Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Kentucky Public Schools As Educational Bright Spots (September 2020), Michael T. Childress

CBER Research Report

Understanding the reasons for better‐than‐expected performance across Kentucky's 173 school districts, taking into account student outcomes, backgrounds, and school district characteristics. Building on the previous work with school districts and using school-level data, this paper discusses the estimated expected level of school-level performance using district-level fixed effects. From this broad range of student outcomes, family and community backgrounds, and school characteristics, we identify schools that have performed better than expected—which we refer to as “bright spots.”

The Effects Of Opioids On Kentucky's Workforce, Michael W. Clark, Jenny A. Minier, Charles J. Courtemanche, Bethany L. Paris, Michael T. Childress

CBER Research Report

From the executive summary:

Opioid abuse represents a significant and growing public health issue for both the nation and Kentucky. In 2016, opioids contributed to more than 62,000 deaths nationally and 1,406 deaths in Kentucky. National studies have placed the societal costs of opioid abuse at $55.7 billion in 2007 and $78.5 billion in 2013 (Birbaum et al. (2011) and Florence et al. (2016)). These costs included increased health care expenditures, higher criminal justice costs, and lost earnings due to reduced employment and premature deaths. The While House Council of Economic Advisors (2017) estimated the societal costs of opioid abuse …

The Effect Of Smoking On Kentucky’S Workforce, Michael W. Clark, Jenny A. Minier, Charles J. Courtemanche, Bethany L. Paris, Michael T. Childress

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the Executive Summary:

Smoking has been estimated to increase health care costs in the United States by $167.5 billion annually (Xu et al. 2015). In Kentucky, smoking adds $2.5 billion in health care expenditures each year. Most of these costs were paid by public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. While these costs are significant, they represent only a portion of the costs that smoking imposes on society. Smoking also leads to poorer labor market outcomes. Smokers are more likely to be unemployed, earn lower wages, and die prematurely than non-smokers. These negative labor market effects reduce economic …

The Economic Impact Of Diabetes In Kentucky, Michael W. Clark, Jenny A. Minier, Charles J. Courtemanche, Bethany L. Paris, Michael T. Childress

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the Executive Summary:

The Kentucky Department of Public Health is responsible for improving the health and safety of Kentucky’s residents by preventing disease and injuries and encouraging healthy lifestyles. The department administers nearly 150 programs that address critical health issues affecting Kentuckians. These programs screen newborns for health problems, prevent the spread of infectious diseases, promote oral health, and provide numerous other services.

Diabetes represents a growing health concern for the nation and Kentucky. It is a chronic condition that causes blood sugar levels to rise and contributes to other serious health conditions such as heart and kidney …

The Economic Impacts Of Land Use Policies In Lexington, Kentucky, Christopher R. Bollinger, William H. Hoyt, Michael W. Clark, Xiaozhou Ding

CBER Research Report

Every five years, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s Planning Commission adopts a comprehensive plan detailing goals and objectives that guide the city’s land use planning. Maintaining the city’s urban service area and preserving its rural and agricultural areas are integral parts of this plan. Within the urban service area, land is zoned to permit various types of urban uses such as residential, commercial, and industrial use. Land outside the urban service area is subject to several land use policies designed to preserve the rural characteristics of these areas. This report examines the effects of Lexington’s land use policies and specifically its …

Unlocking The Complexity Of The Health Care System: Kentucky’S Health Navigators, Michael T. Childress

CBER Research Report

From the preface:

Health navigation comes in many forms. Sometimes it takes the form of helping an individual find the treatment, medication, or health services they need. Other times navigation takes the form of helping a patient overcome barriers of child care, finances, or transportation so they can see a doctor. In other cases navigation means working with patients to enhance health literacy so they comply with medical instructions and are not readmitted to a hospital. And sometimes health navigation entails lending an empathetic hand to patients under‐ going the rigors of cancer treatment.

Here we adopt a fairly broad …

Report To Governor’S Blue Ribbon Commission On Tax Reform By Economic Consultants, William Hoyt, William Fox, Michael T. Childress, James Saunoris

CBER Research Report

Excerpts from the executive summary:

Two basic points come from our analysis of Kentucky’s tax system: a broader tax base is needed so that revenue can keep pace with future economic growth, and changes are needed to improve Kentucky’s economic competitiveness.

Without fundamental reforms Kentucky could face a $1 billion shortfall by 2020, and could find itself at a competitive disadvantage to neighboring states for business growth, retention, and recruitment.

The options we present below can improve future revenue growth and economic competitiveness—which are evaluated with respect to other important factors, such as fairness and simplicity. The Commission should view …

A Profile Of Kentucky Medicaid Mental Health Diagnoses, 2000‐2010, Michael T. Childress

CBER Research Report

Good policy is dependent upon good data. This is especially true in health policy. Here we provide data on the number of Kentucky Medicaid beneficiaries who have received a mental or behavioral health diagnosis from 2000 to 2010. A Profile of Kentucky Medicaid Mental Health Diagnoses, 2000‐2010 provides information on the total number of individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder as well as a year‐by‐year count of the 15 broad categories used to classify these diagnoses. Presented for children (age 18 and younger) and adults (19 and older), these data are organized at the state, regional, …

Kentucky Medicaid Pharmaceutical Utilization Guide, 2000‐2010, Michael T. Childress

CBER Research Report

From the preface:

Understanding Medicaid pharmaceutical utilization in Kentucky is important: over $6.6 billion was expended in the state from 2000 to 2010 on outpatient medication; it has the potential to fundamentally transform the health and well‐being individuals, and by extension wider communities; and there is a continuing trend in the nonmedical use (and abuse) of prescription drugs, exacting a heavy toll on individuals, their families, and the wider community. The Kentucky Medicaid Pharmaceutical Utilization Guide, 2000‐2010 provides information on the 50 most utilized pharmaceuticals in Kentucky with respect to prescriptions, costs, and total grams—and presents this information for children …

Industry And Labor Characteristics And Projections: The Beam And Wia Regions, Christopher R. Bollinger, Kenneth R. Troske

CBER Research Report

Executive Summary:

The Bluegrass Economic Advancement Movement region encompasses the Louisville and Lexington MSAs and the corridor between them. It is an area with much of the manufacturing, medical and transportation & warehousing industries of Kentucky contained within. Over 36% of the population and 38% of the Kentucky labor force live and work in this region. This report analyzes the labor market structure within the region. We also examine the labor market structure in five Workforce Investment Act Regions: Bluegrass, Lake Cumberland, Lincoln Trail, Kentuckiana Works, and Indiana Region 10. We examine employment at the industry and occupation level and …

Intrastate Switched Telephone Access Charges In Kentucky, Christopher Jepsen, Frank Scott, Jesse Zenthoefer

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

This report examines the economic consequences of the current access rate system for intrastate long-distance calls, governed by the Kentucky Public Service Commission. At the time Kentucky created an access rate system for telephone service in 1984, the main goal of telecommunication policy was universal wireline access. Since then the telecommunications landscape has changed dramatically, as well as current policy goals. New forms of communication and policy have emerged such as cellular phones and cable telephony, as well as the introduction of the National Broadband Plan and the strong desire both nationally and in Kentucky …

Estimates Of The Costs And Benefits Of Expanding The Early Childhood Education Program In Kentucky, Christopher Jepsen, Kenneth R. Troske, Casey Brasher

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

Kentucky officials are being encouraged to expand the availability of Kentucky’s state-funded preschool program. The current program restricts eligibility to three- and four-year-old students with disabilities and four-year-old students with family incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

Housing Affordability In Lexington, Kentucky, Christopher Jepsen, Kenneth R. Troske, Nola Ogunro

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

The rapid rise in housing prices that occurred between 1990 and 2006 led many communities, including Lexington, Kentucky, to become concerned about whether individuals who hold “typical” jobs—such as teachers and police officers—could continue to live in the communities where they worked. Unfortunately, given the lack of recent detailed studies examining the affordability of housing in Fayette County (which contains Lexington), it is hard to know whether concerns about affordable housing are justified. In response to this lack of information, the Home Builders Association of Lexington and the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors (LBAR) requested that …

Educational Spending: Kentucky Vs. Other States, William Hoyt, Christopher Jepsen, Kenneth R. Troske

CBER Research Report

Excerpts from the executive summary:

The passage of the Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA) in 1990 had a dramatic impact on the funding of primary and secondary education in the state. The amount of money spent on education increased significantly with the passage of KERA with districts in rural areas of the state experiencing the largest growth in spending (Hoyt, 1999). This has led to a decline in the disparity between rural and urban districts in education spending. However, despite the increase in educational spending, Kentucky still lags behind the typical state in the U.S. in spending per student (Troske, …

Economic Growth In Kentucky: Why Does Kentucky Lag Behind The Rest Of The South?, Christopher Jepsen, Kenneth Sanford, Kenneth R. Troske

CBER Research Report

Excerpts from the executive summary:

Kentucky has consistently been one of the poorest states in the country between 1939 and the present. On top of this already low level of income, Kentucky has experienced fairly slow growth in output in recent years. Between 1997 and 2004, Kentucky had an average annual growth in real gross state product (GSP) of 1.6 percent, ranking 43 rd in terms of growth in GSP relative to the rest of the states.

In contrast to Kentucky’s relatively stagnant growth, many of Kentucky’s neighbors, especially to the south, have experienced relatively rapid growth in average earnings …

The Individual, Regional And State Economic Impacts Of Kentucky Community And Technical Colleges, Glenn C. Blomquist, Paul A. Coomes, Christopher Jepsen, Brandon Koford, Barry Kornstein, Kenneth R. Troske

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

This report presents the results of our nine-month effort to measure the economic value of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), both directly to its students around the state, and indirectly to all residents of Kentucky. We find wide public support for KCTCS, and a willingness to pay for an expansion of its programs. We also find a large variation in the individual returns to community and technical college education, in terms of expected work-life earnings by gender and by region of the state.

An Examination Of Incentives To Attract And Retain Businesses In Kentucky, William Hoyt, Christopher Jepsen, Kenneth R. Troske

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

The offering of tax and other location-based incentives to firms considering locating operations in a state, as well as firms with existing operations, has become a common practice of both state and local governments in the past thirty years. However, these programs are not without their critics. Some of the concerns about these programs arise from the lack of strong evidence, either supportive or critical of these programs. The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development contracted with the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) to produce a series of reports examining the effectiveness of tax …

Fiscal Policy And Property Values, William Hoyt, John Garen

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

The purpose of this study is to inform on the current state of knowledge of the economics profession of the impacts of state and local taxes on property values. Our goal is also to suggest how to interpret some of the findings of this literature as well as to provide some conceptual background to assist in interpreting these findings.

Fiscal Policy And Local Economic Development, William Hoyt, John Garen

CBER Research Report

No abstract provided.

Measurement And Assessment Of Efficiency And Productivity In Kentucky State Government Services, William H. Hoyt

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

This report examines the provision of a variety of government services within Kentucky. The provision of these public services, specifically the cost of providing these services is examined for the years 1992, 1997, and 2002. In addition, employment and salaries in government services are also examined. In addition to comparing costs within Kentucky during this period, the costs of providing public services are also compared to costs of the same government services by its neighboring states (Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia).

Trends And Comparisons In Higher Education Economics: How Has Kentucky Fared?, William Hoyt

CBER Research Report

No abstract provided.

Kentucky Labor Supply And Demand Surveys, Mark C. Berger, Paul A. Coomes, Christopher Bollinger, Bruce Gale, Ronald E. Langley, Barry Kornstein, Jonathan M. Roenker, John Perry, Roy Sigafus, Eric C. Thompson

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

The Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky (CBER), along with its partners, the Survey Research Center at the University of Kentucky (UK-SRC), the Survey Research Center in the Urban Studies Institute at the University of Louisville (UL-SRC), and the Department of Economics at the University of Louisville, is pleased to present this final report on the findings of the Kentucky labor supply and demand surveys sponsored by the Kentucky Cabinet for Workforce Development. The two universities have put together a consortium including some of the best scholars in the region …