Alternative interpretations of hours information in an econometric model of labour supply

This paper examines the labour supply behaviour of married women in France. Estimating a model with tax parameter variation, careful re-examination of the treatment of the unearned income variable and taking account of education in modelling preferences result in substantially lower elasticities than found in our previous empirical analysis. It turns out that distinguishing between part-time, full-time and long hours gives virtually the same results as treating observed hours as reflecting desired hours. We provide extensive specification diagnostics, including Heckman-Andrews tests, as well as Hausman tests for the comparison of different handlings of the hours information. We also consider different assumptions concerning the perception of the impact of the tax system and provide some evidence in favour of a correct perception. --

Job changes and hours changes: Understanding the path of labour supply adjustment

This paper uses British panel data to investigate single women’s labour supply changes in response to three tax and benefit policy reforms that occurred in the 1990s. These reforms changed individuals' work incentives and we use them to identify changes in labour supply. We find evidence of small hours of work effects for two of such reforms. A third reform in 1999 instead led to a significant increase in single mothers' hours of work. The mechanism by which the labour supply adjustments were made occurred largely through job changes rather than hours changes with the same employer. These results are confirmed when we look at hours changes by stated labour supply preferences. Finally, we find little overall effect of the reforms on wages

Alternative interpretations of hours information in an econometric model of labour supply

This paper examines the labour supply behaviour of married women in France. Estimating a model with tax parameter variation, careful re-examination of the treatment of the unearned income variable and taking account of education in modelling preferences result in substantially lower elasticities than found in our previous empirical analysis. It turns out that distinguishing between part-time, full-time and long hours gives virtually the same results as treating observed hours as reflecting desired hours. We provide extensive specification diagnostics, including Heckman-Andrews tests, as well as Hausman tests for the comparison of different handlings of the hours information. We also consider different assumptions concerning the perception of the impact of the tax system and provide some evidence in favour of a correct perception

Collective labor supply heterogeneity and nonparticipation

We present identification and estimation results for the “collective” model of labour supply in which there are discrete choices, censoring of hours and nonparticipation in employment. We derive the collective restrictions on labour supply functions and contrast them with restrictions implied by the usual “unitary” framework. Using the large changes in the wage structure between men and women in the UK over the last two decades we estimate a collective labor supply model for married couples without children. The implications of the unitary framework are rejected while those of the collective approach are not. The estimates of the sharing rule show that wages have a strong influence on bargaining power within couples

Female labour supply, human capital and welfare reform

We estimate a dynamic model of employment, human capital accumulation - including education, and savings for women in the UK, exploiting tax and benefit reforms, and use it to analyze the effects of welfare policy. We find substantial elasticities for labor supply and particularly for lone mothers. Returns to experience, which are important in determining the longer-term effects of policy, increase with education, but experience mainly accumulates when in full-time employment. Tax credits are welfare improving in the UK and increase lone-mother labor supply, but the employment effects do not extend beyond the period of eligibility. Marginal increases in tax credits improve welfare more than equally costly increases in income support or tax cuts

House Price Volatility and the Housing Ladder

This paper investigates the effects of housing price risk on housing choices over the lifecycle. Housing price risk can be substantial but, unlike other risky assets which people can avoid, the fact that most people will eventually own their home creates an insurance demand for housing assets early in life. Our contribution is to focus on the importance of home ownership and housing wealth as a hedge against future house price risk for individuals moving up the ladder - people living in places with higher housing price risk should own their first home at a younger age, should live in larger homes, and should be less likely to refinance. These predictions are tested and shown to hold using panel data from the United States and Great Britain

X-ray Structure of Gelatinase A Catalytic Domain Complexed with a Hydroxamate Inhibitor

Gelatinase A is a key enzyme in the family of matrix metalloproteinases (matrixins) that are involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix. As this process is an integral part of tumour cell metastasis and angiogenesis, gelatinase is an important target for therapeutic intervention. The X-ray crystal structure of the gelatinase A catalytic domain (GaCD) complexed with batimastat (BB94), a hydroxamate inhibitor, shows an active site with a large S1\u27 specificity pocket. The structure is similar to previously solved structures of stromelysin catalytic domain (SCD) but with differences in VR1 and VR2, two surface-exposed loops on either side of the entrance to the active site. Comparison of GaCD with other members of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family highlights the conservation of key secondary structural elements and the significant differences in the specificity pockets, knowledge of which should enhance our ability to design specific inhibitors for this important anticancer target