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| Publications of Duncan Thomas :chronological alphabetical combined listing:%% Journal Articles @article{fds373534, Author = {Lawton, R and Frankenberg, E and Seeman, T and Crimmins, E and Sumantri, C and Thomas, D}, Title = {Exposure to the Indian Ocean Tsunami shapes the HPA-axis resulting in HPA "burnout" 14 years later.}, Journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, Volume = {120}, Number = {44}, Pages = {e2306497120}, Year = {2023}, Month = {October}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2306497120}, Abstract = {Despite significant research on the effects of stress on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, questions remain regarding long-term impacts of large-scale stressors. Leveraging data on exposure to an unanticipated major natural disaster, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, we provide causal evidence of its imprint on hair cortisol levels fourteen years later. Data are drawn from the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery, a population-representative longitudinal study of tsunami survivors who were living along the coast of Aceh, Indonesia, when the tsunami hit. Annual rounds of data, collected before, the year after and 2 y after the disaster provide detailed information about tsunami exposures and self-reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Hair samples collected 14 y after the tsunami from a sample of adult participants provide measures of cortisol levels, integrated over several months. Hair cortisol concentrations are substantially and significantly lower among females who were living, at the time of the tsunami, in communities directly damaged by the tsunami, in comparison with similar females living in other, nearby communities. Differences among males are small and not significant. Cortisol concentrations are lowest among those females living in damaged communities who reported elevated post-traumatic stress symptoms persistently for two years after the tsunami, indicating that the negative effects of exposure were largest for them. Low cortisol is also associated with contemporaneous reports of poor self-rated general and psychosocial health. Taken together, the evidence points to dysregulation in the HPA axis and "burnout" among these females fourteen years after exposure to the disaster.}, Doi = {10.1073/pnas.2306497120}, Key = {fds373534} } @article{fds370860, Author = {Ingwersen, N and Frankenberg, E and Thomas, D}, Title = {Evolution of Risk Aversion over Five Years after a Major Natural Disaster.}, Journal = {Journal of development economics}, Volume = {163}, Pages = {103095}, Year = {2023}, Month = {June}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2023.103095}, Abstract = {The impact of exposure to a major unanticipated natural disaster on the evolution of survivors' attitudes toward risk is examined, exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in exposure to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in combination with rich population-representative longitudinal survey data spanning the five years after the tsunami. Respondents chose among pairs of hypothetical income streams. Those directly exposed to the tsunami made choices consistent with greater willingness to take on risk relative to those not directly exposed to the tsunami. These differences are short-lived: starting a year later, there is no evidence of differences in willingness to take on risk between the two groups. These conclusions hold for tsunami-related exposures measured at the individual and community level. Apparently, tsunami survivors were inclined to assume greater financial risk in the short-term while rebuilding their lives after the disaster.}, Doi = {10.1016/j.jdeveco.2023.103095}, Key = {fds370860} } @article{fds365833, Author = {Karlamangla, AS and Almeida, DM and Lachman, ME and Merkin, SS and Thomas, D and Seeman, TE}, Title = {Diurnal dynamic range as index of dysregulation of system dynamics. A cortisol examplar using data from the Study of Midlife in the United States.}, Journal = {Psychoneuroendocrinology}, Volume = {142}, Pages = {105804}, Year = {2022}, Month = {August}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105804}, Abstract = {We discuss the importance of including measures of dysregulated system dynamics in the operationalization of allostatic load. The concept of allostatic load, as originally proposed by McEwen and Stellar, included dysregulation not only in the resting state of physiological systems, but also in system dynamics. We describe previous work on cortisol diurnal dynamic range (peak to nadir spread) as an index of the health of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, with compression of dynamic range being a marker of dysregulation. In particular, we review the evidence for a) diurnal dynamic range compression in people from disadvantaged backgrounds, b) cross-sectional association of cortisol diurnal dynamic range compression with dysregulation in other systems' resting states, and c) cross-sectional association of cortisol diurnal dynamic range compression with lower scores on cognitive testing. Then, we present new data from the Study of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) on longitudinal associations of cortisol dynamic range compression with subsequent cognitive decline and all-cause mortality. Briefly, each standard deviation decrement in cortisol diurnal dynamic range is associated with adjusted mortality hazard ratio of 1.35 (95% confidence interval: 1.19, 1.54). Among those who scored at median or lower in executive functioning at baseline and survive, each standard deviation decrement in cortisol dynamic range is associated with 1% greater decline in executive functioning over a decade (95% confidence interval: 0.4%, 2.0%). We conclude that including measures of system dynamics like diurnal dynamic range in the next generation of allostatic load measurement will likely advance understanding of the cumulative physiological burden of chronic stress and life experiences, and improve the prediction of future health consequences.}, Doi = {10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105804}, Key = {fds365833} } @article{fds365834, Author = {Beach, B and Brown, R and Ferrie, J and Saavedra, M and Thomas, D}, Title = {Reevaluating the Long-Term Impact of In Utero Exposure to the 1918 Influenza Pandemic.}, Journal = {The journal of political economy}, Volume = {130}, Number = {7}, Pages = {1963-1990}, Year = {2022}, Month = {July}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/719757}, Abstract = {Almond (2006) argues that in utero exposure to the 1918 influenza pandemic reduced the 1919 birth cohort's adult socioeconomic status (SES). We show that this cohort came from lower-SES families, which is incompatible with Almond's cohort-comparison identification strategy. The adult SES deficit is reduced after background characteristics are controlled for; it is small and statistically insignificant in models that include household fixed effects. Replicating Almond's state-level dose-response analysis, we find no evidence in census data that influenza exposure reduced adult SES. Evidence from a city-level dose-response analysis on educational attainment using WWII enlistees from 287 cities is mixed.}, Doi = {10.1086/719757}, Key = {fds365834} } @article{fds364043, Author = {Laurito, MM and Frankenberg, E and Thomas, D}, Title = {Effects of Housing Aid on Psychosocial Health after a Disaster.}, Journal = {International journal of environmental research and public health}, Volume = {19}, Number = {12}, Pages = {7302}, Year = {2022}, Month = {June}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127302}, Abstract = {Little is known about whether the provision of aid in the aftermath of a large-scale natural disaster affects psychological well-being. We investigate the effects of housing assistance, a key element of the reconstruction program implemented after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Population-representative individual-level longitudinal data collected in Aceh, Indonesia, during the decade after the tsunami as part of the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR) are used. Housing aid was targeted to people whose homes were destroyed and, to a lesser extent, damaged by the tsunami and to those who lived, at the time of the tsunami, in communities that sustained the greatest damage. The effects of receipt of aid on post-traumatic stress reactivity (PTSR) are examined using panel data models that take into account observed and unobserved individual-specific fixed characteristics that affect both PTSR and aid receipt, drawing comparisons in each survey wave between individuals who had been living in the same <i>kecamatan</i> when the tsunami hit. Those who received aid have better psychological health; the effects increase with time since aid receipt and are the greatest at two years or longer after the receipt. The effects are concentrated among those whose homes were destroyed in the tsunami.}, Doi = {10.3390/ijerph19127302}, Key = {fds364043} } @article{fds363907, Author = {Thomas, D and Lawton, R and Brown, T and Kranton, R}, Title = {Prevalence, severity and distribution of depression and anxiety symptoms using observational data collected before and nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic.}, Journal = {Lancet regional health. Americas}, Volume = {1}, Pages = {100009}, Year = {2021}, Month = {September}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2021.100009}, Abstract = {<h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by substantial increases in adverse mental health, particularly among the young. However, it remains unclear to what extent increases in population scores on mental health assessments are due to changes in prevalence, rather than severity of symptoms. Further, it is not obvious that widely used assessments of aggregate symptoms retain their typical interpretation during an event that directly disrupts behavior.<h4>Methods</h4>Pre-pandemic data on workers age 18-69y in the 2019 National Health Interview Survey are reweighted to match distributions of demographic characteristics of Duke University employees surveyed nine months into the pandemic. The latter population was at low risk of infection or economic insecurity. Prevalence, severity, and scores for each of nine symptoms are compared overall and by age group.<h4>Outcomes</h4>Elevated psychological distress is primarily driven by increases in prevalence of particular symptoms. Prevalence of trouble concentrating increased six-fold from 9.6% to 72.5%. Other symptoms increased by over one-third; feeling anxious, having little interest, feeling depressed, sleep problems and being irritable, while some symptoms rose only 10% or less. Severity also increased but magnitudes are small relative to prevalence changes. Escalation in prevalence and severity are greatest for the youngest.<h4>Interpretation</h4>Some of the least prevalent symptoms pre-pandemic became the most prevalent during the pandemic, affecting interpretation of indices validated pre-pandemic. Clinical and policy interventions should focus on specific symptoms that increased including trouble concentrating and anxiety.<h4>Funding</h4>Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Social Science Research Institute at Duke University.}, Doi = {10.1016/j.lana.2021.100009}, Key = {fds363907} } @article{fds350392, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Sumantri, C and Thomas, D}, Title = {Effects of a natural disaster on mortality risks over the longer term.}, Journal = {Nature sustainability}, Volume = {3}, Number = {8}, Pages = {614-619}, Year = {2020}, Month = {August}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0536-3}, Abstract = {Exposure to disasters and other extreme events is rising across the globe but the impact on long-term mortality risks of affected populations is not established. We examine how mortality and individual-specific traumatic exposures at the time of the disaster affect mortality risks of survivors over the next ten years, using data from Aceh, Indonesia collected before and after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Across communities, the higher the percentage of individuals killed in the tsunami, the lower the mortality rate for adults over the next decade. However, among older adults post-disaster mortality is elevated for males with poor post-tsunami psychosocial health and for females whose spouse died in the tsunami. Individual-specific tsunami exposures do not affect mortality of younger adults within the 10 year time frame. Whereas positive mortality selection is evident for all adults, scarring is evident only for older adults and is large enough to substantively counteract the reductions in risk from positive mortality selection.}, Doi = {10.1038/s41893-020-0536-3}, Key = {fds350392} } @article{fds348971, Author = {LaFave, D and Peet, E and Thomas, D}, Title = {Farm Profits, Prices and Household Behavior}, Year = {2020}, Month = {January}, Key = {fds348971} } @article{fds348972, Author = {A. Rangel and M and Thomas, D}, Title = {Decision-Making in Complex Households}, Year = {2020}, Month = {January}, Key = {fds348972} } @article{fds325569, Author = {Brown, R and Montalva, V and Thomas, D and Velásquez, A}, Title = {Impact of violent crime on risk aversion: Evidence from the mexican drug war}, Journal = {Review of Economics and Statistics}, Volume = {101}, Number = {5}, Pages = {892-904}, Year = {2019}, Month = {December}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/rest_a_00788}, Abstract = {Whereas attitudes toward risk play an important role in many decisions over the life course, factors that affect those attitudes are not fully understood. Using longitudinal survey data collected in Mexico before and during the Mexican war on drugs, we investigate how risk attitudes change with variation in insecurity and uncertainty brought on by unprecedented changes in local-area violent crime. Exploiting the fact that the timing, virulence, and spatial distribution of changes in violent crime were unanticipated, we establish there is a rise in risk aversion spread across the entire local population as local-area violent crime increases.}, Doi = {10.1162/rest_a_00788}, Key = {fds325569} } @article{fds336356, Author = {Thomas, D and Seeman, T and Potter, A and Hu, P and Crimmins, E and Herningtyas, EH and Sumantri, C and Frankenberg, E}, Title = {HPLC-based Measurement of Glycated Hemoglobin using Dried Blood Spots Collected under Adverse Field Conditions.}, Journal = {Biodemography and social biology}, Volume = {64}, Number = {1}, Pages = {43-62}, Year = {2018}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19485565.2018.1451300}, Abstract = {Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assays with venous blood and dried blood spots (DBS) are compared for 143 paired samples collected in Aceh, Indonesia. Relative to gold-standard venous-blood values, DBS-based values reported by the HPLC are systematically upward biased for HbA1c<8% and the fraction diabetic (HbA1c ≥ 6.5%) is overstated almost five-fold. Inspection of chromatograms from DBS assays indicates the % glycosylated calculated by the HPLC excludes part of the hemoglobin A which is misidentified as a hemoglobin variant. Taking this into account, unbiased DBS-based values are computed using data from the machine-generated chromatograms. When the DBS are collected in a clinic-like setting, under controlled humidity/temperature conditions, the recalculated values are almost identical to venous-based values. When DBS are collected under field conditions, the recalculated values are unbiased, but only about half the HbA1c values are measured reliably, calling into question the validity of the other half. The results suggest that collection conditions, particularly humidity, affect the quality of the DBS-based measures. Cross-validating DBS-based HbA1c values with venous samples collected under exactly the same environmental conditions is a prudent investment in population-based studies.}, Doi = {10.1080/19485565.2018.1451300}, Key = {fds336356} } @article{fds329003, Author = {Ho, JY and Frankenberg, E and Sumantri, C and Thomas, D}, Title = {Adult Mortality Five Years after a Natural Disaster.}, Journal = {Population and development review}, Volume = {43}, Number = {3}, Pages = {467-490}, Year = {2017}, Month = {September}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/padr.12075}, Abstract = {Exposure to extreme events has been hypothesized to affect subsequent mortality because of mortality selection and scarring effects of the event itself. We examine survival at and in the five years after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami for a population-representative sample of residents of Aceh, Indonesia who were differentially exposed to the disaster. For this population, the dynamics of selection and scarring are a complex function of the degree of tsunami impact in the community, the nature of individual exposures, age at exposure, and gender. Among individuals from tsunami-affected communities we find evidence for positive mortality selection among older individuals, with stronger effects for males than for females, and that this selection dominates any scarring impact of stressful exposures that elevate mortality. Among individuals from other communities, where mortality selection does not play a role, there is evidence of scarring with property loss associated with elevated mortality risks in the five years after the disaster among adults age 50 or older at the time of the disaster.}, Doi = {10.1111/padr.12075}, Key = {fds329003} } @article{fds321974, Author = {LaFave, D and Thomas, D}, Title = {Height and cognition at work: Labor market productivity in a low income setting.}, Journal = {Economics and human biology}, Volume = {25}, Pages = {52-64}, Year = {2017}, Month = {May}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2016.10.008}, Abstract = {Taller workers earn more, particularly in lower income settings. It has been argued that adult height is a marker of strength which is rewarded in the labor market; a proxy for cognitive performance or other dimensions of human capital such as school quality; a proxy for health status; and a proxy for family background and genetic characteristics. As a result, the argument goes, height is rewarded in the labor market because it is an informative signal of worker quality to an employer. It has also been argued that the height premium is driven by occupational and sectoral choice. This paper evaluates the relative importance of these potential mechanisms underlying the link between adult stature and labor market productivity in a specific low income setting, rural Central Java, Indonesia. Drawing on twelve waves of longitudinal survey data, we establish that height predicts hourly earnings after controlling education, multiple indicators of cognitive performance and physical health status, measures of family background, sectoral and occupational choice, as well as local area market characteristics. The height premium is large and significant in both the wage and self-employed sectors indicating height is not only a signal of worker quality to employers. Since adult stature is largely determined in the first few years of life, we conclude that exposures during this critical period have an enduring impact on labor market productivity.}, Doi = {10.1016/j.ehb.2016.10.008}, Key = {fds321974} } @article{fds327861, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Thomas, D}, Title = {Human Capital and Shocks: Evidence on Education, Health and Nutrition}, Journal = {NBER}, Year = {2017}, Month = {April}, Key = {fds327861} } @article{fds321975, Author = {LaFave, D and Thomas, D}, Title = {Farms, Families, and Markets: New Evidence on Completeness of Markets in Agricultural Settings.}, Journal = {Econometrica : journal of the Econometric Society}, Volume = {84}, Number = {5}, Pages = {1917-1960}, Year = {2016}, Month = {September}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3982/ecta12987}, Abstract = {The farm household model has played a central role in improving the understanding of small-scale agricultural households and non-farm enterprises. Under the assumptions that all current and future markets exist and that farmers treat all prices as given, the model simplifies households' simultaneous production and consumption decisions into a recursive form in which production can be treated as independent of preferences of household members. These assumptions, which are the foundation of a large literature in labor and development, have been tested and not rejected in several important studies including Benjamin (1992). Using multiple waves of longitudinal survey data from Central Java, Indonesia, this paper tests a key prediction of the recursive model: demand for farm labor is unrelated to the demographic composition of the farm household. The prediction is unambiguously rejected. The rejection cannot be explained by contamination due to unobserved heterogeneity that is fixed at the farm level, local area shocks or farm-specific shocks that affect changes in household composition and farm labor demand. We conclude that the recursive form of the farm household model is not consistent with the data. Developing empirically tractable models of farm households when markets are incomplete remains an important challenge.}, Doi = {10.3982/ecta12987}, Key = {fds321975} } @article{fds324346, Author = {Ho, J and Frankenberg, E and Sumantri, C and Thomas, D}, Title = {Adult Mortality Five Years after a Natural Disaster: Evidence from the Indian Ocean Tsunami}, Year = {2016}, Month = {June}, Key = {fds324346} } @article{fds239021, Author = {Elo, IT and Frankenberg, E and Gansey, R and Thomas, D}, Title = {Africans in the American Labor Market.}, Journal = {Demography}, Volume = {52}, Number = {5}, Pages = {1513-1542}, Year = {2015}, Month = {October}, ISSN = {0070-3370}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13524-015-0417-y}, Abstract = {The number of migrants to the United States from Africa has grown exponentially since the 1930s. For the first time in America's history, migrants born in Africa are growing at a faster rate than migrants from any other continent. The composition of African-origin migrants has also changed dramatically: in the mid-twentieth century, the majority were white and came from only three countries; but today, about one-fifth are white, and African-origin migrants hail from across the entire continent. Little is known about the implications of these changes for their labor market outcomes in the United States. Using the 2000-2011 waves of the American Community Survey, we present a picture of enormous heterogeneity in labor market participation, sectoral choice, and hourly earnings of male and female migrants by country of birth, race, age at arrival in the United States, and human capital. For example, controlling a rich set of human capital and demographic characteristics, some migrants-such as those from South Africa/Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, who typically enter on employment visas-earn substantial premiums relative to other African-origin migrants. These premiums are especially large among males who arrived after age 18. In contrast, other migrants-such as those from Sudan/Somalia, who arrived more recently, mostly as refugees-earn substantially less than migrants from other African countries. Understanding the mechanisms generating the heterogeneity in these outcomes-including levels of socioeconomic development, language, culture, and quality of education in countries of origin, as well as selectivity of those who migrate-figures prominently among important unresolved research questions.}, Doi = {10.1007/s13524-015-0417-y}, Key = {fds239021} } @article{fds239023, Author = {Nobles, J and Frankenberg, E and Thomas, D}, Title = {The effects of mortality on fertility: population dynamics after a natural disaster.}, Journal = {Demography}, Volume = {52}, Number = {1}, Pages = {15-38}, Year = {2015}, Month = {February}, ISSN = {0070-3370}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13524-014-0362-1}, Abstract = {Understanding how mortality and fertility are linked is essential to the study of population dynamics. We investigate the fertility response to an unanticipated mortality shock that resulted from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed large shares of the residents of some Indonesian communities but caused no deaths in neighboring communities. Using population-representative multilevel longitudinal data, we identify a behavioral fertility response to mortality exposure, both at the level of a couple and in the broader community. We observe a sustained fertility increase at the aggregate level following the tsunami, which was driven by two behavioral responses to mortality exposure. First, mothers who lost one or more children in the disaster were significantly more likely to bear additional children after the tsunami. This response explains about 13 % of the aggregate increase in fertility. Second, women without children before the tsunami initiated family-building earlier in communities where tsunami-related mortality rates were higher, indicating that the fertility of these women is an important route to rebuilding the population in the aftermath of a mortality shock. Such community-level effects have received little attention in demographic scholarship.}, Doi = {10.1007/s13524-014-0362-1}, Key = {fds239023} } @article{fds239024, Author = {Hamoudi, A and Thomas, D}, Title = {Endogenous coresidence and program incidence: South Africa's Old Age Pension.}, Journal = {Journal of development economics}, Volume = {109}, Pages = {30-37}, Year = {2014}, Month = {July}, ISSN = {0304-3878}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2014.03.002}, Abstract = {We investigate whether living arrangements respond to an arguably exogenous shift in the distribution of power in family economic decision-making. In the early 1990s, the South African Old Age Pension was expanded to cover most black South Africans above a sex-specific age cut-off resulting in a substantial increase in the income of older South Africans and potentially their say in the economic decisions of their families. Beneficiaries of the program are more likely to coreside with adults who have less human capital as measured by height and education. Since height and education are fixed for adults, this cannot be an effect of the pension income but reflects selective changes in living arrangements resulting from the pension. The findings highlight the endogeneity of living arrangements and illustrate the potential value of moving beyond theory and data that are confined to a spatially determined definition of the household.}, Doi = {10.1016/j.jdeveco.2014.03.002}, Key = {fds239024} } @article{fds239025, Author = {Gray, C and Frankenberg, E and Gillespie, T and Sumantri, C and Thomas, D}, Title = {Studying Displacement After a Disaster Using Large Scale Survey Methods: Sumatra After the 2004 Tsunami.}, Journal = {Annals of the Association of American Geographers. Association of American Geographers}, Volume = {104}, Number = {3}, Pages = {594-612}, Year = {2014}, Month = {January}, ISSN = {0004-5608}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2014.892351}, Abstract = {Understanding of human vulnerability to environmental change has advanced in recent years, but measuring vulnerability and interpreting mobility across many sites differentially affected by change remains a significant challenge. Drawing on longitudinal data collected on the same respondents who were living in coastal areas of Indonesia before the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and were re-interviewed after the tsunami, this paper illustrates how the combination of population-based survey methods, satellite imagery and multivariate statistical analyses has the potential to provide new insights into vulnerability, mobility and impacts of major disasters on population well-being. The data are used to map and analyze vulnerability to post-tsunami displacement across the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra and to compare patterns of migration after the tsunami between damaged areas and areas not directly affected by the tsunami. The comparison reveals that migration after a disaster is less selective overall than migration in other contexts. Gender and age, for example, are strong predictors of moving from undamaged areas but are not related to displacement in areas experiencing damage. In our analyses traditional predictors of vulnerability do not always operate in expected directions. Low levels of socioeconomic status and education were not predictive of moving after the tsunami, although for those who did move, they were predictive of displacement to a camp rather than a private home. This survey-based approach, though not without difficulties, is broadly applicable to many topics in human-environment research, and potentially opens the door to rigorous testing of new hypotheses in this literature.}, Doi = {10.1080/00045608.2014.892351}, Key = {fds239025} } @article{fds239027, Author = {Gillespie, TW and Frankenberg, E and Chum, KF and Thomas, D}, Title = {Nighttime lights time series of tsunami damage, recovery, and economic metrics in Sumatra, Indonesia.}, Journal = {Remote sensing letters (Print)}, Volume = {5}, Number = {3}, Pages = {286-294}, Year = {2014}, Month = {January}, ISSN = {2150-704X}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2150704x.2014.900205}, Abstract = {On 26 December 2004, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake off the west coast of the northern Sumatra, Indonesia resulted in 160,000 Indonesians killed. We examine the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program-Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) nighttime light imagery brightness values for 307 communities in the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR), a household survey in Sumatra from 2004 to 2008. We examined night light time series between the annual brightness and extent of damage, economic metrics collected from STAR households and aggregated to the community level. There were significant changes in brightness values from 2004 to 2008 with a significant drop in brightness values in 2005 due to the tsunami and pre-tsunami nighttime light values returning in 2006 for all damage zones. There were significant relationships between the nighttime imagery brightness and per capita expenditures, and spending on energy and on food. Results suggest that Defense Meteorological Satellite Program nighttime light imagery can be used to capture the impacts and recovery from the tsunami and other natural disasters and estimate time series economic metrics at the community level in developing countries.}, Doi = {10.1080/2150704x.2014.900205}, Key = {fds239027} } @article{fds239026, Author = {Cas, AG and Frankenberg, E and Suriastini, W and Thomas, D}, Title = {The Impact of Parental Death on Child Well-being: Evidence From the Indian Ocean Tsunami}, Journal = {Demography}, Volume = {51}, Number = {2}, Pages = {437-457}, Year = {2014}, ISSN = {0070-3370}, url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13524-014-0279-8}, Abstract = {Identifying the impact of parental death on the well-being of children is complicated because parental death is likely to be correlated with other, unobserved factors that affect child well-being. Population-representative longitudinal data collected in Aceh, Indonesia, before and after the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami are used to identify the impact of parental deaths on the well-being of children aged 9-17 at the time of the tsunami. Exploiting the unanticipated nature of parental death resulting from the tsunami in combination with measuring well-being of the same children before and after the tsunami, models that include child fixed effects are estimated to isolate the causal effect of parental death. Comparisons are drawn between children who lost one or both parents and children whose parents survived. Shorter-term impacts on school attendance and time allocation one year after the tsunami are examined, as well as longer-term impacts on education trajectories and marriage. Shorter- and longer-term impacts are not the same. Five years after the tsunami, there are substantial deleterious impacts of the tsunami on older boys and girls, whereas the effects on younger children are more muted.}, Doi = {10.1007/s13524-014-0279-8}, Key = {fds239026} } @article{fds239028, Author = {Weaver, EH and Frankenberg, E and Fried, BJ and Thomas, D and Wheeler, SB and Paul, JE}, Title = {Effect of village midwife program on contraceptive prevalence and method choice in Indonesia.}, Journal = {Studies in family planning}, Volume = {44}, Number = {4}, Pages = {389-409}, Year = {2013}, Month = {December}, ISSN = {0039-3665}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24323659}, Abstract = {Indonesia established its Village Midwife Program in 1989 to combat high rates of maternal mortality. The program's goals were to address gaps in access to reproductive health care for rural women, increase access to and use of family planning services, and broaden the mix of available contraceptive methods. In this study, we use longitudinal data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey to examine the program's effect on contraceptive practice. We find that the program did not affect overall contraceptive prevalence but did affect method choice. Over time, for women using contraceptives, midwives were associated with increased odds of injectable contraceptive use and decreased odds of oral contraceptive and implant use. Although the Indonesian government had hoped that the Village Midwife Program would channel women into using longer-lasting methods, the women's "switching behavior" indicates that the program succeeded in providing additional outlets for and promoting the use of injectable contraceptives.}, Doi = {10.1111/j.1728-4465.2013.00366.x}, Key = {fds239028} } @article{fds239033, Author = {Beltrán-Sánchez, H and Thomas, D and Teruel, G and Wheaton, F and Crimmins, EM}, Title = {Links between socio-economic circumstances and changes in smoking behavior in the Mexican population: 2002-2010.}, Journal = {Journal of cross-cultural gerontology}, Volume = {28}, Number = {3}, Pages = {339-358}, Year = {2013}, Month = {September}, ISSN = {0169-3816}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10823-013-9203-8}, Abstract = {While deleterious consequences of smoking on health have been widely publicized, in many developing countries, smoking prevalence is high and increasing. Little is known about the dynamics underlying changes in smoking behavior. This paper examines socio-economic and demographic characteristics associated with smoking initiation and quitting in Mexico between 2002 and 2010. In addition to the influences of age, gender, education, household economic resources and location of residence, changes in marital status, living arrangements and health status are examined. Drawing data from the Mexican Family Life Survey, a rich population-based longitudinal study of individuals, smoking behavior of individuals in 2002 is compared with their behavior in 2010. Logistic models are used to examine socio-demographic and health factors that are associated with initiating and quitting smoking. There are three main findings. First, part of the relationship between education and smoking reflects the role of economic resources. Second, associations of smoking with education and economic resources differ for females and males. Third, there is considerable heterogeneity in the factors linked to smoking behavior in Mexico indicating that the smoking epidemic may be at different stages in different population subgroups. Mexico has recently implemented fiscal policies and public health campaigns aimed at reducing smoking prevalence and discouraging smoking initiation. These programs are likely to be more effective if they target particular socio-economic and demographic sub-groups.}, Doi = {10.1007/s10823-013-9203-8}, Key = {fds239033} } @article{fds239035, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Sikoki, B and Sumantri, C and Suriastini, W and Thomas, D}, Title = {Education, Vulnerability, and Resilience after a Natural Disaster.}, Journal = {Ecology and society : a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability}, Volume = {18}, Number = {2}, Pages = {16}, Year = {2013}, Month = {January}, ISSN = {1708-3087}, url = {http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000321257100014&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=47d3190e77e5a3a53558812f597b0b92}, Abstract = {The extent to which education provides protection in the face of a large-scale natural disaster is investigated. Using longitudinal population-representative survey data collected in two provinces on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, before and after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, we examine changes in a broad array of indicators of well-being of adults. Focusing on adults who were living, before the tsunami, in areas that were subsequently severely damaged by the tsunami, better educated males were more likely to survive the tsunami, but education is not predictive of survival among females. Education is not associated with levels of post-traumatic stress among survivors 1 year after the tsunami, or with the likelihood of being displaced. Where education does appear to play a role is with respect to coping with the disaster over the longer term. The better educated were far less likely than others to live in a camp or other temporary housing, moving, instead, to private homes, staying with family or friends, or renting a new home. The better educated were more able to minimize dips in spending levels following the tsunami, relative to the cuts made by those with little education. Five years after the tsunami, the better educated were in better psycho-social health than those with less education. In sum, education is associated with higher levels of resilience over the longer term.}, Doi = {10.5751/es-05377-180216}, Key = {fds239035} } @article{fds239029, Author = {Currie, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {Introduction to "early test scores, school quality and ses: Longrun effects on wage and employment outcomes"}, Journal = {Research in Labor Economics}, Volume = {35}, Pages = {181-183}, Publisher = {Emerald Group Publishing Limited}, Year = {2012}, Month = {December}, ISSN = {0147-9121}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/S0147-9121(2012)0000035009}, Doi = {10.1108/S0147-9121(2012)0000035009}, Key = {fds239029} } @article{fds239078, Author = {McKelvey, C and Thomas, D and Frankenberg, E}, Title = {Fertility Regulation in an Economic Crisis.}, Journal = {Economic development and cultural change}, Volume = {61}, Number = {1}, Pages = {7-38}, Year = {2012}, Month = {October}, ISSN = {0013-0079}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/666950}, Abstract = {Substantial international aid is spent reducing the cost of contraception in developing countries, as part of a larger effort to reduce global fertility and increase investment per child worldwide. The importance for fertility behaviors of keeping contraceptive prices low, however, remains unclear. Targeting of subsidies and insufficient price variation have hindered prior attempts to estimate the effect of monetary and non-monetary contraceptive costs on fertility behavior. Using longitudinal survey data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey, we exploit dramatic variation in prices and incomes that was induced by the economic crisis in the late 1990s to pin down the effect of contraceptive availability and costs as well as household resources on contraceptive use and method choice. The results are unambiguous: monetary costs of contraceptives and levels of family economic resources have a very small (and well-determined) impact on contraceptive use and choice of method.}, Doi = {10.1086/666950}, Key = {fds239078} } @article{fds239037, Author = {Beltran-Sanchez, H and Thomas, D and Wheaton, F and Crimmins, E}, Title = {SMOKING ONSET AND CESSATION IN MEXICO}, Journal = {GERONTOLOGIST}, Volume = {51}, Pages = {391-391}, Publisher = {OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC}, Year = {2011}, Month = {November}, ISSN = {0016-9013}, url = {http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000303602002452&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=47d3190e77e5a3a53558812f597b0b92}, Key = {fds239037} } @article{fds239082, Author = {Beltrán-Sánchez, H and Crimmins, EM and Teruel, GM and Thomas, D}, Title = {Links between childhood and adult social circumstances and obesity and hypertension in the Mexican population.}, Journal = {Journal of aging and health}, Volume = {23}, Number = {7}, Pages = {1141-1165}, Year = {2011}, Month = {October}, ISSN = {0898-2643}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0898264311422255}, Abstract = {<h4>Objectives</h4>This study examines links between early life circumstances and adult socioeconomic status and obesity and hypertension in the adult Mexican population.<h4>Method</h4>We use data from the Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS) collected in 2002 for people aged 20 or older (N = 14,280).<h4>Results</h4>We found that men with low education and women with more education have significantly lower obesity. Women with higher education also have significantly less hypertension. Obesity triples the likelihood of hypertension among both men and women. Better childhood experiences are associated with less hypertension among women, but more hypertension among men in rural areas.<h4>Discussion</h4>Recent changes in income, nutrition, and infection in Mexico may be responsible for the observed high prevalence of overweight and obesity and the extremely high odds of hypertension among obese young adults.}, Doi = {10.1177/0898264311422255}, Key = {fds239082} } @article{fds239076, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Gillespie, T and Preston, S and Sikoki, B and Thomas, D}, Title = {MORTALITY, THE FAMILY AND THE INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI.}, Journal = {Economic journal (London, England)}, Volume = {121}, Number = {554}, Pages = {F162-F182}, Year = {2011}, Month = {August}, ISSN = {0013-0133}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2011.02446.x}, Abstract = {Over 130,000 people died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The correlates of survival are examined using data from the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR), a population-representative survey collected in Aceh and North Sumatra, Indonesia, before and after the tsunami. Children, older adults and females were the least likely to survive. Whereas socio-economic factors mattered relatively little, the evidence is consistent with physical strength playing a role. Pre-tsunami household composition is predictive of survival and suggests that stronger members sought to help weaker members: men helped their wives, parents and children, while women helped their children.}, Doi = {10.1111/j.1468-0297.2011.02446.x}, Key = {fds239076} } @article{fds239034, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Thomas, D}, Title = {Global aging}, Pages = {73-89}, Publisher = {Elsevier}, Year = {2011}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-380880-6.00006-X}, Abstract = {Social research on global aging is a rapidly growing field. The goal of this chapter is to highlight emerging lines of inquiry that are likely to have an important impact on science and discusses challenges that have hindered progress. The aggregate demographic features that drive global aging are discussed. Current patterns and future trends in low-income countries with respect to three dimensions of aging: health; work and retirement; and living arrangements and transfers are shown. Changes in age structures have important implications for education and work opportunities, taxation of earnings and wealth, savings and insurance vehicles, and how earnings are taxed. Life expectancy is largely driven by deaths at early ages and so increases in life expectancy have presaged major shifts in the global burden of disease. Biological markers of health status have revolutionized research on population health, but relying exclusively on those markers and health-related behaviors limits progress on understanding global aging. Efforts to conduct population-based studies that measure other dimensions of health in the developing world have increased knowledge of health conditions, particularly for children and women of reproductive age. The evidence on the health of men and older adults is more fragmented. The field of global aging is in its infancy. It is an exciting area for innovative research as it provides unparalleled opportunities for making major contributions to both policy and science. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.}, Doi = {10.1016/B978-0-12-380880-6.00006-X}, Key = {fds239034} } @article{fds239063, Author = {Rubalcava, L and Teruel, G and Thomas, D}, Title = {Investments, time preferences and public transfers paid to women.}, Journal = {Economic development and cultural change}, Volume = {57}, Number = {3}, Pages = {507-538}, Year = {2009}, Month = {April}, ISSN = {0013-0079}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/596617}, Abstract = {The literature suggests men and women may have different preferences. This paper exploits a social experiment in which women in treatment households were given a large public cash transfer (PROGRESA). In an effort to disentangle the effect of additional income in the household from the effect of changing the distribution of income within the household, the impact of PROGRESA income on savings and investments decisions is compared with all other income sources (after taking into account participation in the program). Additional money in the hands of women is spent on small livestock (which are traditionally managed and cared for by women), improved nutrition and on child goods (particularly clothing). Among single headed households, PROGRESA income is not treated differently from other income. Direct evidence on inter-temporal preferences gathered in the Mexican Family Live Survey indicates that women are more patient than males when thinking about the future. Taken together, the results suggest that PROGRESA income results in a shift in the balance of power within households and women allocated more resources towards investments in the future.}, Doi = {10.1086/596617}, Key = {fds239063} } @article{fds239064, Author = {Friedman, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {Psychological Health Before, During, and After an Economic Crisis: Results from Indonesia, 1993 - 2000.}, Journal = {The World Bank economic review}, Volume = {23}, Number = {1}, Pages = {57-76}, Year = {2009}, Month = {January}, ISSN = {0258-6770}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhn013}, Abstract = {The 1997 Indonesian financial crisis resulted in severe economic dislocation and political upheaval, and the detrimental consequences for economic welfare, physical health, and child education have been established in several studies. The crisis also adversely impacted the psychological well-being of the Indonesian population. Comparing responses of the same individuals interviewed before and after the crisis, we document substantial increases in several different dimensions of psychological distress among male and female adults across the entire age distribution. In addition, the imprint of the crisis can be seen in the differential impacts of the crisis on low education groups, the rural landless, and residents in those provinces that were most affected by the crisis. Elevated levels of psychological distress persist even after indicators of economic well-being such as household consumption had returned to pre-crisis levels, suggesting the deleterious effects of the crisis on the psychological well-being of the Indonesian population may be longer lasting than the impacts on economic well-being.}, Doi = {10.1093/wber/lhn013}, Key = {fds239064} } @article{fds239075, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Friedman, J and Gillespie, T and Ingwersen, N and Pynoos, R and Rifai, IU and Sikoki, B and Steinberg, A and Sumantri, C and Suriastini, W and Thomas, D}, Title = {Mental health in Sumatra after the tsunami.}, Journal = {American journal of public health}, Volume = {98}, Number = {9}, Pages = {1671-1677}, Year = {2008}, Month = {September}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18633091}, Abstract = {<h4>Objectives</h4>We assessed the levels and correlates of posttraumatic stress reactivity (PTSR) of more than 20,000 adult tsunami survivors by analyzing survey data from coastal Aceh and North Sumatra, Indonesia.<h4>Methods</h4>A population-representative sample of individuals interviewed before the tsunami was traced in 2005 to 2006. We constructed 2 scales measuring PTSR by using 7 symptom items from the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist-Civilian Version. One scale measured PTSR at the time of interview, and the other measured PTSR at the point of maximum intensity since the disaster.<h4>Results</h4>PTSR scores were highest for respondents from heavily damaged areas. In all areas, scores declined over time. Gender and age were significant predictors of PTSR; markers of socioeconomic status before the tsunami were not. Exposure to traumatic events, loss of kin, and property damage were significantly associated with higher PTSR scores.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The tsunami produced posttraumatic stress reactions across a wide region of Aceh and North Sumatra. Public health will be enhanced by the provision of counseling services that reach not only people directly affected by the tsunami but also those living beyond the area of immediate impact.}, Doi = {10.2105/ajph.2007.120915}, Key = {fds239075} } @article{fds239062, Author = {Stillman, S and Thomas, D}, Title = {Nutritional status during an economic crisis: Evidence from Russia}, Journal = {Economic Journal}, Volume = {118}, Number = {531}, Pages = {1385-1417}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)}, Year = {2008}, Month = {August}, ISSN = {0013-0133}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2008.02174.x}, Abstract = {Between 1996 and 1998, Russia experienced a spectacular decline in economic activity which was followed by a dramatic rebound between 1998 and 2000. We use panel data to examine the impact of variation in household resources on six dimensions of nutritional status, distinguishing longer-run from short-term fluctuations in resources. Nutritional status is very resilient to short-term variation in household resources. Gross energy intake, adult weight and child stature change very little as expenditure deviates from its long-run average. Longer-run resources have a substantively large, positive and significant effect on energy intake, diet quality, adult weight and child stature. The evidence indicates that individuals and households are able to weather short-term fluctuations in economic resources, at least in terms of maintaining body mass and energy intake. © Journal compilation © 2008 by the Royal Economic Society.}, Doi = {10.1111/j.1468-0297.2008.02174.x}, Key = {fds239062} } @article{fds239061, Author = {Rubalcava, LN and Teruel, GM and Thomas, D and Goldman, N}, Title = {The healthy migrant effect: new findings from the Mexican Family Life Survey.}, Journal = {American journal of public health}, Volume = {98}, Number = {1}, Pages = {78-84}, Year = {2008}, Month = {January}, ISSN = {0090-0036}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2006.098418}, Abstract = {<h4>Objectives</h4>We used nationally representative longitudinal data from the Mexican Family Life Survey to determine whether recent migrants from Mexico to the United States are healthier than other Mexicans. Previous research has provided little scientific evidence that tests the "healthy migrant" hypothesis.<h4>Methods</h4>Estimates were derived from logistic regressions of whether respondents moved to the United States between surveys in 2002 and 2005, by gender and urban versus rural residence. Covariates included physical health measurements, self-reported health, and education measured in 2002. Our primary sample comprised 6446 respondents aged 15 to 29 years.<h4>Results</h4>Health significantly predicted subsequent migration among females and rural males. However, the associations were weak, few health indicators were statistically significant, and there was substantial variation in the estimates between males and females and between urban and rural dwellers.<h4>Conclusions</h4>On the basis of recent data for Mexico, the largest source of migrants to the United States, we found generally weak support for the healthy migrant hypothesis.}, Doi = {10.2105/ajph.2006.098418}, Key = {fds239061} } @article{fds239073, Author = {Gillespie, TW and Chu, J and Frankenberg, E and Thomas, D}, Title = {Assessment and Prediction of Natural Hazards from Satellite Imagery.}, Journal = {Progress in physical geography}, Volume = {31}, Number = {5}, Pages = {459-470}, Year = {2007}, Month = {October}, ISSN = {0309-1333}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0309133307083296}, Abstract = {Since 2000, there have been a number of spaceborne satellites that have changed the way we assess and predict natural hazards. These satellites are able to quantify physical geographic phenomena associated with the movements of the earth's surface (earthquakes, mass movements), water (floods, tsunamis, storms), and fire (wildfires). Most of these satellites contain active or passive sensors that can be utilized by the scientific community for the remote sensing of natural hazards over a number of spatial and temporal scales. The most useful satellite imagery for the assessment of earthquake damage comes from high-resolution (0.6 m to 1 m pixel size) passive sensors and moderate resolution active sensors that can quantify the vertical and horizontal movement of the earth's surface. High-resolution passive sensors have been used to successfully assess flood damage while predictive maps of flood vulnerability areas are possible based on physical variables collected from passive and active sensors. Recent moderate resolution sensors are able to provide near real time data on fires and provide quantitative data used in fire behavior models. Limitations currently exist due to atmospheric interference, pixel resolution, and revisit times. However, a number of new microsatellites and constellations of satellites will be launched in the next five years that contain increased resolution (0.5 m to 1 m pixel resolution for active sensors) and revisit times (daily ≤ 2.5 m resolution images from passive sensors) that will significantly improve our ability to assess and predict natural hazards from space.}, Doi = {10.1177/0309133307083296}, Key = {fds239073} } @article{fds239038, Author = {Seltzer, JA and Bachrach, CA and Bianchi, SM and Bledsoe, CH and Casper, LM and Chase-Lansdale, PL and Diprete, TA and Hotz, VJ and Morgan, SP and Sanders, SG and Thomas, D}, Title = {Explaining Family Change and Variation: Challenges for Family Demographers.}, Journal = {Journal of marriage and the family}, Volume = {67}, Number = {4}, Pages = {908-925}, Year = {2005}, Month = {November}, ISSN = {0022-2445}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20376277}, Abstract = {Twenty years ago, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) issued a request for proposals that resulted in the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), a unique survey valuable to a wide range of family scholars. This paper describes the efforts of an interdisciplinary group of family demographers to build on the progress enabled by the NSFH and many other theoretical and methodological innovations. Our work, also supported by NICHD, will develop plans for research and data collection to address the central question of what causes family change and variation. We outline the group's initial assessments of orienting frameworks, key aspects of family life to study, and theoretical and methodological challenges for research on family change. Finally, we invite family scholars to follow our progress and to help develop this shared public good.}, Doi = {10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00183.x}, Key = {fds239038} } @article{fds239074, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Suriastini, W and Thomas, D}, Title = {Can expanding access to basic healthcare improve children's health status? Lessons from Indonesia's 'midwife in the village' programme.}, Journal = {Population studies}, Volume = {59}, Number = {1}, Pages = {5-19}, Year = {2005}, Month = {March}, ISSN = {0032-4728}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15764131}, Abstract = {In the 1990s, the Indonesian government placed over 50,000 midwives in communities throughout the country. We examine how this expansion in health services affected children's height-for-age. To address the problem that midwives were not randomly allocated to communities, the estimation exploits the biology of childhood growth, the timing of the introduction of midwives to communities, and rich longitudinal data. The evidence indicates that the nutritional status of children fully exposed to a midwife during early childhood is significantly better than that of their peers of the same age and cohort in communities without a midwife. The former are also better off than children assessed at the same age from the same communities but who were born before the midwife arrived. Within communities, the improvement in nutritional status across cohorts is greater where midwives were introduced than where they were not. This result is robust to the inclusion of community fixed effects.}, Doi = {10.1080/0032472052000332674}, Key = {fds239074} } @article{fds239072, Author = {Frankenberg, E and McKee, D and Thomas, D}, Title = {Health consequences of forest fires in Indonesia.}, Journal = {Demography}, Volume = {42}, Number = {1}, Pages = {109-129}, Year = {2005}, Month = {February}, ISSN = {0070-3370}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15782898}, Abstract = {We combined data from a population-based longitudinal survey with satellite measures of aerosol levels to assess the impact of smoke from forest fires that blanketed the Indonesian islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra in late 1997 on adult health. To account for unobserved differences between haze and nonhaze areas, we compared changes in the health of individual respondents. Between 1993 and 1997, individuals who were exposed to haze experienced greater increases in difficulty with activities of daily living than did their counterparts in nonhaze areas. The results for respiratory and general health, although more complicated to interpret, suggest that haze had a negative impact on these dimensions of health.}, Doi = {10.1353/dem.2005.0004}, Key = {fds239072} } @article{fds239071, Author = {Thomas, D and Beegle, K and Frankenberg, E and Sikoki, B and Strauss, J and Teruel, G}, Title = {Education in a crisis}, Journal = {Journal of Development Economics}, Volume = {74}, Number = {1}, Pages = {53-85}, Publisher = {Elsevier BV}, Year = {2004}, Month = {June}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2003.12.004}, Abstract = {The year 1998 saw the onset of a major economic and financial crisis in Indonesia. GDP fell by 12% that year. The effect on education of the next generation is examined. On average, household spending on education declined, most dramatically among the poorest households. Spending reductions were particularly marked in poor households with more young children, while there was a tendency to protect education spending in poor households with more older children. The evidence on school enrollments mirrors these findings. Poor households apparently sought to protect investments in the schooling of older children at the expense of the education of younger children. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}, Doi = {10.1016/j.jdeveco.2003.12.004}, Key = {fds239071} } @article{fds239059, Author = {Smith, JP and Thomas, D}, Title = {Remembrances of things past: Test-retest reliability of retrospective migration histories}, Journal = {Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A: Statistics in Society}, Volume = {166}, Number = {1}, Pages = {23-49}, Publisher = {WILEY}, Year = {2003}, Month = {December}, ISSN = {0964-1998}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-985X.00257}, Abstract = {Matched retrospective life history data collected from the same individuals in two waves of the Malaysian Family Life Survey provide a unique opportunity to evaluate the quality of long-term recall data in a rapidly changing developing country. Recall quality, measured by consistency of incidence and dating of moves reported 12 years apart, is higher among the better educated. Respondents better remember more salient moves, those linked with other important life events such as marriage, childbirth or a job change and moves that lasted a long time. Migrations that dim in memory as time passes are typically shorter duration or local moves, often made while the respondent was young. The dating of moves is also significantly improved when linked with other salient events. Our findings suggest concrete and practical steps that can be followed to improve the quality of retrospective life-histories collected in field surveys. © 2003 Royal Statistical Society.}, Doi = {10.1111/1467-985X.00257}, Key = {fds239059} } @article{fds239070, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Smith, JP and Thomas, D}, Title = {Economic shocks, wealth, and welfare}, Journal = {Journal of Human Resources}, Volume = {38}, Number = {2}, Pages = {280-321}, Publisher = {JSTOR}, Year = {2003}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1558746}, Abstract = {The immediate effects of the Asian crisis on the well-being of Indonesians are examined using the Indonesia Family Life Survey, an ongoing longitudinal household survey. There is tremendous diversity in the effect of the shock: For some households, it was devastating; for others it brought new opportunities. A wide array of mechanisms was adopted in response to the crisis. Households combined to more fully exploit benefits of scale economies in consumption. Labor supply increased even as real wages collapsed. Households reduced spending on semidurables while maintaining expenditures on foods. Rural households used wealth, particularly gold, to smooth consumption.}, Doi = {10.2307/1558746}, Key = {fds239070} } @article{fds239058, Author = {Garces, E and Thomas, D and Currie, J}, Title = {Longer-term effects of head start}, Journal = {American Economic Review}, Volume = {92}, Number = {4}, Pages = {999-1012}, Publisher = {American Economic Association}, Year = {2002}, Month = {September}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10161/1853 Duke open access}, Abstract = {Specially collected data on adults in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics are used to provide evidence on the longer-term effects of Head Start, an early intervention program for poor preschool-age children. Whites who attended Head Start are, relative to their siblings who did not, significantly more likely to complete high school, attend college, and possibly have higher earnings in their early twenties. African-Americans who participated in Head Start are less likely to have been booked or charged with a crime. There is some evidence of positive spillovers from older Head Start children to their younger siblings. (JEL J24, I38).}, Doi = {10.1257/00028280260344560}, Key = {fds239058} } @article{fds239068, Author = {Thomas, D and Frankenberg, E}, Title = {Health, nutrition and prosperity: a microeconomic perspective.}, Journal = {Bulletin of the World Health Organization}, Volume = {80}, Number = {2}, Pages = {106-113}, Year = {2002}, Month = {January}, ISSN = {0042-9686}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11953788}, Abstract = {A positive correlation between health and economic prosperity has been widely documented, but the extent to which this reflects a causal effect of health on economic outcomes is very controversial. Two classes of evidence are examined. First, carefully designed random assignment studies in the laboratory and field provide compelling evidence that nutritional deficiency - particularly iron deficiency - reduces work capacity and, in some cases, work output. Confidence in these results is bolstered by a good understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms. Some random assignment studies indicate an improved yield from health services in the labour market. Second, observational studies suggest that general markers of nutritional status, such as height and body mass index (BMI), are significant predictors of economic success although their interpretation is confounded by the fact that they reflect influences from early childhood and family background. Energy intake and possibly the quality of the diet have also been found to be predictive of economic success in observational studies. However, the identification of causal pathways in these studies is difficult and involves statistical assumptions about unobserved heterogeneity that are difficult to test. Illustrations using survey data demonstrate the practical importance of this concern. Furthermore, failure to take into account the dynamic interplay between changes in health and economic status has led to limited progress being reported in the literature. A broadening of random assignment studies to measure the effects of an intervention on economic prosperity, investment in population-based longitudinal socioeconomic surveys, and application of emerging technologies for a better measure of health in these surveys will yield very high returns in improving our understanding of how health influences economic prosperity.}, Key = {fds239068} } @article{fds239069, Author = {Smith, JP and Thomas, D and Frankenberg, E and Beegle, K and Teruel, G}, Title = {Wages, employment and economic shocks: Evidence from Indonesia}, Journal = {Journal of Population Economics}, Volume = {15}, Number = {1}, Pages = {161-193}, Publisher = {Springer Nature}, Year = {2002}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/PL00003837}, Abstract = {After over a quarter century of sustained economic growth, Indonesia was struck by a large and unanticipated crisis at the end of the 20th Century. Real GDP declined by about 12% in 1998. Using 13 years of annual labor force data in conjunction with two waves of a household panel, the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS), this paper examines the impact of the crisis on labor market outcomes.}, Doi = {10.1007/PL00003837}, Key = {fds239069} } @article{fds239067, Author = {Beegle, K and Frankenberg, E and Thomas, D}, Title = {Bargaining power within couples and use of prenatal and delivery care in Indonesia.}, Journal = {Studies in family planning}, Volume = {32}, Number = {2}, Pages = {130-146}, Year = {2001}, Month = {June}, ISSN = {0039-3665}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11449862}, Abstract = {Indonesian women's power relative to that of their husbands is examined to determine how it affects use of prenatal and delivery care. Holding household resources constant, a woman's control over economic resources affects the couple's decision-making. Compared with a woman with no assets that she perceives as being her own, a woman with some share of household assets influences reproductive health decisions. Evidence suggests that her influence on service use also varies if a woman is better educated than her husband, comes from a background of higher social status than her husband's, or if her father is better educated than her father-in-law. Therefore, both economic and social dimensions of the distribution of power between spouses influence use of services, and conceptualizing power as multidimensional is useful for understanding couples' behavior.}, Doi = {10.1111/j.1728-4465.2001.00130.x}, Key = {fds239067} } @article{fds239066, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Thomas, D}, Title = {Women's health and pregnancy outcomes: do services make a difference?}, Journal = {Demography}, Volume = {38}, Number = {2}, Pages = {253-265}, Year = {2001}, Month = {May}, ISSN = {0070-3370}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11392911}, Abstract = {We use data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey to investigate the impact of a major expansion in access to midwifery services on health and pregnancy outcomes for women of reproductive age. Between 1990 and 1998 Indonesia trained some 50,000 midwives. Between 1993 and 1997 these midwives tended to be placed in relatively poor communities that were relatively distant from health centers. We show that additions of village midwives to communities between 1993 and 1997 are associated with a significant increase in body mass index in 1997 relative to 1993 for women of reproductive age, but not for men or for older women. The presence of a village midwife during pregnancy is also associated with increased birthweight. Both results are robust to the inclusion of community-level fixed effects, a strategy that addresses many of the concerns about biases because of nonrandom program placement.}, Doi = {10.1353/dem.2001.0014}, Key = {fds239066} } @article{fds239057, Author = {Currie, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {Early test scores, school quality and SES: Longrun effects on wage and employment outcomes}, Journal = {Research in Labor Economics}, Volume = {20}, Pages = {103-132}, Publisher = {Emerald (MCB UP )}, Year = {2001}, Month = {January}, ISSN = {0147-9121}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0147-9121(01)20039-9}, Abstract = {This study uses data from the British National Child Development Survey (NCDS) to examine interactions between socio-economic status (SES), children's test scores, and future wages and employment. We find that children of lower SES have both lower age 16 test scores and higher returns to these test scores in terms of age 33 wages and employment probabilities than high-SES children. We then examine determinants of age 16 scores. Conditional on having had the same age 7 mathematics scores, high-SES children go on to achieve higher age 16 mathematics scores than children of low or middle-SES. They are also much more likely to pass O-levels in English and Mathematics. These differences are either eliminated or greatly reduced when observable measures of school quality are added to the model, suggesting that high-SES children get better age 16 test scores at least in part because they attended better schools. On the other hand, conditional on age 7 scores, low-SES children achieve higher age 16 reading scores than high-SES children and the estimated relationship between the two is not affected by the addition of school quality variables. This observation provides evidence consistent with the conjecture that success in reading may be less dependent on school quality than success in mathematics. © 2001.}, Doi = {10.1016/S0147-9121(01)20039-9}, Key = {fds239057} } @article{fds239065, Author = {Thomas, D and Frankenberg, E and Smith, JP}, Title = {Lost but not forgetten: Attrition and follow-up in the Indonesia family life survey}, Journal = {Journal of Human Resources}, Volume = {36}, Number = {3}, Pages = {556-592}, Publisher = {JSTOR}, Year = {2001}, Month = {January}, ISSN = {0022-166X}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3069630}, Abstract = {Data from three waves of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) are used to examine follow-up and attrition in the context of a large scale panel survey conducted in a low-income setting. Household-level attrition between the baseline and first follow-up four years later is less than 6 percent; the cumulative attrition between the baseline and second follow-up after a five-year hiatus is 5 percent. Attrition is low in the IFLS because movers are followed: around 12 percent of households that were interviewed in the first follow-up had moved from their location at baseline. About half of those households were "local movers." The other half, many of whom had moved to a new province, were interviewed during a second sweep through the study areas ("second tracking"). Regression analyses indicate that in terms of household-level characteristics at baseline, households interviewed during second tracking are very similar to those not interviewed in the follow-up surveys. Local movers are more similar to the households found in the baseline location in the follow-ups. The results suggest that the information content of households interviewed during second tracking is probably high. The cost of following those respondents is relatively modest in the IFLS. Although the analytical value of reinterviewing movers will vary depending on the specifics of the research, we conclude that, in general, tracking movers is a worthwhile investment in longitudinal household surveys conducted in settings where communication infrastructure is limited.}, Doi = {10.2307/3069630}, Key = {fds239065} } @article{fds333805, Author = {Thomas, D and Frankenberg, E}, Title = {The measurement and interpretation of health in social surveys}, Publisher = {RAND}, Year = {2000}, Abstract = {Health status is hard to measure. It is widely recognized that health is multi-dimensional reflecting the combination of an array of factors that include physical, mental and social well-being, genotype and phenotype influences as well as expectations and information. A multitude of health indicators have been used in scientific studies drawing on data from both the developed and developing world. Understanding what those indicators measure is central if the results reported in the studies are to be interpreted in a meaningful way...}, Key = {fds333805} } @article{fds239054, Author = {Currie, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {The intergenerational transmission of "intelligence": Down the slippery slopes of The Bell Curve}, Journal = {Industrial Relations}, Volume = {38}, Number = {3}, Pages = {297-330}, Publisher = {WILEY}, Year = {1999}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0019-8676.00131}, Abstract = {Herrnstein and Murray report that conditional on maternal "intelligence" (AFQT scores), child test scores are little affected by variations in socioeconomic status. Using the same data, we demonstrate that their finding is very fragile. We explore the effect of adopting a more representative sample of children, including blacks and Latinos, allowing nonlinearities in the relationships, and incorporating richer measures of socioeconomic status. Making any one of these changes overturns their finding: Socioeconomic status and child test scores are positively and significantly related. Evidence is presented suggesting AFQT scores are likely better markers for family background than "intelligence".}, Doi = {10.1111/0019-8676.00131}, Key = {fds239054} } @article{fds239056, Author = {Currie, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {Does Head Start help hispanic children?}, Journal = {Journal of Public Economics}, Volume = {74}, Number = {2}, Pages = {235-262}, Publisher = {Elsevier BV}, Year = {1999}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0047-2727(99)00027-4}, Abstract = {Poor educational attainment is a persistent problem among US hispanic children, relative to non-hispanics. Many of these children are immigrants and/or come from households that use a minority language in the home. This paper examines the effects of participation in a government sponsored preschool program called Head Start on these children. We find that large and significant benefits accrue to Head Start children when we compare them to siblings who did not participate in the program. On average, Head Start closes at least 1/4 of the gap in test scores between hispanic children and non-hispanic white children, and 2/3 of the gap in the probability of grade repetition. However, we find that the benefits of Head Start are not evenly distributed across sub-groups. © Elsevier Science S.A.}, Doi = {10.1016/S0047-2727(99)00027-4}, Key = {fds239056} } @article{fds239055, Author = {Strauss, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {Health, Nutrition, and Economic Development}, Journal = {Journal of Economic Literature}, Volume = {36}, Number = {2}, Pages = {766-817}, Year = {1998}, Month = {June}, Key = {fds239055} } @article{fds239051, Author = {Smith, JP and Thomas, D}, Title = {On the road. Marriage and mobility in Malaysia}, Journal = {Journal of Human Resources}, Volume = {33}, Number = {4}, Pages = {805-832}, Publisher = {JSTOR}, Year = {1998}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/146399}, Abstract = {Migration choices of husbands and wives in a dynamic and developing country are studied in the context of an economic model of the household. Data are drawn from the second wave of the Malaysia Family Life Survey. Exploiting the retrospective histories, we compare moves that take place before marriage with those made during the marriage; among the latter, moves that are made with the spouse are distinguished from those made alone. The evidence indicates that male mobility is primarily economic in motivation and related to labor market factors. Moves by women, however, seem to be more closely related to fertility or family considerations. Migration is apparently not simply an individual decision; the attributes of the spouse are an important influence on mobility, albeit in an asymmetric manner. Moving toward a broader definition of the household, we find the characteristics of the parents, parents-in-law, and also the (relative) age and gender of siblings all influence mobility in a rich, if complex, way.}, Doi = {10.2307/146399}, Key = {fds239051} } @article{fds239052, Author = {Thomas, D and Strauss, J}, Title = {Health and wages: evidence on men and women in urban Brazil.}, Journal = {Journal of econometrics}, Volume = {77}, Number = {1}, Pages = {159-185}, Year = {1997}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0304-4076(96)01811-8}, Abstract = {Survey data indicate that different dimensions of health affect the wages of men and women in urban Brazil. Height has a large and significant effect on wages: taller men and women earn more. Body mass index (BMI) is associated with higher wages of males, especially among the less-educated, suggesting that strength may be rewarded with higher wages. Low levels of per capita calorie and protein intakes reduce wages of market-workers, but not the self-employed. After controlling for height, BMI, and calories, the influence of proteins is greater at higher levels, presumably reflecting the impact of higher-quality diets.}, Doi = {10.1016/s0304-4076(96)01811-8}, Key = {fds239052} } @article{fds239050, Author = {Lavy, V and Strauss, J and Thomas, D and de Vreyer, P}, Title = {Quality of health care, survival and health outcomes in Ghana.}, Journal = {Journal of health economics}, Volume = {15}, Number = {3}, Pages = {333-357}, Year = {1996}, Month = {June}, ISSN = {0167-6296}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0167-6296(95)00021-6}, Abstract = {This paper analyzes the effect of quality and accessibility of health services and other public infrastructure on the health of children in Ghana. We focus on child survival, child height and weight using data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey. The results suggest an important role for public health policy in eliminating the rural-urban disparities in health status and particularly in improving the health status of rural children and reducing their mortality rates. Increased availability of birth services and other related child programs, as well as Improved water and sanitation infrastructure would have an immediate payoff.}, Doi = {10.1016/0167-6296(95)00021-6}, Key = {fds239050} } @article{fds239048, Author = {Thomas, D}, Title = {Education Across Generations in South Africa}, Journal = {American Economic Review}, Volume = {86}, Number = {2}, Pages = {330-334}, Year = {1996}, Month = {May}, Key = {fds239048} } @article{fds239049, Author = {Strauss, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {Measurement and Mismeasurement of Social Indicators}, Journal = {American Economic Review}, Volume = {86}, Number = {2}, Pages = {30-34}, Year = {1996}, Month = {May}, Key = {fds239049} } @article{fds239047, Author = {Thomas, D and Maluccio, J}, Title = {Fertility, contraceptive choice, and public policy in Zimbabwe}, Journal = {World Bank Economic Review}, Volume = {10}, Number = {1}, Pages = {189-222}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)}, Year = {1996}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/wber/10.1.189}, Abstract = {Zimbabwe has invested massively in public infrastructure since independence in 1980. The impact of these investments on demographic outcomes is examined using household survey data matched with two community level surveys. A woman's education is a powerful predictor of both fertility and contraceptive use. These relationships are far from linear and have changed shape in recent years. After controlling for household resources, both the availability and quality of health and family planning services have an important impact on the adoption of modern contraceptives. In particular, outreach programs such as mobile family planning clinics and community-based distributors (CBDS) have been especially successful. However, not all women are equally served by this infrastructure. For example, CBDS have a bigger impact on younger, better educated women, while mobile family planning clinics appear to have more success with older, less educated women.}, Doi = {10.1093/wber/10.1.189}, Key = {fds239047} } @article{fds239053, Author = {Thomas, D and Lavy, V and Strauss, J}, Title = {Public policy and anthropometric outcomes in the Côte d'Ivoire}, Journal = {Journal of Public Economics}, Volume = {61}, Number = {2}, Pages = {155-192}, Publisher = {Elsevier BV}, Year = {1996}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0047-2727(95)01530-2}, Abstract = {Household survey data from the Côte d'Ivoire are used to examine the impact of public policies on child height, child weight for height and adult body mass index. Economic adjustment programs in the 1980s were accompanied by reduced availability and quality of health care services and increases in relative food prices. The health of Ivorians was probably adversely affected by these changes. Basic services, such as immunizations and having simple materials, such as common drugs, in stock is associated with improved child health. Higher food prices have a significantly detrimental impact on the health of both children and adults.}, Doi = {10.1016/0047-2727(95)01530-2}, Key = {fds239053} } @article{fds239031, Author = {Currie, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {Medical care for children: public insurance, private insurance, and racial differences in utilization}, Journal = {Journal of Human Resources}, Volume = {30}, Number = {1}, Pages = {135-162}, Publisher = {JSTOR}, Year = {1995}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/146194}, Abstract = {Data from two waves of the Child-Mother module of the US National Longitudinal Surveys are used to examine the medical care received by children. The authors compare those covered by Medicaid, by private health insurance and those with no insurance coverage at all. There are substantial differences in the impact of public and private health insurance and these effects also differ between blacks and whites. White children on Medicaid tend to have more doctor checkups that any other children and white children on Medicaid or a private insurance plan have a higher number of doctor visits for illness. In contrast, for black children, neither Medicaid nor private insurance coverage is associated with any advantage in terms of the number of doctor visits for illness. Black children with private coverage are no more likely than those with no coverage to have doctor checkups. The results suggest that private and public health insurance mean different things to different children, and that national insurance coverage will not equalize utilization of care. -from Authors}, Doi = {10.2307/146194}, Key = {fds239031} } @article{fds239032, Author = {Thomas, D and Maluccio, J}, Title = {Contraceptive choice, fertility, and public policy in Zimbabwe}, Journal = {World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study Working Paper}, Volume = {109}, Pages = {43-US$6.95}, Year = {1995}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/0-8213-3018-7}, Abstract = {The determinants of contraceptive use in Zimbabwe are examined using individual-level survey data in conjunction with two special community surveys. The spotlight is focused on the role of the availability and quality of community health and family planning services. The impact of the household resources and individual characteristics, in particular education and measures of income, are also taken into consideration. In order to evaluate the distributional impact of investments in health programs, special attention is paid to differences in the effects of the programs across educational groups. The study proceeds to investigate the determinants of fertility outcomes and then turns to the impact of contraceptive use on fertility, taking account of the fact that both reflect, the outcome of choices by couples. The results indicate that the availability and quality of family planning and health services in the community are associated with higher rates of adoption of modern contraceptives. -from Authors}, Doi = {10.1596/0-8213-3018-7}, Key = {fds239032} } @article{fds239046, Author = {Lavy, V and Strauss, J and Thomas, D and De Vreyer, P}, Title = {The impact of the quality of health care on children's nutrition and survival in Ghana}, Journal = {World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study Working Paper}, Volume = {106}, Year = {1995}, Month = {January}, Abstract = {The authors use objectively measured anthropometric outcomes, which reflect the nutritional status of an individual, as health indicators, focusing on child height (by age and sex) and weight (by height). Also analyzes the determinants of the probability of child survival, a measure considered to be an alternative indicator of health status. The results presented suggest an important role for public health policy in eliminating the rural-urban disparities in health status and particularly in improving the health status of rural children and reducing their mortality rates. In urban areas they were unable to precisely measure many of the effects of health infrastructure on child outcomes. However, in rural areas the findings suggest that increasing the provision of basic health services, such as adequate supplies of basic drugs, will yield high social returns in terms of improved child health and survival probabilities. -from Authors}, Key = {fds239046} } @article{fds239079, Author = {Thomas, D and Muvandi, I}, Title = {The demographic transition in southern Africa: reviewing the evidence from Botswana and Zimbabwe.}, Journal = {Demography}, Volume = {31}, Number = {2}, Pages = {217-227}, Year = {1994}, Month = {May}, ISSN = {0070-3370}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2061883}, Abstract = {Part, but not all, of the observed decline in the number of children ever born reported in the 1984 CPS and the 1988 DHS in Botswana and Zimbabwe can be attributed to differences in sample composition: women in the 1988 survey appear to be better educated than women of the same cohort in the 1984 survey. Blanc and Rutstein argue that differences in education levels in the pairs of surveys are not significant. However, weighted Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistics, a comparison of average years of schooling, and the proportions of women who complete primary school or attend secondary school all indicate that the differences are, in fact, significant. This is true in both Botswana and Zimbabwe. Blanc and Rutstein also claim that these differences do not account for any of the observed decline in fertility between the surveys of women age 15 to 49. Their methodology follows cohorts of women rather than age-groups and thus cannot possibly address this issue. Furthermore, to interpret their results, response error and respondent education must be uncorrelated: this is a key assumption which is violated by the data. We stand by our conclusions and argue for caution when aggregate statistics from the CPS and the DHS are used to make projections about the course of fertility and population growth in Botswana and Zimbabwe.}, Doi = {10.2307/2061883}, Key = {fds239079} } @article{fds239081, Author = {Thomas, D and Muvandi, I}, Title = {The demographic transition in southern Africa: another look at the evidence from Botswana and Zimbabwe.}, Journal = {Demography}, Volume = {31}, Number = {2}, Pages = {185-207}, Year = {1994}, Month = {May}, ISSN = {0070-3370}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2061881}, Abstract = {Botswana and Zimbabwe have been acclaimed as being on the vanguard of the demographic transition in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper examines the comparability of the CPS and the DHS data for each country and finds that part of the observed decline in aggregate fertility rates in both countries can be attributed to differences in sample composition. Women of the same cohort tend to be better educated in the second survey relative to the first. This fact explains part-but not all-of the observed fertility decline; for example, it appears to account for up to half the observed decline among women age 25-34 in 1984 in Zimbabwe. © 1994 Population Association of America.}, Doi = {10.2307/2061881}, Key = {fds239081} } @article{fds239030, Author = {Thomas, D}, Title = {Like father, like son; like mother, like daughter: parental resources and child height}, Journal = {Journal of Human Resources}, Volume = {29}, Number = {4}, Pages = {950-988}, Publisher = {JSTOR}, Year = {1994}, Month = {January}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/146131}, Abstract = {Using household survey data from the United States, Brazil, and Ghana, examines the relationship between parental education and child height, an indicator of health and nutritional status. In all three countries, the education of the mother has a bigger effect on her daughter's height; paternal education, in contrast, has a bigger impact on his son's height. There are, apparently, differences in the allocation of household resources depending on the gender of the child and these differences vary with the gender of the parent. These results are quite robust and persist even after including controls for unobserved household fixed effects. If relative education of parents and nonlabor income are indicators of power in household allocation decision, then these results, along with difference-in-difference of estimated income effects, suggest that gender differences in resource allocations reflect both technological differences in child rearing and differences in the preferences of parents. -from Author}, Doi = {10.2307/146131}, Key = {fds239030} } @article{fds239080, Author = {Thomas, D and Muvandi, I}, Title = {How fast is fertility declining in Botswana and Zimbabwe?}, Journal = {World Bank Discussion Papers}, Volume = {258}, Year = {1994}, Month = {January}, Abstract = {Botswana and Zimbabwe have been acclaimed as being on the vanguard of the demographic transition in sub-Saharan Africa. Key data that are cited to support this claim are the Contraceptive Prevalence Surveys (CPS) and Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) which were conducted in both countries. Ths paper examines the comparability of these data sources and finds that at least part of the observed decline in aggregate fertility rates in both countries can be attributed to differences in sample composition. In Botswana and Zimbabwe, women of the same cohort are better educated in the second survey relative to the first. Since education and fertility are negatively correlated, this fact explains part - but not all - of the observed fertility decline across the surveys. For example, it accounts for up to half the decline among the cohort of women aged 25 to 34 in 1984 in Zimbabwe. The DHS included a complete birth history whereas the CPS asked only summary questions about the number of children ever born. There is evidence that differences in the structure of the instruments also raise questions about the comparability of the two data sources. -Authors}, Key = {fds239080} } @article{fds239044, Author = {Thomas, D and Strauss, J}, Title = {Prices, infrastructure, household characteristics and child height.}, Journal = {Journal of development economics}, Volume = {39}, Number = {2}, Pages = {301-331}, Year = {1992}, Month = {October}, ISSN = {0304-3878}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0304-3878(92)90042-8}, Abstract = {The relation between parental characteristics, community characteristics and child height is examined using Brazilian household survey data, matched with information collected at the municipio level. Child height is significantly affected by local infrastructure, particularly the availability of modern sewerage, piped water and electricity. Higher sugar and dairy prices are associated with lower child height, although mothers with at least elementary schooling are able to counteract the deleterious impact of prices. Negative price effects are, however, largest for children in higher expenditure households suggesting that the impact of mother's education on child height does not solely reflect resource availability. © 1992.}, Doi = {10.1016/0304-3878(92)90042-8}, Key = {fds239044} } @article{fds239036, Author = {Thomas, D}, Title = {Testing for sectoral differences in child anthropometric status in Zimbabwe: A comment}, Journal = {Health Policy and Planning}, Volume = {7}, Number = {2}, Pages = {181-186}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)}, Year = {1992}, Month = {June}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/heapol/7.2.181}, Doi = {10.1093/heapol/7.2.181}, Key = {fds239036} } @article{fds239020, Author = {Thomas, D}, Title = {Gender differences in household resource allocations}, Journal = {World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study Working Paper}, Volume = {79}, Year = {1991}, Month = {January}, Abstract = {Using household survey data from the United States, Brazil and Ghana, examines the relationship between parental education and child height, an indicator of health and nutritional status. In all three countries, the education of the mother has a bigger effect on her daughter's height; paternal education, in contrast, has a bigger impact on his son's height. There are, apparently, differences in the allocation of household resources depending on the gender of the child and these differences vary with the gender of the parent. In Ghana, the education of a woman who is better educated than her husband has a bigger impact on the height of her daughter than her son. In Brazil, a woman's nonlabor income has a positive impact on the health of her daughter but not her son's health. If relative education of parents and non-labor income are indicators of power in a household bargaining game, then these results suggest that gender differences in resource allocations reflect both technological differences in child rearing and differences in the preferences of parents. -Author}, Key = {fds239020} } @article{fds239042, Author = {Strauss, J and Barbosa, M and Teixeira, S and Thomas, D and Gomes Junior, R}, Title = {Role of education and extension in the adoption of technology: A study of upland rice and soybean farmers in Central-West Brazil}, Journal = {Agricultural Economics}, Volume = {5}, Number = {4}, Pages = {341-359}, Publisher = {WILEY}, Year = {1991}, Month = {January}, ISSN = {0169-5150}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0169-5150(91)90027-I}, Abstract = {This paper explores reduced form determinants of the adoption of certain technologies by upland rice and soybean farmers in the Center-West region of Brazil. We merge community level data on the availability and quality of publicly provided infrastructure, principally extension, to the farm level data containing information on farmer human capital as well as land quantity and quality. By using community level measures of availability and quality of extension, we avoid problems of endogeneity of farm level measures of extension use. We find positive impacts of farmer education on the diffusion process, in accordance with other studies. We also isolate effects of the quality in regional extension investment as measured by the average experience of technical extension staff. These results indicate that investments in human capital of extension workers does have a payoff in terms of farmer adoption of improved cultivation practices. © 1991.}, Doi = {10.1016/0169-5150(91)90027-I}, Key = {fds239042} } @article{fds239041, Author = {Thomas, D and Strauss, J and Henriques, M}, Title = {Child survival, height for age and household characteristics in Brazil.}, Journal = {Journal of development economics}, Volume = {33}, Number = {2}, Pages = {197-234}, Year = {1990}, Month = {October}, ISSN = {0304-3878}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0304-3878(90)90022-4}, Abstract = {"The impact of household characteristics on child survival and height, conditional on age, is examined using household survey data from Brazil. Parental education is found to have a very strong positive effect on both outcomes and this is robust to the inclusion of household income and also parental heights, which partly proxy for unobserved family background characteristics. We find that income effects are significant and positive for child survival but insignificant for for child height although the latter depends on identification assumptions. Parental height has a large positive impact on child height and on survival rates even after controlling for all other observable characteristics."}, Doi = {10.1016/0304-3878(90)90022-4}, Key = {fds239041} } %% Chapters in Books @misc{fds374344, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Sumantri, C and Thomas, D}, Title = {Understanding the Impacts of a Natural Disaster: Evidence from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami}, Pages = {151-166}, Booktitle = {Island Ecosystems}, Publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, Year = {2023}, ISBN = {9783031280887}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28089-4_11}, Doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-28089-4_11}, Key = {fds374344} } @misc{fds328334, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Friedman, J and Ingwersen, N and Thomas, D}, Title = {Linear child growth after a natural disaster: a longitudinal study of the effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami}, Journal = {LANCET}, Volume = {389}, Pages = {21-21}, Publisher = {ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC}, Year = {2017}, Month = {April}, Key = {fds328334} } @misc{fds239022, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Ho, JY and Thomas, D}, Title = {Biological health risks and economic development}, Booktitle = {Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology}, Publisher = {Oxford University Press}, Editor = {Komlos, J and Kelly, IR}, Year = {2015}, Month = {June}, Abstract = {With populations aging and the epidemic of obesity spreading across the globe, global health risks are shifting toward non-communicable diseases. Innovative biomarker data from recently conducted population-representative surveys in lower, middle and higher income countries are used to describe how four key biological health risks – hypertension, cholesterol, glucose and inflammation – vary with economic development and, within each country, with age, gender and education. As obesity rises in lower income countries, the burden of non-communicable diseases will rise in roughly predictable ways and the costs to society are potentially very large. Investigations that explain cross-country differences in these relationships will have a major impact on advancing understanding of the complex interplay between biology, health and development.}, Key = {fds239022} } @misc{fds333803, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Laurito, MM and Thomas, D}, Title = {Demographic Impact of Disasters}, Pages = {101-108}, Booktitle = {International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition}, Publisher = {Elsevier}, Year = {2015}, Month = {March}, ISBN = {9780080970868}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.31059-5}, Abstract = {The frequency and magnitude of large-scale disasters in recent years has prompted increased interest in better understanding how major disruptive events alter key demographic processes. This article summarizes evidence establishing that disasters have significantly impacted mortality, health, fertility, and migration. While these processes are intimately interrelated, there have been relatively few integrative analyses that draw the evidence together, in large part because of inadequate data. Investment in population data collection systems to provide scientific evidence in the wake of disasters will broaden the depth and scope of disaster research, advance understanding of demographic changes, and inform policy interventions.}, Doi = {10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.31059-5}, Key = {fds333803} } @misc{fds333804, Author = {Thomas, D and Frankenberg, E}, Title = {Experimental Methods in Survey Research in Demography}, Pages = {559-565}, Booktitle = {International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition}, Publisher = {Elsevier}, Year = {2015}, Month = {March}, ISBN = {9780080970868}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.31028-5}, Abstract = {Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been profitably used to identify causal effects in population research. However, the design and implementation of social experiments is not straightforward and it is not clear that it is either feasible or desirable to attempt to answer some questions in population using only the so-called 'gold standard' double-blind RCT. It seems likely that the integration of the creative use of theory with the advantages of both RCTs and nonexperimental study designs has the greatest hope of advancing scientific knowledge about population behaviors and processes.}, Doi = {10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.31028-5}, Key = {fds333804} } @misc{fds323828, Author = {Thomas, D and Frankenberg, E}, Title = {Comments on collecting and utilizing biological indicators in social science surveys}, Pages = {149-155}, Booktitle = {Biosocial Surveys}, Publisher = {National Academies Press}, Year = {2008}, Month = {January}, ISBN = {9780309108676}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/11939}, Doi = {10.17226/11939}, Key = {fds323828} } @misc{fds373604, Author = {Strauss, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {HEALTH OVER THE LIFE COURSE}, Volume = {9}, Pages = {3375-3474}, Booktitle = {HANDBOOK OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, VOL 4}, Year = {2008}, ISBN = {978-0-444-53100-1}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1573-4471(07)04054-5}, Doi = {10.1016/S1573-4471(07)04054-5}, Key = {fds373604} } @misc{fds373603, Author = {Frankenberg, E and Friedman, J and Saadah, F and Sikoki, B and Suriastini, W and Sumantri, C and Thomas, D}, Title = {Assessment of Health and Education Services in the Aftermath of a Disaster}, Pages = {233-249}, Booktitle = {ARE YOU BEING SERVED: NEW TOOLS FOR MEASURING SERVICE DELIVERY}, Year = {2008}, ISBN = {978-0-8213-7185-5}, Key = {fds373603} } @misc{fds239060, Author = {Strauss, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {Chapter 54 Health over the Life Course}, Volume = {4}, Pages = {3375-3474}, Booktitle = {Handbook of Development Economics}, Publisher = {Elsevier}, Year = {2007}, Month = {December}, ISBN = {9780444531001}, ISSN = {1573-4471}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1573-4471(07)04054-5}, Abstract = {In recent years, significant advances have been made in better understanding the complex relationships between health and development. This reflects the combined effects of methodological innovations at both the theoretical and empirical level, the integration of insights from the biological and health sciences into economic analyses as well as improvements in the quantity and quality of data on population health and socio-economic status. To provide a foundation for discussing these advances, we describe static and dynamic models of the evolution of health over the life course in conjunction with the inter-relationships between health, other human capital outcomes and economic prosperity. Facts about health and development at both the aggregate and individual levels are presented along with a discussion of the importance of measurement. We proceed to review the empirical literature with a goal of highlighting emerging lines of scientific inquiry that are likely to have an important impact on the field. We begin with recent work that relates health events in early life, including in utero, to health, human capital and economic success in later life. We then turn to adult health and its relationship with socio-economic success, exploring the impact of health on economic outcomes and vice versa as well as the links between health and consumption smoothing. Recent evidence from the empirical literature on the micro-level impacts of HIV/AIDS on development is summarized. We conclude that developments on the horizon suggest a very exciting future for scientific research in this area. © 2008.}, Doi = {10.1016/S1573-4471(07)04054-5}, Key = {fds239060} } @misc{fds239040, Author = {Thomas, D and Frankenberg, E}, Title = {Household Responses to the Financial Crisis in Indonesia: Longitudinal Evidence on Poverty, Resources, and Well-Being}, Pages = {517-560}, Booktitle = {Globalization and Poverty}, Year = {2007}, url = {http://ipl.econ.duke.edu/dthomas}, Key = {fds239040} } @misc{fds239045, Author = {Strauss, J and Thomas, D}, Title = {Chapter 34 Human resources: Empirical modeling of household and family decisions}, Volume = {3}, Number = {PART A}, Pages = {1883-2023}, Booktitle = {Handbook of Development Economics}, Publisher = {Elsevier}, Year = {1995}, Month = {December}, ISBN = {9780444823014}, ISSN = {1573-4471}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1573-4471(05)80006-3}, Doi = {10.1016/S1573-4471(05)80006-3}, Key = {fds239045} } | |
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