ERIC Number: ED072252
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1971-Nov
Pages: 46
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Occupational Choice, The Draft, and the Excess Supply of Air Force Volunteers.
Cook, Alvin A., Jr.
A mathematical model was developed of military enlistment behavior based on the principle of occupational choice. A quality adjustment, applicable to all labor markets, was incorporated into the model in estimating the supply of volunteers. It was assumed that the greater the excess supply of volunteers, the greater the average quality of recruits. The adjusted supply curve took into account variations in the average quality of those who enlisted in the Air Force as a correction for unobserved variations in the excess supply. The increasing elasticity of supply with regard to the military-civilian earning ratio indicates that the universal military pay increases enacted by Congress will provide for an adequate supply of Air Force volunteers. Direct estimation of a supply curve on the observed values for employment by excluding a quality adjustment, when in fact excess supply exists, leads to an underestimation of the true elasticity of supply. Five tables present the data. (Author/AG)
Descriptors: Armed Forces, Career Choice, Career Development, Labor Economics, Labor Force Development, Labor Market, Labor Needs, Labor Supply, Labor Utilization, Mathematical Models, Military Service, Personnel Selection, Predictor Variables, Tables (Data), Volunteers
The Rand Corp., 1700 Main Street, Santa Monica, California 90406 (Catalog No. P-4606-1, $2.00)
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Rand Corp., Santa Monica, CA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A