Researchers are often interested in combined measures such as overall ratings, indices of physical or mental health, or health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes. Such measures are typically composed of two or more underlying discrete variables. I show that estimating the effect of a...

We examine the response of Medicare Advantage contracts to published quality ratings. We identify the effect of star ratings on premiums using a regression discontinuity design that exploits plausibly random variation around rating thresholds. We find that 3, 3.5, and 4-star contracts in 2009...

This paper demonstrates how regional trade agreements (RTAs) can lead to both foreign direct investment creation and diversion effects. These two effects, in return, impact the enogenous formation of RTAs. The investment creation effect results from foreign forms' ability to serve a larger...

Evidence on the deterrent effect of capital punishment is important for many states that are currently considering a change in their position on the issue. We examine the deterrent hypothesis using county-level post-moratorium panel data and a system of simultaneous equations. The procedure we...

A macro-determinant model of stock price using monthly data on Canadian and U.S. markets is estimated. It is found that the commodity price is also an important component of stock prices. The economic agents in the stock markets are forward looking and their reactions to equilibrium errors are...

This paper, using quarterly Iranian data for the period of 1966-1998, extends the literature by investigating the stability of the interest-free money demand function. The study also examines the stability of economic agents' behavior in demanding interest-bearing and interest-free money. It was...

The analysis of climate change mitigation policies at the global or the national level ultimately depends on the assumed energy mix. This paper provides an overview of a framework that endogenizes resource use over time in a Hotelling-type exhaustible resource model.

This study reviews Tag el-Dini's (1996) paper and raises the possibilities that his organizational models may create other kinds of inefficiency. Furthermore, using Canadian stock data I extended his study and found that excess speculative activities (bubbles) do not add any information to the...

A macro-determinant model of stock return volatility using monthly data on Canadian and U.S. markets is estimated. If volatility is a measure of risk, one should verify whether the estimated volatility is a measure of future (ex ante) risk or realized (ex post) risk. When speculators are...

The increasing rate of obesity in the U.S., particularly among low-income households, necessitates a thorough understanding of the relationship between obesity and in-kind federal benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program. However,...