Progress in Economics: Lessons from the Spectrum Auctions

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Alexandrova ◽  
Robert Northcott
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Federal Communications Commission ◽  
Scientific Models ◽  
Spectrum Auctions ◽  
Spectrum Auction ◽  
Economic Progress ◽  
Partial Structures ◽  
Open Formula

This article begins by surveying existing work on scientific models, with an eye to the specific case of economics. It reviews four accounts in particular—the satisfaction-of-assumptions account, the capacities account, the credible-worlds account, and the partial-structures account. It tells the detailed story of the 1994 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) spectrum auction in the United States, highlighting the crucial role of experiment as well as theory. In the light of this case study, this article presents its own open-formula account of economic models. It then turns to the issue of economic progress. Finally, it concludes that empirical progress in economic theory might not be discussed here, or at least that the success of the spectrum auction provides no warrant for doing so. Rather, progress is better seen as more akin to the worthy but piecemeal variety typical of engineering.

Foundations of International Aid

1960 ◽  
Vol 329 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-143
Author(s):  
Jane M. Hoey
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
International Aid ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Economic Progress ◽  
Political Independence ◽  
The Developed Countries ◽  
The Individual

The newly developing countries desire not only political independence but also economic progress for their people—a progress which they can see, and are now aware of, in the rest of the world. The role of the developed countries is to extend aid to the needy. Moral foundations underlie the donor's contributions, but they are more than that, they are the means for acquiring support for international aid in the donor's country. The United States must assume the leader ship among' the free nations in granting aid; she must accept this role because of her economic achievements and technologi cal advantages. Donators of such aid should take cognizance of the complementary character and interrelatedness of economic and social development. For economic development, however much it is sought, is not an end in itself, rather the aim is the well-being and happiness of the individual. Such a goal neces sitates economic aid accompanied by social aid. Social welfare can also be a vehicle to achieve peace, inasmuch as people-to- people relationships generate brotherly love—the only lasting foundation for peace.—Ed.

Development of the Medical Interpreting Profession in the US

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Holly M. Mikkelson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
The Us ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
Medical Interpreting ◽  
Further Development

This chapter traces the development of the medical interpreting profession in the United States as a case study. It begins with the conception of interpreters as volunteer helpers or dual-role medical professionals who happened to have some knowledge of languages other than English. Then it examines the emergence of training programs for medical interpreters, incipient efforts to impose standards by means of certification tests, the role of government in providing language access in health care, and the beginning of a labor market for paid medical interpreters. The chapter concludes with a description of the current situation of professional medical interpreting in the United States, in terms of training, certification and the labor market, and makes recommendations for further development.

Iran: Adversaries and Nuclear Reversal

2020 ◽  
pp. 152-179
Author(s):  
Rupal N. Mehta
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
International Community ◽  
Window Of Opportunity ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Nuclear Program ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Comprehensive Plan

This chapter presents an in-depth case study analysis of the Iranian nuclear program from its inception to the country’s ultimate decision to renounce its nuclear ambitions in 2015. The chapter begins by examining the trajectory of the Iranian nuclear program and some of the initial attempts by the international community to persuade Iran to end it. Using archival and interview-based data, this analysis demonstrates the powerful role of inducements offered by the United States and other members of the international community, in conjunction with the election of President Rouhani, that provided a window of opportunity that ultimately led to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The chapter concludes with an update about the long-term viability of the Iran deal.

Debunking myths about oil: A case study of oil subsidies

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-200
Author(s):  
Jung Taek Han ◽  
Seo Yeon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Policy Making ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Government ◽  
Oil Politics ◽  
Policy Making Process ◽  
States Government ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Mass Participation

Despite increasing demands for the reform of oil subsidies, the United States government fails to enact substantial reform policies on the issue. The paper visits the biggest unresolved cleavage in the environmental policy literature where there have been no attempts to quantitatively assess the influence of lobbying and mass participation on the policy-making process. It thus attempts to quantify and examine various factors behind legislators’ votes, and the results are hard to square with a pure lobbying model. While the role of lobbying is certainly not ruled out of the explanatory model per se, this paper observed that congressional preferences may instead also be driven by the voter perception towards environmental regulation in each state. The thrust of the argument is that lobbying, while being a decisive factor, may not be the only one influencing legislators’ decisions for the oil subsidy reform bills. This study hypothesizes that the exchange model theory might not fully provide an explanation of why oil subsidies continuously fall through. It suggests that oil politics may instead follow the neo-pluralist model: While lobbying is an important factor in voting results, legislators are mindful of voters’ perspectives in spite of the fact that they are unorganized—and that they might in fact be even more powerful determinants than the lobby variable.

scholarly journals Past is prologue: A case study exploration of the role of climate indicators in adaptation in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 100202
Author(s):  
Jason Vogel ◽  
Michael J. Kolian ◽  
Alexis St. Juliana ◽  
Heather Hosterman ◽  
Jennifer Peers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climate Indicators

scholarly journals The Role of Freighter Aircraft in a Full-Service Network Airline Air Freight Services: The Case of Qantas Freight

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 28-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Baxter ◽  
Panarat Srisaeng ◽  
Graham Wild
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Air Cargo ◽  
Service Network ◽  
Route Network ◽  
Schedule Period ◽  
Northern Winter

<p>The dedicated all-cargo aircraft market is vital to the global economy. Freighter aircraft now carry around 56 per cent of world air cargo traffic. Using an in-depth case study research design, this study examined the Qantas Freight Boeing B747-400 and B767-300 freighter aircraft route network design during the 2017/2018 Northern Winter Flight schedule period, which was in effect from the 29th October 2017 to March 24th, 2018. The qualitative data were examined by document analysis. The study found that Qantas Freight deploy their leased B747-400 freighter aircraft on a route network that originates in Sydney and incorporates key markets in Thailand and China with major markets in the United States. The Boeing B767-300 freighter aircraft operated 5 services per week on a Sydney/Auckland/Christchurch/Sydney routing as a well as a weekly Sydney/Hong Kong/Sydney service. The Boeing B747-400 freighter services could generate 114,755,020 available freight tonne kilometres (AFTKs) over the schedule period. The Boeing B767-300 freighter aircraft could generate 46,974,1440 AFTKs. The Qantas Freight route network and freighter fleet is underpinned by Australia’s liberalized freighter aircraft policy, the “Open Skies” agreement between Australia and China – which permits the onward carriage of cargo traffic across the trans-Pacific – and the liberalized “open skies” agreement with New Zealand.</p>

scholarly journals Data-Driven Campaigning in the 2015 United Kingdom General Election

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Anstead
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
The United States ◽  
General Election ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
British Politics ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Depth Interviews

While we know something of data-driven campaigning practices in the United States, we know much less about the role of data in other national contexts. The 2015 United Kingdom General Election offers an important case study of how such practices are evolving and being deployed in a different setting. This article draws on thirty-one in-depth interviews with political practitioners involved in the use of data for six major UK parties and electoral regulators. These interviews are employed to explore the perceived importance of data in contemporary British campaigns, to understand the data-based campaign techniques being used by UK parties, and to assess how data-driven practices are interacting with the preexisting institutional context of British politics. Going beyond the specifics of the UK case, this study raises questions about the comparative, theoretical, and normative dimensions of data-driven politics.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document