Retirement incentives, individual heterogeneity and labour transitions of employed and unemployed workers

In this paper we analyze the sensitivity of the labour market decisions of workers close to retirement with respect to the incentives created by public regulations. We improve upon the extensive prior literature on the effect of pension incentives on retirement in two ways. First, by modeling the transitions between employment, unemployment and retirement in a simultaneous manner, paying special attention to the transition from unemployment to retirement (which is particularly important in Spain). Second, by considering the influence of unobserved heterogeneity in the estimation of the effect of our (carefully constructed) incentive variables. Using administrative data, we find that, when properly defined, economic incentives have a strong impact on labour market decisions in Spain. Unemployment regulations are shown to be particularly influential for retirement behaviour, along with the more traditional determinants linked to the pension system. Pension variables also have a major bearing on both workers’ reemployment decisions and on the strategic actions of employers. The quantitative impact of the incentives, however, is greatly affected by the existence of unobserved heterogeneity among workers. Its omission leads to sizable biases in the assessment of the sensitivity to economic incentives, a finding that has clear consequences for the credibility of any model-based policy analysis. We confirm the importance of this potential problem in one especially interesting instance: the reform of early retirement provisions undertaken in Spain in 2002. We use a difference-in-difference approach to measure the behavioural reaction to this change, finding a large overestimation when unobserved heterogeneity is not taken into account.Retirement, unemployment, incentives, Pension system, Unobserved, heterogeneity, Spain.

Social Security and the search behaviour of workers approaching retirement

This paper explores the links between unemployment, retirement and their associated public insurance programs. It is a contribution to a growing body of literature focused on a better understanding of the labor behavior of advanced-age workers, which has gained importance as the pension crisis looms. It also contributes to the literature of optimal unemployment insurance by exploring the interaction of unemployment benefits and retirement pensions. The analysis combines the development of a new theoretical model and a detailed exploration of the empirical regularities using the Spanish Muestra Continua de Vidas Laborales (MCVL) dataset. The model is an extension of the standard search model, designed to reproduce the non-stationary environment faced by workers of advanced ages (in the age range 50/65). Via calibrated simulations we show that the basic empirical re-employment and retirement patterns can be considered as rational responses to both the labor market conditions and the institutional incentives. Generous Unemployment Benefits (for durations of up to two years) together with very significant early retirement penalties, make optimal to stay unemployed without searching for large groups of unemployed workers. This moral hazard problem can be substantially alleviated through institutional reform. We explore several potential reforms and find that changing the details of early retirement pensions seems more promising than changing the Unemployment Benefit system.Unemployment, Retirement, Search models

Full two-photon downconversion of just a single photon

We demonstrate, both numerically and analytically, that it is possible to generate two photons from one and only one photon. We characterize the output two photon field and make our calculations close to reality by including losses. Our proposal relies on real or artificial three-level atoms with a cyclic transition strongly coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide. We show that close to perfect downconversion with efficiency over 99% is reachable using state-of-the-art Waveguide QED architectures such as photonic crystals or superconducting circuits. In particular, we sketch an implementation in circuit QED, where the three level atom is a transmon

A dual role for the βPS integrin myospheroid in mediating Drosophila embryonic macrophage migration

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.-- et al.Throughout embryonic development, macrophages not only act as the first line of defence against infection but also help to sculpt organs and tissues of the embryo by removing dead cells and secreting extracellular matrix components. Key to their function is the ability of embryonic macrophages to migrate and disperse throughout the embryo. Despite these important developmental functions, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying embryonic macrophage migration in vivo. Integrins are key regulators of many of the adult macrophage responses, but their role in embryonic macrophages remains poorly characterized. Here, we have used Drosophila macrophages (haemocytes) as a model system to address the role of integrins during embryonic macrophage dispersal in vivo. We show that the main βPS integrin, myospheroid, affects haemocyte migration in two ways; by shaping the three-dimensional environment in which haemocytes migrate and by regulating the migration of haemocytes themselves. Live imaging revealed a requirement for myospheroid within haemocytes to coordinate the microtubule and actin dynamics, and to enable haemocyte developmental dispersal, contact repulsion and inflammatory migration towards wounds.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología [grant numbers BFU2010-16669 and CSD-2007-00008 to M.D.M.-B.] and by a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship [grant number 090899/Z/09/Z to W.W.]. R.R. was supported by the DFG as project B11 of the SFB 446 ‘Zellverhalten der Eukaryoten’]; the EMBO Young Investigator Programme [a Formación de. Personal Investigador studentship from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología [to B.J.S.-S.]. and an MRC Doctoral Training Grant to K.C.Peer reviewe

Implementation of a resistance training on young football players

El objetivo de este estudio, es comprobar el efecto de un programa de 20 sesiones de entrenamiento específico de fuerza en futbolistas jóvenes Participaron 38 sujetos en el estudio, divididos en un grupo experimental (GE) y un grupo control (GC). Al GE se le administró un entrenamiento de fútbol y un trabajo específico de fuerza; mientras el GC sólo efectuó práctica de fútbol. Ambos fueron evaluados al inicio y al final del programa, con el objetivo de conocer su fuerza dinámica máxima en los flexores y extensores de la rodilla; su masa muscular en las extremidades inferiores; el porcentaje de grasa; y, por último, la velocidad en las pruebas de 10 y 20 metros. Únicamente el GE mejora de forma muy significativa la fuerza dinámica máxima (p<0,01). No se encuentran diferencias en la masa muscular, ni en la velocidad. El GE y el GC incrementan el porcentaje de grasa corporalThe aim of this study is to check the effect of a specific training strength program on young footballers. 38 players took place in the study; they were divided into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). The EG added a specific strength work to their football workout, whereas the CG just practised football. Both of them were assessed at the beginning and at the end of the program to know their maximum dynamic strength in their flexor and extensor muscles of their knees; their muscle mass in their lower extremities; their body mass and fat percentage; and their speed in the 10 and 20 metres trials. Just the EG improves remarkably their maximum dynamic strength … No differences in their muscle mass or in their movement strength are found. The EG and the CG increase their MBRate and their body fa

Estimation of PCBs content in agricultural soils associated with long-term fertilization with organic waste

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) pollution related to the use of organic waste as fertilizers in agricultural soils is a cause of major concern. In the study presented herein, PCB concentration was studied through a field trial conducted in two agricultural soils in the province of Palencia (Spain) over a 4-year period, assessing the impact of irrigation and of different types of organic waste materials. The amounts of organic waste added to the soil were calculated according to the nitrogen needs of the crop, and the concentration of PCBs was determined before and after the application of the organic waste. The resulting persistence of the total PCB content in the agricultural soils, compared with the PCB concentration in the original soils, ranged from 27% to 90%, with the lowest value corresponding to irrigated soils treated with municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) and the highest value to non-irrigated soils treated with composted sewage sludge (CSS). An estimate of the PCB content in agricultural soils after the application of organic waste materials until year 2050 was obtained, resulting in a value below 5 ng·g-1, considered a background value for soils in sites far away from potential pollution sources

Monitoring changes of the tibialis anterior during dorsiflexion with electromyography, sonomyography, dynamometry and kinematic signals

Dorsiflexion (DF) of the foot plays an essential role in both controlling balance and human gait. Electromyography and Sonomyography can provide information on several aspects of muscle function. The aim was to describe a new method for real-time monitoring of muscular activity, as measured using EMG, muscular architecture, as measured using SMG, force, as measured using dynamometry, and kinematic parameters, as measured using IS during isometric and isotonic contractions of the foot DF. The present methodology may be clinically relevant because it involves a reproducible procedure which allows the function and structure of the foot DF to be monitored.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Seville; Spain; 25 September 2013 through 28 September 2013; Code 10172

Fostering job search among older workers: The case for pension reform

Employment rates among senior workers (aged 55 or over) in southern Europe are among the lowest in OECD economies. Spain is a paradigmatic example, with high unemployment rates and very low workforce reentry rates for unemployed workers. Poor demand is typically blamed for this problem, but the interaction of pension rules and unemployment insurance may also play an important role in this outcome. Generous unemployment benefits, lax search requirements for the unemployed and strong early retirement penalties imposed on "regular" retirees effectively create an alternative path to early retirement. In this paper, we explore this alternative path quantitatively. We develop a model of job search and retirement behavior, calibrate it to the specificities of the Spanish case and verify its empirical validity in a large administrative dataset of employment histories. We then explore the effectiveness of pension reform in increasing the labor supply and overall welfare. We link early retirement penalties to the age at which an individual stops paying contributions. This reform removes the incentives to remain unemployed without searching and thus encourages individuals to either retire or actively engage in job seeking. The reform also leads to significant welfare losses, especially among the previously non-participating unemployed who are close to the early retirement age; however, the reform also raises sufficient additional resources that public authorities can use to compensate all affected workers