Economists have two standard explanations for the absence of substantial nominal wage pressures in the current macroeconomic climate. The first, and more traditional, view asserts that the NAIRU has drifted downward over the last decade, while the second posits the establishment of a "new...

Recent panel data is used to reconsider the determinants of interstate differences in the ratio of insured to total unemployment. We conclude that previous research on the influence of replacement rates, duration of jobless spells and female labor force participation is robust, but find that...

Using detailed plant-level manufacturing Census data from the Colombian Agri-food industries, we show that exports raise plant-level productivity by about 15 to 20 percent. However, the estimates reveal that efficiency in plants that become persistent exporters, i.e. plants that service foreign...

We evaluate the impact of USDA’s low-cost broadband loan programs on the U.S. agricultural sector. The broadband loan programs increase access to high-speed internet in recipient communities, which can raise farm sales by increasing both farm output and prices received by producers. Further,...

This paper analyzes analyze the impact of deregulatory reforms in India during the 1990s, which eliminated compulsory industrial licensing, on manufacturing firms' investment decisions. The paper finds an economically and statistically significant positive effect of delicensing on investment. It...

We evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-1 infection rates on inbound cross-border mergers & acquisitions (M&As) in China. Using transaction level data on cross-border M&As from 2002 to 2005, we show that Chinese provinces that experienced high level of SARS-CoV-1 infection rates, also suffered a...

This paper analyzes analyze the impact of deregulatory reforms in India during the 1990s, which eliminated compulsory industrial licensing, on manufacturing firms' investment decisions. The paper finds an economically and statistically significant positive effect of delicensing on investment. It...

The impact of increased export activity on plant wages is estimated in a developing country context. To avoid potential endogenous selection problems, the empirical analysis benefits from exogenous variation in exports induced by a policy experiment—an export subsidy system implemented in...

Plant-level panel data from Mexico's Annual Industrial Survey is employed to evaluate the impact of reductions in tariffs and import license coverage on final goods, as well as intermediates, on firms'investment decisions. Using data from 1984 to 1990, a period during which a large scale trade...