Economic and Social Factors Affecting Environmental Pollution with an Emphasis on Mazut Consumption in Iran

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of economic and social factors on the emission of carbon dioxide, which has been used as a measure of environmental pollution in Iran for the period of 1352-1397. In order to measure the economic and social factors affecting environmental pollution, it is necessary to study the short-term and long-term relationship between fuel oil consumption, urbanization, economic growth, and carbon dioxide emissions in Iran. For this purpose, the autoregression model with extended distribution intervals (ARDL) was used. The results show that the error correction coefficient obtained in this model shows that in each period, 33% of the short-term failure error can be made to achieve a long-term comparison. According to the estimate, the increase in fuel oil consumption, urbanization, and economic growth have a positive effect on carbon dioxide emissions both in the short term and in the long term. Also, the long-term results indicate that with an increase of one percent of gross domestic production, fuel oil consumption and urban population increase carbon dioxide emissions by 0.849, 0.166, and 1.566 percent, respectively. Therefore, the first step to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the country is to pay attention to the amount of fuel oil consumption, hence policies can be made to use alternative energies such as renewable energies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions

Studying Substitution of Factors and Economies of Scale Using the Composite Cost Function in Fars Cement Factory

It is important to analyze the relationship between inputs and economies in the production due to high share of added value and great contribution of cement industry in national production and construction projects. In this paper, returns to scale, elasticities of substitution, function coefficients and economies of scale in Fars Cement Company were extracted and analyzed using the composite cost function and dual cost approach. The iterated nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression (NLSUR) method from 2002 to 2012 and quarterly data with Limdep8 Software were used in order to extract the cost function. Allen cross partial elasticity results for each pair of inputs showed that labor is a substitution for capital and other services. Capital input and other services are complementary. In addition, demand price elasticities indicate inelasticity of production factors against changes in price of those factors. According to research results, production of cement in Fars Cement Company resulted in ascending economies of scale and returns to scale

915 TRADE-GROWTH NEXUS IN DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED COUNTRIES: AN APPLICATION OF EXTREME BOUNDS ANALYSIS

ABSTRAC

Parenting Styles and Children’s Emotional Development during the First Grade : The Moderating Role of Child Temperament

This study investigated the associations between parenting styles (affection, behavioral control, and psychological control) and children’s emotional development (emotion expression) during the first grade of primary school, and the moderating role of children’s temperament (easy, difficult, and inhibited) in these associations. Mothers and fathers of 152 children responded to a questionnaire concerning their parenting styles and their child’s temperament at the beginning of their child’s first grade (Time 1). They also filled in a structured diary questionnaire concerning their child’s negative and positive emotions over seven successive days (diary) at the beginning (Time 1) and at the end (Time 2) of their child’s first grade. The results showed that mothers’ psychological control at Time 1 was associated with a subsequent high level of negative emotions among children, independently of the child’s temperament. Mothers’ high affection, in turn, was associated with subsequently low levels of negative emotions, particularly among children with inhibited temperament. Mothers’ behavioral control, on the other hand, was associated with low levels of negative emotions among children with difficult temperament. Fathers’ psychological control was associated with subsequently high levels of negative emotions among children with difficult temperament. No associations were found between parenting styles and children’s positive emotions.Peer reviewe

The joint effects of parenting styles and the child's temperamental characteristics in children's social-emotional development

This research examined the joint effects of parenting and the temperamental characteristics of children on their social-emotional development during their early school years. Three studies, focusing on different aspects of social-emotional development as well as on different temperamental characteristics, were carried out. The first study investigated the extent to which mothers' and fathers' parenting styles differently impact their children's social-emotional development, based on the children's tendency to show signs of social withdrawal. The second study focused on the different impacts of parenting styles on children's emotional expression, depending on the children's temperament type. The third study examined the different impacts of parenting styles on children's development of pro-social behaviors among shy and non-shy children. Three longitudinal Finnish data sets were used: 1) 378 children and their parents, followed from Grades 1 to 3; 2) 153 first-grade children and their parents, followed through the first grade; and 3) 200 children and their parents followed from 3 years of age to Grade 3. The results showed, first, that, during the transition to primary school, socially withdrawn, shy, or inhibited children overall benefited from parental—particularly maternal— affection more than other children in terms of their social and emotional development. Second, children with difficult temperaments were found to benefit from maternal behavioral control more than others in terms of decreased negative emotions during Grade 1. Third, although maternal psychological control increased first graders' negative emotions independently of temperament type, socially withdrawn children suffered more under parental psychological control than nonwithdrawn children in terms of increased internalizing problem behaviors. Forth, interestingly, among children showing signs of social withdrawal, maternal psychological control was positively associated with pro-social skills and negatively with externalizing problem behaviors. Overall, the results suggested that parenting styles play a role in children's social-emotional development, particularly among temperamentally vulnerable children, such as those showing signs of social withdrawal, shyness, or difficult or inhibited temperament

The Effect of Financial Development on Income Inequality in Iranâs Economy

  This study examines the effect of financial development on income inequality in Iran for the period of 1971 to 2011using Johansen cointegration approach. To this end a financial development index has been constructed from six sub-indices including banking sector, non-banking financial sector, regulation and supervision, monetary sector and monetary policy, financial openness, and institutional sector.   The results indicated that banking sector, non-banking financial sector, regulation and supervision financial openness, and institutional sector are able to reduce Gini coefficient and improve income distribution. In this respect, while the development of banking sector has the greatest impact on income distribution in Iranâs economy, development of monetary sector has no significant impact on income improvement. According to these findings, quality of legal institutions, property rights, quality of bureaucracy and government responsibility affect the functioning of the financial system

Investigation of the Relationship between Macroeconomic Variables and Overall Price Index of Tehran Stock Exchange

Considering the pivotal role of stock market in the process of economic development, this research focuses on the relationship between the variables of exchange rate, interest rate, oil price shock and overall price index of Tehran Stock Exchange. For this purpose, we have applied three different methods of Toda and Yamamoto causality test (1995), Granger vector error correction causality test (1987) and Pesaran, Shin and Smith’s (2001) Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). The empirical findings show that there is a long-run relation between the variables of the stock price index, exchange rate, inflation rate, interest rate and oil price shock. Based on Toda and Yamamoto causality test, there is a one-way causality from variables of exchange rate, inflation rate and interest rate to stock price index, and from stock price index, exchange rate and interest rate to inflation rate, as well as from interest rate to exchange rate. The results of Granger vector error correction test showed that there is a short run causality from exchange rate, inflation rate and interest rate to stock price index and a long run causality from exchange rate, inflation rate, interest rate and oil price shock to stock price index

Estimation of the Composite Index of Islamic Economy and Examination of its Trend in Iran

Information constitutes the main basis for decision making. Sometimes the amount of information obtained is so huge that the inappropriate use of unanalyzed information will lead to making wrong decisions. Defining practical indices and the quantification of quality indicators in different domains can be of remarkable help to discover fundamental problems, set goals, and choose the best way to achieve them. Islamic economy could be one of these areas. In this study, through following scientific principles, the composite index of Islamic economy in Iran from 1995 to 2012 was defined and estimated. In fact, it is for the first time that a long-term performance of a country is examined. The results show that the absolute value of the index has not changed significantly in the course of 18 years under study, and there have been fluctuations in a short run. Reducing unemployment and inflation rates, promoting the culture of the using non-interest-bearing deposits (Gharz-ol-Hasane), as well as reducing bank interest rate comprise strategies for improving this indicator in Iran

Social withdrawal in children moderates the association between parenting styles and the children’s own socioemotional development

Background: Social withdrawal in early childhood is a risk factor for later socioemotional difficulties. This study examined the joint effects of children’s social withdrawal and mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles on children’s socioemotional development. Based on diatheses-stress, vantage sensitivity, and differential susceptibility models, socially withdrawn children were assumed to be more prone to parental influences than others. Methods: Teachers rated 314 children on prosocial skills, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors at three points in time between grades 1–3. Mothers (n = 279) and fathers (n = 182) filled in questionnaires measuring their affection, and their behavioral and psychological control at the same points in time. Teacher reports on children’s level of social withdrawal were obtained at the end of kindergarten. Results: Panel analysis showed that particularly those children who showed signs of social withdrawal were vulnerable to the negative effects of low maternal affection in terms of externalizing behavior. Moreover, among these children, mothers’ and fathers’ psychological control predicted high levels of internalizing problem but, at the same time, mothers’ psychological control predicted also a high level of prosocial behavior and low levels of externalizing problem. Conclusions: The results supported the diathesis–stress model more than the differential susceptibility model. For example, socially withdrawn children were found to be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of low maternal affection. Although maternal psychological control had positive effects on the prosocial skills of socially withdrawn children, and reduced the amount of externalizing problems, it was at the same time associated with an increase in their internalizing problems. In this way, socially withdrawn children seem to be at risk of pleasing their mothers at the cost of their own well-being.peerReviewe