Azmaeen Zarif, University of Cambridge -- Despite vaccine successes, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unclear. While strict public health measures alongside lower fatality rates for the younger population may have mitigated the impacts on potential output in the long-term, issues such as the deskilling and demoralization of unemployed workers and delayed bankruptcies following the eventual withdrawal of governmental support, risk potential deep and persistent economic scarring. Past pandemics may hold the key to predicting the long-term economic effects of COVID-19.
Author: Karthick Arunachalam
COMMENTARY: Climate Change and the Pacific Small Island Developing States
Irina Didenko and Jennifer Zhang, New York University -- As climate change continues to wreak havoc worldwide, the international community has become increasingly concerned for the environmental and economic future of less developed countries (LDCs), which face acute difficulty enduring and recovering from climate disasters due to their poor infrastructure, weak governance, and low level of human capital. One group of LDCs, in particular, requires special attention, as their unique geographic characteristics make them especially vulnerable to climate change shocks: the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS).
Wide Open Spaces: Barriers to Development and the Austin Housing Crisis
Connor Hanna, University of Texas at Austin -- As a contributing factor to the rising cost of living in Austin, the lack of affordable housing has increasingly become a subject of public concern. I argue that minimum lot sizes and excessive single-family zoning have artificially constrained the supply of housing and that this supply constraint is raising housing costs overall.
The Effect of the Down Payment Constraint on House Prices: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in China
Xingyou Ye, Renmin University of China -- The down payment constraint is commonly adopted as an effective means of stabilizing the housing market. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on its effects on house prices. We estimate the impact of raising the minimum down payment by exploiting Beijing municipal’s ordinary and non-ordinary housing policy.
Spare Change? Lobbying and Corporate Charity in U.S. Immigration Policy
Connor Brennan and Jamie Wang, Georgetown University -- It is well documented that firms wishing to affect immigration policy do so by lobbying to policymakers directly. Less documented is the reason why firms participating in corporate lobbying might also donate to charities related to immigration. Our paper studies this question by analyzing the effect of immigration lobbying on philanthropic activity among Fortune 500 and S&P 500 firms that donated and lobbied from 1999 to 2015.
Impacts of Election-Day Voter Registration: Evidence from Rhode Island
Ashmit Vyas, University of Pennsylvania -- I estimate the effect of election-day voter registration (EDR) on the turnout and outcome of the 1992 presidential election in Rhode Island by conducting a difference-in-differences analysis against the gubernatorial election.
Our Winter 2022 Issue
On behalf of the Stanford Economic Review Editorial Board, we are honored to present the tenth volume, winter issue, of Stanford University’s undergraduate economics journal. The 2021-2022 academic year has been a transformative time for our publication: We changed our name to the Stanford Economic Review, launched the commentaries section, expanded our team of writers… Continue reading Our Winter 2022 Issue
COMMENTARY: Governance in the Global Economy
Zachary Cheek, University of Nebraska-Lincoln -- Trade liberalization has long been thought to lead to the decline of repressive regimes. However, as autocratic states like Russia, Iran, and China have expanded their influence, Western nations are beginning to see that trade alone will not be a motivator for antagonist governments to behave in the desired ways.
COMMENTARY: Ghost Credits: A Carbon Conundrum
Eshan Kemp, Stanford University -- Researchers have found that a sizable number of credits in existing carbon markets can be traced back to a systematic overestimation of carbon emission savings.