Medidas de disponibilidade a pagar por atributos de voos comerciais : uma aplicação do modelo de McFadden ao corredor aéreo Ponta Delgada – Terceira

Este trabalho analisa as preferências dos consumidores do serviço de transporte aéreo entre São Miguel e Terceira: o mais importante corredor aéreo nos Açores. Dada a forte regulação histórica e actual que caracteriza este serviço, não há dados do tipo preferências reveladas. Contudo, o conhecimento das preferências dos consumidores é incontornável na implementação de políticas que promovam o bem-estar social. Assim, realizou-se um stated preferences choice game conducente à estimação dum modelo microeconométrico do tipo McFadden (1974): logit condicional. Os resultados estimados são estatisticamente significativos e revelam medidas de disponibilidade a pagar economicamente elevadas por atributos como garantia de pontualidade e penalidades por alterações nas passagens. A disponibilidade a pagar por mais um voo diário é deveras baixa. Este último resultado é importante no debate se este mercado é um monopólio natural.ABSTRACT: We analyze consumer preferences for airline services between S. Miguel and Terceira: the most important air corridor in the Azores. Due to heavy regulation, there are no revealed preferences data. However, we do need to know consumer preferences if our goal is to implement social surplus maximizing policies. Hence, we conduct a stated preferences choice game in order to estimate a microeconometric model a la McFadden (1974): conditional logit. The results are statistically significant and imply willingness to pay measures economically high for attributes such as reliability warranties and penalties for changing tickets. Willingness to pay for an additional daily flight is quite low. This result is important to establish if we are indeed in the presence of a natural monopoly

Willingness to pay for airline services attributes : microeconometric evidence from a stated preference discrete choice model

We analyze consumer preferences for airline services attributes between Ponta Delgada and Lisbon. For this purpose, we conduct a stated preferences choice game and estimate a microeconometric model à la McFadden (1974). Our results are statistically significant and imply willingness to pay measures economically high for attributes such as punctuality warranties and comfort. We interpret these results at the light of the theories found in Kahneman (2003). Willingness to pay for additional daily flights is quite low. This result is important to how should the policy maker liberalize this sector

The determinants of length of stay in the Azores : a count model approach

This paper employs count data models to estimate the determinants of length of stay, as count data models naturally lend themselves to overcome the censoring and truncation data issues associated with the non-negative, integer nature of length of stay. This paper employs a rich micro data set gathered through questionnaires ministered to a representative sample of tourists departing from the Azores: the fastest growing touristic region in Portugal. It is found that sociodemographic profiles, such as nationality and Azorean ascendancy, and trip attributes, such as repeat visitation rates and type of flight, are important determinants of length of stay. In addition, it is found that destination image and attitudes regarding environmental initiatives, constructed from a factor analysis exercise, also influence length of stay. In particular, the results suggest that marketing strategies that promote the Azores for its nature, landscape, remoteness, weather and safety may increase length of stay, whereas cultural heritage has the opposite effect.N/

Duration of Low Wage Employment: A Study Based on a Survival Model

This paper includes a survival analysis which attempts to explain the duration, as in the number of years a worker remains in a low wage situation. Explanatory variables take into account the characteristics of the employee, such as education, age, tenure with the company, gender and nationality, and the characteristics of the job and the company such as industry affiliation, number of employees, age of the company and location.low wage, survival, Portugal

HOW DO CONSUMERS VALUE AIRLINE SERVICES ATTRIBUTES? A STATED PREFERENCES DISCRETE CHOICE MODEL APPROACH

We implement a stated preferences choice game and estimate a conditional logit model to learn the determinants of airline choice and to quantify consumers\u27 willingness to pay for airline services attributes such as flight frequency, punctuality warranties and comfort in the Portuguese air corridor between Madeira and Oporto; the third and second most important Portuguese airports, respectively. We show that our stated preferences discrete choice model exercise is a cost effective way for airline marketing managers to elicit consumer preferences and willingness to pay measures which are quite valuable to make airline operations more effective

Eficiência técnica dos hospitais portugueses 1997-2004 : uma análise (regional) com base num modelo de fronteira estocástica

Este estudo estima um modelo de fronteira estocástica à la Battese e Coelli (1992, 1995) para explicar a função custo variável de um conjunto de 51 hospitais Portugueses para o período 1997-2004. Os resultados obtidos têm forte valor estatístico e interessante significado económico. Entre os diversos resultados inovadores do estudo, de referir que os hospitais SA/EPE e os hospitais com sistemas de gestão de qualidade certificada apresentam custos variáveis superiores aos demais. De referir, ainda, que variáveis de índole regional, como a população da cidade e a região onde se situa o hospital, explicam cerca de 60% da eficiência técnica hospitalar estimada. Estes resultados têm importantes implicações políticas para as questões de localização e concentração dos hospitais Portugueses.ABSTRACT: We estimate a stochastic cost function frontier model a la Battese and Coelli (1992, 1995) to learn the determinants of variable costs for a panel of 51 Portuguese hospitals for the years 1997-2004. Our results are statistically significant and are economically meaningful. Among our several novel results, we note that hospitals organized under the "SA/EPE" umbrella, and hospitals with certified quality management systems have, ceteris paribus, higher variable costs. We also show that regional variables, such as the region of location and the population of the city where the hospital is, explain about 60% of the variation in estimated technical efficiency. These results are robust and have important policy implications regarding hospital location and concentration decisions

The determinants of length of stay of tourists in the Azores

Copyright (c) 2008 IP Publishing Ltd. Reproduced by permission.This paper examines the determinants of the length of stay of tourists in the Azores. It is found that socio-demographic profiles, such as nationality and Azorean ascendancy, and trip attributes, such as repeat visitation rates and type of flight, are important determinants. In addition, destination image and attitudes regarding environmental initiatives, constructed from a factor analysis exercise, also influence the length of stay. In particular, the results suggest that marketing strategies which promote the Azores for its nature, landscape, remoteness and weather may increase length of stay, whereas cultural heritage has the opposite effect

Computable general equilibrium models : a literature review

Applied general equilibrium models have become popular tools used on ongoing economic policy debates. In this paper we discuss at length the most proeminent features of applied general equilibrium models in a comprehensive and non-technical way, thus accessible to the reader interested in economic policy but with no prior formal exposure to economic modeling. We rationalize the increasing political demand for such models as policy analysis tools. We argue that applied general equilibrium models are best equipped to model regional economies

Low-pay higher pay and job quality: empirical evidence for Portugal

This paper examines to what extent low pay jobs can be considered of low quality. For this purpose, we use three waves (1997-1999) of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) for Portugal. The results indicate that low pay workers report a lower level of job satisfaction when compared with their higher paid counterparts. Moreover, some of the determinants of job satisfaction differ between these two types of workers. This supports the idea that low wage employment mainly comprises low quality jobs and is consistent with the segmented labour market theory, which claims the existence of good and bad jobs. This is, however, at odds with some empirical evidence recently reported for the British labour market where low pay individuals report a higher level of satisfaction, which is more in line with the notion that these workers obtain compensating differences in the form of non-pecuniary benefits

Determinantes da participação dos beneficiários no programa do Rendimento Mínimo Garantido no mercado de trabalho

We present micro econometric evidence on the determinants of the probability that beneficiaries of the Minimum Guaranteed Income (MGI) participate in market production or in home production. We use a micro data set which covers all the beneficiaries of the MGI, up to 2001, for the Portuguese Region with the highest incidence of this program, namely, the Azores. We find striking diferences between women’s and men’s behaviour with respect to labour market participation decisions, with women heavily specialized in home production and men in market production. The probability of participating decreases with income support. Moreover, there are several aspects of household demographics that matter to female participation decisions. Therefore, policies designed to promote female labour supply should not be of the type one size fits all and must improve the terms of trade between home production and market production for women