Robert H Defina
Biographic Data
| ID | 332474 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Robert H Defina |
| GIVEN NAMES | Robert H |
| FAMILY NAME | Defina |
| SIGNATURE | DEFINA R H |
| AFFILIATIONS | Villanova University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 223 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1995 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Do White People See Variation in Black Skin Tones? Reexamining a Purported Outgroup Homogeneity Effect
Previous research has reported that white survey interviewers remember black respondents’ skin tones in a much narrower range than recollections by black interviewers. This finding has been used to suggest that, in line with the one-drop rule, whites do not perceive meaningful differences between light- and dark-skinned black people. The authors reanalyze evidence thought to demonstrate relative homogeneity in white interviewers’ evaluation of bl…
De-unionization and Drug Death Rates
Drug death rates in the United States have risen dramatically in recent years, sparking urgent discussions about causes. Most of these discussions have centered on supply-side issues, such as doctors overprescribing pain killers. However, there is increasing recognition of the need to go beyond proximate causes and to consider larger social forces that bear on the demand for pain-relieving drugs. Informed by sociological research linking labor un…
Can Incarceration Really Strip People of Racial Privilege
We replicate and reexamine Saperstein and Penner’s prominent 2010 study which asks whether incarceration changes the probability that an individual will be seen as black or white (regardless of the individual’s phenotype). Our reexamination shows that only a small part of their empirical analysis is suitable for addressing this question (the fixed-effects estimates), and that these results are extremely fragile. Using data from the National Longi…
Social status attainment and racial category selection in the contemporary United States
Reliability Concerns in Measuring Respondent Skin Tone by Interviewer Observation
The current study assesses the intercoder reliability of one of the most important skin tone measurement instruments-the Massey-Martin scale. This scale is used in several high-profile social surveys, but has not yet been psychometrically evaluated. The current evaluation is only possible because, for the first time, the General Social Survey's 2010-2014 panel used the instrument to guide interviewers' skin tone observation of the same respondent…
Racial Rigidity in the United States: Comment on Saperstein and Penner
Previous articleNext article FreeCommentary and DebateRacial Rigidity in the United States: Comment on Saperstein and Penner1Rory Kramer, Robert DeFina, and Lance HannonRory KramerVillanova University Search for more articles by this author , Robert DeFinaVillanova University Search for more articles by this author , and Lance HannonVillanova University Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull TextSupplemental Material Add to favor…
The impact of light skin on prison time for black female offenders
There is a long history of social science research on the importance of race for determining life outcomes. However, there are relatively few social science studies on the importance of skin tone within racial groups. Some recent research has documented the quantifiable advantages associated with having a lighter skin shade, particularly in terms of occupational attainment and earnings among blacks. A handful of studies focusing on black men have…
The Legacy of Black Lynching and Contemporary Segregation in the South
Wacquant (2001) and others have argued that social control efforts directed at racial and ethnic minorities frequently shift institutional form and become more nuanced as societies modernize, even as the underlying function persists. This study examines the connection between southern lynching and housing segregation. We argue that legal, political, social and demographic changes in the south made lynching dysfunctional as a means of control. Amo…
The state of the Economy and the Relationship Between prisoner Reentry and Crime
Previous research has identified a positive relationship between prisoner reentry and crime rates. The relationship potentially reflects both the recidivism of reentering offenders and the broader impact of the releases on the social organization of the areas to which they return. This article explores how economic conditions moderate the association between the size of the reentering population and crime rates. Using a state-level panel spanning…
For incapacitation, there is no time like the present: The lagged effects of prisoner reentry on property and violent crime rates
Diversity, Racial Threat and Metropolitan Housing Segregation
Previous studies have shown that as the percent black or percent Hispanic grows, that groups residential segregation from whites tends to increase as well. Typically, these findings are explained in terms of white discriminatory reaction to the perceived threat associated with minority population growth. The present analysis examines whether these racial threat effects depend on the extent of racial and ethnic diversity in an area. This possibili…
The Impact of State Minimum Wages on Child Poverty in Female-Headed Families
Several state governments set minimum wage levels above the federal level, and some automatically index them to inflation. This article uses the variation in real minimum wages both over time and across states to examine how minimum wages have affected poverty rates of children living in female-headed households. These children are among the most vulnerable members of society and are increasingly likely to feel the impact of such policy actions d…
Business Cycles and Street Crime
This study examines the influence of business cycle fluctuations on street crime in the conceptual framework of Cantor and Land's(1985) seminal work distinguishing between opportunity and motivation effects. The analysis contributes to the literature three ways. First, we use cross‐section/time series data, which has several important advantages over simple time‐series or cross‐section data of previous studies. Second, it introduces a new and bro…
Violent Crime in African American and White Neighborhoods: Is Poverty's Detrimental Effect Race-Specific
The social disorganization and anomie perspectives generally suggest that poverty's criminogenic effect is racially invariant. These perspectives imply that policies that alleviate economic deprivation will equally reduce rates of violent crime in neighborhoods that are predominately white and neighborhoods that are predominately black. In contrast, several social commentators have suggested that alleviating poverty will be a relatively ineffecti…
Racial similarity in the relationship between poverty and homicide rates: Comparing retransformed coefficients
How strong is co-movement in employment over the business cycle? Evidence from state/sector data
International evidence on the impact of transfers and taxes on alternative poverty indexes
The Weak Effect of Imprisonment on Crime: 1971–1998
Objective . This article studies the impact of increasing incarceration rates on crime rates. First we seek to replicate the findings of previous studies utilizing the pooled, fixed–effects models (which are based on the assumption that the effect of imprisonment does not vary across states). Next we test the validity of this assumption. Finally, we present a new methodology to examine the imprisonment–crime relationship. Methods . Annual state–l…
The Impact of Macroeconomic Performance on Alternative Poverty Measures
Sectoral Shocks and Metropolitan Employment Growth
The Impact of Transfers and Taxes on Alternative Poverty Indexes
Changes in the headcount rate are the standard metric for gauging how public transfers and taxes affect US poverty. An alternative strategy, one theoretically more appealing and complete, is to rely on distribution-sensitive indexes (Sen 1976, 1981). How would policy's measured impacts change if such an approach were to be used? This study provides empirical evidence using three selected poverty indexes from the class developed by Foster et al . …
The Differential Regional Effects of Monetary Policy
This paper examines whether monetary policy has similar effects across regions in the United States. Impulse response functions from an estimated structural vector autoregression reveal a core of regions—New England, Mideast, Plains, Southeast, and the Far West— that respond to monetary policy changes in ways that closely approximate the U.S. average response. Of the three noncore regions, one (Great Lakes) is noticeably more sensitive to monetar…
Regional Income Dynamics
The impact of light skin on prison time for black female offenders
There is a long history of social science research on the importance of race for determining life outcomes. However, there are relatively few social science studies on the importance of skin tone within racial groups. Some recent research has documented the quantifiable advantages associated with having a lighter skin shade, particularly in terms of occupational attainment and earnings among blacks. A handful of studies focusing on black men have…
Business Cycles and Street Crime
This study examines the influence of business cycle fluctuations on street crime in the conceptual framework of Cantor and Land's(1985) seminal work distinguishing between opportunity and motivation effects. The analysis contributes to the literature three ways. First, we use cross‐section/time series data, which has several important advantages over simple time‐series or cross‐section data of previous studies. Second, it introduces a new and bro…
Diversity, Racial Threat and Metropolitan Housing Segregation
Previous studies have shown that as the percent black or percent Hispanic grows, that groups residential segregation from whites tends to increase as well. Typically, these findings are explained in terms of white discriminatory reaction to the perceived threat associated with minority population growth. The present analysis examines whether these racial threat effects depend on the extent of racial and ethnic diversity in an area. This possibili…
Reliability Concerns in Measuring Respondent Skin Tone by Interviewer Observation
The current study assesses the intercoder reliability of one of the most important skin tone measurement instruments-the Massey-Martin scale. This scale is used in several high-profile social surveys, but has not yet been psychometrically evaluated. The current evaluation is only possible because, for the first time, the General Social Survey's 2010-2014 panel used the instrument to guide interviewers' skin tone observation of the same respondent…
Racial Rigidity in the United States: Comment on Saperstein and Penner
Previous articleNext article FreeCommentary and DebateRacial Rigidity in the United States: Comment on Saperstein and Penner1Rory Kramer, Robert DeFina, and Lance HannonRory KramerVillanova University Search for more articles by this author , Robert DeFinaVillanova University Search for more articles by this author , and Lance HannonVillanova University Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull TextSupplemental Material Add to favor…
The Legacy of Black Lynching and Contemporary Segregation in the South
Wacquant (2001) and others have argued that social control efforts directed at racial and ethnic minorities frequently shift institutional form and become more nuanced as societies modernize, even as the underlying function persists. This study examines the connection between southern lynching and housing segregation. We argue that legal, political, social and demographic changes in the south made lynching dysfunctional as a means of control. Amo…
The Weak Effect of Imprisonment on Crime: 1971–1998
Objective . This article studies the impact of increasing incarceration rates on crime rates. First we seek to replicate the findings of previous studies utilizing the pooled, fixed–effects models (which are based on the assumption that the effect of imprisonment does not vary across states). Next we test the validity of this assumption. Finally, we present a new methodology to examine the imprisonment–crime relationship. Methods . Annual state–l…
Social status attainment and racial category selection in the contemporary United States
Violent Crime in African American and White Neighborhoods: Is Poverty's Detrimental Effect Race-Specific
The social disorganization and anomie perspectives generally suggest that poverty's criminogenic effect is racially invariant. These perspectives imply that policies that alleviate economic deprivation will equally reduce rates of violent crime in neighborhoods that are predominately white and neighborhoods that are predominately black. In contrast, several social commentators have suggested that alleviating poverty will be a relatively ineffecti…
Can Incarceration Really Strip People of Racial Privilege
We replicate and reexamine Saperstein and Penner’s prominent 2010 study which asks whether incarceration changes the probability that an individual will be seen as black or white (regardless of the individual’s phenotype). Our reexamination shows that only a small part of their empirical analysis is suitable for addressing this question (the fixed-effects estimates), and that these results are extremely fragile. Using data from the National Longi…
The Impact of State Minimum Wages on Child Poverty in Female-Headed Families
Several state governments set minimum wage levels above the federal level, and some automatically index them to inflation. This article uses the variation in real minimum wages both over time and across states to examine how minimum wages have affected poverty rates of children living in female-headed households. These children are among the most vulnerable members of society and are increasingly likely to feel the impact of such policy actions d…
Racial similarity in the relationship between poverty and homicide rates: Comparing retransformed coefficients
The Impact of Macroeconomic Performance on Alternative Poverty Measures
Sectoral Shocks and Metropolitan Employment Growth
De-unionization and Drug Death Rates
Drug death rates in the United States have risen dramatically in recent years, sparking urgent discussions about causes. Most of these discussions have centered on supply-side issues, such as doctors overprescribing pain killers. However, there is increasing recognition of the need to go beyond proximate causes and to consider larger social forces that bear on the demand for pain-relieving drugs. Informed by sociological research linking labor un…
The state of the Economy and the Relationship Between prisoner Reentry and Crime
Previous research has identified a positive relationship between prisoner reentry and crime rates. The relationship potentially reflects both the recidivism of reentering offenders and the broader impact of the releases on the social organization of the areas to which they return. This article explores how economic conditions moderate the association between the size of the reentering population and crime rates. Using a state-level panel spanning…
The Impact of Transfers and Taxes on Alternative Poverty Indexes
Changes in the headcount rate are the standard metric for gauging how public transfers and taxes affect US poverty. An alternative strategy, one theoretically more appealing and complete, is to rely on distribution-sensitive indexes (Sen 1976, 1981). How would policy's measured impacts change if such an approach were to be used? This study provides empirical evidence using three selected poverty indexes from the class developed by Foster et al . …
Regional Income Dynamics
Do White People See Variation in Black Skin Tones? Reexamining a Purported Outgroup Homogeneity Effect
Previous research has reported that white survey interviewers remember black respondents’ skin tones in a much narrower range than recollections by black interviewers. This finding has been used to suggest that, in line with the one-drop rule, whites do not perceive meaningful differences between light- and dark-skinned black people. The authors reanalyze evidence thought to demonstrate relative homogeneity in white interviewers’ evaluation of bl…
For incapacitation, there is no time like the present: The lagged effects of prisoner reentry on property and violent crime rates
How strong is co-movement in employment over the business cycle? Evidence from state/sector data
International evidence on the impact of transfers and taxes on alternative poverty indexes
Regional Income Dynamics
The Differential Regional Effects of Monetary Policy
This paper examines whether monetary policy has similar effects across regions in the United States. Impulse response functions from an estimated structural vector autoregression reveal a core of regions—New England, Mideast, Plains, Southeast, and the Far West— that respond to monetary policy changes in ways that closely approximate the U.S. average response. Of the three noncore regions, one (Great Lakes) is noticeably more sensitive to monetar…
Sectoral Shocks and Metropolitan Employment Growth
The Impact of Transfers and Taxes on Alternative Poverty Indexes
Changes in the headcount rate are the standard metric for gauging how public transfers and taxes affect US poverty. An alternative strategy, one theoretically more appealing and complete, is to rely on distribution-sensitive indexes (Sen 1976, 1981). How would policy's measured impacts change if such an approach were to be used? This study provides empirical evidence using three selected poverty indexes from the class developed by Foster et al . …
The Weak Effect of Imprisonment on Crime: 1971–1998
Objective . This article studies the impact of increasing incarceration rates on crime rates. First we seek to replicate the findings of previous studies utilizing the pooled, fixed–effects models (which are based on the assumption that the effect of imprisonment does not vary across states). Next we test the validity of this assumption. Finally, we present a new methodology to examine the imprisonment–crime relationship. Methods . Annual state–l…
The Impact of Macroeconomic Performance on Alternative Poverty Measures
How strong is co-movement in employment over the business cycle? Evidence from state/sector data
International evidence on the impact of transfers and taxes on alternative poverty indexes
Violent Crime in African American and White Neighborhoods: Is Poverty's Detrimental Effect Race-Specific
The social disorganization and anomie perspectives generally suggest that poverty's criminogenic effect is racially invariant. These perspectives imply that policies that alleviate economic deprivation will equally reduce rates of violent crime in neighborhoods that are predominately white and neighborhoods that are predominately black. In contrast, several social commentators have suggested that alleviating poverty will be a relatively ineffecti…
Racial similarity in the relationship between poverty and homicide rates: Comparing retransformed coefficients
Business Cycles and Street Crime
This study examines the influence of business cycle fluctuations on street crime in the conceptual framework of Cantor and Land's(1985) seminal work distinguishing between opportunity and motivation effects. The analysis contributes to the literature three ways. First, we use cross‐section/time series data, which has several important advantages over simple time‐series or cross‐section data of previous studies. Second, it introduces a new and bro…
The Impact of State Minimum Wages on Child Poverty in Female-Headed Families
Several state governments set minimum wage levels above the federal level, and some automatically index them to inflation. This article uses the variation in real minimum wages both over time and across states to examine how minimum wages have affected poverty rates of children living in female-headed households. These children are among the most vulnerable members of society and are increasingly likely to feel the impact of such policy actions d…
Diversity, Racial Threat and Metropolitan Housing Segregation
Previous studies have shown that as the percent black or percent Hispanic grows, that groups residential segregation from whites tends to increase as well. Typically, these findings are explained in terms of white discriminatory reaction to the perceived threat associated with minority population growth. The present analysis examines whether these racial threat effects depend on the extent of racial and ethnic diversity in an area. This possibili…
The state of the Economy and the Relationship Between prisoner Reentry and Crime
Previous research has identified a positive relationship between prisoner reentry and crime rates. The relationship potentially reflects both the recidivism of reentering offenders and the broader impact of the releases on the social organization of the areas to which they return. This article explores how economic conditions moderate the association between the size of the reentering population and crime rates. Using a state-level panel spanning…
For incapacitation, there is no time like the present: The lagged effects of prisoner reentry on property and violent crime rates
The impact of light skin on prison time for black female offenders
There is a long history of social science research on the importance of race for determining life outcomes. However, there are relatively few social science studies on the importance of skin tone within racial groups. Some recent research has documented the quantifiable advantages associated with having a lighter skin shade, particularly in terms of occupational attainment and earnings among blacks. A handful of studies focusing on black men have…
The Legacy of Black Lynching and Contemporary Segregation in the South
Wacquant (2001) and others have argued that social control efforts directed at racial and ethnic minorities frequently shift institutional form and become more nuanced as societies modernize, even as the underlying function persists. This study examines the connection between southern lynching and housing segregation. We argue that legal, political, social and demographic changes in the south made lynching dysfunctional as a means of control. Amo…
Can Incarceration Really Strip People of Racial Privilege
We replicate and reexamine Saperstein and Penner’s prominent 2010 study which asks whether incarceration changes the probability that an individual will be seen as black or white (regardless of the individual’s phenotype). Our reexamination shows that only a small part of their empirical analysis is suitable for addressing this question (the fixed-effects estimates), and that these results are extremely fragile. Using data from the National Longi…
Social status attainment and racial category selection in the contemporary United States
Reliability Concerns in Measuring Respondent Skin Tone by Interviewer Observation
The current study assesses the intercoder reliability of one of the most important skin tone measurement instruments-the Massey-Martin scale. This scale is used in several high-profile social surveys, but has not yet been psychometrically evaluated. The current evaluation is only possible because, for the first time, the General Social Survey's 2010-2014 panel used the instrument to guide interviewers' skin tone observation of the same respondent…
Racial Rigidity in the United States: Comment on Saperstein and Penner
Previous articleNext article FreeCommentary and DebateRacial Rigidity in the United States: Comment on Saperstein and Penner1Rory Kramer, Robert DeFina, and Lance HannonRory KramerVillanova University Search for more articles by this author , Robert DeFinaVillanova University Search for more articles by this author , and Lance HannonVillanova University Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull TextSupplemental Material Add to favor…
De-unionization and Drug Death Rates
Drug death rates in the United States have risen dramatically in recent years, sparking urgent discussions about causes. Most of these discussions have centered on supply-side issues, such as doctors overprescribing pain killers. However, there is increasing recognition of the need to go beyond proximate causes and to consider larger social forces that bear on the demand for pain-relieving drugs. Informed by sociological research linking labor un…
Do White People See Variation in Black Skin Tones? Reexamining a Purported Outgroup Homogeneity Effect
Previous research has reported that white survey interviewers remember black respondents’ skin tones in a much narrower range than recollections by black interviewers. This finding has been used to suggest that, in line with the one-drop rule, whites do not perceive meaningful differences between light- and dark-skinned black people. The authors reanalyze evidence thought to demonstrate relative homogeneity in white interviewers’ evaluation of bl…
Economics (18 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Demographic economics (11 works) · Psychology (11 works) · Econometrics (10 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (8 works) · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies (8 works) · Demography (7 works) · Mathematics (7 works) · Criminology (6 works)