Some Like It Mild and Not Too Wet: the Influence of Weather on Subjective Well-Being

More and more economists and politicians are advocating the use of comprehensive measures of well-being, on top of the usual national accounting measures, to assess the welfare of populations. Researchers using subjective well-being data should be aware of the potential biasing effects of the weather on their estimates. In this paper, I investigate the responsiveness of well-being to climate and transitory weather conditions by analyzing subjective well-being data collected in the Princeton Affect and Time Survey. I study general satisfaction questions about life in general, life at home, health and one’s job, as well as questions concerning feelings intensities during specific episodes. I find that women are much more responsive than men to the weather, and that life satisfaction decreases with the amount of rain on the day of the interview. Low temperatures increase happiness and reduce tiredness and stress, raising net affect, and high temperatures reduce happiness, consistent with the fact that the surveys was conducted in the summer. I conclude by suggesting methods to reduce the possible biases.Subjective well-being, life satisfaction, happiness, weather, temperature, precipitation

Rockonomics: The Economics of Popular Music,

Rockonomics, concerts, superstars

Rockonomics: The Economics of Popular Music

This paper considers economic issues and trends in the rock and roll industry, broadly defined. The analysis focuses on concert revenues, the main source of performers ' income. Issues considered include: price measurement; concert price acceleration in the 1990s; the increased concentration of revenue among performers; reasons for the secondary ticket market; methods for ranking performers; copyright protection; and technological change.

Does the Family Investment Hypothesis Explain Immigrant Labor Market Activity?

No abstract.

Supporting rights-based ideas in policy and practice

Principles of human rights rest at the heart of social justice and notions of an inclusive society. This article seeks to refocus practice attention on the issue of human rights and the ways in which rights-based ideas can be integrated across practice, policy and legal domains. It argues that creating systems in which critical components mutually reinforce rightsbased ideas will be more likely to have the depth of influence required to shift thinking toward rights-based practice and maintain its endurance over time

Modèles économétriques de remboursement de prêts étudiants au Canada

Six mois après avoir mis fin à leurs études, complétées avec succès ou non, les ex-étudiants sont tenus de rembourser leurs prêts d’études. Une majorité d’entre eux rembourseront la totalité de leurs prêts sur une période de 10 ans. D’autres connaîtront des difficultés à respecter leur engagement. Dans cette étude nous profitons d’une base exceptionnelle de données individuelles sur les prêts d’études au Canada pour étudier les déterminants des remboursements ou non des prêts et la durée avant le remboursement complet. Les résultats économétriques montrent l’importance de terminer ses études dans les temps requis à la fois pour éviter de faire défaut et aussi pour accélérer la période de remboursement. Une politique à envisager serait de gommer une partie des prêts lorsque l’étudiant complète ses études dans les temps requis. L’autre résultat est que le programme du report des intérêts n’a pas semblé très efficace pour faciliter le remboursement des prêts d’études pour la cohorte 1990-1991 étudiée. Finalement, un programme trop généreux de prêts d’études sans mise en garde sur les risques encourus par les étudiants d’investir dans certains programmes, notamment ceux opérés par le secteur privé, a des effets importants non seulement sur la pérennité du programme des prêts, mais aussi sur les mauvaises décisions de la part des étudiants dans leur choix d’études.Six months after a student ceases being enrolled full-time in an educational institution, a loan contracted with the Canada student loans program is said to be consolidated and its repayment is expected. Many ex-students will repay their loan in total (capital and interest) within a ten-year period. However, a non-negligible proportion of borrowers will experience difficulty in the repayment of their loans. We are able to shed a new light on these issues because we have access to unique data to estimate econometric models of the determinants of interest relief and claims (defaults) as well as duration models for the repayment of student loans. We found that finishing the program supported by a loan is essential to avoiding default. Therefore, it may be worth considering policies that will reward anyone who completes his or her program. On the other hand, too much flexibility in access to loans might encourage experiments that could turn disastrous for the student and the national loan program. A loan program should also come with some information on the risk involved for the student before he or she invests in a particular field or program. One particular concern is the relatively high level of default for students attending private schools. Relatively easy access to loans could be an invitation for private institutions to capitalize on that fact with various educational programs having little bearing on the reality of the labour market. Eventually serious institutions will establish a reputation, but for some students it will be too late. Another result concerns the interest relief measure that seems not to have played its role of helping the 1990-1991 cohort of students to pass through difficult times

A Review of Psoriasis, a Known Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease and Its Impact on Folate and Homocysteine Metabolism

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This risk has been attributed to an association with many independent risk factors including obesity, hypertension, smoking, and dyslipidemia. Psoriasis patients also have lower levels of folate and conversely higher levels of homocysteine, which in itself is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It has been postulated that low folate levels in this group may be a direct cause of hyperhomocysteinemia and therefore a treatable risk factor by folate supplementation. This paper looks at the literature published to date on the relationship between psoriasis, homocysteine, and folate levels