Essays on labor economics and public finance

Public policies are an important determinant of the welfare of individuals and the society at large. Careful evaluation of the impact of public policies on welfare is therefore imperative for our understanding of the positive and normative implications for these institutions. The three chapters of this thesis examine the welfare consequences of specific economic and political institutions. Chapters 1 and 2 study two distinct channels through which social housing, a common feature of developed countries, may impact the neighborhoods in which they are built and the labor market outcomes of their low income tenants. Chapter 1 is concerned with the effect of the provision of social housing on neighboring private ats. It assesses the spillovers of low-income tenants and the change in the composition of the housing stock that are to be expected from the provision of new social housing units. In particular, it uses the direct conversion of private rental flats into social units without any accompanying rehabilitation to identify the impact of the inflow into the neighborhood of low income tenants, separately from the effects of social housing on the quality of the existing housing stock. Chapter 2 shows that social housing influences the location of low income tenants, and that the neighborhood of social housing units may improve the labor market outcomes of the poorest tenants. I observe the relocation of welfare recipients through the selection process of social housing applicants in the city of Paris from 2001 to 2007. The institutional process acts as a conditional randomization device across residential areas in Paris. The empirical estimates outline that neighborhoods have weak short- and medium-run effects on the economic self-sufficiency of poor households. Chapter 3, by contrast, focuses on how regional migrations of unemployed workers may affect their job search prospect in Europe. Using a longitudinal sample of French unemployment spells, the empirical estimates outline positive migration effects on transitions from unemployment to employment that depends on the previous duration of the unemployment spells

Geographic Inequality of Access to Employment in France: an Investigation Based on Comprehensive Administrative Sources

We analyze geographic inequality of access to employment at a highly detailed geographic level - the municipality - across all of metropolitan France (mainland + Corsica), for two population groups: unemployed persons registered at the National Employment Agency (ANPE) and recipients of the guaranteed minimum income (RMI). Overall, we find highly pronounced inequality of employment access by municipality of residence. However, across large sections of metropolitan France, groups of contiguous municipalities offer uniformly low or high prospects of employment access. Divergences between localities remain wide when we neutralize inter-municipal differences in socio-demographic composition: this finding confirms the existence of a specific territorial effect. To explain it, we introduce theoretical determinants of spatial economy into the analysis. The location of economic activities and issues of physical distance from the workplace do indeed have a strong impact, but geographic inequality of employment access may also be due to residential-segregation and social-network effects.Spatial Economics, Geographic Inequality, Employment Access

The French national prospective cohort of patients co-infected with HIV and HCV (ANRS CO13 HEPAVIH): Early findings, 2006-2010

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In France, it is estimated that 24% of HIV-infected patients are also infected with HCV. Longitudinal studies addressing clinical and public health questions related to HIV-HCV co-infection (HIV-HCV clinical progression and its determinants including genetic dimension, patients' experience with these two diseases and their treatments) are limited. The ANRS CO 13 HEPAVIH cohort was set up to explore these critical questions.</p> <p>To describe the cohort aims and organization, monitoring and data collection procedures, baseline characteristics, as well as follow-up findings to date.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Inclusion criteria in the cohort were: age > 18 years, HIV-1 infection, chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection or sustained response to HCV treatment. A standardized medical questionnaire collecting socio-demographic, clinical, biological, therapeutic, histological, ultrasound and endoscopic data is administered at enrolment, then every six months for cirrhotic patients or yearly for non-cirrhotic patients. Also, a self-administered questionnaire documenting socio-behavioral data and adherence to HIV and/or HCV treatments is administered at enrolment and yearly thereafter.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 1,175 patients were included from January 2006 to December 2008. Their median age at enrolment was 45 years and 70.2% were male. The median CD4 cell count was 442 (IQR: 304-633) cells/μl and HIV RNA plasma viral load was undetectable in 68.8%. Most participants (71.6%) were on HAART. Among the 1,048 HIV-HCV chronically co-infected patients, HCV genotype 1 was predominant (56%) and cirrhosis was present in 25%. As of January, 2010, after a median follow-up of 16.7 months (IQR: 11.3-25.3), 13 new cases of decompensated cirrhosis, nine hepatocellular carcinomas and 20 HCV-related deaths were reported, resulting in a cumulative HCV-related severe event rate of 1.9/100 person-years (95% CI: 1.3-2.5). The rate of HCV-related severe events was higher in cirrhotic patients and those with a low CD4 cells count, but did not differ according to sex, age, alcohol consumption, CDC clinical stage or HCV status.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The ANRS CO 13 HEPAVIH is a nation-wide cohort using a large network of HIV treatment, infectious diseases and internal medicine clinics in France, and thus is highly representative of the French population living with these two viruses and in care.</p

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P &lt; 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Les disparités locales d’insertion des bénéficiaires du RMI

Integrating of RMI recipients varies from one municipality to another. A comprehensive administrative source was used to analyse these inequalities : the file of mandatory benefits and welfare action by the Caisse nationale des Allocations familiales. The aim of this article is to outline the type and extent of regional inequalities in a primarily descriptive manner. Using the participation of recipients – in back-to-work financial support – integration disparities were assessed for mainland France on a municipal level. Major disparities emerged, even though some regions in the country display less uneven return to employment rates. This finding may be attributed in part to structural differences in the population of RMI welfare recipients. To measure the extent of composition effects and the extent of genuinely local effects, disparities net of composition effects were computed as if the population of RMI recipients was identical irrespective of the municipality. Differences from one town to the next remained very high. Purely local effects were more often than not decisive, even though this did not apply throughout the country. Antoine Goujard Local disparity in RMI recipients integrationL’insertion des bénéficiaires du revenu minimum d'insertion (RMI) varie d’une commune à l’autre. Pour analyser ces inégalités, une source administrative exhaustive a été mobilisée : le fichier des prestations légales et d’action sociale de la Caisse nationale des Allocations familiales. L’objectif de cet article est de préciser la nature et l’ampleur des inégalités territoriales, et ce de façon essentiellement descriptive. À partir des passages des allocataires par le dispositif d’intéressement, sont évaluées les disparités brutes d’insertion au niveau de la France métropolitaine à l’échelle des communes. D’importantes disparités s’affirment, même si certaines zones du territoire présentent des taux de retour vers l’emploi moins inégaux. Ce constat peut être en partie imputé à des différences de structure de la population des allocataires du RMI. Pour mesurer l’ampleur de ces effets de composition et la portée des effets réellement locaux, sont alors prises en compte les disparités nettes de ces effets de composition, comme si la population des "RMIstes" était la même quelle que soit la commune considérée. Les écarts d’une localité à l’autre restent très élevés. Les effets purement locaux sont le plus souvent déterminants, même si ce n’est pas le cas sur tout le territoire.Goujard Antoine. Les disparités locales d’insertion des bénéficiaires du RMI. In: Recherches et Prévisions, n°91, 2008. Minima sociaux. Diversités des logiques d'action et des publics. pp. 39-55

Corruption and management practices: Firm level evidence.

We argue that corruption can decrease aggregate productivity by deteriorating firm management practices. We investigate the impact of regional corruption on the management quality of firms within the manufacturing sector in Central and Eastern Europe. The empirical challenge is that bureaucrats’ bribing practices may evolve in response to firm behaviors, and that regional corruption is measured with error. To identify causal effects, our preferred specifications use a difference-in-differences methodology. We measure the manufacturing industries’ exposure to corruption using their level of dependence to contract institutions. Controlling for regional and manufacturing industry – country fixed effects, we find that firms in more contract dependent industries, located in more corrupt regions, tend to have lower management quality, a more centralized decision-making process, and a lower level of education among administrative staff. In more corrupt regions, contract dependent firms are also characterized by lower investment in R&D, and smaller product markets. We show that our findings are not likely to be driven by omitted variables, outliers, or reverse causality.N/

International Capital Mobility and Financial Fragility - Part 1. Drivers of Systemic Banking Crises: The Role of Bank-Balance-Sheet Contagion and Financial Account Structure

This paper examines whether the composition of a country’s external liabilities and assets has an incidence on its risk of suffering financial turmoil. Particular emphasis is put on the role of international financial integration, using newly-constructed measures of contagion shocks. These new measures capture well the contagion observed e.g. in the wake of the Mexican and Asian crises, and confirm that contagion shocks observed in 2009/10 dwarfed those observed during previous financial crises. Using a panel of 184 developed and emerging economies from 1970 to 2009, the empirical analysis finds that the structure of the financial account has an important influence on financial stability. A key result is that a bias in external liabilities towards debt strongly increases the risk of a systemic banking crisis. Moreover, certain forms of international financial integration are found to amplify contagion shocks and increase crisis risk, such as integration through international bank lending, and in particular through short-term bank debt. Flux de capitaux internationaux et fragilité financière - Partie 1. Les déterminants des crises bancaires : Le rôle de la contagion par le système bancaire et de la structure du compte financier L’article étudie les effets de la structure des engagements et créances externes d’un pays sur sa stabilité financière. Une attention particulière est portée au rôle de l’intégration financière internationale. L’article propose de nouvelles mesures de la propagation des chocs par le système bancaire. Ces mesures capturent bien les chocs de contagion observés lors des crises mexicaine et asiatique. De plus, elles soulignent que les chocs de contagion liés à la crise financière de 2009/2010 sont d’un ordre de magnitude différent de ceux observés historiquement lors des crises financières. L’analyse empirique menée sur un panel de 184 pays développés et émergents de 1970 à 2009 confirme l’importance de la structure du compte financier pour la stabilité financière. En particulier, un biais de la structure de financement vers la dette augmente fortement la probabilité de crise bancaire. De plus, certaines formes d’intégration financière comme les besoins de financement externes des banques, en particulier à court-terme, amplifient les chocs de contagion et augmentent les risques de crises.financial stability, banking crisis, banking system, financial account, external debt, contagion, financial spillovers, balance sheet, crise bancaire, dette extérieure, système bancaire, compte financier, interdépendances financières, stabilité financière