Higher Levels Of Educational Attainment Research Articles

Estimating The Demand Function for Health Services (Civil and Governmental) For A Sample of Hospitals in Erbil Governorate

This research aimed to estimate the function of demand for health services in Erbil governorate and to identify the most important main factors that affect the demand for health services for a sample of auditors in private and governmental hospitals. The research tried to answer the question: What are the most important factors that affect the demand for health services? The research relied on the deductive approach to study the determinants of demand for health services by collecting data through a questionnaire for a sample of private and governmental hospitals in Erbil governorate. The research found that the determinants of demand for health services in Erbil governorate are (age, income, number of family members, educational attainment, chronic diseases, and gender), where the estimated coefficients signals were consistent with the economic theory and at high moral levels. The increase in the proportion of the elderly, the income, the number of family members and the increase in the percentage of people with chronic diseases increase the demand for health services, while the high level of educational attainment leads to a decrease in the demand for health services in the governorate. As for the most important proposals, work to expand the range of free health services provided to the poor and those with chronic diseases, as they are the most in demand for these services. Directing private hospitals to provide health services at low wages to the families of martyrs and poor groups.

Think Globally, Travel Locally: Doctoral Program Travel for Inquiry, Equity, and Social Justice

Real-world experience is often considered subordinate to academic learning at the doctoral level. Lessons from experiential learning at the doctoral level show higher education can be equity-minded and focused on the needs of learners without sacrificing depth and quality even at the highest levels of educational attainment. Doctoral faculty developed a travel experience providing doctoral students the opportunity to better understand themselves as leaders, broaden their understanding of the “other,” and bring current issues and trends to life through experiential learning provided by traveling together for a fleeting time and a short distance. The doctoral program is seeing the byproducts of the experience in the inquiry of doctoral students focused on issues of diversity, inequity, and sustainability intended to improve educational outcomes in our nation. While the potential for inequity and disparity to divide the cohort was real, providing the opportunity for all to participate with minimum struggles associated with group travel allowed the cohort to form a bond that has provided a greater level of peer support through the dissertation process. Travel activities and components that led to the success of the experience are discussed.

Place of death among individuals with chronic respiratory diseases in China: Trends and associated factors between 2014 and 2020.

Chronic respiratory disease (CRD) is a common cause of mortality in China, but little is known about the place of death (POD) among individuals with CRD. Information about CRD-caused deaths was obtained from the National Mortality Surveillance System (NMSS) in China, covering 605 surveillance points in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Both individual- and provincial-level characteristics were measured. Multilevel logistic regression models were built to evaluate correlates of hospital CRD deaths. From 2014 to 2020, a total of 1,109,895 individuals who died of CRD were collected by the NMSS in China, among which home was the most common POD (82.84%), followed by medical and healthcare institutions (14.94%), nursing homes (0.72%), the way to hospitals (0.90%), and unknown places (0.59%). Being male, unmarried, having a higher level of educational attainment, and being retired personnel were associated with increased odds of hospital death. Distribution of POD differed across the provinces and municipalities with different development levels, also presenting differences between urban and rural. Demographics and individual socioeconomic status (SES) explained a proportion of 23.94% of spatial variations at the provincial level. Home deaths are the most common POD (>80%) among patients with COPD and asthma, which are the two major contributors to CRD deaths. Home was the leading POD among patients with CRD in China in the study period; therefore, more attention should be emphasized to the allocation of health resources and end-of-life care in the home setting to meet the increasing needs among people with CRD.

Temporary talent: Wage penalties among highly educated temporary workers in Canada

Temporary employment (TE) arrangements have become increasingly common in Canada among both high- and low-skilled workers. In this study, we examine the prevalence and earnings effects of TE across education levels with a specific focus on highly educated workers. We also examine the earnings effects of TE across the earnings distribution. We find that higher levels of schooling are negatively associated with the probability of TE. However, the earnings discounts for temporary work are significant and increase in magnitude for individuals with higher levels of educational attainment. For highly educated workers at the top end of the earnings distribution, the discount associated with being in a temporary job is large enough to substantially reduce, although not entirely negate, the sizeable earnings premiums associated with higher levels of education.

The role of social capital in subjective quality of life

This paper investigates the role of social capital (SC) in subjective quality of life to address the limitations of existing observable indicators as evidence for public policy. We use a large-scale survey of 100,956 respondents across 37 countries, including both developed and less developed countries. The empirical results suggest that higher SC is more strongly associated with better subjective health and higher satisfaction in low-income countries than in high-income countries. Moreover, while low-income countries show a lower level of perceived economic inequality at the community level with higher SC, high-income countries present a higher level. We further find that higher levels of educational attainment increase the perception of economic inequality and that this impact decreases with SC. Enhancing SC may lead to improved quality of life in most low-income countries, and lifestyle and cultural factors also play a crucial role. These findings indicate that noneconomic factors underpin better lives, and further research is needed to address the social aspects of life.

The Impact of Patient Autonomy Among Uninsured Free Clinic Patients.

Uninsured primary care patients tend to experience barriers to autonomy in clinical decision-making due to limited choices of healthcare facilities and low health literacy. This study examined whether certain factors, including the component of patient-centeredness, are associated with patient autonomy among these populations and contribute to reducing disparities in healthcare. This was a cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of free clinic patients aged 18 years and older who spoke English and/or Spanish. Multiple regression analyses were performed to understand factors associated with Ideal Patient's Autonomy. Data were collected from September to December 2019. Findings conclude that Spanish-speaking patients at the free clinic have a stronger belief in a paternalist model of the provider-patient relationship (P < .01). Better communication between patients and providers results in higher levels of autonomy (P < .01). Higher levels of educational attainment and better communication partnership were associated with higher levels of a free clinic patient's understanding of treatment risks (P < .01). This research study found that components of patient-centeredness are important considerations for improving patient autonomy among free clinic patients.

IS THE HEALTH OF OLDER AMERICANS WITH A GED EQUIVALENT TO THEIR PEERS WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA?

Abstract Previous research has found higher levels of educational attainment to be strongly associated with better health outcomes in later life, such as better cognitive functioning and fewer functional and sensory impairments. However, most studies have grouped General Educational Development (GED) recipients with high school graduates, neglecting potential differences in socioeconomic status, health behaviours, and health outcomes among these two groups. The aim of the current study is to identify differences in the age-sex-race-poverty adjusted prevalence and odds of cognitive impairment, hearing impairment, vision impairment, limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs), and ambulation limitations among three groups of older American adults: high school dropouts, GED recipients, and high school graduates with no post-secondary education. The present study uses secondary analysis of the 2017 American Community Survey, a nationally representative survey of community-dwelling and institutionalized older adults aged 65 years and older, of whom 20,489 were GED recipients, 154,892 had a high school diploma and 49,912 had finished grade 8 but had not completed high school. Our findings indicate that there is a gradient in health outcomes among Americans aged 65-84, with the highest prevalence and odds of cognitive impairment, hearing impairment, vision impairment, ADL limitations, and ambulation limitations occurring among high school dropouts, followed by GED recipients, and the lowest prevalence among high school graduates. These findings suggestion that although GED recipients have better health outcomes than high school dropouts, there is still a significant disparity in health status between GED recipients and high school graduates.

IS THE HEALTH OF OLDER AMERICANS WITH A GED EQUIVALENT TO THEIR PEERS WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA?

Abstract Previous research has found higher levels of educational attainment to be strongly associated with better health outcomes in later life, such as better cognitive functioning and fewer functional and sensory impairments. However, most studies have grouped General Educational Development (GED) recipients with high school graduates, neglecting potential differences in socioeconomic status, health behaviours, and health outcomes among these two groups. The aim of the current study is to identify differences in the age-sex-race-poverty adjusted prevalence and odds of cognitive impairment, hearing impairment, vision impairment, limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs), and ambulation limitations among three groups of older American adults: high school dropouts, GED recipients, and high school graduates with no post-secondary education. The present study uses secondary analysis of the 2017 American Community Survey, a nationally representative survey of community-dwelling and institutionalized older adults aged 65 years and older, of whom 20,489 were GED recipients, 154,892 had a high school diploma and 49,912 had finished grade 8 but had not completed high school. Our findings indicate that there is a gradient in health outcomes among Americans aged 65-84, with the highest prevalence and odds of cognitive impairment, hearing impairment, vision impairment, ADL limitations, and ambulation limitations occurring among high school dropouts, followed by GED recipients, and the lowest prevalence among high school graduates. These findings suggestion that although GED recipients have better health outcomes than high school dropouts, there is still a significant disparity in health status between GED recipients and high school graduates.

The second-level smartphone divide: A typology of smartphone use based on frequency of use, skills, and types of activities

Smartphones have become one of the most frequently used devices for accessing the Internet. Although a growing body of research has examined the second-level digital divide with a focus on general Internet and digital media use, little is known about patterns of smartphone use and smartphone-related skills in the general population. This paper examines inequalities in the use of smartphone technology based on two nationally representative samples of smartphone owners collected in Germany in 2017 and 2020. We identify six distinct types of smartphone users by conducting latent class analyses that classify individuals based on their frequency of smartphone use, self-rated smartphone skills, and activities carried out on their smartphone. Smartphone use differs significantly by sociodemographic characteristics and operating system. The types reflecting more frequent and diverse smartphone use are younger, have higher levels of educational attainment, and are more likely to use an iPhone. Overall, the composition of the latent classes and their characteristics are robust across samples.

Liminal states: Propertied citizenship and gendered kin work in middle-class Kolkata families

This article traces the way the intersection between gender, class and family values is reorganised in relation to state policies that enable propertied citizenship through home-ownership. Focusing on ethnographic data from Kolkata, India, it discusses how women realise propertied citizenship in exchange for care work rather than through employment as developmentalist and liberal feminist discourses suggest. Here the way women’s lives are envisaged and represented through investment in high levels of educational attainment is in contrast to low levels of employment, symptomatic of what I call ‘liminal states’ – a gendered state of immaturity and dependence on kin. Home-ownership as a means of ‘empowerment’ configures the home as the economic and affective focus of gendered care work, which reproduces Berlant’s ‘cruel optimism’, whereby the desire to own a home and the practices of homemaking hamper autonomy and restrict the efficacy of agency.

Socio-economic factors determine maternal and noenatal outcomes in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy: a study of the ESC EORP PPCM registry

Abstract Background Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a global disease associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Purpose The aim of this study was to analyse to what extent country- and individual-level socioeconomic factors were associated with maternal and neonatal outcomes. Methods In 2011, &amp;gt;100 national and affiliated member cardiac societies of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) were contacted to contribute to a global registry on PPCM, under the auspices of the ESC EORP Programme. Country-level sociodemographic factors were Gini coefficient (GINI), health expenditure (HE) and human developmental index (HDI). Individual-level sociodemographic factors were income and educational attainment. We investigated the characteristics and outcomes of women with PPCM and their babies according to individual and country-specific socioeconomic status. Results 739 women from 49 countries were enrolled (Europe [33%], Africa [29%], Asia-Pacific [15%], Middle East [22%]). Overall, 142 (19%) of women were from countries with low HDI, 307 (42%) medium HDI and 290 (39%) high HDI. Patients of Black African ethnicity were almost all from low HDI countries (99.3%), Middle Eastern and Asian patients from medium HDI (37.7% and 26.2%), and Caucasian patients were mostly from high HDI (72%, p&amp;lt;0.001). Women from countries with low HDI had lower income and educational attainment. They also underwent fewer Caesarian sections, but breastfed for longer (20 versus 6 months, p&amp;lt;0.001). Low HDI and low GINI were associated with greater LV dilatation at time of diagnosis (p&amp;lt;0.001), but LV ejection fraction (LVEF) did not differ according to HDI, HE or GINI. Countries with low HE prescribed guideline-directed heart failure therapy less frequently. Low HE was associated with more frequent mortality (p&amp;lt;0.002), whereas HDI and GINI were not. Women from countries with low HDI and low HE had significantly less recovery of LV function. Analysis of maternal outcome as per highest level of educational attainment (i.e., primary [n=154], secondary [n=342], tertiary [n=126]), showed significant differences in LVEF at 6 months (43.7+12.9, 46.5+13.0 and 48.9+11.7 respectively, p=0.022). Low maternal income, irrespective of region of origin, was independently associated with poor outcome (composite of maternal death, re-hospitalization, or LV non-recovery). Neonatal death was more prevalent in countries with low HE (p=0.009) and low HDI (p=0.023) but was not influenced by maternal sociodemographic parameters. Conclusion Maternal and neonatal outcomes depended on country-specific socioeconomic characteristics, with a greater prevalence of maternal and neonatal deaths in women from countries with low HE. Globally, women with low income and lower levels of educational attainment had poorer outcomes, irrespective of region. Attempts should be made to improve patient education, and allocation of adequate health resources to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in PPCM. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – EU funding. Main funding source(s): 1. EurObservational Research Programme in conjunction with the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology Study Group on Peripartum Cardiomyopathy2. Cape Heart Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Patient Engagement with Online Portals and Online Radiology Results

The purpose of this study was to examine patient portal enrollment and the usage with a specific focus on the utilization of on-line radiology reports by patients. Oracle SQL (Austin, TX, USA) queries were used to extract portal enrollment data over a 13-month period from March 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018 from the hospital system's EMR. Patient enrollment was collected as was patient information including basic demographics and utilization patterns. For enrolled patients, interaction within the portal with the "Radiology" work tab (RADTAB) was used as a surrogate for review of radiology results. As a comparator, interaction within the portal with the "Laboratory" work tab (LABTAB) was used as a surrogate for review of laboratory results. Statistical analysis on the data was performed using Chi-squared, Student's t-test, Logistic regression and multivariate analysis where appropriate. The population for analysis included 424,422 patients. Overall, 138,783 patients (32.7%) were enrolled in the portal. Patients enrolled in the portal were older (P < 0.0001), female (P < 0.0001) and Caucasian (P < 0.0001). Patients enrolled in the portal had higher levels of educational attainment (p < 0.0001), higher annual household income (P < 0.0001), and more outpatient clinic visits (P < 0.0001). The proportion of enrolled patients that interacted with the LABTAB (47.2%) was significantly higher than those that interacted with the RADTAB (27.1%) (P < 0.0001; Table 2). Patients that utilize the portal are more likely to utilize the Laboratory tab than the Radiology tab, and demographic differences do not account for this difference in usage. Further investigation is needed to better understand the reasons for the differing usage trends of Laboratory and Radiology tabs.

The determinants of the quality of clinical management among diabetic and hypertensive patients in a context of fragility: A cross-sectional survey from Lebanon.

IntroductionThe management of NCDs is a growing challenge in low- and middle-income settings with the increasing prevalence and the associated demands that such conditions make on health systems. Fragile settings both exacerbate the risk of NCDs and undermine systems capacity. Lebanon is a setting where strategies to address rising NCDs burden have faced particularly acute contextual challenges.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey with patients accessing non-communicable disease across 11 primary care centers within the Greater Beirut and Beqaa areas. Response were received from 1,700 patients. We generated a Clinical Management Index Score as a measure of quality of care, and scores related to a range of socio-demographic characteristics and other context specific variables.ResultsSignificantly higher clinical management index scores (better quality of care) were associated with patients living in the semi-urban/rural context of Beqaa (compared to Greater Beirut), having health insurance coverage, aged above 60, having high levels of educational attainment, and making partial or full payment for their treatment. Relatively lower index scores (poorer quality of care) were associated with Syrian nationality (compared to Lebanese) and with patients suffering from diabetes or hypertension (compared to comorbid patients).ConclusionThe study identified a wide margin for improving quality of NCDs care in fragile contexts with particular gaps identified in referral to ophthalmology, accessing all prescribed medication and receiving counseling for smoking cessation. Additionally, findings indicate a number of predictors of comparatively poor quality of care that warrant attention, notably with regard to Syrian nationality/legal status, lack of health coverage, seeking free health provision and lower educational attachment. Although these are all relevant risk factors, the findings call on donor agencies, NGOs and provider institutions to design targeted programs and activities that especially ensure equitable delivery of services to diabetic and hypertensive patients with compounded vulnerability as a result of a number of these factors.

Estimating the returns to education in a chronically depressed labour market: the case of Kosovo

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate whether the conventional approach to estimating the private and social rates of return to education generates reliable findings when used in economies with chronically depressed labour markets.Design/methodology/approachConventional techniques (the Mincer earnings function and the discounting method) are used to provide initial estimates of the private and social returns to education in Kosovo. However, this study argues that in countries with chronically depressed labour markets, such as in Kosovo, the conventional approach is likely to significantly underestimate the private and social returns from achieving a higher level of educational attainment. This study extends the estimation approach to take into account the greater probability of more highly educated Kosovars being: employed, employed in the formal and public sectors and having longer job tenure.FindingsThe extended approach to estimating rates of return to schooling generates higher private and social rates of return to education than the conventional approach. Moreover, in contrast to the findings of the conventional approach, the revised approach suggests that private and social rates of return are highest from completion of upper secondary and tertiary education.Research limitations/implicationsThe results indicate that if governments in economies with chronically depressed labour markets decide upon their educational priorities based on unadjusted rates of return, then resources may be misallocated.Originality/valueThe analysis presented in this paper suggests that conventional approaches to estimating private and social rates of return to education are not suitable for use in economies with chronically depressed labour markets. In addition, the paper provides the first comprehensive analysis of the rates of return to education in Kosovo. These results are used to provide a critique of the Kosovo Government’s recent educational priorities.

Trajectories of Handgun Carrying in Rural Communities From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Characterizing patterns of handgun carrying among adolescents and young adults can inform programs to reduce firearm-related harm. Longitudinal patterns of handgun carrying among rural adolescents have not been identified. To assess specific points of intervention by characterizing patterns of handgun carrying by youths in rural communities from early adolescence to young adulthood and to quantify how age at initiation, duration, and frequency of carrying differ across identified patterns. This cohort study uses the control group of the community-randomized trial of the Communities That Care prevention system, conducted among public school students in 12 rural communities across 7 states. Participants self-reported their handgun carrying at 10 data collection points from 12 to 26 years of age (2005-2019). Data were analyzed from January to July 2021. Handgun carrying in the past 12 months. Latent class growth analysis was used to estimate handgun carrying trajectories. In this longitudinal rural sample of 2002 students, 1040 (51.9%) were male; 532 (26.6%) were Hispanic, Latino, Latina, or Latinx; 1310 (65.4%) were White; and the highest level of educational attainment of either parent was a high school degree or less for 649 students (32.4%). The prevalence of handgun carrying in the last 12 months ranged from 5.3% (95 of 1795) to 7.4% (146 of 1969) in adolescence and increased during the mid-20s (range, 8.9% [154 of 1722] to 10.9% [185 of 1704] from 23 to 26 years of age). Among the participants who reported handgun carrying at least once between 12 and 26 years of age (n = 601 [30.0%]), 320 (53.2%) reported carrying a handgun in only 1 wave. Latent class growth analysis indicated 6 longitudinal trajectories: never or low probability of carrying (1590 [79.4%]), emerging adulthood carrying (166 [8.3%]), steadily increasing carrying (163 [8.1%]), adolescent carrying (53 [2.6%]), declining carrying (24 [1.2%]), and high probability and persistent carrying (6 [0.3%]). The earliest mean (SD) age at initiation of handgun carrying occurred in both the adolescent and declining carrying groups at the ages of 12.6 (0.9) and 12.5 (0.7) years, respectively. More than 20% of some groups (emerging adulthood [age 26 years: 49 of 154 (31.8%)], steadily increasing [age 26 years: 37 of 131 (28.2%)], declining [age 13 years: 7 of 23 (30.4%)], and high probability and persistent carrying [age 15 years: 3 of 6 (50.0%)]) reported carrying 40 times or more in the past year by the age of 26 years. This study found distinct patterns of handgun carrying from adolescence to young adulthood in rural settings. Findings suggest that promoting handgun safety in rural areas should start early. Potential high-risk trajectories, including carrying at high frequencies, should be the focus of future work to explore the antecedents and consequences of handgun carrying in rural areas.

Language skills in student essays: social disparities and later educational attainment.

This article examines the role of language skills in socially stratified educational attainment. Using essays written at the age of 11 in a large British cohort study, the National Child Development Study (NCDS), two measures of written language skills are derived: lexical diversity and the number of spelling and grammar errors. Results show that participants from the lower social strata misspelt more words and used a smaller variety of words in their essays than more socially privileged cohort members. Those language skills mediate part of the association between social origin and the highest level of educational attainment achieved. An even higher mediation of about half can be observed if standardised test measures for verbal and non-verbal cognitive abilities are included in the model. The models show that language skills mediate the social origin effect on educational attainment by about a quarter.

Competition and diversification in higher education: Analysing impacts on access and equity in the case of Portugal

AbstractIn recent decades, higher education has experienced a massive expansion worldwide, which has often been linked to increasing higher education diversification. New sectors and new types of institutions emerged with this massification process to offer more diversified types of advanced training. At the same time, this expansion was often embedded in a political economy that increasingly favoured market forces, leading to growing privatisation and competition in the higher education sector. This article explores the relevance of institutional diversification and competition in higher education for access and equity in Portugal. The case of higher education in Portugal is particularly interesting since Portugal has a diverse system both in secondary education and in higher education, with significant vocational and private sectors at both levels (besides the more common academic and university tracks and public institutions). We analyse the profile of new cohorts of entrants by sector (public vs. private higher education institutions) and fields of study. Our results suggest that private secondary schools provide an advantageous track for accessing higher education, especially to prestigious programmes and institutions to which students compete to access. The analysis also indicates that socioeconomic background is a very relevant factor for access to higher education. Although students whose parents do not have a higher education degree may enrol in higher education, those whose parents have higher levels of educational attainment tend to enrol in more prestigious programmes and institutions, to which access is more competitive.

Types and determinants of migrants' settlement intention in China's new phase of urbanization: A multi-dimensional perspective

Using data from China Migrant Dynamic Survey, this paper provides an updated and comprehensive study on migrants' settlement intention and its determinants, based on a new way of conceptualizing and measuring such intention and its permanency and stability. The results suggest that although the majority of migrants have the intention to settle down in the destination cities on a permanent or long-term temporary basis, migrants with permanent settlement intention are still a minority, and there is a significant variation of migrants' settlement intention in terms of its permanency and stability among migrants, cities of different sizes, and geographical regions. The modelling results reveal that being married, higher levels of educational attainment, occupational status and income, family migration, and housing availability and stability of residence in the host city, boost migrants' long-term and permanent settlement intention. Moreover, migrants' urban origin and hukou status, higher occupational status, younger age, and the larger size, more economic prosperity and well-developed public services of their destination cities, significantly promote the permanent settlement intention. These results will facilitate relevant policy making to further advance China's urbanization, and contribute to better theoretical understanding of urban and mobility transitions in developing countries.

Associations between Wildfire Risk and Socio-Economic-Demographic Characteristics Using GIS Technology

Wildfire is a natural hazard caused mostly by the interaction of human systems and natural phenomena. This research aims to investigate how extreme wildfire events and disasters that occurred in California in the recent three decades are related to socio-economic-demographic characteristics at the levels of census tracts and counties. In addition, this research will use the data of historic wildfires to show counties and census tracts vulnerable to the natural hazard as well as the cyclical changes such as seasonal and annual fluctuations in the wildfire occurrences in the state. To decide how those variables correlate, this research used a Geographic Information System (GIS) designed to collect, analyze, query, and display geographical information. Two types of secondary data were used to conduct the research. One is the geospatial data showing each location of wildfires. The other is the data about such sociodemographic characteristics as race, ethnicity, level of education, and income, which can be collected through the Bureau of Census. In particular, the research employing GIS-based spatial analysis created maps that represent information on the geographic locations of the wildfires at the different geographic levels as well as demographic and socioeconomic factors influenced by the potential risk of wildfires. There are several researching findings. First, this research showed the wildfire-prone communities have comparatively higher level of representation for the populations such as the White and Native Americans. Second, it reveals that Asian people would prefer to reside in communities with a lower level of wildfire risk. In contrast with previous research reporting the Black, Hispanic or Native American people are more vulnerable to wildfire, this research showed only the census tracts with the higher number of the Native Americans are more exposed to the wildfire risk, compared with other census tracts. Third, it revealed that people with a higher level of educational attainment would prefer to reside in communities with a lower level of chemical risk. Forth and lastly, this research indicates that the census tracts that have a higher median household income and median housing price have a negative relationship with the wildfire risk, meaning that people with a higher level of the income or a relatively higher-priced home prefer residing in communities less subject to the natural hazard. Therefore, it can be concluded that associations exist between wildfire risk and certain socio-economic and demographic characteristics.

Educational Mismatch and Income Inequality in Developing Countries

This study aims to evaluate the influence of educational mismatch on income inequality in developing countries. The research is conducted using secondary data from ten developing countries over a twenty-year period (2001–2020). Statistical analysis is performed on the dataset using Stata, where the main variable representing income inequality is the GINI coefficient, and educational mismatch is assessed using educational attainment, educational attainment of females, and educational expenditure. The fixed effect and robust standard error techniques are applied to address the association among the variables. The study's findings reveal that educational attainment and educational expenditure have a positive influence on the GINI coefficient, indicating that the two factors contribute to an educational mismatch in the developing country. On the other hand, the findings also reveal that the educational attainment of females has a negative effect on the GINI coefficient, indicating that a high level of educational attainment among females can help to improve the income equality of developing countries. The implications of the study are particularly relevant to the policymakers and governments of developing countries. They should take steps to increase the level of education among females to contribute to increased income equality levels in their country.