Multiplier Decomposition, Poverty and Inequality in Income Distribution in a SAM Framework: the Vietnamese Case

The aim of this paper is to show how and why is possible to assess both direct and indirect effects of exogenous income injections on mean income of different household groups using a new approach based on the decomposition of SAM-based multipliers. The approach we propose in this paper allows analyzing the level of inequality in the distribution of income linking the formation of individual/family income to the features of each country’s productive structure and it can be used both for structural analysis and for simulations of redistributive and antipoverty policies. The first step in order to link changes in the level of poverty and inequality to policy measures will be to derive the “accounting price multipliers matrix”, which allows considering the effects of policies affecting the labour market, thus changing the level of wages for different workers ‘categories. Using the traditional Pyatt and Round’s multiplicative decomposition method, we will be then able to disentangle the transfer, the open-loop and the closed-loop effects of a change in the income of exogenous SAM’s accounts. The second step will be to use a new technique introduced by Pyatt and Round (2006) to further decompose each element of the total multiplier matrix in order to enlighten in “microscopic detail” the linkages between each household group’s income of and other accounts whose income has been exogenously injected (i.e. Activities account and Factors account). Moreover, this new approach allows assessing the linkages between each household endowment in terms of factors and the features of the productive system and shading light on the most powerful links among different components of the economic system affecting the distribution of income. The empirical results obtained using the Vietnamese SAM for year 2000 show that the highest direct effects are related to exogenous injections to the agricultural sector and to less skilled labour force and that these effects involved not only on rural male headed but also other household groups. At the same time, the new type of multiplier decomposition shows which are the sectors and factors of production whose increase in income will have the greater indirect effects, increasing also the level of income of all household types. For example, investing in the sector of food processing and on female labour force will benefit the most all household groups, thus representing a policy option good for aggregate growth and for improving the distribution of income.Income distribution, social accounting matrix, multiplier decomposition, growth, labour market, structure of production

Assessing animal welfare in a captive primate: an analysis of stress related behaviour in Mandrillus sphinx

The study of stress in captive animals maintained in zoos allows to consider elements that play a main role for the welfare of these species. Among these elements there are the zoo visitors, recently found in the scientific literature as negatively influencing the animals especially when these are primates. At Chester Zoo (UK), a group of six mandrills was investigated after having shown signs of stereotypical behaviour comprised of hair plucking. Through the application of ethology, notably the procedure of all-animal scan sampling, a series of variables was collected. From the data it was tested whether the public's density and the noise produced were responsible for the occurrence of visitor-directed aggression and stereotypies. These data were statistically analysed through mixed effects linear models. This statistical treatment provides a powerful way of testing of data with a degree of interdependency (such as scan samples of a particular individual). Such data are often yielded in studies with low numbers of individuals, as is often the case under captive conditions. The results collected from the zoo visitors found that they used to stay for longer in proximity of the enclosure producing a louder noise when the animals were found in the in-door enclosure and in proximity of the glass window dividing the public. The analysis of the animal behaviour showed that a correlation exists between the visitors’ density and noise and the occurrence of aggressive related displays towards the public by the animals. The visitors' density was also found to be responsible for the higher occurrence of stereotypical bouts of hair plucking. It was hypothesised that the latter was an indirect relationship and resulted from the fact that aggressive behaviours towards visitors did not have the effect anticipated by the mandrills leading to frustration and subsequent hair plucking

Spatial Dynamic Modelling of Tax Gap: the Case of Italy

This paper analyses the determinants of regional tax gap in Italy testing if tax evasion is characterised by spatial persistence. The size of spatial correlation in regional tax gaps has been tested and the role of additional determinants of evasion over the period 2001–2011 has been estimated. Using a dynamic spatial panel model, it is shown that regional tax gap is determined by tax evasion in neighbouring regions and is characterised by spatial persistence. Results make it possible to draw a taxonomy of the determinants of regional tax gap: contextual factors and operational factors linked to the relative efficacy of tax evasion contrasting policies and geography

Setting a new International Poverty Line: a new proposal applied to Vietnam

The poverty line, which has been set by the World Bank in 1990 at 1.08USD/day PPA contains three major errors: it does not refer to a clear definition of poverty; it uses wrong PPA factors converting national poverty lines and it is based on limited data from two countries with the highest poverty incidence. All these errors lead to a systematic underestimate of world poverty. The objective of the paper is be then to evaluate the accuracy of international poverty estimates produced by the World Bank. The case study analyzed in the paper is Vietnam, a country which experiences impressive achievements in term of poverty reduction in the last twenty years. The specific aim of this study is then twofold. Firs, it will construct a new international poverty line using different PPA conversion factors giving more weight to goods consumed by the poorest people. Second, it will design a poverty map for Vietnam using this new poverty threshold. Results indicate that using more accurate PPA conversion factors poverty rates are much higher than the current estimates and this suggest a general revision in the method of setting an international poverty threshold.povertà, disuguaglianza, linee di povertà, poverty map

Anger makes ethnocentrism among whites a stronger predictor of racial and immigration policy opinions

Politics has been filled with angry rhetoric. And politicians, such as Donald Trump, have used anger to their electoral benefit. But what are the political consequences of an angry political environment. Research by Antoine Banks shows that anger (unrelated to racial and ethnic groups) causes ethnocentric whites to be more opposing of policies considered to benefit racial and ethnic minorities. But, it also causes those low in ethnocentrism to defend the rights and interest of these groups

Scintimammography with 99mTc-MIBI and magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of breast cancer

This study was performed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) scintimammography (SMM) and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with breast masses, using the histological findings as the gold standard. Forty-five consecutive patients with a breast lesion, detected by self-examination, physical examination or screening mammography, underwent SMM and MRI. In 38 cases (84.5%), the histopathology was malignant; the breast cancers ranged from 3 to 100 mm in diameter (mean 22 mm). In the overall patient group, MRI showed a slightly higher sensitivity than SMM (92% vs 84%), but SMM showed a better specificity: 71% vs 42%. The accuracy was 82% and 84% for SMM and MRI respectively. To evaluate the influence of lesion size on the results, patients with lesions ≤20 mm and ≤15 mm were examined. In patients with lesions ≤20 mm, the sensitivity of SMM and MRI decreased to 64% and 82% respectively, while SMM again displayed considerably better specificity: 83% vs 50% for MRI. The accuracy of SMM and MRI was 64% and 82% respectively. In patients with lesions ≤15 mm, SMM again showed better specificity (75% vs 50%), while MRI displayed better sensitivity and accuracy (sensitivity, 81% vs 62%; accuracy, 75% vs 65%). In this study the specificity of SMM in patients with breast lesions was thus superior to that of MRI. The combination of SMM and MRI may be used in those patients with equivocal findings at mammography and ultrasound to reduce the number of unnecessary surgical biopsies

A rare diaphragmatic hernia with a delayed presentation of intestinal symptoms following spleno-distal pancreatectomy: a case report

Acquired diaphragmatic hernia, non-related to trauma, is a very rare condition. It can constitute a therapeutic problem and the surgical solution is not always immediately clear. We report the case of a 73-year-old woman with a history of spleno-distal pancreatectomy for a neuroendocrine tumour performed in 2009, who came back to Emergency Room 2 years later, complaining of abdominal pain. Chest radiography and computed tomography were performed; they showed a diaphragmatic hernia with visceral migration into the thorax. The diaphragmatic defect was surgically repaired and the patient had an uneventful post-operative recovery

The relationship between transformational leadership and organizational culture during a management change: Randstad case study

This study delves into the dynamics between transformational leadership and organizational culture during management transitions, focusing on Randstad. Through literature review and stakeholder interviews, it explores how transformational leadership shapes Randstad's culture, resilience, and direction. It aims to understand how such leadership impacts organizational culture, contributing to theoretical and practical insights in organizational psychology and leadership studies. This research offers a nuanced examination of the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational culture, providing valuable insights into managing change effectively within organizations like Randstad