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on Labour Economics |
| By: | Matthew Gudgeon; Pablo Guzman; Johannes F. Schmieder; Simon Trenkle; Han Ye |
| Abstract: | This paper shows empirically that the non-employment effects of unemployment insurance (UI) for older workers depend in a first-order way on the structure of retirement policies. Using German data, we first present reduced-form evidence of these interactions, documenting large bunching in UI inflows at the age that allows workers to claim their pension following UI expiration. We then estimate a dynamic life-cycle model and use it to directly quantify how the effects of UI vary with retirement policies. Accounting for interactions across UI and retirement institutions also helps explain otherwise difficult-to-explain trends in the unemployment rate of older German workers. |
| JEL: | E24 J2 J26 J6 J63 J64 J65 J68 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31807&r=lab |
| By: | Rannveig Kaldager Hart; Janna Bergsvik; Agnes Fauske; Wookun Kim |
| Abstract: | This chapter reviews the literature on the causal effects of policies on fertility. It focuses on evidence from experiments and quasi-experiments in low fertility contexts, including studies from Europe, Northern America, Oceania and Asia. Making no a priori restrictions on policy type, the review encompasses evaluations of parental leave, childcare, health insurance, and financial incentives such as child transfers. Childcare expansions increase completed fertility. Financial incentives had positive effects on fertility across contexts, both in the short and long run. Expansions of parental leave rights in Central Europe, and introduction of parental leave in the U.S., also had positive effects. Distributional effects of these policies are very different, with parental leave compensation benefiting high-earning couples, while expansions of child care programs have potential to reduce social inequalities. |
| Keywords: | fertility, parental leave, cash transfers, childcare, healthcare, public policy, causal effect |
| JEL: | J13 J18 H53 I18 |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10690&r=lab |
| By: | Conny Wunsch; Véra Zabrodina |
| Abstract: | The generosity of social insurance coverage often increases with the beneficiary’s age and their contribution time to social security, but existing policies vary considerably. We study the differentiation of unemployment insurance (UI) generosity by evaluating how the insurance incentive trade-off varies with age and contribution time. We exploit numerous discontinuities in potential benefit duration in Germany. Contribution time in the last three years carries information on job search efforts, as it is associated with lower moral hazard responses and fiscal externality. We find no significant response heterogeneity in age or longer contribution time horizons. Contrasting these gradients with an approximated insurance value for four UI regimes, we document that steepening the potential benefit duration schedule in contribution time and flattening it in age would have increased welfare. |
| Keywords: | unemployment insurance, response heterogeneity, policy differentiation |
| JEL: | J08 J64 J65 |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10704&r=lab |
| By: | Serdar Birinci; Youngmin Park; Thomas Pugh; Kurt See |
| Abstract: | We revisit the measurement of the sources and consequences of job displacement using Canadian job separation records. To circumvent administrative data limitations, conventional approaches address selection by identifying displacement effects through mass-layoff separations, which are interpreted as involuntary. We refine this procedure and find that only a quarter of mass-layoff separations are indeed layoffs. Isolating mass-layoff separations that reflect involuntary displacement, we find twice the earnings losses relative to existing estimates. We uncover heterogeneity in losses for separations with different reasons and timing, ranging from 15 percent for quits after a mass layoff to 60 percent for layoffs before it. |
| Keywords: | Labour markets; Potential output; Productivity |
| JEL: | E24 E32 J31 J63 J65 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bca:bocawp:23-55&r=lab |
| By: | Ria Ivandic; Anne Sophie Lassen |
| Abstract: | Job loss leads to persistent adverse labor market outcomes, but assessments of gender differences in labor market recovery are lacking. We utilize plant closures in Denmark to estimate gender gaps in labor market outcomes and document that women face an increased risk of unemployment and lose a larger share of their earnings in the two years following job displacement. When accounting for observable differences in human capital across men and women, half of the gender gap in unemployment remains. In a standard decomposition framework, we document that childcare imposes an important barrier to women's labor market recovery regardless of individual characteristics. |
| Keywords: | gender gaps, childcare, job loss |
| Date: | 2023–09–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp1944&r=lab |
| By: | Elena Bastianelli (Università Bocconi); Cristina Solera (Università di Torino); Daniele Vignoli (Università di Firenze) |
| Abstract: | Gender theories agree that the role played by women and men’s employment status in the prediction of union dissolution depends on the level of gender equality in the society. Given its strong regional differences, Italy represents an excellent laboratory to study how variations in gender contexts influence the gendered relationship between employment status and union dissolution. We measured regional gender equality by means of an index comprising equality in three spheres: the labor market, the family, and the welfare context. By applying discrete-time event history models to nationally representative data, we estimated the probability of union dissolution for jobless and employed men and women across regions. Our results showed that, as contextual gender equality increases, differences by employment status diminish, and gender differences in the relationship between employment status and union dissolution virtually disappear – even in a country considered ‘traditional’ in terms of family and gender dynamics. |
| Keywords: | union dissolution; divorce; gender equality; employment status; Italy |
| JEL: | J12 J64 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fir:econom:wp2023_09&r=lab |
| By: | Vojtech Bartos; Silvia Castro; Kristina Czura; Timm Opitz |
| Abstract: | We analyze gender discrimination in entrepreneurship finance. Access to finance is crucial for entrepreneurial success, yet constraints for women are particularly pronounced. We structurally unpack whether loan officers evaluate business ideas and implementation constraints differently for male and female entrepreneurs, both as individual entrepreneurs or in entrepreneurial teams. In a lab-in-the-field experiment with Ugandan loan officers, we document gender discrimination of individual female entrepreneurs, but no gender bias in the evaluation of entrepreneurial teams. Our results suggest that the observed bias is not driven by animus against female entrepreneurs but rather by differential beliefs about women’s entrepreneurial ability or implementation constraints in running a business. Policies aimed at team creation for start-up enterprises may have an additional benefit of equalizing access to finance and ultimately stimulating growth. |
| Keywords: | access to finance, gender bias, entrepreneurship, lab-in-the-field |
| JEL: | C93 G21 J16 L25 L26 O16 |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10719&r=lab |
| By: | Ragnhild Balsvik; Doireann Fitzgerald; Stefanie Haller |
| Abstract: | Multinational affiliates are more productive than domestic firms, so how do they affect a host country through the labor market? We use data for Norway to show that the labor market is characterized by a job ladder, with multinationals on the upper rungs. We calibrate a general equilibrium job ladder model with endogenous multinational entry to the Norwegian data. In a counterfactual where multinationals face an infinite entry cost, payments to labor fall and profits of domestic firms rise, but the impact is heterogeneous. Competition for workers increases low down on the job ladder, while it decreases high up. |
| Keywords: | multinationals, labor market, job ladder |
| JEL: | E24 F23 F66 J63 J64 |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10701&r=lab |
| By: | Bernhard Schmidpeter (Economics, Johannes Kepler University Linz) |
| Abstract: | Little is known about how workers update expectations about job search and earnings when exposed to labor market news. To identify the impact of news on expectations, I exploit Foxconn's unexpected announcement to build a manufacturing plant in Racine County. Exposure to positive news leads to an increase in expected salary growth at the current firm. Individuals also revise their expectations about outside offers upward, anchoring their beliefs to Foxconn’s announced wages. They act on their updated beliefs with a small increase in current consumption. Negative news from a scaled-down plan leads to a revision of expectations back toward baseline. |
| Keywords: | beliefs formation, wage expectations, outside options, consumption |
| JEL: | C33 D84 E24 J31 J63 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jku:econwp:2023-14&r=lab |
| By: | Rasmus Wiese; Jakob de Haan; João Tovar Jalles |
| Abstract: | We examine the impact of structural reforms on unemployment in 25 OECD countries between 1970- 2020. Our local projection (LP) results suggest that labour market reforms reduce unemployment, but only after four years (for youth unemployment it takes longer for the effect to set in), while product market reforms have no statistically significant effect on unemployment. However, if we control for the endogeneity of reforms, the effect of labour market reform becomes statistically significant within a year, while product market reforms temporarily increase unemployment. We also find that labour market reforms hardly have an impact on unemployment in the euro area and that labour market reforms do not significantly affect unemployment when the economy is below trend. The effects of structural reforms on unemployment are stronger under high collective bargaining. |
| Keywords: | unemployment; structural reforms; local projections; endogeneity of reforms; nonlinearities; collective bargaining; AIPW |
| JEL: | E62 H30 J21 J65 L43 L51 O43 O47 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ise:remwps:wp02962023&r=lab |
| By: | Ciccarelli, Carlo (University of Rome Tor Vegata); Fenske, James (University of Warwick and CAGE); Martí Henneberg, Jordi (Universitat de Lleida) |
| Abstract: | We show that the spread of the railway network slowed the decline of fertility in Europe during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We construct novel data on market access across sub-national regions in Europe and use both a panel fixed effects approach and an instrumental variables strategy that leverages variation in market access stemming from access to distant markets. We find that greater market access predicts higher fertility, with a standardized magnitude of 0.14. Consistent with an interpretation that market access increased fertility by raising incomes relative to the returns to child quality and the opportunity cost of childbearing, we show that our results are driven by locations that achieved higher levels of income per capita despite lagging in human capital and female labor force participation. |
| Keywords: | Economic History JEL Classification: |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:686&r=lab |
| By: | Lee, Munseob (University of California, San Diego) |
| Abstract: | The disparities in cross-country labor productivity are greater in agriculture than in other industries. I propose that the misallocation of female talent across sectors distorts productivity. I formalize the theory by using a general equilibrium Roy model with gender-specific frictions. If female workers experience higher frictions in nonagricultural sectors, then female workers who are better skilled at non-agricultural jobs may select into agricultural sector. From a sample of 66 countries, I find that low-income countries have higher frictions in non-agricultural industries. By setting frictions to US levels, agricultural labor productivity increases by 4.3-7.6 percent, nonagricultural labor productivity decreases by 0.7-1.4 percent, and GDP per capita increases by 0.8-1.5 percent. |
| Keywords: | misallocation, gender, occupational choice, productivity |
| JEL: | O11 O13 O47 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16530&r=lab |
| By: | Emmanuel Saez; Benjamin Schoefer; David G. Seim |
| Abstract: | We study the role of employment protection legislation (EPL) in boosting employment among older workers. Our analysis juxtaposes the quantitative employment gains with the qualitative “deadwood labor” problem that such gains entail. We do so by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the sharp and complete elimination of EPL that occurs at age 67 in Sweden, as well as reform-driven shifts in this age cutoff. First, focusing on direct separation effects, we find that 8% of jobs separate in response to the elimination of EPL. Effects stem from jobs with stronger initial EPL (long-tenure, firms subject to “last in, first out” rules), and those in the public sector. Separations appear involuntary to workers, with firms targeting plausibly unproductive (sick) workers. Second, we focus on effects of continuing jobs. While wages appear rigid to EPL, we uncover novel, sizable intensive-margin hours reductions among continuing jobs, and an 8% drop in earnings conditional on staying on the job. Third, we estimate total equilibrium effects at the cohort level, where separations fully pass through into employment to population rate effects, with no offsetting effect from hiring. On a per-capita basis, total earnings of older workers causally drop by 21.5% due to EPL elimination. We validate these local effects by leveraging a reform-driven shift in the age cutoff from 67 to 68. |
| JEL: | J0 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31797&r=lab |
| By: | Andreas Ferrara |
| Abstract: | This chapter reviews key literature studying the effects of wars on minority and underrepresented groups in U.S. labor markets in the 20th century. These labor markets, characterized by historically pervasive barriers to entry into certain occupations and industries, promotions, and fair pay for underrepresented workers, experienced severe challenges during times of war. These challenges served to break down some of the barriers faced by underrepresented workers. Recent years have shown that sudden labor shortages, similar to those induced by large-scale wars, are not a feature of the past. Hence, a better understanding of such shortages and their effects on different groups continues to be important. The focus here is on the labor market outcomes of Black and white women, as well as Black men, during and after the two World Wars. Their labor inputs compensated for the lack of white male workers during the war years; however, only WWII generated significant and more prolonged socioeconomic progress for both groups. This chapter summarizes theoretical considerations that can explain why some war-induced labor market shocks are persistent while others are not, and the empirical literature related to the labor market experiences of women and Black workers during and after the World Wars. |
| JEL: | H56 J15 J16 J82 N42 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31811&r=lab |
| By: | Yiwei Qian; Naveen Sunder; Adnan M. S. Fakir (Department of Economics, University of Sussex, BN1 9SL Falmer, United Kingdom); Rakesh Banerjee; Tushar Bharati |
| Abstract: | We conduct an experiment on a major international online freelancing labor market platform to study the impact of greater flexibility in choosing work hours within a day on female participation. We post identical job advertisements (for 320 jobs) covering a wide range of tasks (80 distinct tasks) that differ only in flexibility and the fee offered. Comparing application numbers across these jobs, we find that though both men and women prefer flexibility, the elasticity of response for women is twice as large as for men. Flexible jobs receive 24 percent more female applications and 12 percent more male applications compared to inflexible jobs. Our findings have important implications in explaining gender differences in labor market outcomes and for firms interested in attracting more women employees. |
| Keywords: | workplace flexibility, online freelancing jobs, female labour force participation |
| JEL: | J22 O14 J16 L86 |
| Date: | 2023–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sus:susewp:0723&r=lab |
| By: | Elio Nimier-David; David Sraer; David Thesmar |
| Abstract: | Since 1967, all French firms with more than 100 employees are required to share a fraction of their excess-profits with their employees. Through this scheme, firms with excess-profits distribute on average 10.5% of their pre-tax income to workers. In 1990, the eligibility threshold was reduced to 50 employees. We exploit this regulatory change to identify the effects of mandated profit-sharing on firms and their employees. The cost of mandated profit-sharing for firms is evident in the significant bunching at the 100 employee threshold observed prior to the reform, which completely disappears post-reform. Using a difference-in-difference strategy, we find that, at the firm-level, mandated profit-sharing (a) increases labor share by 1.8 percentage points, (b) reduces the profit share by 1.4 percentage points, and (c) does not affect investment nor productivity. At the employee level, mandated profit-sharing increases low-skill workers' total compensation and leaves high-skill workers total compensation unchanged. Overall, mandated profit-sharing redistributes excess-profits to lower-skill workers in the firm, without generating significant distortions or productivity effects. |
| JEL: | G3 H20 J01 J30 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31804&r=lab |
| By: | Sangyup Choi (Yonsei University); Davide Furceri (IMF); Seung Yong Yoo (Yale University) |
| Abstract: | The real option value theory posits that non-convex adjustment costs pertaining to a firm’s input are central to comprehending the consequences of increased uncertainty. This paper leverages the diversity observed at both sectoral and country levels in the degree of irreversibility associated with hiring and firing, a critical factor generating what is commonly referred to as “wait-and-see” behavior in times of heightened uncertainty. Our findings reveal two key insights. First, in alignment with the concept of second-moment shocks, uncertainty shocks predominantly influence the labor market through the extensive margin rather than the intensive margin. Second, the effects of uncertainty shocks exhibit pronounced heterogeneity across countries and industries, and the adverse employment effects (extensive margin) are amplified in a country with strict employment protection or in an industry characterized by a higher natural layoff rate, consistent with the real option theory. |
| Keywords: | Uncertainty shocks; Irreversibility; Wait-and-see; Employment protection legislation; Natural layoff rate; Difference-in-difference |
| JEL: | E24 J20 J50 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:yon:wpaper:2023rwp-222&r=lab |
| By: | Mariana Marchionni (CEDLAS-IIE-FCE-UNLP & CONICET); Julián Pedrazzi (CEDLAS-IIE-FCE-UNLP & CONICET) |
| Abstract: | We assess whether motherhood could be the last hurdle to achieving gender equality in developing countries by exploring the link between motherhood and the overall gender gap in the labor market for 14 Latin American countries over the last two decades. Using pseudo- panels built from harmonized household surveys and an event study approach around the birth of the first child, we find that the arrival of the first child leads to a sharp and persistent 35% decline in mothers’ earnings. This result is explained by a reduction in employment and a prompting shift towards occupations that favor more flexible work arrangements, including part-time and informal jobs. These effects are pervasive across countries and population groups. Furthermore, using an extended version of the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, we identify motherhood as the primary source of income inequality between men and women. Motherhood explains 42% of the remaining gender gap and has progressively gained relative importance over the last two decades while other contributing factors, such as education and its associated returns, have shown a waning impact. Moreover, we find no clear cross- country association between the motherhood-related gap and per capita GDP or gender norms, while the contribution of other factors to the gender gap in earnings diminishes with higher per capita GDP and more gender-egalitarian social norms. This suggests that gender gaps stemming from the motherhood effect exhibit greater rigidity than other drivers of gender inequality. |
| JEL: | D63 J13 J16 J22 J31 |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dls:wpaper:0321&r=lab |
| By: | Romane Frecheville-Faucon; Magali Jaoul-Grammare; Faustine Perrin |
| Abstract: | Gender equality and women’s empowerment are universally recognized as essential for sustainable and prosperous development. This chapter offers a comprehensive overview of gender inequalities prevalent in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, delving into the historical context of such disparities with a particular focus on education. The chapter highlights the strides made through the implementation of legal frameworks and policies. However, despite significant progress, gender inequalities persist, leaving women susceptible to adverse consequences in their daily lives and rendering them more vulnerable to economic shocks. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of gender inequalities and taking active measures to address them, societies could strive towards a more inclusive and egalitarian society and foster sustainable and prosperous developments for all. |
| Keywords: | Gender; Inequality; Policy; Sustainable Development. |
| JEL: | B54 I24 J16 |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2023-32&r=lab |
| By: | Vega, Alejandro (Department of Economics, Umeå University) |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates the labor supply response to an increase in the marginal wage rate among middle-aged to elderly Mexican women. Using data from the National Survey of Occupation and Employment, I find that an increase in the marginal wage rate is associated with an increase in worked hours. The results suggest that the marginal wage rate elasticities are greater for older women than for their younger counterparts. |
| Keywords: | labor supply; marginal wage; women; Mexico |
| JEL: | I10 J01 |
| Date: | 2023–11–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:umnees:1017&r=lab |
| By: | Janet Holtzblatt; Swati Joshi; Nora R. Cahill; William Gale |
| Abstract: | Although it is generally blind with respect to race, the federal individual income tax can create racial disparities when factors that affect tax liability are associated with race. We provide new evidence on racial differences in marriage penalties and bonuses in the income tax, using data from eight waves of the Survey of Consumer Finances. Our results support Brown’s (2021) hypothesis that, controlling for income, penalties are more frequent and larger for Black couples than white couples. We link these results to racial differences in relative spousal earnings, the presence of dependents, and the level of income. We show that marriage rates are much higher among white adults than Black adults, which implies that two policy reforms we examine end up benefiting a greater share of white adults than Black adults. |
| JEL: | H20 H24 J15 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31805&r=lab |
| By: | Fanghua Li; Chenyang Ji; Moshe Buchinsky |
| Abstract: | In this paper we examine the causal relationship between formal social insurance and individuals’ migration decisions. We exploit a quasi experimental design in rural China, under which county officials were assigned to a group of villages (i.e., treated villages) to serve as village supervisors (VSs) for the local leaders. We show that this led to reduced favoritism in welfare allocation by the local leaders, thereby increasing the efficacy in the formal social insurance in the treated villages. We use detailed geo-referenced administrative household-level data suited for a spatial regression discontinuity design (RDD) to obtain an average treatment effect (LATE) of the improved social insurance on migration. The apparent variation in the implementation of the reform across treated villages and heterogeneous impacts on different family clans make it possible to directly link changes in the efficacy of the insurance to migration choices. We find a large positive migration effect, of about 19%, for the young males and females. In turn, this led to a large boost in the average household’s income in just two years. |
| JEL: | J01 O10 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31819&r=lab |
| By: | Alessandra Venturini; Cristina Mosso; Andrea Ricci |
| Abstract: | Integration of migrants is a priority in destination countries, but high unemployment and low wages and a strong segmentation still dominate the picture. The linguistic distance and the cultural distance are at the basis of the lack of soft skills which limit their inclusion. Cultural policies which have been considered redundant, are instead a priority for their positive effects on individuals and, in particular, on the foreigners. The present survey reviews the extensive research in the field using choir participation as pivotal activity. The results are measured with physiological and psychological indicators to understand the increase in self-esteem, self-efficacy and social inclusion which are needed for migrants to grasp the social capital of destination countries needed for integration. Even if the empirical studies are not scientifically convincing, i.e. small samples, no randomization, the numerosity and variety persuades about the positive effect. |
| JEL: | C23 J31 J61 |
| Date: | 2023–10–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cel:dpaper:64&r=lab |
| By: | Sagiri Kitao; Kanato Nakakuni |
| Abstract: | Over the past 50 years, Japan has witnessed a dramatic decline in fertility and marriage rates, along with a rise in educational attainment, particularly among women. Married women now dedicate significantly less time on housework and more time on leisure and childcare. We develop a model that allows for various forms of technological change and relative prices surrounding families, and quantify their roles to account for the trends of family formation and time allocation. We find that neutral productivity growth leads to an increase in leisure time and a decrease in work hours. Technological changes that favor female labor supply and rises in the time and financial costs of childcare are the main factors contributing to the decline in fertility and marriage rates. Skill-biased technological change contributes to the rise in education levels, while advancements of home production technology explain the shift in married women’s time allocation from housework to the market work. |
| Keywords: | Fertility, Marriage, Home Production, Women’s Time Allocation, Skill-biased Technological Change, Gender-biased Technological Change, Japan |
| JEL: | D10 E10 J10 O11 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:een:camaaa:2023-54&r=lab |
| By: | Johanna Catherine Maclean; Ioana Popovici; Christopher J. Ruhm |
| Abstract: | Unlike most advanced countries, the U.S. does not have a federal paid sick leave (PSL) policy; however, multiple states have adopted PSL mandates. PSL can facilitate healthcare use among women of child−bearing ages, including use of family planning services such as contraception, in−vitro fertilization, or abortion services. Use of these services, in turn, can increase or decrease birth rates. We combine administrative and survey data with difference-in-differences methods to shed light on these possibilities. Our findings indicate that state PSL mandates reduce birth rates, potentially through increased use of contraception but not changes in abortion services. We offer suggestive evidence of heterogeneity in birth rate effects by age, education, and race. Our findings imply that PSL policies may help women balance family and work responsibilities, and facilitate their reproductive choices. |
| JEL: | D1 I1 J13 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31801&r=lab |
| By: | Ari Ne'eman; Nicole Maestas |
| Abstract: | Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income, the United States’ two primary disability income support programs, each offer a pathway to public health insurance in addition to cash benefits. This implies that expansions in public health insurance availability, such as the ACA’s Medicaid expansions, may impact disability program participation and employment of people with disabilities. However, prior research has yielded mixed results as to the impact of Medicaid expansion on these outcomes. Using a stacked difference-in-differences design and data from the Current Population Survey, we demonstrate that the ACA’s Medicaid expansions increased SSDI receipt among individuals ages 50-64 with physical, self-care and independent living disabilities, consistent with a “job unlock” mechanism. Exploiting the longitudinal nature of the CPS, we show that treatment effects are heterogeneous and concentrated among persons with ongoing disabilities (as opposed to new disabilities) as reported on the CPS’s 6-question functional impairment sequence. We also show suggestive evidence of a reduction in SSI, but find that it is sensitive to specification and data preparation choices, which we illustrate through comparison with other recent work. Effects on employment are inconclusive. Our findings provide further evidence of work capacity among SSDI beneficiaries. |
| JEL: | I13 J14 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31816&r=lab |
| By: | Quintana-Domeque, Climent (University of Exeter); Zeng, Jingya (University of Exeter) |
| Abstract: | The COVID 19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the world, affecting not only physical health and the economy but also mental well being. This chapter provides an investigation of the causal link between lockdown measures a significant public health intervention and mental health. Our examination begins with an overview of the mental health landscape across various countries prior to the COVID 19 pandemic. We then summarize key insights from a range of surveys, reviews, and meta analyses concerning the pandemic's effect on mental health. Further, we delve into a detailed analysis of three noteworthy studies that employ natural experiments to investigate the effects of lockdowns on mental health in different countries. Despite their differing research designs, these studies converge on the conclusion that lockdowns have had a detrimental impact on mental health. The intensity of this effect, however, varies among different population groups. This suggests that lockdown measures have affected certain segments of the population more profoundly than others. |
| Keywords: | COVID 19, mental distress, natural experiments |
| JEL: | I1 J1 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16532&r=lab |
| By: | Teresa Cappelli; Luca Tiberti; Elisa Ticci |
| Abstract: | We investigate the gender gap in resilience to climate anomalies and the mediation channels between weather conditions and women’s agricultural outcomes in Benin. We find that, compared to a man, agricultural production is lower and more vulnerable to adverse rainfall conditions when the parcel manager is a woman. We also show that the Plans Fonciers Ruraux (PFR), a land titling RCT reform that started in Benin in 2008, does not significantly mitigate the gendered effects of rainfall deviations. Moreover, we provide new suggestive evidence on the role of gender-based intra-household differences when climate variations occur. We find that adverse weather conditions would push female parcel managers to reduce cultivated land, agricultural investment and labour supply more than male managers. We argue that, in rain-fed agriculture, adverse climate events can increase household competition over resources; in such an environment, the differential in intra-household bargaining power may become relevant and result in larger gender gaps. |
| Keywords: | eCommerce, Adverse climate events; Resilience; Gender gap in agriculture; Land tenure; Benin. |
| JEL: | Q12 Q15 Q18 Q54 J16 |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:frz:wpaper:wp2023_08.rdf&r=lab |
| By: | Leonardo Becchetti (CEIS & DEF, University of Rome "Tor Vergata"); Gianluigi Conzo (University of Rome "Tor Vergata"); Fabio Pisani (University of Rome "Tor Vergata") |
| Abstract: | We use data of the 10th European Social Survey containing information on COVID-19 and work at distance. We find that working with employers that accept working from home or place of choice less than before the COVID-19 period impacts negatively and significantly on respondents’ wellbeing. We calculate that the reduction of this opportunity produces a fall of 5.6 percent in the probability of declaring high life satisfaction, the effect being concentrated in the subsample of respondents with work-life balance problems where the magnitude of the impact goes up to a maximum of 11 percent. Our findings contribute to explain the COVID-19 Easterlin paradox (contemporary occurrence of a sharp fall in GDP and non decrease/increase, in life satisfaction in the first 2020 COVID-19 year in many countries) and the great resignation - the rise of quit rates after COVID-19, partly motivated by absence of offers of hybrid contracts allowing a mix of work in presence and work at distance |
| Keywords: | distance work, life satisfaction, COVID-19 |
| JEL: | I31 J08 |
| Date: | 2023–11–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rtv:ceisrp:566&r=lab |
| By: | Ilyana Kuziemko; Nicolas Longuet Marx; Suresh Naidu |
| Abstract: | We argue that the Democratic Party’s evolution on economic policy helps explain partisan realignment by education. We show that less-educated Americans differentially demand “predistribution” policies (e.g., a federal jobs guarantee, higher minimum wages, protectionism, and stronger unions), while more-educated Americans differentially favor redistribution (taxes and transfers). This educational gradient in policy preferences has been largely unchanged since the 1940s. We then show the Democrats’ supply of predistribution has declined since the 1970s. We tie this decline to the rise of a self-described “New Democrat” party faction who court more educated voters and are explicitly skeptical of predistribution. Consistent with this faction’s growing influence, we document the significant growth of donations from highly educated donors, especially from out-of-district donors, who play an increasingly important role in Democratic (especially “New Democrat”) primary campaigns relative to Republican primaries. In response to these within-party changes in power, less-educated Americans began to leave the Democratic Party in the 1970s, after decades of serving as the party’s base. Roughly half of the total shift can be explained by their changing views of the parties’ economic policies. We also show that in the crucial transition period of the 1970s and 1980s, New Democrat-aligned candidates draw disproportionately from more-educated voters in both survey questions and actual Congressional elections. |
| JEL: | H20 J0 P0 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31794&r=lab |
| By: | Rishi Goyal (International Monetary Fund); Ratna Sahay (National Council of Applied Economic Research) |
| Abstract: | The International Monetary Fund’s 2022 Strategy to Mainstream Gender calls for an intentional and systematic approach to integrating gender into macroeconomic policies to foster strong, sustainable, and inclusive growth. This Note argues that the IMF is filling a critical gap in its mandate by mainstreaming gender into its work. It makes the case that (i) closing gender gaps is macrocritical because they go hand-in-hand with higher economic growth, greater financial stability, and lower income inequality. Not doing so would lead to underdevelopment, underutilization, and misallocation of productive human resources; and (ii) applying a gender lens to macroeconomic, financial, and structural policy design can help to narrow gender gaps and result in improved economic outcomes. This Note provides an overview of gender gaps in opportunities, outcomes, and representation; takes stock of how these gaps impact macroeconomic and financial outcomes; and identifies polices to narrow these gaps. It explains how narrowing gender gaps can benefit societies and outlines steps countries can take to unleash the economic gains from gender equality. |
| Keywords: | Macroeconomics, Gender Studies, International Monetary Fund |
| JEL: | J16 O11 F66 |
| Date: | 2023–09–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nca:ncaerw:149&r=lab |