Property Tax Limitations

This report discusses property tax limitations in the U.S. and highlights limitations imposed in Georgia. FRC Report 17

Tax Revenue Stability of Replacing the Property Tax with a Sales Tax - Brief

This policy brief discusses the implications for tax revenue stability of proposals that would replace the property tax with an increased sales tax. FRC Brief 16

Variation in Teacher Salaries in Georgia

This report documents the variation in K-12 public school teacher salaries in Georgia and discusses the causes of variation in teacher salaries within and across districts. FRC Report 18

A Targeted Property Tax Relief Program for Georgia

This report describes how a targeted property tax relief program could be designed and provides estimates of the cost and distribution of program benefits. FRC Report 17

Human Capital Externalities and Employment Differences across Metropolitan Areas of the U.S.

It has been well documented that employment outcomes often differ considerably across areas. This paper examines the extent to which the local human capital level, measured as the share of adults with a college degree, has positive external effects on labor force participation and employment for U.S. metropolitan area residents. We find that the local human capital level has positive externalities on participation for women, but an inconsistent effect on participation for men. However, the local human capital level reduces unemployment for both men and women. We also find that less educated workers generally receive the largest external benefits.employment; unemployment; human capital externalities; agglomeration

Georgia's Immigrants: Past, Present, and Future

This report uses data from the most recent decennial censuses to analyze and assess the composition and experience ofimmigrants to Georgia, with special attention paid to the Atlanta metropolitan area, where the majority of the immigrants have settled. FRC Report 17

Did the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program Cause Out-of-State Tuition to Increase?

The District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) program is a federally funded financial aid program that allows District residents to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities throughout the United States. One potential side effect of this program is that colleges and universities that enroll meaningful numbers of D.C. residents may have incentives to increase out-of-state tuition rates. We test this hypothesis empirically. Our preferred specification suggests that there is little evidence that colleges and universities that enroll a high percentage of out-of-state students from D.C. increased out-of-state tuition in response to the DCTAG program.Out-of-State, Nonresident, Tuition, Financial Aid, DCTAG

Selected Fiscal and Economic Implications of Aging

This report considers pressures and potential benefits of an increased elderly population in Georgia. FRC Report 16

Revenue Estimates for Eliminating Sales Tax Exemptions and Adding Services to the Sales Tax Base

This report provides revenue estimates for alternative combinations of eliminating sales tax exemptions and adding services to the sales tax base. FRC Report 17

Essays on Interarea Wage Determination

This dissertation consists of two essays concerning the determination of wages across areas. The first essay investigates the equilibrium relationship between wages and prices across labor markets. Of central interest is the extent to which workers receive higher wages to compensate for differences in the cost of living. According to the spatial equilibrium hypothesis, the utility of homogenous workers should be equal across labor markets. This implies that controlling for amenity differences across areas, the elasticity between wages and the general price level across areas should equal one, at least under certain conditions. We test this hypothesis and find that the predicted relationship holds when housing prices are measured by rents and the general price level is instrumented to account for measurement error. When housing prices are measured by housing values, however, the wage-price elasticity is significantly less than one, even using instrumental variables. Rents reflect the price paid for housing per unit of time and are arguably the superior measure. Thus, findings in this essay provide support for the full compensation hypothesis. These findings also have important implications for researchers estimating the implicit prices of amenities or ranking the quality of life across areas. The second essay uses a national level dataset and a spatial econometric framework to examine the effects of teacher unions and other school district characteristics on teacher salaries. The results confirm that salaries for both experienced and beginning teachers are positively affected by salaries in nearby districts. Investigations of the determinants of teacher salaries that ignore this spatial relationship are likely to be misspecified. We find that union activity increases salaries for experienced teachers by as much as 16-21 percent but increases salaries for beginning teachers by a considerably smaller amount. This result is consistent with predictions from a median voter model