ORCID

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0924-3733

Date of Award

Spring 5-15-2021

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Author's Department

Economics

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Do Car Seat Laws Cause People to Buy Larger Cars? In this chapter, I estimate the effects of car seat laws on larger vehicle ownerships. Over the past few decades in the United States, the market share of vans and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) has increased rapidly. This increase coincides with the widespread adoption of laws that mandate car safety seats for children. Utilizing variation across states in the timing of these laws and their age requirements, we show that car seat laws cause parents to move away from sedans and to choose larger vehicles. We estimate that car seat laws can account for 8.8 percent of the increase in vans and SUVs since 1990. This shift in the vehicle fleet composition, however, resulted in 9 to 24 additional individuals killed in car crashes annually and generated an additional 302,000 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

Effects of Anti-scalping Laws on Concert Ticket Prices in the Primary Markets. In this chapter, I estimate the effects of anti-scalping laws on face value of concert tickets. Several facts are found in the empirical data. First, the concert ticket prices are higher in the states with anti-scalping laws. Second, the gross sales, attendant and capacity of venue are also higher when scalpers are prohibited while the attendant rate is not affected by anti-scalping laws. The results contradict the traditional economic theory that the existence of scalpers may increase the demand and hence increase the equilibrium price. I then propose a simple model in which the monopolist can use scalpers as their agents to price discriminate to rationalize the pricing strategies.

Language

English (en)

Chair and Committee

Ian Fillmore

Committee Members

Marcus Berliant, Sanghmitra Gautam, Jonathan D. Hall, Brent Hickman,

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