Policy Briefs
Policy briefs are summaries of recent research projects by faculty affiliated with the Center on Pacific Economies. They provide a description of the project and a discussion of the implications for policy. Policy briefs are prepared by graduate students at IR/PS, and affiliated researchers or visiting scholars. Click below to access each policy brief, as well as links to the original research.
Point of Disconnect: Internet Traffic and the U.S. Communications Infrastructure
by Michael Kleeman
Kleeman explores the disconnect between traditional internet architecture and consumer demand as internet infrastructure struggles to keep up with increasing multimedia and mobile internet-based traffic.
Trade Liberalization and Intersectoral Labor Movements
by Professors Romain Wacziarg and Jessica Seddon Wallack
Both advocates and opponents of free trade in the U.S. regularly claim that workers in industries that are not internationally competitive will lose their jobs with increased openness to trade. However, Wacziarg and Wallack find that the impact of trade liberalization on labor movements among sectors has been largely overstated.
Immigration and African-American Employment Opportunities: The Response of Wages, Employment and Incarceration to Labor Supply Shocks
by Professors George J. Borjas, Jeffrey Grogger, and Gordon H. Hanson
Borjas, Grogger, and Hanson suggest that while immigration has caused a recent increase in the supply of labor for all skill groups, it is linked to a significant reduction in the employment rate and wages for low-skill black workers and an increase in the incarceration rate of blacks.
Corruption and Inequality as Correlates of Social Trust: Fairness Matters More Than Similarity
by Professor Jong-Sung You
In this paper, You explores what type of political and social institutions are related to higher levels of social trust.
The Political Economy of U.S. Policy for Competition in the Communications and Information Technology Industries
by Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean Peter F. Cowhey and the California Institute on Telecommunications and Information Technologies
This paper examines U.S. policy-making towards the telecommunications industry from 1970 to present. During this time, the government has cycled from a process of deregulation back to consideration of regulatory intervention.
Gerrymandering Vietnamese Style: The Political Motivations behind the Creation of New Provinces in Vietnam
by Professor Edmund Malesky
The number of provinces in Vietnam has increased dramatically since 1990, by about 60 percent, far exceeding international norms. IR/PS faculty member Edmund Malesky provides evidence that new provinces were created to shift the balance of power in the central government to provinces that are less dependent on State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and more open to economic reform.
Poverty and Politics: Evaluating Public Assistance in Japan
by Professor Ulrike Schaede with Kuniaki Nemoto
Japan is often described as a “welfare society,” but in this working paper, IR/PS faculty member Ulrike Schaede and her co-author, PhD student Kuniaki Nemoto show that Japan lags behind when it comes to assistance for the poor.
Deepening Democracy by Renovating Political Practices: The Struggle for Electoral Reform in Colombia
by Professor Matthew Søberg Shugart, Erika Moreno, and Luis E. Fajardo
In this article, the authors demonstrate the weaknesses of Colombia’s electoral system before 2003, describe the difficult process of achieving electoral reform, and discuss the potential impact of the new system.
Point of Disconnect: Internet Traffic and the U.S. Communications Infrastructure
by Michael Kleeman
Kleeman explores the disconnect between traditional internet architecture and consumer demand as internet infrastructure struggles to keep up with increasing multimedia and mobile internet-based traffic.
Trade Liberalization and Intersectoral Labor Movements
by Professors Romain Wacziarg and Jessica Seddon Wallack
Both advocates and opponents of free trade in the U.S. regularly claim that workers in industries that are not internationally competitive will lose their jobs with increased openness to trade. However, Wacziarg and Wallack find that the impact of trade liberalization on labor movements among sectors has been largely overstated.
Immigration and African-American Employment Opportunities: The Response of Wages, Employment and Incarceration to Labor Supply Shocks
by Professors George J. Borjas, Jeffrey Grogger, and Gordon H. Hanson
Borjas, Grogger, and Hanson suggest that while immigration has caused a recent increase in the supply of labor for all skill groups, it is linked to a significant reduction in the employment rate and wages for low-skill black workers and an increase in the incarceration rate of blacks.
Corruption and Inequality as Correlates of Social Trust: Fairness Matters More Than Similarity
by Professor Jong-Sung You
In this paper, You explores what type of political and social institutions are related to higher levels of social trust.
The Political Economy of U.S. Policy for Competition in the Communications and Information Technology Industries
by Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean Peter F. Cowhey and the California Institute on Telecommunications and Information Technologies
This paper examines U.S. policy-making towards the telecommunications industry from 1970 to present. During this time, the government has cycled from a process of deregulation back to consideration of regulatory intervention.
Gerrymandering Vietnamese Style: The Political Motivations behind the Creation of New Provinces in Vietnam
by Professor Edmund Malesky
The number of provinces in Vietnam has increased dramatically since 1990, by about 60 percent, far exceeding international norms. IR/PS faculty member Edmund Malesky provides evidence that new provinces were created to shift the balance of power in the central government to provinces that are less dependent on State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and more open to economic reform.
Poverty and Politics: Evaluating Public Assistance in Japan
by Professor Ulrike Schaede with Kuniaki Nemoto
Japan is often described as a “welfare society,” but in this working paper, IR/PS faculty member Ulrike Schaede and her co-author, PhD student Kuniaki Nemoto show that Japan lags behind when it comes to assistance for the poor.
Deepening Democracy by Renovating Political Practices: The Struggle for Electoral Reform in Colombia
by Professor Matthew Søberg Shugart, Erika Moreno, and Luis E. Fajardo
In this article, the authors demonstrate the weaknesses of Colombia’s electoral system before 2003, describe the difficult process of achieving electoral reform, and discuss the potential impact of the new system.
