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Announcements for Friday, April 8, 2011

Announcements

  • CALS strategic planning committee seeks input

    The strategic planning committee has put together a survey to gather your input regarding the objectives in the College's strategic plan for the next five years. To see the list of committee members and link to the survey go to http://www.ag.iastate.edu/strategic-plan-2015/

     The committee is also holding an open forum on Friday, April 8 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Union Pioneer Room. You can review the draft plan at http://www.ag.iastate.edu/strategic-plan-2015/CALSSP_Draft_03-28-11.pdf.

  • EGSA Spring Picnic

    Faculty, Staff, and Students,The EGSA is planning to hold its Annual Spring Picnic April 16th 1:00pm - 4:00pm, at Brookside Park (tentative location). We understand this is during VEISHEA, but we want to join the festivities (and people like to eat).  Please note whether you plan to attend and how many you will bring so that we can plan food accordingly (as well as any food constraints so we may optimize accordingly) in the following Doodle - http://doodle.com/3uqkbbrx62nvzf9g.  Please put down the number in your party and your name (# people - your name).  I have already done this so there is an example with two people. If it so happens that it is raining/foul weather etc., we will plan to move it to the following week.  Thank you,EGSA

News

  • Fabiosa joins advisory board on clean transportation

    Jacinto Fabiosa, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, has been invited to be on an advisory board of the International Council on Clean Transportation, as the council produces a report on modeling land-use changes in agriculture and energy. The report, “Modeling the Indirect Effects of Biofuels: A Guide for the Perplexed,” will draw on a set of supporting studies, including those conducted by FAPRI at ISU. The council is an international consortium working on progressive policies for motor vehicle technology and transportation fuels, with funding support from the Hewlett Foundation and the ClimateWorks Foundation.

  • Alumnus Jim Borel presents lecture on emerging issues in agriculture

    Jim Borel, Executive Vice President of DuPont, presented the Hertz Lecture on April 6th entitled "How Agricultural Innovation and Collaboration Will Shape the Future of the World." Learn more about the lecture through this CALS New Service release.

  • Murray moderates dialogue on Israeli-Palestinian peace process

    John Murray, the son of William (Bill) Murray, a CALS faculty member who served as head of the Department of Economics and Sociology at Iowa State from 1943 to 1955, moderated a dialogue on the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process on April 5, at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. John Murray is an external adviser to the Palestinian Negotiation Support Unit. William Murray and his wife, Alice, played an instrumental role in making Living History Farms a reality in the 1960s. More: http://www.lectures.iastate.edu/lecture/22935

  • Monday's Department Seminar:"Perspectives on Multiple Facets of Cooperation and Collaboration in the Agricultural Sector," with Jennifer Bond, Colorado State University

    Jennifer Bond completed her graduate work at U.C. Davis, and was hired onto the faculty in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Colorado State University. Research projects related to cooperatives and collaborative organizations have facilitated frequent and meaningful contact with producer groups and individuals; inspiring an ongoing appreciation of agriculture and desire to practice constructive applied economic outreach and research. Jennifer currently serves as president of the national research project on cooperatives, NCERA-210, participates as a board member and in planning capacities for the National Farmer Cooperative Conference, and is a community of practice leader for extension.


    Abstract: A collection of the speaker’s papers related to cooperatives and producer collaboratives will be presented. Topics to be covered include: the role of cooperatives in supporting the local foods movement, efficacy of collaborative promotion programs including discussion of potential cooperative vs. cannibalistic advertising effects, and comparative cooperative governance and financial analysis. A summary of related outreach and extension activities will follow with perspectives on future cooperative outreach and research directions and needs concluding the presentation.

  • Tuesday's Department Seminar: "Taxation of Human Capital and Wage Inequality: A Cross-Country Analysis," with Fatih Guvenen, University of Minnesota

    Fatih Guvenen is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Minnesota. He is a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and also a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is an international research fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and a coeditor of the BE Journal of Macroeconomics.


    Abstract: Wage inequality has been significantly higher in the United States than in continental European countries (CEU) since the 1970s. Moreover, this inequality gap has further widened during this period as the US has experienced a large increase in wage inequality, whereas the CEU has seen only modest changes. This paper studies the role of labor income tax policies for understanding these facts. We begin by documenting two new empirical facts that link these inequality differences to tax policies. First, we show that countries with more progressive labor income tax schedules have significantly lower before-tax wage inequality at different points in time. Second, progressivity is also negatively correlated with the rise in wage inequality during this period. We then construct a life cycle model in which individuals decide each period whether to go to school, work, or be unemployed. Individuals can accumulate skills either in school or while working. Wage inequality arises from differences across individuals in their ability to learn new skills as well as from idiosyncratic shocks. Progressive taxation compresses the (after-tax) wage structure, thereby distorting the incentives to accumulate human capital, in turn reducing the cross-sectional dispersion of (before-tax) wages. We find that these policies can account for half of the difference between the US and the CEU in overall wage inequality and 76% of the difference in inequality at the upper end (log 90-50 differential). When this economy experiences skill-biased technological change, progressivity also dampens the rise in wage dispersion over time. The model explains 41% of the difference in the total rise in inequality and 58% of the difference at the upper end.

  • Thursday's Department Seminar: "Does Female Empowerment Promote Economic Development?" with Matthias Doepke, Northwestern University

    Matthias Doepke is an Associate Professor of Economics at Northwestern University, an Affiliate Professor at the University of Munich, an NBER Research Associate, and a CEPR Research Fellow. After undergraduate studies at Humboldt-Universität in Berlin he received a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago in 2000. In 2005, he was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship. His research interests include economic growth and development, political economy, macroeconomics, and monetary economics. Recently, Professor Doepke has worked population dynamics and economic growth, the political economy of child labor, endogenous preferences in macroeconomics, and redistributional effects of inflation. He has published articles in numerous academic journals such as the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Economic Theory, Journal of Economic Growth, and Journal of the European Economic Association.


    Abstract: Empirical evidence suggests that money in the hands of mothers (as opposed to their husbands) benefits children. Does this observation imply that targeting transfers to women is good economic policy? We develop a series of non-cooperative family bargaining models to understand what kind of frictions can give rise to the observed empirical relationships. We then assess the policy implications of these models. We find that targeting transfers to women can have unintended consequences and may fail to make children better off. Moreover, different forms of empowering women may lead to opposite results. More research is needed to distinguish between alternative theoretical models.

  • Weekly media connections for the Department of Economics

    Courtesy of Jackie King, ISU News Service.

    • Chad Hart was featured in several on-air television segments on the price of food and potential backlash from consumers who may blame farmers.

    http://www.criticalmention.com/components/url_gen/play_flash.php?autoplay=1&clip_info=1931522248%7C10%7C35%5E 

    • Dave Swenson was interviewed by Ed Tibbets, a reporter with the Quad City Times, about the regional and statewide economic impacts of a federal shutdown.  As the Rock Island Arsenal is a major Quad Cities employer, they are particularly concerned that it will lead to localized stress and layoffs.

    Find links to the following stories at: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/mr/11/0401/0401.shtml

    • As Asia prospers, food prices rise and US benefits, McClatchy Newspapers, CA , 03-28-11 (Bruce Babcock, Professor of Economics, Iowa State University). Also ran: Bellingham Herald, WA, Belleville News Democrat, IL, Bradenton Herald, FL, Lexington Herald Leader, KY, Modesto Bee, CA, News & Observer, NC, Sacramento Bee, CA, Sun Herald, MS, The Olympian, WA,
    • ADM boosts grain storage, adds to U.S. capacity, Dow Jones Newswire, NY , 03-28-11 (Chad Hart, Assistant Professor of Economics, Iowa State University)
    • Corn Futures Flirt With $7/bu. As Planting Nears, Corn and Soybean Digest, NJ , 03-28-11 (Chad Hart, Assistant Professor of Economics, Iowa State University)
    • USDA's corn planting report to attract extra attention, Des Moines Register, IA , 03-30-11 (Bruce Babcock, Professor of Economics, Iowa State University)
    • Corn is King as Farmers Chase Prices, Wall Street Journal, NY , 03-31-11 (Chad Hart, Assistant Professor of Economics, Iowa State University). Also ran: MarketWatch, NY
    • U.S. Iowa to boost corn acres, but bigger yields also needed, Des Moines Register, IA , 03-31-11 (Chad Hart, Assistant Professor of Economics, Iowa State University)
    • USDA planting report released, Fort Dodge Messenger, IA , 04-01-11 (Chad Hart, Assistant Professor of Economics, Iowa State University)
  • Student seminars this week
    • Yuan Li will present an Agricultural Economics Workshop/Econ 693 Presentation entitled: “A Meta-Analysis of Estimates of the Impact of Technical Barriers to Trade,” on Tuesday, April 12, 3:40-5pm,468D Heady Hall.
    • Zheng Xu will present a Financial Economics Workshop/Econ 693 Presentation entitled: “Some Reasons to Smile: Re-explaining the Implied Volatilities,” on Wednesday, April 13, 4:10-5:30pm, 368A Heady Hall.

Graduate Student Announcements

  • Summer Intern Economist Position at APHIS

    This is an excellent opportunity for students with Economics/Agricultural Economics/Public Policy background to gain first hand experience (and get paid) in conducting economic analyses in support of regulations.  APHIS Economist positions are especially attractive because of the opportunities to work with multidisciplinary teams in analyzing alternative scenarios in developing regulations and formulating policy options in addressing animal and plant health, biotechnology, wildlife, and animal care issues in the U.S.

    http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/ftva.asp?OPMControl=2225761

Conferences and Calls for Papers

Funding Opportunities

Job Opportunities

  • Director, Economics Center for Education and Research, University of Cincinnati
  • Job announcement at Korea University

    The Department of Food and Resource Economics at Korea University is looking for applicants for a tenure track 12 month full-time Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor in the field of Food Economics. The position requires teaching two classes (undergraduate and/or graduate levels) each semester and doing quality research on food and agricultural economics areas. The successful candidate must possess strong quantitative skills and be a foreigner who is fluent in English. Expectations also include student advising and obtaining grants to support graduate students and the research program. The salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience.

    The deadline for the internet application is April 19. A complete position description with application procedures can be found at http://kuweb.korea.ac.kr/faculty.