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Research
Working Papers:
1) Job Market Paper : “Implications of Sales Tax Enforcement on E-commerce: Evidence from Nielsen Consumer Panel Data”
Chicola, Randall (University of Nevada, Reno).
My job market paper examines the sensitivity of e-commerce purchases to the imposition of state sales tax. This paper exploits timing variation in the imposition of state sales tax onto online purchases to estimate demand elasticities for online and traditional brick and mortar retail shopping. The large estimated elasticities imply that collecting sales taxes from online retailers shifts consumption partially back to brick and mortar retailers. (2022)
2) “Joint Prediction and Simulation of Labor Force and Fiscal Conditions of Nevada Counties”
Chicola, Randall (University of Nevada, Reno), Kim, Man-Keun (Utah State University), Hu, Wuyang (The Ohio State University), Harris, Thomas (University of Nevada, Reno). (2021)
This study provides a system to jointly model labor and fiscal conditions of Nevada counties. Each is specified as a system of equations that are linked by allowing variables from the labor module to enter the fiscal module. Following the identification of parameters in the two modules, a simulation analyzed to account for the effects of changes in exogenous employment to the labor and fiscal status of each Nevada county in addition to dynamic relationships of county budgets.
Works in Progress:
1) “Nominal Price Rigidity Parameters: A Meta-analysis”
Chicola, Randall (University of Nevada, Reno), Sokolova, Anna (University of Nevada, Reno)
This meta-analysis explores the evidence regarding the extent of nominal price rigidity. This parameter is indispensable to prevailing Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) models used to estimate outcomes of fiscal and monetary policy intervention. Typically, the greater the nominal price rigidity parameter, the more effective policy intervention tools are. Numerous studies have estimated this parameter, however estimates vary widely throughout the literature. The goal of this paper is to study the sources of this variation. This paper will provide the first meta-analysis in this area of literature. The estimates in the literature arise from intricate structural models for which a system of controls was created to detail the subtle feature differences between each model’s structure. The analysis will use meta regressions to pin down the parameter, which could easily be used in future research as DSGE model input. Additionally, we will provide best practices for fitted estimates of the nominal price rigidity parameter based on the existing literature. The results will allow a meaningful discussion on how estimates using different methodological approaches and model structure influence estimates reported throughout the literature.
2) “How Do Rooftop Solar Panel Owners Vote in Energy Related Issues? An Event Study from Nevada”
Chicola Randall (University of Nevada, Reno), Uz, Dilek (University of Nevada, Reno)
This paper examines the efficacy of net metering referendums on solar panel installation in Nevada. This paper contributes to a data need in the political science literature by providing the first precinct level income data inferred by machine learning from home price data. This will contribute an alternative control for income when precinct level income data is unavailable. Additionally, the analysis estimates the share who voted for net metering referendums that were proposed in 2016 and 2018. Such estimates can aide policymakers when analyzing regional renewable energy adoption.