Moving Beyond Income: Neighborhood Structure, Household Behavior, and Children's Health in the United States

Using insights from economics, pediatrics, psychology, and sociology, this paper examines the effects of income, income inequality, participation in religious services, maternal health, breastfeeding, household smoking, neighborhood characteristics, and racial/ethnic composition of population on child health. Using aggregate data on children's health and well-being for 50 U.S. states derived from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH, 2005), we document the following results: (1) neighborhood characteristics are a more powerful predictor of children's health than income; (2) there is a large effect of mother's health on children's health; (3) the independent effect of income inequality on children's health vary across domains of child health outcomes, as some aspects of child health (mental health) are more responsive to the immediate environment of family and neighborhood than others; (4) breastfeeding has beneficial effect on children's health, while household smoking has negative effect on children's health and well-being; and (5) childrens who participate in religious services at least once a week have less socio-emotional difficulties compared to children who do not.children's health, neighborhood characteristics, socioeconomic status, Health Economics and Policy, I1,

Socioeconomic Status, Neighborhood, Household Behavior, and Children's Health in the United States: Evidence from Children's Health Survey Data

Using insights from economics, pediatrics, psychology, and sociology, this paper examines the effects of income, income inequality, neighborhood characteristics, maternal health, the participation in religious services, breastfeeding, household smoking, and racial/ethnic composition of population on child health. Using aggregate data on children's health and well-being for 50 U.S. states derived from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH, 2005), we document the following results: (1) the independent effects of income inequality on children's health vary across domains of child health outcomes, as some aspects of child health (mental health) are more responsive to the immediate environment of family and neighborhood than others; (2) neighborhood characteristics are powerful predictors of children's health; (3) there is a large effect of maternal health on children's health; (4) children who participate in religious services at least once a week have less socio-emotional difficulties compared to children who do not, and (5) breastfeeding has beneficial effect on children's health, while household smoking has negative effect on children's health and well-being.Consumer/Household Economics, Health Economics and Policy,

Gravity and Large Extra Dimensions

The idea that quantum gravity can be realized at the TeV scale is extremely attractive to theorists and experimentalists alike. This proposal leads to extra spacial dimensions large compared to the electroweak scale. Here we give a very systematic view of the foundations of the theories with large extra dimensions and their physical consequences.Comment: 26 pages, 3 diagram

TRADING COLLAR, INTRADAY, PERIODICITY, AND STOCK MARKET VOLATILITY

Using 5 minute data, we examine market volatility in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the presence of trading collars. We use a polynomial specification for capturing intraday seasonality. Results indicate that market volatility is 3.4 percent higher in declining markets when trading collars are in effect. Results also support a U-shaped intraday periodicity in volatility.Marketing,

GARCH TIME-SERIES MODELS: AN APPLICATION TO RETAIL LIVESTOCK PRICES

This article applies recent developments in time-series modeling to analyze the retail prices of beef, pork, and chicken. Specifically, generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) models were fitted to these data to determine if, unlike more traditional time-series models, the conditional variances of the underlying stochastic processes are nonconstant. The estimation results indicate that the constant conditional variances assumption can be rejected. Furthermore, ex post forecast intervals generated from the GARCH processes indicate that the forecasting accuracy of the estimated models has varied widely over time with substantial volatility occurring during the 1970s and early 1980s.Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Modeling Florida Fresh Tomato Supply Response: Composite Switching Regressions with Variable Weather-Determined Lags

A supply-response model for Florida fresh tomatoes is specified to analyze the impacts of the U.S. Department of Commerce's suspension agreement which governs imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico. The particular focus is on the impact of the "reference" price which causes Mexican imports in a given week to cease if import prices in the prior week fall to the reference price. Using weekly weather data, a growing degree day (GDD) variable is constructed which predicts week of first harvest and duration of harvest. The GDD variable is used to construct the appropriate, variable lag length for weekly acres planted in four Florida production regions. A composite switching-regime model is estimated in which the regime prior to the suspension agreement occurs at a known time. The other two regimes occur when Nogales f.o.b. price are "near" or not near the reference price. Preliminary results suggest weekly Florida shipments of fresh tomatoes are more own-price elastic when Nogales f.o.b. prices near the reference price.International Relations/Trade,

Livelihood Shocks and Coping Strategies: An Empirical Study of Bangladesh Households

Households plan strategically for facing risks associated with livelihood security. Choosing a particular set of coping strategies depends on a number of factors including the types of crisis households face and options available. Often, poor households risk future income generating capacity for maintaining current food consumption. This paper examines strategies used by rural households for coping with the shocks and investigates whether there is any distinctive pattern in adopting these strategies. Using a cross section data set covering 1600 households from the northwestern Bangladesh, we estimate a trivariate probit model for explaining the adoption of coping strategies. Results indicate that choice of coping strategies depend on diversity and stability of household income sources. Households with higher education have greater access to stable incomes sources and have more income sources, and so are less likely to adopt ex-post coping strategies. Households with more assets are more likely to divest assets or obtain secured loans rather than rely on unsecured loans. Wealthier households are not less likely to adopt current adjustment strategies, suggesting that there is a general sequence of coping strategies that all households follow, irrespective of the assets they own.Consumer/Household Economics,

DYNAMICS AND PRICE VOLATILITY IN FARM-RETAIL LIVESTOCK PRICE RELATIONSHIPS

This study uses an error correction model (ECM) to investigate dynamics in farm-retail price relationships. The ECM is a more general method of incorporating dynamics and the long-run, steady-state relationships between farm and retail prices than has been used to data. Monthly data for beef and pork are used to test the time-series properties for the ECM specification. The model is extended to study price volatility through the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) process. Accommodation of the GARCH process provides a useful way of analyzing both mean and variance effects of policy or market structure changes.Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,