Deanna L. Sharpe

The Nature and Causes of the U-Shaped Charitable Giving Profile

The U-shaped income-giving profile, where those in the lower and higher income brackets give higher percentages of their income to charity, has been the subject of much dispute. Examining data from 16,442 households, the authors find clear evidence of a U-shaped relationship. Previous findings contradicting the U-shaped profile are shown to suffer from selection bias that systematically deflates reported lower-income giving levels. Although the U-shaped profile is an appropriate descriptor, it does not reflect typical household behavior. Instead, it is driven almost entirely by the 5% of households that contribute one tenth or more of their after-tax income. Traditionally, the presence of so many highly committed, low-income households has been attributed to religious sect affiliation by the poor. The authors find an additional explanation in that these highly committed, lower-income households are dramatically wealthier than other members of their income classification, in part reflecting the presence of lower-income, higher-asset, retirement-aged households.

Alcohol Consumption Decisions in Korea

Data from the 1996 Korean Household Panel Study and a double-hurdle model were used to analyze alcohol consumption decisions in Korea. The Korean most likely to consume alcoholic beverages is a young male, and a college graduate. Among those who drink, being older, male, self-employed, or a farm or fishery worker were positively associated, and higher education levels were negatively associated with consumption level. The findings for gender and education were generally similar to those of studies using U.S. or Canadian data on alcohol consumption. The role of household level economic factors, family composition, and residence in alcohol consumption decisions appears to differ across cultures, however.

Factors Associated with Having Flextime: A Focus on Married Workers

To examine flexible work scheduling of married workers a conceptual framework was developed and tested using the 1997 Current Population Survey Work Schedules Supplement. Odds of flextime use were higher for married males, non-Hispanic whites, those with relatively higher levels of education and income, those with a preschool aged child, residents of the Midwest or West (as compared with the South), managers or professionals, and employees of the federal government.

Lottery Expenditures in Canada: Regional Analysis of Probability of Purchase, Amount of Purchase, and Incidence

This article has two purposes: First, to examine the effect of household characteristics on lottery expenditures in six regions of Canada using a double hurdle model to distinguish between the decision to play and the decision of how much to spend. Second, to estimate the incidence of lottery expenditures. Using the 1996 Canadian Family Expenditure Survey, the results portray the profile of households that have the probability of becoming participants in lottery play as well as the profile of households that spend more on lottery purchases. Lottery expenditures are found to be regressive in all regions.

Gender Differences in Use of Alternative Full‐Time Work Arrangements by Married Workers

Many firms now offer alternative work arrangements to help full-time employees resolve time conflicts between work and family. The 1997 Current Population Survey supplement on work schedules is used to investigate gender differences in personal, family, and work factors associated with flextime use among married full-time workers. Data collected from a local firm are also used to explore gender differences in flextime and other alternative work arrangements, the reasons behind these choices, and the degree of satisfaction workers have with such schedules. Some gender differences are found in the determinants of flextime use as well as in the reasons employees give for using other alternative work arrangements. Women are more likely to use alternative work schedules to reduce work-family conflict, whereas men are more likely to use them to enhance personal productivity.

Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Differences in Postsecondary Financial Aid Awards

Abstract This article presents a decomposition technique for a Tobit regression model with a lower bound. It shows that Tobit coefficients can be decomposed into two effects: (1) the effect of the independent variables on the amount of financial aid awards for students who receive financial aid; and (2) the effect of the independent variables on the probability of receiving financial aid for those students who do not receive financial aid. The information gained by the decomposition technique contributes to a clearer understanding of the effects of selected factors on financial aid awards.

The Financial Side of Autism: Private and Public Costs

First identified by Leo Kanner in the early 1940s, autism is a biologically based developmental disorder that impairs an individual’s ability to communicate, build relationships, and relate appropriately to the environment (Kanner, 1943). Diagnosis is usually made in early childhood after a multi-disciplinary assessment of behavior, developmental level, and communication ability. Boys are four times as likely as girls to be affected (Fombonne, 2003a, 2005). Initially, autism was considered a rare disorder. An early epidemiological study conducted in England in the 1960s documented a 0.05% prevalence rate (4.5 per 10,000) (Lotter, 1966). Prior to the 1980s, recorded incidence of autism disorder in the United States was also low, affecting about 1 in every 2,000 children (Fombonne, 2009; Rutter, 2005). In the 1990s, the American Psychiatric Association broadened diagnostic criteria and included Asperger’s syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) with Autism Disorder under Autism Spectral Disorder (ASD)(Centers for Disease Control, 2009). In this article, the terms autism and ASD are used interchangeably. Autism is now known to affect children world-wide, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status (Naqvi, 2009). Documented prevalence rates vary. In the United States, the current ASD prevalence rate is 1 in every 110 births (1 in 70 boys) (Centers for Disease Control, 2009), representing an average increase of 57% over 2002, 600% over the last two decades (Dawson, 2010; Wang & Leslie, 2010). Prevalence rates in Western Europe, Canada, and Australia are similar to those in the United States (Grossman & Barrozo, 2007; Naqvi, 2009), whereas rates in Japan and China are somewhat higher (Naqvi, 2009; Wong & Hui, 2008). Prevalence rates in Western Europe and Canada are similar to those the United States. In recent years, the number of cases in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa has increased as well (Grossman & Barrozo, 2007). No consensus regarding cause exists (Fombonne, 2003b). Reasons for the surge in incidence of autism are ardently debated. Autism has no known genetic or biological markers. Diagnosis relies on observation of behavior and professionals may differ in application of diagnostic criteria. Some have argued that the recent surge in numbers simply reflects increased awareness of symptoms and better diagnostic tools (Cohen & Spenciner, 1996;

Analysis of home furnishings expenditures in the USA during the 1990s

The purpose of this study is to provide an updated view of the effects of selected socioeconomic and demographic factors on household expenditures for home furnishings among US households. Using consumer demand theory as the underlying theoretical framework, Tobit analysis was used to estimate expenditure equations for household textiles, floor coverings, and furniture using the 1995 Consumer Expenditure Survey. Although the home furnishings industry grew significantly during the 1980s and 1990s, the results of this study indicate that the socioeconomic and demographic factors underlying home furnishing expenditures have remained fairly stable. However, long‐run trends in the age distribution and ethnic composition of the US population suggest that the young adult market and Hispanic consumers are market segments that could provide greater opportunities for companies in the home furnishings industry. In addition, building on the fashion orientation that has developed in home fashions during the past 20 years may provide further opportunities. Finally, future research could benefit from the inclusion of more dwelling‐specific variables, such as the number of rooms in the household, and whether or not remodeling occurred.

Measurement of the value of homemaker's time: an empirical test of the alternative methods of the opportunity cost approach

Household production is typically measured by estimating the time that the homemaker spends in the various household activities. The focus in this paper was on valuating the household production time of Canadian full-time homemakers. Four variants of the opportunity cost approach, namely, imputed wage, potential wage, Heckmans two-stage reservation wage, and Kidds reservation wage were used to estimate and compare homemakers time. The results indicate that the four different variants yielded different estimates of the value of household production time. One of the main conclusions is that Heckmans two-stage reservation wage approach, albeit having the advantage of correcting selection bias, it produced a wide range for the estimated reservation wage, which led us to doubt its reliability as a practical measure of the value of household production time.

Discrimination due to race and gender in the youth labor market: is it a double jeopardy?

A wage decomposition method is used to examine components of average wage differentials in the youth labor market, letting both race and gender vary. Issues of selection bias and computation of the nondiscriminatory wage are addressed. Findings indicate that bias in the youth labor market focuses more on gender than race. However, until researchers devise consistent methods of estimating the source, amount, and direction of discrimination, policy makers face difficulty devising procedures to correct discriminatory wage differences.