Unaffected Strangers Affect Contributions

Several recent experimental studies have confirmed that social sanctioning can enforce cooperation in public good situations. These studies consider situations where the participants, who have monetary interest in the outcome of the public good game, inflict social sanctioning. The present experimental study, however, considers behavioral effects of social sanctioning from observers with no monetary interest in the outcome of the public good game. The experiment has two treatment effects. First, each participant’s identity and contribution to the public good is revealed to the observers. Second, we introduce information likely to affect participants’ expectations regarding the observers’ approval or disapproval of contributions to the public good. The data provides some evidence that indirect social sanctioning from these monetarily unaffected observers can increase voluntary contributions to public goods, provided that the participants have reason to believe that the observers have themselves contributed substantially in a similar situation. However, the effect on cooperation is not as strong as effects found in previous studies where participants themselves, and not only monetarily unaffected observers, are able to inflict social sanctioning.cooperation, public good, social approval, social norms

The Impact of Paternity Leave on Long-term Father Involvement

Using Norwegian registry data we investigate how paternity leave affects fathers’ long-term earnings. In 1993 Norway introduced a paternity quota of the paid parental leave. We estimate a difference-in-differences model which exploits differences in fathers' exposure to the paternity quota. Our analysis suggests that four weeks paternity leave during the child’s first year decreases fathers’ future earnings by 2.1 percent. Importantly, this effect persists up until our last point of observation when the child is five years old. The earnings effect is consistent with increased long-term father involvement, as fathers shift time and effort from market to home production. In an investigation of Norwegian time use data we find additional evidence for this hypothesis.father involvement, household production, parental leave

Social Interaction Effects in Disability Pension Participation: Evidence from Plant Downsizing

.disability; downsizing; layoffs; plant closing; social insurance; social interaction; welfare norms

Social Interaction Effects and Choice Under Uncertainty. An Experimental Study

Extensive field evidence shows individuals’ decisions in settings involving choice under uncertainty (e.g. savings and investment choices) depend on the decisions of their peers. One hypothesized cause of peer group effects is social interaction effects: an individual’s utility from an action is enhanced by others taking the same action. We employ a series of controlled laboratory experiments to study the causes of peer effects in choice under uncertainty. We find strong peer group effects in the laboratory. Allowing feedback about others’ choices increases group polarization and reduces the likelihood that subjects will choose risky or ambiguous gambles. We observe spillover effects, as observing another’s choice of one risky (safe) gamble makes all risky (safe) gambles more likely to be chosen. Our design allows us to eliminate social learning, social norms, group affiliation, and complementarities as possible causes for the observed peer group effects, leaving social interaction effects as the likely cause. We use a combination of theory and empirical analysis to show that preferences including “social regret” are more consistent with the data than preferences including a taste for conformity.experimental economics; social interaction effects; risk; uncertainty

Divorced Fathers' Proximity and Children's Long Run Outcomes: Evidence from Norwegian Registry Data

This study examines the link between divorced nonresident fathers' proximity and children's long-run outcomes using high-quality data from Norwegian population registers. We follow (from birth to young adulthood) 15,992 children born into married households in Norway in the years 1975-1979 whose parents divorce during his or her childhood. We observe the proximity of the child to his or her father in each year following the divorce and link proximity to children's educational and economic outcomes in young adulthood, controlling for a wide range of observable characteristics of the parents and the child. Our results show that closer proximity to the father following a divorce has, on average, a modest negative association with offspring's young-adult outcomes. The negative associations are stronger among children of highly-educated fathers. Complementary Norwegian survey data show that highly-educated fathers report more post-divorce conflict with their ex-wives as well as more contact with their children (measured in terms of the number of nights that the child spends at the fathers' house). Consequently, the father's relocation to a more distant location following the divorce may shelter the child from disruptions in the structure of the child's life as they split time between households and/or from post-divorce interparental conflict.fathers' proximity, divorce, child development, long-run outcomes, relocation

Divorced fathers’ proximity and children’s long run outcomes: Evidence from Norwegian registry data

.Child development; divorce; fathers' proximity; long-run outcomes; relocation

The impact of paternity leave on long-term father involvement

.Household production; Father involvement; paternal leave

Welfare impacts of road construction using a public-private partnership : a CGE analysis of a project

The Azorean Government embarked on a public-private partnership to build a road on the island of São Miguel, to circumvent the budget restriction imposed by the central government. We build a sequentially dynamic general equilibrium model with 45 sectors to measure the welfare changes arising from the project. The initial investment is amortised over a period and the payments are simulated through an increase in income taxes, reduction in transfer payments or calculating the fall in transport margins. We find that under any type of repayment scheme the welfare benefits do not justify the road construction thus making it a poor investment decision.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio