Monthly Archive for January, 2012

Big Data, Big Impact: New Possibilities for International Development

Published by ljridley on January 31, 2012 in Data.

Source: World Economic Forum

Executive Summary:

A flood of data is created every day by the interactions of billions of people using computers, GPS devices, cell phones, and medical devices. Many of these interactions occur through the use of mobile devices being used by people in the developing world, people whose needs and habits have been poorly understood until now. Researchers and policymakers are beginning to realise the potential for channelling these torrents of data into actionable information that can be used to identify needs, provide services, and predict and prevent crises for the benefit of low-income populations. Concerted action is needed by governments, development organisations, and companies to ensure that this data helps the individuals and communities who create it.

Full text (PDF)

The American Indian and Alaska Native Population: 2010

Published by ljridley on January 31, 2012 in Culture, Values and Attitudes and Population Dynamics - Urbanization, Migration.

By: Tina Norris, Paula L. Vines, and Elizabeth M. Hoeffel
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph
From press release:

The U.S. Census Bureau today released a 2010 Census brief, The American Indian and Alaska Native Population: 2010, [PDF] that shows almost half (44 percent) of this population, or 2.3 million people, reported being American Indian and Alaska Native in combination with one or more other races. This multiracial group grew by 39 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Overall, 5.2 million people, or 1.7 percent of all people in the United States, identified as American Indian and Alaska Native, either alone or in combination with one or more races. This population grew by 27 percent from 2000 to 2010. Those who reported being American Indian and Alaska Native alone totaled 2.9 million, an increase of 18 percent from 2000 to 2010. The multiple race American Indian and Alaska Native population, as well as both the alone and alone-or-in-combination populations, all grew at a faster rate than the total U.S. population, which increased by 9.7 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Census Brief (PDF)

Eurostat Yearbook, 2011

Published by ljridley on January 31, 2012 in Regional Studies.

Source: Eurostat

Publication details:

Europe in figures – Eurostat yearbook 2011 – presents a comprehensive selection of statistical data on Europe. With more than 450 statistical tables, graphs and maps, the yearbook is a definitive collection of statistical information on the European Union. Most data cover the period 1999-2009 for the European Union and its Member States, while some indicators are provided for other countries, such as members of EFTA, candidate countries to the European Union, Japan or the United States. The yearbook treats the following areas: economy and finance; population; health; education and training; the labour market; living conditions and social protection; industry, trade and services; agriculture, forestry and fisheries; international trade; transport; the environment; energy; and science and technology. The yearbook may be viewed as a key reference for those wishing to know more about European statistics, providing guidance to the vast range of data freely available from the Eurostat website. The chapters of the Eurostat yearbook are also available as a continuously updated set of articles in Statistics Explained.

Table of contents (PDF)
Full publication (PDF)

New Working Papers from the NBER

Published by ljridley on January 30, 2012 in Working Papers.

Regression Discontinuity Designs with an Endogenous Forcing Variable and an Application to Contracting in Health Care
by Patrick Bajari, Han Hong, Minjung Park, Robert Town
Abstract; PDF

Aggregate Impacts of a Gift of Time
by Jungmin Lee, Daiji Kawaguchi, Daniel S. Hamermesh
Abstract; PDF

The Expanding Social Safety Net
by Casey B. Mulligan
Abstract; PDF

Does Practice-Based Teacher Preparation Increase Student Achievement? Early Evidence from the Boston Teacher Residency
by John P. Papay, Martin R. West, Jon B. Fullerton, Thomas J. Kane
Abstract; PDF

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: Understanding Pro-cyclical Mortality
by Ann Huff Stevens, Douglas L. Miller, Marianne E. Page, Mateusz Filipski #17657 (AG HC LS)
Abstract; PDF

Immigrants, Welfare Reform, and the U.S. Safety Net
by Marianne Bitler, Hilary W. Hoynes
Abstract; PDF

Utilization of Infertility Treatments: The Effects of Insurance Mandates
by Marianne P. Bitler, Lucie Schmidt
Abstract; PDF

Does Gender Matter for Political Leadership? The Case of U.S. Mayors
by Fernando Ferreira, Joseph Gyourko
Abstract; PDF

The Economics and Politics of Women’s Rights
by Matthias Doepke, Michele Tertilt, Alessandra Voena
Abstract; PDF

From Infant to Mother: Early Disease Environment and Future Maternal Health
by Douglas Almond, Janet Currie, Mariesa Herrmann
Abstract; PDF

Family Proximity, Childcare, and Women’s Labor Force Attachment
by Janice Compton, Robert A. Pollak #17678 (LS)
Abstract; PDF

Schooling Supply and the Structure of Production: Evidence from US States 1950-1990
by Antonio Ciccone, Giovanni Peri
Abstract; PDF

Medicaid and the Elderly
by Mariacristina De Nardi, Eric French, John Bailey Jones, Angshuman Gooptu
Abstract; PDF

Do Cash Transfers Improve Birth Outcomes? Evidence from Matched Vital Statistics, Social Security and Program Data
by Veronica Amarante, Marco Manacorda, Edward Miguel, Andrea Vigorito
Abstract; PDF

The Unsustainable Rise of the Disability Rolls in the United States: Causes, Consequences, and Policy Options
by David H. Autor
Abstract; PDF

Heteroskedasticity-Robust Inference in Finite Samples
by Jerry A. Hausman, Christopher J. Palmer
Abstract; PDF

Income Inequality and Social Preferences for Redistribution and Compensation Differentials
by William R. Kerr
Abstract; PDF

Women Empowerment and Economic Development
by Esther Duflo
Abstract; PDF

Children’s Schooling and Parents’ Investment in Children: Evidence from the Head Start Impact Study
by Alexander M. Gelber, Adam Isen
Abstract; PDF

The Virtuous Tax: Lifesaving and Crime-Prevention Effects of the 1991 Federal Alcohol-Tax Increase
by Philip J. Cook, Christine Piette Durrance
Abstract; PDF

The Effects of California’s Paid Family Leave Program on Mothers’ Leave-Taking and Subsequent Labor Market Outcomes
by Maya Rossin-Slater, Christopher J. Ruhm, Jane Waldfogel
Abstract; PDF

Rural Demography, Public Services and Land Rights in Africa: A Village-Level Analysis in Burkina Faso
by Margaret S. McMillan, William A. Masters, Harounan Kazianga
Abstract; PDF

New Working Papers from the NBER

Published by ljridley on January 30, 2012 in Working Papers.

The Composition and Draw-down of Wealth in Retirement
by James M. Poterba, Steven F. Venti, David A. Wise #17536 (AG EFG PE)
Abstract; PDF

Housing and the Macroeconomy: The Role of Bailout Guarantees for Government Sponsored Enterprises
by Karsten Jeske, Dirk Krueger, Kurt Mitman
Abstract; PDF

Adverse Selection and Incentives in an Early Retirement Program
by Kenneth T. Whelan, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Kevin F. Hallock, Ronald L. Seeber
Abstract; PDF

The Trouble with Boys: Social Influences and the Gender Gap in Disruptive Behavior
by Marianne Bertrand, Jessica Pan
Abstract; PDF

How Did the Recession of 2007-2009 Affect the Wealth and Retirement of the Near Retirement Age Population in the Health and Retirement Study?
by Alan L. Gustman, Thomas L. Steinmeier, Nahid Tabatabai
Abstract; PDF

School Resources and Educational Outcomes in Developing Countries: A Review of the Literature from 1990 to 2010
by Paul W. Glewwe, Eric A. Hanushek, Sarah D. Humpage, Renato Ravina
Abstract; PDF

Testing Conditional Factor Models
by Andrew Ang, Dennis Kristensen
Abstract; PDF

The Impact of Immigration on Native Poverty through Labor Market Competition
by Giovanni Peri
Abstract; PDF

Socioeconomic Differences in the Impact of Smoking Tobacco and Alcohol Prices on Smoking in India
by G. Emmanuel Guindon, Arindam Nandi, Frank J. Chaloupka, IV, Prabhat Jha
Abstract; PDF

Rising Labor Productivity during the 2008-9 Recession
by Casey Mulligan
Abstract; PDF

The Welfare Economics of Default Options: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of 401(k) Plans
by B. Douglas Bernheim, Andrey Fradkin, Igor Popov
Abstract; PDF

Marginal Effects in Multivariate Probit and Kindred Discrete and Count Outcome Models, with Applications in Health Economics
by John Mullahy
Abstract; PDF

Substitution and Stigma: Evidence on Religious Competition from the Catholic Sex-Abuse Scandal
by Daniel M. Hungerman
Abstract; PDF

Does School Autonomy Make Sense Everywhere? Panel Estimates from PISA
by Eric A. Hanushek, Susanne Link, Ludger Woessmann
Abstract; PDF

Local Industrial Structures and Female Entrepreneurship in India
by Ejaz Ghani, William R. Kerr, Stephen D. O’Connell
Abstract; PDF

Getting Beneath the Veil of Effective Schools: Evidence from New York City
by Will Dobbie, Roland G. Fryer, Jr
Abstract; PDF

Gains and Gaps: Changing Inequality in U.S. College Entry and Completion
by Martha J. Bailey, Susan M. Dynarski
Abstract; PDF

Alcohol and Student Performance: Estimating the Effect of Legal Access
by Jason M. Lindo, Isaac D. Swensen, Glen R. Waddell
Abstract; PDF

Recessions and the Cost of Job Loss
by Steven J. Davis, Till M. von Wachter
Abstract; PDF

Data Quality Issues with the ACS

Published by lisan on January 19, 2012 in Data and Methodology.

Data Quality Issues with the American Community Survey (ACS):
Why are the Margins of Error so Large?
Lisa Neidert | PSC Data Note
January 19, 2012
This note discusses reasons that the ACS data are noisier than data from the census long-form. It recommends that users examine their data metrics before drawing conclusions and if necessary – collapse cells or combine geographies.

The PSC ACS Aggregator Tool provides an easy way for users to re-calibrate margins of error after they have collapsed cells or combined geographies, both recommended solutions for the reducing the margins of error in ACS data.

ACS Aggregator Tool

School Enrollment in the United States: 2010

Published by ljridley on January 16, 2012 in Human Capital, Labor & Wealth.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Press Release:

These national statistics describe a wide variety of student characteristics at all levels of school, from nursery to graduate. The tables provide information by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, family income, type of college, employment status and vocational course enrollment. The statistics are produced from the October School Enrollment Supplement to the Current Population Survey; historical tables are provided.

Detailed tables (HTML)

Transatlantic Trends: Immigration 2011

Published by ljridley on January 16, 2012 in Population Dynamics - Urbanization, Migration.

A comparison of North American and European public opinion on immigration
Source: Transatlantic Trends, German Marshall Fund of the United States

From the Key Findings:

The results of the 2011 Transatlantic Trends: Immigration survey capture U.S. and European public opinion on a range of immigration and integration issues. The most important highlights of this year’s survey show 1) there is a remarkable stability of general immigration opinions over time, 2) the public supports European Union burden-sharing on migration resulting from the Arab Spring and increasingly favors European responsibility for setting immigrant admissions numbers, and 3) the public tends to favor highly educated immigrants but still prefers immigrants with a job offer.

Now in its fourth year, Transatlantic Trends: Immigration (TTI) measures public opinion on immigration and integration issues on both sides of the Atlantic. The countries included in the 2011 version of the survey were the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. When the report refers to European respondents, it is only meant to refer to the opinions of those in the five European countries surveyed this year.

Key Findings (PDF)
Topline Data (PDF)

Election Administration and Voting Survey, 2010

Published by ljridley on January 16, 2012 in Culture, Values and Attitudes.

Source: United States Election Assistance Commission

From Press Release:

The United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) today released the results of its 2010 Election Administration and Voting Survey. The survey contains comprehensive, nationwide data about election administration in the U.S. The complete results and all data provided by the states are available on the EAC website.

The EAC’s 2010 Election Administration and Voting Survey report (EAVS) covers the 2-year period from the November 2008 elections through the November 2010 elections and is based on the results of a survey of all States, the District of Columbia, and four territories—American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

As with past reports, responses from many States and territories varied significantly. In some cases, local election officials’ challenges with collecting data limited States’ ability to respond completely.

In some areas, however, State reporting improved. For example, ninety-six percent of the responding jurisdictions were able to report the number of domestic absentee ballots that were cast and counted in 2010; seventy-six percent of responding jurisdictions were able to report this information for the 2006 midterm election.

Link to the report web page for data sets, survey instrument, and additional materials
Full Report (PDF)

Census Scientific Advisory Committee

Published by lisan on January 12, 2012 in Data and Methodology.

The Census Bureau is requesting nominations of individuals and organizations to serve on the Census Scientific Advisory Committee. Learn more in the Federal Register. Nominations are due by February 9, 2012 and can be submitted to Jeri Green [jeri.green@census.gov].

[Federal Register Notice]