Optimal Minimum Wage Policy in Competitive Labor Markets

This paper provides a theoretical analysis of optimal minimum wage policy in a perfectly competitive labor market. We show that a binding minimum wage—while leading to unemployment—is nevertheless desirable if the government values redistribution toward low wage workers and if unemployment induced by the minimum wage hits the lowest surplus workers first. This result remains true in the presence of optimal nonlinear taxes and transfers. In that context, a minimum wage effectively rations the low skilled labor that is subsidized by the optimal tax/transfer system, and improves upon the second-best tax/transfer optimum. When labor supply responses are along the extensive margin, a minimum wage and low skill work subsidies are complementary policies; therefore, the coexistence of a minimum wage with a positive tax rate for low skill work is always (secondbest) Pareto inefficient. We derive formulas for the optimal minimum wage (with and without optimal taxes) as a function of labor supply and demand elasticities and the redistributive tastes of the government. We also present some illustrative numerical simulations.

Optimal Minimum Wage Policy in Competitive Labor Markets

This paper provides a theoretical analysis of optimal minimum wage policy in a perfectly competitive labor market. We show that a binding minimum wage while leading to unemployment is nevertheless desirable if the government values redistribution toward low wage workers and if unemployment induced by the minimum wage hits the lowest surplus workers first. This result remains true in the presence of optimal nonlinear taxes and transfers. In that context, a minimum wage effectively rations the low skilled labor that is subsidized by the optimal tax/transfer system, and improves upon the second-best tax/transfer optimum. When labor supply responses are along the extensive margin, a minimum wage and low skill work subsidies are complementary policies; therefore, the co-existence of a minimum wage with a positive tax rate for low skill work is always (second-best) Pareto inefficient. We derive formulas for the optimal minimum wage (with and without optimal taxes) as a function of labor supply and demand elasticities and the redistributive tastes of the government. We also present some illustrative numerical simulations.minimum wages, tax policy, labor supply, demand elasticity

Optimal Minimum Wage Policy in Competitive Labor Markets

This paper provides a theoretical analysis of optimal minimum wage policy in a perfectly competitive labor market. We show that a binding minimum wage -- while leading to unemployment -- is nevertheless desirable if the government values redistribution toward low wage workers and if unemployment induced by the minimum wage hits the lowest surplus workers first. This result remains true in the presence of optimal nonlinear taxes and transfers. In that context, a minimum wage effectively rations the low skilled labor that is subsidized by the optimal tax/transfer system, and improves upon the second-best tax/transfer optimum. When labor supply responses are along the extensive margin, a minimum wage and low skill work subsidies are complementary policies; therefore, the co-existence of a minimum wage with a positive tax rate for low skill work is always (second-best) Pareto inefficient. We derive formulas for the optimal minimum wage (with and without optimal taxes) as a function of labor supply and demand elasticities and the redistributive tastes of the government. We also present some illustrative numerical simulations.

Longitudinal Segmented Analysis of Internet Usage and Well-Being Among Older Adults

The connection between digital literacy and the three core dimensions of psychological well-being is not yet well understood, and the evidence is controversial. We analyzed a sample of 2,314 individuals, aged 50 years and older, that participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. Participants were clustered according to drivers of psychological well-being using Self-Organizing Maps. The resulting groups were subsequently studied separately using generalized estimating equations fitted on 2-year lagged repeated measures using three scales to capture the dimensions of well-being and Markov models. The clustering analysis suggested the existence of four different groups of participants. Statistical models found differences in the connection between internet use and psychological well-being depending on the group. The Markov models showed a clear association between internet use and the potential for transition among groups of the population characterized, among other things, by higher levels of psychological well-being

Social life cycle assessment of product value chains under a circular economy approach: A case study in the plastic packaging sector

Environmental and economic impact assessment of products have a long record, while social performance analysis of products have less references in the scientific literature due its particularities and the adaptations needed for the features of the studied subject. In addition, there is a lack of a methodological framework of its application in the analysis of value chains, with the aim of estimating the impacts of technical innovations from the social point of view. This paper describes the theoretical framework and impact assessment approach for the Social Life Cycle Assessment of product value chains under a circular economy approach by applying a scoring system in different subcategories and indicators, considering the plastic packaging sector as a case study. Twelve subcategories have been chosen, because of their relevance to the case study, related to the impacts on the labor conditions, consumers'' well-being, end-of-life of the product, local community conditions, technology and suppliers, among others. The validation of the methodology in the plastic packaging sector is done by considering the main stakeholders involved in the value chain and the particularities of the sector

Experiencia comparada europea y el reto de la descentralización sanitaria

En este trabajo se analizan las principales características de los modelos de descentralización sanitaria en Europa prestando especial atención a los determinantes de los resultados en salud y gasto así como se propone un modelo econométrico explicativo de su comportamiento y evolución, utilizando datos de panel. Los resultados muestran que el factor más importante en la explicación del volumen de gasto sanitario tanto estática como dinámicamente es la renta, mientras que otros factores de demanda y de oferta así como el grado de descentralización o tipo de sistema sanitario, también influyen pero son menos importantes. En cambio, en resultados en salud la descentralización tiene un efecto más dispar frente al resto de factores

Artificial intelligence and its impact on the domains of universal health coverage, health emergencies and health promotion: An overview of systematic reviews

[EN] Background: Artificial intelligence is fueling a new revolution in medicine and in the healthcare sector. Despite the growing evidence on the benefits of artificial intelligence there are several aspects that limit the measure of its impact in people & rsquo;s health. It is necessary to assess the current status on the application of AI towards the improvement of people's health in the domains defined by WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13) and the European Programme of Work (EPW), to inform about trends, gaps, opportunities, and challenges. Objective: To perform a systematic overview of systematic reviews on the application of artificial intelligence in the people's health domains as defined in the GPW13 and provide a comprehensive and updated map on the application specialties of artificial intelligence in terms of methodologies, algorithms, data sources, outcomes, predictors, performance, and methodological quality. Methods: A systematic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and IEEEXplore was conducted between January 2015 and June 2021 to collect systematic reviews using a combination of keywords related to the domains of universal health coverage, health emergencies protection, and better health and wellbeing as defined by the WHO's PGW13 and EPW. Eligibility criteria was based on methodological quality and the inclusion of practical implementation of artificial intelligence. Records were classified and labeled using ICD-11 categories into the domains of the GPW13. Descriptors related to the area of implementation, type of modeling, data entities, outcomes and implementation on care delivery were extracted using a structured form and methodological aspects of the included reviews studies was assessed using the AMSTAR checklist. Results: The search strategy resulted in the screening of 815 systematic reviews from which 203 were assessed for eligibility and 129 were included in the review. The most predominant domain for artificial intelligence applications was Universal Health Coverage (N=98) followed by Health Emergencies (N=16) and Better Health and Wellbeing (N=15). Neoplasms area on Universal Health Coverage was the disease area featuring most of the applications (21.7%, N=28). The reviews featured analytics primarily over both public and private data sources (67.44%, N=87). The most used type of data was medical imaging (31.8%, N=41) and predictors based on regions of interest and clinical data. The most prominent subdomain of Artificial Intelligence was Machine Learning (43.4%, N=56), in which Support Vector Machine method was predominant (20.9%, N=27). Regarding the purpose, the application of Artificial Intelligence I is focused on the prediction of the diseases (36.4%, N=47). (...)Martinez-Millana, A.; Saez-Saez, A.; Tornero-Costa, R.; Azzopardi-Muscat, N.; Traver Salcedo, V.; Novillo-Ortiz, D. (2022). Artificial intelligence and its impact on the domains of universal health coverage, health emergencies and health promotion: An overview of systematic reviews. International Journal of Medical Informatics. 166:1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.10485511216