a column by Seth Zimmerman for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Graduates of top universities hold a large share of leadership positions in big firms. At the same time, elite universities are aiming to expand access to middle- and low-income students. Yet, it is unclear whether the benefits of attending top universities accrue to students from poor backgrounds.
This column examines new evidence from Chile and finds that admission to highly selective, business-focused degree programmes has very large effects on the rates at which male students from wealthy backgrounds attain top jobs and incomes, but little or no effect for female students and non-wealthy male students.
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Wednesday, 17 October 2018
Feeling useless: the effect of unemployment on mental health in the Great Recession
an article by Lídia Farré (Universitat de Barcelona, IAE (CSIC), MOVE and IZA, Barcelona, Spain), Francesco Fasani (Queen Mary University of London, CEPR and IZA, London, UK) and Hannes Mueller (IAE (CSIC), Barcelona GSE, CEPR and MOVE, Barcelona, Spain) published in IZA Journal of Labor Economics Volume 7 Article 8 (2018)
Abstract
This article documents a strong connection between unemployment and mental distress using data from the Spanish National Health Survey.
We exploit the collapse of the construction sector to identify the causal effect of job losses in different segments of the Spanish labor market.
Our results suggest that an increase of the unemployment rate by 10 percentage points due to the breakdown in construction raised reported poor health and mental disorders in the affected population by 3 percentage points, respectively. We argue that the size of this effect responds to the fact that the construction sector was at the center of the economic recession.
As a result, workers exposed to the negative labor demand shock faced very low chances of re-entering employment. We show that this led to long unemployment spells, stress, hopelessness, and feelings of uselessness. These effects point towards a potential channel for unemployment hysteresis.
JEL Classification: I10, J60, C26
Full text (PDF 34pp)
Abstract
This article documents a strong connection between unemployment and mental distress using data from the Spanish National Health Survey.
We exploit the collapse of the construction sector to identify the causal effect of job losses in different segments of the Spanish labor market.
Our results suggest that an increase of the unemployment rate by 10 percentage points due to the breakdown in construction raised reported poor health and mental disorders in the affected population by 3 percentage points, respectively. We argue that the size of this effect responds to the fact that the construction sector was at the center of the economic recession.
As a result, workers exposed to the negative labor demand shock faced very low chances of re-entering employment. We show that this led to long unemployment spells, stress, hopelessness, and feelings of uselessness. These effects point towards a potential channel for unemployment hysteresis.
JEL Classification: I10, J60, C26
Full text (PDF 34pp)
Ageing, health inequalities and the welfare state: A multilevel analysis
an article by Björn Högberg, Anna Baranowska-Rataj and Ingemar Johansson Sevä (Umeå University, Sweden) and Mattias Strandh (Umeå University, Sweden; Karlstad University, Sweden) published in Journal of European Social Policy Volume 28 Issue 4 (Pctober 2018)
Abstract
Comparative studies of health inequalities have largely neglected age and ageing aspects, while ageing research has often paid little attention to questions of social inequalities.
This article investigates cross-country differences in gradients in self-rated health and limiting long-standing illness (LLSI) in middle-aged and in older people (aged 50–64 and 65–80 years) linked to social class, and degrees to which the social health gradients are associated with minimum pension levels and expenditure on elderly care. For these purposes, data from the European Social Survey (2002–2010) are analysed using multilevel regression techniques.
We find significant cross-level interaction effects between class and welfare policies: higher expenditure on elderly care and particularly more generous minimum pensions are associated with smaller health inequalities in the older age group (65–80 years).
It is concluded that welfare policies moderate the association between social class and health, highlighting the importance of welfare state efforts for older persons, who are strongly reliant on the welfare state and welfare state arrangements such as pensions and care policies.
Abstract
Comparative studies of health inequalities have largely neglected age and ageing aspects, while ageing research has often paid little attention to questions of social inequalities.
This article investigates cross-country differences in gradients in self-rated health and limiting long-standing illness (LLSI) in middle-aged and in older people (aged 50–64 and 65–80 years) linked to social class, and degrees to which the social health gradients are associated with minimum pension levels and expenditure on elderly care. For these purposes, data from the European Social Survey (2002–2010) are analysed using multilevel regression techniques.
We find significant cross-level interaction effects between class and welfare policies: higher expenditure on elderly care and particularly more generous minimum pensions are associated with smaller health inequalities in the older age group (65–80 years).
It is concluded that welfare policies moderate the association between social class and health, highlighting the importance of welfare state efforts for older persons, who are strongly reliant on the welfare state and welfare state arrangements such as pensions and care policies.
Tuesday, 16 October 2018
Why I Can't Always Be the "Strong One" and What I Do Now Instead
a post by Lauren Marie Williams for the Tiny Buddha blog
My mom was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder when I was seven years old. It’s a chronic condition that doctors say can be managed but not cured. The symptoms included manic high energy, depression, delusions, hearing voices, reduced need for sleep, and loss of touch with reality.
There were many times of stability for her, when she was on the right medication, taking it routinely, and attending regular psychotherapy. But if any of these elements were missing, those moments were often short-lived.
She was the type of woman who would speak to anyone in eyesight, make an instant connection, and fill the atmosphere with the kind of joy and laughter that would make anyone think of happy times.
For me, as I knew her well, any extreme traits that did not resemble these were signs that her body was not responding to the medicine and she was having what doctors call an “episode.” These were the times I knew she had to be hospitalized for stabilization. Some episodes were milder than others, but all resulted in my sister and I having to make the tough decisions, for my mother’s well-being, that deep down inside hurt us to the core.
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“She was strong and weak and brave and broken… all at the same time.” ~Unknown
My mom was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder when I was seven years old. It’s a chronic condition that doctors say can be managed but not cured. The symptoms included manic high energy, depression, delusions, hearing voices, reduced need for sleep, and loss of touch with reality.
There were many times of stability for her, when she was on the right medication, taking it routinely, and attending regular psychotherapy. But if any of these elements were missing, those moments were often short-lived.
She was the type of woman who would speak to anyone in eyesight, make an instant connection, and fill the atmosphere with the kind of joy and laughter that would make anyone think of happy times.
For me, as I knew her well, any extreme traits that did not resemble these were signs that her body was not responding to the medicine and she was having what doctors call an “episode.” These were the times I knew she had to be hospitalized for stabilization. Some episodes were milder than others, but all resulted in my sister and I having to make the tough decisions, for my mother’s well-being, that deep down inside hurt us to the core.
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The effect of immigration shocks on native fertility outcomes: evidence from a natural experiment
an article by Kelvin K. C. Seah (National University of Singapore; IZA Bonn, Germany) published in IZA Journal of Development and Migration Volume 8 Article 18 (2018)
Abstract
ᅟ
This paper investigates whether immigration shocks have a causal effect on native fertility patterns. It uses a natural experiment, exploiting the large, unexpected and localised immigration of Cuban nationals to the Miami area in the USA in 1980 to examine the fertility consequences for non-Cuban Miami women.
Using a synthetic control estimator and an extended individual difference-in-differences analysis, the results from this study indicate that the immigration shock had an overall negative, though short-lived, impact on the fertility of Miami women. In addition, fertility effects are found to vary by homeownership: While the immigration shock had a considerable negative impact on the fertility of women living in rented homes, it had no effect on those living in owned homes.
This differential impact was likely due to the rise in local housing rents accompanying immigration, making childbearing less affordable for those living in rented homes.
JEL Classification: J61, J13
Full text (PDF 34pp)
Abstract
ᅟ
This paper investigates whether immigration shocks have a causal effect on native fertility patterns. It uses a natural experiment, exploiting the large, unexpected and localised immigration of Cuban nationals to the Miami area in the USA in 1980 to examine the fertility consequences for non-Cuban Miami women.
Using a synthetic control estimator and an extended individual difference-in-differences analysis, the results from this study indicate that the immigration shock had an overall negative, though short-lived, impact on the fertility of Miami women. In addition, fertility effects are found to vary by homeownership: While the immigration shock had a considerable negative impact on the fertility of women living in rented homes, it had no effect on those living in owned homes.
This differential impact was likely due to the rise in local housing rents accompanying immigration, making childbearing less affordable for those living in rented homes.
JEL Classification: J61, J13
Full text (PDF 34pp)
What's better for your brain - 15 minutes of jogging or 15 minutes of relaxation?
a post by Paul Ratner for the Big Think blog
There's already been evidence that brief aerobic exercise that's not too intense like a jog or a walk can provide an instant boost to how your mind functions. Its speed and attentional control, as well as your mood will be beneficially affected. Now a new study involving 101 undergraduate students found that emotional effects of exercise bring specific cognitive benefits.
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- Researchers compared jogging versus relaxing for 15 minutes.
- Jogging provided clear cognitive and mood benefits.
- The relaxing group had much less energy.
There's already been evidence that brief aerobic exercise that's not too intense like a jog or a walk can provide an instant boost to how your mind functions. Its speed and attentional control, as well as your mood will be beneficially affected. Now a new study involving 101 undergraduate students found that emotional effects of exercise bring specific cognitive benefits.
Continue reading
The curiously varied impact of recessions on political stability: New evidence
a column by Nathan Nunn, Nancy Qian and Jaya Wen for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Cultural values and beliefs have an impact on social and economic development, but the interplay between culture and political institutions is still not well understood.
This column examines the effect of trust on political stability in democratic and non-democratic regimes, specifically in the face of severe economic downturns.
It finds that democratic regimes with high levels of trust are much less likely to experience leader turnover than low-trust countries, while there is no effect among non-democracies, and that countries with higher levels of trust experience faster economic growth in the years immediately following a recession.
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Cultural values and beliefs have an impact on social and economic development, but the interplay between culture and political institutions is still not well understood.
This column examines the effect of trust on political stability in democratic and non-democratic regimes, specifically in the face of severe economic downturns.
It finds that democratic regimes with high levels of trust are much less likely to experience leader turnover than low-trust countries, while there is no effect among non-democracies, and that countries with higher levels of trust experience faster economic growth in the years immediately following a recession.
Continue reading
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