Extracting Firm Information from Administrative Records: The ASSD Firm Panel

This paper demonstrates how firm information can be extracted from administrative social security records. We use the Austrian Social Security Database (ASSD) and derive firms from employer identifiers in the universe of private sector workers. To correctly pin down entry end exits we use a worker flow approach which follows clusters of workers as they move across administrative entities. This procedure enables us to define different types of entry and exit such as start-ups, spinoffs, closures, or take-overs. We show that our firm definition results in a demography which is comparable to official statistics of firm registers. The resulting database, covering the period of 1976 to 2006, is a valuable resource for future research on industry evolution in Austria.administrative data, definition of firms, entry and exit types, worker flows

The Impact of Cultural Dimensions on Sales Force Compensation

Financial compensation has long been held as the primary motivator of salespeople. Motivation however may be achieved differently in various countries, as the large disparities in pay schemes across countries seem to indicate. In this paper, the authors explore the impact of cultural dimensions on sales force compensation structures. Using data collected from financial companies of three European countries, they (1) assess transnational cultural profiles of managers (i.e., market, group-centric and hybrid), (2) confirm discrepancies in terms of managerial preferences for compensation structures and (3) uncover associated rationales such as rejection of incentive compensation due to its perceived immorality. The results indicate that cultural dimensions explain managers choice for (1) the use of incentive pay in the compensation package (i.e., fixed versus variable compensation) as well as (2) the basis for its allocation (i.e., individual versus group). The authors conclude by discussing the implications of their research for designing compensation plans in the global market place.sales force compensation; cross-cultural research

La "Terza Ricerca" del Gesù storico e il suo paradigma postmoderno nel quadro della ricerca moderna

Utilizant el principi eucarístic del paradigma científic de Thomas S. Kuhn i el seu canvi en el transcurs de la història de la recerca, es disenya la recerca del Jesús històric en tres paradigmes succesius, els elements dels quals són la precomprensió, la metodologia i la finalitat: la fugida del dogma, la fugida de la història, la complexitat i la fragmentació de l’acutal paradigma postmodern, que es caracteritza per acostar Jesús a l’ambient judaic i de les comunitats cristianes dels orígens (del record i/o del testimoni) amb la recuperació de la plausibilitat històrica dels evandelis. Al final ens referim al panorama actual, caracteritzat per la fragmentació debuda sobretot a la publicitat, a l’actualitat contextual i a la globalització de la recerca.Applying Thomas S. Kuhn’s Eucharistic principle of the scientific paradigm and its subsequent transformation throughout the history of the quest, the search for the Historical Jesus is presented according to three successive paradigms, the elements of which are: pre-comprehension, methodology and finality – leaving dogma and history to one side, the complexity and fragmentation of the contemporary postmodern paradigm, characterized by placing Jesus in a Judaic context and in the earliest Christian communities (memory and/or witness) together with restating the historical plausibility of the Gospels. In conclusion, we present the present state of affairs, characterized by fragmentation due mostly to publicity, the contextual situation and the globalization of the quest

Net wealth across the euro area - why household structure matters and how to control for it

We study the link between household structure and cross country differences in the wealth distribution using a recently compiled data set for the euro area (HFCS). We estimate counterfactual distributions using non-parametric re-weighting to examine the extent to which differences in the unconditional distributions of wealth across euro area countries can be explained by differences in household structure. We find that imposing a common household structure has strong effects on both the full unconditional distributions as well as its mappings to different inequality measures. For the median 50% of the differences are explained for Austria, 15% for Germany, 25% for Italy, 14% for Spain and 38% for Malta. For others as Belgium, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia household structure masks the differences to the euro area median and Finland and the Netherlands change their position from below to above the euro area median. The impact on the mean and percentile ratios is similarly strong and varies with regard to direction and level across countries and their distributions. We can confirm the finding of Bover (2010) that the effect on the Gini is somewhat less pronounced, but might mask relevant information by being a net effect of different accumulated effects along the distribution. Country rankings based on almost all of these measures are severely affected alluding to the need for cautious interpretation when dealing with such rankings. Furthermore, the explanatory power of household structure changes along the net wealth distribution. Therefore we argue for more flexible controls for household structure. We provide such a set of controls to account for household type fixed effects which are based on the number of household members as well as possible combinations of age categories and gender

The Determinants of Bank Interest Spread in Brazil

The behavior of bank interest spreads in Brazil reveal two stylized facts. First, a remarkable fall in the average rates since early 1999. Second, a strong and persistent dispersion of rates across banks. Such stylized facts suggest that both the time series and the cross section dimensions are important elements to understand the trend of the bank interest spread in the country. This paper makes use of panel data techniques to uncover the main determinants of the bank interest spreads in Brazil. A question that the paper aims to address is whether macro or microeconomic factors are the most relevant ones affecting the behavior of such rates. A two-step approach due to Ho and Saunders (1981) is employed to measure the relative relevance of the micro and the macro elements. The roles played by the inflation rate; risk premium, economic activity, required reserves (all macroeconomic factors) and CAMEL-type indicators (microeconomic factors) are highlighted. The results suggest that macroeconomic variables are the most relevant factors to explain the behavior of bank interest spread in Brazil.

Hospitalization and mortality rates for heart failure in public hospitals in São Paulo

BACKGROUND: Advances in the treatment of heart failure (HF) have resulted in reduced mortality and hospitalization rates. On the other hand, when hospitalized, patients are at high risk of death. OBJECTIVE: As there are few studies in this group of patients in Brazil, we analyzed the numbers of hospitalization and deaths due to HF in the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) in the city of São Paulo. METHODS: Historical prospective study carried out between 1992 and 2010. The data were obtained from DATASUS. We used Chi-square and t tests for comparison between the periods 1992-1993 and 2008-2009 and logistic regression models when appropriate. The level of significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: There was a 32% decrease in the number of hospitalizations for HF between 1992-1993 and 2008-2009 (p = 0.002). The in-hospital mortality rate for HF was 15%, with a 15% increase in the period (p = 0.004). Between 1992 and 1993, the mean time of hospitalization for HF was 8.8 days. Between 2008 and 2009, it was 11.3 days (p = 0.001). August was the month with the highest incidence of hospitalizations for HF, 20% higher than in February, the month with the lowest incidence (p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: This study showed changes in trends of hospitalization for HF and mortality over the last two decades. We emphasize important implications: 1: 32% decrease in the number of hospitalizations for HF in SUS hospitals in São Paulo; 2: 25% increase in hospitalization time, and 3: seasonal pattern of hospitalization for HF, with a peak in the third quarter.FUNDAMENTO: Os avanços no tratamento da insuficiência cardíaca (IC) resultaram em redução da taxa de mortalidade e de hospitalização. Por outro lado, quando hospitalizados, os pacientes apresentam alto risco de óbito. OBJETIVO: Como são poucos os estudos com esse grupo de pacientes no Brasil, analisamos os números de internação e óbito por IC no SUS do município de São Paulo. MÉTODOS: Estudo prospectivo histórico realizado entre 1992 e 2010. Os dados foram obtidos no DATASUS. Utilizamos os testes qui-quadrado e T para a comparação entre os períodos 1992-1993 e 2008-2009 e modelos de regressão logística quando apropriado. O nível de significância considerado foi de 5%. RESULTADOS: Houve redução de 32% no número de internações por IC entre 1992-1993 e 2008-2009 (p = 0,002). A taxa de mortalidade hospitalar por IC foi de 15%, com aumento de 15% no período (p = 0,004). Entre 1992-1993, o tempo médio de hospitalização por IC foi de 8,8 dias. Entre 2008-2009, 11,3 dias (p = 0,001). Agosto foi o mês com maior incidência de internações por IC, 20% maior do que fevereiro, mês de menor incidência (p = 0,041). CONCLUSÃO: Este estudo apresentou as modificações nas tendências de hospitalização e mortalidade hospitalar por IC ao longo das duas últimas décadas. Ressaltamos importantes implicações: 1º: redução em 32% no número de internações por IC em hospitais do SUS no município de São Paulo; 2º: aumento de 25% no tempo de hospitalização; e 3º: padrão sazonal de internação por IC, com pico no terceiro trimestre.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Contraception methods in wild animal species: a literary review

openHuman interactions with the environment have altered the delicate equilibrium that defines relationships between animals and the ecosystem. As the population growth rates have been modified, humans have to support an equilibrated coexistence between species. The implementation of contraception can be used to control the number of animals without the need to cull them. A wide variety of contraceptive methods have been developed, ranging from synthetic hormones to Immunocontraceptive vaccines. Each formulation stops reproduction with a different approach, giving the opportunity to select the most appropriate ones for animal species that are supposed to be treated. Contraceptives have also been used to treat conditions, usually related to reproductive diseases or hormonal imbalances. Elephants can be regarded as a case study for the implementation of contraception in wild animals. With their numbers rapidly increasing in reserves as a result of human management, contraceptives have been employed to reduce the population growth rate. Immunocontraceptive vaccines have been tested, proving their efficacy in reducing the fertility of female elephants and consequently the population growth rate.Human interactions with the environment have altered the delicate equilibrium that defines relationships between animals and the ecosystem. As the population growth rates have been modified, humans have to support an equilibrated coexistence between species. The implementation of contraception can be used to control the number of animals without the need to cull them. A wide variety of contraceptive methods have been developed, ranging from synthetic hormones to Immunocontraceptive vaccines. Each formulation stops reproduction with a different approach, giving the opportunity to select the most appropriate ones for animal species that are supposed to be treated. Contraceptives have also been used to treat conditions, usually related to reproductive diseases or hormonal imbalances. Elephants can be regarded as a case study for the implementation of contraception in wild animals. With their numbers rapidly increasing in reserves as a result of human management, contraceptives have been employed to reduce the population growth rate. Immunocontraceptive vaccines have been tested, proving their efficacy in reducing the fertility of female elephants and consequently the population growth rate