Music in the air: estimating the social return to cultural amenities

If being around smart people makes us smarter and more productive, what can regions do to attract smart people? This paper considers endogenous cultural amenities as a location factor for high-skilled workers. To overcome selection in the provision of cultural amenities, we exploit variation in contemporaneous cultural amenities that is explained by the path-dependence of historical agglomerations of the cultural activities. To assess spillovers from high-skilled workers attracted by cultural amenities, we use a 1% sample drawn from the population of all West German workers under social security during the period 1975–2010. This panel of individual observations allows us to compare wages of similar individuals who work in locations with different levels of high-skilled workers who are attracted by cultural amenities. To account for non-random selection of workers among cities, we use individual-location fixed effects. Our results show that cultural amenities are an important factor in the location decision of high-skilled workers. The positive effect of the local share of high-skilled workers on unskilled, skilled and high-skilled wages indicates strong and productive spillovers.     

Deaf persons and computer use

Deaf person's computer use was studied (N = 227). Respondents self-administered a survey in their preferred language (voice, American Sign Language, captions, or printed English). A small nonparticipant sample was also recruited. Demographics were consistent with those in other studies of deaf people: 63% of respondents reported computer use, mostly at home; 50% of nonparticipants reported computer use. Subjects with hearing loss due to meningitis were less likely to use computers (p = .0004). Computer use was associated with English usage at home (p = .008), with hearing persons (p = .002), and with physicians and nurses (p = .00001). It was also associated with the use of Signed English as a child to communicate (p = .02), teacher use of Signed English (p = .04), and teacher use of ASL (p = .03). Two thirds of respondents reported using computers, though nonresponder data suggested less use among all deaf persons. Computer use was associated with English use and inversely associated with hearing loss due to meningitis.     

Technical Note: Using Latent Class Analysis versus K‐means or Hierarchical Clustering to Understand Museum Visitors

This paper discusses the benefits of using Latent Class Analysis (LCA) versus K‐means Cluster Analysis or Hierarchical Clustering as a way to understand differences among visitors in museums, and is part of a larger research program directed toward improving the museum‐visit experience. For our comparison of LCA and K‐means Clustering, we use data collected from 190 visitors leaving the exhibition Against All Odds; Rescue at the Chilean Mine in the National Museum of Natural History in January 2012. For the comparison of LCA and Hierarchical Clustering, we use data from 312 visitors leaving the exhibition Elvis at 21 in the National Portrait Gallery in January 2011.     

Introduction to this Special Issue

A one-group quasi-experimental design and survey methodology were used to investigate the effect of virtual laboratory practices on preservice teachers’ (N = 29) graphic comprehension and interpretation skills with different learning approaches. Pretest and posttest data were collected with the Test of Understanding Kinematic Graphs. The Learning Approaches Scale was administered to the preservice science teachers to determine if they used an in-depth, superficial, or strategic approach. These data were analyzed using non-parametric statistics. The effect of virtual laboratory practices on these preservice teachers’ graphic comprehension and interpretation skills was evaluated, and a significant pretest–posttest gain for “Selecting the graphic related to the explanation of movement” was found. Suggestions are made to address the effects of teaching models and technology-integrated learning environments on students’ learning approach in science courses at different levels of education.     

The small size of the small scale market: The early-stage labor market for highly skilled nanotechnology workers

We examine the labor market for the highly trained in nanotechnology and the response of universities toward providing training. We draw comparisons with the labor market and university response in bioinformatics. The demand analysis is based on position announcements in Science in 2002 compared to 2005. We also analyze online position announcements in late 2005 and early 2006. Our analysis leads us to conclude that at the present time the market is small and growing for positions in academe and at FFRDCs, small and stable for positions at firms. Our analysis of training leads to the conclusion that the pipeline is being filled primarily through a principal investigator approach, where a student is attached to one faculty member's lab, rather than to a formal program. The fundamental difference between nanotechnology and bioinformatics in this respect may be due to differences in the opportunities available to universities and faculty.