Book-building versus Auctions: An investigation into which IPO pricing and selling method more effectively promotes the aims of an IPO issuer
by Amrith Krushnakumaar Abstract In recent years, book-building has emerged as a method of choice among investment banks in the U.S and around the world for pricing and selling initial public offerings (IPOs). Proponents of the book-building method argue that discriminatory share allocations, the pooling of IPOs and other standard book-building practices price new shares […]
How Do Campaign Contributions from Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Influence Senators’ Policy Decisions?
by Ashlyn Hankey Abstract This paper examines the influence of the main interest groups in the debate over amending Section 936 of bill HR 4210, a bill that grants tax credits to American manufacturers with sites in Puerto Rico. The amendment proposed to place stipulations on the pharmaceutical manufacturers’ eligibility for the credit to lower […]
Congressional Voting on the Secure Fence Act of 2006: Political Posturing Overshadows Campaign Contributions
by Simon Alexander Blank Abstract This study examines the determinants of voting on the 2006 Secure Fence Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. First, a simultaneous probit-Tobit model is used to account for the endogenous nature of campaign contributions. It reveals five significant determinants of campaign contributions from Agribusiness—political ideology, membership on the Committee […]
Analysis of Auction Price Risk: An Empirical Study of the Australian Aboriginal Art Market
by Ilya Voytov Abstract Auction theory economists have shown that auctions can be structured to maximize the expected revenue to the seller. In this thesis, I show that they can also be optimized to minimize the sellers’ risk through an understanding of the driving factors behind seller’s auction price risk. I derive a general form […]
The Effects of SCHIP Expansions on Family Structure
by Jeffrey K. Lee Abstract This paper assesses whether the enactment of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997, which significantly expanded child health care coverage, affected the probability of marriage for mothers in the United States. Using March CPS data from 1998-2003, I estimate the effect of a variant of state health […]
