About the Speaker:

Kannika is currently the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of California at Los Angeles and RAND Corporation. She received her PhD in Economics from the University of Southern California. Her fields of interest are in program evaluation, applied econometrics, health economics and applied microeconomics.

Abstract:

This paper uses the 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey to assess the impact of marijuana decriminalization policy on marijuana smoking prevalence in Australia. Both parametric and nonparametric methods are used. The parametric approach includes an endogenous probit switching, two-part, sample selection, and standard dummy variable models while the nonparametric approach uses propensity score stratification matching. Specification analyses are also conducted. We construct a nonparametric kernel-based test to select between parametric and nonparametric models, and use likelihood ratio test to choose among parametric models. Our analyses favor the endogenous switching model where decriminalization increases the probability of smoking by 16.2%.

Reservation:

Admission is free.  Please reply to Christina, e-mail: achristina@ntu.edu.sg or Tel: 6790-5689 to confirm your attendance.