Do low gasoline prices cause more traffic fatalities in the 50 states of the USA? The importance of other factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 777-795
Author(s):  
Shawkat Hammoudeh ◽  
Seong-Min Yoon ◽  
Ali Kutan
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Gasoline Prices ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Media ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Motivated by the news media and a lack of comprehensive research on the USA, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between changes in road fatalities and gasoline prices, per capita disposable personal income, alcohol consumption per adult, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits and gender. Design/methodology/approach This study employs both static and dynamic panel data models, making use of annual data over the 2000–2013 period collected from the 50 states of the USA and the consistent system GMM estimators of the parameters, to estimate the impact of these variables on fatalities per 100,000 persons and per 100,000 vehicles. Findings The results highlight the importance of gasoline prices in determining the level of road fatalities, underscoring that a 10 percent decrease in gasoline prices leads to a 248 increase in the total number of road fatalities, but with many more injuries. Increases in the female-to-total driver ratio have a greater significant positive impact on road fatalities where a 10 percent increase in this ratio increases road fatalities by 1,008 deaths. Increases in registered vehicles per capita also increase the number of fatalities. Other variables such as alcohol consumption per adult and BAC limits are not as important. Policy implications are also provided. Research limitations/implications The results of this study highlight the importance of gasoline prices in determining the number of road fatalities. This factor can be an effective policy measure by which policymakers can offset increases in fatalities due to further drastic declines in future gasoline prices. But the effects of the gasoline prices in determining the number of road fatalities are not as strong as the media would lead us to believe. The media ignores the impact of other factors on fatalities, which results in an overestimation of the impact of gasoline prices. Originality/value This study uses the panel data of 50 US states and the dynamic panel data model. In addition to gasoline price effects on the road fatalities, this study also considers other factors such as gender, gasoline taxes, per capita disposable personal income, per capita alcohol consumption, BAC limits and number of registered vehicles.

scholarly journals Real exchange rate undervaluation and sectoral growth in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 462-476
Author(s):  
Brian Tavonga Mazorodze ◽  
Dev D. Tewari
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Exchange Rate ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Real Exchange Rate ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sectoral Growth ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the empirical link between real exchange rate (RER) undervaluation and sectoral growth in South Africa between 1984 and 2014.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a dynamic panel data approach estimated by the system generalised method of moments technique in a bid to control for endogeneity.FindingsThe authors find a significant positive impact of undervaluation on sectoral growth which increases with capital accumulation. Also, the authors confirm that undervaluation promotes sectoral growth up to a point where further increases in undervaluation retards growth.Practical implicationsThe results confirm the importance of policies that keep the domestic currency weaker to foster sectoral growth.Originality/valueThe originality of this paper lies in establishing the impact of exchange rate undervaluation on growth at a sector level in the context of South Africa using a dynamic panel data approach.

Productivity, wages and profits among Belgian firms: do fixed-term contracts matter?

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Garnero ◽  
Romina Giuliano ◽  
Benoit Mahy ◽  
François Rycx
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
State Dependency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Time Invariant ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to estimate the impact of fixed-term contracts (FTCs) on labour productivity, wages (i.e. labour cost), and productivity-wage gaps (i.e. profits). Design/methodology/approach – The authors apply dynamic panel data techniques to detailed Belgian linked employer-employee panel data covering the period 1999-2006. Findings – Results indicate that FTCs exert stronger positive effects on productivity than on wages and (accordingly) that the use of FTCs increases firms’ profitability. Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to examine the FTC-productivity-wage nexus while addressing three important methodological issues related to the state dependency of the three explained variables, to firm time-invariant heterogeneity, and to the endogeneity of FTCs.

Investigating the impact of climate change on the tourism sector: evidence from a sample of island economies

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boopen Seetanah ◽  
Sheereen Fauzel
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Climatic Change ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Tourism Demand ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAlthough it is a widely accepted fact that climate change can negatively impact on tourism demand and affect the economies at the socio-economic level, empirical studies on the climate change tourism development nexus has been quite scant, especially for the case of island economies that are heavily dependent on tourism. This study aims to supplement the literature on climate change and tourism by empirically assessing the relationship between climate change and tourist arrivals for the case of 18 small island developing states over the period from 1989 to 2016.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses dynamic panel data techniques, namely, a panel vector autoregressive framework, which accounts for dynamic and endogeneity issues.FindingsThe results from the analysis confirm the existence of a significant relationship between climate change and tourism demand in both the long-run and short run. Further analysis shows a bi-directional causality between climatic change and tourism demand while the study also confirms the tourism led growth hypothesis.Research limitations/implicationsThis research supplements the literature on the tourism-environment link, especially for tourism dependent island economies.Practical implicationsResults from this study are important to policymakers who should spare no effort to mitigate the effect of adverse climatic change in the context of tourism development.Originality/valueThis study is built on a unique data set for a sample of island economies and interestingly adopts dynamic panel data analysis to account for dynamics and endogenity in the climate change-tourism development nexus.

The impact of leverage on discretionary investment: African evidence

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edson Vengesai ◽  
Farai Kwenda
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Data Model ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Investment Policy ◽  
Panel Data Model ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data Model ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of leverage on firms’ discretionary investment in Africa. Design/methodology/approach The authors employ a dynamic panel data model estimated with generalised method of moments (GMM) estimation techniques on the panel data of listed African non-financial firms. A dynamic model and the generalised methods of moments estimations are handy in controlling for unobserved heterogeneity, endogeneity, autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, etc. Findings In spite of different settings, markets, leverage levels and methodologies, the authors found evidence that leverage constrains investment in African firms. The negative impact is more pronounced in firms with low-growth opportunities than in firms with high-growth opportunities. The results are inclined to the theory that leverage plays a disciplinary role to avoid overinvestment. Research limitations/implications African firms’ investment policy does not solely depend on the neoclassical fundamentals determinants of profitability, net worth and cash flows. Financing strategy also has a considerable bearing on the investment policy. The results provide evidence that leverage is a negative externality to the firm’s discretional investment policy for both lowly levered and highly leveraged firms. African firms’ should consider maintaining their low debt levels and rely more on internally generated funds so as not to suppress any available cash flows to interest payments and loan covenants from debt holders. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature on investment and financial leverage by the authors providing evidence from Africa, a developing continent, that has not been explored. It shows how conservative leverage levels of African firms, which have been reported to be rising, are impacting on investments. Pertaining to empirical methodology, the authors employ a dynamic panel data model, the GMM estimation technique, which is robust in controlling endogeneity, and a possible bi-directional causality between leverage and investment which have not been used in literature. The study also enables a comparison of the effect of high leverage and low leverage on firm’s discretional investment.

scholarly journals Human Development Convergence and the Impact of Funds Transfer to Regions: A Dynamic Panel Data Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 593-604
Author(s):  
Rah Adi Fahmi GINANJAR ◽  
Vadilla Mutia ZAHARA ◽  
Stannia Cahaya SUCI ◽  
Indra SUHENDRA
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Service Export Sensitivity to Internet Adoption: Evidence From Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 259
Author(s):  
Walid Chatti ◽  
Haitham Khoj
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
Internet Adoption ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Service Export

This study aims to examine the causal linkages relating service exports to internet penetration for 116 countries over the period 2000-2017. Taking into account a wide panel of countries, we apply 2-Step GMM methodology for dynamic panel data models. The results show a bi-directional causality relating service exports to internet adoption for developed countries. For the global panel and developing countries, we find those same results attest a positive relationship between the internet adoption and service exports, but in the opposite way; the impact is very low and not significant. Regarding developing countries, despite the fact that internet positively affects service exports, it is considered less efficient than in developed countries.

The impact of economic and financial development on environmental degradation

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samia Nasreen ◽  
Sofia Anwar
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Financial Development ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
High Income ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to validate the impact of economic and financial development along with energy consumption on environmental degradation using dynamic panel data models for the period 1980-2010. The study uses three sub-panels constructed on the basis of income level to make panel data analysis more meaningful. Design/methodology/approach – Larsson et al. panel cointegration technique, fully modified ordinary least squares and vector error correction model causality analysis are applied for empirical estimation. Findings – Main empirical findings demonstrate that financial development reduces environmental degradation in the high-income panel and increases environmental degradation in the middle- and low-income panels. Hypothesis of the environmental Kuznets curve is accepted in all income panels. Granger causality results show the evidence of bidirectional causality between financial development and CO2 emission in the high-income panel, and unidirectional causality from financial development to CO2 emission in the middle- and low-income panels. Originality/value – In empirical literature, only a few studies explain the effect of financial development on environment. The present study is an effort to fill this gap by exploring the effect of economic and financial development on environmental degradation.

Effects of zakat on the economic growth in selected Islamic countries: empirical evidence

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khoutem Ben Jedidia ◽  
khouloud Guerbouj
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Aggregate Demand ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Muslim Countries ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of zakat on the economic growth for a sample of Muslim countries. As a matter of fact, Zakat is a religious tax on wealth paid annually to specified recipients. As it leads to income redistribution and increases the aggregate demand, zakat can be a growth factor in the Islamic framework. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a dynamic panel data model for the purpose of investigating the role of zakat in the economic growth for a sample of eight Muslim countries during the period ranging from 2004 to 2017. The general method of moments is applied. Findings The findings provide evidence that zakat stimulates the country’s growth. Indeed, as zakat funds are directed to increase consumption, investment or government expenditure, they spur on the economic growth. Moreover, the authors come to the conclusion that more trade openness allows an increase in the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. However, the broad money to GDP and population growth rate seem insignificantly associated with the economic growth for the sample considered. Practical implications The findings have substantial implications for the economic policy in Muslim countries. Authorities may further rely on zakat to boost the economic growth. First, it is essential to improve the muzakki’s knowledge on zakat to increase their intention, and so their ability and willingness to pay zakat. Second, the government intervention in both zakat collect and distribution becomes mandatory. Therefore, the contribution of zakat to the economic growth will be higher. This requires better-quality services of zakat institutions. Originality/value A few studies have empirically looked into the impact of zakat on the economic growth, especially for panel data. Hence, the present study tries to enrich the literature on this topic. It creates significant evidence regarding the relevance of zakat in Muslim countries. The findings provide empirical support that zakat is an additional growth factor in the Islamic framework.

Does higher educational attainment imply less crime? Evidence from the Indian states

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-165
Author(s):  
Bijoy Rakshit ◽  
Yadawananda Neog
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Crime Rates ◽  
Economic Crime ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe primary purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of educational attainment on crime rates across 33 Indian states over the period 2001 to 2013. This paper also examines the role of various macroeconomic, socio-economic and demographic factors in determining the variation of crimes in India.Design/methodology/approachFirst, this paper provides a representative theoretical model and discusses the possible relationship between crime and education. Second, the paper applies a dynamic panel data (DPD) model to extract more precise, unbiased and reliable estimates of the effect of education in abating different crime rates. The main advantage of using the dynamic panel model is to address the problem of endogeneity in some regressors and capture the time persistent effect of education on crime.FindingsEmpirical findings reveal that a 1% increase in gross enrolment ratio leads to the reduction of total crime by 8%. However, a unique finding identifies a positive association between tertiary education and economic crime. This finding further goes against the general belief that criminals tend to be less educated than non-criminals.Practical implicationsThis paper recommends that instead of punishment and mandatory law enforcement for offenders, increase in government expenditure and different educational attainment ratios can go a long way to combat crime in India, which has posed a serious threat to the stability of society. Furthermore, utilizing the information on offenders' educational attainment in examining the crime rates can be a future research agenda for policymakers.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the empirical debate of ‘crime-education nexus’ by examining the role of education on crime in India. This study is the first of its kind that focuses on the aspects of crime and education more recently and investigates the relationship between crime and education due to the recent changes in educational attainment ratios and crime rate.

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