How Do Earnings Change When Reservists Are Activated? A Reconciliation of Estimates Derived from Survey and Administrative Data

Abstract : This report was produced as part of the RAND project "Activation and the Earnings of Reservists." In related projects, RAND research has shown that, on average, reservists experience large earnings gains while they are activated. These results stand in contrast to estimates derived from the 2004 and 2005 Status of Forces Survey of Reserve Component Members (SOFS-R), which suggest that, on average, reservists suffer large earnings losses while they are activated. This report explores why administrative and SOFS-R data sources produce such divergent estimates of the effect of activation on the earnings of reservists and will be of interest to manpower analysts, survey methodologists, and anyone concerned with the effect of activation on reservists' financial well-being.

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