Insurance and the Utilization of Medical Services Among the Self-Employed

There has been substantial public policy concern over the relatively low rates of health insurance coverage among the self-employed in the United States. We use data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey conducted in 1996 to analyze how the self-employed and wage-earners differ both with respect to insurance coverage and utilization of a variety of health care services. Our results suggest that for the self-employed, the link between insurance and utilization of health care services is not as strong as assumed in the policy debate. For a number of medical care services, the self-employed have the same rates of utilization as wage-earners, despite the fact that they are substantially less likely to be insured. And when the self-employed are less likely than wage-earners to utilize a particular medical service, the differences generally do not seem very large. The self-employed thus appear to be able to finance access to health care from sources other than insurance. Further, analysis of out-of-pocket expenditures on health care suggests that doing so does not lead to substantial reductions in their ability to consume other goods and services. Finally, there is no evidence that children of the self-employed have less access to health care than the children of wage-earners. Hence, the public policy concerns that the relative lack of health insurance among the self-employed substantially reduces utilization of health care services or creates economic hardship appear to be misplaced.

Methodological approaches for interviewing elites

types: ArticleThis is the accepted version of the following article: Methodological Approaches for Interviewing Elites, Geography Compass, Volume 4, Issue 3, pages 193–205, March 2010 which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2009.00313.x/abstractThis paper explores some of the methodological strategies for interviewing elites. The focus is on researching elite members, preparing for interviews and gaining access, as well as the associated power relationships. Examples are drawn from across the social sciences and from the author’s doctoral and postdoctoral work with over one hundred members of business elites. It is argued that researchers should be more attentive towards the following three areas. First, providing flexi- bility when designing research projects and conducting interviews. Second, ensuring transparency when communicating with elite members. Third, maintaining good etiquette with all participants to ensure the highest professional standards. The overall aim of the paper is to provide an introduction for those who are new to the field of interviewing elite subjects

Winning the global talent war: a policy perspective

types: Article"This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited."Purpose – The purpose of this article was to discuss the phenomenon of international talent mobility and competition in relation to China’s engagement in the “talent war” for attracting, retaining and managing global talents, from a policy perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The author adopts an approach combining literature review and international comparative analysis. Findings – Factors explaining global talent mobility have been predominantly economic. This paper argues that China should also focus on other critical non-economic aspects for attracting and retaining talents in the long-term. The Chinese Government may learn from the experience of other competing countries in developing a national strategy for attracting and retaining global talents. While China has an advantage in attracting overseas Chinese who are attached to its cultural roots and are other competing countries’ residents or citizens, its existing talent policy may not be able to create effective local and institutional environment in attracting and retaining needed talents. Practical implications – An attractive policy is key to winning the global talent war and determining the future development path of a nation. The talent policy at a national level should address not only economic factors but also personal, professional and institutional factors. Originality/value – Winning the global talent war is a policy competition among countries. The Chinese Government may succeed in the war for talent by adopting a multi-pronged, multi-level and long-term talent strategy. This paper calls for China to reconsider its recent reform on permanent residence (green card) policy reform from a global talent competition perspective

Brain circulation to the UK? Knowledge and investment flows from highly skilled British expatriates in Vancouver.

types: ArticlePost-print version of article published at www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/02621711211199502This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Purpose – This paper seeks to address two research questions: first, to what extent do highly skilled migrants intend to make personal business and financial investments in their home countries, and second, what factors influence them to invest in their home countries? Design/methodology/approach – The results are based on face-to-face and telephone interviews which took place between September, 2008 and March, 2009 with 64 highly skilled British migrants working in Vancouver, Canada. Respondents were asked a combination of open- and closed-ended questions. Findings – The results of this study find that the vast majority of respondents are not investing in or intending to return to their home country, which indicates that they contributing to brain circulation in a limited extent. Practical implications – The paper argues that governments and organisations in the home country can play an important role in facilitating brain circulation in Europe. Originality/value – Much of the academic literature suggests that the brain drain has now transformed into brain gain. The findings of this study do not support this shift because most of the sample of British expatriates in Vancouver are not intending to invest in or return to Europe. This is significant because highly skilled migrants could be better utilised as resources by European governments and organisations

Strategies for conducting elite interviews

types: Article© The Author(s) 2011Post print version deposited in accordance with SHERPA RoMEO guidelines. The definitive version is available at: http://qrj.sagepub.com/content/11/4/431.abstractThis article addresses some strategies for conducting elite interviews. It draws upon material from a significant number of interviews that the author has conducted with this group in a variety of economic sectors and countries, as well as from the social sciences literature on elites. The aim of the article is to provide insights into the particularities of interviewing elites for those new to researching this group. In particular, it focuses on gaining trust and gauging the tone of the interview, how to present oneself during the interview, asking open- and closed-questions, the appropriate length of an interview, whether to record the conversation, coping with difficult scenarios, asking awkward questions, managing respondents who do not answer the question, keeping respondents interested in the interview and finally gaining feedback from respondents.Government of Canada’s Post-Doctoral Fellowship Progra

Strong or weak ties? British and Indian expatriate scientists finding jobs in Boston

types: ArticleThis is the accepted version of the following article: Strong or weak ties? British and Indian expatriate scientists finding jobs in Boston. Global Networks, Volume 8, Issue 4, pages 453–473, October 2008 which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0374.2008.00234.x/abstractIn this article I analyse the different social networks that British and Indian scientists use to obtain job information in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector around Boston, Massachusetts. I argue that individuals’ social networks are critical in helping highly skilled migrants find jobs. The research finds that British and Indian scientists use both strong and weak ties to obtain jobs and there is no significant difference between senior and junior workers in terms of whether they relied on strong or weak ties. I argue, nonetheless, that the terms strong ties and weak ties are problematic because they are not clearly understood or mutually exclusive

Labour market experiences of skilled British migrants in Vancouver.

types: Article"This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited." - See more at: http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/authors/writing/author_rights.htm#sthash.3TcTXIx9.dpufPost-print articlePurpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the labour market experiences of highly skilled migrants from developed countries who are not linguistic or visible minorities in the host country. Design/methodology/approach – The results of the paper derive from interviews with 64 highly skilled British migrants in Vancouver. Participants were asked open-end and closed-ended questions and the data from the interviews were coded and analysed manually. Findings – British migrants were divided with their labour market outcomes. Some cited positive experiences such as better responsibility, treatment and salary, while others cited negative experiences such as having to re-accredit, unduly proving themselves to their employers and not having their international experience recognised. Research limitations/implications – The results are particular to a single case study, hence they cannot be generalised or taken to represent the experiences of all British skilled migrants in Vancouver. Practical implications – Governments and organisations should ensure that they fulfil any promises they make to highly skilled migrants before the migration process and manage their expectations. Otherwise they face problems with brain waste and migrant retention in the short term and attracting foreign talent in the long term. They should also consider taking a more flexible approach to recognising foreign qualifications, skills and international experience. Originality/value – The paper adds to our understanding of migrant groups from countries who share similar social and cultural characteristics to the host population. The paper shows that labour market integration challenges are not exclusive to low skilled visible minority migrants, but also to highly skilled migrants who speak the same first language and have the same skin colour as the majority of the host population

Victory can be yours in the global war for talent

types: ArticleThis article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Purpose – This paper aims to provide a critical overview of the significant and growing challenges that countries and organizations face with attracting and retaining foreign talent. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyzes information from academia, business and the media on the challenges for countries and companies in winning the war for foreign talent. Findings – The paper shows that governments and companies need to engage with foreign professionals at an early stage in their careers in order to reap the benefits of their human capital in the long term. Practical implications – The paper reveals how organizations and whole regions can benefit from attracting foreign talent. Social implications – The paper emphasizes that organizations need to look beyond the traditional economic incentives of career opportunities and salaries to other social and lifestyle factors outside the workplace. Originality/value – The paper highlights the growing competition for foreign talent, which is a zero‐sum game between countries and companies. The winners will be those who recognize the importance of foreign talent at all stages of a country's economic cycle, those who invest in this invaluable resource earlier, as well those who recognize the value of economic and non‐economic incentives

Skilled migrants in the Middle East: definitions, mobility and integration.

types: Article© 2012 Inderscience. Post print version deposited in accordance with SHERPA RoMEO guidelines. The definitive version is available at: http://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=47080This paper focuses on skilled migrants moving to and integrating in the Middle East. We provide a series of factors to help conceptualise this heterogeneous group. The paper looks at various types of skilled migration, mobility and integration as well as the challenges that individual migrants have faced. We argue that when thinking about migration and integration, it is important to appreciate multiple scales of analysis. We also highlight that although skilled migrants have confronted a number of migration and integration barriers, many have also experienced additional challenges on the basis of their identity

Reputation and talent mobility in the Asia Pacific

Author's version available on SSRN. Final published version at doi:10.1111/1744-7941.12047This paper argues that different forms of reputation are important for the attraction and retention of talent. Drawing upon the skilled migration literature as well as examples from national governments, supranational organisations and the mass media, we provide a typology that highlights the intersections between reputation and talent mobility. We provide three important contributions. First, we illustrate that reputation plays a central role in the global competition for talent. Second, we highlight that the reputations of countries affect the attraction and retention of top workers. Third, we show that global talent is not only influenced by country reputation but also produces reputations which manifest at the individual level through the inflow and outflow of talent. These contributions shed new theoretical and practical insights on the importance and impact of reputation for talent mobility