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Ask an economist

UCI economists provide insight on key economic issues

“It's the economy, stupid.” The phrase coined to help keep Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign on point takes on a whole new meaning today as many of us struggling to understand what’s happening in our economy are feeling, well, a little stupid. Here to help break down some of the big issues and explore some potential solutions are several UCI economists whose research findings and perspectives are frequently sought by media and featured in some of the fields’ top journals.

David Brownstone, Economics Professor and Department Chair
-specializes in transportation economics and econometrics
Jan Brueckner, Economics Professor
-specializes in urban and public economics
Amihai Glazer, Economics Professor
-specializes in political economics and policy
Min Ouyang, Economics Assistant Professor
-specializes in effects of recessions
Guillaume Rocheteau, Economics Associate Professor
-specializes in monetary theory and labor economics

Internet love is not colorblind

UCI study of online daters shows race-based preferences

Demographic changes brought about by the recent influx of immigrants from Asia and Latin America have the potential to alter race relations in the United States. But if a study by UC Irvine sociologists is any indication, the cross-cultural revolution is not going to be launched on the internet dating scene, where people often follow racial stereotypes when looking for love. Cynthia Feliciano, sociology and Chicano/Latino studies assistant professor, and Belinda Robnett, sociology associate professor, collected data from Yahoo personals between September 2004 and May 2005, randomly selecting profiles of people ages 18-50 in the Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Atlanta metropolitan regions. While white men were more open to dating outside their race than white women, both had specific racial preferences. White men preferred Asian and Latino dating partners to African Americans; white women were more likely to exclude Asian men.

New book by Sandholtz examines patterns in development of international law

Case studies include international rules that have outlawed piracy, terrorism, slavery and genocide

Recent episodes in which modern pirates have seized ships on the high seas have caused the international community to reexamine options for enforcing centuries-old laws that prohibit piracy. In his new book, International Norms and Cycles of Change, UCI political scientist Wayne Sandholtz and co-author Kendall Stiles examine how such rules against piracy and other international norms from the 1500s to the present emerge and change over time. Using the “cycle theory” of international norm change, a model presented in Sandholtz’s previous book, Prohibiting Plunder, he and Stiles show that the pattern through which international laws develop is a series of linked cycles of disputation or disagreement.

Study argues for transparency and standards in private security industry

Findings appear in May issue of American Interest

Amidst news of U.S. troop shifts from Iraq to Afghanistan, little has been said about the fate of the large number of private security contractors still in country. The lack of news appears to be par for the course, says Deborah Avant, UCI international studies and political science professor, who in a recent study found that for every one New York Times article that mentions private security forces, there are 47 that mention U.S. soldiers or troops. “Just because we don’t hear about them doesn’t mean they aren’t there,” she says, adding that the number of contractors performing duties once provided by the U.S. military is greater than the total number of U.S. troops in Iraq. “Private contractors from a global security industry play a significant role in Afghanistan and Iraq carrying out U.S. policy. Most are not U.S. citizens and some carry guns.” In a feature article appearing in this month's American Interest, she argues that the lack of information on the private security industry is a significant problem that limits the democratic nature of U.S. foreign policy. The use of contractors, she says, also limits the influence of Congress while the lack of transparency inhibits effective public consent.

Citizenship as blood right rather than birthright

Anthropology graduate student Erin Moran studies Ireland's efforts to curtail immigration

When a booming 1990s Irish economy led to a substantial increase in immigration, concern about what the increasing population could do to the country's public healthcare system was widespread. The public’s response came in the form of a constitutional amendment in 2004 which tightened laws around citizenship, effectively limiting access to healthcare. Under the new law, citizenship status became a “blood right” based on parental status rather than a right automatically granted to those born in Ireland. With a newly awarded $12,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, anthropology graduate student Erin Moran is studying the events that brought about the amendment and, through observations and interviews with asylum-seeking women and their families, NGO workers and government employees, she is seeking to learn how the status of citizenship impacts the life-possibilities, personal aspirations, and overall sense of belonging of immigrant families.

Arguing Anteaters applauded for positive performance

UCI Mock Trial team wins Championship Spirit Award at national tournament, finish eighth in country

UCI’s Mock Trial team closed out their 2009 season in April with an eighth place finish at the National Championship Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, beating out teams from Columbia, Duke, Northwestern, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown and Harvard, among hundreds of others. The Anteaters’ overall team effort and positive attitude earned them the Championship Spirit Award and the title of most sportsmanlike team in the country. Sophomore Ana Dixit and freshman Tom Collins received All-American Awards, bringing the team’s yearlong trophy count to nine team awards, 21 individual awards, and four spirit awards for civility. “By any measure - be it dominance or decency - the Anteaters have become a national powerhouse,” says head coach Justin Bernstein.

Fox talks democracy, Mexico

Former Mexican president discusses the political future of Latin America amid drug wars and economic crises

“Democracy is not for granted in Latin America,” former Mexican President Vicente Fox told a capacity crowd Wednesday, April 8, at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. “It has to be nourished, defended and promoted.” Delivering the Peltason Lecture on Democracy, he cited the global financial crisis and the rise of authoritarian leaders as the most serious threats to economic development and human rights in Latin America. Mexicans and Americans "share dreams of freedom, democracy and equal opportunity,” said Fox, whose election in 2000 ended the Institutional Revolutionary Party’s 71-year rule. “This is the Mexico and Latin America I come from." He acknowledged Southern California's large Mexican American population, referring to “my dear paisanos” and eliciting cheers when he addressed the audience in Spanish.

Save more, spend less

National expert gives simple, straightforward advice on solving complex economic issues

“The economics of governing is no easy task. The current state of our economy is testing our government and overall democracy like we’ve never seen,” said Alice Rivlin, founding director of the Congressional Budget Office and former director of the Office of Management and Budgeting. The guest speaker at the April 23 fifth annual Economics of Governance lecture, co-sponsored by UCI]’s Center of the Study of Democracy, the Department of Economics and City National Bank, she offered some clear-cut solutions to some of the complex problems facing our economy, beginning with tossing political ideologies to the side.

SPOTLIGHT EVENT - Son of the former Shah of Iran to speak at UCI

SPOTLIGHT EVENT - Kiang Lecture: The Future of Inequality in China

SPOTLIGHT EVENT - Margolis Lecture: The International Criminal Court and the Darfur Crisis

SPOTLIGHT EVENT - Baghdad School Project: Rebuilding Iraq, One Student at a Time