publications
Michael T. Owyang
Measuring the Effect of School Choice on Economic Outcomes
By Michael T. Owyang and E. Katarina Vermann
The Regional Economist | October 2012
In measuring the returns to education, economists usually focus on the number of years of schooling. But many people would say that the quality of schooling matters, too, even at the high school level. Does the type of high school attended make a difference in future income?
(0 Reviews)
Worth Your Weight? Re-examining the Link between Obesity and Wages
By Michael T. Owyang and E. Katarina Vermann
The Regional Economist | October 2011
(0 Reviews)
Unconventional Oil Production: Stuck in a Rock and a Hard Place
By Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | July 2010
Oil can be derived from oil sands and oil shale, but the job is both economically and environmentally costly. How high must the price of oil be in order to make these alternatives cost-effective?
(27 Reviews)
A Winning Combination? Economic Theory Meets Sports
By Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | January 2009
Satisfying a need to get out in the field, some economists are studying sports. Their topics have included racism in the NBA, coaches’ maximization of their chances of winning, and the direction that soccer players and goalies should move during penalty kicks.
(4 Reviews)
Extra Credit: The Rise of Short-term Liabilities
By Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | April 2008
Not only are more American families in debt, but the median value of the debt more than doubled between 1989 and 2004. Credit cards and payday loans are two of the favorite tools for digging the hole deeper.
(0 Reviews)
Splitsville: The Economics of Unilateral Divorce
By Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | January 2008
New studies have looked at the impact of easier divorce on everything from women working outside the home to children’s education to spousal violence.
(4 Reviews)
Working Hard or Hardly Working? The Evolution of Leisure in the United States
By Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | January 2007
Although Americans appear to be spending less time on the job than they were a hundred years ago, there's some question as to whether they have more leisure time.
(2 Reviews)
Social Changes Lead Married Women into Labor Force
By Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | April 2006
The ranks of women in the workfoce jumped by more than 24 percentage points between 1955 and 1999. Credit labor-saving devices at home (such as the dishwasher), the birth-control pill and the preference by some men to marry a woman who works outside the home.
(2 Reviews)
What's in a Name? Reconciling Conflicting Evidence on Ethnic Names
By Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | January 2006
One study shows that Kenya and Hakim might have more trouble getting their résumés noticed than Allison and Brad do. But another study indicates that distinctively African-American names don’t lead to worse economic outcomes in adulthood.
(0 Reviews)
By Michael T. Owyang and Kristie M. Engemann
(0 Reviews)
So Much for That Merit Raise: The Link between Wages and Appearance
By Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | April 2005
If you think that your career advancement is based solely on your productivity, think again. As hard as it may be for Horatio Alger fans to accept, workers who are taller, thinner or better looking than the rest of us can have an edge.
(2 Reviews)
Keep Your Résumé Current: The Causes Behind Declining Job Tenure
By Kristie M. Engemann Leora Friedberg, and Michael T. Owyang,
The Regional Economist | January 2005
Having the same job for one's entire career has become much less common over the past quarter-century. Many people switch jobs voluntarily; others, not. Behind this trend are changes in demographics, changes in technology and changes in such institutions as unions and international trade.
(1 Reviews)
Marriage, Motherhood and Money: How Do Women’s Life Decisions Influence Their Wages?
By Abbigail J. Chiodo and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | April 2003
Becoming a wife. Becoming a mother. Read how these critical life decisions affect the salary women take home.
(2 Reviews)
Monetary Policy: The Whole Country Gets the Same Treatment, but Results Vary
By Abbigail J. Chiodo and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | January 2003
The target set by the FOMC for the federal funds rate applies to the entire country. But that single policy has a different impact on different parts of the country, depending on their concentration of interest-sensitive industries.
(0 Reviews)
By Michael T. Owyang and Abbigail J. Chiodo
Defined benefit pensions fall while defined contribution plans jump.
(1 Reviews)
For Love or Money: Why Married Men Make More
By Abbigail J. Chiodo and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | April 2002
Whether it's because of employer bias or their own hard work, men who've married are paid more than those who've never said "I do."
(3 Reviews)
Low Unemployment: Old Dogs or New Tricks?
By Abbigail J. Chiodo and Michael T. Owyang
The Regional Economist | October 2001
Technology usually gets the credit for the unusually low unemployment of the not-too-distant past. But baby boomers, with all their years' experience, also played a role.
(2 Reviews)