Japanese monetary and fiscal policy uses the consumer price index as a metric for price stability. Despite a major effort to improve the index, the Japanese methodology of calculating the CPI seems to have a large number of deficiencies. Little attention is paid in Japan to substitution biases...

A "sales tax holiday" is a period of time, usually lasting a few days, during which state and sometimes local sales taxes are not levied on a set of goods, typically clothing, footwear, and school supplies. Prior to enacting, eliminating, or altering a tax holiday, policy-makers should...

This dissertation is a collection of three essays in the fields of environmental and public economics. The first essay assesses the effect of government spending on charitable donations to environmental causes. Using a theoretical model, I solve for changes in private donations due to increased...

Theory and evidence on government taxation policy. Topics include tax incidence; optimal tax theory; the effect of taxation on labor supply and savings; corrective taxes for externalities; taxation and corporate behavior; and tax expenditure policy. From the course home page: Course Description...

This report presents recommendations relative to the use of expert systems and machine learning techniques by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to substantially automate product substitution decisions associated with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Thirteen commercially available, PC-based...

This report presents recommendations relative to the use of expert systems and machine learning techniques by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to substantially automate product substitution decisions associated with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Thirteen commercially available, PC-based...

Alcohol consumption is considered an important social activity but a major health risk in Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC). Alcohol consumption net benefits are doubtful and the factors influencing alcohol consumption in the LAC countries are not well documented. In this study, we...

The objective of this thesis is to estimate the natural gas component of the All Urban Consumer Price Index (CP-U) using time series forecasting models. Being able to accurately predict future CPI-U values is important because it allows portfolio managers and financial institutions to properly...

The financial crisis of 2007-2008 led to extraordinary government intervention in firms and markets. The scope and depth of government action rivaled that of the Great Depression. Many traded markets experienced dramatic declines in liquidity leading to the existence of conditions normally...

Az élelmiszerek fogyasztói árindexe évek óta az inflációt meghaladó ütemben nő, az élelmiszer-kiskereskedelmi egységek éleződő versenye ellenére. A verseny erősségét az élelmiszer-kiskereskedelem kiegyenlített versenystruktúrája eredményezi, amit az első hat piaci...