Retirees and motivation to work by the type of employment contract: impact of the Czech reform

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 595-617
Author(s):  
Filip Pertold ◽  
Lenka Lakotova

PurposeIn this paper, the authors analyse a 2010 legal reform in the Czech Republic, which allowed retirees to simultaneously receive regular pension benefits and to work on a permanent contract for a period longer than one year. Previously, concurrence of employment and receipt of retirement benefits were only allowed in conjunction with a temporary work contract with a maximum duration of one year.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ the difference-in-differences method. The authors include only males in the analysis because it is not possible to identify the legal retirement age for women from available data. Men in the workforce 1–3 years prior to the statutory retirement age are in a control group, while men 1–3 years older are in a treatment group.FindingsThe authors show that the reform significantly increased the share of permanent contracts held by retirees (by 22.5–27.6 percentage points), though we do not find any aggregate short-term change in employment of retirees. Heterogeneity analysis shows a significant increase in the employment of retirees with only elementary school education (by 17.9 percentage points) and a significant decrease in the number of hours worked by retirees (by 2.5 h weekly for low-educated workers).Practical implicationsThe policy conclusion is that the regulation of employment contract does not affect aggregate employment, but may improve employment of low skilled workers.Originality/valueTo the authors’ best knowledge, there are no studies directly analysing motivation of retirees by types of employment contracts. The authors, thus, add to the literature that studies dealing with the general fixed-term versus permanent contracts (Engellandt and Riphahn, 2003) and motivation to work.

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-96
Author(s):  
Caroline E.W. Glackin ◽  
Steven E. Phelan

PurposeA recent paper by Morris et al. (2013b) presented evidence that students can develop entrepreneurial competencies through international fieldwork. This paper explores whether the same results can be developed in a traditional classroom setting.Design/methodology/approachThe study is a systematic replication of the Morris study with the addition of a matched pair, quasi-experimental design, with a self-replication. Data were collected on 13 self-reported competencies at the start of a semester from two groups using the Morris instrument. The treatment group was exposed to a curriculum designed to teach entrepreneurial competencies, and both groups were re-surveyed at the end of the semester. The process was then repeated with a different cohort, one year later, to replicate the initial study.FindingsFive competencies saw significant increases in the first treatment group. However, only three of these competencies increased more in the treatment group than the control group. In the replication study, only one competency was significantly higher in the treatment group, and that competency was not one of the original three.Practical implicationsEducators and policymakers should select a curriculum that is valid and reliable. Entrepreneurship educators and policymaker should devote more time to evaluating the effectiveness of different pedagogical techniques for improving entrepreneurial competencies.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies in entrepreneurship education to undertake a matched pair, quasi-experimental design with an in-study replication. The results indicate that serious inferential errors arise if simpler designs are used, even though such designs are the norm in entrepreneurship research.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 898-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liina Malk

Purpose – Employment law reform enforced in Estonia in mid-2009 provides a good opportunity to examine the outcomes of employment protection legislation (EPL). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of the reduction in EPL on labour reallocation. Design/methodology/approach – The author exploits the micro-data of the Labour Force Survey to estimate the probabilities of one-year worker flows with probit models, and uses a difference in differences (DID) approach to identify the effects of the EPL reform. Findings – The author finds that the reduction in EPL seems to have increased the probability of transitions out of employment. At the same time, she does not find any significant effect of this reform on the probability of flows into employment. The evaluation also gives evidence of a lowered probability of job-to-job transitions resulting from the reduction in EPL. Research limitations/implications – In this paper, the DID estimation is conducted by using Lithuanians as the control group for Estonians. However, it should be noted that this approach assumes strong similarities between these countries in order to obtain reliable estimates. Originality/value – The findings of this paper raise the possibility that the reduction in EPL alone may not have been sufficient for achieving a better reallocation of labour and this is important to consider in the context of further developments in other labour market institutions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 275-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey B. Liebman ◽  
Erzo F. P. Luttmer

This paper presents the results of a randomized field experiment that provided information about key Social Security features to older workers. The experiment was designed to examine whether it is possible to affect individual behavior using a relatively inexpensive informational intervention about the provisions of a public program and to explore the mechanisms underlying the behavior change. We find that our relatively mild intervention (sending an informational brochure and an invitation to a web-tutorial) increased labor force participation one year later by 4 percentage points relative to the control group mean of 74 percent. (JEL C93, D12, H55)


2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-189
Author(s):  
Andreas Bschaden ◽  
Eduardo Mandarano ◽  
Nanette Stroebele-Benschop

PurposeMeat consumption causes a large amount of global greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems. Studies showed that consumers underestimate the environmental impact of meat consumption compared to other food-related behaviours. A video intervention was conducted to investigate the effect of information on consumers' perception and behaviour.Design/methodology/approachTwo didactically different videos about meat and the environment and a control video were shown to 189 participants. Ratings about the environmental impact of different food-related behaviours as well as participants' meat consumption frequency were obtained directly before, one week later and one year after the screening by self-report questionnaires.FindingsMean rating of the environmental impact of meat consumption was second to the least important of the different food consumption patterns. In the first intervention group, the rating increased significantly (p = 0.001) after having watched the video. There was no such effect in the second intervention or the control group. Self-reported meat consumption frequency did not change significantly in any of the groups. No long-term differences between the groups could be found.Research limitations/implicationsThe results suggest that there is still a lack of knowledge concerning the environmental impact of meat consumption. Providing information can affect awareness, depending on the type of information delivery. The circumstances under which information encourages behaviour change need to be further explored.Originality/valueThis is the first study that investigated the impact of different videos about environmental impacts of meat consumption on consumer perceptions and behaviour.


2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 456-476
Author(s):  
Evans Korang Adjei ◽  
Lars-Fredrik Andersson ◽  
Rikard H. Eriksson ◽  
Sandro Scocco

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of immigration on the labour market outcomes of low-educated natives (i.e. residents without a university diploma). Using the labour market competition theory, which argues that the labour market effects of natives depend on the skill set of immigrants, the paper addresses whether immigrants are complementary to or substitutes for native workers.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal matched employer–employee data on Sweden are used to estimate how low-educated natives, in regions experiencing the greatest influx of refugees from the Balkan wars, responded to this supply shock with regard to real wages, employment and job mobility between 1990 and 2003.FindingsFirst, the analysis shows that low-educated native workers respond to the arrival of immigrants with an increase in real wages. Second, although employment prospects in general worsened for low-skilled workers in most regions, this is not attributable to the regions experiencing the largest supply shock. Third, there are indications that low-skilled natives in immigration-rich regions are more likely to change workplace, particularly in combination with moving upwards in the wage distribution.Originality/valueRather than seeing an emergence of the commonly perceived displacement mechanism when an economy is subject to a supply shock, the regional findings suggest that high inflows of immigrants tend to induce a mechanism that pulls native workers upwards in the wage distribution. This is important, as the proportion of immigrants is seldom evenly distributed within a nation.


1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (05) ◽  
pp. 1327-1331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A Kyrle ◽  
Andreas Stümpflen ◽  
Mirko Hirschl ◽  
Christine Bialonczyk ◽  
Kurt Herkner ◽  
...  

SummaryIncreased thrombin generation occurs in many individuals with inherited defects in the antithrombin or protein C anticoagulant pathways and is also seen in patients with thrombosis without a defined clotting abnormality. Hyperhomocysteinemia (H-HC) is an important risk factor of venous thromboembolism (VTE). We prospectively followed 48 patients with H-HC (median age 62 years, range 26-83; 18 males) and 183 patients (median age 50 years, range 18-85; 83 males) without H-HC for a period of up to one year. Prothrombin fragment Fl+2 (Fl+2) was determined in the patient’s plasma as a measure of thrombin generation during and at several time points after discontinuation of secondary thromboprophylaxis with oral anticoagulants. While on anticoagulants, patients with H-HC had significantly higher Fl+2 levels than patients without H-HC (mean 0.52 ± 0.49 nmol/1, median 0.4, range 0.2-2.8, versus 0.36 ± 0.2 nmol/1, median 0.3, range 0.1-2.1; p = 0.02). Three weeks and 3,6,9 and 12 months after discontinuation of oral anticoagulants, up to 20% of the patients with H-HC and 5 to 6% without H-HC had higher Fl+2 levels than a corresponding age- and sex-matched control group. 16% of the patients with H-HC and 4% of the patients without H-HC had either Fl+2 levels above the upper limit of normal controls at least at 2 occasions or (an) elevated Fl+2 level(s) followed by recurrent VTE. No statistical significant difference in the Fl+2 levels was seen between patients with and without H-HC. We conclude that a permanent hemostatic system activation is detectable in a proportion of patients with H-HC after discontinuation of oral anticoagulant therapy following VTE. Furthermore, secondary thromboprophylaxis with conventional doses of oral anticoagulants may not be sufficient to suppress hemostatic system activation in patients with H-HC.


2011 ◽  
pp. 13-19
Author(s):  
Nhu Minh Hang Tran ◽  
Huu Cat Nguyen ◽  
Dang Doanh Nguyen ◽  
Van Luong Ngo ◽  
Vu Hoang Nguyen ◽  
...  

Objectives: To determine factors impact on the relapse in depressed patients treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) during one year follow-up. Materials and Methods: 80 depressed patients divided into two groups, group 1: included 40 patients treated with CBT; group 2: 40 patients on amitriptyline. Non-randomized controlled clinical trial, opened, longiditual and prospective research. Results and Conclusions: relapse rate after CBT during 1 year follow-up is 10% (compared to 25% in control group), related factors to relapse rate in depression after CBT are age and education. Shared predictors between 2 groups are severity and recurrence of depression. Key words: Depression, relapse, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)


2019 ◽  
pp. 58-62
Author(s):  
Vlad Stegariu ◽  
Simona Andreea Popușoi ◽  
Beatrice Abălașei ◽  
Nicolae Lucian Voinea ◽  
Ioan Stelescu ◽  
...  

Chess playing has a significant role in participants’ resources allocation, both at a psychological level, but mostly concerning the cognitive resources. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of chess playing on the intellectual development of primary-class students. 67 children were tested using the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices and were distributed in three different groups according to their experience with chess, namely: the control group (formed by students with no experience with chess playing), the beginners group (students with less than one year in chess playing training) and the advanced group (children with more than two years experience with chess). Results indicated that chess playing had a significant effect on the SPM performance, indicating that those in the advanced group performed significantly better than those in the control or in the beginners group. Conclusions of this study tap into the benefits of playing chess with a focus on the children’s’ cognitive development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 478
Author(s):  
Ching Chang ◽  
Chien-Hao Huang ◽  
Hsiao-Jung Tseng ◽  
Fang-Chen Yang ◽  
Rong-Nan Chien

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a neuropsychiatric complication of decompensated cirrhosis, is associated with high mortality and high risk of recurrence. Rifaximin add-on to lactulose for 3 to 6 months is recommended for the prevention of recurrent episodes of HE after the second episode. However, whether the combination for more than 6 months is superior to lactulose alone in the maintenance of HE remission is less evident. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the one-year efficacy of rifaximin add-on to lactulose for the maintenance of HE remission in Taiwan. Methods: We conducted a real-world single-center retrospective cohort study to compare the long-term efficacy of rifaximin add-on to lactulose (group R + L) versus lactulose alone (group L, control group). Furthermore, the treatment efficacy before and after rifaximin add-on to lactulose was also analyzed. The primary endpoint of our study was time to first HE recurrence (Conn score ≥ 2). All patients were followed up every three months until death, and censored at one year if still alive. Results and Conclusions: 12 patients were enrolled in group R + L. Another 31 patients were stratified into group L. Sex, comorbidity, ammonia level, and ascites grade were matched while age, HE grade, and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score were adjusted in the multivariable logistic regression model. Compared with group L, significant improvement in the maintenance of HE remission and decreased episodes and days of HE-related hospitalizations were demonstrated in group R + L. The serum ammonia levels were significantly lower at the 3rd and 6th month in group 1. Concerning changes before and after rifaximin add-on in group R + L, mini-mental status examination (MMSE), episodes of hospitalization, and variceal bleeding also improved at 6 and 12 months. Days of hospitalization, serum ammonia levels also improved at 6th month. Except for concern over price, no patients discontinued rifaximin due to adverse events or complications. The above results provide evidence for the one-year use of rifaximin add-on to lactulose in reducing HE recurrence and HE-related hospitalization for patients with decompensated cirrhosis.


1996 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 831-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Nan Li ◽  
Zi-Wei Du ◽  
Qiang Huang

✓ The modulation effects of hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA), a differentiation-inducing agent, on growth and differentiation of cells from human malignant glioma cell line SHG-44 were studied. At cytostatic doses (2.5 mM, 5 mM, 7.5 mM, and 10 mM for 15 days), HMBA exerted a marked inhibitory effect on cell proliferation. Exposure to HMBA (5 mM and 10 mM for 12 days) also resulted in an accumulation of cells in G0/G1 phase and a decrease of cells in S phase as analyzed by flow cytometry. The reversible effects of 7.5 mM HMBA and 10 mM HMBA on cell proliferation and 10 mM HMBA on disruption of cell cycle distribution were observed when HMBA was removed from culture media on Day 6 and replaced with HMBA-free media. Colony-forming efficiency (CFE) in soft agar was remarkably decreased by HMBA (2.5 mM, 5 mM, 7.5 mM, and 10 mM for 14 days), and in 7.5 mM HMBA— and 10 mM HMBA—treated cells, the CFEs were reduced to 25% and 12.5%, respectively, of that in untreated cells. Cells treated with HMBA (5 mM and 10 mM for 15 days) remained tumorigenic in athymic nude mice, but the growth rates of the xenografts were much slower than those in the control group. The effects of HMBA on cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, CFE, and growth of xenografts were dose dependent. A more mature phenotype was confirmed by the morphological changes from spindle shape to large polygonal stellate shape and remarkably elevated expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein in cells exposed to HMBA (5 mM, 10 mM for 15 days). Our results showed that a more differentiated phenotype with marked growth arrest was induced in SHG-44 cells by HMBA.


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