A study to determine what factors affect the attendance of Puerto Rican mothers to ante partal clinic

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Human capital and "club convergence" in Italian regions

The aim of the study is to investigate the presence of “convergence clubs†among Italian regions applying the stochastic notion of convergence. Regions are sorted according to some human capital accumulation indicators using the Classification and Regression Tree Analysis (CART). The analysis evidences a strong stochastic convergence process which characterizes all the regions suggesting the presence of different growth patterns. Furthermore, results seem to highlight that human capital accumulation favours regional growth particularly in initially “backwards†regions.

Specialization and growth in Italy: what spatial econometric analysis tells us.

This paper investigates the determinants of Italian regional specialization in the period 1995-2006. In particular, it tests and evaluates the presence of spatial autocorrelation in sectoral specialization patterns by the use of spatial econometrics tools. Results show positive effects of neighbouring regions specialization for advanced industry and services sectors and hence a progressive synchronization of economic cycles. By contrast, sectors traditionally considered backward, evidence the presence of a core-periphery structure. The introduction of spatial effects in the general regression model increases the number of significant explicative variables. In accordance with the findings from New Economic Geography openness and market access positively affect regional specialization in most of the considered sectors.Specialization, Regional growth, Spatial Econometrics.

IS THERE A CLUB CONVERGENCE AMONG ITALIAN REGIONS?

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A new approach for β-convergence estimation in Italy

In this paper we test the presence of β-convergence among Italian regions, in the period 1980-2003, in presence of a trend break in the series following a new approach (Vogelsang and Tomljanovich, 2002). The break year is considered either known (1992) and endogenously estimated from the data. When we consider a known trend break date model the results evidence the presence of a convergence process for most of the Italian regions in the considered period. The outcome relative to the unknown break date model, on the contrary, strongly depend on the econometric model used to estimate the β-convergence.β-convergence regional convergence

Contourline based modelling of vague regions

This paper introduced a model based on contour lines to represent a vague region modeled as a fuzzy set. The model allows the user to adjust the accuracy of the membership function to the needs of the application and can enforce the continuity of this function whenever desirable

Regional convergence in Italy: time series approaches

This paper investigates the evolution of the gap between Italian regions and Italy as a whole during the period 1980-2007. We tested for the presence of the stochastic and β-convergence hypotheses using different time series approaches. The former was studied, first, for all the sample period and then, with an exogenous instantaneous break in the series. The presence of β-convergence, instead, was estimated considering a known and an unknown trend break date model. Our results show that most of the regions does not converge in an “actual” way, since they do not present a stochastic and β convergence simultaneously.β-convergence; stochastic convergence; time series approach; regional convergence

SEAM: A Small-Scale Euro Area Model With Forward-Looking Elements

This paper presents a small-scale estimated macro model for the euro area (SEAM) designed primarily to generate forecasts and to evaluate the dynamic response of the economy to unanticipated and anticipated shocks. One crucial feature of SEAM is the presence of forward-looking elements, which makes the model forecasts more robust to the 'Lucas critique', since it allows economic decisions to be moulded by the future impact of 'surprise' policy actions. In what concerns the reliability of the model-simulations, the inclusion of forward-looking behaviour enriches the dynamics of the response of the model's endogenous variables to exogenous shocks. Although the SEAM does not have the richness of full-scale macroeconometric models, as apparent interalia, by the absence of a steady-state analogue and also of some relationships important for a better characterisation of the euro area economy, the model has been shown to deliver reasonable forecasts and responses to shocks that are consistent with conventional wisdom.

Evanescent Waveguide Sensor for On-Chip Biomolecular Detection

This work presents analysis and development of an evanescent waveguide sensor system, which integrates an amorphous silicon photodiode and a glass-diffused waveguide. Design of the system includes a study of thickness and refractive index of the transparent electrode of the diode, which are crucial parameters for the optimization of the optical coupling between the waveguide and the photodetector. Preliminary electro-optical measurements on the fabricated device show excellent system performances, and suggest its use for on-chip detection in lab-on-chip applications