Usages d'lnternet selon le genre et I'âge: une double différenciation*

At the heart of current debates on the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the question of the importance of variations in the use of the Internet. In order to contribute to this discussion we have conducted a survey. The research instrument dealt with a week's computer usage with more than 40 possibilities of Internet use. The results show that age, more often than gender, is a discriminating variable in terms of Internet use, even if we can argue that, between the sexes, differences associated with gender stereotypes reappear. On the other hand, we argue that there is a homogenization of practices for other functions (chat, forums, etc.) and, as a whole, an attenuation of socio-economic variables.
Au œeur des débats actuels sur l'impact des technologies d'information et de communication (TIC) se pose la question de l'importance et de la variété des usages d'Internet. Dans le but de contribuer à cette discussion, nous avons mené une enquête. L'instrument de collecte portait sur le temps passé, par semaine, devant un ordinateur et sur plus de 40 possibilités d'usages d'Internet. Les résultats démontrent que l'âge, plus souvent que le genre, est une variable discriminante de la consommation d'Internet, même si nous pouvons constater que, entre les sexes, des differénces associées aux stéréotypes de genre réapparaissent. Par contre, nous constatons aussi une homogénéisation des pratiques pour d'autres fonctions (clavardage, forums…) et, dans l'ensemble, une atténuation de l'influence des variables sociodémographiques habituelles.     

LIVING IN TWO NEIGHBORHOODS—SOCIAL INTERACTION EFFECTS IN THE LABORATORY

Field evidence suggests that people belonging to the same group often behave similarly, that is, behavior exhibits social interaction effects. We conduct a laboratory experiment that avoids the identification problem present in the field and allows us to study the behavioral logic of social interaction effects. Our novel design feature is that each subject is simultaneously a member of two randomly assigned and identical groups where only members (“neighbors”) are different. We study behavior in a coordination game with multiple equilibria and a public goods game, which has only one equilibrium in material payoffs. We speak of social interactions if the same subject at the same time makes group‐specific decisions that depend on their respective neighbors' decisions. We find that a majority of subjects exhibit social interaction effects both when the game has multiple equilibria in material payoffs and when it only has one equilibrium. (JEL C91, H41, K42, H26)     

THE IMPACT OF TELEVISED SPEECHES AND FOREIGN TRAVEL ON PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL

Considerable attention has been devoted in recent years to theuse of political drama by the president, with the most discretionaryforms of drama—speeches and foreign travel—receivingmuch scrutiny. In fact, there has arisen a conventional wisdomwhich asserts that televised speeches and foreign travel bythe president (1) have increased over time, (2) exert a uniformlypositive impact on public evaluations of the president's performance,and (3) can therefore be used as a strategy for influencingthe president's approval ratings, a vital resource for the modernpresident. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate this conventionalwisdom and thus assess the value of televised speeches and foreigntravel as influences on presidential approval. The paper firstdefines political drama and casts the conventional wisdom inthe form of three propositions. It next develops a researchstrategy for evaluating these propositions in an appropriatemanner. Finally, the paper tests the propositions. The resultscast considerable doubt on the conventional wisdom and leadto the conclusion that the use of political drama is not anall-purpose strategy guaranteed to halt declines or replenishsizable losses of presidential approval.     

WHO MAKES A GOOD LEADER? COOPERATIVENESS,OPTIMISM, AND LEADING‐BY‐EXAMPLE

We examine the characteristics of effective leaders in a simple leader‐follower voluntary contributions game. We focus on two factors: the individual's cooperativeness and the individual's beliefs about the cooperativeness of others. We find that groups perform best when led by those who are cooperatively inclined. Partly, this reflects a false consensus effect: cooperative leaders are more optimistic than noncooperators about the cooperativeness of followers. However, cooperative leaders contribute more than noncooperative leaders even after controlling for optimism. We conclude that differing leader contributions by differing types of leader in large part reflects social motivations. (JEL A13, C92, D03)     

Apostles and Zionists: The influence of religion on demographic change in rural Zimbabwe

Religion has acted as a brake on demographic transition in a number of historical and contemporary populations. In a study in two rural areas of Zimbabwe, we found substantial differences in recent demographic trends between Mission and Independent or `Spirit-type' churches. Birth rates are higher in some Spirit-type churches and, until recently, infant mortality was also higher. Recent increases in mortality were seen within Mission churches but not in Spirit-type churches. Missiological and ethnographic data indicate that differences in religious teaching on healthcare-seeking and sexual behaviour and differences in church regulation could explain this contrast in demographic patterns. More restrictive norms on alcohol consumption and extra-marital relationships in Spirit-type churches may limit the spread of HIV and thereby reduce its impact on mortality. These contrasting trends will influence the future religious and demographic profile of rural populations in Zimbabwe.     

Two‐Sample Bootstrap Hypothesis Tests for Three‐Dimensional Labelled Landmark Data

Abstract. We investigate resampling methodologies for testing the null hypothesis that two samples of labelled landmark data in three dimensions come from populations with a common mean reflection shape or mean reflection size‐and‐shape. The investigation includes comparisons between (i) two different test statistics that are functions of the projection onto tangent space of the data, namely the James statistic and an empirical likelihood statistic; (ii) bootstrap and permutation procedures; and (iii) three methods for resampling under the null hypothesis, namely translating in tangent space, resampling using weights determined by empirical likelihood and using a novel method to transform the original sample entirely within refection shape space. We present results of extensive numerical simulations, on which basis we recommend a bootstrap test procedure that we expect will work well in practise. We demonstrate the procedure using a data set of human faces, to test whether humans in different age groups have a common mean face shape.     

TAXPAYER WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM: A CONTINGENT VALUATION ANALYSIS

A key criterion for evaluating policies to expand health insurance coverage is weighing the costs of such policies against the willingness of the public to pay for coverage expansions. We use new panel survey data from New York State to estimate residents' willingness to pay (WTP) to expand public insurance coverage. Using a nonparametric double‐bounded contingent valuation (CV) approach, we specifically ask residents about their WTP to reduce the rate of uninsurance in the state. Our results imply an aggregate lower‐bound WTP of over $2,800 per year to cover one person. We also analyze heterogeneity in WTP by sub‐group and changes in individual WTP over time between 2008 and 2010. We find that a large majority of residents are willing to pay additional taxes to reduce the number of uninsured in the state, and that average WTP remained remarkably stable despite the economic downturn and the politically polarized discussions surrounding the Affordable Care Act. Decomposing the changes in individual WTP, we find that economic factors related to the recession, including changes in income and employment status, cannot explain changes in individual WTP, whereas individual changes in political opinions about health insurance reform between 2008 and 2010 are strongly correlated with changes in WTP. (JEL H20, H42, H51, H75, I13)     

THE MAN IN THE TEFLON SUIT?: THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTION, POLITICAL DRAMA, AND POPULAR SUPPORT IN THE REAGAN PRESIDENCY

An examination of public support during the presidency of RonaldReagan reveals a unique pattern. The major features includetwo instances of rapidly declining support followed by historicallyunprecedented and sustained recoveries. The recovery of supportis particularly surprising given that the literature of theearly 1980s emphasizes the irrecoverable erosion of public supportand a resulting "no win" presidency. In this sense, the patternof public support from 1981 to 1987 raises a significant questionabout the "no win" presidency. Does the Reagan case contradictrecent assertions about the inability of modern presidents tomaintain public support or is Reagan an exception that "provesthe rule"? To answer this question, the analysis is divided into five parts.The first examines the literature and shows that there is astriking uniformity in contemporary accounts of Reagan's publicsupport. These explanations discount the importance of conditionsin the environment and emphasize that Reagan's public supportis based upon a mixture of luck, personality, and politicaldrama. Part two defines political drama and examines its usefrom 1981 to 1987. In part three, we develop a methodology forincorporating political drama into a general model of publicsupport for Reagan. Part four estimates the model and uses theresults to assess the relative impact of the economy and politicaldrama on public support for Reagan. These results are used inthe final section to evaluate the specific explanations of Reagan'spublic support and to reflect upon the competing general explanationsfound in the literature.     

DOES INDUSTRIAL DIVERSITY ALWAYS REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT? EVIDENCE FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION and AFTER

A portfolio model of employment predicts that cities with more diversified employment opportunities should experience lower unemployment rates than less diversified cities. Empirical analysis of the diversity-unemployment relationship using Census data support the portfolio theory for the years 1950,1960, and 1970. During the early months of the Great Depression, however, industrially more diversified cities experienced higher, rather than lower, rates of unemployment. By combining the portfolio model of employment with the Lucas-Phelps islands model, the anomalous effect of diversity in 1931 is explained as the result of employers' difficulty of distinguishing real from nominal shocks.