Outpatient marijuana treatment for adolescents. Economic evaluation of a multisite field experiment

An economic evaluation of five outpatient adolescent treatment approaches (12 total site-by-conditions) was conducted. The economic cost of each of the 12 site-specific treatment conditions was determined by the Drug Abuse Treatment Cost Analysis Program (DATCAP). Economic benefits of treatment were estimated by first monetizing a series of treatment outcomes and then analyzing the magnitude of these monetized outcomes from baseline through the 12-month follow-up. The average economic costs ranged from $90 to $313 per week and from $839 to $3,279 per episode. Relative to the quarter before intake, the average quarterly cost to society for the next 12 months (including treatment costs) significantly declined in 4 of the 12 site-by-treatment conditions, remained unchanged in 6 conditions, and increased in 2 treatment conditions (both in the same site). These results suggest that some types of substance-abuse intervention for adolescents can reduce social costs immediately after treatment.     

Late Life Gambling: The Attitudes and Behaviors of Older Adults

For a significant number of retired older adults (aged 65+), gambling has become a new form of recreation and entertainment. While prevalence studies have examined the incidence of problem gambling in other age groups, little research attention has been paid to the impact of gambling on older adults since the increase in availability and accessibility of legalized gambling within the last ten years. This study investigated the prevalence of problem gambling behaviors (SOGS-R), depression (GDS-15), levels of life satisfaction (SWLS), and motivations for gambling among older adults. A total of 315 older adults completed the study questionnaire and were grouped and analyzed according to those sampled from gambling venues and those from within the community. Results of the study found the most frequent accession and spending on several types of gambling occurred among older adults who were sampled at gambling venues. Older adults who were sampled at gambling venues were also found more likely to have higher levels of disordered gambling than older adults from the community, as measured by the SOGS-R. Relaxation, boredom, passing time, and getting away for the day were also the most likely reported motivations for the older adults who were gamblingpatrons. These findings provide an initial profile of older adults and their attitudes, motivations and gambling behaviors.     

Does Population Matter? A Review Essay*

Books reviewed in this article: Andrew Mason (Ed.), Population Change and Economic Development in East Asia: Challenges Met, Opportunities Seized Emma Rothschild, Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment Klaus M. Leisinger, Karin Schmitt, and Rajul Pandya‐Lorch, Six Billion and Counting: Population Growth and Food Security in the 21st Century Barry Bogin, The Growth of Humanity Nigel Harris, Thinking the Unthinkable: The Immigration Myth Exposed     

Decentralized planning with an interdependent marketing-production system

An interdependent marketing-production planning model based on control theory is described. The interdependent model is a composition of the Vidale-Wolfe model relating advertising rates to sales rates, and the Holt, Modigliani, Muth & Simon (HMMS) production inventory planning model. An overall optimal marketing-production plan is identified using the interdependent model. This overall optimal plan (resulting from centralized planning) is then used as a reference point to measure the effectiveness of decentralized planning approaches. It is found that in some cases almost no coordination is necessary, in some cases the use of a transfer price leads to good decentralized planning, and in other cases centralized planning must be employed to achieve good results. Several examples are presented to illustrate the cases in which decentralized planning does and does not work well.     

Legal standards for evaluation research: A reply to Smith

Smith (1981), asserting that not all evaluative studies require the same degree of evidence for decision-making, suggests a legal paradigm for determining how much certainty is necessary for informed decision-making. Specifically, he argues for the use of three levels of certainty, i.e., suggestive, preponderant, or conclusive evidence, modeled after the legal standards of proof. Unfortunately, such an approach is untenable for several reasons. Smith's suggestion that decision-makers adopt legal terminology, for example, is really a recommendation of form rather than substance and, furthermore, his analogy from the law to the evaluation context is based upon a misunderstanding of the trial process. These and other problems with Smith's suggestions are discussed.