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Editor:
Tonya Allen
allen@pop.psu.edu
PRInformation
Spring 2006
New External Research Funding
Estimation of Unwanted Fertility
Dr. John Casterline, professor of sociology and demography, has received funding from NIH/NICHD for two years to develop and apply a new estimator of unwanted fertility, the "aggregate prospective estimator." This estimator has simple data requirements, relying on the fertility attitudinal item generally regarded as most valid and reliable. It is expected to produce less biased estimates of unwanted fertility than the most widely-used existing methods. In the final phase of the project, the new estimator will be applied to the full body of DHS data and data from other multi-country survey programs, and public-domain software implementing the method will be developed.
Research and Training Grant for Developing Population Studies at the University of Ghana
Dr. Francis Dodoo, Liberal Arts Research Professor of Sociology and Demography, received funding for three years from the Hewlett Foundation to develop population studies at the University of Ghana. Penn State will formally collaborate with University of Ghana to develop a Population Center at the latter institution.
Rural Youth Education Project
Dr. Anastasia R. Snyder, assistant professor of rural sociology and demography, and Dr. Diane K. McLaughlin, associate professor of rural sociology and demography, received funding for two years from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania for this project, a continuation of a CRP Multiyear Project examining the factors influencing the educational and career aspirations and attainment of rural youth in Pennsylvania. In addition, they currently have a proposal under review to the Rural Development section of USDA's National Research Initiative for additional funding for the study. The main objective of this study is to better understand the choices and outcomes facing today's rural youth, with comparisons between rural and urban youth, and how the educational and occupational attainment process for rural youth might be unique and closely linked with residential migration. Analysis of primary and secondary data sources will examine education, career, family and migration outcomes, multi-level predictors, and highlight the intersection of these four outcomes in the paths rural youth take from adolescence to adulthood. Findings from this study will broaden our understanding of youth development and also inform rural development strategies that aim to promote both high quality youth and sustainable communities.
Who Wants and Gets Flexibility
Dr. Robert Drago, professor of labor studies and industrial relations and women's studies, with co-PI Professor Mark Wooden of the University of Melbourne, received funding for one year from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to provide a longitudinal analysis of changes in work hours preferences, and an analysis of the extent to which employers respond to such changes. The first analysis will document the need for flexibility, while the second will measure the extent of mismatch between changing hours preferences and actual working time.
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