Student time allocation and educational production functions

In this paper we aim to remedy some shortcomings in the economic literature on university student absenteeism and academic performance. We start by introducing a simple theoretical model in which students decide the optimal allocation of their time between lecture attendance, self-study and leisure. Under some specific assumptions, we find a positive relationship between lecture attendance and time devoted to self-study in each course, from which we infer that estimates of student performance regressions which omit self-study might be biased. Thus, we estimate an academic performance regression using data from first year undergraduate students of economics in the academic year 1998-99 at the University of Ancona (Italy) and find evidence that once self-study time is controlled for, the positive and significant effect of lecture attendance for some courses disappears. This is likely to be important especially when student performance regressions are used to evaluate the effectiveness of course attendance and to inform the debate on the introduction of mandatory attendance on some courses to enhance student performance.course attendance, student performance, time allocation

On Short-Term Contracts Regulations

We present a theoretical as well as empirical analysis of the impact of employment regulations on permanent and temporary employment. We consider three different forms of such regulations, namely insider protection, fixed term contract regulations, and legislation on temporary work agencies, and we present some empirical evidence as regards total, female and young employees based on a panel of nine European countries. We show that these three types of regulations have different impacts on the employment performances of those countries. Moreover, these institutions act asymmetrically along the business cycle. The most notable findings are that lower employment protection leads to the substitution of permanent employees by termporary ones with an insignificant net effect on the total; more flexible regulations on fixed term contracts have a beneficial effect on temporary as well as permanent employment among young people; flexible regulations on temporary work agencies have a positive impact on temporary employment, while they may reduce permanent employment.Fixed Term Contracts, Temporary Work Agencies, Temporary Employment, Labour Market Institutions, Employment Protection

Can Market Power influence Employment, Wage Inequality and Growth ?

We introduce an efficiency-wage mechanism into an innovation-driven growth model. Due to informational problems, the labour market is segmented and homogeneous workers may be employed either in a non-competitive intermediate sector or in a competitive research one. We analyse the impact that variations in the monopoly power of the intermediate firms may have on unemployment, wage inequality and growth. We find that the lower the product market competition in the intermediate sector, the higher the research employment, the lower the intermediate sector employment, the higher the aggregate growth rate. Growth and inequality are negatively correlated whereas growth and unemployment are positively correlated. The last two results are obtained through numerical simulations.Efficiency wages; research and development; endogenous growth; market power

American options with acceleration clauses

Acceleration clauses shorten the residual life of an option when an acceleration condition is met. Acceleration clauses are frequent in warrants, American call options on traded stocks. In warrants with the acceleration clause, if an index (e.g. the average underlying stock) triggers an acceleration threshold, the American call option can be exercised on a much shorter maturity (e.g. 30 days). The actual time-to-maturity of an American option with an acceleration condition is therefore stochastic. In order to evaluate these contracts we first reduce the generic American option with stochastic time-to-maturity to a compound American option with constant maturity, and provide estimates for their prices. Finally we propose an efficient algorithm to price American call options with the acceleration clause in a binomial setting

Recuperación del cuerpo de Mujeres Mayores a partir de la mediación de los Programas de Salud

Desde mediados del siglo XX se reconoce mundialmente el envejecimiento continuo y constante de la población. Este grupo muestra particularidades que son abordadas desde diferentes espacios sanitarios. El más reconocido de ellos, los Programas de salud tienen como una de sus principales metas 'controlar' las enfermedades; en este caso las asociadas con el proceso de envejecimiento. El trabajo aborda la emergencia del cuerpo a partir de la implementación de dichas políticas. El objetivo ha sido describir las implicancias que surgen en la recuperación del cuerpo de mujeres Mayores, cuyas prácticas culturales y roles sociales han ocultado a sus sensaciones y proyecciones cotidianas. Se implementó una metodología cualitativa a partir de relatos de experiencias de mujeres Mayores que participan de las actividades prescritas desde los Programas de Salud propuestos por el Instituto Nacional de Servicios Sociales para Jubilados y Pensionados, en los lugares donde dichas actividades se realizan. Los resultados obtenidos marcan la re-emergencia de un cuerpo que el contexto y la historia de esas mujeres se ocuparon de borrar de las prioridades cotidianas, y que las enfermedades ponen de manifiesto desde el lugar del dolor y la pérdida, habilitando a sensaciones, sentimientos, goces, que se creían perdido

Individual Earnings, International Outsourcing and Technological Change.

The aim of this paper is to empirically evaluate the relative effects of international outsourcing of materials and services and of ICT capital deepening on wage inequality between blue and white collars in the Italian manufacturing industry during the period 1985-1999. We merge an administrative data set on workers\' wages and individual characteristics with data on imported inputs from Italian input-output tables and other sector-level variables. Our results confirm that both material and service outsourcing widen the skilled/unskilled wage gap while ICT capital deepening positively affects real wages regardless of the worker\'s status. However, important differences emerge when the overall sample is split between traditional and innovative sectors.International Outsourcing, ICT, Wage Inequality

Programas de Salud y Género. Mujeres con VIH/SIDA

La proliferación de trabajos biológicos sobre el proceso del VIH/Sida contrasta con el abordaje de la problemática desde la experiencia de los que lo viven. De entre los involucrados, la mujer se vio implicada desde el comienzo como una de las poblaciones de riesgo de contagiar y de enfermarse. La embarazada, objeto privilegiado de la salud pública, contó con programas especiales y normativas estrictas a través de los programas de salud, que dejaron fuera lo que pasaba con ellas en las relaciones con los compañeros y con ellas mismas; sus experiencias, sus perspectivas, sus nociones de futuro; así como su relación con el sistema de salud y con los médicos. En este trabajo se aplicó una metodología cualitativa basada en entrevistas abiertas a mujeres con VIH de la ciudad de Rosario, Argentina. Los hallazgos remiten a una serie de experiencias que relatan sus estrategias y contradicciones, abriendo puentes hacia la comprensión

Estudio sobre la influencia de la inteligencia emocional en las organizaciones no gubernamentales

La labor emprendida en este trabajo fue la de estudiar la influencia del constructo teórico “Inteligencia Emocional” aplicado a la Organización No Gubernamental FundaFem, de la provincia de Mendoza. El abordaje se hizo por medio de un estudio exploratorio, que se caracteriza por ser flexible en su metodología y de carácter descriptivo, el cual analiza, a nivel teórico, “las emociones” en las organizaciones. Su evaluación se lleva a cabo a partir de entrevistas semiestructuradas para conocer la organización y el test sociométrico, cuya ventaja metodológica es la flexibilidad de relevar información manteniendo el foco de investigación, en este caso, las habilidades emocionales. Se adquiere como resultado, que existe una dificultad de autoevaluación por parte de los integrantes de la organización investigada, a raíz de una divergencia respecto de las motivaciones y emociones expresadas entre los directivos y voluntarios de la misma. A nivel institucional se recomienda instaurar talleres para el desarrollo de habilidades comunicacionales entre los miembros del equipo tanto a nivel horizontal como vertical. Como conclusión, se observa que las organizaciones pueden también volverse más inteligentes, y en este caso particular, en los vínculos establecidos entre los miembros de la organización. Se confirma que la Inteligencia Emocional mejora la calidad de las relaciones interpersonales en la organización facilitando la efectividad de las relaciones institucionales.The work undertaken in this work was to study the influence of the theoretical construct "Emotional Intelligence" applied to the Non Governmental Organization FundaFem (NGOs) in the province of Mendoza. The approach is done through an exploratory study, which is characterized by being flexible in its methodology and descriptive, which analyzes theoretically "emotions" in organizations. His assessment is conducted through semi-structured interviews to know the organization and the sociometric test whose methodological advantage is the flexibility of releasing information keeping the focus of investigation, in this case emotional skills. It is acquired as a result there is a difficulty in self-evaluation by the members of the organization investigated following a divergence of the motivations and emotions expressed between managers and volunteers thereof. At institutional level is recommended to establish workshops for the development of communication skills among team members both horizontally and vertically. In conclusion, it appears that organizations can also become more intelligent, and in this particular case the links between members of the organization. It is confirmed that Emotional Intelligence improves the quality of interpersonal relationships in the organization providing effectiveness to the institutional relations.Fil: Staffolani, Verónic