Effects of the Geographical Distance on Economic Well-being: Evidence from Colombia with Emphasis on Displaced Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-324
Author(s):  
Henry Laverde-Rojas ◽  
Juan C. Correa

Forced migration and displacement are two well-known results of internal armed conflicts of nations. A fundamental relationship associated with these humanitarian movements is the one entailing the link between the geographical distance travelled by migrants and their economic well-being. As such a link remains unstudied in previous works, its empirical scrutiny is timely for migration studies. In this paper, we take the Colombian conflict as a case study to analyze this relationship empirically. Using data from the Longitudinal Social Protection Survey (ELPS) - 2012, we estimated a regression model, in which we tested different welfare measures and blocks of control variables. Contrary to what we expected, the results show that the elasticity of distance is positive and that it does not determine welfare outcomes for the displaced population.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-57
Author(s):  
Martin Grandes ◽  
Ariel Coremberg

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate empirically that corruption causes significant and sizeable macroeconomic costs to countries in terms of economic activity and economic growth. The authors modeled corruption building on the endogenous growth literature and finally estimated the baseline (bribes paid to public officials) macroeconomic cost of corruption using Argentina 2004-2015 as a case study. Design/methodology/approach The authors laid the foundations of a new methodology to account corruption losses using data from the national accounts and judiciary investigations within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) non-observed economy (NOE) instead of subjective indicators as in the earlier literature. They also suggested a new method to compute public expenditures overruns, including but not limited to public works. Findings The authors found the costs stand at a minimum accumulated rate of 8 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) or 0.8 per cent yearly. These findings provided a corruption cost floor and were consistent with earlier research on world corruption losses estimated at 5 per cent by the World Economic Forum and with the losses estimated at between a yearly rate of 1.3 and 4 per cent and 2 per cent of GDP by Brazil and Peru’s corruption, respectively. Research limitations/implications The authors would need to extend the application of their new suggested methodology to further countries. They are working on this. They would need to develop the methodology in full to compute the public works overruns input to future econometric work. Originality/value In this paper, the authors make a threefold contribution to the literature on corruption and growth: first, they laid the foundations toward a new methodology to make an accounting of the corruption costs in terms of GDP consistent with the national accounts and executed budgets; on the one hand, and the OECD NOE framework, on the other. The authors named those corruption costs as percentage of GDP the “corruption wedge.” Second, they developed an example taking corruption events and a component of their total costs, namely, the bribes paid to public officials, taking Argentina 2004-2015 as a case study. Finally, they plugged the estimated wedge back into an endogenous growth model and calibrated the growth–corruption path simulating two economies where the total factor productivity was different, at different levels of the corruption wedge.


1995 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aharon Layish

AbstractFreedom of civil testation available, since 1965, to Israeli Muslims within some of the sharīʿa courts, has replaced the family waqf as an instrument for circumventing the compulsory rules of inheritance (ʿilm al-farāʾid). This marks in many respects the victory of custom over the sharīʿa. On the basis of an analysis of bequests probated in the sharīʿa courts, I conclude that the bequest is being used as a means to prevent fragmentation of the patrimony and to preserve it in the hands of the testator's sons or, in their absence, other male agnates, in units as complete and economically sound as possible. While excluding his wife and daughters from the estate, the testator secures their economic well-being by allocating them subsistence allowances and residential rights, that is, customary maintenance out of the estate. At the same time, the making of bequests demonstrates the capacity of women to dispose of property. The concern for orphaned grandchildren is another incentive for making a will.


2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-186
Author(s):  
Zsombor Csata ◽  
Roman Hlatky ◽  
Amy H. Liu ◽  
Ariel Pitre Young

Abstract The territoriality principle stipulates that minority communities in a given territory should be linguistically accommodated. What are the economic effects of this principle? In this paper, we argue that the recognition of multiple languages confers respect on the minority group; it allows people to engage and participate meaningfully in society – thereby facilitating economic well-being. There is, however, a caveat: when recognition happens in areas where the minority is the overwhelming majority, there is a risk that the near-exclusive use of the minority language cuts the community off from the larger national state, which in turn stunts development. To test this, we focus on Transylvania, Romania. We leverage a legal stipulation that recognizes minority languages in areas where the minority constitutes more than 20% of the population. Using data at the municipal level, we find that recognition increases economic well-being in general – but not in areas where the minority are numerically dominant. Our results are normatively welcoming, but they also caution governments not simply to recognize minority languages but also to protect them adequately.


2019 ◽  
pp. 990-1003
Author(s):  
Elia Gabarron ◽  
Luis Fernandez Luque ◽  
Thomas Roger Schopf ◽  
Annie Y.S. Lau ◽  
Manuel Armayones ◽  
...  

Background: The authors present a case study of a public health campaign, including social media, and aiming at maximizing the use of web app on sexual health. Objective: To analyze the impact of a Facebook fan page, Facebook advertisements, and posters to maximize the number of visits to the educational web app. Methods: The campaign is assessed for 1 year, using data tracked through Facebook statistics and Google Analytics. Results: The site had 3670 visits (10.1 visitors/day, 95%CI 8.7-11.4). During the one-month Facebook Ads campaign, the site received 1263 visits (42.1 visitors/day, 95%CI 37.3-46.9), multiplying by over four the average number of visitors/day. 34.4% of all the participants were recruited during the one-month Facebook ads campaign. Conclusions: Facebook advertisements seem to be a good tool to promote an educational web app on sexual health targeting youth, and to reach a huge number of users rapidly and at a low cost.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 6788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Watkin ◽  
Ruangpan ◽  
Vojinovic ◽  
Weesakul ◽  
Torres

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are solutions that can protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems in urban and rural areas, while providing many benefits and co-benefits including stormwater mitigation, biodiversity enhancement, and human well-being. As such, NBS have the potential to alleviate many of the environmental, social, and economic issues that we face today. Grey infrastructure, such as lined trenches and catch basins, pipes, and concrete dikes are frequently used for stormwater management and flood protection, but they do not provide many of the co-benefits that are common with NBS. Grey infrastructure is designed to quickly collect and remove rainwater, whereas NBS keep rainwater where it falls, and where it can be used by the environment. Many stakeholders lack knowledge of the capabilities and benefits of NBS, and as a result, they continue to rely on grey infrastructure in their projects. When information is made available on the benefits and how they can be quantitatively measured, it is hoped that NBS will be promoted to a mainstream infrastructure choice. A valuable way to quantify and highlight the benefits of NBS is by using an evaluation framework. There are several evaluation frameworks that qualitatively assess the potential benefits of possible NBS, however there is a need for quantitative frameworks that can assess the actual benefits (or performance) of implemented (or existing) NBS. This article presents an evaluation framework that aims to quantify the benefits and co-benefits of implemented NBS. The framework involves five main steps: (1) selection of NBS benefit categories, (2) selection of NBS indicators, (3) calculation of indicator values, (4) calculation of NBS grade, and (5) recommendations. The outcome of the framework is a single numerical grade that reflects the benefit functioning for an NBS site and values for each performance indicator. This information may be used by decision makers to determine their budget allocations to expand or construct a new NBS site, to update maintenance plans that will improve the benefits of that site, to set up programs to monitor the NBS benefits and co-benefits over time, and to schedule labour and resources for other NBS projects. The framework was tested and validated on a case study of NBS in Thailand. Through conversations with stakeholders and knowledge of the case study area, relevant categories and indicators were chosen. Using data and information obtained through various means, values for each indicator and the overall NBS grade were calculated. The values revealed which benefits were pronounced, those that were weak, and where improvements were required.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Hisham S. El-Osta

The impact of age on the distribution of wealth among U.S. sole proprietor households is analyzed using data from two national surveys in conjunction with disparity and social welfare decomposition methods. Results show higher disparity in wealth when the household is a non-farm rather than a farm sole proprietor household. The cohort with the greatest need in terms of targeted programs is the group of farm or non-farm households headed by individuals younger than 35.


Author(s):  
Н. Мосиенко ◽  
N. Mosienko ◽  
А. Черепанова ◽  
A. Cherepanova

<p>Residents of monotowns face a specific range of problems affecting their social well-being. The purpose of the study was to identify and describe the types of life strategies of monotown residents with a focus on the place of residence and the location of the attractiveness of the urban environment and migration attitudes in them. The study employed a case-study strategy of an in-depth interview with residents of Sayansk, a monotown that displays risks of socio-economic deterioration. To describe the context, the authors used statistical data on the population and migration of the Sayansk population, as well as historical chronicle of the town. Based on two indications (perception of the quality of the urban environment and the migration attitudes), the authors have constructed a typology of life strategies and described the related characteristics of inhabitants. The study shows that the life strategies of the inhabitants reveal, on the one hand, a spectrum of migration patterns (depending on the characteristics of the inhabitants), and, on the other hand, various degrees of satisfaction with the quality of the urban environment, which makes the city attractive or unattractive in the eyes of the population.</p>


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Pozil ◽  
Anne Hacker

Informal partnerships between nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and local governments represent a winning combination for affective positive social change in communities. These partnerships thrive on the development and sustainment of trust as a guiding force between NPO executives and their local government counterparts. Qualitative case study research reveals such an assertion to be true, based on interviews and document reviews of informal partnerships in a metropolitan area in the Northwest United States. The implications for social change include establishing successful models of informal partnerships between NPOs and local governments that impact the social and economic well-being of communities.


Author(s):  
Seid Mohamad Reza Mahmodpanahi ◽  
Mohamad Hasan Elahimanesh ◽  
Ali Namdar

Today, radicalism ethnocentrism has become a primary source of violent armed conflicts inside the country and in some parts of the world and has entailed an attrition of nation-state's power. On the other hand, ethnic nationalism in some countries has targeted national integrity and the very foundation of the society. This paper seeks to respond to the question: What impacts does this ethnic scatteredness and diversity have on the order and security of the Islamic Republic of Iran? What solutions are there for the national integrity? That which is certain is the existence of various ethnic groups in Iran which have rarely caused conflicts and engagements; from the issue of Turkmen Sahra and Azarbayjan in the early Revolution to the strikes by Kurdish people in May 2010 which are all issues that have been effective on the public order and security of Iran. Therefore, it is necessary for Iran to adopt effective steps in the direction of national integrity while relying on converging components of the Iranian ethnic groups including shared religion, shared land, and also the issue of shared security. Of course, looking upon the 37 year old history of Iran, this demonstrates that the country has made huge progress in this regard. The methodology is descriptive-analytical and by using data and information, some solutions have been offered.


Author(s):  
D. Suleimenova ◽  
H. Arabnejad ◽  
W. N. Edeling ◽  
D. Groen

This paper presents an approach named sensitivity-driven simulation development (SDSD), where the use of sensitivity analysis (SA) guides the focus of further simulation development and refinement efforts, avoiding direct calibration to validation data. SA identifies assumptions that are particularly pivotal to the validation result, and in response model ruleset refinement resolves those assumptions in greater detail, balancing the sensitivity more evenly across the different assumptions and parameters. We implement and demonstrate our approach to refine agent-based models of forcibly displaced people in neighbouring countries. Over 70.8 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, of which 26 million are refugees fleeing from armed conflicts, violence, natural disaster or famine. Predicting forced migration movements is important today, as it can help governments and NGOs to effectively assist vulnerable migrants and efficiently allocate humanitarian resources. We use an initial SA iteration to steer the simulation development process and identify several pivotal parameters. We then show that we are able to reduce the relative sensitivity of these parameters in a secondary SA iteration by approximately 54% on average. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Reliability and reproducibility in computational science: implementing verification, validation and uncertainty quantification in silico ’.


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