Buy here or buy there? Exploring Potential Non-Compliance in North Carolina’s Alcohol Beverage Control System
by Zev Winston van Zanten Abstract This study examines compliance with North Carolina’s Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) system by studying cross-border alcohol purchases. Exploiting exogenous geographic variation in proximity to neighboring states with less restrictive alcohol regimes and differing price structures, I use distance from population-weighted county centroids to state borders as a proxy for […]
Permitless Carry Laws and the Illegal Gun Market: Evidence from Stolen Gun Values
By Mary Ella Evans Abstract This paper examines the effect of permitless carry laws on handgun theft in the United States. Using a balanced state-year panel from 2000 to 2023, with state and year fixed effects, region-year fixed effects, and state-specific cubic time trends, I find that the adoption of permitless carry laws is associated […]
Business Tax Incentives and Local Economic Outcomes
by Erel Amit Abstract This paper examines how state conformity to federal bonus depreciation and interest deductibility rules affects local economic activity in U.S. border counties. Using annual firstdifference border-group regressions, with border-pair specifications as a complementary design, I study whether changes in state conformity to 168(k) and 163(j) are associated with changes in employment, […]
Externalities of Overhead Power Lines on Residential Housing Values
by Jake Park-Walters Abstract Overhead electricity transmission lines (OHLs) create negative externalities on nearby housing values largely from perceived factors including aesthetics, safety, and health. Studies have been performed outside of the US to determine the specific value impact of power lines by proximity. It is not, however, well researched within the United States–specifically in […]
School Choice and Neighborhood Change in Post-Katrina New Orleans
by Rosalind Fei Yang Abstract As school choice policies weaken the traditional link between neighborhoods and schools, traditional housing patterns previously governed by school zoning are changing. This paper examines the connection between school choice reform, specifically an increase in charter schools, and changes in neighborhood composition, focusing on New Orleans over time. I use […]
Blaze of Distrust: The Impact of Wildfires on Social Capital and Governance in Brazilian Amazonia
by Feishi “Alicia” Gong Abstract The 2019 wildfire crisis in Brazilian Amazonia not only captured global headlines but also deeply influenced public sentiment towards environmental and political challenges within the country. Trust, a pivotal element of social capital, plays a vital role in shaping a nation’s progress and the well-being of its citizens. This study […]
Effects of Neighborhoods on Children’s Educational Outcomes in Indonesia
by Audrey Liu Abstract There is considerable observed geographic variable in outcomes across space. Neighborhood effects attempt to explain to what extent the place in which an individual grows up impacts their future outcomes. This paper focuses on neighborhood effects on children in Indonesia where there is a large disparity in public and private amenities […]
Revisiting California Proposition 209: Changes in Science Persistence Rates and Overall Graduation Rates
by Anh-Huy Nguyen Abstract California Proposition 209 outlawed race-based affirmative action in the University of California (UC) system in 1998. However, the UC system subsequently shifted towards race-blind affirmative action by also reweighing factors other than race in the admissions process. To evaluate the hypothetical changes in the science persistence rate and graduation rate of […]
Benefit Spillovers and Higher Education Financing: An Empirical Analysis of Brain Drain and State-Level Investment in Public Universities
By Chinmany G. Pandit This paper analyzes the impact of out-migration of college graduates on state higher education investment. A three-stage least squares regression model with state and year fixed effects is developed and estimated, addressing the relationship between state legislative appropriations, tuition, and educated out-migration across 49 U.S. states from 2006-2015. The results support […]
