JOB MARKET PAPER
Do the Open Container Laws Affect Alcohol-Related Motor Vehicle Fatalities in US States?
Selected Invited Conference Presentations: American Economics Association (AEA) 2025, Western Economic Association International (WEAI) 2024, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Mentoring Program on Aging and Health Economics Research 2024, American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon) 2024 Link Here
Abstract: Open container laws (OCL), which prohibit drivers from possessing open alcohol containers within reach in motor vehicles, are designed to reduce motor vehicle accidents and mortality. OCL implementations vary across the US states regarding whether passengers can legally possess and/or consume alcohol even when forbidden for the drivers. Majority of the US states enacted their laws at various times from 1998 (earliest treatment) to 2017 (latest treatment). This study provides new evidence on how staggered OCL adoptions have affected alcohol-related fatal accidents from 1990-2020 based on at least 3 pre-policy intervention and 5 post-implementation years. Data are from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS), Census Bureau, and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This work advances the extant literature with inclusion of the latest available data, accounting for late policy-adopters, and performing granular treatment heterogeneity tests using novel analytical techniques. Considering the heterogeneous treatment years, the Callaway-Sant’Anna (CS) staggered Difference-in-Difference (DID) event study is crosschecked with the Stacked DID method for robustness checks. Study findings confirm that OCLs have the short-term effect of reducing alcohol-related fatalities by 22-34% per 100,000 people and for up to 5 years post-implementation after which the potency fades. There are public policy implications for road safety and life expectancy.
WORKING PAPERS
Effect of Informal Elder Care on Labor Market Outcomes: A Structural Equations Approach
Effect of Informal Child Care on Labor Market Outcomes: A Structural Equations Approach
Selected Invited Conference Presentations: American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon) 2025, WEAI 2025, Southern Economic Association (SEA) 2025.
Abstract: Several studies have proven how parental labor market activities relate to childcare, child health, cognitive and other outcomes. However, given the possibility for reverse causality, it is important to investigate how childcare affects labor outcomes and the role of special-needs childcare, elderly care, and the disabled in the short and long runs. This current study uses the US American Time Use Survey (ATUS) 2003-2023 data (accounting for pandemic and non-pandemic weights) to investigate the impact of informal childcare and eldercare on multiple measures of labor market outcomes as an improvement on previous studies. Moreover, rather than simply focusing on either childcare or eldercare, this research distinctly compares both forms of informal care for children and the elderly. Specifically for household versus non-household children less than 18 years old, attempting to distinguish between primary and secondary care as well as using paid childcare services in addition to the time spent and frequency of caring for the elderly. Moreso, we use weekly work hours and having full- or part-time jobs as different labor market measures. Depending on the labor market outcome, we adopt ordered logit and multiple regression analysis. Furthermore, robustness checks are performed via heterogeneity analysis by respondents’ age, sex, race, and worker's class, while controlling for industries, educational attainment, number of children and household members. Additionally, to account for possible reverse causality and endogeneity, the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is enacted to buttress the various forms of regression, thereby adding to this study's empirical uniqueness and relevant contribution to the existing literature. Findings suggest that the frequency of eldercare, paid care-services, total time spent caring for (non) household (HH) children significantly affect work status/hours, which is either driven by primary or secondary childcare. This has important implications for labor outcomes for the working-class and healthcare quality of children and the elderly.
PEER-REVIEW PUBLICATIONS
Journal Articles in Applied Microeconomics
Okunade, A., Olarewaju, F., Oyemakinde, B., and Lubiani, G. (2025). Determinants of COVID-19 mortality among the US law enforcement officers. Journal of Population Research, 42(41), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12546-025-09393-y
Olarewaju, F., Ogundipe, A., Adekola, P., and Adeleye, N. (2021). ”Human Capital and Manufacturing Output in Nigeria: A Micro-Data Survey”, Research in World Economy, 12(2), 132-145. PDF Here
Ogundipe, A. A., and Olarewaju, F. O. (2020). ”Manufacturing Output and Labour Productivity: Evidence from ECOWAS”, Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 9(5), 102-111.PDF Here
Olarewaju, F. O., Areo, O. S., Ogundipe, A. A., Ogunbiyi, T. Y., and Asaleye, A. J. (2020). ”Capital and Labour Productivity: A Comparative Study of Nigeria and South Africa”, Asian Economic and Financial Review, 10(12), 1384-1395. PDF Here
Olarewaju, F. O., and Oluranti, O. I. (2019). ”Educational attainment and health outcomes in Nigeria: a survey from NDHS (2008 & 2013)”, The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, 7(11), 69-83. PDF Here
Interdisciplinary Journal Articles & Book Chapter
Ogbari, M. E., Chima, G. U. K., Olarewaju, F. O., Olokundun, M. A., and Ufua, D. E. (2024). ”Towards an Integrative Model of Innovative Entrepreneurship Education for Institutional Sustainability”, In Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Informal Economy in Sub–Saharan Africa: A Sustainable Development Agenda (pp. 143-169). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-46293-1_6
Agudze, K., Iwuagwu, C., Olarewaju, F., & Salako, A. (2024). ”Connectedness of G10 Cross-Currency Basis Derivatives Markets”, The Journal of Investing, 34(1), 58-82. Link Here
Ogbari, M. E., Chima, G. U. K., Olokundun, M. A., Olarewaju, F., and Kehinde, B. (2022). ”Technological orientation as a strategy for entrepreneurial and SMEs economic impact”, The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 9(2), 1287-1300. PDF Here
Ogbari, M. E., Chima, G. U. K., Olarewaju, F. O., Arasomwan, E. J., and Nwunde, C. (2022). ”Innovative leadership styles: innovative entrepreneurial leadership and sustainable economy-a case study of Asia, Europe and America”, World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 18(5-6), 656-674. Link Here
Ogbari, M. E., Chima, G. U. K., Olokundun, M. A., Olarewaju, F. O., and Ufua, D. E. (2022). ”Exploring The Influence of Environmental Complexity on Entrepreneurial Decision Making: A Conceptual Review”, Jurnal Akuntansi dan Bisnis: Jurnal Program Studi Akuntansi, Volume 8(2), 78-86. PDF Here
Agudze, K. M., and Olarewaju, F. (2022). ”The growth impact of trade openness: A comparative analysis of the USA and China”, The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, 31(1), 23-45. PDF Here
Ogbari, M. E., Chima, G. U. K., and Olarewaju, F. O. (2021). ”Critical Factors of Doing Profitable Business in Three Tier Economies: A Case Study Approach”, International Journal of Economics & Management Sciences, 10(10), 1-9. PDF Here
Olarewaju, F. O., and Salako, A. B. (2020). ”Extended Market Drivers of CIP Deviations In Korea’s Cross-Currency Swap Markets”, Asian Review of Financial Research, 33(4), 541-580. PDF Here