1,905 research outputs found
Employer-Provided Health Insurance and the Incidence of "Job-Lock": Is There a Consensus?
Several recent developments in health care in the United States include declining health care coverage, particularly that provided by employers, and a noticeable shift in the burden of medical care costs to employees. If these developments cause employees to feel locked into their jobs, optimal job matches in the labor force will not take place. Partly in response, the federal government has passed laws protecting health coverage for workers who switch jobs, with the passage of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 and later the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in 1996. In this paper we summarize the current literature on the topic and present some findings using the National Health Interview Survey, focusing on the 1997-2003 period. Our findings are consistent with recent assertions that there is some evidence of job-lock. Working Paper 06-5
Cost implications of agricultural land degradation in Ghana:
"An economywide, multimarket model is constructed for Ghana and the effects of agricultural soil erosion on crop yields are explicitly modeled at the subnational regional level for eight main staple crops. The model is used to evaluate the aggregate economic costs of soil erosion by taking into account economywide linkages between production and consumption, across sectors and agricultural subsectors. To fill a gap in the literature regarding economic cost analysis of soil erosion, this paper also analyzes the poverty implications of land degradation. The model predicts that land degradation reduces agricultural income in Ghana by a total of US6.4 billion over the period 2006â2015. SLM practices would therefore significantly reduce poverty in Ghana, particularly in the three northern regions." Authors' AbstractLand degradation, Costs, Agricultural soil loss, Economywide modeling, Modeling cost of land degradation,
Export Performance and Investment Behaviour of Firms in Ghana
From the theoretical literature a strong relationship between export performance and investment behaviour at the firm level is expected. A 2003 survey of 100 Ghanaian enterprises is used to analyse the factors that influence the investment and exporting behaviour of firms using a simultaneous equation model to allow for the endogeneity of investment and exporting. In addition, the different factors that influence the investment and export decisions in different sectors are investigated. However, no significant positive relationship between exporting and investment could be found. There seems rather to be a negative association, which might be explained by constraints in the access to capital. On the other hand there are several factors that work in the same direction, for example, younger firms, larger firms and more efficient firms are more likely to invest and more likely to export. --
Responding to Economic Shocks in Ghana: The Agricultural Sector as a Social Safety Net
The objective of this paper is to document, assess and characterize the role Ghana's agriculture has played as a safety net when the urban labor market suffered economic shocks. The study explores how agriculture influences non-agricultural dependent households. Specific attention is given to the implicit value of the informal insurance role that rural households play in supporting family members who lose jobs acquired after migrating to urban areas. The paper analyses Ghanaian agriculture's social security role in the late 1980s and 1990s. This well documented period in Ghanaian economic literature, coincides with both natural and macro policy shocks and the policy measures taken to cope with the shocks.Ghana, labor, migration, rural development, safety nets, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Security and Poverty, Labor and Human Capital,
PPO3: DESIGNING A USER-FRIENDLY OUTCOMES RESEARCH DATABASE FOR THE PRIVATE MEDICAL PRACTITIONER
IN SITU RAMAN SPECTROELECTROCHEMICAL TECHNIQUE AS TOOL FOR INVESTIGATING THE PROPERTIES OF ELECTROACTIVE SYSTEMS
The electrochemical polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) monomer as conducting polymer was synthesized on various working electrodes (WE) which includes gold (Au), platinum (Pt), glassy carbon (GC) and Fluorinated Tin Oxide (FTO) in different electrolytic solvent medium. The solutes used in the aqueous medium (H2O) was potassium chloride (KCl) salt and sodium polystyrene sulfonate (NaPSS) and the solute used in the organic solvent medium which is acetonitrile (ACN) was tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF6).
A thin film of the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene) (PEDOT), electrochemically polymerized on FTO, Au, Pt and GC, were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CVs) in order to elucidate the electrochemical properties of the PEDOT films polymerized using different electrolyte media.
In situ Raman spectroscopy measurements were carried out for PEDOT films electropolymerized on Au in different electrolyte solvent medium and the spectra and its corresponding images were obtained and compared accordingly to explain the doping process of the PEDOT film.
UV-Vis spectroscopy measurements were also performed on the films on FTO to present a study on the p-doping of the PEDOT films which was in tandem with the characterization of Raman spectra measurements
MULTINOMIAL LOGISTIC ANALYSIS OF âSUSUâ CONTRIBUTION IN GHANA
The study employs cumulative multinomial logistic regression model to analyze âsusuâ (a micro-saving
mechanism for collection of deposits that is common on the West African markets) contribution in
Ghana. Evidence from the analysis of 1,630 contributors randomly sampled indicates that between male
and female contributors, the former are more likely to contribute higher amounts than the latter. The
paper, therefore, avers that âsusuâ institutions must target their marketing campaigns at incomeearning
males. Additionally, there is evidence to conclude that the number of years of contribution, the
number of years a contributor has been in business, marital status and gender are predictors of âsusuâ
contribution in Ghana
Against the Herd: Contrarian Investment Strategies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
This study seeks to investigate herd behaviour among equity mutual fund managers and the performance of mutual funds that trade against the herd in South Africa. The behaviour of mutual funds has an effect on the stability and volatility of stock markets, the ultimate returns to the investors. The study builds upon the efficient market hypothesis, portfolio theory and behavioural finance to provide evidence of the behaviour of mutual funds in an emerging market context using the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The Lakonishok, Shleifer and Vishney (1991) measure of herding is used to ascertain the behaviour of mutual funds over the period 2006 to 2012. Institutional investors in South Africa are susceptible to the behavioural bias of herding and this phenomenon influences the performance of their funds. Funds that trade in the opposite direction of herd funds are able to put up a superior performance over time. Superior performance, however, does not entice mutual fund investors to invest less in under-performing funds and more in funds that recently show superior performance. These findings imply that following investment waves does not culminate in superior returns in the stock market. Consequently, mutual funds that take an opposite direction to herd funds help stabilize the stock market and lessen the severity of bear markets. This study categorizes mutual funds into ââŹËherdingââŹâ˘ and ââŹËcontrarianââŹâ˘ and provides an insight into the performance of each category. Investors who oppose herd behaviour realize greater returns over time while stabilizing the markets at the same time
Positive Impact of Coronavirus Disease â 19 on Purchase Intentions of Life Insurance Companies in an Emerging Economy
The general economic situation has resulted in a global recession across the world leading to insurance industries all over the world serving as a form of protection for people who look for rescue and relief. The widespread of the infection has impacted many governments across the world and financially weakened some businesses as well as the social wellbeing of people. The pandemic could also be seen as having a positive impact amidst the pandemic. The conspicuous impact of the global pandemic on insurance industry in Ghana is the upsurge in health, travel and even business claims. The research was carried out in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana's second largest metropolis. This study utilized the convenience sampling as it involved customers, both potential and actual, of Life Insurance Companies in Kumasi who were willing and available to partake in the study. The interrogation involved thirty (30) respondents. According to the findings, some respondents viewed Life Insurance policies in Ghana positively, while others viewed them adversely, based on their experience and opinion. Customers evaluate their contacts with life insurance companies based on their previous experiences, which influences their decision to buy. Keywords: Coronavirus Disease- 19, Purchas Intentions, Life Assurance Insurance Companies DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-1-04 Publication date: January 31st 202
Exploring the Magnitude, Characteristics and Socio-economic Contexts of Witchcraft-Related Eldercides in Kenya
Many eldercides in African societies are motivated by witchcraft beliefs. Yet, witchcraft-related eldercide remains an understudied criminological subject. The present study explores the scale, features and socio-cultural and economic contexts of witchcraft-related elder homicide in Kenya. A total of 94 media articles reporting the witchcraft-related killings of 136 older people in Kenya between January 2012 and December 2021 were perused. Key information about the victims and perpetrators and the circumstances surrounding each event/eldercide was collected and critically analysed. The data suggest that approximately 75% of witchcraft-related homicide victims in Kenya are 60 years old and above. Most victims were females (mainly widows) of low socio-economic backgrounds. All the cases occurred in rural communities, and the perpetrators were largely young adult males. Arson, slashing with a machete and clubbing/beating were the dominant methods used to kill alleged witches. Most killings were motivated by the belief that the victims caused misfortunes/calamities by witchcraft. However, witchcraft allegations and concomitant killings were sometimes weaponized to obtain the victims' property/land. Because witchcraft beliefs are deeply entrenched in the culture and philosophy of the Kenyan people, the use of a multifaceted approach may be the most appropriate way of curtailing the problem.</p
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