Living-arrangement and university decisions of Dutch young adults

This paper analyses the nature of university and living-arrangement decisions at the example of Dutch students with a secondary education academic diploma. A random utility maximization nested logit model of living-arrangement and university decisions is estimated, allowing for distance and rent e¤ects to vary according to the decision on whether to stay at parental home. Estimation results show that distance deters both at-homers and out-homers. Dutch youngsters are guided by consumption motives, rather than investment motives. They appear to attend university where their high school mates do. Tight housing markets lower the probability of choosing a given university. Male and low income students stay longer with parents, as do those with non-Dutch parents.living arrangements, university choice, random utility maximization, nested logit

Admission Conditions and Graduates' Employability

We evaluate the information content of admission conditions for study programs’ quality by investigating its relationship with graduates’ employability. We find that study programs with larger numeri clausi are associated with a higher probability of finding a job. Additionally, compulsory admission exams seem to be informative about study programs’ quality. Namely, study programs requiring the Math exam appear to be linked with lower unemployment propensity. Cardoso et al. (2008), however, found that those programs face lower demand when compared to other studies. These paradoxical results suggest that students’ choices may be based on insufficient information on returns to higher education investment. That information failure indicates that a Government intervention may be due.higher education, unemployment propensity, fractional models

Admission conditions and graduates' employability

We evaluate the information content of admission conditions for study programs’ quality by investigating its relationship with graduates’ employability. We find that study programs with larger numeri clausi are associated with a higher probability of finding a job. Additionally, compulsory admission exams seem to be informative about study programs’ quality. Namely, study programs requiring the Math exam appear to be linked with lower unemployment propensity. Cardoso et al. (2008), however, found that those programs face lower demand when compared to other studies. These paradoxical results suggest that students’ choices may be based on insufficient information on returns to higher education investment. That information failure indicates that a Government intervention may be due.Higher education; unemployment propensity; fractional models

Minimum Wage, Fringe Benefits, Overtime Payments and the Gender Wage Gap

Using linked employer-employee data for Portugal, we explore an amendment to the minimum wage law which increased from 75% to 100% of the full minimum wage applied to employees younger than 18. Our results show a widening of the gender wage gap following the amendment: the wage gap for minors increased 2.7 percentage points more than for other groups. This change was mainly determined by a redistribution of fringe benefits and overtime payments. We discuss three possible sources of redistribution: (i) a change in the skill composition of the working males and females after the increase in the minimum wage, (ii) industrial differences in response to the changes in the wage floor, and (iii) discrimination. Estimations support the second channel as the main contributing factor, while possible discrimination effects cannot be eliminated.minimum wage, overtime payments, fringe benefits, gender wage gap, minors

The use of physical activity trackers devices and physical activity levels in adolescents and adults

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Demand for higher education programs: the impact of the Bologna process

The Bologna process aims at creating a European Higher Education Area where intercountry mobility of students and sta?, as well as workers holding a degree, is facilitated. While several aspects of the process deserve wide public support, the reduction of the length of the first cycle of studies to three years, in several continental European countries where it used to last for four or five years, is less consensual. The paper checks the extent of public confidence in the restructuring of higher education currently underway, by looking at its implications on the demand for academic programs. It exploits the fact that some programs have restructured under the Bologna process and others have not, in Portugal. Precise quantification of the demand for each academic program is facilitated by the rules of access to higher education, in a nation-wide competition, where candidates must list up to six preferences of institution and program. We use regression analysis applied to count data, estimating negative binomial models. Results indicate that the programs that restructured to follow the Bologna principles were subject to higher demand than comparable programs that did not restructure, as if Bologna were understood as a quality stamp. This positive impact was reinforced if the institution was a leader, i.e. the single one in the country that restructured the program. Still an additional increase in demand was experienced by large programs that restructured to offer an integrated master degree, thus conforming to Bologna principles while not reducing the program duration.education policy; European Higher Education Area; economic, social and cultural integration; count data.

Demand for Higher Education Programs: The Impact of the Bologna Process

The Bologna process aims at creating a European Higher Education Area where inter-country mobility of students and staff, as well as workers holding a degree, is facilitated. While several aspects of the process deserve wide public support, the reduction of the length of the first cycle of studies to three years, in several continental European countries where it used to last for four or five years, is less consensual. The paper checks the extent of public confidence in the restructuring of higher education currently underway, by looking at its implications on the demand for academic programs in Portugal. Precise quantification of the demand for each academic program is facilitated by the rules of access to higher education, in a nation-wide competition, where candidates must list up to six preferences of institution and program. We use regression analysis applied to count data, estimating negative binomial models. Results indicate that the programs that restructured to follow the Bologna principles were subject to higher demand than comparable programs that did not restructure, as if Bologna were understood as a quality stamp. This positive impact was reinforced if the institution was a leader, i.e. the single one in the country that restructured that program. Still an additional increase in demand was experienced by large programs that restructured to offer an integrated master degree, thus conforming to Bologna principles while not reducing the program duration.education policy, European Higher Education Area, economic, social and cultural integration, count data

The use of physical activity trackers in Portuguese adolescents and adults

Both authors were supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under Grants DTP/04045/2013; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006969 and UID/DTP/00617/2013; and by NORTE 2020 under Grant NanoSTIMA: Macro-to-Nano Human Sensing: Towards Integrated Multimodal Health Monitoring and Analytics, NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000016.The pandemic of physical inactivity is associated with a range of chronic diseases and early deaths (Ding et al., 2016). Estimates from 2012 indicated that not meeting physical activity recommendations is responsible for more than 5 million deaths globally each year (Lee et al., 2012). Nowadays, sedentary behaviours are highly prevalent, and data from adults in high-income countries suggest the majority of time awake is spent being sedentary (Matthews et al., 2008). This study aimed to investigate the use of physical activity trackers in Portugal, in particular how often people use it and how they use it to monitor exercise/physical activity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The use of activity trackers devices and physical activity levels in adolescents and adults

Physical activity (PA) trackers could be an important complement that enables people to modify their sedentary behaviour and to monitor their PA and exercise. This study aimed to examine the use of PA trackers in Portuguese adolescents and adults, including differences by demographic factors and PA levels.This project was supported by the National Funds through FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (UID/DTP/0445/2013) and the European Fund for regional development (FEDER? allocated by European Union through the COMPETE 2020 Programme (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006969)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio