Compensation for Commuting in Imperfect Urban Markets

We develop an urban equilibrium job search model with employed and unemployed individuals where residential mobility of the unemployed is restricted. We assume a standard mono-centric model (firms are located in one location), but allow for imperfect labour markets. In contrast to models with perfect labour markets, the model predicts that the employed are only partially compensated for commuting costs in the form of wages. As a result, rent gradients are less steep than predicted by standard urban theories that assume perfectly competitive labour markets. © 2007 the author(s). Journal compilation © 2007 RSAI

Reintegration of child soldiers in Burundi: A tracer study

Background Substantial attention and resources are aimed at the reintegration of child soldiers, yet rigorous evaluations are rare. Methods This tracer study was conducted among former child soldiers (N=452) and never-recruited peers (N=191) who participated in an economic support program in Burundi. Socio-economic outcome indicators were measured retrospectively for the period before receiving support (T1; 2005–06); immediately afterwards (T2; 2006–07); and at present (T3; 2010). Participants also rated present functional impairment and mental health indicators. Results Participants reported improvement on all indicators, especially economic opportunity and social integration. At present no difference existed between both groups on any of the outcome indicators. Socio-economic functioning was negatively related with depression- and, health complaints and positively with intervention satisfaction. Conclusion The present study demonstrates promising reintegration trajectories of former child soldiers after participating in a support program

Measuring Reciprocity in High Functioning Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Few instruments have been developed that measure impairments in reciprocity, a defining feature of autism. We introduce a new test assessing the quality of reciprocal behaviour: the interactive drawing test (IDT). Children and adolescents (n = 49) with and without high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) were invited to collaborate with an experimenter in making a joint drawing. Within both groups the performance on collaborative reciprocity improved with age. However, compared to the control group, HFASD participants showed less collaborative and more basic reciprocal behaviour and preferred to draw their own objects. They were less tolerant of the experimenter’s input as well. Performance on the IDT was independent of estimated verbal IQ. Reciprocal behaviour in self-initiated objects corresponded with more parental reported autistic traits, while reciprocal behaviour in other-initiated objects corresponded with less autistic traits. The findings of this study suggest that IDT is a promising instrument to assess reciprocity

Welfare losses of road congestion: Evidence from Rome

We estimate the marginal external cost and welfare losses due to congestion for a large number of roads in Rome, Italy. We show that the marginal external cost is substantial, equaling about two thirds of the private time cost of travel. About one third of this cost is borne by public transport users. Our results imply that policies designed to reduce congestion can result in important welfare gains

Why pay for jobs (and not for tasks)?

202105 bcvcNot applicableSelf-fundedPublished36 month

The firm relocation decision: An empirical investigation

In the current paper, the determinants of firm relocation behaviour in twenty-one countries during the period 1997-1999 are analyzed. We demonstrate that internal growth factors measured by increases, but also decreases, in the workforce induce firm relocation. Firms that serve larger markets relocate more often. It is also demonstrated that relocations are often a result of acquisitions, mergers and take-overs, which are a consequence of external growth. Copyright Springer-Verlag 2004

The university workers' willingness to pay for commuting

Using a dynamic approach, employing data on job mobility, we demonstrate that university workers’ marginal willingness to pay for reducing commuting distance is about €0.25 per kilometre travelled. This corresponds to a marginal willingness to pay for reducing commuting time of about 75 % of the net average hourly wage. For females, the willingness to pay is substantially higher than for males. It is also substantially higher for workers that work few hours per day, as predicted by theory

The Rational Locator Reexamined

The Rational Locator Hypothesis posits that individuals can, if they choose, maintain approximately steady journey-to-work travel times by adjusting their home and workplace. This hypothesis was coupled with the observation of long-term stability indrive alone journey-to-work times in metropolitan Washington (those times were unchanged from 1957 through 1968 to 1988). Despite the increase of averagecommuting distance and congestion, trip duration remained constant or even declined when controlling for travel purpose and travel mode because of shifting a share of traffic from slow urban routes to faster suburban routes. This observation has significance, as it is important to know for travel demand analysis if there is an underlying budget, or even a regularity, as this helps us determine whether our forecasts are reasonable. To retest the underlying rationale for the hypothesis: that travel times are stable, both intra-metropolitan and inter-metropolitan comparisons of travel times are made. The intra-metropolitan analysis compared Washington DC data from 1968, 1988, and 1994, and Twin Cities data from 1990 and 2000. The results depend upon geography. For the larger Washington DC region, keeping the same geography shows little change in commute times, but using the larger 1994 area suggests an increase in commute times.However, the Twin Cities, starting from a much shorter commute time, shows a marked increase over the decade, using either the smaller or the larger geography. To explain the differences between the two areas, an inter-metropolitan analysis conducts a series of regressions on mean metropolitan travel time for the 65 largest metropolitan areas in theUnited States. The average commute time varies (positively) in these cities as a function of congestion and population density-both significant at the 99 percent confidence interval.Geographical area, population, and income were also significant at the 90 percent confidence interval. Despite the continuing observation of stability in drive alone commuting timesin metropolitan Washington, we reject the theory of personal commuting budgets, as we find that not only are commuting times not generally stable over time at the intra-metropolitan area, but that commuting time clearly depends on metropolitan spatial structure.