Conditioning competitive behaviour in experimental Bertrand markets through contextual frames

Explaining framing effects is one of the main challenges faced by decision theories. This research experimentally examines how different contextual frames influence competitive behaviour in a Bertrand duopoly game (repeatedly played under a stranger matching), unexplored so far. The design comprises four frames: one abstract (a beauty-contest framing), two meaningful (the standard Bertrand framing and an access-to-river framing) and one evocative (a take-from-fund framing). Our findings show that, at first, the evocative frame differentiates from the rest mostly in market prices. While the evocative frame induces subjects to behave closer to the theoretical predictions initially, the others need some repetitions until convergence is achieved. Differences across frames eventually vanish at the end. During the transition, in the Bertrand frame, a quicker decay in prices is observed due to the behavioural reactions to historical market prices. Lastly, irrespectively of frames, behavioural reactions to immediate past information allow to explain strategic interaction in the long-run: a force-balance situation which is consistent with the related literature on price floors in Bertrand games.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministery of Science RTI2018-097620-B-I00, PID2021-127736NB-I00 and Junta de Andalucía projects, Spain P18-FR-3840 and UMA18-FEDERJA-243. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga/CBUA, Spai

Teaching Nash Equilibrium and Strategy Dominance: A Classroom Experiment on the Beauty Contest

The aim of this investigation is to display how the use of classroom experiments may be a good pedagogical tool to teach the Nash equilibrium (NE) concept. The basic game for our purposes is a repeated version of the Beauty Contest Game (BCG), a simple guessing game whose repetition lets students react to other players’ choices and to converge iteratively to the equilibrium solution. We performed this experiment with undergraduate students without any previous knowledge about game theory. After four rounds, we observed in all groups a clear decreasing tendency in the average chosen number. So, our findings prove that, by playing a repeated BCG, students quickly learn how to reach the NE solution.Classroom Experiments, Beauty Contest Game, Teaching, Nash Equilibrium.

Convergencia entre Andalucía y España: una aproximación a sus causas (1965-1995). ¿Afecta la inversión pública al crecimiento?

This paper explores issues regarding the regional convergence process. We study the per capita income of Andalusia compared with the remaining regions in Spain over period 1965-1995. Using a very simple growth model with public capital as a production factor, we show that infrastructure endowment is not the main cause of Andalusian relative lower income per capita, so we guess there is a small effect of public investment on growth. However, productive public spending could have played an important role in minimizing the inefficiencies yielded by a non-competitive labour market.Economic growth, infrastructures, unemployment.

Communication, coordination and competition in the beauty contest game: eleven classroom experiments

Este trabajo ha sido publicado en Central European Journal of Operations Research 12(4): 369-287 (2004).This paper introduces some new features in the standard experimental design of the beauty contest in order to allow communication among participants. With that aim, we use the mode instead of the mean and non-rival payoffs. This design encourages students to communicate their guessed number, with a higher probability if subjects know the 0 Nash equilibrium. The lack of communication can only be explained by subjects endowed with competitive other-regarding preferences. Experiments are run in 11 classrooms ranging from 11 to 60 students in size. Participants are given at least one week to submit their guesses and a questionnaire explaining their choice. Results indicate that: i) communication induces coordination in the responses, ii) communication does not guarantee any improvement in the average reasoning level, iii) there exist significative differences according to classroom size and duration of degree.We gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the University of Jaén R+D program (# 20210/148)

Measures for the assessment of stressful life events in the Spanish adult population: A systematic review

Objetivo: Este estudio pretende identificar y analizar los instrumentos de evaluación de los eventos vitales estresantes creados/adaptados para su uso con población española adulta, publicados en la literatura nacional e internacional, con especial atención en sus propiedades psicométricas y en su asociación con medidas de problemas de salud. Métodos: Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática de la literatura de todos los instrumentos publicados a través de los buscadores MEDLINE; ProQuest Health y Medical Complete ProQuest Psychology Journals PsycARTICLES PsycINFO Psicodoc OpenSIGLE desde la fecha de inicio hasta el 31 de enero de 2016. Dos investigadores independientes evaluaron la elegibilidad de todos los artículos, extrajeron los datos y evaluaron sus propiedades psicométricas. Resultados: Se seleccionaron 12 instrumentos que cumplían los criterios de inclusión en el estudio. Las medidas presentaron una gran heterogeneidad. La mayoría no incluían información sobre sus propiedades psicométricas o necesitaban aportar más datos, ya que eran pocas los que evaluaban su estabilidad test-retest y/o su estructura interna. Los cuestionarios creados o adaptados por González de Rivera y Morena (1983), Sandín y Chorot (1987), Fernández y Mielgo (1992), Gracia y Herrero (2004) y Motrico et al. (2013) mostraron asociaciones significativas con variables de problemas de salud. Discusión: Se requieren más estudios sobre la asociación de los instrumentos con variables de problemas de salud mental y física, lo que facilitaría su aplicación clínica. Estos resultados tienen una gran utilidad a la hora de seleccionar un instrumento de evaluación de eventos vitales estresantes en el ámbito clínico y de investigación en España

The Impact of Socio-Economic Status on Self-Rated Health: Study of 29 Countries Using European Social Surveys (2002–2008)

Studies show that the association between socio-economic status (SES) and self-rated health (SRH) varies in different countries, however there are not many country comparisons that examine this relationship over time. The objective of the present study is to determine the effect of three SES measures on SRH in 29 countries according to findings in European Social Surveys (2002–2008), in order to study how socio-economic inequalities can vary our subjective state of health. In line with previous studies, income inequalities seem to be greater not only in Anglo Saxon and Scandinavian countries, but especially in Eastern European countries. The impact of education is greater in Southern countries, and this effect is similar in Eastern and Scandinavian countries, although occupational status does not produce significant differences in southern countries. This study shows the general relevance of socio educational factors on SRH. Individual economic conditions are obviously a basic factor contributing to a good state of health, but education could be even more relevant to preserve it. In this sense, policies should not only aim at reducing income inequalities, but should also further the education of people who are in risk of social exclusion

Methodological barriers to studying the association between the economic crisis and suicide in Spain

BACKGROUND: The hypothetical relationship between economic recession and the increase in suicides in Spain is subject to various arguments. In addition to the inherent complexity of capturing and explaining the underlining mechanisms that could describe this causal link, different points of contention have been be identified. The period of this association and its possible starting points, the socioeconomic determinants that may explain the variation in suicide rate, and the data sources available are the main focus of controversy. The present study aims to identify the phases of association between different periods of economic recession and suicide rates, and compare the effect of different social determinants of health that have been mentioned in previous studies. METHODS: We have used interrupted time series analyses to assess the impact of economic recession on national rates of suicide mortality provided by the Spanish Statistical Office (1980-2014). In an attempt to consider the factors that have affected the study of suicide in Spain, different data sources/periods, predictors, and regions in Spain were analysed. RESULTS: The analysis revealed a positive and significant relationship between the Great Recession and suicide rates during the second period of economic recession (2011-2014), while appeared to decrease during the first recession period. However, the first decreasing trend was not statistically significant in the global analysis of the evolution of monthly suicide rates for the entire country. Both unemployment and per capita GDP were positively related to suicide trends. Finally, the regional analysis demonstrates a similar pattern in different Spanish areas. CONCLUSION: Although previous studies have mentioned the double-dip in the suicide rate associated with the corresponding period of double recession, our study only identify a positive relationship during the second recession period. ThThis study is subsidised by the Carlos III Health Institute (Ministry of Health of Spain) [project PI15/01986] and co-funded by FEDER funds and the Andalusian Studies Centre [PRY120/14]

Determinantes socioeconómicos de la salud en Andalucía: estudio comparado del impacto de la crisis económica en la salud de los andaluces (Proyecto IMPACT-A)

Los estudios sobre determinantes socioeconómicos de la salud se han centrado fundamentalmente en el análisis de los factores de carácter económico, es decir, en las diferencias de salud generadas por los ingresos. Sin embargo, la relación entre los ingresos y las desigualdades de salud parece ser algo más compleja. Como se ha puesto de manifiesto en recientes estudios, la inclusión de los ingresos como factor explicativo de las desigualdades de salud, aunque resulta necesaria, no es suficiente para entender la diversidad y la complejidad de otras dimensiones sociales como la educación o la clase social, que resultan igualmente relevantes en la explicación de estas desigualdades. En línea con este conjunto de consideraciones, el objetivo del presente trabajo se dirige a comparar el impacto de diferentes medidas del estatus socioeconómico (educación, clase social, ocupación e ingresos) sobre la salud auto-percibida (self-rated health - SRH) en las diferentes Comunidades Autónomas españolas, a partir de datos de los Barómetros Sanitarios del Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas. Adicionalmente, se estudia el efecto contextual de indicadores macroeconómicos, de servicios sanitarios, y calidad de vida mediante el diseño de diferentes modelos de regresión logística ordinal multinivel. Los datos del presente trabajo revelan que, a pesar de que España es un país que goza de una auto-percepción de la salud positiva, se observan desigualdades en la salud a nivel interregional. Si bien en nuestro país no existen grandes diferencias en la salud, los datos ponen de manifiesto que factores socioeconómicos como los ingresos, clase social, la ocupación o la educación pueden tener un importante impacto sobre la salud de los grupos en riesgo de exclusión social. En el nivel contextual, el riesgo de pobreza y el desempleo se encuentran negativamente relacionados con la auto-percepción de la salud de los españoles. Unos resultados que tienen implicaciones muy claras en el reciente contexto de crisis económica. El presente análisis aporta claros indicios de la importancia de tener unas condiciones vitales dignas para poder mantener la salud. Sin lugar a dudas vivir en la pobreza o en una condición de riesgo de caer en un estado de privación material, aumenta la probabilidad de tener una mala salud, y esta misma relación se aplica a la falta de trabajo. En este sentido, es necesario considerar el impacto socioeconómico de la actual crisis económica y los actuales recortes del gasto público en la salud de los grupos más desfavorecidos de nuestra sociedad