Do homeowners stay unemployed longer ? A French micro-econometric study

The objective of this paper is to provide microeconomic evidence for the so called “Oswald's hypothesis”, which is whether homeownership results in negative outcomes in the labour market. In a first step, a multinomial logit model for the choice of tenure status is estimated. Estimated probabilities of being either homeowner, renter or housed free of charge are then used to explain the length of an individual unemployment spell. This flexible method of estimation accounts for both censoring and selection bias, without constraining the shape of the hazard rate of leaving unemployment. Results from a 3,965 individuals French data set suggest that homeownership has a positive effect on unemployment duration.duration model; job search; mobility; residential status; selectivity bias

Évolution de la relation rang-taille dans le système urbain québécois entre 1871 et 1976

An analysis of 10 variables caracterising the distribution of the Québec's cities size, permitted identification of 3 distinct phases of evolution of the urban system since 1871. Primatial growth reached a maximum in the 1920s and was followed by a transition-maturation period where, around 1956, the number of centers stabilized at 60. Lognormality was then at a maximum. Since that peak, the metropolisation process induced a new spell of primatial growth.The Quebec urban structure is still markedly unbalanced, the transition from primacy to lognormality is still going on. Its longing could be explained by the fact that in Quebec the "center-periphery" spatial dualism is doubled with an ethno-linguistic dualism. Without the french-english opposition one can think that the transition period would have resolved rapidly with the development of non-metropolitan industrial complexes

Urbanisation circum-caraïbéenne : antécédent historique et tendances actuelles

Les nations circum-caraïbéennes connaissent présentement les plus forts taux de croissance urbaine au monde. Pour les politiques de développement national, la pertinence de la recherche sur la distribution de la taille des villes est particulièrement grande là où la hiérarchie urbaine est en train de se mettre en place. Trois types de système de villes sont identifiées : « Primatie extrême », « Pri-matie modérée » et « Tendance lognormale ». Ces variations de structures urbaines dans le temps et l'espace sont associées à des facteurs tels que la variation du nombre de villes, les conditions historiques ou politiques particulières, l'impact pour la capitale des fonctions internationales et finalement l'influence de la géographie physique.Circum-Caribbean nations are experiencing the fastest urban growth rate in the world. If investigation of city size distribution can be of any relevance to national development policy, chances are that it will be the most useful where the urban hierarchy is still taking shape. Three types of cities Systems are identified: « Extreme Primate », « Moderate Primate » and « Lognormal ». These urban structures variations through time and space are commented upon as being related to such factors as: a varying number of cities; peculiar political or historical conditions; the impact of an international function on the capital city; and the influence of the physical environment