We estimate the effects of universal cash transfers on crime from Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend, an annual lump-sum payment to all Alaska residents. We find a 14% increase in substance-abuse incidents the day after the payment and a 10% increase over the following four weeks. This is partially offset by an 8% decrease in property crime, with no changes in violent crimes. On an annual basis, however, changes in criminal activity from the payment are small. Estimated costs comprise a very small portion of the total payment, suggesting that crime-related concerns of a universal cash transfer program may be unwarranted.

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Abstract.The influence of the housing market bubble on U.S. business cycle dynamics during the previous decade has been well-documented. Yet, little if anything is known about how nonmetropolitan areas fared during the period. This study examines the association of regional housing market bubbles with relative nonmetropolitan economic performance during the business cycle phases of the decade. To better infer causality the study makes extensive use of exogenous measures of asymmetric labor demand shocks. Among the primary findings, the study establishes the important role of natural amenity attractivness in regional housing market cycles and regional employment population growth dynamics.

ABSTRACT. Using the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth along with the child survey, we examine the relationship between urban sprawl of U.S. metro counties and the body mass index (BMI) of children who reside in these counties. We make a distinction between urban sprawl in a county and its geographical placement in the urban hierarchy. Even after accounting for unobserved individual heterogeneity and resulting selection bias, we find that urban sprawl is positively related to child BMI and distance to large metros is negatively related to child BMI. These effects are somewhat pronounced among girls and middle/high school children.