RESEARCH Business 2000 2001

TOPICS: Economy | Government | Industry | Labor

ECONOMY
Gambling & the Law: Evidence that gambling has created "problem gamblers" makes the industry susceptible to class-action suits along the lines of state-initiated tobacco lawsuits. (12/1/01)

Turkey: Inflation continues unchecked in Turkey because it has been around for so long that the public expects it -- to the point where employers and employees plan on hikes of 50 to 100 percent a year. (12/1/01)

Argentina: At the root of Argentina's dire economic crisis is a political conflict that makes reaching a national consensus difficult, a UI economist says. (12/1/01)

Third World Housing: Unless more is done to increase access to home ownership among women in Third World countries, the end result will be the "feminization of homelessness," a UI scholar says. (11/1/01)

Gambling: Although promoted as an economic development tool, casino gambling is a losing hand when subjected to rigorous cost-benefit analysis, a UI economist says. (10/1/01)

Air Fares: Proposals to unclog airports by imposing "congestion pricing" on flights during peak hours may work provided they're implemented thoughtfully, a UI economist says. (9/1/01)

Market Forecasting: The odds of Wall Street analysts predicting the next high-flier growth stock are about the same as correctly calling coin tosses, a statistical study indicates. (8/1/010)

International Affairs: The transition of Russian industry from state to private ownership has failed to generate the competitive forces at the root of the economic takeoff of China, a UI scholar says. (8/1/01)

Consumerism: A new study finds that contrary to popular thinking, men often shop purposefully, evaluate alternatives, bargain and sometimes even admit to liking to shop. (7/1/01)

Agribusiness: Fifteen UI students toured Belgium, France and the Netherlands to learn about environmental policy, the euro, European business law, and the European food industry. (6/1/01)

Gas & the Economy: Drivers forced to spend more for gasoline in the Chicago area will spend less on other products, thereby hurting the regional economy, according to a new analysis. (6/1/01)

Consumer Illiteracy: Consumers who are illiterate or unable to do math often choose what to buy based on the size of a container and trust clerks to provide the right change. (4/1/00)

Illinois Economy: Despite signs of a national slowdown, Illinois will have enough tax revenues this year to support its current budget without major tax increases or spending cuts. (2/1/00)

Natural Resources: With about $2.9 billion in sales, the "green industry" in Illinois has blossomed, surprisingly outdoing traditional agricultural front-runners corn and soybeans. (2/1/00)

World Poverty: A UI economist argues that land reform has had limited success as an economic tool and offers a "very indirect means" of political and social reform. (2/1/00)

GOVERNMENT
Urban Planning: Urban sprawl is increasingly on the minds of urban planners, government officials and everyday people, but little is being done to address the problem, a study indicates. (4/1/00)

Fleeing From Debt: A legal scholar says the most intriguing question about the bankruptcy bills before Congress is how they'll address the loophole that allows debtors to keep their mansions. (4/1/00)

Cyberstalkers: Rules should be developed by Internet service providers that prohibit cyberstalking and require users to supply verifiable identities and locations, an editor of the UI Law Review says. (3/1/01)

International Development: Although some critics are calling for cuts in foreign aid, such spending is an impetus for private investment in developing countries, an economist says. (3/1/01)

Blackouts: The root cause of the California power crisis was flawed legislation that traded economic realities for short-term fixes to satisfy consumers and utilities, a UI expert contends. (2/1/00)

School Choice: The results of a survey in Chile, which has had a school-voucher program for 20 years, run counter to what many U.S. voucher advocates say about student achievement. (2/1/00)

INDUSTRY
Business and Technology: A UI alumnus and former president of the Montgomery Elevator Co. has arranged funding for a major expansion of the campusÕs pioneering Technology and Management Program. (11/1/00)

Environmental Engineering: Scientists recently conducted a successful test of a process using corn-derived activated carbon for removing mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. (9/1/01)

Management Philosophy: A study comparing how Chinese and American managers reward workers shows some striking similarities in how supervisors determine employee bonuses. (6/1/00)

Workplace Organization: A study sampled 86 companies and found performance-based pay was associated not only with higher worker injury rates but also with lower productivity. (5/1/01)

Road Food: Restaurants under franchise ownership lack the consistency of restaurants that are corporate-owned and -managed, says a business scholar who has studied rankings of 35 chains. (3/1/01)

Wood Substitute: UI scientists are raising kenaf, a fast-growing plant native to Africa that shows promise as a source of fiber that can be used as a substitute for wood. (3/1/01)

LABOR
Firefighter Health: Fluids, electrolytes key to good health for firefighters Frequent hydration and consumption of beverages high in carbohydrates and electrolytes appear to reduce the serious health risks of heat strain that firefighters face. (11/1/00)

September 11: Unionized labor, from ironworkers to seamen, have been at the forefront of rescue and cleanup efforts, a University of Illinois labor professor says. (10/1/00)

Disability: Almost 10 percent of working adults with disabilities faced job discrimination in the early 1990s, despite protections of the Americans with Disability Act, two scholars say. (9/1/01)

Discrimination: Women, people of color and, to a lesser extent, gay and lesbian architects, have not had the same measure of success in the profession as their white, male counterparts. (9/1/01)

Work & Family: A survey of fathers in India indicates they behave far differently at home and with their children than American fathers do, a UI professor of family ecology says. (9/1/01)