Looks and Labor: Do Attractive People Work More?

Using the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS) 2008, I investigate how looks affect an individual's labor supply decision. My results are, by and large, in line with predictions derived from the neoclassical model of labor supply. Applying regular probit, bivariate probit, Tobit and Heckman selection regression models, I find that good looks go hand in hand with higher employment probabilities and more hours of market work. Furthermore, physical attractiveness is positively associated with spousal income and spousal employment. Hence, beauty appears to affect labor supply decisions both directly and through the marriage market.     

Is Safe Production an Oxymoron?

This research examines how organizations simultaneously manage their operations and occupational health and safety. Although both safety and operations scholars conduct research in the same operational settings, they have reached different, yet untested, conclusions about the relationship between creating a safe workplace and creating a productive workplace. The results from a series of 10 case studies show that it is possible to create safe and productive workplaces, but that many facilities fail at this task because of problems associated with the culture management creates and the practices management adopts.     

On the role of data,statistics and decisions in a pandemic

AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis - A pandemic poses particular challenges to decision-making because of the need to continuously adapt decisions to rapidly changing evidence and available...     

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in depression

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a relatively non-invasive technique to interfere with the function of small cortical areas through currents induced by alternating magnetic fields emanating from a handheld coil placed directly above the targeted area. This technique has clear effects on a whole range of measures of brain function and has become an important research tool in neuropsychiatry. More recently, TMS has been studied in psychiatry mainly to assess its putative therapeutic effects in the treatment of refractory major depression. Most studies indicate that both low-frequency TMS and higher (20 Hz) frequency repetitive TMS may have some antidepressant properties. This is most interesting and opens a whole new avenue of low invasive techniques to stimulate the brain in major depression. However, definite therapeutic effects of clinical significance still remain to be demonstrated.

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Zusammenfassung Die transkranielle Magnetstimulation (TMS) ist eine wenig invasive Technik zur Beeinflussung der Funktion kleiner kortikaler Gebiete durch von alternierenden Magnetfeldern induzierte Ströme. Diese Magnetfelder werden mit Hilfe einer handgeführten Spule erzeugt, die unmittelbar über dem gewünschten Zielbereich positioniert wird. Diese Methode hat deutliche Auswirkungen auf ein ganzes Spektrum von Hirnfunktioen und ist stellt ein wichtiges Forschungsinstrument der Neuropsychiatrie dar. In jüngerer Zeit studiert man TMS in der Psychiatrie hauptsächlich, um ihre vermuteten Therapieeffekte in der Behandlung refraktärer majorer Depressionen zu klären. Die meisten Studien deuten darauf hin, dass sowohl niederfrequente TMS (1Hz) und höherfrequente (20 Hz) repetitive TMS (rTMS) antidepressive Eigenschaften zeigen. Dies ist höchst interessant und eröffnet eine vollkommen neue Perspektive für wenig invasive Techniken zur Stimulation des Gehirns in Fällen von majorer Depression. Überzeugende Effekte von klinischer Signifikanz gilt es jedoch noch nachzuweisen.

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Resumé La stimulation magnétique transcraniale (SMT) est une technique relativement non invasive visant à influer sur le fonctionnement de petites zones corticales au moyen de courants induits par des champs magnétiques alternatifs, provenant d’une bobine magnétique tenue à la main directement au-dessus de la zone visée. Cette technique a des effets manifestes sur toute une gamme de mesures des fonctions du cerveau et est devenue un important outil de recherche en neuropsychiatrie. Depuis quelques temps, la TMS est étudiée sur ses effets thérapeutiques supposés dans le traitement des dépressions majeures réfractaires. La plupart des études montrent que tant la TMS à basse fréquence que la TMS répétitive à fréquence plus élevée (20 Hz) (rTMS) pourraient avoir des propriétés antidépressives. Ceci est extrêmement intéressant et ouvre des perspectives entièrement nouvelles aux techniques faiblement invasives pour stimuler le cerveau dans les cas de dépressions majeures. Cependant, des effets thérapeutiques concrets avec pertinence clinique restent encore à démontrer.

     

Inter-Group Aggression in New Orleans in the Immediate Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans witnessed an emerging conflict between the residents who survived the storm and the rescuers charged with assisting them. This particular type of inter-group conflict has not been documented before, as it uniquely entails survivors acting against their very self-interest, and rescuers subverting their helping roles. We argue that Drury and Reicher's Elaborated Social Identity Model explains the nature of the inter-group aggression. Drawing on published first-person accounts, we document how the power differential between rescuers and survivors shaped inter-group perceptions and eventually rendered inter-group aggression acceptable. While inter-group aggression reflects only one facet of the aftermath of Katrina, we conclude that it must be interpreted as meaningful social action commensurate with the groups' emerging collective identities.     

Exact tests based on the Baumgartner-Weiß-Schindler statistic—A survey

It is the purpose of this paper to review recently-proposed exact tests based on the Baumgartner-Weiß-Schindler statistic and its modification. Except for the generalized Behrens-Fisher problem, these tests are broadly applicable, and they can be used to compare two groups irrespective of whether or not ties occur. In addition, a nonparametric trend test and a trend test for binomial proportions are possible. These exact tests are preferable to commonly-applied tests, such as the Wilcoxon rank sum test, in terms of both type I error rate and power.     

Assessing Bias in the Estimation of Causal Effects: Rosenbaum Bounds on Matching Estimators and Instrumental Variables Estimation with Imperfect Instruments

Propensity score matching provides an estimate of the effect of a "treatment" variable on an outcome variable that is largely free of bias arising from an association between treatment status and observable variables. However, matching methods are not robust against "hidden bias" arising from unobserved variables that simultaneously affect assignment to treatment and the outcome variable. One strategy for addressing this problem is the Rosenbaum bounds approach, which allows the analyst to determine how strongly an unmeasured confounding variable must affect selection into treatment in order to undermine the conclusions about causal effects from a matching analysis. Instrumental variables (IV) estimation provides an alternative strategy for the estimation of causal effects, but the method typically reduces the precision of the estimate and has an additional source of uncertainty that derives from the untestable nature of the assumptions of the IV approach. A method of assessing this additional uncertainty is proposed so that the total uncertainty of the IV approach can be compared with the Rosenbaum bounds approach to uncertainty using matching methods. Because the approaches rely on different information and different assumptions, they provide complementary information about causal relationships. The approach is illustrated via an analysis of the impact of unemployment insurance on the timing of reemployment, the postunemployment wage, and the probability of relocation, using data from several panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).     

Einmal mehr: Ranking oder Rating?

In his discussion of our article “Ranking and Rating Procedures for the Measurement of Values, Analyzed with an Example of the Inglehart-Index. Empirical Results of a Methodological Experiment” (KZfSS 51, 1999: 550–564) Stefan Sacchi questions the appropriateness of the methodological experiment described in our paper. In this rejoinder we show that Sacchi’s criticism does not do justice to our analysis in all respects, because — among other things — he starts from inappropriate theoretical assumptions. In addition, his own modified research design is not suitable to decide the question whether the method of ranking or of rating is more appropriate for the measurement of value orientations.