Lifting the long run growth rate is, arguably, the pursuit of every economy. What should Kenya do to enhance its long run growth rate? This paper attempts to answer this question by examining the determinants of total factor productivity (TFP) in Kenya. We utilized the theoretical insights from...

This paper revisits the contentious link between the level of the minimum wage and wage inequality. This is done utilizing the differential rates of minimum wage increase experienced by two age groups (youth and adults) in New Zealand, over the period 1997 to 2007.

Reducing the unemployment rate is an aim of most governing authorities. This paper presents a socio-economic analysis of area-level employment rate changes across Auckland using Census area-level data for the time period 1996 to 2006. Exploratory spatial data analyses suggest the presence of...

New Zealand panel data, which provide extensive information on the benefit histories of parents and their children, are used to estimate an intergenerational correlation coefficient in social welfare dependency. Recent estimation techniques for addressing issues of measurement error are applied...

A considerable literature indicates that class attendance is an important determinant of academic performance but the narrative on what influences students decisions to attend class is scant. This article examines why students choose not to attend class through the use of a survey distributed to...

This special issue highlights the growing trend in applied economics research of the use and analysis of subjective concepts, such as quality of life. It contains five studies that highlight the broad range of research currently in vogue, including the valuation of protected areas, a living...

This paper examines the determinants of total factor productivity (TFP) in Kenya. We utilized the theoretical insights from the Solow (1956) growth model and its extension by Mankiw, Romer and Weil (1992) and followed Senhadji's (2000) growth accounting procedure. We find that growth in Kenya,...

Real minimum wages increased by nearly 33% for adults and 123% for teenagers in New Zealand between 1999 and 2008. Where fewer than 2% of workers were being paid a minimum wage at the outset of this sample period, now more than 8% of adult workers and 60% of teenage workers are receiving hourly...

In this study, we seek to investigate what influences children’s intelligence in early childhood. The Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk Factors of Myopia (SCORM) is used in to assess determinants of childhood IQ and changes in IQ. This longitudinal data set, collected from 1999, includes a...