The Scout Report for Business & Economics - April 22, 1999


The Scout Report for Business & Economics

April 22, 1999

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The target audience of the new Scout Report for Business & Economics is faculty, students, staff, and librarians in business and economics. Each biweekly issue offers a selective collection of Internet resources covering topics in the field that have been chosen by librarians and content specialists in the given area of study.

The Scout Report for Business & Economics is also provided via email once every two weeks. Subscription information is included at the bottom of each issue.

In This Issue

Research

Learning Resources

General Interest

Current Awareness

New Data

In The News


Research

Journal of Finance Finance Site List
http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/htbin/htimage/~fin/journal/jf.conf?48,215
Maintained by the Journal of Finance "for those interested in understanding and teaching financial ideas," this extensive metasite links readers to institutions, publications, and people engaged in finance research. In addition to links to online finance journals, working paper collections, and research centers, the Finance Site List presents additional metasites and educational resources as well as statistical software information and the "interesting, fun and odd" among finance homepages. [MW]
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Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific -- UN
http://www.unescap.org/
With the goal to "benefit people from all walks of life in their pursuit of social and economic development," the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the main organization for United Nations activities in the Asian and Pacific region. The site hosts a wide range of ESCAP publications -- such as the Asia-Pacific Population Journal and the annual Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific -- that address social development and population issues in China, Japan, India, Malaysia, and beyond. Major socio-economic indicators are available from Asia and the Pacific in Figures at the ESCAP Statistics Division homepage (1980-present).
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The Tax History Project [.pdf]
http://www.taxhistory.org/
Established in 1995 by Tax Analysts, the Tax History Project helps scholars, policymakers, students, and citizens easily access primary historical documents relating to American tax history. This rich resource archives US Treasury, White House, and Congressional documents from the early national, Depression, and World War II eras. Cartoon and poster image galleries supplement the text archives. Other features include statistical data on American taxation, Presidential Tax Returns, books reviews, and links to tax policy discussion groups.
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Implications of Repo Markets for Central Banks -- BIS [.pdf]
http://www.bis.org/publ/cgfs10.htm
A report by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) (reviewed in the March 7, 1997 Scout Report), Implications of Repo Markets for Central Banks, seeks to "enhance central banks' understanding of the economic and monetary policy role of repo markets." Three chapters examine how private market participants use repos for hedging and leverage purposes and focus on the use of repos by central banks as an information source and policy instrument. [MW]
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Researchers' Guide to Trade and Sustainable Development -- IISDnet
http://iisd.ca/trade/res_gd.htm
The Researchers' Guide to Trade and Sustainable Development is a "starting point" for researchers interested in trade agreements and international environmental issues from IISDnet (described in the September 25, 1997 Scout Report for Business & Economics). The site consists of links for trade agreements, such as NAFTA and APEC, and environmental agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. These links lead either off-site to the homepage of the agreement or to a collection of information compiled by IISDnet, including the full-text of the agreement, where a final text exists and, in some cases, a background primer text and suggested readings. [MW]
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Learning Resources

Econ-Bused-Research Discussion List
http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/econ-bused-research/
Maintained by Peter Davies at the Centre for Economics and Business education, Staffordshire University, UK, this new electronic discussion list is dedicated to "communication on research in Economics and Business Education." The forum also provides peer review and publicizes research findings. List members meet twice yearly for seminars. [MW]
To subscribe, send a message to:
    mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk
In the body of the message, type:
    join econ-bused-research firstname lastname
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The Internet and Distance Learning in Accounting Education -- IFAC
http://www.ifac.org/StandardsAndGuidance/Education/DistanceLearning.html
This new discussion paper from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) Education Committee addresses issues of quality assurance in Internet and distance education with the hope that the publication will act as a "springboard" for further discussion among accounting educators. The paper concludes with clear guidelines for a "formidable" distance education program, and a lengthy appendix includes relevant Websites for further consideration. [MW]
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Econ-Exchange
http://www.rich.frb.org/econ/index.html
A joint publication of the E. Angus Powell Endowment and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Econ-Exchange provides "practical classroom activities for today's K-12 teachers." Each issue includes an essay followed by three practical lesson plans, all of which focus on a complex and controversial issue, such as poverty and the environment. [MW]
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Workplace Issues Today
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/LIBRARY/WIT/
This new service from Cornell University's Catherwood Library helps students and researchers keep abreast of current workplace policy news. Each weekday, reference librarians summarize a story of interest from major English language news sources for inclusion in the Workplace Issues Today (WIT) archive, and readers may search for articles in full-text from the Finding Articles page. [MW]
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General Interest

investoraccess.com
http://www.investoraccess.com
Part of the Euromoney Group of companies, investoraccess.com is a portal Website and portfolio service for investors, analysts, bankers, and other finance professionals interested in global markets. Registration is required upon the third visit, after which time a simple search engine allows users to collect company news and contact information in a personal archive.
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WomenInvesting
http://socialize.morningstar.com/x.xs/XBbs/AllConv?forumId=F100000017
The Chicago-based financial service Morningstar.Net provides this new bi-weekly investment column for women. In addition to articles on stock research, mutual funds, and retirement, WomenInvesting provides a "socialize" board for sharing opinions and advice. [MW]
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The Motley Fool: How to Value Stocks
http://www.fool.com/School/HowtoValueStocks.htm
The recent educational series How to Value Stocks from the Motley Fool (described in the September 11, 1998 Scout Report) looks at "potential ways to value a company's shares" and "methods to determine whether or not a stock is undervalued." Articles explore balance sheets, net worth, and security analysis, and the Online PEGulator helps readers figure out the Fool Ratio or PEG -- a stock's P/E ratio in relation to its company's growth rate. [MW]
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VaultReports.com
http://www.VaultReports.com/
VaultReports.com advertises an "insider's" view on job hunting and company information. The searchable site links readers to industry articles, career profiles, and company homepages, and a Career Advice section discusses diversity, entrepreneurship, internships, and interviewing, among other career issues. [MW]
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Ten Questions to Ask About any Investment Opportunity.
http://www.sec.gov/consumer/10quest.htm
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (reviewed in the February 9, 1996 Scout Report) offers advice for the "wise investor" in Ten Questions to Ask About any Investment Opportunity. According to the SEC, the ability to slow down, ask questions, and make a written record of interactions helps lessen disputes over investments, whether promoted by mail, telephone, or Internet. [MW]
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Current Awareness
(For links to additional current awareness on tables of contents, abstracts, preprints, new books, data, conferences, etc., visit the Business & Economics Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/bus-econ/metapage/).

Working Papers

Federal Reserve System:
FRB Boston Economic Working Paper Series [.pdf]
http://www.clev.frb.org/Research/workpaper/1999/index.htm
Taylor Rules in a Limited Participation Model
http://www.clev.frb.org/research/workpaper/1999/Wp9902.pdf

FRB Chicago Academic Working Papers [.pdf]
http://www.frbchi.org/workingpapers/working_papers.html
Measurement Errors in Japanese Consumer Price Index
http://www.frbchi.org/workingpapers/papers/wp99_2.pdf
Extracting Market Expectations from Option Prices: Case Studies in Japanese Option Markets
http://www.frbchi.org/workingpapers/papers/wp99_1.pdf

FRB Dallas Economic Research Working Papers [.pdf]
http://www.dallasfed.org/htm/pubs/erpapers.html
Financial Repression, Financial Development, and Economic Growth
http://www.dallasfed.org/htm/pubs/abstracts/erpapers/99_2.html
Seigniorage in a Neoclassical Economy: Some Computational Results
http://www.dallasfed.org/htm/pubs/abstracts/erpapers/99_1.html

FRB Minneapolis Staff Reports[.pdf, .ps]
http://research.mpls.frb.fed.us/research/sr/
Money and Interest Rates With Endogeneously Segmented Markets
http://research.mpls.frb.fed.us/research/sr/sr260.html

FRB New York Staff Reports [.pdf]
http://www.ny.frb.org./rmaghome/staff_rp/1999.htm
Sunk Costs, Contestability, and the Latent Contract Market
http://www.ny.frb.org/rmaghome/staff_rp/sr75.html
Importing Equality? The Effects of Increased Competition on the Gender Wage Gap
http://www.ny.frb.org/rmaghome/staff_rp/sr74.html

FRB Philadelphia 1999 Working Paper Abstracts [.pdf]
http://www.phil.frb.org/econ/wps/1999/1999.html
Nonobviousness and the Incentive to Innovate: An Economic Analysis of Intellectual Property Reform
http://www.phil.frb.org/econ/wps/1999/wp99-3.pdf
A Welfare Comparison of Pre- and Post-WWII Business Cycles: Some Implications for the Role of Postwar Macroeconomic Policies
http://www.phil.frb.org/econ/wps/1999/wp99-2.pdf

Other Institutions:
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Staff Country Reports [.pdf]
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/CAT/scr.cfm
Burundi: Statistical Annex
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/1999/cr9908.pdf
Colombia: Selected Issues and Statistical Annex
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/1999/cr9906.pdf
Namibia: Statistical Appendix
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/1999/cr9909.pdf
Norway: Selected Issues
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/1999/cr9911.pdf
Panama: Recent Economic Developments
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/1999/cr9907.pdf
Paraguay: Recent Economic Developments
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/1999/cr9910.pdf
Senegal: Statistical Appendix
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/1999/cr9905.pdf
Swaziland: Statistical Appendix
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/1999/cr9913.pdf

Institute for International Economics (IIE) Working Papers 1999
http://www.iie.com/CATALOG/WP/1999/wp99.htm
The Global Trading System and the Developing Countries in 2000
http://www.iie.com/CATALOG/WP/1999/99-6.htm
Why EMU is Irrelevant for the German Economy
http://www.iie.com/CATALOG/WP/1999/99-5.htm
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Periodicals

Federal Reserve System:
FRB Atlanta Economic Review [.pdf]
http://209.239.32.240/publica/eco-rev/rev_abs/1st99.html
FRB Dallas Financial Industry Studies and Business Frontier [.pdf]
http://www.dallasfed.org/htm/pubs/fis.html
http://www.dallasfed.org/htm/pubs/front.html
FRB Philadelphia Survey of Professional Forecasters
http://www.phil.frb.org/econ/spf/spfpage.html
FRB Richmond Equilibria
http://www.rich.frb.org/equilibria/issue5/index.html
FRB San Francisco Economic Letter
http://www.frbsf.org/econrsrch/wklyltr/index.html
The latest Economic Review from FRB Atlanta includes articles on economic forecasting, crime, and past Atlanta Fed President Malcolm Bryan (1951-1965). The December 1998 issue of Financial Industry Studies from FRB Dallas provides policy-oriented research on US banks, and the recently added online edition of Business Frontier, also from Fed Dallas, explores economic developments along the US-Mexico border. FRB Philadelphia's latest Survey of Professional Forecasters expects real GDP to grow at an annual rate of 2.85 percent for the first half of 1999 -- a sharp increase from last quarter's estimate. FRB Richmond presents its fifth issue of Equilibria this month with articles on the economics of language and physics for economics educators. Current editions of Economic Letter from FRB San Francisco include The Shrinking of Japanese Branch Business Lending in California (No 99-14), Monetary Policy and Monetary Institutions (No 99-13), and Time for A Tobin Tax? (No 99-12). [MW]

United States International Trade Commission (USITC)
Industry, Trade, and Technology Review [.pdf]
http://www.usitc.gov/ittr.htm
The March 1999 Industry, Trade, and Technology Review from the USITC explores Korea's foreign exchange crisis and its implications for US-Korean trade. [MW]

Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
BIS Review [.pdf]
http://www.bis.org/review/index.htm
Articles and speeches recently released by the BIS Review include an introductory statement by European Central bank President Wim Duisenberg and an address by Hong Kong Monetary Authority Chief Executive Joseph Yam on the implementation of financial policies in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). [MW]
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Books and Journals

BakerBooks -- Harvard Business School
http://www.library.hbs.edu/bakerbooks/
The latest issues of New Books at Baker Library and New Books from HBS Press are now available from Harvard University's BakerBooks site. These updates are posted by the fifteenth of each month and cover new additions for the preceding month. [MW]

Econbase -- Elsevier
http://www.elsevier.nl/locate/econbase/
The abstracts and tables of contents for the following journals are now available online: Journal of Banking and Finance (Vol 23 Nos 2-4), Journal of Financial Economics (Vol 31 No 3), Journal of Public Economics (Vol 71 No 3, Vol 72 No 1), Structural Change and Economic Dynamics (Vol 10 Nos 1-2). [MW]
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Conferences

Inomics Conference Calls:
Email Conference Alert
http://www.inomics.com/query/alert
Conference Search
http://www.inomics.com/query/conf_search
The economics research service Inomics (described in the June 18, 1998 Scout Report for Business & Economics) includes a conference alert service. Interested parties may specify their interests and receive email notifications of up-coming events, or they may search the Inomics conference database by date, geographic location, or JEL classification. [MW]
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Jobs

Job Openings from The Chronicle of Higher Education
Job Openings in Economics
http://chronicle.com/free/jobs/faculty/sscience/econ/links.htm
Job Openings in Business and Management
http://chronicle.com/free/jobs/faculty/professional/business/links.htm

Job Openings for Economists (JOE)
http://www.eco.utexas.edu/joe/joe

Inomics: Job Openings for Economists
http://www.inomics.com/query/job_search
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New Data

Census Bureau
1998 State Government Tax Collections Data by State [.xls]
http://www.census.gov/govs/www/sttax98.html
US Trade with Puerto Rico and US Possessions 1998 [.pdf]
http://www.census.gov/prod/99pubs/ft895-98.pdf
The annual Census Bureau report State Government Tax Collections Data by State presents statistics on tax collections for the 50 US state governments in HTML table, ASCII text file, and spreadsheet file formats. According to the 1998 data, individual income taxes and general sales taxes continued to be the mainstay of most state government tax systems last year. The Census Bureau report entitled US Trade with Puerto Rico and US Possessions lists shipments to and from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by commodity and method of transportation in four detailed tables. According to this report, shipments from US possessions to the US totalled almost $2.5 billion, and shipments from the US to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands totalled over $13 billion for all methods of transportation. [MW]
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Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, 1966-98 [.pdf]
http://stats.bls.gov/special.requests/ocwc/oclt/ect/ecbl0011.pdf
Extended Mass Layoffs, Fourth Quarter 1998
http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/mslo.toc.htm
According to Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, 1986-98 from the US BLS, employer compensation costs for retirement benefits in the private sector accounted for 8.5 percent of total compensation in 1998, compared to 5.4 percent of total compensation in 1966. Data from the fourth quarter 1998 release from the BLS, Extended Mass Layoffs, reveals that 1,660 mass layoff actions by employers resulted in 342,010 worker-job separations of more than 30 days from October through December of 1998. [MW]
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United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
USDA Reports Calendars -- April 1999
USDA Agency Reports Calendar
http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/rptcal/apr99tbl.htm
ERS Calendar
http://www.econ.ag.gov/whatsnew/calendar/apr99.htm
USDA summarizes its report releases from various sources (the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and the World Agricultural Outlook Board) at these two calendar sites. [MW]
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Energy Information Administration (EIA)
Industry Analysis Brief: Chemicals and Allied Products
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/industrybriefs/chemical/contents.html
Air-Conditioning Facts from the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/consumptionbriefs/recs/aircond_use.html
The Industry Analysis Brief for chemicals and allied products (SIC 28/NAICS 325) from the US EIA indicates that the chemical industry is the second largest energy consumer among all industries, at 25 percent of the total manufacturing energy used in 1994. The report Air-Conditioning Facts from the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey shows that nearly three-quarters of all American households used air-conditioners in 1997. [MW]
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In The News

The 2000 Census and Minority Undercount
(1) United States Census 2000
http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/2khome.htm
(2) GOP's H.R. 472 Will Prevent An Accurate Census and Undercount Millions
http://www.democrats.org/news/releases/pr041499b.html
(3) Count Every American Because Every American Counts!
http://www.rnc.org/news/news_action.asp?FormMode=TalkingPoints&ID=7368554426
(4) Issues Analysis: The Census
http://www.policy.com/issues/issue366.html
(5) H.R. 472 -- Thomas
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:HR00472:|TOM:/bss/d106query.html|
(6) No 98-404: Department of Commerce v. US House -- LII
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/98-404.ZS.html
(7) Not An "Other" -- PBS
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/fedagencies/july-dec97/census_7-16.html
(8) Myth of the Melting Pot: America's Racial and Ethnic Divides -- WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/meltingpot/melt0222.htm
This week's In the News looks at current debate over the United States year 2000 Census. Political debate concerning US Department of Commerce statistical methods for the up-coming 2000 Census intensified further this month with the passing of bill 472 in the US House of Representatives on April 14. The bill was sponsored by Florida Representative Dan Miller and, according to House democrats, represents Republican attempts "to undermine the accuracy of the next Census." Republican party members maintain that H.R. 472 ensures a "fair, accurate" Census and allows local governments instead of "Washington bureaucrats" to review the count for possible mistakes. According to the Census Bureau, the 1990 census missed 8.4 million people -- especially minorities, children, the poor, and rural residents. The Census Bureau maintains that the modern estimation technique of "sampling" could eliminate past undercounts. The US Supreme Court ruled out statistical sampling in Department of Commerce v. United States House of Representatives (No 98-404), on January 25, 1999, however, leaving the Census Bureau to count Americans with existing methodologies. These eight resources sketch the contours of the debate with opinion from government agencies and the major US political parties, and provide legislative documents and background information on ethnic diversity in America.
General information, press releases, and plans for the 2000 Census are available from the US Department of Congress site United States Census 2000 (1). Democratic (2) and Republican (3) responses to H.R. 472 in particular as well as the 2000 Census in general are available from respective party homepages, and Policy.com provides opinion from additional sources in Issues Analysis: The Census (4). The Library of Congress service Thomas presents bill status and summary information for H.R. 472 (5), and a synopsis of Department of Commerce v. United States House of Representatives is available from the Supreme Court Collection at Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute (LII) (6). The Online NewsHour report, Not An "Other" (7), from PBS looks at the effectiveness of ethnic counts for multiracial people, and Myth of the Melting Pot: America's Racial and Ethnic Divides (8), from Washingtonpost.com, explores ethnic history and ethnic data-keeping in America. [MW]
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