NLS Workshop 2007

1. NLS Workshop2007 Randall Olsen

2. First a Word From our Sponsors … • National Institute for Child Health and Human Development • Bureau of Labor Statistics • Center for Human Resource Research and the Initiative in Population Research • NORC at the University of Chicago

3. Workshop • Core Material for 1 ½ days – things you simply have to know • Topical Sessions for the next 2 days • There are always 2 concurrent sessions; if you said you wanted to attend session A you can switch to session B – we are taping and will put each session on the Web • The topical sessions are formal, but raise your questions

4. Break-outs in “Home Rooms” • You have been assigned to a home room group based on your revealed preferences, but you can change your mind • Each home room will be active most of the time, except perhaps crime • Different staff will be there at different times – you should feel free to approach faculty informally any time – they’ll be hanging around the food & drinks

5. Home rooms will involve a mixture of people with a research focus and staff with in-depth knowledge of the data • Feel free to ask about your (hoped for) dissertation topic. If you can’t do it with the NLS, now is the time to get the news. • Learn from each other • You can wander between home rooms, there are no formal presentations, only Q&A and discussion.

6. Meals • We will label some tables at lunch with the area of interest; if you want to gossip or talk sports,don’t be annoyed if people at the labor table are talking dynamic optimization • On your own Tuesday night, suggestions in packet • Buffet at Olsen’s tonight – buses will transport • Mexican Wednesday night (BYOBeer) – buses again • Thursday lunch is last meal

7. NLS Program • Started in 1960’s at behest of Daniel Patrick Moynihan at DOL – Herb Parnes was first PI • Program shifted to BLS in mid-1980’s • Data collection done by Census and NORC; design, data processing and dissemination at CHRR although these lines have not always been neatly drawn. • CHRR and NORC share responsibilities with one sometimes a subcontractor to the other and sometimes the other way around.

8. Cohorts • NLS focuses on people, not households • Original cohorts drawn from experimental CPS sampling frame based on 1960 Census. This meant Title 13 confidentiality statutes covered the data. • Mature Men 45-59 in 1966 – to study shrinking LFP of prime-aged men • Young Men 14-24 in 1966 – problem of unemployment among youth

9. Women 30-44 in 1967 – to study the return of women to the labor force as children grew up • Young Women 14-24 in 1968– the Women’s Bureau was flailing DoL for ignoring women • More details available on Web site. Notwithstanding what the BLS web site says, the two women’s cohorts are no longer being interviewing

10. NLSY79 • Designed to collect longitudinal data in event history format – instead of asking R status at date of each interview, one asks about transitions since last interview – date + change, date+ change, … • Oversamples of Hispanics, poor whites, youths in the military and Blacks • Oversample of poor whites discontinued after 1990, military sample greatly reduced after 1984 • Dropping the younger half of poor whites was a serious error

11. Child Study • NLSY79 collected extensive data on fertility child health & child care – funded by NICHD • In 1986 the Child Study began, assessing the children of the female respondents every other year to age 14. • At age 14 the children got an interview much like what their mothers received in 1979. • When the “children” turn 21, their surveys are funded by a grant from NICHD.

12. NLSY97 One lesson of the NLSY79 and the Children of the NLSY79 was that you can’t start studying individuals too young. NLSY79 started with youths 14-21, NLSY97 started with 12-16. ASVAB was re-normed with both NLSY79 and NLSY97. These test scores are powerful tools. Use the CHRR norms for the ASVAB NLSY79, not the official DoD norms. CHRR normed the NLSY97 ASVAB scores.

13. NLSY97 • Retained the event history structure of NLSY79 • Added an extensive one-hour survey of the parents, collecting retrospective background on the youth • All sibs in-scope were part of the survey – as in the NLSY79 and (to a lesser extent) the original cohorts, data on siblings with shared family background provides great analytic power.

14. NLSY97 • This cohort has extensive data on anti-social behavior, often collected via a self-administered questionnaire • Schooling data is far more extensive than in the NLSY79, containing more detail on courses and schools • Employment data mirrors the NLSY79 • Improbable there will be a “Children of the NLSY97”