An Economist’s View of the Commerce Clause – Dr. John Beck
In the course of this lecture, I will review how the courts have interpreted the commerce clause. I will also express an opinion – what might be called a “strict interpretation” – about how the commerce clause ought to be interpreted from a legal standpoint, although as an economist I have no professional expertise to do so. However, as an economist I do have expertise in analyzing what economists refer to as “market failures,” situations in which free markets may fail to achieve a theoretical ideal allocation of resources and government intervention may lead to a better outcome. Economists have also developed a theory of “public choice,” analyzing how the political process works in ways which further “special interests” at the expense of the “public interest.” (There are problems with defining the “public interest,” but I shall nevertheless use this phrase to describe policies that many people would consider preferable to policies favoring narrow special interests.) As I proceed through the historical review of particular cases involving the commerce clause, after discussing the legal arguments, I will ask from an economic standpoint has the commerce clause:
(i) empowered the federal government to intervene when intervention would further the “public interest,”
(ii) allowed government intervention that does not serve the “public interest,”
(iii) prohibited undesirable government intervention, or
(iv) prohibited government intervention that would be desirable?
So what does the commerce clause say?
“The Congress shall have Power … To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States …” (Article I, Section 8)
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The Demand for Spatially Complementary National Parks – Kevin E. Henrickson and Erica H. Johnson
Using a panel dataset on annual visits to each U.S. national park, we empirically analyze the demand for these parks using a spatial lag model, which accounts for the complementary nature of the parks. Our results suggest that increases in fuel costs, temperature increases of greater than 3 °F, and restrictions on foreign tourism all lower visitation to U.S. national parks, causing associated decreases in money spent by tourists, jobs created, and income generated. These results can also be used to analyze the possible implications of proposed public policies, such as international visa requirements, gas taxes, and carbon taxing/trading.
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Globalization, Gender and Child Work-Dr. Annie Voy
This paper evaluates the impact of globalization on two sorts of child work: child labour and household chores. Using newly available survey data on gender-specific participation rates in child labour and household chores, I estimate results separately for boys and girls to determine whether globalization affects the activities of these children differently. I find a negative and robust impact of FDI and trade openness on child labour, but no evidence that this relationship varies by gender. I also find FDI inflows to be correlated with lower participation by children in household chores, even after controlling for endogeneity. (2012)
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