Spatial externalities between Brazilian municipios and their neighbours

Clustering of economic performance and growth in space has generated considerable research on the spillovers and linkages among geographical neighbours. In this paper, we study the growth process of a large sample of Brazilian municipalities for the period 1970-1996 and attempt to evaluate the spatial externalities at work among them. We estimate the convergence speed of per capita income among municipios and test whether spatial externalities are linked to local income growth. Conditionally on structural characteristics, we find evidence of convergence between municipios and of positive spatial dependence in growth. These two facts could help explain the persistent inequalities between municipios and the increasing clustering of poor localities in the Northeast region.Local growth, convergence, spatial externalities, spatial econometrics, Brazil

Quantum yields of photoredox catalyzed alpha-arylation of amines

Photoredox Catalysis is a powerful tool for the formation of chemically challenging bonds that normally require high temperatures, high pressures, and harsh chemicals to synthesize. Despite widespread method development for use in pharmaceuticals and organic synthesis, a detailed mechanistic understanding of photoredox catalysis is needed. A major obstacle to understanding the photochemistry of photoredox catalysis is the lack of data on reaction quantum yields. In this study we analyze the quantum yields of an alpha arylation reaction of amines catalyzed by an Iridium polypyridyl photosensitizer. We will present our investigations into the quantum yields of this reaction with an emphasis on the effects of wavelength, light intensity, and reaction time.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_spring2020/1084/thumbnail.jp

Spatial externalities between Brazilian municipios and their neighbours

Economic growth certainly is not a uniform process over space, especially in a country as vast and diverse as Brazil. Among the determinants of local growth, the role of externalities has been much discussed in the recent literature (Glaeser et al., 1992). These externalities not only matter for growth within a given city or region but also for growth in neighbouring localities (Lopez-Baso et al., 2004). Our paper aims at providing a causal decomposition of spatial externalities occurring in the growth process of Brazilian municipios. Local growth may impact neighbours through a variety of externalities, and understanding how these externalities operate is crucial for the elaboration of public policies. Previous works on related topics include a recent paper by Lall and Shalizi (2003). Focusing on the Brazilian Northeast, the authors find that growth in municipios is negatively influenced by growth in their neighbourhood. Clearly, it seems worthwhile to extend this kind of analysis to the whole country to try and find if this phenomenon is a Northeastern specificity or a nationally valid result. Moreover, providing a more detailed account of the role of various sources of spatial externalities, and of their potential heterogeneities between regions, would be valuable. Spatial externalities Why may growth at a location affect growth at a neighbouring location? Several causes can be invoked. First, through technological externalities, a locality may benefit from improved economic conditions in another. For instance, if some firms in a locality have developed innovative processes, knowledge spillovers may favour the diffusion of new technologies to firms at neighbouring locations. Linkages between input suppliers and final producers may also be critical: if a final consumption good produced at a particular location benefits from a booming demand, upstream firms in the same region will thrive. Finally, proximity of an important economic centre may improve matching on the labour market, thus reducing costs and increasing labour productivity. Pecuniary externalities may also matter in spatial growth differentials: growth at a location may attract new firms and workers, thus increasing land rents. Transmission of this land market tension to nearby localities can reduce incentives for firms to locate there, and therefore attenuate growth prospects. Finally, local economic growth may foster immigration from less dynamic places. The impact of this migration on both the departure and arrival locations depends on various factors, notably the differences in education levels between the two localities, the substitutability between skilled and unskilled workers in production and the state of local labour markets. Empirical strategy: In order to disentangle which channels matter the most among the various kind of externalities, and to evaluate their spatial scope, we focus on the most rapidly growing Brazilian municipios. From a qualitative point of view, selecting a sample of fast growing localities permits to have a better understanding of the local growth process, since part of these localities are “polar cases” owing their rapid growth to a restricted combination of factors. Moreover, the strength of spatial externalities is likely to be greater in these locations.We evaluate the effects of these externalities on the performance of neighbouring municipios using spatial econometrics methods (Anselin, 2003), and controlling for various local characteristics of the neighbourhood (economic specializations, education, density, public infrastructures, etc.). Using different neighbours’ sets permits to measure the geographical scope of these externalities: some types of externalities only operate at short distance, while others may impact more distant locations. (Neighbours’ sets can be geographically defined, but also sets designed following other similarity or complementarity criterions.) Policy implications: poverty traps and land market issues Understanding how local growth may spread to neighbours or may hinder their economic performance is critical for policy design. Many Brazilian regions are characterized by important spatial inequalities between municipios, which seem to be very persistent over time. These poverty traps result from disparities in growth among neighbours and reducing them requires a better understanding of their formation. Moreover, local policies aiming at fostering growth may have adverse effects on nearby localities, certainly not a desirable outcome. Knowing which are the “bad” channels may help designing more efficient policies. Land and transportation policies are also a closely related issue: some spatial externalities are driven by the functioning of the land market. When rising rents in a growing locality are transmitted to adjacent locations, for instance, public policies may be needed to reduce market tensions through the development of new land plots or the improvement of transportation networks. In this case again, evaluating the strength and spatial scope of pecuniary externalities can help improving these policies.

A Path Toward a More Understandable Advertising Disclosure for Children: Conceptualizing Determining Factors for Disclosure Effectiveness and Opportunities for Future Research

Kinder sind in ihrer Medienumgebung einer Vielzahl von Werbebotschaften ausgesetzt. Insbesondere Kindern fällt es aufgrund des starken emotionalen Charakters von gegenwärtiger Werbung und den sich noch entwickelnden kognitiven Fähigkeiten schwer, Persuasionsversuche kritisch zu verarbeiten. Werbebezogene Aufklärungshinweise werden in diesem Zusammenhang als potenzielle unterstützende Maßnahmen angesehen, damit Kinder die persuasive Absicht von Werbung besser erkennen können. Die Ergebnisse zu den Auswirkungen von diesen Hinweisen auf das kindliche Persuasionswissen sind jedoch nicht eindeutig. Darüber hinaus benötigen Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler in diesem Forschungsbereich einen präzisen Überblick darüber, welche Faktoren für die Aktivierung des kindlichen Persuasionswissens durch Hinweise ausschlaggebend sind. Die vorliegende Studie baut auf der Literatur über das Persuasionswissen auf und untersucht, ob sich die Faktoren, die in diesem Forschungsbereich identifiziert wurden, auch auf werbebezogene Aufklärungshinweise übertragen lassen. Die Ergebnisse einer Literaturrecherche von bestehenden Aufklärungshinweis-Studien weisen darauf hin, dass werbebezogene Aufklärungshinweise besondere ‹Merkmale› erfordern, damit diese bei Kindern auch effektiv sind. Außerdem kann angenommen werden, dass nicht alle Kinder die Bedeutung der Hinweise gleichermaßen verstehen. In diesem Zusammenhang könnten jedoch andere individuelle Faktoren als das Alter ausschlaggebend sein. Die vorgeschlagene Konzeptualisierung identifiziert auch die Umwelt und die Situation als mögliche relevante Faktoren für die Wirksamkeit von werbebezogenen Aufklärungshinweisen bei Kindern. Denkbare zukünftige Forschungsbereiche werden diskutiert.Children are heavily confronted with advertising messages in their media environments. Given the emotional nature of contemporary advertising and children’s still developing cognitive skills, young consumers are hardly able to cope critically with advertising attempts. So that children are able to detect the persuasive intent, advertising disclosures are viewed as potential supportive measures to mitigate harm that excessive advertising might cause to children. However, the effects of advertising disclosures on children’s awareness of persuasion, i.e., “persuasion knowledge,” appear to be mixed. Moreover, scholars of this research field lack a consensus about what kind of determining factors play important roles in terms of children’s persuasion knowledge activation through disclosures. The present study builds on persuasion knowledge literature and investigates whether the factors identified in this research field can be also transferred to advertising disclosures. The results of a literature review of previous disclosure research show that disclosures might need specific ‘features’ so that advertising disclosures can be effective among children. Furthermore, not all children appear to be equally likely to grasp the meaning of disclosures. However, individual factors other than age might be more important in this context, including environment and situation. Finally, opportunities for future research are discussed

Beliefs, media exposure and policy preferences on immigration: Evidence from Europe

International audienceThis article studies the joint determination of beliefs about the economic impact of immigration and immigration policy preferences, using data from the five rounds of the European Social Survey (2002-2010). In addition to standard socio-economic characteristics, this analysis takes individual media consumption into account, as a determinant of opinion about immigration. Our results stress the important role of the endogenous determination of beliefs, which appears as a major determinant of policy preferences. Moreover, media exposure appears as a key determinant of beliefs: individuals who spend more time to get informed on social and political matters through newspapers and radio have a better opinion on the economic impact of immigration compared with individuals who devote time to other types of content

Development at the border : policies and national integration in Côte d'Ivoire and its neighbors

En appliquant plusieurs méthodes de régressions par discontinuité à un ensemble d'enquêtes auprès des ménages pour les années 1980 et 1990, nous examinons si la richesse macroéconomique de la Côte d'Ivoire se constatait aux frontières avec les pays voisins. A la frontière du Ghana et à la fin des années 1980, de larges discontinuités sont détectées en matière de consommation, de retard de croissance infantile, et d'accès à l'électricité ou à l'eau. Les discontinuités frontalières de consommation peuvent être expliquées par les différences de politiques concernant les cultures d'exportation (café et cacao). Quand ces politiques ont convergé dans les années 1990, seules les différences d'infrastructures rurales ont persisté. Dans le Nord, le revenu des cultures d'exportation (coton) engendrait aussi une différence en matière de consommation et de nutrition (cas du Mali). D'un côté, de larges différences de bien-être peuvent s'observer aux frontières divisant des pays africains, malgré leur supposée porosité. D'un autre côté, les discontinuités frontalières semblent refléter l'impact de politiques publiques réversibles, plutôt que des caractéristiques institutionnelles intangibles