We examine twin mysteries - the high correlation between Canadian and US unemployment rates and the emergence of a gap between these rates around 1982. We argue that the apparent close relationship between the unemployment rates and the sudden emergence of a gap are statistically spurious,...

It is widely recognized that children who grow up without a biological parent do worse, on average, than other children. However, because having a single parent is highly correlated with many other socioeconomic disadvantages, the negative outcomes might be caused by something beyond the...

Almost $4 trillion dollars of wealth is currently held by families with a life expectancy of less than 10 years. When that wealth is inherited, will it be retained or spent quickly? Results from the NLSY79, a longitudinal survey covering people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s suggest roughly half of...

This research investigates the problems of the working poor who are limited by health, drug abuse, alcoholism, or other serious personal handicaps, like blindness. From 1985 to 1995, one third of working poor young baby boomers had at least one of these major limitations. More importantly,...

Obesity poses substantial costs both to the individual and society, mainly through its impact on health and labor productivity. Because obesity is more prevalent among the poor some have raised concerns that food assistance programs may encourage excess weight. This paper investigates whether...

Empirical investigations of the U.S. macroeconomy often examine only the post-World War II period because very few key data series exist for earlier years. However, this brief time period misses major economic shocks like the Great Depression and World War II. Using a previously unknown data...

This research focuses on one neglected area of workers' compensation research, the effect of injury and illness on net worth. We track participants in the NLSY79: one-third of these baby boomers were hurt at work, but 38% of them did not file for workers' compensation. We find that the typical...