CAN SOFT DRINK TAXES REDUCE POPULATION WEIGHT?

Soft drink consumption has been hypothesized as one of the major factors in the growing rates of obesity in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of all states currently tax soft drinks using excise taxes, sales taxes, or special exceptions to food exemptions from sales taxes to reduce consumption of this product, raise revenue, and improve public health. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of changes in state soft drink taxes on body mass index (BMI), obesity, and overweight. Our results suggest that soft drink taxes influence BMI, but that the impact is small in magnitude. ( JEL I18, H75)     

Inflation Uncertainty and Strike Activity

In this paper, we hypothesize that the general level of uncertainty can influence the level of strike activity. We test this hypothesis by considering the impact of inflation uncertain & on strike activity. Two databases are used: a pooled time-series cross-section sample of individual negotiations over the period 1971–1980, and quarterly data on negotiations from 1954 to 1980. Results from both data sets support the proposition that inflation uncertainty influences strike activity.     

Credit card usage and consumer debt burden of households

The primary objectives of this study were to examine changes in credit card usage and the amount of debt between 1982 and 1986 and to identify factors influencing the amount of and changes in consumer debt held by households. Personal interviews were completed in 1982 and again in 1986 with the money managers of households in a small midwestern town in the U.S.A. The sample consisted of the 123 households that were represented both in the 1982 and 1986 surveys. Paired-samples t-tests were used to identify changes over time. Significant differences were found between 1982 and 1986 total household assets and total amount of debt. Regression analysis indicated that significant predictors of the amount of consumer debt burden were age, net income, total assets, and the degree to which managers felt comfortable with debt. Younger money managers were more likely to make larger monthly debt payments and have more consumer debt. Households with larger incomes and higher levels of assets also had higher total debt. Significant predictors of change in debt burden over the 4-year period were change in net income and total assets, with year-end savings being negatively correlated with consumer debt.     

Development of size labelling systems for women's garments

This paper reviews the development of size labelling systems for women's garments sold in the U.S.A. The review shows that three trends are evident: (1) a continuous decrease in the numerical codes of sizes; (2) an emphasis on large and petite sizes; and (3) the introduction of split sizes. Problems with the size labelling systems currently in use in the U.S.A. are also discussed. A survey of consumers' preferences regarding various size labelling system is recommended.     

PERCEPTIONS AND MISPERCEPTIONS IN CONSUMER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The extent to which respondents are able to correctly perceive and subjectively report their relative level of household food consumption is examined. The role of perception and misperception is examined in the context of a family economics-resource management framework and a causal path model. Findings suggest that the perceptual error is remarkably modest. The characteristics of households systematically associated with positive and negative perceptual error are identified.     

Leaving Welfare: Independence or Continued Vulnerability?

Data from two semi‐structured interviews gathered approximately six months apart from seven women who were receiving cash welfare benefits at the time of the first interview and were not receiving benefits at the second interview were used to analyze the experiences of leaving welfare. Emergent themes about the post‐welfare experience are: (1) the low wages and lack of advancement opportunities in jobs, (2) confusion related to program administration, (3) the continued reliance on income support programs and kin, and (4) the banking of cash benefits under the five‐year time limit as a new safety net.     

Cars,Employment, and Single Mothers: The Effect of Welfare Asset Restrictions

This article measures the effect of asset rules for welfare eligibility on car ownership among single mothers without a college education, and investigates whether these changes lead to changes in employment. We combine micro‐level data with data on state welfare asset rules and find that the probability of owning a car is greater in states with higher overall asset limits, states that value vehicles on an equity basis, and states with exemptions for multiple vehicles.     

SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND COLLEGE ENROLLMENT: EVIDENCE FROM THE NATIONAL EDUCATION LONGITUDINAL STUDY

This paper uses nationally representative data on high school students to test for several types of social influences on the decision to enroll in college. An instrumental variable strategy is used in order to manage the well‐known reflection problem in social interactions research. Additionally, I am able to incorporate several usually unavailable group‐level factors to reduce the possibility of important group‐level characteristics driving the relationships. I present evidence that a 10 percentage point increase in the proportion of high school classmates who attend college is predicted to increase an individual's probability of attending college by approximately 2–3 percentage points. (JEL I2, J24, J18)     

Analysis of consumers' willingness to pay for new food prepared from cowpea flour

Consumers' willingness to pay for cowpea products was analysed by a multi-ordered response model. The analysis indicated that sociodemographic factors are weakly linked to consumers' willingness to pay while product characteristics are strongly linked. Marketing promotion is possible. Thus, akara products, made from cowpea paste, have potential for extending the utilization of cowpeas.