A theory of the value of children

This paper uses a non-standard value assumption—uncertainty reduction—to explain parenthood. We begin by reviewing the inadequacies of normative and standard rational choice explanations of shifts in fertility behavior. Then we propose a theory of the value of children based on the uncertainty-reduction assumption. Next we generate a range of hypotheses that follow both from this assumption and from a subsidiary assumption of marital solidarity enhancement. Finally, we explore the extent to which implications based on these new ideas are supported by the relevant empirical literature.     

“Prince Charming Syndrome?” Gender gap in preferences for defined contribution pensions in Japan

Using survey data collected by the Japan Institute of Life Insurance in 2002, this study finds that a significant gender gap existed in defined contribution (DC) pension knowledge among workers employed at small- to medium-sized private firms in Japan. Even with similar DC knowledge, however, men and women reveal different preferences for DC pensions, indicating that their perceptional responses may widely differ from actual behaviors. Apart from the knowledge gap, the result shows evidence of the Prince Charming Syndrome among female employees as a significant source of the gender gap in DC participation rates. Among corporate pension-covered employees, the gender difference in the efficacy of DC portability is a more significant gap-generating factor. DC tax advantage is particularly favored by pension-covered female employees over male counterparts, reducing the DC preference gap. No similar evidence is found for employees with no corporate pension coverage.     

CAN EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY EXPLAIN REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR IN THE CONTEMPORARY UNITED STATES?

Can evolutionary psychology explain human behavior in postindustrial societies? Critics point out that, contrary to its prediction, wealthy men in contemporary societies do not have more children than poor men. I replicate Pérusse's (1993) finding with a large, representative sample and demonstrate that, while they do not have more children, wealthy men nonetheless have more sex partners and copulate more frequently than poor men. They would therefore have achieved greater reproductive success in the ancestral environment without effective means of contraception.     

Social Capital and the Human Psyche: Why Is Social Life "Capital"?

In this article, we propose a revised definition of social capital, premised on the principles of evolutionary psychology. We define social capital as any feature of a social relationship that, directly or indirectly, confers reproductive benefits to a participant in that relationship. This definition grounds the construct of social capital in human nature by providing a basis for inferring the underlying motivations that humans may have in common, rather than leaving the matter of what humans use capital for unspoken. Discussions and empirical reviews are presented on the innateness of human sociability, sex differences in sociability, and psychological mechanisms that mediate sociability .     

Contingent valuation method can increase procedural justice

We hypothesized that the contingent valuation method (CVM) can enhance the procedural justice of policy formation as perceived by people generally, which in turn increases public acceptance of policy. In Study 1, a survey (n=484) asked whether respondents would accept a one-off tax, the purpose of which would be to protect the natural environment of Yakushima Island, Japan. In one condition, the respondents were told that the amount of the one-off tax was determined using the CVM. In a second condition, no such instruction was given. In Study 2, 55 subjects were asked to indicate their acceptance, or otherwise, of a one-off tax for the protection of the natural environment of Yakushima Island when the tax was determined using the CVM, and when the tax was determined using cost–benefit analysis. The data from the survey and the experiment confirmed the hypothesis that the CVM enhanced the perceived procedural justice and acceptance of the tax.     

College tuition payment and household consumption in Japan

Because tuition payment comprises a large proportion of expenses in households with children in universities, it causes large and clearly predictable changes in discretionary income in predetermined months. This study examines consumption smoothing for those households as an alternative test of the life-cycle/permanent income hypothesis, using the Japanese Family Income and Expenditure Survey. We show that a one yen decrease in discretionary income due to tuition payment is associated with 0.1–0.2 yen decrease in non-tuition spending in the month of tuition payment, showing that those households are not engaged in consumption smoothing.     

Minimal Basis for a Connected Markov Chain over 3 × 3 ×K Contingency Tables with Fixed Two-Dimensional Marginals

This paper considers a connected Markov chain for sampling 3 × 3 ×K contingency tables having fixed two‐dimensional marginal totals. Such sampling arises in performing various tests of the hypothesis of no three‐factor interactions. A Markov chain algorithm is a valuable tool for evaluating P‐values, especially for sparse datasets where large‐sample theory does not work well. To construct a connected Markov chain over high‐dimensional contingency tables with fixed marginals, algebraic algorithms have been proposed. These algorithms involve computations in polynomial rings using Gröbner bases. However, algorithms based on Gröbner bases do not incorporate symmetry among variables and are very time‐consuming when the contingency tables are large. We construct a minimal basis for a connected Markov chain over 3 × 3 ×K contingency tables. The minimal basis is unique. Some numerical examples illustrate the practicality of our algorithms.     

Why Men Commit Crimes (and Why They Desist)

Hirschi and Gottfredson (1983) claim that the relationship between age and crime is similar in all social and cultural conditions and that no current sociological or criminological theory can account for this similarity. We introduce the new field of evolutionary psychology and extend Daly and Wilson's (1988) work on homicide to construct a general theory of male criminality, which explains why men commit violent and property crimes. The theory can also explain the age-crime curve. It might also account for some empirical anomalies such as why physically smaller boys are more delinquent, and why violent criminals desist more slowly.     

Biogeographical history of northeastern Asiatic soricine shrews (insectivora, mammalia)

A hypothetical biogeographical history of northeastern Asiatic soricine shrews in the late Quaternary was developed by integrating their present distributions, fossil records, a hypothetical phylogeny, and geological investigations. First, a biological area cladogram of the northeastern Asiatic region was constructed by applying the vicariance hypothesis to the phylogeny of thecaecutiens/shinto group, a monophyletic group proposed by Ohdachi et al. (1997). Comparing the biological area cladogram with a geological hypothesis by Ohshima (1990,1991,1992), we hypothesized a geographical history of northeastern Asia. Species were then located on the dendrogram of the geographical history, referring to the present distributions, fossil records, and phylogeny of shrews. According to our hypothesis, higher species diversity of the northern region of northeastern Asia (Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and Eastern Siberia) was achieved by several series of colonizations and habitat expansion. On the other hand, the shrew communities of the southern region (Honshu, Sado, Shikoku, and Kyushu) were created by extinction and isolation followed by speciation.