Can Latin America Protect the Elderly with Non‐Contributory Programmes? The Case of Uruguay

Coverage of contributory pension programmes has been quite disappointing in Latin America in the aftermath of the reforms. The question thus arises as to whether non‐contributory programmes could fill the gap. Uruguay is atypical in this region in that the proportion of the elderly receiving contributory pensions is high, and the incidence of poverty among the aged population is lower than among any other age group. But several observers fear that this situation could deteriorate in the future, because the conditions for accessing the pensions have been significantly tightened in the past decade. This article assesses several options for reforming the existing non‐contributory pension programme, and estimates their fiscal cost.     

Vivre sa vieillesse en Suisse. Les transformations des modes de résidence des personnes âgées

We analyse here the household situation of the elderly in Switzerland. The study is based on an original analytical framework applied to the 1991 and 1994 round of the Swiss Labour Force Survey and a secondary analysis of the Swiss Federal Censuses of 1970, 1980 and 1990. The situation at the beginning of the '90s is described in the different age groups of the second part of the lifecourse and in reference to individual profiles. In a second step, this information is considered in the light of the evolution which occurred during the last thirty years. By comparing the situation in 1991 and 1994, we further propose insights into the transformations still in process. The objective is to examine in what measure elderly people are also affected by the new life styles shown in particular in the diversification of the household arrangements. More broadly, the aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the current mutations of the elderly's position in the family and in the society.     

Adult vocational training for migrants in North‐East Italy

This article contributes to the study of policies for the integration of immigrants into the labour markets of European immigration countries by focusing on the specific issue of vocational training for immigrant workers in Italy. Vocational training has a central role in the European employment strategy. Moreover, with regard to migrants, it is also relevant to the topical issue of the governance of international labour migration. The article analyses both the demand and the supply of vocational training in north‐east Italy, generally regarded as the rich and industrialised heart of the country. It draws on 30 interviews conducted with key informants and experts from local and regional governmental bodies, trade unions, employment offices, and private educational agencies in the main towns of the Veneto region. Various types of vocational training for immigrant workers are considered, from traditional full‐time courses financed by the European Social Fund to new projects for the selection and pre‐training of immigrants in their countries of origin. The extent to which these policy tools are able to meet the actual needs of immigrant workers and of the local business sector is investigated, as well as their problematic interaction with the national regulatory framework for immigration control.     

Welfare Sharing Within Households: Identification from Subjective Well-being Data and the Collective Model of Labor Supply

The paper proposed a novel approach to identifying intra-household allocations in households with two decision-makers. We addressed the issue by using the collective model of labor supply. Most empirical studies based on the collective approach were restricted to the identification of the sharing rule guiding individual allocations up to a constant. We suggested using individual welfare satisfaction data as an additional source of identification. An empirical example was given using the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey. The sharing rule was found to be related to the spouses’ wage and age differences and number of children. Sharing varied with the level of household income: In low-income households, sharing was equal; in middle (high) income households men held a slight (strong) advantage.     

Divorce and the duality of marital payoff

Empirical studies on the determinants of divorce are scarce in economics. The literature has focused on the impact of income differentials between partners. We extend the model of marital dissolution to integrate time-varying non-pecuniary quality of the match. We use a unique Russian dataset to measure shocks to the non-economic components of the value of marriage. Our estimates suggest that the monetary and non-monetary components enter additively into marriage surplus, but with gender-specific marginal rates of substitution: divorce hazard is more sensitive to the non-pecuniary dissatisfaction of the wife than to that of the husband; impacts of the monetary components are also gender-specific and highly non-linear. We link these findings to remarriage prospects and partial risk sharing.     

The Pension Scheme in Belarus: Situation Analysis and Perspectives

Following a review of the types of pension available in Belarus and the methods used for their calculation, the author analyses the problems facing policymakers. These include the effects of changes in the socio-economic situation and a disproportionate relation between pension scheme revenues and expenditures. Reforms under way are based on the creation of a three-level retirement insurance system with the aim of raising pension levels and rationalizing pension finance. Achieving popular assent for the measures required may be difficult.     

Through the eyes of a deaf architect: reconsidering conventional critiques of vision-centered architecture

Critics point to an excessive visual emphasis in Western architecture bringing about a weakened sense of belonging, and a disconnection from places and from other people. Architects’ visual way of knowing and working is further criticized for contributing to an alienating “architecture of the eye.” This article seeks to challenge this critique by offering a more nuanced understanding of vision and its connecting potential. To this end, it engages with how a d/Deaf architect, George Balsley, uses and attaches meaning to vision, partially prompted by the highly visual and spatial dynamics inherent to sign language. It relies on several interviews, observations, and a guided tour through a building he helped design, the Sorenson Language and Communication Center (SLCC) in Washington, DC. The article looks specifically into the building’s vision-centered features in relation to George’s d/Deaf ways of being. His way of seeing is reflected in distinct characteristics of the SLCC that sustain (sign) language, mediate interpersonal communication, and facilitate connection to and understanding of spaces – features that are relevant for but also beyond the d/Deaf community. The architecture that issues from George’s d/Deaf ways of seeing thus challenges the critique that vision-centered architecture by definition disconnects.