The Competing Risks Model: A Method for Analyzing Processes with Multiple Types of Events

Social scientists are often interested in modeling processes with multiple types of events. One frequently used model—the competing risk model—provides a method for analyzing the rates of different event types. This article addresses two important issues concerning the competing risks model. First, under what conditions is this model appropriate? Second, how should one interpret estimated parameters? Guidelines for answering these questions are provided by (1) contrasting the competing risks model to an alternative model in which one analyzes separately the overall hazard rate and conditional probabilities and (2) showing how different interpretations of estimated parameters are related to the issue of dependencies among the competing risks. An empirical analysis of the rates of within and between employer job shifts illustrates the issues involved in employing the competing risks model.