Who Gets Wind? Investigating Economic Attributes of Iowa Counties Prior to Wind Turbine Development
by Karianna Klassen Abstract Iowa is a national leader in wind energy, producing nearly two-thirds of its electricity from wind turbines. However, the development of wind energy infrastructure across the state has been uneven—some counties host hundreds of turbines while others have none. This paper investigates whether county-level economic conditions influence the likelihood of wind […]
Fact or Fluff: Does Wording Used by Gene Editing Companies Affect Investor Behaviors?
by Thomas Freireich Abstract The writing style a startup uses to portray itself has an impact on investors’ perceptions of them, subsequently affecting their venture capital decisions. This funding is particularly important given the prominence of venture capital as a primary financial source for growing early-stage biotechnology companies. Currently, due to recent scientific advances, many […]
Technological Impacts on Return to Education in Brazil
by Yirui Zhao Abstract The wage return to education has been studied for a long time. Acemoglu and Autor (2010) connect the decrease of medium-level job opportunities in the U.S. with technological advances. Their theoretical model predicts that if technology replaces routine jobs, workers with medium-level skills will experience decreases in wages relative to both […]
Illuminating the Economic Costs of Conflict: A Night Light Analysis of the Sri Lankan Civil War
by Nicholas Kiran Wijesekera Abstract This paper investigates the economic consequences of the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009) by using event-based data on civilian and combatant fatalities in addition to night light imagery as a proxy for economic activity. By looking at regional economic activity across the island of Sri Lanka, this paper seeks to […]
Improving Institutional Performance: Foreign Aid Evaluation and Determinants of Foreign Aid Project Success Ratings
by Susan Sawyer O’Keefe Abstract In this paper, I use a regression model to predict project outcome ratings for international aid projects by 12 multilateral and bilateral aid agencies taking place in 183 recipient countries. The influential factors considered are project duration, project size, evaluation type, evaluation lag, donor ratings, and country-level indicators of development. […]
What Affects Post-Merger Innovation Outcomes? An Empirical Study of R&D Intensity in High Technology Transactions Among U.S. Firms
by Neha Karna Abstract High levels of global M&A activity have characterized the past decade, making the policy debate over the impact of mergers on innovation even more pertinent. Innovation is a significant driver of economic growth and therefore a negative effect of mergers on innovation outcomes may have detrimental consequences. Nevertheless, the existing literature […]
Short and Long-Term Impacts of a Large-Scale Natural Disaster on Individual Labor Outcomes: Evidence from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
by Tony Sun Abstract Natural disasters are often highly disruptive to the livelihoods of impacted populations. This paper investigates the effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on male wages and labor supply from its immediate aftermath into the long run. Using fixed effects models that account for individual-specific heterogeneity, I find evidence of significant […]
A perfect storm: The effect of natural disasters on child health
by Cheyenne Danielle Quijano Abstract Typhoons and their accompanying flooding have destructive effects, including an increase in the risk of waterborne disease in children. Using a spatial regression discontinuity design, I explore the immediate to short-term effects of flooding as a result of Typhoon Labuyo on the incidence of diarrhea and acute respiratory infection in […]
Tale of Two Cities An Econometric Analysis of East & West Coast Fine Art Galleries
by Daniella Victoria Paretti Abstract In a 2021 report published alongside Art Basel and UBS, renowned cultural economist Dr. Clare McAndrew posited that the value of art sales in 2020 amounted to an impressive $50 billion (although this actually marks an over 10-year low). It is no secret that the global art markets are extremely […]
Economic Effects of the War in Donbas: Nightlights and the Ukrainian fight for freedom
Paper available to internal Duke affiliates only upon request. Professor Charles Becker, Faculty Advisor Professor Grace Kim, Faculty Advisor JEL Codes: F51; H56; O52; N44 View Data
