Do Reservation Native Americans Vote with Their Feet? A Re‐examination of Native American Migration, 1985–1990

Native Americans suffer some of the highest rates of poverty and unemployment and the lowest rates of human capital attainment among racial minority groups in the United States, but economists understand very little about the impact these conditions have on the migration patterns of Native Americans. In 1994, a seminal article on this topic appeared in this journal (Cebula and Belton 1994). In their article, the authors suggest that the low levels of human capital and poor conditions in Native American reservations should make Native American migration sensitive to interstate differences in AFDC spending levels. Their hypothesis is confirmed for Native American migration over the 1985–1990 period. This paper refines their analysis by using micro-level rather than aggregate data, and by controlling for reservation residence and the impact of informal social safety nets in the source region. It is found that human capital factors and expected wage differences overwhelm interstate differences in public welfare spending and that informal safety nets in the source region dampen off-reservation migration. These findings suggest that state AFDC spending levels cannot explain contemporary Native American migration patterns.     

A General Equilibrium Analysis of VAT in India

Indian industry is under pricing pressure after the government cut tariffs in a phased manner as per the WTO agreements. In order to be competitive, the consensus opinion in government, academics and industry is the implementation of a VAT in India. The paper evaluates the welfare implications of a VAT in the static and a sequentially dynamic context after accounting for the political and administrative constraints facing the Indian government in implementing a VAT. Replacing the old indirect tax structure with a VAT is welfare worsening. The increase in final consumer prices on account of reduced tax base leads to higher price of essentials, causing welfare loss. Zero rating v/s exemption plays an important role on welfare, with lower welfare loss if essential commodities are exempt from VAT. Agriculture sector unambiguously plays a crucial role in welfare.     

Spatial discrimination: Bertrand vs. Cournot with asymmetric demands

This paper develops a barbell model a la Hwang and Mai [Hwang, H., and C.C. Mai, 1990, Effects of spatial price discrimination on output, welfare, and location, American Economic Review 80, 567–575.] with homogeneous product and asymmetric demands to compare prices, aggregate profits and social welfare between Cournot and Bertrand competition, and to analyze the firms' equilibrium locations. It focuses on the impacts of the spatial barrier generated from transport costs, and the market size effect resulting from asymmetric demands. It shows that the market-size effect is crucial in determining firms' locations under Cournot competition, but insignificant under Bertrand competition. Moreover, the equilibrium price of the large market and the aggregate profits are lower but the social welfare is higher under Cournot competition than under Bertrand competition if one of the markets is sufficiently large and the transport cost is high.     

Bureaucrats as "Social Engineers": Federal Welfare Programs in Herbert Hoover's America

A bstract . Historians interested in 20th century American reform often seek to analyze the ideologies of political leaders separately from the institutions that these same leaders created. Such emphases on ideas, as opposed to actions, has, for example, led "revisionist" American historians to argue that the presidencies of Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt were "conceptually continuous." Our examination of the major social welfare programs undertaken by the federal government in the 1920s disputes this claim. Examination of the operations of the federal bureaucracy instead of the rhetoric of politicians demonstrates the existence of decided policy differences between the Hoover and Roosevelt eras. "Efficiency" analogues dominant during the Hoover era were replaced with "direct service-provider" approaches which created a clear distinction between private and public welfare programs. Elements of "continuity" between the two eras have been overdrawn. Background is provided for increased understanding of some of the policy implications of America's contemporary welfare debate—particularly about "rehabilitation" strategies and/or rationales for action in the social welfare field.     

Cultural Influences on Judgments of Professional Accountants in Auditor–Client Conflict Resolution

This study examines cultural influences on professional judgments of Australian, Indian and Chinese Malaysian accountants in relation to auditor–client conflict resolution. The study draws on cultural characteristics of, and differences among, these societies to formulate hypotheses that Australian accountants are less likely to resolve audit conflicts by acceding to clients than Indian and Chinese Malaysian accountants, and are also less accepting of resolving audit conflicts in this way. Data are gathered through a survey questionnaire administered to samples of senior accountants from "big-six" (at the time of data collection) firms in Australia, India and Malaysia. The questionnaire comprised an auditor–client conflict scenario, and used both single-item and multidimensional [specifically, the Multidimensional Ethics Measure of Reidenbach and Robin (1988, 1990)] measures of professional judgment. The results support the hypotheses about differences in Australian compared to Indian and Chinese Malaysian professional judgments. Additionally, the results support the Multidimensional Ethics Measure as having greater explanatory power than a single-item measure. The results have implications for the international harmonisation of accounting and auditing standards, and for audit procedures and codes of conduct in international accounting firms.     

The Reduction of a Self-Sufficient People to Poverty and Welfare Dependence: An Analysis of the Causes of Cherokee Indian Underdevelopment

A bstract . This investigation of American Indian underdevelopment is based on historical data on the Cherokee people which demonstrate how a self-sufficient people have been reduced to their present state of poverty and welfare dependence. Colonialism and the imposition of White control over Native institutions undermined the Cherokees' ability to innovate effectively. This hypothesis is substantiated by similar experiences of other tribes, as well as those of different indigenous groups , such as Alaska Natives , who have been more successful in preserving their traditional cultures.     

Labor Force and Welfare Program Participation: The Effects of Welfare

A bstract This research examines the quantitative impacts of welfare program characteristics and individual characteristics on both the labor force and welfare participation decisions of low-income females with children . The participation decisions are estimated jointly as a bivariate probit model using data derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey for the years 1979 to 1990, inclusive. These data allow the estimation of the precise behavioral impacts of welfare. The main empirical findings are that effective welfare guarantee levels and the effective welfare tax rate on unearned income both significantly affect the probability of labor force and welfare program participation, but that such impacts are very small in magnitude. Implications for policy are discussed.     

Child Welfare Allocations: State-level Estimates of Effective Guarantees

Welfare grants in the United States very from year to year and from state to state. Actual grants are very different from stated nominal levels of support for two reasons. First, grants are reduced for income. Second, not all qualified families receive welfare. Some do not apply. Others are discouraged, wrongly denied, or poorly counselled. The actual level of welfare support per child is estimated herein at the state level for single female household heads for each year from 1979 to 1990. A tobit estimation technique is employed to account for the probability of not receiving welfare when otherwise qualified.     

Cultural differences in organizational citizenship behavior: a comparison between Chinese and American employees

The present study examined the differences in the perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) between Chinese and American employees. Survey responses concerning the presence of OCB in their organizations were collected from a total of 393 employees. Analyses showed that Chinese and American employees reported similar levels of personal support and conscientious initiative in their organizations, but Chinese employees reported higher levels of organizational support in comparison with American employees. In addition, results indicated that perceptions of personal support, organizational support, and conscientious initiative were a function of job/hierarchical level such that management reported lower levels on all three dimensions of OCB. Finally, the results showed that country and job/hierarchical level do not interact to influence perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior. Implications and directions for future research on cultural differences in organizational citizenship behavior are discussed.     

Frequency competition and environmental costs: An application to European air transport liberalization

In this paper, we analyze symmetric frequency equilibria in airline markets; these equilibria are derived as multiproduct oligopoly solutions in a spatial competition model. Competitive equilibria are compared with a regulated equilibrium; in order to assess the welfare implications of European air transport liberalization, we compute numerical solutions using data for 21 regulated European interstate routes in 1990. We conclude that, following the introduction of competition in these markets, consumer welfare is significantly higher due to frequency increases and fare decreases. Profits decrease and, as a result of higher departure frequencies, environmental costs increase. However, the gains in consumer welfare more than compensate the decrease in profits and the rise in environmental costs.     

CAN WE PUT POOR MEN TO WORK?

Compared with Britain, welfare reform in the United States has relied less on incentives and more on administrative work tests. Parallel to welfare reform, American states have begun requiring men to work who owe child support or are on parole from prison. Evaluations of men's work programmes to date are encouraging, but implementing these programmes is demanding. The federal government should promote their further expansion and evaluation. Britain has yet to take serious steps in the same directions.     

Regionalism in the nineties: what effect on trade?

We apply a gravity model to 1980–1996 annual nonfuel imports data for 58 countries to quantify the effects of recently created or revamped PTAs on trade. We modify the gravity equation to identify separate effects of PTAs on intrabloc trade, members’ total imports and their total exports and to test for significant changes in trade patterns following the creation of trade blocs. We find no indication that ‘new regionalism’ boosted intrabloc trade significantly and we find trade diversion only for the EU and EFTA. The latter also exhibit ‘export diversion’, which could indicate their imposing welfare costs on other countries. Latin American trade liberalization in the 1990s had a positive impact on bloc members’ imports and, usually, exports.     

The Changing Political and Economic Status of the American Indians

A bstract . Resource development on American Indian lands is bringing about a dramatic transformation of the political and economic status of American Indians. Recently, scholars observing this change have increasingly used underdevelopment theory to explain the nature of these changes. However, this discussion points out that as applied to American Indians , the perspective of underdevelopment theory is skewed in several important ways. Specifically, it fails to take into account the distinctive historical and political status of Indians in American society , A simple typology, captive nations 2Lad internal colonies is proposed for describing the status of Indian tribes before and after development.     

Explaining Differences in Economic Performance Among Racial and Ethnic Groups in the USA

A bstract . By utilizing self-reported race and ancestry in the 1980 and 1990 USA censuses and the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique, the extent of wage discrimination experienced by women and by men is examined across 50 ethnic/racial groups. Systematic evidence of negative discrimination is revealed in both census years for Asian, Indian, black (African-American), Vietnamese, Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican , and Native American males. To assess the charge that the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition indicates cultural rather than discriminatory differentials, two additional data experiments are performed—one that controls for color and varies culture, and one that controls for culture and varies color. Race appears to matter.     

Economic Development,Native Nations,and Solar Projects

This article examines the issues surrounding sustainable economic development in American Indian country via the implementation of solar energy projects. The second section addresses Native American economic development, generally, focusing on practical sovereignty, capable institutions, and cultural match. The third section discusses solar energy projects: the benefits of solar energy when compared to other types of energy production; the ways that these projects will benefit Indian country specifically; and the rationale behind implementing solar energy projects as a means to sustainable economic development in Indian country. The fourth section will briefly discuss the question: Given the advantages of solar energy that the article advocates, why is the uptake in Indian country not already prolific?     

The determinants of earnings differentials for indigenous Americans: Human capital, location, or discrimination?

In 1989 American Indians or Alaska Natives had annual earnings between 19% and 39% less than non-Indians. This paper examines the determination of earnings differentials from a human capital perspective. Persons with Indian race are divided into single-ancestry and mixed-ancestry categories, as are Alaska Natives and those with non-Indian race. Indians of mixed ancestry had higher levels of, but lower returns from, human capital than Indians of single ancestry. Alaska Natives held a significant advantage over all groups. Decompositions show that most of the differentials could be attributed to differences in characteristics rather than wage structures.     

The effect of human resource management practices on the job retention of former welfare clients

Why should an employer hire a former welfare client?What human resource management practices can help employers retain former welfare clients? This study addresses these questions against the backdrop of changes in welfare legislation in the United States that have lessened support to welfare clients and their families and emphasized movement into the workplace. We conducted a large‐scale empirical study of the effectiveness of a wide range of HRM practices and found that higher wages, better financial and health benefits, and development opportunities were positively associated with job retention. Unexpectedly, supervisory training had no relationship to retention, and appraising supervisors on providing a supportive and inclusive work environment showed a negative relationship. We provide suggestions to employers for improving the job retention of former welfare recipients along with directions for additional research. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Anderson Jeffrey J. 1992: The territorial imperative: pluralism, corporatism and economic crisis. Dossal, Mariam 1991: Imperial designs and Indian realities: the planning of Bombay City 1845–1875. Hamel, Pierre 1991: Action collective et démocratie locale: les mouvements urbains Montréalais. Könen, Ralf 1990: Wohnungsnot und Obdachlosigkeit im Sozialstaat. Lundqvist, Lennart J. 1991: Dislodging the welfare state? Housing and privatization in four European nations. Lundqvist, Lennart J. (ed.) 1991: Policy, organization, tenure. A comparative history of housing in small welfare states. Marsden, Terry, Philip Lowe and Sarah Whatmore (eds) 1992: Labour and locality: uneven development and the rural labour process. Taylor-Gooby, Peter 1991: Social change, social welfare and social science.     

Market Effects of Changes in Consumers' Social Responsibility

In a duopoly model of vertical differentiation, we study market equilibrium and the resulting social welfare following an increase in the consumer's willingness to pay (WTP) for products sold by socially responsible manufacturers. Different types of such changes emerge depending on their effects on consumer heterogeneity. We show that, in most cases, increases in the consumers' social consciousness yield higher profits to socially responsible firms and may lead to higher levels of social welfare, provided that the market structure is left unchanged. However, when an increase in the consumer's social consciousness changes the market structure, welfare may fall, while the duopolists' profits rise. The resulting tension between private and social interest calls for a cautious attitude toward information campaigns aimed at increasing the consumer's social consciousness.     

全球视角下美国对华加征关税的福利影响——基于服装业的局部均衡模拟分析

基于2017年全球服装产品生产与贸易的有关数据,利用可计算局部均衡模型从全球视角实证考察美国加征关税在行业层面的福利影响。结果表明：第一,美国对华服装产品加征关税具有比较显著的贸易破坏效应,但由于贸易偏转效应,中国服装对欧盟、日本等第三方市场的出口将有所增加;第二,在全球化背景下,由于贸易转移效应的存在,加征关税对美国服装产业的救济效果非常有限;第三,美国对中国服装产品加征关税导致美国社会净福利损失要远高于中国社会净福利损失。研究结论对如何应对当前中美贸易摩擦具有一定借鉴意义。