Testing Happiness Hypothesis among the Elderly

A growing strand of economic literature focuses its attention on the relationship between happiness levels and various individual and socioeconomic variables. Recent studies analyze the impact of income, marital status, health, educational levels and other socioeconomic variables on satisfaction with life. A large majority of these studies limit their attention to industrialized countries. In our work, we analyze data for a group of individuals living in a Latin American country (Uruguay) with age 60 or older. We use a rich data set that allows us to test different happiness hypothesis employing four methodological approaches. We find that older people in Uruguay have a tendency to report themselves happy when they are married, when they have higher standards of health and when they earn higher levels of income or they feel their income is suitable for their standard of living. On the contrary, they report lower levels of happiness when they live alone and when their nutrition is insufficient. We also find that education has no clear impact on happiness. We think that our study is an initial contribution to the study of those factors that can explain happiness among the elderly in Latin American countries. Future work will focus on enhanced empirical analysis and in extending our study to other countries.Happiness, Health, Family, Censored Econometric Models, Semiparametric Methods, Treatment Evaluation

Subjective Well-Being in the Southern Cone: Health, Income and Family

The happiness literature provides evidence on various factors, other than money, that do seem to contribute to individual happiness. As one explores the produced “happiness economics” literature, it is direct to understand the difficulty to find proper information on developing countries reality. In our analysis we investigate the relationship between income, family composition, health and religion over subjective well-being in the Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile and Uruguay). Specifically, we analyze data from the SABE survey a study conducted among people who are 60 years old or over, in various Latin American countries. Main obtained results show a positive correlation between higher levels of income and health,being married and the frequent religion practice and higher levels of subjective well-being. On the contrary, malnutrition has a negative impact on happiness indicators. In order to add robustness to our results and to deal with endogeneity issues, this paper uses different indicators of well-being, alternative estimation models such as a semiparametric one and a propensity score approach for the treatment of marriage.well-being, happiness, elderly, health, family; Latin America

MMO de navegador en tiempo real con Node.js y WebSockets

Treballs Finals de Grau d'Enginyeria Informàtica, Facultat de Matemàtiques, Universitat de Barcelona, Any: 2014, Director: Eloi Puertas i PratsNo es nada nuevo entrar en alguna página de internet y encontrarse publicidad de juegos de “Regístrate y juega”, que venden su producto con un “No necesitas instalar nada”. Y es que, últimamente el mercado de estos juegos se ha incrementado bastante. Suelen ser juegos de estrategia y multijugador, en un mundo lleno de jugadores con los que podemos interactuar. En mi caso, he jugado durante bastante tiempo a uno de estos juegos. Quizás el más famoso y más jugado de todos. Se llama OGame y está ambientado en batallas galácticas y conquista de planetas. Este es uno de los principales factores que me ha motivado a realizar este proyecto, junto con las ganas de aprender tecnologías nuevas, las cuales mencionaré en fases posteriores de este documento. Otra motivación personal ha sido que jamás había hecho una aplicación web. Ni siquiera había programado alguna web en HTML. El motivo principal de este proyecto es aprender todo lo posible sobre cosas que desconocía, como programación del servidor en JavaScript, o bases de datos no relacionales

Blood for the Goddess : Self-mutilation Rituals at Vajreshwari Mandir, Kangra

Several 17th century sources (European travel literature and Mughal historiography) record the practice of self-mutilation, and possibly ritual suicide, at the Hindu temple of Vajreśvarī (Kāngṛā, HP), an important place of pilgrimage related to the Śakti cult. Blood-spilling, symbolizing fertility, played a central role in these sacrifices, which were discontinued in the 18th century as they entered in conflict with the non-violent view of Hinduism supported by urban elites.Diversas fuentes literarias del siglo XVII (viajeros europeos e historiógrafos mogoles) registran la práctica de automutilaciones, y posiblemente suicidios rituales, en el templo hindú de Vajreśvarī (Kāngṛā, HP), un importante centro de peregrinación asociado al culto de Śakti. El derramamiento de sangre, símbolo de fertilidad, constituía la parte central de estos sacrificios, los cuales dejaron de realizarse en el siglo XVIII al entrar en conflicto con la visión no violenta del hinduismo promovida por las elites urbanas

Sangre para la diosa: rituales de automutilación en Vajreśvarī Mandir, Kāngṛā

Several 17th century sources (European travel literature and Mughal historiography) record the practice of self-mutilation, and possibly ritual suicide, at the Hindu temple of Vajreśvarī (Kāngṛā, HP), an important place of pilgrimage related to the Śakti cult. Blood-spilling, symbolizing fertility, played a central role in these sacrifices, which were discontinued in the 18th century as they entered in conflict with the non-violent view of Hinduism supported by urban elites.Diversas fuentes literarias del siglo XVII (viajeros europeos e historiógrafos mogoles) registran la práctica de automutilaciones, y posiblemente suicidios rituales, en el templo hindú de Vajreśvarī (Kāngṛā, HP), un importante centro de peregrinación asociado al culto de Śakti. El derramamiento de sangre, símbolo de fertilidad, constituía la parte central de estos sacrificios, los cuales dejaron de realizarse en el siglo XVIII al entrar en conflicto con la visión no violenta del hinduismo promovida por las elites urbanas

How differently can the same story be adapted? A Comparative Analysis of the Cinematic Adaptations of The Great Gatsby

This dissertation aims to analyse three important narrative elements for cinematic adaptations: the narrator, the focalization, and the analepsis. In order to achieve that, I conducted a comparative analysis between two cinematic adaptations of The Great Gatsby. The two films chosen were: Jack Clayton’s 1974 version and Baz Luhrmann’s production of 2013. For the analysis, I conveyed a close reading of Fitzgerald’s novel, focusing on three aspects to later compare how they were portrayed in both films. The first aspect is the homodiegetic narrator, concentrating on the impact of Nick’s presence or absence as narrator. The second aspect is the focalization on Gatsby by the narrator of the story. The last aspect is the role of the analepses, showing how they can help or confuse the viewer when interpreting the storyline. To conclude, the comparative analysis shows how differently the same story can be adapted depending on the director’s choice.Este TFG pretende analizar tres elementos narrativos importantes para las adaptaciones cinematográficas: el narrador, la focalización y la analepsis. Para ello, he realizado un análisis comparativo entre dos adaptaciones cinematográficas de El Gran Gatsby. Las peliculas elegidas fueron: la versión de Jack Clayton de 1974 y la producción de Baz Luhrmann de 2013. Para el análisis, realicé una minuciosa lectura de la novela de Fitzgerald, centrándome en tres aspectos para después comparar cómo fueron plasmados en ambas películas. El primer aspecto es el narrador homodiegético, concentrámdome en el impacto de la presencia o ausencia de Nick como narrador. El segundo aspecto es la focalización en Gatsby por parte del narrador de la historia. El último aspecto es el papel de las analepsis, mostrando cómo pueden ayudar o confundir al espectador a la hora de interpretar el argumento. Para concluir, el análisis comparativo muestra lo diferente que puede ser adaptada una misma historia en función de la elección del director.Departamento de Filología InglesaGrado en Estudios Inglese

Marriage as a protective factor against intimate partner violence suffered by women. Exploring mechanisms

Research has consistently found that married women experienced less intimate partner violence (IPV) than cohabiting ones. However, most existing studies focus on the incidence of IPV as a binary indicator, while the severity of that exposure or the different types of violence has been largely ignored. This article begins to address these issues with a multivariate approach, for some Latin American countries. The study reports that married women suffered less violence than cohabiting women for each singular type of violence, even after controlling by education, age, locality, wealth, and personal violence history. This article proposes a novel mechanism that helps to explain these findings: marriage would provide a framework that fosters investment in the quality of the couple's relationship, thus preventing IPV. The estimates on the couple's investments support these predictions

Oportunidades académicas de calidad para jóvenes en desventaja: tres años de evaluación de impacto de un centro educativo autogestionado en un barrio de Montevideo de contexto crítico.

ABSTRACT. We study the three-year impact of a private tuition-free middle school on the academic outcomes of poor students. Several features of the treatment school fit with innovative paradigms that have delivered successful outcomes in poor urban areas. Our research design exploits the excess of applicants over the school capacity and the fact that participants were selected randomly. Specifically, we follow a cohort of students that entered middle school in 2010 and that were randomly assigned to attend the treatment school or public school as usual. We find that the treatment school impacted favorably on students’ academic advancement and math competencies. Also, the treatment school had a positive —and quite robust over time— impact on students’ and their parents’ academic expectations. This culture of high expectations has been previously identified in the literature as a key input for school success.Resumen. Durante tres años evaluamos el impacto, sobre los resultados académicos, -de un centro de educación secundaria, autogestionado y gratuito, dirigido a adolescentes sin recursos económicos. Varias características de este centro educativo se ajustan a paradigmas innovadores que han mostrado resultados exitosos en zonas urbanas pobres de otras regiones. Hemos diseñado nuestra investigación de modo de aprovechar la existencia de exceso de solicitudes de admisión respecto a la capacidad del centro educativo en cuestión y al hecho de que los admitidos fueron seleccionados al azar. En concreto, seguimos una cohorte de estudiantes que ingresaron a la educación secundaria en 2010 y que fueron asignados aleatoriamente para asistir al centro educativo en cuestión (grupo de tratamiento) o a los liceos públicos de la zona (grupo de control). Encontramos que el centro educativo objeto de estudio impactó favorablemente en indicadores de avance en educación secundaria y en las competencias académicas (matemáticas) de los estudiantes. Además, el centro educativo de tratamiento tuvo un efecto positivo y robusto sobre las expectativas académicas de los jóvenes y de sus padres, en comparación al grupo de control. Esta cultura de altas expectativas que se observó en el centro educativo ha sido identificada en la literatura científica previa como un insumo clave para el éxito académico

‘For older folks like me, these things are over us...’: the challenge of embedding iPadsin everyday life within a long-term care facility

As smartphones, tablets, and myriad computing devices increasingly permeate the public sphere, the adoption, navigation, and utilization of modern technologies continues to be an interesting field of research for scholars of technology and society. Much research has focused on the introduction of ICTs in older people, but it has generally understood them as external factors who act as a sort of independentvariable thatimpactsthe seniors’ lives. There remains a dearth of empirical research into how aging and technology areco-constructed (Neven and Peine, 2018). We therefore contribute to this field by analyzing the development and establishment of a sociotechnical network in a long-term care facility that housesseniorsin Montevideo, Uruguay. Deploying qualitative ethnographic research comprised of semi-structured interviews, jottings, and field notes, we explore the adoption of new ICTs, and the corresponding actor-network, by seniors who have typically resisted such technology. Our findings suggest that not only was the establishment of the sociotechnical network rife with complexities, disruptions, and fissures, but that the user was heavily influenced by her self-perception of the potentialities of modern ICTs

On Societies Choosing Social Outcomes, and their Memberships : Strategy-proofness

April 2017, Volume 48, Issue 4, pp 857-875The work of G. Bergantiños is partially supported by research Grants ECO2014-52616-R from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Competitiveness, GRC 2015/014 from "Xunta de Galicia", and 19320/PI/14 from " Fundaci ón Séneca de la Región de Murcia". J. Massó acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (SEV-2015-0563) and Grant ECO2014-53051, and from the Generalitat de Catalunya, through Grant SGR2014-515. The paper was partly written while J. Massó was visiting the Department of Economics at Stanford University; he wishes to acknowledge its hospitality as well as financial support from the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte through project PR2015-00408. The work of A. Neme is partially supported by the Universidad Nacional de San Luis, through Grant 319502, and by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), through Grant PIP 112-200801-00655.We consider a society whose members have to choose not only an outcome from a given set of outcomes but also the subset of agents that will remain members of the society. We assume that each agent is indifferent between any two alternatives (pairs of final societies and outcomes) provided that the agent does not belong to any of the two final societies, regardless of the chosen outcome. Under this preference domain restriction we characterize the class of all strategy-proof, unanimous and outsider independent rules as the family of all serial dictator rules