The Faculty Notebook, September 2000

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost

Why Are Nominal Wages Downwardly Rigid, but Less So in Japan? An Explanation Based on Behavioral Economics and Labor Market/Macroeconomic Differences

In this paper, we survey the theoretical and empirical literature to investigate why nominal wages can be downwardly rigid. Looking back from the 19th century until recently, we first examine the existence and extent of downward nominal wage rigidity (DNWR) for several countries. We find that (1) nominal wages were flexible in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, but (2) nominal wages were downwardly rigid in almost all the industrialized countries in the second half of the 20th century, although (3) the extent of DNWR varied from country to country. Next, we use a behavioral economics framework to explain the reasons for DNWR. We also explain why the existence and extent of DNWR varied between time periods and/or from country to country, focusing on differences in the labor market characteristics (such as labor mobility and employment protection legislation) and in the macroeconomic environment (such as economic growth and inflation), which can alter employeesf and firmsf perceptions toward nominal wage cuts.Downward nominal wage rigidity; Behavioral economics; Labor mobility; Employment protection legislation; Inflation rate; Indexation

The Spaces Between Numbers: Getting International Data on Higher Education Straight

Argues that the participation and attainment data used in international comparisons do not reflect the performance objectives of higher education systems. Suggests economic and demographic frameworks for interpreting data and changes in data collection

Toward Justice Epidemiology: Outlining an Approach for Person-Centred Access to Justice

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought widespread public attention to the fields of epidemiology and public health. These fields share a common commitment to the systematic study of disease across populations, with goals of better understanding, preventing, and treating adverse health events. They are empirical, evidence-based, and person-centred. This paper draws on the histories, norms, and methodologies of public health and epidemiology to construct a novel field of study: justice epidemiology. In recent years, a growing body of unmet legal needs research in Canada and elsewhere has demonstrated that justiciable events are likely ubiquitous, but also that these events tend to cluster for some, and that resources to effectively deal with legal problems are unevenly distributed. And while access to justice has been described as the most significant problem facing Canada’s legal system, there has been surprisingly little work done to outline a systematic path forward. Despite projects and initiatives to improve access to justice, we lack a map of what we need to know and how we could begin to understand access to justice problems and solutions. Specifically, there are knowledge gaps regarding the effects of access to justice problems on people’s lives over the long term and on whether interventions to improve access to justice are effective in doing so. Building on some nascent work connecting the fields of justice research and public health, this paper argues for the creation of a person-centred, empirical, interdisciplinary field of study that can help guide efforts to understand, prevent, and respond effectively to justice problems over the next 50 years and beyond. La pandémie de COVID-19 a attiré l’attention du public sur les domaines de l’épidémiologie et de la santé publique. Ces domaines partagent un engagement commun en faveur de l’étude systématique des maladies au sein des populations, dans le but de mieux comprendre, prévenir et traiter les événements sanitaires indésirables. Ils sont empiriques, fondés sur des données probantes et centrés sur la personne. Cet article s’appuie sur l’histoire, les normes et les méthodologies de la santé publique et de l’épidémiologie pour construire un nouveau champ d’étude : l’épidémiologie de la justice. Ces dernières années, un nombre croissant de recherches sur les besoins juridiques non satisfaits au Canada et ailleurs ont démontré que les événements justiciables sont probablement omniprésents, mais aussi que ces événements ont tendance à se regrouper pour certains, et que les ressources permettant de traiter efficacement les problèmes juridiques sont inégalement réparties. Alors que l’accès à la justice a été décrit comme le problème le plus important auquel est confronté le système juridique canadien, il est surprenant de constater que peu de travaux ont été réalisés pour tracer une voie systématique vers l’avenir. Malgré les projets et les initiatives visant à améliorer l’accès à la justice, nous ne disposons pas d’une carte de ce que nous devons savoir et de la manière dont nous pourrions commencer à comprendre les problèmes et les solutions en matière d’accès à la justice. Plus précisément, nous manquons de connaissances sur les effets des problèmes d’accès à la justice sur la vie des gens à long terme et sur l’efficacité des interventions visant à améliorer l’accès à la justice. S’appuyant sur des travaux naissants reliant les domaines de la recherche sur la justice et de la santé publique, cet article plaide en faveur de la création d’un champ d’étude interdisciplinaire, empirique et centré sur la personne, qui puisse contribuer à orienter les efforts visant à comprendre, prévenir et répondre efficacement aux problèmes de justice au cours des cinquante prochaines années et au-delà

A growing disconnection from nature is evident in cultural products

Human connection with nature is widely believed to be in decline, even though empirical evidence on the magnitude and temporal pattern of the change is scarce. Studying works of popular culture in English throughout the 20th century and later, we document a cultural shift away from nature, beginning in the 1950s. Since then, references to nature have been decreasing steadily in fiction, song lyrics, and film storylines. No parallel decline is observed in references to the human-made environment. These findings are cause for concern, not only because they imply foregone benefits from engagement with nature, but also because cultural products are agents of socialization that can evoke curiosity, respect, and concern for the natural world

Influences of Early Life Conditions on Old Age Mortality in Old Québec

Increasingly, bio-demographers are turning to infancy and childhood to gain a better understanding of old age mortality. However, evidence of a link between early life conditions and survival until old age is fragmentary, and the intervening mechanisms remain unclear. Drawing from data on a cohort of French-Canadian children born in the 17th and 18th centuries, we study the effects of infant exposure to infectious diseases (as revealed by the infant mortality rate in the year of birth) on later life mortality. A series of Cox proportional hazard models are used and we control for other familial and environmental conditions prevalent in childhood, as well as in adulthood. Results point to a slight, but not significant effect of a disease load in infancy for females born in years of exceptionally high infant mortality. The results are also not conclusive for males. More generally, a trend of increasing infant mortality over time correlates with general decreases in post-reproductive mortality rates, which are probably due to period improvements in later life conditions. Our study supports the view that period changes have stronger relevance than cohort effects in the study of historical variations in old age mortality

Longitudinal Studies of Human Growth and Health: A Review of Recent Historical Research

This paper reviews recent literature using stature and weight as measures of human welfare with a particular interest in cliometric or historical research. We begin with an overview of anthropometric evidence of living standards and the new but fast-growing field of anthropometric history. This literature is always implicitly and often explicitly longitudinal in nature. We then discuss (i) systematic empirical research into the relationship between conditions in early life and later life health and mortality and (ii) historical evidence on the relationship between body mass, morbidity and mortality. We conclude with a discussion of the importance of historical sources and understandings to health economics and population health.Anthropometric history; Biological standard of living; Height; Obesity; Physical stature; Well-being

Intergenerational mobility in a mid-Atlantic economy: Canada, 1871-1901

This paper uses new linked full-count census data for Canada to document intergenerational occupational mobility from 1871 to1901. We find significant differences between Canadian regions and language groups, with linguistic minorities experiencing notably lower rates of intergenerational mobility. International comparisons place Canada midway between other economies in the Americas and the most mobile European societies. Decompositions of overall mobility show that the Canadian experience shared the New World feature of high mobility from manual occupations, but also the Old World feature of greater persistence in white collar jobs

Sacred Heart: A Stable Isotope Analysis of Childhood, Diet, and Mobility at a Nineteenth Century Ontario Cemetery

This thesis uses stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen derived from bone collagen and tooth dentin to study infant feeding behaviour, diet, and mobility at the 19th century Sacred Heart Cemetery in Ingersoll, Ontario, in use from 1848 to 1880. d15N and d13C bone values indicate a diet high in protein with a mix of C3 and C4 plants. The most significant source of dietary C4 plants is through secondary consumption, via livestock raised on maize fodder. The dietary profile of the Sacred Heart population is similar to two contemporary Ontario populations. There was no significant difference in the d15N and d13C bone collagen or dentin composition between the sexes, but consumption does vary by age. Supplementary infant feeding began between 8 and 10 months, and weaning continued until approximately 18 to 20 months. Although most individuals were local, there is evidence that some members of the population were landed migrants. ­