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on Demographic Economics |
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Issue of 2012‒02‒01
fifteen papers chosen by Clarence Nkengne Tsimpo University of Montreal and World Bank Group |
| By: | Dimitrios Varvarigos; Intan Zanariah Zakaria |
| Abstract: | We incorporate health-damaging pollution into a three period overlapping generations model in which life expectancy, fertility and economic growth are all endogenous. We show that environmental factors can cause significant changes to the economy’s demographics. In particular, the entrepreneurial choice of less polluting production processes, induced by environmental policy, can account for such demographic changes as higher longevity and lower fertility rates. |
| Keywords: | Economic growth; Pollution; Demography |
| JEL: | J10 O41 Q56 |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lec:leecon:11/46&r=dem |
| By: | Sonia Bhalotra; Irma Clots-Figueras |
| Abstract: | We investigate whether politician gender influences policy outcomes in India. We focus upon antenatal and postnatal public health provision since the costs of poor services in this domain are disproportionately borne by women. Accounting for potential endogeneity of politician gender and the sample composition of births, we find that a one standard deviation increase in women’s political representation results in a 1.5 percentage point reduction in neonatal mortality. Women politicians are more likely to build public health facilities and encourage antenatal care, institutional delivery and immunization. The results are topical given that a bill proposing quotas for women in state assemblies is currently pending in the Indian Parliament. |
| Keywords: | political identity, gender, mortality, health, social preferences, India. |
| JEL: | H41 I18 O15 |
| Date: | 2011–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bri:cmpowp:11/280&r=dem |
| By: | Wolfgang Frimmel; Gerald J. Pruckner |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we study the socio-economic determinants of birth weight with a focus on the mother’s family status. We use Austrian birth register data covering all births between 1984 and 2007 and find that a mother’s marriage is associated with a higher birth weight of the newborn in a range between 4 and 6 dekagrams. This result remains stable if we control for time-invariant unobserved mother heterogeneity. A divorce around pregnancy results in birth weight 2 to 8 dekagrams lower as compared to that of newborn babies of single mothers. The family status effects in the 2000s are stronger as they were in the 1980s. A quantile regression suggests that family effects are more pronounced at the lower quantiles of the birth weight distribution and diminish at higher percentiles. Finally, in accordance with several instrumental variable (IV) studies, we find that the significantly positive impact of family status on children’s health outcomes disappears if we confine our sample to mothers, who are below the age of 22 years. We conclude that social and financial stress may have an important influence on the birth weight of newborns, especially at the lower tail of the birth weight distribution. |
| Keywords: | Low birth weight, family status, newborn health, fixed-effects estimations |
| JEL: | I12 J12 J13 C21 |
| Date: | 2011–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jku:econwp:2011_17&r=dem |
| By: | Wolfgang Frimmel; Gerald J. Pruckner |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we study the socio-economic determinants of birth weight with a focus on the mother’s family status. We use Austrian birth register data covering all births between 1984 and 2007 and find that a mother’s marriage is associated with a higher birth weight of the newborn in a range between 4 and 6 dekagrams. This result remains stable if we control for time-invariant unobserved mother heterogeneity. A divorce around pregnancy results in birth weight 2 to 8 dekagrams lower as compared to that of newborn babies of single mothers. The family status effects in the 2000s are stronger as they were in the 1980s. A quantile regression suggests that family effects are more pronounced at the lower quantiles of the birth weight distribution and diminish at higher percentiles. Finally, in accordance with several instrumental variable (IV) studies, we find that the significantly positive impact of family status on children’s health outcomes disappears if we confine our sample to mothers, who are below the age of 22 years. We conclude that social and financial stress may have an important influence on the birth weight of newborns, especially at the lower tail of the birth weight distribution. |
| Keywords: | Low birth weight, family status, newborn health, fixed-effects estimations |
| JEL: | I12 J12 J13 C21 |
| Date: | 2011–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jku:nrnwps:2011_18&r=dem |
| By: | Hippolyte D'Albis (EEP-PSE - Ecole d'Économie de Paris - Paris School of Economics - Ecole d'Économie de Paris, CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - CNRS : UMR8174 - Université Paris I - Panthéon Sorbonne); Paul Lau Sau-Him (HKU - School of Economics and Finance - University of Hong Kong); Miguel Sanchez-Romero (mpidr - Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research - Max Planck Institute) |
| Abstract: | Many studies specify human mortality patterns parametrically, with a parameter change affecting mortality rates at different ages simultaneously. Motivated by the stylized fact that a mortality decline affects primarily younger people in the early phase of mortality transition but mainly older people in the later phase, we study how a mortality change at an arbitrary age affects optimal retirement age. Using the Volterra derivative for a functional, we show that mortality reductions at older ages delay retirement unambiguously, but that mortality reductions at younger ages may lead to earlier retirement due to a substantial increase in the individual's expected lifetime human wealth. |
| Keywords: | mortality decline; incentive for early retirement; years-to-consume effect; lifetime human wealth effect |
| Date: | 2012–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:cesptp:hal-00659868&r=dem |
| By: | Mani, Anandi (University of Warwick); Iyer, Lakshmi (Harvard Business School); Mishra, Prachi (International Monetary Fund); Topalova, Petia (International Monetary Fund) |
| Abstract: | Using state-level variation in the timing of political reforms, we find that an increase in female representation in local government induces a large and significant rise in documented crimes against women in India. Our evidence suggests that this increase is good news, as it is driven primarily by greater reporting rather than greater incidence of such crimes. In contrast, we find no increase in crimes against men or gender-neutral crimes. We also examine the effectiveness of alternative forms of political representation: large scale membership of women in local councils affects crime against them more than their presence in higher level leadership positions. |
| Keywords: | crime; women’s empowerment; minority representation; voice |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:warwcg:62&r=dem |
| By: | Tânia Cristina Simões de Matos dos Santos (Instituto Politécnico de Leiria); Inmaculada Domínguez Fabián (Universidad de Extremadura) |
| Abstract: | The Portuguese Pension System is submitted to two risks. Over the period 2005-2050, a decrease of the workforce and an increase of old-age persons are eminent, which provide a doubling of the dependency rate. So, the system is not financially sustainable in the medium and long terms and it is expected that the system will enter in a growing deficit in 2015, when expenditures will overcome the revenues. Hence, the system is subject to a demographic risk (associated with the reduction of the fertility rates, the augmentation of the life expectancy and the increase of the dependency rate) and to a financial insolvency risk (motivated by the lack of equatorial correspondence between expenditures and revenues). Immigration could be a solution to the unsustainability of the pension systems. This paper examines the role of the immigration on resolving these two risks. We investigate, based on the European Economy (2006) projections about the impact of ageing on the public expenditure for the period 2005-50, the required immigrant flows that maintain the old-age dependency rate observed in 2004, and we calculate also the number of immigrants required to promote a null financial result for the Portuguese Pension System. We conclude that the number of immigrants that guarantees a null financial result is much lower than one that eliminates the demographic risk. Compared with the European Economy forecasts (2006), the number of immigrants required to guarantee the solvency of the Portuguese pension system is substantially higher and show an upward trend during the period under review contrary to the expected trend announced by that European entity. |
| Keywords: | Portuguese Pension System, immigration, dependency rate, demographic risk, financial insolvency risk, ageing population |
| JEL: | M0 M1 |
| Date: | 2012–01–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pil:wpaper:84&r=dem |
| By: | Jo Blanden; Paul Gregg; Lindsey Macmillan |
| Abstract: | Family income is found to be more closely related to sons’ earnings for a cohort born in 1970 compared to one born in 1958. This result is in stark contrast to the finding on the basis of social class; intergenerational mobility for this outcome is found to be unchanged. Our aim here is to explore the reason for this divergence. We derive a formal framework which relates mobility in measured family income/earnings to mobility in social class. Building on this framework we then test a number of alternative hypotheses to explain the difference between the trends, finding evidence of an increase in the intergenerational persistence of the permanent component of income that is unrelated to social class. We reject the hypothesis that the observed decline in income mobility is a consequence of the poor measurement of permanent family income in the 1958 cohort. |
| Keywords: | Intergenerational income mobility, social class fluidity, income inequality. |
| JEL: | J13 J31 Z13 |
| Date: | 2011–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bri:cmpowp:11/277&r=dem |
| By: | Mani, Anandi (University of Warwick) |
| Abstract: | We conduct an experiment to measure the relative importance of key factors that influence the efficiency of household investment decisions. We find that, both for men and women, their spouse's access to information does not affect efficiency. However, they are willing to sacrifice much ef¬ficiency for greater personal control over household income. Intriguingly, even when spouses' control over household income is exogenously assigned, inefficiency persists: As a wife's assigned share increases, husbands undercut their own income to reduce hers. This self-destructive and spiteful behavior is best explained by non-economic factors such as identity, seldom emphasized in mainstream household economic models. |
| Keywords: | INTRA-HOUSEHOLD, FAMILY, EFFICIENCY, BARGAINING, FIELD EXPERIMENT, IDENTITY |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:warwcg:63&r=dem |
| By: | Eleonora Patacchini (Universita di Roma "La Sapienza", EIEF and CEPR); Yves Zenou (Stockholm University) |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the relationship between residential proximity of individuals from the same ethnic group and the probability of finding a job through social networks, relative to other search methods. Using individual-level data from the UK Labour Force survey and spatial statistics techniques, we find that (i) the higher is the percentage of a given ethnic group living nearby, the higher is the probability of finding a job through social contacts; (ii) this effect decays very rapidly with distance. The magnitude, statistical significance and spatial decay of such an effect differ depending on the ethnic group considered. We provide an interpretation of our findings using the network model of Calvó-Armengol and Jackson (2004). |
| Keywords: | Ethnic minorities, population density, social interactions, weak and strong ties,spatial statistics. |
| JEL: | A14 C21 J15 R12 R23 |
| Date: | 2012–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:1202&r=dem |
| By: | Igan, Deniz; Pinheiro, Marcelo; Smith, John |
| Abstract: | We identify an otherwise efficient market in which racial biases affect market outcomes. In particular, we examine data on point spreads for NBA games over the 15 seasons from 1993-94 to 2007-08. We find evidence that a more black team tends to face a larger point spread and that these teams perform worse against the spread. These biased outcomes are significantly large and persistent so that we are able to identify profit opportunities. We also find evidence that the biased spread is set by the bookmakers rather than being moved as a result of excessive betting on the more black team. These findings are consistent with information-based discrimination where mistaken beliefs persist even though they are financially disadvantageous, and, more importantly, easily recognizable and correctable. |
| Keywords: | Market efficiency; Racial biases; Belief-based discrimination |
| JEL: | D03 J15 G00 |
| Date: | 2012–01–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:36069&r=dem |
| By: | Chris M. Herbst; Erdal Tekin |
| Abstract: | A complete account of the U.S. child care subsidy system requires an understanding of its implications for both parental and child well-being. Although the effects of child care subsidies on maternal employment and child development have been recently studied, many other dimensions of family well-being have received little attention. This paper attempts to fill this gap by examining the impact of child care subsidy receipt on maternal health and the quality of child-parent interactions. The empirical analyses use data from three nationally representative surveys, providing access to numerous measures of family well-being. In addition, we attempt to handle the possibility of non-random selection into subsidy receipt by using several identification strategies both within and across the surveys. Our results consistently indicate that child care subsidies are associated with worse maternal health and poorer interactions between parents and their children. In particular, subsidized mothers report lower levels of overall health and are more likely to show symptoms consistent with anxiety, depression, and parenting stress. Such mothers also reveal more psychological and physical aggression toward their children and are more likely to utilize spanking as a disciplinary tool. Together, these findings suggest that work-based public policies aimed at economically disadvantaged mothers may ultimately undermine family well-being. |
| JEL: | I18 J13 |
| Date: | 2012–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:17774&r=dem |
| By: | Douglas Almond; Bhashkar Mazumder; Reyn van Ewijk |
| Abstract: | We consider the effects of daytime fasting by pregnant women during the lunar month of Ramadan on their children's test scores at age seven. Using English register data, we find that scores are .05 to .08 standard deviations lower for Pakistani and Bangladeshi students exposed to Ramadan in early pregnancy. These estimates are downward biased to the extent that Ramadan is not universally observed. We conclude that the effects of prenatal investments on test scores are comparable to many conventional educational interventions but are likely to be more cost effective and less subject to "fade out". |
| Keywords: | educational outcomes, pregnancy, fasting |
| Date: | 2012–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:ceedps:0134&r=dem |
| By: | Oscar D. Marcenaro-Gutiérrez (Universidad de Málaga) |
| Abstract: | En este trabajo se analizan los perfiles que presentan -en Andalucía y en el resto de España- las personas que cuidan de dependientes, centrándonos en aquellas que proporcionan cuidados informales a personas discapacitadas. Entre otras cuestiones se evalúa cómo la atención a personas en situación de dependencia debida a una discapacidad condiciona o limita las posibilidades de las mujeres en el mercado de trabajo. |
| Keywords: | Dependencia, discapacidad, género, cuidados, mercado laboral. |
| JEL: | J14 J16 |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cea:doctra:e2011_04&r=dem |
| By: | Ponzo, Michela |
| Abstract: | Using data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (2006-PIRLS) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (2007-TIMSS), we investigate the impact of being a victim of school bullying on educational achievement for Italian students enrolled at the fourth and eighth grade levels. Firstly, we apply an OLS estimator controlling for a number of individual characteristics and school fixed effects. Secondly, in order to attenuate the impact of confounding factors, we use propensity score matching techniques. Our empirical findings based on average treatment effects suggest that being a victim of school bullying has a considerable negative effect on student performance at both the fourth and the eighth grade level. Importantly, the adverse effect of bullying on educational achievement is larger at age 13 than at age 9. Hence, school violence seems to constitute a relevant factor in explaining student performance. |
| Keywords: | Bullying; Educational Achievement; School; TIMSS; PIRLS |
| JEL: | J13 I21 I28 |
| Date: | 2012–01–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:36064&r=dem |