The Demand for Sons or the Demand for Fathers? Understanding the Effects of Child Gender on Divorce Rates

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this paper examines why married parents of boys are less likely than parents of girls to become separated or divorced. Two prominent theories attribute differential divorce rates to: (1) the fathers’ preferences for sons; or (2) the differential needs of boys and girls. The results suggest both theories have merit. First, fathers of newborn sons report greater marital happiness, but mothers do not. This supports the “demand for sons” hypothesis. Second, analysis of divorce rates provides evidence for both causal theories. In particular, I find that when new mothers report having only marginally happy marriages, sons sharply reduce three-year divorce rates. Further analysis of these marginal marriages shows that mothers of sons stay married partly because they believe marital stability is important for their sons’ welfare. This supports the differential needs hypothesis. But these mothers also stay married partly because of increases in their marital surplus—apparently due to the father’s preference for sons. Mothers of sons report better marital relationships after one year, hold more positive views of their husbands as fathers, and receive more of the fathers’ help watching the child. These three factors, in turn, significantly reduce the likelihood of divorce.divorce, child gender, fathers, sons, daughters

Disentangling spillover effects of antibiotic consumption: a spatial panel approach

Literature on socioeconomic determinants of antibiotic consumption in the community is limited to few countries using cross-sectional data. This paper analyses regional variations in outpatient antibiotics in Italy using a balanced panel dataset covering the period 2000-2008. We specify an econometric model where antibiotic consumption depends upon demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population, the supply of health care services in the community, and antibiotic copayments. The model is estimated by means of Ordinary least squares techniques with fixed effects (FE). The implications of consumption externalities across geographical areas are investigated by means of spatial-lag and spatial-error models (SLFE and SEFE). We find significant and positive income elasticity and negative effects of copayments. Antibiotic use is also affected by the age structure of the population and the supply of community health care. Finally, we find evidence of spatial dependency in the use of antibiotics across regions. This suggests that regional policies (e.g. public campaigns) aimed at increasing efficiency in antibiotic consumption and controlling bacterial resistance may be influenced by policy makers in neighbouring regions. There will be scope for a strategic and coordinated view of regional policies towards the use of antibiotics.Antibiotic consumption, Socioeconomic inequalities, Spatial dependency, Regional policies.

Estimating dynamic consumption of antibiotics using panel data: the shadow effect of bacterial resistance

To some extent, antibiotics are similar to addictive goods since current consumption is reinforced by past use because of bacterial resistance, which represents a growing concern in many countries. The purpose of this paper is to explore how consumers adjust their current level of antibiotic consumption towards desired levels over time. We construct a balanced panel dataset (2000-2007) for 20 Italian regions and estimate a dynamic model where antibiotic consumption depends upon demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population, the supply of health care in the community, antibiotic price, and the "capital stock" of endogenous bacterial resistance measured by past consumption. We apply alternative dynamic estimators for short panels: the bias-corrected least squares dummy variable (LSDVC) and the system Blundell-Bond GMM estimator (GMM-BB). The estimation results are stable across different model specifications and show that antibiotic use in previous periods has a positive impact on current antimicrobial consumption (between 0.14 and 0.39). This indicates that the process of adjustment to desired levels of consumption is relatively fast (approximately 1.2-1.6 years). Weak persistence in consumption may suggest that individuals are responsive to changes in antibiotic effectiveness.Antibiotic consumption, bacterial resistance, dynamic model

Minimum wage effects on employment, substitution, and the quality of the teenage labor supply: Evidence from personal data

Using personnel data from a large U.S. retail firm with more than 700 stores nationwide, this study examines how the 1996 federal minimum wage increase affected both the level of employment at each store and also the fraction of teenagers employed. Because the minimum wage caused the relative wages of teenagers to increase at many stores, examining the relative employment of teenagers permits me to test the hypothesis of substitution toward more skilled (i.e., relatively high-wage) employees. The basic results indicate, first, that while the legislation had a much greater impact on average wages in some stores than in others, there is no significant difference in post-legislation employment growth at high-impact and low-impact stores. Second, I find that in stores where the legislation caused larger increases in the relative wage of teenagers, the employment of teenagers rose faster after the law was implemented. These results appear inconsistent with the traditional view that minimum wages lead employers to reduce employment, and to substitute relatively high-skilled, high-wage labor for the labor of the less-skilled workers whose relative wages go up. However, additional analysis suggests that the apparent contradiction can be explained in the context of a model (Drazen, 1986) that incorporates imperfect information about the quality of teenage applicants into the traditional, competitive framework. Specifically, the evidence suggests that high-quality teenagers often were not paid wages proportional to their output, and were drawn into the labor market when the minimum wage forced stores to pay teenagers more like adults. In these stores, the legislation appears to have increased the demand for teenage labor by raising the average quality of the teenage applicant pool. In contrast, where the legislation increased the wages of both teenagers and adults without compressing the wage distribution, the result was a decline in employment, as predicted by the conventional model.minimum wage, employment, teenagers, retail

Structural and managerial cost differences in nonprofit nursing homes

Population aging is challenging governments to find new solutions to finance the increasing demand for nursing home care and slow down the increase in expenditures. In this light, many European countries are currently considering reforms to increase efficiency in the provision of nursing home services. One popular restructuring policy is the transformation of public organizations into private nonprofit organizations. The underlying assumption is that private nonprofit nursing homes are more efficient than public nursing homes. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support this view. This analysis aims to contribute to the evidence base on this issue by investigating the impact of the organizational form on the costs of nursing homes. We use a sample of 45 nursing homes from one Swiss canton over a 5-year period (2001-2005). The applied estimation strategy provides more accurate estimates as compared to previous studies. In particular, we distinguish between cost differences that are under the control of the managers from those that are not (structural). Our findings suggest that public nursing homes are more costly than private nursing homes, although the difference is small. This cost difference is mainly driven by structural rather than managerial costs. Therefore, cost-reducing policies that promote private nonprofit nursing homes are expected to reduce costs only slightly

"De' pittori, scultori, architetti, minatori et ricamatori napolitani e regnicoli". Le Vite d'artisti di Camillo Tutini (ms. del 1664)

Conservato presso il Fondo Brancacciano della Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli, il manoscritto “De’ pittori, scultori, architetti, minatori et ricamatori napolitani e regnicoli”, stilato a Roma da Camillo Tutini nella seconda metà del XVII secolo, costituisce il punto centrale della presente tesi. Attraverso l’edizione critica dei tre esemplari ad oggi noti si è tentato di ricostruire a ritroso le eventuali fonti consultate dall’erudito, appartenenti sia al genere della letteratura periegetica napoletana sia a quello delle biografie d’artisti; in particolare il ritrovamento di un appunto ha messo in luce una consultazione diretta delle Vite giuntine di Vasari. La tesi affronta, inoltre, il problema di una ricostruzione della biografia di Tutini, l’approccio dell’erudito alle arti figurative, il contesto e le dinamiche in cui ha avuto origine il “De’ pittori”, il rapporto e l’intreccio con i manoscritti di Bartolomeo Chioccarello. È emerso principalmente l’articolato rapporto dell’erudito con l’ambiente culturale romano; quest’ultimo, infatti, avrebbe influenzato in modo decisivo Camillo Tutini nella redazione delle Vite d’artisti meridionali, che sono da interpretare non tanto in chiave antivasariana quanto piuttosto come una risposta alle Vite di Giovanni Baglione (1642)

La posición de las instituciones de educación superior ante el avance del periodismo digital

Starting from a PhD research paper presented at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid which considers that the education of journalists in Latin America is still at an early stage, the following hypothesis was raised: “Institutions of higher education in Argentina should redesign their curricula in pursuit of a gradual inclusion of related contents to the training in Digital Journalism”. The factis that however there is a significant development of online media, there is no comprehensive training in this branch of journalism matching such an evolution. Hence, we made a descriptive analysis of the front pages of two digital newspapers in our country, Clarín and La Nación¸ since their launching (1995/1996) till present (2015), with the aim of observing their evolution as regards design and content. Likewise, we carried out a diagnosis of the situation of the existing curricula, which include contents about Digital Journalism, at schools of communication of the most important Argentine universities. Besides, we conducted interviews to teachers who are in charge of lecturing subjects related to contents about Digital Journalism. And, in the wake of noticing how much trained graduates in Journalism are when they join newsrooms 2.0, we interviewed Digital Journalism experts in full exercise of their profession.The raised hypothesis revealed that Argentine universities are at an early stage in teachingCiberjournalism. Subjects on Online Journalism and those including in their syllabi contents related to Journalism 2.0 were incorporated after the last reform of the curricula, dating several years back. Teachers do not count with enough theoretical background for the preparation of their classes, having to base their pedagogical contents on research papers carried out mainly in Europe.Therefore, Schools of Communication which include in their curricula contents on Digital Journalism should make a review thereof, analyze what the demand from the media is and wonder if they are really training the kind of journalists those media need.It was possible to verify the raised hypothesis: schools of Communication that include in their curricula contents about Digital Journalism should make a revision of those contents, do a thorough analysis about which the demand from the media is and wonder if they are really training the kind of qualified journalists those media need. Though it is impossible and even utopian to consider that the curricula should follow such a dizzy rhythm of progress as that of online journalism, it is undeniable there is an urgent need of adapting the curricula with which future journalists are trained to this new digital era in an integral way rather than after the old fashioned vision of communicating knowledge as watertight compartments.A partir de un estudio de doctorado de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid en el que se postula que la formación del periodista en América Latina aún está en una etapa prematura, se planteó la siguiente hipótesis: las instituciones educativas de nivel superior en la Argentina deben reformular sus planes de estudio en pos de una inclusión paulatina de contenidos afines a la formación en Periodismo Digital. Pese a que se observa un gran desarrollo de los medios online, no existe una formación exhaustiva de esta rama del periodismo que se condiga con dicha evolución. Por lo tanto, se realizó un análisis descriptivo de las portadas de dos diarios digitales, Clarín y La Nación, desde su lanzamiento (1995/1996) hasta la actualidad (2015), con el fin de observar su evolución en cuanto a diseño y contenido. Asimismo, se efectuó un diagnóstico de la situación de los planes de estudio que incluían contenidos sobre Periodismo Digital, en facultades de Comunicación de las universidades argentinas más importantes. Además, se desarrollaron entrevistas a docentes que dictan materias relacionadas con contenidos sobre Periodismo 2.0. En pos de observar cuán preparados se encuentran los egresados de Periodismo al ingresar en las redacciones 2.0, se entrevistó a profesionales del PeriodismoDigital que ejercen la profesión. En cuanto a la hipótesis planteada, se logró verificar que las universidades argentinas se encuentran en su fase inicial en la enseñanza del Ciberperiodismo. Las materias sobre Periodismo Online y aquellas que incluyen en sus programas temas vinculados al desarrollo del periodismo 2.0 fueron incorporadas en la última reforma de los planes de estudio, que datan de varios años. Los docentesno cuentan con suficiente marco teórico para la preparación de sus clases, motivo por el cual basan sus contenidos pedagógicos en trabajos de investigación realizados sobre todo en Europa. Por lo tanto, las facultades de Comunicación que incluyen en sus planes de estudio contenidos sobre Periodismo Digital deben revisarlos, hacer un análisis sobre cuál es la demanda de los medios y preguntarse si realmente están formando los periodistas que estos medios necesitan. Aunque es imposible y hasta utópico considerar que los planes de estudio sigan el ritmo vertiginoso del avance del Ciberperiodismo, es innegable la necesidad urgente de adaptar los planes de estudio que preparana los futuros periodistas para esta nueva era digital de forma integral, y no bajo la vieja visión de impartir conocimientos como compartimentos estancos

La incorporación del testimonio en La Nación digital (2012-2016)

Los protagonistas de las historias de las publicaciones tomadas como objeto de estudio dan testimonio de sus vivencias. Pero este testimonio solo adquiere forma cuando el testigo comienza su relato, su narración diciente. Por lo tanto, la hipótesis de la investigación es que el periodismo digital hace uso del testimonio como un recurso que agrega valor a la construcción de la noticia en la versión online del diario La Nación entre 2012 y 2016.El objetivo general fue demostrar cómo el testimonio se afianza en las publicaciones del diario La Nación en su versión online, dado que este medio ha sido pionero en la transición del papel al formato digital y le ha concedido un lugar de privilegio a este nuevo soporte.En cuanto a las herramientas y estrategias metodológicas empleadas para la investigación, se realizó un análisis de contenido de las notas que priorizaron el testimonio como herramienta discursiva para, de esa manera, poder establecer en qué secciones se observaron y con qué frecuencia. Por otra parte, se aplicó el análisis del discurso a las notas que pertenecían a aquellas secciones que incorporaban al relato testimonial con mayor intensidad. Se determinaron las características que adquiría el discurso periodístico con la subjetividad y la inserción de la primera persona. Finalmente, se efectuaron entrevistas a periodistas que incluían en sus notas el testimonio como principal herramienta.Respecto a las conclusiones del trabajo, en cuanto al análisis de contenido se pudo detectar que las secciones que más utilizaron el testimonio son deportes en el año 2012 y sociedad en el siguiente año. El testimonio o la historia de vida es el recurso más utilizado en ambas secciones, pues por lo general en las notas se parte de una cuestión testimonial para luego dar lugar a un abordaje más general. En segundo lugar, a través del análisis discursivo, se logró observar que, a través del recurso del discurso referido, se busca generar la impresión de que los protagonistas de los hechos hablan en primera persona al lector con una baja intromisión por parte del emisor del mensaje (el periodista).En tercer lugar, en cuanto al análisis de las distintas entrevistas a redactores, editores y cronistas, se pudo aseverar que la mayoría considera sumamente importante el uso del testimonio en la construcción de sus noticias. Algunos de los términos que utilizaron para calificar al uso del testimonio son “oxigena el texto”, “le da poder”, “fuerza”, “realismo”, “humaniza el relato”, entre otrasfunciones.Para concluir, si bien el actual estudio constituye un diagnóstico acerca de la utilización deltestimonio en La Nación digital, se pudo corroborar la hipótesis planteada

A Matheuristic for Integrated Timetabling and Vehicle Scheduling

Planning a public transportation system is a complex process, which is usually broken down in several phases, performed in sequence. Most often, the trips required to cover a service with the desired frequency (headway) are decided early on, while the vehicles needed to cover these trips are determined at a later stage. This potentially leads to requiring a larger number of vehicles (and, therefore, drivers) that would be possible if the two decisions were performed simultaneously. We propose a multicommodity-flow type model for integrated timetabling and vehicle scheduling. Since the model is large-scale and cannot be solved by off-the-shelf tools with the efficiency required by planners, we propose a diving-type matheuristic approach for the problem. We report on the efficiency and effectiveness of two variants of the proposed approach, differing on how the continuous relaxation of the problem is solved, to tackle real-world instances of bus transport planning problem originating from customers of M.A.I.O.R., a leading company providing services and advanced decision-support systems to public transport authorities and operators. The results show that the approach can be used to aid even experienced planners in either obtaining better solutions, or obtaining them faster and with less effort, or both