Institution, economic development, and impact of natural disasters

This paper uses cross-country data from 1984 to 2008 to examine how institution influences the number of deaths caused by natural disasters. The major findings show that the number of deaths resulting from natural disasters is smaller in countries with less public sector corruption, and for OECD countries with better functioning legal systems, but not for non-OECD countries

Frequency of contact with foreigners in a homogeneous society: perceived consequences of foreigner increases

Using individual data of Japan, this paper investigates how frequency of contact with foreigners is associated with the perceived outcomes of foreigner increases. Results showed that frequency of contact has a critical effect on perceptions and that its influence varies according to household income level

Natural disasters and their long-term effect on happiness: the case of the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake.

The great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) earthquake, which occurred in 1995, resulted in tremendous economic damage to the city of Kobe. Using individual-level data of Japan during the period 2000–08, I investigated the long-term impact of the earthquake on the happiness of surviving victims. After controlling for individual characteristics and characteristics of residential areas, the following key findings were obtained: (1) victims were more likely to feel happy than non-victims; (2) this tendency disappeared with time. This suggests that the aspiration level declined following the experience of the devastating event, which led victims to feel happier. However, victims adapt to the new circumstances with time

Corruption and Fertility: Evidence from OECD countries

This paper uses panel data of OECD countries during the period 1995–2003 to examine how corruption affects fertility. The Corruption Perceptions Index is used to measure the degree of corruption. Fixed effects IV estimation and the Arellano-Bond dynamic panel estimation are employed to control for endogenous bias and unobservable country-specific effects. Results suggest that the fertility rate is higher in less corrupted countries. From this, the argument can be made that lack of political corruption underlies desirable conditions for child rearing in developed countries.Corruption, fertility, political institutions.

LEARNING EFFECT AND SOCIAL CAPITAL: A CASE STUDY OF NATURAL DISASTER FROM JAPAN

Using Japanese prefecture level data for the years between 1988 and 2001, this paper explores how and the extent to which social capital has an effect on the damage resulting from natural disasters. It also examines whether the experience of a natural disaster affects individual and collective protection against future disasters. Using regression analysis and controlling for various factors such as the proportion of poor people, per capita income, and the number of natural disasters, there are three major findings. (1) Social capital reduces the damage caused by natural disasters. (2) The risk of a natural disaster makes people more apt to cooperate and therefore social capital is more effective to prevent disasters. (3) Economic conditions such as the level of income distinctly affect any damage, but hardly influence it when the scale of a disaster is small.Social Capital, Learning, Natural disaster

Comparison of long-term changes in teenage body mass index between urban and other areas in Japan from 1986 to 2003

Japanese prefecture level panel data for the period 1986–2003 was used to analyze and compare the determinants of teenage body mass index (BMI) by sex and geographical area. Major findings through random effects estimation were as follows: (1) BMI consistently increased during the period in males aged 10–16 and in females aged 10–13 years, but not in 16-year-old females; (2) there was no difference in this trend between urban and other areas in most cases. However, the BMI of 16-year-old females was markedly lower in urban areas than in other areas. These findings suggest that girls who reach adolescence have a greater incentive to go on a diet and this tendency is more distinct in urban areas than in other areas.BMI; Diet.

Government size and trust

This paper uses individual level data (the Japanese General Social Survey, 2001) to examine how government size influences generalized trust. After controlling for income inequality, population mobility, city size and various individual characteristics, I found: (1) Using all samples, government size is not associated with generalized trust, and (2) After splitting the sample into worker and non-worker samples, government size does not influence generalized trust for non-workers whereas it significantly reduces generalized trust for workers. This suggests that workers, through their work experience, might confront the greater bureaucratic red tape coming from “larger government”, leading to negative externality effects on the trustful relationship in the labor market.Government size; Generalized trust

The Different Impacts of Socio-economic Factors on Suicide between Males and Females

The number of suicides in Japan has substantially increased during its low growth period. The main argument of Durkheim’s (1951) seminal work in the field of sociology is that suicide is under influences of not only individual traits but also of the society one belongs to. 　Recently it was found that the effect of socio-economic variables on suicide rates depends on gender. This paper attempts to examine the difference of socio-economic factors on suicide between males and females. I used the national panel data of Japan to investigate the determinants of suicide. Based on fixed-effects estimation, by which the year and prefecture-specific unobservable effects can be controlled for, the major findings are twofold. First, the social capital that enhances community integration had a greater effect upon the suicide of females than that of males. This is probably because females are less likely to have full-time jobs and thus have more spare time, leading them to seek social involvement in their neighborhoods and participate in community activities. Second, divorce causes the propensity to commit suicide among males to become about two times higher than that among females due to the compensation costs that males are more likely to pay to females.suicide

Effects of sex preference and social pressure on fertility in changing Japanese families

This study explored how social pressure related to parental preference for the sex of their children affects fertility. Pre-war and post-war generations were compared using individual level data previously collected in Japan in 2002. In the pre-war generation, if the first child was a daughter, the total number of children tended to increase regardless of the mother’s sex preference. This tendency was not observed for the post-war generation. Results suggest that social pressure related to giving birth to a son led to high fertility in the pre-war generation; however, fertility was not influenced by social pressure in the post-war generation.Fertility, son preference, social pressure, family structure

Death Caused By Natural Disasters: The Role Of Ethnic Heterogeneity

Kahn (2005) found that ethnic heterogeneity reduces the number of deaths caused by natural disasters, a finding that is contrary to theoretical predictions. This paper casts doubt on this finding and uses cross-country data from 1965 to 2008 to conduct a re-estimation. To alleviate omitted variable bias, a legal origin dummy and additional economic variables are incorporated as independent variables. Further, to control for measurement problems, I have included an ethnic fractionalization index and an ethnic polarization index to capture ethnic heterogeneity. The key finding is that ethnic polarization is positively related to number of deaths, while ethnic fractionalization is not. This implies that ethnic polarization increases the level of damage caused by natural disasters, and is a more appropriate measure for ethnic heterogeneity than ethnic fractionalization.Deaths, Natural disaster, Ethnic fractionalization, Ethic polarization, Legal origin, Institution.