Essays on Informal Labor Markets

This thesis consists of three related papers. The first paper examines whether informal sector jobs are a source of training for young less-educated workers. Controlling for worker and job characteristics, it is found that in the early years of workers\u27 careers in Mexico, wage growth in the informal sector is higher than in the formal sector. This result is consistent with general human capital investment on-the-job if the informal labor market is more competitive than the formal labor market due to frictions generated by labor regulations. These results motivate a deeper analysis of the informal labor market which is presented in the second paper. The second paper examines two roles that informal sector jobs play in the early stages of a worker\u27s career: informal jobs may (i) provide the opportunity to accumulate skills, and (ii) act as a screening device that enables employers to learn a worker\u27s ability. This paper develops a matching model of the informal and formal sectors that can accommodate both roles. Implied hazard rates from informal to formal sectors as a function of tenure are shown to differ depending on whether the role of informal sector jobs is human capital accumulation or screening. Using the ENOE, a longitudinal employment survey from Mexico, hazard functions are estimated for less-educated workers. The estimated hazard functions suggest the informal sector plays an important role by screening less-educated workers in the early stages of their careers. The estimation results also imply that employers would only learn the ability of 14% of their workers after one month of employment. This finding suggests that employers\u27 capacity to select workers is limited in government employment programs requiring employers to provide permanent positions to a predetermined fraction of workers after a short period of time. The duration data used for estimation in the second paper is obtained from the stock of individuals employed in the informal sector at a given point in time. It is known that duration data obtained from a given stock of individuals can fail to observe those with relatively short spells. Accounting for this sample bias requires constructing a conditional likelihood function, which in turn requires knowledge of the exact starting times of each spell. Unfortunately, it is common in duration data to have coarse measures for starting times, complicating the resolution of sampling bias. The third paper investigates several alternatives for overcoming coarseness by imputing interval-censored starting times and performing a Monte Carlo analysis. The results indicate that imputed interval midpoints outperform the alternatives

Assessing the Impact of Informal Sector Employment on Young Less-Educated Workers

In this paper, we develop a search and matching model that allows for two important channels through which participation in the informal sector may benefit young less- educated workers: (i) human capital accumulation, and (ii) employer screening. We calibrate our model using the ENOE, a Mexican household survey on income and labor dynamics. Using our calibrated model, we shed light on many unobservable characteristics of the Mexican labor market for young less-educated workers, most notably the di↵ering hiring standards for informal and formal jobs. Specifically, hiring standards for these workers are found to be substantially higher for formal versus informal positions, making these workers naturally flow from unemployment to the informal sector where they can gain skills and reduce the uncertainty about their abilities. We also conduct counterfactual policy experiments to assess how labor market reforms designed to limit the employment share of the informal sector impact young less-educated workers. While our results favor reducing regulations in the formal sector due to the policy’s positive effect on aggregate employment, the policy is still found to impede the development of skills within this vulnerable segment of the labor market

A test for exogeneity in the presence of nonlinearities

We provide a command, locmtest, that implements a test for exogeneity that is robust when the true relationship between the outcome variable and a discrete potentially endogenous variable is nonlinear. This test was developed in Lochner and Moretti (2015, Review of Economics and Statistics 97: 387–397), and it can be implemented even when only a single valid instrument is available. We present the motivation and general idea of the test. We also describe locmtest, which calculates the test, and provide empirical applications of the test and the command

Effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Housing Markets

When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in 2010, it resulted in the largest off-shore oil spill in United States history. Economic theory dictates that the oil damage and restitution payments that resulted from the spill should be capitalized into property values. To measure the extent of this capitalization, we create a novel dataset by linking surveys of the location and severity of oil observed along over 4,300 miles of the Gulf Coast to measures of local housing market outcomes. We then perform hedonic-style analysis to determine the net effects of the spill on affected real estate markets. In doing so, we provide the first plausibly causal estimates of the effect of the spill on affected housing markets throughout the Gulf region. Identification comes from a triple-difference framework that exploits the random nature of both the spill and the spatial distribution of oil that affected coastal communities, as well as controls for the confounding effects of the housing market crash. Results suggest that on net, the BP oil spill caused a significant decline in home prices of between 4% and 8% that persisted until at least 2015. This implies housing markets capitalized $3.8 billion to$5.0 billion in spill damage inclusive of clean-up and restitution effects. These results are robust to numerous alternative definitions of treatment and control groups

Effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Housing Markets

When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in 2010, it resulted in the largest off-shore oil spill in United States history. Economic theory dictates that the oil damage and restitution payments that resulted from the spill should be capitalized into property values. To measure the extent of this capitalization, we create a novel dataset by linking surveys of the location and severity of oil observed along over 4,300 miles of the Gulf Coast to measures of local housing market outcomes. We then perform hedonic-style analysis to determine the net effects of the spill on affected real estate markets. In doing so, we provide the first plausibly causal estimates of the effect of the spill on affected housing markets throughout the Gulf region. Identification comes from a triple-difference framework that exploits the random nature of both the spill and the spatial distribution of oil that affected coastal communities, as well as controls for the confounding effects of the housing market crash. Results suggest that on net, the BP oil spill caused a significant decline in home prices of between 4% and 8% that persisted until at least 2015. This implies housing markets capitalized $3.8 billion to$5.0 billion in spill damage inclusive of clean-up and restitution effects. These results are robust to numerous alternative definitions of treatment and control groups

Compilación de Proyectos de Investigacion de 1984-2002

Instituto Politecnico Nacional. UPIICS

XIII Jornada de Investigación 2022

Los desafíos en las dinámicas económicas, sociales, políticas y psicológicas han puesto de relieve la importancia de involucrar en la enseñanza universitaria actividades que conecten a los estudiantes con las realidades del contexto en el que se desarrollan; simultáneamente, hoy más que nunca se hace evidente que la ciencia, la tecnología y la innovación (CTI) son cruciales para atender los retos sociales, ambientales y económicos de las sociedades actuales. En este contexto, la Jornada de Investigación de la Universidad Católica de Colombia es quizás uno de los espacios institucionales más emblemáticos en el que se visibilizan las actividades en CTI de estudiantes, jóvenes investigadores y profesores, que buscan contribuir a la solución de problemáticas relevantes del entorno. En esta oportunidad, aproximadamente 177 autores y más de 250 espectadores se dieron cita en un escenario virtual que permitió el intercambio de saberes y conocimientos en torno a muchos temas con un lenguaje común: el bienestar de la humanidad y la respuesta efectiva a los retos que tenemos como comunidad. Esta cuarta versión de las Memorias compila las ponencias presentadas en la XIII Jornada de Investigación de 2022, enmarcadas en los tres ejes temáticos de investigación que tiene la Universidad Católica de Colombia: i) Derecho, Cultura y Sociedad, ii) Desarrollo Humano y Sostenible, y iii) Gestión de la Tecnología al Servicio de la Sociedad. Desde la Dirección Central de Investigaciones nos encontramos profundamente agradecidos con todos y cada uno de los participantes, y nos sentimos aún más orgullosos por la calidad de los trabajos presentados. Sea esta la oportunidad para hacer extensiva una felicitación a los autores y a las diferentes Unidades Académicas que, con su compromiso e invaluable labor, permitieron que este evento se desarrollara con éxito.Persona, hospitalidad y construcción de comunidad desde la fraternidad. José Martí: acerca de la libertad en la condición humana. Moda, imagen y alimentación: una tríada para el bien y para el mal. Lecciones de la pandemia de covid-19: conflictos entre la protección jurídica de las patentes farmacéuticas y el interés general de la salud pública. Psicología y sexualidad: propuesta para la formación de psicólogos colombianos. Estrategias para el desarrollo de herramientas que fomentan el aprendizaje para el reconocimiento y la apropiación del patrimonio cultural. Análisis descriptivo de relatos honestos y deshonestos por medio del sistema de evaluación global. El uso de la herramienta LIWC para el estudio de relatos altruistas y prosociales. ¿De qué manera influyen las redes sociales como medio de información en campañas políticas?. Sistema de Seguridad Social en Colombia: una crisis deficitaria que se refuerza con el tiempo. Turismo sexual en menores de edad: problemática endémica en el territorio colombiano. Transgresión de los derechos humanos en relación con los asesinatos de líderes sociales en el Estado colombiano. El nuevo escenario para la procedencia de la eutanasia en Colombia: una mirada desde los derechos humanos. Protección de los derechos de la infancia frente a los grupos al margen de la ley. El derecho a un nivel de vida adecuado: un enfoque hacia el desplazamiento forzado de los pueblos indígenas. Tráfico de órganos humanos: delito transnacional que vulnera los derechos humanos y su regulación en el marco jurídico colombiano. Transgresión de los derechos a la vida y la libertad en el sistema penitenciario como consecuencia de la violencia social. Acceso a la justicia colombiana en tiempos de SARS-CoV-2. Prioridades para la administración de justicia penal en Colombia: ¿balanceando espectáculo e indicadores de eficacia? Desarrollo de competencias para la investigación en neuropsicología: experiencia del semillero experimental. La dificultad al ingreso de los centros geriátricos. Principio de realidad sobre la formalidad constitucional en contrato verbal laboral en un satélite del Consultorio Jurídico de la Universidad Católica de Colombia. La pena de muerte en colisión con los derechos fundamentales. Maternidad subrogada: objetificación y vulneración de los derechos de la mujer. Una dieta inconsciente hacia el vegetarianismo. Sistema de evaluación del bienestar gerontológico para un diseño arquitectónico sostenible. Caso de estudio: hogar de paso San Francisco de Asís, Villavicencio, Meta. Revisión sistemática interacción líder-colaborador: futuras investigaciones. Análisis conceptual del talento académico desde los modelos teóricos que lo sustentan. Identificación de potenciales factores de riesgo suicida: una mirada contextual. La regulación emocional en tiempos de coronavirus. GEES: Guía de Evaluación de Edificaciones Sostenibles, vivienda de interés social, clima cálido húmedo. Estructura proyectual y sostenible para el diseño y desarrollo de un modelo de vivienda de madera en San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia. Innovación social para la gestión territorial. Construcción de material didáctico para el entrenamiento en habilidades de regulación emocional e interpersonales dirigidas a poblaciones expuestas a situaciones de violencia política. Alternativas sostenibles de modelos de desarrollo industrial. La ruralidad dentro de los procesos del desarrollo local en Usme. Se ha dejado de dibujar arquitectura con las manos. Calidad de vida, bienestar y felicidad en el trabajo: una revisión sistemática de la literatura científica, 2011-2021. Autonomía, autorregulación y educación moral: reflexiones desde la psicología del desarrollo moral. Características de los niños, niñas y adolescentes expuestos a contextos de conflicto armado en Colombia. Revisión bibliométrica de artículos sobre la crianza en niños, niñas y adolescentes colombianos. Narrativas sociales en el proceso de cualificación de lo público La habitación exterior como extensión de la vivienda. Utilización de nanopartículas magnéticas Fe3O4 y ozono para la degradación/eliminación de azul de metileno en agua residual textil. Estudio paramétrico de un modelo numérico Fem de un ensayo CBR. ¿Cómo construir identidad de manera incluyente a partir del reconocimiento de patrimonio cultural construido?. Veracidad de los resultados del ensayo de penetración dinámica de CONO(PDC). Análisis de texto a partir del procesamiento de lenguaje natural para identificar sintomatología depresiva en redes sociales. Análisis de texto para la detección de depresión en comentarios de usuarios de la red social Instagram. Diseño y desarrollo de un videojuego para evaluar la interacción de las redes atencionales en la sintomatología depresiva. Herramienta tecnológica para el apoyo en la detección de sintomatología ansiosa en jóvenes. Optimización del despliegue de aplicaciones web a partir de computación en nube sin servidor. Prototipo alfa de un videojuego serio para el apoyo en la detección de sintomatología depresiva en adultos jóvenes. La importancia de la visualización de datos en la era del Big Data y sus herramientas. Prototipo de sensor para el registro electroencefalográfico. Prototipo de un algoritmo basado en inteligencia artificial para el apoyo a especialistas en el diagnóstico del Alzheimer. Evaluación posocupacional del confort térmico en la vivienda social: análisis de una revisión sistemática prisma desde el diseño resiliente. Inteligencia artificial, problema u oportunidad para el Derecho. Impacto en el empleo en relación con las TIC y la inteligencia artificial. Neuroprivacidad. El test de asociación implícita, un paradigma que permite abordar nuestras actitudes inconscientes. ¿Cuál es el límite del uso de las tecnologías frente al derecho de información y de la libre expresión?. Tendencias de fijación de precios basados en el valor: un análisis desde la minería de datos. Recorrido virtual de la Universidad Católica de Colombia Sede Claustro para la inducción de estudiantes y docentes. Introducción a la bioarquitectura del paisaje, cartilla Paisaje, ambiente y tecnología. Descripción plan piloto (Choachí). Caracterización de las habilidades específicas para el reconocimiento del patrimonio cultural – Borde urbano sur oriental de Bogotá. Videojuego para estimular la memoria episódica en pacientes con deterioro cognitivo leve: validación de contenido. CONCLUSIONESTercera edició

Effects of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery: an international prospective cohort study an international prospective cohort study

We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care. We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care