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Author:McGranahan, Leslie 

Journal Article
Unprepared for boom or bust: understanding the current state fiscal crisis

The headlines concerning state government finances have become increasingly alarming since mid-2001. This article discusses the roots of the current state fiscal crisis by looking at the decisions made by state government leaders during the long expansion. The author suggests increased use of rainy day funds as a way to avoid future crisis.
Economic Perspectives , Volume 26 , Issue Q III , Pages 2-25

Newsletter
Food inflation and the consumption patterns of U.S. households

In July 2008, food prices were 6.0% above their July 2007 level. This article examines how different household types have been affected by the recent rapid rise in food prices.
Chicago Fed Letter , Issue Oct

Working Paper
Charity and the bequests motive: evidence from seventeenth century wills

This paper researches the motivations for charitable bequests by looking at gifts to the poor in the wills of 1357 testators who died in Suffolk, England in the 1620's and 1630's. I find that wealth, religiosity, and the presence of family and friends influence testator generosity. The finding that wealthier, more religious individuals, and those with fewer children give more to the poor support an altruistic model of testator utility. However, the finding that individuals who give to more people outside of their immediate families are more likely to give to the poor contradicts the simple ...
Working Paper Series , Paper WP-98-25

Journal Article
How do EITC recipients spend their refunds?

The authors determine what items are purchased using the earned income tax credit (EITC)?one of the largest sources of public support for lower-income working families in the U.S. They find that recipient households? EITC payments are used primarily for vehicle purchases and transportation spending, both of which are crucial to job access and consistent with the EITC?s prowork goals.
Economic Perspectives , Volume 32 , Issue Q II

Working Paper
Do Household Finances Constrain Unconventional Fiscal Policy?

When the zero lower bound on nominal interest rate binds, monetary policy makers may lack traditional tools to stimulate aggregate demand. We investigate whether ?unconventional? fiscal policy, in the form of pre-announced consumption tax changes, has the potential to meaningfully shift durables purchases intertemporally and how it is affected by consumer credit. In particular, we test whether car sales react in anticipation of future sales tax changes, leveraging 57 pre-announced changes in state sales tax rates from 1999-2017. We find evidence for substantial tax elasticities, with car ...
Working Paper Series , Paper WP-2018-16

Newsletter
The debate on Internet sales taxation

Chicago Fed Letter , Issue Jun

Journal Article
State budgets and the business cycle: implications for the federal balanced budgets amendment debate

Balanced budgets and proponents often use the experience of the states with balanced budget restrictions as an argument in favor of a federal balanced budget amendment. However, the state experience is not directly relevant to the federal government. State restriction are more lenient than those considered at the federal level, and many of the techniques used by the states to blame their budgets over the business cycle are not available to the federal government.
Economic Perspectives , Volume 23 , Issue Q III , Pages 3-17

Newsletter
What Is Driving the Differences in Inflation Within the Midwest?

In this article, we explore differences in inflation dynamics across cities (and other areas) within the Midwest. We look independently at the impact of consumption patterns and price changes by expenditure categories, and find that the recent gaps in inflation across midwestern cities have existed largely because of disparities in price changes for housing and transportation, as well as differences in the consumption patterns (as captured by expenditure weights) for transportation and housing.
Chicago Fed Letter , Volume no 487 , Pages 10

Working Paper
Spending responses to state sales tax holidays

Every year over 20 states offer sales tax holidays (STHs) on specific items like clothes, shoes and other items to encourage consumption, affecting over 100 million consumers. We use a unique dataset of credit cards transaction to study the spending response to these holidays. Using a diff-in-diff methodology, we find that STHs increase overall daily spending by 8%, with large percentage increases in spending on children?s clothes and shoes of 193% and 98% respectively. Consumers with children increase spending more during STHs. Our estimates of price elasticities range from 6 for big box ...
Working Paper Series , Paper WP-2012-10

Journal Article
Food prices and the inflation experiences of low-income households

Food prices have been rising rapidly over the past two years. In August 2008, aggregate food prices were 6.1 percent above their level in August 2007. Prices in August 2007 were already 4.8 percent above the level in August 2006. Because food purchases represent a larger portion of the expenditures of low-income households, these increases in price have a more substantial impact on the purchasing power of low-income households. This article describes the food inflation experiences of different population groups to demonstrate how different groups have been differentially affected by the ...
Profitwise , Issue Dec , Pages 8-16

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