Mode Effects in Self-Reported Mental Health Data

This article analyzes the impact of audio computer-assistedself-interviewing (ACASI) administration on the reporting ofmental health syndromes in a general population survey. Estimatesof four mental health syndromes (major depressive episode, generalizedanxiety disorder, panic attack, and agoraphobia) obtained froman interviewer-administered, paper-and-pencil (I-PAPI) mentalhealth module were compared with those obtained from an ACASIversion of the same module implemented in a separate field test.The mental health questions consisted of four scales from theWorld Health Organization's Composite International DiagnosticInterview Short-Form. Comparisons of ACASI and I-PAPI estimatesfor each mental health syndrome were made overall and withinage, race/ethnicity, gender, educational level, geographic region,and population density subgroups. To assess the likelihood ofreporting a mental health syndrome using ACASI versus I-PAPI,logistic regression models were utilized controlling for possibleconfounding and interaction variables. The results suggest thatadult respondents reported more mental health symptoms wheninterviewed with ACASI than when interviewed with I-PAPI, andthe results support the use of ACASI in general population surveysof mental health.     

THE AMERICAN PUBLIC'S DEFENSE SPENDING PREFERENCES IN THE POST-COLD WAR ERA

The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Unionhave produced marked changes in the defense spending preferencesof politically informed Americans, but relatively little changeamong the 60 percent or so of the public least informed aboutpolitics. The overall level of defense spending preferred bywell-informed citizens is significantly lower than during theCold War and significantly less related to ideology and isolationism.Willingness to use force in the international arena remainsthe primary determinant of defense spending preferences amongboth well-informed and relatively uninformed citizens. Willingnessto use force is in turn primarily related to basic social andcultural values, including trust in people and symbolic patriotism.     

TWO TO TANGO? GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE DECISIONS TO PUBLISH AND COAUTHOR

The existence of old boy networks has long been postulated as a possible explanation for the presence of gender differences in market outcomes but with little empirical support because of the difficulty of measuring network access. This article exploits the unique attributes of academic labor markets and detailed data on individuals and jobs for PhD economists over nearly four decades. The results suggest that networks impact the joint decision to publish and coauthor, that these network effects differ by gender, and that gender differences in network access change over time as women become more well represented in a profession. (JEL J44 , J77 , J24 )     

SPATIAL COMPETITION AND THE PRICE OF COLLEGE

This article provides the first evidence that universities compete directly on price, and that the market for students depends on the proximity of competitors. Exploiting detailed data from private U.S. universities, price competition is tested by introducing geographic proximity into a spatial-autoregressive tuition model. Standard spatial models show that list and net tuition are inversely related to distance between institutions, consistent with price competition in higher education. An extension to the spatial-econometrics literature relaxes a constraint that estimated spatial relationships are common across all observations, implying that spatial effects differ across qualitative classes of institutions . ( JEL C21, I2, L11)     

SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY IN THE SERVICE SECTOR: A POSTAL CASE STUDY

This is a case study of workforce scheduling in the U.S. postal system. We use it to analyze the benefits of scheduling flexibility at postal distribution systems, which can come from several sources. We focus on the additional flexibility deriving from increasing the proportion of part-time employees, as well as from increasing the cross-training of part-time employees. These two dimensions of scheduling flexibility are decision points of particular interest to the postal management. We used a large-scale simulation model of the dynamic functioning of the postal distribution system in conjunction with a staff-scheduling model to obtain insights into policy issues of interest. Our results show that the operating environment at a distribution station affects cost and customer service performance, and that gains from greater scheduling flexibility are situationally dependent. The benefit of cross-training part-time workers is modest over the range of levels considered realistic for distribution stations. Our overall recommendation is for postal managers to increase the proportion of part-time employees, allowing more efficient matching of resources with the varying demands for mail delivery on different routes. For the range of conditions we modeled, cost reductions from more part-time workers average over six percent when capacity utilization is low. Customer service improvements are even larger, and range between 20 and 43% when capacity utilization is high. Improvements at the upper end of the range are achieved when demand variability is also at its highest.     

EMPLOYMENT EFFECTS OF TWO NORTHWEST MINIMUM WAGE INITIATIVES

This article exploits a natural experiment initiated by Oregon and Washington voter referendums to show that the minimum wage is a blunt instrument that differentially affects low-wage workers within and across industries. Specifically, employment growth specifications indicate that the minimum wage generates consistently negative employment effects for eating and drinking workers where the minimum is shown to be relatively binding, but not for hotel and lodging workers where the minimum is less binding. Regressions using job-specific want-ad data from Portland and Seattle newspapers also indicate a reduction in hiring solicitation relating to the extent that the minimum wage binds. ( JEL J31, J38)