Athletics, Academics, and the Financial Condition of U.S. Private Colleges

Abstract Many private colleges in the U.S. face financial difficulty. The role of athletics in the financial condition of U.S. colleges is subject to controversy. Supporters argue that collegiate sports draw students, improve student quality, and increase donor support. Detractors argue that athletics are costly and undermine the academic mission of the institution. In this paper, we examine metrics of athletic and academic quality to determine their effects on the financial health of a sample of U.S. private colleges. Our findings indicate that higher spending on athletics reduces an institution’s financial health and that academic quality increases an institution’s financial health

The determinants of purposeful voluntarism

Voluntarism is pervasive among humans, but what factors explain this particular nonmarket activity? Does it result from altruistic motives to help those less fortunate? Is it the result of rational or instinctive behavior that enhances individual and group survival? In this paper we draw upon the works of Adam Smith, Gary Becker, Herbert Simon, and evolutionary biologists Matt Ridley and Richard Dawkins to construct a formal model of interdependent utility functions. We test the implications of our model with data on volunteerism for U.S. states. Our findings support theories of volunteerism based on mutual aid among people with a common race and language and a relatively even distribution of income.Volunteerism Social capital Homogeneity

NAFTA, Environmental Kuznets Curves, and Mexico's Progress

The effects of NAFTA on Mexicos environment were of great concern pre-NAFTA and have continued to be a matter concern in the post-NAFTA era. As the many studies and evidence presented in this paper show, Mexicos environment in the post-NAFTA period has not suffered as much as pessimists feared, nor has it improved as much as optimists hoped. This outcome is consistent with theory and evidence from Environmental Kuznets Curves in that Mexicos macroeconomic performance has been inadequate to raise Mexicos per capita income to levels needed to cross estimated turning points for many pollutants. Seen in this light, Mexicos environmental quality will continue to be a mixture of modest improvements along with modest setbacks until the economy exhibits strong and sustained growth.

Religious Participation and Income.

Abstract The relationship between religion and income has been explored in several studies. In this paper, we extend this inquiry by arguing that religious participation, through its effects on preferences and net earnings potential, reduces participants' incomes. Similarly, we argue that high incomes discourage religious participation by encouraging individuals to substitute market work for religious activities. In an empirical model, we simultaneously estimate the effects of religious participation on income and income on religious participation, using US state data on per capita personal income and church membership. The results strongly support our hypotheses

Who Pays for College Athletic Spending? An Examination of the Evidence

/sites/default/files/journals/4/articles/175/submission/thumbnail.jpgCollege athletics is a major business in the United States. Collegiate sports teams generate billions of dollars in revenues, but they also incur billions of dollars in costs, and for the vast majority of athletic teams, revenues do not cover costs. When athletic programs do not cover their costs, the institutional budget must fund these expenses. In this paper, we demonstrate that an institution’s athletic subsidy per student is dependent on the institution’s number of students. Further, we find that institutions where the athletic subsidy per student is high enroll a disproportionate share of students who are economically disadvantaged and less qualified academically.</p

Environmental Kuznets curves, carbon emissions, and public choice

Concern about global climate change has elicited responses from governments around the world. These responses began with the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and have continued with other negotiations, including the 2009 Copenhagen Summit. These negotiations raised important questions about whether countries will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, if so, how the burden of emissions reductions will be shared. To investigate these questions, we utilize environmental Kuznets curves for carbon emissions for the G8 plus five main developing countries. Our findings raise doubts about the feasibility of reducing global carbon emissions and shed light on the different positions taken by countries on the distribution of emissions reductions.