Mouhcine Guettabi

THE GREAT RECESSION AND NONMETROPOLITAN AMERICA

The influence of the housing market on U.S. business cycle dynamics during the previous decade has been well documented. Yet, little if anything is known about how nonmetropolitan areas fared. This study examines the association of regional housing market bubbles with relative nonmetropolitan economic performance during the business cycle phases of the decade. Among the primary findings, the study establishes the association of natural amenity attractiveness with nonmetropolitan housing market bubbles and growth during the expansion phase. During the Great Recession, industry composition best explained the pattern of employment declines and natural population growth differences best explained the variation of population growth, with amenity attractiveness waning in importance.

The Great Recession and Nonmetropolitan America

The influence of the housing market on U.S. business cycle dynamics during the previous decade has been well documented. Yet, little if anything is known about how nonmetropolitan areas fared. This study examines the association of regional housing market bubbles with relative nonmetropolitan economic performance during the business cycle phases of the decade. Among the primary findings, the study establishes the association of natural amenity attractiveness with nonmetropolitan housing market bubbles and growth during the expansion phase. During the Great Recession, industry composition best explained the pattern of employment declines and natural population growth differences best explained the variation of population growth, with amenity attractiveness waning in importance.

The Impact of Obesity on Consumer Bankruptcy

Over the last two decades, both bankruptcy and obesity rates in the U.S. have seen a steady rise. As obesity is one of the leading causes of medical and morbidity related economic costs, its influence on personal bankruptcy is analyzed in this study. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, we employ a duration model to investigate the relative importance of obesity on the timing of bankruptcy. Even after accounting for possible endogeneity of BMI and controlling for a wide variety of individual and aggregate-level confounding factors, being obese puts one at a greater risk of filing for bankruptcy.

Stand Your Ground laws, homicides and gun deaths

ABSTRACT An increased recognition of the possibility of treatment heterogeneities of policy changes has resulted in the rise of comparative case studies. Our analysis uses the synthetic control method (SCM) to examine if the passage of the Stand Your Ground (SYG) laws had dissimilar effects on homicides and firearms deaths in the US states that passed these laws during the first wave (between 2005 and 2007). Using 22 years of data (1991–2012) to study each state separately, we find that these laws did not have uniform effects across states: in three out of 14 states – Florida, Alabama and Michigan – they led to increased (non-suicide) firearms deaths (and by different magnitudes). These three states imposed a duty to retreat prior to their SYG laws and saw a marked departure in self-defence treatment as their SYG laws passed. As for murder and non-negligent manslaughter, only for Florida was an effect found.