bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EXCHANGE RATE REGIMES AND PASS‐THROUGH: EVIDENCE FROM THE TURKISH ECONOMY
Authors: KARA HAKAN , KÜÇÜK‐TUĞER HANDE , ÖZLALE ÜMIT , TUĞER BURÇ , YÜCEL ERAY M.
Published: January 2010

We seek to demonstrate the variations in the exchange rate pass‐through (ERPT) and identify the shift in the price‐setting behavior by placing the emphasis on the implemented exchange rate and monetary policy regimes. Having a history of several distinct monetary regimes, Turkey exhibits a genuine laboratory in this respect. Our empirical results reveal that the pass‐through from exchange rates to domestic prices has changed dramatically. We detect breaks in the pass‐through coefficients at three episodes, all of which coincide with a shift in monetary/exchange rate regime, lending support to the view that monetary and exchange rate regimes might be among the major determinants of the ERPT process. (JEL C51, E31, E58)
THE WELFARE EFFECTS OF PAY‐AS‐YOU‐GO RETIREMENT PROGRAMS: THE ROLE OF TAX AND BENEFIT TIMING
Authors: VIARD ALAN D.
Published: January 2010

It is well known that pay‐as‐you‐go retirement programs reduce steady‐state welfare and the capital stock in dynamically efficient overlapping generation (OLG) economies. The common two‐period OLG model obscures, however, the relationship between the magnitude of these effects and the ages at which taxes are paid and benefits received. Program changes that shift taxes to older workers or benefits to younger retirees have effects similar to reductions in program size, yielding steady‐state welfare gains and increases in capital accumulation while imposing transition costs on current generations. This analysis has policy implications for both tax and benefit timing. (JEL H55, E62)
PRESERVING FINANCIAL STABILITY: A DILEMMA FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION
Authors: GARCIA GILLIAN G. H. , NIETO MARIA J.
Published: January 2010

Financial institutions are now crossing national borders within the EU. In balancing member states’ desires for sovereignty against the effectiveness of the financial safety net, banks are currently all chartered by Member States and the safety net remains largely the responsibility of individual national governments. The paper questions whether minimally harmonized national safety nets and reliance on voluntary cooperation can keep EU banks safe and sound and prevent financial contagion. The paper examines a number of proposed remedies and recommends enhancing market discipline and adopting a system of prompt corrective action and least‐cost resolution to minimize the incidence of bailouts. (JEL F36, G18, G21)
THE BURDEN OF DEBT: AN EXPLORATION OF INTEREST RATE BEHAVIOR IN LATIN AMERICA
Authors: ROJAS‐SUÁREZ LILIANA , SOTELO SEBASTIÁN
Published: January 2010

What determines the behavior of interest rates in Latin America? Is the recent sharp reduction in rates in the region just a transitory deviation from much higher long‐term rates? To answer these questions, this study raises two main hypotheses. First, external debt plays a central role in the sustainable behavior of domestic interest rates because it explains country risk. Second, country risk provides valuable information for predicting the behavior of exchange rate risk and not the other way around. Econometric tests confirm these hypotheses and lead to an important conclusion: unless important reforms (leading, for example, to improved tax‐collecting capacity or deeper local financial markets) are undertaken, highly indebted/high country‐risk economies will tend to be associated with high domestic interest rates. (JEL E43, G15, 016, 054, C22)
UNITED STATES‐CHINA TRADE AT THE COMMODITY LEVEL AND THE YUAN‐DOLLAR EXCHANGE RATE
Authors: BAHMANI‐OSKOOEE MOHSEN , WANG YONGQING
Published: January 2010

In 1978 when China began her economic reforms of moving toward a free market economy and trade liberalization, the trade balance between China and the United States was in favor of the United States in the magnitude of 600 million dollars. Over the 1978–2002 period, however, it has changed in favor of China such that in 2002 China had a surplus of 120 billion dollars against the United States. Over the same period, the Chinese yuan has depreciated almost fourfold. Is real depreciation of the yuan against the dollar a factor in the trade between the two countries? In this article, we employ data at the industry level (88 two‐ and three‐digit industries) and recent advances in error‐correction modeling to show that indeed the real yuan‐dollar rate has played a significant role. This contradicts most previous research that used trade data at the aggregate level. (JEL F31, F32, F14)
DETERMINANTS AND EFFECTS ON PROPERTY VALUES OF PARTICIPATION IN VOLUNTARY CLEANUP PROGRAMS: THE CASE OF COLORADO
Authors: ALBERINI ANNA
Published: January 2010

State voluntary cleanup programs (VCPs) were established in the 1990s to encourage cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties. I ask three questions: First, what properties are attracted to VCPs? Second, is there an interaction between VCP incentives and enterprise or brownfield zone incentives? Third, does participation in VCPs affect property values? Data from Colorado’s VCP suggest that (a) the main determinants of participation are the size of the parcel and the surrounding land use, (b) other incentives have little effect, (c) properties with confirmed contamination sell at a 43%–56% discount, and (d) participation does tend to raise the property price. (JEL R14, Q58, K32)
PROMOTING INNOVATION AND THE DEPLOYMENT OF ADVANCED TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES TO BUSINESSES
Authors: GABEL DAVID J. , GUANG‐LIH HUANG KENNETH
Published: January 2010

This paper examines the concomitant effects that competition, regulation, market characteristics, and corporate ownership have on the deployment of advanced telecommunications services (ATS) to business customers through the econometric analysis of a rich data set that identifies the competitive, regulatory, and economic climate for each incumbent’s wire center in the United States. The authors conclude that local competition, inter‐LATA (local access and transport area) approval by the Federal Communications Commission, and high unbundled network element price to embedded cost ratios have positive impacts on the deployment of ATS, while voluntary federal price cap regulation and location in a rural area have negative impacts. (JEL L51, O32, M21)
CRIMINAL SENTENCING GUIDELINES AND JUDICIAL DISCRETION
Authors: MICELI THOMAS J.
Published: January 2010

This article studies the institutional structure of criminal sentencing, focusing on the interaction between legislatures, which set sentencing ranges ex ante, and judges, who choose actual sentences from within those ranges ex post. The key question concerns the extent to which judges are afforded discretion in sentencing, given the possibly divergent interests of legislatures and judges regarding the social function of criminal punishment. The ongoing debate over federal sentencing guidelines provides a context for discussing the policy implications of the model. (JEL K14, K42)
DO GOOD OLYMPICS MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS?
Authors: LEEDS MICHAEL A.
Published: January 2010

Most studies of mega‐events such as Olympic Games find a relatively small impact on the cities that host them. One reason given for this finding is that the event displaces tourists who otherwise would have come to the city. This paper documents such displacement by showing that expenditure at ski resorts in Colorado rose as a result of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In addition to supporting previous studies, the spillover effect suggests that cities and states that gain from spillovers might want to support bids for events by nearby cities.
SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND THE DEMAND FOR SPORT: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
Authors: DOWNWARD PAUL , RIORDAN JOSEPH
Published: January 2010

This paper explores the decision to participate in sports activities in the United Kingdom and the subsequent frequency of participation. The paper draws links between economic and other theories of social interaction to motivate the discussion and links these theories to assessing policy initiatives in the United Kingdom. Cluster analysis is combined with a Heckman analysis to examine the empirical evidence provided by the General Household Survey in 2002. The results suggest that social and personal capital are of paramount importance in determining sports participation, and consequently, it is these features that policy should focus upon. However, the legitimacy of policy activism requires philosophical justification. (JEL B41, C2, D11, D12)
WORLD CUP 2010: SOUTH AFRICAN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES AND POLICY CHALLENGES INFORMED BY THE EXPERIENCE OF GERMANY 2006
Authors: MAENNIG WOLFGANG , Du PLESSIS STAN
Published: January 2010

The paper provides an ex post analysis of the financial burden and economic benefits of the World Cup (WC) in Germany 2006. Based on the usual cost‐benefit measures, the experience of WC 2006 appears to be in line with existing empirical research on large sporting events and sports stadiums, which have rarely identified significant net economic benefits. The lessons from Germany 2006 provide a context for analyzing the potential risks and benefits for South Africa (SA), the WC hosts in 2010. For SA, a careful analysis might be even more urgent to assure the sustainability of investment in stadiums. The paper also argues that the “feel‐good” and public image effects of sports events should no longer be neglected in cost‐benefit studies of large sporting events, even though these effects have the character of experience goods, and their value are thus likely to be underestimated ex ante.(JELL83, R53, R58)
THE IMPACT OF STADIUM ANNOUNCEMENTS ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY VALUES: EVIDENCE FROM A NATURAL EXPERIMENT IN DALLAS‐FORT WORTH
Authors: DEHRING CAROLYN A. , DEPKEN CRAIG A. , WARD MICHAEL R.
Published: January 2010

We investigate the impact of a potential new sports venue on residential property values, focusing on the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys’ search for a new host city in the Dallas‐Fort Worth area. We find that residential property values in the city of Dallas increased following the announcement of a possible new stadium in the city. At the same time, property values fell throughout the rest of Dallas County, which would have paid for the proposed stadium. These patterns reversed when the Dallas stadium proposal was abandoned. Subsequently, a series of announcements regarding a new publicly subsidized stadium in nearby Arlington, Texas, reduced residential property values in Arlington. In aggregate, average property values declined approximately 1.5% relative to the surrounding area before stadium construction commenced. This decline was almost equal to the anticipated household sales tax burden, suggesting that the average expected amenity effect of hosting the Cowboys in Arlington was not significantly different from zero.(JELL83, R53, H73)
TITLE IX AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
Authors: STEVENSON BETSEY
Published: January 2010

The passage of Title IX, the 1972 Education Amendments to the Civil Rights Act, expanded high school athletic opportunities to include girls, revolutionizing mass sports participation in the United States. This paper analyzes high school athletic participation in the United States and how sports offerings for boys and girls changed subsequent to the passage of this legislation. Girls’ sports participation rose dramatically both following the enactment of Title IX and subsequent to enhancements to its enforcement. Approximately half of all girls currently participate in sports during high school; however, there remains a substantial gap between girls and boys participation in many states. States’ average education level and social attitudes regarding Title IX and women’s rights are correlated with this remaining gender gap. Examining individual high school students, sports participation is seen more frequently among those with a privileged background: white students with married, wealthy, educated parents are more likely to play sports. This finding points to an overlooked fact—while Title IX benefited girls by increasing the opportunity to play sports, these benefits were disproportionately reaped by those at the top of the income distribution. (JEL J16, J18, J24, I2)
INFLATION HISTORY AND THE SACRIFICE RATIO: EPISODE‐SPECIFIC EVIDENCE
Authors: SENDA TAKASHI , SMITH JULIE K
Published: January 2010

This article examines whether episode‐specific analysis can show a negative relationship between inflation and the slope of the Phillips curve that has been found in cross‐country analysis. While the relationship between inflation and the Phillips curve slope is widely accepted from cross‐country analysis, it has remained unproven in previous episode‐specific studies. By defining inflation history as a weighted average of past inflation, this study finds a negative effect of inflation history on the sacrifice ratio, which is what is expected from the cross‐country analysis. The negative relationship does not disappear even after including other conventional determinants of the sacrifice ratio. (JEL E52, E31)
COMMENT—ALCOHOL ADVERTISING IN MAGAZINES AND YOUTH READERSHIP: ARE YOUTHS DISPROPORTIONATELY EXPOSED?
Authors: SIEGEL MICHAEL , KING CHARLES , OSTROFF JOSHUA , ROSS CRAIG , DIXON KAREN , JERNIGAN DAVID H.
Published: January 2010

This article investigates the relationship between alcohol advertising in magazines and youth readership, while controlling for a set of magazine and readership variables related to the demand for advertising space. It reconstructs and reanalyzes a data set including count data for alcohol ads placed in 28 magazines in 2001‐2003 that was the basis for a previous study, which concluded that alcohol advertisers do not target youths. We address the problem of collinearity in that data set and add an explanatory variable to explicitly model the hypothesis that alcohol advertising is preferentially directed to a young adult audience. We find that the number of alcohol advertisements in magazines increases significantly with the proportion of youth readers, even after controlling for young adult readership. Our results indicate that youths are disproportionately exposed to alcohol advertising and that reducing youth exposure to alcohol advertising remains an important public policy concern. (JEL L82, L66, M37)
SMOKE‐FREE LAWS AND EMPLOYEE TURNOVER
Authors: THOMPSON ERIC , HAHN ELLEN J. , BLOMQUIST GLENN , GAREN JOHN , MULLINEAUX DON , OGUNRO NOLA , RAYENS MARY K.
Published: January 2010

This study examines how smoke‐free laws influence turnover among restaurant workers. The study uses a unique data set of payroll records of a franchisee of a national full‐service restaurant chain operating 23 restaurants in the state of Arizona, a state where several communities have adopted smoke‐free laws. Municipal smoke‐free laws did not, on average, have a statistically significant effect on the probability of employee separation in the years after implementation. These results suggest that training costs associated with employee turnover would not rise for full‐service restaurants in municipalities that adopt smoke‐free laws. (JEL I18, J63)
MAY ISSUE VERSUS SHALL ISSUE: EXPLAINING THE PATTERN OF CONCEALED‐CARRY HANDGUN LAWS, 1960–2001
Authors: GROSSMAN RICHARD S. , LEE STEPHEN A.
Published: January 2010

We analyze the timing and pattern of adoption of “shall issue” concealed‐carry handgun laws. “Shall issue” laws require the authorities to issue permits to qualified applicants; “may issue” laws give the authorities more latitude to reject applications. We find three factors influence the shift from “may issue” to “shall issue.” First, more urban states are less likely to shift to “shall issue,” although the size of this effect is quantitatively small. Second, the switch is influenced by the decisions taken by neighboring states. Third, we find evidence that increases in the crime rate accelerated the switch to “shall issue.”(JEL K40)
HUMAN WELL‐BEING EFFECTS OF INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIAL CAPITAL
Authors: BALIAMOUNE‐LUTZ MINA
Published: January 2010

We examine the effects of income, institutions, and social capital—proxied by the level of corruption and ethnic tensions—on literacy and life expectancy in Africa. Random effects estimates show that income has a robust positive influence. GMM estimates indicate that corruption reduces the effectiveness of institutions in promoting literacy. However, this effect is not monotonic; improvements in the corruption index within the high corruption range reduce the effectiveness of institutions, while continuous improvement within the low corruption range enhances the effectiveness of institutions. Similarly, ethnic tensions reduce the effectiveness of institutions. Based on these findings, we conclude that social capital and institutions can complement each other. (JEL O11, O17, Z13)
INCENTIVE ISSUES IN R&D CONSORTIA: INSIGHTS FROM APPLIED GAME THEORY
Authors: BINENBAUM ERAN
Published: January 2010

This article sketches how insights from applied game theory can be applied to Research and Development (R&D) consortia using a case study on an international plant breeding consortium. The insights jointly comprise a new “logic of collective action in R&D,” which is inspired by Olson’s Logic of Collective Action but goes beyond it. We analyze R&D consortia as institutions that respond to a variety of incentive problems which are obstacles to realizing the benefits of cooperation that arise due to the public goods nature of outputs, complementarities of inputs, and economies of scale and scope. Additionally, we sketch a “big‐picture” consortium game, which abstracts from specific incentive issues.(JELB41, D02, H41, O31, O32)
HOUSING, SPRAWL, AND THE USE OF DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES: THE CASE OF THE INLAND EMPIRE
Authors: BLUFFSTONE RANDY , BRAMAN MATT , FERNANDEZ LINDA , SCOTT TOM , LEE PEI‐YI
Published: January 2010

This article is concerned with the economics of excessively large and socially costly suburban expansion and attempts to summarize and organize the main economic arguments associated with sprawl due to single‐family residential home construction. We also apply standard welfare economics and price policy instruments to the issue of suburban sprawl in order to suggest ways in which economics can participate in and inform the debate over sprawl. The article uses the Inland Empire, which includes the valley regions of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties in Southern California east of Los Angeles, as a case study.(JELR11, R14, Q24)
DAMS, DAM REMOVAL, AND RIVER RESTORATION: A HEDONIC PROPERTY VALUE ANALYSIS
Authors: LEWIS LYNNE Y. , BOHLEN CURTIS , WILSON SARAH
Published: January 2010

This article presents the results of a hedonic property value analysis for multiple hydropower sites along the Kennebec River in Maine, including the former site of the Edwards Dam in Augusta, Maine. The effect of the removal of the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River in Maine is examined through consumer’s marginal willingness to pay to be close to or distant from the dam site. Data from both before and after the dam was removed are used to estimate changes in marginal prices. A similar data set is also used to look at the effects of the remaining upstream dams on property values. This article presents one of the first (to our knowledge) ex post analyses on the economic impact of dam removal on property values. As more privately owned dams in the United States come up for relicensing, evaluating the impacts with and without the dam will become increasingly important. This work can help inform those analyses. (JEL Q25, Q51, Q58)
LEGAL ENVIRONMENTS, VENTURE CAPITAL, AND TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH OF TAIWANESE INDUSTRY
Authors: TANG MENG‐CHI , CHYI YIH‐LUAN
Published: January 2010

This study provides a new explanation of total factor productivity growth of Taiwanese industry. Besides the channels identified in the literature, this study finds that the venture capital (VC) industry development significantly promotes productivity growth. In addition, an indicator of legal environment has been established to record changes in VC‐related legislation during the past two decades in Taiwan. The legal indicator serves as an instrumental variable that can avoid estimation bias resulting from potential endogeneity between VC development and productivity growth.(JELG24, K23, O47).
EVALUATING AUTOMOBILE INSPECTION POLICY USING AUTO INSURANCE DATA
Authors: SAITO KUNIYOSHI
Published: January 2010

This paper examines the effect of mandatory periodic safety inspections on traffic accident rates. Using a data set of more than 15,000 auto insurance policyholders in Japan, we investigate the relationship between car age and accident rates and find little evidence that accident rates decline due to safety inspections, specifically in the inspection year. The result holds, even if we take the heterogeneity across drivers into account, and is robust to various parametric and nonparametric procedures. We conjecture that our results are obtained (a) because most motor vehicle accidents are not caused by mechanical failures and (b) because government regulations impose too strict and frequent inspections on car owners in Japan. (JEL C14, K32, L51, L98, R41)
POLITICAL AFFILIATION AND PERCEPTIONS OF TRADE: EXAMINING SURVEY DATA FROM THE STATE OF GEORGIA
Authors: WHITE ROGER , CLARK RICHARD
Published: January 2010

We examine the influences of political party affiliation and self‐identification as politically conservative, centrist, or liberal on individuals’ trade preferences. Majority support for trade is reported for all political classifications, with Republicans found to be 13.7%–15.1% more likely than Democrats and independents to support trade. Similarly, conservatives are 14.8%–21% more likely to support trade than are centrists and liberals; however, distinctions exist between “very conservative” and “somewhat conservative” cohorts. (JEL F13)
DOES MONEY MATTER FOR INFLATION IN THE EURO AREA?
Authors: KAUFMANN SYLVIA , KUGLER PETER
Published: January 2010

We analyze the relationship between M3 growth and inflation within an error correction framework including also the output gap, the 3‐mo EURIBOR, and the 10‐yr government bond yield. We find robust cointegration between money growth and inflation. Shocks in M3 growth account for up to 30% of the inflation forecast error variance, while the effects of output gap and interest rate shocks are mainly transitory. Significantly different dynamics are found during periods at the end of the seventies and beginning of the eighties when interest rate and inflation rate levels were high and real money growth decreasing. (JEL C32, E31, E41)
ESTIMATING THE IMPACT OF BEER PRICES ON THE INCIDENCE OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES: CROSS‐PROVINCE AND TIME SERIES EVIDENCE FROM CANADA
Authors: SEN ANINDYA , LUONG MAY
Published: January 2010

We attempt to contribute to the literature by evaluating the effects of higher beer prices on gonorrhea and chlamydia rates through pooling data across Canadian provinces and over time. Ordinary least squares as well as instrumental variables estimates suggest that higher real beer prices are correlated with a reduction in both gonorrhea and chlamydia rates, with corresponding implied elasticities within a tightly defined interval of (roughly) −0.7 to −0.9. However, the increase in real beer prices over the sample period is only responsible for less than a tenth of the decline in gonorrhea rates. (JEL I18)
DO SOCCER ASSOCIATIONS REALLY SPEND ON A GOOD THING? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE ON HETEROGENEITY IN THE CONSUMER RESPONSE TO MATCH UNCERTAINTY OF OUTCOME
Authors: BENZ MEN‐ANDRI , BRANDES LEIF , FRANCK EGON
Published: January 2010

The purpose of this study is to analyze whether previous results describing the effect of uncertainty of outcome on match attendance in team sports have been driven by heterogeneity in fan demand. We apply censored quantile regression methods and place particular emphasis on the relationship between match uncertainty and attendance demand, as previous results are highly ambiguous. This is more surprising, as each season association and league officials continue to spend millions on enhancing this uncertainty. We also control for season ticket holders, who are unlikely to be influenced by match specificities. Based on data from German soccer, our results indicate that fan demand shows heterogeneity across quantiles and that increasing match uncertainty of outcome exclusively benefits teams who already face strong attendance demand. (JEL D12, C14, C24, L83)
VALUATION OF WILDLIFE: REVISING SOME ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR SCOPE TESTS
Authors: OJEA ELENA , LOUREIRO MARIA L.
Published: January 2010

In this article, we build on previous valuation studies to contribute to the understanding of preferences toward conservation of endangered species elicited via willingness to pay. In particular, we assess the effect of the existence of biological substitutes of local endangered species. We also incorporate biological concepts such as the minimum viable population level into the valuation scenario. Furthermore, the role of ethical and environmental beliefs and their relationship with preferences toward conservation levels are explored. Results are discussed and contrasted with previous studies. (JEL Q2)
WAGE PENALTIES AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION: AN UPDATE USING THE GENERAL SOCIAL SURVEY
Authors: CUSHING‐DANIELS BRENDAN , YEUNG TSZ‐YING
Published: January 2010

This study uses data from the 1988 to 2006 General Social Survey (GSS) to examine the effects of sexual orientation on earnings. Previous research using the GSS has found that lesbians earn 18%–23% more than similarly qualified heterosexual women and that wage penalties for gay men are slightly larger than the premia for lesbians. Using behavioral definitions of sexual orientation based on the previous year and the previous 5 yr of sexual activity, we find the familiar wage premia/penalties for lesbian/gay workers in our ordinary least squares estimations, but we find that these wage differences are falling over time. Furthermore, in contrast to the earlier results, for our regressions over the entire sample period, correcting for differential selection into full‐time work reduces the estimated penalties for unmarried gay men and eliminates the entire wage premium for all lesbians. There is now a sizeable, though imprecisely measured, penalty for some lesbians. (JEL J1, J3, J7)
U.S. EXTERNAL ADJUSTMENT: IS IT DISORDERLY? IS IT UNIQUE? WILL IT DISRUPT THE REST OF THE WORLD?
Authors: KAMIN STEVEN B. , REEVE TREVOR A. , SHEETS NATHAN
Published: January 2010

This article focuses on the historical experience with U.S. external adjustment, that is, narrowings of the trade deficit. Using data from the past 35 years, we compare economic performance in episodes during which the U.S. trade balance declined against episodes during which it rose. We find that trade balance adjustment has been generally benign: U.S. real gross domestic product growth tended to fall but not to a statistically significant extent; housing construction slumped; inflation generally rose modestly; and although nominal interest rates tended to rise, real interest rates fell. The article then compares these outcomes to those in foreign industrial economies. We find that the economic performance of the United States during periods of external adjustment is remarkably similar to the foreign experience. Finally, we also examine the performance of the foreign industrial economies during the periods when the U.S. trade deficit widened and narrowed. Contrary to concerns that U.S. adjustment will prove injurious to foreign economies, our analysis suggests that the foreign economies fared reasonably well during past periods when the U.S. trade deficit narrowed. (JEL F32, F41)
A LANDFILL CLOSURE AND HOUSING VALUES
Authors: KINNAMAN THOMAS C.
Published: January 2010

The United States disposes roughly 60% of the municipal solid waste it generates each year in solid waste disposal facilities, commonly known as landfills. Hedonic pricing studies have estimated the external costs of landfills on neighboring housing markets, but the literature is silent on what happens to property values after the landfill closes. Original housing price data collected both before and after a landfill closure are used to estimate how a landfill closure affects neighboring property values. Results of both a hedonic pricing model and a repeat‐sales estimator are used in the analysis. (JEL H42, H72, Q51, Q53, R21)
ESTIMATING THE WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR DIGITAL MUSIC
Authors: CHIANG ERIC P. , ASSANE DJETO
Published: January 2010

The general consensus among the copyright piracy literature is that economic incentives and enforcement are both effective strategies that complement one another in reducing the occurrence of piracy. Yet, the key factor underlying these strategies is the ability of the media industries to influence an individual’s willingness to pay (WTP) for legal purchases when illegal versions exist. This article estimates the effects of factors influencing WTP for digital music downloads. Our results show that while income and risk perceptions play a dominant role in determining WTP, ethics are also important in influencing WTP. Our results are consistent with the growing consumer acceptance of fee‐based music services that can exist alongside peer‐to‐peer file sharing as well as serve as a viable substitute. (JELO34, K42, D12)
PRESCRIPTIVE PUBLIC CHOICE: APPLICATION TO RESIDENTIAL WATER RATE REFORM
Authors: HALL DARWIN C.
Published: January 2010

Peltzman’s model of price regulation predicts inefficient prices for regulated firms; based on a constraint giving the trade‐off between economic profit and the regulated price, the price will be set between a competitive industry price and a monopoly price. This article generalizes the model for application to a wider class of trade‐offs, including municipal utilities that are not legally permitted to make a profit. Extending Peltzman’s idea of political support functions, this article defines political feasibility relative to economic efficiency. A Pareto superior change with compensation is sufficient but not necessary for political feasibility; the Kaldor‐Hicks criterion is neither necessary nor sufficient for political feasibility. The generalization of Peltzman’s model of public choice and the concept of political feasibility together explain why Tucson in 1976 and Los Angeles in 1993 adopted efficient water rates during droughts and why, 1 yr later, Tucson rescinded the rates and Los Angeles almost rescinded them. The concept of political feasibility explains why and how, after the drought, the Los Angeles innovations to rate design achieved efficiency and political feasibility, avoiding reversion to the previous, inefficient rates, by separating economic efficiency from political feasibility in both the rate design and the rate reform process.(JELD42, D70, H00, L38, L51, L97, Q25, Q28, Q48, Q58)
POLITICALLY FEASIBLE, REVENUE SUFFICIENT, AND ECONOMICALLY EFFICIENT MUNICIPAL WATER RATES
Authors: HALL DARWIN C.
Published: January 2010

Water rates are designed to meet multiple objectives, typically resulting in trade‐offs among the objectives of economic efficiency, revenue sufficiency, and related revenue stability. Standard theory of natural monopoly is extended here to explain why long‐run marginal cost (LMC) can be greater than both average cost and short‐run marginal cost (SMC) for municipal water utilities. The distinctions between “benign monopoly rates” and “marginal cost rate design” favor LMC over SMC as the basis for economically efficient rate design. Taking into account conservation investments by consumers, SMC rates are economically inefficient, except during temporary shortages. The City of Los Angeles adopted economically efficient, revenue sufficient, and revenue‐stable water rates at the end of a prolonged drought. After the drought ended, Los Angeles (LA) modified the rate design, making the design politically feasible during normal rainfall years. Unique features in the LA rate design determine the allocation of consumer surplus among ratepayers, making the rate design politically feasible by sharing efficiency gains among customer classes. Revenue sufficiency and stability features in the rate design minimize adverse job effects on water utility management, reducing the frequency of rate hearings with an increasing block design.(JELL51, L95, Q25, Q51)
WAL‐MART, LEISURE, AND CULTURE
Authors: CARDEN ART , COURTEMANCHE CHARLES
Published: January 2010

This essay contributes to the debate about the alleged spillover effects associated with Wal‐Mart’s growth. Combining county‐level data on Wal‐Mart entry and location from 1985 through 1998 with individual‐level data on leisure activities, we estimate a positive relationship between Wal‐Mart penetration and participation in activities involving inputs that can be bought at Wal‐Mart. The relationship between Wal‐Mart penetration and activities that do not involve inputs that can be bought at Wal‐Mart is negative in most cases but may be positive or zero for “cultural” activities such as attending classical music concerts and visiting art galleries. The evidence is consistent with the thesis that deeper Wal‐Mart penetration expands consumption possibilities.(JELA13, D00, C12, Z11, Z13)
Vernonia DGATs increase accumulation of epoxy fatty acids in oil
Authors: Li Runzhi , Yu Keshun , Hatanaka Tomoko , Hildebrand David F.
Published: January 2010

Vernolic acid (cis‐12‐epoxy‐octadeca‐cis‐9‐enoic acid) is valuable as a renewable chemical feedstock. This fatty acid can accumulate to high levels in the seed oil of some plant species such as Vernonia galamensis and Stokesia laevis which are unsuitable for large‐scale production. A cost‐effective alternative for production of epoxy fatty acids is to genetically engineer its biosynthesis in commercial oilseeds. An epoxygenase cDNA (SlEPX) responsible for vernolic acid synthesis and two acyl‐CoA : diacylglycerol acyltransferase cDNAs (VgDGAT1 and VgDGAT2) catalysing triacylglycerol (TAG) formation were cloned from developing seeds of S. laevis and V. galamensis. Co‐expression of SlEPX and VgDGAT1 or VgDGAT2 greatly increases accumulation of vernolic acid both in petunia leaves and soybean somatic embryos. Seed‐specific expression of VgDGAT1 and VgDGAT2 in SlEPX mature soybean seeds results in vernolic acid levels of ∼15% and 26%. Both DGAT1 and DGAT2 increase epoxy fatty acid accumulation with DGAT2 having much greater impact.
An evaluation of multimodal interactions with technology while learning science concepts
Authors: Anastopoulou Stamatina , Sharples Mike , Baber Chris
Published: January 2010

This paper explores the value of employing multiple modalities to facilitate science learning with technology. In particular, it is argued that when multiple modalities are employed, learners construct strong relations between physical movement and visual representations of motion. Body interactions with visual representations, enabled by interactive technologies, can encourage rhythmic cycles of engagement and reflection. A study was carried out to investigate how students interpret distance–time and velocity–time graphs created through hand movement. It explored the dynamic coupling between their body movements and graphs, and their subsequent interpretation and production of graphs on paper.

The results show that physical manipulation of kinematics graphs has a significantly greater effect on students' ability to relate graphs to movement than observing the graphs being produced by someone else.
A Modest Proposal? Basic Capital vs. Higher Education Subsidies
Authors: White Stuart
Published: January 2010

All young adults have a morally significant interest in having adequate opportunity for ambition formation. At present governments typically spend large amounts in support of young adults, such as in the form of higher education subsidies, but we do not ask if this expenditure is the most equitable way of ensuring adequate opportunity for ambition formation for all young adults. Would it be more equitable and desirable to use the resources to pay every young adult a capital grant on maturity rather than for higher education subsidies? The article considers a range of arguments against this basic capital proposal and in defence of education subsidies. It concludes that the case for the basic capital policy is strong, although it is not possible to say that it is definitely preferable in the absence of empirical research that is beyond the scope of this article.
The State Duty to Support the Poor in Kant's Doctrine of Right
Authors: Penner James
Published: January 2010

Recent works of Weinrib and Ripstein argue in favour of the state duty to support the poor found in Kant's ‘Doctrine of Right’. The argument is not Kant's own, but is said to flow from the most basic precepts of that work. It is, roughly, the following: because the institution of property rights can lead to the situation whereby, there being nothing left to appropriate, persons could become dependent upon others for their very existence, the validity of property rights (and private rights in general) in the civil condition depends upon the state's supporting the poor so as to ensure that such relations of dependence do not arise. This article argues that this welfarist state duty is incompatible with the structure of the Doctrine of Right, and independently implausible.
Improving the Inside: Gender, Property and the 18th-Century Self
Authors: Brace Laura
Published: January 2010

This article looks at questions of politeness, conduct and civility in the 18th century to explore how individuals imagined owning themselves as market actors and as members of an emerging civil society. It focuses on how they managed the contradictions of participating in the capitalist market without being branded as gamblers. It argues that a moral economy of rational improvement and a disciplined self was crucial to this process, to counter the fragility of self-ownership and the unpredictability and riskiness of property not based on land ownership. This disciplined and rational self-ownership was inextricable from the development of gender relations, which rested on the division between the public and private spheres, and from the disavowal of ‘bad femininity’ from the account of property.
Monstrous Methods for Teaching Central Tendency Concepts
Authors: Kraus Sue
Published: January 2010

This article describes an interactive way to help students learn to evaluate central tendency measures using a fictional story. The use of humour and fictional dire consequences may increase student understanding and engagement while reducing anxiety.
Polidocanol foam sclerotherapy is a new and effective treatment for post‐operative lymphorrhea and lymphocele
Authors: Klode J , Klötgen K , Körber A , Schadendorf D , Dissemond J
Published: January 2010

Background  The formation of post‐operative lymphocele and lymphorrhea following lymph node surgery is a potentially serious complication. Until now there has been no consensus on the most effective treatment for these complications. Therefore, the aim of our clinical trial was to compare the use of polidocanol foam sclerotherapy with compression therapy to wound drainage, in the treatment of post‐operative lymphoceles.

Patients and methods  Retrospectively we analysed the data of 33 consecutive surgical patients who had developed a post‐operative lymphocele between 2004 and 2008. We offered all patients drainage with compression therapy or polidocanol foam sclerotherapy with 1‐day compression to treat the post‐operative lymphoceles.

Results  Altogether, 12 patients were treated with polidocanol foam sclerotherapy and 21 patients were treated with drainage alone. Secretion volumes declined from initial 50–350 ml/day to 0–20 ml/day at the end of the therapy. Lymphorrhea resolved much quicker (P < 0.0001) in patients treated with polidocanol foam sclerotherapy (median 4 days, mean value 6.4 days) than in those treated with drainage (median 31 days, mean value 30.2 days). None of the patients developed a major complication.

Conclusion  Polidocanol foam sclerotherapy is an effective and well‐tolerated new treatment for patients with post‐operative lymphoceles.
Fertility‐sparing laparoscopic radical trachelectomy for young women with early stage cervical cancer
Authors: Kim J‐H , Park J‐Y , Kim D‐Y , Kim Y‐M , Kim Y‐T , Nam J‐H
Published: January 2010

Please cite this paper as: Kim J‐H, Park J‐Y, Kim D‐Y, Kim Y‐M, Kim Y‐T, Nam J‐H. Fertility‐sparing laparoscopic radical trachelectomy for young women with early stage cervical cancer. BJOG 2010;117:340–347.

Objective  To report the results of laparoscopic radical trachelectomy (LRT) with respect to surgical, oncological and reproductive outcomes.

Design  Retrospective analysis.

Setting  University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Centre, Seoul, Korea.

Sample  Thirty‐two consecutive patients who wish to preserve fertility with early stage cervical cancer.

Methods  Demographic, clinicopathologic, surgical, and follow‐up data were obtained from patients’ medical records. All patients agreed to telephone interviews to assess their menstrual and obstetrical outcomes.

Main outcome measures  Surgical parameters, perioperative complication, disease‐free survival, overall survival, return and pattern of menstruation and pregnancy rate.

Results  Thirty‐two consecutive patients who wish to preserve fertility with early stage cervical cancer were offered LRT. In five patients, the planned LRT procedures were abandoned during the operations because of lymph node metastasis or parametrial involvement on frozen section. The mean age was 29 years (range, 22–37 years). The mean tumour size was 1.7 cm in diameter (range, 0.4–3.5 cm). The mean operating time was 290 min (range, 120–520 min) and the mean estimated blood loss was 332 ml (range, 50–1000 ml). Perioperative transfusion was required in six patients. There were no perioperative complications requiring further management. After a median follow‐up time of 31 months (range, 1–58 months), there was one recurrence and death from disease. Regular menstruation returned in 24 patients. Six patients attempted to conceive, and three succeeded.

Conclusions  Laparoscopic radical trachelectomy may be a safe and useful alternative to radical hysterectomy for women with early cervical cancer who want to preserve their fertility.
Urban–rural differences of gynaecological malignancies in Egypt (1999–2002)
Authors: Dey S , Hablas A , Seifeldin IA , Ismail K , Ramadan M , El‐Hamzawy H , Wilson ML , Banerjee M , Boffetta P , Harford J , Merajver SD , Soliman AS
Published: January 2010

Please cite this paper as: Dey S, Hablas A, Seifeldin I, Ismail K, Ramadan M, El‐Hamzawy H, Wilson M, Banerjee M, Boffetta P, Harford J, Merajver S, Soliman A. Urban–rural differences of gynaecological malignancies in Egypt (1999–2002). BJOG 2010;117:348–355.

Objective  In previous studies, we have shown a three to four times higher urban incidence of breast cancer and estrogen receptor‐positive breast cancers in the Gharbiah Province of Egypt. We investigated the urban–rural incidence differences of gynaecologic malignancies (uterine, ovarian and cervical cancers) to explore if they show the same trend that we found for breast cancer.

Design  Cancer registry‐based incidence comparison.

Setting  Gharbiah population‐based cancer registry (GPCR), Tanta, Egypt.

Sample  All patients with uterine, ovarian and cervical cancer in GPCR from 1999 to 2002.

Methods  We calculated uterine, ovarian and cervical cancer incidence from 1999 to 2002. For each of the three cancers, we calculated the overall and age‐specific rates for the province as a whole, and by urban–rural status, as well as for the eight districts of the province.

Results  Incidence of all three cancer sites was higher in urban than in rural areas. Uterine cancer showed the highest urban–rural incidence rate ratio (IRR = 6.07, 95% CI = 4.17, 8.85). Uterine cancer also showed the highest urban incidence in the oldest age group (70+ age category, IRR = 14.39, 95% CI = 4.24, 48.87) and in developed districts (Tanta, IRR = 4.14, 95% CI = 0.41, 42.04). Incidence rates by groups of cancer sites showed an increasing gradient of urban incidence for cancers related to hormonal aetiology, mainly of the breast and uterus (IRR = 4.96, 95% CI = 2.86, 8.61).

Conclusions  The higher urban incidence of uterine cancer, coupled with our previous findings of higher incidence of breast cancer and estrogen receptor positive breast cancer in urban areas in this region, may be suggestive of possible higher exposure to environmental estrogenic compounds, such as xenoestrogens, in urban areas.
Birth outcomes in primiparous women who were raped as adults: a matched controlled study
Authors: Nerum H , Halvorsen L , Øian P , Sørlie T , Straume B , Blix E
Published: January 2010

Please cite this paper as: Nerum H, Halvorsen L, Øian P, Sørlie T, Straume B, Blix E. Birth outcomes in primiparous women who were raped as adults: a matched controlled study. BJOG 2010;117:288–294.

Objective  To compare the duration of labour and the birth outcome in a group of primiparous women who had been raped after the age of 16, with a control group from the same birth cohort.

Design  Cohort study.

Setting  University Hospital of North Norway.

Sample  Fifty women raped as adults and 150 controls.

Methods  Data about birth outcomes in the first pregnancy were collected from the patient files and data concerning the assault were obtained in a subsequent pregnancy through consultations with the women who had been raped. Birth outcomes in the group of women who had been raped were compared with matched controls using a multivariable logistic regression model.

Main outcome measures  Caesarean section, operative vaginal delivery and duration of labour.

Results  During their first delivery, the women who had been raped had an increased risk for caesarean section (adjusted odds ratio 15.7, 95% CI 5.0–49.1) and for assisted vaginal delivery (adjusted odds ratio 13.1, 95% CI 4.9–34.5) when compared with controls. The group of women who had been raped had a longer second stage of labour than the control group (120 versus 55 minutes, P < 0.01). They were more often single mothers, unemployed and smokers, and had a higher body mass index and more previous pregnancy terminations and miscarriages than the control group.

Conclusions  The women who had been raped had a longer second stage of labour, and an increased risk of caesarean section and operative vaginal delivery compared with controls from the general birth cohort. These findings indicate that the consequences for delivery for women who had been raped as adults could be specific and may warrant particular attention. The birth experience of women who had been raped should also be illuminated in future studies.