Working Papers

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https://unbscholar.lib.unb.ca/handle/1882/12775
Working or discussion papers circulated publicly or among a group of peers. Certain disciplines, for example, economics, issue working papers in series. (URI: http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_8042)

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Browsing Working Papers by Author "Dickson, Vaughan"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Fiscal Illusion and the Perceived Price of Provincial Government Output in Canada
    Dickson, Vaughan; Yu, Weiqiu
    This paper examines if how governments finance themselves can influence the perceived price of and hence demand for government output. Using a standard model for government output and a panel data set often Canadian provinces for the period 1961 to 1992, we find that tax revenues are perceived more acutely than other major revenues (borrowing, federal transfers, investment income) and some taxes are recognized more than others. We also find learning by taxpayers (declining fiscal illusion) during the period and that lower increases in perceived tax prices lead to more seats for incumbent politicians.
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    Net Benefits for Governments, Students and the Public from Spending on Universities in New Brunswick
    Dickson, Vaughan; Milne, Bill; Murrell, David
    This paper measures the benefits and costs from spending on New Brunswick universities for four constituencies: the provincial government, the federal and provincial governments together, students and society taken as a whole. These results are used to provide insights into how university costs should be shared between levels of government and between government and students. Among the results is that, even before allowance is made for net outmigration of university graduates, the rate of return is higher for both levels of government taken together than for the provincial government alone. Another result is that the private student rate of return exceeds the social rate. However this difference largely disappears when spending is restricted to the teaching function of the university.
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    Spending By Canadian Provincial Governments 1961-92
    Dickson, Vaughan; Yu, Weiqiu
    This paper investigates annual per adult spending by the ten provincial governments for the period 1962 to 1992 using a demand function model of public spending. The model is estimated using a panel data set of 310 observations covering ten provinces and thirty-one years. Real government spending per adult and its major subcomponents (transfers to persons, fixed investment and spending on goods and services) are the dependent variables. The estimating procedure corrects for groupwise heteroscedasticity and cross-group correlation. Among the conclusions are that provincial spending and its sub-components (particularly fixed investment) follow an electoral cycle, that left wing governments spend more than right wing governments (but not with respect to all spending components), that provincial governments adjust spending in response to unemployment, and that spending increases with increases in per capita income (but not to the extent predicted by Wagner's Law) and with decreases in the perceived tax price of services.
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    Student Fees, Subsidies and Enrolment in Canadian Universities, 1962-1995
    Dickson, Vaughan
    This paper examines how student fees, subsidies and enrolment have evolved in Canadian universities over the period 1962 to 1995. A model is developed, and tested with a panel data set often provinces, wherein student fees (subsidies) are the outcome of provincial governments balancing the interests of students and taxpayers. Among the conclusions are that student fees initially fall as student numbers increase but then rise, that tighter provincial fiscal environments increase fees, and that more pressure for K-12 education increases fees. We also find that enrolments are more sensitive to changes in student aid than to changes in tuition.
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    The Determinants of Provincial Minimum Wages
    Dickson, Vaughan; Myatt, Tony
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    The Price Effects of Rising Concentration in US Food Manufacturing
    Dickson, Vaughan; Sun, Yingfeng
    Since the 1960's concentration in the U.S. food processing industries has increased dramatically in comparison to the rest of manufacturing. This paper investigates the price and cost consequences of these large changes in concentration for 35 food processing industries for the period 1963 to 1992. A two equation model is estimated, where the first equation is a price equation that relates changes in prices to changes in CR4, to changes in average variable cost, and to other control variables, while the second equation is an average cost equation that relates changes in average variable cost to initial concentration levels, to changes in concentration, to changes in input prices and other control variables. The first equation identifies a market power effect by focussing on the effects of concentration on price, holding cost constant, while the second equation identifies an efficiency effect by focussing on how concentration influences unit costs. These equations are estimated for differences in prices and average costs that cover intervals of five, ten and twenty years. The results indicate that there is both a market power and an efficiency effect from changing concentration, but that on balance the efficiency effect is stronger so that increases in concentration have produced lower prices.
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