{"title":"Mapping Human Mobility During the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Henry Weiland","doi":"10.1007/s11293-025-09840-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11293-025-09840-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46061,"journal":{"name":"ATLANTIC ECONOMIC JOURNAL","volume":"53 4","pages":"343 - 345"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147337744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Stephen Clark, Stephen M. Law, Qingsong Tian, Yan Yu, O. Ludwig Dittrich, Barry Watson
{"title":"Expected Impacts of COVID-19 on the BMI of Canadian Adults through Food Prices, Physical Activity, and Employment","authors":"J. Stephen Clark, Stephen M. Law, Qingsong Tian, Yan Yu, O. Ludwig Dittrich, Barry Watson","doi":"10.1007/s11293-025-09843-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11293-025-09843-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study predicts the body weight implications of coronavirus disease 2019 using eight waves of pre-pandemic Canadian Community Health Survey data (2003–2018). Since coronavirus disease 2019 affected the level and location of meal production, leisure, and work, the primary determinants of interest are food quantities, physical activity, and employment. Assuming prices are an inverse proxy of food quantities, regression results suggest that away-from-home meals are associated with a higher body mass index, meaning that lockdowns may have caused Canadians to lose weight. However, the decrease in consumption of take-out meals was smaller than for dine-in meals, and results suggest the former is far more predictive of weight gain. Consequently, substitution within the away-from-home category plausibly mitigated some of the impact of more at-home meals. Given that at-home physical activity was an incomplete substitute for away-from-home exercise during the pandemic, on average, regression results imply that Canadians gained weight. While employment is associated with weight gain among those ages 25–64, it is associated with weight loss for those 18–24. Young people were more at risk of job loss during coronavirus 2019 and their re-entry to the labour market was characterised by employment similar, in terms of physical activity, to that of older Canadians. Thus, for those 18–24, weight gain from job loss is expected to have occurred during the lockdown months and, unlike behavioural changes in eating and exercise that were primarily temporary, the post-pandemic shift to more sedentary employment will likely have a long-run impact on the body weight of young Canadians.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46061,"journal":{"name":"ATLANTIC ECONOMIC JOURNAL","volume":"53 4","pages":"253 - 272"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147342439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Deadweight Losses from “Liberation Day”","authors":"Jon R. Neill","doi":"10.1007/s11293-025-09836-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11293-025-09836-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>President Trump levied across the board tariffs of 10% and threatened some countries with rates as high as 145%. A number of estimates of the revenues that could be expected from the tariffs announced on April 2, 2025, “Liberation Day,” were made. However, no one has considered the loss of consumer surplus that may result from the rates that the President has or will impose. This paper presents estimates of that annual loss along with estimates of the associated deadweight loss using data from the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis. Estimates of the revenues from these tariffs made herein are in line with estimates made by the Administration. Of course, the tariff revenues correspond to a loss for consumers. The analysis presented here shows that this loss of consumer surplus per United States household could be over $5,000 annually, with the deadweight loss over $3,000. In short, these tariffs can be expected to place a huge burden on households in the United States, particularly low-income households.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46061,"journal":{"name":"ATLANTIC ECONOMIC JOURNAL","volume":"53 4","pages":"273 - 284"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147338287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Third-Party Grading as a Useful Measure of Demand: Evidence from NBA Cards","authors":"George Langelett, Zhiguang Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11293-025-09835-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11293-025-09835-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Since collectibles are potentially prized artifacts, determining value is subjective by nature. The value of any collectible is difficult to measure because it is perceived based on desirability, condition, and rarity. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the determinants of market price in a sports card market, namely rookie cards from the National Basketball Association. Empirical data from 2001 to 2009 were collected from the eBay and Professional Sports Authenticator websites to disaggregate price into intrinsic value versus quantity available. After controlling for market supply, third-party grading was used to help quantify demand. Simultaneous endogeneity of both market price and quantity was tested through a two-stage least squares model. This study found that both third-party grading and player performance variables affect the value of graded National Basketball Association basketball cards. The Professional-Sports-Authenticator-10-grading dummy variable carries the largest economic impact. Holding all else constant, a card graded Gem Mint trades at roughly 339% above a grade 8 baseline. The use of third-party grading is a novel measure of demand in markets for collectibles.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46061,"journal":{"name":"ATLANTIC ECONOMIC JOURNAL","volume":"53 4","pages":"285 - 301"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11293-025-09835-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147338197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Thomas Poufinas, Angeliki C. Panagopoulou, James Ming Chen
{"title":"Economic Determinants of Passenger Railway Transport in the European Union","authors":"Thomas Poufinas, Angeliki C. Panagopoulou, James Ming Chen","doi":"10.1007/s11293-025-09831-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11293-025-09831-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper investigates the determinants of railway usage for passengers using traditional econometric and machine-enhanced methods. The analysis employs European Union data retrieved from The World Bank and Eurostat, spanning the years from 2000 to 2018 and covering 25 European Union countries. The size of the rail network, the gross domestic product per capita, and the fertility rate positively affect passenger traffic. Unemployment has a negative impact. Country-specific effects also appear. Policymakers, regulators, and private stakeholders in transportation, tourism, environmental protection, energy use, and economic development should focus on expanding the rail network, reducing unemployment, increasing GDP per capita, and adopting family-friendly practices. Such policies should be adapted to country-specific needs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46061,"journal":{"name":"ATLANTIC ECONOMIC JOURNAL","volume":"53 3","pages":"143 - 165"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11293-025-09831-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145296520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Test-Optional Admissions and Student Debt","authors":"Sean E. Mulholland, Alexia Hope Thompson","doi":"10.1007/s11293-025-09834-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11293-025-09834-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Adopting a test-optional admissions policy alters admissions, enrollment and, potentially, pricing by four-year colleges. With less academic information about applicants and test-optional market segmentation, those admitted under a test-optional policy may face higher prices and accumulate more debt. Combining student debt data from The Institute for College Access & Success from 2000 and 2003-2015 with test-optional admissions data from the National Center for Fair and Open Testing for 2000-2015 in a two-way fixed effects estimator with institution-specific trends and controls, we find that private college graduates admitted under a test-optional policy borrow $1,022 (2016$), or 4.1 %, more than those required to submit their scores. Using the Callaway and Sant'Anna (<i>Journal of Econometrics, 225</i>(2), 200–230, 2021) estimator with multiple time-period treatments, debt is 4.1 % to 8.3 % higher. The evidence suggests that this larger debt is not a result of pricing power through market segmentation, but by selective institutions using price as an additional screening process in response to less information about applicants. Applicants and their families must weigh the ease of applying test-optional against the higher net price and, potentially, larger debt associated with attending test-optional institutions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46061,"journal":{"name":"ATLANTIC ECONOMIC JOURNAL","volume":"53 3","pages":"213 - 230"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145296521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cultural Preference for Redistribution in the United States: An Epidemiological Approach","authors":"Jason Richwine","doi":"10.1007/s11293-025-09833-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11293-025-09833-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Previous research shows that culture can influence economic preferences even when individual characteristics and environment are held constant. This study adds to that literature by measuring the influence of culture on preferences for economic redistribution in the United States. In following the epidemiological approach to assessing the role of culture, the study uses the 1972–2022 cumulative file of the General Social Survey and the 2002–2023 European Social Survey to link the preferences of individual Americans with the preferences that may have been passed down to them from their ancestral countries in Europe. Depending on the choice of covariates in each model, a one-unit increase (on a 1 to 5 scale) in a European country’s average preference for redistribution is associated with a significant 0.20 (<i>p</i> = 0.011) to 0.30 (<i>p</i> = 0.002) increase in the redistribution preference of the average American who has ancestry from that country. Similar effect sizes were obtained even when limiting the sample to respondents who are fourth-generation and higher Americans. Ancestral preference for redistribution also appears to influence political behavior, as it predicts political liberalism and Democratic party identification across all models. The findings suggest a meaningful, robust, and persistent role for culture in determining attitudes toward redistribution in the United States.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46061,"journal":{"name":"ATLANTIC ECONOMIC JOURNAL","volume":"53 3","pages":"231 - 244"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145296572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Can Landlocked Countries Live Happily Ever After?","authors":"Claudia S. Miller, Ajay Verghese, Paul M. Sommers","doi":"10.1007/s11293-025-09832-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11293-025-09832-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46061,"journal":{"name":"ATLANTIC ECONOMIC JOURNAL","volume":"53 3","pages":"245 - 247"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145296854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}