Liberal Arts Colleges And The Production Of PhD Economists

Data from the National Science Foundation (2014) indicate that at least one PhD in economics was awarded to a Swarthmore College graduate in every year since 1966. The authors’ purpose in this article is to consider factors that may have contributed to the high number of PhDs in economics awarded to Swarthmore College graduates. While there is little doubt that self-selection plays a significant role, they describe curricular and environmental aspects of the economics department at Swarthmore that may have contributed to this outcome

Involuntary And Patient-Initiated Delays In Medical Care During The COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper uses data from a new, nationally representative survey to study delays in non–COVID-related medical care among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. We expand on prior research by taking a comprehensive look at the many reasons patients may have experienced delays in medical care and by studying the longer-run implications of these delays for patients’ self-reported health, use of telemedicine, feelings of regret, and likelihood of delaying care again in the future. Classifying delays in care broadly as involuntary (those due to availability or “supply-side” constraints) or patient-initiated (those due to patient concerns or “demand-side” constraints), we document important differences across demographic groups in the propensity to delay care for these reasons. In contrast to most prior work on this topic, our analyses can disentangle differences in the likelihood of delaying care from differences in pre-pandemic care-seeking behavior. We also demonstrate that the types of medical care that were delayed during the pandemic differed based on whether the delay was involuntary or patient-initiated, as did the duration of the delays and their associations with self-reported health, telemedicine use, and feelings of regret

Review Of Smoke-Filled Rooms: A Postmortem On The Tobacco Deal By W. K. Viscusi

In this provocative analysis of federal and state tobacco settlements, Viscusi (Harvard Law School) not only offers a compelling argument for why these settlements are misguided, but also proposes an alternative public policy approach that, he argues, more directly addresses the costs of smoking. He criticizes the existing public policy approach because it treats smoking as a public health issue; a major component of that approach includes battling the tobacco industry as part of an effort to reduce risks to public health. His alternative substitutes individual welfare for public health. A major component of his proposal is that the FDA make available information regarding health risks of individual brands of cigarettes, thus enabling consumers to choose the cigarette (and risk level) with which they are comfortable, and that the government facilitate technological innovation in the cigarette industry. The book includes careful analysis of the tobacco settlements, the costs of smoking (including environmental exposure) to society, attitudes toward risk, and youth smoking. This volume will challenge readers to review assumptions about the true efficacy of existing public policy toward smoking and to consider Viscusi\u27s alternative, which derives directly from the economics of consumer choice. Recommended for professionals, general readers interested in public policy issues, and academic audiences, upper-division undergraduates and up