Estimating Brand Level Demand Elasticities and Measuring Market Power for Regular Carbonated Soft Drinks

This paper reports econometric estimation of brand level demand (AIDS) elasticities for regular carbonated soft drinks using Information Resources, Inc. panel data. Own and cross price elasticities are used to measure actual and hypothetical market power that would arise from potential mergers or collusive pricing arrangements.Demand and Price Analysis, Marketing,

Integration of Multimedia Interactive Web Tools with In-Class Active Learning

In this paper, we present our experience with an introduction to engineering course in which we used a combination of active and collaborative teaching methods, multimedia web-based material, and web-based interactive tools. The students were engaged in active learning in class with methods such as demonstrations, hands-on work, and group work. After class, the students used the web-based material that we developed, such as multiple choice quizzes, interactive applets, and animations. We have also developed a number of web-based course management tools that were used by the course instructors. We conclude that both the students and instructors had a very positive experience from using this combination of methods

Mapping School Choice in Massachusetts: Data and Findings 2003

School choice is a highly controversial topic in Massachusetts' educational policy circles these days. In recent years, the Commonwealth has offered students and their families a variety of school choice options, but very little funding has been dedicated to studying the impact, availability and enrollment trends of school choice. As a result, policymakers are forced to shape a policy agenda based upon conjecture rather than evidence.The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, with the support of the Boston Foundation, commissioned this school choice mapping research to fill the informational gap. With this study, prepared by the researchers at the University of Massachusetts' Center for Education Policy, we seek to provide independently gathered evidence to better inform policymakers and researchers and to draw attention to policy issues that require further attention and investigation. We believe that school choice will continue to play a central role in the education reform debate and that this initial mapping is essential to display and benchmark current school choice phenomena while providing a basis for future trend analysis.This report describes the various school choice options in Massachusetts and details the extent to which each school choice option is available and exercised. School choice options that were examined include:Charter schoolsPrivate and parochial schoolsInter-district school choiceHome-schoolingMETCOVocational optionsIntra-district school choiceSpecial education programsTo the extent possible using current data, the report includes:Information on the national context;Statewide information on utilization of each of the options; andIn-depth look at school choice dynamics in the metropolitan Boston area.This report is intended to provide baseline data, rather than in-depth analysis of the status of school choice in Massachusetts. In addition, this report contains a policy brief that highlights the impact of trends in student enrollment and the availability of school choice in the Commonwealth

Countervailing Power and Seller Performance in U.S. Food and Tobacco Manufacturing Industries

An analysis of the impact of buyer structure on the profitability of U.S. food manufacturing industries shows inconclusive evidence in support of the countervailing power hypothesis in these industries. However, findings show that industries that have high sales to other food manufacturing industries, as opposed to sales to the wholesale, retail and other nonindustrial buyers have lower profitability.Agribusiness, Industrial Organization,

Bringing the Field into the Classroom by Using Dynamic Digital Maps to Engage Undergraduate Students in Petrology Research

This article describes the use of Dynamic Digital Maps (DDMs) in undergraduate petrology courses. A DDM is a stand-alone computer program that presents interactive geologic maps, digital images, movies, animations, text and data. DDMs were developed for use in two undergraduate research projects, and impacts on student learning were evaluated by administering assessments on students before and after participation in one of the projects. Researchers found significant gains in both students' confidence in their ability to do research and to understand petrology, and noted that DDMs are versatile and can potentially be adapted effectively from 100-level introductory geology labs to research-oriented gradute level courses and in a variety of geologic subdisciplines. Educational levels: Graduate or professional, Graduate or professional

Clean Energy Investments, Jobs, And U.S. Economic Well-Being: A Third Response To Heritage Foundation Critics

The Heritage Foundation recently released a response to “The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy" by Robert Pollin, James Heintz & Heidi Garrett-Peltier, which, surprisingly, finds consensus on the central point of that study: that investments in clean energy will generate roughly three times more jobs than spending the same amount of money within our fossil fuel energy infrastructure. Where the PERI authors and Janet Campbell of Heritage differ, however, is over the question of whether this job creation is inherently a good thing for the U.S. economy. In this brief response paper, Pollin, Heintz & Garrett-Peltier lay out their case that the U.S. economy will benefit greatly from creating an abundance of new job opportunities for people at all levels of income and credentials, and that it is a double benefit that these new job opportunities will mean mobilizing the U.S. workforce to the project of building a clean-energy economy and thereby defeating global warming.

Environment for the People

Environment for the People, a joint publication of PERI and the Centre for Science and the Environment (CSE) in India, documents innovative strategies used by environmental activists around the world to build natural assets. In diverse landscapes, from Bangladesh's riverine delta to Somalia's arid uplands, ommunities are investing in ecological restoration. In 'extractive reserves' in the Amazon rainforest, the defense of sustainable livelihoods goes hand-in-hand with defense of bio-diversity. In the Peruvian Andes, indigenous communities are fighting to protect their lands and water from the ravages of the mining industry. And in cities around the world, from Los Angeles to New Delhi, communities are mobilizing to defend the right to clean air. These and other inspiring cases profiled in Environment for the People illustrate that humankind does not face an inexorable 'tradeoff' between protecting the natural environment and improving economic well-being. On the contrary, struggles for environmental protection and sustainable livelihoods are bound together

TAX REFORM AND REVENUE SHARING CHANGES: FISCAL IMPACTS ON SMALL, RURAL MASSACHUSETTS TOWNS

Public Economics,