Comments on: The power of corporations http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/ Sharpening my knife Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:32:30 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: pushmedia1 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1918 pushmedia1 Thu, 08 May 2008 18:33:37 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1918 She may be interested in the effect of walmart on the "mom and pop" sector (Sobel/Dean 2007) or the local retail labor market (Basker 2005, Neumark et al 2008). I'm very confident that when you look at variation in walmart density at the state level, you get a zero effect on the labor market task composition (manual vs routine tasks) and zero impact on those tasks' relative wages. She may be interested in the effect of walmart on the “mom and pop” sector (Sobel/Dean 2007) or the local retail labor market (Basker 2005, Neumark et al 2008).

I’m very confident that when you look at variation in walmart density at the state level, you get a zero effect on the labor market task composition (manual vs routine tasks) and zero impact on those tasks’ relative wages.

]]> By: Amanda http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1912 Amanda Thu, 08 May 2008 07:21:00 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1912 Hi Will, I just happened to see this because I have an MBA student who is doing a project on Wal-Mart for my class. She might like to comment (in her project) on whether Wal-Mart's policies affect the overall landscape of business. Do you know of other studies in this area? How confident are you regarding your unpublished result? Would you mind being a resource for her? Amanda Hi Will,
I just happened to see this because I have an MBA student who is doing a project on Wal-Mart for my class. She might like to comment (in her project) on whether Wal-Mart’s policies affect the overall landscape of business. Do you know of other studies in this area? How confident are you regarding your unpublished result? Would you mind being a resource for her?
Amanda

]]> By: Jason http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1876 Jason Thu, 01 May 2008 07:23:32 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1876 Just to clarify, my last comment is only meant to imply that the "bar for what results must look like" is not necessarily super high. Zeros can be okay. Even predictable zeros as you pointed out. The papers discussed surely exceed a very high bar. Just to clarify, my last comment is only meant to imply that the “bar for what results must look like” is not necessarily super high. Zeros can be okay. Even predictable zeros as you pointed out.

The papers discussed surely exceed a very high bar.

]]> By: Jason http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1875 Jason Thu, 01 May 2008 07:15:19 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1875 So the bar is both lower than you initially thought and than I initially said. So the bar is both lower than you initially thought and than I initially said.

]]> By: pushmedia1 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1873 pushmedia1 Thu, 01 May 2008 03:43:24 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1873 I don't know enough about the history/geneology of the first paper, but a zero result isn't surprising using growth models. You'd expect short run effects of an increase in labor supply that goes away as the economy approaches the steady state. The second paper is really 5 zero results, but their discontinuity design seems weird. Close union votes suggest workers are close to indifferent between the expected payoffs of unionization and the expected payoffs of non-unionization. For there to be indifference, wages and employment (and thus output, productivity and survivability) can't be that different between the two groups (in expectation). Given rational expectations, zero results are expected with that design. In other words, Dinardo and Lee are really testing the rational expectations assumption not the effects of unions. I don’t know enough about the history/geneology of the first paper, but a zero result isn’t surprising using growth models. You’d expect short run effects of an increase in labor supply that goes away as the economy approaches the steady state.

The second paper is really 5 zero results, but their discontinuity design seems weird. Close union votes suggest workers are close to indifferent between the expected payoffs of unionization and the expected payoffs of non-unionization. For there to be indifference, wages and employment (and thus output, productivity and survivability) can’t be that different between the two groups (in expectation). Given rational expectations, zero results are expected with that design. In other words, Dinardo and Lee are really testing the rational expectations assumption not the effects of unions.

]]> By: Jason http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1872 Jason Thu, 01 May 2008 01:00:13 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1872 I think DiNardo and Lee's 04 QJE paper on unionization is another example. I think DiNardo and Lee’s 04 QJE paper on unionization is another example.

]]> By: Jason http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1871 Jason Thu, 01 May 2008 00:47:00 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1871 The first one that comes to mind is David Card's famous paper on the effect of the Mariel Boatlift (immigration) on native's employment. Interestingly enough, it was not published in one of the top general interest journals but I would imagine it's one of the most cited papers in labor economics in the last 20 years. Card also has an affirmative action paper that finds no effect. Fryer and Levitt have a QJE paper that finds no effect of "distinctively black names" on outcomes (although they do find that it is a signal of socioeconomic status). The first one that comes to mind is David Card’s famous paper on the effect of the Mariel Boatlift (immigration) on native’s employment. Interestingly enough, it was not published in one of the top general interest journals but I would imagine it’s one of the most cited papers in labor economics in the last 20 years. Card also has an affirmative action paper that finds no effect. Fryer and Levitt have a QJE paper that finds no effect of “distinctively black names” on outcomes (although they do find that it is a signal of socioeconomic status).

]]> By: pushmedia1 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1870 pushmedia1 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:34:45 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1870 Regarding zero results: do you have an example of a paper with zeros as it main results that also got published in a top journal? any journal? Regarding zero results: do you have an example of a paper with zeros as it main results that also got published in a top journal? any journal?

]]> By: pushmedia1 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1869 pushmedia1 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:24:17 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1869 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGzHBtoVvpc" rel="nofollow">Walmart's geographic spread</a> over the country looks pretty damn exogenous to me. Walmart’s geographic spread over the country looks pretty damn exogenous to me.

]]> By: Jason http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/comment-page-1/#comment-1868 Jason Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:05:30 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/04/the-power-of-corporations/#comment-1868 Perhaps I misunderstood initially. So the difference is that you're looking at aggregate employment and the existing literature looks at local labor markets? Much harder to get exogenous variation at the aggregate level. Perhaps I misunderstood initially. So the difference is that you’re looking at aggregate employment and the existing literature looks at local labor markets? Much harder to get exogenous variation at the aggregate level.

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