Author Archive for ljridley

Page 2 of 51

Most Muslims Want Democracy, Personal Freedoms, and Islam in Political Life

Published by ljridley on July 13, 2012 in Culture, Values and Attitudes and Regional Studies.

Source: Pew Research Center, Global Attitudes Project

From overview:

More than a year after the first stirrings of the Arab Spring, there continues to be a strong desire for democracy in Arab and other predominantly Muslim nations. Solid majorities in Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan believe democracy is the best form of government, as do a plurality of Pakistanis.

Indeed, these publics do not just support the general notion of democracy – they also embrace specific features of a democratic system, such as competitive elections and free speech.

A substantial number in key Muslim countries want a large role for Islam in political life. However, there are significant differences over the degree to which the legal system should be based on Islam.

Publication website
Complete Report (PDF)
Topline Questionnaire (PDF)

New Working Papers from the NBER

Published by ljridley on July 10, 2012 in Working Papers.

Care or Cash? The Effect of Child Care Subsidies on Student Performance
by Sandra E. Black, Paul J. Devereux, Katrine V. Loken, Kjell G. Salvanes
Abstract; PDF

The Heterogeneity of the Cigarette Price Effect on Body Mass Index
by George Wehby, Charles J. Courtemanche
Abstract; PDF

Do Welfare Policies Matter for Labor Market Aggregates? Quantifying Safety Net Work Incentives since 2007
by Casey B. Mulligan
Abstract; PDF

Age-Based Heterogeneity and Pricing Regulation on the Massachusetts Health Insurance Exchange
by Keith M. Marzilli Ericson, Amanda Starc
Abstract; PDF

Human Capital, Economic Growth, and Inequality in China
by James J. Heckman, Junjian Yi
Abstract; PDF

Bankruptcy as Implicit Health Insurance
by Neale Mahoney
Abstract; PDF

Men, Women, and Machines: How Trade Impacts Gender Inequality
by Chinhui Juhn, Gergely Ujhelyi, Carolina Villegas-Sanchez
Abstract; PDF

When Walmart Comes to Town: Always Low Housing Prices? Always?
by Devin G. Pope, Jaren C. Pope
Abstract; PDF

The Effects of “Girl-Friendly” Schools: Evidence from the BRIGHT School Construction Program in Burkina Faso
by Harounan Kazianga, Dan Levy, Leigh L. Linden, Matt Sloan
Abstract; PDF

Does Decentralization Facilitate Access to Poverty-Related Services? Evidence from Benin
by Emilie Caldeira, Martial Foucault, Gregoire Rota-Graziosi #18118 (PE)
Abstract; PDF

Tall or Taller, Pretty or Prettier: Is Discrimination Absolute or Relative?
by Daniel S. Hamermesh
Abstract; PDF

The Effect of Education Policy on Crime: An Intergenerational Perspective
by Costas Meghir, Marten Palme, Marieke Schnabel
Abstract; PDF

Taxation and Redistribution of Residual Income Inequality
by Mikhail Golosov, Pricila Maziero, Guido Menzio
Abstract; PDF

Identification of Potential Games and Demand Models for Bundles
by Jeremy T. Fox, Natalia Lazzati
Abstract; PDF

Do Male-Female Wage Differentials Reflect Differences in the Return to Skill? Cross-City Evidence From 1980-2000
by Paul Beaudry, Ethan Lewis
Abstract; PDF

The Aftermath of Accelerating Algebra: Evidence from a District Policy Initiative
by Charles T. Clotfelter, Helen F. Ladd, Jacob L. Vigdor
Abstract; PDF

The Behavioralist Goes to School: Leveraging Behavioral Economics to Improve Educational Performance
by Steven D. Levitt, John A. List, Susanne Neckermann, Sally Sadoff
Abstract; PDF

Unobserved Heterogeneity in Matching Games
by Jeremy T. Fox, Chenyu Yang
Abstract; PDF

Choosing Size of Government Under Ambiguity: Infrastructure Spending and Income Taxation
by Charles F. Manski
Abstract; PDF

Income, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Infant Health
by Hilary W. Hoynes, Douglas L. Miller, David Simon
Abstract; PDF

When Does It Pay to Delay Social Security? The Impact of Mortality, Interest Rates, and Program Rules
by John B. Shoven, Sita Nataraj Slavov
Abstract; PDF

New Working Papers from the NBER

Published by ljridley on July 10, 2012 in Working Papers.

The Opt-In Revolution? Contraception and the Gender Gap in Wages
by Martha J. Bailey, Brad Hershbein, Amalia R. Miller
Abstract; PDF

Limited Life Expectancy, Human Capital and Health Investments: Evidence from Huntington Disease
by Emily Oster, Ira Shoulson, E. Ray Dorsey
Abstract; PDF

Education, Health and Mortality: Evidence from a Social Experiment
by Costas Meghir, Marten Palme, Emilia Simeonova
Abstract; PDF

Choice Probability Generating Functions
by Mogens Fosgerau, Daniel L. McFadden, Michel Bierlaire
Abstract; PDF

Measuring Total Household Spending in a Monthly Internet Survey: Evidence from the American Life Panel
by Michael D. Hurd, Susann Rohwedder
Abstract; PDF

Heterogeneity in Human Capital Investments: High School Curriculum, College Major, and Careers
by Joseph G. Altonji, Erica Blom, Costas Meghir
Abstract; PDF

On The Political Economy Of Educational Vouchers
by Dennis N. Epple, Richard Romano
Abstract; PDF

School Turnarounds: Evidence from the 2009 Stimulus
by Thomas Dee
Abstract; PDF

Trends in Occupational Segregation by Gender 1970-2009: Adjusting for the Impact of Changes in the Occupational Coding System
by Francine D. Blau, Peter Brummund, Albert Yung-Hsu Liu
Abstract; PDF

Saving Babies: The Contribution of Sheppard-Towner to the Decline in Infant Mortality in the 1920s
by Carolyn M. Moehling, Melissa A. Thomasson
Abstract; PDF

Demand for Smokeless Tobacco: Role of Magazine Advertising
by Dhaval M. Dave, Henry Saffer
Abstract; PDF

Comparing Real Wages
by Orley C. Ashenfelter
Abstract; PDF

Measuring Test Measurement Error: A General Approach
by Donald Boyd, Hamilton Lankford, Susanna Loeb, James Wyckoff
Abstract; PDF

A Nation of Immigrants: Assimilation and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration
by Ran Abramitzky, Leah Platt Boustan, Katherine Eriksson
Abstract; PDF

The Impact of Patient Cost-Sharing on the Poor: Evidence from Massachusetts
by Amitabh Chandra, Jonathan Gruber, Robin McKnight
Abstract; PDF

Testing Motives for Charitable Giving: A Revealed-Preference Methodology with Experimental Evidence
by Rahul Deb, Robert S. Gazzale, Matthew J. Kotchen
Abstract; PDF

The Impact of Immigration on the Educational Attainment of Natives
by Jennifer Hunt
Abstract; PDF

Estimating the Economic Impacts of Living Wage Mandates Using Ex Ante Simulations, Longitudinal Estimates, and New Public and Administrative Data: Evidence for New York City
by David Neumark, Matthew Thompson, Francesco Brindisi, Leslie Koyle, Clayton Reck
Abstract; PDF

Weathering the Storm: Hurricanes and Birth Outcomes
by Janet Currie, Maya Rossin-Slater
Abstract; PDF

The Effect of Housing Wealth on College Choice: Evidence from the Housing Boom
by Michael F. Lovenheim, C. Lockwood Reynolds
Abstract; PDF

Migration and sustainable development

Published by ljridley on July 9, 2012 in Population Dynamics - Urbanization, Migration.

Source: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

Introduction:

As discussions for Rio+20 progress, migration has been recognized for its increasing importance and relevance to the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, as well as for its influence on all regions of the world. This issues brief serves as a contribution to the discussions: it provides an overview of migration in the context of sustainable development, reviews related international commitments and their achievements since the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and sketches a way forward for future discussions.

Full text (PDF)

African Statistical Yearbook, 2012

Published by ljridley on July 9, 2012 in Regional Studies.

Source: African Development Bank

From the forward:

The African Statistical Yearbook (ASYB) 2012 is the fourth edition jointly produced by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). It is a result of the fruitful collaboration that exists among the three pan-African organizations within the field of statistics. This synergistic collaboration has two principal benefits: (1) it minimizes the risk of inconsistent information being produced by the three organizations, and (2) it reduces the reporting burden on member states, who might otherwise be obliged to submit data separately to each institution.

As in the previous three editions, this 2012 Yearbook presents a time series showing the performance of African countries for various economic and social indicators over the period 2003–2011. The exception is for the mining sector, where the timeframe is 2001–2009, owing to the inherent lag in compiling data for the relevant indicators.

Full text (PDF)

New UM Library Resource: Statista

Published by ljridley on June 14, 2012 in New Resources.

Announcement from Catherine Morse, Government Information and Political Science Librarian, Clark Library, Hatcher Graduate Library:

All three campuses have access to Statista, an online portal for statistical charts, graphs and tables on a variety of subjects including: marketing, demographics, communication, technology, politics, health, leisure and public opinion. Statista offers recent data, not time series, and comes from government sources like the World Bank and the U.S. Census as well as industry, marketing, and trade groups. Tables, charts and graphs can be downloaded as images or into Microsoft Powerpoint and Excel.

Statista can be accessed here: http://www.lib.umich.edu/database/link/1077340

Congressional Quarterly Political Reference Suite

Published by ljridley on May 8, 2012 in New Resources.

The University of Michigan Library has purchased additional titles to the Congressional Quarterly Political Reference Suite. These new electronic reference books add to their collection of CQ reference works on campaigns, politics and elections. The CQ Political Reference Suite can be accessed here: http://www.lib.umich.edu/database/link/30187.

New titles include:

    Supreme Court Compendium, 5th Edition
    Cities in American History
    Encyclopedia of Water Politics
    The New York Times on Gay and Lesbian Issues
    Encyclopedia of the U.S. Census
    Federal Regulatory Directory, 15th Edition
    Women in American Politics
    Encyclopedia of US/Latin America Relations
    Exit Polls: Surveying the American Electorate
    African American Electorate
    Elections A to Z, 4th Edition
    and many more.

Households and Families: 2010

Published by ljridley on May 2, 2012 in Culture, Values and Attitudes and Family, Fertility & Children.

By: Daphne Lofquist, Terry Ligaila, Martin O’Connell, and Sarah Feliz
Source: United States Census Bureau

From the news release:

The U.S. Census Bureau today released a 2010 Census brief, Households and Families: 2010, that showed interracial or interethnic opposite-sex married couple households grew by 28 percent over the decade from 7 percent in 2000 to 10 percent in 2010. States with higher percentages of couples of a different race or Hispanic origin in 2010 were primarily located in the western and southwestern parts of the United States, along with Hawaii and Alaska.

A higher percentage of unmarried partners were interracial or interethnic than married couples. Nationally, 10 percent of opposite-sex married couples had partners of a different race or Hispanic origin, compared with 18 percent of opposite-sex unmarried partners and 21 percent of same-sex unmarried partners.

Full text (PDF)

Employment Characteristics of Families, 2011

Published by ljridley on May 2, 2012 in Family, Fertility & Children and Human Capital, Labor & Wealth.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

From the Summary:

In 2011, 11.5 percent of families included an unemployed person, falling from a peak of 12.4 percent in 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Of the nation’s 78.4 million families, 79.8 percent had at least one employed member in 2011.

These data on employment, unemployment, and family relationships are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of approximately 60,000 households. Families are classified either as married-couple families or as families maintained by women or men without spouses present. For further information about the CPS, see the Technical Note.

Table of Contents
Full text (PDF)

An Overview of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Published by ljridley on April 26, 2012 in Health, Disability & Mortality and Human Capital, Labor & Wealth.

Source: Congressional Budget Office

From the Director’s Blog:

In fiscal year 2011, federal expenditures for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps)—$78 billion—and participation in the program were the highest they have ever been. In an average month that year, about one in seven U.S. residents received SNAP benefits.

In a report issued today, CBO describes the program, its beneficiaries, recent trends in participation and spending, and some possible approaches to changing how it operates. To provide a handy summary of some of the most pertinent information about SNAP, CBO also published an infographic on SNAP.

Report (PDF)
Infographic (PDF)