We invite you to the 19th Brown Bag Seminar to be held on Thursday, October 31, 2019, at the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb, Hall 51, starting at 2 pm. The Brown Bag Seminar cycle will be continued by the lecture of Assistant Professor Martin Montero Kuscevic, Ph.D. of the American University of Beirut, who will present the work "Party Cues, Political Trends, and Fiscal Interactions in the United States".
A brief summary of the presentation:
Recent theoretical and empirical research has suggested that similarities in party affiliations across space will alter voters’ comparisons, thus influencing fiscal policy mimicking. We employ a two-regime spatial panel data model applied to U.S. state governors from 1970 to 2012, and find rather weak empirical evidence of the influence of political party affiliations in fiscal yardstick competition. Our observed cross-state interdependence in fiscal policies suggests voters may not weigh party affiliation heavily in their measure of comparative quality, treating each incumbent individually and independently. Incumbents strategically choose policy accordingly. This provides indirect support for the median voter theorem, in which incumbents’ objective function is to maximize votes, independent of political affiliation.
A brief summary of the presentation:
Recent theoretical and empirical research has suggested that similarities in party affiliations across space will alter voters’ comparisons, thus influencing fiscal policy mimicking. We employ a two-regime spatial panel data model applied to U.S. state governors from 1970 to 2012, and find rather weak empirical evidence of the influence of political party affiliations in fiscal yardstick competition. Our observed cross-state interdependence in fiscal policies suggests voters may not weigh party affiliation heavily in their measure of comparative quality, treating each incumbent individually and independently. Incumbents strategically choose policy accordingly. This provides indirect support for the median voter theorem, in which incumbents’ objective function is to maximize votes, independent of political affiliation.
Description of the Brown Bag Seminar concept :
The Brown Bag Seminar (BBS) is an informal one-hour workshop with aim of presenting research in different stages of design (ideas, rounded theoretical framework, conducted empirical research, etc.), promoting discussion and creating a stimulating environment focused on the constructive discussion between exhibitors and the rest of participants of the seminar. The basic idea of the BBS is to create a platform where at least once a month, the FEB ZG employees will have the opportunity to present the ideas and articles they work on within their scientific-research work. We invite you to respond and help with your constructive comments to exhibitors and expose by yourself the topics you are currently working on, unpublished works or present the research ideas you are thinking about.
The Brown Bag Seminar (BBS) is an informal one-hour workshop with aim of presenting research in different stages of design (ideas, rounded theoretical framework, conducted empirical research, etc.), promoting discussion and creating a stimulating environment focused on the constructive discussion between exhibitors and the rest of participants of the seminar. The basic idea of the BBS is to create a platform where at least once a month, the FEB ZG employees will have the opportunity to present the ideas and articles they work on within their scientific-research work. We invite you to respond and help with your constructive comments to exhibitors and expose by yourself the topics you are currently working on, unpublished works or present the research ideas you are thinking about.
The idea is that presentations (in English or Croatian - depending on the presenter's preference) last for 30-40 minutes, followed by a discussion. Since the BBS is informal and is usually taking place at lunchtime, snacks and refreshing beverages will be served on the BBS.