Polygyny rates are higher in Western Africa than in Eastern Africa. The African slave trades explain this difference. More male slaves were exported in the trans-Atlantic slave trades from Western Africa, while more female slaves were exported in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea slave trades from Eastern Africa. The slave trades led to prolonged periods of abnormal sex ratios, which impacted the rates of polygyny across Africa. In order to assess these claims, we construct a unique ethnicity-level data set linking current rates of polygyny with historical trade flow data from the African slave trades. Our OLS estimates show a positive correlation between the trans-Atlantic slave trades and polygyny. An IV approach shows the relationship is causal and statistically significant. We also provide cross-country evidence corroborating our findings.JEL Classification: F14, J12, N17, O55

Using the methodology developed in Kehoe and Ruhl (2013), I measure the change in the extensive, or new goods, margin of trade between Austria and the ten new entrants to the European Union in 2004. On average, the new goods account for 42% of the bilateral trade flow after enlargement. A time series measure shows growth in the new goods margin coincides with the 2004 enlargement, which provides evidence on the importance of the role played by the new goods margin in the growth in trade following a trade liberalization.

Diamond (2009) compares the citation time series for Schumpeter and Keynes from 1956 to 2006. Citations to Schumpeter steadily increase throughout the period, whereas citations to Keynes begin to level off and then trend slightly downward beginning in the 1990s. As a result, citations to Schumpeter begin to outstrip those to Keynes. This paper replicates Diamond ( 2009) and extends the analysis to 2017, which incorporates citations since the onset of the Great Recession. The replication confirms the results in Diamond ( 2009). The analysis beyond 2006 shows citations to Schumpeter remain larger than to Keynes, but citations to Keynes undergo a resurgence. The paper argues the Great Recession helped renew interest in Keynes. Google Trends data for Schumpeter and Keynes are compared and provide evidence showing the heightened interest in Keynes during the Great Recession. For example, in the United States, the peak of Keynes's search interest occurs in February 2009, five months after Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy.

Hollywood blockbusters are usually released in the U.S. before other foreign markets. The release gaps have declined significantly over time and varied greatly across countries. While movie piracy has been suggested as an important determinant for the release gap decision of distributors, theory and evidence suggest there are other important determinants. In this paper, we use a discrete choice release gap decision game model to disentangle the impacts of the i) release gap effect, which includes factors that provide incentives for a distributor to shorten the release gap; ii) word-of-mouth effect, which provides incentives for a distributor to lengthen the release gap; and iii) strategic effect, which accounts for the incentives blockbusters have to avoid each other. We obtain box office and release gap data from the private industry source Boxofficemojo.com. Our results suggest all three factors have an economically significant impact on distributors' release gap decision.JEL Classification: F14, L82, 034

This paper uses the methodology developed in Kehoe and Ruhl (2013)