<title>Abstract</title>  The authors argue that the recent upsurge in anti-tax sentiment has its roots evolving social conditions and adherence to the laissez faire myth. Content analysis reveals that political anti-tax rhetoric increased in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a time of social distress in the...

When the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program was created, participating states were made responsible for the administration of the program. States could choose between administering the program themselves or allowing local administration under state supervision. Initially, 32 of the...

This article examines the congressional vote for HR3734, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The primary concern is to identify the factors that had a significant influence over the voting decision, paying special attention to representative ideology...

This paper provides a basic overview of original institutional economics (OIE). It is intended to serve as a primer for anyone interested in knowing more about OIE. The paper provides an OIE perspective on four major topics: humans and their relation to the natural environment, technology, the...

Recently economists, even many in the mainstream, have come to acknowledge the influence of culture on the economic process. Some, like original institutionalists, have a thorough understanding of and appreciation for the richness of culture and are, therefore, suspicious of any attempt to...

When NAFTA was implemented in 1994, there was a general expectation that it would hurt U.S. retailers along the U.S.-Mexico border. This paper asks whether there was a significant change in the pattern of retail trade in border MSAs in the years surrounding NAFTA's implementation. Data from MSAs...

This paper uses regression analysis to explore possible relationships between culture and governance. The World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, in six expressions, are used as dependent variables. Explanatory variables are real per capita GDP (PPP) and culture measured in two dimensions....

Between 1992 and 2009, 44 of the American states adopted incentive programs to encourage film production. The primary focus of this paper is to report on a case study of state and national film-production employment during a period (1997-2011) when states were spending substantial treasure and...

This article examines the relationship between state exports and job quality across the 50 American states. An occupational distribution index is calculated and used as a proxy for state job quality. An 8-year data panel is used to estimate the impacts of exports and several control variables on...

This paper explores differences in personal bankruptcy rates across the American states. Particular emphasis is given to the Veblenian idea of emulative consumption where a desire to “keep up with the Jones”’ results in over-borrowing leading eventually to bankruptcy. The paper posits an...