RESEARCH

          Published papers (refereed)

1. "Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes and the Lake Carriers Association" (with David T. Flynn and William Corcoran), forthcoming, Eastern Economic Journal.

2. “Determinants of State Labor Productivity: The Changing Role of Density” (with Eric. C. Thompson, and Mark E. Wohar), forthcoming, Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy.

3. "Environmental Regulation and Interest Group Pressure on Petroleum Refinery Capacity Growth in the United States: A Regional Analysis," (with Donald Baum and Jorge Montoya), forthcoming, Energy Studies Review.

4. “Voluntary Pollution Control and Local Economic Conditions as Determinants of Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement," forthcoming, Journal of Applied Economics and Policy.

5. “The Impact of Homeownership on Criminal Activity: Empirical Evidence from United States’ County Data,” (with Jinlan Ni), forthcoming, Economics & Business Journal: Inquiries & Perspectives.

6. “Exploratoring the Effects Rising Health Insurance Costs on Consumers,” (with John E. Schneider, A. Kinzel, N.A. Peterson, and J.A. Selzer), Regional Business Review, 28: 123-146, 2009.

7. “Work Related Accidents and the Level of Market Competition:  An Analysis of Worker Injury Rates at United States Steel Corporation, 1907-1939,” (with David T. Flynn),  Economic Inquiry. 46(3): 438-454, 2008.

8. “The Composition of Industry and the Duration of State Recessions,” (with Mark E. Wohar and Angela Kuhlmann), The Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy. 38(3): 206-221, 2008.

9. “Revisiting the Determinants of Small Firm Formation,” (with Mark E. Wohar and Angela Kuhlmann), Regional Business Review, 27: 13-37, 2008.

10. “Flexible Enforcement and Fine Adjustment,” Regulation & Governance. 1(4): 312-328, 2007.

11. “The Railroad’s Impact on Land Values in the Upper Great Plains at the Closing of the Frontier,” (with David T. Flynn), Historical Methods, 40(1): 28-38, 2007.

12.  “Do Increases in Petroleum Product Prices Put the Incumbent Party at Risk in US Presidential Elections?” (with Mark E. Wohar) Applied Economics, 39(6): 727-737, 2007.

13. “Determinants of State Diesel Fuel Excise Tax Rates: The Political Economy of Fuel Taxation in the United States,” (with Mark E. Wohar), Annals of Regional Science, 41: 171-188, 2007.

14. “Environmental Accidents and Industry Structure,” (with Mark E. Wohar), Journal of Economic Research, 11: 17-47, 2006.

15. “Voluntary Environmental Investments and Regulatory Responsiveness,” (with John W. Maxwell), Environmental and Resource Economics, 33: 425-439, 2006 (lead article).

16.  “The Impact of Petroleum Product Prices on State Economic Conditions: An Analysis of the Economic Base,” (with Mark E. Wohar), Review of Regional Studies, 35(2): 161-186, 2005.

17. “Implementing Environmental Regulation: An Inter-Industry Analysis,” Eastern Economic Journal, 32(1): 47-66, 2006.

18. “Do Regulators Respond to Voluntary Pollution Control Efforts? A Count Data Analysis,” Contemporary Economic Policy, 23(2): 180-194, 2005.

19. “Residential Property Values and Community-Right-To-Know Laws: Has the Toxic Release Inventory had an Impact?” (with Donald A. Nielsen and Roger P. Sindt), Growth and Change, 36(1):113-133, 2005.

20. “Is Pollution a Homogeneous Determinant of Value? Evidence from the Omaha Residential Housing Market” (with Donald A. Nielsen and Roger P. Sindt). The Appraisal Journal, 73(2): 183-197, 2005.

21. “Adherence to Environmental Law: The Strategic Complementarities of Compliance Decisions,” (with Christopher R. Pope), Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 45: 641-661, 2005.

22. “Endogenous Technological Innovation and the Malthusian Trap: Could Simon and Boserup Have Saved Easter Island?” (with Rafael Reuveny), Human Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 33(1): 1991-140, 2005.

23. “Affordable Lending Policies and Other Factors Affecting Homeownership in the Midwest,” (with Donald A. Nielsen and Roger P. Sindt), Regional Business Review, 23: 40-51, 2004.

24. “Corporate Environmentalism and Environmental Statutory Permitting,” Journal of Law and Economics, 46(1): 103-130, 2003.

25. “Shifting the Regulatory Burden: Regulatory Responses to Pollution Control,” Journal of Economic Research, 7: 41-76, 2002.

26. “Easter Island: Historical Anecdote or Warning for the Future?” (with Rafael Reuveny) Ecological Economics, 35: 271-287, 2000.

27. “Toxic Chemical Releases and in Housing Values in Douglas County, Nebraska: A Within-County Analysis,” (with Donald A. Nielsen and Roger P. Sindt), Papers of the Nebraska Economics and Business Association, 15(1): 1-9, 2003 (lead article).

28. “A Conceptual Analysis of Factors Affecting Homeownership in Nebraska,” (with Donald A. Nielsen and Roger P. Sindt), Papers of the Nebraska Economics and Business Association, 15(1): 43-52, 2003.

        Working papers (available upon request - please email if interested)

1. "The Impact of Military Forts on Agricultural Investments on the Great Plains in 1880" (with David T. Flynn), under review.

2. “State Regulatory Enforcement of Environmental Law and State Manufacturing Growth” (with John W. Maxwell), under review.

   Book chapters and invited contributions (peer reviewed)    

1. “Sources of Business Enterprise Growth in Nebraska: The Current Picture and Prospects for the Future,” Strategic Discussions for Nebraska, 2, May, 2009.

2. “Regulatory Economics,” forthcoming in 21^st Century Economics: A Reference Handbook, Dr. Rhona Free, Department of Economics, Eastern Connecticut State University, editor. Sage Publications, expected 2010.

 Preliminary work in progress

                Environmental/Energy Economics:

            Migration and the environment.

            Determinants of gas price volatility.

            Neighborhood religious affiliation, social capital, and the environment.

                Regional Economics:

                    Small business development in the Great Plains (with David T. Flynn, University of North Dakota)

                    Agricultural investment and religious diversification
                    Industrial diversity and regional income growth revisited

                                (with Eric. C. Thompson, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Bureau of Business Research).

                Applied Microeconomics and Industrial Organization

                    The Make vs. Buy Decisions (with Christopher R. Pope, University of Georgia).

Conference and seminar presentations

•  “Nebraska’s Immigrant Population: Economic and Fiscal Impacts” 2009 Immigration/Emigration Summit, June 16^th-17^th, 2009, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.

• “Environmental Regulation and Interest Group Pressure on Petroleum Refinery Capacity Growth in the United States: A Regional Analysis” Association of University Business and Economic Research (AUBER), 62^nd Annual Meeting, October 11^th-14^th, 2008. Session: Original Research (presented and served as session chair).

• “Work Related Accidents and the Level of Market Competition: An Analysis of Worker Injury Rates at United States Steel Corporation, 1907-1939” Academy of Economics and Finance, 33rd Annual Meeting, Houston, TX, February 10th-13th, 2006. Session: Labor Economics.

• “Voluntary Pollution Control and Local Economic Conditions as Determinants of Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement,” Academy of Economics and Finance, 32nd Annual Meeting, Myrtle Beach, SC, February 9th-12th, 2005. Session: Regional Economics.

• “Toxic Chemical Releases and in Housing Values in Douglas County, Nebraska: A Within-County Analysis,” Nebraska Economic and Business Association Conference, Lincoln, NE, October, 2003.

• “Implementing Environmental Regulation: An Inter-Industry Analysis,” Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Annual Research Conference, Dallas, TX, November, 2002.

• “Voluntary Environmental Investments and Regulatory Responsiveness,” Western Economic Association Conference, San Diego, CA, July 1999.

• “Corporate Environmentalism and Regulatory Responsiveness: An Analysis of Count Data,” Western Economic Association Conference, San Diego, CA, July, 1999.

• “Voluntary Environmental Investments and Regulatory Responsiveness,” Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Department of Political Science, Indiana University, June, 1999.

• “Implications of Regulatory Responsiveness to Corporate Environmental Compliance Strategies,” Business Economics and Public Policy Workshop, Indiana University, April, 1998.

Recently completed research papers from grants and/or consulting

• Nebraska’s Immigrant Population: Economic and Fiscal Impacts (with Jerry Deichert and Lourdes Gouveia). Prepared for the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE. 2008. (IMPLAN applications)

• The Impact of the 2008 Ak-Sar-Ben’s River City Roundup on the City of Omaha, September 25-28, 2008: Survey Results and the Impact on the Metropolitan Economy. Prepared for the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation, Omaha, NE. 2008.(IMPLAN applications)

• The Impact of the 2008 Ak-Sar-Ben’s Coronation Ball on the City of Omaha. Prepared for the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation, Omaha, NE. 2009.(IMPLAN applications)

• The Impact of the 2007 Cox Classic Golf Tournament on the City of Omaha: Survey Results and the Impact on the Metropolitan Economy.  Prepared for the Cox Classic Golf Tournament Presented by Chevrolet, Omaha, NE. 2007.(IMPLAN applications)

• The Impact of the 2006 Ak-Sar-Ben’s River City Roundup on the City of Omaha, September 28-October 1, 2006: Survey Results and the Impact on the Metropolitan Economy. Prepared for the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation, Omaha, NE. 2006.

• Rethinking Health Insurance.  With Kinzel, A.(HECG), JA Selzer (HECG), and JE Schneider (HECG and the University of Iowa). Funded through an Iowa State Planning Grant. Final Report to the Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Des Moines, IA: Iowa Department of Public Health. 2005.

• An Investigation of the Nebraska Rural Economy. With Eric Thompson, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Bruce Johnson, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and Ernie Goss, Creighton University, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Mariana Saenz University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Ben Schmitz University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Julian Neira, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Pavel Jeutang, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Funded through the Nebraska Rural Initiative. 2006.

• Electric Utility Competition: The Economic Impact in Indiana, 1998-2016. With R. Jeffery Green and Bruce L. Jaffee, Center for Econometric Model Research, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University.  Prepared for the State Utilities Forecasting Group and the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission. 1999.

Publications (non-refereed)

• Business in Nebraska, (contributing author), Nebraska Business Forecast Council, Bureau of Business Research, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, semi- annual publication, 2006- present.

• Long-Range Outlook, Center for Econometric Model Research, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, updated bi-annually, February 1997 – August 2000.

• “Special Study: F.W. Dodge’s Outlook for Construction Put In Place,” Construction Market Forecasting Service, F.W. Dodge/McGraw-Hill, September 1994.

• “Outlook for Institutional Construction,” Construction Market Forecasting Service, F.W. Dodge/McGraw-Hill, updated quarterly, September 1993 – August 1995.

• “The New Population Projections and Their Impact on the Labor Force,” Review of the U.S. Economy Long-Range Focus, Winter 1992-93, DRI/McGraw-Hill.

• “Implications of Economic Risk: The Cyclical Projection,” Review of the U.S. Economy Long-Range Focus, Winter 1992-93, DRI/McGraw-Hill.

• “New Baseline and Alternative Demographic Projections,” Review of the U.S. Economy Long-Range Focus, Summer 1992, DRI/McGraw-Hill.

• “A Range of Possibilities: The Optimistic and Pessimistic Projections,” Review of the U.S. Economy Long-Range Focus, Summer 1992, DRI/McGraw-Hill.

• “Assumptions and Recent Evidence,” Review of the U.S. Economy, DRI/McGraw-Hill, updated monthly, March 1992 - June 1993.

• The Hispanic Consumer Market Report, DRI/McGraw-Hill, June 1992.

• North Carolina Energy Outlook, DRI/McGraw-Hill, December 1991.

 

Research awards

 

• Lucas Diamond Professorship for Research and Teaching, September 2009 - present.

• Dean’s Citation for Excellence in Research,  2004.

• Named Mammel Faculty in Residence with The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS), College of Arts and Sciences, University of Nebraska at Omaha, August 2007 - August 2008