John M. Nunley

Birth Cohort and the Specialization Gap Between Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples

We examine differences in household specialization between same-sex and different-sex couples within and across three birth cohorts: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Using three measures of household specialization, we find that same-sex couples are less likely than their different-sex counterparts to exhibit a high degree of specialization. However, the “specialization gap” between same-sex and different-sex couples narrows across birth cohorts. These findings are indicative of a cohort effect. Our results are largely robust to the inclusion of a control for the presence of children and for subsets of couples with and without children. We provide three potential explanations for why the specialization gap narrows across cohorts. First, different-sex couples from more recent birth cohorts may have become more like same-sex couples in terms of household specialization. Second, social and legal changes may have prompted a greater degree of specialization within same-sex couples relative to different-sex couples. Last, the advent of reproductive technologies, which made having children easier for same-sex couples from more recent birth cohorts, could result in more specialization in such couples relative to different-sex couples.

Racial Discrimination in the Labor Market for Recent College Graduates: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Abstract We present experimental evidence from a correspondence test of racial discrimination in the labor market for recent college graduates. We find strong evidence of differential treatment by race: black applicants receive approximately 14% fewer interview requests than their otherwise identical white counterparts. The racial gap in employment opportunities is larger when comparisons are made between job seekers with credentials that proxy for expected productivity and/or match quality. Moreover, the racial discrimination detected is driven by greater discrimination in jobs that require customer interaction. Various tests for the type of discrimination tend to support taste-based discrimination, but we are unable to rule out risk aversion on the part of employers as a possible explanation.

The Effects of Unemployment and Underemployment on Employment Opportunities: Results from a Correspondence Audit of the Labor Market for College Graduates

The authors use data from a résumé audit to estimate the impact of unemployment and underemployment on the employment prospects of recent college graduates. They find no statistical evidence linking unemployment spells of different durations to employment opportunities. By contrast, college graduates who are underemployed have callback rates that are 30% lower than those of applicants who are adequately employed. The null effects associated with unemployment and the adverse effects associated with underemployment are robust across cities with relatively tight and loose labor-market conditions. Internship experience obtained while completing one’s degree substantially reduces the negative effects of underemployment. The data support the proposition that employers view underemployment as a strong signal of lower expected productivity.

The Long-Run Impact of Age Demographics on the U.S. Divorce Rate

We investigate, for the time period 1932 to 2006, the extent to which fluctuations in the fraction of the population in the 20–29 year-old age group can predict movements in the aggregate U.S. divorce rate. We find that fluctuations in our age-composition variable are a very robust predictor of the divorce rate in the long run, with estimated elasticities ranging from 1 to 1.3 depending on the modeling approach. We check the sensitivity of the age-divorce relationship to the inclusion of a number of other explanatory variables advanced in the literature as potential determinants of the divorce rate, including the participation rate of females in higher education as a proxy for female economic independence and macroeconomic variables.

Econocast.net: Pencasts to supplement the undergraduate economics curriculum

We developed Pencast video lessons to complement six undergraduate economics courses that form the core curriculum for undergraduate economics, including introductory microeconomics and macroeconomics, intermediatemicroeconomics andmacroeconomics, labor economics, andmoney and banking. Each course on this site has between 8 to 15 major units, and each unit includes several Pencasts. A unit coincides roughly with a chapter of a typical textbook. A Pencast is a like a video of a narrator writing on a notebook page, but it is more interactive. To maneuver to a different point in the Pencast, you can simply click on a spot on the notebook page, and the player will move back or advance to that point in the video. Upcoming ink is also visible, but greyed out, allowing users to focus on the current writing and to foresee where the Pencast is going, and advance to that point if they desire. These Pencasts cover undergraduate economic theory and applications, with a focus onmanipulating and solving mathematical and graphical models. We incorporate these Pencasts in both our online and face-to-face classes. They serve as a close substitute for lecture in our online classes. Instructors can use these Pencasts as a basis for new online offerings or independent studies for principles and/or advanced undergraduate courses. In face-to-face classes, the Pencasts give students a unique way to review class content that involves setting up and solving graphical and mathematical problems. Our students report it being especially useful to re-experience the instructor walking through worked out problems when preparing to do similar problems for homework or in preparation for exams.