The inside scoop: Acceptance and rejection at the journal of international economics

There is little work on the inner workings of journals. What factors seem to affect the ability to publish in a journal? Could simple rules (which are already used by some journals) like the desk rejection of a significant minority of papers, help to streamline the process? At what cost? How well do journals seem to do in choosing papers? What can we say about the extent of type 1 and type 2 errors? Do editors seem to have uniform standards or are some harsher than others? We use data on submissions to the Journal of International Economics to help answer these questions.     

Protection for sale or surge protection?

This paper asks whether the results obtained from using the standard approach to testing the influential Grossman and Helpman “protection for sale” model of political economy might arise from a simpler setting. A model of imports and quotas with protection occurring in response to import surges, but only for organized industries, is simulated and shown to provide parameter estimates consistent with the protection for sale framework. This suggests that the standard approach may be less of a test than previously thought.     

Multi-port vs. Hub-and-Spoke port calls by containerships

This paper addresses the design of container liner shipping networks taking into consideration container management issues including empty container repositioning. We examine two typical service networks with different ship sizes: multi-port calling by conventional ship size and hub-and-spoke by mega-ship. The entire solution process is performed in two phases: the service network design and container distribution. A wide variety of numerical experiments are conducted for the Asia–Europe and Asia–North America trade lanes. In most scenarios the multi-port calling is superior in terms of total cost, while the hub-and-spoke is more advantageous in the European trade for a costly shipping company.     

The impact of foldable containers on container fleet management costs in hinterland transport

This paper analyzes the possibility to save container fleet management costs in repositioning empty containers through the use of foldable containers. We model this entire empty container flow as an integer programming problem with different strategies in empty container flow itinerary. The model is used to carry out numerical experiments that optimize the empty container repositioning in the hinterland, where there are serious empty container repositioning problems caused by extremely imbalanced trades. The study finds that foldable containers can substantially save on repositioning costs compared to the use of standard containers.     

Do the equity holding and soundness of bank underwriters affect issue costs of SEOs?

This paper examines the effects of characteristics of bank underwriters on issue costs in seasoned equity offerings in Japan following deregulation in 1999. I find that banks’ holding loans have a negative effect on price discounts and no effect on underwriting fees. However, banks’ equity holdings have no effect on discount rates and a positive effect on underwriting fees. Furthermore, issuers with unhealthy banks pay higher discount rates, are more likely to be weak in their ex-post operating performance, and are less willing to switch underwriters. I conclude that the characteristics of banks have different effects on issue costs.     

Economic Liberalization and the Vintages of Machinery Imports in Developing Countries: An Empirical Test for India's Imports from the United Kingdom

Drawing upon new World Bank poverty data, the analysis examines the feasibility of attaining the Millennium Development Goal of halving extreme poverty (MDG1) when the interrelationships between finance, institutions, trade liberalization, growth and poverty are taken into account. The authors' econometric results suggest a slowing down of poverty reduction in the more recent years since 2000. They also confirm: the role of better institutions in income growth, poverty reduction, trade openness and financial development; the role of financial development in economic growth; and the positive effect of capital liberalization on financial development. Simulations for different regions show that MDG1 is attainable in most regions if the historical growth rate is maintained over 2006–15. However, improvements in institutional quality are crucial for halving extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.     

Is Livestock Important for Risk Behaviour and Activity Choice of Rural Households? Evidence from Kenya

This paper presents an alternative view on causes of differentiationin rural Kenya, focusing on the role of livestock as liquidassets. We use cross-sectional household data in Central andWestern Kenya. We first examine the extent to which householdsare liquidity-constrained in relation with livestock holdings.It is suggested that many rural households are currently liquidity-constrainedand liquidity constraints are closely associated with cattleholdings. We also find that a differentiation process in whichthe households with high endowments and livestock can augmenttheir income by directing more inputs to high-return activities,while poor households who are more likely to be liquidity-constrainedcannot. Our results show that the difference in liquid assetsand associated credit constraints is one of the possible causesfor differentiation of households in rural Kenya.     

Pricing Commodity Spread Options with Stochastic Term Structure of Convenience Yields and Interest Rates

The purpose of this research is to provide a valuation formula for commodity spread options. Commodity spread options are options written on the difference of the prices (spread) of two commodities. From the aspect of commodity contingent claims, it is considered that commodity spread options are difficult to evaluate with accuracy because of the existence of the convenience yield. Hence, the model of the convenience yield is the key factor to price commodity spread options. We use the concept of future convenience yields to develop the model that enriches the stochastic behavior of convenience yield. We also introduce Heath-Jarrow-Morton interest rate model to the valuation framework. This general model not only captures the mean reverting feature of the convenience yield, but also allows us to handle a very wide range of shape that the term structure of convenience yield can take. Therefore our model provides various types of models. The numerical analysis presented in this paper provides some unique features of commodity spread options in contrast to normal options. These characteristics have never been addressed in previous studies. Moreover, it suggests that the existing model overprice commodity spread options through neglecting the effect of interest rates.     

Mixing Family Business with Politics in Thailand*

This paper uses newly compiled data on Thai family businesses and their direct participation in politics to examine whether the political participation of family business yields private economic payoff. The paper finds that the political participa‐tion of family members is positively associated with the profitability of family businesses. Furthermore, this ‘political benefit’ is found to be particularly large when firms are connected to cabinet members. These results support the crony capitalism view that powerful business groups in Thailand have an incentive to directly hold influential public offices to influence economic policy in their favor.     

Business start-ups in Japan: problems and policies

This paper argues that the comparatively low levels of businessstart-ups in Japan need not be a matter of concern in so faras the pattern of growth relying on existing companies persists.But the declining trend of start-up rates may be worrisome forit may indicate waning entrepreneurship and weakening mechanismsof resource reallocation and economic growth. Policy measuresto promote business start-ups are not based on well-foundedstudies at an aggregate level, which are lacking in the absenceof comparable data, but rather are inspired by the successfulUS experience. The paper looks into two specific areas of policy- private equity markets and bankruptcy - where important progresshas been made, and points to further scope for improvement.