This paper examines, both theoretically and empirically, the effect of social networks and belonging to minority groups (or race) on the probability of winning in reality television shows. We develop a theoretical model that studies viewer behavior by presenting a framework of competition...

This paper examines, both theoretically and empirically, the effect of social networks and belonging to minority groups (or race) on the probability of winning in reality television shows. We develop a theoretical model that studies viewer behavior by presenting a framework of competition...

The present study investigates the possible existence of a systematic relation between beta and excess-return for portfolios of Turkish equities. In the process, no systematic relation is found between beta and realized portfolio excessreturn, in an unconditional sense. However, the study does...

This paper provides a systematic analysis on the employment effects after merger and acquisition activities for a sample of European production firms. Rather than taking the perspective of the acquired firm, which has been extensively addressed in previous research, this paper focuses on the...

We analyze the factors that influence the support for environmental policy proposals. Swiss referendum data show that proposals obtain more yes-votes if they do not restrict consumption possibilities directly, if they are endorsed by the largest business association, if environmental preferences...

In this paper, a new approach to disclose the impact of politics on economic growth is presented: we use data derived from content analysis of party manifestos as measures of party preferences. In a panel of 23 OECD countries, we detect a positive impact of party support for various...

This paper estimates the effects of institutions on economic performance with the cross-city data of China. We argue that China's ongoing reform belongs to the long historical transition from antiquity to modern society, which started one and half centuries ago. Learning from Western countries...

This paper describes the correlations between inequality and the growth rates in cross-country data. Using non-parametric methods, we show that the growth rate is an inverted U-shaped function of net changes in inequality: Changes in inequality (in any direction) are associated with reduced...