It is well understood that personal grooming provides an important source of communication about individuals, their values and personalities. From an economic point of view, grooming is a non-market activity. The standard view is that time spent in non-market activities is counterproductive as...

At lower levels of income, the authors find, nations are more ethnically diverse. As nations become industrialized, their populace becomes more ethnically homogeneous. Finally, as nations move toward the highest levels of income, their populace returns to a more ethnically diverse state. The...

Over the last decade there has been increasing international pressure on countries to raise social standards (i.e., production standards based on environmental and labor conditions). Currently, the World Trade Organization does not allow countries to impose minimum standards on imports based on...

The 2006 Congressional elections seemed to be about change, as well as the war in Iraq. The 2008 Presidential election, though only at the primary stage, seems to be about change as well as the war in Iraq and the faltering economy. What is the force behind Americans wanting “change?” Is it...

Recent research has explored the determinants of terrorism and the impact that terrorist activity has on a country. However, to date, no research has examined what specific aspect of terrorist risk most significantly impacts a country's ability to operate in the global market. Using the five...

With the emergence of North-South intra-industry trade in products where consumers value quality, exporting countries potentially face significant barriers to entry. Due to the existence of asymmetric information about new products in a foreign market, the producer's reputation becomes an...

Over the last decade there has been increasing international pressure on countries to raise 'social standards' (i.e. production standards based on environmental and labor conditions). Currently, the World Trade Organization does not allow countries to impose minimum standards on imports based on...

Several studies have explored how certain economic and cultural variables affect a country's corruption level. This study extends previous research by not only considering these variables, but also taking into account the impact that information and communication technology can have on...

This paper analyzes how a country's commitment to labor standards is affected by the international political power they possess. Powerful countries may be less committed to actual enforcement of certain labor standards since they are unlikely to face significant threats of international...