NAFTA or Nada? Trade's Impact on U.S. Border Retailers

The extensive debate over trade liberalization policies in the United States holds a general consensus that some industries will benefit while others will not. This paper explores the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement on U.S. retailers in states located along the border with Mexico. Overall, the impact of trade on U.S. border retailers has been beneficial. However, the results demonstrate that retailers in the region are vulnerable to exchange rate fluctuations and other macroeconomic influences that change the relative price ratio between the United States and Mexico. Furthermore, retailers in metropolitan statistical areas that have a relatively high concentration of retail sector employment are more susceptible to these changes.     

Real Wages and Unemployment in Local Labor Markets: Pennsylvania MSAs, 1975-86

This paper specifies an unemployment rate model with relatively long lags on the manufacturing real wage and the level of real GNP as the independent variables. Estimates of the model for 12 MSAs in Pennsylvania over the period from 1975:2 to 1986:4 generally indicate a fairly strong positive unemployment response to lagged real wages. This is consistent with theoretical models of the labor market that hypothesize strong real wage effects during periods of aggregate supply shocks. The unique characteristics of the time period under study and the disaggregation to local labor markets might account for the fact that, in contrast to many previous empirical studies, we are able to uncover evidence of a positive real wage-unemployment relationship in U.S. time series data.     

Diversity among melon landraces (Cucumis melo L.) from Greece and their genetic relationships with other melon germplasm of diverse origins

Diversity among 17 melon landraces and inbred lines of Group Cantalupensis, Inodorus, and Flexuosus germplasm from Greece was assessed using 24 RAPD primers, 11 morphological traits of fruit, two yield-related characteristics, and resistance to powdery mildew. Accessions were genetically diverse and the greatest variation was detected in Group Flexuosus. Comparative analysis of Greek germplasm and an array of previously characterized reference accessions [RA; 68 from Africa (15), United States (U.S.; 5), Central Europe (14), Japan (19), and Spain (15)], spanning major market classes employing 19 RAPD primers (standard marker array), indicates that all but one of the accessions from Greece showed genetic affinities among themselves and with 23 RA of various origin (i.e., Japan, U.S., Central Europe, Spain and Israel) and market class. Accessions from Greece were, however, distinct from the African landraces and most Spanish melons. Greek accessions also showed little genetic affinity with the Casabas (Blanco and Crenshaw), Ogen, and U.S. Eastern Market accessions. Group Flexuosus and Inodorus accessions from Greece possessed genetic affinities with Western Asian (Group Conomon) and Mediterranean (Group Inodorus) market classes, respectively. The uniqueness of Greek melon landraces portends their potential usefulness for the enhancement of U.S., European, and Asian melon market classes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Plant genetic resources of Nepal: A guide for plant breeders of agricultural, horticultural and forestry crops

Summary Nepal is rich in indigenous wild and landrace plant genetic resources for agronomic, horticultural, forestry, or medicinal uses, but much of this germplasm remains uncollected and awaits economic development. We list 485 entries (species, or genera for ornamental plants) in 14 categories, and compare these to existing germplasm collections in Nepal and the United States to highlight collection and conservation needs. To help plant plant collecting, we outline the key botanical and logistical data and legal framework for planning field work in Nepal.     

中印罗非鱼产品出口竞争力的比较——基于美国市场的分析

为了对中国和印度尼西亚罗非鱼产品在美国市场的出口竞争力进行比较分析,以1994-2014年的相关贸易数据为基础,实证分析了中印两国的产品竞争力。竞争力的评价方法主要包括国际市场占有率、显示性比较优势指数和恒定市场份额模型。结果表明：中国罗非鱼产品对美国出口总额不断增长,增长速度快于印尼,但印尼罗非鱼产品拥有自己的品牌的外销渠道,市场价格较中国高很多。中国罗非鱼逐步占领了美国大部分市场,印尼的市场占有率则相对稳定。中国罗非鱼产品在美国市场上已经逐步由比较劣势转变为比较优势,但印尼在罗非鱼产品出口上更加具有比较优势;从恒定市场份额模型的分析来看,竞争力效应对中国罗非鱼产品在美国市场出口额的增长的贡献率较高,中国罗非鱼产品的竞争力在不断增强,但罗非鱼产品结构的合理化程度以及在本国出口增长中的贡献率仍低于印尼。     

Unemployment Duration in Non‐Metropolitan Labor Markets

Non‐metropolitan areas of the U.S have experienced significant structural economic changes in recent decades. These changes have raised concerns that some non‐metropolitan workers may face significant costs to employment displacements associated with economic adjustments. This paper explores the roles that linkages to metropolitan labor markets, area labor market conditions, and individual attributes play in determining the rates of exit from unemployment to employment among non‐metropolitan area residents. Adjacency to a metropolitan area is found to significantly increase transition rates from unemployment to employment among displaced non‐metropolitan workers, but local economic conditions are found to have relatively weak or insignificant effects on transition rates. Also, lack of post‐high school education and minority status both significantly reduce rates of exit from unemployment in non‐metropolitan areas following employmentdisplacement.     

Evaluation of the U.S. peanut mini core collection using a molecular marker for resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sclerotinia minor</Emphasis> Jagger

Cultivated peanut, the second most economically important legume crop throughout the United States and the third most important oilseed in the world, is consistently threatened by various diseases and pests. Sclerotinia minor Jagger (S. minor), the causal agent of Sclerotinia blight, is a major threat to peanut production in the Southwestern U.S., Virginia, and North Carolina and can reduce yield by up to 50% in severely infested fields. Although host plant resistance would provide the most effective solution to managing Sclerotinia blight, limited sources of resistance to the disease are available for use in breeding programs. Peanut germplasm collections are available for exploration and identification of new sources of resistance, but traditionally the process is lengthy, requiring years of field testing before those potential sources can be identified. Molecular markers associated with phenotypic traits can speed up the screening of germplasm accessions, but until recently none were available for Sclerotinia blight resistance in peanut. This study objective of this study was to characterize the US peanut mini-core collection with regards to a recently discovered molecular marker associated with Sclerotinia blight resistance. Ninety-six accessions from the collection were available and genotyped using the SSR marker and 39 total accessions from spanish, valencia, runner market types were identified as new potential sources of resistance and targeted for further evaluation in field tests for Sclerotinia blight resistance.     

Independent and linked migrants: determinants of African American interstate migration

Through kinship and other links to destinations, many African American interstate migrants in the United States join other people in destination households. These “linked” migrants contrast to “independent migrants” who move as individuals or intact groups and set up their own households at the destination. Using U.S. Census Public Use Micro Sample data, this paper first shows that, in the 1985-90 period, about 45 percent of all Black interstate migrants were independent, compared to 38 percent who were linked to housing at the destination and 17 percent who moved into group quarters. Second, a multinomial logit model, incorporating individual and state-level variables, is specified that contrasts the determinants of independent and linked migration. Tests show that independent migration can be modeled with classic migration determinants, including individual educational and occupational resources, labor market conditions at the destination, and public goods at the destination including the level of welfare payments. Linked migration, on the other hand, is much less responsive to these factors, and not at all responsive to destination unemployment and welfare levels. Separate tests of male and female models suggest a great contrast between independent and linked migration for females. It is concluded that the understanding of Black migration must take into account a variety of factors beyond traditional labor market conditions, including links to the destination and individual housing circumstances.     

Destination Choice of the Newly Arrived Immigrants to the U.S. from 2000 to 2005–2007: A Multivariate Explanation for Immigrants from Top Source Countries

Using the PUMS files of the 2000 U.S. Census and 2005–2007 merged ACS data, we study the metropolitan destination choices made by newly arrived immigrants from seven top source countries between 2000 and 2007. Using a multinomial logit model, we find that the dispersion of new immigrant groups varies by origin, although all groups were subject to 1) the attraction of co‐ethnic communities, and 2) the positive effects of labor market conditions in the destination (especially the employment growth rate). However, co‐ethnic concentration is much more important than labor market conditions in the destination choice decision, particularly for the poorly educated. Conversely, there is a strong negative effect of co‐ethnic concentration on highly educated new immigrants, revealing a dispersed geographical pattern of these highly educated immigrants. We also find the importance of employment share growth rate for highly educated immigrants which suggests that they are more sensitive to the upward employment structure at the destination than a specific job growth rate, and they may not be attracted by a metropolitan area with a low‐quality employment structure, despite whether there was an increase in high‐level jobs.     

The Japanese Banking Presence in the United States and Its Regional Distribution

The Japanese presence in U.S. banking markets is of particular significance. Japanese represent slightly over one-half of the total foreign banking presence in the U.S., concentrated in two states (California and New York). The growth of Japanese direct investment in the U.S. and the yen/dollar exchange rate appear to be the two most important economic factors influencing this rising Japanese banking presence. Japanese legislation liberalizing the flow of investment in and out of Japan, beginning in 1980, is a very important factor. Also, the International Banking Act of 1978 may be important in explaining the recent growth of Japanese bank branches in California.     

Comparative Study of Construction Project Letters of Guarantee in P. R. China and the United States

A construction project letter of guarantee is used as financial credit to insure the smooth project execution. The construction project letter of guarantee system developed over one hundred years in the United States where a comprehensive system has been established. It is proven that the system played a vital role in controlling construction industry risk in the U.S. In contrast, the system developed later in P. R. China but has played an increasing role in the Chinese construction industry. Based on a discussion of the structure, meaning and condition of the letter of guarantee system in the U.S., a suitable framework is sought to promote development of the letter of guarantee system in the Chinese construction industry.     

A Comparative Study of European and American PublicHousing Policies and Its Findings

I studied the similarities and differences of public housing policy between European countries and the United States using historic and comparative methods. Public housing policy was put in place in postwar European countries and the U.S. Differences in the policies of these countries were that the European policy intervened in the housing market directly and thoroughly but the American policy intervened in the housing market indirectly by financial and revenue means. The key finding is that housing in P. R. China is an important part of the people's livelihood and the government should not completely pass responsibility for providing it to the market. China should set up its own public housing policy and change the mode of land supply and housing manufacturing. China also should adopt multiplicative means, including direct government investment and encouraging the social anticipation and planning adjustment to guarantee the housing rights of middle-and-low-income households.     

Income Migration and Income Convergence across U.S. States, 1995–2010

In this paper we examine how internal migration redistributes earned income across U.S. states between 1995 and 2010. We examine interregional income flows by first describing the movement of earned income between U.S. states. Second, we examine the effect of income migration on spatial patterns of income inequality. The question we ask is, “does migration increase or decrease convergence income across U.S. States?” A primary contribution of this paper is that instead of using only 1 year of income migration data to explore these issues, we use yearly data from the first year the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data started including income (1995/1996) up to the most current data available (2009/2010). Results indicate that income convergence/divergence across states varies by whether or not there is general economic expansion or contraction. Nevertheless, some high‐amenity states continually attract high‐income households.     

Competitive Characteristics of Small and Medium-sized Manufacturing Firms in the US. and Canada

ABSTRACT This paper examines the competitive characteristics of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMFs) in a Canada-U.S. crossborder region (the Niagara Frontier). Particular attention is given to the innovation and business performance of comparably-sized firms on both sides of the border. The results of two firm-level surveys are presented. A comparative analysis of the two groups suggests that Canadian Sh4Fs exhibit significantly stronger export and innovation performance than their US. counterparts. The results also suggest that U.S. firms face tougher competitive difficulties arising fiom specific national and regional circumstances, including shortages of skilled labor, higher corporate tax rates, rising import competition, and a more complex regulatory environment. The implications of the empirical results are discussed in the context of policy options for regional economic development in crossborder zones such as the Niagara Frontier     

Cities,Skills, and Inequality

ABSTRACT The surge in U.S. wage inequality over the past several decades is now commonly attributed to an increase in the returns paid to skill. Although theories differ with respect to why, specifically, this increase has come about, many agree that it is strongly tied to the increase in the relative supply of skilled (i.e., highly educated) workers in the U.S. labor market. A greater supply of skilled labor, for example, may have induced skill‐biased technological change or generated greater stratification of workers by skill across firms or jobs. Given that metropolitan areas in the U.S. have long possessed more educated populations than non‐metropolitan areas, these theories suggest that the rise in both the returns to skill and wage inequality should have been particularly pronounced in cities. Evidence from the U.S. Census over the period of 1950 to 1990 supports both implications.     

The response of U.S. regional demographics to import shocks

We analyze regional demographic responses to increased competition from Chinese imports. Treating the opening up of the Chinese economy in recent decades as an exogenous shock to the degree of trade exposure faced by U.S. regions, we find that demographic characteristics such as education level, population growth, immigrant share, and age structure, are not significantly impacted by increased Chinese trade exposure. We also discuss possible mechanisms that may explain this finding and explain why our results may differ in direction from previous studies. Specifically, our finding is consistent with a story where moving costs hamper labor mobility and significant demographic shifts do not occur even after employment falls due to trade exposure.     

Poverty,Innovation Capacity,and State Economic Development in the Knowledge Economy: Evidence from the U.S.

We examine poverty's effect in two ways. First, we study the relationship between poverty and capacity for innovation in the U.S. states; second, we study the combined effects of poverty and innovation capacity on U.S. state economic output and employment. Because many of the relationships among poverty, innovation capacity and economic performance are simultaneous, we employ the Arellano Bond Difference GMM estimator to estimate various models using panel data (1980–1999). The findings reveal a negative indirect effect of socio‐economic need (poverty) on human and U.S. state and local financial innovation capacity, though there is no empirical link between poverty and federal financial capacity. We find no statistically significant evidence of the contemporaneous effect of poverty on state economic performance, holding innovation capacity constant. This suggests that poverty primarily affects state economic performance indirectly through reduction of innovation capacity. Overall, our findings suggest that U.S. officials ought to be concerned about the role poverty plays in diminishing their state economies' capacity to innovate.     

U.S. Farm Wages and Labor Market Efficiency

This study examines convergence in real wages for hired farm labor in the U.S. agricultural sector over the period 1978‐92,using the ‘average farm’ in each county as an observation. Convergence is investigated at the aggregate (or the entire U.S. level)and regional levels. Evidence supports convergence with a slower rate at the aggregate level than that at the regional level. Suggested by the evidence is the possibility that absolute benefits of wage equalization across states are ‘contagious’—that one state's successful investment raises productivity and factor payments in neighboring states and that agricultural labor markets are efficient and integrated all over the country.     

Moonlighting in a High Growth Economy: Evidence from U.S. State‐Level Data

Despite the prevalence of multiple jobholding, there is relatively little research into its causes. Existing research has tested the predictions of standard labor models with micro data. Yet, there has been virtually no research into the relationship between moonlighting and structural differences in regional labor markets such as wages and employment growth. In this manner, this study examines the large differences in multiple jobholding rates across U.S. states. The findings indicate that multiple jobholding acts as a short‐term shock absorber to cyclical changes. However, in the long‐term, these effects dissipate, indicating that moonlighting plays a similar role as do changes in unemployment and labor‐force participation to regional labor market shocks. Conversely, multiple jobholding rates are inversely related to average weekly earnings. Thus, job growth accompanied by real wage (and productivity) growth may result in a decline in multiple jobholding, further exacerbating potential labor shortages. Other key factors found to influence multiple jobholding include occupational structure and education.     

The Impact of Output and Productivity Changes on Manufacturing Employment

Traditional univariate shift-share studies of employment provide an unreliable indicator of the relative performance of a region or an industry for they fail to separate the effects of output and productivity change on the demand for labor. An extended shift-share model is proposed that overcomes this weakness and permits identification of different processes of regional development. This model is used to investigate annual employment change in twenty (two-digit SIC) manufacturing industries in nine census regions of the U.S. between 1950 and 1986. The timing and depth of the exodus of manufacturing jobs from the snowbelt to the sunbelt is illustrated along with the business cycle performance of industries and regions. Productivity growth in the sunbelt is positively associated with rapid output expansion, whereas in the snowbelt it is associated with the loss of market share and economic rationalization.