Charles J. Courtmanche

EDUCATION: Ph. D. Economics, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri May 2008; M.A. Economics, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri December 2003; B.S. Economics, Centre College, Danville, Kentucky (Magna Cum Laude) May 2002. Fields of specialization: Applied microeconomics, Health economics

There are 9 included publications by Charles J. Courtmanche :

TitleDateViewsBrief Description
Does competition from ambulatory surgical centers affect hospital surgical output? 2010 7195 This paper estimates the effect of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) on hospital surgical volume using hospital and year fixed effects models with several robustness checks. We show that ASC entry only appears to influence a hospital’s outpatient su...
Does procedure profitability impact whether an outpatient surgery is performed at an ambulatory surgery center or hospital? 2011 6055 Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are small (typically physician owned) healthcare facilities that specialize in performing outpatient surgeries and therefore compete against hospitals for patients. Physicians who own ASCs could treat their most prof...
Does Wal-Mart reduce social capital? 2009 3704 Social capital has attracted increasing attention in recent years. We use county-level and individual survey data to study how Wal-Mart affects social capital. Estimates using several proxies for social capital—such as club membership, religious acti...
Longer Hours and Larger Waistlines? The Relationship between Work Hours and Obesity 2009 9185 Additional work hours may lead to weight gain by decreasing exercise, causing substitution from meals prepared at home to fast food and pre-prepared processed food, or reducing sleep. Substitution toward unhealthy convenience foods could also influen...
Rising cigarette prices and rising obesity: Coincidence or unintended consequence? 2009 2516 Economists have begun to debate if the rise in cigarette prices in the U.S. in recent decades has contributed to the nation’s rise in obesity, reaching conclusions that are surprisingly sensitive to specification. I show that allowing for the effect ...
A Silver Lining? The Connection Between Gasoline Prices and Obesity. 2009 3512 I find evidence of a negative association between gasoline prices and body weight using a fixed effects model with several robustness checks. I also show that increases in gas prices are associated with additional walking and a reduction in the frequ...
Tax incentives and the decision to purchase long-term care insurance 2009 3196 This paper studies the impact of the tax incentive prescribed in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) on individuals' long-term care insurance purchasing behavior. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we...
Wal-Mart, Leisure, and Culture 2009 3517 This essay contributes to the debate about the alleged spillover effects associated with Wal-Mart’s growth. Combining county-level data on Wal-Mart entry and location from 1985 through 1998 with individual-level data on leisure activities, we estimat...
Walmart and Values: Painting the Town Red? 2009 4262 This essay explores the relationship between commerce and culture in the context of the recent debate over the social effect of Wal-Mart. In spite of much public debate, little is known about how Wal-Mart affects values. Using data collected from mul...