Tim Slack - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Tim Slack

American Journal of Community Psychology, 2003

An important way in which employment hardship has come to be conceptualized and measured is as un... more An important way in which employment hardship has come to be conceptualized and measured is as underemployment. Underemployment goes beyond mere unemployment (being out of a job and looking for work), to include those who have given up looking for work, part-time workers whose employer(s) cannot give them full-time work, and the working poor. To provide needed background for the

Obesity, 2014

Objective: This study used spatial statistical methods to test the hypotheses that county-level a... more Objective: This study used spatial statistical methods to test the hypotheses that county-level adult obesity prevalence in the United States is (1) regionally concentrated at significant levels, and (2) linked to local-level factors, after controlling for state-level effects. Methods: Data were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other secondary sources. The units of analysis were counties. The dependent variable was the age-adjusted percentage of adults who were obese in 2009 (body mass index >30 kg/m 2 ). Results: The prevalence of county-level obesity varied from 13.5% to 47.9% with a mean of 30.3%. Obesity prevalence across counties was not spatially random: 15.8% belonged to high-obesity regions and 13.5% belonged to low-obesity regions. Obesity was positively associated with unemployment, outpatient healthcare visits, physical inactivity, female-headed families, black populations, and less education. Obesity was negatively correlated with physician numbers, natural amenities, percent 65 years, Hispanic populations, and larger population size. A number of variables were notable for not reaching significance after controlling for other factors, including poverty and food environment measures. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the importance of local-level factors in explaining geographic variation in obesity prevalence, and thus hold implications for geographically targeted interventions to combat the obesity epidemic.

Society & Natural Resources, 2004

Marginal employment stands as a major obstacle to the economic health of American families and co... more Marginal employment stands as a major obstacle to the economic health of American families and communities. This is particularly true among those who work in extractive industries. We conceptualize marginal employment as underemployment, which goes beyond unemployment to include discouraged workers, involuntary part-time workers, and the working poor. Analyzing data from the March Current Population Survey from 1974 through 1998, we find that workers in extractive industries face far higher rates of underemployment than do those employed in other major industrial sectors. However, this aggregation masks great intracategory heterogeneity. The high rates of underemployment observed in extractive industries are largely a driven by the disadvantages of those employed in agriculture and forestry=fishing. In contrast, those employed in mining enjoy substantially lower rates of underemployment. The relative employment circumstances found in each industry are only partly explained by conventional predictors of underemployment.

Social Science Research, 2012

This study examines the extent to which geographic variation in Food Stamp Program (FSP) particip... more This study examines the extent to which geographic variation in Food Stamp Program (FSP) participation is explained by place-based factors, with special attention to the case of the three poorest regions of the United States: Central Appalachia, the Texas Borderland, and the Lower Mississippi Delta. We use descriptive statistics and regression models to assess the prevalence and correlates of county-level FSP participation circa 2005. Our findings show that the economic distress that has long characterized Appalachia, the Borderland, and the Delta clearly translates into greater reliance on the FSP relative to other areas of the country. State-level effects and local-level variations in poverty, labor market conditions, population structure, human capital, and residential context explain much of this reality. Yet, even after taking all of these factors into account, these regional geographies remain home to particularly high FSP participation. Our findings underscore the importance of considering these regions as key cases of study in the stratification of American society and hold a variety of implications for public policy.

Social Science Research, 2008

This analysis extends prior research on labor market conditions and violent crime. Specifically, ... more This analysis extends prior research on labor market conditions and violent crime. Specifically, we elaborate on research demonstrating a link between poor labor market conditions and violence by directly measuring the associations between secondary sector work, low hour work, low pay work, and levels of violence across the metro-nonmetro divide. The results demonstrate that low paying work tends to be more similar to other forms of social disadvantage such as poverty and unemployment. In contrast, secondary sector work and low hour work are empirically distinct constructs. Consistent with prior research, multivariate analyses indicate that the pernicious effect of secondary sector work is relatively constant across metro and nonmetro areas. However, contrary to the logic articulated in previous studies, we find that an index of low hour and seasonal employment is actually associated with lower violent crime rates across the metro-nonmetro divide. This finding is consonant with the assertion that the availability of low hour and seasonal employment--work that is often viewed as less than optimal--provides downward pressure on crime rates because it structures ecological behavior patterns and enhances attachments to institutions cultivating conventional behavior.

Social Science Research, 2007

The employment circumstances of immigrants and their children constitute a key dimension along wh... more The employment circumstances of immigrants and their children constitute a key dimension along which immigrant adaptation to the U.S. can be evaluated. We describe and analyze employment adequacy-defined as underemployment-among first, second and third (or higher) immigrant generations. Analyzing CPS data for the decade spanning 1995-2004, we find support for the notion of successful economic assimilation. The prevalence of underemployment is decidedly higher among the first-generation compared to the second or third, while the latter two groups differ little in this regard. These gross comparisons, however, mask important variation within immigrant generations, including a particular disadvantage among foreign-born non-citizens.

Rural Sociology, 2007

Social scientists have increasingly come to recognize the informal economy as a prominent and per... more Social scientists have increasingly come to recognize the informal economy as a prominent and permanent structural feature of modern society. Rural sociologists have made a considerable contribution to this literature, demonstrating informal work to factor prominently in the livelihood strategies of rural Americans. Despite this scholarly attention significant gaps persist in our understanding of the informal economy. Drawing on data from a survey of family households in nonmetropolitan Pennsylvania, this paper examines the contours and correlates of informal work. The results make a strong case that participation in informal work is widespread and most often combined with formal work as a household livelihood strategy. While income is not found to be a significant correlate of informal work, it is found to influence the reasons cited for participation. Important correlates of informal work are identified and differences in the factors associated with informal work done to generate income (cash or inkind) versus savings are revealed.

Population Research and Policy Review, 2008

The cohort is a key concept in the study of social demography and social change. The enduring inf... more The cohort is a key concept in the study of social demography and social change. The enduring influence of cohort membership can arise from history-based and/or size-based effects. The most prominent proponent of size-based cohort effects is Easterlin (Birth and fortune: The impact of numbers on personal welfare, 1980) who argues that individuals hailing from unusually large cohorts will experience adverse labor market conditions relative to the members of the smaller cohorts that bracket them. Drawing on data from the March Current Population Survey for the period spanning 1974-2004, we examine the influence of relative cohort size on underemployment. The results provide modest support for the Easterlin thesis, showing the odds of underemployment to be greatest among members of relatively large cohorts, net of other significant predictors. The results also show that the impact of relative cohort size differs by educational level, suggesting that adverse economic conditions produced by large cohort size can be offset by broader changes in the labor market and other social institutions.

Population Research and Policy Review, 2014

Population and Environment, 2008

This study explores the relationship between place-based social vulnerability and post-disaster m... more This study explores the relationship between place-based social vulnerability and post-disaster migration in the U.S. Gulf Coast region following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Using county-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau, we develop a regional index of social vulnerability and examine how its various dimensions are related to migration patterns in the wake of the storms. Our results show that places characterized by greater proportions of disadvantaged populations, housing damage, and, to a lesser degree, more densely built environments were significantly more likely to experience outmigration following the hurricanes. Our results also show that these relationships were not spatially random, but rather exhibited significant geographic clustering. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings for future research and public policy.

Journal of Poverty, 2010

This study examines the structural changes that occurred between 1990 and 2000 in the two poorest... more This study examines the structural changes that occurred between 1990 and 2000 in the two poorest regions in the United States—the Texas Borderland and the Lower Mississippi Delta—and analyzes the associations between these changes and the substantial reduction of poverty witnessed in these areas over the decade. Results show that both regions experienced noteworthy changes during the 1990s in the

Demographic Research, 2009

We provide a comparative analysis of county-level poverty in the two poorest regions of the Unite... more We provide a comparative analysis of county-level poverty in the two poorest regions of the United States-the Texas Borderland and the Lower Mississippi Delta-with a special focus on differences by family type. Our results reveal important regional variation in both the prevalence of poverty and the composition of the poor population across major family types. Using OLS regression models of family type-specific poverty we demonstrate three key findings: 1) There are no significant regional differences in poverty levels by family type between the Borderland and the Delta, net of important structural factors that characterize the regions; 2) with the exception of the employment rate, the structural factors associated with poverty among married couple and single female-headed families are quite different; and 3) paradoxically, areas in the Borderland with high in-migration are especially likely to suffer from high marriedcouple family poverty. Our results suggest the need for regionally targeted and demographically tailored anti-poverty policies.

Community Development, 2007

Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy, 2010

... Dudley L. Poston Jr & Joachim Singelmann & Carlos Siordia & Tim Slack & Bruce... more ... Dudley L. Poston Jr & Joachim Singelmann & Carlos Siordia & Tim Slack & Bruce A. Robertson & Rogelio Saenz & Kayla Fontenot ... which results in the provision of more accurate and time-sensitive data than was the case with the decennial census (ACS 2006; Garcia 2008). ...