NBER Reporter articles from June 1997

NBER Reporter archives from June 1997

International trade and investment. (rationale behind the decline in wages of unskilled workers)
June 22, 1997... The NBER's Program on International Trade and Investment, directed by Robert C. Feenstra of NBER and University of California, Davis, held its spring meeting in Cambridge on April 4-5. The discussion centered on the following papers and topics:...

Environmental tax policy using a two-part instrument. (reconciling business with environmentalism)
June 22, 1997... One important goal of tax policy is economic efficiency. In some cases, this requires raising revenue and avoiding changes in relative prices that may distort taxpayer behavior and create "excess burden." In other cases, however, economic...

Tax policy and investment. (evaluation of 'neoclassical' investment models)
June 22, 1997... Much of my recent research has focused on determinants of business fixed investment and how tax policy affects investment decisions in both the short and the long run. This article briefly reviews my work in three areas of this research. First, I...

Evaluating age discrimination laws. (implications of Age Discrimination in Employment Act)
June 22, 1997... The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) was enacted by Congress in 1968 to "promote employment of older persons based on their ability rather than age; to prohibit arbitrary age discrimination in employment; to help employers and workers...

The economic analysis of substance abuse.
June 22, 1997... The NBER recently sponsored a project on substance use and abuse, directed by Research Associates Frank J. Chaloupka, University of Illinois, Chicago; Michael Grossman, CUNY; and Henry Saffer, Kean College; and Warren K. Bickel, University of...

Twelfth Annual Conference on Macroeconomics.
June 22, 1997... The NBER's Twelfth Annual Conference on Macroeconomics was held in Cambridge on April 4 and 5. The conference organizers, Ben S. Bernanke of Princeton University and Julio J. Rotemberg of MIT, put together this program: Marvin Goodfriend,...

The economics of aging. (impact of health and financial status among the elderly)
June 22, 1997... The NBER's Program on Aging held its biannual conference, organized by Program Director David A. Wise of Harvard University, in late April this year. As in previous years, the papers and discussions preferred to in this article will be published...

URC conference on innovation and accumulation. (Universities Research Conference)
June 22, 1997... The spring 1997 NBER-Universities Research Conference took place on May 2 and 3 and was organized by NBER Faculty Research Fellow Jeffrey R. Campbell of the University of Rochester and NBER Research Associate Paul M. Romer of Stanford University....

Frontiers in health policy research. (economics of health plans, Medicare and the pharmaceutical industry)
June 22, 1997... Nearly 100 representatives of foundations, government agencies, the U.S. Congress, and the corporate sector gathered in Washington on June 5 for the NBER's first annual conference on "Frontiers in Health Policy Research." Alan M. Garber, director...

Fiscal institutions and fiscal performance. (politics and the economy)
June 22, 1997... On June 27-9, the NBER and the Zentrum fur Europpische Integrationsforschung (Center for European Integration) at the University of Bonn co-sponsored a conference on "Fiscal Institutions and Fiscal Performance." The program, which was organized...

New Market Microstructure group meets. (Market Microstructure Research Group discusses the securities industry)
June 22, 1997... On July 17th, the NBER's newly launched Market Microstructure Research Group, organized by Andrew Lo of MIT and NBER, held its first meeting in Cambridge. The seeds of this new research group were planted three years ago at the NBER's Conference...

International trade and investment. (impact of economic trends on trade and investment)
June 22, 1997... In the three years since the International Trade and Investment Program (ITI) was last reviewed, the most active area of research has dealt with the decline in the relative wages of unskilled workers in the United States and other industrial...

Public economics program meeting. (production and adjustment costs in fiscal policy)
June 22, 1997... Members of the NBER's Program on Public Economics, directed by James M. Poterba of MIT, met in Cambridge on April 10 and 11. They discussed the following papers: Rosanne Altshuler, NBER and Rutgers University, and Jagon G. Cummins, New York...

The well-being of children. (assessing the influence of family background, race and income)
June 22, 1997... The NBER's Program on the Wellbeing of Children met in Cambridge on April 17. Program Director Jonathan Gruber, also of MIT, organized the meeting, at which these papers were discussed: Kevin Lang, Boston University, and Jay L. Zagorsky, Ohio...

Program meeting on labor studies. (social implications of worker segregation)
June 22, 1997... Members of the NBER's Program on Labor Studies met in Cambridge on April 18 to discuss recent research. Organizers Richard B. Freeman and Lawrence F. Katz, both of the NBER and Harvard University, selected the following papers for discussion:...

Japan working group meets. (analysis of the impact of banking relationships and of Japanese industrial policy)
June 22, 1997... The NBER's Japan Working Group, directed by Anil K Kashyap, University of Chicago, met in Cambridge on April 19. Members discussed the following papers: Brian J. Hall and David E. Weinstein, Harvard University, "Do Banking Relationships Reduce...

Asset pricing program. (on hedge funds and the implications of the 'predictability smile')
June 22, 1997... The NBER's Asset Pricing Program met in Cambridge on April 25. Stanley E. Zin, NBER and CarnegieMellon University, organized the session and chose the following papers for discussion: David Backus, NBER and New York University; Silverio Foresi,...

Behavioral finance group meets. (applying 'natural selection' to securities valuation)(Panel Discussion)
June 22, 1997... Robert J. Shiller, NBER and Yale University, and Richard H.Thaler, NBER and University of Chicago, organized an April 26 meeting on "behavioral" explanations of financial market activity in conjunction with the April 25 meeting of the Asset...

Health care program meeting. (analyzing health plans and health quality)
June 22, 1997... Members of the NBER's Program on Health Care, led by Alan M. Garber of NBER and Stanford University, met in Cambridge on May 15 to discuss the following papers: Laurence C. Baker, NBER and Stanford University, and Martin L. Brown, National...

Higher education. (severance incentives and the economics of college education)
June 22, 1997... The NBER's Project on Higher Education, directed by Charles T. Clotfelter of NBER and Duke University, organized a meeting in Cambridge on May 16 to discuss recent research in the field. The program was: John Pencavel, Stanford University, "The...

Meeting on not-for-profit hospitals.
June 22, 1997... The NBER held a discussion of not-for-profit hospitals, organized by David M. Cutler of NBER and Harvard University, at its Cambridge office on May 16. The agenda was: Frank A. Sloan, NBER and Duke University, "Research on Not-for-Profit and...