May 15, 2008
New Poverty, Gender, and Youth Working Paper from the Population Council
Terms of marriage and time-use patterns of young wives: Evidence from rural Bangladesh
Sajeda Amin and Luciana Suran
Abstract; PDF
Posted by ljridley at 03:41 PM
Religion and Fertility
Religious affiliation, religiosity, and male and female fertility (PDF)
Li Zhang
Demographic Research, 18(8)
Abstract
Religious studies of fertility typically focus on the effect of religious affiliation on fertility; the role of religiosity in determining fertility remains overlooked. Meanwhile, most studies focus on studying female fertility; whether religion and religiosity have significantly different impacts on men’s and women’s fertility rarely has been examined. To fill these gaps, this study uses data from the 2002 NSFG Cycle 6 on religious affiliation, religiosity, and children ever born (CEB) for both men and women to investigate the effects of religious affiliation and religiosity on male and female fertility. A series of hypotheses which aim to demonstrate the critical role of religiosity, particularly the importance of religious beliefs in people’s daily life in shaping people’s fertility behavior are tested. The findings show a shrinking pattern of fertility differentials among religious groups. However, religiosity, particularly religious beliefs, shows a substantially positive effect on fertility. The gender interaction terms are not significant which indicates that the effects of religion and religiosity on fertility do not vary by gender.
Posted by ljridley at 02:22 PM
Engines of Inequality: Class, Race, and Family Structure
Engines of Inequality: Class, Race, and Family Structure (PDF)
Amy L. Wax, University of Pennsylvania Law School
ABSTRACT:
The past 30 years have witnessed a dramatic divergence in family structure by social class, income, education, and race. This article reviews the data on these trends, explores their significance, and assesses social scientists’ recent attempts to explain them. The article concludes that society-wide changes in economic conditions or social expectations cannot account for these patterns. Rather, for reasons that are poorly understood, cultural disparities have emerged by class and race in attitudes and behaviors surrounding family, sexuality, and reproduction. These disparities will likely fuel social and economic inequality and contribute to disparities in children’s life prospects for decades to come.
Posted by ljridley at 01:51 PM
The Growing Divide: Income Inequality and Its Effects on Florida’s Families
The Growing Divide: Income Inequality and Its Effects on Florida’s Families (PDF)
Emily Eisenhauer, Marcos Feldman, Bruce Nissen, and Yue Zhang
Source: Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy, Florida International University
The gap between the wealthiest and the poorest families in Florida is widening, impacting housing and health care coverage. Over the last fifteen years the average income of the top 5% of families have increased by more than 55%. Upper income families are over two and a half times as likely as low-income families to own their own homes, and 22% more likely to have every household member covered by health insurance.
Posted by ljridley at 11:31 AM
May 14, 2008
State Programs Add Safety Net for Low Income Workers
State Programs Add Safety Net for the Poorest
RACHEL L. SWARNS | NY TIMES
May 12, 2008
At least a dozen states are giving monthly payments to low-income workers, hoping to keep them off welfare rolls.
Posted by ljridley at 01:50 PM
May 13, 2008
The Price of Independence
The Price of Independence: The Economics of Early Adulthood, edited by Sheldon Danziger and Cecilia Elena Rouse
More and more young men and women today are taking longer and having more difficulty making a successful transition to adulthood. They are staying in school longer, having a harder time finding steady employment at jobs that provide health insurance, and are not marrying and having children until much later in life than their parents did. In The Price of Independence, a roster of distinguished experts diagnose the extent and causes of these trends.
Observers of social trends have speculated on the economic changes that may be delaying the transition to adulthood—from worsening job opportunities to mounting student debt and higher housing costs—but few have offered empirical evidence to back up their claims. The Price of Independence represents the first significant analysis of these economic explanations, charting the evolving life circumstances of 18-35 year olds over the last few decades. Lisa Bell, Gary Burtless, Janet Gornick, and Timothy M. Smeeding show that the earnings of young workers in the U.S. and a number of industrialized countries have declined relative to the cost of supporting a family, which may explain their protracted dependence. In addition, Henry Farber finds that job stability for young male workers has dropped over the last generation. But while economic factors have some influence on young people’s transitions to adulthood, The Price of Independence shows that changes in the economic climate can not account for the magnitude of the societal shift in the timing of independent living, marriage, and childbearing. Aaron Yelowitz debunks the myth that steep housing prices are forcing the young to live at home—housing costs actually fell between 1980 and 2000 once lower interest rates and tax subsidies are taken into account. And Ngina Chiteji reveals that average student loan debt is only $3,500 per household. The trend toward starting careers and families later appears to have more to do with changing social norms, as well as policies that have broadened access to higher education, than with changes in the economy.
For better or worse, the current generation is redefining the nature and boundaries of what it means to be a young adult. The Price of Independence documents just how dramatically the modern lifecycle has changed and offers evidence as an antidote to much of the conventional wisdom about these social changes.
This book is new in the PSC library and may be found on the PSC Authors display.
Posted by ljridley at 03:37 PM
Poverty, Gender, and Youth Working Papers from the Population Council
Has the HIV epidemic peaked?
John Bongaarts, Thomas Buettner, Gerhard Heilig, and François Pelletier
Abstract; PDF
Sexual behavior and STI/HIV status among adolescents in rural Malawi: An evaluation of the effect of interview mode on reporting
Barbara S. Mensch, Paul C. Hewett, Richard Gregory, and Stephane Helleringer
Abstract; PDF
Fertility transitions in developing countries: Progress or stagnation?
John Bongaarts
Abstract; PDF
The role of schools in promoting sexual and reproductive health among adolescents in developing countries
Cynthia B. Lloyd
Abstract; PDF
Premarital sex and schooling transitions in four sub-Saharan African countries
Ann Biddlecom, Richard Gregory, Cynthia B. Lloyd, and Barbara S. Mensch
Abstract; PDF
Poverty and fertility: Evidence and agenda
Sajeda Amin, John B. Casterline, and Laura Spess
Abstract; PDF
Ethnic differentials in parental health seeking for childhood illness in Vietnam
Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan and James F. Phillips
Abstract; PDF
Subsequently published: Social Science and Medicine 66(5): 1118–1130
Support by migrants to their elderly parents in rural Cambodia and Thailand: A comparative study
Zachary Zimmer, Kim Korinek, John Knodel, and Napaporn Chayovan
Abstract; PDF
Teacher absence as a factor in gender inequalities in access to primary schooling in rural Pakistan
Sharon Ghuman and Cynthia B. Lloyd
Abstract; PDF
Posted by ljridley at 11:43 AM
New Working Papers from the NBER
Is the GED an Effective Route to Postsecondary Education for School Dropouts?
John H. Tyler and Magnus Lofstrom
Abstract; PDF
Income Maximization and the Selection and Sorting of International Migrants
Jeffrey Grogger and Gordon H. Hanson
Abstract; PDF
The Higher Educational Transformation of China and Its Global Implications
Yao Li, John Whalley, Shunming Zhang, and Xiliang Zhao
Abstract; PDF
Changes in the Characteristics of American Youth: Implications for Adult Outcomes
Joseph G. Altonji, Prashant Bharadwaj, and Fabian Lange
Abstract; PDF
Do Markets Respond to Quality Information? The Case of Fertility Clinics
M. Kate Bundorf, Natalie Chun, Gopi Shah Goda, and Daniel P. Kessler
Abstract; PDF
How Costly is Diversity? Affirmative Action in Light of Gender Differences in Competitiveness
Muriel Niederle, Carmit Segal, and Lise Vesterlund
Abstract; PDF
Is Marriage Always Good for Children? Evidence from Families Affected by Incarceration
Keith Finlay and David Neumark
Abstract; PDF
Econometric Causality
James J. Heckman
Abstract; PDF
Effect of Employer Access to Criminal History Data on the Labor Market Outcomes of Ex-Offenders and Non-Offenders
Keith Finlay
Abstract; PDF
Too Young to Leave the Nest: The Effects of School Starting Age
Sandra E. Black, Paul J. Devereux, and Kjell G. Salvanes
Abstract; PDF
Posted by ljridley at 10:10 AM
New Discussion Papers from the Institute for the Study of Labor
The Effect of Intragroup Communication on Preference Shifts in Groups
Michael P. Brady, Steven Y. Wu
Abstract; PDF
The Impact of College Graduation on Geographic Mobility: Identifying Education Using Multiple Components of Vietnam Draft Risk
Ofer Malamud, Abigail Wozniak
Abstract; PDF
Minimum Wages and Welfare in a Hotelling Duopsony
Leo Kaas, Paul Madden
Abstract; PDF
From Illegal to Legal: Estimating Previous Illegal Experience among New Legal Immigrants to the United States
(forthcoming in: International Migration Review
Guillermina Jasso, Douglas S. Massey, Mark R. Rosenzweig, James P. Smith
Abstract; PDF
Life Satisfaction in Urban China: Components and Determinants
Lina Song, Simon Appleton
Abstract; PDF
Interethnic Marriage: A Choice between Ethnic and Educational Similarities
Delia Furtado, Nikolaos Theodoropoulos
Abstract; PDF
International Migration, Ethnicity and Economic Inequality
(substantially revised version forthcoming in: Oxford Handbook on Economic Inequality, 2009)
Martin Kahanec, Klaus F. Zimmermann
Abstract; PDF
Too Young to Leave the Nest? The Effects of School Starting Age
Sandra E. Black, Paul Devereux, Kjell G. Salvanes
Abstract; PDF
Posted by ljridley at 09:32 AM
May 07, 2008
"Squeezed: How Costs for Insuring Families are Outpacing Income A State-By-State Analysis
This article reveals how the cost of family health insurance nationwide is increasing dramatically for employees without anywhere near an equivalent increase in family income. If this trend continues, more workers are likely to become uninsured because of the expense.
Posted by sbriske at 03:34 PM
May 02, 2008
Future care of dependent elderly population in Europe
Report of study projecting dependent elder population up to 2030, distinguishing among family situations.
Posted by nebarr at 08:47 AM
Growing disparities in life expectancy
Congressional Budget Office brief looks at widening gap in life expectancy by SES and implications for Social Security and Medicare.
Posted by nebarr at 08:36 AM
WHO Mortality Database updated Apr 14, 2008
Access to raw data files, necessary instructions, file structures, code reference tables, etc.
Posted by nebarr at 08:28 AM
April 30, 2008
Several Funding Opportunities
Academic Career Award (K07) from NIH
The goals of NIH-supported career development programs are to help ensure that diverse pools of highly trained scientists are available in adequate numbers and in appropriate research areas to address the Nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs.
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Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program Award (D43)
from NIH
The purpose of this announcement is to invite applications for U.S. and developing country institutions for programs to provide infectious disease (excluding HIV/AIDS) research training to scientists and health professionals in order to build sustainable research capacity at institutions in low- and middle-income endemic countries.
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Research Grants Call for Proposals from American Educational Research Association deadline August 29, 2008
AERA invites education policy- and practice-related research proposals using NCES, NSF, and other national data bases. Research Grants are available for faculty at institutions of higher education, postdoctoral researchers, and other doctoral-level researchers.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) soliciting applications from eligible applicants for the planning, arranging, administering and/or conducting of conferences, workshops, and/or meetings (hereinafter referred to as “conferences”) that focus on research to protect human health and safeguard the environment.
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The University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research (UKCPR), in cooperation with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, seeks proposals for social science research on issues salient to low-income populations in the American South.
Regional Small Grants Program Request for Proposals
Young Investigator Development Grants Program Request for Proposals
Posted by yanfu at 11:05 AM
Post-Graduate/Dissertation Fellowships
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington is accepting applications for the Post-Graduate Fellowship program.
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Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars Program
2008-2009 Call for Applications
Deadline: Oct 3, 2008
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With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the Institute of Education Sciences, the AERA Grants Program announces its Dissertation Grants Program.
Posted by yanfu at 09:46 AM
April 29, 2008
NIH and Sensitive Data
NIH Reconfirms Commitment to Protecting Sensitive Personal Data
April 14, 2008
As a result of the recent theft of an NIH employee’s laptop which included storage of patient data, the NIH has refocused its efforts to protecting information systems (electronic and hard copy) which contain sensitive personal information. Steps are currently underway at NIH to ensure that all computers, laptops and portable electronic devices are encrypted and that NIH employees are educated in the proper handling of sensitive data.
Continue reading "NIH and Sensitive Data"
Posted by lisan at 01:23 PM
Variables to be included in Census 2010 and ACS
Recently, the Census Bureau submitted to Congress the questions it plans to ask in the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey.
http://www.census.gov/2010census/recent_news/011812.html
Posted by lisan at 09:50 AM
Sex selective abortions in India
Indian Prime Minister denounces Abortion of Females
Amelia Gentleman | NY TIMES
April 29, 2008
Story based on an article in Lancet:
Low male-to-female sex ratio of children born in India: national survey of 1.1 million households
Lancet 2006 (January): pages 211-218
Posted by lisan at 09:46 AM
April 25, 2008
Call for Papers: Epidemiologic Approaches to Health Disparities
Epidemiologic Reviews, a sister publication of the American Journal of Epidemiology, is devoted to publishing comprehensive and critical reviews on specific themes once a year. The 2009 issue, to be published in the summer of 2009, will address the topic of health disparities.
Details at http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/epirev/callforpapers.html
Posted by yanfu at 02:43 PM
North American Jewish Databank
National studies that identify the Jewish population in the United States:
http://www.jewishdatabank.org/national.asp
Community-based studies:
http://www.jewishdatabank.org/community.asp
Terms of use to access data:
http://www.jewishdatabank.org/termsofuse.asp
Posted by lisan at 01:33 PM
GAO Adds 2010 Census to High-Risk List
2010 Census: Automation Problems and Uncertain Costs and Plans. . .
Additional GAO reports critical of the Census Bureau's planning:
Continue reading "GAO Adds 2010 Census to High-Risk List"
Posted by lisan at 11:57 AM
Census Official Steps Down
Census official steps down amid criticism over contract
Stephen Ohlemacher | Associated Press
April 24, 2008
More background information:
Continue reading "Census Official Steps Down"
Posted by lisan at 11:38 AM
April 24, 2008
Recent World Bank Policy Research Working Papers
Determinants of remittances : recent evidence using data on internal migrants in Vietnam
Health reform, population policy and child nutritional status in China
Posted by yanfu at 02:42 PM
NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings
NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings
The purpose of the NIH Research Conference Grant Program (R13 and U13) is to support high quality conferences/scientific meetings that are relevant to the scientific mission of the NIH and to the public health.
Posted by yanfu at 02:06 PM
Tell Us the 'Broader Impacts' of Your Science, NSF Says
The National Science Foundation says not enough grant applicants and peer reviewers are taking seriously — or even know about — an 11-year-old requirement that they evaluate the “broader impacts” of proposed studies, reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education News blog.
Posted by yanfu at 11:29 AM
April 23, 2008
2007 Regional AIDS reports from UN
The Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has issued the 2007 AIDS epidemic update Regional Summaries.
Posted by yanfu at 03:03 PM
Countdown to 2015: Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival
Countdown to 2015: Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival
Source: United Nations, et. al.
A new report, Countdown to 2015: Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival, finds that treatment for potentially fatal illnesses and other vital health services largely fail to reach women and children in need, despite some progress. The report, a collaborative effort of United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, and other institutions and individuals, tracks progress towards Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, to reduce child and maternal mortality respectively.
Posted by yanfu at 02:47 PM
World Development Indicators, 2008
The 2008 WDI includes more than 800 indicators in over 80 tables organized in 6 sections: World View, People, Environment, Economy, States and Markets, and Global Links.
UM access to WDI Online, 1960-
Posted by yanfu at 01:42 PM
How does GDP and income affect subjective well-being?
Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers re-examine the 'Easterlin Paradox,' which suggests there is no link between economic development of a society and the happiness of its members.
Posted by nebarr at 07:52 AM
April 22, 2008
Declining Life Expectancy for Women in selected counties: US
The Reversal of Fortunes: Trends in County
Mortality and Cross-County Mortality Disparities
in the United States
Majid Ezzati1, Ari B. Friedman, Sandeep C. Kulkarni, Christopher J. L. Murray
PLOS Medicine
May 4, 2008
Posted by lisan at 08:42 AM
April 21, 2008
CDC Report: Estimated Pregnancy Rates by Outcome for the United States, 1990-2004
Estimated Pregnancy Rates by Outcome for the United States, 1990-2004
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Pregnancy rates for women under age 25, including teenagers, in the United States declined in 2004 compared to 1990, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Posted by yanfu at 11:15 AM
WalkScore - Measuring walkability in neighborhoods
Check out your neighborhood. How close are you to libraries, schools and neighborhood stores?
Posted by lisan at 10:43 AM
