On-the-Job Inquiry: Employment History and Hidden Losses

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This research project will test the hypothesis that individual's personal characteristics and pre-injury labor market experience, together with employers' characteristics, behaviors and working conditions, will determine the long lasting social and economic consequences of workplace injuries. The study aims: (1) to estimate the effect of a job related injury or illness on individuals' future employment given information on workers' pre-injury labor force participation, employment relations, and working conditions; (2) to determine the factors that may explain recurrent episodes of work related injury and illness; (3) to estimate the effect of a job related injury/illness on future earnings and on other hidden economic consequences (such as loss of fringe benefits, and need to rely on government assistance programs); (4) to evaluate the effect of an injury on the families of injured workers (in terms of changes in spouses' employment and children well-being); (5) to measure variation in outcomes among workers who receive or do not receive workers' compensation benefits. To study these topics the research will use several probability models and models describing the variation of continuous dependent variables over time. The candidate is an economist whose previous research has looked at themes of labor mobility through the use of administrative data. She has experience in using workers' compensation data. The richness of the data she will use (the NLSY), will permit her to broaden and develop her individual research agenda and to establish herself as an economist interested in topics of occupational safety and health. She will work under the mentorship of two economists with large familiarity with the NORA priority areas. She will also draw on the expertise of several university colleagues who are active in research areas such as occupational epidemiology, ergonomics, and work environment policy. Through the participation to courses and seminars she will further develop her econometric skills and learn how to enrich the economic analysis of individual behaviors with a public health perspective and a broader understanding of injured workers' employment experiences. This grant would secure her sufficient research time to build such solid base for better defining her future research agenda and strengthening her research skills.