Richard Beilock

An exploratory model of inter-country Internet diffusion

Abstract A model was developed and estimated to explain global inter-country differences in Internet usage rates (IURs), as measured by users per capita. Per capita income was the most important determinant. The relationship appears to be non-linear, with income differences having greater impacts on IUR at lower than higher levels. Two other important determinants were the openness of a society and infrastructure, using telephone and personal computer densities as proxies. To explore the possibility of Non-Economic Factors, other than openness, six regional divisions were used. The results were insignificant, perhaps due to heterogeneity with regard to Non-Economic Factors within these regions and large inter-regional differences in income, infrastructure, and openness. If true, there may be greater potential for exploring the impacts of Non-Economic Factors within areas more homogeneous in terms of the other variables. To demonstrate this, it was shown that, controlling for both income and infrastructure, there are significant differences in IUR across 16 European nations associated with religious affiliations.

Schedule-induced hours-of-service and speed limit violations among tractor-trailer drivers

Driver fatigue is well recognized as an important causational factor in accidents involving long-distance truck drivers. Drivers may drive while fatigued for a variety of reasons. Important among these is the assignment of difficult or unreasonable delivery schedules. Using self-reported data, the frequency of violation-inducing schedules is estimated during their ongoing movement for a sample of 498 long-distance drivers. Assuming average legal speed limits of 55 MPH, 26% of the drivers were found to have violation-inducing schedules. Solo drivers, drivers hauling refrigerated loads, regular route drivers, and those with longer current trip distances are the most likely to have such schedules. Also estimated were total weekly work hours. Assuming average attained travelling speeds of 50 MPH, the average driver drives 46 hours per week and works a total of 58 hours.

Ranking of Agricultural Economics Departments by Citations

Ranking of agricultural economics departments based upon the number of articles or article pages does not take into account the impact or usefulness of these journal articles or other works to the profession. In this paper, an alternative ranking scheme is employed which utilizes citations from a broad array of publications of a departments faculty. Rankings are developed for agricultural economics units at 1862 land grant universities, 1890 land grant universities, independent U.S. universities, and Canadian universities, as well as an overall composite ranking and comparisons with economics departments.

Ranking of Agricultural Economics Departments: Influence of Regional Journals, Joint Authorship, and Self-Citations

Citations are increasingly used to indicate the quality of an academic units work. The set of literature or journals, however, becomes crucial to any ranking scheme. Citations from the broadly based Social Science Citations Index suggest a different ranking of departments than the ranking obtained from a somewhat narrowly focused set of North American journals of agricultural economics. The paper seeks to determine the influence of regional journals, joint authorship, and self-citations on departmental rankings. Data bases of citations are developed for the faculty of seventy-three departments of agricultural economics in the United States and Canada.

Where Freedom Matters Internet Adoption among the Former Socialist Countries

The goal of this study was to explore inter-country differences in Internet connectivity among the formerly socialist countries of Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Mongolia. Of particular interest was investigating if, in a region where per capita income and infrastructure differences are not extreme, other factors would become the dominant determinants. The results of the multivariate analysis show that the openness of society and cultural factors, using religion as a proxy, play critical roles. Countries with higher levels of civil liberties and those with Christian majority populations tend to have higher Internet connectivity.

The Determinants of Full-Empty Truck Movements

A model is developed to explain full-empty movement decisions for motor carriers. The model is estimated for movements to Florida of carriers serving the Florida produce/ornamentals industry. The results indicate that carriers act rationally, basing their decisions on a wide range of factors. The findings also suggest that regulatory restrictions continue to result in unnecessary empty movements.

Market Access in Regulated and Unregulated Markets: The Continuing Cost of Interstate Motor Carrier Regulation

This study examines the effect of regulatory reform in the interstate trucking industry. In our model, carriers travel in round trips and choose to serve different markets corresponding to each leg of the trip. Some carriers have authority to haul freight subject to regulation while other carriers do not. Unlike previous studies, our model applies to decisions acrossmultiple legs. Using a bivariate probit, we find differences in the determinants of accessacross markets. Entry regulation has a significant influence only in markets dominated by regulated traffic, whereas location has a significant influence only in markets dominated by unregulated traffic.

Schedule Tightness Among Tractor-Trailer Drivers

The extent to which schedules are sufficiently tight to encourage violations of Hours-of-Service Regulations, speed limits, or both was investigated through a survey of over 1,600 tractor-trailer drivers. The focus was on drivers with refrigerated trailers. The results indicate high incidence levels of tight schedules. For example, assuming average speed limits of 65 mph, 24% had violation-inducing schedules with regard to the movement they were making at the time of the interviews. Incorporating information about previous driving, the incidence of violation-inducing schedules rose to 40%. Comparison with an earlier study suggests that, despite increases in speed limits which would tend to loosen schedules, schedules have become tighter over the past decade. The implications of these findings for reforms of Hours-of-Service Regulations are briefly discussed.

The impact of caring on exchange choices and efficiencies: a modification of Boulding's three social organizers

Abstract In this article, a system is developed for modeling traditional exchanges and those based, wholly or in part, on threats or interdependent utility functions (i.e., caring). This structure is used to analyze 1) the impact of interpersonal and intergroup perceptions on exchange choice and efficiency; 2) factors influencing firm decisions to accede to or resist coerced exchanges; and 3) conditions under which exchanges involving involuntary parties are rational. It is argued that, in addition to impacts on psychic returns, caring impacts on exchange efficiency through its effects on the quantity of information, due to attraction or aversion, and the quality of information processing, due to bias. Malevolence is never conducive to efficient exchange, but high levels of benevolence may also be detrimental. It also is shown that the economics of coerced exchanges bear strong similarities to analyses regarding price discrimination and using free samples for marketing. Firms are most likely to resist coerced exchanges if their marginal costs are rapidly rising or if acceding to the coerced exchange would reduce market demand. Possible trends in the importance of caring in exchange are also discussed.

Perishables—The New Intermodal Battleground

years, with rail share increasing to 12% in 1983 (USDA). In this paper we discuss the reasons for possible continuance of this trend and then identify implications of this turnaround to the agricultural community. It is specifically argued that shipper/receiver (S/R) sensitivity to transportation service factors is the paramount consideration in selecting modes for FFV transportation. The extent to which railroads can continue to recapture perishable traffic will depend primarily upon their ability to capitalize on the service characteristics of intermodal transportation.