective I will be focusing on in this paper is to control the behaviour of the management in the event of a acquisition2. Often times when an acquisition occurs, the management of the acquired firm will not stay with the new firm, meaning that their will not benefit from the acquisition, but would rather suffer if the acquisition occurs. As such they might be inclined to try to prevent the acquisition, and not act in the best interest of the shareholders3. The Golden Parachute serves to ensure that the management acts in the best interest of the shareholders by providing a mechanism to protect their own personal self interest. Another objective that is often talked about would be that of an anti-takeover mechanism4. The Golden Parachute serves as a antitakeover mechanism in a number of ways, but in summary it is assumed to increase the cost of acquisition making the company less attractive for takeover. Through the course of this paper, we hope to learn a number of things about the whole Golden Parachute situation. Firstly, focusing on it being a tool to control the behaviour of the 1 Richard A....
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...the paper. Our thanks also to seminars at Clark, Iowa State, Harvard, Houston, Indiana, and Kansas State universities, at Williatns College, and at the universities of Virginia and Iowa. A colleague at Iowa, Calvin Siehert, was materially helpful. T cant for science or policy and yet be insignificant statistically, ignored by the less thoughtful researchers. In the 1930s Jerzy Neyman and Egon S. Pearson, and then more explicitly Abraham Wald, argued that actual investigations should depend on substantive not merely statistical significance. In 1933 Neyman and Pearson wrote of type I and type II errors: HE IDEA OF Statistical significance is old, as old as Cicero writing on forecasts (Cicero, De Divinatione, 1. xiii. 23). In 1773 Laplace used it to test whether comets came from outside the solar system (Elizabeth Scott 1953, p. 20). The first use of the very word "significance" in a statistical context seems to be John Venn's, in 1888, speaking of differences expressed in units of probable error; Is it more serious to convict an innocent man or to acquit a guilty? That will depend on the consequences of the error; is the punishment death or fine; what is the danger to the community of released criminals; what are the current ethical views on punishment? From the point of view of mathematical theory all that we can do is to show how the risk of errors may be controlled and minimised. The use of these statistical tools in any given case, in...
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...Finding Love in the Wreckage: Estimating Spousal Altruism with Data on Fatal Car Accidents Ilya Beylin, Anup Malani, and David Abrams1 Abstract. This paper estimates the degree of altruism among spouses by examining how often the driver of a car sacrifices himself or herself in order to save a spouse. Holding constant the magnitude of a collision, a driver can maneuver the car to distribute the risk from a collision between the driver and a passenger. We quantify spousal altruism by the degree to which drivers riding with their spouse redistribute the risk from a fatal accident to themselves – as measured by ex post mortality – as compared to drivers not traveling with their spouse. We find that drivers with their spouses are at least 37% more likely to sacrifice themselves. This implies that they value the lives of their spouses at least 37% more than the lives of other individuals. A driver’s position in a car provides him with exclusive control over the pedals and steering wheel. At the time of an impending accident, this control enables him to adjust the total amount of risk facing the car’s occupants and how that risk is distributed. In other words, his maneuvers will have allocative and distributive effects on the occupants’ risk. The driver’s distributive choices reveal his relative preferences for himself over his passengers. The manifestation of injuries amongst the occupants allows observation of those relative preferences. A theory of spousal altruism – indeed any...
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...Rev. Integr. Bus. Econ. Res. Vol 4(1) 469 Scope Change, Flexibility and the Management of Projects Daniel Adler University of Technology Sydney, Australia Daniel.adler@student.uts.edu.au ABSTRACT Managing scope on projects is universally recognized as a challenge for business. This paper will argue that the activity theory concept of contradiction is a useful method with which to re-frame debates around the origins of scope change that moves away from an either or approach to based on trade-offs between for example efficiency and flexibility. Scope change will be demonstrated to be a natural part of projects, and that managers who embrace it can benefit from the opportunities that arise. Using one live manufacturing project as a case example, the paper will conclude that both hard and soft paradigm stances in terms of project management can be accommodated under the activity theory banner of contradiction, giving rise to the potential transferability of this classification across all types of projects. Keywords: Project Management; Manufacturing; Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT); SME’s; Scope. 1. Introduction Scope change on projects can be very challenging for managers as it can be an admission that the original plans were inadequate, thus calling into question the expertise of the people who planned the project. Consequently when scope change results in time delays, budget increases, and disagreements about quality, this can often lead...
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...JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMETRICS J. Appl. Econ. 23: 925– 948 (2008) Published online 7 November 2008 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/jae.1036 ECONOMETRICS OF AUCTIONS BY LEAST SQUARES LEONARDO REZENDE* PUC-Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Illinois, USA SUMMARY I investigate using the method of ordinary least squares (OLS) on auction data. I find that for parameterizations of the valuation distribution that are common in empirical practice, an adaptation of OLS provides unbiased estimators of structural parameters. Under symmetric independent private values, adapted OLS is a specialization of the method of moments strategy of Laffont, Ossard and Vuong (1995). In contrast to their estimator, here simulation is not required, leading to a computationally simpler procedure. The paper also discusses using estimation results for inference on the shape of the valuation distribution, and applicability outside the symmetric independent private values framework. Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Received 15 September 2006; Revised 1 July 2008 1. INTRODUCTION The field of econometrics of auctions has been successful in providing methods for the investigation of auction data that are well grounded in economic theory and allow for inference on the structure of an auction environment. Today, a researcher has a number of alternative structural methods, especially within the independent private-values paradigm...
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...College of Economics and Management 85 COLLEGE OF ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT Libornio S. Cabanilla, Dean Jose V. Camacho, Jr., Associate Dean Agnes T. Banzon, College Secretary Reynaldo L. Tan, Chair, Dept. of Agribusiness Management Cesar B. Quicoy, Chair, Dept. of Agricultural Economics Amelia L. Bello, Chair, Dept. of Economics The College of Economics and Management (CEM) was formally created in the 996th UP-BOR meeting, February 1987. However, the College traces its roots to the Institute of Agricultural Development and Administration (IADA)which was established in 1975, with three departments – Agricultural Economics (DAE), Economics (DE), and Management (DM), and was elevated to the College of Economics and Management from the merger of IADA with the Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Studies and the Agrarian Reform Institute in 1978. At present, CEM is composed of three departments – the Department of Agricultural Economics, the Department of Economics and the Department of Agribusiness Management. The college sees itself as a center of excellence in undergraduate and graduate instruction, research and extension in economics, agricultural and applied economics, and agribusiness management in Asia. It envisions to be an institution of higher learning that can serve as an active catalyst for economic and social transformation. Its two-fold mission is to produce graduates and future leaders with strong training in economics, agricultural and applied economics, and in agribusiness...
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...Money and Banking - ECON 3381L MONEY AND BANKING ECON 3381 – 91L Fall 2014 Instructor: E-mail: Web page: Office: Office Phone: Office Hours: Lecture Venue: Course Description This course is designed to provide you with a thorough understanding of the importance of money, banking, and financial markets. Money, financial institutions, and financial markets have emerged as instruments of payments for the services of factors of production. As markets expand and develop on a national and international level, the importance of money, banking, and other financial markets expands to accommodate innumerable exchanges. This course will allow you to understand the origins and nature of money, as well as the institutions and markets that enable the exchange of goods and services. Moreover, it will help you develop an appreciation for important concepts in economics, from interest rates and central banking to stocks, bonds, and foreign exchange. Prerequisites ECON 2301 and ECON 2302. Textbook The Economics of Money, Banking & Financial Markets, Frederic S. Mishkin, 10th Edition. Pearson. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-277024-8 (The 9th Edition also works: AddisonWesley. ISBN-13: 978-0-321-59979-7). Material and Rules All the class material is available through Blackboard Learn. Please make sure you thoroughly read the class rules section. Diego Escobari escobarida@utpa.edu http://faculty.utpa.edu/escobarida/ BUSA 218D 956.665.3366 MW 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and by appointment This is an online class...
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...ECON 2315 1:35-‐3:15 Kyle Ozuna Macro Theory Second Paper: Housing Market Data Sources: Housing Starts -‐ http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/HOUST S&P Case Shiller -‐ http://www.econ.yale.edu/~shiller/data.htm Housing Supply -‐ http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/MSACSR *Used recessions beginning in 1970 since the FRED housing data only goes back to 1963 and there was no recession between 1963-‐1970 ** All data supplied is seasonally adjusted The first indicator I used to measure the housing market was housing starts, the beginning of new residential construction projects. When compiling the data, I chose to compare level of housing starts per month during the recoveries. The recovery since the 2009 recession has definitely been slower than that of previous recessions in the United States. For starters, the level of housing starts in the 2009 recovery is lower than that of any previous...
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...researchers know surprisingly little about this ancient form of banking and its customers.4 We fill this gap by documenting detailed information on pawnshop loan repayment and default, and by discussing how pawnshop borrowers’ behavior is consistent with various behavioral economics phenomena. Pawnshop loans are small, short-term, collateralized loans typically used by low-income consumers. The borrower leaves a possession, or “pledge,” as collateral in exchange for a loan, typically of $75–$100.5 Interest rates vary by state and range from 2 Assistant Professor, Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis, United States Military Academy. susan.carter@usma.edu. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily represent those of the United States Military Academy, the United States Army, or the Department of Defense. ** Associate Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School. paige.skiba@vanderbilt.edu. We would like to thank Margaret Blair, Anna Skiba-Crafts and Kip Viscusi for valuable feedback. 1 JOHN P. CASKEY, FRINGE BANKING: CHECK CASHING OUTLETS, PAWNSHOPS, AND THE POOR 13 (1994). 2 Pawn Stars, THE HISTORY CHANNEL, http://www.history.com/shows/ pawn-stars (last visited Nov. 19, 2012); Hardcore Pawn, TRUTV,...
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...researchers know surprisingly little about this ancient form of banking and its customers.4 We fill this gap by documenting detailed information on pawnshop loan repayment and default, and by discussing how pawnshop borrowers’ behavior is consistent with various behavioral economics phenomena. Pawnshop loans are small, short-term, collateralized loans typically used by low-income consumers. The borrower leaves a possession, or “pledge,” as collateral in exchange for a loan, typically of $75–$100.5 Interest rates vary by state and range from 2 Assistant Professor, Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis, United States Military Academy. susan.carter@usma.edu. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily represent those of the United States Military Academy, the United States Army, or the Department of Defense. ** Associate Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School. paige.skiba@vanderbilt.edu. We would like to thank Margaret Blair, Anna Skiba-Crafts and Kip Viscusi for valuable feedback. 1 JOHN P. CASKEY, FRINGE BANKING: CHECK CASHING OUTLETS, PAWNSHOPS, AND THE POOR 13 (1994). 2 Pawn Stars, THE HISTORY CHANNEL, http://www.history.com/shows/ pawn-stars (last visited Nov. 19, 2012); Hardcore Pawn, TRUTV,...
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...An Essay on Fiscal Federalism Wallace E. Oates Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 37, No. 3. (Sep., 1999), pp. 1120-1149. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-0515%28199909%2937%3A3%3C1120%3AAEOFF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-A Journal of Economic Literature is currently published by American Economic Association. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/journals/aea.html. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to and preserving a digital archive of scholarly journals. For more information regarding JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. http://www.jstor.org Tue Apr 24 17:00:09 2007 Journal of Economic Literature Vol. XXXVZZ (September 1999) pp. 1120-1 149 An Essay on Fiscal Federalism 1. Introduction ISCAL DECENTRALIZATION is in vogue. Both in the industrialized and in the...
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...Economic Modelling 28 (2011) 2404–2408 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Economic Modelling j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / e c m o d Regime-switching effects of debt on real GDP per capita the case of Latin American and Caribbean countries Tsangyao Chang ⁎, Gengnan Chiang Department of Finance, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t In this paper, we try to investigate how the debt and real GDP per capita relationship varies with indebtedness levels and other country characteristics in a balanced panel of 21 developing Latin American and Caribbean countries over the period 1992–2006. The empirical results indicate that there exist two threshold values of 32.88% and 55.89%. The latter is lower than the Maastricht criterion and Stability and Growth Pact of a total external Debt per GDP ratio at 60% in the OECD countries. Both thresholds divide our panel into three regimes. In the middle (stimulus) regime, the Debt per GDP ratio has a positive impact on real GDP per capita, which is consistent with the stimulus view (Eisner, 1984). However, the impact becomes negative and consistent with the crowding-out view (Friedman, 1977, 1985) in the left and right (crowding-out) regimes. Based on our findings, we find no supportive evidence for Ricardian view (Barro, 1989). Therefore, our empirical results have important implications for fiscal policymakers in these Latin...
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...UNDERGRADUATE REGULATIONS & SYLLABUSES 2014 - 2015 THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES TABLE OF CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN ............................................................. 3 UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES ................................................ 4 ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2014-2015 ................................................ 5 DEFINITIONS ...................................................................................... 13 GENERAL INFORMATION & REGULATIONS .............................. 14 General Regulations for Bachelor of Science Degrees 14 Special Regulations for Degrees in Hospitality and Tourism Management........................................................... 27 Franchise Agreements .......................................................... 27 EVENING UNIVERSITY -GENERAL INFORMATION & REGULATIONS ................................................................................... 28 General Regulations for Bachelor of Science Degrees 28 General Regulations for Diploma Programmes ............ 36 General Regulations for Certificate Programmes ......... 37 STUDENT PRIZES .............................................................................. 38 CODE OF CONDUCT ........................................................................ 39 UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS ON PLAGIARISM .......................... 40 THE ACADEMIC SUPPORT/ DISABILITIES LIAISON UNIT (ASDLU) ..............................................................................................
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...ECON 191, Fall 2012 Guidelines for Writing an Economics Research Paper Writing a good economics paper is both an exciting and a nontrivial task. It requires a sustained effort in identifying an important question and in developing a credible model to think about that question or a testable hypothesis to answer it. In many cases it may require collecting data that gives the opportunity to test the hypothesis that you develop. You are encouraged to structure your paper in four parts: introduction, literature review, body, and conclusion. A brief abstract of no more than 100 words should precede your paper. Introduction Identifying a significant and well formulated question is the single most important part of the research process and the most difficult as well. A good research question has to be concise (remember, you are writing a 15-page paper, not a book), feasible and important. Choosing a research question requires balancing importance and feasibility. Feasibility means tractability for theoretical research and data availability for empirical research. Whenever you come up with an idea for a research question, always try to think about a critic sitting in front of you asking “Why should I care about this?” Consider this question to be a first filter for your research question. Identify a well-defined research question. The introduction is where you (1) present the research question, (2) motivate why it is important and briefly outline (3) how you go about answering it...
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