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 […]
A Superstar Dreaming: An economic analysis of the Aboriginal Desert Paintings Market
by Karen Francis Abstract Two artists each have total auction sales greater than AU$10 million in a single decade. In that same market and decade, over 20% of painters failed to sell a single painting offered at auction. There is no question that superstars dominate the Aboriginal Desert Paintings Market (ADPM) in Australia. But what […]
Assessing the Performance of Actively Managed Global Funds
by Luyuan Fan Abstract It has been widely debated whether managed funds outperform their index counterparts. Many scholars have carried out empirical testing for U.S. managed funds, but few have examined global funds. This study compares the total returns and risk-adjusted returns for 29 largest global funds with that of a basket of Vanguard indexes […]
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 […]
Cultural Capital in Ghana How the cooperative maximizes its potential to create locally driven economic development in rural communities
by Dan Baum Abstract This paper demonstrates how cultural traditions and norms, or “cultural capital” can be used to spark local economic development in rural Ghana. I show that the cooperative fits especially well with rural Ghanaian cultural institutions and, as a result, is the economic structure best suited to maximizing the developmental potential found […]
Occupation Segregation and Gender Earnings Differentials in Slovenia
by Arup Banerjee Abstract In communist Europe, households needed at least two breadwinners to maintain a stable household income. Due to the relatively equal wage rate between men and women, there was a small, if any, wage gap between the two genders. Women and men chose different industries to work in due to their physical […]
The Value of Unsolicited Buy Recommendations to Investors: Can Investors Trade Profitably Based on E-mail Spam?
by Angela Nicole Aldrich Abstract This paper explores the possibility of trading profitably based on information contained in email spam messages advertising certain stock trades. Through careful analysis of a basket of sixteen stocks that were recommended to my advisor and myself via unsolicited email spam, I conclude that the most effective way for investors […]
