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Newsletter
U.S. farm subsidies
Why should the average American care about the 2008 Farm Bill and farm subsidies? Farm subsidies can affect the price of food and can influence the amount of taxes we pay. This month's Liber8 newsletter explains why farm subsidies were originally used, spotlights the debate about their continued use, and points out some changes to the 2008 Farm Bill.
Working Paper
The impact of capital grants on maintenance in the public sector
A study of how state and federal grants affect the maintenance policies of local mass-transit providers, showing that private owners of transit capital devote significantly greater resources to maintenance than do public owners of similar capital.
Working Paper
The subsidy from state and local tax deductibility: trends, methodological issues, and its value after federal tax reform
Even though the momentum of the "devolution" movement has slowed, federal intergovernmental grants will probably be cut substantially during the next five to ten years. Federal tax reform could further erode federal assistance by eliminating the deduction for state and local personal income and property taxes. This deduction subsidizes the net cost to taxpayers of financing an additional dollar of state and local spending. In the language of economics, deductibility reduces the marginal "tax price" of state and local public goods. This paper clarifies methodological issues in the ...
Conference Paper
Enhancing competitiveness: international economic policies
Working Paper
The effect of second generation rent controls on the quality of rental housing
Microeconomic theory predicts that rent controls will lead to greater housing quality deterioration than would have been the case in an uncontrolled market. However, empirical analyses of rent control have concentrated on income distribution effects. This study tests the hypothesis of quality deterioration using a two period linked sample of dwelling units drawn from eight Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas, half of which have rent control laws. The results indicate that quality was 7.1% lower in controlled markets in 1974, and 13.5% lower in 1977. Slow, cumulative effects of deferred ...
Journal Article
Eight issues for policy toward economic development incentives
Conference Paper
The subsidy provided by the federal safety net: theory and measurement
Views about the value to depository institutions of the federal safety net differ widely. Resolution of the issue is important because defining the appropriate relationship between the federal safety net and financial institutions is central to the design of efficient financial modernization strategies. A model is presented of how the safety net subsidy affects the size of the banking system and the behavior of banks. The model suggests that banks should have lower capital ratios than similar nonbank financial firms. Evidence is presented that supports this prediction, and that banks have ...
Journal Article
Broadband: not quite universal
Given the state of rural broadband, extending universal service to high-speed Internet access may be premature.
Journal Article
Farm payments: not a road to growth