Estimating Elasticity for Residential Electricity Demand in China

Residential demand for electricity is estimated for China using a unique household level dataset. Household electricity demand is specified as a function of local electricity price, household income, and a number of social-economic variables at household level. We find that the residential demand for electricity responds rather sensitively to its own price in China, which implies that there is significant potential to use the price instrument to conserve electricity consumption. Electricity elasticities across different heterogeneous household groups (e.g., rich versus poor and rural versus urban) are also estimated. The results show that the high income group is more price elastic than the low income group, while rural families are more price elastic than urban families. These results have important policy implications for designing an increasing block tariff.

Download Full-text

Residential Electricity Consumers and Increasing Block Pricing Policy in Pakistan: Evidence Based on Household Level Primary Data

Journal of Economic Impact ◽

10.52223/jei3022103 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 80-87

Author(s):

Sania Malik

Keyword(s):

Electricity Consumption ◽

Income Group ◽

Point Of View ◽

Primary Data ◽

Electricity Pricing ◽

Pricing Policy ◽

Household Level ◽

Residential Sector ◽

Electricity Use ◽

Residential Electricity

The purpose of this paper is to explore the efficacy of increasing block electricity pricing (IBEP) which was imposed in 2013 by the Pakistani government. The main objective of this policy is rational resource allocation and to lower the cross-subsidization to the residential sector by two other major sectors such as commerce and industry. The study is based on primary data which is collected through questionnaires from four tehsils of district Sargodha in rural as well as the urban regions. About 54.6% of households understand the electricity price scheme (IBEP) while urban users are more aware as compared to rural but urban electricity consumption is higher due to high use of home appliances. By using the regression model the elasticity of residential electricity consumption is estimated for heterogeneous consumers. The upper blocks of electricity consumption are more sensitive to price increases (e.g., the elasticity of the first to fourth block is -0.391, -0.988, -1.229, -0.955 respectively) except in the fifth block (-0.489) which indicates that higher income group pays more attention to the standard of living. The increase in the number of trees also affects the price elasticity of residential electricity use and positively influences saving behaviour. The policy which was implemented from a welfare point of view has achieved its target to a certain extent. Future guidelines for the up-gradation of electricity pricing reform in the residential sector are thus proposed.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Urban Recreation Environment on Residents’ Happiness—Based on a Case Study in China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13105549 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 5549

Author(s):

Lei Kang ◽

Zhaoping Yang ◽

Fang Han

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Subjective Evaluation ◽

Objective Evaluation ◽

Income Group ◽

High Income Group ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Indirect Impact ◽

Negative Effect ◽

The Impact ◽

Urban Recreation

Rapid urbanization promotes the expansion of urban tourism and recreation functions, but it also brings many problems, which affect residents’ happiness. Previous studies have emphasized the direct impact of urban recreation environment on happiness, and few have explored the indirect impact of urban recreation environment on happiness through subjective evaluation. Based on the survey data of nearly 10,000 permanent residents in 40 key tourism cities in China, this paper establishes a theoretical framework of the direct and indirect impact of urban recreation environment on happiness. The objective evaluation of natural recreation environment and sociocultural recreation environment has an important influence on happiness, but the influence of natural recreation environment is greater than that of sociocultural recreation environment. Individual subjective satisfaction with urban recreation environment mediates the relationship between urban objective environment and happiness. Urban parks have a positive effect on happiness, while tourist attractions have a negative effect. The influence of urban location on happiness is nonlinear. The high-income group is more sensitive to the recreation environment, while the low-income group is less sensitive to the recreation environment. These findings provide insights for further improving citizens’ quality of life and designing urban construction in developing countries under the conditions of rapid urbanization.

Download Full-text

SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AFFECTING PATIENT COMPLIANCE TO LONG-TERM THERAPIES

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research ◽

10.22159/ajpcr.2021.v14i7.41868 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 59-62

Author(s):

SHAKEEL AHMAD MIR

Keyword(s):

Patient Compliance ◽

Low Income ◽

Income Group ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

High Income Group ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Validated Questionnaire ◽

Adherence Scale ◽

Study Population

Objective: The aim is to study the effect of various sociodemographic factors on patient compliance in long-term therapies. Methods: This is a questionnaire-based study of 195 adult outdoor patients suffering from chronic illnesses and receiving long-term drug therapy. Various sociodemographic factors were noted in a validated questionnaire. Questions about drugs being taken were asked. The compliance was measured by General Medication Adherence Scale. Results: The study population consists of 51.3% of males and 48.7% of females. About 39.0% of participants were literate and 61.0% were illiterate. About 72.3% belonged to the rural area, 13.3% urban, and 14.4% to the main city. About 33.3% were self-employed or unemployed, 17.4% government employees, and 49.3% were private employees. About 20.0% belonged to high-income group, and 40.0% to middle- and 40.0% to low-income group. Statistically significant correlation was found between compliance and age, gender, area of residence, education, and marital status (p<0.05). Better compliance was observed in men, unmarried,middle-aged, literate, and urban populations. Conclusions: We conclude that some sociodemographic factors correlate with compliance to long-term therapies.

Download Full-text

Healthy living practices in families and child health: 5-year follow-up of Taiwan Birth Cohort Study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033613 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. e033613

Author(s):

Yi-Ching Lin ◽

Yi-Fan Li ◽

Tung-liang Chiang

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Good Health ◽

Income Group ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

High Income Group ◽

School Age ◽

Healthy Living ◽

High Level ◽

Taiwan Birth Cohort Study

ObjectivesWe have previously developed the Child Healthy Living Practices in Family (CHLPF) Index and found that the CHLPF Index was concurrently associated with the health of children at age 3. In this follow-up study, we aimed to examine whether healthy living practices in family at age 3 predicted health of children at school age.Design and settingData came from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study designed to assess the development and health of 24 200 children born in 2005.ParticipantsA total of 18 553 cohort members whose mothers or primary caregivers had completed 6-month, 3-year, 5-year and 8-year surveys were included for analysis, representing a response rate of 87.3%.Outcome measuresA multiple logistic regression model was used to test the relationship between mother-rated children’s health at age 8 and the CHLPF Index level, after controlling for sex, birth outcomes, family structure, parental education, residential area, family income and mother-rated child’s health at age 3.ResultsThe percentage of mother-rated good health at age 8 was 79.7%. Compared with the low CHLPF level, the adjusted OR of mother-rated good health was 1.38 (95% CI 1.19 to 1.60), 1.21 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.35) and 1.17 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.29), respectively, for high, high–low and mid-low CHLPF levels. Moreover, the prevalence of mother-rated good health at age 8 with high-level CHLPF Index in the low-income group was similar to that of the high-income group (83.72% vs 84.18%); the prevalence with low-level CHLPF Index in the low-income group was much lower than that of the high-income group (70.21% vs 78.98%).ConclusionsOur study underscores that high level of healthy living practices in early childhood is positively associated with good health at school age, particularly for children from disadvantaged families.

Download Full-text

Nonlinear Dynamics in the Finance-Inequality Nexus in China-CHNS Data

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11010191 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 191 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mohammad Masudur Rahman ◽

Guan Fuquan ◽

Laila Arjuman Ara

Keyword(s):

Financial Development ◽

Low Income ◽

Income Group ◽

High Income Group ◽

Middle Income ◽

Linear Effect ◽

Quantile Regression Model ◽

Income Groups ◽

Using Data ◽

The Impact

This paper empirically investigates the effects of financial development on incomes of Chinese residents particularly within various income groups using data from six provinces by applying the Quantile Regression model. The Greenwood and Jovanovich hypothesis that illustrates the inverted U shaped relationship between financial development and income inequality is tested. This empirical study demonstrates that financial development has a positive but non-linear effect on the annual income of individuals from various income groups at different quantiles. The effect is an inverted U or Kuznets effect indicating an increase at first and then a drop. As for the distribution of the impact on various income groups, the low-income group is under the most dominant influence followed by the high-income group with the middle-income groups receiving relatively smaller influence. Findings indicate that promoting balanced financial development would help to ease the income gap between Chinese residents.

Download Full-text

Heterogeneous Impacts of Basic Social Health Insurance on Medical Expenditure: Evidence from China’s New Cooperative Medical Scheme

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare7040131 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 131 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fang ◽

He ◽

Rozelle ◽

Shi ◽

Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Social Health Insurance ◽

Good Health ◽

Income Group ◽

Medical Expenditure ◽

High Income Group ◽

New Cooperative Medical Scheme ◽

Health Group ◽

Cooperative Medical Scheme ◽

Low Income Groups

This paper examines the effects of China’s New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) on medical expenditure. Utilizing the quasi-random rollout of the NCMS for a difference-in-difference analysis, we find that the NCMS increased medical expenditure by 12.3%. Most significantly, the good-health group witnessed a 22.1% rise in medical expenditure, and the high-income group saw a rise of 20.6%. The effects, however, were not significant among the poor-health or low-income groups. The findings are suggestive of the need for more help for the very poor and less healthy.

Download Full-text

Long-Term Effect of Income Level on Mortality after Stroke: A Nationwide Cohort Study in South Korea

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17228348 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (22) ◽

pp. 8348

Author(s):

Seungmin Jeong ◽

Sung-il Cho ◽

So Yeon Kong

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Income Group ◽

Income Level ◽

High Income ◽

High Income Group ◽

Stroke Mortality ◽

Stroke Event ◽

Middle Income ◽

Medical Aid ◽

Post Stroke

We investigated whether income level has long-term effects on mortality rate in stroke patients and whether this varies with time after the first stroke event, using the National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort data from 2002 to 2015 in South Korea. The study population was new-onset stroke patients ≥18 years of age. Patients were categorized into Category (1) insured employees and Category (2) insured self-employed/Medical Aid beneficiaries. Each category was divided into three and four income level groups, retrospectively. The study population comprised of 11,668 patients. Among the Category 1 patients (n = 7720), the low-income group’s post-stroke mortality was 1.15-fold higher than the high-income group. Among the Category 2 patients (n = 3948), the lower income groups had higher post-stroke mortality than the high-income group (middle-income, aOR (adjusted odds ratio) 1.29; low-income, aOR 1.70; Medical Aid beneficiaries, aOR 2.19). In this category, the lower income groups’ post-stroke mortality risks compared to the high-income group were highest at 13–36 months after the first stroke event(middle-income, aOR 1.52; low-income, aOR 2.31; Medical Aid beneficiaries, aOR 2.53). Medical Aid beneficiaries had a significantly higher post-stroke mortality risk than the high-income group at all time points.

Download Full-text

A PROPOSAL FOR AFFORDABLE WAQF HOUSING PROJECTS IN MALAYSIA: PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF HOUSE CHARACTERISTICS

PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL ◽

10.21837/pm.v19i17.1004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (17) ◽

Author(s):

Nor Azizan Che Embi ◽

Salina Kassim ◽

Roslily Ramlee ◽

Wan Rohaida Wan Husain

Keyword(s):

Affordable Housing ◽

Low Income ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Public Perception ◽

Housing Prices ◽

Housing Price ◽

Income Group ◽

Housing Affordability ◽

High Income Group ◽

Housing Projects

Housing affordability is important to ensure houses are affordable to everyone across all income categories, whether they are in the low-income, middle-income (M40), or high-income group. Building housing projects on waqf land will help increase the supply of affordable houses, especially targeted at the M40 group, while also addressing the shortage of affordable housing for the M40 cohort. This study analyses public perceptions of house characteristics and relate these factors to affordable housing prices. The independent variables are location, infrastructure, facilities, size, design and quality. By applying a quantitative research design, the study aims to understand the relationship between various demanded housing characteristics vis-a-vis the price of the house. A sample of 261 usable responses was analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results show that house size is not statistically significant in influencing the housing price, while location, infrastructure and design of the house are positively significant factors. These findings are expected to provide important inputs to the relevant authorities on factors that are critical in influencing the prices of housing projects built on waqf land in Malaysia.

Download Full-text

Food Consumption and Food Belief Among Paddy Farmers Households in Rural Area, Kedah, Malaysia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-624761/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

AHMAD ZUBIR IBRAHIM

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Rural Area ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Low Income ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Income Group ◽

Study Data ◽

Daily Routine ◽

Household Level ◽

Paddy Farmers

Abstract Background Food consumption influences food security household level, particularly among paddy farmers households especially in the rural area. At the same time food taboo or food belief among paddy farmers people in a rural area in certain food still exist until now. Therefore, this study aims to explore the food consumption and food belief among low-income households in the rural area, Kedah Malaysia Methods This qualitative study was carried out in Kubang Pasu, Alor Setar, Pendang, Kuala Muda and Baling district in Kedah, Malaysia. A total of 225 respondents were involved in this study. Data were collected from heads of households involve directly in paddy crops. Results The study found out, that paddy farmers households in a rural area of Kedah Malaysia consumed less food with a score of less than 30.0. This group uses chub mackerel fish as a protein resource because the price is low when compared to other saltwater fish (e.g. pomfret, king mackerel, grouper fish, mangrove red snapper, snapper, and barramundi), and also uses freshwater fish as a protein resource. Furthermore, food beliefs also influenced food consumption among the rural paddy farmers households in Kedah. Conclusion The findings reveal the food consumption patterns of low-income families especially, particularly in rural areas, and point to the need for more targeted and planned programmes within the low-income group to improve food security, particularly in food consumption households. However, food belief inseparable in their daily routine.

Download Full-text

Prevalence and determinants of using complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of chronic illnesses: A multicenter study in Bangladesh

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0262221 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. e0262221

Author(s):

Md. Shahjalal ◽

Samar Kishor Chakma ◽

Tanvir Ahmed ◽

Irin Yasmin ◽

Rashidul Alam Mahumud ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Chronic Illness ◽

Alternative Medicine ◽

Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽

Low Income ◽

Income Group ◽

High Income ◽

Chronic Illnesses ◽

High Income Group ◽

Complementary And Alternative

Background While conventional medicine (CM) is commonly used to treat non-communicable diseases (NCDs), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is gaining popularity as a healthcare option in Bangladesh. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with using CAM solely and using CAM in conjunction with CM for chronic illness treatment among NCD patients in Bangladesh. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted, including 549 adults with a confirmed chronic illness diagnosis from three tertiary care hospitals in Dhaka city. Interviews were used to gather socio-demographic data, while medical records were used to get information on chronic illnesses. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to determine the associated factors of utilizing CAM primarily and CAM use in conjunction with CM to manage the chronic disease. Results Out of 549 NCD patients (282 women [51.4%], mean [standard deviation] age 45.4 [12.8] years), 180 (32.8%) ever used CAM for the treatment of chronic illness. Also, 15.3% of patients exclusively used CAM among the NCD patients, while 17.5% used CAM in conjunction with CM. Homeopathy medicine was the most prevalent type of treatment among CAM users (52.2%). Furthermore, 55.5% of CAM users said they used it due to its less adverse effects, and 41.6% trusted its effectiveness for chronic illness. Elderly patients (≥60 years) preferred CAM in complementary with CM, but they did not rely only on CAM. According to the multinomial regression analysis, unmarried patients, predominantly in the younger age group, adopted CAM significantly for chronic illness treatment (Relative risk ratio, RRR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.12–0.71, reference = Unmarried). Patients in the high-income group used CAM in conjunction with CM (RRR = 6.26, 95% CI = 1.35–18.90, reference: low-income), whereas patients in the high-income group did not rely on CAM alone (RRR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.34–2.85). Conclusion Although CM remains the mainstream of health care in Bangladesh, CAM services play an essential role in people’s health care, particularly in treating chronic illnesses. Physicians of Bangladesh should be aware that their patients may be using other services and be prepared to ask and answer questions regarding the risks and benefits of using CAM in addition to regular medical care. Thus, clinicians required to follow best-practice guidelines, which are currently not practiced in Bangladesh, when disseminating information regarding integrative techniques that combine CM and CAM approaches.

Download Full-text