Presentation
Well-Being, Job Insecurity and the Opioid Crisis
58th Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association
(2019)
Abstract
Opioid addiction is a factor relating to the automation of jobs, the vanishing middle class, and low labor force participation within the hotspots of opioid usage; but there is little information on whether it is a cause or a symptom of deeper macroeconomic maladies, economic distress, and lower wellbeing and life satisfaction. Our hypothesis is that the job losses due to automation and increasing levels of perceived job insecurity in manufacturing in these areas is a significant factor in opioids abuse. Depression and stress levels across the country show that the same areas that are affected by higher rates of automation and opioid addiction, are also showing the highest levels of economic distress. Most federal and state policies to address the opioid crisis tends to focus on federal drug regulations/de-regulations, treatment and rehabilitation of users. While these are important considerations, it is also critical to examine the social and economic factors that affect opioid addiction in order to not just staunch the flow of this contagion but also to address the underlying causes of this crisis that may have its roots in lower life satisfaction in areas that are suffering the most from job displacement and automation as well as rising levels of job insecurity among even the employed. In this paper, we also examine the racial disparities in opioids use and the factors that are driving the difference.
Disciplines
Publication Date
April 4, 2019
Location
Arlington, WA
Citation Information
Samia Islam and Kelly Chen. "Well-Being, Job Insecurity and the Opioid Crisis" 58th Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association (2019) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kelly_chen/10/