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Tobacco Taxation and Cigarette Consumption: Do Cigarette Tax Hikes Reduce Smoking Participation and Cigarette Consumption?
Get PDFThis paper utilizes two waves of data from the Current Population Survey Tobacco Use Supplement as well as data from the Tax Burden on Tobacco to analyze the impacts of tobacco tax hikes on both smoking participation and daily cigarette consumption. By implementing a difference-in-differences approach, I find that there is a positive insignificant effect of cigarette excise tax hikes on the probability of smoking, while there is a negative insignificant impact on daily cigarette consumption. My empirical results suggest that the tobacco control strategy of raising cigarette taxes seems to only generate tax revenues but is not an effective tool in reducing either smoking participation rates or cigarette consumption. In this case, some possible explanations for my findings are cigarette demand inelasticity, tax salience effect, substitution effect, or inefficient allocation of tax revenues
Stock Market Reactions to Corporate Apologies: Evidence from Chemical Disasters
No full textMy study examines the effects of corporate apologies using evidence from chemical disasters. I consider a sample of 31 corporate apologies for industrial incidents associated with firms publicly traded in the U.S. spanning the period from 1974 to 2017. After performing event studies, I show that corporate apologies have mixed impacts on stock markets, and different characteristics of apologies do matter. While apologies for incidents which have received extensive media attention have slightly negative or no impacts on the equity value of firms, investors respond positively to apologies for incidents lack of media coverage. Using cross-sectional regression analysis, I find different types and monetary costs of apologies as well as the responding time all affect impacts of apologies. Therefore, my study has strong corporate policy implications in terms of crisis management
The Effect of California\u27s Open Carry Ban on Gun-Related Homicides
Get PDFThis study examines the effectiveness of the ban on the open carry of firearms in California (implemented in January, 2012). Data was taken from the U.S. Vital Statistics website on a monthly basis from January, 2006 to December, 2017, and it incorporated gun-related murder totals as well as totals for African Americans and Caucasians. RDD and DID regressions were run (using Texas as a control state) in order to determine the impact of the law. The RDD turned out insignificant results. The DID showed that the law had a significant negative impact on total homicides (decreasing them by about 1 murder every 4 months). It also produced significant negative impacts for both African Americans and Caucasians, although it was a more drastic decrease for Black citizens. This study concludes the effectiveness of the open carry ban and the need for further research on the impact of gun control laws
The Impact of Snowfall on Home Prices: A Study of Northeastern Ski Resort Towns
Get PDFAs global temperatures continue to rise, it is expected that there will be a reduction in natural snowfall in the mountain regions of North America. Many ski area industry experts warn that snow depth will decline by at least 25% in the next decade. For the 38 states that add value to their state economies through the winter tourism industry and the 191,000 jobs that are supported by the winter sport industry, the concern is real and growing. Lower than average snow years lead to an immediate and significant decrease in skier visits and therefore consumer demand for related goods and services in local communities. One of the most telling factors of an areas’ economic health is home prices, which reflect demand for housing in the area. This study will explore how a decrease in snowfall has will impacted home prices in communities surrounding ski areas.
This study used semi-logarithmic regression analysis on all counties in the 9 Northeastern states from 1996-2019 to determine the impact of ski resort proximity and annual snowfall on home prices. The results of this study show that the number of ski resorts in county i and winter precipitation have no statistically significant impact on median home prices or average home prices per square foot. In fact, mountain resort presence has a significant negative significant impact on average home prices per square foot, but no statistically significant impact on median home prices. This study shows that in the Northeast, snowfall may have no significant impact on home prices, however the presence of a mountain can have negative effects on average home values per square foot, decreasing values by 10.3%.
As snowfall decreases, demand for ski areas decreases and local ski resorts are often forced to lay off seasonal or full-time workers. This increase in unemployment correlates to a 1.5% decrease in home prices, which may play into the overall decrease in home prices when a mountain is present. Policymakers should be aware of this implication as negative changes in precipitation could largely effect the local economy’s consumer demand, income and unemployment rates and could be cause for tax reforms or budgetary spending changes for the area
The Relation Between Regulatory Policy and Stem Cell Industry
No full textThis thesis studies the relation between regulatory policy and stem cell industry around the world. The conventional idea is that there exists a direct-proportional relation between how strict a regulatory policy is and how fast an industry grows, and more focuses on the impact of the policy. This thesis looks at the relation from each side—the effect of regulatory policy to the stem cell industry and the effect of stem cell industry to regulatory policy by using data of clinical trials and research articles since 2005 to 2018 from USA, China, Japan, and the European Union. The study conducts 2SLS regressions with an instrument variable, aging population, and the outcomes proves such direct-proportional relation between regulatory policy and stem cell industry
Undue Credit? Evaluating the Microfinance Craze
Get PDFMicrofinance seeks to address the systemic global wealth inequalities that result from financial exclusion. Over the most recent decades, the constitution of the microfinance industry has shifted from primarily non-profit institutions to commercially funded, for-profit institutions. Although poverty alleviation impact assessments have been both inconclusive and conflicting, microfinance has continued to proliferate at a rapid rate, receiving enthusiastic accolades from the global development community. This anomaly is explored through an examination of the neoliberal paradigms that microfinance serves to reinforce. Though microfinance has maintained a progressive reputation, in practice it has proven to be a poverty alleviation tactic that fortifies the neoliberal status quo and the existing global economic order
“Sus hijas le han sido arrebatadas”: lenguaje, deshumanización y resistencia en las Negras de Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro
No full textIn this paper I argue that the four stories that form the collection las Negras by Yolanda Arroyo
Pizarro address dehumanization and objectification of the black body and question the role of religion during slavery. A central theme throughout the collection is whispering, which initially symbolizes the initiation into slavery and ultimately symbolizes the emancipation from it. Through careful analysis of the text, research on Puerto Rico, and examination of authors’ opinions on Arroyo Pizarro’s other works in addition to las Negras, I maintain that by focusing on stories of black slave women in Puerto Rico, Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro works to surface narratives crucial to our understanding of history, yet seldom heard
Do You Feel Important? A Comparison of White and Asian Americans’ Perception of Their Social Rank
Get PDFAsians are often viewed as the “model minority” group for assumptions about their high income and education level. Does this necessarily translate to higher self-esteem, social desirability, and self-perceived social rank for Asians? Building upon literature examining confidence, beauty, masculinity and the “model minority” stereotype, I use the General Social Survey (2016—2018) to study the relationships between attractiveness and perceived social rank for 124 Asian Americans and 3,038 White Americans. The attractiveness data was collected by the GSS rating respondents on their physical attractiveness. Social rank helps examine a general sense of perceived ranking in society that may not be explicitly expressed by socio-economic class. I propose that a high attractiveness rating positively affects the level of self-perceived ranking for Whites but not for Asians. I also control for sex, age, family income and education. The results of the regression support my hypothesis showing a statistically significant relationship between attractiveness and social rank for the White sample but not the Asian sample. However, the strongest predictor of self-perceived social rank was the level of family income. Therefore, the more money someone makes, the higher they self-reported their social rank for both Asians and Whites. Due to the limited sample size of Asians, further research including a larger group of Asian participants should be conducted to study the relationship between attractiveness and social rank
Regulation and Reporting: A Study of Policy-Based Inhibition of Sex-Positive Cultures and Sexual Assault Reporting on College Campuses
Get PDFHow does treatment of consensual sexual behavior affect willingness to report assault on college campuses? This study proposes that higher levels of policy-based inhibition of informed, consensual sex cultures lead to lower reported rates of sexual assault because they increase stigma and minimize discussions about sexual behavior. Stigma reduces willingness to address marginalized communities and deviant behaviors, in this case sexual activity, particularly outside of wedlock. If people are not willing to discuss sex, reporting sexual assault is unlikely because of high social stakes associated with breaking norms. Policies about consensual sexual behaviors are reflective operationalizations of the stigmas that lead to sexual activity being labelled as “deviant.” In this study, levels of inhibition are represented by a content analysis of campus policies regarding consensual sexual behaviors and incidences of reported sexual assault per 10,000 students for a stratified random sample of 128 private, liberal arts schools of 500-5,000 undergraduate students. The study controls for Protestant affiliation and Historically Black College or University (HBCU) identity. Inhibition level did not have independent statistically significant impact on reported sexual assault incidences on college campuses. Protestant affiliation, however, was associated both with level of inhibition and with incidences of assaults reported. HBCU status had no effect on sexual assault rates. The results fail to support that policy-based inhibition of sex-positive cultures on college campuses is associated with reported sexual assault rate. Therefore, the hypothesis was not supported, implying inhibition level is representative of restrictive culture of Protestant schools and the 2 SEX CULTURES & ASSAULT REPORTING corresponding number of assaults reported, rather than being an independent cause for reported assault number. The non-significant correlation between policy and reports also affects understandings of the social function of policy, as this study does not find that policy affects behavior. Together, the findings suggest opportunities to consider how policy reflects different cultures and how to create space
Income Differences of Mexicans Residing in the U.S.
Get PDFThis study examines whether Mexicans who reside in the U.S. earn a higher income if they reside in a large population size area, such as an urban city. I propose that Mexicans will earn a higher income if they reside in a large population size area. I analyze data collected from the 2018 General Social Survey (GSS). Of the 5,200 participants sampled, I created a subset of respondents who ethnically identified as Mexican, which narrows the sample to 163 cases. The results reject my hypothesis that population size area influences income. The findings reveal that education and sex have more of an impact on income than population size area. Education is the most significant predictor of income. This result is consistent with research as education is a predictor of higher income (Farmer and Moon 2009)