Gender,Racial, and Ethnic Disclosure in NIH K-Award Funded Diabetes and Obesity Clinical Trials∗

In 1993, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) passed The Revitalization Act (Subtitle B) which mandated that all NIH funded clinical trials have “appropriate representation” of minority and women subjects. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of the mandate by examining the reporting and inclusion of minority and female subjects into NIH K-Award funded clinical trials, addressing the minority predominant diagnoses of diabetes and clinical obesity. Using the CRISP search engine and PUBMED, we selected publications published by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) K-grant recipients during 1989–2004, associated with all the diabetes and obesity clinical trials. Studies were stratified into three timeline categories (1989–1993, pre-mandate; 1993–1996, post-mandate, and 1997–present, well past mandate) to evaluate trends in the recruiting of minorities and women before, during, and after the passing of the Revitalization Act. Of the 165 papers, only 37% disclosed race, a number that did not improve over time (p = .15), whereas 92% disclosed gender. Clinical trials that focused on females increased across the 3 timeframes (p < .001) for diabetes studies but not obesity studies. Overall, disclosure of race declined over the 3 timeframes whereas individually, the disclosure of African Americans improved.     

DISAGGREGATE EVIDENCE ON PRICE STICKINESS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR MACRO MODELS

We use the methodology applied at the aggregate level by Gali and Gertler (1999) to analyze price and cost data for U.S. six‐digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industries. Industries with price adjustment periods of at least 6 quarters generate no more than about 43% of total sales of industries we analyze. Industries with estimated price adjustment speeds of less than a year generate at least 44% of sales. Our conclusion is that disaggregate U.S. data provide as much support in favor of relatively high price flexibility as they do for the assumption of widespread price stickiness utilized in many modern macroeconomic theories. (JEL E31, L16)     

APRIL 15 SYNDROME

In tax year 1988, delaying filing income tax returns cost the 73.2 million taxpayers claiming refunds nearly one billion dollars of interest. "Impatient" tax filers, who mail in their tax payments before the filing deadline, passed up $46 million in interest.
We develop a model of tax filing based on stochastic opportunity cost, and then investigate whether filing times are consistent with that model. We find some evidence for this because, ceteris paribus, higher refunds are associated with earlier filing and complex returns are associated with later filing, as are higher incomes (as a proxy for higher costs of time).     

Quebec Separatism: An Analysis of Determinants within Social-Class Levels*

Cet article présente les résultats d'une analyse secondaire portant sur les données recueillies par la technique de l'enquête sur échantillon en 1968 en fonction de l'étendue et des corollaires de l'opinion séparatiste chez les adultes québécois d'expression française. L'analyse se rapporte principalement aux déterminants du séparatisme chez les nouvelles classes professionnelles moyennes. Quant aux classes laborieuses et agricoles, quelques données comparatives amènent de nouveaux éclairages. En s'appuyant sur les interprétations avancées auparavant on établit un modèle de l'appui séparatiste. En contrôlant le niveau professionnel, par le biais du « path analysis » on cherche à déceler l'impact de sept variables indépendantes. Le modèle de l'appui séparatiste fournit les éléments qui expliquent le mieux le comportement de la nouvelle classe moyenne; il explique aussi 40 pour cent de la variance dans la variable dépendante pour les professionnels et les semi-professionnels et 43 pour cent de la variance pour les gérants, les dirigeants et les propriéaires. L'impact des variables indépendantes sur l'appui séparatiste varie en fonction du niveau professionnel. A titre d'exemple, la conscience ethnique canadienne française, la méfiance du gouvernement fédéral, et le mécontentement produisent les effets indépendants les plus forts chez la classe moyenne tandis que l'insécuritééconomique et l'orientation économico-politique de gauche exercent en général une influence des plus forte chez les man?uvres et les fermiers. This paper reports a secondary analysis of 1968 survey data on the extent and correlates of separatist opinion among French-speaking adults in Quebec. The analysis focuses on determinants of separatism within new middle-class occupational levels, but some comparative data are provided for the lower classes and farmers as well. A model of separatist support is constructed based on an interpretation of the previous literature and, controlling for occupational level, the effects of seven independent and intervening variables are explored in path analyses. The model of separatist support fits the new middle class best and explains 40 per cent of the variance in the dependent variable for professionals and semiprofessionals and 43 per cent for managers, officials, and proprietors. The effect of the independent variables on separatist support varied by occupational level. For example, French-Canadian ethnic consciousness, distrust of the federal government and personal dissatisfaction had their strongest independent effects within the new middle class, while economic insecurity and left politicoeconomic orientation generally had their strongest effects on separatist support among unskilled workers and farmers.     

Measuring the Business Impacts of Community Involvement: The Case of Employee Volunteering at UL

The study presents findings from piloting a new framework for measuring the business impacts of corporate community involvement at UL. It focuses on evaluating the human resource (HR) outcomes of employee volunteering in three signature programs. Five business impacts were measured—job satisfaction, morale, organizational pride, belief in UL mission, and engagement. Using an employee survey, the research team compared signature program volunteers with others and found a positive correlation between volunteering and impacts on morale, organizational pride, belief in UL mission, and engagement. Employee awareness (without participation) of UL signature programs was also associated with increased morale and organizational pride. While the study did not prove causation, it confirmed previous research on the link between employee volunteering and positive HR outcomes. The authors provide recommendations for further research and how companies can use the impact measurement framework to evaluate the bottom‐line benefits of their community involvement programs.     

Action collective,action de mouvement social: la contribution du syndicalisme à la liberté au travail dans un exemple néo-zélandais

Les syndicats peuvent contribuer à la liberté au travail par une action collective axée sur l'intérêt des membres, mais aussi en nouant des partenariats avec d'autres acteurs de la société civile, dans le cadre d'un mouvement social. Pour traiter ce dernier aspect, encore peu documenté, les auteurs s'appuient sur les définitions de la liberté de Berlin (1988) et MacCallum (1967) puis sur la théorie de la démocratie radicale de Laclau et Mouffe (2019). Ils illustrent leur propos par une étude de cas portant sur les stratégies déployées par des syndicats néozélandais en vue d'accompagner l'action officielle pour une transition juste face au défi climatique.