Josh Goldstein, Department of Demography, UC Berkeley

Josh will discuss early analysis of a newly created, very large public data set on old-age, individual mortality in the United States. By linking individual records from the 1940 census and Social Security Administration deaths, Josh and colleagues have built a new data set that allows the study of detailed covariates on a sample of millions of people. Josh will explain how the data set was created, some special methods needed to estimate mortality, and preliminary results on trends in educational, income, and racial disparities in mortality at ages 65+.

Affiliate Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, Professor of Epidemiology, co-authored a recent study that examines the nature of loaded handgun carrying in the US. From a nationally representative survey of adults conducted in 2015, lead author Rowhani-Rahbar and his co-authors were able to assess carrying behavior among handgun owners within a 30-day period, as well as concealed carrying in the context of individual state carrying laws. The outcomes of the study—which has been featured in the Washington Post and US News, among other sources—indicate that an estimated nine million handgun owners carry loaded weapons on a monthly basis, while three million carry them on a daily basis.

A recent study by affiliate Donald Chi, Associate Professor of Oral Health Sciences, and colleagues explores the role that treatment by Dental Therapists plays in dental health outcomes in Alaska Native communities in the Yukon Kuskokwim (YK) Delta. Using data from the YK Health Corporation dental clinic electronic health record (EHR) and 10 years of Medicaid claims, principal investigator Chi and his co-investigators assessed five community-level outcomes—three for children and two for adults—based on number of Dental Therapist treatment days. The study, which was cited last week in a Huffington Post article, demonstrates that a higher number of Dental Therapist treatment days is associated with better dental health outcomes—specifically, greater rates of preventative care and lower rates of treatment, such as extractions—for communities in the YK Delta. 

Affiliate Jake Vigdor, Professor at the Evans School, was quoted in a recent Politico article that considers Amazon’s growth within and impacts on the city of Seattle in light of the upcoming deadline for the company’s second headquarters, “HQ2”. Though Amazon was certainly responsible for explosive economic growth in Seattle, these effects will not necessarily translate to another city in the same way. According to Vigdor, this is in part due to Seattle’s uniquely innovative and entrepreneurial atmosphere, which has long attracted and retained talented workers. “There’s this inclination to think, ‘Hey, this is a town where new stuff is happening, where there’ll be some startup or some other opportunity for me,” which applies even for those who are unemployed.

Affiliate Clair Yang was quoted last week in a Forbes article regarding potential outcomes for China as its 19th Congress convenes, and President Xi Jinping is set to begin his second term. According to Yang, who is an Assistant Professor of International Studies at the Jackson School, there could be a “strengthening of censorship,” as well as implications for economic policy in light of the nation’s slowing economic growth. “In the short run, there is a possibility that we see China reverting to more conservative policies, trading economic vitality for stability,” she said.