An Instrumental Variable Probit Modeling of COVID-19 Vaccination Compliance in Malawi

COVID-19 remains a pressing development concern in Malawi. The third wave of viral infection upsurge raised significant concerns on people’s compliance with preventive methods already introduced by the government, among which vaccination is notable. This study analysed the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination compliance in Malawi. The data were the ninth round of the telephone-based survey that was conducted by Malawi National Statistical Office (NSO) in 2021. The data were analysed with Instrumental Variable Probit model. The results showed that awareness of COVID-19 vaccines arrival was very high (98.19%). Additionally, 11.59% and 60.71% were already vaccinated and planning to be vaccinated, respectively. The Probit regression results showed that age of household heads, need of medical services, being worried of contracting COVID-19 and wearing of masks increased the probability of vaccination compliance, while stress indicators, being employed and not worried at all of contracting COVID-19 reduced it. It was concluded that drastic behaviour change would be needed to address corona virus pandemic in Malawi. There is the need to ensure equity across different age groups in access to vaccines. Further, interventions to ensure proper assessment of an individual’s COVID-19 risk and address psychological and emotional stress that are associated with ongoing pandemic would enhance vaccination compliance.

Willingness to Take COVID-19 Vaccines in Ethiopia: An Instrumental Variable Probit Approach

This paper analyzed the factors influencing the willingness of Ethiopia’s population to take COVID-19 vaccines. The data included the COVID-19 High Frequency Phone Survey of Households in Ethiopia that were collected in 2021. This paper relied on the 10th round of the survey, which was comprised of 2178 households. The Instrumental Variable Probit regression model was used to analyze the data. The results showed that majority of the respondents (92.33%) would receiveCOVID-19 vaccines, while 6.61% and 1.06% were, respectively, unwilling and unsure. Across the regions of Ethiopia, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) (99.30%), Oromia (97.54%), Tigray (97.04%) and Gambela (95.42%) had the highest proportions of respondents willing to have the vaccine. Vaccine safety concern was the topmost reason for those unwilling to receive the vaccine. The results of the Instrumental Variable Probit regression showed that currently working, age, engagement with non-farm businesses and region of residence significantly influenced the population’s willingness to take the vaccine (p < 0.05). It was concluded that although the willingness be vaccinated was impressive, without everyone being receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, infection risk can still be high; this is due to the persistent mutation of the viral strains. Thus, there is a need to intensify efforts toward addressing the safety issues of COVID-19 vaccines, while efforts to enhance acceptability should focus on the youth population and those who are unemployed.

Do the Heterogeneous Determinants of Repayment Affect Differently across Borrowers of Diverse Credit Sources in Rural Assam? A Double Hurdle Approach

This study made an attempt to answer the question: Do the heterogeneous determinants of repayment affect the borrowers of diverse credit sources differently? The study is based on data collected from 240 households from three districts in the lower Brahmaputra valley of Assam through a carefully designed primary survey. Besides, the study uses the double hurdle approach and the instrumental variable probit model to reduce possible selection bias. It observes better repayment performance among formal borrowers, followed by semiformal borrowers, while occupation wise it is prominent among organised employees. It has been found that in general, the household characteristics, loan characteristics and location-specific characteristics significantly affect repayment performance of borrowers. However, the nature of impact of the factors influencing repayment performance is remarkably different across credit sources. It ignores the role of traditional community-based organisations in rural Assam while analysing the determinants of repayment performance. The study also recommends for ensuring productive opportunities and efficient market linkages in rural areas of Assam. The study is based on an original data set that has specially been collected to examine question that—do the heterogeneous determinants of repayment affect the borrowers of diverse credit sources differently in the lower Brahmaputra valley of Assam—which has not been studied before.

Modal sosial dan kemiskinan di Jawa Barat

Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh modal sosial terhadap kemiskinan di Provinsi Jawa Barat. Data penelitian ini berasal dari hasil Survei Sosial Ekonomi Nasional (SUSENAS) yang dilakukan pada tahun 2014. Dalam penelitian ini, variabel modal sosial diwakili oleh empat konsep, yaitu saling percaya, toleransi, kelompok, dan jaringan. Selain itu, studi ini juga menggunakan dua variabel instrumen, yaitu lama tinggal dan lokasi tempat tinggal untuk mengoreksi masalah endogenitas dengan menggunakan model estimasi Instrumental Variable Probit (IVP). Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa modal sosial mempengaruhi kemiskinan secara negatif dan signifikan. Selain itu, lama pendidikan sebagai proksi modal manusia juga secara signifikan mengurangi kemungkinan suatu rumah tangga menjadi miskin. Berdasarkan temuan tersebut, selain meningkatkan kualitas infrastruktur dan memberikan bantuan keuangan untuk pendidikan, lembaga pemerintah di wilayah Jawa Barat juga diharapkan memfasilitasi rumah tangga miskin untuk berpartisipasi secara sosial dan mendorong pengembangan organisasi sosial untuk pengembangan modal sosial dalam upaya untuk mengentaskan kemiskinan di Provinsi Jawa Barat.

Sub-optimal household water access is associated with greater risk of intimate partner violence against women: evidence from Nepal

Household water management is often women's responsibility, as related to the gendered nature of household roles. Ethnographic data suggest that household water insecurity could increase women's exposure to emotional and physical forms of intimate partner violence (IPV), as punishments for failures to complete socially expected household tasks that rely on water (like cooking and cleaning) and the generally elevated emotional state of household members dealing with resource scarcity. Here, we test the associations between sub-optimal household water access and women's exposure to IPV, using the nationally-representative data from Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, 2016. Drawing upon the intra-household bargaining model as the theoretical framework, we run instrumental variable probit regression, to test the association between household water access and prevalence of IPV against women. After controlling for other known covariates of IPV such as women's empowerment and education, the findings substantiate that worse household water access consistently elevates women's exposures to all forms of IPV. This suggests that improvements in household water access may have additional ramifications for reducing women's risk of IPV, beyond currently recognized socioeconomic benefits. While both household water access and IPV have known health consequences, linking them provides another pathway through which water could affect women's health.

Unemployment and self-rated health in Ghana: are there gender differences?

Purpose A large extant literature examines the association between unemployment and self-rated health. Most of these studies reveal that unemployment diminishes self-rated health. Another strand of this literature, albeit sparse, suggests that the relationship between unemployment and self-rated health is gendered. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine whether unemployment is correlated with self-rated health in Ghana; and second, to explore whether and to what extent men differ from women on the basis of this relationship. Design/methodology/approach The authors used data from the Wave 6 of World Values Survey in Ghana (n=1552) and probit and instrumental variable probit regressions to empirically examine the association between unemployment and self-rated health in Ghana. Findings The results confirm that unemployment is negatively correlated with self-rated health among Ghanaians. Specifically, the unemployed are about 6.84–7.20 percent less likely to report good health status in a pooled sample. Further, after correcting for endogeneity, unemployed men are about 26.68 percent less likely to report good health. However, the association is not statistically significant for unemployed women. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence from Ghana.

The impact of wealth and income on the depression of older adults across European welfare regimes

This paper examines the impact of wealth and income on the likelihood of depression among persons aged 50 or higher in four European regions characterised by differences in the standards of living and welfare systems. To address possible effects, data from Wave 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) have been used. Based on a sample of 60,864 persons resident in 16 European countries and a binary indicator of depression, probit and instrumental variable probit models were employed, the latter of which deal with issues of endogeneity and omitted variable bias. The findings show differences in the prevalence of depression across Europe, favouring the more affluent North/Western countries. Further, there is a difference in the role and the magnitude of the effect of income and wealth across different regions. First, though both measures exhibit a measurable effect, their impact is greater in the poorer Central/Eastern and Southern regions; this divide is more pronounced for wealth. Second, income seems to have a stronger effect compared to wealth in all instances: hence, it would seem that liquidity is more important among Europeans aged 50 or higher than assets. Nevertheless, neither income nor wealth are important among persons aged 65 or higher in Nordic countries which may be partly attributable to a more equitable welfare system.

Do Financing Constraints Impact Outward Foreign Direct Investment? Evidence from India

This study examines the role of financing constraints in explaining outward foreign direct investment (FDI) using unique firm-level panel data on Indian manufacturing during the period 2007–2014. We consider the role of both internal and external finance, and employ instrumental variable probit and Tobit models to examine financing constraints in outward FDI decisions and intensity. We find that internal finance impacts the likelihood of outward FDI. Further, using count data models, we examine financing constraints in determining strategies regarding a firm's number of affiliates abroad. Our findings reveal that firms with greater cash flows and liquidity are likely to have more foreign affiliates.

Linkage between labor migration, remittance and self employed business activities in Nepal

This paper investigates the linkage between international labor migration, remittance and ownershipof self employed business activities in Nepal using a nationally representative cross sectional data. Thepurpose of the paper is to test the hypothesis propounded by New Economics of Labor Economics. Atwo stage instrumental variable Probit model is used to assess the relationship between the variables.The findings suggest that household with migrant members is seven percent more likely to own anenterprise while impact of remittance is negligible and insignificant. This paper concludes that theskills and knowledge about technology acquired abroad by migrant labor could be instrumental forexpanding the self employed business activities in Nepal contributing to overreaching objectives ofpoverty alleviation and creating jobs in the domestic market in the long run. Keywords: International labor migration; Remittance; Self-employment; Business activities;Entrepreneurship

Nonwork Trips Associated with Transit-Oriented Development

An analysis of factors associated with nonwork trips was conducted. The key variable of interest was proximity to transit-oriented development areas around train stations in New Jersey. The data were derived from a questionnaire of households around eight train stations and stratified by distance from a station. The focus was on the mode used for trips to restaurants–coffee shops and grocery–food stores, two of the most common and frequent nonwork trips. The analysis focused on the choice of walking versus driving for these trips by using an instrumental variable probit model aimed at controlling for the endogeneity associated with self-selection bias (i.e., people who prefer not to drive choose more walkable neighborhoods). Results showed strong associations between proximity to transit-oriented development areas and walking trips, and these results hold when endogeneity is controlled for. Local street density and per capita vehicle ownership also had the expected effects on walking trips.