The regional and sectoral mobility of high-tech workers:insights from Finland

In this paper we employ data on 156,000 workers working within the Finnish high-tech industries in order to identify the extent to which labour mobility between sectors and regions is influenced by the characteristics of the locality in which the worker works. With these data we are able to estimate different types of binary, multinomial and ordered logit models to capture different types of inter- or intra-sector or region employment mobility. As we will see the different categories of employment mobility are influenced by different factors such that we cannot simply talk about 'labour mobility', but rather need to be specific regarding each particular form of employment mobility. Our results show that urbanisation and industrial diversity are not just associated with greater intra-regional mobility, as is emphasised by the agglomeration literature, but also greater inter-regional mobility

An Application of Complete Demand System Analysis in an Input-Output Framework

Complete demand systems have not been widely used as parts of larger macro-economic models. This is, however, an important research area because of some of the properties that demand systems have. In this paper, we shall make an attempt to use a demand system as a part of an input-output model

Relationship between BMI and emotion-handling capacity in an adult Finnish population: the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

Background Alexithymia, a difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions, has been associated with obesity and eating disorders in small-scale cross-sectional studies. Here, we assess the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and alexithymia in a large cohort of free-living Finnish adults over a 15-year period. Methods Participants were drawn from the Northern Finnish Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966). The 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used as a measure of alexithymia and was completed at the age of 31 years (31y: n = 4841), and 46 years (46y: n = 5404). BMI was recorded at both time points. Where data at both time points were available (n = 3274), the relationship between changes in BMI and TAS-20 over this time period was also investigated. Results BMI was significantly and positively associated with TAS-20 score (p<0.0001, both at 31 years and at 46 years of ages). The association remained statistically significant after adjustment for potential confounders (sex, marital status and several socio-economic indicators). In individuals who experienced the greatest change in BMI (in either direction) over the 15-year period, there was a modest mean increase in TAS-20 score. Conclusions Our data revealed that TAS-20 score was correlated with and co-varied with body mass status. We suggest that future clinical research should consider the role of alexithymia in obesity. Further investigation of this relationship is warranted to ensure that the needs of obese subjects with undiagnosed alexithymia are considered in the design of weight management programmes

The Molecular Genetic Architecture of Self-Employment

Economic variables such as income, education, and occupation are known to affect mortality and morbidity, such as cardiovascular disease, and have also been shown to be partly heritable. However, very little is known about which genes influence economic variables, although these genes may have both a direct and an indirect effect on health. We report results from the first large-scale collaboration that studies the molecular genetic architecture of an economic variable-entrepreneurship-that was operationalized using self-employment, a widely-available proxy. Our results suggest that common SNPs when considered jointly explain about half of the narrow-sense heritability of self-employment estimated in twin data (σg2/σP2= 25%, h2= 55%). However, a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies across sixteen studies comprising 50,627 participants did not identify genome-wide significant SNPs. 58 SNPs with p<10-5were tested in a replication sample (n = 3,271), but none replicated. Furthermore, a gene-based test shows that none of the genes that were previously suggested in the literature to influence entrepreneurship reveal significant associations. Finally, SNP-based genetic scores that use results from the meta-analysis capture less than 0.2% of the variance in self-employment in an independent sample (p≥0.039). Our results are consistent with a highly polygenic molecular genetic architecture of self-employment, with many genetic variants of small effect. Although self-employment is a multi-faceted, heavily environmentally influenced, and biologically distal trait, our results are similar to those for other genetically complex and biologically more proximate outcomes, such as height, intelligence, personality, and several diseases

Genetic variants associated with subjective well-being, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism identified through genome-wide analyses

Very few genetic variants have been associated with depression and neuroticism, likely because of limitations on sample size in previous studies. Subjective well-being, a phenotype that is genetically correlated with both of these traits, has not yet been studied with genome-wide data. We conducted genome-wide association studies of three phenotypes: subjective well-being (n = 298,420), depressive symptoms (n = 161,460), and neuroticism (n = 170,911). We identify 3 variants associated with subjective well-being, 2 variants associated with depressive symptoms, and 11 variants associated with neuroticism, including 2 inversion polymorphisms. The two loci associated with depressive symptoms replicate in an independent depression sample. Joint analyses that exploit the high genetic correlations between the phenotypes (|ρ^| ≈ 0.8) strengthen the overall credibility of the findings and allow us to identify additional variants. Across our phenotypes, loci regulating expression in central nervous system and adrenal or pancreas tissues are strongly enriched for association.</p

The Molecular Genetic Architecture of Self-Employment

Peer reviewe

Comparing welfare effects of different regulation schemes: an application to the electricity distribution industry

Abstract We compare the welfare effects of different regulation schemes of electricity distribution utilities. The regulation schemes are price cap regulation, cost of service regulation, menu of cost-contingent contracts and simple menus of contracts. In our calculations we utilize the benchmarking information of firm specific costs. The firm specific cost information of Finnish electricity distribution utilities is obtained by using various Stochastic Frontier models. Our basic result is that welfare can be improved by changing the cost of service regulation scheme to the menu of contracts regulation. Welfare also increases in the case of price cap regulation. There is however, a significant difference among regulation regimes on how this improved welfare is distributed to consumers and producers

Observed and unobserved heterogeneity in stochastic frontier models

Abstract Stochastic frontier modeling has proceeded rapidly recently. Heterogeneity modeling internalized into frontier estimation has opened up new promising possibilities. In this paper we study different ways of considering heterogeneity in stochastic frontier models. It is possible to take heterogeneity into account by including those effects in the mean and/or variance of the distribution of inefficiency (observed heterogeneity) or by randomizing some parameters of the stochastic frontier model (unobserved heterogeneity). We compare the advantages of heterogeneity including models over the conventional random effects models for measuring the cost efficiency of electricity distribution utilities. Our results indicate that in all heterogeneity accounting models mean inefficiency decreases significantly compared to the basic random effects model. According to our results randomizing some of the parameters seems to help to capture the unobserved heterogeneity and hence this kind of firm specific heterogeneity does not appear as inefficiency in our estimation results. Notable is that the model which accounts observed heterogeneity and the models which account unobserved heterogeneity produce clearly different rank orders

User values of smart home energy management system:sensory ethnography in VSD empirical investigation

Abstract Ubiquitous computing continues to transform our lives, including our homes and leisure activities. Smart home energy management system (SHEMS) are one example of such a technology. It connects homes to a smart grid and may increase the use of renewable energy by directing the demand to off-peak hours and reducing the overall energy demand. User values of such a technology may be critical in the acquisition, adoption and assimilation of the technology. This research fills the gap of understanding user values of SHEMS users. We studied new, potential and experienced users of SHEMS and their values. Sensory ethnography interview method was applied in the value sensitive design empirical investigation to elicit key user values of SHEMS in 28 families. The users relate to SHEMS values such as economic gains, environmental sustainability, comfort and security. Some SHEMS users’ values such as stimulation, creativity, and autonomy, can be in conflict with the values of other family members, and with those which are currently built in the SHEMS technologies. The recognized values of SHEMS stakeholders act as an input for the design of smart grid and smart home services and products. In addition, the research contributes to the theory-building of smart home technology user research