Labor force participation and juvenile delinquency in Taiwan: a time series analysis

This study examines the null hypothesis of Granger no-causality between labor force participation (LFP) and juvenile delinquency in Taiwan. In order to explore this issue more thoroughly, this study adopts the approach proposed by Toda and Yamamoto (1995, Journal of Econometrics, 66(1–2), 225–250). It uses official time-series data provided by the Government of Taiwan. After estimating both a four- and five-variable VAR system, one that substitutes both male and female LFP rates for the aggregate LFP rate, the primary findings of this study reveal the following: The higher the past juvenile crime rate, the lower the future aggregate and female LFP rate will be. In addition, the higher the past male LFP rate, the higher the future juvenile crime rate will be. These findings are quite robust in terms of different lag-length structures.

Are Rich Earners Time-Privileged in Taiwan? The Evidence from 1981 to 2006

This paper investigates how the relationship between income and working hours in Taiwan has changed over time. By using the official individual sample in the Manpower Utilization Surveys from DGBAS during 1981–2006, this study concludes that higher earners worked fewer hours as the economy is expanding and the price level increases in Taiwan; however, higher earners lose their time privileges as the economy relies on the service sector more than before. Furthermore, with regard to gender differences, it is found that higher earners still have time advantages relative to lower earners over time for male, but not so for female.

Unemployment and Family Behavior in Taiwan

This paper utilizes official monthly time series data of Taiwan from January 1978 to April 2000 and estimates of a Vector Auto-regressive model with centered seasonal dummy variables to investigate the interrelationships between unemployment and family behavior such as divorce, marriage, and conception in Taiwan. When using the unemployment rate as a proxy for the cycle indicator, the primary finding is that the unemployment rate has a positive influence on the divorce rate in Taiwan. In addition, the marriage rate turns out to be positively affected by the unemployment rate as well. However, the conception rate is found to be negatively affected by the unemployment rate.     

An Analysis of the Peer Effects in Charitable Giving: The Case of Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to utilize the data from the Survey on Family Income and Expenditure in Taiwan to investigate the influence of peer effects on the behavior of charitable giving. Based on the definitions of the reference group in this study, the estimation results suggested that peer effects on households' decisions on both whether to make charitable giving and how much to contribute were quite modest. The study also found that the price elasticity and the income elasticity of charitable giving in Taiwan were larger than those in the U.S., which may partially explain the low ratio of charitable giving to GDP in Taiwan. The earthquake in 1999 substantially increased the amount of charitable giving though its effect diminished after sometime.     

The Influence of College Tuition and Fees on Fertility Rate in Taiwan

This study investigates the influence of college tuition and fees (CTF) on fertility behavior as a mechanism to induce population growth. Using a fixed-effect regression model with various specifications of the fertility equation on contiguous panel data for the period 1990–2001, this study has determined of that CTF has a significantly negative influence on regional GFR (general fertility rate) in Taiwan. In addition, unemployment rates also have a negative impact on fertility though the male rate plays a greater role in the fertility decision than the female rate. Finally, this study calculates the cost in terms of CTF to the Central Government to induce population growth. For a 1% decrease in real CTF, the cost to the government and taxpayers at large, the cost of each additional child will range from US$90.31 to US$252.23 depending on the years considered and the model specifications.