For four alternatives and an even number of individuals, we prove a conjecture in a companion paper: It is impossible for a social choice rule to satisfy all of (1) Pareto, (2) anonymity, (3) full domain, and (4) independence of some alternative, a relaxation of Arrow’s IIA. JEL Codes: D70, D71

Evidence on the pre-modern relationship between wealth and fertility has so far almost entirely relied upon data from Europe. We use British colonial records from early 19thcentury India on widow suicides (satis) to show that there is a robust positive relationship between income and fertility. JEL codes: J13, N35, D31

In a second-price auction with costly bidding, bidders can deter others from participating by publicly pre-committing to bid. Such “bid deterrence” increases total welfare when the reserve price is given, but allows the seller to increase expected revenue when the seller can pre-commit to a reserve price. JEL Codes: D44.

This paper uses the Clarke mechanism to construct an incentive compatible tâtonnement process which converges to the Lindahl allocation of a public good economy. We show truth telling is an equilibrium in the infinite horizon game induced by the tâtonnement. JEL Codes: C72, D44, H41

This paper provides a theoretical functional representation of the density function related to the DickeyFuller random variable. The approach is extended to cover the multivariate case in two special frameworks: the independence and the perfect correlation of the series. key words: Dickey-Fuller distribution, unit root JEL codes: C12, C16, C22

I analyze a survey that mimics the Displaced Workers Supplement (DWS) of the CPS. Laid off workers accurately recall several features of lost jobs. However, workers provide ambiguous explanations for job loss and, on average, slightly overstate pre-layoff earnings. JEL Codes: J63, J65

This paper employs Roback’s locational-equilibrium model of public-goods pricing, crosssectional data from the Census of Population and Housing, and SMSA-level estimates of public capital stocks in order to examine the productive contribution of public capital. I find that public capital has a small positive impact on private output. JEL classification codes: E62, R53

Wage dispersion is generated in a sequential search environment through heterogeneity in firm productivity along with an individual wage-effort tradeoff. For a given degree of TFP dispersion, the framework can generate any amount of wage dispersion. Calibrated to generate realistic gains from trade, it is able to generate the kind of wage dispersion observed in data. JEL codes: E24, J64

Using a panel of international student test scores, 1980 – 2000, panel fixed effects estimates suggest that government spending decentralization is conducive to student performance. The effect does not appear to be mediated through levels of, or decentralization in, educational spending. JEL codes: C33; H2; I2, H40