Many early empirical studies found that prison growth is associated with substantial reductions in crime. However, recent studies find no statistically significant relationship between growth in prison populations and crime. Even more striking, one recent study finds that, in certain...

This paper analyses the repercussions of the high level of criminal violence in Latin America on the economy of the countries of the region. The theoretical reflections are accompanied by an empirical study using panel data made up of sixteen countries and covering the period 1979-2001. The use...

Europe aims at combining income growth with improvements in social cohesion as measured by income and health inequalities. We show that, theoretically, both aims can be reconciled only under very specific conditions concerning the type of growth and the income responsiveness of health. We...

Using the 2012-2018 waves of the China Family Panel Studies, we investigate the impact of energy poverty (EP) on subjective well-being (SWB) among Chinese adults aged 18 and over. In addition to documenting EP rates in the range of 13.2% to 35.3% (dependent on measurement used), we show that EP...

We discuss and review literature on the macroeconomic effects of epidemics and pandemics since the late 20th century. First, we cover the role of health in driving economic growth and well-being and discuss standard frameworks for assessing the economic burden of infectious diseases. Second, we...

The activity of lobbying in an economy is one which has numerous societal costs and benefits. The most significant effect is how far from the optimum productivity curve does it move an economy. Is the net effect a negative or positive gain in social welfare measured by standard of living and...

Individual “control frauds” cause greater losses than all other property crime combined. They are financial super-predators. Control frauds are crimes by the head of state or CEO that use the nation or company as a “weapon.” Waves of “control fraud” can cause economic collapses,...

Colombia's armed conflict, going on since the 1960's, has left behind destruction of a fair amount of the country's physical and human capital. In this paper, we review the literature on guerrilla violence (FARC, ELN and AUC) and economic growth about both at the national level and, especially,...

In many ways, China is the new frontier for entrepreneurship; perceived to be: a logical primary source of economical manufacturing, raw materials, component parts, and as a major end market. China may also represent the most likely future competition for many American industries as well as our...

This paper explores both "who" has driven up US prison populations in recent years and "why" this growth has occurred. At least since the early 1990s, the "who" appears to primarily be prosecutors. Crime and arrests have fallen, and the percent of felony cases resulting in admissions and time...