Contemporary Economic Policy articles from January 2006

Contemporary Economic Policy archives from January 2006

Can No Child Left Behind close the gaps in pass rates on standardized tests?
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION In a follow-up to the 1966 Coleman report, A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education 1983) documented large and sustaining gaps in student achievement across almost all socioeconomic and demographic...

Investment in primary, secondary, and higher education and the effects on economic growth.
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION Much literature confirms theoretically and empirically education's importance to economic growth. Education is viewed as favorably affecting growth rates through diverse mechanisms, including increased productivity,...

The effects of statutory rape laws on nonmarital teenage childbearing.
January 1, 2006... We are satisfied not only that the prevention of illegitimate pregnancy is at least one of the "purposes" of the [California statutory rape] statute, but also that the State has a strong interest in preventing such pregnancy. At the...

The relationship between high school marijuana use and annual earnings among young adult males.
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION Data from the 2002 National Survey of Drug Use and Health indicate that 16% of youth between the ages of 12 and 17 had used marijuana in the past year and 8% had used in the past month (SAMHSA 2002). These levels of use...

The relationship between illegal drug prices at the retail user and seller levels.
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION The hierarchical nature of illegal drug markets is well known. Drugs such as marijuana and cocaine reach consumers through multi-level distribution networks. Typically, a dealer at a given market level buys a quantity of...

Foreign ownership, wages, and wage changes in U.S. industries, 1987-92.
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION A considerable body of literature has grown on the effects of foreign ownership on host country labor markets. That literature has asked whether foreign-owned firms pay higher wages than domestically owned firms and whether...

Do regulations affect banking performance? Government governance may matter.
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION Studies of optimal financial systems have recently attracted wide attention. One of the major issues is whether the authority should allow commercial banks (hereafter, "banks") to engage in financial-related and other...

Five years of single European monetary policy in practice: is the ECB rule-based?(European Central Bank )
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION The European Central Bank (ECB) was established in June 1998 and began its operations in January 1999, when European Monetary Union (EMU) was established and the euro was launched. Since then, the ECB has been responsible...

Is the Chinese renminbi undervalued?
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION Since 1998, the nominal exchange rate of the renminbi (RMB) or the Chinese yuan has remained approximately at 8.27 RMB to US$1. (1) The perception that the RMB may be misaligned from its equilibrium value by its rigid...

The economic value of preventing respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalizations.
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION To assess the economic value of reducing health effects, analysts require both concentration-response and monetary valuation information. For example, available concentration-response information shows relationships between...

Information, wildlife valuation, conservation: experiments and policy.
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION Wild biodiversity decline is of global policy concern (McNeely and Scherr, 2003, Ch. 2), and economists have given increasing attention to it. Nevertheless, economists remain uncertain of the influence of the public's...

Factors affecting species' risk of extinction: an empirical analysis of ESA and NatureServe listings.(Endangered Species Act )
January 1, 2006... I. INTRODUCTION There are two principal sources of data on ecologically imperiled species in the United States: (1) listings of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA, 1973), and (2) listings of species...

State adoption of environmental audit initiatives.
January 1, 2006... An environmental audit is a voluntary internal review of all of a facility's operations and practices that relate to its environmental performance. Environmental audits can be designed to verify compliance with environmental regulations,...

Political economy and the efficiency of compensation for takings.
January 1, 2006... I. CONTEXT: CASES AND EXAMPLES Over the last decade or so, a number of Supreme Court decisions have brought to the forefront of policy debates a longstanding legal controversy over when and whether the government should compensate property...