Murder, Nonnegligent Manslaughter, and Spatial Autocorrelation in Mid-South Counties

In this paper we explore to what extent murder and violent crime rates in the mid-South are spatially autocorrelated with a variety of county-level spatial association measures. The analysis shows that while statistically the murder and violent crime rates in the mid-Southern counties are spatialy associated, the degree of clustering among these counties is minimal-especially when compared to clustering among the significant predictors of violent crime (percent black, female headed households, percent in poverty, etc.). The analysis has important implications as to how county violent crime rates are being modeled

Federal Spending and Economic Growth in Appalachian Counties

In this paper I use a model informed by key theories of regional processes, and I test three related hypotheses concerning the effects of different types of federal spending (public investment, defense, salaries/wages) on economic growth in the 399 Appalachian counties during recent business cycles. The analysis incorporates a maximum likelihood estimate spatial lag regression model and shows the federal public investment spending and defense spending exerted net positive effects on per capita income, civilian employment, and private nonfarm employment growth rates between 1983 and 1988. In addition, public investment spending had a positive relationship with percentage of earnings from mining for the 1983-1988 period. Federal spending, however, had less consistent effects during the 1989-1992 recession. Implications for theory and research on regional processes are discussed

Industry Structure and Earnings Growth During National Business Cycles in Appalachia

Appalachia is a region that has undergone notable socio-economic change over the last twenty years. This change has produced communities of socio-economic “winners” and “losers.” In this paper, I attempt to understand why some communities \u27won\u27and others \u27lost\u27during this period using an analysis informed by two key sociological theories at the opposite end of the structure-agency continuum (new urban sociology, human ecology). The analysis combines shift-share analysis and the Land-Deane two-stage least squares technique for spatial effects to predict earnings change related to local industry mix and county effects for the following business cycles: 1980-82 recession, 1983-88 recovery, 1989-92 recession. The analysis shows that measures from both theoretical perspectives are important, but neither dominates (unlike in previous analyses). Implications for current/future theory and research are discussed

Racial Differences in Hormonal Contraception Use and Accessibility Among University of South Carolina-Columbia Undergraduate Women

The objective of this study is to see if there are racial disparities in hormonal contraception use amongst USC Columbia undergraduate women, similar to nationwide trends noted in previous studies. This research is important as undesired pregnancies are more prevalent for Black and Hispanic women, and recent legislative changes throughout the nation - and specifically in South Carolina - are challenging abortion rights, thereby increasing the importance of birth control in preventing an undesired pregnancy. Increasing access to hormonal birth control serves to increase body autonomy and a woman’s agency over reproduction, specifically in the face of these current challenges to reproductive rights. A survey of 273 undergraduate women was conducted to determine if a racial disparity existed on hormonal contraception use. Additionally, I investigated the common barriers to hormonal contraceptive access, how students are gaining information on hormonal contraception, and how many legal changes in South Carolina are affecting demand and accessibility of hormonal contraception among USC undergraduate women. Analysis of the data found that there was not a significant difference in hormonal contraception use amongst Black, Hispanic, and Asian students compared to their White peers. However, there were racial differences in how students were gaining information on hormonal contraception, which reveals different avenues for increasing the availability, accuracy, and reliability of resources on the topic. Other findings reveal that these students are open to the newly passed “Pharmacy Access Act” in South Carolina. Surveyed students also have a greater desire for hormonal birth control in the face of abortion restrictions and are concerned about changing legislation that impacts the accessibility of information on abortion, and indirectly birth control, online

Right-to-Work Laws and Local Economic Growth: Recent Evidence from Appalachia

Right-to-work legislation continues to be debated at both the national and state levels. This paper seeks to inform the debate on the effectiveness of RTW laws as an economic development strategy. Using the 399 counties ofAppalachia as a case study, and a model informed by the human ecology and the new urban sociology, this paper compares recent earnings change during the last three business cycles in counties from right-to-work and non right-to-work states in the region. The analysis combines shift-share analysis and spatial lag regression analysis and estimates the relative effects of a variety of measures on county earnings change. The analysis fails to detect any overall advantage in earnings growth from nationally expanding industries for counties in RTW states since 1980. Moreover, the analysis indicates that other factors are more important in stimulating earnings growth from nationally expanding industries, particularly education. Implications for policy and legislative action are discussed

External Ownership and Bank Lending Behavior: Empirical Evidence Using Control Group Methods

As banking systems have become more integrated on both the international and national scales, banks in peripheral regions have been purchased by larger banks headquartered outside those regions. These externally controlled banks allegedly siphon funds from the regions by taking deposits but curtailing their lending activity. Such a practice would retard regional economic development efforts by making it more difficult for local businesses and residents to obtain commercial and industrial loans

Socioeconomic Performance in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas during the 1980s

The socioeconomic gap between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas increased during the 1980s. We test three competing explanations for this trend during the 1980s: overdependence on manufacturing, especially in nonmetro labor markets, the emergence of producer services as a catalyst of socioeconomic growth, and federal spending. Using a model that is informed by a variety of perspectives in sociology and economic geography, and commuter zones (CZs) as spatial units of analysis, we estimate the effects of manufacturing concentration, producer service concentration, and federal spending on per capita income, per capita earnings, and private nonfarm employment growth during the 1983-1988 business cycle recovery. The OLS and interaction models show that all three factors help explain why metro areas outperformed nonmetro areas during this time period. The effects of producer service concentration, however, best fit with our expectations. Implications of our findings are discussed

Employer Recruiting and the Gender Composition of Jobs

In this paper we examine employer recruiting in the external labor market as an intervening mechanism in the process of job gender segregation. We use data from the Metropolitan EmployerWorker Survey to examine the effects of informal and formal recruiting techniques on the gender composition of jobs, and how the characteristics of jobs, organizations, occupations and industries affect the use of formal and informal recruiting. Jobs more frequently recruited through formal techniques, such as advertisements, employ more women. In contrast, jobs more frequently recruited through informal techniques, such as business colleagues, employ fewer women. The effects of recruiting, however, are not always straightforward. Smaller establishments more frequently use current employees to recruit than do larger establishments. When smaller establishments use current employees to recruit this has a negative effect on the representation of women in jobs, while in larger establishments the use of current employees increases the representation of women