Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 Round 4 data set was used to examine self-reported drinking behaviors of student and
non-student 18 to 21 year olds. The results of this brief compare NLSY97 findings to the results of the published major binge drinking research literature.

The study found that when abstainers are included in the analysis, 43.7 percent- of college students and 34.5 percent- of non-college students admit to
binge drinking on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. In the 30 days before the interview, non-students had consumed more alcohol per day on the days they drank than college students had. Non-students reported that they consumed a mean of 5.58 alcoholic drinks on the
days they drank and college students reported a mean of 4.76 drinks. The results also seem to indicate that respondents who engage in binge
drinking behaviors do so at least once every two weeks.

These findings generally agree with previous studies' findings that college students have a higher prevalence of binge drinking than their
same-age non-student counterparts. Researchers attempting to understand other life factors and correlates of binge drinking behavior should take note of this agreement.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Under an increasing global interdependence, examining political determinants of economic openness has become among stimulating topics of IPE/CPE. This paper tries to specify the domestic condition under which countries find the most optimal to expand economic interdependence. We first seek to articulate the influence of partisan arrangements with regard to economic openness, which is then subject to resource allocations of capital/labor. We argue that a partisan model of macroeconomic policies should be carefully conditional on domestic endowments of primary factors within a territory. Simply put, capital-intensive countries are more economically open under rightist governments, while labor-intensive countries are more economically open under leftist governments. In our model, a combination of partisan governments and resource endowments is necessary to predicting which country is more economically open. This paper would be unique among the field in that, unlike a partisan model of macroeconomic policies where conflicting outcomes are observed under alternative ruling parties, ours does not necessarily validate a partisan split over trade policies, since its impacts are greatly subject to the size of resources that political constituencies retain. In this sense, we challenge the previous studies maintaining the role of partisanship on economic openness or that of abundant factors of production. Using data on 21 OECD countries from 1975-92 and employing two statistical set-ups (linear-interactive model and generalized ordered logit model), we find that the relative size of capital/labor ratio has a more negative effect on leftist governments (supporting the claim that labor-intensive countries are economically open under left-wing governments), while we fail to find a support for the relationship between factor endowment and economic openness under right-wing governments. Nonetheless, our empirical study confirms the difference in effects of factor endowments between rightist and leftist governments on economic openness.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In spring 1999, the first period of "Brain Korea 21" (BK21) began. It was a new national education policy to prepare Korean higher education for the 21st century. The policy has several purposes: to develop world-class research universities, foster the creation of human resources through graduate schools, nurture quality regional universities, and reform higher education. To accomplish this, the government has decided to invest 1.4 trillion won (about $1.2 billion) into higher education over seven years. Three-quarters of the budget will be invested in supporting graduate schools in certain fields in the natural and applied sciences, humanities, and social sciences. The goal is to develop selected graduate schools and universities into leading world-class research universities in the near future. The remaining institutions will become regional universities that will create the human resources required by local industrial societies. After seven years from that, in 2006 the second BK21 was launched.

The project operates on the principle of "selection and concentration." All universities applying to the project must establish research consortia of collaborative networks among competent university researchers. Each research consortium consists of one leading university and one or more participating universities. The government provides financial resources to selected consortia.


BK21 is an unprecedented policy in terms of its scale and planning--ambitious in its attempt to reform and develop Korean higher education. Proponents argue that past policies in higher education finance have focused on distributing of limited resources fairly among all colleges and departments. BK21 will change the focus to efficiency of investment rather than equality of opportunity in the distribution of research funds. Supporters of BK21 also maintain that various research consortia supported by the project will create the intellectual foundation for Korean higher education and society. Furthermore, shifting the focus of higher education from undergraduate to graduate education will mitigate the overheated competition for entering top-tier universities.

The opposition to BK21 is based on concerns among many faculty about the possible negative impacts of the project.

Despite any problems inherent in BK21, certain universities and fields of study may receive a significant boost from the project. So the second BK21 was launched in 2006 despite of the criticism on that. Now it's time to investigate the various problems of BK21 from the various view points.

This paper will investigate the problems, Pros and Cons and "Selection & Concentration" as the principle of BK21, and suggestions for the improvements of financing higher education.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: Presenter: Kate McGonagle, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109; phone: (734) 936-1773; fax: (734) 936-3809; email: psidhelp@isr.umich.edu; homepage: http://psidonline.isr.umich.edu.

With thirty-three waves of data, the Panel Study on Income Dynamics (PSID) is a longitudinal survey of a representative ample of US man, women, and children and the families in which they reside. Study content includes employment, retirement, income, expenditures, wealth, pensions, health, insurance, housing, marital and fertility behavior, mental health, and philanthropy. From 5,000 families in 1968, the study now includes nearly 8,000 families and more than 60,000 individuals as of 2003.

The coverage of the PSID was expanded in 1997 with the addition of an immigrant refresher sample. A Child Development Supplement (CDS) was implemented in 1997 covering children in PSID families from birth through age 12, and then again in 2002 the same children who were then aged 5-18.

All 33 waves of data and documentation are available to Internet users worldwide (http://www.psidonline.isr.umich.edu). The newly upgrades PSID Data Center is a user-friendly interface that allows the easy creation of customized data files and codebooks in a variety of formats.
Primary sponsors of the PSID include the National Science Foundation, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Supplements in 2001 and 2003 were received by the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: With few exceptions, previous studies on work hours have neglected to look at couple-level differences in work hours and how these vary across countries. In all industrialized countries women work fewer hours than their male counterparts; however, the gap in employment hours varies significantly by country. The gap in employment hours for couples in Switzerland, Mexico, and Israel ranges between 17 and 18 hours per week. In contrast, the gap in Cyprus, Finland, and Russia ranges between 5 and 8 hours. What accounts for these differences? This research examines the association between work hour differences and demographic characteristics, job characteristics, the division of household labor, and attitudes towards women’s employment. This paper finds that the presence of children in the household significantly increases the work hour gap between couples. Housework also helps explain this gap: the more housework men perform, the smaller the gap in work hours while the more housework women perform, the larger the gap. Occupation emerges as the single most important predictor, accounting for nearly half of the variance in the reported work hour gap. When examining these models by country, some different patterns emerge. Variables such as age, number of children, and the division of household labor differ to the extent that they are significant. It is important to understand what influences work hours, because large work hour gaps between men and women may reinforce other inequalities, such as the unequal division of housework and carework, and women’s overrepresentation in jobs of lower status and pay.