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Author: Mykerezi, Elton
Resulting in 5 citations.
1. Jordan, Jeffrey L.
Kostandini, Genti
Mykerezi, Elton
Rural and Urban High School Dropout Rates: Are They Different?
Journal of Research in Rural Education 27,12 (2012): .
Also: http://www.jrre.psu.edu/articles/27-12.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY97
Publisher: Penn State University Center on Rural Education and Communities
Keyword(s): Assets; Dropouts; Geocoded Data; High School Completion/Graduates; Parental Influences; Rural Areas; Rural/Urban Differences

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This study estimates the high school dropout rate in rural and urban areas, the determinants of dropping out, and whether the differences in graduation rates have changed over time. We use geocoded data from two nationally representative panel household surveys (NLSY 97 and NLSY 79) and a novel methodology that corrects for biases in graduation rates (Heckman and La Fontaine, 2010). Our findings suggest that high school graduation rates are very similar across the rural-urban continuum in the early 2000s, and they are lower by 3 percentage points compared to the 1980s, with the decline experienced uniformly across the rural-urban continuum. We find that gender, family assets, the presence of biological parents, and maternal attributes appear to be the main determinants of graduation and influence graduation in a similar way across both urban and rural areas. For years, the research literature has looked at various issues from a perspective of determining how rural and urban areas are different with regard to high school dropout rates. We suggest that once family attributes are accounted for differences in rural and urban areas are small and narrowing.
Bibliography Citation
Jordan, Jeffrey L., Genti Kostandini and Elton Mykerezi. "Rural and Urban High School Dropout Rates: Are They Different? ." Journal of Research in Rural Education 27,12 (2012): .
2. Mykerezi, Elton
Three Essays on the Well-Being of Vulnerable Populations
Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech), 2007
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT)
Keyword(s): Black Studies; Cigarette Use (see Smoking); Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX); Food Stamps (see Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program); Human Capital; Income Dynamics/Shocks; Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID); Poverty; Wage Growth; Wage Rates; Well-Being

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This dissertation is composed of three essays that measure the impact of social programs and policies on the wellbeing of their target populations. The first essay entitled "The Wage Impact of Historically Black College and University Attendance" examines the impact of attending a Historically Black College or University on the wages of Blacks attending HBCUs versus other four year colleges or universities using a sample of Blacks from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979). The study finds no initial advantage to HBCU attendance for black men, but a 1.4 to 1.6 percentage point higher growth rate in subsequent wages is associated with the attendance of an HBCU as opposed to other four year colleges. This faster growth rate translates in a net discounted HBCU earnings gain of 8.9 to 9.6 percent over a 16 year period following college attendance. The study finds no advantage or disadvantage to HBCU attendance for Black females.

The second essay entitled "Transient and Chronic Poverty in the US: The Role of the Food Stamp Program" examines the unique and common determinants of short-term intra-annual transient poverty and chronic poverty, as well as the differential response of each state of poverty to Food Stamp Program (FSP) use. The study employs dynamic expenditure-based poverty measures using quarterly data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (2001-2004). The major finding is that FSP use reduces transient poverty, but the study finds no significant impact of FSP use on chronic poverty. The common causes of both states of poverty are low human capital, minority status and involuntary unemployment of the household head. Changes in family composition during the year is only associated with higher transient poverty.

The third essay entitled "Food Insecurity and the Food Stamp Program" examines the determinants of food insecurity in the US, as well as its response to Food Stamp Program use with data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1995-1999). The study finds that FSP use reduces household food insecurity, and that the program impact is greater for households that experience more severe insecurity. In addition the study finds that higher risk tolerance as well as a preference for smoking cigarettes increase household food insecurity.

Bibliography Citation
Mykerezi, Elton. Three Essays on the Well-Being of Vulnerable Populations. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech), 2007.
3. Mykerezi, Elton
Kostandini, Genti
Jordan, Jeffrey L.
Melo, Ilda
On Rural-Urban Differences in Human Capital Formation: Finding the 'Bottlenecks'
Journal of Rural Social Sciences 29,1 (2014): 17-47.
Also: http://www.ag.auburn.edu/auxiliary/srsa/pages/Articles/JRSS%202014%2029/1/JRSS%202014%2029%201%2017-47.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Southern Rural Sociological Association (SRSA)
Keyword(s): Educational Attainment; Human Capital; Rural/Urban Differences

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Studies have found lower levels of educational achievement for students in rural areas focusing mostly on cross-sectional data. Using the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we follow the same youth cohort to examine whether there are metro-nonmetro gaps in high cognitive achievement, high school graduation, college readiness, degree attainment, and earnings. We find that gaps emerge early in life and they remain constant through high school. In addition, results suggest that rural students graduate from high school at the same rate as their urban counterparts, but they fall behind when it comes to college graduation rates. Growing up in a rural area does not seem to impose a wage penalty beyond the lower earnings operating through cognitive test performance and college degree attainment.
Bibliography Citation
Mykerezi, Elton, Genti Kostandini, Jeffrey L. Jordan and Ilda Melo. "On Rural-Urban Differences in Human Capital Formation: Finding the 'Bottlenecks'." Journal of Rural Social Sciences 29,1 (2014): 17-47.
4. Mykerezi, Elton
Marko, Monika
Aultman, Stephen
The Impact of Perceived Race Discrimination in the Labor Market on the Criminal Activity of African American Youth
Working Paper, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, November 2008
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota
Keyword(s): Crime; Discrimination, Racial/Ethnic; Labor Force Participation; Labor Market Demographics

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

We study the impact that perceived race discrimination in the labor market has on the subsequent criminal activity of young African Americans using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979). Results indicate that perceived discrimination in the labor market yields sizable increases in the incidence and intensity of property crimes among African American men. We find no evidence of an impact on violent crimes for men or on crime in general for women. These results are robust to different assumptions regarding respondent refusals to self report crime and other empirical specification issues.
Bibliography Citation
Mykerezi, Elton, Monika Marko and Stephen Aultman. "The Impact of Perceived Race Discrimination in the Labor Market on the Criminal Activity of African American Youth." Working Paper, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, November 2008.
5. Mykerezi, Elton
Milis, Bradford F.
The Wage Earnings Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Southern Economic Journal 75,1 (July 2008): 173-187.
Also: http://ideas.repec.org/a/sej/ancoec/v751y2008p173-187.html
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Allen Press, Inc.
Keyword(s): Black Studies; College Education; Gender Differences; Racial Differences; Racial Studies; Wage Models; Wages

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The impact on wages from blacks' attendance of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) versus other colleges is examined using geo-coded National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data. The paper reconciles seemingly conflicting findings in previous studies by estimating wage profiles over time, rather than by estimating wages at a single point in time. Estimates indicate that black males show no initial wage advantage as a result of HBCU attendance, but their wages increase 1.4-1.5% faster per year after attending HBCUs compared to other colleges. This faster growth generates discounted career earnings from HBCU attendance that are 9.6% higher for HBCU attendees and 8.9% higher for the average four-year college black student. For black females, HBCU attendance has no significant impact on initial wages or on subsequent wage growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Bibliography Citation
Mykerezi, Elton and Bradford F. Milis. "The Wage Earnings Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities." Southern Economic Journal 75,1 (July 2008): 173-187.