Shafique Islam

Warehouses and Diplomas: Amazon's Expansion and Local Educational Attainment

Abstract. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of how Amazon's logistics facility rollout affected human capital formation. I exploit variation in the timing of Amazon's entry across commuting zones between 2010 and 2024. The rollout increased educational attainment, especially bachelor's and master's degrees. More graduates moved to or stayed in these areas. Part-time enrollment declined while full-time enrollment increased. These outcomes likely reflect spillover effects from Amazon's entry. Amazon's presence expanded skilled employment at other firms and increased demand for college graduates.

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When Samples Shape Significance
With Sonia Ale, Lester Lusher, Huda Osman, and Jacob Stenstrom.

Abstract. Random sampling yields unbiased estimates, yet sampling variation alone can produce incorrect conclusions. Using a setting where repeated draws from the same data-generating process are observable, we replicate findings from 24 papers in top economics journals and re-estimate each result using 40 independent resamples. Across 3,640 resampled results, t-statistics shrink by 31%, frequently leading to lost significance. Proxies for researcher degrees of freedom and sampling noise predict reduced significance. Our exercise provides novel evidence quantifying the effect of sampling variability on empirical research and highlights how statistical evidence can vary even when holding research design fixed.

[Paper PDF]

Opportunity or Trap? First Jobs and Immigrant Integration in the U.S. With Gabrielle Toborg.

Friends, Rivals, and Performance: Evidence from Random Golf Pairings With Lester Lusher and Jacob Stenstrom.

Ale, S. A., & Islam, S. (2022). A panel data analysis of infrastructure, human capital development, and economic growth: Evidence from ten newly industrialized countries. American Journal of Economics and Business Management, 5(8), 177-185.

Ale, S. A., & Islam, S. (2022). Does external debt affect economic growth? Evidence from South Asian countries. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues.

Ale, S. A., Akter, R., & Islam, S. (2018). Remittance inflow and GDP growth: Evidence from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Asian Economic and Financial Review, 8(11), 1340-1353.

Rahman, M. R., Selim, M. M. I., Haque, A. U., Smrity, D. Y., & Islam, S. (2019). Examining the effect of exchange rate and overseas employment on remittances: Evidence from Bangladesh. Theoretical Economics Letters, 9, 2593-2605.

Sultana, H., Islam, S., Haque, A. U., & Ale, S. A. (2019). Income inequality and economic growth: Empirical evidence from Bangladesh. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 10(16), 78-83.

Hossain, S., Kibria, G., & Islam, S. (2018). Does globalization affect the economic growth of Bangladesh? An econometric analysis. Asian Economic and Financial Review, 8(12), 1384-1393.

Ale, S. A., & Islam, S. (2017). Do the exchange rates of freely floating exchange rate regimes exhibit mean reversion? Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 8(20), 81-84.

Islam, S., & Ale, S. A. (2017). Examining the effect of expenditure-changing and expenditure-switching policies on real GDP in Bangladesh. Journal of Noakhali Science and Technology University, 1(2), 67-72.