Poverty and social conditions in Poland during the transformation to a market economy

The social welfare system in Poland was changed during the 1990s. The full employment policy, as a guarantee for social security, was abandoned and the institutions through which social resources were distributed were replaced. State-owned enterprises previously fulfilled certain social functions; the necessary resources came from state subsidies and from obligatory funds: housing and social funds as well as a proportion of wage costs. Thus, the prices of many types of important consumption goods (such as food and housing) were fixed at a relatively low level. The elimination of subsidies resulted in the bankruptcy of many state-owned enterprises which, in turn, led to the diminished importance of the social security function of industrial enterprises. Their role in the newly created social welfare system was taken over by social welfare centers, through which assistance was distributed to those in need. Besides the traditional recipients of social assistance, a growing number of unemployed people, who comprise approximately 14% of the productively active citizens, have also begun collecting assistance.     

失业保险金给付博弈分析及其优化设计

我国现行失业保险制度运行中存在失业保险金的给付两难,给付双方是一种博弈关系。通过构建政府与失业人员的失业保险金给付静态博弈和完全而不完美信息动态博弈并进行解析,需要从缩短失业保险金的给付期限、充分发挥失业保险金的促进就业功能等方面对现行失业保险制度进行优化设计。     

Computational and statistical efficiency of semiparametric gls estimators

In this note, we report a dramatic improvement in the computational efficiency of semiparametric generalized least squares(SGLS) estimation. Computation of SGLS estimates no longer presents serious problems with data sets of moderate size. We also correct a numerical error in the standard errors of the SGLS estimates reported in our recent paper in this journal (Horowitz and Neumann, 1987). The corrected standard errors of SGLS are comparable to those we reported for quantile estimates.     

Approximate estimation in nonlinear panel data models

This paper is concerned with the estimation of a general class of nonlinear panel data models in which the conditional distribution of the dependent variable and the distribution of the heterogeneity factors are arbitrary. In general, exact analytical results for this problem do not exist. Here, Laplace and small-sigma appriximations for the marginal likelihood are presented. The computation of the MLE from both approximations is straightforward. It is shown that the accuracy of the Laplace approximation depends on both the sample size and the variance of the individual effects, whereas the accuracy of the small-sigma approximation is 0(1) with respect to the sample size. The results are applied to count, duration and probit panel data models. The accuracy of the approximations is evaluated through a Monte Carlo simulation experiment. The approximations are also applied in an analysis of youth unemployment in Australia.     

知识经济对我国就业的影响

知识经济的兴起,促进经济全球化,推动国际分工的发展,带动产业结构的调整与升级。知识经济的发展,一方面,增加我国就业的难度,另一方面,会开辟新的就业领域,提供新的就业岗位,但与我国存在的大量劳动力供给相比,无法满足需要。为此,必然采取切实可行的措施,解决失业问题。     

Mindfulness and health behaviors in college students: The moderating role of sleep

Abstract

Objective: To examine the moderating effects of subjective sleep quality (SSQ) and sleep duration on the relationships between mindfulness and health behaviors (i.e. nutrition and exercise) among undergraduate students. The unique influence of the five facets (i.e. factors) of mindfulness (i.e. observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonreactivity to inner experience and nonjudging of inner experience) on students’ health behaviors was also explored. Participants: Three hundred fifty seven undergraduate students enrolled in U.S. colleges. Methods: Students completed an online survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine whether SSQ moderated the relationship between mindfulness and nutrition behavior. Results: SSQ moderated the relationship between mindfulness and nutrition behavior. The observe facet of mindfulness was the most predictive of nutrition behavior, whereas the observe and describe facets were the most predictive of exercise behavior. Conclusions: Interventions that target mindfulness and sleep quality may help promote healthy eating and increased exercise engagement in college students.     

中国失业阶段性转换特点及对策研究

近20多年,中国的失业经历了由隐性失业向显性失业的转化,为此,中国承受了巨大的总量失业的压力。而从发展趋势看,中国总量失业将会逐渐减压,而结构性失业将日益突显,同时外生性失业弱化,内生性失业强化。因此,在政策层面上,必须对中国失业阶段性转换特点给予密切的关注,并不失时机地将总量控制为主的就业政策转向结构控制为主的就业政策。     

Shifts in attitudes and labor market discrimination: Swedish experiences after 9-11

We present longitudinal survey data suggesting that the terrorist attacks in the USA on September 11, 2001, changed attitudes toward certain minorities in Sweden. This finding is consistent with results in previous studies. To investigate whether this change in attitudes also affected the labor market situation of these minorities, we study unemployment exit around 9-11 using detailed data on the entire Swedish working-age population. Contrary to what may be expected from many theories of labor market discrimination, the time pattern of exits and entries for different ethnic groups, as well as difference-in-differences analyses, shows no sign of increased discrimination toward these minorities. A possible explanation for this result is that employers act rationally in their hiring decisions and do not respond to changes in attitudes toward immigrants as a group.

Structural reforms and labor markets in Argentina

Argentina is considered to be one of the most successful cases of structural reforms in Latin America, because of the extent and rapid pace of the reforms after the hyperinflationary process of 1989–1990. At the beginning of 1991, the convertible plan was launched and inflation fell sharply. However, even when the economy is growing fast, the problems in the labor market seem to worsen. Unemployment and underemployment have risen, and an increasing number of people have fallen out of normal work. The article analyzes how changes in labor markets are closely related to the transformation process in the economic system. After a summary of the situation before the crisis of the 1980s, the article analyzes the stabilization plans applied and then discusses the current dynamics of labor markets and the policies implemented to change labor regulations. Finally, some hypotheses about future scenarios are presented.     

The Singularity of the Information Matrix of the Mixed Proportional Hazard Model

This paper presents new identification conditions for the mixed proportional hazard model. In particular, the baseline hazard is assumed to be bounded away from 0 and ∞ near t = 0. These conditions ensure that the information matrix is nonsingular. The paper also presents an estimator for the mixed proportional hazard model that converges at rate N^−1/2.