2024-03-28T19:14:19Zhttp://oai.recercat.cat/request
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2031682017-07-19T07:53:20Zhdl_2072_1745hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-10-29T18:00:21ZScarcities of environmental services are no longer merely a remote hypothesis. Consequently,
analysis of their inequalities between nations becomes of paramount importance for the
achievement of sustainability in terms either of international policy, or of Universalist ethical
principles of equity. This paper aims, on the one hand, at revising methodological aspects of the
inequality measurement of certain environmental data and, on the other, at extending the scarce
empirical evidence relating to the international distribution of Ecological Footprint (EF), by
using a longer EF time series. Most of the techniques currently important in the literature are
revised and then tested on EF data with interesting results. We look in depth at Lorenz
dominance analyses and consider the underlying properties of different inequality indices.
Those indices which fit best with environmental inequality measurements are CV2 and GE(2)
because of their neutrality property, however a trade-off may occur when subgroup
decompositions are performed. A weighting factor decomposition method is proposed in order
to isolate weighting factor changes in inequality growth rates. Finally, the only non-ambiguous
way of decomposing inequality by source is the natural decomposition of CV2, which
additionally allows the interpretation of marginal term contributions. Empirically, this paper
contributes to the environmental inequality measurement of EF: this inequality has been quite
stable and its change over time is due to per capita vector changes rather than population
changes. Almost the entirety of the EF inequality is explainable by differences in the means
between the countries of the World Bank group. This finding suggests that international
environmental agreements should be attempted on a regional basis in an attempt to achieve
greater consensus between the parties involved. Additionally, source decomposition warns of
the dangers of confining CO2 emissions reduction to crop-based energies because of the
implications for basic needs satisfaction.
Keywords: ecological footprint; ecological inequality measurement, inequality decomposition.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/203168engHome -- Influència sobre la naturaMedi ambient -- Indicadors33 - Economia504 - Ciències del medi ambientEcological Footprint Inequality: A methodological review and some results
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1792082021-01-20T16:44:57Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-12-22T09:55:59Z2021-01-20T16:44:57ZThis paper analyses whether a firm’s absorptive capacity and its distance from the technological frontier affect the choice between innovation and imitation in innovative Spanish firms. From an extensive survey of 5,575 firms during the 2004-2009 period, we found two significant results. With regard to the role of absorptive capacity, the empirical evidence shows that when innovative firms have difficulties in accessing external information and hire skilled workers, their innovative capacity is reduced. Meanwhile, with regard to distance from the technological frontier, the firms that reduce this gap manage to increase their innovative capacity at the expense of imitation. To summarise, when we studied firms’ absorptive capacity and their relative position to the technological frontier in tandem, we found that the two factors directly affected firms' ability to innovate or imitate.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/179208engEconomyAutomobile industry and tradeTrademarksSpainEconomiaIndústria automobilísticaEspanyaMarques de fàbrica33 - Economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusThe Innovation and Imitation Dichotomy in Spanish firms: do absorptive capacity and the technological frontier matter?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/846512021-01-20T16:44:58Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2010-09-13T13:20:36Z2021-01-20T16:44:58ZOur empirical literature review shows that little is known about how firm performance changes with age, presumably because of the paucity of data on firm age. For Spanish manufacturing firms, we analyse the firm performance related to firm age between 1998 and 2006. We find evidence that firms improve with age, because ageing firms are observed to have steadily increasing levels of productivity, higher profits, larger size, lower debt ratios, and higher equity ratios. Furthermore, older firms are better able to convert sales growth into subsequent growth of profits and productivity. On the other hand, we also found evidence that firm performance deteriorates with age. Older firms have lower expected growth rates of sales, profits and productivity, they have lower profitability levels (when other variables such as size are controlled for), and also that they appear to be less capable to convert employment growth into growth of sales, profits and productivity.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/84651engManufacturing industriesCompany growthSize of business enterprisesProductivityIndustrial efficiencyRegression analysis1998-2006SpainAnàlisi de regressióIndústria manufactureraCreixement de l'empresaDimensió de les empresesProductivitatRendiment industrialAnàlisi de regressió1998-2006Espanya33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda334 - Formes d'organització i cooperació en l'economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusLike milk or wine: Does firm performance improve with age?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/973512021-01-20T16:44:58Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-01-19T12:19:16Z2021-01-20T16:44:58ZThis paper provides evidence on the sources of differences in inequalities in educational scores in European Union member states, by decomposing them into their determining factors. Using PISA data from the 2000 and 2006 waves, the paper shows that inequalities emerge in all countries and in both period, but decreased in Germany, whilst they increased in France and Italy. Decomposition shows that educational inequalities do not only reflect background related inequality, but especially schools’ characteristics. The findings allow policy makers to target areas that may make a contribution in reducing educational inequalities.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/97351engEducational equalizationIgualtat d'oportunitats educatives33 - Economia37 - Educació. Ensenyament. Formació. Temps lliureWhat are the causes of educational inequalities and of their evolution over time in Europe? Evidence from PISA
oai:recercat.cat:2072/973522021-01-20T16:44:59Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-01-19T12:35:08Z2021-01-20T16:44:59ZThe paper investigates the role of mothers in affecting childrens' performance at school. It develops a theoretical model in which household is treated as an individual, whose utility depends on the performance at school of the student and on consumption. The model focuses on the possibilities through which mother’s help may affect pupil's performance in terms of time devoted to supervision and spillover effects. Empirical evidence, using Italian PISA 2006, shows that highly educated mothers have a positive impact on students' score only when they are highly qualified in the job market.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/97352engMothersSchool involvementEducational equalizationEducational sociologyMaresParticipació educativaIgualtat d'oportunitats educativesSociologia de l'educació33 - Economia37 - Educació. Ensenyament. Formació. Temps lliureWhy do educated mothers matter? A model of parental help
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1518312021-01-20T16:44:59Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-05-18T12:19:20Z2021-01-20T16:44:59ZWe use a difference-in-difference estimator to examine the effects of a merger involving three airlines. The novelty lies in the examination of this operation in two distinct scenarios: (1) on routes where two low-cost carriers and (2) on routes where a network and one of the low-cost airlines had previously been competing. We report a reduction in frequencies but no substantial effect on prices in the first scenario, while in the second we report an increase in prices but no substantial effect on frequencies. These results may be attributed to the differences in passenger types flying on these routes.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/151831engCommercial aeronauticsEconomic conditionsFeasibility studiesTransport aeriCondicions econòmiquesEstudis de viabilitat33 - EconomiaAn empirical analysis of a merger between a network and low-cost airlines
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2021532021-01-20T16:45:00Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-10-04T08:37:48Z2021-01-20T16:45:00ZIn this paper we explore the sectoral and aggregate implications of some endogeneization rules (i.e. on value-added and final demand) which have been common in the Leontief model and have been recently proposed in the Ghosh model. We detect that these rules may give rise in both models to some allegedly pathological behavior in the sense that sectoral or aggregate output, very often, may not follow the logical and economically expected direct relationship with some underlying endogenous variables—namely, output and value-added in the Ghosh model and output and consumption in the Leontief model. Because of the common mathematical structure, whatever is or seems to be pathological in the Ghosh model also has a symmetric counterpart in the Leontief model. These would not be good news for the inner consistency of these linear models. To avoid such possible inconsistencies, we propose new and simple endogeneization rules that have a sound economic interpretation.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/202153engComptabilitat nacionalModels economètricsSocial accountingEconometric models33 - EconomiaLeontief versus Ghosh: two faces of the same coin
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1710852021-01-20T16:45:00Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-10-14T07:12:32Z2021-01-20T16:45:00ZThis article focuses on business risk management in the insurance industry. A methodology for estimating the profit loss caused by each customer in the portfolio due to policy cancellation is proposed. Using data from a European insurance company, customer behaviour over time is analyzed in order to estimate the probability of policy cancelation and the resulting potential profit loss due to cancellation. Customers may have up to two different lines of business contracts: motor insurance and other diverse insurance (such as, home contents, life or accident insurance). Implications for understanding customer cancellation behaviour as the core of business risk management are outlined.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/171085engInsuranceRisk managementRegression analysisAssegurancesGestió del riscAnàlisi de regressió33 - Economia336 - Finances. Banca. Moneda. BorsaA logistic regression approach to estimating customer profit loss due to lapses in insurance
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1717922021-01-20T16:45:01Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-11-03T08:00:15Z2021-01-20T16:45:01ZDuring the recent period of economic crisis, many countries have introduced scrappage schemes to boost the sale and production of vehicles, particularly of vehicles designed to pollute less. In this paper, we analyze the impact of a particular scheme in Spain (Plan2000E) on vehicle prices and sales figures as well as on the reduction of polluting emissions from vehicles on the road. We considered the introduction of this scheme an exogenous policy change and because we could distinguish a control group (non-subsidized vehicles) and a treatment group (subsidized vehicles), before and after the introduction of the Plan, we were able to carry out our analysis as a quasi-natural experiment. Our study reveals that manufacturers increased vehicle prices by the same amount they were granted through the Plan (1,000 â ¬). In terms of sales, econometric estimations revealed an increase of almost 5% as a result of the implementation of the Plan. With regard to environmental efficiency, we compared the costs (inverted quantity of money) and the benefits of the program (reductions in polluting emissions and additional fiscal revenues) and found that the Plan would only be beneficial if it boosted demand by at least 30%.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/171792engAutomobile industry and tradeSubsidiesIndústria automobilísticaSubvencions33 - Economia0 - GeneralitatsEvaluation of subsidies programs to sell green cars: Impact on prices, quantities and efficiency
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1520852021-01-20T16:45:02Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-06-14T10:10:11Z2021-01-20T16:45:01ZOur objective is to analyse fraud as an operational risk for the insurance company. We study the effect of a fraud detection policy on the insurer's results account, quantifying the loss risk from the perspective of claims auditing. From the point of view of operational risk, the study aims to analyse the effect of failing to detect fraudulent claims after investigation. We have chosen VAR as the risk measure with a non-parametric estimation of the loss risk involved in the detection or non-detection of fraudulent claims. The most relevant conclusion is that auditing claims reduces loss risk in the insurance company.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/152085engAutomobile insuranceFraudAssegurances d'automòbilsFrau33 - EconomiaLoss risk through fraud in car insurance
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1520872021-01-20T16:45:02Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-06-14T10:36:09Z2021-01-20T16:45:02ZThis paper presents an analysis of motor vehicle insurance claims relating to vehicle damage and to associated medical expenses. We use univariate severity distributions estimated with parametric and non-parametric methods. The methods are implemented using the statistical package R. Parametric analysis is limited to estimation of normal and lognormal distributions for each of the two claim types. The nonparametric analysis presented involves kernel density estimation. We illustrate the benefits of applying transformations to data prior to employing kernel based methods. We use a log-transformation and an optimal transformation amongst a class of transformations that produces symmetry in the data. The central aim of this paper is to provide educators with material that can be used in the classroom to teach statistical estimation methods, goodness of fit analysis and importantly statistical computing in the context of insurance and risk management. To this end, we have included in the Appendix of this paper all the R code that has been used in the analysis so that readers, both students and educators, can fully explore the techniques describedapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/152087engAutomobile insuranceRisk assessmentAssegurances d'automòbilsAvaluació del riscModels economètrics33 - EconomiaEstimation of parametric and nonparametric models for univariate claim severity distributions - an approach using R
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1520862021-01-20T16:45:02Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-06-14T10:19:59Z2021-01-20T16:45:02ZWe present a methodology that allows to calculate the impact of a given Long-Term Care (LTC) insurance protection system on the risk of incurring extremely large individual lifetime costs. Our proposed methodology is illustrated with a case study. According to our risk measure, the current Spanish public LTC system mitigates individual risk by more than 30% compared to the situation where no public protection were available. We show that our method can be used to compare risk reduction of alternative LTC insurance plans.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/152086engInsuranceSpainAssegurancesEspanya33 - EconomiaHow much risk is mitigated by LTC Insurance? A case study of the public system in Spain
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1520882021-01-20T16:45:04Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-06-14T10:53:05Z2021-01-20T16:45:04ZDistintos trabajos han analizado la relevancia del desajuste educativo y de sus consecuencias sobre los trabajadores que la padecen. Dicho análisis es especialmente importante en el caso de España, ya que presenta uno de los porcentajes de sobreeducación más elevado de los países de la OCDE. Un aspecto que, sin embargo, no ha sido estudiado hasta el momento y que tiene un claro interés en el contexto de la economía de la educación es el posible efecto intergeneracional del desajuste educativo. El objetivo del trabajo consiste en analizar si el desajuste educativo de los padres genera algún efecto desincentivador sobre la educación de sus hijos. En concreto, se analiza si el desajuste educativo de los padres afecta a los resultados educativos de los hijos. A partir de los microdatos de la encuesta PISA para España referidos al año 2009. Dicha encuesta facilita información detallada sobre la formación de los alumnos de 15 años en las materias de matemáticas, ciencia y lengua, sus características personales y la de su entorno escolar y familiar lo que la hace idónea para llevar a cabo el estudio planteado. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que los estudiantes con progenitores sobreeducados tienen una penalización en su rendimiento académico en las tres materias analizadas, siendo ésta más intensa para los estudiantes con peores resultados educativos.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/152088spaAcademic achievementSpainEducational sociologyRendiment acadèmicEspanyaSociologia de l'educació33 - Economia37 - Educació. Ensenyament. Formació. Temps lliure373 - Ensenyament primari i secundari378 - Ensenyament superior. Universitats¿Afecta la sobreeducación de los padres al rendimiento académico de sus hijos?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1520892021-01-20T16:45:04Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-06-14T11:41:08Z2021-01-20T16:45:04ZThis paper examines competition between generic and brand-name drugs in the regulated Spanish pharmaceutical market. A nested logit demand model is specified for the three most consumed therapeutic subgroups in Spain: statins (anticholesterol), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (antidepressants) and proton pump inhibitors (antiulcers). The model is estimated with instrumental variables from a panel of monthly prescription data from 1999 to 2005. The dataset distinguishes between three different levels of patients’ copayments within the prescriptions and the results show that the greater the level of insurance that the patient has (and therefore the lower the patient’s copayment), the lower the proportion of generic prescriptions made by physicians. It seems that the low level of copayment has delayed the penetration of generics into the Spanish market. Additionally, the estimation of the demand model suggests that the substitution rules and promotional efforts associated with the reference pricing system have increased generic market share, and that being among the first generic entrants has an additional positive effect.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/152089engGeneric drugsMedical economicsMedicaments genèricsEconomia de la salut33 - Economia334 - Formes d'organització i cooperació en l'economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusGeneric drugs in Spain: price competition vs. moral hazard
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1520902021-01-20T16:45:06Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-06-14T11:49:54Z2021-01-20T16:45:06ZAn increasing number of studies have sprung up in recent years seeking to identify individual inventors from patent data. Different heuristics have been suggested to use their names and other information disclosed in patent documents in order to find out “who is who” in patents. This paper contributes to this literature by setting forth a methodology to identify them using patents applied to the European Patent Office (EPO hereafter). As in the large part of this literature, we basically follow a three-steps procedure: (1) the parsing stage, aimed at reducing the noise in the inventor’s name and other fields of the patent; (2) the matching stage, where name matching algorithms are used to group possible similar names; (3) the filtering stage, where additional information and different scoring schemes are used to filter out these potential same inventors. The paper includes some figures resulting of applying the algorithms to the set of European inventors applying to the EPO for a large period of time.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/152090engInventorPatentsComputer algorithmsPatents d'invencióInventorsAlgorismes computacionals33 - EconomiaSingling out individual inventors from patent data
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1520922021-01-20T16:45:06Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-06-14T12:11:47Z2021-01-20T16:45:06ZThe effectiveness of R&D subsidies can vary substantially depending on their characteristics. Specifically, the amount and intensity of such subsidies are crucial issues in the design of public schemes supporting private R&D. Public agencies determine the intensities of R&D subsidies for firms in line with their eligibility criteria, although assessing the effects of R&D projects accurately is far from straightforward. The main aim of this paper is to examine whether there is an optimal intensity for R&D subsidies through an analysis of their impact on private R&D effort. We examine the decisions of a public agency to grant subsidies taking into account not only the characteristics of the firms but also, as few previous studies have done to date, those of the R&D projects. In determining the optimal subsidy we use both parametric and nonparametric techniques. The results show a non-linear relationship between the percentage of subsidy received and the firms’ R&D effort. These results have implications for technology policy, particularly for the design of R&D subsidies that ensure enhanced effectiveness.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/152092engGovernment policySubsidiesEnterprisesIndustrial researchPolítica públicaSubvencionsEmpresesRecerca industrial332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda334 - Formes d'organització i cooperació en l'economiaThe link between public support and private R&D effort: What is the optimal subsidy?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1520932021-01-20T16:45:09Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-06-14T12:36:13Z2021-01-20T16:45:09ZThis paper examines statins competition in the Spanish pharmaceutical market, where prices are highly regulated, and simulates a situation in which there is unrestricted price competition. A nested logit demand model is estimated with a panel of monthly data for pharmaceuticals prescribed from 1997 to 2005. The simulation indicates that the regulation of prices is similar in its effects to cooperation among producers, since the regulated prices are close to those that would be observed in a scenario of perfect collusion. Freedom to set prices and a regulatory framework with appropriate incentives would result in a general reduction in prices and may make the current veiled competition in the form of discounts to pharmacists become more visible. The decrease in prices would be partially offset by an increase in consumption but the net effect would be an overall decrease in expenditure. The counterfactual set-up would also lead to important changes in the market shares of both manufacturers and active ingredients, and a reversal of generic drugs. Therefore, pro-competitive regulation would be welfare-enhancing but would imply winners and losers.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/152093engDrugs PricesSpainPreu dels medicamentsEspanya33 - Economia334 - Formes d'organització i cooperació en l'economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusWhat if there was a stronger pharmaceutical price competition in Spain? When regulation has a similar effect to collusion
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1521762021-01-20T16:45:10Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-07-14T06:40:28Z2021-01-20T16:45:10ZIn a recent paper Bermúdez [2009] used bivariate Poisson regression models for ratemaking in car insurance, and included zero-inflated models to account for the excess of zeros and the overdispersion in the data set. In the present paper, we revisit this model in order to consider alternatives. We propose a 2-finite mixture of bivariate Poisson regression models to demonstrate that the overdispersion in the data requires more structure if it is to be taken into account, and that a simple zero-inflated bivariate Poisson model does not suffice. At the same time, we show that a finite mixture of bivariate Poisson regression models embraces zero-inflated bivariate Poisson regression models as a special case. Additionally, we describe a model in which the mixing proportions are dependent on covariates when modelling the way in which each individual belongs to a separate cluster. Finally, an EM algorithm is provided in order to ensure the models’ ease-of-fit. These models are applied to the same automobile insurance claims data set as used in Bermúdez [2009] and it is shown that the modelling of the data set can be improved considerably.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/152176engAutomobile insuranceRegression analysisAssegurances d'automòbilsAnàlisi de regressió311 - Estadística33 - EconomiaMixture of bivariate Poisson regression models with an application to insurance
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2202702021-01-20T16:45:11Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2013-11-20T14:41:46Z2021-01-20T16:45:11ZThis paper investigates relationships between cooperation, R&D, innovation and productivity in Spanish firms. It uses a large sample of firm-level micro-data and applies an extended structural model that aims to explain the effects of cooperation on R&D investment, of R&D investment on output innovation, and of innovation on firms’ productivity levels. It also analyses the determinants of R&D cooperation. Firms’ technology level is taken into account in order to analyse the differences between high-tech and low-tech firms, both in the industrial and service sectors. The database used was the Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for the period 2004-2010. Empirical results show that firms which cooperate in innovative activities are more likely to invest in R&D in subsequent years. As expected, R&D investment has a positive impact on the probability of generating an innovation, in terms of both product and process, for manufacturing firms. Finally, innovation output has a positive impact on firms’ productivity, being greater in process innovations.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/220270engEmpresesRecerca industrialInnovacions tecnològiquesProductivitatEspanya33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusThe Impact of Cooperation on R&D, Innovation andProductivity: an Analysis of Spanish Manufacturing and Services Firms
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1718162021-01-20T16:45:14Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-11-03T09:59:48Z2021-01-20T16:45:14ZThis paper contributes to the empirical literature on the effects of agglomeration and road accessibility on productivity of firms by looking at the case of Spain. We approach productivity indirectly by using individual wages allocated at the NUTS III level. We use a repeated cross-section of individual micro-data for the years 1995, 2002 and 2006. The availability of interprovincial travel time data for each of the three years allows controlling for transport improvements over the period by using a market potential variable. Additionally, agglomeration is approached by employment density and we control for localization economies, human capital externalities and a large set of individual and workplace characteristics. Estimating by instrumental variables, our results show a positive and significant effect of market accessibility on wages and non linear effect for employment density.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/171816engUrban economicsAutomobile industry and tradeProductivityWagesEconomia urbanaIndústria automobilísticaProductivitatSalaris33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaThe impact of agglomeration effects and accessibility on wages
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1718172021-01-20T16:45:14Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-11-03T10:28:30Z2021-01-20T16:45:14ZThis paper provides a new benchmark for the analysis of the international diversi cation puzzle in a tractable new open economy macroeconomic model. Building on Cole and Obstfeld (1991) and Heathcote and Perri (2009), this model speci es an equilibrium model of perfect risk sharing in incomplete markets, with endogenous portfolios and number of varieties. Equity home bias may not be a puzzle but a perfectly optimal allocation for hedging risk. In contrast to previous work, the model shows that: (i) optimal international portfolio diversi cation is driven by home bias in capital goods, independently of home bias in consumption, and by the share of income accruing to labour. The model explains reasonably well the recent patterns of portfolio allocations in developed economies; and (ii) optimal portfolio shares are independent of market dynamics.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/171817engMacroeconomicsEconomic theoryMacroeconomiaTeoria econòmica33 - EconomiaA New open economy macroeconomic model with endogenous portfolio diversification and firms entry
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1696802021-01-20T16:45:15Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-09-19T09:14:31Z2021-01-20T16:45:15ZThis paper analyses the impact of using different correlation assumptions between lines of business when estimating the risk-based capital reserve, the Solvency Capital Requirement (SCR), under Solvency II regulations. A case study is presented and the SCR is calculated according to the Standard Model approach. Alternatively, the requirement is then calculated using an Internal Model based on a Monte Carlo simulation of the net underwriting result at a one-year horizon, with copulas being used to model the dependence between lines of business. To address the impact of these model assumptions on the SCR we conduct a sensitivity analysis. We examine changes in the correlation matrix between lines of business and address the choice of copulas. Drawing on aggregate historical data from the Spanish non-life insurance market between 2000 and 2009, we conclude that modifications of the correlation and dependence assumptions have a significant impact on SCR estimation.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/169680engRisk (Insurance)InsuranceMonte Carlo methodAssegurancesRisc (Assegurances)Mètode de Montecarlo33 - Economia336 - Finances. Banca. Moneda. BorsaA correlation sensitivity analysis of non-life underwriting risk in solvency capital requirement estimation
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2538172021-01-20T16:45:17Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2015-08-25T09:29:32Z2021-01-20T16:45:17ZBlack-box optimization problems (BBOP) are de ned as those optimization problems in which the objective function does not have an algebraic expression, but it is the output of a system (usually a computer program). This paper is focussed on BBOPs that arise in the eld of insurance, and more speci cally in reinsurance problems. In this area, the complexity of the models and assumptions considered to de ne the reinsurance rules and conditions produces hard black-box optimization problems, that must be solved in order to obtain the optimal output of the reinsurance. The application of traditional optimization approaches is not possible in BBOP, so new computational paradigms must be applied to solve these problems. In this paper we show the performance of two evolutionary-based techniques (Evolutionary Programming and Particle Swarm Optimization). We provide an analysis in three BBOP in reinsurance, where the evolutionary-based approaches exhibit an excellent behaviour, nding the optimal solution within a fraction of the computational cost used by inspection or enumeration methods.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/253817engMatemàtica actuarialReassegurancesRisc (Assegurances)33 - Economia336 - Finances. Banca. Moneda. BorsaAn Analysis of black-box optimization problems in reinsurance: evolutionary-based approaches
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1728692021-01-20T16:45:17Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-11-21T10:05:20Z2021-01-20T16:45:17ZThis paper explores the factors that determine firm’s R&D cooperation with different partners, paying special attention on the role of tertiary education (degree and PhDs level) in facilitating the connection between the firms and the to scientific bodies (technology centres, public research centres and universities). Here, we attempt to answer two questions. First, are innovative firms that carry out internal and external R&D activities more likely to cooperate on R&D projects with other partners? Second, do Spanish innovative firms with a high participation of researchers with degrees or PhDs tend to cooperate more with scientific partners? To answer both questions we apply a three-dimensional approach on a firm level Panel Data with a sample of 4.998 manufacturing and services Spanish firms. First, we run a complementary test between external R&D acquisition and skilled research workers and find that firms which carry out external R&D activities obtain a greater return on R&D cooperation when they have skilled workers in R&D, especially in high-tech manufactures and KIS services. Second, we carry out a 2-step tobit model to estimate, in the first stage, the determinants that explain whether Spanish innovative firms cooperate or not; and in the second stage the factors that affect the choice of partners. And third, we apply an ordered probit model to test the marginal effects of explanatory variables on the different partners. Here we contrast some of the most interesting empirical hypotheses of previous studies, and which emphasize the role of employees with degrees and PhDs in facilitating cooperative R&D between firms and scientific partners.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/172869engScientific policyIndustrial researchRecerca industrialPolítica científica33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. Preus378 - Ensenyament superior. UniversitatsR&D cooperation between Spanish firms and scientific partners: what is the role of tertiary education?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2049622021-01-20T16:45:21Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2013-01-08T10:27:15Z2021-01-20T16:45:21ZDrawing on data from two successive cohorts of PhD graduates, this paper analyses differences in overall job satisfaction and specific job domain satisfaction among PhDs employed in different sectors four years after completing their doctorate degrees. Covariate-adjusted job satisfaction differentials suggest that, compared to faculty members, PhD holders employed outside traditional academic and research jobs are more satisfied with the pecuniary facets of their work (principally, because of higher earnings), but significantly less satisfied with the content of their job and with how well the job matches their skills (and, in the case of public sector workers, with their prospects of promotion). The evidence regarding the overall job satisfaction of the PhD holders indicates that working in the public or private sectors is associated with less work well-being, which cannot be fully compensated by the better pecuniary facets of the job. It also appears that being employed in academia or in research centres provides almost the same perceived degree of satisfaction with the job and with its four specific domains. We also take into account the endogenous sorting of PhD holders into different occupations based on latent personal traits that might be related to job satisfaction. The selectivity-corrected job satisfaction differentials reveal the importance of self-selection based on unobservable traits, and confirm the existence of a certain penalisation for working in occupations other than academia or research, which is especially marked in the case of satisfaction with job content and job-skills match. The paper presents additional interesting evidence about the determinants of occupational choice among PhD holders, highlighting the relevance of certain academic attributes (especially PhD funding and pre-and-post-doc research mobility) in affecting the likelihood of being employed in academia, in a research centre or in other public or private sector job four years after completing their doctorate programme.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/204962engSatisfacció en el treballMercat de treballTitulats universitarisCatalunyaJob satisfactionLabor marketCollege graduatesCatalonia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball37 - Educació. Ensenyament. Formació. Temps lliure378 - Ensenyament superior. Universitats(Endogenous) occupational choices and job satisfaction among recent PhD recipients: evidence from Catalonia
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2077852021-01-20T16:45:22Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2013-03-06T12:13:37Z2021-01-20T16:45:22ZTheoretical and empirical approaches have stressed the existence of financial constraints in innovative activities of firms. This paper analyses the role of financial obstacles on the likelihood of abandoning an innovation project. Although a large number of innovation projects are abandoned before their completion, the empirical evidence has focused on the determinants of innovation while failed projects have received little attention. Our analysis differentiates between internal and external barriers on the probability of abandoning a project and we examine whether the effects are different depending on the stage of the innovation process. In the empirical analysis carried out for a panel data of potential innovative Spanish firms for the period 2004-2010, we use a bivariate probit model to take into account the simultaneity of financial constraints and the decision to abandon an innovation project. Our results show that financial constraints most affect the probability of abandoning an innovation project during the concept stage and that low-technological manufacturing and non-KIS service sectors are more sensitive to financial constraints.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/207785engProjecte d'empresaFinançament de l'empresaBusiness planningBusiness finance33 - EconomiaFinancial constraints and the failure of innovation projects
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2029692021-01-20T16:45:23Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-10-22T12:46:04Z2021-01-20T16:45:23ZA method to estimate an extreme quantile that requires no distributional assumptions is presented. The approach is based on transformed kernel estimation of the cumulative distribution function (cdf). The proposed method consists of a double transformation kernel estimation. We derive optimal bandwidth selection methods that have a direct expression for the smoothing parameter. The bandwidth can accommodate to the given quantile level. The procedure is useful for large data sets and improves quantile estimation compared to other methods in heavy tailed distributions. Implementation is straightforward and R programs are available.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/202969engTeoria de l'estimacióRisc (Economia)Estadística no paramétricaEstimation theoryRiskNonparametric statistics33 - EconomiaNonparametric estimation of Value-at-Risk
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2078572021-01-20T16:45:24Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2013-03-07T13:03:14Z2021-01-20T16:45:24ZContextual effects on child health have been investigated extensively in previous research. However, few studies have considered the interplay between community characteristics and individual-level variables. This study examines the influence of community education and family socioeconomic characteristics on child health (as measured by height and weight-for-age Z-scores), as well as their interactions. We adapted the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) framework to the context of child health. Using data from the 2010 Colombian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), weighted multilevel models are fitted since the data are not self-weighting. The results show a positive impact of the level of education of other women in the community on child health, even after controlling for individual and family socioeconomic characteristics. Different pathways through which community education can substitute for the effect of family characteristics on child nutrition are found. The interaction terms highlight the importance of community education as a moderator of the impact of the mother’s own education and autonomy, on child health. In addition, the results reveal differences between height and weight-for-age indicators in their responsiveness to individual and contextual factors. Our findings suggest that community intervention programmes may have differential effects on child health. Therefore, their identification can contribute to a better targeting of child care policies.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/207857engSalut públicaInfantsEducació comunitàriaEducació familiarCondicions socialsColombiaPublic healthChildrenCommunity educationDomestic educationSocial conditionsColombia33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball37 - Educació. Ensenyament. Formació. Temps lliureSocial Determinants of Child Health in Colombia: Can Community Education Moderate the Effect of Family Characteristics?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1960412021-01-20T16:45:25Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-05-18T11:51:05Z2021-01-20T16:45:25ZThe objective of this paper is to analyze why firms in some industries locate in specialized economic environments (localization economies) while those in other industries prefer large city locations (urbanization economies). To this end, we examine the location decisions of new manufacturing firms in Spain at the city level and for narrowly defined industries (three-digit level). First, we estimate firm location models to obtain estimates that reflect the importance of localization and urbanization economies in each industry. In a second step, we regress these estimates on industry characteristics that are related to the potential importance of three agglomeration theories, namely, labor market pooling, input sharing and knowledge spillovers. Localization effects are low and urbanization effects are high in knowledge-intensive industries, suggesting that firms (partly) locate in large cities to reap the benefits of inter-industry knowledge spillovers. We also find that localization effects are high in industries that employ workers whose skills are more industry-specific, suggesting that industries (partly) locate in specialized economic environments to share a common pool of specialized workers.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/196041engLocalització industrialCreació d'empresesConcentració industrialIndustrial locationNew business enterprisesIndustrial concentration332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaWhat underlies localization and urbanization economies? Evidence from the location of new firms
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1960432021-01-20T16:45:26Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-05-18T13:07:35Z2021-01-20T16:45:26ZWe study whether there is scope for using subsidies to smooth out barriers to R&D performance and expand the share of R&D firms in Spain. We consider a dynamic model with sunk entry costs in which firms’ optimal participation strategy is defined in terms of two subsidy thresholds that characterise entry and continuation. We compute the subsidy thresholds from the estimates of a dynamic panel data type-2 tobit model for an unbalanced panel of about 2,000 Spanish manufacturing firms. The results suggest that “extensive” subsidies are a feasible and efficient tool for expanding the share of R&D firms.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/196043engRecerca industrialSubvencionsEspanyaIndustrial researchSubsidiesSpain332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaSunk costs, extensive R&D subsidies and permanent inducement effects
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1957602021-01-20T16:45:27Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-05-17T13:09:55Z2021-01-20T16:45:27ZThis paper conducts an empirical analysis of the relationship between wage inequality, employment structure, and returns to education in urban areas of Mexico during the past two decades (1987-2008). Applying Melly’s (2005) quantile regression based decomposition, we find that changes in wage inequality have been driven mainly by variations in educational wage premia. Additionally, we find that changes in employment structure, including occupation and firm size, have played a vital role. This evidence seems to suggest that the changes in wage inequality in urban Mexico cannot be interpreted in terms of a skill-biased change, but rather they are the result of an increasing demand for skills during that period.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/195760eng1987-2008SalarisIgualtat retributivaMèxic1987-2008WagesPay equityMexico331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treballChanges in wage structure in Mexico going beyond the mean: An analysis of differences in distribution, 1987-2008
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1960422021-01-20T16:45:28Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-05-18T12:15:43Z2021-01-20T16:45:28ZLa hipótesis de la compensación plantea la posibilidad de que los individuos que viven en centros urbanos densos tengan una mayor propensión a disponer de una segunda residencia y/o llevar a cabo desplazamientos más frecuentes hacia destinos más alejados durante los fines de semana y las vacaciones que los individuos que viven en zonas poco densas. En este contexto, no está claro cuál es el efecto neto de la densidad en términos ambientales. En esta investigación se contrasta la hipótesis de la compensación en la Región Metropolitana de Barcelona utilizando como indicador de impacto ambiental la huella ecológica de la movilidad y de la vivienda. Los resultados obtenidos rechazan la hipótesis de la compensación en un sentido fuerte, pero se detecta la existencia de un nivel máximo de densidad a partir del cual ejerce un impacto de signo positivo.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/196042spaDesenvolupament sostenibleIndicadors ambientalsEcologia urbanaMobilitat residencialBarcelona (Catalunya : Àrea metropolitana)Sustainable developmentEnvironmental indicatorsUrban ecologyResidential mobilityBarcelona (Catalonia : Metropolitan area)332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaLos límites de la compacidad urbana como instrumento a favor de la sostenibilidad. La hipótesis de la compensación en Barcelona medida a través de la huella ecológica de la movilidad y la vivienda
oai:recercat.cat:2072/585892021-01-20T16:45:29Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2010-05-17T10:45:54Z2021-01-20T16:45:29ZDrawing on data contained in the 2005 EU-SILC, this paper investigates the disparities in educational opportunities in Italy and Spain. Its main objective is to analyse the predicted probabilities of successfully completing upper-secondary and tertiary education for individuals with different parental backgrounds, and the changes in these probabilities across birth cohorts extending from 1940 to 1980. The results suggest that the disparities in tertiary education opportunities in Italy tend to increase over time. By contrast, the gap in educational opportunity in Spain shows a marked decrease across the cohorts. Moreover, by using an intuitive decomposition strategy, the paper shows that a large part of the educational gap between individuals of different backgrounds is “composed” of the difference in the endowment of family characteristics. Specifically, it seems that more highly educated parents are more able to endow their children with a better composition of family characteristics, which accounts for a significant proportion of the disparities in educational opportunity.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/58589engEducational equalizationHome and schoolComparative education1940-1980SpainItalyIgualtat d'oportunitats educativesFamília i escolaEducació comparada1940-1980EspanyaItàlia311 - Estadística33 - Economia37 - Educació. Ensenyament. Formació. Temps lliureParental education and family characteristics: educational opportunities across cohorts in Italy and Spain
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1961662021-01-20T16:45:33Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-05-22T10:18:52Z2021-01-20T16:45:33ZThe 51st ERSA Conference held in Barcelona in 2011 was one of the largest ever. Here, by examining the characteristics of the conference, this paper identifies the main trends in Regional Science at a moment in which the discipline is renewing its efforts to provide responses in a complex, globalised world in which cities and regions are acquiring greater and greater importance. This paper follows in the tradition of a long list of studies that have examined the nature of the field of Regional Science and draws on a broad array of sources of information: the delegates’ demographic details, the conference program itself, a satisfaction survey conducted among delegates, a quality survey addressed to those chairing the sessions and, finally, a bibliometric database including each author signing a paper presented at the conference. With this information we describe the ERSA delegates: their relative youthfulness; the areas in which women are taking on a more important role; the countries and regions of the world that have the most dominant profile in Regional Science today; the thematic areas that are being driven by professionals as opposed to academics; the relevance of regional economic growth and innovation as trending topics in the field; the growing frequency of co-authorship and, consequently, of scientific collaboration; and, finally, and perhaps most importantly, the continuous enhancement of the quality of the work being undertaken in the discipline. Indeed, following on from this description, the results of the regression analysis conducted show that for ERSA delegates what matters most is quality, and this must be the direction that future conferences should move toward. Ultimately, therefore, ERSA conferences are comprehensive, all-embracing occasions, representing an ideal opportunity for regional scientists to present their work to each other and to network.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/196166engInvestigació en ciències socialsBibliometriaCiència regionalSocial science researchBibliometricsRegional Science332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaWhat about people in European Regional Science?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1961672021-01-20T16:45:36Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-05-22T11:22:35Z2021-01-20T16:45:36ZThis paper introduces local distance-based generalized linear models. These models extend (weighted) distance-based linear models firstly with the generalized linear model concept, then by localizing. Distances between individuals are the only predictor information needed to fit these models. Therefore they are applicable to mixed (qualitative and quantitative) explanatory variables or when the regressor is of functional type. Models can be fitted and analysed with the R package dbstats, which implements several distancebased prediction methods.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/196167engModels lineals (Estadística)Linear models (Statistics)311 - EstadísticaLocal Distance-Based Generalized Linear Models using the dbstats package for R
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2452612021-01-20T16:45:39Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2015-01-22T13:39:38Z2021-01-20T16:45:39ZWe propose a new kernel estimation of the cumulative distribution function based on transformation and on bias reducing techniques. We derive the optimal bandwidth that minimises the asymptotic integrated mean squared error. The simulation results show that our proposed kernel estimation improves alternative approaches when the variable has an extreme value distribution with heavy tail and the sample size is small.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/245261engEconometriaEconometricsDistribució (Teoria de la probabilitat)Distribution (Probability theory)311 - Estadística314 - Demografia33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treballEstimating extreme value cumulative distribution functions using bias-corrected kernel approaches
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130392021-01-20T16:45:41Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T11:32:40Z2021-01-20T16:45:41ZA renewed interest on the use of tolls for funding motorways and regulating their demands has been recovered in the last years. However, less attention has been put to the road safety effects derived from this policy. Although toll motorways show quality levels equal or above free motorways, charging users for the use of better infrastructure shifts some traffic to their low quality adjacent alternatives. In the present study we test whether charging for the use of the better road might negatively affect road safety in the worst adjacent road. The results confirm our hypothesis opening a new concern.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13039engSeguretat viàriaAutopistesCarreteres33 - EconomiaShifting death to their alternatives: the case of toll motorways
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2098992021-01-20T16:45:41Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2013-04-12T08:35:34Z2021-01-20T16:45:41ZThis paper performs an empirical Decomposition of International Inequality in Ecological Footprint in order to quantify to what extent explanatory variables such as a country’s affluence, economic structure, demographic characteristics, climate and technology contributed to international differences in terms of natural resource consumption during the period 1993-2007. We use a Regression-Based Inequality Decomposition approach. As a result, the methodology extends qualitatively the results obtained in standard environmental impact regressions as it comprehends further social dimensions of the Sustainable Development concept, i.e. equity within generations. The results obtained point to prioritizing policies that take into account both future and present generations.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/209899catPetjada ecològicaDesigualtats internacionalsRecursos naturalsDesenvolupament sostenibleEcological footprintNatural resourcesInternational inequalitiesSustainable development33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaThe building blocks of international ecological footprint inequality: a regression-based decomposition
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2034142021-01-20T16:45:42Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-11-07T15:01:30Z2021-01-20T16:45:42ZIn this paper, we explore the connection between labor market segmentation in two sectors, a modern protected formal sector and a traditional- unprotected-informal sector, and overeducation in a developing country. Informality is thought to have negative consequences, primarily through poorer working conditions, lack of social security, as well as low levels of productivity throughout the economy. This paper considers an aspect that has not been previously addressed, namely the fact that informality might also affect the way workers match their actual education with that required performing their job. We use micro-data from Colombia to test the relationship between overeducation and informality. Empirical results suggest that, once the endogeneity of employment choice has been accounted for, formal male workers are less likely to be overeducated. Interestingly, the propensity of being overeducated among women does not seem to be closely related to the employment choice.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/203414engMercat de treballDesenvolupament econòmicEconomia submergidaSegmentació del mercatPaïsos en vies de desenvolupamentLabor marketEconomic developmentInformal sector (Economics)Market segmentationDeveloping countries33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treballInformality and overeducation in the labor market of a developing country
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2195712021-01-20T16:45:44Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2013-11-04T10:10:57Z2021-01-20T16:45:44ZHuman capital endowment is one of the main factors influencing the level of development of a region. This paper analyses whether remoteness from economic activity has a negative effect on human capital accumulation and, consequently, on economic development. Making use of microdata this research proves that remoteness from economic activity has contributed to explain the divergences in the level of education observed across Spanish provinces over the last 50 years. The effect is significant even when controlling for the improvement of education supply. Nonetheless, the accessibility effect has been petering out since the 1960s due to the decreasing barriers to mobility.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/219571engRecursos humansDesenvolupament econòmicEducacióEspanyaHuman capitalEconomic developmentEducationSpain331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaHow market access shapes human capital investment in a peripheral country
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2196502021-01-20T16:45:45Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2013-11-05T09:02:55Z2021-01-20T16:45:45ZForeign language skills represent a form of human capital that can be rewarded in the labor market. Drawing on data from the Adult Education Survey of 2007, this is the first study estimating returns to foreign language skills in Turkey. We contribute to the literature on the economic value of language knowledge, with a special focus on a country characterized by fast economic and social development. Although English is the most widely spoken foreign language in Turkey, we initially consider the economic value of different foreign languages among the employed males aged 25 to 65. We find positive and significant returns to proficiency in English and Russian, which increase with the level of competence. Knowledge of French and German also appears to be positively rewarded in the Turkish labor market, although their economic value seems mostly linked to an increased likelihood to hold specific occupations rather than increased earnings within occupations. Focusing on English, we also explore the heterogeneity in returns to different levels of proficiency by frequency of English use at work, birth-cohort, education, occupation and rural/urban location. The results are also robust to the endogenous specification of English language skills.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/219650engCapital intel·lectualEnsenyament de llengüesLlengües modernesMercat de treballTurquiaIntellectual capitalLanguage teachingModern languageTurkey33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treballReturns to Foreign Language Skills in a Developing Country: The Case of Turkey
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2007652021-01-20T16:45:46Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-09-14T10:11:57Z2021-01-20T16:45:46ZThis article studies how product introduction decisions relate to profitability and uncertainty in the context of multi-product firms and product differentiation. These two features, common to many modern industries, have not received much attention in the literature as compared to the classical problem of firm entry, even if the determinants of firm and product entry are quite different. The theoretical predictions about the sign of the impact of uncertainty on product entry are not conclusive. Therefore, an econometric model relating firms’ product introduction decisions with profitability and profit uncertainty is proposed. Firm’s estimated profits are obtained from a structural model of product demand and supply, and uncertainty is proxied by profits’ variance. The empirical analysis is carried out using data on the Spanish car industry for the period 1990-2000. The results show a positive relationship between product introduction and profitability, and a negative one with respect to profit variability. Interestingly, the degree of uncertainty appears to be a driving force of entry stronger than profitability, suggesting that the product proliferation process in the Spanish car market may have been mainly a consequence of lower uncertainty rather than the result of having a more profitable markethttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/200765engIndústria automobilísticaProductivitatIncertesaEconometriaEspanyaAutomobile industry and tradeProductivityUncertaintyEconometricsSpain33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusProfitability, uncertainty and multi-product firm product proliferation: The Spanish car industry
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1728742021-01-20T16:45:48Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-11-21T10:34:00Z2021-01-20T16:45:48ZGrade retention practices are at the forefront of the educational debate. In this paper, we use PISA 2009 data for Spain to measure the effect of grade retention on students achievement. One important problem when analyzing this question is that school outcomes and the propensity to repeat a grade are likely to be determined simultaneously. We address this problem by estimating a Switching Regression Model. We find that grade retention has a negative impact on educational outcomes, but we confi rm the importance of endogenous selection, which makes observed differences between repeaters and non-repeaters appear 14.6% lower than they actually are. The effect on PISA scores of repeating is much smaller (-10% of non-repeaters average) than the counterfactual reduction that non-repeaters would suffer had they been retained as repeaters (-24% of their average). Furthermore, those who repeated a grade during primary education suffered more than those who repeated a grade of secondary school, although the effect of repeating at both times is, as expected, much larger.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/172874engAcademic achievementProgramme for International Student AssessmentRendiment acadèmic33 - Economia37 - Educació. Ensenyament. Formació. Temps lliureDoes grade retention affect achievement? Some evidence from PISA
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2166412021-01-20T16:45:51Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2013-07-15T07:51:25Z2021-01-20T16:45:51ZSobriety checkpoints are not usually randomly located by traffic authorities. As such, information provided by non-random alcohol tests cannot be used to infer the characteristics of the general driving population. In this paper a case study is presented in which the prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving is estimated for the general population of drivers. A stratified probabilistic sample was designed to represent vehicles circulating in non-urban areas of Catalonia (Spain), a region characterized by its complex transportation network and dense traffic around the metropolis of Barcelona. Random breath alcohol concentration tests were performed during spring 2012 on 7,596 drivers. The estimated prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers was 1.29%, which is roughly a third of the rate obtained in non-random tests. Higher rates were found on weekends (1.90% on Saturdays, 4.29% on Sundays) and especially at night. The rate is higher for men (1.45%) than for women (0.64%) and the percentage of positive outcomes shows an increasing pattern with age. In vehicles with two occupants, the proportion of alcohol-impaired drivers is estimated at 2.62%, but when the driver was alone the rate drops to 0.84%, which might reflect the socialization of drinking habits. The results are compared with outcomes in previous surveys, showing a decreasing trend in the prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers over time.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/216641engConsum d'alcohol i accidents de circulacióCatalunyaDrinking and traffic accidentsCatalonia33 - EconomiaPrevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers based on random breath tests in a roadside survey
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2207532021-01-20T16:45:53Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2013-12-02T10:27:43Z2021-01-20T16:45:53ZTesting weather or not data belongs could been generated by a family of extreme value copulas is difficult. We generalize a test and we prove that it can be applied whatever the alternative hypothesis. We also study the effect of using different extreme value copulas in the context of risk estimation. To measure the risk we use a quantile. Our results have motivated by a bivariate sample of losses from a real database of auto insurance claims. Methods are implemented in R.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/220753engRisc (Economia)Distribució (Teoria de la probabilitat)RiskDistribution (Probability theory)311 - Estadística33 - EconomiaTesting extreme value copulas to estimate the quantile
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2232142021-01-20T16:45:55Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2014-02-04T14:48:45Z2021-01-20T16:45:55ZThe international allocation of natural resources is determined, not by any ethical or ecological criteria, but by the dominance of market mechanisms. From a core-periphery perspective, this allocation may even be driven by historically determined structural patterns, with a core group of countries whose consumption appropriates most available natural resources, and another group, having low natural resource consumption, which plays a peripheral role. This article consists of an empirical distributional analysis of natural resource consumption (as measured by Ecological Footprints) whose purpose is to assess the extent to which the distribution of consumption responds to polarization (as opposed to mere inequality). To assess this, we estimate and decompose different polarization indices for a balanced sample of 119 countries over the period 1961 to 2007. Our results points toward a polarized distribution which is consistent with a core-periphery framework.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/223214engPetjada ecològicaEcological footprintPolarització (Ciències socials)Polarization (Social sciences)33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda504 - Ciències del medi ambientSpatial Polarization of the Ecological Footprint distribution
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2236122021-01-20T16:45:56Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2014-02-12T12:42:11Z2021-01-20T16:45:56ZUna gran parte de las empresas de todo el mundo, y especialmente las PYMES occidentales, están perdiendo mucho dinero, y como consecuencia de ello gran parte de su competitividad potencial, debido a que los costes totales de calidad en que incurren, son inaceptablemente elevados. En la mayoría de los casos no existe modelo coherente alguno para gestionar dichos costes, y en otros, los modelos aplicados se utilizan de forma parcial, rutinaria y con escaso convencimiento. El resultado de ello, como cabría esperar, es obviamente decepcionante. Evidentemente hay también empresas, generalmente las de gran tamaño (líderes del mercado y multinacionales), conocedoras de la gran importancia que para la disminución de sus costes supone disponer de un sistema adecuado de gestión de los costes de calidad. Invierten sistemáticamente en ello, obteniendo resultados satisfactorios, tanto en sus cuentas de resultados como en el nivel de motivación de sus empleados. Éstos, conscientes del interés de la Dirección por mejorar la calidad de sus productos y servicios, se sienten de alguna manera partícipes de ese proyecto, entendiendo que, en definitiva, el éxito de la empresa es también el suyo propio. Hemos analizado las causas de esta situación, utilizando las experiencias plasmadas en numerosos estudios llevados a cabo por expertos internacionales. Una vez localizados, acotados y definidos los aspectos débiles de los procedimientos aplicados en la actualidad, hemos diseñado un par de nuevos modelos de gestión de los costes totales de calidad, que tienen la virtud de haber eliminado aquellas etapas que, en la práctica, se han mostrado ineficaces, e incorporando otras, que han resultado ser muy útiles en diversos campos de la gestión de la calidad. El primero de los modelos, el más simple, puede ser utilizado para gestionar presupuestos de costes de calidad sencillos, mientras que el segundo contempla la posibilidad de lograr una mayor exactitud en las cifras de las previsiones, al tiempo que introduce alguna situación de incertidumbre.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/223612spaEconomia de l'empresaComptabilitat de costosQualitat totalManagerial economicsTotal quality managementCost accounting331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball334 - Formes d'organització i cooperació en l'economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusLa importancia del control de los costes de la no-calidad en la empresa
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2282182021-01-20T16:45:57Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2014-04-23T09:56:21Z2021-01-20T16:45:57ZThe stop-loss reinsurance is one of the most important reinsurance contracts in the insurance market. From the insurer point of view, it presents an interesting property: it is optimal if the criterion of minimizing the variance of the cost of the insurer is used. The aim of the paper is to contribute to the analysis of the stop-loss contract in one period from the point of view of the insurer and the reinsurer. Firstly, the influence of the parameters of the reinsurance contract on the correlation coefficient between the cost of the insurer and the cost of the reinsurer is studied. Secondly, the optimal stop-loss contract is obtained if the criterion used is the maximization of the joint survival probability of the insurer and the reinsurer in one period.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/228218engReassegurancesReinsuranceMatemàtica financeraActuarial mathematics33 - EconomiaOptimal stop-loss reinsurance: a dependence analysis
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2388202021-01-20T16:45:58Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2014-09-12T08:05:11Z2021-01-20T16:45:58ZUsing a database of 2,263 responses to R&D public calls in Catalonia, during the period 2007–2010, this paper proceeds to analyse the potential interaction of the territorial and policy dimensions with the propensity to apply for, and be awarded, a public R&D subsidy. Controlling for characteristics at the firm and project level, we estimate models using a twostep procedure. In the first step, our results suggest that large firms which export and which belong to high-tech manufactures are more likely to participate in a public R&D call. Furthermore, both urban location and past experience of such calls have a positive effect. Our territorial proxy of information spillovers shows a positive sign, but this is only significant at intra-industry level. Membership of one of the sectors prioritized by the Catalan government, perhaps surprisingly, does not have a significant impact. In the second step, our results show that cooperative projects, SMEs or old firms shows a positive effect on the probability of obtaining a public subsidy. Finally, the cluster policy does not show a clear relationship with the public R&D call, suggesting that cluster policies and R&D subsidies follow different goals. Our results are in line with previous results in the literature, but they highlight the unequal territorial distribution of the firms which apply and the fact that policymakers should interlink the decision criteria for their public call with other policies.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/238820engRecerca industrialSubvencionsEmpresesLocalització industrialSistemes productius localsCatalunyaIndustrial researchSubsidiesEnterprisesIndustrial locationIndustrial clustersCatalonia33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaA territorial approach to R&D subsidies: Empirical evidence for Catalonian firms
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1826832021-01-20T16:46:00Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-04-10T09:01:20Z2021-01-20T16:46:00ZThe tourism consumer’s purchase decision process is, to a great extent, conditioned by the image the tourist has of the different destinations that make up his or her choice set. In a highly competitive international tourist market, those responsible for destinations’ promotion and development policies seek differentiation strategies so that they may position the destinations in the most suitable market segments for their product in order to improve their attractiveness to visitors and increase or consolidate the economic benefits that tourism activity generates in their territory. To this end, the main objective we set ourselves in this paper is the empirical analysis of the factors that determine the image formation of Tarragona city as a cultural heritage destination. Without a doubt, UNESCO’s declaration of Tarragona’s artistic and monumental legacies as World Heritage site in the year 2000 meant important international recognition of the quality of the cultural and patrimonial elements offered by the city to the visitors who choose it as a tourist destination. It also represents a strategic opportunity to boost the city’s promotion of tourism and its consolidation as a unique destination given its cultural and patrimonial characteristics. Our work is based on the use of structured and unstructured techniques to identify the factors that determine Tarragona’s tourist destination image and that have a decisive influence on visitors’ process of choice of destination. In addition to being able to ascertain Tarragona’s global tourist image, we consider that the heterogeneity of its visitors requires a more detailed study that enables us to segment visitor typology. We consider that the information provided by these results may prove of great interest to those responsible for local tourism policy, both when designing products and when promoting the destination.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/182683catHeritage tourismFactor analysisCluster anàlysisTarragona (Catalonia)Turisme culturalAnàlisi factorialAnàlisi de conglomeratsTarragona (Catalunya)33 - Economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusQuantitative analysis of image factors in a cultural heritage tourist destination
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2433262021-01-20T16:46:00Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2014-12-04T09:53:46Z2021-01-20T16:46:00ZTwo speed management policies were implemented in the metropolitan area of Barcelona aimed at reducing air pollution concentration levels. In 2008, the maximum speed limit was reduced to 80 km/h and, in 2009, a variable speed system was introduced on some metropolitan motorways. This paper evaluates whether such policies have been successful in promoting cleaner air, not only in terms of mean pollutant levels but also during high and low pollution episodes. We use a quantile regression approach for fixed effect panel data. We find that the variable speed system improves air quality with regard to the two pollutants considered here, being most effective when nitrogen oxide levels are not too low and when particulate matter concentrations are below extremely high levels. However, reducing the maximum speed limit from 120/100 km/h to 80 km/h has no effect – or even a slightly increasing effect –on the two pollutants, depending on the pollution scenario.
Length: 32 pageshttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/243326engQualitat de l'aireContaminació atmosfèricaLimitacions de velocitatAnàlisi de regressióBarcelona (Catalunya : Àrea metropolitana)Air qualityAtmospheric pollutionSpeed limitsRegression analysisBarcelone (Catalogne : région métropolitaine)|33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaThe environmental effects of changing speed limits: a quantile regression approach
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2409782021-01-20T16:46:02Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2014-10-17T12:26:46Z2021-01-20T16:46:02ZThe article examines public-private sector wage differentials in Spain using microdata from the Structure of Earnings Survey (Encuesta de Estructura Salarial). When applying various decomposition techniques, we find that it is important to distinguish by gender and type of contract. Our results also highlight the presence of a positive wage premium for public sector workers that can be partially explained by their better endowment of characteristics, in particular by the characteristics of the establishment where they work. The wage premium is greater for female and fixed-term employees and falls across the wage distribution, being negative for more highly skilled workers.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/240978engSalarisContractes de treballSector públicEspanyaWagesLabor contractPublic sectorSpain33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treballPublic-private sector wage differentials by type of contract: evidence from Spain
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2547142021-01-20T16:46:05Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2015-10-02T10:38:18Z2021-01-20T16:46:05ZWe exploit the 1983 language-in-education reform that introduced Catalan alongside Spanish as medium of instruction in Catalan schools to estimate the labour market value of bilingual education. Identification is achieved in a difference-in-differences framework exploiting variation in exposure to the reform across years of schooling and years of birth. We find positive wage returns to bilingual education and no effects on employment, hours of work or occupation. Results are robust to education-cohort specific trends or selection into schooling and are mainly stemming from exposure at compulsory education. We show that the effect worked through increased Catalan proficiency for Spanish speakers and that there were also positive effects for Catalan speakers from families with low education. These findings are consistent with human capital effects rather than with more efficient job search or reduced discrimination. Exploiting the heterogeneous effects of the reform as an instrument for proficiency we find sizeable earnings effects of skills in Catalan.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/254714engBilingüismeEnsenyament bilingüeMercat de treballSociolinguïsticaCatalunyaBilingualismBilingual educationLabor marketSociolinguisticsCatalonia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda37 - Educació. Ensenyament. Formació. Temps lliureBilingual schooling and earnings: evidence from a language-in-education reform
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1795772021-01-20T16:46:12Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-02-01T12:25:17Z2021-01-20T16:46:12ZThis paper identifies and then quantifies econometrically the impact of leniency programs on the perception of the effectiveness of antitrust policies using country level panel data for a 10-year span. Leniency programs have been introduced gradually in antitrust legislation across the globe to fight more effectively against cartels. We use the dynamics of the diffusion of such policy innovation across countries and over time to evaluate the impact of the program. We find that leniency programs have had a significant impact on the perception among the business community of the effectiveness of each country‟s antitrust policy. Leniency programs have become weapons of mass dissuasion in the hands of antitrust enforcers against the more damaging forms of explicit collusion among rival firms in the market place.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/179577engEconomic policyIndustrial trustsPolítica EconòmicaTrusts industrials33 - Economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusEvaluating antitrust leniency programs
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1795792021-01-20T16:46:23Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-02-01T13:20:03Z2021-01-20T16:46:23ZIn this work discuss the use of the standard model for the calculation of the solvency capital requirement (SCR) when the company aims to use the specific parameters of the model on the basis of the experience of its portfolio. In particular, this analysis focuses on the formula presented in the latest quantitative impact study (2010 CEIOPS) for non-life underwriting premium and reserve risk. One of the keys of the standard model for premium and reserves risk is the correlation matrix between lines of business. In this work we present how the correlation matrix between lines of business could be estimated from a quantitative perspective, as well as the possibility of using a credibility model for the estimation of the matrix of correlation between lines of business that merge qualitative and quantitative perspective.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/179579engRisk (Insurance)Econometric modelsRisk managementRisc (Assegurances)Models economètricsGestió del risc33 - Economia336 - Finances. Banca. Moneda. BorsaHow to use the standard model with own data?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1795822021-01-20T16:46:24Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-02-01T14:28:34Z2021-01-20T16:46:24ZThis paper examines why a financial entity’s solvency capital estimation might be underestimated if the total amount required is obtained directly from a risk measurement. Using Monte Carlo simulation we show that, in some instances, a common risk measure such as Value-at-Risk is not subadditive when certain dependence structures are considered. Higher risk evaluations are obtained for independence between random variables than those obtained in the case of comonotonicity. The paper stresses, therefore, the relationship between dependence structures and capital estimation.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/179582engMonte Carlo methodFinancial institutionsRisk managementMètode de MontecarloInstitucions financeresGestió del risc33 - Economia336 - Finances. Banca. Moneda. BorsaSolvency Capital estimation and Risk Measures
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1826662021-01-20T16:46:28Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-03-29T09:28:10Z2021-01-20T16:46:28ZRelevant market definition is still a key element of economic analysis of competition in the gasoline market. It is particularly difficult to handle when competition is local and market power is geographically constrained like is the case in the gasoline market. We analyse how the application of the hypothetical monopolist or Small but Significant Non-Transitory Increase in Prices (SSNIP) test performs for defining isochrones using only information on prices and distance among competitors. We conclude that geographic information systems can be very successfully used to define more precisely relevant geographic market in the gasoline retailing. The application to the Spanish gasoline market concludes that geographic relevant market is composed by 5-6 minutes of travel time. Localised market power should be taken into account when analysing the adverse effects of mergers and entry regulations in gasoline retailing. Only drawing small enough isochrones will drive competition in local markets because it is just close rivals that compete effectively with each other.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/182666engGasolineCompetitionPricingGeographic information systemsGasolinaCompetència econòmicaPreusSistemes d'informació geogràfica33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaDriving competition in local gasoline markets
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1826702021-01-20T16:46:29Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-03-30T08:02:42Z2021-01-20T16:46:29ZIn this paper, we present a stochastic model for disability insurance contracts. The model is based on a discrete time non-homogeneous semi-Markov process (DTNHSMP) to which the backward recurrence time process is introduced. This permits a more exhaustive study of disability evolution and a more efficient approach to the duration problem. The use of semi-Markov reward processes facilitates the possibility of deriving equations of the prospective and retrospective mathematical reserves. The model is applied to a sample of contracts drawn at random from a mutual insurance company.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/182670engDisability insuranceMarkov processesAssegurances d'invalidesaProcessos de Markov336 - Finances. Banca. Moneda. BorsaDiscrete time Non-homogeneous Semi-Markov Processes applied to Models for Disability Insurance
oai:recercat.cat:2072/430342021-01-20T16:46:30Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2009-12-22T15:33:06Z2021-01-20T16:46:30ZCountries specialised in tourism tend to face two problems with contradictory effects: the commons and the anti-commons, which lead to tourism over- and under-production, respectively. This paper develops a two-period model to analyse the joint effects of both problems on a small and remote tourism economy. Congestion and the complementariness between foreign transport and local tourism services are key features in this type of markets. As a result, direct selling and the presence of foreign tour-operators emerge as possible market arrangements with different implications in terms of welfare and public intervention. Four main results are obtained. First, in the direct selling situation the optimal policy depends on the relative importance of the problems. Second, the existence of tour-operators always leads to tourism over-production. Third, the presence of a single tour-operator does not solve the congestion problem. Lastly, the switch from several tour-operators to a single one is welfare reducing.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/43034engTurismeVendes directesComerç internacionalAnàlisi econòmica33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusThe Commons and anti-commons problems in the tourism economy
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1988562021-01-20T16:46:32Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2012-06-28T11:21:13Z2021-01-20T16:46:32ZThis study examines how structural determinants influence intermediary factors of child health inequities and how they operate through the communities where children live. In particular, we explore individual, family and community level characteristics associated with a composite indicator that quantitatively measures intermediary determinants of early childhood health in Colombia. We use data from the 2010 Colombian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Adopting the conceptual framework of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), three dimensions related to child health are represented in the index: behavioural factors, psychosocial factors and health system. In order to generate the weight of the variables and take into account the discrete nature of the data, principal component analysis (PCA) using polychoric correlations are employed in the index construction. Weighted multilevel models are used to examine community effects. The results show that the effect of household’s SES is attenuated when community characteristics are included, indicating the importance that the level of community development may have in mediating individual and family characteristics. The findings indicate that there is a significant variance in intermediary determinants of child health between-community, especially for those determinants linked to the health system, even after controlling for individual, family and community characteristics. These results likely reflect that whilst the community context can exert a greater influence on intermediary factors linked directly to health, in the case of psychosocial factors and the parent’s behaviours, the family context can be more important. This underlines the importance of distinguishing between community and family intervention programmes.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/198856engSalut urbanaInfantsOrganització de la comunitatMètodes estadísticsColòmbiaUrban healthChildrenCommunity organizationStatistical methodsColombia|33 - EconomiaIntermediary and structural determinants of early childhood health in Colombia: exploring the role of communities
oai:recercat.cat:2072/129672021-01-20T16:46:33Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-19T11:19:42Z2021-01-20T16:46:33ZScholars and local planners are increasingly interested in tourism contribution to economic and social development. To this regard, several European cities lead the world rankings on tourist arrivals, and their governments have promoted tourism activity. Mobility is an essential service for tourists visiting large cities, since it is a crucial factor for their comfort. In addition, it facilitates the spread of benefits across the city. The aim of this study is to determine whether city planners respond to this additional urban transport demand pressure by extending supply services. We use an international database of European cities. Our results confirm that tourism intensity is a demand enhancing factor on urban transport. Contrarily, cities do not seem to address this pressure by increasing service supply. This suggests that tourism exerts a positive externality on public transport since it provides additional funding for these services, but it imposes as well external costs on resident users because of congestion given supply constraints.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/12967engTurismeTransport urbàAdministració localTourism and urban transport: holding demand pressure under supply constraints
oai:recercat.cat:2072/129782021-01-20T16:46:33Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-23T07:41:48Z2021-01-20T16:46:33ZThis paper analyzes both theoretically and empirically the relationship between distance and frequency of scheduled transportation services. We study the interaction between a monopoly firm providing high-speed scheduled service and personal trans- portation (i.e., car). Most interestingly, the carrier chooses to increase frequency of service on longer routes when competing with personal transportation because provid- ing a higher frequency (at extra cost) it can also charge higher fares that can boost its profits. However, when driving is not a relevant option, frequency of service de- creases for longer flights consistently with prior studies. An empirical application of our analysis to the European airline industry con?rms the predictions of our theoretical model.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/12978engEconomia del transportTransport aeri33 - EconomiaScheduled service versus personal transportation: the role of distance
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130042021-01-20T16:46:34Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-29T14:23:03Z2021-01-20T16:46:34ZThe implementation of public programs to support business R&D projects requires the establishment of a selection process. This selection process faces various difficulties, which include the measurement of the impact of the R&D projects as well as selection process optimization among projects with multiple, and sometimes incomparable, performance indicators. To this end, public agencies generally use the peer review method, which, while presenting some advantages, also demonstrates significant drawbacks. Private firms, on the other hand, tend toward more quantitative methods, such as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), in their pursuit of R&D investment optimization. In this paper, the performance of a public agency peer review method of project selection is compared with an alternative DEA method.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13004engInvestigació científica i desenvolupamentPolítica tecnològicaEmpresesSubvencions33 - EconomiaAssessing the assignation of public subsidies: Do the experts choose the most efficient R&D projects?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130382021-01-20T16:46:35Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T11:27:13Z2021-01-20T16:46:35ZThis paper investigates the extent to which the gap in total factor productivity between small and large firms is due to differences in the endowment of factors determining productivity and to the returns associated with these factors. We place particular emphasis on the contribution of differences in the propensity to innovate and in the use of skilled labor across firms of different size. Empirical evidence from a representative sample of Spanish manufacturing firms corroborates that both differences in endowments and returns to innovation and skilled labor significantly contribute to the productivity gap between small and large firms. In addition, it is observed that the contribution of innovation to this gap is caused only by differences in quantity, while differences in returns have no effect; in the case of human capital, however, most of the effect can be attributed to increasing differences in returns between small and large firms.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13038engProductivitatInnovacióDimensió de les empreses33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda334 - Formes d'organització i cooperació en l'economiaDecomposing differences in total factor productivity across firm size
oai:recercat.cat:2072/2311342021-01-20T16:46:37Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2014-05-27T09:44:05Z2021-01-20T16:46:37ZThis paper analyses the effect of job accessibility by public and private transport on labour market outcomes in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Beyond employment, we consider the effect of job accessibility on job-education mismatch, which represents a relevant aspect of job quality. We adopt a recursive system of equations that models car availability, employment and mismatch. Public transport accessibility appears as an exogenous variable in the three equations. Even though it may reflect endogenous residential sorting, falsification proofs suggest that the estimated effect of public transport accessibility is not entirely driven by the endogenous nature of residential decisions.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/231134engMercat de treballCompetències professionalsTransport privatTransport públicBarcelona (Catalunya : Àrea metropolitana)Labor marketVocational qualificationsPrivate transportLocal transitBarcelona (Catalonia : Metropolitan area)33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaJob accessibility, employment and job-education mismatch in the metropolitan area of Barcelona
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130402021-01-20T16:46:40Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T11:38:40Z2021-01-20T16:46:40ZThis paper explores the effects of two main sources of innovation —intramural and external R&D— on the productivity level in a sample of 3,267 Catalan firms. The data set used is based on the official innovation survey of Catalonia which was a part of the Spanish sample of CIS4, covering the years 2002-2004. We compare empirical results by applying usual OLS and quantile regression techniques both in manufacturing and services industries. In quantile regression, results suggest different patterns at both innovation sources as we move across conditional quantiles. The elasticity of intramural R&D activities on productivity decreased when we move up the high productivity levels both in manufacturing and services sectors, while the effects of external R&D rise in high-technology industries but are more ambiguous in low-technology and services industries.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13040engInnovacióProductivitatIndústries2002-2004CatalunyaAnàlisi de regressió33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaInnovation sources and productivity: a quantile regression analysis
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130092021-01-20T16:46:40Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-30T09:25:04Z2021-01-20T16:46:40ZThis paper examines the impact of urban sprawl, a phenomenon of particular interest in Spain, which is currently experiencing this process of rapid, low-density urban expansion. Many adverse consequences are attributed to urban sprawl (e.g., traffic congestion, air pollution and social segregation), though here we are concerned primarily with the rising costs of providing local public services. Our initial aim is to develop an accurate measure of urban sprawl so that we might empirically test its impact on municipal budgets. Then, we undertake an empirical analysis using a cross-sectional data set of 2,500 Spanish municipalities for the year 2003 and a piecewise linear function to account for the potentially nonlinear relationship between sprawl and local costs. The estimations derived from the expenditure equations for both aggregate and six disaggregated spending categories indicate that low-density development patterns lead to greater provision costs of local public services.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13009engUrban sprawlDespeses públiquesAdministració local33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaDoes urban sprawl increase the costs of providing local public services? Evidence from Spanish municipalities
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130102021-01-20T16:46:41Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-30T09:43:02Z2021-01-20T16:46:41ZLa literatura sobre asimilación de los inmigrantes ha destacado la portabilidad imperfecta del capital humano acumulado por éstos en su país de origen (Chiswick, 1978; Friedberg, 2000). Ello explicaría la escasa asimilación en el momento de llegar al nuevo país, así como la gran brecha salarial inicial. Recientemente, una serie de trabajos (Chiswick y Miller, 2007 o Green, Kler y Leeves, 2007, entre otros) han abordado este tema desde la perspectiva de la sobreeducación. Enmarcado en esta literatura, el presente trabajo analiza la portabilidad del capital humano de los inmigrantes al mercado de trabajo español en función de su origen geográfico. Asimismo, trata de contrastar para el caso español las regularidades empíricas más destacables de dichos trabajos. Los resultados obtenidos señalan un distinto grado de transferibilidad del capital humano según origen geográfico, siendo superior la del capital humano acumulado en países de elevado desarrollo o de cultura e idioma próximos y menor la del procedente de países en desarrollo y culturas distantes. La evidencia es relativamente dispar para ambos componentes del capital humano: mientras que ello es especialmente claro para los estudios, resulta menos evidente para la experiencia. Se confirma, asimismo, para el caso español que los inmigrantes padecen una mayor sobreeducación, tanto en incidencia como en intensidad, y que ello implica una mayor penalización salarial relativa, con resultados siempre peores para inmigrantes del segundo grupo de países. A medida que los inmigrantes prolongan su estancia en España existe un proceso de asimilación, excepto para asiáticos y en algunas especificaciones tampoco para los procedentes del África subsahariana, si bien la velocidad de asimilación es notablemente lenta.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13010spaRecursos humansEmigració i immigració33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treballPortabilidad del capital humano y asimilación de los inmigrantes. Evidencia para España
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130112021-01-20T16:46:41Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-30T10:25:32Z2021-01-20T16:46:41ZIn automobile insurance, it is useful to achieve a priori ratemaking by resorting to gene- ralized linear models, and here the Poisson regression model constitutes the most widely accepted basis. However, insurance companies distinguish between claims with or without bodily injuries, or claims with full or partial liability of the insured driver. This paper exa- mines an a priori ratemaking procedure when including two di®erent types of claim. When assuming independence between claim types, the premium can be obtained by summing the premiums for each type of guarantee and is dependent on the rating factors chosen. If the independence assumption is relaxed, then it is unclear as to how the tari® system might be a®ected. In order to answer this question, bivariate Poisson regression models, suitable for paired count data exhibiting correlation, are introduced. It is shown that the usual independence assumption is unrealistic here. These models are applied to an automobile insurance claims database containing 80,994 contracts belonging to a Spanish insurance company. Finally, the consequences for pure and loaded premiums when the independence assumption is relaxed by using a bivariate Poisson regression model are analysed.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13011engModels de poissonAssegurances311 - Estadística33 - EconomiaA priori ratemaking using bivariate poisson regression models
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130122021-01-20T16:46:42Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-30T10:36:09Z2021-01-20T16:46:42ZThis article provides a fresh methodological and empirical approach for assessing price level convergence and its relation to purchasing power parity (PPP) using annual price data for seventeen US cities. We suggest a new procedure that can handle a wide range of PPP concepts in the presence of multiple structural breaks using all possible pairs of real exchange rates. To deal with cross-sectional dependence, we use both cross-sectional demeaned data and a parametric bootstrap approach. In general, we find more evidence for stationarity when the parity restriction is not imposed, while imposing parity restriction provides leads toward the rejection of the panel stationar- ity. Our results can be embedded on the view of the Balassa-Samuelson approach, but where the slope of the time trend is allowed to change in the long-run. The median half-life point estimate are found to be lower than the consensus view regardless of the parity restriction.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13012engConvergència econòmicaParitat dels poders adquisitius311 - Estadística33 - EconomiaPrice level convergence, purchasing power parity and multiple structural breaks: an application to US cities
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130132021-01-20T16:46:42Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-30T10:55:10Z2021-01-20T16:46:42ZThis paper analyzes the persistence of shocks that affect the real exchange rates for a panel of seventeen OECD developed countries during the post-Bretton Woods era. The adoption of a panel data framework allows us to distinguish two different sources of shocks, i.e. the idiosyncratic and the common shocks, each of which may have di¤erent persistence patterns on the real exchange rates. We first investigate the stochastic properties of the panel data set using panel stationarity tests that simultaneously consider both the presence of cross-section dependence and multiple structural breaks that have not received much attention in previous persistence analyses. Empirical results indicate that real exchange rates are non-stationary when the analysis does not account for structural breaks, although this conclusion is reversed when they are modeled. Consequently, misspecification errors due to the non-consideration of structural breaks leads to upward biased shocks' persistence measures. The persistence measures for the idiosyncratic and common shocks have been estimated in this paper always turn out to be less than one year.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13013engCanvi exteriorModels economètricsPaïsos de l'Organització de Cooperació i Desenvolupament Econòmic33 - Economia339 - Comerç. Relacions econòmiques internacionals. Economia mundial. MàrquetingDeconstructing Shocks and Persistence in OECD Real Exchange Rates
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130162021-01-20T16:46:42Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-30T11:27:09Z2021-01-20T16:46:42ZThe objective of this paper is to estimate the impact of residential job accessibility on female employment probability in the metropolitan areas of Barcelona and Madrid. Following a “spatial mismatch” framework, we estimate a female employment probability equation where variables controlling for personal characteristics, residential segregation and employment potential on public transport network are included. Data used come from Microcensus 2001 of INE (National Institute of Statistics). The research focuses on the treatment of endogeneity problems and the measurement of accessibility variables. Our results show that low job accessibility in public transport negatively affects employment probability. The intensity of this effect tends to decrease with individual’s educational attainment. A higher degree of residential segregation also reduces job probability in a significant way..application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13016engocupacióTreballadoresMobilitat laboralMobilitat residencialBarcelona (Catalunya : Àrea metropolitana)Madrid (Madrid (Comunitat autònoma) : Àrea metropolitana)33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaJob accessibility and employment probability
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130612021-01-20T16:46:44Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2009-01-07T09:04:45Z2021-01-20T16:46:44ZWe distinguish and assess three fundamental views of the labor market regarding the movements in unempoyment: (i) the frictionless equilibrium view; (ii) the chain reaction theory, or prolonged adjustment view; and (iii) the hysteresis view. While the frictionless view implies a clear compartmentalization between the short- and long-run, the hysteresis view implies that all the short-run fluctuations automatically turn into long-run changes in the unemployment rate. We assert the problems faced by these conceptions in explaining the diversity of labor market experiences across the OECD labor markets. We argue that the prolonged adjustment view can overcome these problems since it implies that the short, medium, and long runs are interrelated, merging with one another along an intertemporal continuum.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13061engAturCreixement econòmicEfectes de la inflació sobre l'aturMercat de treball33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treballThe Macroeconomics of the labor market: three fundamental views
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130192021-01-20T16:46:46Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-30T12:21:14Z2021-01-20T16:46:46ZThis empirical work studies the influence of immigrant students on individuals’ school choice in one of the most populated regions in Spain: Catalonia. It has estimated, following the Poisson model, the probability that a certain school, which immigrant students are already attending, may be chosen by natives as well as by immigrants, respectively. The information provided by the Catalonia School Department presents school characteristics of all the primary and secondary schools in Catalonia during the 2001/02 and 2002/03 school years. The results obtained support the evidence that Catalonia native families avoid schools attended by immigrants. Natives certainly prefer not to interact with immigrants. Private schools are more successful in avoiding immigrants. Finally, the main reason for non-natives’ choice is the presence of other non-natives in the same school.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13019spaElecció d'escolesEmigració i immigracióModel de PoissonCatalunya33 - EconomiaInfluencia de la inmigración en la elección escolar
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130202021-01-20T16:46:46Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-30T12:38:10Z2021-01-20T16:46:46ZMany regional governments in developed countries design programs to improve the competitiveness of local firms. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of public programs whose aim is to enhance the performance of firms located in Catalonia (Spain). We compare the performance of publicly subsidised companies (treated) with that of similar, but unsubsidised companies (non-treated). We use the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) methodology to construct a control group which, with respect to its observable characteristics, is as similar as possible to the treated group, and that allows us to identify firms which retain the same propensity to receive public subsidies. Once a valid comparison group has been established, we compare the respective performance of each firm. As a result, we find that recipient firms, on average, change their business practices, improve their performance, and increase their value added as a direct result of public subsidy programs.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13020engPolítica públicaAvaluacióEmpresesSubvencionsCatalunya33 - Economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusEvaluating the impact of public subsidies on a firm's performance: A quasi-experimental approach
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1685132021-01-20T16:46:47Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-08-23T09:22:33Z2021-01-20T16:46:47ZThis paper computes and compares alternative quality-adjusted price indexes for new cars in Spain in the period 1990-2000. The proposed hedonic approach simultaneously controls for time-invariant unobserved product e¤ects and time-variant unobserved quality changes, that are assumed to be captured by model age effects. The results show that the
non-adjusted price index largely overstates the increase in the cost of living induced by changes in car prices and that previous evidence for this market have not measured the real extent of that bias, probably due to the omission of controls for unobservables. It is also shown that omitting age effects can also lead to misleading conclusions. The estimated
price indexes give also some insights on what could have been the determinants of price evolution in the Spanish car market.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/168513engAutomobilesPricingSpainAutomòbilsPreusEspanya1990-200033 - EconomiaAge effects, unobserved characteristics and hedonic price indexes: The Spanish car market in the 1990s
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130622021-01-20T16:46:47Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2009-01-07T09:55:17Z2021-01-20T16:46:47ZThis paper tests for real interest parity (RIRP) among the nineteen major OECD countries over the period 1978:Q2-1998:Q4. The econometric methods applied consist of combining the use of several unit root or stationarity tests designed for panels valid under cross-section dependence and presence of multiple structural breaks. Our results strongly support the fulfillment of the weak version of the RIRP for the studied period once dependence and structural breaks are accounted for.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13062engTipus d'interèsIntegració econòmicaPaïsos de l'Organització de Cooperació i Desenvolupament Econòmic1978-199833 - Economia336 - Finances. Banca. Moneda. Borsa339 - Comerç. Relacions econòmiques internacionals. Economia mundial. MàrquetingNew evidence of the real interest rate parity for OECD countries using panel unit root tests with breaks
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130212021-01-20T16:46:48Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-30T12:55:21Z2021-01-20T16:46:48ZThis paper shows that tourism specialisation can help to explain the observed high growth rates of small countries. For this purpose, two models of growth and trade are constructed to represent the trade relations between two countries. One of the countries is large, rich, has an own source of sustained growth and produces a tradable capital good. The other is a small poor economy, which does not have an own engine of growth and produces tradable tourism services. The poor country exports tourism services to and imports capital goods from the rich economy. In one model tourism is a luxury good, while in the other the expenditure elasticity of tourism imports is unitary. Two main results are obtained. In the long run, the tourism country overcomes decreasing returns and permanently grows because its terms of trade continuously improve. Since the tourism sector is relatively less productive than the capital good sector, tourism services become relatively scarcer and hence more expensive than the capital good. Moreover, along the transition the growth rate of the tourism economy holds well above the one of the rich country for a long time. The growth rate differential between countries is particularly high when tourism is a luxury good. In this case, there is a faster increase in the tourism demand. As a result, investment of the small economy is boosted and its terms of trade highly improve.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13021engTurismeCreixement econòmicComerç internacional33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaExplaining High Economic Growth in Small Tourism Countries with a Dynamic General Equilibrium Model
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130632021-01-20T16:46:48Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2009-01-07T10:47:05Z2021-01-20T16:46:48ZThis paper addresses the issue of the relationship between productivity and market competition. In comparison to the economies of other European countries, the Spanish economy has been growing, while productivity growth has stagnated. Here we provide empirical evidence about the relationship between productivity and market competition from Spanish manufacturing firms at firm level between 1994 and 2004. Correcting for selection bias, our study pays special attention to the patterns of productivity growth between openness and non-openness firms. When market competition increases the effect on firms operating in domestic markets is positive but when the level of competition is high incentives to invest in innovation and productivity gains disappear. The empirical relationship between competition and productivity is an inverted U-shape, where productivity growth is highest at intermediate levels of competition. The productivity growth of firms operating in international markets is higher than that of non-openness firms, but when market competition rises they moderate their productivity growth. Our empirical results suggest that the correct competition policy in the Spanish economy should remove the barriers to competition in internal markets in order to increase the incentives for manufacturing firms to invest in innovation and productivity growth.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13063engProductivitatCompetènciaEmpresesIndústriesInnovacions tecnològiques33 - EconomiaProductivity growth and competition in Spanish manufacturing firms: What has happened in recent years?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130242021-01-20T16:46:49Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T08:45:44Z2021-01-20T16:46:49ZOne of the most persistent and lasting debates in economic research refers to whether the answers to subjective questions can be used to explain individuals’ economic behavior. Using panel data for twelve EU countries, in the present study we analyze the causal relationship between self-reported housing satisfaction and residential mobility. Our results indicate that: i) households unsatisfied with their current housing situation are more likely to move; ii) housing satisfaction raises after a move, and; iii) housing satisfaction increases with the transition from being a renter to becoming a homeowner. Some interesting cross-country differences are observed. Our findings provide evidence in favor of use of subjective indicators of satisfaction with certain life domains in the analysis of individuals’ economic conduct.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13024engHabitatgesSatisfaccióMobilitat residencialPaïsos de la Unió Europea33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaThe causal relationship between Individual’s choice behavior and self-reported satisfaction: the case of residential mobility in the EU
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130642021-01-20T16:46:50Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2009-01-07T11:28:31Z2021-01-20T16:46:50ZThe objective of the research is to know the factors that in Spain determine the choice of banking organization. The obtained results indicate that the dimension of the network of branches is the reason more valued. In spite of the increasing symmetry of the Spanish banking market, the preferences of the clients of the savings banks and those of the banks are not absolutely coincident, being the proximity - the main reason for election- much more valued by the former than by the latter. The existence of divergences in the preferences has also been detected according to the region and the typology of city of residence.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13064engBanca al detallModels d'elecció discretaBancs33 - Economia336 - Finances. Banca. Moneda. BorsaThe choice of banking firm: Are the interest rate a significant criteria?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130252021-01-20T16:46:51Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T09:00:55Z2021-01-20T16:46:51ZThis paper empirically analyses the hypothesis of the existence of a dual market for contracts in local services. Large firms that operate on a national basis control the contracts for delivery in the most populated and/or urban municipalities, whereas small firms that operate at a local level have the contracts in the least populated and/or rural municipalities. The dual market implies the high concentration and dominance of major firms in large municipalities, and local monopolies in the smaller ones. This market structure is harmful to competition for the market as the effective number of competitors is low across all municipalities. Thus, it damages the likelihood of obtaining cost savings from privatization.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13025engPrivatitzacióCompetència econòmicaServeis municipals33 - Economia334 - Formes d'organització i cooperació en l'economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusPrivatization and competition in the delivery of local services: An empirical examination of the dual market hypothesis
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130262021-01-20T16:46:51Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T09:05:11Z2021-01-20T16:46:51ZThe objective of this paper is to analyse to what extent the use of cross-section data will distort the estimated elasticities for car ownership demand when the observed variables do not correspond to a state equilibrium for some individuals in the sample. Our proposal consists of approximating the equilibrium values of the observed variables by constructing a pseudo-panel data set which entails averaging individuals observed at different points of time into cohorts. The results show that individual and aggregate data lead to almost the same value for income elasticity, whereas with respect to working adult elasticity the similarity is less pronounced.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13026engPseudo-panelVehiclesConsum (Economia)33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaCross-section data, disequilibrium situations and estimated coefficients: evidence from car ownership demand
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130652021-01-20T16:46:52Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2009-01-07T11:42:47Z2021-01-20T16:46:52ZRoad safety has become an increasing concern in developed countries due to the significant amount of mortal victims and the economic losses derived. Only in 2005 these losses rose to 200.000 million euros, a significant amount - approximately the 2% of its GDP- that easily justifies any public intervention. One tool used by governments to face this challenge is the enactment of stricter policies and regulations. Since drunk driving is one of the most important concerns of public authorities on this field, several European countries decided to lower their illegal Blood Alcohol Content levels to 0.5 mg/ml during the last decade. This study evaluates for the first time the effectiveness of this transition using European panel-based data (CARE) for the period 1991-2003 using the Differences-in-Differences method in a fixed effects estimation that allows for any pattern of correlation (Cluster-Robust). My results show the existence of positive impacts on certain groups of road users and for the whole population when the policy is accompanied by some enforcement interventions. Moreover, a time lag of more than two years is found in that effectiveness. Finally, I also assert the importance of controlling for serial correlation in the evaluation of this kind of policies.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13065engPolítiques de seguretat vialConsum d'alcoholSeguretat viàriaConsum d'alcohol i accidents de circulació33 - Economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusLowering blood alcohol content levels to save lives: The european experience
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130272021-01-20T16:46:52Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T10:01:32Z2021-01-20T16:46:52ZThis article analyses the effect of immigration flows on the growth and efficiency of manufacturing firms in Spanish cities. To date, most studies have tended to focus on the effect immigrants have on labour markets at an aggregate level. Here, however, we undertake an exhaustive analysis at the firm level and report conclusive empirical findings. Ten years ago, Spain began to register massive immigration flows, concentrated above all on its most dynamic and advanced regions. Here, therefore, rather than focusing on the impact this has had on Spain’s labour market (changes to the skill structure of the workforce, increase in labour supply, the displacement of native workers, etc.), we examine the arrival of immigrants in terms of the changes this has meant to the structure of the country’s cities and their amenities. Thus, we argue that the impact of immigration on firm performance should not only be considered in terms of the labour market, but also in terms of how a city’s amenities can affect the performance of firms. Employing a panel data methodology, we show that the increasing pressure brought to bear by immigrants has a positive effect on the evolution of labour productivity and wages and a negative effect on the job evolution of these manufacturing firms. In addition, both small and new firms are more sensitive to the pressures of such immigrant inflows, while foreign market oriented firms report higher productivity levels and a less marked impact of immigration than their counterparts. In this paper, we also present a set of instruments to correct the endogeneity bias, which confirms the effect of local immigration flows on the performance of manufacturing firms.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13027engImmigracióDinàmica empresarialEspanya33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaImmigration and Firm Growth: Evidence from Spanish cities
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130282021-01-20T16:46:53Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T10:13:02Z2021-01-20T16:46:53ZLa composición de la población española ha cambiado en los últimos años debido a la llegada de la población inmigrante. En este trabajo se acota cuánto podría llegar a cambiar la esperanza de vida en salud y en discapacidad de la población española, debido a la incorporación de un nuevo colectivo. La metodología propuesta permite calcular el máximo cambio posible en la esperanza de vida en salud y en discapacidad, en función de un porcentaje fijo de inmigración, y con el supuesto de mantenimiento de la mortalidad. Los resultados permiten analizar cambios en los costes de la dependencia para los mayores de 65 años.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13028spaImmigracióSalutEsperança de vidaEspanya31 - Demografia. Sociologia. Estadística33 - EconomiaImpacto de la immigración sobre la esperanza de vida en salud y en discapacidad de la población española
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1792092021-01-20T16:46:53Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-12-22T09:56:38Z2021-01-20T16:46:53ZThis paper examines the determinants of young innovative companies’ (YICs) R&D activities taking into account the autoregressive nature of innovation. Using a large longitudinal dataset comprising Spanish manufacturing firms over the period 1990-2008, we find that previous R&D experience is a fundamental determinant for mature and young firms, albeit to a smaller extent in the case of the YICs, suggesting that their innovation behaviour is less persistent and more erratic. Moreover, our results suggest that firm and market characteristics play a distinct role in boosting the innovation activity of firms of different age. In particular, while market concentration and the degree of product diversification are found to be important in boosting R&D activities in the sub-sample of mature firms only, YICs’ spending on R&D appears to be more sensitive to demand-pull variables, suggesting the presence of credit constraints. These results have been obtained using a recently proposed dynamic type-2 tobit estimator, which accounts for individual effects and efficiently handles the initial conditions problem.http://hdl.handle.net/2072/179209engEconomyTechnological innovationsEnterprisesEconomiaEmpresesInnovacions tecnològiques33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaThe determinants of YIc's R&D activity
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130662021-01-20T16:46:54Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2009-01-07T12:16:23Z2021-01-20T16:46:54ZQuality of life is increasingly becoming a concept researched empirically and theoretically in the field of economics. In urban economics in particular, this increasing interest stems mainly from the fact that quality of life affects urban competitiveness and urban growth: research shows that when households and businesses decide where to locate, quality of life considerations can play a very important role. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the way economic literature and urban economic literature in particular, have adopted quality of life considerations in the economic thinking. Moreover, it presents the ways various studies have attempted to capture the multidimensional nature of the concept, and quantify it for the purposes of empirical research. Additionally we focus on the state of the art in Spain. Looking at the experiences in the last years we see very important possibilities of developing new studies in the field.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13066spaQualitat de vidaEconomia urbanaEspanya33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaEconomía urbana y calidad de vida. Una revisión del estado del conocimiento en España
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130292021-01-20T16:46:54Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T10:14:49Z2021-01-20T16:46:54ZAt present, Spain faces one of the key moments in planning the future design of the infrastructure network. As a consequence of the critical role played by haulage in intra-European trade, the most important investments are those that guarantee that road haulage traffic can move freely at the borders. That is why it is necessary to make serious evaluations of the economic and social profitability of these investments. Normally the most significant social benefit of investment projects in transport infrastructure is time saving, which in turn changes traffic intensity. In this article we analyse the changes in the user excess caused by public investment in transport infrastructure planned by the Spanish government and which will be located on the border between Spain and France. In particular, we study the increase in network user surplus for HGV traffic in the Spanish and French border zones in the Pyrenees.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13029engComerç internacionalCarreteresXarxes viàriesCondicions econòmiquesPirineus (Europa : Serralada)EspanyaFrança33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda339 - Comerç. Relacions econòmiques internacionals. Economia mundial. MàrquetingEconomic effects of road accessibility in the Pyrenees: user perspective
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130302021-01-20T16:46:56Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T10:22:39Z2021-01-20T16:46:56ZThis paper analyses empirically how differences in local taxes affect the intraregional location of new manufacturing plants. These effects are examined within the random profit maximization framework while accounting for the presence of different types of agglomeration economies (localization/ urbanization/ Jacobs’ economies) at the municipal level. We look at the location decision of more than 10,000 establishments locating between 1996 and 2003 across more than 400 municipalities in Catalonia, a Spanish region. It is necessary to restrict the choice set to the local labor market and, above all, to control for agglomeration economies so as to identify the effects of taxes on the location of new establishments.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13030engImpostos localsLocalització industrial33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaTax differentials and agglomeration economies in intraregional firm location
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130312021-01-20T16:46:57Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T10:40:19Z2021-01-20T16:46:57ZCapital taxation is currently under debate, basically due to problems of administrative control and proper assessment of the levied assets. We analyze both problems focusing on a capital tax, the annual wealth tax (WT), which is only applied in five OECD countries, being Spain one of them. We concentrate our analysis on top 1% adult population, which permits us to describe the evolution of wealth concentration in Spain along 1983-2001. On average top 1% holds about 18% of total wealth, which rises to 19% when tax incompliance and under-assessment is corrected for housing, the main asset. The evolution suggests wealth concentration has risen. Regarding WT, we analyze whether it helps to reduce wealth inequality or, on the contrary, it reinforces vertical inequity (due to especial concessions) and horizontal inequity (due to the de iure and to de facto different treatment of assets). We analyze in detail housing and equity shares. By means of a time series analysis, we relate the reported values with reasonable price indicators and proxies of the propensity to save. We infer net tax compliance is extremely low, which includes both what we commonly understand by (gross) tax compliance and the degree of under-assessment due to fiscal legislation (for housing). That is especially true for housing, whose level of net tax compliance is well below 50%. Hence, we corroborate the difficulties in taxing capital, and so cast doubts on the current role of the WT in Spain in reducing wealth inequality.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13031engRiquesaImpostos33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusAn empirical analysis of wealth taxation: equity Vs.tax compliance
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130322021-01-20T16:46:58Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T10:42:14Z2021-01-20T16:46:58ZThis study analyses the impact that job accessibility in public transport has on car ownership. An ordered probit explaining the number of cars per household is estimated as a function of head of household characteristics, household characteristics and job accessibility. The data used in the analysis come from the Microcensus of year 2001 of the Spanish Institute of Statistics for the areas of Barcelona and Madrid. Our results show a significant effect of accessibility on car ownership. Additionally, we carried out simulation exercises in which the expected number of vehicles decreases as accessibility improves. For instance, in the case of households living outside the central city, an improvement of accessibility up to the average level of the central city would offset the effect of the number of working adults on the expected number of vehicles.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13032engDesplaçaments domicili-treballTransport privatTransport públicBarcelona (Catalunya : Àrea metropolitana)Madrid (Madrid : Àrea metropolitana)33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaCar ownership and access to jobs in Spain
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130332021-01-20T16:46:58Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T10:50:50Z2021-01-20T16:46:58ZEmpleando la encuesta de estructura salarial se plantea una propuesta de estimación de externalidades de capital humano intraempresa que permite relajar las restricciones introducidas por las especificaciones que la literatura empírica existente ha usado. En concreto, la metodología propuesta evalúa las externalidades de capital humano aprovechando al máximo la variabilidad en la muestra, al permitir que todos los coeficientes de las ecuaciones estimadas varíen con el nivel de capital humano del establecimiento, relajando la hipótesis implícita de linealidad entre el efecto de externalidad y el nivel educativo de los individuos.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13033spaRecursos humansEmpresesGestió de personalExternalitat (Economia)33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treballUna propuesta de evaluación de las externalidades de capital humano en la empresa
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130342021-01-20T16:46:58Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T10:55:21Z2021-01-20T16:46:58ZThis paper analyses the performance of companies’ R&D and innovation and the effects of intra- and inter-industry R&D spillover on firms’ productivity in Catalonia. The paper deals simultaneously with the performance of manufacturing and service firms, with the aim of highlighting the growing role of knowledge-intensive services in promoting innovation and productivity gains. We find that intra-industry R&D spillovers have an important effect on the productivity level of manufacturing firms, and the inter-industrial R&D spillovers related to computer and software services also play an important role, especially in high-tech manufacturing industries. The main conclusion is that the traditional classification of manufactured goods and services no longer makes sense in the ‘knowledge economy’ and in Catalonia the regional policy makers will have to design policies that favour inter-industrial R&D flows, especially from high-tech services.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13034engInnovacióInvestigacióProductivitatIndústriesCatalunya33 - Economia331 - Treball. Relacions laborals. Ocupació. Organització del treball334 - Formes d'organització i cooperació en l'economia338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusInnovation, R&D spillovers and productivity: the role of knowledge-intensive services
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130352021-01-20T16:46:59Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T11:04:57Z2021-01-20T16:46:59ZRecent concessions in France and in the US have resulted in a dramatic difference in the valuation placed on the toll roads; the price paid by the investors in France was twelve times current cash flow whereas investors paid sixty times current cash flow for the U.S. toll roads. In this paper we explore two questions: What accounts for the difference in these multiples, and what are the implications with respect to the public interest. Our analysis illustrates how structural and procedural decisions made by the public owner affect the concession price. Further, the terms of the concession have direct consequences that are enjoyed or borne by the various stakeholders of the toll road.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13035engInfraestructures (Transport)PrivatitzacióPeatgesLlicènciesEstats Units d'AmèricaFrança33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusComparison of recent toll road concession transactions in the United States and France
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130362021-01-20T16:46:59Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T11:09:23Z2021-01-20T16:46:59ZThis paper analyses how fiscal adjustment comes about when both central and sub-national governments are involved in consolidation. We test sustainability of public debt with a fiscal rule for both the federal and regional government. Results for the German Länder show that lower tier governments bear a relatively smaller part of the burden of debt consolidation, if they consolidate at all. Most of the fiscal adjustment occurs via central government debt. In contrast, both the US federal and state levels contribute to consolidation of public finances.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13036engAdministració centralAdministració localFinances públiquesPressupostRelacions fiscals intergovernamentals33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaFiscal sustainability across government tiers
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130372021-01-20T16:47:00Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2008-12-31T11:21:31Z2021-01-20T16:47:00ZThe present paper analyses the link between firms’ decisions to innovate and the barriers that prevent them from being innovative. The aim is twofold. First, it analyses three groups of barriers to innovation: the cost of innovation projects, lack of knowledge and market conditions. Second, it presents the main steps taken by Catalan Government to promote the creation of new firms and to reduce barriers to innovation. The data set used is based on the 2004 official innovation survey of Catalonia which was taken from the Spanish CIS-4 sample. This sample includes individual information on 2,954 Catalan firms in manufacturing industries and knowledge-intensive services (KIS). The empirical analysis reveals pronounced differences regarding a firm’s propensity to innovate and its perception of barriers. Moreover, the results show that cost and knowledge barriers seem to be the most important and that there are substantial sectoral differences in the way that firms react to barriers. The results of this paper have important implications for the design of future public policy to promote entrepreneurship and innovation together.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13037engInnovacióRestriccions al comerçPolítica públicaCatalunya33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaBarriers to innovation and public policy in Catalonia
oai:recercat.cat:2072/1792102021-01-20T16:47:01Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2011-12-22T09:56:42Z2021-01-20T16:47:01ZThis article analyzes empirically the main existing theories on income and population city growth: increasing returns to scale, locational fundamentals and random growth. To do this we implement a threshold nonlinearity test that extends standard linear growth regression models to a dataset on urban, climatological and macroeconomic variables on 1,175 U.S. cities. Our analysis reveals the existence of increasing returns when per-capita income levels are beyond $19; 264. Despite this, income growth is mostly explained by social and locational fundamentals. Population growth also exhibits two distinct equilibria determined by a threshold value of 116,300 inhabitants beyond which city population grows at a higher rate. Income and population growth do not go hand in hand, implying an optimal level of population beyond which income growth stagnates or deteriorateshttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/179210engEconomyEconomic developmentCities and townsEconomiaDesenvolupament econòmicCiutats33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivendaGrowth in a Cross-Section of Cities: Location, Increasing Returns or Random Growth?
oai:recercat.cat:2072/131202021-01-20T16:47:01Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2009-01-09T09:10:17Z2021-01-20T16:47:01ZThe 1998 Spanish reform of the Personal Income Tax eliminated the 15% deduction for private medical expenditures including payments on private health insurance (PHI) policies. To avoid an undesirable increase in the demand for publicly funded health care, tax incentives to buy PHI were not completely removed but basically shifted from individual to group employer-paid policies. In a unique fiscal experiment, at the same time that the tax relief for individually purchased policies was abolished, the government provided for tax allowances on policies taken out through employment. Using a bivariate probit model on data from National Health Surveys, we estimate the impact of said reform on the demand for PHI and the changes occurred within it. Our findings suggest that the total probability of buying PHI was not significantly affected. Indeed, the fall in the demand for individual policies (by 10% between 1997 and 2001) was offset by an increase in the demand for group employer-paid ones, so that the overall size of the market remained virtually unchanged. We also briefly discuss the welfare effects on the state budget, the industry and society at large.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13120engAssegurances de salutCanvis impositius33 - EconomiaChanges in the demand for private medical insurance following a shift in tax incentives
oai:recercat.cat:2072/130752021-01-20T16:47:02Zhdl_2072_12898hdl_2072_13260 am 3u dc2009-01-08T08:58:23Z2021-01-20T16:47:02ZPrivatization of local public services has been implemented worldwide in the last decades. Why local governments privatize has been the subject of much discussion, and many empirical works have been devoted to analyzing the factors that explain local privatization. Such works have found a great diversity of motivations, and the variation among reported empirical results is large. To investigate this diversity we undertake a meta-regression analysis of the factors explaining the decision to privatize local services. Overall, our results indicate that significant relationships are very dependent upon the characteristics of the studies. Indeed, fiscal stress and political considerations have been found to contribute to local privatization specially in the studies of US cases published in the eighties that consider a broad range of services. Studies that focus on one service capture more accurately the influence of scale economies on privatization. Finally, governments of small towns are more affected by fiscal stress, political considerations and economic efficiency, while ideology seems to play a major role for large cities.application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/2072/13075engPrivatitzacióMeta-regressió33 - Economia332 - Economia regional i territorial. Economia del sòl i de la vivenda338 - Situació econòmica. Política econòmica. Gestió, control i planificació de l'economia. Producció. Serveis. Turisme. PreusFactors explaining local privatization: A meta-regression analysis
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