Journal of Economic and Social Measurement - Volume 42, issue 3-4

Authors: Foster, Lucia | Norman, Patrice

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: We describe a new firm-level survey, the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE), conducted by the Census Bureau in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Minority Business Development Agency. We provide the motivation for this new survey, context in terms of related surveys and products, and details about its sampling methodology and content. The paper is intended to inform potential users of publicly-available information from the ASE as well as researchers interested in using micro-level data through the Federal Statistical Research Data Center network. We close with a brief description of the ASE’s successor, the Annual Business Survey.

Keywords: Census Bureau, entrepreneurship, firm-level data

DOI: 10.3233/JEM-180446

Citation: Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, vol. 42, no. 3-4, pp. 199-224, 2017

Authors: Flood, Sarah M. | Pacas, José D.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) is the most widely used type of Current Population Survey (CPS) data, but it is cumbersome to use the ASEC as part of a longitudinal CPS panel, especially linking to non-March months. In this paper, we detail the challenges associated with linking the ASEC to monthly CPS data, outline the creation of an identifier that links the ASEC and the March Basic Monthly data from 1989 through 2017, and provide substantive examples that illustrate the value of combining the ASEC with monthly data. The variable, MARBASECID, which we created to link ASEC and …March monthly CPS data, represents a significant contribution to social and economic data infrastructure, saving individual researchers from having to duplicate the effort required to create linkages between ASEC and monthly CPS data. Show more

Keywords: Current Population Survey, data infrastructure, data integration, linking, panel data

DOI: 10.3233/JEM-180447

Citation: Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, vol. 42, no. 3-4, pp. 225-248, 2017

Authors: Ritchie, Felix | Veliziotis, Michail | Drew, Hilary | Whittard, Damian

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Identifying genuine underpayment of minimum wages is not straightforward. Some well-known statistical issues affect the measurement of compliance rates, but factors such as processing or behavioural influences amongst respondents can also have an impact. We study the quantitative measurement of non-compliance with the minimum wage, using UK apprentices (who have particularly high non-compliance rates) as a case study. We show that understanding the institutional and behavioural context can be invaluable, as can triangulation of different sources. While the binary nature of compliance makes such problems easier to identify and evaluate, this analysis holds wider lessons for the understanding of the …characteristics of large and complex datasets. Show more

Keywords: Minimum wage, non-compliance, measurement error, data qualityJEL codes: C18, C55, C81, C83, J31, J38

DOI: 10.3233/JEM-180448

Citation: Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, vol. 42, no. 3-4, pp. 249-270, 2017

Authors: Dushi, Irena | Iams, Howard

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This paper examines whether and to what extent the amount of Social Security benefits of older survey respondents in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) are reported accurately. Inaccurate reporting leads to biased estimates of gross Social Security benefits, affecting estimates of elderly well-being, including the proportion of beneficiaries classified as poor or near poor. Our findings indicate that 73% of HRS respondents report only the net amount of Social Security benefits they receive, excluding Medicare premiums. The implication is that Social Security benefits in the HRS are underestimates of the true gross benefits. Therefore, the HRS data overestimate the …proportion of the elderly respondents who are poor or nearly poor. Finally, even after correcting for gross benefits, Social Security income comprises at least 50% of the total family income for about half of elderly respondents. Show more

Keywords: Reporting accuracy, Social Security benefits, elderly household income, poverty, Medicare premiumsJEL codes: D31, H31, H55, I32, J14

DOI: 10.3233/JEM-180449

Citation: Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, vol. 42, no. 3-4, pp. 271-292, 2017