This paper estimates the effect of sales taxes on employment using county-level quarterly data and a "border approach," comparing employment changes for counties in states that raised sales tax rates with their cross-border neighbors. We augment standard distance-related border measures with an...

This paper uses the recent 2007-09 SCF panel to examine the influence of student loans on financial distress. Families with student loans in 2007 have higher levels of financial distress than families without such loans, and these families were more susceptible to transitions to financial...

This paper uses US state panel data to explore the relationship between the share of income received by affluent households and the level of income and earnings received by low and middle-income families. A rising top share of income can potentially lead to increases in the incomes of low and...

This paper explores trends in inequality and poverty using both market and after-tax and transfer income in the period during and after the Great Recession (through 2011). Using market income (or wages), inequality and poverty rose sharply between 2008 and 2010. The primary exception is measures...

This paper investigates how layoffs due to import competition affect new and existing businesses at a highly local level. To conduct our analysis, we construct measures of import-related layoffs at the ZIP code level and combine these with ZIP code-level establishment counts. We find that...

This paper examines how differences in state bankruptcy laws, specifically the amount of the homestead exemption, affect business location decisions within a few miles of the state boundary. By focusing on these border areas, we are able to more effectively control for unobserved local...

This study examines the effect of state minimum wage changes on new and existing business establishments. It employs a refined border approach in conjunction with other differencing methods to control for unobserved heterogeneous area characteristics. The findings suggest that state minimum wage...

Using quarterly Census data for 1996-2000, the author evaluates how minimum wages affected teenage employment at the county level. An analysis that includes all counties yields small and statistically insignificant effects, consistent with previous research using state panels. However, in...

Using quarterly Census data for 1996–2000, the author evaluates how minimum wages affected teenage employment at the county level. An analysis that includes all counties yields small and statistically insignificant effects, consistent with previous research using state panels. However, in...