In this paper we demonstrate how matching estimators can be used to evaluate policy interventions which are implemented in relatively few regions at different times. Our technique is based on translating calendar time into 'experimental time' to provide a common starting point for entry by...

We use panel data from 1983 to 1997 for the 42 police force areas in England and Wales to test the hypothesis that legalizing abortion contributes to lower crime rates. We provide an advance on previous work by focusing on the impact of possible endogeneity of effective abortion rates with...

The tradition of tossing a coin to decide who bats first in a cricket match introduces a randomly-assigned advantage to one team that is unique in sporting contests. In this paper we develop previous work on this issue by examining the impact of the toss on outcomes of day-night one day...

Since April 1998, the only public health clinic in McHenry County, Illinois, has required minors to obtain parental consent before receiving prescription contraceptives. This study uses data on the number of births and abortions to compare changes in birth and abortion rates among minors in the...

Although trading in securities in conventional financial markets on the basis of inside information is restricted by law, the rules against such trading in better markets are rather more ambiguous. It is argued in this paper that, since insider trading in betting markets imposes a cost on the...

Although gambling is one of the fastest-growing service industries, there have been no studies of total factor productivity (TFP) in this sector. We attempt to fill this gap using establishmentlevel data from the United Kingdom. We also discuss key measurement issues in calculating gambling...

Edith Penrose noted that firms may need to rely on research joint ventures (RJVs) to acquire access to resources that can help them achieve and sustain a competitive advantage. We estimate an econometric model of the propensity of firms to disclose their intention to engage in RJVs, in order to...