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The majority of recent empirical papers in operations management (OM) employ observational data to investigate the causal effects of a treatment, such as program or policy adoption. However, as observational data lacks the benefit of random treatment assignment, estimating causal effects poses challenges. In the specific scenario where one can reasonably assume that all confounding factors are observed—referred to as selection on observables—matching methods and synthetic controls can assist researchers to replicate a randomized experiment, the most desirable setting for drawing causal inferences. In this paper, we first present an overview of matching methods and their utilization in the OM literature. Subsequently, we establish the framework and provide pragmatic guidance for propensity score matching and coarsened exact matching, which have garnered considerable attention in recent OM studies. Following this, we conduct a comprehensive simulation study that compares diverse matching algorithms across various scenarios, providing practical insights derived from our findings. Finally, we discuss synthetic controls, a method that offers unique advantages over matching techniques in specific scenarios and is expected to become even more popular in the OM field in the near future. We hope that this paper will serve as a catalyst for promoting a more rigorous application of matching and synthetic control methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a firm announces a product recall it typically incurs a market penalty in the form of a decline in its stock price. But a specific recall announcement often happens among recalls by other firms in the industry. Could recent recalls by other firms in the industry impact the market penalty for a new recall announcement? To capture and test this effect, the authors conceptualize recall environment intensity. Using salience theory, they identify the dimensions of the recall environment intensity construct, confirm these dimensions using interviews and a survey, and develop a measure for the construct. The authors then develop hypotheses for the effect of recall environment intensity on the stock penalty for a new recall announcement and propose boundary conditions for the effect. The hypotheses are tested using data from the automobile industry to show that a firm that announces a recall in a high intensity recall environment will have a smaller decline in stock price, though the effect varies with the reliability reputation of the brand and the age of the recalled products. The study provides a nuanced understanding of the stock market response to recall announcements and offers guidance on how to conceptualize and measure recall environment intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the drug development for rare disease, the number of treated subjects in the clinical trial is often very small, whereas the number of external controls can be relatively large. There is no clear guidance on choosing an appropriate statistical method to control baseline confounding in this situation. To fill this gap, we conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the performance of commonly used matching and weighting methods as well as the more recently developed targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) and cardinality matching in small sample settings, mimicking the motivating data from a pediatric rare disease. Among the methods examined, the performance of coarsened exact matching (CEM) and TMLE are relatively robust under various model specifications. CEM is only feasible when the number of controls far exceeds the number of treated, whereas TMLE has better performance with less extreme treatment allocation ratios. Our simulations suggest bootstrap is useful for variance estimation in small samples after matching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the relationship between firms' participation in global value chains (GVCs) and price markups. Utilizing data from 14,316 firms across six European nations sourced from AMADEUS data linked to the EFIGE project, we observe significant diversity among countries and industries regarding firm-specific, time-varying markups. After mitigating sample selection bias through coarsened exact matching (CEM), we discover that firms involved in exporting produced-to-order goods and importing service and material inputs have a markup premium 3 and 4% higher than non-trading firms. Our findings remain robust to alternative definitions of GVC participation, different data matching techniques (propensity score matching), and different markup estimates. These results contribute to the limited but increasingly crucial literature on markup disparities, offering valuable insights for crafting industrial policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the Current Population Survey's Food Security Supplement data to investigate food insecurity disparities among Black and White households across different age groups and socioeconomic characteristics. We find that disparities in the probability of food insecurity between Black and White households vary considerably across specific socioeconomic strata, in particular education, poverty status, and home ownership. Black households are systematically more food insecure than White, even when conditioning on other attributes, and even once household heterogeneity is eliminated. Thus, factors beyond socioeconomic characteristics may be more important in determining food insecurity disparities across Black and White households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Method Findings Conclusions In 2016, the UK government identified the need for counselling services in schools to be evidence‐based (Department for Education, 2016). While there is more empirical evidence on counselling and improvement in mental health (Daniunaite et al., Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 2015, 15, 251; Finning et al., European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2022, 31, 1591), less is known about the associations of counselling with children's academic attainment and progress.The aim of the paper was to provide more pieces of evidence on the possible associations between school‐based individual counselling and the academic attainment and progress of primary school–aged children. The academic outcomes of children receiving one‐to‐one counselling were compared with those of children who did not receive counselling, but who had similar background characteristics. Coarsened exact matching method was used to match similar children for these comparisons based on national data sets available in England. Data were analysed with inferential statistics and multilinear regression.Before matching the samples, analyses revealed children attending Place2Be's counselling services were significantly more likely to be boys (56.6% vs. 51.1%), of ethnic minority origin (46.4% vs. 21.5%), eligible for free school meals (FSM; 52.7% vs. 16.9%) and have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) status (43.1% vs. 21.1%) than the comparison group. They also had lower academic attainment than children who were not in counselling. However, after a coarsened exact matching on relevant background characteristics, the Place2Be sample was found to have similar levels of academic progress to the matched national sample, suggesting they did not fall behind similar children.Findings indicate that individual school‐based counselling may be helpful as a potential intervention for supporting vulnerable children's (defined as those identified by schools or parents as in need of individual counselling) academic progress in primary schools, as well as socio‐emotional outcomes; however, further research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preoperative management requires the identification and optimization of modifiable medical comorbidities, though few studies isolate comorbid status from related patient-level variables. This study evaluates Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI)—an easily derived measure of aggregate medical comorbidity—to predict outcomes from spinal fusion surgery. Coarsened exact matching is employed to control for key patient characteristics and isolate CCI. We retrospectively assessed 4680 consecutive patients undergoing single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion at a single academic center. Logistic regression evaluated the univariate relationship between CCI and patient outcomes. Coarsened exact matching generated exact demographic matches between patients with high comorbid status (CCI >6) or no medical comorbidities (matched n = 524). Patients were matched 1:1 on factors associated with surgical outcomes, and outcomes were compared between matched cohorts. Primary outcomes included surgical complications, discharge status, 30- and 90-day risk of readmission, emergency department (ED) visits, reoperation, and mortality. Univariate regression of increasing CCI was significantly associated with non−home discharge, as well as 30- and 90-day readmission, ED visits, and mortality (all P < 0.05). Subsequent isolation of comorbidity between otherwise exact-matched cohorts found comorbid status did not affect readmissions, reoperations, or mortality; high CCI score was significantly associated with non−home discharge (OR = 2.50, P < 0.001) and 30-day (OR = 2.44, P = 0.02) and 90-day (OR = 2.29, P = 0.008) ED evaluation. Comorbidity, measured by CCI, did not increase the risk of readmission, reoperation, or mortality. Single-level, posterior lumbar fusions may be safe in appropriately selected patients regardless of comorbid status. Future studies should determine whether CCI can guide discharge planning and postoperative optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical models suggest that standardisation activities in the market may be too high or too low with respect to the market optimum. This paper investigates the association of standardisation engagement with firms' performance as indirect evidence of a sub-optimal level of market standardisation activities. Anecdotal evidence has it that firms can benefit from engagement in standardisation activities, but large quantitative studies on this topic are rather scarce. Based on a large innovation survey, this paper implements matching models to compare outcomes of firms with similar features but different standardisation activities. The outcomes of interest are several measures of innovation and growth. Standardisers and non-standardisers are matched onto a rich set of control variables. Firms engaged in standardisation have better innovation performance than firms with no such activities. However, the results for the performance measures are rather mixed, showing no association or negative association with labour productivity measures. Heteroscedasticity-based instruments mitigate possible endogeneity issues. These results can be interpreted as indirect evidence of low standardisation activity in the market, possibly due to long payback periods and appropriability issues of the standardisation investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionOver the years, smallholder farmers have faced more vulnerability to risk and uncertainty in India due to their dependence on cereal crops. One way to reduce this risk is through diversified agriculture, integrating different practices for efficient resource utilization, and adopting a farming systems approach. An integrated farming system (IFS) is one such technique that provides year-round income from different components of enterprises. However, the decision to adopt IFS may be determined by several characteristics of farmers, which needs to be delineated through impact analysis to harness the benefits of a systems approach.MethodsThis study analyzes the economic effects of integrated farming systems and assesses their determinants, as well as the dietary diversity patterns of farmers in two states of southern India, i.e., Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A multistage sampling technique was used to obtain cross-sectional data from 367 farmers randomly chosen from one district in Kerala and two districts in Tamil Nadu. The participants have Crop + Horticulture + Animal husbandry (45.45%) as their major system, whereas non-participants have Crop + Animal husbandry (44.35%) as their predominant system. Coarsened exact matching and logit regression methods were used to evaluate the economic impacts of IFS and its influencing factors.ResultsThe findings of the study indicate that age, education, livestock holding, access to credit, and plantation area have a positive and significant effect on participation by farmers in the program. The matching results show that adoption of IFS resulted in a significant economic impact, generating an additional gross income of Rs. 36,165 ha−1 and a net income of Rs. 35,852 ha−1 and improving the dietary diversity of farm households by 8.6% as compared to non-adopters.DiscussionThis study suggests that IFS is a promising approach for improving farmers' livelihoods, economic gains, and nutritional security. Therefore, the integrated farming systems models need to be upscaled through the convergence of government schemes in other regions of India to support smallholder farmers' farming.

AbstractBuffer stock intervention is a hedging policy against income losses due to price fluctuations, primarily from farming activities, notably the production of cereals. This paper investigates the impact of buffer stock intervention on smallholder farmers’ food security in Ghana. To this end, the motivation was to estimate the nutrient-content household dietary diversity index (NHDDI) based on a cross-sectional data set. We apply Coarsened Exact Matching, Weighted Least Squares, and Weighted Ordered Probit analysis as econometric methods. We find that marital status, gender, education, and income positively impact food security, while the household size and the number of children under five years old have a negative impact. We also find that income and education, which have a positive direct impact on food security, have a mitigating effect on the negative impact of children under five years. The most important finding is that participation in the buffer stock operations improves the household food security of participating smallholder farmers. NAFCO in its present form has positive effects on food security for participants, positive but smaller price effects for non-participating smallholder farmers, and negative effects for consumers at large. The latter effect could be reduced by implementing a buffer stock policy consisting of buying during the glut and selling when supply is tight.

Much prior work has revealed that minority students are more likely than White youth to experience school suspensions, expulsions, and office referrals. However, the research establishing these patterns has relied exclusively on regression-based methods, which may not ensure adequate between-group balance on the measured covariates. Using data from the 2012 to 2019 8th/10th grade cohorts of the Monitoring the Future survey (N = 62,962), this study compares the treatment effects estimated following coarsened exact matching (CEM) with those generated using conventional methods on unmatched data. The results from both sets of analyses reveal notable effects of race but less consistent findings for Hispanic ethnicity. Further, while the effect sizes are similar, the average adjusted predictions from the matched data are more modest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Spousal caregivers of older adults, especially new spousal caregivers, face increased risks of negative health outcomes due to the demands of caregiving and their own health decline. Estimating the impacts of caregiving on health without controlling for caregivers' own aging-related health decline could exaggerate the negative health consequences of caregiving, while focusing solely on caregivers could result in selection bias where healthier individuals enter and/or remain in caregiving. This study aims to estimate the impacts of caregiving on health of new spousal caregivers while controlling for observable confounders. Methods We utilized coarsened exact matching analysis to compare health outcomes between new spousal caregivers and spousal noncaregivers using pooled panel data from 2006 to 2018 in the Health and Retirement Study. We analyzed 242,123 person-wave observations from 42,180 unique individuals, among whom 3,927 were new spousal caregivers. Variables used for matching were classified into 3 categories: care needs, willingness to provide care, and ability to provide care. Two-year outcomes assessed are spouse's self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and cognitive functioning. Results A total of 3,417 (87.01%) new spousal caregivers were matched with 129,798 observations of spousal noncaregivers. Regression analysis indicated being a new spousal caregiver was associated with a 0.18- (standard error = 0.05) unit increase in number of depressive symptoms. No statistically significant results were identified for self-rated health and cognitive functioning. Discussion Our results highlighted the needs to address mental health among new spousal caregivers and emphasized the importance of addressing mental health in long-term care programs and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this program evaluation study, we analyzed the impact of interpersonal validation and participation in living-learning communities (LLC) on retention and GPA via regression and propensity score matching. The LLCs were designed to improve outcomes for underrepresented, low-income and first-generation students at a Midwestern regional public university. Employing data from the widely used Mid-Year Student Assessment™, we created a validation score. This student validation score was significantly associated with retention in semester three, and third semester and sixth semester GPA. In the matched pair analyses, we found mixed results with significantly improved retention for participants in just one LLC compared to their matched peers, and significantly improved GPA for a combined group of LLC participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from a household survey in Botswana were analysed to assess the effectiveness of food transfers. Food transfers have been contentious, and much assessment has focused on market participation while overlooking direct impacts on hunger. This paper quantitatively assesses food transfers while controlling for selection bias. Responses to food insecurity questions and Body Mass Index of the head of household were tested for association with socioeconomic variables using logistic and ordinal regression. Respondents who were female (p <.0001), lived outside major cities and towns (p =.0002), lived in larger households (p <.0001), or had never received formal education (p <.0001) were more likely to report hunger and be underweight. After controlling for selection bias using several Propensity Score and Exact Matching methods, we showed that food transfers reduced the proportion of respondents reporting hunger (p =.017 with Optimal 1:2 matching). This demonstrates that food transfers targeted the hungry and alleviated household food insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitalization gradually transforms digital education technology from being a teaching means to focusing on the student's abilities. This study analyzes the data from the China Education Baseline Survey of the Renmin University of China using Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) and quantile regression methods. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression is used to test the net effect of digital education technology on students' academic and cognitive abilities. The OLS result shows that digital education technology has a significantly positive impact on the cognitive ability of middle school students. However, schools focusing on using digital education technology as a means of school management will lower students' cognitive abilities. Second, the CEM method result shows a significant difference in the cognitive ability scores between students in classrooms with and without digital education technology. This indicates that digital education technology can inspire students' internal drive, motivate them to learn, and enhance their cognitive abilities. Last, the quantile regression result shows that the use of digital education technology has heterogeneity in the development of the cognitive ability of middle school students. When the cognitive ability quantile point increases, the influence becomes more obvious, changing from not significant to significant, then to very significant. This provides some inspiration for understanding the application of digital education technology. It can be concluded that this is an effective method to study the sustainable development of cognitive abilities through heterogeneity. The method ensures individuals' holistic and comprehensive development, thus promoting groups' development and contributing intellectual support to them to adapt to future social requirements and lead future social development. Digital education technology endows students with the cognitive abilities for lifelong learning to solve various problems in future social life, reserve high-quality talent resources for the future, and build a learning society with extensive significance. This paper analyzes the sustainable development of students' cognitive abilities using emerging digital education technologies. It not only deepens the understanding of sustainable development of education and humans but also provides intellectual support for society's sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buffer stock intervention is a hedging policy against income losses due to price fluctuations, primarily from farming activities, notably the production of cereals. This paper investigates the impact of buffer stock intervention on smallholder farmers' food security in Ghana. To this end, the motivation was to estimate the nutrient-content household dietary diversity index (NHDDI) based on a cross-sectional data set. We apply Coarsened Exact Matching, Weighted Least Squares, and Weighted Ordered Probit analysis as econometric methods. We find that marital status, gender, education, and income positively impact food security, while the household size and the number of children under five years old have a negative impact. We also find that income and education, which have a positive direct impact on food security, have a mitigating effect on the negative impact of children under five years. The most important finding is that participation in the buffer stock operations improves the household food security of participating smallholder farmers. NAFCO in its present form has positive effects on food security for participants, positive but smaller price effects for non-participating smallholder farmers, and negative effects for consumers at large. The latter effect could be reduced by implementing a buffer stock policy consisting of buying during the glut and selling when supply is tight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite high aspirations, youth formerly in foster care may face significant barriers (e.g., academic preparedness, adult mentoring) to obtaining a postsecondary credential. Better understanding the relationship between affordability and postsecondary access for youth formerly in foster care (YFFC) merits attention from researchers because finances often present a barrier to success for this population of students. This exploratory study asks the question: What factors influenced whether YFFC received financial aid and do those factors change over time? Using event history analysis and national longitudinal data on foster care and youth outcomes, we explore what factors impact whether a YFFC receives financial aid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effect of an educational cash transfer on schooling and working of the recipients and their non-recipient siblings in Indonesia, using a matched difference-in-differences strategy. We find that the cash transfer increases the probability of schooling for all recipients. Specifically, the likelihood of schooling for the senior secondary school children increases by 19 percentage points. However, there is no effect on the recipient's probability to work. Furthermore, there is no significant spill-over effect on non-recipient siblings' schooling. While the transfer reduces the incidence of child labour for non-recipient girls, it increases the probability of non-recipient boys to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents datasets representing the demographics and achievements of computer science students in their first programming courses (CS1). They were collected from a research project comparing the effects of a constructionist Scratch programming and the conventional instructions on the achievements of CS1 students from selected Nigerian public colleges. The project consisted of two consecutive quasi-experiments. In both cases, we adopted a non-equivalent pretest-posttest control group design and multistage sampling. Institutions were selected following purposive sampling, and those selected were randomly assigned to the Scratch programming class (experimental) and the conventional (comparison) class. A questionnaire and pre- and post-introductory programming achievement tests were used to collect data. To strengthen the research design, we used the Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) algorithm to create matched samples from the unmatched data obtained from both experiments.Future studies can use these data to identify the factors influencing CS1 students' performance, investigate how programming pedagogies or tools affect CS1 students' achievements in higher education, identify important trends using machine learning techniques, and address additional research ideas.

This study explores why the levels of decoupling between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and economic growth vary across time and countries by examining to which extent carbon pricing instruments are driving this decoupling. We expect that the implementation of carbon pricing instruments facilitates decoupling, as they are designed to achieve cost‐efficient GHG reduction. We analyze a panel data of 29 European countries between 1996 and 2014 to examine the relationships between two carbon pricing instruments (emission trading (ETS) and carbon tax) and emission intensity (GHG emissions per unit of GDP) which we use to measure decoupling trends. Results from two‐way fixed effects models show that emission trading contributes to decoupling, whereas our evidence does not support the role of carbon tax. Furthermore, emission trading is negatively associated with both emission intensity and GHG emissions, implying that it contributes to strong decoupling. Using coarsened exact matching (CEM), our results suggest that even a single emission trading policy (e.g., EU‐ETS) across different jurisdictions may render a heterogeneous effect on decoupling depending on their socioeconomic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we use village-level data to examine the impact of geographic proximity on inequality in higher education. We define higher education oases as the area collectively constructed by all the universities within a 15-km travel distance radius from research-intensive universities. Based on the coarsened exact matching method, we identified villages with comparable socioeconomic statistics that differed only in terms of their proximity to highly concentrated higher education resources, thus mimicking a treatment and a control group. Evidence based on this quasi-experimental design shows that villages located in higher education oases have a significantly higher percentage of residents aged 25–34 who have earned a master's degree or above compared to those not located in higher education oases. However, there is no significant difference in the percentage of residents aged 20–24 with a bachelor's degree or above between the two groups of villages. This study sheds light on the impact of the geography of opportunity on inequality in higher education in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research underscores the importance of fathers' involvement in their children's lives. However, there is mixed evidence about the degree to which fatherhood programs improve economic stability and child support outcomes among noncustodial fathers. We attempted to address some of these gaps in the literature by evaluating the Fathers Advancing Community Together (FACT) program. FACT was implemented by Rubicon Programs, a community‐based nonprofit organization in the Bay Area, California known for providing services to help move people out of poverty. The program provided parents economic stability, responsible parenting, and healthy relationship workshops, as well as support services and intensive case management. We relied on data from the Department of Child Support Services to assess whether FACT increased the likelihood of employment, child support modifications, and child support payments among noncustodial fathers during a 6‐month post‐enrollment period. Using 3:1 coarsened exact matching procedures, the total sample resulted in 744 fathers (186 in the intervention group and 558 in the comparison group). Results from logistic regression models indicate that FACT participants were more likely to be employed and more likely to receive a child support modification during the post‐enrollment period than their comparison counterparts, though we found no significant relationship between FACT participation and whether fathers made a child support payment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) face an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence suggests that early rhythm control including AF ablation may reduce this risk. Methods: To compare the risks for cardiovascular events in AF patients with and without pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), we analysed data from two prospective cohort studies in Switzerland (n = 3968). A total of 325 patients who had undergone PVI during a 1-year observational period were assigned to the PVI group. Using coarsened exact matching, 2193 patients were assigned to the non-PVI group. Outcomes were all-cause mortality, hospital admission for acute heart failure, a composite of stroke, transient ischemic attack and systemic embolism (Stroke/TIA/SE), myocardial infarction (MI), and bleedings. We calculated multivariable adjusted Cox proportional-hazards models. Results: Overall, 2518 patients were included, median age was 66 years [IQR 61.0, 71.0], 25.8% were female. After a median follow-up time of 3.9 years, fewer patients in the PVI group died from any cause (incidence per 100 patient-years 0.64 versus 1.87, HR 0.39, 95%CI 0.19–0.79, p = 0.009) or were admitted to hospital for acute heart failure (incidence per 100 patient-years 0.52 versus 1.72, HR 0.44, 95%CI 0.21–0.95, p = 0.035). There was no significant association between PVI and Stroke/TIA/SE (HR 0.94, 95%CI 0.52–1.69, p = 0.80), MI (HR 0.43, 95%CI 0.11–1.63, p = 0.20) or bleeding (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.50–1.12, p = 0.20). Conclusions: In our matched comparison, patients in the PVI group had a lower incidence rate of all-cause mortality and hospital admission for acute heart failure compared to the non-PVI group. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02105844, April 7th 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The more pronounced job satisfaction among women is generally observed despite their less favorable work situation compared to men. However, regression analysis alone in a sample of non-comparable men and women may be subject to model misspecification. Our work uses an innovative matching procedure, Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM), to address this issue and analyze the reasons for the differential in job satisfaction between men and women with the same characteristics. Data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey are considered including five measures of satisfaction with career development prospects taken as a new measure. The results show that women are more satisfied with job security, while they seem less satisfied with their career development prospects. A similar level of satisfaction is observed between men and women with regard to social relations, overall satisfaction and salary. Exceptionally, the youngest women, or those with higher education, or employed at a higher hierarchical level, or working in male-dominated sectors, expressed levels of satisfaction that were the opposite of the other women. This is likely due to the fact that these women align their job expectations with those of their male counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting patient needs for extended care after spinal fusion remains challenging. The Risk Assessment and Prediction Tool (RAPT) was externally developed to predict discharge disposition after nonspine orthopedic surgery but remains scarcely used in neurosurgery. The present study is the first to use coarsened exact matching—which incorporated patient characteristics known to independently affect outcomes—for 1:1 matching across a large population of single-level, posterior lumbar fusions, to isolate the predictive value of preoperative RAPT score on postoperative discharge disposition. Preoperative RAPT scores were prospectively calculated for 1066 patients undergoing consecutive single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion within a single, university healthcare system. The primary outcome was discharge disposition. Logistic regression was executed across all patients, evaluating the RAPT score as a continuous variable to predict home discharge. Subsequently, patients were retrospectively clustered into predicted risk cohorts—validated within prior orthopedic joint research—based on the RAPT score (Lowest, Intermediate, and Highest Risk). Coarsened exact matching was performed among predicted risk cohorts, and outcomes were compared between exact-matched groups. Among all patients, single-point increases in the RAPT score (i.e., decrease in predicted risk) were associated a 75% increased odds of home discharge (P < 0.001). Exact-matched analysis demonstrated increased odds of home discharge by 400% when comparing the Lowest versus Highest Risk cohorts (P = 0.004), by 750% when comparing the Intermediate versus Highest Risk cohorts (P < 0.001), and by 200% when comparing the Lowest versus Intermediate Risk cohorts (P < 0.001). The RAPT score, captured in preoperative evaluations, can be highly predictive of discharge disposition following single-level, posterior lumbar fusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Previous quantitative studies on the effects of social network types on mental health have obtained inconsistent or conflicting results, due to problems such as sample selection bias or crude measurement of variables. In this study, we avoided these problems by using appropriate statistical methodology to examine the effect of various forms of social network on the mental health of a sample of 987 Chinese female domestic workers. Thus, we measured social network types in terms of both network attributes (friend networks and family networks) and interaction channels (face-to-face, telephone, and WeChat/QQ channels, where the latter are two popular online messaging platforms in China), and used the coarsened exact matching method to obtain a balanced sample. The results showed that social network typologies had positive and negative effects on the mental health of this sample of domestic workers, as evidenced by (1) In terms of network attributes, family networks were associated with improved mental health and friend networks were associated with worsened mental health; (2) In terms of interaction channels, the significant amelioration in mental health from family networks came from face-to-face interactions, the significant deterioration in mental health from friends networks came from telephone interactions, and in terms of other interaction channels, family networks and friends networks had no significant effect on mental health. Robustness tests indicated that these conclusions are reliable. We discuss the possible mechanisms of which different types of social networks influence mental health.

This study explores the relationship between mobility patterns, occupational choices and performance outcomes of university graduates from metropolitan and peripheral areas. After statistical matching, we find opposite outcomes for geographically mobile wage earners and entrepreneurs. Graduates from the periphery who stay in the study region to work have an inferior performance outcome compared with those who move to the metropolitan region. This 'penalty' is not present for non-movers in metropolitan areas. Non-mobile entrepreneurs benefit from attachment to their home region, in particular in the periphery. These findings can help direct regional policy aimed at retaining graduates and promoting regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we revisit questions about the onshore employment effects of firms that conduct foreign direct investment (FDI) in countries with substantially lower average wages. Our results derive from the use of rich administrative records on the universe of employees in German multinational enterprises (MNEs) that were active in the Czech Republic in 2010. Compared with former studies, the unique data set in this study includes a much higher fraction of small‐ and medium‐sized firms and leads to strikingly different results for service MNEs. Applying coarsened exact matching for firms and an event‐study design, we show that the domestic employment growth of MNEs decreases relative to that of non‐MNEs and that the affected workers are those with low or medium educational attainment in the manufacturing sector and with medium or high educational attainment in the service sector. Regarding workers' tasks, our results do not show that FDI affects routine jobs beyond a worker's skill level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By providing quick and easy access to credit, online lending platforms may help borrowers overcome financial setbacks and/or refinance high-interest debt, thereby decreasing bankruptcy filings. On the other hand, these platforms may cause borrowers to overextend themselves financially, leading to a "debt trap" and increasing bankruptcy filings. To investigate the impact of online lending on bankruptcy filings, we leverage variation in when state regulators granted approval for a major online lending platform—Lending Club—to issue peer-to-peer loans. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that state approval of Lending Club led to an increase in bankruptcy filings. A complementary instrumental variables analysis using loan-level data yields similar results. We find suggestive evidence that the ease of receiving a Lending Club loan causes some borrowers to overextend themselves financially, leading to bankruptcy. Our results suggest that recent initiatives from online lending platforms to control how borrowers use loans, such as Lending Club's "balance transfer loans" that send loan funds directly to creditors, can help these platforms provide safe and affordable credit. Our study adds to the literature that examines how online platforms influence society and the economy; it contributes to the literature that examines how financial products, services, and regulations influence bankruptcy filings; and it has policy implications for online lending design and regulation. This paper was accepted by Lorin Hitt, information systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the difference of pelvic size and shape between Tibetan and Chinese Han women. Data on pelvic dimension measures including interspinous diameter (IS), intercrestal diameter (IC), external conjugate (EC) and transverse outlet (TO) were acquired from two population-based studies amongst Tibetan women in Lhasa, and Chinese Han women in Shaanxi province in China. After coarsened exact matching, there was no statistical difference between any characteristics amongst Tibetan and Chinese Han women (p>.05). The generalised estimating equation models showed Tibetan women had significantly lower IS and IC means than Chinese Han women (IS: 24.39 cm vs. 24.77 cm, p<.001; IC: 26.35 cm vs. 26.93 cm, p<.001) but statistically higher in TO mean (9.12 cm vs. 9.03 cm, p<.001). This study showed Tibetan women have smaller pelvis compared to Chinese Han women. This should offer a useful literature on the comparison of pelvis between Tibetan and Chinese Han women although the difference is small. What is already known on this subject? Previous studies in China indicated different populations have different dimensions of pelvis, with the pelvis of Uighur women being bigger than Chinese Han women, and that of Zhuang and Tu women being smaller than Chinese Han women. Little research reports the specific size of Tibetan women's pelvis. Living at high altitude, the Tibetan population have differentiated demographics and show local adaptions, such as unelevated haemoglobin, and significant catch-up growth for infants compared with Chinese Han infants. Therefore, there is a strong rationale for better understanding pelvic characteristics amongst this population. What the results of this study add? This study showed Tibetan women have smaller pelvises compared to Chinese Han women. Tibetan women have a smaller interspinous diameter and intercrestal diameter than Chinese Han women, which leads to relatively narrow hip. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This study provides useful comparative information on pelvic features between Tibetan and Chinese Han women although the findings of differences were small. In addition, during the formulation of women's health policy, the results of this study can provide data to support the selection of appropriate indicators of obstetrics and gynaecology for different populations of pregnant women during antenatal care and delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Patient experience is a key measure widely used to evaluate quality of healthcare, yet there is little discussion about it in China using national survey data. This study aimed to explore rural and urban differences in patient experience in China. Methods Data regarding this study were drawn from Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) 2015, with a sample size of 9604. Patient experience was measured by the evaluation on healthcare services. Coarsened exact matching (CEM) method was used to balance covariates between the rural and urban respondents. Three thousand three hundred seventy-two participants finally comprised the matched cohort, including 1592 rural residents and 1780 urban residents. Rural and urban differences in patient experience were tested by ordinary least-squares regression and ordered logistic regression. Results The mean (SD) score of patient experience for rural and urban residents was 72.35(17.32) and 69.45(17.00), respectively. Urban residents reported worse patient experience than rural counterparts (Crude analysis: Coef. = − 2.897, 95%CI: − 4.434, − 1.361; OR = 0.706, 95%CI: 0.595, 0.838; Multivariate analysis: Coef. = − 3.040, 95%CI: − 4.473, − 1.607; OR = 0.675, 95%CI: 0.569, 0.801). Older (Coef. = 2.029, 95%CI: 0.338, 3.719) and healthier (Coef. = 2.287, 95%CI: 0.729, 3.845; OR = 1.217, 95%CI: 1.008, 1.469) rural residents living in western area (Coef. = 2.098, 95%CI: 0.464, 3.732; OR = 1.276, 95%CI: 1.044, 1.560) with higher social status (Coef. = 1.158, 95%CI: 0.756, 1.561; OR = 1.145, 95%CI: 1.090, 1.204), evaluation on adequacy (Coef. = 7.018, 95%CI: 5.045, 8.992; OR = 2.163, 95%CI: 1.719, 2.721), distribution (Coef. = 4.464, 95%CI: 2.471, 6.456; OR = 1.658, 95%CI: 1.312, 2.096) and accessibility (Coef. = 2.995, 95%CI: 0.963, 5.026; OR = 1.525, 95%CI: 1.217, 1.911) of healthcare resources had better patient experience. In addition, urban peers with lower education (OR = 0.763, 95%CI: 0.625, 0.931) and higher family economic status (Coef. = 2.990, 95%CI: 0.959, 5.021; OR = 1.371, 95%CI: 1.090,1.723) reported better patient experience. Conclusions Differences in patient experience for rural and urban residents were observed in this study. It is necessary to not only encourage residents to form a habit of seeking healthcare services in local primary healthcare institutions first and then go to large hospitals in urban areas when necessary, but also endeavor to reduce the disparity of healthcare resources between rural and urban areas by improving quality and capacity of rural healthcare institutions and primary healthcare system of China.

The advent of the Internet and the maturation of the information technology (IT) industry has significantly decreased transaction and coordination costs. However, there is still a strong preference for being geographically proximal, notably when accessing capital markets for innovation activities, such as the formation of funding ties between venture capitalists (VCs) and new IT ventures. While VCs prefer to support colocated entrepreneurs, significant evidence suggests that the funding of nonlocal IT entrepreneurs does occur. In this work, we investigate how trends in the form of herding and media coverage, which are not specific to the entrepreneur but pertain to the technology sector in which the entrepreneur operates, may influence VCs to reach across geographic boundaries. Using a series of matched sample methodologies, results suggest that the influence of media is significantly stronger for VCs considering funding non-colocated, as opposed to colocated, IT entrepreneurs. However, and strikingly, support for the effect of herding is notably weaker. Managerial and policy implications, particularly for technology entrepreneurs and policy makers seeking to support such innovators, are discussed within. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background In China, achieving health equity has been regarded as a key issue for health reform and development in the current context. It is well known that unemployment has a negative effect on health. However, few studies have addressed the association between unemployment and inequity in health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study aims to compare the inequality and inequity in HRQOL between the unemployed and employed in China. Methods The material regarding this study was derived from the Chinese National Health Services Survey of Shaanxi Province for 2013. We controlled for confounding factors by utilizing the coarsened exact matching method. Finally, 7524 employed individuals and 283 unemployed individuals who were 15 to 64 years old in urban areas were included in this study. We used HRQOL as the outcome variable, which was evaluated by using the Chinese version of EQ-5D-3L. The health concentration index, decomposition analysis based on the Tobit model, and the horizontal inequity index were employed to compute the socioeconomic-related equity between the unemployed and employed and the contribution of various factors. Results After matching, unemployed people tended to have poorer EQ-5D utility scores than employed people. There were statistically pro-rich inequalities in HRQOL among both employed and unemployed people, and the pro-rich health inequity of unemployed people was substantially higher than that of employed people. Economic status, age, education, smoking and health insurance were the factors influencing inequality in HRQOL between employed and unemployed individuals. Education status and basic health insurance have reduced the pro-rich inequity in HRQOL for unemployed people. Conclusion It is suggested that unemployment intensifies inequality and inequity in HRQOL. According to policymakers, basic health insurance is still a critical health policy for improving health equity for the unemployed. Intervention initiatives aiming to tackle long-term unemployment through active labour market programmes, narrow economic gaps, improve educational equity and promote the health status of the unemployed should be considered by the government to achieve health equity.

Based on data from a large-scale assessment of school quality in China, this study examined the differences in the impact of learning and teaching strategies on the students' academic achievements between elementary and middle schools. Two-level hierarchical linear models and coarsened exact matching revealed three major findings: (a) Cognitive, meta-cognitive, and inquiry-based learning strategies were significant predictors of students' academic achievements, and the effect sizes of these strategies were larger in middle schools; (b) Individualized instruction, participatory instruction, and guided inquiry teaching strategies were significant predictors of students' achievements, and the effect sizes of these strategies were larger in elementary schools; (c) Overall teaching strategies significantly improved learning strategies, and the effects were greater in elementary schools. These findings call for more research on learning/teaching strategies to improve students' academic performance. • Learning strategies predict students' academic achievements. • Learning strategies are more important in middle schools. • Teaching strategies predict students' academic achievements. • Teaching strategies are more important in elementary schools. • Teaching strategies significantly improve learning strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partible inheritance is considered an important driver in the fragmentation of farmland use and ownership, but this lacks empirical evidence. We combine parcel-level data on land use and land ownership with historical information on inheritance traditions from Eastern Austria where partible and impartible inheritance coexisted. We use multiple regression analysis with coarsened exact matching to show that farmland is more fragmented in partible inheritance regions. Despite partially consolidating their farmland via the rental market, farms in these areas own less land, farm smaller and more scattered parcels, and have more landowners than farms in regions with an impartible inheritance tradition. Policy makers should thus ensure functioning land markets and facilitate land consolidation measures to counteract the legacies of historical fragmentation processes. • We investigate the influence of partible inheritance on farmland fragmentation. • We use nine farm-level measures of ownership, usership and physical fragmentation. • Farms are more fragmented in partible compared to impartible inheritance regions. • Fragmentation is reduced via land renting. • Effects are visible 60 years after impartible inheritance became the legal norm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To evaluate the catalyst, diversion and common liability hypotheses by examining associations between e‐cigarette use and tobacco cigarette smoking at modal ages 14 and 17 years, controlling for adolescent and infancy risk factors. Design Intergenerational, prospective cohort data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). Nationally representative sample of infants born September 2000 to January, 2002. Setting: United Kingdom. Participants: Parent and child data from 10 625 youth assessed in infancy and modal ages 11, 14 and 17 years. Measurements Age 14 and 17 e‐cigarette and combustible cigarette use (recency, frequency). Potential confounders were age 11 risk factors (e.g. alcohol use, externalizing behaviors, parental tobacco use, permissiveness), infancy risk factors (e.g. maternal smoking during pregnancy, smoke exposure in infancy) and demographic characteristics. Findings Among youth who had not smoked tobacco by age 14 (n = 9046), logistic regressions estimated that teenagers who used e‐cigarettes by age 14 compared with non‐e‐cigarette users, had more than five times higher odds of initiating tobacco smoking by age 17 [odds ratio (OR) = 5.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.28–8.38] and nearly triple the odds of being a frequent tobacco smoker at age 17 (OR = 2.91, 95% CI = 1.56–5.41), net of risk factors and demographics. Among youth who had not used e‐cigarettes by age 14 (n = 9078), teenagers who had smoked tobacco cigarettes by age 14 had three times higher odds of initiating e‐cigarettes by age 17 (OR = 2.98, 95% CI = 1.74–5.09) compared with non‐tobacco smokers and nearly three times higher odds of frequently using e‐cigarettes at age 17 (OR = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.21–6.95), net of confounders. Similar links between e‐cigarette and tobacco cigarette use were observed in regressions following coarsened exact matching. Conclusions: E‐cigarette use by age 14 is associated with increased odds of tobacco cigarette initiation and frequent smoking at age 17 among British youth. Similarly, tobacco smoking at age 14 is associated with increased odds of both e‐cigarette initiation and frequent use at age 17. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, even if the education on hard-working spirit has been emphasized increasingly as an important part of practical education in China's education policy, the reality is still far from satisfactory, because many parents do not provide their children with sufficient opportunities to do housework. Previous studies have indicated that the empirical analysis remains to be improved in terms of the relationship between housework and the development of primary and junior high school students. Based on data from the 2020 Monitoring of Students' Academic Quality in Basic Education in Jiangsu Province Study, this study investigates the influence of primary and secondary school students' participation in housework on academic performance by using OLS regression and Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM). The results show that the current proportion of primary and junior high school students involved in housework is not high; however, participating in housework frequently will positively affect the academic performance of primary and junior high school students. Participation in housework in primary school has a greater positive impact on academic performance than that in junior high school. In addition, since excessive academic burden is the main factor hindering primary and junior high school students from being involved in housework, it is necessary to strengthen the publicity of education on hard-working spirit to help people know its importance. Also, we suggest the burden on schoolwork should be reduced to in order to promote more diversified housework related educational opportunities for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundIt is unclear whether knowing of current HIV status is associated with change in injecting behaviors among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Iran. The objective of the present study was to determine whether awareness of HIV positive status is associated with a reduction in injecting risk behaviors, after matching for socio-demographic characteristics.MethodsFive hundred male PWID were recruited in 2014 from two drop-in centers (DICs) in Kermanshah west of Iran. Trained interviewers collected data on socio-demographic characteristics, HIV testing and drug-related risk behaviors over the last month prior to interview using a structured questionnaire. Our primary exposure of interest was awareness of HIV status, used to group participants into three categories: positive, negative, unaware. We used coarsened exact matching to make the three groups statistically equivalent based on age, place of residence, education and income, and then compared them regarding the proportion of borrowing, lending and reuse of syringes.ResultsMatched sample (n=320) had a mean age ± standard deviation (SD) of 33.5 ±7.6 yr. Overall, 25% (95% CI: 14%, 32%) of participants reported "borrowing a syringe" in the past month and 15% (95% CI: 7%, 22%) of them reported "lending a used syringe" to others in the past month. In comparison to PWID who were unaware of their HIV status, those knew they were HIV positive (OR 1.68, CI95%1.32-2.81) or negative (OR 1.54; 95% CI: 1.28, 2.71) were both more likely to report borrowing syringes in past month.ConclusionsPWID WHO know they are positive for HIV are more likely to borrow another person's syringe, to report reuse of their own used syringes and less likely to report lending their syringes to others. Strategies to scale up HIV testing and counseling for PWID, which also increase awareness of HIV status, may decrease injecting related the risk behaviors.

Policymakers and institutional leaders in higher education too often make decisions based on descriptive data analyses or even anecdote when better analysis options could produce more nuanced and more valuable results. Employing the setting of higher education program evaluation at a midwestern regional public university, for this study we compared analysis approaches using basic descriptive analyses, regression, standard propensity score matching (PSM), and a mixture of PSM with continuous variables, coarsened exact matching, and exact matching on categorical variables. We used three examples of program evaluations: a freshman seminar, an upper division general education program intended to improve cultural awareness and respect for diverse groups, and multiple living learning communities. We describe how these evaluations were conducted, compare the different results for each type of method employed, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each in the context of program evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's cross-border pollution problem has attracted a growing level of attention from the domestic and international community. The elimination of environmental pollution greatly depends on professional environmental protection companies. China's environmental protection industry has sustained a rapid growth with 26.9% annual growing rate of output value since 2011. To effectively discover the potential investment fields and regions, this study examines the spatial distribution of 53 A-Share Listed Environmental Companies (ASLEC) in China and their 927 subsidiaries. Methods of hot spot analysis, Pearson's correlation analysis and coarsened exact matching were employed in our paper to reveal the spatial distribution characteristics of environmental protection industry and their main influencing indicators. Results show that ASLEC invested over US$ 13 billion distributed in 210 cities in China in 2017. Treatment of wastewater and municipal solid waste related to traditional water supply, drainage and sanitation are the main businesses of the environmental protection industry in China. This is because these businesses belong to conventional urban municipal works with low technological requirement and high economic return. Therefore, the government should support those environmental protection businesses with fine technology, such as air pollution prevention and industrial waste control. Our study also reveals that there is a strong and positive correlation between municipal indicators and environmental protection investment. This indicates that the municipal works attract much more investment of environmental protection companies than heavy industries. The eastern region of China remains a hot spot for investment whereas the investment in the western region increased significantly in 2017. The potential of future development will be located in the central and western regions. For serious air pollution and large-scale industrial transfer from eastern regions to the central and western regions in China, there is lack of industrialization environmental protection capacity to fulfill the ambitious national pollution reduction target. This opportunity implies to attract more investments from international environmental protection companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aimed at improving innovation capacity and upgrading technology of manufacturing industry, 'Made in China 2025' (CM2025), which relies on selective industrial policies, has attracted great attention. This paper investigates the effects of CM2025 on firms' R&D investment using CEM-DID, a combination method based on the coarsened exact matching and the difference-in-difference. The method can effectively identify causal relationships without suffering from selection bias. Employing a panel data of 1,440 Chinese A-share listed firms from 2012 to 2018, we find firms with core business covered by the areas of CM2025 increase their R&D investment significantly after the policy intervention. Moreover, CM2025 significantly increases government subsidies and financial loans for treated firms, and both effects are larger for SOEs. This finding supports the critique that CM2025 goes against the competitive neutrality principle. No increase in innovation output and total factor productivity is found in the short-term. Our findings are enlightening for enacting better industrial policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sub-Saharan Africa over 52 million children are living with the death of one or both parents. Drivers of this parental mortality include afflictions at levels endemic to the region, including: HIV; malaria and other parasites; lower respiratory infections; diarrhoeal illnesses; and road accidents, among others. This paper examines the impact of orphanhood on learning outcomes among girls and boys in sub-Saharan Africa, conditional on school enrolment. By analysing test scores for approximately 60,000 pupils in 12 countries, we estimate the effect on student test scores by comparing paternal, maternal, and double orphans to non-orphans in the sample, specifically for the subjects of reading, mathematics, and HIV-AIDS knowledge. No previous study has analysed how orphanhood might influence learning by using student test score data, making this paper's approach unique in the literature. This study employs two estimation techniques: Coarsened exact matching calculates the sample average treatment effect on the treated, while matching on students' family structure, household wealth, school resources, and geographic location; and double lasso (DL) regression applies applying machine-learning for variable selection with high-dimensional controls for regional and school identifiers, school location, and student age. Our results show both CEM and DL consistently report a significant negative impact of orphanhood on test scores among specific countries, especially those which faltered in addressing the HIV-AIDS crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the prevalence and correlates of over 50 sexual practices in a national survey of heterosexual and lesbian women in relationships. Coarsened exact matching was used to create comparable samples of heterosexual (n = 2510) and lesbian (n = 283) women on six demographic factors, including relationship length. Heterosexual and lesbian women were equally likely to be sexually satisfied (66% heterosexual women vs. 68% lesbian women). Compared to heterosexuals, lesbians were more likely to report having sex 0–1 times per month (11% vs. 23%) and were less likely to report having sex greater than once per month (89% vs. 77%). Among women who had been in relationships for longer than 5 years, heterosexual women were less likely than lesbian women to report having sex 0–1 times per month (15%; 42%). This steeper drop in sexual frequency among lesbian women than heterosexual women has pejoratively been labeled lesbian bed death. Rather than accept the label "lesbian bed death" as characterizing these sexual relationships, we turn our attention to what we call lesbian bed intimacies: the myriad ways that lesbian women incorporate behaviors promoting emotional connection, romance, and mood setting, as well as relying on a wide variety of specific sexual acts (e.g., use of sex toys) and sexual communication. Compared to heterosexual women, lesbian women were more likely to usually to always receive oral sex during sex in the past month (28%; 47%) and to use sex toys in the past year (40%; 62%). In their last sexual encounter, lesbian women were more likely to say "I love you" (67%; 80%), have sex longer than 30 min (48%; 72%), and engage in gentle kissing (80%; 92%). These intimacies likely help explain why sexual satisfaction was similar in these groups despite notable differences in sexual frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine whether the introduction of stricter rules on short-term rentals (STRs) in some European cities will have an impact on hotel overnight stays. The treatment group consists of cities with the strictest regulations in Europe (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris and London). The coarsened exact matching method is used to select an appropriate control group consisting of cities where there are no similar regulations but which are of a similar size in relation to population and relevant tourist space. Weighted fixed-effect models are used to estimate the average treatment effect on the treated. The specification also includes variables controlling for accommodation prices, value-added tax (VAT) rate on accommodation, terrorist attacks, real income of the destination country and time. Results show that stricter regulations for STRs in the five cities lead to an average increase in overnight stays of around 9%. This suggests that STRs such as Airbnb are substitutes for hotel accommodations and thus strong competitors. In addition, terrorist attacks lead to a decline in overnight stays, while an increase in VAT on accommodation reduces hotel overnight stays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]