Immigrant overeducation : evidence from Denmark

Anecdotes abound in the Danish public debate about well-educated immigrants that are in jobs they are formally overqualified for. Using a 1995-2002 panel data set based on Danish registers, this study attempts to find out how large a problem immigrant overeducation is in the context of the Danish labor market. More specifically, three questions are posed: First, to what extent are immigrants overeducated and are they more likely to be so than native Danes? Second, why are some immigrants more likely to become overeducated than others? And finally, what are the consequences of overeducation for individual wages? The authors find that among wage earners with at least a vocational education or higher, 25 percent of male non-Western immigrants are overeducated. The same applies for 15 percent of native Danes. Particularly immigrants with a foreign-acquired education risk becoming overeducated - here the share is 30 percent among those with a vocational education or higher. The authors find that Danish labor market experience is extremely important in reducing the likelihood of becoming overeducated. Years spent in the country without accumulating labor market experience do not improve an individual's chances of an appropriate job-to-education match. In terms of earnings consequences, the study concludes that years of overeducation do increase wages for immigrants, but much less so than years of adequate education. This is also true for native Danes, but the relative penalty for overeducation is much larger for immigrants than for Danes.Labor Markets,Population Policies,Access&Equity in Basic Education,Education For All,Teaching and Learning

Golden Rice and the Looming GMO Trade Debate: Implication for the Poor

The first generation of genetically modified crop varieties, currently most widespread in the maize and soybean sectors, sought to increase farmer profitability by improving agronomic traits. The next generation of biotech research is focusing also on breeding for attributes desired by consumers. Although not yet commercially available, a new variety of rice, known as ‘Golden Rice’, has been genetically engineered to contain a higher level of vitamin A. Thus in contrast with the current commercial applications of biotech crops, this new rice variety aims directly at benefiting consumers rather than producers. More specifically, it aims at improving the health of poor people in developing countries who rely on rice as their main staple food (or would be if it was cheaper) and whose diet is nutrient-deficient. This paper analyses empirically the potential economic effects of such an innovation in an environment of heated debates about the risks and benefits of these biotech developments. The emergence of genetically modified foods is generating policy reactions that are delaying the development and adoption of what promises to be a high-payoff technology, particularly for the world’s poor. These policy reactions may lead to trade disputes, in which case the way this GMO issue is addressed in the WTO’s dispute settlement body could have profound implications for poor households in developing countries.GMOs, golden rice, rice policy, WTO agreements, consumer preferences

Social accounting matrices for Vietnam 1996 and 1997

This paper documents the construction of social accounting matrices (SAMs) for Vietnam for 1996 and 1997. The data sources used to construct the SAMs include national accounts statistics, government budget data, the official 1996 input-output table, the 19 97/98 Vietnam Living Standards Survey (VLSS), and COMTRADE trade data. The agri- food sectors are particularly well represented in the SAMs: the resulting VIETSAM includes 97 producing sectors with eight agricultural sectors, two agricultural service sector s and 13 food processing industries. In terms of institutional detail, the SAMs include five factors of production (three types of labor distinguished by skill level, one type of capital and one type of land), six household types (distinguished by rural/urban, agricultural/non-agricultural, wage/self-employed), and one account each for enterprises, government, investment/savings and rest-of-world. The rest-of-world account is a purely non-trade-related account that keeps track of financial transfers between Vietnamese institutions and the rest of the world. This is because the innovative feature of this SAM is that is takes detailed account of Vietnam's foreign trade flows. Imports and exports of goods and services are distinguished by trading partner – more specifically, 94 partner countries are identified. The SAM is estimated using a cross-entropy approach, which makes efficient use of all available data whilst at the same time allowing for the incorporation of prior information and constraints.Social accounting Viet Nam. ,Foreign trade. ,Living standards. ,TMD ,

Genetically modified foods, trade, and developing countries

This paper analyzes price, production and trade consequences of changing consumer preferences regarding the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food production. The analytical framework used is an empirical global general equilibrium model, in which the entire food processing chain - from primary crops through livestock feed to processed foods - is segregated into genetically modified (GM) and non-GM lines of production. This model is used to analyze the implications of widespread use of genetically engineered crops in some regions whilst consumers in Western Europe and High- income Asia adopt a critical attitude toward GM foods. Two different representations of consumer preference changes are illustrated: (1) a change in price sensitivity: i.e. consumer demand is less sensitive to a decline in the price of GM foods relative to non-GM varieties, and (2) a structural demand shift: for a given price ratio consumers simply demand less of the GM variety relative to the non-GM variety. This analysis finds that developing countries adjust their trade patterns in response to preference changes in important trading partner countries. Non-GM varieties are diverted to GM-critical regions while GM varieties are sold to countries in which consumers are not sensitive to GM content. Furthermore, the development of segregated GM and non-GM food creates a potential niche market for producers if the non-GM characteristic can in fact be preserved and verified throughout the marketing system at reasonable costs.Genetically modified foods Economic aspects. ,Trade. ,Food production. ,Prices. ,

Genetic engineering and trade

Advocates of the use of genetic engineering techniques in agriculture contend that this new biotechnology promises increased productivity, better use of natural resources and more nutritious foods. Opponents, on the other hand, are concerned about potentially adverse implications for the environment and food safety. In response to consumer reactions against genetically modified (GM) foods in some countries - particularly in Western Europe - crop production is being segregated into GM and non-GM varieties. This paper investigates how such changes in the maize and soybean sectors may affect international trade patterns, with particular attention given to different groups of developing countries.Biotechnology. ,Environmental impact analysis. ,Genetic engineering. ,International trade. ,Developing countries. ,Agriculture. ,TMD ,

Genetically Modified Rice Adoption: Implications for Welfare and Poverty Alleviation

The first generation of genetically modified (GM) crop varieties sought to increase farmer profitability through cost reductions or higher yields. The next generation of GM food research is focusing also on breeding for attributes of interest to consumers, beginning with ‘golden rice’, which has been genetically engineered to contain a higher level of vitamin A and thereby boost the health of poor people in developing countries. This paper analyses empirically the potential economic effects of adopting both types of innovation in Asia, including its impact on rice producers and other poor households. It does so using the global economy-wide computable general equilibrium model known as GTAP. The results suggest the very considerable farm productivity gains (even if extended beyond GM rice to include those from adopting other GM grains and oilseeds) could be exceeded by the welfare gains resulting from the potential health-enhancing attributes of golden rice, which would boost the productivity of unskilled workers among Asia’s poor.GMOs, golden rice, consumer preferences, nutritional attributes.

Genetically modified rice adoption : implications for welfare and poverty alleviation

The first generation of genetically modified (GM) crop varieties sought to increase producer profitability through cost reductions or higher yields, while the next generation of GM food research is focusing on breeding for attributes of interest to consumers. Golden Rice, for example, has been genetically engineered to contain a higher level of vitamin A and thereby boost the health of poor people in developing countries. This paper analyzes the potential economic effects of adopting both types of innovation in Asia, including its impact on rice producers and consumers. It does so using the global economy-wide computable general equilibrium model known as GTAP. The results suggest the farm productivity gains could be dwarfed by the welfare gains resulting from the potential health-enhancing attributes of golden rice, which would boost the productivity of unskilled workers among Asia's poor.Agricultural Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Economic Theory&Research,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Environmental Economics&Policies,Agricultural Research,Economic Theory&Research,Drylands&Desertification

Svar på Hans Bays kritik af de danske PISA-rapporters håndtering af PISAundersøgelserne

Hans Bay (2011) kommer i MONA med en kritik af vores håndtering af PISA-undersøgelsernei Danmark som vi hermed svarer på. Kritikken går på to forhold, udviklingeni matematikscore i 2009 og analysen af sammenhængen med klassestørrelser. Vibehandler nedenfor disse to kritikpunkter hver for sig

Large scale multifactorial likelihood quantitative analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants: An ENIGMA resource to support clinical variant classification

The multifactorial likelihood analysis method has demonstrated utility for quantitative assessment of variant pathogenicity for multiple cancer syndrome genes. Independent data types currently incorporated in the model for assessing BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants include clinically calibrated prior probability of pathogenicity based on variant location and bioinformatic prediction of variant effect, co-segregation, family cancer history profile, co-occurrence with a pathogenic variant in the same gene, breast tumor pathology, and case-control information. Research and clinical data for multifactorial likelihood analysis were collated for 1,395 BRCA1/2 predominantly intronic and missense variants, enabling classification based on posterior probability of pathogenicity for 734 variants: 447 variants were classified as (likely) benign, and 94 as (likely) pathogenic; and 248 classifications were new or considerably altered relative to ClinVar submissions. Classifications were compared with information not yet included in the likelihood model, and evidence strengths aligned to those recommended for ACMG/AMP classification codes. Altered mRNA splicing or function relative to known nonpathogenic variant controls were moderately to strongly predictive of variant pathogenicity. Variant absence in population datasets provided supporting evidence for variant pathogenicity. These findings have direct relevance for BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant evaluation, and justify the need for gene-specific calibration of evidence types used for variant classification