We show how small initial wealth differences between low skilled black and white workers can generate large differences in their labour-market outcomes. This even occurs in the absence of a taste for discrimination against blacks or exogenous differences in the distance to jobs. Because of the...

McGregor P. G. and Swales K. (2005) Economics of devolution/decentralization in the UK: some questions and answers, Regional Studies 39 , 477-494. The paper explores the economic implications of the radical process of devolution, decentralization and delegation of decision-making and policy...

This paper employs a vector autoregressive (VAR) methodology to examine the role of oil price shocks, defense shocks, national, and local shocks in explaining fluctuations in non-farm employment in a sample of ten states/MSAs in the US in the period 1969–2000. These include a sample of energy...

MacKay R. R. and Williams J. (2005) Thinking about need: public spending on the regions, Regional Studies 39 , 815-828. The UK Treasury accepts that need is the correct guide to spending on public services in different parts of the UK. But the formula used to decide changes in devolved spending...

This article examines and quantifies the relationship between local amenities and prices in an equilibrium model, demonstrating the role of non-traded goods and federal taxes. I derive formulae using factor shares to infer local land rents, productivity, and the total value of amenities from...

The standard revealed-preference estimate of a city's quality of life is proportional to that city's cost-of-living relative to its wage-level. Adjusting estimates to account for federal taxes, non-housing costs, and non-labor income produces more plausible quality-of-life estimates than in the...

Bilateral India-China ties, including trade and investment, are increasing rapidly to the benefit of both countries. Looking at India's impressive economic performance of the last 10 years from the perspective of China's experience suggests that sustaining high growth will require a significant...

The second-generation reforms in India are ones where the focus shifts to a large extent from the Centre to the States. All big infrastructural areas and important subjects like land, labour and agriculture are state issues, just as health and education are. It is important indeed to highlight...

This paper investigates spatial dimensions of income inequality in Nepal using unit record data from the Living Standards Measurement (LSM) survey of 1995/96. The Gini, Atkinson and generalized entropy indices are used to measure income inequality. The results reveal that per capita income...