The Effects of Intermarriage on the Earnings of Female Immigrants in the United States

This paper investigates the effects of intermarriage on the earnings of female immigrants in the United States. The main empirical question asked is whether immigrant females married to US-born spouses have higher earnings than those of immigrant females married to other immigrants. Using 1970 and 1870 samples of IPUMS data, I estimate an earnings equation through OLS. I also correct for the labor force selection bias using the Heckman procedure. I finally take into account the endogeneity of intermarriage and apply a twostage least squares (2SLS) estimation procedure. I find that there is a positive marriage premium among immigrant females in the United States but a negative intermarriage premium for exogamously married females compared to endogamously married females. My results show that the longer the immigrant stays in the host country, the higher her wages, which is evidence for the assimilation effect over time. I find some evidence for a negative labor force selection bias among immigrant females. In other words, higher human capital women may select themselves out of the labor force, while lower human capital women are working for wages. Among those who are in the labor force, however, married females earn more than singles. I also conclude that being an immigrant from an English-speaking country does not have any impact on wages. Both premiums become statistically insignificant in difference from zero when 2SLS is used as an estimation procedure

What makes work meaningful and why economists should care about it

We demonstrate why meaningful work, i.e. job-related activities that individuals view as purposeful and worth-while, matters to labour economists. Building on self-determination theory, which specifies the roles of autonomy, competence, and relatedness as preconditions for motivation, we are the first to explore the determinants of work meaningfulness. Specifically, using three waves of the European Working Conditions Survey, we show that autonomy, competence, and relatedness explain about 60% of the variation in work meaningfulness perceptions. Meanwhile, extrinsic factors, such as income, benefits, and performance pay, are relatively unimportant. Meaningful work also predicts absenteeism, skills training, and retirement intentions, which highlights the concept's economic significance. We provide new insights that could help organise the future of work in a meaningful and dignifying way and propose concrete avenues for future research on meaningful work in economics

Human Service Nonprofits and Government Collaboration: Findings from the 2010 National Survey of Nonprofit Government Contracting and Grants

Presents nonprofit survey results on government contracts; their share of revenue; problems, including late or partial payments, complex application and reporting processes, and changes to contract terms; how nonprofits cope with them; and the results

Wastes after distillation of Helichrysum italicum - biological active compounds and free radical scavenging activity

Distillation wastewater, by-products from steam and water distillation as well as raw material used as control of fl ower heads of Helichrysum italicum were comparative analyzed for content of the biologically active compounds by GC/MS. Acetone exudates, methanol extracts and ethyl acetate fractions obtained after alkaline hydrolyze of the studied materials were received. The three types of extraction products as well as the distillation wastewater were examined for free radical scavenging activity by DPPH assay. Phenol, fatty- and organic acids, sterols, triterpenes, sugars and sugar alcohols were identifi ed. Succinic acid and myo-inositol were identifi ed as main components of distillation wastewater. Hydroxycinnamic acid, caff eic acid and 4(p)-hydroxybenzoic acid were dominant compounds of the ethyl acetate fractions. Triterpenes and fatty acids, sterols and fl avonoids are among the main biologically active substances in the methanolic extracts and acetone exudates. The ethyl acetate fractions were found to possess the highest free radical scavenging activity (IC50 < 50 µg/mL). Signifi cant diff erences in the activity between wastes and raw materials were not found. The results showed that the waste products after distillation of H. italicum contain important biologically active substances and the extracts with high antioxidant activity can be obtained from them

GC-MS metabolic profiling and free radical scavenging activity of Micromeria dalmatica

Metabolite profile of acetone exudate and methanolic extract from aerial parts of Micromeria dalmatica Benth were analyzed by GC/MS. Palmitic and linolenic acids, hentriacontane, amyrin, quercetagetin 3,6,7-trimethyl ether, sucrose were identified among the main components in the acetone exudate. In the methanolic extract more than 100 chromatographic peaks were detected including alkanes, fatty alcohols, fatty acids, organic acids, phenolic acids, saccharides, polyoles, phytosterols and other. Most of the compounds were reported for the first time for the species. Hydromethanolic extract of M. dalmatica was studied for in vitro antioxidant 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging activity. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) of extract was calculated to be 21.36 μg/mL. The received result shows high antioxidant potential of Micromeria dalmatica extract which provide scientific support for the use of the plant as herbs and spices

Quantitative flavonoid variations of Artemisia vulgaris L. and Veronica chamaedrys L. in relation to altitude and polluted environment

Influence of altitudinal gradient and polluted environment on externally accumulated flavonoid aglycones were examined. Contents of apigenin in Veronica chamaedrys L. and quercetin 3,7,3’-trimethyl ether in Artemisia vulgaris L. were determinated. The highest apigenin level was found in populations at alpine regions, whereas no relation was found between quercetin 3,7,3’-trimethyl ether and altitude. The largest amounts of quercetin 3,7,3’-trimethyl ether was found in samples collected from industrial polluted habitats. Ecological significance on external flavonoid aglycones is discussed

Stalin and the origins of mistrust

We examine current differences in trust levels within the countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU) and trace their origins back to the system of forced labor during Stalin, which was marked by high incarceration rates and harsh punishments. We explore whether those exposed to knowledge about the repressions became less trusting and transferred this social norm to future generations and communities. We argue that political repressions were more salient and visible to local communities living near forced labor camps (gulags), which symbolized the harshness of Stalin's regime. Combining contemporary survey data with the geolocation of forced labor camps, we find that living near former gulags lowers present-day social trust and civic engagement. These effects are independent of living near places where Stalin's victims were arrested. Moreover, they are above and beyond any experiences with war or civil conflict that the extant literature documents, indicating that the gulag system's repressiveness is a crucial trigger of the mistrust culture within the FSU countries today. As such, we furnish novel evidence on how past political repression matters for current socioeconomic outcomes

Double-edged sword:persistent effects of Communist regime affiliations on well-being and preferences

During Communism, party members and their relatives were typically privileged elites in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU). At the same time, secret police informants were often coerced to spy and report on their fellow citizens. After the fall of Communism, CEE countries and the Baltics underwent decommunization, unlike most FSU countries. This paper is the first to empirically distinguish between these two Communist party regime affiliations and study their long-term implications for the well-being and preferences of affiliated individuals and their relatives. In the FSU, we find that individuals connected to the former Communist party are more satisfied with their lives, but those linked to secret police informants seem to have lower life satisfaction than those without such ties. The life satisfaction benefit of having former Communist regime party connections in the FSU is, on average, equivalent to one month’s household income. Simultaneously, the psychological costs of being an informant can amount to two monthly household incomes. In CEE countries, having informant connections is not associated with life satisfaction, but having links to the former Communist party is negatively correlated with subjective well-being. Formal and informal decommunization efforts are an important mechanism behind our findings. We also show that those connected to the former regimes differ from those without such connections in their preferences for democracy and market economy, levels of optimism, and risk tolerance, which provides suggestive evidence for the mechanisms underpinning our findings. Our results underscore that the former Communist regimes produced winners and losers based on the trustee status of their collaborators that decommunization efforts further shaped and solidified. Future decommunization efforts in the FSU may thus have important welfare implications

Goodbye Lenin, Hello Europe? An Empirical Investigation of Subjective Well-being in Transition and Post-transition Economies

In this dissertation, I rely on self-reported objective and subjective data to study processes related to acquiring new opportunities and exercising choice in transition and post-transition countries, i.e., the economies in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, which recently underwent or are still going through transitions to democracy and market economy. The departure point is the proposition that at the macro level, transition consists of marketization and democratization processes but at the individual level, transition generated a process of acquiring autonomy, i.e., taking charge of one's own life and making personal choices instead of relying on the government. Frustration and disillusionment may accompany this process, as it is often a difficult transformation involving uncertainty and volatility, sacrifices, and changing time use, norms, or reference groups. This dissertation consists of three separate but related essays. Specifically, Chapter 1 taps into the relationship between capabilities and subjective well-being. Chapter 2 directly builds on that by exploring the well-being consequences of the pursuit of new opportunities through migration. Finally, Chapter 3 investigates the life satisfaction effects of joining the European Union, which was a process that provided citizens in transition economies with new rights and opportunities. The research questions in these three essays relate to broader inquires about the well-being implications of the process of learning to be in charge of one's own life. A fundamental, yet not well-understood determinant of human well-being is the capacity to exercise choice and live a fulfilling life. Chapter 1 explores how actual and perceived manifestations of this capacity relate to subjective well-being dimensions. The chapter furnishes evidence that in transition economies and other world regions, capabilities and subjective well-being are related and both objective and subjective capabilities are more important for life evaluations than for emotional states. Capabilities are also generally less important for the happiest respondents. We further demonstrate that the same set of capabilities and means has a slightly different relative importance for different well-being dimensions across different regions. We also show novel evidence related to the least well-understood subjective well-being dimension: eudaimonic happiness, which relates to having meaning and purpose in life. Finally, our results demonstrate that while employment arrangements contribute to happiness overall, they are also associated with stress and anger. The second chapter uses Gallup World Poll data, statistical matching, and difference-in-differences to assess the effects of migration on the well-being of migrants from transition economies living in advanced countries. In addition to increasing household income, migration enhances subjective well-being. While all migrants realize income gains, there is a substantial well-being migration premium for the unhappiest movers. Moreover, by voting with their feet, migrants not only exercise choice but also enhance their perceived opportunities, including satisfaction with freedom and standard of living. Based on the results, migration can be seen as a development mechanism as it enhances migrants' means, well-being, and capabilities. The third chapter provides novel evidence about the perceived well-being effects of EU accession in the ten post-communist countries which joined the European Union between 2004 and 2007 (EU-10). Using difference-in-differences, the main finding is that EU accession had no immediate influence on the perceived well-being of Bulgarians and Romanians (EU-2) in 2007 but was positively related to life satisfaction in 2008-2009, with some variation by socio-demographic groups. In addition, there were EU-related well-being gains in most of the EU-8 countries, which were experienced shortly after joining. Taken at face value, the results suggest that EU membership has immediate perceived well-being effects in the more advanced transition members and is associated with well-being gains only after a lag in the less advanced ex-communist members. From a policy perspective, these results are relevant to countries aspiring to EU membership such as the Western Balkans and the Ukraine. The chapter also suggests that the increased control of corruption and EU aid were associated with higher life satisfaction in Bulgaria and Romania, although a greater share of EU imports had the opposite influence. In the EU-8, better governance, economic growth, and EU imports had a positive influence on life satisfaction, while the control of corruption had a marginally significant negative association. This dissertation's results have several policy implications. First, given that public policy has a role in assisting those lacking choice and freedoms by providing them with equal opportunities, the results in Chapter 1 may ultimately have importance in that arena. The findings suggest that the same set of opportunities and means may have a different meaning and value in different contexts or among different cohorts. Therefore, policies aiming to enhance opportunities may have a differential impact on subjective well-being across groups. For example, if policymakers aim to enhance subjective well-being, they may choose to invest in objective capabilities and means (such as income, employment, and education). Alternatively, for normative reasons, decision-makers may choose to equalize capabilities of all kinds for all citizens despite the differential weights that different put on them and the differential impact on subjective well-being. Second, immigrant well-being is not only a pivotal part of each nation's well-being but immigrant dissatisfaction may also be symptomatic of deeper social problems such as social exclusion and discrimination. While policy debates and the extant literature tend to focus on the distributional consequences of immigrants on natives in the destination countries, Chapter 2 finds that migration has positive effects on the incomes, subjective well-being, and perceived opportunities of migrants from transition economies living in advanced countries, implying that migration can be a development mechanism enhancing individual well-being. Yet, arguably migration is not a comprehensive development strategy as it does not solve deeply-rooted social problems such as corruption, poor economic policies, and market and government failures in the sending countries. Third, Chapter 3's findings are relevant to policymakers in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries, which aspire to EU membership. Like Bulgaria and Romania, these candidate countries are less advanced and less prepared for membership than accession countries in previous enlargements. Therefore, if accepted into the EU, citizens in these countries will likely experience the subjective well-being gains after a lag. The results also have implications for the EU's enlargement and integration policies

Prevalence of dental decay and periodontal diseases among children suffering from congenital heart diseases. A literature review - part II

Dental decay is one of the most prevalent chronic and infectious diseases for mankind. It is defined as `a dynamic process, taking place in the tooth bacterial biofilm (plaque), which results in a disturbance of equilibrium between tooth substance and the surrounding plaque fluid and finally results in a loss of minerals from the tooth surface - demineralisation.` Fluoride plays an important role in dental decay prevention and stimulates self-healing of minor cavities by reducing the demineralisation process and promoting the remineralization process. Remineralisation occurs frequently, especially when the biofilm pH is restored by saliva, which acts as a buffer. The adequate salivary production is of great importance for maintaining a normal physiology in the oral cavity.It is known that children with congenital heart disease (CHD) frequently require regular long-term medication, but the knowledge of oral health effects caused by long-term medication in medically compromised children is sparse. Many medications used on a long-term basis may contain sugar, have a low pH or high acidity. There is a strong correlation between xerostomia and pharmacological treatment and a number of drugs have been listed as xerogenic. These drugs include ones with a directly damaging to salivary glands function, such as cytotoxic drugs, medications with anticholinergic activity, drugs which deplete fluid as diuretics, and drugs acting on the sympathetic system, like antihypertensive drugs. Only a few clinical studies have been carried out on the outcome of salivary function with antihypertensive drugs, and the outcome is not clear-cut.A number of studies have been carried out on the caries prevalence in children with CHD but only five of them were controlled. Children with CHD had higher mean values of dmft /DMFT indices than healthy children and only a few of them had experienced fillings, indicating an unmet need for operative treatment