A reexamination of state fiscal health and amnesty enactment

We use event history analysis to separately model a state’s first and then repeated tax amnesties and test the revenue yield versus the fiscal stress hypotheses using a panel of annual data from all 50 states for the period 1982–2010. We also split our sample into two sub-periods, 1982–1988 and 1989–2010, to more easily compare our results to other studies and to see if there is a significant difference between early tax amnesties and more recent ones. We find that state fiscal stress is more important than the potential yield from an amnesty, particularly for more recent amnesties. Our findings contrast with the existing literature which found evidence that states are likely to enact tax amnesties due to a revenue yield motive rather than a fiscal stress motive.     

WHO BENEFITS FROM JOB CORPS? A DISTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF AN ACTIVE LABOR MARKET PROGRAM

Using recently developed econometric techniques to estimate quantile treatment effects (QTE) and experimental data, we examine the impact of Job Corps on earnings distribution. Our results indicate a great deal of heterogeneity in the effects of Job Corps. The QTEs show an increasing pattern along the earnings distribution, with much more pronounced differences at the upper quantiles for males, whites, and ages 20–24. Moreover, we find the QTEs to be very small at quantiles below the median for males, ages 16–17 and 18–19, and non‐resident students. We propose strong economic conditions and skill hypotheses to explain the heterogeneity observed over the earnings distribution. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Re-assessment of E-S-Qual and E-RecS-Qual in a pure service setting

Understanding and measuring electronic service quality including its dimensions has become crucial since a growing volume of business takes place in the cyber world. This paper focuses on measuring electronic service quality and service recovery issues by means of E-S-QUAL and E-RecS-QUAL scales in a pure service oriented setting and across a culturally different consumer group than the original scale. This research covers 2017 customers' assessment of the electronic service quality offered by 13 banks in Turkey. Findings suggest a refined and more stable version of the E-S-QUAL scale for the internet banks. Comprehensive psychometric tests also suggest that E-RecS-QUAL is an appropriate tool to evaluate online service recovery in consumer research.     

Distribution of run statistics in partially exchangeable processes

Let { X_i} _{i 3 1}{\{ X_{i}\} _{i\geq 1}} be an infinite sequence of recurrent partially exchangeable binary random variables. We study the exact distributions of two run statistics (total number of success runs and the longest success run) in { X_i} _{i 3 1}{\{ X_{i}\} _{i\geq1}} . Since a flexible class of models for binary sequences can be obtained using the concept of partial exchangeability, as a special case of our results one can obtain the distribution of runs in ordinary Markov chains, exchangeable and independent sequences. The results also enable us to study the distribution of runs in particular urn models.     

Integrated basin management: Water and food policy options for Turkey

This paper presents a basin scale analysis of the Nilüfer River Basin of Turkey, where agricultural, urban, and environmental users compete for scarce water in an environment where climate change and food security present large and growing challenges. It presents results of a basin scale dynamic nonlinear programming model that addresses economic efficiency, climate change, and food security. Its approach can be applied to other water-stressed regions operating in environments of economic and hydrologic constraints on water use. Basin scale modeling approach provides a general framework for formulating water management policies, consistent with the principles underlying the European Union Water Framework Directive.     

The concept of weak exchangeability and its applications

A finite sequence of binary random variables is called a weak exchangeable sequence of order m if the sequence consists of m random vectors such that the elements within each random vector are exchangeable in the usual sense and the different random vectors are dependent. The exact and asymptotic joint distributions of the m-dimensional random vector whose elements include the number of successes in each exchangeable sequence are derived. Potential applications of the concept of weak exchangeability are discussed with illustrative examples.     

Tuition increases Geaux away? Evidence from voting on Louisiana’s amendment 2

In many states, public institutions of higher education have the autonomy to raise tuition. This has not been the case in Louisiana since a 1995 constitutional amendment required a two-thirds majority of the state legislature for any tuition increase. In November of 2016, voters in Louisiana rejected Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment that would have given state institutions of higher education autonomy in setting tuition. We examine parish-level voting on Amendment 2 using an empirical political economy model and find that parishes with a greater percentage of African-Americans and university employees were more likely to vote yes. Student enrolment at public institutions seemingly did not play a role in Amendment 2 losing.