Research

Areas of Interests

Technology and the Economics of Innovation
Economic Development
Empirics of International Trade
Learning and Pedagogy

Journal Articles in Progress

International Trade and Labor Productivity in the United States: A NAFTA Perspective
(with Gbenga Ojumu and Farzana Bindu)

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2014. The objective of NAFTA was to increase the efficiency and fairness of trade among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This study utilizes industry-level panel data over the period 1987-2014 to evaluate labor productivity in the United States within key manufacturing industries since the United States joined NAFTA. Growth in labor productivity is an important economic driver of rising economic output and improved living standards. Results show strong bi-directional correlations between trade, exchange rates, and labor productivity, which underscore the impact of NAFTA on the United States’ labor market.

Journal Articles Published

The Economic Impact of Prairie View A&M University on Waller County, the Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land MSA, and the State of Texas (with Munir Quddus, Rahim Quazi, Sonja Langley, and Michael Williams). Midwestern Business and Economic Review, 2014, no. 50.

This study presents estimates of the economic impact of Prairie View A&M University on the local, regional, and state economy in 2012. The primary measurement variables used were direct spending, total output, value-added, labor income, and employment. This report also highlights the non-quantifiable impacts through a summary of the research and service contributions of various organizations on campus thatserve the greater community. With the use of IMPLANsoftware, the study finds the direct spending impact on the economies of Waller County, the greater Houston region, and the State of Texas was $122 million, $227 million, and $267 million, respectively.

The Impact of Export Demand on Domestic Productivity Improvement. Global Business and Economics Research Journal, 2014, Vol. 3.

A nation’s ability to export goods greatly influences its ability to exploit economies of scale or technology transfers, which can lead to improved domestic productivity. This paper uncovers the relationship between export demand and productivity among a sample of 46 diverse nations, while controlling for the sample nations’ level of development. The econometric model also accounts for other important variables impacting productivity, specifically technology, savings rates, and net foreign direct investment. Results indicate that export demand is a significantly important correlate with productivity, particularly within developing nations.

The Impact of Trade Finance on International Trade: Does Financial Development Matter? (co-authored with Daniel Perez) Research in Business and Economics Journal, 2013, Vol. 8.

Approximately 80 percent of global trade relies heavily on some version of trade finance. This paper seeks to further our understanding of the relationship between trade flows and the availability of trade finance, while accounting for the development of the sample countries’ financial sectors. The model also controlled for additional established variables that significantly influence trade patterns, such as import/export demand and exchange rates. Our results indicate that trade finance is a positive correlate with export and import volumes. However, we find that trade finance becomes even more important in determining trade volumes when countries have a higher level of financial development.

Trade and Foreign R&D Spillovers: Industry-Level Evidence from South America (with Sonja Langley). Journal of International Business and Economics, 2010, Vol. 10, no. 3.
Trade costs and absorptive capacity are controlled for to determine the role of innovation investment on total factor productivity of three South American countries. In addition to R&D spillovers, both were found to be significant correlates with domestic productivity. This study is a relevant determination of how innovation impacts industry production process within Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. Results show that foreign R&D has a mixed impact on the manufacturing industries within these countries.

Technology Diffusion and Economic Growth: Controlling for Sector Productivities and Absorptive Capacity. International Journal of Business and Economics Perspectives, Fall 2010, Vol. 5, no. 2.
When investment in research and development (R&D) occurs in one country, and a portion of the subsequent benefits of that investment accrue to other countries, those benefits are termed R&D spillovers. The benefit of acquiring R&D spillovers is that spillovers lead to improved efficiency of existing factors of production. This study assesses R&D spillovers’ impact on the manufacturing industry of 10 developing economies. Results show that foreign R&D generally has a positive impact on the manufacturing industry. This impact is strongest when foreign R&D is imported into sectors that are more productive with respect to their levels of capital and labor inputs.

Discrimination in Mortgage Lending in Washington, D.C.: A Mixed Methods Approach (with Rodney Green, Padma Venkatachalam, and Emily Blank). Review of Black Political Economy, Fall 2005, Vol. 33, pp. 9-30.
The present study is a result of a collaboration between Howard University Center for Urban Progress and a community-based organization. It reviews community-based research in general and previous work on mortgage lending in particular. It then presents three statistical techniques to assess racial disparity and possible discrimination resulting from application to Washington, DC. The three techniques are an adjusted dissimilarity index approach, a cross-tabulation approach, and a logistic regression approach. It then describes a qualitative research technique based on structured interviews with 15 bank officers from six banks, casting further light on the possible presence of racial discrimination in mortgage lending.

Working Papers

The Economic Impact of Prairie View A&M University on Waller County, the Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land MSA, and the State of Texas (with Munir Quddus, Michael Williams, Rahim Quazi, and Sonja Langley). Prairie View A&M University College of Business
Working Papers, May 2013 and May 2011
This study presents estimates of the economic impact of Prairie View A&M University on the local, regional, and state economy in 2010. Prairie View A&M University plays an important role in the social and economic life of the local economy. The University’s short-term and long-term contributions extend throughout the local (Waller County), regional (Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area), and state (Texas) economy. The variables used to measure short-term economic benefits include direct spending, total output, value-added, labor income, and employment. To estimate the long-term benefits, the study presents estimates of the annual contributions PVAMU makes to the enhancement of the lifetime earnings potential of residents in Waller, Greater Houston, and Texas. In addition to estimating the quantifiable economic impact of this historic institution of higher learning, this report attempts to capture some non-quantifiable impacts through a summary of the research and service contributions of some of the centers on campus that serve the greater community. The research methodology uses IMPLAN software and other standard techniques found in the economic impact analysis literature.

Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: New Investment in 2006. Survey of Current Business87, June 2007. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Link to paper
Outlays by foreign direct investors to acquire or to establish U.S. businesses were $161.5 billion in 2006, up substantially from $91.4 billion in 2005. Outlays in 2006 were the fourth largest recorded and the highest since 2000, when new investment outlays were at a historical peak of $335.6 billion.

Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: New Investment in 2005. Survey of Current Business 86, June 2006. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Link to paper
Outlays by foreign direct investors to acquire or establish U.S. businesses were $86.8 billion in 2005, little changed from $86.2 billion in 2004 (table 1 and chart 1). Outlays remained considerably below those in 1998–2001, when new investment outlays were historically high, ranging from $147.1 billion to $335.6 billion.

International Trade and Economic Growth: A Possible Measurement of Cross-Border R&D Spillovers (with Barbara Fraumeni). Bureau of Economic Analysis Working Paper 2005-03. Link to paper
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has initiated a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project to produce an official BEA/NSF R&D Satellite Account (R&DSA). This paper presents a possible trade-based methodology for estimating cross-border R&D spillovers, which reflects an important component of the overall project because spillovers may be formally integrated into the official BEA/NSF R&DSA. Beginning with Coe and Helpman (1995), we evaluate four methodologies used to estimate the impact of international R&D spillovers on economic growth and select Xu and Wang (1999) as the model most appropriate for calculating net outward spillovers. Based on our calculations, we conclude that including cross-border R&D spillovers would increase 1990 U.S. Gross Domestic Product by 0.33%.