Determinants of Geographic Differentials in the Voter Participation Rate

Voter participation rates vary widely across the 50 states. This empirical study seeks, within the context of a broadened version of the ‘rational voter model,’ to identify determinants of this interstate variation. Using the 2004 general election as the study period, it is found that the voter participation rate in a state is positively related to the percent of the state's adult population with at least a high school education, the state's unemployment rate, the percent of the state's population age 65 and older, and the female labor force participation rate in the state. In addition, it is found that voter turnout in a state is negatively related to the state's median family income and the percentage of its population that is Hispanic.     

Editorial

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

An Econometric Analysis of U.S. Antidumping Sunset Review Decisions

This paper is the first comprehensive analysis of the U.S. antidumping sunset review process required under WTO commitments. The econometric models study determinants of decisions by three U.S. actors: the petitioning industry, the Department of Commerce (DOC), and the International Trade Commission (ITC). Domestic industries facing potential vigorous competition seem to use sunset reviews to maintain current high domestic profits. U.S. governmental institutions use criteria broadly consistent with their legal obligations. Exports involving Chinese firms may face negative bias in the ITC process. JEL no. F1, F13     

Overcoming underdevelopment in South Africa's second economy

This paper is a synthesis of the July 2005 Development Report published by the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Human Sciences Research Council and United Nations Development Programme (DBSA, HSRC and UNDP). The Report asks why, if the origins of economic dualism are rooted in the cheap, forced, migrant labour introduced by the mining industry and reinforced during apartheid, does dualism persist under democracy when all the relevant laws and many of the practices of the past have been abolished? The breakdown of apartheid did not immediately translate into improved material conditions for the majority of South Africans: 300 years of colonialism and 50 of internal colonialism had hard-wired a duality into the system. Two worlds, which may be conceptualised as the first and second economies, coexisted: a globally integrated world of production, exchange and consumption, and a constrained world of informality, poverty and marginalisation. This synthesis sheds light on the origin and nature of the ‘second economy’ metaphor, and suggests solutions.     

TESTING FOR INTEGRATION IN EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT MARKETS

The degree of spatial market integration in European Community agricultural product markets is investigated. The methodology is based on co-integration analysis. A two-step testing procedure is applied to test the existence of the ‘Law of One Price’ which should be in force if these markets are truly integrated. The results show that market integration has not been achieved in a number of cases even when MCAs are subtracted from the price series used.     

Trade and agricultural development in the 1980s and the challenges for the 1990s: Latin America

Trends in agricultural trade for South and Central America are documented and the reform process is discussed. Performance of the agricultural sector of the region is evaluated. Challenges for policy makers are reviewed, ranging from macroeconomic policy to science and technology.     

Die neutrale Verbraucherinformation über die Qualität von Dienstleistungen — einige methodische Probleme

Zusammenfassung Auch wenn die vielbeschriebene Entwicklung zum Dienstleistungssektor häufig überschätzt wird, haben Verbraucherorganisationen die neutrale Berichterstattung über die Qualität privater und öffentlicher Leistungen in ihr Serviceangebot einzubeziehen. Die bei einer solchen Informationsstrategie entstehenden methodischen Probleme der Qualitätsmessung immaterieller Produkte sind zahlreich und unterscheiden sich erheblich von denjenigen des Warentests. Sie liegen einerseits in der Natur des Untersuchungsgegenstandes selbst sowie in den Besonderheiten der Marktstrukturen; zum anderen entstehen sie aus den verfügbaren Meßmethoden und Bewertungskriterien. Die Unterschiede zwischen Dienstleistungen und physischen Markenartikeln sowie die noch unbefriedigend entwickelte Methodologie der Dienstleistungstests sind in den Kommunikationsaktivitäten der Verbraucherorganisationen entsprechend zu berücksichtigen.

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Independent consumer information about quality of services — some methodological questions

Though the increasing importance of service industries in modern societies is mostly overrated, consumer organizations should offer independent information about the quality of private and public services. In setting up such information programmes there will arise a lot of methodological issues, different to those of comparative testing of products. Some of the problems stem from the nature of the research object itself and the market structure; other problems are connected with the social science research methods that have to be used and with the choice of criteria of evaluation. The differences between services and physical products as well as the little developed methodology of service testing have to be considered in the choice and design of the testing organization's communication activities.

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Günther Rosenberger ist Leiter der Abteilung Dienstleistungen bei der Stiftung Warentest, Lützowplatz 11–13, D-1000 Berlin 30.