Why Economists Study Demographic Change
Smaldone, Amy (2022-12-07)
Studying population changes, such as birth, death and net migration rates, can help economists understand different forces that affect the economy.
Open Vault

Journal Article
The Role of Infant Mortality in Closing the Life Expectancy Gap
Smaldone, Amy; Ravikumar, B. (2024-02-21)
The difference in life expectancy between rich and poor countries has narrowed since 1970, owing in large part to decreases in infant mortality.
Economic Synopses , Issue 3 , Pages 2 pages

Women’s Evolving Careers Helped Shrink the Gender Pay Gap
Leukhina, Oksana; Smaldone, Amy (2023-05-16)
The narrowing of the gender pay gap since the 1970s appears to be linked to women increasing their labor force attachment and shifting to higher-paying occupations.
On the Economy

How Nonmonetary Job Amenities Improve with Higher Education
Leukhina, Oksana; Smaldone, Amy (2024-05-09)
Nonmonetary job amenities tend to improve in occupations that require higher levels of education, providing an additional reason for college enrollment.
On the Economy

Journal Article
Local Governments in the U.S.: A Breakdown by Number and Type
Smaldone, Amy; Wright, Mark L. J. (2024-03-14)
An analysis examines state variations in how the number and types of local governments in the U.S. have evolved since the 1940s.
The Regional Economist

The End of Rapid Population Growth
Smaldone, Amy; Wright, Mark L. J. (2023-03-06)
The world’s population had been doubling every 47 years to reach 8 billion today. But it is expected to peak at 10.5 billion before declining by century’s end.
On the Economy

Has Better Nutrition Driven Down Mortality Rates?
Ravikumar, B.; Smaldone, Amy (2024-02-20)
One popular theory has attributed the decline in death rates to improved nutrition. But an analysis of caloric intake worldwide suggests that there isn’t a strong relationship.
On the Economy

Economic Development and the Evolution of Mortality
Ravikumar, B.; Smaldone, Amy (2023-10-02)
Since 1960, the gap in GDP per capita between rich and poor countries has remained wide. Yet the gap in death rates has practically vanished during that period.
On the Economy

What Has Been Driving World Population Growth?
Ravikumar, B.; Smaldone, Amy (2023-10-26)
The world’s population more than doubled from 1960 to 2021 despite the birth rate falling. Declining death rates in lower-income countries drove the growth.
On the Economy