Virginia Association of Economists 44th Annual Meeting

March 16 March 17, 2017

University of Richmond, Downtown Campus (626 E. Broad St, Richmond VA 23219)
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (701 E. Byrd St, Richmond VA 23219)

THURSDAY, MARCH 16
Location: University of Richmond Downtown
12:00-1:00 P.M.

REGISTRATION

1:00 P.M. 2:15 P.M.

PLENARY SESSION I: VIRGINIA ECONOMY

Location: Lower Level
Facilitator: Sonya Waddell, Regional Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Panelists:
Ann Macheras, Vice President of Regional Research and Economic Education, Federal Reserve
Bank of Richmond
John R. Layman, Director/Chief Economist, Revenue Forecasting, Virginia Department of
Taxation
Alice Kassens, Senior Analyst, Institute for Public Opinion Research and Shannon Professor of
Economics, Roanoke College

2:15 P.M. 2:30 P.M.

COFFEE BREAK AND REFRESHMENTS (Lower Level)

2:30 P.M. 3:40 P.M.

SESSION 1A: International: Macroeconomics and Microeconomics

Location: Lower Level
Chair: Brian Hollar, Marymount University

The Changing Nature of US-China Trade Rivalry in Africa, Brenda Ponsford, Virginia Union
University
Discussant: Brian Hollar, Marymount University
Entrepreneurial Alertness in the Religious Context: African Anglicans Invade America, Brian
Hollar, Marymount University
Discussant: Evelyn Nunes, Virginia Commonwealth University
Parental Educational Choice and School Vouchers, Evelyn Nunes, Virginia Commonwealth
University
Discussant: Kiertisak Toh, Radford University
Macroeconomic Volatility and Economic Growth: The Case of Sub-Saharan African Economies,
Kiertisak Toh, Radford University
Discussant: Brenda Ponsford, Virginia Union University

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SESSION 1B: Health and Welfare
Location: Gallery
Chair: Clifford Thies, Shenandoah University

Women's Asset Ownership and Children's Nutritional Status: Evidence from Papua New Guinea,
Alice Kassens, Roanoke College
Discussant: Melanie Fennell, Randolph-Macon College
How The Quality of Healthcare Delivery affects Parents' Decisions to Seek Medical Attention for
their Sick Children: Evidence from Kenya Melanie Fennell, Randolph-Macon College
Discussant: Clifford Thies, Shenandoah University
Coupons in Recession, Clifford Thies, Shenandoah University
Discussant: Alice Kassens, Roanoke College
The Efficient Siting of Noxious Facilities Under Majority Rule Decisions, Timothy Hamilton,
University of Richmond
Discussant: Raymond Owens, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

SESSION 1C: UNDERGRADUATE PRESENTATIONS-1

Location: Community Room
Chair: Linda Hooks, Washington and Lee University

Communism as a Determinant of Attitudes Towards Immigration: Evidence from Former East

and West Germany, Matthew Carl, Washington and Lee University
Discussant: Sean McCrary, Federal Reserve of Richmond
Blown Away: Bombs, Networks, and Economic Fortitude, William Tilson, Radford University
Discussant: Robert McNab, Old Dominion University
Winter Weather and School Cancellation in Virginia, Elaine Wissuchek, University of
Richmond
Discussant: Linda Hooks, Washington and Lee University
Fake news how "new" is it to fake information? Meghan Sivakumar, Thomas Jefferson High
School for Science and Technology
Discussant: Tony Carilli, Hampden-Sydney College

SESSION 1D: UNDERGRADUATE PRESENTATIONS-2

Location: Classroom
Chair: Ann Macheras, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

What are the longer-term consequences of the Earned Income Tax Credit? An Estimate of Full-
Time Employment Effects, Giuseppe Germinario, George Mason University
Discussant: Erica Paulos, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Bridging the Gaps of Trade and Inequality with Foreign Direct Investment: What is the impact
of Foreign Direct Investment on the Two-Gap Model and Economic Inequality in Egypt?
Ashraqat Sayed Ahmed, Hollins University
Discussant: Michael Enz, Roanoke College
The Role of Trade and Renewables in the Nexus of Economic Growth and Environmental
Degradation: Revisiting the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), Lan Nguyen, Hollins
University
Discussant: Daniel Schwam, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

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3:40 P.M. 4:50 P.M.

SESSION 2A: Food and Trade

Location: Gallery
Chair: Indu Khurana, Hampden-Sydney College

Is it Scotchy Scotch Scotch?: The Political Economy of Japanese Entry to the Scotch Whiskey
Industry, Michelle Vachris, Christopher Newport University
Discussant: Mark Wilson, West Virginia University Tech
Examining "Food Miles--Should I eat Mexican tomatoes? Mark Wilson, West Virginia
University Tech
Discussant: Joseph Mengedoth, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
The Economic Impact of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), Brenda Ponsford,
Virginia Union University
Discussant: Sharon Eicher, College of William and Mary

SESSION 2B: Institutions in Economics

Location: Community Room
Chair: Tony Carilli, Hampden-Sydney College

Transforming Institutions to Make Innovation a Continuous Process: a Study of IDEO, Jesse

Stewart, Radford University
Discussant: Michael Enz, Roanoke College
How Students in Economics Courses Perceive Content Videos, Michael Enz, Roanoke College
Discussant: Tony Carilli, Hampden-Sydney College
Should College Athletes Be Paid While They Are Enrolled in College? Adelaja Odutola and
H.P.Singh-Sandhu, Virginia Union University
Discussant: Sonya Waddell, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Unprincipled Introduction, Tony Carilli, Hampden-Sydney College
Discussant: Raymond J. MacDermott, Virginia Military Institute

SESSION 2C: Experimental Economics

Location: Lower Level
Chair: Sam Allen, Virginia Military Institute
Communication and Side Payments in a Duopoly with Private Costs: An Experiment, Shakun
Mago, University of Richmond
Discussant: Sam Allen, Virginia Military Institute
Prosocial Preferences and Institutions, Sam Allen, Virginia Military Institute
Discussant: Haley Harwell, University of Richmond
Using Experimental Games to Understand Risk Sharing Behavior in Three Communities,
Haley Harwell, University of Richmond
Discussant: Shakun Mago, University of Richmond

5:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M.

RECEPTION
Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, 23 rd floor (enter through Lobby)

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6:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M.

DINNER and WILLIAM A. SANDRIDGE LECTURE

Speaker: Allan Drazen, University of Maryland
Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Dining Room, 23 rd floor

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FRIDAY, MARCH 17
Location: University of Richmond Downtown

7:30 A.M. 8:00 A.M.

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST (Conference Room)

PAST-PRESIDENTS BREAKFAST (Lower Level, by invitation, 7:15-8:00 a.m.)

8:00 A.M. - 8:30 A.M.

BUSINESS MEETING
Location: Community Room

8:45 A.M. - 10:00 A.M.

DATA VISUALISATION: DEMONSTRATION AND DISCUSSION OF SAS AND TABLEAU

Location: Gallery
Facilitator: Alice Kassens, Senior Analyst, Institute for Public Opinion Research and Shannon
Professor of Economics, Roanoke College

Panelists:
Josh Hewitt, Academic Outreach and Collaborations Manager, SAS Institute
Dan Melvin, Enterprise Account Manager, Tableau Software

10:00 A.M. 10:15 A.M.

REFRESHMENTS (Conference Room)

10:15 A.M. - 11:45 A.M.

SESSION 3A: Government, Firms, and Growth

Location: Gallery
Chair: Chadwick Curtis, University of Richmond

Inflation and the Evolution of Firm-Level Liquid Assets, Chadwick Curtis, University of
Richmond
Discussant: Indu Khurana, Hampden-Sydney College
Risk-Averse Firms can Deliver Realistic Recessions in an RBC Model, Zhaochen He, Christopher
Newport University
Discussant: Alexei Orlov, Securities and Exchange Commission
Diversification and Survival of Business Start-ups, Indu Khurana, Hampden-Sydney College
Discussant: Ann Macheras, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Endogenous Growth, Human Capital, and the Costs of Capacity Utilization Shocks, Alexei Orlov,
Securities and Exchange Commission
Discussant: Chadwick Curtis, University of Richmond

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 SESSION 3B: Culture and Information
Location: Community Room
Chair: Robert McNab, Old Dominion University

Does Culture Influence Budget Transparency? Robert McNab, Old Dominion University
Discussant: Santiago Pinto, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
The Evolution of Good Taste in Home Renovation Decisions, Daniel Farhat, Radford University
Discussant: Raymond Owens, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Unfinished Business: The Failure of the United States to Convert to the Metric System, David
Selover, Old Dominion University
Discussant: Philip Heap, James Madison University

SESSION 3C: Labor

Location: Lower Level
Chair: Andrea Waddle, University of Richmond

The Returns to Skills and the Gender Wage Gap, Yu Zhou, Virginia Tech
Discussant: Andrea Waddle, University of Richmond
On the Impact of Local Economies on Sub-Federal Immigration Laws in the U.S. and How These
Laws Affect Agricultural Labor Force, Eftila Tanellari, Radford University
Discussant: Yu Zhou, Virginia Tech
Trade, Technological Change, and Wage Inequality: The Case of Mexico, Andrea Waddle,
University of Richmond
Discussant: Eftila Tanellari, Radford University

11:45 A.M.

CONFERENCE ENDS. Thank you for attending.

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