Improving Choice at End of Life
Source: King’s Fund (UK)

This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the impact and costs of new services as part of the Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme, which was launched in 2004. Delivery of care for patients at the end of their lives is becoming an increasing policy concern. Although the majority of people report that they would choose to die in their home, only a minority of patients achieve this wish. The Delivering Choice Programme aims to develop and help provide the best possible service for patients at the end of their lives.

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Teen “Self Medication” for Depression Leads to More Serious Mental Illness, New Report Reveals
Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy

Millions of American teens report experiencing weeks of hopelessness and loss of interest in normal daily activities and many of these depressed teens are using marijuana and other drugs, making their situation worse, according to a new White House report released today. The report, from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), reveals that marijuana use can worsen depression and lead to more serious mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, anxiety, and even suicide.

+ Full Report (PDF; 658 KB)

Understanding and Containing Food Price Inflation
Source: Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

In recent months, dramatic increases in basic cereal prices have aroused intense concern about world agriculture and about the impact of food price inflation on poor consumers in developing countries.

While seeming to burst onto the world scene quite suddenly, the problem has been a long time in the making, as a result of burgeoning demand and slower growth in yields. Since 2000, the price of wheat in the international market has more than tripled, while maize prices have more than doubled over that period. The price of rice, after rising steadily through 2007, then jumped sharply in the first quarter of 2008, up 75% from the previous year. Ongoing trends and new factors have now converged to create this new global food equation, or “perfect storm” as Science magazine put it recently.

Bibliography contains links to related papers and resources.

Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities: Statistics and Interventions
Source: Child Welfare Information Gateway

Despite the efforts of the child protection system, child maltreatment fatalities remain a serious problem. Although the untimely deaths of children due to illness and accidents have been closely monitored, deaths that result from physical assault or severe neglect can be more difficult to track because the perpetrators, usually parents, are less likely to be forthcoming about the circumstances. Intervention strategies targeted at solving this problem face complex challenges.

Also available in PDF.

Ownership, Rental Costs and the Prospects of Building Home Equity: An Analysis of 100 Metropolitan Areas
Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research

This report compares the ownership and rental costs in 100 major U.S. metropolitan areas. Extending the work from a previous CEPR/NLIHC paper, “Ownership, Rental Costs and the Prospects of Building Home Equity: A Comparison of 100 Metropolitan Areas,” this study, while demonstrating the wide diversity in housing markets across the nation, finds that in many areas, homeownership costs are in line with rental costs. In these areas, it is practical and desirable to focus on policies that keep homeowners in their homes. The report goes on to show that in bubble- inflated markets, however, homeownership is not only a costly and risky proposition, but continuing price declines mean that homeowners will not accrue any equity. The authors suggest that policy makers should be sure to consider affordable rental options as part of the solution when drafting proposals to help households in these markets.

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Public Health Impacts of Climate Change in California (PDF; 4.3 MB)
Source: Public Health Institute

Funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this publication addresses community vulnerabilities as well as strategies for preventing and adapting to the effects of climate change in California.

Single Family Offices: Private Wealth Management in the Family Context (PDF; 2.5 MB)
Source: Wharton Global Family Alliance

Single family offices (SFO) are professional organizations dedicated to managing the personal fortunes and lives of very wealthy families. Tracing their lineage back to the Roman major domus (head of the house) and the Medieval major-domo (chief steward), the modern SFO began to take shape in the mid-19th century, with the development of private banks and trust companies formed to help the Industrial Revolution’s entrepreneurs manage their wealth. Their charge was—and still is—to protect their particular family’s investments and assets for both current and subsequent generations. Since the beginning, affluent families have been attracted to SFOs, rather than to commercial banks, investment companies or other wealth optimization services, because of their promise of exclusivity, privacy and customization.

These characteristics may make SFOs increasingly attractive to the super rich, but they also make it particularly difficult for researchers to understand their operations, their abilities, and their achievements. The very confidentiality they afford impedes assessment of their competence. Moreover, since the SFO, by definition, focuses on the private affairs of one family, there is little comparative information available on the range and key differentiators among SFOs operating today. (See Appendix 1 and 2 for both a summary of the evolution of SFOs and a review of the prior research on the topic). It should be noted that the SFO is separate and distinct from the multi family office or MFO, the latter being a for profit business that serves multiple unrelated family clients.

This report begins to fill this knowledge gap by presenting the results of an international pilot study of SFOs responsible for managing at least US$100 million in investable assets in the Americas, Europe, and Rest of the World (RoW). The research has been conducted during 2006–2007 and is intended to survey the landscape of single family offices. This report is based on over 40 in person interviews and on 138 completed surveys. The sample size on which this report is based is, to our knowledge, the largest and most diverse in the SFO space, but it is not enough to make detailed comparisons among subsets of SFOs. The information we collected is not prescriptive; the survey is intended to illuminate family office structure and practices — particularly investment strategies, not to evaluate how well a given type of family office performs relative to another.

See related Knowledge@Wharton article: SFOs in Action: How the Richest Families Manage Their Wealth

Prevention of Herpes Zoster — Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
Source: Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (via Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review)

These recommendations represent the first statement by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on the use of a live attenuated vaccine for the prevention of herpes zoster (zoster) (i.e., shingles) and its sequelae, which was licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 25, 2006. This report summarizes the epidemiology of zoster and its sequelae, describes the zoster vaccine, and provides recommendations for its use among adults aged >60 years in the United States.

Zoster is a localized, generally painful cutaneous eruption that occurs most frequently among older adults and immunocompromised persons. It is caused by reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) decades after initial VZV infection is established. Approximately one in three persons will develop zoster during their lifetime, resulting in an estimated 1 million episodes in the United States annually. A common complication of zoster is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a chronic, often debilitating pain condition that can last months or even years. The risk for PHN in patients with zoster is 10%–18%. Another complication of zoster is eye involvement, which occurs in 10%–25% of zoster episodes and can result in prolonged or permanent pain, facial scarring, and loss of vision. Approximately 3% of patients with zoster are hospitalized; many of these episodes involved persons with one or more immunocompromising conditions. Deaths attributable to zoster are uncommon among persons who are not immunocompromised.

Prompt treatment with the oral antiviral agents acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir decreases the severity and duration of acute pain from zoster. Additional pain control can be achieved in certain patients by supplementing antiviral agents with corticosteroids and with analgesics. Established PHN can be managed in certain patients with analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants, and other agents.

Licensed zoster vaccine is a lyophilized preparation of a live, attenuated strain of VZV, the same strain used in the varicella vaccines. However, its minimum potency is at least 14-times the potency of single-antigen varicella vaccine. In a large clinical trial, zoster vaccine was partially efficacious at preventing zoster. It also was partially efficacious at reducing the severity and duration of pain and at preventing PHN among those developing zoster.

Zoster vaccine is recommended for all persons aged >60 years who have no contraindications, including persons who report a previous episode of zoster or who have chronic medical conditions. The vaccine should be offered at the patient’s first clinical encounter with his or her health-care provider. It is administered as a single 0.65 mL dose subcutaneously in the deltoid region of the arm. A booster dose is not licensed for the vaccine. Zoster vaccination is not indicated to treat acute zoster, to prevent persons with acute zoster from developing PHN, or to treat ongoing PHN. Before administration of zoster vaccine, patients do not need to be asked about their history of varicella (chickenpox) or to have serologic testing conducted to determine varicella immunity.

Fiscal Year 2007 Federal Student Loan Repayment Program Report to the Congress
Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management

The Federal student loan repayment program permits agencies to repay Federally insured student loans as a recruitment or retention incentive for candidates or current employees of the agency. The program implements 5&nbspU.S.C. 5379, which authorizes agencies to set up their own student loan repayment programs to attract or retain highly qualified employees.
…
An employee receiving this benefit must sign a service agreement to remain in the service of the paying agency for a period of at least 3 years. An employee must reimburse the paying agency for all benefits received if he or she is separated voluntarily or separated involuntarily for cause or poor performance. In addition, an employee must maintain an acceptable level of performance in order to continue to receive repayment benefits.
…
Agencies are required to report annually to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on the use of the student loan repayment authority. Before January 1 of each year, agencies must submit their reports for the previous fiscal year. The reports must contain–

1. The number of employees selected to receive this benefit;
2. The job classifications of the recipients; and
3. The cost to the Federal Government of providing the loan repayment.

OPM will include this information in its annual report to Congress on agencies’ use of the student loan repayment program.

+ FY 2007 Report (PDF; 1.6 MB)

Home Office Cannabis Potency Study
Source: Home Office (UK)

In 2006, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) reviewed the classification of cannabis. One of the recommendations was that a further study should be carried out to determine the market share of different types of cannabis and their potencies. In view of current scientific interest in the role of CBD, it was decided that this should also be measured. In late 2007, 23 Police Forces in England and Wales participated in the study. Foreces were requested to submit samples confiscated from street-level users.

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Education Next’s New Report Card on State Proficiency Standards under NCLB Reveals Which States Have World-Class Standards and Which Do Not
Source: Education Next (Hoover Institution)

Education Next’s Paul E. Peterson and Frederick M. Hess have released their new report card on state proficiency standards, updated with the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data and state assessment results. They present definitive answers about which states are at the head of the class and which at the back; which ones are on the fast track to improve and which ones are sliding to the bottom.

Tracking changes on state proficiency standards from 2003-2007, Peterson and Hess find the news is mixed: At the 8th grade level, standards are falling in reading and math, both among states that had standards in 2003 and states that have only adopted them more recently. In 8th-grade reading, for example, standards overall are down by 0.2 standard deviations.

Slippage at the 4th-grade level, however, is less. Math standards fell by only 0.06 standard deviations, the smallest decline Peterson and Hess observed. Most of the slippage at the 4th-grade level is due to the lower standards adopted by states that were initially slow in complying with the NCLB accountability system; those that have had standards since 2003 have not altered them significantly.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires all students to be proficient in math and reading by 2014 but allows each state to determine its own level of proficiency. Some states are presenting a misleading impression of their accomplishments by grading students against low standards, while states that have high standards may suffer by comparison.

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A Matter of Degree Initiative to Reduce Binge Drinking at Colleges and Universities
Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

A Matter of Degree (AMOD): The National Effort to Reduce High-Risk Drinking Among College Students is a project that began in 1996 with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). In AMOD, universities work with surrounding communities to gauge the effectiveness of an environmental approach to alcohol abuse prevention and reduce negative consequences of high-risk drinking.

The AMOD initiative was conducted across 10 university-community sites to reduce campus alcohol abuse and related negative outcomes. The current report reviews findings from evaluation, interviews and progress reports with participating universities and surrounding communities and other project stakeholders that participated in AMOD over a decade.

Key Findings:

• The environmental model used in AMOD increased awareness on campuses and in communities that collaboration could bring about change in alcohol abuse on campus. The sites that implemented more of the AMOD strategies saw significant reductions in drinking and related negative consequences of alcohol abuse.
• Ten integral components of successful campus-community collaborations are highlighted in the report. Examples include: investment of prominent campus leaders, such as the president, in the initiative; commitment of a full-time staff member to AMOD; and data-driven assessment and intervention efforts.
• Some recommendations from AMOD include: bringing higher-level leaders from the campus and community into the initiative; the recruitment and retention of project staff; and advocacy with media and applying communication techniques.

+ Full Report (PDF; 1.6 MB)

Effect of single parenthood on educational aspiration and student disengagement in Korea
Source: Demographic Research

The recent rapid increase in divorce, along with its distinctive cultural and welfare environments for single-parent families, makes Korea an interesting case for examining effects of single parenthood on children’s education. Using data from Korean 9th and 12th graders, I compare the levels of educational aspiration and student disengagement between students with two parents and those with a single parent, distinguishing divorced single fathers, widowed single fathers, divorced single mothers, and widowed single mothers. Logistic regression analyses show that students with a divorced single parent, regardless of gender of the parent, are much less likely to aspire to four-year university education and more likely to be disengaged than their counterparts with two parents. The effects of widowhood disappear once control variables are held constant. Lower household income among single-parent families explains in part the poorer educational outcomes of their children. Parent-child interaction is another important mediating factor for the effect of single fatherhood but not for single motherhood. The relevance of the extended family system and distinctive features of post-divorce living arrangements in Korea is discussed to understand the effects of single parenthood.

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Global competition and European companies’ location decisions - Background paper
Source: Eurofound

This background paper outlines some of the main issues concerning global competitiveness and the location of firms in Europe. It provides some of the fundamental ideas of economic geography, presents some relevant data and defines some key concepts. The conference itself [3-5 June 2008, Poznań, Poland] which brings together representatives from companies, the social partners and policymakers, aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of what is required from all parties to ensure a competitive and socially cohesive Europe.

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How the Income Tax Treatment of Saving and Social Security Benefits May Affect Boomers’ Retirement Incomes
Source: Urban Institute

Income tax provisions affect the buildup of retirement assets during workers’ careers and after-tax income following retirement. This paper uses the Urban Institute’s DYNASIM model to simulate how potential changes in the tax treatment of retirement saving, Social Security benefits, and income from assets outside retirement accounts may affect boomers’ retirement incomes. Changes in the income thresholds for taxing Social Security benefits have the largest impact on middle-income boomers, while changes in contribution limits for retirement saving plans and tax rates on capital gains and dividends have the largest impact on the highest-income boomers.

+ Full Paper (PDF; 331 KB)