AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS

We examine the impact of a six-term tenure limit on members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The first part of this study develops a methodological framework for simulating the quantitative impact of term limits. The second part of this study uses this framework to estimate the effects of term limits on (i) the value of holding office, (ii) turnover, and (iii) the size of the Democratic majority in the House. Both steady-state and transition period effects are explored.     

The Use of Correspondence Analysis to Develop a Scale to Measure Workplace Morale from Multi-level Data

This paper focuses on the issue of comparing social groups or collectivities using measures derived from individual-level multivariate data. In this case, groups need to be differentiated such that: (a) between-group differences are maximized; (b) within-group differences are minimised; and (c) `differences' are calibrated to a scale that reflects a set indicators or observed variables.This paper demonstrates empirically how correspondence analysis can achieve this. It presents a scale of `workplace morale' derived from the responses of employees in a large sample of workplaces to questions concerning satisfaction with various facets of their job and their workplace. The scale derived through correspondence analysis is shown to achieve the three criteria described above.     

Adjusting for bias in randomized cluster trials

The randomized cluster design is typical in studies where the unit of randomization is a cluster of individuals rather than the individual. Evaluating various intervention strategies across medical care providers at either an institutional level or at a physician group practice level fits the randomized cluster model. Clearly, the analytical approach to such studies must take the unit of randomization and accompanying intraclass correlation into consideration. We review alternative methods to the typical Pearson's chi-square analysis and illustrate these alternatives. We have written and tested a Fortran program that produces the statistics outlined in this paper. The program, in an executable format is available from the author on request.     

Mites and Wee Beasties

Abstract

The subtitle of this paper could be “Humans versus Arthropods.” Of the several classes of arthropods, Arachnida and Insecta are the most important from the public health standpoint. Arthropods are among man's most formidable competitors and they can affect the health of humans by being vectors of pathogenic microorganisms, by invading tissues, by inoculating poisonous substances, and by being pests.

A review is made of public health aspects of some arthropods that might be seen on a university or college campus. The diseases and infestations caused by mites (scabies), lice (pediculosis), bed bugs, fleas, and ticks are discussed.     

Power-Law Adjusted Survival Models

A simple adjustment to parametric failure-time distributions, which allows for much greater flexibility in the shape of the hazard-rate function, is considered. Analytical expressions for the distributions of the power-law adjusted Weibull, gamma, log-gamma, generalized gamma, lognormal, and Pareto distributions are given. Most of these allow for bathtub-shaped and other multi-modal forms of the hazard rate. The new distributions are fitted to real failure-time data which exhibit a multi-modal hazard-rate function and the fits are compared.     

Neighborhood characteristics, parental practices and children’s math achievement in elementary school

This paper investigates the relationships among neighborhood characteristics, education-related parental practices, and children’s academic achievement during a critical but under-studied stage of children’s educational trajectories - the elementary school years. Using a large, nationally representative database of American elementary school students - the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) - and contextual data from the 2000 US Census, we examine parental practices and neighborhood characteristics at the beginning of children’s school careers (grades K-1) and their associations with math achievement through the end of the 5th grade. Findings: Net of family-level characteristics, higher levels of early education-oriented parental practices were associated with higher mathematics achievement at the end of 5th grade, while neighborhood disadvantage was associated with lower 5th grade math achievement. Families residing in high poverty, high unemployment, low-education neighborhoods employed fewer education-oriented practices with their kindergarten-first grade children, but the positive effect of such parental practices on children’s mathematics achievement was stronger for children who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods.