Edward Sayre

Labor Market Conditions, Political Events, and Palestinian Suicide Bombings

This paper analyzes the relationship between Palestinian suicide bombings and economic and political conditions. Labor market conditions can affect the frequency of attacks because when the economy worsens, the opportunity cost of being a terrorist decreases. An alternative explanation is that suicide bombings are responses to changes in the political environment. This paper examines these alternative explanations by estimating count data regression models of the occurrence of Palestinian terrorist attacks from 1993 to 2004. Contrary to the previous literature, this paper finds that economic conditions are correlated with suicide terrorism. Specifically, deteriorating local labor market conditions during the al-Aqsa Intifada account for nearly half of the increase in suicide bombings during that time.

An Evaluation of Financial Incentive Policies for Organ Donations in the United States

This paper examines the association between financial incentives and organ donations. Although the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 prohibits financial compensation for organs for transplant, we focus on the impact of laws that influence the relative cost of deceased and live organ donations on the supply of organs for transplant. First, we hypothesize that states that have relatively stringent funeral regulations, which have been associated with higher whole-body donations, will have fewer organ donations. Second, we examine the impact of two common state laws that offer financial compensation to live donors: one that allows a tax deduction for costs incurred and the other which entitles government employees up to 30 days of paid leave. We find no evidence to support that these laws affect organ donations.

Youth Exclusion in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: The Impact of Social, Economic and Political Forces

Youth in the West Bank and Gaza Strip grow up in the shadow of a political conflict that dominates their economic lives. Since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the economy of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has nearly collapsed under the burden of occupation and conflict. The Israeli occupation brought a partial integration of the Palestinian labor force with the Israeli labor market, leading to increased job opportunities for some workers while at the same time fundamentally changing the structure of the Palestinian economy. The characteristics of the Palestinian economy under occupation have included a dearth of investment, weak job creation in the private sector, and limited opportunities for skilled workers. While the limited autonomy yielded to the Palestinian Authority (PA) since 1994 has revived some sectors of the economy, restrictions on trade and mobility continue to hobble Palestinian economic opportunities.Given this precarious environment, the economy of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been exceedingly volatile. In some years, growth has been robust, investment has flooded in, and opportunities for workers have been abundant. In other years, the unemployment rate has exceeded 25 percent, infrastructure has been destroyed, and workers have been unable to reach their jobs and merchants their markets. The additional challenge of a rapidly growing population has become increasingly important in the West Bank and Gaza. Population growth rates and fertility rates in the Gaza Strip were among the highest in the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The generation from this baby boom has required more educational resources and has entered the job market in record numbers. While the transition to low fertility has been more rapid in the West Bank, both regions will face many years with record levels of new job market entrants.

POLITICAL INSTABILITY, CLOSURES AND LABOR REALLOCATION IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP

This paper investigates the labor market responses to conflict and labor market disruptions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. From 1987 to 1995 the West Bank and Gaza Strip witnessed an increase in instability as political conflict disrupted the economy. This paper finds that disruptions later in the period are associated with increased reallocation between sectors and lower unemployment, compared to equivalent shocks earlier in the period. Additionally, the effects of these shocks are primarily felt by younger workers. The findings are consistent with a decrease in human capital investment during this time, but several alternative explanations are also explored.

Relative Deprivation and Palestinian Suicide Bombings

This paper applies the concept of relative deprivation to the study of Palestinian suicide bombings. While earlier work by Krueger and Maleckova (2003) indicates that the absolute well-being of those who support terrorism is higher than the general population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it is not clear if changes in the relative well-being of Palestinians could have influenced suicide bombings. This paper uses three reference groups, namely earlier generations of youth, as well as Israelis and Palestinians residing in different areas, to understand whether relative deprivation helps explain the phenomenon of suicide bombings. This paper finds some support for relative deprivation influencing the rate and timing of suicide bombings.

Death of the Autopsy: Is Better Imaging Technology or Cost Cutting to Blame?

The U.S. autopsy rate has fallen precipitously over the last half century, from 50 percent of bodies to less than eight percent today. Using data for 46 states from 1987 to 2000, we analyze the degree to which the decrease in the autopsy rate is due to better imaging technology or to cost pressures. We find that cost cutting pressures are more responsible for the decline than technology improvements. Specifically, increases in HMO market share explain 21 percent of the decrease in the autopsy rate over our sample period; reductions in the number of hospital deaths explain 30 percent; and increases in the availability of MRIs explain 19 percent.