THE EFFECT OF BENEFIT SANCTIONS ON THE DURATION OF UNEMPLOYMENT

This paper investigates the effectiveness of unemployment benefit sanctions in reducing unemployment duration. Swiss data on benefit sanctions allow us to separate the effect of a warning that a person is not complying with eligibility requirements from the effect of the actual enforcement of a benefit sanction. Moreover, public employment services are given substantial leeway in setting the monitoring intensity. Results indicate that both warning and enforcement have a positive effect on the exit rate out of unemployment, and that increasing the monitoring intensity reduces the duration of unemployment of the nonsanctioned. (JEL: J64, J65, J68)     

Cost modelling for appropriate building and planning standards in Kenya

Prohibitively high building and planning standards are often considered as one of the main obstacles to low-cost housing provision in Kenya. Therefore, several agencies advocate the relaxation of these standards. The main motivation is the anticipated initial cost reduction. In this paper we argue that the extent to which global resource use will be affected has never been adequately quantified. This, apparently, can be attributed to a great extent to the multitude, complexity and interwoven nature of the parameters involved. It is found that the lack of tools available to adequately address this critical question aggravates the problem. Based on literature review and project analysis, the paper proposes a way of systematising the parameters that constitute the impact of revised standards on global cost. It further elaborates a simulation model that facilitates balancing of investment and recurrent costs for a shelter project in a Kenyan secondary town. It is suggested that this cost-modelling method can contribute significantly to better decision making for projects where building and planning standards are questioned, both in the region and beyond.     

Collecting social contact data in the context of disease transmission: Prospective and retrospective study designs

Patterns of direct contacts between people ultimately determine the transmission rate for airborne pathogens like influenza; therefore, data regarding contact behaviour are essential for designing infectious disease control. In order to collect reliable data about social contacts, decisions about the survey methodology have to be made. A series of relevant surveys was conducted in 2003–2006 among university students in Bielefeld, Germany. Each survey focussed on specific methodological questions related to the number of contacts encountered during 1 day. In this study, we report on the analysis of different survey designs.     

Does Environmental Degradation Influence Migration? Emigration to Developed Countries in the Late 1980s and 1990s*

Objective. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that climate change will intensify during the 21st century. The exact distribution of impacts will likely be complex in nature. Although some areas may exhibit benefits, many areas will likely experience environmental decline. The objective of this article is to answer the following question: What are the potential implications of deteriorating environmental conditions for human migration? This is not an easy question to answer because the full effects of climate change are not yet completely evident. Yet by studying the impact of environmental forces on migration in recent decades, we can offer some insight to this question. Methods. In implementing this approach, we employ theoretical and empirical methods. Our theoretical model suggests that environmental degradation should promote out‐migration from affected areas, all other things being equal. To test this prediction empirically, we conduct a large‐N statistical analysis focusing on the role of several environmental factors in emigration to developed countries. Our empirical sample covers the late 1980s and the 1990s. Results. The empirical results suggest that environmental decline plays a statistically significant role in out‐migration, pushing people to leave their homes and move to other countries. Conclusions. In the conclusions section of this article, we evaluate the policy implications of these findings for developed countries in the context of climate change and national security.     

Expanding economic protection to the elderly in Latin America

This article addresses the reforms introduced in Latin American pension systems that had the aim of increasing coverage beyond formal‐sector workers. For this purpose, fourteen representative regional experiences are analysed using a taxonomy based on features of the cases examined in terms of design, implementation and results. The findings show that, although the reforms share the goal of expanding coverage, there are significant differences deriving from the context in which they were originally designed, their goals, and the capacity available to implement them. The results are not homogeneous, and it is possible to identify some aspects in which policy decisions can lead to better or worse results.     

Balancing assembly line with skilled and unskilled workers

In this paper, we present the process of rebalancing the line at motorcycle-assembly plant. The company found it necessary to rebalance its line, since it needs to increase production in the spring and summer months. The main characteristics of the problem are as follows: (i) the company hires temporary staff, who need more time to carry out their tasks than permanent workers; (ii) there must always be at least one skilled employee working alongside an unskilled one; and (iii) different task groups are incompatible with each other (clean-hands tasks and dirty-hands tasks). The goal is to minimise the number of temporary workers required, given a cycle time and the team of workers on staff. The problem is modelled as a binary linear program (BLP) and solved optimally by means of the ILOG CPLEX 9.0 optimiser. The solution provided, namely 12 permanent workers (skilled) and two temporary workers (unskilled), is an improvement on the solution implemented by the business, which involved 12 permanent workers and four temporary workers.     

The Catalonia survey: Personality and intelligence structure in a sample of compulsive gamblers

A sample of fifty-seven pathological gamblers and one hundred and fifteen controls (two per pathological gambler, matched as regards age and sex) was investigated. This sample received a complex battery of psychometric tests designed to evaluate two different axes: psychopathology and intelligence. The results obtained show that pathological gamblers have an unstable family and work background, that pathological gambling correlates with other addictions (alcohol, illness prone behavior, absenteeism, risk working, living alone and bereavement), that all the general and specific psychopathology vectors were significant in the addicts, and that the pathological gamblers' intelligence has characteristic factors.We thank Ricardo Cayuela (Line Staff, Barcelona) for his help in collecting the sample; Jordi Daura for data processing work; Mercedes Lemonier, psychologist, for her help in administering and correcting the tests; Consol Marina and Teresa Ruiz for their secretarial assistance and contact with the 172 study subjects.     

Sources of Family Violence

This paper suggests a direction for the exploration of the causes of family violence. Explanatory models offamily violence were considered in this regard, with the recommendation that a multi-determined model should be considered to ensure the most accurate explanation. We suggest that family violence will be best understood and prevented or alleviated, if a model is used that considers the interaction of structural violence and the personality features of all the family members.     

Associations Between Social Support Network Characteristics and Receipt of Emotional and Material Support Among a Sample of Male Sexual Minority Youths

Few studies have examined how social support network characteristics are related to perceived receipt of social support among male sexual minority youths. Using egocentric network data collected from a study of male sexual minority youths (N = 592), multivariable logistic regression analyses examined distinct associations between individual and social network characteristics with receipt of (1) emotional and (2) material support. In multivariable models, frequent communication and having friends in one's network yielded a twofold increase in the likelihood of receiving emotional support whereas frequent communication was associated with an almost threefold higher likelihood of perceived material support. Finally, greater internalized homophobia and personal experiences of gay-related stigma were inversely associated with perceived receipt of emotional and material support, respectively. Understanding the evolving social context and social interactions of this new generation of male sexual minority youths is warranted in order to understand the broader, contextual factors associated with their overall health and well-being.